I am a late forties kayak racer. My goal is to compete at the World Masters Games in Turin, Italy in 2013. I will be racing in ICF sprint kayaks. This blog will be my training diary for the next 4 yrs. I use a variety of running, weights, and cross training to hopefully become a better kayaker.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Last Swim of the Week

Well I made it, Friday at last.

The last swim of the week was a good one. Starting to force myself to swim the other guy and gals in the lane next door. This is not going to be easy, but every couple of lengths I would switch to the front crawl from the frog stroke I usually do.

My biggest problem doing the front crawl is my air exchange. I am still taking in too much water and not enough air. I am starting to breathe out while my face is in the water, so I can have a quicker exchange. I know I will get it at some point, it is just going to take time and practice. I have to remember the reason for doing all this swimming, is not to become a great swimmer, but to get the most out of my workouts.

Mind you, my brother, who is one of the reasons I look forward to swimming on Friday's was right on form. "You should do the Delta triathlon" he says. "It is only a 700m swim, 20 kms bike, and a 8 kms. run" Most of time I would just node politely, but this time he got me thinking. This is within my capabilities with a little training. This of course would be only for enhancing my training for kayaking.

But I don't have a proper road bike, just a hybrid that I ride. Humm I wonder where I could borrow I bike if I decide to go in this triathlon. It was my brothers suggestion, and he and I are the same size roughly. Can you see where I am going with this Alan.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Good Hard Run and Ice Skate

Today's run was at a faster pace. I need top work on bringing the race pace up. so when I go to do the Sun Run with a jog / walk race plan, I need to compensate for the walking part, so I can achieve my race goal of a sub 50 min. 10K. Afterwards I did a 30 min. ice skating session. I was tired so it was a short one.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming.....

Well I have now been swimming for a good three weeks, at three times a week, and I am still a spaz in the pool.

The Tri-Athletes in the lane next to me, must be laughing their heads off. (That's that noise I have been hearing underwater.) This is something I am going to have to work at to get any better. By better, I mean getting more out of each session with the limited time I have. Which means I am going to have to start swimming properly , and not like the drunk frog I have been imitating so far.

Swimming is great cross training for paddling. It has cardio, strength training, core work, and no impact, all in one. Plus it will come in handy if I need to swim to shore after falling in. (Which I will try to prevent at all costs)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Great Run

Boy what a difference a couple of days makes. It did not take long to recover from my bad run on Sunday. My resting pulse rate even went down farther than my normal low, so I knew I was good to go.

We did 7X 5 mins jog / 1 min walk. This was a good workout. Just enough time to really push it a bit, and just enough recovery time. I can't wait for Thursday's run. Time to give it a really good push, as I am trying to come up with my race strategy for the Sun Run. Right now I am leaning towards a two walk strategy. 15 mins on / 2 mins walk. As the race gets closer I will probably adjust my thinking.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Long, Hard Run

This is one of those runs, where I ask myself why am I running, when I am a kayaker.

It was one of those, hey drop me off, and I will run home from there. (It seemed like a good idea at the time) Well at turned out to be a hard 8.58 kms jog. I tried to do it without walking, but I could not. I guess I was a little tired from yesterdays K1 practice.

I was happy with the distance, but not the time. It turned out to be 54:24 with an average pace of 9.5 kph. Which would be a 1:03:20, 10K. This is not the speed I was hoping for. I should have cut the distance down and upped the speed. Oh well, next time.

It is a good thing that I am starting to do longer runs. I am coming up to week 6, on the 13 week run program. So I need to start increasing the distances, but maintain the speed.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Back in a K1

Well to day was the first paddle in 7 weeks.

Boy did it feel good to be back in a K1. It was a coached Technique session. I did 11 Kms of paddling, just concentrating on my technique and getting used to a K1 again.

My coach has seen improvements in my posture in the boat from the last practise. It comes from the run training that I have been doing. I am slouching a lot less in the boat. This will mean that I will be able to put more leverage on the paddle, and will also be able to breathe user.

Balance was good today, no problems at all. Of course it probably was because I was paddling a Think Super Lancer. It is without a doubt a great boat to train and race in. I highly recommend it.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Cold Run

Well I had to adjust my schedule, so I could do my training run today.

But that is what's it all about. Being able to adjust your training to the time you have.

Boy it was cold at 5:45 this morning, but out I went. I decided to try a non-stop 30 mins. jog, just to see how I would fair.
Not a problem (other than the cold) I went for an easy pace, and just cruised. The run ended up only being 29 mins, with a distance of 5.35 Kms.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Training Run

Today was a moderate pace training run. It was good to stretch out the legs after the race on the weekend.A nice pace throughout the workout with the last set being the fastest. The workout was 8 X 3 mins jog / 1 min walk.

Here Comes the Fog



Here is a short clip, I made with images from www.katkam.ca
showing the fog roll in from Georgia Straight. This is a span of above 20 mins. Shows you how fast you can get in trouble in the ocean, if you are not prepared.

VO2 Max Testing

VO2 Max Testing

I just heard from Dan Henderson at the Cascade Canoe and Kayak Club.

This year's masters training camp will have an option of going for VO2 Max testing at Western
Washington Exercise Physiology Lab. This is great news, as I have always wanted to be tested.

It costs $90 and requires a 12 - 20 minute effort culminating in a maximum effort of about 45 seconds. If completed, the VO2 max test gives you a clear threshold and heart rate max, from which you can determine training zones.

For more information try these web sites:

http://home.hia.no/~stephens/vo2max.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max

For some videos showing the testing being done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ELK0EjDyrg
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BlKFWMRuUzE&feature=related

This is going to be a great camp. If you are interested in attending, give Dan Henderson a call at Cascade Canoe and Kayak Center. The number is: 425-430-0111 or toll free: 1-888-4U-KAYAK.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Climb the Wall Race

Well today was the "Climb the Wall" race.

We got there early so we could watch the fireman's competition. They went up with 60 lbs of full gear. The race was won with a time of 6:07.

The mens winner had a time of 4:39. My time was 8:44, not bad for a first timer. Now that I know the layout so to speak, I will go up much faster next year.
Yes I am going to make this an annual thing.



This is the start at the bottom of the centre.

In this room was all the displays for the various sponsors. i.e. Adidas, B.C.Lung, Firefighters,Jack FM, etc. There was also plenty of pre-race and after race food and drinks. (COFFEE) There was even a large screen to watch the action from that room.



I would like to thank all the people who supported me in this event, and to all the volunteers, who without them this would have never had happened.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Morning Swim & Surprise

This mornings swim started with a good surprise. As I was standing at the front desk waiting to be let in, my brother walked through the door with his swim gear. He was surprised to see me. He tries to swim every Friday, as part of his training as a triathlete. We managed to catch up on life at each other's homes, and then it was off to do laps.

Today's swim was an improvement from Wednesdays swim. I managed to keep swimming laps without stopping. there was a "pause" of a couple of seconds at a few of the turns, but basically non-stop for the full 1/2 hour.

Continuous improvement is what I am striving for, in all of these training sessions. I have to remember to concentrate on the things that I can control and improve upon them, and ignore the things I cannot.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Kicking It Up A Notch

Since I was on my own for today's run, I decided to kick it up a notch, and go above my race pace.
The workout was the same as Tuesday ( 6 X 3 Jog / 2 Walk), but I would do all of the jogs at above my goal race pace of 12.16 kph. (sub 50 min). Here are the jog times for each set:


I wanted to push myself throughout the entire session. Which I did surprisingly. The best set was of course the last one because it is the hardest. You're bagged from the previuos 5 sets, and you need to really push the pain out of you're head and hammer. This is training me to go beyond the pain and concentrate on the finish.

My average speed was 12.80 kph, which is great for me. I am really happy about my run and my training objectives for the workout.

Now it is off to home for a quick bite, and off to ice skating for an hour.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

1st Morning Swim

Well today I started morning swims. I think I have gone insane.

I arrived at the pool at 5:45AM, to an empty parking lot. I was thinking to myself, am I the only moron going swimming at this time in the morning. Boy was I wrong, there are more morons going swimming. By the time it reached 6AM, the parking lot was half full, and a line up at the desk.

Soon as I walked onto the pool deck, I noticed something different compared to the pool I normally go to. This pool was twice as long. Oh boy, I hope I don't drown. So the goal was to go as many laps as I could without stopping or a very short (15-30 sec) rest in between. As I was swimming , everyone in the swim club in the lane next to mine was passing me. The kicker was that they were doing their “warm up” laps, and I was doing my “survival” swim.

I managed to do my goal, which is great. Now I just need to shorten or eliminate the rests in between laps. After today, I have decided, (again with the insanity) to do this three times a week. That will bring my training to three runs and three swims a week.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

New Run with Monster Energy


Well we decided to change up today's run and stretch it out. It was now going to be 6 X 3 mins jog / 2 mins walk. Which after Sunday's run was a comfort to me.

Since this was going to be a medium run, I decided to "test" some of the Monster Energy M80 Drink that they were handing out at the erg races a couple of weeks back. Since I was bagged from getting not enough sleep last night, what better time to try it out, and see if it works.

Well let me tell you, I was pumped after 15 mins of drinking the can. I didn't like the taste too much. I was thinking how I was going to handle the carbonation during the run. I even told the girls who were going to be setting the pace, that if they hear something nasty behind them, to just keep running. ;-)

As it turned out, everything was fine for the whole run. We did a good medium pace. I had set up my Garmin Forerunner 101 for intervals, so I could track it as well tell us when to jog or run.
Out of the year or so that I have had it, I never used that feature. Well it will really come in handy in the boat and on dry land.

Here are the times for each set:

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Tough Running Session

Today was another training run, but I decided to push myself. I kept the same format of 2 mins. jog / 1 min. walk, but every second jog was a hard one.

During the hard rep. I would push it well beyond my race pace. To the point I was wishing it was over. At the end of each session I could tell I was pushing it because I could feel each hair on my legs like they were needles. (90%+) This is exactly what I need to do to raise my aerobic threshold, and to be able to compete through the pain.

As the two minutes worn on, I would concentrate on keeping my breathing deep and long, and try to relax by keeping my head up and my neck long. This serve two proposes. The first is to keep my focus on my technique and away from the pain. The second is to train my body to relax during a high intensity training session, and to keep my diaphragm open to take in the most air as I can.

This is going to come into play more and more as I progress in my training. Well it is off to the pool for laps.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Ultimate Surf Ski



I was cruising the internet and I found the ultimate surf ski. I cannot imagine the look on the faces of the guys at the Deep Cove Tuesday Night race, if I show up with one of these.

Nelo is offering a two day clinic in Portugal for any prospective buyers. (I need to phone my travel agent) It says it is capable of over 30 Kph. Check it out, and fill in your pre-order information at www.foilkayak.com

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Year Of The Rat

Happy New Year everyone.

I guess there was too much celebrating last night because I got next to nothing in terms of sleep last night. My rest pulse went very high, and my energy and motivation was, on a scale of 5, at 1.

I was a walking zombie at work for most of the day. I least I made it in. Some people who will remain nameless, did not come in. It was raining in the morning, but as the day went on my energy level and the weather got better and better.

I had only one person for today's training run. A first timer, so we changed the run to match, which in my present state was perfectly fine with me. 2 mins. walk / 1 min light jog.

Afterwards, I only managed to do about 1/2 hr of ice skating, because I got there late. To much eating at our new years dinner. Oh well.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Stupid Weather

Well I got up this morning to be greeted by....SNOW. I could not believe it, here I was getting pumped to back to running, and here it is snowing. Needless to say there was a few curses being thrown out.

Anyways know the local weather, I took my running gear with me to work, just in case. As I drove down the hill to work, the snow turned to rain. Heavy rain, but at least it was not snow. As the day went on the rain did not stop, so I decided that today would be an indoor running session. I have a "track" setup here in the shop. It is about 100 meters. I can stay dry and still run to my hearts content.

As the morning became the afternoon, I checked the English Bay web cam (www.katkam.ca) to check out the weather that was coming, and I could not believe my eyes, sunshine. By the time it was time to go running, it was sunny and fairly warm. you got to love the weather here.

I had two co-workers running with me today, so the pace was in the lower medium range.
We did the 8 X 2 Jog / 1 Walk session, with the last set a running drill. The last person in the line would have to run to the front., and then the next person would have to run up. We rotated this way for the whole two minutes. I thought this was great, the other two, not so much.

I have now openly volunteered to train anyone at work for the Sun Run. Two sessions a week.
It will help me out with my training as well. As for the donations for the "Climb the Wall", I am now up past $200.00 between the website and hand in donations. I would like to thank the people who have donated already. It is going to a really good cause.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Snow is Receding, Back to Running

Well the snow has finally receded enough to start running outside again, but timing has been bad.

Tomorrow I am back to training for the Sun Run and the "Climb the Wall". Last night I managed to get in some laps in the pool, after getting back from Victoria. I was there coaching Amber, in the Monster Erg, which is 2000 meters of pure hell. She came in second in her division, which was pretty good. That is it for her erging, now it is time to get on the water. Same goes for me.