I don't think I will ever forget my first time on a Concept2 rowing machine. It was exactly 94 days ago that I sat on a rowing machine for my first ever try at 'rowing'. I'd not seen a gym or done any form of exercise for years and here I now was, at the Leander Rowing Club in my hometown of Henley-On-Thames, surrounded by a room full of half naked male Olympic Rowers. To most people this would be a dream come true, but to be honest, I was too busy being worried about knocking in to them or my total novice-ness sticking out like a dinosaur sized sore thumb, and I was trying to maintain an exterior of cool, calm, collectedness as if it was the kind of thing that happened to me every day of the week. Luckily for me, the guys were all far too busy and focused on the task in hand, but it remains one of the most incredible and most memorable experiences of my life and I felt hugely proud of my first ever rowing lesson.

In that first session, I nodded very enthusiastically as Leander Club Captain and Olympic Rower Debbie Flood, talked me through how the rowing machine worked, where to place my feet and how to strap them in, and what kinds of settings and technique I should be using. Before I knew it I had built up my time on the rowing machine, from 2 minutes of rowing, 10 minutes of rowing, 30 minutes of rowing, to much longer periods of time, with less aches with each session, and so far NO BLISTERS. Each session was an enormous challenge at first, but within a matter of sessions, rowing for longer periods was becoming easier and easier, and therefore more enjoyable as the new-ness decreased and I was able to concentrate on technique much less and could instead imagine myself rowing on an actual ocean, surrounded by beautiful whales, sunshine, and blue skies (I'm sure that the actual ocean row will not be at all like this, but for now it's a motivating vision and far more interesting than the gym wall).

Life is already very different! Just months ago, our Fourbirdsaboating team were in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. We couldn't figure out how we could prepare for the 7000 mile Pacific Ocean row, or how to make the dream a reality. We were working with people at the coal face of poverty, and there were no gyms, rowing machines, or rowers anywhere to be found. We'd been offered a rowing machine to use in Georgia, but shipping it out or having a friend fly out with it was looking to prove an almighty challenge in itself. No postal service, so it would need to be couriered, and it would have to clear customs, and we would need to pay tax on it, and the shipping alone was the equivalent of our four salaries combined. The other difficulty, was that Georgia was about to face its first democratic elections, and there were lots of protests and human rights demonstrations on the streets. Would our safety come under question as government employees of a government accused of corruption? Would we really want to go to all the effort of shipping out a rowing machine, for it to arrive long after we had all gone back to our respective countries? There were lots of decisions to make about the future of the ocean row, leaving Georgia (a country we loved and would miss), and how to best prepare ourselves for the Pacific Ocean row.

So when I arrived back with my own family in Henley, I was already facing a lot of culture shock, and funds were seriously tight. My trainers were falling apart and had no soles, and the task ahead as we began raising the money for our 2014 Pacific Ocean row was huge. Being surrounded by Olympic rowers on that first session was one thing, but feeling like I'd turned up in falling apart attire was another, and felt a little disrespectful as I wasn't going to be able to perform to my best no matter how great the rowing coaching or access to Concept2s might be. I think I understand now, why joining a gym can feel so daunting to millions of people, especially if the last time you exercised was around the time that Jane Fonda videos were the norm as were folk wearing far too tight, pink lycra and ankle warmers. It's a fear of the unknown, and of standing out from the crowd. But once you've taken the plunge, the journey becomes easier and just another part of the daily norm and routine. And with practice, you start to get more confident and more aware of where your technique is not yet right and what the coach means when they give you advice. That has been my experience of rowing so far. It was the first time in years that I had tried my hand at something I'd never done before, and that I wasn't an expert in, which made me feel a little vulnerable, but at the same time, ridiculously excited, as if I were a kid with a new toy. I love rowing so much more than I ever could have imagined, and each training session seems to bring with it, a new level of awareness and improvement, and that feeling is still very magical.

March has been my first significant milestone on the journey of learning to row, and this month I've had to learn to row and talk simultaneously. Ensuring that my technique is correct, that I'm rowing at the appropriate strokes per minute, and splits, that I'm not too out of breathe, thinking on my feet, combating interview nerves, and having to chat and make it look easy. Learning how to be filmed whilst rowing was not on my list of things I ever expected to face, but I think the new tools will make life at sea much much easier, as it's a little like working under pressure and also having to maintain a conversation or relationship with another rower, rather than just staring into space and getting lost in your own thoughts. And what's especially funny, is that people now seem to think of me more as a rower now, which Im really not ready for and find quite ironic at times, but is a lovely compliment.

I'm really glad that I found out about the online record too, and I've been recording each and every row on that. Looking back over my progress is incredibly motivating, and this month I achieved my first world ranking for 5000m which was undoubtedly the best thing in my rowing progress so far. Being asked questions by a film crew, and rowing with a radio mike in situ, was a great (even if unexpected) experience, as it forced me to acknowledge my journey so far, and to reflect on how far I've come in just a few months. Filming took a long time, and that meant I had to row for a bit longer than usual, and be listening out for all the film cues like 'action' and 'cut' and knowing where to look at the camera and interviewer, all the while trying to remember everything I had been taught about rowing so far. I knew that my trainer would ultimately get to see the clip, so if I got my technique wrong, she would know all about it, and so would the folk at the gym who were watching me being filmed! The other milestone was the transition as my personal dream of rowing across an ocean, was suddenly now out there. Out in the public domain for the first time, with a lot more at stake but ultimately motivating me even more, and so surprising to find that just getting the word out there, has a kind of ripple effect, with one person getting involved, and then telling their friends, who tell their friends, often with each person adding something new to the pot. In January I had no access at all to a rowing machine, and now I have complimentary membership of Urban Fitness gym, daily sessions of yoga, pilates, and tai chai at Purestretch Studio, row coaching from an Olympian, a personal trainer, sports massage from Tonic Massage, and a whole range of sports kit that has been donated towards my training, which will ultimately raise funds for three children's charities. That in itself is something very special and motivating, and I know it will make me mentally stronger as I row across one third of the planet in our little boat. Somehow it won't be just the four of us alone on the ocean, but we will have all those people in our heads, willing us on, having got us this far on the journey already. And we have met some really lovely people through learning to row and just spending time at our respective gyms and rowing clubs, learning to row.

My next pesonal challenge on the journey is to overcome my fear of public speaking, and having to dress up in non gym kit, as we host our official Fourbirdsaboating launch event at the Regal Cinema in Henley-On-Thames. This will be a screening of the Discovery Channel documentary film 'Rowing the Pacific' which follows the story of ocean rowers Chris Martin and Mick Dawson as they row from Japan to San Francisco through electrical storms, super high waves, and lots of danger. Following on from the film, there will be a Q&A session with Chris, Mick, and the film's producer Liz Tucker. This will be another important milestone in my own quest as I learn to row, and I'm already wondering where the journey will take us next!