Life of a Rower Part 2

So, Life of a Rower is my most read post, probably because to most people rowing is weird (actually it is a bit weird to me too). It's not like football or rugby and is on TV every day, it's a distant sport which is little known about in the 'normal world'. 

For me personally I literally cannot remember a life without rowing and what it felt like NOT to be a rower or to be known as 'the rower'. But I definitely would not have it any other way. Rowing is who I am and is what I do, without it I would definitely be the most boring person ever (I'd also be so fat because I love food too much).

We like to eat 

Now I am coming to the end of my school rowing career I'm so sad. The past two years of rowing especially have been the best years of my life so far. I've met the best people, made friends with people I'd never even meet (Amy) if it wasn't for the power of the internet and the rowing community and I've learnt more about myself every day (wow that was a bit deep sorry!). Don't get me wrong, university is going to be amazing (hopefully) and I'm going to meet even more new people and my rowing will be able to improve so much because I'll be training more and more. But I'm so content in this little bubble of school rowing with the best coaches and crew members that I'm really not ready for this bubble to pop yet.

Admittedly, we're not quite at the end of the season yet, Women's Henley is yet to come as well as other regattas and (hopefully) Home Countries. But with the speed this year has flown by I'm certain the next few weeks will pass by instantly and it makes me so sad.

This season has been a mix of emotions, I won my first single race in September as well as another win in a pair with one of my best friends. Hampton Head was amazing and so surprising to come out with a win in our coxed four which we also won in at Monmouth Winter Head. .Then came Seville Training Camp in April which was amazing and so much fun but again time flew by. Not long after Seville I had a boat names after me. That's right.....AN ENTIRE BOAT. It was a huge honour and complete surprise to have a boat named after me and I'm so thankful for that. But there were also times, such as doing 6x500m on the ergo when my legs were burning, I was close to puking and blacking out when I wondered if it was all worth it. Or when we'd have bad outings in the 8 I'd wonder if some people wanted to win as badly as I did and do (emphasis on wonder, I know everyone was committed!) 

An actual boat named after me!!!

With my (not so)  baby brother

But then came National Schools. The event we'd been training for since September, the 6am wake up calls, blisters, burning legs, exhaustion and fatigue filled days all for two days of racing. I was entered into two events, Championship Girls 8s on Saturday and Championship Girls Coxless fours on Sunday. The time trial and semi final for the 8 both went well but in the final we just didn't deliver, the other boats moved ahead and we didn't go with them which meant we came in 5th. We'd placed 3rd in time trials, third in the semis but when it came to the final we just didn't perform but it did fuel me more for Sunday. My coach often says 'You're only as good as your last race and there was no way I was going to end on that race.

At least the weather was nice....

The next day our time trial didn't go brilliantly and I wasn't filled with a lot of confidence, we were messy and didn't get into the best rhythm but we still qualified and were even given a good lane for our semi final (we must've done something right as we placed 4th!). This then gave us much more confidence and we raced the semi well to get a good lane for the final. This was where the real fight began. We didn't get off to the best start but we stayed calm and didn't panic. This time we did get into a good rhythm and soon we were catching the other crews. For the middle 1km we were in third place and it felt good until the last 500m. The crew next to us pulled back and it was a race to the finish line and unfortunately it was not meant to be. We came 4th by 0.56 seconds. I can hardly put into words how disappointed and distraught we were. I cried and cried and cried (and I definitely should have worn waterproof mascara). The coaches were proud of us, and in hindsight I am too, but in that moment, with other crews cheering around us and showing off their medals the last thing I felt was proud. 

Racing in our time trial, we actually look better than it felt

As we carried the boat back to the trailer we got a lot of strange looks from parents and spectators as I continued to bawl my eyes out in public over what..... a rowing race (come on Charlotte get a grip). But I guess they just did not understand how much rowing means to me/us. When you put so much work into training, missing social events, being constantly tired, pushing yourself to such limits to not get anything to show for it is so unbelievably hard. 

I think this picture sums up my feelings at the finish line 

As we all began to calm down we looked back on the race and our training and in hindsight (oh what a wonderful thing it is) we had done pretty well. Firstly, until that day we'd never raced coxless before which is a big adjustment because coxed and coxless boats are actually very different (coxless boats are very sensitive to every movement you make). We'd also had very few outings coxless as we'd had so many in the 8, we hadn't even been in the four in Seville. To be placed fourth in the country really isn't too shabby. After refuelling with lots of pasta and cake we had some crew pictures and it struck me just how much love and appreciation I have for my crew members. I know each one gave 110% in that final race and I know how upset we all were because we worked so hard but felt we had nothing to show for it. 

The best crew out there

That final race has taught me a lot about myself, how far my body can go when I want something enough, how much rowing means to me, how much harder I'm willing to work to win, how much I love my friends and how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many amazing and lovely people. Racing experience is invaluable in itself and I've learnt a hell of a lot from the past weekend (including wearing sun cream even when it's not that sunny because my body seems to burn ridiculously easy and burnt lips are not what anyone needs in their life). 

I hope by September I am ready to head off to the big wide world of university rowing but until then I'm going to savour every single minute at the boathouse with my favourite people in the world (minus Harry Styles because unfortunately he will not be there).

I hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any questions about rowing please ask me and I'll answer as best as I can!

Thank you so much for reading!

Charlotte 

XO

A little quote from Hannah Maggs' and Stef Michalak's vlog which I really believe in

Dear Thirty Year Old Me

Dear thirty year old me, 

Well, 17 year old me isn't really sure where to begin....

I feel like I should start from where I am heading soon...university. I don't feel old enough to be going to university, it feels like only last week I was starting secondary school. Anyway, I hope university, wherever you ended up, was amazing. I hope you made the most of it, making new friends, rowing (of course) and gained so much experience from it. Knowing you it took you a while to settle in and feel comfortable in new surroundings with strangers but I'm sure you took it all in your stride. I'm sure there are moments that you'd rather forget ever happened but I know there are hundreds that you'd love to relive.

I don't know what you did after uni, whether you decided to continue studying or you got a job but I hope you enjoyed it. Right now I have no idea what to do after university. I am fully aware of what I enjoy (and what I don't) but I have no clue about exactly what it is that I want to do. Don't worry though, I'm not panicking just yet! I really hope that you are happy in what ever you are doing now, a psychologist,  a rowing coach, a stay-at-home mum, anything. 

I guess I hope you've settled down by now. I know for many people a family isn't a priority but for me it always has been. I really really hope he treats you well whoever he is, I hope he treats you how you deserve and spoils you. Perhaps you even have children by now? I know you'll be a good mum. If you don't, there's no need to worry, everything happens when it is meant to.

One thing I do hope is that you haven't stopped is rowing, Lets be honest, we were never really that good at sport! But finding rowing was possibly the best thing that has happened to us so far, it is one of the things that keeps me going, when school is stressful I'll just sweat it out. I don't blame you if you've reduced the intensity of training but I'm sure you're still keeping active, even if it is because it allows you to eat all the chocolate (you have ALWAYS had a sweet tooth!). 

On the topic of rowing, you must have stayed in contact with some of the rowers at least? They are a second family to me and (so far) they are probably some of the best people I have met. You mustn't have forgotten some of your school friends though, they've been with you through thick and thin. I realise you will have many new friends, but please keep in touch with the old ones! If you haven't do it now. Message them on Facebook, or whatever new social network there is! It is always good to reminisce. 

To say that I love One Direction right now is probably an understatement and as much as I really hope that they're still together, who knows what happens in 13 years? If they are I'm sure you still love them and I'm sure you'll still be getting teased about it to this day! But who cares right? I can only wonder what Harry's hair looks like, or how many new tattoos they all have and what their new music is like! 

I guess the main point of this letter, thirty year old me, is that I hope you're happy. A lot of people have told you to stand up for yourself more because you just accept what people have to say too often. Don't let people get the better of you because YOU are the most important person. If you're not happy I know there are people who surround you, friends and family, who love you dearly. Including me. 

Much Love

Charlotte

XO

*This is a very different post and it took a very long time to write. Please give me some feedback in the comments because I'd love to know what you all think! 

Happiness is Rowing

I can't quite believe we are already in October! I've been at school now for over a month and despite not knowing what it feels like to not be tired I'm really enjoying it. I feel like I'm progressing in my subjects and I'm working so hard (that's why I haven't posted a lot recently, sorry!). Rowing is going so well too, training is tiring and difficult and I'm working harder than ever before and already I feel I'm seeing results which makes me so happy. I've also been helping to coach our new 'Freshers' which I'm enjoying so much, I may have found my possible career path!? I've been going out in the launch boat with one of my coaches and he's been giving me control of the megaphone and giving me little tips on what to tell the rowers which has been so helpful. Every time I leave the boathouse I have the biggest smile on my face and I drive home with the music blaring. It is 100% my favourite place on Earth. Being in the launch gives me a different perspective and watching people rowing, even amateurs, shows how beautiful this sport is. 

We had our first race this year, Monmouth Autumn Head and we were in all three divisions. The course was 2.3km on our home water and I was in a pair with my best friend, Emma, then a single before a mixed four. I was so excited for our pair race because we'd had two really good outings after not being in a pair since April! we had a strong, consistent race and I really felt the pushes and I heard the trickle along the boat, showing we had a good distance per stroke.

 Then, after a very short break it was time for my single which I was slightly more nervous about. I still didn't know the results of out pair race and I hadn't had the best outing the day before. However, my paddle to the start was very calm and I felt technically pretty good. Again, I had a solid race and I felt I raced harder than I had ever done before. I even heard the commentator say I was 'Sculling very nicely' as I crossed the finish line, despite not really being able to breathe! 

I love this because I can finally see muscle definition! 

Finally, came the four and I feel the less said about this race the better. We were a completely scratch mixed crew with some J16s who haven't had as much experience as the seniors. At stroke I was rushed up the slide and our balance wasn't the best. It kind of put a dampner on my day after having two amazing races and then finishing on a bad one. 

However, we went to check the results board to find out Emma and I had won the pair and I'd won my single! It was the first singles race I've ever won and I was so happy, I couldn't actually believe it at first. I had to get three people to check that I wasn't seeing things. As expected our four came last!

Unfortunately I'm on a fieldtrip when the rest of the club is attending Reading Small Boats Head and I'm so sad because I'm missing so much training in addition to missing such a lovely event and not being able to support the team! One of my coaches already said that they're sad I'm not going to be there and that made me feel even worse! :( 

I'm slightly concerned I'll lose some of my fitness or power but I'm going to go on daily runs, keep doing my core and maybe even throw in some squats, lunges etc. 


The rest of the year looks very promising, on the water, at the boathouse and in the classroom so I'm very excited. I just hope the next few months go as well as September has!

I hope your September has gone well! What are your hopes for the remainder of this year? 

Much Love

Charlotte

XO

Rowing Update!

Hi everyone! Thought I'd fill you in with a little rowing update! As I mentioned in my 'Life of a Rower' post I trialled for Wales in April and I've got a seat in the Women's junior coxed four and the eight for Home International Regatta this weekend! The four is my old J16 four and it feels so good to be back together! We've been training so hard and had a few wobbles and disappointing sessions but we're all so happy with how the boat is moving now. 

The eight, however, is a completely different crew comprised of girls from Kings School, Chester. Two weeks ago I went to Chester to meet them and bond with them and to try and gel as a crew. Being the only new girl in the boat was quite daunting when I arrived but thankfully a cox from my club accompanied me which made me feel a little less awkward! I was put at three but as the boat is tandem rigged I was on stroke side, opposite to my usual bow side! For the first session I was fine, we did eyes closed/eyes open and some high rate exercises e.g. half slide for 10 strokes then keep the rate up and go to full slide for 10. The next day we did more of the same, gelling as a crew and enjoying being back in an 8. However, my hands began to not enjoy the outing as much as I was and soon enough I had a large blood blister (the most unattractive thing I've ever seen) on my right hand. As I'm accustomed to bow side, altering my hands was challenging, instead of using the outside (left) hand to pull the blade in I was using my inside hand as on bow side that is my outside hand. The result of this was numerous open, painful blisters that made squaring/feathering rather difficult. 

With copious amounts of electrical tape I contiued to train with the girls. We managed to fit in some sightseeing (Chester is such a pretty place) and a lovely picnic by the river on the last day. Our last outing was going to be 500m pieces to practice the 2k. However an invisible log in the water had other ideas and decided to remove our fin before we had finished our warm up. This meant a 30 minute spin bike, 3mins @ steady state followed by 1min @ a higher gear and faster pace. It was a dramatic way to end the trip!

Now with four days to go until race day it's safe to say I'm getting nervous. We have no idea how good the competition are going to be and how we compare. I think we can be sure that we'll have a fight on our hands. I'm fed up of not getting a medal despite training so hard so fingers crossed this additional hard work will pay off! 

Thank you for reading this week's post. I'll update you on how we get on sometime next week after a day or two of continuous sleep as I know i'm going to be shattered! 

Much Love

Charlotte

xo

Life of a Rower

Hello lovely internet people! I hope you enjoyed my first post , I was so happy to see that people were actually reading it. I thought I would post it but no one would read it so if you did read it THANK YOU! Also, huge thank you to the lovely Charlotte (not me I promise) who helped my come up with the blog name and URL and is simply one of THE kindest people I know. 

For today's post I thought I would discuss rowing as it is such a big part of who I am. It all began when the rowing coach at school saw the length of my legs (or levers as they have since been called numerous times) and demanded I join the rowing club in year 9 (aged 13). Now, I've never been naturally good at sports. I had to try lacrosse, netball, hockey and athletics during school games lessons but I was always one of the worst. Instead I was more at home in the saddle, having ridden since I was 5 years old. 

My beautiful Daedalus

The first time I sat in a boat was extremely nerve-racking but I knew I just had to continue, there was something propelling me to learn more. What I didn't know was how challenging it was going to be. I was quite unfit and was always the slowest runner but I didn't give up. For our first race I was in the A quad and while we didn't win it was a memorable experience (perhaps not for racing but for one of my friends throwing up on the bus....delightful).  After that we continued to train and race at national events frequently. It felt nice to finally be good at something and to also meet some people who are now some of my closest friends.  

As I entered year 10 a problem occurred. My quadriceps had grown too quickly for my knees and I had developed Osgood Schlatter  (the name still makes me laugh, even now). Training on ergos (rowing machines) became increasingly painful along with squats and other activities. To this day I still get pain but I've learnt to overcome it now (almost). But my training was put on hold and as I watched teammates achieve a seat in the top 8 and I was left in a quad (four people, two blades). While I was happy to be in a boat it is extremely difficult watching people who were on par with you overtake you. But I didn't let this hold me back. I put everything into my training and at National Schools Regatta we reached the final of the J15 coxed quads. I had also wanted to be in the J15 four (four people, one blade) but due to an ICT GCSE I was unavailable. When I discovered this I started to cry and at first I couldn't understand why, surely it's just a race, right? Wrong. A sudden realisation hit me about how much rowing meant to me. It's difficult to put into words....not great if I'm trying to write a blog about it.....nice one Charlotte.

Anyway, I came back in year 11 with rested knees and my training improved. By November I had a seat in the top 8. We trained hard, gaining in confidence and came second at Schools Head of the River in Championship girls 8s. Motivated by this we trained solidly, mornings (getting up at 5:40) and evenings plus Saturday mornings. When it came to the day of National Schools the nerves were certainly making themselves noticed by giving me HUGE butterflies the whole morning (struggling to stomach breakfast is not good on race day). We qualified for the final and in the final we came second again but with a small margin between us and first. Our training had paid off. The feeling of seeing our name on the scoreboard is one I'll keep with me for the rest of my life, I think my face says it quite well......

After National Schools we went to Women's Henley and while it didn't go as well it was an experience I have definitely learnt from. 

Now to this year. We have a new coach and I've stepped up my training even more. During winter I managed to get personal bests on numerous ergos which provided me with a huge confidence boost (which was much needed as my self-confidence is very small). We tried to do the 8 again but something just didn't work. Instead, after seat trials in Seville (another blog post is needed for this I feel) and numerous ergo tests I was put into the top four. We raced at Wallingford Regatta (held at Eton Dorney, the location for the 2012 London Olympic s) and came 2nd. Then at National Schools we won the semi-final only to come 5th in the final. After that race I can safely say I don't think I've ever felt so disheartened. I felt that I had let so many people down but my coach told me this: 'The way you come back from this will define who you are as an athlete'. Those were exactly the words I needed to hear. I want to be the strongest athlete I can be so I refuse to let one race ruin my chances of that. 

Glorious Sevilla

Women's Henley is fast approaching and with all focus on that our training is as rigorous as ever. There is something about rowing that is difficult to explain unless you've experienced. If you asked me if I enjoyed rowing my response would be along the lines of 'urm....well.....yeah I guess....but...'. The pain that comes with rowing is tough, the burning in your lungs, legs and glutes feeling like they are on fire 100m into a 2km race. But yet something in you tells you to keep going and I'm yet to pinpoint exactly what it is that is telling me 'NO, DON'T STOP NOW. YOU'VE GOT THIS. YOU CAN DO THIS'. It could be my strive for success, my fear of failure, my desire to please, fear of letting people down and of embarrassment or it could be my competitive streak and the fact that I HATE being beaten! If I find out I'll let you know. I do, quite often, dislike rowing, but I love it one thousand times more. The feeling after a 50minute ergo, 2km test or a piece on the water when you know you couldn't have given anymore is incredibly pleasing. Watching yourself and your teammates improve and progress is so rewarding and knowing there are always people who know almost exactly how you are feeling is something I will be forever grateful for. We frequently stay away for events and nights can end up looking a lot like this....

9 in the bed...

So, where now? Well I've trialled for Wales and should (fingers crossed) be hearing if I've got in or not within the next few days. Obviously my big dream is to get into GB but I know I have a humongous amount of work to do before I am anywhere near close! Something else my coach told me (he's full of good advice) is: 

      'You never know what's impossible until you try'

I can safely say I'm not done trying yet.

I feel a little photo montage is necessary.....

But first..let me take a selfie

Who doesn't love a coxless quad!

One of the many trips out

Going to collect our medals!

Happy girls!

Yes that is my coach who is full of inspirational quotes....that's also me getting my 'Club Member of the Year Award' at the recent Rowers Ball....extremely surprised and thankful for it!

I apologise for such a long post (I told you I was obsessed!) I hope that you enjoyed it and if you'd care to comment below please feel free. On my tumblr  I frequently post lovely rowing pictures. Also the wonderful Amy has a delightful rowing blog so go and check her out if you have a chance! I hope this post may have inspired you to give something new a try, whether it be rowing, another sport or a new hobby. Try it, you never know how much you might enjoy it. 

               

Much love

Charlotte 

xo