Peter Reed's Blog
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⇒ Aug 08 - The Olympic Games
⇒ Munich world Cup, May 08
⇒ April 08 - Selected for the first World Cup, Apr 2008
⇒ February 08
⇒ March 08 - Olympic selection trials
⇒ December 07
⇒ November 07
⇒ October 07
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The Olympic Games - Beijing, Aug 2008
I think that throughout history, every athlete at every Olympic Games will have wanted to crawl under a rock and hide until it's all over at some point in their preparation. It is difficult not to when you know how big and important one race is. Whether it is 9.7 seconds or 2.5 hours long, you know that other people who are the best in their country, at the peak of their form, are trying to take what you want most in the world; the one thing that you have been working so hard for, for more than 4 years.
These feelings are natural and so important in the last few days before I start racing. They are the sign that my body is getting ready for something special. It isn't nerves, it's excitement and passion. We're ready.
I am not scared of how much it is going to hurt, or how much I have to do in training to get a Gold medal, I just want to make sure that I am as good as I can possibly be and turn every bit of that into boat speed during my 3 races.
I just had an interview with the BBC and the most difficult question to answer was 'How are you?'. I said I'm in Olympic mode, which is a bit of a cop-out, but it is too difficult to describe the mix of excitement and apprehension. We're all enjoying ourselves and in fine form so that has got to count for something.
This will be my last blog, because the International Olympic Committee rules state that no athlete can post during the period of the Games (unless it is on your own site or one of the official supporting companies). So, I hope you enjoy the race; I hope we enjoy the race. I hope it has all been worth it.
Munich World Cup, May 2008
Last weekend was the first international regatta of the season. The last time we raced was 8 months ago at the World Championships, which coincidently shared the same venue. It wasn't a nice feeling going back to face the course of our 4th place defeat last year. We didn't know how fast the opposition were, we were racing as the underdogs and we had a substitute with us.
Tom Lucy (who recently turned 20) replaced the injured (and recently selected) Tom James in the bows of the boat. Lucy was only in the crew for 4 training sessions before we raced the heat, which wasn't ideal preparation, but he fitted in very well and showed class and maturity of someone a lot more experienced, racing in the lead boat for the first time. He had an equal contribution to the boat in training sessions and all three races and thoroughly deserves his first senior international gold medal.
After racing well in a tough semi-final draw (which was made up of 5 of the 6 crews from the World Championship final last year - only the World Champions, New Zealand were missing from the event), we were relaxed and confident that we could perform well in the final. Everything went to plan and we had a good lead by half way. I was just enjoying every stroke and proving something to myself once again.
Of course, we know that we were in seeded lanes and all the crews in that race will move on. The Dutch and Italians, who beat us last year, have experience and class and we are yet to race the New Zealand coxless four, so rather than getting ahead of ourselves we are carrying on with our own preparation with our full crew.
Only an Olympic gold will really heal the wounds of Munich 2007.
April 08 - Selected for the first World Cup, Apr 2008
A 2km rowing machine test, several seat races and miles of subjective analysis all contributed to selection over the last five weeks since final selection trials (an odd title considering this sentence) and now it is finally finished. The lead men's sweep boat for the first World Cup is again the coxless four, but with a new look:
Tom James will be joining me, Hodge and Stevie instead of Alex to start the season's racing.
This change is a big deal to all of us involved. It is a strange feeling to have our 4 man unit from the last 3 years changed around as the grand finale approaches; poignant in many ways: this change around is a most clear-cut example of how cruel and tough sport can be.
To use an obvious analogy: it feels like breaking up with a girlfriend that you have shared your life with for 3 years and there is nothing you can do to get back together. She was nearly perfect and you thought she was the one for you. Nothing was really wrong with the relationship but you had to break up because of circumstances beyond your control. To make matters worse, you were planning to get married in just 4 months time and have the biggest day of your life, so it is tough to take.
...bear with me.
Even though you had to break up with your last great girlfriend, and you still feel a bit emotional about that, another girl walks into your life almost straight away. She could be amazing. It is exciting and fun but daunting at the same time because (and the analogy falls down here...), you have to marry the new girl in just 4 months time. You have to make sure you learn everything about each other while keeping it exciting and stress-free. Although things that should take months to build have to take weeks or even days. For example, finding out what you like doing together and learning what annoys them and trying not to do it.
Hopefully that picture helps you realise what we are now doing. The coming days and weeks are going to be all about trying to go faster and eventually as fast as we possibly can. We have our first international regatta in just under 2 weeks and it is going to be a great test to see if this new 'relationship' has what it takes to face the ultimate test.
Getting better is the most motivating thing in sport and hopefully there is a lot more of that to come.
March 08 - Olympic selection trials
After all the hours and miles of training through the winter and all those tough mental times on training camps, the team comes together every year for the second biggest race of the season: Final Trials.
We travel to Belgium for this important race, which marks the end of winter and the start of the summer racing season. But more importantly, it is the biggest opportunity for the 9 British pairs and a handful of invited club pairs to show what they can offer to the Olympic boats. The men's chief coach, Jürgen Grobler, selects the pairs based on performances from last season and the winter training, so there is a (very) rough rank order going into the race. I was selected with my regular rowing partner, Andrew Hodge. We have been undefeated at trials for the last 3 years and had strong aspirations to win for the last time in the 2008 Olympiad.
This is the tensest time of the season, because you are racing directly against your teammates for your seat. There are only 14 seats available in the Olympics for the men's rowing team, which means that some of the team and a lot of the club hopefuls will not get the chance to go to Beijing.
The event is made up of a 1900m time-trial to get a speed order, a seeded 2000m semi-final and a 2000m final held all in pairs and over 2 days. We were very lucky with the weather for the racing. Although it was cold and wet, the wind was very light, which allows to water to stay mirror flat and gives the fairest conditions.
Hodgey and I won the first two races, and were determined to win the final too. We were racing the country's best and we know how fast they are from all the training we do together. In the end I think Hodgey and I managed to put together what we thought was our best race together in the last four years to win. This performance gives me a lot of confidence leading up to the next two tests: the body crushing 2000m ergo test and the technically challenging 'seat-racing'.
We have a lot to look forward to but selection is nearly done.
February 08 - Rowing Training Camp
This month kicked off with the feared 5000m test on the rowing machine. It is a formidable challenge that we have been building up to for a few weeks. It is the only time in the year that we get the opportunity to test our maximum endurance on the ergo over this distance. The test lasts 15-16 minutes for the majority of the team, which is a very long time to be racing flat out. We were all exhausted from the January training camp before we had even started the test, but through sheer determination most of us recorded a PB including all of us in the coxless four. We were really pleased with these results as beating your previous best is always a huge benchmark and it gives you a lot of confidence in your body and those of your team-mates.
With a solid test result behind me, I packed my bags for the first rowing training camp of the Olympic year - Seville, Spain. This is a beautiful city and fantastic venue for rowing. There is an international regatta course on part of a long river that runs for 8 miles through the city so we can row for a long time before turning and can record our boat speed in more intense sessions. Both the coach and athletes always enjoy those 3 weeks away because we can focus on the sport with little interference. The aim was to start transferring all of the fitness that we developed through the winter into boat speed.
Apart from the beautiful sunshine and masses of mileage, the camp was uneventful. We used our time to improve our skill as a team and got very tired in the process and that is all the camp was all about. Eat, sleep, row - everyday, 3 times a day for 3 weeks.
Returning to the UK, it is wonderful to see that the days are getting longer again. Summer is coming. Racing is on our doorstep. But before we can do that, we need to race each other in the final senior pairs trial. The results of this race are crucial for Olympic selection and it all happens on 10th March. For the next 2 weeks I will be rowing with Andrew Hodge in our undefeated trials combination trying everything to hold off the pushes from the rest of the team. This is the tensest time of the season for everyone. By this time next month we will all have a much better idea about who will be selected for the Olympic crews .
March:
4th Training in Belgium
9th Time trial and Semi-Final in Pairs
10th Men's Pairs Final
16th Seat Racing in Coxless Fours
Then: Selection.
December 2007 - Winter Rowing Trials
From the start of December there seemed to be a little bit more pressure on us than in the last two months. Coming home from our high-altitude training camp, I was very happy and confident because of my good test results which is a great way to feel going into a month of rowing trials.
We started practicing in our pairs, the two man boats, the day after we got back from altitude. My pairs partner is called Andrew Triggs Hodge, or "Hodgey" to everyone he meets. He is the top athlete on stroke side and a worthy replacement to the recently retired Sir Matthew Pinsent in the stroke seat of our World Championship crew. We have been winning races together in pairs, fours and eights since rowing for Oxford in the University Boat Race in 2005.
With a week of practice before the first national selection trial of the season, we got the boat moving very efficiently (which is the key to rowing) and we had a lot of confidence in what we were capable of. However, the team is very strong this year and we knew that the 5km time trial left no room for error.
We raced in a very cold head wind for nearly twenty minutes at full speed. After a good row and inspection of final times we were pleased to see we had won with the other strong British pairs close behind. I am always delighted to win races and realised that this is why I love my sport and train so hard to win at this level. We had about thirty of the country's best boats racing us that day. Hodgey and I were happy with that.
In the same week, the top eighteen pairs got together on our 2km rowing lake for the second stage of selection in the form of a mini regatta. The race schedule was for a time trial, a semi-final and a final all in one day. Each race is a full power, fierce contest leaving us exhausted and in pain after the finish line. This big day is the reason that we felt pressure from the start of the month because each time we test ourselves against each other, our chief coach can form a better picture for Olympic selection.
Hodge and I finished in first place, exhausted and ecstatic in one moment. Again the team were close behind in a similar order to the 5km trials but we had done it again; cementing my feeling that winning is why I race. After a very tough, but satisfying month, the short Christmas break arrived not a day too soon.
November 07 - The start of winter training:
This last month has seen the end of any residual warm sunshine from the summer and the start of the winter training season. Icy cold winds are an all too frequent presence lifting the mirror flat lake into an unrowable storm; the ever weakening sunshine does not rise until our second session of the day and rain and sleet has beaten our enthusiasm into near submission.
November is the backbone of low intensity and high volume training. We have spent hours on the water and in the gym, day after day, improving our base fitness and with little to show for it but more confidence leading up to next month's important selection trials in pairs. Every Wednesday, the squad of twenty-four guys has a tough performance test called "the half-hour". We sit on a rowing machine pulling twenty strokes-per-minute for thirty minutes pulling as hard as we can for every stroke. This test is both respected and feared by all athletes and really separates the men from the boys. The benchmark for the top guys is 9000 metres, which is an average of 1 minute 40 seconds per 500 metres. Have a go at your own risk.
Training is going well and I am improving week by week but this really is "nose-to-the-grind-stone" time. By the middle of the month I had picked up my first small back injury from a heavy weights session. It was more annoying than a serious worry, but I still had to go through the proper medical chain to get checked out. Before the end of the day, I was back in the gym only on a "sick boy's" static-bike rather than the rowing machine.
After ten days and a lot of physiotherapy, I was back into full training but not soon enough to attend the British Indoor Rowing Championships. I had to forfeit my place at this year's event in Birmingham where a handful of our team's strongest guys compete. My coach asked me to perform the gruelling 2000 metre, flat-out race five days later when I had fully recovered. I posted the fastest time in the team this season and beat my score from this time last year by five seconds. My coach and I are both very happy with that.
I am writing now from a high altitude performance training centre in the south of Spain; Sierra Nevada. It is Day Six of this eleven day camp. We are 2319 metres above sea level which makes breathing during exercise feel like you have a fistful of straws pushed into your mouth. We train four or five times per day, over six hours of work in total, on the rowing machine, lifting weights and in the gym. We eat seven-thousand calories of food and sleep for twelve hours. This is some of the hardest training we do in the season. Some people are counting down the days until we return to Britain. I say bring on Day Seven!
October 07
I write now, just over a month into the new training season in what will be one of the biggest and toughest years of my life. In just over ten months, I will reach the climax of the last three years preparation by competing at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Between now and then I know there are going to hard challenges to meet and I am going to have to put my body through so much, but I'm ready for it and really excited that it is finally Olympic year.
Last season was a mixed one for our crew in many ways. I trained well through the winter, posting fast ergo times, lifting heavier weights than ever before and in April I won the final pairs trials with my partner Andy Triggs-Hodge in a record time. Having been re-selected for the coxless fours, we began the World Cup racing season.
At the first World Cup in Linz, Austria the coxless four won gold in good style. From this position of strength, Jürgen Grobler, took the bold move of amalgamating our boat with the coxless pair and two others to form a second GB eight for the next world cup. The idea was that we have nothing to learn about our opposition from more races in the four so we relished a new challenge. It was a great experience; the change in training, crew and competition re-invigorated all of us, and was topped off when we managed to win gold, narrowly beating the original eight into bronze position. Having 18 British rowers on the medal podium at once, was a pretty unique sight!
Within days of coming back from Amsterdam, my crew mate, Alex Partridge injured his knee which was a big blow to our development in the four. With an experienced substitute we won the Stewards' Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, in front of several people from the Royal Navy adding their voices to a great home crowd. Just one week later at the third world cup regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, we suffered our first defeat in over two years of international racing coming home with a silver medal. It was a big reminder to never stop pushing in training
After the world cup series we always go away on two long back to back training camps abroad; the training is brutal, the days long and we're away from our wives and girlfriends but by this time all that matters to us is winning the World Championships. This year they were in Munich and we went there feeling prepared. Unfortunately, on the day of the finals, things did not quite come together as we had expected them to and despite giving it everything, the New Zealand crew rowed away to win, leaving us in fourth position, which was devastating. That feeling will not go away until I have another gold medal around my neck.
As so many have said to us since the race; if we had to lose our winning streak at some point, it is better now than at the Olympics, but it is still a very painful experience. After Munich, I took a short holiday with my girlfriend and then at the beginning of October the whole squad went back to Germany for the first training camp of the season. Next month, I will be training in a single scull and the pair in the lead up to the 5km pairs trials in Boston, Lincolnshire in December. As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, the elements play a much greater part in making training tough, but already even at this stage in the season, each outing, a proportion of each day (and occasionally the night) is focused on the Olympic goal; I will do anything it takes to win gold for Great Britain in Beijing.
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