It's been a while but I'm back - back blogging and back rowing.
An up and down summer; the torture of running with the team right to the edge of the Games, knowing it would all end too early for me, followed by a great Olympic multi-medal performance by some of my closest friends. I explored the world of work, met some great people and inspiring businesses. There were a couple of exciting opportunities which gave me a real dilemma - cut my losses and start 'real' life or throw the dice once more?
Ultimately, I still have that Olympic dream. I have one hesitation though, it has to work - I have to be performing, I have to prove to myself that four more years are a worth while endeavour. The main marker will be the World Champs next summer, I need to be there and need to perform at a standard that inspires belief.
I thank all those that have spoken with me over the past couple of months, it's helped form my view and it's good to know other people care. Most of all, thank you to all those that have shown their support - not just recently, but over the past few years.
Soon I will look to blog on my adventures over the past two months, for now you can follow me day to day on Twitter @nrodtweets (a new name but the same account - if you previously followed me you still will be!).
N
PS - I will also be moving the blog to wordpress in the coming weeks, I will post details here when all ready.
Showing posts with label Nathaniel Reilly-O'Donnell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nathaniel Reilly-O'Donnell. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Friday, 22 June 2012
Altitude Camp - delayed
Today I was due to fly out on altitude camp with the rest of the team but this morning I woke up with a stomach bug. The decision was made for me to stay at home, that way I can recover and not spread my germs. The plan is to head up onto the mountain on Sunday. Once up at altitude I'm planning on hosting a couple of Twitcasts where you can tune in and watch us while we are having dinner. I'll post details on here and on Twitter so you know when to watch.
A couple of people have asked about selection etc. At the moment I am none the wiser. There are four guys for three seats - one place in the eight and two reserves. I expect to find out the final decision in the next 2-3 weeks.
To receive posts to your email inbox then sign up on the left. You can also follow me day to day on Twitter @nrod2012. Feel free to make comments and ask questions.
As always, a sincere thanks to everyone sending their best wishes. A special thanks the The National Lottery (UK Sport), Atos and BMW - without which I wouldn't be able to fulfil my ambitions full-time.
p.s. If you missed it on Twitter, here is a video of the crew room at our training centre at Caversham. The whole team was enjoying watch the Olympic sculler fall in on camera. :-)
A couple of people have asked about selection etc. At the moment I am none the wiser. There are four guys for three seats - one place in the eight and two reserves. I expect to find out the final decision in the next 2-3 weeks.
To receive posts to your email inbox then sign up on the left. You can also follow me day to day on Twitter @nrod2012. Feel free to make comments and ask questions.
As always, a sincere thanks to everyone sending their best wishes. A special thanks the The National Lottery (UK Sport), Atos and BMW - without which I wouldn't be able to fulfil my ambitions full-time.
p.s. If you missed it on Twitter, here is a video of the crew room at our training centre at Caversham. The whole team was enjoying watch the Olympic sculler fall in on camera. :-)
A day in the life...
Below is a photo stream of a typical day's training in the UK. I started at 7:30am in the EIS gym at Bisham. Followed by second breakfast and then a session on the water. Post water session I had lunch and then went on the ergo for the final session of the day. From the photo's I noticed there was quite a few car journeys - thanks to Berry Chiswick BMW for making this all the more comfortable!
Feel free to drop any questions!
Third World Cup - Munich
Last weekend saw the last World Cup race of the season. It ended with disappointment and opportunities lost. I raced the same pair (with Cam) that raced in Lucerne a few weeks earlier.
Post Lucerne we had a really positive week of training, I felt like we were building from a reasonable start. Then we had to split up to cover illness in other boats and came back together with just over a week to go. From that point onwards we seemed to struggle to find the cohesiveness we have had. Our work at higher rates seemed to be better than at paddling, so not all was lost. Going into the final World Cup there had been a few crews pull out who had ranked above us in Lucerne. This meant we should really move on up, without letting anyone behind passing us.
Racing started OK. We caught a buoy early in the heat, which meant we had to truck back through the middle of the race. The Frech dominated from stroke one and so the single qualifying spot was sewn up early doors. We tested a slightly different race strategy and it meant we came through 2nd overall, the French clear.
The repercharge was the next morning. I think we both had a clear idea of what we were looking for - a strong start (getting in the mix) and then turn the screw on the field through the third 500m. Our pace was a little slower than I would have normally expected and as we went through 600m to go the wheels came off and we crawled to the line, 3rd (top two into the final). I don't know what happened, but we finished with Cam exhausted while I felt well within myself. Normally we would both have emptied the tank equally, I was a bit concerned.
It meant we had the B-Final to race early Sunday morning. Our main opposition would be the German top pair (winners of the first World Cup) and the Australian 2nd pair (we had beaten earlier in the heat and in Lucerne). I was worried that we would have a major blow out (like the previous day) and so the first 1250m was all about setting up a consistent but "within ourselves" pattern. We were then able to step on and have a dog fight with the German pair. The Aussies found pace they hadn't previously shown and were ahead by a length. In the final stages of the race we were neck and neck with the Germans, sadly just losing out, but with a much stronger final 750m than the previous day.
Overall a disappointing regatta, I think it's best to just put it behind us and move on.
Post Lucerne we had a really positive week of training, I felt like we were building from a reasonable start. Then we had to split up to cover illness in other boats and came back together with just over a week to go. From that point onwards we seemed to struggle to find the cohesiveness we have had. Our work at higher rates seemed to be better than at paddling, so not all was lost. Going into the final World Cup there had been a few crews pull out who had ranked above us in Lucerne. This meant we should really move on up, without letting anyone behind passing us.
Racing started OK. We caught a buoy early in the heat, which meant we had to truck back through the middle of the race. The Frech dominated from stroke one and so the single qualifying spot was sewn up early doors. We tested a slightly different race strategy and it meant we came through 2nd overall, the French clear.
The repercharge was the next morning. I think we both had a clear idea of what we were looking for - a strong start (getting in the mix) and then turn the screw on the field through the third 500m. Our pace was a little slower than I would have normally expected and as we went through 600m to go the wheels came off and we crawled to the line, 3rd (top two into the final). I don't know what happened, but we finished with Cam exhausted while I felt well within myself. Normally we would both have emptied the tank equally, I was a bit concerned.
It meant we had the B-Final to race early Sunday morning. Our main opposition would be the German top pair (winners of the first World Cup) and the Australian 2nd pair (we had beaten earlier in the heat and in Lucerne). I was worried that we would have a major blow out (like the previous day) and so the first 1250m was all about setting up a consistent but "within ourselves" pattern. We were then able to step on and have a dog fight with the German pair. The Aussies found pace they hadn't previously shown and were ahead by a length. In the final stages of the race we were neck and neck with the Germans, sadly just losing out, but with a much stronger final 750m than the previous day.
Overall a disappointing regatta, I think it's best to just put it behind us and move on.
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Problems Posting
I'm having problems posting on my Blogger account and so there will be a delay to my next update. Hopefully Blogger will sort soon.
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Junk mail
I received this email from Nicholas Story of the FBI. As a piece of creative writing I thought it was worth posting.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Counter-terrorism Division and Cyber Crime Division
J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington DC
Dear Beneficiary,
Series of meetings have been held over the past 7 months with the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. This ended 3 days ago. It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $850,000.00 due to past corrupt Governmental Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of your fund all in an attempt to swindle your fund which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.
The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the current president of Nigeria his Excellency President Good luck Jonathan to boost the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/Gambling, Inheritance and the likes. Now how would you like to receive your payment? Because we have two method of payment which is by Check or by ATM card?
ATM Card: We will be issuing you a custom pin based ATM card which you will use to withdraw up to $3,000 per day from any ATM machine that has the Master Card Logo on it and the card have to be renewed in 4 years time which is 2015. Also with the ATM card you will be able to transfer your funds to your local bank account. The ATM card comes with a handbook or manual to enlighten you about how to use it. Even if you do not have a bank account.
Check: To be deposited in your bank for it to be cleared within three working days. Your payment would be sent to you via any of your preferred option and would be mailed to you via FedEx. Because we have signed a contract with FedEx Express which should expire by the end of this month, you will only need to pay $200 instead of $500 saving you $300 So if you pay before the end of this month you save $300 Take note that anyone asking you for some kind of money above the usual fee is definitely a fraudsters and you will have to stop communication with every other person if you have been in contact with any. Also remember that all you will ever have to spend is $200.00 nothing more! Nothing less! And we guarantee the receipt of your fund to be successfully delivered to you within the next 48hours after the receipt of payment has been confirmed.
Note: Everything has been taken care of by the Federal Government of Nigeria, The United Nation and also the FBI and including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $200.
DO NOT SEND MONEY TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU READ THIS: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is $500 but because FedEx have temporarily discontinued the C.O.D which gives you the chance to pay when package is delivered for international shipping We had to sign contract with them for bulk shipping which makes the fees reduce from the actual fee of $500 to $200 nothing more and no hidden fees of any sort!
To effect the release of your fund valued at $850,000.00 you are advised to contact our correspondent in Africa the delivery officer David Sunday with the information below,
Name: David Sunday
Email: davidsunday@yahoo.cn
You are advised to contact him with the information?'s as stated below:
Your full Name..
Your Address:..............
Home/Cell Phone:..............
Preferred Payment Method (ATM / Cashier Check)
Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 48 working hours. Because we are so sure of everything we are giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive payment/package within the next 48hours after you have made the payment for shipping we the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) will get your funds refund back to you with immediate effect
Yours sincerely,
NICHOLAS STORY
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535
TELEPHONE: (206) 414-1408
Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with David Sunday of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Counter-terrorism Division and Cyber Crime Division
J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington DC
Dear Beneficiary,
Series of meetings have been held over the past 7 months with the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. This ended 3 days ago. It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $850,000.00 due to past corrupt Governmental Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of your fund all in an attempt to swindle your fund which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.
The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the current president of Nigeria his Excellency President Good luck Jonathan to boost the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/Gambling, Inheritance and the likes. Now how would you like to receive your payment? Because we have two method of payment which is by Check or by ATM card?
ATM Card: We will be issuing you a custom pin based ATM card which you will use to withdraw up to $3,000 per day from any ATM machine that has the Master Card Logo on it and the card have to be renewed in 4 years time which is 2015. Also with the ATM card you will be able to transfer your funds to your local bank account. The ATM card comes with a handbook or manual to enlighten you about how to use it. Even if you do not have a bank account.
Check: To be deposited in your bank for it to be cleared within three working days. Your payment would be sent to you via any of your preferred option and would be mailed to you via FedEx. Because we have signed a contract with FedEx Express which should expire by the end of this month, you will only need to pay $200 instead of $500 saving you $300 So if you pay before the end of this month you save $300 Take note that anyone asking you for some kind of money above the usual fee is definitely a fraudsters and you will have to stop communication with every other person if you have been in contact with any. Also remember that all you will ever have to spend is $200.00 nothing more! Nothing less! And we guarantee the receipt of your fund to be successfully delivered to you within the next 48hours after the receipt of payment has been confirmed.
Note: Everything has been taken care of by the Federal Government of Nigeria, The United Nation and also the FBI and including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $200.
DO NOT SEND MONEY TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU READ THIS: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is $500 but because FedEx have temporarily discontinued the C.O.D which gives you the chance to pay when package is delivered for international shipping We had to sign contract with them for bulk shipping which makes the fees reduce from the actual fee of $500 to $200 nothing more and no hidden fees of any sort!
To effect the release of your fund valued at $850,000.00 you are advised to contact our correspondent in Africa the delivery officer David Sunday with the information below,
Name: David Sunday
Email: davidsunday@yahoo.cn
You are advised to contact him with the information?'s as stated below:
Your full Name..
Your Address:..............
Home/Cell Phone:..............
Preferred Payment Method (ATM / Cashier Check)
Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 48 working hours. Because we are so sure of everything we are giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive payment/package within the next 48hours after you have made the payment for shipping we the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) will get your funds refund back to you with immediate effect
Yours sincerely,
NICHOLAS STORY
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535
TELEPHONE: (206) 414-1408
Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with David Sunday of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Olympic Team Announcement
Today the vast majority of the GB Rowers were announced as selected for the Olympic games.
There are still a couple of final selection decisions to take place. I'm training well and feeling more effective in the boat each day. Agrra los cuernos de un toro.
There are still a couple of final selection decisions to take place. I'm training well and feeling more effective in the boat each day. Agrra los cuernos de un toro.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Second World Cup - Lucerne
The 2nd World Cup of the season saw a change from the eight into a pair with Cameron Nichol. This had been the original plan for the 1st World Cup, and with on and off opportunities to get out in the boat, we were finally given the nod a week before the event in Lucerne.
Over the week build-up we concentrated on positive actions that would bring us speed. It's often easy to get caught up with what isn't right and address those technical points until they are fixed. But with a short amount of time, the real priority was working out what we could do pro-actively to put in a solid performance. With a few timed pieces under our belt, we had a few ideas on what did and didn't work.
Our heat went reasonably well, we drew the 3 x World Champions from New Zealand and Olympic Silver medalists from Canada. Three crews went through and we were able to pick up the 3rd position by picking crews off as we went down the course.
The semi was an opportunity to place a marker relative to the lead GB pair and gain a place in the A-final. We knew it would be a tough challenge and we looked to build off what we had done in our first race. But almost immediately we were dropped by the whole field, leaving a lot of work to do. Our start had been a bit ineffective and the other 5 crews just stepped away from us. The row on the whole wasn't bad, but due to being on the back foot so early on, meant we didn't quite find a good enough rhythm and came in 5th (needing a top three position to progress into the A-final).
Sunday offered a chance to show that Saturday had been a mistake and not a true reflection of our speed. We talked more about the pro-active lessons we had learnt over the previous week and looked to be more bullish in our execution. Things went much better, leading from stroke one and coming over the line with an overall ranking of 7th at the Regatta. We placed above crews selected and qualified for the Olympics and were the fastest "No. 2" boat from any nation.
As usual, we were back training on Monday morning.
Over the week build-up we concentrated on positive actions that would bring us speed. It's often easy to get caught up with what isn't right and address those technical points until they are fixed. But with a short amount of time, the real priority was working out what we could do pro-actively to put in a solid performance. With a few timed pieces under our belt, we had a few ideas on what did and didn't work.
Our heat went reasonably well, we drew the 3 x World Champions from New Zealand and Olympic Silver medalists from Canada. Three crews went through and we were able to pick up the 3rd position by picking crews off as we went down the course.
The semi was an opportunity to place a marker relative to the lead GB pair and gain a place in the A-final. We knew it would be a tough challenge and we looked to build off what we had done in our first race. But almost immediately we were dropped by the whole field, leaving a lot of work to do. Our start had been a bit ineffective and the other 5 crews just stepped away from us. The row on the whole wasn't bad, but due to being on the back foot so early on, meant we didn't quite find a good enough rhythm and came in 5th (needing a top three position to progress into the A-final).
Sunday offered a chance to show that Saturday had been a mistake and not a true reflection of our speed. We talked more about the pro-active lessons we had learnt over the previous week and looked to be more bullish in our execution. Things went much better, leading from stroke one and coming over the line with an overall ranking of 7th at the Regatta. We placed above crews selected and qualified for the Olympics and were the fastest "No. 2" boat from any nation.
As usual, we were back training on Monday morning.
Thursday, 29 March 2012
March Update
The view from breakfast in Aviz, Portugal.
Yesterday was four months until the games; how quickly time has passed. Within our team the initial selections for our pre-Olympic races have taken place and there is a definite "preparing" sort of feel to training.
Personally, I've had a nightmare first three months of 2012. Previous posts have documented a tough January camp and illness. I'd thought I had put these behind me, but during preparations in Portugal for our National Trials I fell ill again. Very similar symptoms to before, and looks like it was a re-occurrence of a virus I contracted. It meant two 10 day stints of little to no training within just over a month - this is rare. If I have a day off I get agitated, so 10 days was an eternity (to put it into perspective of my normal "time off" - from the end of last season to the next we got two weeks and I started training again in the second week).
There has been a huge effort to try and clearly define what it is that has caused me to be ill. Due to the huge list of differing symptoms, it has made it quite hard. Some aspects are very similar to glandular fever, but the test came back negative. It meant I was sent back to the cardiologist for more investigations. Again, this came back as abnormal but not of serious concern. It has meant we (the coaches, medical team and I) have treated this as something very similar to glandular fever. I've been building up my training - altering it here and there for when I am too fatigued. It has been a lot slower than I would have ever expected, but I'm hoping for a break through soon so I can get back into the full programme. Until I'm ready to fully train and race I'm not ready to be selected for anything. As I said at the start of the post, the Olympics are only four months away - I fear that time is ticking too fast.
Beyond rowing, all is well. My granny is in fine form, showing plastic Paddies how the real Irish do it on St Patrick's Day! My sister Charlotte is off travelling South Asia with her boyfriend Mark; I've been getting regular photo updates of random Vietnamese streets and Mark's burnt neck #livingthedream. My dad has been looking for a folding bike on Ebay, says it will save him £££'s in parking for work - what he saves in cash he will lose in dignity. My brother Paddy had a staring role in a Tyne Tees TV report on my school boat club (St Leonard's R.C. Comp. Durham), you can watch it here. My brother Ben is on training camp in Portugal with our boat club (University of London). UL had a great Eights Head (the most important time trial race on the domestic calendar) and Ben stroked the second Eight to a strong row, just missing out on winning their category. My little sister Emily has been on a creative streak, her latest creation was "Jeggie J" for the school egg decorating competition.
A final nod to my mum. A couple of weekends ago was Mother's Day, I'm sure she was felt the house was empty with only two of my brothers and sisters at home (I'm one of five). She gets soppy over the smallest of things, so I'll keep this short. She is a great mum who has, is and always will be there for all five of us. She's a highly respected teacher turned headmistress and we are all very proud of her!
You can follow me day to day on Twitter @nrod2012 and you can receive posts via email by signing on the left hand side. Feel free to leave comments and to ask any questions!
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Catch up!
It's been a while since I've blogged, apologies to those visitors that have tired of my old content. A lot has happened these past couple of months, I won't be able to cover it all - but I'll try to give you the gist!
January started with a bang, a two and a half week altitude camp in South Africa. Over Christmas I'd really strengthened my injured back and was pleased with the progress I'd made on the ergo. This translated to a good start in SA and I hoped to jump straight back into where I had been pre-torn disc. A couple of days in and I started to pick up a few niggles and struggled. The rest of the camp became a survival strategy as I nursed my way through a gruelling training program. Most of the camp was on the ergo, broken up with weights and some cycling every other day. There was no real time to do anything "touristy" in SA, but I did enjoy staying within a small town - it meant I could experience a little bit more of what it's like for the locals day to day.
Off the back of the SA camp we had the annual GB Team Dinner. The dinner was held at Twikenham Stadium - about 6 mins drive from my house (unless the lights are bad!). Invited are the good, bad and ugly of British rowing and sponsors. The night can be a bit of a stiff occasion for those that have ergo tests a couple of days after, but it is a good chance to hear about how all the GB rowing teams did the previous season (Junior, U23, European and Senior). Medalists are presented with a framed photo from the World Champs, the World Champions also receive a certificate from the World governing body (FISA) telling them they are World Champions. I'm not really one for momentoes, but the my 'Junior World Champion' certificate is something different and special.
Post the GB Dinner we had our 5km ergo test. With no preparation I went into it a bit blind. Previously I'd probably gone too hard too early and paid for it in the second half. This time I took a risk, I waited and waited. I wanted to go under 16 mins, that meant pulling an average split of under 1:36. I only got down to this in the dying stages of the test. I finished with a time of 15:58 - a PB of 6 seconds. I was pleased with the way I did it and happy to be stepping forward after what had been a miserable camp.
A few days later we did some testing on the water. This has generally been where I could show my abilities and prove my worth. This time I wasn't that good. I lacked technically and needed to get more shove on through the stroke. These are things I thought I had been doing far better earlier in the season. The testing showed the great strength in depth in the team, there are plenty of others ready to perform and shine if you don't. I'm dissappointed with my performance and, if I'm honest, it puts my Olympic dream in jeopardy.
Towards the end of that week I started to develop funny heart rhythms. They came and went, sometimes stronger sometimes weaker. During racing your body can react in strange ways, it had been particularly cold and I had experienced a couple of these weird beats while away in SA. CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) conducts regualrly screening and last October they had picked up that I had an eptopic beat - its not particularly serious but something to keep an eye on. As I settled to tuck into the Six Nations on the Saturday afternoon, I noticed that my heart wasn't beating normally, I felt pretty rubbish, lips tingled a bit and noticed I was getting breathless. I let it go, expecting it to settle like the previous days, but by the evening I thought it would be best to contact Dr Ann (our team doctor). She sent me to A & E to get it looked at, I think the main purpose was to catch it on an ECG while it was happening. Several blood tests were done to check other stuff wasn't going on (e.g. Thyroid issues etc). Come Monday I was still getting these beats and I really struggled during my first session. Dr Ann sent me to see a cardiologist [Prof Sharma] at St George's Hospital. I was told this guy was THE guy to see, and I believe it. They ran through quite a few tests, including an active ECG. I was told they would put me on a treadmill - "get me moving and see how the heart reacted". I thought this would be a light jog at worst - I was wrong. I was rigged up with 12 or so sensors and then informed it would be a test to maximum heart rate. I was sat in jeans and trainers (laces not done up). I sweat pretty quickly on a cold day, in a warm hospital I thought this can only get messy. Inside I didn't know what to do - ask to do it in my boxer shorts or just get on with it? I bottled it, jeans it was. I don't think they'd had anyone sweat quite so much but thankfully they didnt make me go to max heart rate ("Yeah, this is going to take too long"). They gave me a 24hr ECG to wear and I finished my training for the day. Over the next couple of days I felt pretty rubbish and feverish at times. On the Wednesday Dr Ann said to take a break, I had more tests and was given time to let things settle. My 24 hr ECG had been to try and gauge how many eptopic beats I was getting - if it was more than 2,000 then they might need to do something about it. It turns out I had over 10,000 in that 24 hr period. By Friday these beats had still not settled, I was put on a very low and short dose of beta blockers to bring things back into line. By the end of the course they eptopics had settled significantly. On the Monday I had an MRI (just to make sure) and trained in the afternoon. I felt terrible; fever, shaking, no appetite, queasy etc - heart stuff all fine though. I some how also picked up an infection in my elbow joint. That week was up and down as I fought this virus off, eventually back training on the Friday and feeling like I had turned the corner. Since then I've been tired, but feeling stronger and back into full training. The medical team reckon the whole episode was down to some weird virus, it was annoying to get so many things as once.
Since then I enjoyed a visit to the World Cup racing at the velodrome with Atos UK - I'll write about this in the next couple of days.
A week on and I'm now in Portugal on the second training camp of the season, preparing for our national trails (at the start of March). I'm in a pair with Tom Ransley, things have started pretty well and I'm looking forward to getting our boat motoring.
I must say thank you to everyone who has sent their good wishes, it is much appreciated. A special thanks to family, friends, Atos UK/Threshold Sports and the medical staff at GB Rowing - world class.
Feel free to leave comments/ask questions below. You can also find me on Twitter @nrod2012.
p.s. does anyone know anything about the flowers I received on Valentines day?! Denials from everyone I know!
January started with a bang, a two and a half week altitude camp in South Africa. Over Christmas I'd really strengthened my injured back and was pleased with the progress I'd made on the ergo. This translated to a good start in SA and I hoped to jump straight back into where I had been pre-torn disc. A couple of days in and I started to pick up a few niggles and struggled. The rest of the camp became a survival strategy as I nursed my way through a gruelling training program. Most of the camp was on the ergo, broken up with weights and some cycling every other day. There was no real time to do anything "touristy" in SA, but I did enjoy staying within a small town - it meant I could experience a little bit more of what it's like for the locals day to day.
Off the back of the SA camp we had the annual GB Team Dinner. The dinner was held at Twikenham Stadium - about 6 mins drive from my house (unless the lights are bad!). Invited are the good, bad and ugly of British rowing and sponsors. The night can be a bit of a stiff occasion for those that have ergo tests a couple of days after, but it is a good chance to hear about how all the GB rowing teams did the previous season (Junior, U23, European and Senior). Medalists are presented with a framed photo from the World Champs, the World Champions also receive a certificate from the World governing body (FISA) telling them they are World Champions. I'm not really one for momentoes, but the my 'Junior World Champion' certificate is something different and special.
Post the GB Dinner we had our 5km ergo test. With no preparation I went into it a bit blind. Previously I'd probably gone too hard too early and paid for it in the second half. This time I took a risk, I waited and waited. I wanted to go under 16 mins, that meant pulling an average split of under 1:36. I only got down to this in the dying stages of the test. I finished with a time of 15:58 - a PB of 6 seconds. I was pleased with the way I did it and happy to be stepping forward after what had been a miserable camp.
A few days later we did some testing on the water. This has generally been where I could show my abilities and prove my worth. This time I wasn't that good. I lacked technically and needed to get more shove on through the stroke. These are things I thought I had been doing far better earlier in the season. The testing showed the great strength in depth in the team, there are plenty of others ready to perform and shine if you don't. I'm dissappointed with my performance and, if I'm honest, it puts my Olympic dream in jeopardy.
Towards the end of that week I started to develop funny heart rhythms. They came and went, sometimes stronger sometimes weaker. During racing your body can react in strange ways, it had been particularly cold and I had experienced a couple of these weird beats while away in SA. CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) conducts regualrly screening and last October they had picked up that I had an eptopic beat - its not particularly serious but something to keep an eye on. As I settled to tuck into the Six Nations on the Saturday afternoon, I noticed that my heart wasn't beating normally, I felt pretty rubbish, lips tingled a bit and noticed I was getting breathless. I let it go, expecting it to settle like the previous days, but by the evening I thought it would be best to contact Dr Ann (our team doctor). She sent me to A & E to get it looked at, I think the main purpose was to catch it on an ECG while it was happening. Several blood tests were done to check other stuff wasn't going on (e.g. Thyroid issues etc). Come Monday I was still getting these beats and I really struggled during my first session. Dr Ann sent me to see a cardiologist [Prof Sharma] at St George's Hospital. I was told this guy was THE guy to see, and I believe it. They ran through quite a few tests, including an active ECG. I was told they would put me on a treadmill - "get me moving and see how the heart reacted". I thought this would be a light jog at worst - I was wrong. I was rigged up with 12 or so sensors and then informed it would be a test to maximum heart rate. I was sat in jeans and trainers (laces not done up). I sweat pretty quickly on a cold day, in a warm hospital I thought this can only get messy. Inside I didn't know what to do - ask to do it in my boxer shorts or just get on with it? I bottled it, jeans it was. I don't think they'd had anyone sweat quite so much but thankfully they didnt make me go to max heart rate ("Yeah, this is going to take too long"). They gave me a 24hr ECG to wear and I finished my training for the day. Over the next couple of days I felt pretty rubbish and feverish at times. On the Wednesday Dr Ann said to take a break, I had more tests and was given time to let things settle. My 24 hr ECG had been to try and gauge how many eptopic beats I was getting - if it was more than 2,000 then they might need to do something about it. It turns out I had over 10,000 in that 24 hr period. By Friday these beats had still not settled, I was put on a very low and short dose of beta blockers to bring things back into line. By the end of the course they eptopics had settled significantly. On the Monday I had an MRI (just to make sure) and trained in the afternoon. I felt terrible; fever, shaking, no appetite, queasy etc - heart stuff all fine though. I some how also picked up an infection in my elbow joint. That week was up and down as I fought this virus off, eventually back training on the Friday and feeling like I had turned the corner. Since then I've been tired, but feeling stronger and back into full training. The medical team reckon the whole episode was down to some weird virus, it was annoying to get so many things as once.
Since then I enjoyed a visit to the World Cup racing at the velodrome with Atos UK - I'll write about this in the next couple of days.
A week on and I'm now in Portugal on the second training camp of the season, preparing for our national trails (at the start of March). I'm in a pair with Tom Ransley, things have started pretty well and I'm looking forward to getting our boat motoring.
I must say thank you to everyone who has sent their good wishes, it is much appreciated. A special thanks to family, friends, Atos UK/Threshold Sports and the medical staff at GB Rowing - world class.
Feel free to leave comments/ask questions below. You can also find me on Twitter @nrod2012.
p.s. does anyone know anything about the flowers I received on Valentines day?! Denials from everyone I know!
Sunday, 11 December 2011
Blue Peter, BMW and stuff
Thanks to Berry Chiswick BMW I'm now cruising the streets of Richmond in a new car. It's a diesel and so it means I can get used to a decent MPG again. Great vehicles, appreciated greatly!
This week my little sister Emily became a proud recipient of a Blue Peter badge, at 10 (or any age for that matter) life really doesn't get any better than that! She was awarded the badge for her County Durham Tourist Guide. We are a family of five children, so it's great that Emily has been able to out-perform all of us and be the first ever Reilly-O'Donnel to be a Blue Peter badge holder. Well done Em!
[for foreign readers - Blue Peter is a major BBC childrens factual programme. It's been going for decades and very much part of British culture. Competition winners are awarded the Blue Peter badge.]
As mentioned in my last post, I went to see Michael McIntyre with Louise and her sister last Monday night. It was held at Norden Farm in Maidenhead, pretty small venue (seats 225) and so was really good to have a pub comedy night feel with such a recognised comedian. The warm-up act was Mark (insert surname here) and was actually just as good as Michael. The show was used as a warm-up gig for his Christmas Special - hopefully he didn't tell all his best jokes!
Beyond all this excitment, training has been tough (standard) and I've been making the transition from the bike/cross-trainer onto the ergo. Things have gone alright - the rate of recovery is never linear - I'm looking forward to getting back onto the normal programme.
Plus I've started Christmas shopping.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Project Back in Action
Last night my housemates Charlie, Chris and Susie (week days known as James) - who all weirdly have the initials CJ - pointed out to me that the last video posting was "a bit depressive" and "here I am on a cliff ready to jump" sort of vibe. I thought I best not leave that as my latest posting.
Since the incident in the gym a lot has happened. I've progressed with my general mechanics and discomfort pretty well and I was chomping at the bit to do more and more each day. While all these aspects were improving I also started to notice some funky nerve things going on - nothing particularly strong, but enough for the medics to hold back the progression onto the bike and ergo. It meant I was restricted to the pool and the cross-trainer. At this same time the descision was made that I should go for a scan and get things checked out - particularly with the nerve stuff going on. I saw a Spainish doctor to get another assessment - all she did was mock my flexibility and confirm what we had already decided. Late Wednesday night the descision was taken that I was to go home early Friday, with the hope that I could get a scan before the weekend and then see the consultant on Monday. Dr Ann used her persuasive patter to infact arrange both the scan and the consultant for Friday. Thursday was therefore my last day at altitude, I wanted to make up (as best I could) for the two days I would be missing by leaving early. It meant, along with an hours cross-trainer, I spent 3 hours in the pool "swimming" [Hodge decided his afternoon off would be best spent taunting me and filming]. Friday was an early start to get down the mountain to the main town. From there I got a coach to Malaga (3 hours) and then a taxi to the airport. Hand-luggaging it the whole way so I could make my appointments in Central London. I landed at Gatwick 2pm, scanned in Russell Square at 4:30pm and saw the consultant on Harley St. at 6pm - busy day. The scan showed I had a slight tear and bulge in one of my lower discs and so was given an epidural to help reduce the swelling and speed up the healing process.
Today I caught up with Dr Ann and I'm hoping to be building up the training over the week. I won't know where I'm totally at with things until later in the week.
Next week is Louise's birthday and her sister Rachel has got her tickets to see Michael McIntyre tonight. Thankfully she chose me as her "plus one" and I'll be having more of a light-hearted evening.
Since the incident in the gym a lot has happened. I've progressed with my general mechanics and discomfort pretty well and I was chomping at the bit to do more and more each day. While all these aspects were improving I also started to notice some funky nerve things going on - nothing particularly strong, but enough for the medics to hold back the progression onto the bike and ergo. It meant I was restricted to the pool and the cross-trainer. At this same time the descision was made that I should go for a scan and get things checked out - particularly with the nerve stuff going on. I saw a Spainish doctor to get another assessment - all she did was mock my flexibility and confirm what we had already decided. Late Wednesday night the descision was taken that I was to go home early Friday, with the hope that I could get a scan before the weekend and then see the consultant on Monday. Dr Ann used her persuasive patter to infact arrange both the scan and the consultant for Friday. Thursday was therefore my last day at altitude, I wanted to make up (as best I could) for the two days I would be missing by leaving early. It meant, along with an hours cross-trainer, I spent 3 hours in the pool "swimming" [Hodge decided his afternoon off would be best spent taunting me and filming]. Friday was an early start to get down the mountain to the main town. From there I got a coach to Malaga (3 hours) and then a taxi to the airport. Hand-luggaging it the whole way so I could make my appointments in Central London. I landed at Gatwick 2pm, scanned in Russell Square at 4:30pm and saw the consultant on Harley St. at 6pm - busy day. The scan showed I had a slight tear and bulge in one of my lower discs and so was given an epidural to help reduce the swelling and speed up the healing process.
Today I caught up with Dr Ann and I'm hoping to be building up the training over the week. I won't know where I'm totally at with things until later in the week.
Next week is Louise's birthday and her sister Rachel has got her tickets to see Michael McIntyre tonight. Thankfully she chose me as her "plus one" and I'll be having more of a light-hearted evening.
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Video update - Sierra Nevada
I realise now that I should have filmed it in landscape! It's the first time I'd used the video function on my phone and didn't think about it.
Friday, 25 November 2011
Does everything that goes up have to come down?
It's been a little while since I've posted and a lot has happened in the past 10 days. I'm currently in Sierra Nevada [Spain] on the first altitude camp of the season. Before we flew out it was a busy final week at Caversham.
Last week saw the first batch of testing in the 2012 Olympic season. These tests were more informal than some of the more serious ones still to come, but they are an initial marker on the board as we all look to secure our places as individuals on the team. We were tested on the water and on the ergo. The water performance went particularly well for me. I was pairing with Alex Partridge and we showed that the good speed we had in training could be translated into the racing. The second type of testing was on the ergo - 2km - this is normally more of a challenge for me. Going into the test I knew I had made very good gains on the longer training ergos, but had not idea of my "race pace". It meant it was more of a "jump on and see" exercise than knowing exactly what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. At the end I was 3 seconds away from my PB, which was ok but it was really a bare-minimum performance. I knew midway through that I was struggling and looked to take it on from what turned out to be a bit too far out. It meant I blew my doors off close to the finish, just a tad too early.
On Monday we flew very early from Gatwick to Malaga; it was then a 3-4 hour coach journey up into the mountains to reach the training centre at 2320m altitude. Camp started hard, I reckon I was still feeling the effects of the testing at the end of the previous week and I particularly struggled Wednesday morning. Thankfully I turned that round and moved my scores in the right direction, showing pace significantly stronger than I had been capable off when we were last here in January. Then last night disaster struck.
As regular readers will know, rowers and their backs are like a naked flame and a polyester jumper. Something that really don't mix too well. My back has had its fair share of problems, but for the past year it has been getting stronger and more reliable as time passes. Suddenly last night my back went, leading to a massive spasm and severe pain. 24 hours haven't even passed yet, and im still in a significant amount of discomfort, but I'm already showing signs of improvement - even if I can't sit down, walk naturally or even lie down without getting twinges. It makes typing awkward and so I hope you will excuse me as I try to rest up. It is now a waiting game, hopefully it will pass nearly as quickly as it came.
On a quick positive note, thank you to those that have donated to the Movember Campaign (thanks to Atos for chipping in too!). If you've got a spare £1 to help raise awareness for men's health issues please visit - http://mobro.co/nrod/d.
Below is a picture Tony Fleat from O2 and his tashtastic growth. There is also a Freddy Mercury-esque picture of me.
Last week saw the first batch of testing in the 2012 Olympic season. These tests were more informal than some of the more serious ones still to come, but they are an initial marker on the board as we all look to secure our places as individuals on the team. We were tested on the water and on the ergo. The water performance went particularly well for me. I was pairing with Alex Partridge and we showed that the good speed we had in training could be translated into the racing. The second type of testing was on the ergo - 2km - this is normally more of a challenge for me. Going into the test I knew I had made very good gains on the longer training ergos, but had not idea of my "race pace". It meant it was more of a "jump on and see" exercise than knowing exactly what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. At the end I was 3 seconds away from my PB, which was ok but it was really a bare-minimum performance. I knew midway through that I was struggling and looked to take it on from what turned out to be a bit too far out. It meant I blew my doors off close to the finish, just a tad too early.
On Monday we flew very early from Gatwick to Malaga; it was then a 3-4 hour coach journey up into the mountains to reach the training centre at 2320m altitude. Camp started hard, I reckon I was still feeling the effects of the testing at the end of the previous week and I particularly struggled Wednesday morning. Thankfully I turned that round and moved my scores in the right direction, showing pace significantly stronger than I had been capable off when we were last here in January. Then last night disaster struck.
As regular readers will know, rowers and their backs are like a naked flame and a polyester jumper. Something that really don't mix too well. My back has had its fair share of problems, but for the past year it has been getting stronger and more reliable as time passes. Suddenly last night my back went, leading to a massive spasm and severe pain. 24 hours haven't even passed yet, and im still in a significant amount of discomfort, but I'm already showing signs of improvement - even if I can't sit down, walk naturally or even lie down without getting twinges. It makes typing awkward and so I hope you will excuse me as I try to rest up. It is now a waiting game, hopefully it will pass nearly as quickly as it came.
On a quick positive note, thank you to those that have donated to the Movember Campaign (thanks to Atos for chipping in too!). If you've got a spare £1 to help raise awareness for men's health issues please visit - http://mobro.co/nrod/d.
Below is a picture Tony Fleat from O2 and his tashtastic growth. There is also a Freddy Mercury-esque picture of me.
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Busy week ahead
Sophie "don't mess" Atkinson @ O2
A reasonably big week has gone by, definitely feeling it - but in a lot better shape than I expected.
I woke up Wednesday morning with a hot/cold fever and thought it was going to be a double-tops check out (c.f. darts); I toughed it out and actually started to feel better. Jurgen says "what comes with rowing, goes with rowing" - it didn't quite work like that when I had a chest infection, but this time it worked out just fine.
This week see's us taper down for our first internal trial of the year; it will be followed by a 2km ergo test on Saturday. Both will be first markers for the season, I hope to convert strong training performances into good results.
The photo above was taken earlier in the week. I'm with Sophie (my gaffer at O2). My moustache makes me look like Cyrille Snear and she looks mean - but she's actually really nice.
Coming up - Next Monday I'll be flying to Sierra Nevada [Spain] for the first altitude camp of the season.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Movember, Four's Head and month of pain.
Training has gone into 6th gear, the problem is I thought I was only driving a five speed. In the next fortnight I've got an internal trial on the water and an ergo (rowing machine) test. I'll then be heading out to Sierra Nevada for one of our altitude camps. You can read about last years Sierra Nevada camp by checking out the blog posts from January in the archive.
I came second at the Four's Head (in our boat class) and came 8th overall. We were 2.3 secs behind the winning Molesey crew, which isn't very much over an 18min race! We should have won, but we ended up taking a detour towards Westfield and the King's Road - sadly didn't pick up any decent bargains to give that cloud a silver lining.
If you follow me on Twitter you will see that I've been supporting the Movember campaign. Fundamentally it's about raising awareness for male specific illnesses, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. I will talk about it again soon - in the interim you can do three things
1) Men, make sure you don't become that statistic, book your annual doctor's appointment and get that check-up. (Women you can encourage your nearest man)
2) You can donate to the campaign at mobro.co/nrod/d
3) Pass the word on.
As always, thanks for reading. Questions or ideas welcome.
I came second at the Four's Head (in our boat class) and came 8th overall. We were 2.3 secs behind the winning Molesey crew, which isn't very much over an 18min race! We should have won, but we ended up taking a detour towards Westfield and the King's Road - sadly didn't pick up any decent bargains to give that cloud a silver lining.
If you follow me on Twitter you will see that I've been supporting the Movember campaign. Fundamentally it's about raising awareness for male specific illnesses, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. I will talk about it again soon - in the interim you can do three things
1) Men, make sure you don't become that statistic, book your annual doctor's appointment and get that check-up. (Women you can encourage your nearest man)
2) You can donate to the campaign at mobro.co/nrod/d
3) Pass the word on.
As always, thanks for reading. Questions or ideas welcome.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Fours Head
Tomorrow is the Fours Head. It's an annual race held on the River Thames; running from Mortlake to Putney (the boat race course in "reverse"). Until a couple of weeks ago I didn't realise I could actually do the race this year (I thought we wouldn't be released from GB commitments), and it was only a few days ago that I found out I would be racing at all.
I'm filling into a Leander four as one of the other guys on the team hasn't recovered from an injury. I row for the University of London, but lots of guys are enticed to go to Leander as they offer free breakfasts. I won't be selling my soul anytime soon though, I'll sort my own breakfast out thanks.
If you're in West London, the best places you can watch the race are from Barnes Bridge, Hammersmith Bridge or one of the few pubs that line the route.
I'm filling into a Leander four as one of the other guys on the team hasn't recovered from an injury. I row for the University of London, but lots of guys are enticed to go to Leander as they offer free breakfasts. I won't be selling my soul anytime soon though, I'll sort my own breakfast out thanks.
If you're in West London, the best places you can watch the race are from Barnes Bridge, Hammersmith Bridge or one of the few pubs that line the route.
Friday, 28 October 2011
County Durham Community Foundation event
The County Durham Community Foundation held their Realising Dreams event today. Sadly, I couldn't make it, but my mum and Emily went on my behalf. Above, Emily is posing with Chris Cook (Commonwealth, World & European Medalist & Olympic Finalist swimmer), she said it was like the paparazzi when she went out for photo's! By all accounts (well, my mums account) she was shy at first but everyone made her feel very welcome and she had a great time. The Foundation has helped me several times over the years. Most recently they helped my buy a new single to train and race in. They have been a fantastic support and have always been very helpful; John Elliott of Ebac Ltd (a donor to the Foundation) has been a particularly strong supporter. The Foundation, and it's staff, champion the North East at any opportunity - helping projects, groups and individuals. Their website is http://www.cdcf.org.uk/ - give them a look.
Emily has been on half-term and blew her life savings on a Transylvanian families House. My family in Leeds are going up to Durham on Sunday, I'm sure Emily will be showing my little cousin Eve round the new toy house.
Thanks again to the County Durham Community Foundation, good luck with all your current projects!
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
What it feels like to be back in training...
Training in Seville seems like it was months ago, it's actually been 10 days. Lots seems to have happened, in reality there hasn't been a huge amount going on.
I'm keeping this short as I'm really quite tired at the moment, my blood tests have shown I've been working on the edge a bit to much, but should be all ok. My day at the moment is constant muscle fatigue, tightness and struggling to keep my eyes open. Two pieces of good news though - 1) My Granny won £75 on the bingo at the Irish Centre in Leeds on Sunday night - all ended up behind the bar no doubt. 2) My brother Ben has been selected to be a stakeboat boy at the Olympics. In one of my May posts I explained what a stakeboat boy actually is!
"Some rowing trivia for you - when you line up on the start line you can be easily blown by the wind as you try and hold your position. Two things help you stay in a straight line and make sure that you all start exactly on the line. 1) The stakeboat boy/girl - my brother Ben is hoping to be one at the Olympics and basically consists of hold the end of the boat while lying on your front on a pontoon. 2) Electronic "Clog" system - "Clogs" (they look like a lunch box) are raised from under the water, when you are held by the stakeboat boy/girl. Its a small perspex box where you position your boat so that if the wind blows across the boat won't move. The starting system is all electronic, so when the buzzer and lights go, the clog drops (fast) and releases all six eights like greyhounds at a dog track. If you click on the link to the footage above, you can see a small splash of water at the front of the boat when the buzzer goes, that's the clog retracting back to its watery grave."
Ben will be experiencing the tension, nerves, excitement and aggression of the Olympic start line several times a day. He's really pleased to have been selected and, if I'm lucky enough to be on the team, it would be amazing to have him there on the start line.
Right, I'm off to bed. I've got some more training to do. Night.
I'm keeping this short as I'm really quite tired at the moment, my blood tests have shown I've been working on the edge a bit to much, but should be all ok. My day at the moment is constant muscle fatigue, tightness and struggling to keep my eyes open. Two pieces of good news though - 1) My Granny won £75 on the bingo at the Irish Centre in Leeds on Sunday night - all ended up behind the bar no doubt. 2) My brother Ben has been selected to be a stakeboat boy at the Olympics. In one of my May posts I explained what a stakeboat boy actually is!
"Some rowing trivia for you - when you line up on the start line you can be easily blown by the wind as you try and hold your position. Two things help you stay in a straight line and make sure that you all start exactly on the line. 1) The stakeboat boy/girl - my brother Ben is hoping to be one at the Olympics and basically consists of hold the end of the boat while lying on your front on a pontoon. 2) Electronic "Clog" system - "Clogs" (they look like a lunch box) are raised from under the water, when you are held by the stakeboat boy/girl. Its a small perspex box where you position your boat so that if the wind blows across the boat won't move. The starting system is all electronic, so when the buzzer and lights go, the clog drops (fast) and releases all six eights like greyhounds at a dog track. If you click on the link to the footage above, you can see a small splash of water at the front of the boat when the buzzer goes, that's the clog retracting back to its watery grave."
Ben will be experiencing the tension, nerves, excitement and aggression of the Olympic start line several times a day. He's really pleased to have been selected and, if I'm lucky enough to be on the team, it would be amazing to have him there on the start line.
Right, I'm off to bed. I've got some more training to do. Night.
Monday, 24 October 2011
Debut on BBC Look North
A few weeks ago I met up with Katie Gornall from BBC Look North. The final edit was shown on TV while I was away in Seville, so they sent me down a copy and said it was fine for me to post on here for my none North-Eastern/regional news viewers. I particularly like the bit where I get rinsed by Paul the weatherman (right at the end); one day I might get to meet him and I can show him I'm a dab-hand at getting the weather wrong too :-) The clip also features Hexam's very own Matt Wells (Olympic Bronze Medallist 2008); before anyone says it, yes I have told him how camp he sounds.
As alway you can follow me day to day on Twitter @nrod2012 plus you can receive blog posts to your inbox by signing up on the left hand side. Comments and questions welcome.
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