Rowing involves lots of early mornings… with lots of 5am starts, so it’s important to have as much ready the night before as possible. I’ll try to have my bag packed, food prepped and clothes all laid out. This means all I have to do in the morning is get dressed, grab breakfast and head straight out the door for training.
For breakfast, I always have… toast and jam with a cup of tea (no matter what time I get up). Following a morning training session, I’ll have a second breakfast of yoghurt and granola to refuel and set me up for a day of studying (I’m currently reading for an MPhil in Population Health Sciences).
When we’re not on the water, I stay fit by… doing regular strength and conditioning sessions, as well as spending time on the rowing machine with my squad. This helps build up our strength and fitness to support the technical changes we make in the boat. Sessions on the rowing machine can be long steady-state training or high-intensity pieces. These are a great way to see numerical evidence of improvements in our fitness and, although they’re tough, I love the rush you get after a hard session. Doing S&C in the gym has also greatly improved my awareness of how I can maximise my muscles to harness more power in the boat; it’s a nice mental reset during the week.
It’s important to recover well after a hard erg of row… and I like to go for a walk and do some stretching to keep myself moving. Both of those activities give me time to mentally reflect on the positives and areas of improvement from the last session. Nutrition is also key to recovery, so I like to refuel with a big meal – spaghetti bolognese is a favourite!
I often feel nervous before a race but… once we’re rowing, I am usually completely absorbed by the task at hand. Rowing is a real team sport, and I love that aspect of it. When a cox makes a call for a change or a push on the opposition, I have absolute trust in my crew to fully commit to the call. We spend many hours training together as a squad and this level of preparation gives me so much confidence and drive during a race which allows me to put my nerves to good use. I also try to focus on what is within my control and not let the ‘uncontrollables’ stress me out; if I know that I have done everything possible to the best of my ability, that thought greatly reduces my stress levels both during and after a race.
Snack-wise, you’ll find me nibbling on… a snack bar or energy gels during a session. Jelly Babies are also a firm favourite among rowers. After a session, I usually have protein powder or yoghurt for a snack before eating a proper meal.
To wind down in the evenings… I love rewatching TV shows that I’ve seen a hundred times before. That level of predictability is so comforting. Finding time to switch off from rowing and studying is an incredibly valuable part of my daily routine and helps keep me balanced and relaxed before going to sleep.
I juggle my degree and rowing to maximise sleep… and that’s really benefitted both my focus in classes and improvements in training. Prioritising sleep was a big learning curve when I first came into the sport as it was often difficult to fit in university work or socialising before an early bedtime, but a good night’s sleep makes me so much more efficient in the day – so it’s definitely worth it.
