ENTRY 18 some basic hints and pitfalls

This will be my last entry for a while so I thought I'd pass on a few tips and where some of the pitfalls may lie for the complete novice.


Hopefully Ive helped to give a little more understanding about flat water racing for the complete novice and hopefully help a little bit more over the next few paragraphs, not aiming to be a coach but just a quick look into what helped me and what didnt and any confusions I had, as I have you will have to constantly spend time self coaching and analising yourself, sounds a little daunting to start with but it does get easier as time goes on.




BACK PAINS
One of the problems I first encountered when I first got back into a canoe after a 20 year break was really bad lower back aches, guess the canoeing position is not a normal position we use most days other than sitting on the bed and watching the late night film, and lacking in any regular exercise the cure for me was tacking 5 min's out of each day to stretch the ham strings, after a week and still doing the exercises I have never suffered any more lower back pains, worth a try if youre having that problem, theres loads of good videos on you tube that will help. 
It is worth noting that our body's do adapt quite well and most pains will disappear after a short while, if there is anything persisting mention it and get some help. 


JOINING A CLUB
Couldnt be easier to sort out, to go it alone without any help will only aid in slow progress, just about every club is extreamlly helpful and willing to help, and all clubs have their own equipment that you can get to use for a very minimal fee, at this stage some people are happy to spend their hard earnt cash and without any help can often end up buying equipment that is unsuitable or well above above their ability's which again only aids slow progress or something impossible to master,
depending on the size of the club there will always be plenty of coach's or experienced paddlers that will help and give advice. 
So for the beginning keep your money in your pocket but put clothing as a top of the list, not boats and not wing paddles, if in doubt what to do just ask, no one bites :)


TRAINING
Not one I can really answer as im still learning myself, it will take a little while to get to know all the coach's within your club depending on the size, the larger clubs tend to have quite a few different training nights of various ability's, it will take a little while to get to know whos who and what group is best for you depending on your ability and what your goals may be, again ask questions and bear with it for a bit until everything settles into place,
you will no doubt come up against conflicting advice, dosent necessarily mean that someones giving you wrong information, but there is often more than one way to skin a cat, its what works for you, this is where you start to self coach and experiment, I spent ages paddling with my arms quite far out on the paddles after advise, but  was really struggling to get a good paddle technique untill I started experimenting and moved my hands further back into the center which made a huge difference for me, BUT may not for someone else, so always evaluate and experiment for yourself.


Core balance and rotation training video






Balance technique in the boat


Heres one more video for balance training

Heres another set exercises you can try, nice and simple, not sure how well ill be able to explain in text, I was told that by balance training both sides of the brain will help with balance in the boat, wont even try and explain the scientific explanation, ive been doing it for a few days and can feel a benefit, but then try anything to stay dry lol.

1. stand up straight, arms out and bent 90deg at the elbow, now with your right hand touch your left elbow, arm back in the starting position and now the left hand  touch your right elbow, repeat 10 times (you can change this to eyes closed or standing on alternative legs)
2. stand up straight, arms straight out in front, bring up your left leg with your thigh horizontal to the ground, with your right hand touch your knee and retrn to the start position, now repeat with the opposite leg and arm and repeat 10 times (again you vary it with eyes close)
3. stand up straight, arms down by your sides, with your left leg bring it up behind you (like a donkey kick) with your right hand touch your heal, try and get them to meet together, now repeat with the opposite leg and arm, repeat 10 times (again can vary with eyes closed)
4. last one and simple, stand up straight arms down by your side, extend your arms out from your side and fully extend and smoothly in an arm with one finger tip touch your nose, now repeat 10 times, again can be varied with eyes shut or a different finger each time.
5. now repeat all the above 4 times for one exercise and try throughout the day to do do the above exercises 4 to 5 times a day

The idea behind it is to co-ordinate the left and the right hand side of your brain to work together, just to show how your brain is not used to working together on both sides try this one, fold your arms as normal, now unfold them and relax your arms down by your side now quickly fold your arms the OPPOSITE way you normally do, most will struggle for a bit, I cant give a better explanation as Im blowed if I can remember the full scientific explanation, but its worth a try as its so simple and quick

BOATS
you'll start of in the most stable boat and if the coach thinks you can candle the next stability boat you'll be in it, chances are you'll be in a boat thats a little tippy for you but not too uncomfortable, as to how quick you move up to the really tippy boats will depend on how your balance and confidence is, also depends on whether its summer or winter, generally the summer is the time to build up to the tippy boats as the waters warmer and when the colder weather starts its better to stay in the stable boat, not much fun tipping in the winter.
The younger kids tend to have a better sense of balance, for the rest of us we tend to loose it a bit as we get older, there is no point in going beyond your ability to start with as it can be demoralizing and you'll be fighting a very unstable boat and unable to concentrate on technique.
If youre keen and enjoying the racing you'll be tempted to purchase your own boat, have a little patience and endure the slower boat that you may be stable in and develop your technique, 
good technique takes time to master and can account for more over fitness, you can be the fittest guy going but with lousy technique and balance  youre likely to be tail end Charlie more often than not, you will find some useful balance training exercises on you tube that can help and good chore strength helps too, it takes time and wont happen in 5 minutes 


Try pushing yourself to hard and this can be a result, 






Not going to keep your attention for long, will it!!!!!!!


Boat stability ratings


BCU stability ratings

Second hand canoe adverts




PADDLES
you'll start of with the so called standard asymmetric paddles, stick with them for a while whilst youre developing the early stages of good paddling, the racing wing paddles can come a bit later on, 
carbon wing paddles are not cheap, again ask what ones will be right for you and when the times right  have a go on somebody else's paddles first, 
technique is totally different to the asymmetric paddles, their not that difficult to get used to, try and use them the same way as the asymmetric you'll find the paddle will dive under the boat and tip you out, there are loads of videos on you tube as well as any coaching about paddle technique, not something you'll get right straight away, could take 6 months plus to perfect and theres many that haven't after years, so this is one area thats worth the most attention to perfect, it looks easy but far from it to perfect, on top of that you will have other areas to concentrate on at the same time, arm pushing/pulling, core rotation, leg movement, steering, posture, balance all at the same time plus more, so this is one area that will only come together with practice and more practice, took me 5 months to find the second gear and I'd say im only 80% there, 
Watch the faster guys and again ask questions and watch the videos, all will help






watch these guys


Info for technique



Carbon paddle sales

DIET
Perhaps a subject beyond me and can get very scientific, for the beginning a good balanced diet is all thats needed, perhaps higher on the carb intake, again plenty of sites on the web offering specific information, water is the most essential fluids you'll ever need and plenty of it, most of us drink well below the recommended daily allowance, avoid the so called energy drinks, may give you wings for a bit but can quite often result in clipped wings quite quickly, same to goes for high sugar drinks, 
Bananas are a good source of slow release energy foods, it is a subject worth looking into and looking at a healthier diet, remember like cars we need fuel, the further and faster we go and the more we need


A guide to eating for sports

MENTAL FITNESS
Again this is another important area to give some consideration, it can be easier to defeat yourself than someone else doing it, the right mental attitude is important, from training to racing, some races are quite long and especially something like the Devizes to Westminster race at 125 miles and 16 plus hours non stop racing will need the right mental attitude, it can make a huge difference 


Mental fitness






CLOTHING
For training and racing it is fairly basic clothing needs, its a balance between keeping warm and not overheating during the winter, most wear the under compression tops and leggings that are being sold for other sports, not cheap items or there are some dedicated items for sale in the link below, a few light layers are best including long sleeve, ive found the cycle tops fairly cheap and ideal,  some still wear shorts on the cold day's (nutters) but ive found the running bottoms the most comfortable, footwear, basic trainers aren't that ideal as their bulky, best ones available are the diving neoprene boots, loads for sale on e bay from as little as a fiver, some prefer to go bare foot, yes more comfortable on the footplate but you never know what youre treading on in the river if you take a spill, same to for the portaging.
If its touring or a slow run then there is more dedicated clothing to keep warm, some can come a little pricey but are good quality.
Wet suits are ok if youre just having a gentle paddle but its so easy to overheat in them, mines been gradually cut down to just leggings, ideal for the really cold training nights, 
Gloves are ok but the best items to use are the pogies', Pogies they allow you to still feel the paddle and simuler to some of the mitts sold for motorcyclists, again you'll find some in the link below, perhaps one of the best bits of kit you'll ever buy.
A hat of some description is essential for winter, most of your body heat is lost through your head so a worthy piece of kit and the last is a waterproof top, those cheap ones that bundle up into a small package are ideal. 
They also sell the divers waterproof bags, again e bay is ideal, these are great to put your wet clothing in instead of mixing with any other dry clothes in your kit bag.      dry bag example    Waterproof phone bag


Clothing and other equipment

Marathon racing info

CROSS TRAINING
Ideally cross training with another sport is very beneficial, running, squash to name a couple and mixed with some gym work to increase strength, plus allows a break up of what can sometimes be a boring training schedule, the video below explains it a lot better












WARMING UP
warming up and stretching before exercise/racing is essential, again Ill let the video explain  









Hope thats of some help to get you through the first few steps, remember you get out of what you put in and achievements come in small steps


Happy racing

ENTRY 17 post race

The reason behind starting this blog was to help give a better insight into K1 flat water racing for those with no knowledge about the sport at all, when I first started with zero knowledge about racing other than I wanted to race I really struggled to find a huge amount of detailed information, and for what I did find with no knowledge meant little to me.
I hope Ive helped to give a basic view into this form of racing for those that may be interested in racing, or those with just a curiosity about it.


My only regret is not taking the sport up many years ago and for the last 2 years walking past my local club and not popping in, I have thourally enjoyed the last 5months and have made some nice friends and met a huge bunch of very helpful people and found a truly diverse hobby.


I have been lucky with my past involvements with sport in the younger days and some of the basics learnt then have helped, I would say I am of average fitness and have up until now smoked 20 cigarettes a day and I dont think I have faired too badly.
As with any sport to get to the top takes an awful lot of commitment and dedication, for some that suits for others personal fulfillment and enjoyment are top of the list, there truly is something for everyone at what ever level you want to compete at,
dont consider yourself fit enough!!!!!!!! canoeing is not a killer sport or activity, I would be flat on the floor half way if I had to run the distance we race over, canoeing is far more gentle on the body than say running, 
its also extreamlly amazing how quickly the body adapts and gets used to exercise, yeah you'll need some commitment to keep going but canoeing not like some solitary activity's and many on a club run with others many have not noticed or aware they may have covered 10 miles with ease.


Competition is not for everyone, and for those there are plenty of enjoyable day trips and weekends away, there seems to be plenty of trips being organised by most clubs, you wont be restricted to just your club, and for those that want something more exotic theres loads of canoeing and kayaking trips/holidays abroad, the only place ill leave alone with a wobbly K1 will be the Amazon, they seem to have some fish with very sharp teeth lol, as much as Im hooked with the racing side I have really enjoyed a couple of leisurely trips out, cant beet the English summer when it does get here, mi-randing down the river with a bunch of friends enjoying a natter and stopping somewhere for lunch.


For those wanting a something a little more white knuckle theres the white water canoeing, something I tried many many years ago in Wales, heart stopping sometimes and sometimes very challenging but extreamlly rewarding and exhilarating when completing a difficult section


For those that like something a little more traditional theres the Canadian open canoes, single and doubles, takes a bit of a knack getting used to paddling and steering one, may take 5 mins or a few days but great when youve mastered it, these boats are great too for those long trips.


You also have the sea, theres many that enjoy day trips out on specialist sea boats, and if you live near the sea youve got a fantastic resource right next to you, again if its racing you like theres a small group here in the UK that do the downwind ski canoe racing, looks pretty fun and if youve got a holiday booked in for New Zealand or Australia you'll find it very popular there, hope to see it get of the ground here, and hoping to be having a crack at a race later this year in the UK




I could go on all day about the various types of canoeing, best bet is find your local club and go and see, ask questions and have a go and give it a try, most come of the water with a big grin on their face :)


http://www.bcu.org.uk/ 


The best site to find local clubs and canoeing information inc 3rd party insurance

Sea Kayaking fishing White water rafting






Devizes to Westminster (6 part) 125 mile UK race









Slalom racing

Flat water racing  








Surf ski racing










Touring










Down wind sea racing (Ireland)










White water canoeing












Just for fun










play boating










white water tricks








C2 touring in Scotland










C1 high kneeler sprint racing










K4 sprint racing










Canoe sailing

 

ENTRY 16 last Essex Winter Series race

Well it didnt take long before the last race came round, a fairly chilly and windy day at the Leeside club the last race was over 8 miles with no portages,

I was fortunate to have a chance meet up with another club member for a Sunday training session, turned out to be a brilliant training session for me, Richard has been canoeing for a number of years with plenty of race experience and a keen UK sea racer.
Richard was very helpful with what I was doing wrong on technique and what I should be doing, his explanations all made sense and by experimentation  the end of the session showed a real difference and improved technique with a notable speed increase,
just felt like everything had started to click into place and I really could feel a difference.

At least it wasnt raining but another dull English winter day with a chill and fairly windy, the Leeside event marking the last race of the Essex winter series was well attended, was also pleased to learn that I was running 9th overall in the series,
no portages today so no repeat of the last race lol, all I had to do was keep me ass firmly planted in the seat and keep it there,
it was quite chilly and for once I decided on a decent warm up and rattled of a mile jog down the toe path before the start, god Im not used to running :( but it blew the cob webs out and had at least warmed me up quite nicely for the start.
I was told the race may be a little choppy as the banks are concrete lined and susceptible to wave bounce, shouldn't be too bad for me in the stable boat but we did have a strong/gusty head wind on the start line, could see that one racer had bailed before the start line and later found out 2 had bailed from my class from the start line with the help of the wind.
Got squeezed in on the start line and decided to tuck in behind Dean, not enough time to get a better position, off the start I could see Richard to my far left go like a rocket with 2 more from my right as fast, had the usual sufferings with my boat trying to keep it in a straight line which a constant play with the steering, one of the faster guys  just in front that had beaten me before was struggling with the wash and balance, so a quick push to get past him, was expecting him to take me a little further on but no sign, the wind was a killer in some paces, the better stability on my boat was paying dividends over some of the others but hindering me in other areas, really hard to get the leg power down when youre fighting with the steering.
Had some of the faster Juniors go past, seemingly totally oblivious to the choppy conditions and the wind, inc the faster guys in my group those who have the natural stability were stomping ahead in these conditions.
Could feel the paddle technique improvement paying off for me after Richards help, a bit out of shape sometimes but it was a definite improvement, was keeping Dean and Richard in sight and was passing quite a few boats that had started earlier, wasnt going to take a chance of looking behind as the I wasnt trusting the gusting wind, Ill have to wait for the turn to see where I stand.

Seemed very quick for the first turn 3 miles out, the long straight leading up to the turn psychically did look like it was going up hill, this turn being right by the newly built Olympic stadium, well at least I know how to get to it by river, the run back down from the turn still looked like it was running up hill but at least the wind was from behind now, Dean and Richard weren't that far ahead on the turn so perhaps something  was possibly was working a little better,
The run back to the Leeside club house was uneventful, could see I was loosing some ground to Dean and Richard,  out past for another mile to the final turn point, could see Mo in the distance, cant miss her couloured top lol, started to hit a bit more traffic from some of the shorter course class's, I was keeping an eye on the leaders of our class returning the other side from the turn, missed them all except Richard and I seemed to be nearer, well I thought I had gained some ground but found out afterwards he had taken a dunking by the club house, but it spured me on for the last mile and pushed as hard as I could into the wind to gain more ground, I still struggle so much with the boat cockpit being too small for my lanky legs and the chaffing on my back from the cockpit is getting to be un-bearable sometimes, but putting that to one side when the legs start to work I really can see a difference in speed from the wash coming of the bow.

Finished 2 minutes behind Richard and 5 minutes behind Dean, giving me a 6th place, and earn't me a final position of 8th overall in the series, got to be honest I was pleased with it, especially as I only started last September, smoke 20 fags a day and according to my kids "ancient" and beyond it,

I have thourally enjoyed the winter series and thanks to my club and help from club members I am definably hooked and loving the sport and really looking forward to the start of the summer Hasler series where I can start competing against others of my own ability and hopefully take my self to the limits of my ability and get to move up the divisions fairly quickly, especially now that I have stopped smoking,
and very much to looking ahead for the start of the next winter series, cant let Dean take the trophy 2 years in a row lol :)

Congratulation to Dean for taking the overall win of Class 3 :) and team Chelmsford for taking the overall club win

Ill do a post shortly covering a summery about my flat water K1 racing, mainly aimed at the newcomer and  how I get on with the C1 high kneeler including moving up to the more wobbly boats, and hopefully a crack at one of the UK sea races this year.

Weathers going to get warmer soon so perhaps a great opportunity to start having a look at what canoeing is all about and how diverse it is, something to suit everyones tastes,  one of the best ways to get fit too

happy paddling

Darren

ENTRY 15

ENTRY 14 5th race

Cheshunt, young Mariners base 5th race of the winter series.


Out of all honesty perhaps my worst race to date, if I was going to make a mistake or something go wrong it was going to happen, had this horrible feeling that today was going to be a dunking, mmm wasn't wrong.


Cant say I didnt feel to bad, did have a lack of sleep after getting in at 1.30am from a party and did find the cold really biting.
Didnt feel that comfy in the boat as Ive had to use my normal trainers as my diving boots had perished, the boats a little to small on the foot end for me and the trainers do get wedge which is a pain when you want to steer.
Got myself on the start line with the others, just couldnt get a good start, the fast boys were off quick and trying to make headway in the chop wasn't easy, the steering was non responsive and just couldnt settle, first portage was only a short distance, had some prior warning the portages were high and it may be beneficial to portage early, could see Barry about 50 ft ahead and the leaders already clearing the portage, 
it wasn't to high for the portage but I just couldnt get out, there was nothing to grab hold on with your fingers, tucked my legs up and pushed up and I still couldnt get up, being out of breath and for the first time really noticing how much smoking was against me it took me a couple of minutes to suss that my life jacket was getting caught on a piece of metal sticking out from the bank, Bu***r
Id lost a lot of time, Toby from group 2 had already got in the water on the other side and Paul from our group had gone past me and was already off before I could get into the water.


My hands were so muddy I had to wash them in the water but it just served to make my hands colder, went past Toby and Paul fairly quickly but still felt like I was in a fuzzy haze lol
The next portage went ok, perhaps a little higher but out fairly clean, really noticed the weight of the boat running on the portage, dont normally notice it.
I could see Barry with another paddler and was slowly starting to pull some ground in, I had one of the junior faster boats go past from our club and heard him shout "get in the wash" tried but just couldnt, went past one of the mixed K2's and then another junior went past, this time I managed to get some wash hanging, looking in the distance I could see what resembled the white painted stone of the next portage, totally transfixed to the back of the junior boat and marvelling how they were making it look so effortless and trying to copy I hadn't taken a blind bit of notice ahead was actually NOT a portage, the junior did their turn and I followed to the bank for the portage, an Un-graceful effort trying to get the boat out from behind the railings and a mad dash up to the road, mmmmm something wrong no marshals on the road, crossed and went down the road and couldnt find a route back to water, back to bridge and over in between the cars and down to the other side, mmmm something very wrong with this portage and confirmed when I saw Paul coming under the bridge (what I had taken as a lock from the distance) Bu***r  Bu***r, this truly could have been one of those Panama cigar moments,  nearest tree please
What can I say, my true blonde plonker moment lol, aw well boat back in the water from another high bank, didnt realise the bank had quite a deep undercut and as soon as I stepped in the boat it disappeared under the bank, its funny you just know when youre going in, slow motion descends in HD, determined not to go in head first I tucked me legs up and pushed away from the boat, there wasnt nothing to grasp on the bank, up to my armpits and feet on the river bed, result:) only got a little bit of water in the boat so no point in time wasting bailing her out, back in and away again, quickly past Paul again, de ja vou, gota say the dunking did wake me up a bit, but thankfully didnt feel the cold at all, got to the last portage and this was the high one, the K2 had got past me on my extra portage, the young lady I could see standing tip toe in her boat and really struggling to get out, this didnt look good, quick survey along the bank and there didnt seem any better point to try and get out, 
decided I'd try where the rails were and take a chance I could grab the rail to pull myself out, worked, only a split second standing up in my boat before I got the rail, it was nearly an on the belly to reach down for the boat who by now was wanting to wonder off, as much as the railings helped me they didnt offer as much in getting the boat out, thankfully the other side was ok to drop back into the water, 
short distance out to the turn and back to the high portage, now this was going to be a real test getting back in from a high bank, damned site harder than getting out, chose one spot that needed a bit of mountaineering experience hanging onto some small crevices in the brick work, not easy with the weight of the boat in the other hand, by more luck than judgement Id got back in safely, what a learning curve for portaging, also learnt that if theres any water in the boat get it dumped as soon as, ok when running on the straight and level but when you go up hill or down the water slosh's to the end making it harder.


The run back was uneventful, did manage to dig in reasonably well, and it was very much a day of learning from mistakes, cant believe I added an extra portage, perhaps the ONLY person to have ever done so, what a plonker lol


One more race left in the series at leeside, got 2 weeks to sort myself out, mmmm is that long enough :) till next time

ENTRY 13 4th race

Race day again :)


On home turf for the first time, due to the previous weeks weather conditions it had been decided the course will be a slightly shorter one with 2 laps of what we call the town circuit course.


Been looking forward to this race for a while as it was going to be the one race out of the series where I knew the river, and being local could even get a lie in.
Weather wise not to bad but still chilly, cant remember what summer is as this winter really feels like its dragging on,
Briefing finished with and it was down to the start line K2's of first followed by the senior K1's after they had to line up a second time after an attempted rolling start, then it was our groups turn,
determined I was going to have a fair crack at the start so I made sure I got on the start line first,
15 seconds before the start, didnt recognise everyone on the start line and I knew Dean was nearby, started to wish I had swapped our boat numbers over now!!!!!!!! lol


Focused and tried to remember what I had learnt with Stewart on our sprint practice's, knew what I should be doing, just needed some ummmppph, mmmmmm think I had the canoeing's version of wheel spin as the faster guys went of like rockets, but mmm I wasnt watching them on the start line and Im sure they went before the go :( one for the tactic list on the next race.


I knew who was in front but didnt know was behind, no chance of looking behind as it was starting to get choppy, looking at a photo taken of the start I had left some behind, hey result for me

Just had this lot in front of me


The faster ones, well that was until we hit the channel just round the corner, with 2 class's having just already raced through the channel the water more resembled the north sea with a storm, the more wobbly boats suffered a lot for a few seconds, caught up behind Dean and the leaders being a stones throw just in front, then I got rocked by the wash and the waves bouncing off the concrete sides, like riding a bucking bronko and just couldnt do a thing with the steering, the nose had a mind of its own, then I got rocked by a larger wave and screwed the boat to the left whilst my body went right, nearly in the drink, thought I was a gonner,
by the time I recovered the others had sorted themselves and had got back on full steam, managed to pick a few wash's up that were more like surfing with the nose burying itself under half way up to the cockpit, then they would disappear as quick as they started and the back end would sit deep and it was all stop.


Getting away from the channel the water smoothed out and time to really start digging in and thinking about what I should be doing, two boats ahead of me, didnt know who they were but the blue boat was the first thing to aim for, I knew he had one of the faster boats but I was gaining ground slowly, 
approaching the first turn point I could see a K2 had gone in on the turn, the K1 in front of the one I was chasing had just got to the turn point, mis-judging the strength of the current on the turn he got caught out and flipped over, by the turn I was right on the tail of the blue boat, but just couldnt turn anywhere as quick as he could and lost out on so much ground, heading back down towards the channel the K1 that had tipped at the first turn had gathered himself and went past me and quickly past the blue boat, think the cold dunk had really woken him up, mmmm not a method I was prepared to try out lol,  after the turn I had got onto the back of a K2 and into his wash, mis-judged move as they were going to slow and the gap on the blue boat started to open out so time to pull out and make my own course
Fairly uneventful for the next half a lap, started to gain again on the blue boat and thankfully the channel had calmed down, up to the next turn point John and Stewart came thundering down in their K2 shouting encouragement,     
                                                                                                                

not to long after that Dean and the leaders were returning from the second turn, some more encouragement from Dean, caught up with the blue boat again by the second turn, same thing lost so much ground on the turn, made a big effort to catch up with him as quickly as possible and get tucked in behind him on his wash, glad of that as it really allowed me a breather, the boat ahead of him was a long way ahead now,


what do I do now!!!!! sit here, try and go past, no hope of catching the boat ahead of us, unlike the Hasler series this race was more about personnel times and position rather than against the clock, 
Hanging in his wash was easy going, around the back and 3rd turn point we pulled level and our pace had slowed down, turned out later the blue boat was a fellow club member called Barry, hadn't met before, so down the back straight it was more resembling a club practice days with introductions and conversations about training nights and the DW, lol I had to laugh, I was in a race, really!!!!
So this race had now turned into a 2 boat personnel race between us, with hind sight I should have kicked heal on the back straight, we sat together reserving some energy which was now looking to end in a sprint for the line, 
got to the last turn and saw one of the boats behind had clawed in some ground on us, we had been slacking too much, time to up the pace a little, not long before the final bridge and the final 200 mt straight to the finish line, sprints on, neck and neck, Barry defiantly had the advantage with the faster boat and looked like his tactic of keeping a conversation going had given him the breather he had needed, 
I was running to close to him and was being sucked into the side of him, rudder input wasn't doing much, missed one stroke as we come to close together and I was getting a full face-full of water from his paddle with each stroke, over the line and missed out by 1 to 2ft Bu***r lol
but we got a few shout and cheers from the club house


Really enjoyed this race, I usually end up with a solitary race after passing the slower boats so this race was nice to able to employ some tactics this time , not sure they were any benefit though lol, but hey live and learn by mistakes, 
defiantly wont sprint so close to another boat and if I have to pass Barrie again Ill do it as soon as I catch him and on the opposite side and avoid any conversations with him until after the race lol,  Till next time Barry


Next race tomorrow at Cheshunt, dont know much about it other than it has 8 portages and some of them are high banks, it'll suit my height and I defiantly prefer portages, been lucky enough to have put in some decent training with Stewart and a lot of time self coaching on technique and with some help from Roger, just got to remember to start paddling before the starter says go lol 

ENTRY 12

After what I felt was an awful attempt on the last race Ive felt I really got to start getting back into things and looking a little harder at technique, Stuarts really helped me out with the use of his boat, its the same as the club one I use but I know where all the settings are that suit me, Stuarts introduced me a bit more to the ergo machine and training on it for fitness, 
We've spent some time on sprint practise over 200 mt's for one of Stuarts up-coming races, been great for me to practice my starts and sprinting of the start line, its given me a little more confidence in pushing hard of the line, ive also spent a lot of time looking at my paddling technique and have found a lot of areas that are starting to improve a lot, overall fitness is ok, could be miles ahead and unfortuanatlly the smoking one is still the major chain around the neck.
Our club chairman does do hypnotherapy and can cover stopping smoking, did sneakily ask if he could as hypnotise for "it dosent hurt" "I will go faster" and "I will win" he laughed and said I can make you think it only lol, aw well worth a try. If you see some nutter coming in last jumping for joy you'll know the hypnotherapy worked lol:)


Had some time out with the C2 boys last Saturday and filled in for the DW training, fastest Ive ever seen the flow on the river, going out was fine, coming back against the current was tough, think we did just on 10 miles, god my arms knew it the next day, we practised the portages as well under the guidance of Roger, also found out a few tactical cheats with passing boats or stopping them cheating, nearly had to ask Stuart for his crutches on one of the portages, dont know what happened but must have been the way I was sitting on the edge of my seat but my leg really had gone to sleep and it was just a piece of jelly and couldnt put any weight on it at all, one leg in the water and slumped over the gun rail lol
Do enjoy the C2's so hope to get some more time out in them again soon, Ive also got my eyes set quite firmly on having a crack in the C1 when the waters warmer, Ive been told their very difficult, got my fingers crossed I can master it quickly, if I can Id really enjoy racing them later in the year.




                                         

Heres a short video of Lisa Suttle and C2 partner, one of the few female Uk C1/C2 racers, also a Chelmsford canoe club member, they achieved silver and bronze medals for 200mtr and 500mtr sprint,  in the ICF world championships held in Dartmouth Nova Scotia 2009, at present I believe Im right in saying the women are not included in the Olympic games but Men are, more female paddlers are needed in the Uk and worldwide,  not sure if they will be included in the 2012 games, hope so

Managed to get a quick sit in Stuarts wobble factor 2 boat, managed to stay sitting upright for a bit, but let that boat go to much to one side and shell just fall over, well it did with me still attached, god that water was Bl***y cold, roll on warmer waters, either that or ill see if I can borrow a dry suit for a day and plug away with the next boat up, starting to get a little itchy for wanting a faster boat but I know im being sensible staying in the slower one for the moment, I think me and Stuart put a guess of having to put about 30% more effort into the slower boat to keep up with a faster slimmer boat, guess the theory might work that I should be able to push a faster boat like a rocket, mmm wished, a lot of energy and effort will be lost in staying upright and taking a safe low paddling technique, patience I guess as it'll all come in time lol.




Ive managed to have a few sessions out in the K2's, had a trip out with John in the Mirage but it was a little unsteady with the choppy waters, so we tried the condor and got on well with that and had a session out with another club member (cant remember his name) considering Im very new to K2's and we've never been out together I think we got on quite well, Hopefully having my first race in a K2 on the race after the Chelmsford one with Paul, at least he cant beat me that day lol
 


Racing on home turf tomorrow, Id like to say the extra training is going to help out but Ive managed to get one of those real tight chests, its going to be a shorter than normal race racing through the town center rivers, 2 laps of our town center circuit, about 6 miles, it will mean this race will be more of a sprint than a marathon, the hard area is going to be the channel area, this is where you get the wash and wake from the other boats and then it gets re-bounded back at you for a second pop, stability will be fine for me but it severely mucks up the steering and the nose of the boat wants to wander everywhere which slows you down, Im hoping with some effort I can keep in the tow of the faster boats, can only do me best :)