Racing kicks off tomorrow!
Rounding up a week of training in Belgrade and reflecting on the year
This morning I rowed down the course for the final practice row before my heat kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Be sure to watch the live stream here when I race at 9:30 CET tomorrow morning (3:30 EST.)
As always the atmosphere of the World Championships is engulfing and is so inspiring to be around so many athletes who have spent the entire year (not to mention years past) getting to this point. Tensions are high, but overall there is excitement in the air. Especially this year with Olympic qualifications on the line. Sasha and I have stayed busy this past week, training one or two times each day, and getting my boat (thanks Fillipi!) all tuned up. I have been working to fix some back pain I have been having that is causing my back to seize up when rowing. It is stemming from some hip tightness, but with the help of one of the team PTs, Geoff, I am slowly on the mend and close to 100%.
I was recently interviewed on Olympian Laura Wilkinson’s podcast. Give it a listen here: https://www.laurawilkinson.com/podcast-episodes/keep-moving-forward-with-para-rower-andrew-mangan
Belgrade has been awesome to stay and train in and although I have mostly been working and rowing, I have been able to explore a bit with my coach, teammates, and now parents! The course is right downtown, only 10 minutes from our hotel, which is super convenient (as compared with Racice last year which was an hour's commute from the hotel.) What’s also cool about this course is that is lined on either side with swimming beaches and beach bars so there are always Serbians hanging on the outer buoy line watching us row by. Apparently, some of these are nude beaches, but I have been keeping my eyes in the boat and have yet to witness this!
Racing kicked off yesterday afternoon and today was a full day of racing. There are so many US senior and para team athletes here it is hard to keep track of all of the racing, but the US crews have been performing quite well so far! The PR3 4 even secured their Paris qualification spot today by qualifying right into the A final.
As I am finishing off my final week of training, I have been reflecting on the past year of training as well as what the next year holds. While qualification to Paris either here or in Lucerne, next May, is the ultimate goal, it is important to build in smaller goals that I can focus on and achieve while also working towards the larger goals. In reflecting on this past year of training this is something I hope to prioritize more moving forward, setting smaller more incremental training goals.
With this in mind Sasha and I are formulating a race plan and strategy that I can work towards achieving with goalposts in addition to the raw time or finish position. I am definitely nervous about whether I have prepared enough or am fast enough. It is incredibly hard to continue to improve against the best in the world, but I need to be confident in my strength and technical training. As with all 2ks, there will be points in the race where it seems too hard to keep going, to push further, or to rate higher. When I reach those points tomorrow I can fall back on the hours of training and think less, letting my body and muscle memory kick in. As my ever wise sister, Tricia said, “When your mind panics, your body feels it.”
There are 22 entries in my event vying for 7 qualification spots. The progression kicks off tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. CET (3:30 EST). I am racing the European Champ, Italy, Israel, France, Mexico, and Poland. The winner of the heat progresses straight to the A/B Semifinal, while the rest have to race on Wednesday in Repechages. The racing will be streamed live here: https://worldrowing.com/event/2023-world-rowing-championships. The weather and wind look good so I can’t wait to get started.
This is the culmination of a year’s training and the beginning of another year’s training. All of which wouldn’t be possible without your continued support.
go andrew go !!! (more pictures please too :))