Team Anna Victorious

With the end of lockdown in sight, the crew is itching to train together and test ourselves having moved on in our training, nutrition and considered how we manage ourselves whilst on board.

How physically fit we are is obviously critical to how successful our race will be but having spoken to people who have rowed an Ocean or completed other ultra-endurance events they talk about the need for thinking carefully about our resilience. It is something that we have discussed as a group but we were thrilled to meet (virtually) with Prof John Parkinson the Dean of College of Human Science at Bangor University. John is not only a renowned academic but also an experienced Fell Runner having completed challenging Ultra Marathons, so knows a thing or two about the psychology of endurance sport. In our first meeting, we talked about different characteristics that we all have and acknowledging how we are different. The different approaches we take will make us a stronger team but will also affect how we react under pressure. We are looking forward to hearing about the effects sleep deprivation can have on performance when we meet again.

We have been continuing to work with Phillipa from Savernake Nutrition. We have established changes in our eating routine and taking time to eat and fuel ourselves appropriately for our training both to maximise the benefits, to recover effectively, and to be in the best possible condition at the start of the race in December. Phillipa is now looking at how we can effectively fuel during the race as well as how we stay effectively hydrated. This working relationship has been a game-changer for us and we have all seen the greatest gains since working with Phillipa.

The crew has continued to expand our network of sponsors and supporters and in February we spoke to the entire Vodafone workforce through their Wellbeing Week. With an audience in the region of 130,000, we were delighted to talk about our challenge in the context of World Cancer Day. It was so inspirational to work with people who are living with cancer and we a so excited to part of their #wecan campaign.

We can’t wait to see each other in person and the end of March is likely to bring the opportunity to get together as a crew to train and work on the boat. We are equally looking forward to seeing you all in person and as soon as we have some certainty we will publish dates where you can meet the crew in person and take a look at our beloved boat.

Thank you all for your support and stay safe until we can meet again.