I’m starting to fall out of love with rowing and it scares me because I don’t know whether it’s because the sport is so stressful or it’s just because I’m not progressing, which is stupid, but I don’t know what to do because its been a huge investment for my family.
Are you not making any noticeable improvements because you’ve hit a plateau or because you’ve stopped trying? Be honest. If you’ve been doing the same types of training for awhile it might just be an issue of switching things up so that your muscles become un-bored. That’s what happens when you plateau – your muscles adapt to the training you’re doing to the point where they’re so used to your routine that they get bored and stop responding. If it’s because you’ve given up for whatever reason then you’ve got to make the decision for yourself whether or not you want to readjust your outlook and keep trying or if it’s no longer worth it to you and it’s time to move on. You should also consider whether or not you’re burned out. If you’ve been doing crew non-stop for a year or more then you’re probably just tired, mentally and physically, and that’s contributing to why you’re not progressing the way you want to be and why you feel like you’re just kinda over it. The solution to this is taking some time off, even that means just a couple days to start with. If you can, try to take the whole summer off from rowing and then once August rolls around, reevaluate how you’re feeling and go from there.
The investment that your family has made should be something you keep in mind because obviously that’s an important factor to consider but don’t base your decision off of that. You shouldn’t continue to do something just because you feel guilty over the amount of money, time, etc. that other people have put into it. If you’re genuinely not enjoying yourself anymore then that’s reason enough to take some time off. It’s OK to stop enjoying something you once loved doing but you’ve gotta be honest with yourself about it and recognize when you’ve reached that point. Talk to you coach and/or parents, tell them how you’re feeling, and get some feedback from them. See if you can negotiate a break with your coach so you can clear your head and reassess the situation. Sometimes looking at it from the other side when you’re not overwhelmed by a million different things can help you come to a decision.