Well now it seems like they had a change of heart because I think I may have committed to racing. It was brought up at Sunday's practice and I felt put on the spot. And it was after my verbal commitment that they divulged that there are actually 2 races that weekend and that we'd have to be in DC by 8am both days. Shoot me now.
So my first practice went well, I think. Nobody was yelling at me to stay in form (like some others... haha!) and I picked up the technique quickly. I wasn't terribly sore in my back or arms like I thought I'd be but good lord, I felt like I'd been punched in the ass for a good hour. I know some women complain about having some junk in the trunk, but it comes in handy when you're sitting on a wooden slat for an hour... trust me. Boney butts don't have the necessary cushion. I couldn't sit right for a few days leading some to think that I had quite the anniversary celebration.
I noticed that some women on the team had these little pads (pictured) that they were sitting on and I finally had to ask what they were. I mean, can you really buy a butt pad for rowing? Apparently they were using gardening kneeling pads as a cushion. They're foamy and rubbery making them soft and waterproof. Genius. I realized that I desperately needed a butt pad if I was going to survive.The next practice wasn't until Sunday so I planned to pick up the butt pad on Saturday. On Saturday, The Mr and I went over to Tom's place for a Derby party where I was reunited with Jamie, Terri and my love, Geoff. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time (seriously Terri... I'm still laughing about the emperor and his dishwasher safe friend!).
I had completely forgotten all about my sore cheeks until I heard Jamie and Tom leaving for an emergency trip to Target. In my haze of vodka tonics and a banana cream dessert, I remembered that I needed a butt pad so I screamed that I HAD to come with them. Thankfully, they let me tag along.
After getting derailed in the bargain bin section of Target (seriously - this is like crack cocaine), I declared that I had to have a giraffe doormat because it was only $2! And I also needed a bunch of picture frames because hello? $5 each?! Jamie quickly assessed that I was an impulse shopper and put a stop to my crazy.
The best part of the trip was that I had no clue where to find the gardening knee pads (yeah yeah - I could have looked in gardening, I get it... but where the hell was it?) so Tom approached a Target associate and yelled, "Where do you keep your butt pads?" I almost peed my pants. Jamie corrected him and another associate led us to the gardening section but I'm pretty sure the associate Tom spoke to is still standing there, red-faced and with his mouth agape.
But I got my butt pad and it is magic! My ass feels fabulous today but I can't speak for the rest of my body. Oy... the pain. I also think I might have caught the plague from the Baltimore harbor water as it was being splashed directly onto me by the paddler in front of me. Good times.
