I usually wake up at 6:15am and start the day with a bagel with honey followed by a matcha tea, a staple of a rowers diet…I usually pack my bag the night before so I’m not rushing around in the mornings trying to find fresh kit. My commute starts with short walk to where I will get picked up by one of my crew mates and drive to either Caversham, the National Training Centre if it’s a water session or Bisham Abbey is it strength and conditioning session. Regardless of the session I always plan to arrive early in order to mobilise and stretch before starting, this allows me to focus on any muscle groups that need extra attention.

Lifting weights is always good fun and one of my favourite sessions. The vibe is usually great and I find the right music really helps with motivation and creates the best atmosphere to lift heavy weights. Recovery after the session is just as important as the session itself. I make sure I have a Protein Shake and snack to have straight afterwards before heading to the next session.

At Caversham, we have an in house chef called Marcin, who makes healthy delicious meals. For breakfast I usually order eggs, beans and a bagel but sometimes I order the muesli to mix it up, it’s especially hard to decide when it all tastes so good! After an hour or so of relaxing and digesting we get ready to go out on the water. I will make sure I am fully stretched and warm before this session as it tends to be long and continuous mileage.

Our 2nd session of the day usually finishes around lunch time, which is very convenient. This means I can shower and then tuck into another meal straight away. Over lunch it is a nice time to catch up with the other rowers and switch off for a bit. This section of the day we have a longer break before the final training session of the day.

I finish my day on the rowing machine. Similarly to the weights session, a good music playlist is a must. This really helps to break up the workout and makes it fly by. This would usually be a steady state, low intensity session. Once I have finished I will get some recovery snacks in before heading home. Our training day will typically finish around 4pm but sometimes earlier or later depending on the session and how long I take to finish. The faster I row, the sooner I can go home. Once I am home I can relax, watch tv and catch up on some emails before making my own dinner this time and going to bed ready to start all over again.