Hello followers!
I have decided that if I can get internet everyday I will be making an attempt to give an update for each day of our training camp leading into Bled and through the competition. I know I missed yesterday so I will give a brief update on that (ok fine it may not be brief) and our activities today.
DAY 1: Ciao Corgeno!
Today we entered Corgeno via Toronto, Dusseldorf, and Milan. Overall the travel was easy and not too tiring. The flights went well, I did not get any air sickness (yea!) and the flights were quick, early even in some cases. We arrived in Malpensa airport around 9:30 am Italy time or central European standard time (CET) and drove the last 20 mins or so to our training site in Corgeno, also where our hotel is located. We unpacked our belongings and settled in quickly before heading to lunch next door at a small local restaurant. Although the pizza they continually put out is stellar the rest of the meal lacks some luster. I believe it is because the chef is trying to make sure we eat healthy and does not want to jeopardize our training but man Italy is the land of good food and we LOVE to eat let's make it worth the calories!! The funniest thing for us was the vegetables. Maybe one of you know the answer to this, but do Italians just not eat vegetables? Or if they do, why do they eat them cold? I am not talking raw veggies, I am talking sauted zucchini, cooked (mushy) carrots, corn, and green beans amongst others. Not only is is weird to us, it takes you by surprise when you take a bite, not my favourite way to eat veggies. In any case I am hoping things improve and increase in variety as dinner was the same meal repeated, albeit some fish.
After lunch we all headed back to the hotel in a jet lag stupor to have a nap before we headed to the course for a row.
I will get some photos up, but here is an attempt to describe the course:
You enter the boat house through a tiny lane way, only wide enough for one car with tall stone walls on each side, just big enough that you don't want to mess with them. As you get to the lake there is a reasonably sized boathouse, simple in design along the edge of the water sitting next to what looks like some sort of recreation area. As you look out to the water you notice that the lake is all within sight but the scenery changes in every direction. The scene to note however is toward the top of the course where the lake is the base to beautiful red rooftops all set on the backdrop of the mountains. It is a beautiful sight, straight off of a postcard.
The row was uneventful, but a good paddle to get the legs moving an back to normal size after being on a plane so long and was followed by dinner. It was after dinner that my day kind of changed.
Matt called the hotel soon after we returned from dinner and after some pleasantries he relayed info from my family at home. I don't know if I mentioned it ever before, but my Grandma, Guckan, has been sick and although on my visit there a few weeks ago she was improving, it was expected that she would not be with us too much longer. As it happens, she passed a day or so ago, in the presence of one of my uncles, peacefully and I believe quite , proud and content with what legacy she had left behind. It was not easy news to hear and I am tearing up just typing about it but in the sadness there is also peace. I know God is giving me that peace, and it is because of His sacrifice that she is able to be in a better place, reunited with her earthly love and husband Bucka. It will not be easy to be away when her funeral occurs but in the end I know the grave will not hold her just as it did not hold Jesus. The pain is still real but the hope and joy in the gift of her live is greater. I will do what I can to make her proud and there will be some power in my rowing stroke because of what she has gifted me with genetically and with her life examples.
Typically bed time means lights out and slumber pretty quick, but last night after a distraction of a shopping trip, although a quick pass out our night was not exactly all slumber. At about 1am both Emily and I woke to use the washroom and then the fun began. We both got up, used the facilities and then as we lay trying to get back to sleep Emily says "I'm hungry". And since I was also awake I answered "me too". Now neither of us got up to eat anything but it was a humourous moment to share. In any case it was after we started to drift off again that Emily's bedside light came on. Now in this hotel the lights and any powered things are controled by a room key in the wall which is hooked then to a push pad for each item in the room. As all of our items, they were not on. So Emily turned her light off again and we headed to sleep. A short while later we hear a rush of water, and we both wake and listen as it stops. I don't know that we said anything then but that was to come. So again back to bed. A while later the light comes on AGAIN! This time Emily made a comment about it and then turned it off just as before. This was followed shortly by another rush of water and so it continues. Finally around 3am I would guess we had one more light incident which was ended by Emily removing the bulb in the light proceeded by another longer 30" rush of water which we then decided was worth checking on as it sounded like water was falling on our floor. After investigating it turned out that the shower was turning on for some reason. We are not sure what the problem is but we know it has not happened during the day. Who knows but it surely is a mystery...
DAY 2:
Our second day started in a rush as after our night of curious incidents we somehow slept in till 8:45am which meant we had to quickly put on our rowing clothes, get breakfast skipping our morning monitoring (glucose test of urine and resting HRs... I know it is thrilling, even more so for our physiologist who has to test). It was a good sleep however, and I was ok with one rushed morning to get the good sleep we needed.
Shortly after breakfast we hit the lake after making some rig changes and worked through some of the kinks. Every row is not a perfect one but we are striving to make them as such.
We left the boathouse with some things to work on but upward and onward we go, and off to eat the same old meal we went. More cold veggies, pasta and pizza. The afternoon was uneventful with a good row before dinner focusing on starts to help reset our mental state after the difficult morning. The only humourous thing I can tell you about today was about a man at the side of the road on our way home. On approach we noted the car on the other side of the road pulled over and as we got closer we saw the trunk was open. Nothing crazy right, well as we passed we were surprised to see a pasty white Italian man wearing a red speedo and caring what seemed to be a kayak paddle. I am not sure where the boat was but the speedo was a nice touch.
The night wears on and we will be headed to bed in a while but overall a productive day. Tomorrow starts the real training camp work.
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