so - what happened - well let's start at the start - I wasn't 100% going to Boston even up to a few days before due to my wive and child both being sick along with my own earlier in the month of February. In fact it was literally a last minute decision to enter at all as the deadline came on February 2nd, 2015 at Midnight EST (Eastern Standard Time) - I hit go on my entry at 4am on the 3rd Feb which was an hour before cut off. Flights where booked on the 18th Feb - I planned to fly on the Saturday and basically stay on Irish time for the race Sunday (which was at 3pm - so 8pm Irish time which was fine for me) that all went well. Arrived and got to the hotel, checked in and hoped to grab a quick erg before they where taken away but as I got to the erg rooms the guys wheeled the last one out so into the gym and onto the elliptical just to flush some blood through. Quick shower then met up with Q for some food, also started to bump into the world of facebook rowers who seemed surprised to see me lol. Bed at ten and slept through till about 7 the next morning US time although I woke about half a dozen times I managed to drop off again quite quickly, although I did wake in a pool of sweat, soaked in fact, but put that down to the travel. Up and breakfast then over to the arena to watch the morning races, a twenty minute gentle paddle on the erg before heading back to the hotel to get ready. At the hotel I felt fantastic and ready to roll. Back to the arena and it became a little panic to get to the warm up machines but got through that OK and then into the toilets but wasn't able to do what was needed there TMI lol. Still feeling good though I got out to the race machine, set the drag, and prepared. Music was on and I was ready, then attention and row and we was off. Target was 10 hard strokes then back off to 1:31/32 pace and sit on that until the last 500m - that too went well. Then...
Well I just started to cramp in my stomach, even now I'm not fully sure why, possibly the travel caused some "blockage" down there, maybe I ate something, I don't know, all I knew was that a mild discomfort gradually got worse to the point I was in quite a bit of pain and had to stop, so the handle came down, I felt like I wanted to hide, but there was no where to go, I wanted to get of the erg and cry, but couldn't, so I picked up the handle and tried to keep going, in my memory I started and stopped about half a dozen times, I didn't want to, I just wanted it over, but the pains kept coming back and I needed to stop, I then started worrying that I might be putting the guys of next to me, but they seemed to be flying along which was good, I think I saw 500m left and thought sod it lets blast the last 500 at least - but again the pain - by the end all I could do was get off and try and get off the arena floor, i made it to the back of the commentary area and needed to collapse again, I think a few people asked if I was OK as they walked past, I have no idea if I acknowledged them or not, eventually I got up as I remembered seeing Bob Spenger in the seating in front of me during the race and I said I would talk to him after I'd finished, I made my way round to where he was but he'd gone (luckily I saw him later in the hotel) I sat down a few seats back from the rest of Q-Power as I couldn't get to them as people where sitting on the steps and I wasn't feeling to good. I must have spent the next hour or more quite some pain sat there. Couldn't move and didn't want to, Stomach cramped up and felt like it was completely solid at the same time it felt like I was being stabbed in it from both sides. Eventually it subsided to the point I made it to the toilets again - hoping for "relief" but still non found. So that was it - World Championships over and I've never felt so low. But - when you are at the lowest you've been there is only one way to go surely ? so onwards and upwards!
Must say a huge well done to Andy Benko for winning - and will say that even if my race plan had of gone as planned he would still be taking the hammer home :o) Also a big thanks to Q who got me in a position to get there that day with a positive mind and ambition to compete.
(this was written on the 12th March after some time to reflect - another thing I have taken away from this experience is a new found vigor for training - I don't feel like I look like an athlete who should be on the top spot and so have taken steps to change that - I will be back)
Pictures below from various sources
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