Reflection on a Season in Philadelphia

Yes, dear readers, I have once again procrastinated writing. I don’t forget about you all; this blog is always at the back of my mind whenever I discover something new or think of great advice to share with my readers.  But it is true that time really flies and oftentimes my blog has been shoved to the side in favor of being with the real live people in my life who make things great. And I won’t apologize for that – if there has been one thing I learned this summer, it is that face-to-face time with the people you care about matters more than anything else in the world.

But now, unbelievably, it is fall. I have lived in my new apartment for a month and a half, and I have lived in the great city of Philadelphia for five months. I think one of the reasons I have put off blogging so long is because I feel like my life right now is a dream. Obviously, there are bad days and stressful days, but I can say with all honesty that I think my life right now is great. I am living in a city that I’ve always had kind of a romantic notion about – stemming from my high school regatta days and continuing through racing here during my collegiate years and the summers in between. I am a year-round member of Penn A.C., where I share a dock and a locker room with former Olympians. Former Olympians who say “hi” to me when I launch my boat as they are docking (and it takes every ounce of self control to not geek out). I have great teammates. I have a job at Drexel University where I have awesome co-workers. I teach classes at Rowzone Manayunk where I get PAID to make erg workouts and motivate clients through them. My new apartment is amazing – we don’t have a lot of furniture or fancy things, but it is finally a place that I can unpack all of my belongings without knowing I have to repack and move them eight months later.  I feel like I can finally settle myself in and discover who I am and what I want from life without all the chaos. I feel more focused than ever, even though most of the time I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off just trying to make it through the day.

At school, I was always told that rowing after college was way harder to manage. I assumed this was in reference to the time commitment of a full time job and a full training schedule. Personally, I think this is the least hard part of rowing now. I get up, I go rowing, I go to work, I go rowing, I go to bed. To me, this is simple.  I’ve woken up before 5:30am and gone to bed before 10pm since I was 14.  It’s the way I work well and it probably won’t ever change.

One of the hardest parts to adjust to is the volume of training.  In the past month, I have battled two fevers, multiple cold sores and been so sick that I missed my first on the water practice in over a year just because my body is adjusting to the load. But I would have to say that the harder part is explaining myself to people. In college it is acceptable to bend over backwards for your sport, because most people assume you’re getting a scholarship for it (in my case, that was still wrong). In real life, people are split into two camps. The first camp are the people who think that rowing is a “sport and social” club; that I go a couple times a week and it’s a grand old time. These people don’t understand that practice is mandatory and think that I skip Happy Hour because I’m antisocial. Trust me, when it’s pouring and freezing and all the muscles I didn’t know I had are burning, I wish I was eating nachos and drinking margaritas. Then there is the other camp of people who just think that I am crazy. They see how much time I put in at the boathouse and they wonder what kind of person would put so much energy into something that doesn’t involve a paycheck.

And I don’t even know if I could verbalize why I do it. Words can’t justify the way I feel on the good days. The 5 a.m. launch in complete darkness with perfect water where I am the only person on the river for an hour; feeling so invincible and realizing that to anyone passing by that I am just two blinking lights gliding across the surface of the water.  The Friday night row in rain so hard and so cold it takes my breath and my vision away and all I can do is feel my muscles continue to take each stroke as I wait for the downpour to stop. The feeling of freedom on the last hard stroke of a Saturday practice with the knowledge that I don’t have to begin to beat myself up again until Monday morning. Crossing a race finish line knowing that I gave it 110% of my best effort and no matter what the results say, I will be happy with that knowledge. And the fact that I never, ever have trouble falling asleep.

There are so many days that I wish I could attach a Go Pro camera to my head so that I could replay my day to my coworkers and friends to say, “See this is what I do; this is my way of life”.  But it’s not something that can be explained. I just hope that those who don’t understand know that what I do makes me truly happy and accomplished – a feeling that can’t be found through socialized drinking, retail therapy or any of the other “grown up” coping mechanisms out there. If someone had asked me in March if I thought I was going to still be rowing at this point in my life, I would have probably told them no. But I am and it is the best choice I have ever made.

Spicin’ It Up: Four Ingredient Cajun Sweet Potatoes!

One of the greatest food discoveries I have made in Philadelphia is Whole Foods’s “Six Dollar Box”. For six dollars, Whole Foods will let you pick a meat and two sides from the deli counter. Due to my diet, this is a great way for me to be able to go out to eat delicious, good quality food with friends on the cheap. My favorite side at Whole Foods is definitely the Cajun Sweet Potato fries. They are AMAZING! My only problem with them was that they are a tad too spicy for me. So of course I needed to find a way to make them at home so they will be just right (and I can have them all the time). After some experimenting, I think I’ve figured it out. Here’s the secret:

 Ingredients

7 medium sweet potatoes – I got mine at Trader Joe’s in a bag

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Cajun spice (or more if you like it really spicy! Can be found in most spice sections)

3 packets of Wawa hot sauce (or about 3 tablespoons of another brand)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven for 400 degrees.

2. Wash the potatoes  

3.Cut into pieces -  here I experimented with round, cube, fry shaped etc.

4. Stir everything together.

5. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes, stirring halfway through. In order to make sure it's cooked, poke them with a fork...or taste test!

Serving Size: One potato (or about 160g)

Calories per serving: 145 calories

Makes seven servings and keeps well for about a week in the refrigerator, which makes them a great food to have around when you’re in a rush. These were great for my lightweight diet, with required that I have 200g of sweet potato for my dinner. The spice on the sweet potatoes amped up my meal from super boring to something normal people would eat!

Any nutrition expert will tell you that sweet potatoes are considered a superfood – good source of vitamin C and magnesium, sources of iron, magnesium and Vitamin D. They are also high in carotenoids, which help ward off cancer. This recipe has all of those things, plus a spicy kick! 

Independence Day Regatta: Year Two

It’s amazing to me that the last time I updated was the middle of June. This summer has flown by and it’s easy to see why – every single day is packed! With five hours of rowing a day, there really isn’t a lot of time for other things besides going to work, prepping and eating food and sleeping. 

Independence Day Regatta has come and gone. IDR marks the moment last year when I first started thinking about rowing for a summer program. My IDR experience last year – car-topping a single and crashing on a couch- was completely different from this year. Last year I raced the Intermediate 1x (unaffiliated), this year, the Intermediate Light 1x, Open 2x and Open 4x for Penn AC. I was originally supposed to be in the Intermediate Light 2x but the Tuesday before IDR, my double partner broke her hand in a biking accident and I was put in the single instead. Both of us were really disappointed because we had been working very hard in our double and planned on racing towards a good result. This change of plans meant that my race and therefore my weigh-in was two days earlier than expected. My first weigh in as a 130 lightweight was definitely a tough one, but I hit the mark exactly: 130.0! Can’t say I’m not accurate. 

 I had a fair race in the heat and was able to make top two without pushing my hardest. The final on Saturday was a completely different story. I knew I had tough girls to race and had to have a good race to even hang with the pack. Unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me and I overgripped my oars, giving me the worst forearm cramps I’ve ever experienced in my life…beginning at 1500m to go. I crossed the finish line in last place at 26spm barely able to hang on to the handles. I was very disappointed with this, not just because I got last, but because I felt I wasn’t able to row to my potential at all and test my skills against girls I feel like I could compete with. However, the bright side is that I did at least make the final and got more racing experience. Now I know what to work on and that I have a lot of room to improve!

On Sunday, I raced in the Open 2x and Open 4x. The 2x was a last minute entry in order to give me a race in a double after we had to scratch the lightweight double. We had an okay race, we were just racing people way, way faster than we were. Like World Championship medal faster. As someone who should not only be racing as a lightweight but also in the intermediate category, this was definitely intimidating. But once again I gained more racing experience. We encountered the same situation with the quad. We put together a good race but were just outclassed. But I have to say that even through all the last minute changes and tough racing, I learned a lot and was fairly pleased with the weekend. 

 I love rowing for Penn AC. Every single person comes to practice excited and ready to row, even when we’re exhausted. Rowing in Philadelphia has refueled and revitalized my love for the sport completely. As far as my transition to a lightweight rower, things have definitely been hard but not unmanageable. My diet has worked great and although it is challenging to pass on beer and burgers when I’m out socializing, the reward has been worth it. It also helps that most of the people I know here are rowers, former rowers or coaches and understand what I am going through. The support is amazing. I definitely have a lot of thoughts about my shift to a lightweight rower so there will be a whole post about that at some point! But for now, enjoy a picture of what I eat on a regular basis. 

This Wednesday begins Club Nationals, a race I have never participated in before. I will be racing in the Intermediate Light 2x, Intermediate Light 4+ and Intermediate Light 4x. I am very excited for lots of racing over five days with a great team! GO PENN AC!

Ten Things in Ten Days: My First Take on Philadelphia

For me, the most exciting thing about summer is the feeling of possibility. This is the feeling that no matter what is going on right now, summer guarantees exciting new adventures. This summer that feeling of excitement is especially high as I have moved my fabulous self to a brand new city. For the next three months, I will blogging from the brotherly lovin’, cheese steak eatin’, Rocky Stairs runnin’ city of Philadelphia. I am not gainfully employed (yet) but I am rowing for Penn AC’s intermediate program. Practice hasn’t started yet so in between applying for real jobs and trying to keep my out-of-shape self from getting more out of shape, I have been exploring things this great city has to offer. This isn’t a traditional “Tory’s Top Ten” but here is a list of ten things I’ve done in the past ten days since I moved.

1. Run the Rocky Stairs. This was the first thing I had to do. Granted, I did it as a workout and not to re-enact that famous scene (as many tourists do). In the five or so other days that I’ve run them, it’s cool to see just how many different types of people pay homage to Rocky on the Art Museum Stairs. On top of running them at the end of each of my jogs, I’ve also done 3x8 sets with 3’ rest and 5x5’ of steps with 5’ rest. While it’s not as hard as a true 5x5’ workout, it was definitely not easy.

2. Eaten old fashioned ice cream at Franklin Fountain. These interestingly named sundaes were a little expensive, but worth the wait and the money. I had never had a banana split before so I tried “Banana Split for My Baby” which is a smaller version of a banana split with more peanut butter. So kind of like one of my shakes …only way, way unhealthier and way, way tastier.

3. Enjoyed healthy eats at The Couch Tomato. When I ventured to Manayunk, I was overwhelmed how many restaurants I wanted to eat at. The Couch Tomato stuck out because it was a funky looking spot off the main street. The food was great (I tried the Holy Chipotle and BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad). Even if the food had been so-so, they won me over when I was asked if I wanted my dressing on the side and I didn’t have to feel like a picky snob for ordering it that way. (Even though you can’t really tell from this list, I am dieting…yeah, I swear!) Any salad can be made into a wrap and they have a ton of vegetarian options, or you can make your own. The ingredients taste as fresh as they are guaranteed to be and if you sit outside, it’s a great place for people watching.

4. Partied at The Bike Race. The Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, known in Philly as The Bike Race, is a pro bicycling race that snakes its way through Philadelphia every June. I thought people only drank before 10 a.m. if they were being hazed but when we arrived at “The Wall” at 10:45 a.m., spectators were already slurring their commentary. It was like an outrageous day-long frat party to support the bikers. “The Wall”, one of the best places to watch, refers to a giant hill in Manayunk where the riders slow down enough that I could almost high five them. If they hadn’t been climbing a hill giant enough that walking up it just once made me need a nap.

5. Got a brain freeze at Philly Flavors. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Rita’s. This might be the better version of Rita’s…with more flavors, real ice cream as well as frozen yogurt and HUGE portions for about the same price (just don’t get a sundae because those will run your bill up). They will mix Italian ice with soft serve ice cream and it is so good. I highly recommend peach ice with vanilla soft serve. Just don’t eat it as fast as I did…brain freeze!

6. Used my college knowledge to crush Quizzo at North Star Bar. Ok, so maybe I only got one question right. But my team was really smart and that’s what counts. This trivia night, hosted by Johnny Goodtimes (who sometimes raps questions), was a low key pen-and-paper game with four rounds: easy, speed, themed and impossible, with some “guess-the-song” rounds in between. And no, the question I got right was not in the easy round. The wings were pretty good, the beers were better and the feeling of winning would have been the best. Guess I have to go back next Monday for that!

7. Had my first cheesesteak as a Philadelphia resident at Mama’s Pizzeria. While it might not be as famous as Pat’s or Geno’s, I could care less because it wasn’t crowded and the cheesesteaks were awesome. And by “cheesesteaks”, I have to confess that I could only eat half. But it was a fantastic half, with perfect roll and extra cheese and grilled onions and tasty steak. I will definitely be sampling a lot of cheesesteaks over the next three months but even if there is a better one out there, it probably won’t taste just as good microwaved for lunch the next day (but Mama’s did!)

8. Celebrated Beer Week at Memphis Taproom. If I had known that Beer Week existed, I probably would have moved here years ago. Who wouldn’t love a city that celebrates beer? Memphis Tap Room was a great place for me to go to kick off my first beer week. Not only did they have a no repeat beer week beer menu, they also have fried pickles (they taste WAY better than they sound) and delicious sandwiches for not too much money.

9. Devoured wings at PJ Wellihans. Thanks to Darby’s forty cent wing night, I discovered this year that I love wings, especially sweetly barbequed wings with a little bit of tang. I might not have had a long history of wing eating, but these wings are the best I have ever eaten. Ever. We ordered 30 Hot ‘n’ Honey wings for three of us, but I am pretty sure that I could have eaten all 30 by myself. And then wanted more. They were amazing.

10. Sampled my way through Whirled Peace. I went to this froyo place for the first time in March and I was totally in love. At that point, I didn’t know I was going to move to Philadelphia (perhaps subconsciously this is what made me chose) but I knew I loved this place. They have about ten flavors of frozen yogurt, from the typical chocolate and vanilla to some super weird sounding flavors that were actually kind of good. I don’t know because I’ve made ten trips, I know because they let you have free samples of every flavor. Actually, I'm not sure if they let you do this. I just know that there were sampling cups and I was in charge of getting my own. When you stop sampling, you can add a TON of different toppings for whatever craving you have that day. So delicious!

So what if three of my ten adventures were ice cream related? Clearly I have my priorities in order. While I have done these ten things, some highlights so far that didn’t make the Top Ten include getting a bike flat, falling off my bike, successfully parallel parking my car, erging in the Penn AC boathouse, riding my bike in the city at night, figuring out where I am (sometimes), going grocery shopping in a less than nice neighborhood and not getting any parking tickets (so far). I haven’t been on the water yet, which will make 22 days the longest amount of time I have not rowed (during rowing months) in the past three years. Other than that, I am enjoying myself immensely and look forward to a summer full of adventures! Do you have any adventure ideas for me? Leave a comment or send me an email!

Schuylkill Navy Regatta: Don't Forget the Medal!

June 17, 2011: Pre Race

Loaded Izzy all by myself!

Since Philly is about four hours away from Poughkeepsie, I wanted to stay overnight somewhere closer. Marissa, my friend and a fellow Marist rower, lives in Jackson, NJ, which is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Philly. Her family was kind enough to feed and house me before my race (and also let me play with their cats!)

Amusing Dexter with a flashlight

Marissa's mom's AMAZING dinner: chicken and potatoes and salad

Tigerlily is happy for the attention

June 18, 2011: Race Day

Rigging in the sunshine

Marissa and I only had to get up at 5:45 a.m. to hit the road for Philly. We left at about 6:30 a.m. and despite very confusing Google Maps directions, we made it to the course around 8 a.m, just in time to set up and help Sean launch.

Sean launching

View from the launching dock

Sean Clarke, 1st racer on the water

 

My race was at 10:35 and Sean had recommended that I launch about half an hour before. Even though my race was not a 2k (it was a 1k), he said that I still had to follow the traffic pattern for the people in the 2k races. I assumed that this meant I had to go all the way to the 2k start and once I launched, that’s where I headed. I had a decent amount of time to warm up once I was down there but suddenly, it seemed like I was the only boat on the river. I had to row up the course until the Strawberry Mansion Bridge before I saw anyone who looked like they were in my race. Apparently, all the other novice singles had waited at the Bridge for our race to start. Well, at least I got a good warm up in…about 3k more than my competition!

 

I raced from the 1st blue line (1000m) to the 2nd yellow line (finish line)

The Race

I was in lane 2, with my competitors in lanes 3, 4, and 5. Even though I’ve raced in Philly tons of times, I had never only raced 1000m. The start for my race was at the dock of the St. Joe’s boathouse, which is the halfway point during the collegiate spring racing season. I hoped that this would make the race feel easier. However, even though 1000m is shorter than 2000m, it still feels really long. 

Once again, as soon as the official said “GO!”, my brain shut off. I know I did a start, and I think I did some power strokes but I was focused completely on keeping my bowball ahead of the other racers. After about 250m, the girl in lane 5 went off course and veered into the middle of the course. Fortunately, she was behind the pack so she didn’t interfere. The three of us pushed a little bit over to the middle of the course, so I was in lane 2 ½ (if there was such a thing) when I passed the start of the island. I knew that, even though there was a good chance I was going to win, I wanted to push it. My body seemed to know that the island meant “sprint” without me even thinking about it.  I passed the island and knew that in an 8+, the end of the island meant 20 more strokes. 20 strokes in an eight is definitely not equivalent to 20 strokes in a single. I think I took 30 more strokes before I finally heard the “BEEP” signifying that I had finished the race.

 

 See more video from Schuylkill Navy Regatta on my Youtube channel. 

After the race, I was my normal oblivious self and missed the fact that the officials were waving me to the medal dock to get a medal. I knew that winners got a medal, but the thought didn’t even cross my mind after the race. Like I said before, I think my brain shuts off when I row…and sometimes forgets to come back on. This meant I had to walk all the way back to the grandstand to get my medal. The officials thought that it was pretty amusing, at least. 

After much ado...

Schuylkill Navy Regatta medal

Since Sean unfortunately didn’t qualify for his final, we de-rigged the boats and headed off an adventure for authentic Philly cheesesteaks. We ended up at Dallesandro’s, which was AWESOME. I definitely plan on making a return visit when I head back for IDR.

Small place, big cheesesteaks

Perfect for hungry rowers!

Results
Can be found here.

Overall Impressions of the Race
This was a good step up from Derby. The officials were more official, but it wasn't so crazy or crowded that they were intensely scary. I got to race on a course that I have raced on many times throughout my rowing career, but I got to experience it in a different way. It was a relaxed atmosphere while still being a competitive race. And the medals were cool, once I made it to the grandstand to get mine! I think this was a good race for me at this stage, worth the travel time and money.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to Marissa and her family for being generous enough to give me a delicious meal and a place to sleep. It was also great to have Marissa at the race for support and a lot of laughs. Once again, thanks to Sean for taking video and lending me oars. And special thanks to my beloved car, Izzy, for not hating me for the 450+ miles that we traveled.

Maybe if I can just get my bow close enough, I can spear a watermelon! (Picture taken safely at a red light on the trip home)