If you've been following along, or haven't, did you know that I have a podcast?

I DO!!! It's called The Ocean Rowing Podcast.

It's a great way to hear what I am up to and hear from other ocean rowers, people who have done it, and get some great advice about ocean rowing. If you are planning on rowing an ocean, check it out! If you aren't...check it out for the even numbered episodes. In those, I shat where I am in my journey, answer questions people ask...like where do you go to the bathroom? 

​Head over to the podcast page to listen!

Over the past few years, I have been traveling across the country trying to figure out where to live. Not only that, but I also like to try new things. So over the past 5ish years, I have had numerous things that made me realize I hate the heat. And not just uncomfortable, and I can deal with it like I did when I was younger, but more feel like I am going to pass out, heat is the worst, type of situation.

Let me start with our trip to Austin Texas...

I grew up on the East Coast of the US. If you have been there, you know it's pretty darn hot and humid. I lived in New England, the south, Florida, and lots of places in between. It's one of those things that I used to just deal with. Put some shorts and flip flops on, or even jeans and a sweatshirt in Florida, because they don't understand how to use air conditioning, but I was fine. I would eventually get inside and be alright. Fast forward to adulthood and my husband and I went to Austin, Texas, in November. We enjoyed walking everywhere, and it was just un-walkable. It didn't have that humidity that the East Coast has, but it was brutally, deathly, HOT! Needless to say, we loved Austin, but it was too darn hot for me. I didn't even want to go outside....AT ALL. I did a workout with a friend, came home, threw up. I didn't even feel like I could workout anymore, I didn't quite figure out why I hated this heat so much until we went to Washington.

In Washington, I met a co-worker and friend who was into yoga and since my husband likes yoga, I figured I would give it a shot again. By the way, I am not a yogi. I have given it a pretty solid chance, but it's just not for me. Regardless, we went to bikram yoga, or hot yoga. It was my first time doing hot yoga, and I made it about 30 minutes into the hour or 90 min session. At the 30 minute mark, I had to lie down and I was so hot I just felt like I was dying. I didn't have a headache, I didn't feel dizzy, I just felt beyond hot with no escape. I eventually had to leave the room, went and stood outside in the cold rain in a t-shirt and shorts. It took me about 20 minutes to feel almost normal. We went and tried yoga again, and this time, we didn't sit under the heater, and I actually didn't even make it 30 minutes. I had to do the same thing. I felt drained, beat-up, and defeated.

It was during this recovery time that I remembered having heat stroke when I was a little kid at sports camp. I remember not wanting to drink anything and having to go home early because I had overdone it. This is exactly what I felt like, but I didn't make the connection because other than just drained, I felt ok. However, this connected with all the other experiences I have had in the past 10ish years and I realized, I just don't do well with heat. I HATE heat. My body doesn't like it. I think there is another component to this, but to keep things short, that's it. Due to all this, and not having a good response to heat for at least the past 5 years, I am scared of the heat. I can deal with sharks, waves, no wind, etc,...but being stuck in the heat, with no escaping scares me. 

Maybe I need to incorporate this into my training, but this is something I need to be aware of and I am glad that I got the chance to remember it when I saw the boat the other day. I even have a medical background and know about heat stroke, but it's crazy when it is happening how you don't think about it because I didn't feel that bad. Now I know!

HEAT = SAD AMANDA

I got to see my first ocean rowing boat in person!

You might be wondering if it scared me...but it just made me more excited!

Every time I talk to someone for the podcast, or meet an ocean rower (this was the first one I met in person), I get more and more excited! And I think...I can do this...I WILL do this!

I got to meet Bryant Knight from Fight Oar Die, who rowed in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) 2018. He is doing amazing things! He has a huge vision and plans on having a team row this boat, and more in the TWAC every year. He already has an all women's boat and a guys boat scheduled over the next two years! The mission is simple...row together...fight for change! The boat is made of all veterans, and last year was their first year as an all veteran team to cross the Atlantic.

Fight Oar Die wants to let Veterans know that "despite anything that has happened in their lives - Veterans can grow, develop, excel, and achieve ANYTHING they want." - Fight Oar Die

I got to ask Bryant lots of questions over the two hour period I helped him clean equipment. He was kind enough to let me walk around and in his boat as well as just see everything. I know that next time I see a boat I will be more curious and look around more, but just climbing into the cabin was pretty cool. It's pretty hot in there, and it was a cooler day, so I can only imagine what the heat is like in the middle of the Atlantic in December. I have to say...out of everything that I could encounter, the heat is what scares me the most...shocking...I know!

Stay tuned and tomorrow I will share why I am most scared of the heat!

Here are some pictures from when I got to see the boat the other day. More stories to come in the near future I hope.

Thank you Bryant for the amazing experience and being willing to put up with me for a couple of hours. I hope I did okay cleaning the lines!

Episode 4 releases today!

This is an update episode....but what does that mean?

Well, it's basically me chatting and give you a brief update on where I am in my planning to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Not only that, but I am also going to answer some questions that people have had. 

Here are some of those questions...

1. What is the difference between ocean rowing and rowing on a lake?

2. What's the best way to practice/train for ocean rowing if you live in a land area and not near an ocean?

3. What kind of boat am I planning on using?

4. Am I looking to get a record? Just have fun? What's the reason/plan?

5. What kind of campaign do I want to run?

Find out the answers...or my answers as of now... by checking out the podcast. It's a short episode, so you can easily fit it in, but get your answers on where I am roughly 3.5 years before I take on this adventure.

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I finally got out on the water! YAY!!

I signed up for a lesson right before the coach was going in for a shoulder surgery, so I was glad to get one lesson in.

The lesson went pretty well. He said he wouldn't have thought I had been off the water for 12+ years. He gave me the go-ahead to be able to row with the club members. So! I got on the water for a second time that week too! YAY! That time in a sculling quad boat with four people. 

It wasn't bad for my first and second time in the boat.

Excited to get out and do more. Getting out in the quad definitely made me want to be able to get out on the water by myself even more quickly. I like the team part, but also feel like I am holding people back, even if I'm not. Because I am new to sculling, people think of me as not being very good, and that's tough. I am always up for learning and getting better, so I liked that aspect, but I am excited to row on my own and learn to push myself. I think I like sweeping in a group better and sculling with less people, but you have to start somewhere. So I will keep going and learning until I can get out there on my own!

Checkout the video for some footage of my first time rowing in a double and sculling!

Guess what! I can build my boat!

So, at first, I couldn't figure out if I could even make a boat. Than someone reached out to me and he knew someone who offers the kits to make my own boat. That was super exciting. So I reached out to the person, Phil Morrison, and he responded with some different options. Not going to lie, they are all over my head and I am having trouble figuring out some of the differences, but I know it is possible!

Then, that same person who informed me about Phil, pointed out someone who is currently building his boat for an ocean rowing adventure of his own. So, I got in touch with him too. He is just now putting it together! I had someone else reach out as well that mentioned TWAC, Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, the competition I probably will do, may not allow me to build my boat.

So, of course, I emailed Atlantic Campaigns, who runs the TWAC event, and I was basically told it is possible. There are certain things put in place and things I will need to do to make sure it is sea-worthy and passes inspections, but I CAN build my own boat! I am stoked!

YAY!

It's officially here! My first EVER Podcast!

I am so excited to share it with everyone. This podcast is designed to share everything about Ocean Rowing.

What does that mean?

I answer typical questions I get, and share where I am in my story of preparing and ultimately crossing an ocean in a rowing boat. I also interview people who have rowed or are going to row across an ocean and share their stories.
Right now, it is a bi monthly podcast.

Once a month, or maybe every other week, I will give an update episode on where I am in my planning and what questions I am looking to have answered. The frequency will change based on where I am in the planning process. And once a month there will be a guest rower to help answer questions. If it's not a rower, it is someone that can help me get to the starting point and help answer questions that I have.
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If you want to know more, feel free to comment with questions below.❓

Check out the podcast, link in below and in comments and hit subscribe to keep updated on my adventure. Feel free to share and spread the word!
Also, any questions you ask me, I will answer in one of my podcast episodes. So hit the Subscribe button!

Today was supposed to be my first lesson on the water rowing in a boat with two oars. I grew up rowing with one oar, which is called sweep. But two oars is called skulling. Well, they are very different because in racing shells (boats), when you only have one oar, you are in the boat with other people and you have to stabilize together. When it is just you, the boat moves more and it is more unstable. Plus, learning to move the oar (feathering and so forth) with both hands instead of one is different too.

Anyways, today I was supposed to have my first lesson. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and it wasn't safe to go out. Therefore, I ended up just learning about the boat house and asking some other technical questions that I will mention in my podcast later this month. I will keep you posted, but here is my rowing update. 

I am starting a podcast!

I am finding that putting my story out there is getting me in touch with some people who are oging through similar things or have some of the answers I am looking for. So I have decided to create a podcast for other people interested in Ocean Rowing. Since this sport is growing, I want to make it easy for people to get information about Ocean Rowing and how to make it possible. Therefore, I am going to shar emy interviews with ocean rowers and other people who might have info to help along the way.

I will post later this week when it launches!

Stay tuned!