This is not my usual blog entry since it is not about competitive rowing ? directly, (I will explain later.) I just returned home from a lovely nature excursion along the Orange County Coast between Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove State Park. The air was crisp and the views of the Pacific were clear as you can see on the pictures below.

Being able to go discover nature the way I did, is a result of being fit through rowing. I took my Kickbike and loved every second of it. Below is the local map and in red the trails I took.

If you don’t know what a Kickbike is, have a look. For me this mode of exercise is ideal. Gliding along is a cross between running, which I am not good at, and biking, which limits the overall body conditioning effect and is not ideal for strengthening the gluts and the core.

I stopped several times to take pictures of Catalina Island, Saddleback Mountain, and some of the expensive houses of Laguana Beach.

Saddleback Mountain in the back. Another great hiking opportunity in Orange County.

Right below the clouds is Catalina Island. The picture does not do it justice. At this elevation I was able to make out the Catalina Harbor.

Laguna Beach is the home of some pretty unbelievable homes with views of the Pacific Ocean.

I mentioned at the beginning that there is a link between this blog post and competitive rowing. To be successful in any discipline, whether it is curling, art, rowing, math, science, the brain and the body need to have a change of pace, a scenery change, a fresh view of the world. Crosstraining is therefore critical. It was for me, when I was training for the Olympics. There is a smart way to weave crosstraining into elite training.

Crosstraining is awesome.