The 49 reasons why I'd love to be in San Francisco right now

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I wasn't particularly interested in history at school but I've really got into it on the National Geographic channel while in Portugal.

To be fair, there's not much else to do here. We're in the middle of nowhere and we're here to train, three sessions a day.

It's high-intensity stuff - I'll do two hours on the water, an hour on the ergo and over an hour in the gym on weights. The rest of the time is spent resting and recovering. The camp is 16 days in all and we go back at the weekend.

At the start of it all, everyone was talking and buzzing. Now, when it comes to meal times, everyone just eats, barely saying a word and then we go to bed. People mope about a bit, the smiling faces have disappeared and literally it's all about surviving.

Saying that, it has been really good - we've done this for the past three years and it's the best it has ever been. The intensity has been just right but I'll admit I'm looking forward to going home.

Apart from World War II documentaries, I've also been catching up on the NFL play-offs. I'm a massive San Francisco 49ers supporter and I think they're going to make it to the Super Bowl.

A few of the other guys here watch the games but no one really understands the sport - there's a lot to it. My girlfriend Jen is in San Francisco for some conferences and she says the buzz is unbelievable.

I'd love to be there and to go to the Super Bowl - it has always been a bit of a dream of mine.

When I return, there's just more training plus I'm picking up my new car, a BMW X3, so it's not all bad!

We've also got a Come Dine With Me event coming up for Sport Relief involving five of us from the rowing team and five canoeists.

I'm rubbish at cooking. I can do a spaghetti carbonara and a banoffee pie but, after that, my cooking just involves throwing everything in a pan and seeing what I come up with!

Debbie Flood is our secret weapon. She is an amazing cook and is always having dinner parties.
The other thing I'm looking forward to when I get home is catching up with West Ham.

We're level at the top with Southampton and, having got over a slight Christmas blip, I reckon Big Sam is going to get in some good new faces and we'll push past Saints. Well, that's the plan.