Page 14 - RADC 2017

Indoor Rowing
LCpl Kelly, RADC
Since joining the military sport has become second nature to me and going to the
gym at lunch time seems more of a habit these days. Before I joined the Army I had dipped my toe (pun intended?...Ed.) into rowing on the water (OTW) but, living a nomadic life in the Army and having to move around every three years, I decided that indoor rowing (using the Concept 2 machines found in most gyms) was more suited to my lifestyle.
than anything else. I also used it to push myself as I was unable to run or carry out any high impact training.
After a much needed confidence boost I was approached to take part in the British Indoor Rowing Championships, probably the biggest event in a rowers calendar, which
is held in London. Sadly, I was unable to attend so I was pushed to go for the English Indoor Rowing Championships. Although questioning my own ability, I entered
the 500m sprint and 2km HWT Female Category. I found these extremely daunting as I had never been in a formal sporting environment and now I was taking part in two races! The 500m sprint and 2km race are probably the hardest ones to complete due to the intensity and endurance required respectively. Put simply, the 500m sprint
is “row for your life” whereas the 2km race
requires pace, control and speed.
I arrived on the day with my supportive husband, Dan Kelly, to the Manchester Velodrome. In
the middle of the Velodrome were rows upon rows of Concept 2 rowing machines,
all linked up to a giant screen showing you the progress of each “boat”. A chair was placed neatly behind each rowing machine
for that all important coxswain to help you through your darkest moments. The nerves started to build as I watched the HWT Male 10km race begin, “SIT READY, ATTENTION, ROW” four words that made my heart jump
Shortly after moving to RAF Wyton in January 2016 I was medically downgraded, but this did not deter me when it came
to fitness. The station at the time had an indoor rowing league, which I liked the look of, comprising of simple challenges for all ages and abilities including 100m sprint, 500m sprint, 1 minute sprint, 2km, 5km, and 10km challenges. I started at the beginning and became more
competitive with
myself towards
the end. Leading
up to the 10km
challenge, I adopted
some good training
techniques, which
helped, as rowing for
10km is hard work,
both mentally and
physically. My results
were submitted on
a monthly basis and
I quickly became
known as “The dental
girl that rows”. By
the end of the challenge I was the overall Heavyweight (HWT) female winner for RAF Wyton. It was a friendly challenge, more about the promotion of indoor rowing and getting more people involved in the sport
into my mouth!
It was 9am and my first race (2km) was at
10am. Behind the stands of proud parents and friends were the warm up rowing machines. I felt like I should have been on them as soon as I arrived but I knew that I had to wait and not waste my energy. I had a good night sleep and I hadn’t rowed in
3 days so I knew I was going to be okay,
I just needed to believe it! 09:40hrs was soon upon me, I found a rower and started to row just enough to get a slight sweat on and a raised heart rate. I stopped at 09:50 and used the time before the race to stretch and drink some fluids. The one problem with rowing is that you can’t stop to have a drink! I spotted my rowing machine, number 6,
on the front row. I approached it nervously whilst hearing my husband cheer my name. It was pure luck that my buddy, Rob Jones, was my coxswain. He briefly discussed my 500m/Splits and that he would push me
for a new PB, but, before I knew it - “SIT READY, ATTENTION, ROW” - it had begun. I started off steady, found my rhythm and got into my stride fairly quickly. 500m down, I was in my stride. Halfway point, 1000m, it was getting slightly harder to breathe. It was now getting tough, I had to start tapping into my thoughts to prevent going into the
A chair was placed neatly behind each rowing machine for that all important coxswain to help you through your darkest moments.
12 RADC BULLETIN 2017
SPORT