Why we didn't win gold

Okay - so we came 16th in the whole wide world and we got to the end with all crew members still in the boat so as far as we're concerned, we are winners!!!

True, the only qualification for the World Masters Games is being old enough. In fact, the oldest competitor, a 101 year old woman from India did the 100 metre sprint in just 1:14 and got a PB in the shot put today with a throw of 2.1 metres. Go her, we all say.

And yes, there were only 18 in our competition, but there were some mitigating circumstances that make the 28 second gap between us and the gold medalists seem, frankly, pretty bloody impressive!

Here we go:

• My cracked rib probably didn't help (but drugs and strapping did!)
• We trained with a 'bow-side rigged boat' only to arrive and discover the 'stern-side rigged boats' from the hire pool couldn't be re-rigged. Eek! That meant that the order we sat in the boat wasn't as trained - I was meant to stroke but Sal L had to step in - and she did a sterling job BTW!
• There wasn't a cox available from the pool for training. Poor Sal L's cousin happened to be there to watch so we threw her in the cox seat and she  did her best as we zig-zagged our way up the course. Not overly encouraging.
• We haven't been rowing that long. Women in our division we met at the car hire place announced they'd been rowing together for 15 years - we've spent 5 months mastering a sweep boat - including a break over Christmas/New Year and accomodating various hair appointments
• The competition is pretty stiff. Where do you think all those Olympians, World, National and State champions go to row when their career has finished? The World Masters Games!!

What did work for us:

• Glorious weather. I'd seriously imagined howling winds, waves and rain coming in sideways. It was gorgeously sunny and still. 
• A team of excellent coaches back at the Hawthorn Rowing Club in Melbourne who managed to get us this far - mostly Ben but also Emma, Jade, Nikki and Luciano
• An amazingly positive team dynamic and a can do attitude
• Alcohol. Unlike some athletes, we chose to keep our drinking steady rather than abstain. As one member said, stopping now could send our bodies into shock - and we couldn't be having that
• A random cox from the pool - a 16 year old student from Auckland called Camille - she was seriously awesome
• Our team manager Andrew, who's been driving us around (although he did try to run me over in the hire car before the race - that's another story!) and pouring the gin and tonics - bless!
• Our gold jackets! They've started so many conversations.

So although we didn't win, we feel like winners. Three of us still have running events to complete but we're already 'International Athletes!'

If we can hang in there long enough, we may get gold in about 20 years time.

Bad timing

So we've arrived in New Zealand and are now ensconced in our abode in Cambridge as the excitement builds for The World Masters Games, 2017.

We've already met quite a few competitors - I think our matching gold bomber jackets were the give away! - and there's a real camaraderie among the crowd.

The crew in the Qantas Lounge at about 5am this morning.

However...

I fell off my bike on Easter Monday and it wasn't pretty. We'd literally just ridden into the city and had a late lunch before I was due to be picked up for rowing training when it happened. As so often the case, we'd arrived home and as I pulled into the lane way, I turned to see where Geoff and Sass were and lost my balance. With my feet stuck in my stupid pedal straps (in truth, they're great when you're riding because you can pull up as well as push down) the whole event switched into slow motion as I fell hard and flat onto the concrete.

The trap - as opposed to the strap.

I lay there, winded, trying to work out which bits of me hurt most. I'd grazed a knee and an elbow. I copped a decent bruise on one leg - but the real damage was landing on the side of my chest. It's probably what winded me and it really hurt.

Being committed, I went off to rowing and it was sore but didn't seem aggravated so that was good.

And here we are, five days and a another hard training session later and, at certain angles or movements, it's still really, really bad. It wakes me up when I move my sleep and aches in the morning.

I think I may have cracked a rib.

Having already postponed one procedure to be here in New Zealand (more about that one later), there was no way I was going to the doctor to possibly have it confirmed and risk being told not to row.

Neurofen is my new best friend.

So we just need to get through training tomorrow and the race on Monday and we're done!