The warm up area - from the inside this time :o)
Managed to say hello to a few of my European Facebook friends - always good to meet in person
Well the race plan was to go out at 1:31/32 and to hold that to about 500 then drop to 1:34 for middle 1k and finish with a 1:29 - after getting on the erg I found I was having issues with my blue tooth headphones which picked up interference from somewhere - still decided to leave them on and crack on. The guys around picked up the handles so I did - then I looked at the screen and the ready - set - row came up ... in Dutch lol wasn't expecting that - still didn't miss out too badly. Started out OK but then just seemed to be getting mentally tired and without anyone to compete with I allowed myself to slump and just go through the motions, I did pump the last 500m just for kicks and saw a few 1:27's I think but just did what I needed and although I won the Gold in the Masters B came away rather flat from it.
In between the two races I chilled out with Johan and Ralph and had a couple of sandwiches .. each lol then I went off to get myself straight again. Shorter warm up this time and bumped into a guy from London Youth Rowing who had a 18 year old rowing in the under 23's - he came second with a 6:07 - one to watch Sam Nunn. Well the race went pretty similar to the first - started OK and held the drift a little in the middle but no thump at the end as too far from 7th and far enough from 9th to secure 8th position.
Managed to do a photobomb on some GB Gold athletes :o) also signs of the "Russian Blisters" (a blister in a blister in a blister) caused by the previous days wondering around Amsterdam
Must sat the event was fantastic and well run - timely updates on the website and prompt responses to emails - would go again even if it's just National and not Euros. Disappointed with my times but only myself to blame for those.
