Starting a journey back from injury after years of non-stop training is both unfamiliar and tough. It feels strange to step back, especially when you’ve been pushing hard for so long. For me, as a triathlete, I’ve rarely rested beyond the odd day or two. So why am I sharing this with you, rowers? Apart from the fact my blog is a rowing blog, we’re all amateur athletes, and whether you’re a rower or a triathlete, the mental battle of recovery is something we all face.
For rowers, this might hit home at the start of every season. Some of you may take it easy over the winter, scaling back your efforts, but when real training starts, the doubts creep in: Why am I doing this? It’s too hard. These thoughts are normal, and they’re part of the mental toughness we need to embrace. Overcoming these early-season blues isn’t just about physical recovery, it’s about building mental resilience.
Now, back to recovery. I just ran for the first time since July (hence this post) – aside from one major exception: the World Championships. I competed with a stress fracture in my hip and, as expected, paid for it afterward. I had to rest, I was on crutches, doing everything possible to recover. But the truth is, my hip is in worse shape than just a fracture. I’m heading toward another hip replacement. Yet here I am, still pushing forward.
Why do we come back after injury? What pulls us back into the grind? For many rowers, it’s the camaraderie—the desire to be part of a crew and share the experience with like-minded people. It’s a social driver that keeps you coming back season after season. For others, it’s the competitive edge, the goals that push you through the pain: short-term goals, season goals, and lifelong ambitions.
As I reflect on my own return, I wonder why I’m coming back this time. I’ve achieved more than I ever imagined, and I could be satisfied. But it’s that taste of competition that drives me. I’ve set my goals—both long and short-term—and I’m determined to reach them, body permitting. My current objective is to get through the season until Easter, and then comes the big challenge: another hip replacement. After that, I’m hopeful I’ll be back stronger than ever.
Today, I took my first real step—a 5k run. It was slow, averaging 5:30 per km, which is about 80 seconds off where I need to be, but it’s a start. Did it hurt? Absolutely. My hip is in bad shape, but I pushed through. Will it get better? No. Will it hurt more? Probably. But focusing on my goals helps manage the discomfort, and I know that pushing through the pain is what leads to mental toughness.
Rowers, you know this feeling. When you get back on the erg at the start of a new season, those first few sessions hurt. They’re supposed to. But the feeling afterward—that sense of accomplishment—is why you keep coming back. If it wasn’t worth it, you wouldn’t do it year after year. It’s the mental game that makes it fun, challenging, and worthwhile. The old saying, If it was easy, everyone would do it, couldn’t be more accurate.
So, get out there. Push yourself. Train your brain as hard as you train your body. Put those tough sessions in the bank because, while hard training doesn’t necessarily make racing easier, it makes the journey infinitely more rewarding. And, as rowers, you get to share that journey with your crew, your mates. That’s the beauty of rowing. It’s something I miss in triathlon.
See you on the river!
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