Race!

Today I did a race on the River Cam. It was 2.6km in my single, which is quite a long way for me! Still, when I go to the National Championships in two weeks' time I will have to race 3km in one day, although it is separated into one 1k slog and one 2k one. This was therefore an opportunity to get some practice at putting bits of technical work into my higher rate/pressure paddling. My aim was not to win my category (entered as W.Nov.1x) but just to beat someone - anyone. Preferably not just juniors though...

I was heading off in division 1, which was tipped to have the best weather: there was to be a tail wind on the reach (the 'long straight bit' of the Cam) and no rain was expected. Well, I got lucky on the rain, but as I turned onto the reach there was definitely a head wind, so that was a bit of a shame! Later in the day the wind dropped down, but it did start to pour with rain. I'd probably just about rather have wind than rain - wind slows you down a lot, but you just have to be strong and keep on trying to push into it. Rain shouldn't slow you down as much, but it makes your kit heavy, it affects your visibility, it makes you cold while you're marshalling, and it can make it really hard to keep a good grip on the oar handles. Since my grip is one of my biggest problems (thanks to EDS), I'm never keen to add slippery handles into the mix.

I started the day with a good breakfast and plenty to drink, before heading down to the boathouses to pick up my number and get my boat ready. There was a really good atmosphere at the club - some hardy rowers had just got back from an early morning session in coxed boats, and there was another lady heading out to race in my division, so the place was jolly and lively without being stressful - just what you need before a race.

Starting the row down, however, it became apparent that my body wasn't quite where I wanted it to be. I had quite a lot of spasm in my shoulders and arms, meaning that I was really struggling to move them freely and stay nice and loose. This put me off balance, which made me even more tense. I also let myself get fazed a bit by the other competitors heading down to the start with me - some were a lot faster, and although I got some good practice in pushing them off, I was nearly mown over a few times! On the final bit before spinning I tried a short burst of higher rate rowing, which wasn't great. I didn't want to leave it on a negative note, so I slotted in another very short burst, which was slightly better. I began to feel that my shoulders might be loosening a bit, which was good - it now wasn't long until the start!

When I reached my marshalling point, I spun the boat round and pulled in. My coach and I sat on the bank and chatted about this, that and the other. At this point it was actually quite sunny and warm - certainly warm enough for me only to wear a unisuit in the race, which is pretty unusual in October. Sitting and having a chat in the sun definitely helped me to loosen my stiff muscles a little bit more, so that I felt a bit more confident hopping in the boat. I wasn't quite happy that my grip would be OK, or that my arms wouldn't tense up, but I was confident that I could reach the other end in one piece!

Chatting with my coach during marshalling, just before pushing off for the race.

I set off in front of two doubles, each with junior girls rowing in them. My main aim was to hold them off as long as possible. The very first few strokes were perhaps a bit tidier than I had expected - right at the start, there is an outlet of water which can knock a single around quite a bit, but I stayed as far away from it as possible and was only vaguely aware of it knocking the shell. I didn't quite have the looseness in my shoulders that I wanted, but I had settled into a much better rhythm than when I did the practice run on Wednesday - a lower rate, but a more powerful one, and definitely a more sustainable one.

Rowing up to the start

The first corner was a bit dodgy - I was optimistic with my steering (underestimating the wind), which meant I very briefly brushed the bank - fortunately I managed to push off again quite quickly so it didn't have too terrible an effect on my overall time. After the first corner, the course is a bit more sheltered for the next few hundred metres, although it is rather bendy. These bits went quite nicely; probably nicer than in training. It was really nice not to have to look to check that the river was clear all the time, in the safe knowledge that there would be nothing coming in the opposite direction!

Coming round the last big bend, the wind hit. It often hits at this point, and you then fight it all the way up the reach, so I was used to squeezing into it from training. What was not quite so usual was how tired I felt at the same time! However, I now had the first of the two junior doubles coming up quite hard, and I wanted to push them away for as long as possible. Trying to make sure I wasn't obstructing them, I managed to make it to one of the next mental marker points (basically a hedge!) before beginning to fold more quickly. Having them there gave me a really good visible marker, and something else to think about for a bit - and the best thing that happened was that as soon as they had gone another turned up, so I had it all over again until after the railway bridge (yay!).

Last big bend - finally getting the balance between 'tight line' and 'no longer on the wet bit'.

After this, I'm not sure I remember too much...I was mostly quite tired. I was just trying to cling on, and trying to force my legs to keep on firing. My quads were basically shot (they are also in spasm most of the time, so it's quite hard to make them work!), but I wanted to keep feeling a nice, powerful push from them. The two photos below demonstrate how I felt at the finish...

Brush sweat away from eyes..............                                                     ....... and collapse!

So, did I achieve my aim?

Well, my target was to beat some other people, preferably in my category, but I wasn't too fussy - I just didn't want to be the slowest. Out of the eight women entered as novice scullers (including me) - 4 British Rowing, 4 Cambridgeshire Rowing Association, I came 6th - which I was pleased with! Overall, there were 138 crews racing - this includes singles, doubles and pairs; juniors, Masters; men and women. Out of them, I came 124th - so nowhere near the top, but then my aim was to beat someone. It didn't matter how many people I beat: as long as there was one crew slower than me, I'd be happy. Since 14 crews were slower (including a men's novice 1x!), I'm a happy bunny.

Rather like this fine chap.

However, I want to be able to step up another gear before Nat Champs. Two weeks left - still time for some hard work. What is really gutting is that I have no control over how my body will feel on the day. It might be better than today; it might be worse. I really hope that my spasms will calm down in my arms (realistically, they won't in my legs or back, but it'd be nice if one bit of me works without getting tired after 90 seconds!), and that my nerves down my left side behave themselves. However - 'control the controllables' is the motto, so that is my aim. I will make myself as fit as I possibly can be, and not stress about what I can't control.

And now, it is definitely time for bed!