PHOTO; Julia Edward (left) and Lucy Strack take off for a run.

Rotorua's 1^st Elite rower gets ready…

Hey, We are now in the countdown for our heat on October 31st therefore nutrition, training and resting are all very important at this stage in the preparation towards racing. I live in a flat with 3 other rowers competing at the world champs so we are eating very healthy meals to keep us going in trainings. Being a lightweight I have to be 57kgs, luckily I sit naturally around that weight so I can store up with good food. We are into the tapering phase of training now so this means shorter rows between 8-12km with fast pieces. The boat is going well, we are gaining confidence from the good feeling of the boat and we're starting to freshen up. More athletes are starting to arrive at Karapiro so the atmosphere is building up. I'm feeling good about racing, more excited than nervous but I think that everything will start getting more tense and realistic when we move into camp. We move into a Cambridge motel on October 25th for two weeks. I'm looking forward to moving into camp because it will bring the team together and will make it feel more like a world champs environment. It has been very motivating training with the top rowers of New Zealand who are expecting medals. It has made me very focused on my goals and made the build up to World Champs very professional. I feel so privileged to be a part of the World Champs held here at home in New Zealand.     

Thanks -Julia Edward