Today was my first paddle, and my first K1 practise of the year.
I did not paddle the entire month of December, so it felt good to get out in the boat. Unfortunately the conditions were not the best. The wind was blowing very hard. There was white caps on the lake.
I guess the winds scared off the other masters, or they were out of town, because I was the only master out there with the juniors. With the wind it was actually hard to practise good technique. The the paddle being blown out of my hands.
Lynn, my coach, was saying that I needed to keep my hips moving front to back, and not side to side, as I was rotating. This keeps the boat from rocking, and directs the force of my legs going in the forward direction. Hence making the boat go quicker. Also she commented that she wanted me to focus on have a strong stoke all the way through, and not just at the beginning.
As it was, I was happy with the outcome of my paddle, having been out of a boat for so long. I managed to paddle 7.5 Kms. Not bad, considering that I should have been paddling my surf ski and not a K1 in those conditions. Mind you, if you don't practise in those conditions, then you will have difficultly at a regatta if the weather is not great.
Another thing, due to the wind, I was using a Think Super Lancer with a low seat, instead of the high seat I normally use. It is still not my boat, which is a Think Thunder. (which is the equivalent of a Plastex Aires 390) If I was paddling my boat, I would have gotten in a great swim workout.
3 comments:
Darrell, great blog...I wish you all the best in your drive to achieving your WMG goals.
I was curious about your comments about the type of K1 you are paddling in rougher water conditions, SuperLancer with low seat. You mentioned the challenges in working on technique in these rough water conditions...your not alone. In light of your comments about the amount of work you are expecting to face to achieve your goals...and the challenges in using your Thunder K1...and the huge time and monetary investment to attend the WMG in Australia...I'm curious to know what K1 you plan to race in Australia. Basically do you think you will be faster in Australia racing a boat like your Thunder or boat like the SuperLancer?
Good question.
It could go either way at this point. If I have managed to improve my balance in the Thunder to the point where it is the same as the Super Lancer, then I will paddle the Thunder. If not, then I will paddle the Super Lancer. It will come down to which boat am I faster in.
In Australia I am going to have to rent a boat while I am there. So it just might come down to what is available. This is why I need to train in the Thunder as much as possible, so I am able to paddle any ICF type of boat.
Darrell
My money is on you being faster in the SuperLancer, especially if you focus your training in that boat now...spend more of your time learning to go fast, rather than wasting time and energy learning to stay upright...in all conditions.
At Ted Houke last year I did some satisfying races in the SuperLancer, going up against Don in his Lightning (Vanquish) and Peter in his Supersonic...the races were all very close, unlike past years where these guys smoked me when I was in an apparently faster boat. I attribute this to my having been able to train and race better in the more stable boat.
I'm planning to race a SuperLancer at WMG...even if I have to buy one through Think's Aussie dealer Quantum Kayaks...then sell it after the games. We may not be in the same age category so we could possibly share the same boat.
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