WITNESSS-Olympics-Rowing-Why I dedicate my life to Games glory

Olympic silver medallist and three-times world champion rower Frances Houghton, a 27-year-old who trains seven days a week, 49 weeks of the year, wrote the following article about what it feels like to train and enter an Olympic Games as one of the favourites.

By Frances Houghton

BEIJING, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Four years ago in Athens I stood on the right of the podium at the Olympic Games after winning a rowing silver medal and thought, 'Next time, I really, really want to stand in the middle'.

I was such a mix of emotions.

It had almost felt like the lake was rumbling that morning, there were so many supporters waving Union Jacks and making so much noise and I'd never even won a world championship medal before.

But when I crossed the line I was just so disappointed.

I did not know how to feel. It seems wrong to feel disappointed at winning an Olympic medal of any colour, but we knew we were within reach of the biggest goal in sport and had just missed it.

You commit so much to your team mates when you race. You say if I don't pass out with exhaustion when I cross the line then that's not enough. It really is blood, sweat and tears, and then when you cross the line and you can still move, you wonder, 'Did I do everything I could have done?'.

Now, with just days to go, we are preparing for the Beijing Games and my third Olympics. Now that four years have passed I realise that we did all we could in Athens.

Our outing before the final was the best we'd ever had. The warm-up was the best warm up we'd ever had. But the other crew were just better on the day.

When you prepare for the Olympics your main hope is that you recreate that, to produce your best performance.

All I can do is my absolute best. To be the product of all the years I've put into this. All the races, all the scenarios we've been in and everything we have learnt.

There have been times when I've rowed technically really well. There have been times when I've really physically produced amazing things and I just want my races at these Olympics to be the culmination of all those times.

MY MOMENT

It's hard at this stage not to think about the final but every time I do, I have to bring my mind back to think about the present, to do what I have to do, each day, each session, each moment.

When you compete at an Olympics you are trying, within the greatest sporting environment, to draw on everything you have ever learned to produce something beyond what you ever really thought you were capable of.

It's such an honour to represent my country and I have to pinch myself to realise that it is actually happening. I was told this week that I am one of only 6,419 British Olympians ever. Why me? I don't know, but I feel incredibly lucky.

I train seven days a week, 49 weeks of the year and for each week we probably add up about 36 hours of training.

Living a life that is so different to others can also be difficult. We don't have a 9 to 5 job. I'm really tired a lot of the time which makes me very irritable.

I have a very different timetable to all my friends, going to bed at half eight at night. I accept it because this is my journey and it means so much to me, but it also means that you can't just leave it at work.

MY DREAM

You dream about it and it is everything to you, so if you have a bad session it becomes very hard to dismiss it as just a bad day at the office. This is my dream and I'm trying to make it happen.

One of the things you do realise when competing at an Olympics is just how many people are behind you and supporting you all the way. When I was in Athens I kept getting all these emails from people who I have never met and are never likely to meet and they were just all so supportive.

As we get nearer to the Games I just try to keep focused.

I hope to deliver the best performance I possibly can, and try not to think about standing in the middle of the podium.

But this is the moment and everything I've ever worked for. I still can't quite believe that this is me. That I've become an Olympic athlete. I'm just incredibly proud.

What is it like to compete at the Olympics? It is everything you ever dreamed it might be and more.

(Editing by Kate Holton and Steve Ginsburg)

(For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)