Summer Downtime
I have taken a well deserved two weeks off any real training. This wonderful break included HRR, Henley Festival, a quick trip to Spain, starting a new job and stuffing myself full of cheese. It was great, well needed and now I’m ready to jump back on the horse ready for 2018/19 season where I hope to complete another year at Leander (if they dare to have me back!).
It's quite easy to find yourself a bit lost after the season closes, its especially a mine field for those of us who suffer with any kind of mental illness. Not only in terms of depression as you aren’t getting the same endorphins from training and competing, but also anxiety. Sometimes I do have to stop my anxious mind wondering when thinking about next year: all the new girls which will be joining us, wondering what our new assistant coach will be like, if I’ll finally be able to get into a sweep boat....
But, for me, the easiest way to avoid going down that rabbit hole is to distract myself! I’m setting myself some new challenges! Over summer I’m going to be working on speed work with the aim of hitting testing week full pelt and getting a clean sweep of PBs, I’m also starting to swim in the hopes this will help loosen off my hip. At the moment my aim is to get my mile swim time back into the touching distance of 25 mins. For record, my PB at uni was 26:47 and I just did my first mile of 2018 in 32:36 (post weights session mind you), I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can achieve with this before starting up rowing in September. I hope to compete at some summer regattas such as Henley T&V and Oxford City, however Henley Rowing Club are being oddly distant with me so...may be time to join the dark side and see if UTRC will take me for a few weeks 😜
Other than that it’s thinking ahead about what I want to achieve next year. I honestly hope to be trialling, but that’s all down to me shaving a million seconds off my 2k time. I want to win at MET, Ghent and HWR and I want to race or at least try to qualify for HRR. Also if trialling hasn’t happened I wouldn’t mind rounded the season off with a race at HIR for England. As much as I have enjoyed my journey in the world for sculling, I want to focus on sweep and I hope there is the opportunity for me to do that as my right wrist is being an absolute nightmare (God Bless Carpal Tunnel and Holiday Inn for collapsing some stairs, making me fall 2m, and exasperating it exponentially)... Pretty sure the risk of me catching crabs on that side grows stronger every day 😂
What at do you guys hope to achieve over summer and...looking forward achieve over your next season? I’d love to hear from you!
Natalie X
