Apparently weekends are for winding down after busy weeks. A heady mixture of lie-ins, late breakfasts whilst reading the paper in bed, perhaps a nice walk somewhere to a pub lunch followed by an afternoon of relaxing in front of the telly…

When my alarm rudely buzzed me away from a deep and happy sleep last Saturday shortly after 5am I did wonder if I should forget my plans and revert to a state of hibernation. Fortunately a cursory peek out of the window settled my mind and I was soon heading out of the front door.

One broken tube train and a hastily caught bus ride later (grrrr!) I found myself sitting in a motorboat a little after 7am following some of the best rowing talent this country has to offer along the Thames. The weather could not have been better for what I had in mind. I was keen to focus more on movements within the boat, rather than the boat and crew as a whole (as I may have done in earlier work). Rowing is a balancing act of intense power and strength against utmost composure and control. An athlete cannot simply rip an oar with all their might through the water and hope to go fast as a result. The boat has to be driven and swept along smoothly, each stroke is a result of carefully coordinated sequence of movements to get the most out of the body and equipment in propelling the boat forwards (or backwards depending on your point of view). Timing is key.

All very much worth getting out of bed for!

As ever, my thanks to the Men and Women of ULBC allowing me to join them in their valuable training time.