Wellesley can feel like a bubble, and Blue Crew is an even
tighter bubble within that. Ask any rower or coxswain – the library and KSC are
probably where we spend most of our non-structured time…with each other. That’s
a lot of time with the same people, not that we don’t love it! With our
relentless training right off the bat from the end of fall season, it’s nice to
leave campus, the erg loft, and even our friends and teammates behind for a
while just so we can look at things with a fresh perspective when we come
back.
Thanksgiving
break started off with a 2K and 30’ mileage test. What better way to make us
more grateful for a few days off? Although many of us were coming off a
difficult week academically, several people pulled PRs. Impressive. After that
exertion it would’ve been easy to take a few days off over break and just
carbo-load on the couch. Despite the temptation, we saw quite a few Turkey
Trots, 5Ks, and WODs (such as the “Gobble Gobble”) being updated on our team site:)
Susan Laves, Rachel Coogan and I
headed down to Philadelphia for our first-ever (but definitely not our last) half
and full marathons, respectively. We all finished! I think I speak for all of
us when I say that I’m thankful to be on such a supportive and genuinely caring
team. Coogs, amazingly, qualified for Boston with a time of 3:19. “If only we had TRAINED! We’d be superfast!”
she kept saying as we hobbled back to the car. Never enough, as coxswain Emma
Kaufman likes to say. Becca Kimball, currently studying abroad in Spain, also
recently ran her first half-marathon. Hmm…could Blue Crew’s training plan be
the next magic formula fad in marathon training?
With finals
coming up, the next few weeks will take extra focus and efficiency to get through.
The sophomore class has proposed a “little competition” to keep us motivated … winners will win a cake, baked using their
secret family recipe (?!). Nothing like some friendly competition to get us in
the holiday spirit!
Valerie Soon '13
