Training & Preparation
Fast Facts
Food: Up to 10,000 Kcal of energy consumed per day.
Time at sea: 50-100 days
Number of strokes: 1.2 million
Number of miles: 2,935
The regime: 24 hours of rowing every day - 2 hours on, 2 hours off
Sustenance: Freeze-dried food, Energy Bars & Sports Drinks
No assistance permitted
Sea conditions: variable between calm and 30 foot waves
Pete's greatest concerns: Freak hurricanes, the water-maker breaking & shark attacks
Pete says:
"At the moment my training regime has to fit in with the fact that I'm still working full time. I am combining rowing sessions on the Concept2 rower with time out on the harbour in Sydney. I try to row on the water before work twice a week and then have longer rows at the weekend. Mostly I'm focusing on building up my endurance, which means spending up to 3 hours rowing per session. At lunch times and in the evenings I am using the Concept2 rower at home in conjunction with a varied, training schedule which includes running, free weights, yoga and abdominal training. I find that the ergo gives me a really complete workout and works all of the right muscle groups I will need for my crossing of the Atlantic. It's really like having a virtual harbour in the living room!
Early on in my training, I focused on rowing for no more than an hour at a time as I am new to the sport of rowing and wanted to ease my body into it. Thanks to the balanced regime I have been able to follow with a combination of time at home and on the water, I am now finding that I can row easily for 3 hours. By December I need to be able to increase this to 12 hours a day, so there will be no respite in my training over the coming months.
As I will be racing alone, and will not see anyone for up to 4 months, I am preparing myself mentally by training alone as much as possible. To relieve the boredom, I set up the Concept2 in front of the TV, or on the veranda with some music. Occasionally, I'll also take it down to one of the parks next to the harbour as watching the view of the city (Sydney) and all the activity on the harbour is a great way to while away the hours. Training for a rowing race that will require over 1.2 million oar strokes is gruelling. Long hours and thousands of kilometers of practice will make the difference between success and failure."
