It is impossible to replicate or completely understand the tremendous physical strain on the body during the 70+ days at sea. Physical preparation requires days of water and rowing machine training also with special dietary needs.
To get a taste for it go to your local gym and try rowing for an hour on a concept II rating 20 strokes per minute, cover each 500 meters in an average of about 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Once this is complete, imagine taking a 30 minute break and then repeating the whole exercise 13 times, take 4 hours sleep and do the same again for 70+ days.
The strain on your body is immense but ironically enough, the mental preparation is more important. Most failures are attributed to lack of mental preparation rather than the physical; pain is temporary, pride is forever !
Mental training
I can’t imagine being alone in the middle of an ocean on a 24ft boat in the middle of the night with a storm blowing and monster waves throwing my boat around. I don’t know how to prepare for this only that there isn’t an out, you put your head down and get on with it - it will end at some stage.
I said I would update the mental prep when I got some finds and here it goes.
I met Áine McNamara, sports psychologist, out in the University of Limerick (UL) a couple of weeks ago to talk about the row and how to prepare mentally for a 'match' that will last 100 days and not 80 or so minutes. I learnt a lot in the hour or so that we spoke, some items - rewards etc. - I had already thought of, i.e. if I can get through the next hour on the oars rating 24 then I can have a treat.
But one area that I had covered, but in not enough detail, was visualisation, i.e. dreaming about the journey.
I really related to the way Áine described it....
"This is a journey like reading a book. It starts with a capital letter, has a paragraph and then a chapter. Each chapter adds up to make a book.
To be ready you must visualise each of these in minute detail - include sounds, smells, thoughts. You must put yourself in these positions before you go, to be ready and appreciate them when they do happen.
The negatives (black stuff) you need to turn into positives.
There is no wonder mental 'break glass if in trouble', you have to prepare for it and be ready.
Chronological visualisation will help."
So, I have been spending time on it and will need to continue at it. I've put time in my program just as I have time on the water. Big thanks to Áine for all the help- it has been a big find of my adventure.
Physical
Luckily for me Fergal O’Callaghan (Fog) was on hand to help me design my training program. Fergal rowed in Shannon Rowing Club with me for a couple of years and then went on to do PE in University of Limerick. He now works with Munster rugby and with the IRFU. Fog takes a bit of tracking down but the result is well worth it.
The physical training is in a number of stages, firstly is to bulk up with lean muscle. You will need this as you can expect to lose about 15 kilos of weight over the 70+ days. It’s simple; if you don’t have this additional bulk then you won’t have the power to pull the oars towards the end.
Getting in touch with a good dietitian is key. I’m fortunate enough to work with Andrea Cullen, a font of knowledge and a really nice person on top of that. She is tough and the diet is a complete shock to the system however within a week or two you will be feeling much better.
For my bulking up, I am doing two weights circuits a week as well as two water sessions and a Pilates session. You will need to have a strong core muscle to get you through - Carmel De Mello was a great help and my introduction to Pilates.
I am using minerals, vitamins and dietary supplements, ideally I hope to have these sponsored and when I do I’ll gladly update the site. Once the bulk is on then it’s a case of maintaining it while you build up your aerobic threshold moving to training 7 days a week and increasing the time you train each day from 2 hours to 5 hours.
Being physically prepared is essential to ensure that your body can handle the stress at sea, without this level of preparation your body will fatigue easily and increase the mental challenge of the event. I’ll have enough mental issues with being away from my family so the more I can do prior to the race to reduce the stress the better!
Life as an ocean rower is a combination of a punishing daily routine and taking in as much calories as possible. Your day is spent rowing and eating with some sleep. I will need to intake at least 5000 calories per day and with this I still expect to lose 2.5 stone during the voyage. Snacking after each session on the oars is not only essential but a great morale booster and an incentive to finish your hour, this combined with a rehydration and energy drink should help me pass the hours.
I plan to take freeze-dried foods as they are easy to reconstitute and I’m told relatively nourishing and tasty. It’s a case of add hot water, simmer for a few minutes and eat. I will bring some ‘wet’ rations that just need to be heated, this simply in case my desalination unit packs in and I’ll end up using my water reserve for water only and not to reconstitute a freeze dried meal. I’ll update the page as I work with Andrea on a daily food plan, sufficient to cover 3-4months at sea.
