5:30 – First alarm goes off. It’s a very optimistic alarm, as I will stay in bed for another 15 minutes. It’s nice now that the sun has basically risen by this time, as getting up in the dark in the middle of winter is pretty foul. I try to leave time to make a quick breakfast, but I often end up just taking a couple of slices of bread to go so I’m not late to the session.

6:00 – Leave the house. One of my housemates is the other Women’s Captain, so the walk to the boathouse is slightly more bearable together. If it’s bad weather, we’ll complain a lot and question why out of all the sports Trevs has on offer, we chose to row. if it’s a nice sunrise, we tend to be more positive and feel better about our choices.

“If it’s a nice
sunrise, we tend to be more positive and feel better about our choices”

6:30 – Arrive at the boathouse. Early sessions at the beginning of this term started when it was still pitch black, but we’ve seen some lovely sunrises from the water, which always makes it worth it. Our sessions in Durham tend to be more technically focused as it’s a relatively short stretch of river to row on. This year, our 8 has been kept in Stockton, so we do longer sessions when we’re there.

8:30 – Off the water in time for any lectures. If I’m feeling productive, I’ll go to the gym, but if I’m deciding to prioritise my degree, I’ll head straight to the library. I’ll have a second breakfast on the way (overnight oats seem to be the go-to for most of the squad). The early sessions can be rather miserable at times, but they do mean that you get to the library in time for your favourite seat to be free.

9:00 – As a captain, there tends to be a lot of rowing admin to get through every day. I schedule an hour to sort through this first thing in the morning, but it always takes longer, and there’ll be stuff that crops up throughout the day that we need to sort as well. I’m very glad to have a co-captain, as it makes the amount of work a lot more manageable.

10:30 – Finally get around to degree work. I’m a final year English Student, so the big focus this term has been on my dissertation. Shakespeare makes quite a nice change to availability spreadsheets!

13:00 – Lunch time!

14:00 – More degree work and rowing admin.

18:00 – Leave the library. Sometimes we have ergs in the evenings, if that’s the case I’ll try and stay in the library until then. If not, I’ll run when I get home to shake off the stress of the day. Durham is a very beautiful place to go running, and there are lots of great routes, although I’m often humbled as it’s a lot hillier than at home.

“I’m very glad to have a co-captain, as it makes the amount of work a lot more manageable”

19:30 – Dinner time. By far my favourite time of the day. Rowing means you need to eat a lot, and I love cooking and eating, so it’s rather ideal. I spend most of my day thinking about what I’m going to have for dinner. When I’ve got time, I roast a chicken over the weekend and then use the leftovers throughout the week. Half of my housemates are rowers, so together, we get through a lot of carbs. We’ve had conversations about what kind each of us would be; I was told I would be a potato, which I’m fairly content with. If we’ve got a race on, we do pasta bonding the night before, which is always good fun and allows us to talk through the logistics for the day and our race plan.

21:00: Try to chill before bed. Invariably, some last-minute problems crop up that we have to sort out so that sessions can go ahead as planned. When these are dealt with, I’ll try and have at least an hour of winding down before going to sleep. If I’ve got the ingredients, I’ll do some baking, which keeps me and my housemates happy, and the rest of the squad if there’s any left over!

22:30: Go to sleep ready to do it all again the next day!

Image via Harriet Fraser