Funferal

My bags are packed

We have just finished our last training camp before we fly to Japan. As far as I know this will be the first time an Asian country has held the World Rowing Championships so we are all a bit excited and aprehensive…this really will be an unknown.
When we arrive at the airport there wil be an interpreter to greet us. This brought home to us the fact we really won’t be as self sufficient as usual. If we want to find a laundrette, pharmacy, etc it will be all a little harder, trying to decipher little symbols… I had a minor panic attack yesterday when I remembered the power suppy in Japan is different to Ireland – what if I can’t recharge my precious iPod? Problem solved, modern technology beat me to the answer, the iStation has a built in adaptor…
But, more importantly, the weighing scales-we’ll need a power convertor for them!!

Yeah – the joys of being a lightweight. In our category our crew average must be not a gramme over 57kg, which is 9 stone. A pathetically light weight I reckon… I guess every competitive lightweight at this level finds this weight a struggle. You are constantly trying to get the balance right between building as much muscle as possible within the 9 stone frame… at this time of the year every single bite you take is measured…it is tedious! On one hand it is good to have a focus other than pure racing in the lead up to big competitions, on the other, it is just a pain in the (ever diminishing) ass….
The past few years have been a bit of a rollercoaster for me, the lowest point being last year when I failed to qualify the lightweight double scull in the Olympics. I had spent three years training fultime for the Games, and not qualifying was not part of the plan. This year I returned to work, continued to study, but couldn’t resist getting back in the boat. I definitely have unfinished business…
In final trials in April a double and single were selected to race the World Cups, with World Championship selection pending on results. Myself and Niamh were put in the double, and it seemed to click nicely straightaway. We had a few teething problems in the first couple of Regattas, but were reasonably happy with our form in Lucerne, the final World Cup. We were close enough in time to the A final to justify being sent to the Worlds.
Next stop St. Moritz for altitude training. I had never been training at a high altitude before, and on Lake Silvaplana we were rowing almost 2000m above sea level. To be honest it didn’t feel a whole lot different, and the training was so varied, you could almost call it fun!!! It was only simple things like climbing the stairs in the evening that was a bit painful, but that, in fairness, always feels hard after what seems to be a hundred loops of the 5km periphery of the lake…followed by at least a million weight lifts in the gym, and a marathon run home to get the spring back in the legs… Racing will feel sooo easy in contrast!!!
During the camp a change was made in my boat, with Sinead replacing Niamh. I had been racing with Sinead for the past few years, and there is always a special spark in our boat, although it is far from the prettiest boat on the water. Seriously… if selection was based on paddling and a judging system like figure skating, I am not sure we would get any points… Thank God it is a speed game. Niamh was unfortunate during the camp to be dogged with a wrist injury, so she wasn’t able to challenge for the seat at her best. At least she will get to race the single in Gifu, and will be a reserve for our double.
The list of entries for the Worlds were out this week. There are 16 lightweight doubles entered, with no real surprises, aside form the ominous absence on all the Chinese boats. An exceptionally fast Chinese crew won our category in the Lucerne World Cup, so without their entry the event is wide open. There is not a whole lot of analysing to be done. The only thing we can control is our own boat speed, and getting from A to B in the fastest time possible…
The thought of returning to Ireland was a bit depressing after the beautiful surrounding in the Swiss Alps, but I have to say the final camp in Cork was fantastic. The conditions were ideal and it was run so smoothly…as a team we just feel so well prepared for the races…
So this time tomorrow I will be on route to Tokyo!!!I have every item of clothes in the wash (and I still must deal with the dilemma of willing them dry on about a metre of radiator…)I have not been able to enjoy my lie-in properly, because I couldn’t convince my tummy that breakfast does not have to be at 6am!!! I suppose I could think about packing my bags for Japan…Did I mention that I will be flying to Japan tomorrow????