But this is part of what I do for a living. As an exercise physiologist for the sportscotland institute of sport I support coaches and athletes with sport science input into their prigrammes. So far I have been Scotland based, working out of the lab, office, local facilities etc. the highlight being the Commonwealth games which took place last summer in Glasgow.
Now finally I got the chance to travel and support a group of athletes and coaches!! So no two day bank holiday for me, I arrived here, in Banyoles (Spain) on the 2nd January to a hotel/hostel which specialises in rowing camps. It's basic but does the job.
Why Banyoles? Well there is a BEAUTIFUL 2km lake here so it's an ideal location for a water camp. Plus Cambridge uni are here and you've got to assume that they know what they are doing when it comes to rowing.
The office!
So what happens on a training camp? Well here's an example day for me...
6:40 am: wake up
7:00 am: receive a delivery of 12 people's pee samples to my bedroom door!!
7:00-7:10 am: analyse said pee to assess hydration status of each rower - it is important they start training hydrated
7:15 am: head to breakfast to reveal the results! Advise those who are dehydrated what and how much to drink.
7:20 am: eat breakfast myself :) I tend to go for meats plus Nutella on toast
7:30 am: time to see how the rowers are feeling, have slept and what they weigh today. Every morning each rower fills in scores on my laptop. Before they start training I sit with coaches and identify anyone who is flagging low on wellness or sleep and we make adjustments if we see fit
8:00 am: session 1. I (dressed in thermals and as many layers as I can find) go out on the launch (small temperamental boat) to watch the session with the coaches. It takes a while to learn a sport and this up close view is an excellent opportunity to gain some technical knowledge and see the training.
10:00-11:00 am: break for the rowers to rehydrate and refuel. Break for the staff to a warm up and consume caffeine!
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: session 2. Man this is a long day and it's only not even lunch time!
This is where I come in as a physiologist. The middle session is where they pieces (or higher intensity efforts) take place. It is when I collect blood from the rowers to check what intensity they are training at. Sounds straightforward. It isn't. On dry land this is a piece of cake. On a moving boat with a moving subject in a unstable boat it is somewhat challenging!! We get it done though with no falling in or capsizing :)
My lactate station, from the jetty not the launch
1:00 pm: back to the hotel/hostel for lunch. The food here is... interesting. Plentiful in amount which is good because man rowers eat! But odd in combinations and excessively salty! Spanish omelette is a good day, whilst mystery meat stew not so good.
2:00 pm: time for the rowers to rest before session 3. I update my spreadsheet with any data I've collected and check emails.
3:00-5:00 pm: session 3. Back to the lake; a 10/15 min walk. At this point I'll either go back on the launch as they are in crews not singles which is interesting or I'll go train myself. There is a cinder track and a gym so I have managed to keep up my own training which is good!
Two of our boys plus the Cambridge eights in the background!!
5:00-5:15pm: we run some sort of recovery for the group. This can be ice baths (not popular), ball games (popular) or yoga (mixed reaction). This helps flush (buzz word) the muscles of any waste products and is an opportunity to work on soreness and tight muscles prior to the next days training.
Ice bath (lake) recovery!!
6:00 pm: dinner. Staff and rowers are usually waiting at the door for dinner - the days are long! The highlight of the food over the 10 days is undoubtedly the white/dark chocolate spread on bread that we started having for dessert. I tried to limit myself to one slice! The rowers are literally liking the jar clean.
7:00 pm: down time. I have provided feedback on any lactate data and we've planned the next day so everyone tends to disappear to relax. I tend to sit outside the physio room as Kelly my roommate works the latest of all of us and I'm too scared to sit in my room (in a nunnery) without her.
9:00 pm: Kelly is done and we head to our room turning all the lights on as we go (it is so creepy). We will chat over the before lights off about 10/10:30.
And that's it. Repeat X 10.
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