The Netmums Podcast - S1 Ep31: Helen Glover on going for gold as a mum of three under three!

Episode Date: April 27, 2021

Listen as Annie and Wendy grill Helen Glover on her astounding rowing comeback and how she's handling the pressure with a toddler and baby twins in tow. ps GO HELEN! WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!

You're listening to Sweat, Snot and Tears, brought to you by Netmums. I'm Annie O'Leary. And I'm Wendy Gollage. And together we talk about all of this week's sweaty, snotty and tearful parenting moments. With guests who are far more interesting than we are. All right, Sweat, Snot and Teary gang, we've both had time off. So we're feeling less of all of those things, aren't we, Wendell? In fact, Wend is technically still on her time off aren't you

I am I'm in gorgeous Cornwall and I spent the morning paddle boarding which was absolutely gorgeous but chuffing freezing because the water's about eight degrees I want to try paddle boarding is the standing up bit hard though like am I going to make a tit of myself when I try and do that I promise you if me if I can do this, anybody can. This morning I had three kids on the front of the paddleboard all leaping on and off and nobody capsized. So all was well. Okay. But now everybody's under blankets because we're all so cold.

So who could possibly be so important that they've lured Wendy back from the beach and her paddleboard to record a pod? Here's some clues. Actually, water is a bit of a theme. I hadn't worked that in because I didn't know Wendy had been paddleboarding, but anyway. She's a double Olympic rowing champion. She's a mum of three, including twins. She's just won gold in her first competition for five years, and she's making a bid to become the first mum on the British Olympic rowing team. I'm not remotely in awe of Helen Glover at all. Are you, Wendy?

Not at all. Welcome, Helen Glover. Thank you so much. Now, first question first. Any sweat, any snot or any tears in your house so far this morning? All of the above yeah well I wasn't even going to ask sweat because I assume you live on a rowing machine in a permanent state of the stuff but tell us about the sweat and the snot and the tears in the Glover Backshore household this morning yeah the sweat is definitely mine um I've done um a session on the rowing machine this morning and a weight session. The tears, who's been crying today? Let's count them off.

Logan had a little bit of a tantrum, he's a toddler. Actually, Kit and Bo, the twins, have been very, very calm this morning. How old are the twins now, Helen? They're 14 months. Gosh. And Logan's two and a half. You really are at the coalface, aren't you? They are difficult years. Yeah, and the snot and a half. You really are at the coalface, aren't you? They are difficult years.

Yeah, and the snot would be Kit. He's very teethy at the moment. So yeah, he was a little bit snotty. So what time do you get up to do this sweating that you do? Well, normally I get up with the children first. They're early risers, so they're up at five anyway. So I have a couple of hours with them, which actually, it sounds really horrible but I actually I know I really I'm so used to it now and I really

love it and I always feel like because I've had those couple of hours from five till seven with the children then when I go off and do my session all the stuff that used to feel really I used to feel full of guilt about I just go right I've had a couple of hours with them they're fine okay yeah that I can imagine that working and where do you do it where does the sweating happen so often um on the just out just outside the living room in the garden I've got the rowing machine set up in the garden and there's a little bit of a weight set up pretty much in the in the kitchen um so when I'm at home it's there and then I often um try to get out to our training base which is just outside Reading so there's a lake there so when I train on the water I go in to meet the rest of the team there very nice now this podcast started as a way of bringing parents

together to talk about their experience of lockdown which we know is the ultimate unifier uh you really did take that and run with it though didn't you while we were all messing about banana bread and drinking heavily once the kids were in bed you were taking a very different approach for so many people I guess the pandemic and lockdown has changed their lives and for me it's changed everything that that this last kind of year has been about um I had the twins in January of 2020 and they were just a few weeks old really when lockdown hit the first yeah no just at that time where I was four years ago I just I'd walked away from rowing after Rio I was done and then when the twins were born lockdown happened at the same time I was just going to try and get some fitness back we were at home all the time I had

a rowing machine so I just spent more time on the rowing machine than I would have done. And then I guess a few weeks in, it became quite clear that it wasn't just going to be three weeks. It was going to be a real long slog this pandemic. And so I just started getting fitter and fitter, spending more time at home, more time on the rowing machine every time the babies napped. And for me, it was the way I got my headspace and my mental break but obviously as a competitive rower I started to get that old mindset back and every time I saw the scores getting better I started thinking I just wonder I just wonder if it's possible to come back into the sport if I could make the Olympic team after having babies and and that question started to come into a bit more of a reality I guess at the end of the summer where I thought, you know what, I just, I want to try.

Who was the first person that you vocalised it to? It was probably Steve, my husband. Did he say, oh, FFS, no, not happening. He was actually really supportive the whole time. He's always said, look, if you ever want to go back you know the door's open I don't think he thought that was going to apply to the situation after I'd had twins and and Logan was still you know running around the place but I just think that we both saw it as really exciting and it is really exciting we're all excited for you oh thanks I'm just I'm excited to see if it's possible and also the fact that you know you're paving the way no matter what happens I think if I don't make it then I'd love to think that the

next person who tries has got someone else they can pick up the phone to you know when when I first started I called Anna Watkins she won a gold in London and attempted to come back after having her two boys and there she didn't quite make it back and I was like it's great that I had her to call so if I can be the next person someone else calls then I think that's that's just a really important step. Was the thinking previously in the world of rowing that you're a mum so you can never get that fitness back and do you think you're built differently or do you think it's just part of a bigger realization that post-birth bodies are actually capable of more than we thought look at serena williams look at you know there is no

example out there like that mountain running woman who was like breastfeeding for like 48 hours or whatever the hell it was at the top of a mountain while she was doing her run and she still won it like it feels like women are capable of more than people have realised. So much. I think it's all of the above. I think that the main thing for rowing has always been a logistical problem. You're rowing in a team with other people. So you have to be on their schedule, not the baby's schedule. And especially, I think that's why the pandemic has played into my favourite bit, is that we've all worked from home before no training would be done at home.

And now we're doing lots of our training at home. And you're realising that actually as professional athletes, you can be trusted to go would be done at home. And now we're doing lots of our training at home. And you're realizing that actually as professional athletes, you can be trusted to go away and train at home. And for me, that's been the reason I've managed to do it. But then physically, there's just so many unknowns. I was breastfeeding the twins until they're about 13, 14 months. And I was just realizing that, you know, my body's gone through pregnancy birth and feeding all trying

to be an elite athlete and there are so many questions got thrown up that no one had the answers to we've had to discover ourselves that you know the physio team the medical team the coaches like what like what tell us tell us what did it make you realize um how many calories you you're kind of giving to your to your children the fact that um the calcium your calcium stores are really really low iron all the kind of things that I think seem really obvious when you talk about it but at the time I was I wasn't really kind of paying attention to what my body had been through and had done I was still trying to kind of compete and train at a high level of virtually no sleep and I think I probably wasn't being kind to myself I was probably looking at the old version of myself trying to replicate it

but no I'm in a different body now and so back to step did you have a cesarean birth or did you have natural childbirth with the twins it was a natural birth of the twins yeah yeah so you weren't fighting scar tissue and things at least yeah I I think it would be really really tough um I just think the recovery I was really lucky and actually my recovery from the twins was better than my recovery from Logan I just think each birth is so individual isn't it and I think my recovery just happened to be better so that did definitely make me think it was much more possible and so from the nutrition side of things while you were breastfeeding did you have to adopt like a crazy diet where you were consuming a loads of calories to keep up with the fitness as well, but also like mega nutrients so that you became athlete ready and they became life ready?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, definitely the calories was the thing that I had to just keep on reminding myself that I'm, you know, feeding to and. That must have been awful for you Helen having to eat those but no that's the beauty of it actually I did eat this I mean I wasn't putting myself under pressure to eat you know crazy crazy healthy diet I was just thinking enjoy the cake enjoy the chocolate this is great this is like the job exactly and did it feel different like when you started to really go. And did it feel different? Like when you started to really go for it, did it feel different from when you used to go for it before?

Or was it like an old friend coming back and you were like, I know what it feels like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it did feel different. In what way? Honestly, I remember the very first time I had to go and do a trial to try and get back onto the team. And I remember about halfway thinking having this really really strong thought of I've heard people talk about

mum strength before but I actually feel it I actually feel like whether it's more physical I think you can be a better version of yourself I really do I love this idea I love this idea did Courtney Radcliffe come back and smash a marathon not long after so many so many athletes better version of yourself after i really do this idea i love this idea did the court of adcliffe come back and smash a marathon not long after so many athletes have proven time and time again that you can come back so strong after childbirth and i don't know if it's physical maybe it's like a hormonal change or a mental change um but yeah i just i just felt like there's something in me that's different and And okay, there's lots of challenges. But I also think there's loads of positive things about it as well.

I wonder, have any of your kind of team come up with a theory for why it is? Like, does anyone know why it might be? No, I mean, none that I've heard. I know that for me, there's definitely something in the mentality of it, in the fact that this time round, like when I was thinking about London and Rio and those Olympics it felt quite a selfish journey it was all about me it was about me trying to achieve my goal this time around even just in in trying to get there and trying to make the team it's about my kids and I'm kind of going look what can I do I look at my little girl and I think what can I do to show you to show you every day not just what

dedication looks like and what trying hard looks like but but when you're 20 and you're making decisions I want you to be bold and I want you to take chances yeah and I think like what can I show you today right now that might just have that have that impact on your life to feel like I'm going to take this chance or take this risk it's interesting that you say that because what I'm going to take this chance or take this risk. It's interesting that you say that because what I was going to ask you next was how much of the comeback work do you think is mental versus physical and is it different to last time? Yeah I think so much of the comeback is is mental um and almost as easy as it's easy to remind yourself why you're doing it when I when I see the kids and I see I see them as part of my journey I see them as part of every success that I have from now um I think that's really

motivating and we did a race last weekend in in Italy and I I thought of the children when I was in the most painful part of the race I've never had something so vivid so obvious to think about to get me through that part of the race yeah I love the way you call it a race it was the European Championships and you won gold didn't you yeah yeah what did it feel like did you think you were going to win um I thought we could win um but that's the first time I've raced in five years and so there was loads of unknowns and I think that um I was also no matter how how hard we've been working and training there's a little bit of anxiety about what my body could do could it hold up through a race you know your core is just so important in rowing you know you've got to have be strong through your stomach muscles through your back muscles and I didn't know I just hadn't done a race before in five years I didn't know whether

I was going to make it through that and so I think that's given me a load of confidence going forward were you nervous oh my god I've never been so nervous for a race in my life I really I was really I think because I'd never I I'd never sat on the start line in this body in this mindset was so such a different circumstance in my life I'd never raced under those those pressures all the other pressures I'd ever raced before had been about you know is she going to win the Olympics is she get you know is she in the prime of her life is she in top condition now it's it was such a different pressure that I put myself under and um but loads more unknowns that nobody could answer for me and how did you deal with that nervousness then um I guess I reminded myself that actually

it's just sport and I'm just I'm really lucky to do it, but my perspective has changed. My perspective has changed. And that's so interesting because is that something that, there is something more important in your life now. Are you able more so than when you were a younger woman to go, okay, this is something, this means a huge amount to me,

but my kids mean more. Exactly, yeah. Is that how it helps? Yeah, I detach from everything. When I come home through the door a good session bad session I honestly leave behind me whereas before um when I was say in in my 20s and I was training for London and for Rio I would I would take home and take personally every single result I'd done and I'd analyze it and I'd watch the video and I would

think about it and it would affect it would affect my entire mood and now it's just something that happened in the day but the most important thing is you know congratulation Logan for doing a wee in the potty or something you know everything the perspective on everything is entirely shifted I think there's something quite freeing about realizing that there is something more important like I can almost understand why that would make you be better at something yeah it's it's a weird thing isn't it just do it with passion not with yeah yeah how the bloody hell do you juggle kids and training I mean like I struggle yeah that's definitely the hardest bit but I think when just to interrupt again I think we might use it as a bit of an excuse

whereas I think Helen probably doesn't no but the thing is it has been it's been my job for the last 10 years and you know being physically fit is my job and essentially it's like me going to the office it's like me going to work you know and so um like like a lot of women do it's kind of thinking okay it's almost like balancing how much you know how much you need for your for yourself and how much you need time for your kids and um I think the difficulty is balancing you know sleep and rest and recovery because that's kind of non-existent. I was about to ask what happens if kids have catastrophic nights you know there's there are those nights where it's like musical beds and you're up and down and someone's been sick and someone's done a poo and someone else is crying and then you've got to go and get on a rowing machine like I can't even make tea I

put in the fridge in the morning after those nights yeah I just cry I'm so grateful for coffee honestly good woman exactly we've had lots of those nights and I mean none our three aren't great sleepers especially Logan so I always go to bed fully expecting the worst and sometimes it'll kind of exceed my expectations but I think the biggest thing for me is a knowing it's a short-term thing we've got 100 days to go now to the Olympics and I know I saw the thing saying 100 days and I was just like yeah that finish line in sight makes every night not feel so bad so like it will end at some point um but then also definitely having the support of Steve knowing that he'll get up in the night most of the time he'll try to get up and um settle whoever's woken up first and so then I usually have to turn up the second waker so does COVID mean does COVID mean they can they come with you can they not come with you to the

Olympics are you gonna have to leave them behind yeah I'm gonna have to leave them behind I know that was that's definitely when I first started thinking about making the comeback, I imagined and I pictured them in there. Yeah. That's been a really tricky thing for me to get my head around. The fact that they're not going to be able to travel with us. That's huge. Yeah, it is.

It is. And I think just the, it feels like a gut punch just thinking about leaving them. But at the same time I think that you know I it's going to be short term because because of Covid we had to go in compete and leave I was going to say how long are you going to go for like how far ahead of the actual racing would you go for it's not going to be long I think probably I'll have to be away for them for a couple of weeks and then so that was going to no it's not and it was going to tie into my other question which is how many nights of uninterrupted sleep are you going to need before the olympics

and have we factored that in well part of me is awful but part of me can't wait to go there till i get to sleep yeah i'd quite like to come with you actually i'm like thinking i've already got this little list of kind of Netflix series that I'm gonna watch because everyone's been talking about them and haven't had time to watch them and things like that so there's definitely gonna be perks to going away even though I'll miss them of course it like is granny coming or someone or is Steve just flying solo with three kids yeah my my mum has been amazing and so I think we're planning on her coming up and Steve will obviously be here um but my mum's going to

come and help because it's yeah it's it's a lot the three of them especially kind of evening bath bed routine things like that to do on your own but is there an element of him being well jealous as well I bet he'd love to come and compete again wouldn't he do you know what I think Steve is he's just he's just massively supportive and I think what whenever he's watching me, I think he's just always, he feels like he's, again, like the kids, he's much more part of this journey than he ever was before. You know, when I was competing at Rio,

again, it was just kind of me and he was on the sidelines cheering me on. But this is like a whole family in this is what I feel like. It is, and he's watching me on the rowing machine. And when I was first starting out, it's almost like he was coaching me. I wasn't even in touch with the members of the British Rowing Post.

I was just trying to do it on my own. And so, yeah, he's definitely been part of it all. So should we all be taking up rowing posts in Italy? Do you think it would be good for all of us to get our cores back in place and stuff? I think I'd be really careful with it because I think a big part of the fact that I could take it up so quickly again was because I had such a big history in it and so my sport my my body was kind of used to it yeah but I think if you if you manage to kind of look after your core and get yourself back to having a decent core after um childbirth is a great um exercise because it's

no impact so I know that I mean I definitely for a very long time wouldn't even wanted to wanted to run but when I was still at the point where I wouldn't want to run I was on a full rowing program so things like you know if you're if your joints have changed or if you're just still not comfortable running I really think that as long as you're happy with your where your core is then rowing is a really good option yeah. One thing I wanted to ask about following what Wendy said about was Steve jealous have other people in the industry and I'm not asking you to name names but has anyone else given you a hard time because they kind of thought you were out of the game and now you're back on the scene and

they're like oh she's a mum and she's had twins and shit she's better than me and that means I might not be on the team yeah not a hard time I think people have been really really supportive and maybe a little bit definitely surprised I came back in the first place and I think also surprised with the fact that I've managed to get up to the level that I have and I think that it's really opened people's eyes as to what's possible I even at the European Championships I spoke to a French woman who had retired after London and started a family. And she was like, no one in France does this. All the girls are talking about maybe, you know, we've got people talking about making a comeback now and changing their minds about

whether it's possible. And so, yeah, I think that people probably aren't jealous, but people are definitely thinking, wow, this is exciting to think that it could be possible so I wanted to talk to you about the inspiration bit because obviously look I have never had much interest in rowing before but I'm massively excited about you and what you're doing and which is fabulous I'm imagining that there's lots of people who are involved in sport either professionally or just at a very high level non non-professionally, who this has been massively inspiring for. But I know that you're also working to try and inspire kids and families. You're working with Yacht Play, aren't you, to do stuff. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Yeah, well, Yacht Play Yoghurts are a sponsor for Team GB. And what really got me interested in what they're doing is that their big drive is getting children active and outdoors. And they're doing a kids Olympic sport, you know, where you're kind of doing different Olympic sports through the summer and different versions of Olympic sports through the summer. Just to kind of, I think, especially after the year

that young people have had. Definitely. Yeah, getting them kind of really engaged and excited about physical activity again, I think is really important and really healthy. So I just really like their ethos. And I'm really excited to be working with them. Well, the Olympics has come at the perfect time in a way.

Like we need to all come together about something exciting and positive. My kids' school is doing like, they did run to Rio last time. And this time they're doing, I don't know if it's travel to Tokyo or whatever it is, but basically every morning the kids, they've worked out how many laps of the playground it takes to get to the Olympics. That's amazing. And the whole school has to run it before school in the course of the next term.

And I think it's such a lovely idea because it's a long way away when you're seven and you don't have a clue what the Olympics is and stuff. And I think it's so lovely. Yeah. And I do think that definitely the timing of it will hopefully kind of bring people together. It'll hopefully be at the time when we can start to meet up and start to enjoy a bit more normality. I'm like some sort of Olympics nut. I get super overexcited anyway, but I'm a bit of a rowing know nothing. Although I have rowed down the Thames with, I've forgotten his name.

This is something I don't know about you, Wendy. When was this? Where was I? The king of rowing, Helen. Who's the king of rowing? Steve McGrath. Steve McGrath. Thank you very much.

I had to do a promotional thing with David Lloyd Leisure. And they put he and I and a couple of other people in the Queen's rowing boat. Wendy this is hilarious is there a video of this? There is a photo I am five foot one and a bit at a putt and so you can imagine that Steve had a small problem that my rowing stride as it were I was like going we did basically in the end I put my feet up and they rode and I just sat there that's an aside anyway sorry dear listeners what I'd like to know Helen is for those of us who know nothing about rowing how can we follow your progress and when

will we know if you're in the team well firstly that, I think if you're going to have any rowing experience, I would, yeah, quit after that first one. I've peaked, I've peaked. Yeah, you're peaking really early there. No, in terms of making the team, I don't know. So we've got a six-week training block now, and then I think shortly after that will be where people are kind of going to be finalised, going to do some testing, do some rating.

How many people is it between? Well, it whittles down all the time. So I think on the team at the moment, there'll probably be about six people who won't make it, who won't make the seat. Yeah, it's a heart, it's a heartbreaking time. But surely you've got a seat because you won the gold last weekend. I hope so. I hope so. There's just every day in training, you have to prove yourself. You know, you've got a seat because you won the gold last weekend. I hope so. I hope so.

There's just every day in training you have to prove yourself. You know, you've got to keep yourself fit. You've got to keep yourself healthy. But, yeah, it's looking positive. How are you coping with the stress of this? Like, I would seriously not be able to sleep worrying about it. I do try not to think about it. And, like, before it was just everything I thought about.

And now, honestly, if I want to just de-stress I'll just kind of like look at the children and go right who wants to play hide and seek and just totally kind of shift things or you know just just do something different with the children and then I just I just don't think about it if the worst were to happen and you didn't get it but I think you are so I'm not saying bad things how would you cope do you know what I would like to say oh I could see the perspective and you know I've got I wouldn't yeah I in honestly I do think that I've invested I've invested time I've invested a lot of heart into it now and if I if I don't make it I'll I'll be I'll be gutted um but I you know I think that the the me the old me would want to kind of bury it and pretend it never happened but I think it's important that I I remember that it's happened and that what I've learned and you tried yeah and when I first started

I did not think I'd get this far and I thought I'll just know that I tried and that was enough for me then so I think I've got to remind myself of you know it being enough but I've got to ask the two Olympian parents what will you think if one of the kids both of the kids three of the kids want to do this are you going to be like the pushy parents behind them or are you like Christ I don't wish but he is a sports like a sports person he didn't do the Olympics my apologies but I think that there's definitely an expectation already from both people who follow Steve's stuff and people who follow my stuff there's definitely an expectation of that the kids will go into something like that like I think Steve hears that a lot from people he meets and so do I um

but the more I think back to my early sporting career when I was younger the more I think I I don't want to be like a certain group of parents that I can remember I really don't quite late anyway I did but when I was so I was 21 when I started rowing but when I was um you know when I was like seven eight nine ten I was running and playing hockey and netball and all those things and I've got memories of parents who I absolutely loved and who were massively supportive and I've got memories of parents who were way too competitive and pushy and just everything I don't want to be for my kids and if they're not sporty if they don't want to be professional sports people I couldn't care less but I would like sport to be part of their lives I don't I you know whatever to whatever level I

don't mind but I think you get so much from sport whether it's friendship groups or communication or leadership so I think I'd love them to have a love for sport and and find something they really enjoy well that leads on to one of the questions we ask everybody how do you want to be remembered by your kids i want them to remember me as being being present you know even when i'm physically there with them i'm looking at them i've got eye contact they feel my presence that's a great answer that's lovely that's a really great answer um now that's always one of the last questions that we ask on the pod followed by two more one is very banal one is quite off the wall i'll go with the banal what's for tea tonight and who's cooking

uh spaghetti bolognese uh and i've already cooked it i cooked it you are physically one woman this is not allowed. Win it. By the way, that never, ever happens. I'm so prepared today. Ah, she's winning. I'm having Cornish pasty, just saying. I'm Cornish, so yeah, I'm very good. Oh, I'm in Cornwall.

There we are. Thank you. Perfect. And now this one, slightly trickier for some. You have to imagine that you're tucking annie and i into bed that we are the twins and you have to sing us your lullaby oh i've got the worst singing voice no you're better than us no you don't we do we do but we know that every parent has a song that they fall back on when the kids are not relaxing okay you ready for a line of Puff the Magic Dragon? Oh God, it makes me cry.

Puff the magic dragon lives by the sea and for it's in the autumn little land called Hornady. I may have got the words wrong, but that's the version we go for. That's the one I say. That's lovely. And I haven't heard Puff the Magic Dragon for ages. I know. One of my brother's favorites so I know Helen come on when are we gonna know like is there a date do you think we'll know by at least um I would say in a month time and two months time and how will you find out

and how will we find out will you get a phone call or do you get told at training or what happens we'll probably get sat down at training and um and told the final selection um yeah that's a day that's very emotional um for everybody involved um yeah we'll get sat down at training and then there'll be very very shortly after i mean a day or two after there'll be a press announcement with all the final team selection. That's quite good, actually, that you get to wrap your head around it first, right?

Yeah, and we get to show the family in Melbourne. When you've won your gold medal, will you come back? When you're holding your medals, will you come back and talk to them? Please know that we're going to be cheering you on with your twins. Oh, thank you so much.

No, but I've had so much support and I think that um mums have been the thing that have honestly got me through this year so when I made the announcement that I was coming back I've never made an announcement like that before and I I honestly made the announcement did it on BBC breakfast and then turned off my phone turned off my laptop absolutely horrified of what I'd just done thinking oh no what people are going to think what people are going to say and the next day I looked on Instagram and Twitter and honestly my heart has never been so full with messages from mums and people who had said you know we're behind you we wish you good luck there were people who said

you know this has inspired me to get my trainers on this inspired me to take up something that I left behind me when I had children and now I want to take up again and honestly in that day I thought this is worth it just even if I don't make it in the fact that people are just a little bit inspired and possibly changing one person's course in life I can't say thanks to everyone enough for the amazing support I've had. That's lovely to hear. I think you're not just inspiring to mums, though. I think this is inspirational to women and to anyone who's ever either been underestimated by anybody else or underestimated themselves. Like, this is such a great, great, great story.

I love it. Well done. I hope so. I hope people can feel exactly. It's not about being a mum. It's about just saying, I think I can do it. And hope so I hope people can feel exactly it's not about it's about just saying I think I can do it and at least I want to try so I hope so it's the best of humankind I think it's brilliant so thank you for being an amazing guest thank you all right best of luck thank you so much yes good luck we believe in you