We won the Eight yesterday and set a new world record of 5:55.50! 

 

Hi all!  Just a quick note to fill you in on todays speedy news.... we went speedy.  In a mighty messy tail wind, Cooke and I went almost world record pace to get our fastest time together ever.  We came fourth in the A final at the Worlds.  This makes us the fourth fastest pair in the WORLD, and by not that big of a margin.  We were right in there.  I think that is pretty cool. 

 

We had a great race because we have no regrets, left it all on the race course, kept attacking, and were right in there.  Our start was not good and a big gust of wind pointed us into the buoy line right before we took off.  This turned into major steering and sharing a lane with the Netherlands for those first few strokes... We were never phased and hung in the pack.  The race was fast, the rates were high (base of almost 37!, high of 46! sprint at a 41 1/2!) and we were surfing down the course.  It was messy, but we attacked each stroke and raced like the racers we are. 

 

When the time came for the bubble line, I thought we might have earned a bronze, maybe even silver (I had no idea if we had moved much, no looking!) and even though we didn't medal, I was okay with that.  We raced so hard.  And that is all that matters.  We really came a long ways this season in the pair and I am pleased with our efforts. 

 

Now, time for bed and a good nights sleep.  We race the 8+ tomorrow, 3pm my time, 10am in Princeton, 7am in Bellevue/Seattle/Yakima... so wherever you are, tune in online to see how we do!   I am fully confident in this crew and hungry for a win.  It will be quite a ride.  Here we go!  Go USA!  www.worldrowing.com

Ahhhh, after three days of racing, we had a nice day to just do some steady state and recover.  The good news: both our eight and the pair are on to the A finals!  

 

Our first goal is now complete.  By making it to the A final, which I totally knew we could do, we are now in a spot to win a medal, or should I say medals? Yes, I think I shall. 

 

Megan and I had a great race yesterday in our pair to win the Rep.  We  had a solid start, even after taking a crooked first stroke, but we were so focused and ready for the race that we led wire to wire.  Yes, there was a big push by the Netherlands, but we held them off with our sprint and knew we had it. We kept the rate high in the cross tail wind and even sprinted up to a 41. I thought that was pretty cool to be able to increase our speed and hit such a rate for the last ten!

 

Our eights race the day before was commanding.  We blasted out of the start docks and had quite a lead at the thousand that we were almost surfing it into the line for the last 1k, there was a really big cross tail!  We didn't shut down, but it is hard to go all out when the race was behind us.  The final should be different and there will be all 250 strokes, all hard, all to earn the right to be world champions.  No surfing, just rowing. 

 

This eight lineup and crew is truely fantastic.  What a pleasure to race in this solid eight.  Every day we improve, increase our speed and create a rhythm that is unstopable.  What a ride this will be in the final.  I definately want to be on that ride.

 

In other news, my parents took me for our afternoon off to Windsor Castle yesterday and we took a ferry ride up the Thames.  A perfect end to the hectic days of racing.  It is good for the Mickelsons to be together again! 

 

Also, I will be coming home after worlds too (my true home, Bellevue and Quinault) so I hope to see many of you reading this then!  (Sept. 1-6).  Sorry for the delays in posting to this diary.  I don't have my computer here and with doubling up, I am spending all hours getting rubbed down by the trainers, stretched and warmed up, on the hour bus ride to the course, hour bus ride from the course, eating in the restaurant all three meals (time consuming), washing my clothes in the bath tub... the days just get all filled up!  So, glad to get in a post today.  I appreciate you all following the races and remember, www.row2k.com has good usa coverage and there is a live race viewer with audio on www.worldrowing.com

 

Love ya!  -Anna

Hi all,

It has been a busy day!  Racing began today and Cooke and I raced the pair against Germany and New Zealand.  It was a good fight, but we were down too far in the middle thousand and couldn't make it up. We have learned some tough lessons and are a bit frustrated, as to be expected, but are more than set on winning this thing anyways.  Next time.... so, we are on to the rep on Tuesday where we face the Netherlands and Austrailia among others to get top two and get in that A final.  We are really ready to go. 

 

However, we have some fun inbetween.  The long awaited race in the eight.  Tomorrow, we have a go against China and the likes and have to win to advance directly to the final.  This is our goal, obviously.  We have had great rows so far and it is going to be a great race.  This is an exciting time. 

 

Tiring, yet exciting!  Time for bed and more races in the am!  For up to date results and funny pictures, check out www.row2k.com  and other sites in my links:) 

 

-Anna

Greetings from rainy ol' England!

We made it to the site of the 2006 World Rowing Championships... eventually.  With the terrorist alert at high and security at maximum and us flying into and out of the two major target airports, it was quite a trip for such a simple flight from New York to London. 

 

We met at the boathouse at 3 in the afternoon and arrived at the hotel in London 17 hours later.  I had the pleasure of getting great rest on the plane as my only options were to sleep or sleep.  We were only aloud a plastic bag as a carry on that held our wallet, passport and some people managed to bring on a book.  I was not one of these people.  It was actually kind of funny to take the most media dependant people I can think of (young Americans) and take away all their toys: computers, ipods, cell phones, even books, pens and paper!  We are still alive and probably better for the the experience. 

 

Now for the important part of why I am here, the rowing!  The course is at Dorney Lake and is world class.  It is a beautiful race course complete with a separate 2k warmup area, just like Athens.  Our boats are all rigged, we are all rowing and getting back in the groove.  I have been swithching off with Cooke as we go about every other row out in the pair and then out in the eight.  Both crews haven't missed a beat as we all tackle the strong head wind up the course and the massive tail down to the finish line.  In the pair on our first day, it took us about 12 minutes up and 8 minutes down! 

 

The weather is what people always joke about for England, grey and rainy.   Maybe things will clear up and we will get some sunshine, but whatever the weather these next two weeks, we are all ready to row.

 

-Anna 

I made the team! Again!  For the first time ever, I will be competing in two events at the World Championships.  And, for not the first time ever, I will be rowing in the women’s eight.  This will be my fifth time racing in the eight at Worlds.  I am even more eager than when I first began to race the world. 

Last Sunday, our eight was named to the team.  Our boat is the same as we raced at the Henley last month.  I’m sitting five seat, which is my favorite because that is where I rowed at the Olympics.  I am exactly in the middle of the boat and feel completely surrounded by strength. 

This past Wednesday, our eight made the time standard and we will now be sent to compete at Worlds.  We needed to go under 6:14 and we made it in 6:02.  We are going faster and faster each day, solidifying the rhythm of this fabulous group of women athletes. 

And now we are preparing to head to Eton, England.  We fly out on Friday the 11^th, giving us eight days to settle in before racing starts on the 20^th (we arrive on the 12^th). 

At this point in our training, the volume has decreased significantly, but the intensity has shot through the roof.  We do short, extremely focused workouts.  I guess short is all relative, though.  For example, on Saturday, we only did three pieces, a 2k, 1k, and 500 meters and it worked out to 2 hours on the water…. but I consider this short and focused… something is wrong with me!  I guess that is why I row, because there isn’t anything wrong, there is only a strong desire to find my best and I’m willing to work for it.