1st Training Race of 2010

Today was the Running Room Resolution 5K race in Burnaby.

It was a training race for me, and Amber. The start time was later than normal, to let those people you had late nights to get some sleep.

When we arrived, the rain had slowed down from a complete downpour to just raining. It was going to be a cold and wet race. Burrr.

We waited in the store until just before the start. Since this was going to be a training race for me, I decided to start closer to the back of the pack. It was a mass start with no chips. As we headed towards the road from the parking lot, I start getting into an easy pace, but this required weaving around some slower runners in front.

Since I did not warm up at all before the race, I was gong to take it real easy until I felt comfortable. I have been dealing with some strained muscles the past three months, and I did not want to aggravate them.

After about 750 meters, I started to practise some techniques. First was forcing my shoulders down. I seem to run with scrunched shoulders which after awhile makes for a uncomfortable run.

Next up was drafting. So I moved up to the guy in front of me, and used him as a wind break. By doing this I was able to ease up on my strides, and just cruise behind him. Then it was time to "bridge the gap" up to the girl about 30 meters in front of us. So I upped the pace and caught her fairly quickly. I drafted her for about a minute, and set my sights on the group of three about 50-60 meters ahead.

I kept my cadence the same but increased my stride length. It did not take long before a caught the guy in the back of the group. From there I picked them off one by one, and decided to go for the kid 100 meters ahead.

This was a long slog to catch up to him, but I managed ok. Since this was suppose to be a training race, I decided to back off, and cruise for the rest of the race. By this time I had reached the turn around point and was heading back to the store.

Things were going good, so I just kept my pace the same. I had noticed that I was catching the woman in front of me, so I just used that as my next goal. Once I caught her, I decided to catch just one more before the end of the race. So off to catch the next woman who was about 75 meters in front of me.

During this time there was a guy about my age catching me. Just after I past the woman in front, the guy passed me. He wasn't going too much quicker than I was, so I just matched his pace and stayed about 10 meters behind him.

As we turned the last corner before the parking lot, I decided to mess with the guy. I watched to see where he would go after the last corner before the finish straight. I closed the gap to about 5 meters before the corner, and watched him go wide. This gave me a perfect line to the finish. So I cranked it up, and when he was able to see me on his right hand side it was too late. I crossed the line about 2 to 3 seconds a head of him.

Just goes to show you it is not over until you are over the finish line. Be aware of where people are around you, and be prepared to hammer at the end. Amber who was sick, didn't get much sleep, still raced a good race. At the end she tried passing the guy she had been following for quite a while, but her acceleration was not quick enough, and he saw what she was doing, and held her off at the end.

After the race there was plenty of food, and coffee. (thank God) There was a lot of draw prizes, and the volunteers and staff of the Running Room did a great job. They managed to double the number of runners from last year.

March Racing Calendar

Cascade Canoe and Kayak

Cascade Canoe and Kayak Center has announced their schedule for this years races, camps, and presentations.

Cascade is operated by Dan Henderson, former US Team member, coach and World Championship Team Leader, will lead this camp. He was the co-author of the International Canoe Federation (the world and Olympic canoe/kayak racing governing body) Coaching Manual and coach of the Cascade and Seattle University Canoe & Kayak Racing Teams. Dan is also a Masters candidate in Exercise Science at Western Washington University with a focus on the kayak forward stroke biomechanics.

Dan has agreed to speak on the Biomechanical Forces involved in kayaking, at the ICF Coaching Symposium, in Warszawa, Poland. The International Coaching Symposium will be held from February 27 until March 1, 2009.


Races


Cascade Canoe & Kayak Race for the Cookies! Sat, April 18 at 9:00 am

Northwest Senior Games Kayak Races Sun, June 7 at 9:00 am

Cascade Canoe & Kayak Thursday Evening Summer Race Series

Dates:

#1 - July 9 at 6:30 pm

#2 – July 16 at 6:30 pm

#3 – July 23 at 6:30 pm

#4 – July 30 at 6:30 pm

#5 – August 6 at 6:30 pm


Cascade Canoe & Kayak Sprint Race Sat,Sun July 25 & 26 at 9:00 am

Cascade Canoe & Kayak Distance Race Sat, November 7 at 9:00 am

Camps

* Masters' Camp March 23-28, Renton

* USA Canoe/Kayak NW Region Development Camp June 22-28, Lake Wenatchee YMCA Camp

Presentations


Efficient Kayak Forward Stroke- Tues, Apr 7 at 7:00 pm

Efficient Canoe Forward Stroke - Tues, Jun 30 at 7:00 pm

Efficient Kayak Forward Stroke- Tues, Oct 13 at 7:00 pm

February's Race Calendar

This is a calendar of the local races going on in and around Vancouver, B.C.

Big Chop 2009 Race Scehdule

Big Chop organizers Ryan and Brian have announced the schedule for 2009.

This looks to be another record year for the Big Chop, as main series sponsor Mountain Equipment Coop is back for another year.

They are also looking for more sponsors to help out with this years series. So if you know of any companies or individuals who what to get on board, have them contact Ryan or Brian

RACE #1 - Thursday, April 30th
+ Opening night. 7km Big Chop & 3.5km Little Chop.
Course - West Side Loop

RACE #2 - Thursday, May 14th
+ 8km race & 4km Little Chop
Course - Back Side Loop

RACE #3 - Thursday, May 28th
+ 8km race & 4km Little Chop
Course - Surfer's Route

RACE #4 - Thursday, June 11th
+ 8km race & 4km Little Chop
Course - West Side Loop

RACE #5 - Thursday, June 25th
+ 9km race & 4km Little Chop
Course - Back Side Loop

RACE #6 - Thursday, July 9th
+ 8km race & 4km Little Chop
Course - Surfer's Route

RACE #7 - Thursday, July 23rd
+ 7km race & 3.5km Little Chop
Course- West Side Loop

RACE #8 - Thursday, August 6th
+ 9km race & 4km Little Chop
Course- Back Side Loop

RACE #9 - Thursday, August 20th
+ 8km race & 4km Little Chop
Course- Surfer's Route

RACE #10 - Thursday, September 3rd
+ Series Championship! 6.5km race & 3.5km "Little Chop"

Sun Run 2009 - 25th Anniversary

Sunday, April 19 @ 9:00 a.m. - Register online: www.sunrun.com

Get in on the Celebration!

Join in and help us celebrate 25 years of community spirit and personal achievement in health and fitness!

REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE!

Register before the Early Bird deadline of January 31 and pay only $30 for your individual entry. Your fee includes a souvenir 25th Anniversary T-shirt featuring artwork by Tiko Kerr, PLUS a donation to The Vancouver Sun Raise-a-Reader campaign and amateur athletics via the Jerome International Track Classic.

Vancouver Sun subscribers save $2 on their Sun Run registration! The Vancouver Sun subscriber discount option is available on your registration form.

Enter online today at www.sunrun.com, or call 604.689.9441 for more information.

Corporate and School Teams - Early Bird Savings! Rally your friends, family, co-workers, neighbours and classmates together and enter as a team. Save $5 per member registered before the team Early Bird deadline of February 6 (Corporate team early bird entry is $35 per person) and February 13 (School team early bird entry is Students - $17 and Adults - $22 per person). All you need is a minimum of 10 for a Corporate team and 20 for a School team.

* Late additions to your Early Bird team? The final team deadline Corporate teams is March 6 and for School Teams it is March 13. Even if you create your team before the Early Bird deadline, you are welcome to add new people to your team list right up until each deadline noted.

* A fun way to show off! Corporate and school team entry fees include team T-shirts imprinted with your organization logo or school name.

Enter your team online at www.sunrun.com, or call 604.689.9441 for more information.

ICF Congress Update

The ICF held their annual congress in Rome Italy on November 28 – 29.

Here are some of the highlights from that meeting:

The 2009 Championships will now include a 4X100m sprint relay (male and female K1)– in an effort to make canoeing a more exciting sport for TV. This should be an interesting event, you can see a test event here.



At the 2010 Championships they will also include a 5000m long distance event for both male and female K1’s.

Flatwater Racing will now be known as Canoe Sprint, Slalom Racing is now known as Canoe Slalom, and Marathon Racing will be Canoe Marathon.

I really the really interesting thing was that they changed the events to make it again more TV friendly. So they dropped all of the womens 1000 meters events. As well as the mens C4 1000 meters, mens K4 500 meters, mens C4 500meters, mens K4 200 meters, womens K4 200 meters, and the mens C2 200 meters. See chart below.



Here is the "new" format for the World Championships.



As you can see the regatta is in two sections, the first being the "Olympic" events, and the non "Olympic" events.This should make the regattas next year quicker with having less events. That's if the local regattas follow the same outline as the ICF.

Unfortunately it is the women who will be getting cheated out of all of the 1000m events. It will be interesting to see if this happens at the local level. I certainly hope not. Well see.

B.C. Masters Day One

Today the first day of the B.C. Masters at Whonnock Lake in Maple Ridge. One of the first races to go was the masters K1 500 meters. I was in the first heat of two. The progression was going to be the first three to the final and the next three fastest times of the heats to the final. I was in lane five, just looking to get third place or better, so I could move on.

My start was a little shaky, but I recovered quickly, and soon found myself sitting in forth. So I started to pull harder to try and move up. as I was doing this I could hear the referee start yelling at boat two. He was telling him to move to the right, that he was out of his lane. Then I heard the guy on my right yell to him that he was in his lane, but there was no stopping him. He came flying across all of the lanes. Seeing this I knew that he was going to be disqualified, and I was heading to a third place finish.

Sure enough I managed to come in third and boat #2 was disqualified. I felt bad for him because two years earlier, I had done the exact same thing. If you look just a little to the left, it looks like your lane and you follow it. You don't realize that you are crossing lane, and the referee is yelling at “you”. After the second heat, and the times were posted, I checked to see if the DQ hadn't happen would I have still made the final. It turned out that my time would have gotten me in anyways.

Next up for me was the K4 500 meters. This was about an hour and a half away, so I had lots of time to relax and eat. Since it was cloudy and cold, I made sure that I was dressed warm. We got our boat setup, and headed out for a warm up. I was in seat four, which comes in handy. People can't see how badly I am paddling. So the order in the boat was Jeff, Dan, Hugh, and myself. We practised a couple of starts. Six hard slow power strokes , and then smoothly building the stroke rate up.

Our start was a little rocky , but after about 50 meters we got into sync. We held our own, but could not catch Victoria, and came in second. It was a good race. After thanking everyone for a good race, it was off to the beach, and some warm clothes. Another hour plus wait before the 500 meter final. The sun actually managed to come out, and the warmth was appreciated after a cold morning.

I managed to get some sleep before the final. For the final, I switched the high seat for the low seat in the Super Lancer, which would help me put more power on the blade without having to deal with balance. I was in lane two, for the final. After a brief warm up, I headed for the start line. I looked down my lane and made sure that I had the correct colour of buoy on my right side. That way I would not cross into the other lanes.

My start was ok, but still needs work. Right from the get go, I was about four boats down on the start. For some reason I could not concentrate on technique and was basically flailing around. This does not make for speed in the boat. I think I came in sixth or seventh.

So I managed to make my goal of making it into the finals of the K1, but I was hoping to be closer to the front at the end. Being that regattas and racing against guys that are faster than you, helps you determine how much training you need to do. In this case, a lot. Also you get to observe the technique that makes a boat go fast. By watching the younger and faster paddlers, you can see what works and what does not, in terms of boat speed. It is helpful just to sit back and watch.

Next up was the 2000 meter race. I was number 10, but the order really doesn't make I difference. No one really line up in order on these races. The starter tries to get it right, but the paddlers are not really helpful, by lining up before being called to the line. My self included.I moved over to the middle of the start line, to get a better line to the turn at the end of the course.

The start was fast, with Jaden and Garth blasting off. By the time I was almost at the turn, I think I was sitting in 8th or 9th. The whole time I just kept concentrating on putting the blade in vertically and pulling hard. I was behind Karol the whole 2000 meters, and could not get any closer than about three boat lengths. I did manage to keep other people behind me from passing. I could hear Steve behind me, and it acted like a motivation thing, to keep pushing.

It was a good hard race, and I am happy with my performance.

Last Tuesday Night Race of the Season

Tonight was the last Tuesday night race of the season. Just another step toward winter and the dark and raining days that go with it. I got there early because I know that parking was going to be at a premium.

I looked at the race board and saw that the race was going to be a criterium style race with a portage. The race would go from the normal start line to the south 5 knot can, then left to the north 5 knot can. From there it was off to the beach by the marina, then it was a portage along the path that goes along the shore, to the Deep Cove Kayak shop, and then down the steps into the water.

The tide was up, so getting back into your boat was going to be a squeeze, because the area was going to be tight. Since over the years of this race, I had not portaged, I thought why start now. So my race was going to be the long course of three laps with no portage.

After doing a warm up paddle with Heide, it was off to the start line. I managed to get myself next to Gareth in Daryl's carbon Legend. I know Gareth is very fast, and that he would take off, right from the get go. I was going to use him as a pacer for me. I had to try and stay with him as long as possible. This was only going to be about 80 meters because the start was blazing fast. It seems everyone had saved up their energy for this race. The start and the pace caught a lot of people off guard and were dropped very quickly.

I was close to the front coming up to the first turn, and we went around the marker without any problems. As we approached the second marker people were starting to catch up, and the turn ended up being a little tight. Then a group of three slowly passed me, and were heading for the first portage. One of the group was Brian and Trista in their Nelo double, who beat me last week at the Big Chop. I knew they were not going to do the portage, so i hammer to keep up with them.

I did not want a repeat of the week before. We moved over to the left to give the people going for the beach a clear shot, and a better line for us to go around the marina. I was right on their tail all the way around the marina and under the wharf, as we headed to the end of the first lap. This is where I decided that being in front of them is the place I wanted to be. So I powered up and concentrated on a vertical catch and a strong stroke. With the foot board moved closer, it was easier to really put a lot of pressure on my blade.

It was not long before I was passing them. Now some of the faster paddlers who did the portage were starting to catch and pass me. I used them to pace myself. I did not ride their wakes, but just tried to keep the stroke rate up with good power. I managed to stay in front of Brian and Trista for the rest of the race, but I could hear them behind me. This was the motivation that I needed to keep going as hard as I could.

Not much happened until the final leg on the final lap. As I was approaching the marina for the last time, Terry who is a very fast paddler was catching me. Terry had done all the portages and was heading for th finish line. Just as Terry got in front of me, Gary had caught me on my left. I said Hi, and then Gary had realized who he was catching, and said something about a sprint finish. I told him to move up beside me, but for some reason he didn't. I think he was trying to set me up. Since I could not see him i had no idea which side he was going to sprint from. So I tarted to crank it up, as I was going around the marina. Once I got around the last corner, I hammer it. I managed to generate a lot of speed and actually caught Terry. We finished with Terry in front with me half a boat length behind.

It was a good hard race. A great way to end the surf ski season.

Big Chop #10 – Last Thursday Night Race of the Season

Tonight was the last Thursday night race of the season. So it is actually sad that the surf ski race season is rapidly coming to an end. This race was going to be the first with the moved up foot board, it should be interesting.

I got there early because I know the last race is the most popular, and there was going to be a lot more racers trying to register. So I managed to get there about 2 hrs before race time. Casually got signed up. Brain must have known there was going to be more racers tonight, because he opened registration 20 minutes early.

As the racers started to show up, I saw people I had not seen in a long time coming out to race. I knew this was going to be a good race with lots of boats. So after stretching, it was off for a warm up paddle. I just paddled out past the maritime museum and then turned around and headed back to the start line.

People were already lining up at the start chopping at the bit for the start. The boats were lined up from the dock to the middle of the channel, and three to four boats deep. I parked myself in the second row right behind Marshall, and beside a OC1.

The start was a fast one, with what seemed everyone squeezing into the middle. I took off right behind Marshall, who was moving up quickly. I passed the OC1, and jumped up beside Marshall. I kept that position for the next couple of minutes, until we caught Matt and Olivia in the double XT. Then I took the left side and Marshall the right side.

As we got closer to the red marker, I had a flash back of the last race and getting squeezed going around the corner, so I started to move up to give me more room. Just as I thought it was four boats side by side going around the marker. Once around the marker, I hammered it to try and catch Brian and Trista in their Nelo K2. This was going to be my challenge for the rest of the race. I managed to get on their stern wake, but it was hard to stay there. I can't count how many times I caught them only to be dropped. I think they were messing with me.

As we passed the last turn going into False Creek, I had a sense that someone was coming up on my left, and sure enough the yellow nose of Katja's Think Legend caught my eye. Now I had to think how I wanted my last Big Chop race to go. So it wasn't long before I decided I was not going to give up, and started to power each stroke. moving my foot board closer really helped me put as much power down as I could.

I guess she figured out that it was going to be a race that she upped it as well. Then i saw some big rollers coming at me from a rather large boat coming out of the creek. I just thought to myself, keep the technique no matter what. If I go swimming, then I go swimming. It was all or nothing. I ripped over the waves, and just kept hammering. It so happened that as I was fighting off Katja, I didn't notice that I was rapidly catching Brian and Trista.

So now I cranked up the stroke rate. By the time we hit the finish line the nose of my EVO was right in the middle of their K2, and we managed to get the same time. It was a very good, hard race, and I was pleased with my effort.

Back On The Ocean - Big Chop #9

Tonight was the Big Chop #9, the next to last race of the season for the series. I wanted to go to this race because I haven't been on the ski for over a month and I missed it, and I needed to buy my “winning” ticket for the year end party.

Not being on a ski for so long, had me a little worried. I hoped I would remember how to paddle out on the ocean again. I started next to Shane, who has won so many of these races, I have lost count. So if I could stay with him for a little while, I know I would have a good start. Brian got to two on the count down to the start, and everyone was going. He actually blew the horn twice as a false start but no one stopped. It was pretty funny.

Shane was off to a blazing start as usual, and I managed to stay close to him, as we headed to the front of the pack, or should I say, he was headed to the front of the pack. I settle in next to Matt and his daughter Olivia in the Double XT. I was getting used to wash riding again, but kept coming very close to the double. Good thing I practise have a vertical catch. Even then, Matt and I hit blades more than a couple of times.

As we approached the first turn at the red buoy, I could see I as going to be squished between Matt and the marker. So I asked if he could please move over a little, which he promptly did. Coming around the marker I swear the side of my ski scraped the buoy. I stopped paddling and glided past the buoy and after passing I immediately turned to the left and gave Matt some room. Then it was off to catch Gary in his EVO, and the double outrigger he was wash riding.

I powered up and jumped the gap between myself and the double OC. From there I rode the left wash, and Gary the right wash to just about the next turn at the sand barge. Just before the turn the OC started to pull away from us, and I had to really pull hard just to stay on, but they were too much and a gap started to form. Coming around the sand barge I could see Mike and Denise in their new Huki double ski, having a little difficultly.

I think this was their second race or even their first race in it. From here to the next turn I was behind them and the double OC, which just kept making the gap bigger. As we approached the next turn I could see that Mike and Denise were going to make a tight turn, so I knew this was my chance to pass. I lined myself up for a wide turn, that way I could carry my speed through the corner. Sure enough they went too tight, and ended up slowing down and going real wide in the exit. I came in underneath them and exited close to the buoy, with go speed and managed to pass them.

From what I could hear, Denise was not happy about me passing them in the corner. So now going with the waves, its was time to concentrate on technique and to put the power down. Off a scooted toward False Creek and the next turn. During this time I was by myself, or so I thought. Coming up to the next turn someone had bumped the back of my boat. I though it was Gary who had caught up to me, and I said “hi Gary” but there was no answer. Hummm. Again I set myself up for the corner, and as I went around it was Caroline who came underneath and passed me.

I though good move Caroline. She must have saw me do the exact thing to the Billys in their Huki. Off she powered and had a little gap in no time. I powered up just to keep the gap from getting bigger. Caroline really has gotten a lot faster since a saw her a month ago. Well Done. In the distance I could see the front guys making the turn at the sand barge for the last time, but it looked a little strange, they all seemed to be taking a funny line around the bouy. As I got closer I noticed that Paki Nui took a really hard left, and then a hard right to go around the buoy.

Something was not right. When I close enough to see, there was a big rope, the one that ties up freighters floating in the water. I though there is no way I am going to try to go over that, and off to the left I went to avoid it. Caroline did like wise. As I cleared the rope and headed to the buoy, I saw in the corner of my eye, an OC1 heading straight for me. He was going for it. I hammered to get out of his way.

I don't know if he had actually made it over the rope, because I was off like a scared rabbit. After the race I found out that a few people tried to jump the rope and got caught, and had to swim to get untangled. Good practise remounting the ski.

The last leg, I was just trying to get my technique down and try to catch Caroline, who now had a good 25 meter gap between us. It was all I could do to bring the gap down to about 8 meters at the finish line.

It was a good hard race for me, I really enjoyed myself. As usual the food at the end of the race was great. Thanks very much to all the volunteers who help Ryan and Brian put on the race for us.

Bad Regatta, Frustration Level High

Today turned out to be one very bad regatta for me. Right off the bat when I got there at 7:15 no one had a schedule of races. After a while I figured that the regatta did not start until 9am , and not the usual 8am start.

Then I found out that the entire regatta would be one day. I had planned on two days, so tomorrow I will be going back to the lake for a training session before driving back to Vancouver.

Anyways back to the racing part of today. My first race was not going to be for an hour so I had time to chat with Keith, who I had not seen since last year at a Deep Cove race. There were not many masters so we were group with either the juniors or the open class. Our 1000 meters race had only 5 people in it. This would be the theme for the rest of the day, every race was a final.

The wind was not at the famous Shomway speed yet this morning, so it was just at a light breeze for this race.(that would change later in the day) Keith and I cruised down to the start line, Keith in his SRS Vulcan, and me in my Think Super Lancer.

The referee called us to line, and handed the race over to the starter. The lanes for the races were actually rowing lanes, which are really wide, so there were going to be two boats per lane. I lucked out and got lane #1, with no one in lane #2, so I had the whole lane to myself. This is were my luck ended. Right from the start, I was doomed. I had a slow start, but a smooth one, and managed to go about 100 meters before I was bagged. Gee only 900 meters to go. This was a race of pure survival and pain. I have no endurance what's so ever. So needless to say a came dead last.

Next up was the K2 1000 meters with Keith as my partner. This was good, because I have always had good races with Keith , and today would be no different. (it was the only good part about today) We had a little shaky start, but soon recovered and had a decent race.

Next was a long wait until our next race. This is normal for a regatta. You can have a huge gap between races, sometimes 6 hrs can go between races, but that would be the extreme, the average is about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. The opposite is also true. You can have no time between races and they hold the race for you.Which they do not like doing, and tell you so at the start line.

Well we got to chatting, and lost track of time. The regatta was behind schedule and when we finally got to the start line the referee was not happy with us and warned us that this was the last time we would be late. We tried to use the excuse that we were old, but he was not buying it.

This K2 race was even better than the 1000m before. We had a good start, and were in sync for most of the race. We were smooth, and in time, and managed to finish not far behind the juniors.

The next race was suppose to be an exhibition K4 1000 meters race, since we were not all from the same team. Since this regatta counted towards nationals, the boat had to consist of members from your team, hence the exhibition status of the boat. I don't think there was a single member of the boat that really wanted to do this race, and I know I was glad when we found out the there were four teams and only three K4s. So we scratched from the race and rested for the K1 500 meters.

It was a 2 hour wait for the K1 500 meters. We got up at the scheduled time and started to take our boats to the launch area, when we found out that they were really behind schedule now, but Keith and I decided to go anyways. When we got to the start area, there was a line up of different classes waiting to race, so I headed over to the shore and got out of my boat and went swimming. the heat here in Kamloops is higher than what I am used to on the coast. It was 31 / 32 degree, and a little cooling down was in order, since I had time before our race.

It was another 15 - 20 minutes before they called us to the line. This race was the same as my 1000m race, pathetic. This was just increasing my frustration level, by preforming so poorly.

Back to waiting for the next race. This fortunately was going to be a shorter wait than before only about 20 minutes. Once they switch to 200 meters the schedule goes really fast. When we got to the start line they were behind schedule again. This time we had to wait about 20 minutes in the famous Shomway wind. There was steady wind blowing up the course, with some really go gusts, that blew my boat back quite a ways, and almost sent my hat to the other end of the lake.

Now the waves were starting to get larger, and the wind just a little harder. One group went, and then nothing. The officials weren't calling us to the line or anything. It was about 5 minutes before a bunch of K1 juvenile girls showed up and started to line up. Apparently they decided to hold the race for them. This wouldn't be so bad, except for the wind and waves.

What can I say about my 200 meter race. Well let's say three strikes you're out. it was so bad, I just gave up with 20 meters to go, and just cruised over the finish line, totally pissed with myself.

It was a crappy end to my day. Now it was time to make a list of what went right and what went wrong at this regatta. Even though it was not a very good regatta, there are still things you can learn from and work on to fix. So that it what I am doing over the next couple of days. The stuff that I had no control over does not get on the list. Things like the heat, wind, waves, and the schedule are things that I just have to forget and move on.

Things that I actually can control will be on the list. i.e. endurance, speed, power. I will have to evaluate which of the elements gets priority, and to what level, to get ready for September and the BC Masters, which is the next and last sprint regatta of the year.

Kamloops Warm Up Paddle

I got to Shumway Lake just before the club trailer showed up.As I was pulling in the trailer was right behind me. Perfect timing. The wind was a little breezey, nothing too big, as I have heard that this lake can get pretty big waves on it.

Unloaded the Super Lancer, and took it down to the lake for a warm up paddle and to check out the lake. Jim was ahead of me in his Thunder, by about 500 meters. He stopped at the start area at the north end of the lake.

I was having some difficultly in keeping the boat from going to the left. I would need to adjust the cables when I got back to the dock. It was a good paddle going with the waves and I turned at the start line and had a look down the course. Then I started to paddle up the course. Just an easy technique paddle to get the feel of things and to look at the course.

It seems that the course actually turns a little to the right at the end. This I don't think will be a big deal.Once at the end of the course, I headed to the dock and adjusted the cables. Then it off again heading back to the north end of the lake.

That is when I had noticed that I had adjusted the cables in the wrong direction. So I pulled over to the bank and adjusted them in the other direction. Then off to the start line for the 500 meter races. Lined up, and headed to the finish line. I then called it an afternoon, and headed in. Just a short paddle to check out the boat and the lake.

Looking forward to racing tomorrow. I know I am entered in the 500 meters and the 1000 meter K1 races, plus the k2 events as well. Not sure about any K4 races yet, I will have to see which races my coach put me in tomorrow morning.

Deep Cove #15 - Hard, Going to Die Race

Tonight's race went south out of Deep Cove, across to the east side of Hamber island, continue south around Boulder Island, then back across the arm to Grey Rocks, and back to Deep cove around the 5 knot can. The race would be just under 5 kilometers.

I have been really tired these past couple of weeks, and tonight would be no different. I kept the warm up to a minimum to conserve what little energy I had. I started next to Katja and Kiran in the K2, and Saen in his V10S. Both of us had the same game plan. At the start we would get on the K2s wash and try to ride it as long as possible.

So right from the start I head start for the stern of the K2, and like wise Sean. He got on to the side wash, and I got on the stern wash. For me this was a really short time, about 2 minutes max before I jut died. Off the back I went. I had to slow down to a speed I could handle for the rest of the race. After dropping back about 5 or 6 boats, I managed to find a groove.

I had both Lina (who has really improved this season) and Gary in front of me. They were about 50 meters in front of me. Going across to Hamber, I managed to bring the gap down to about a boat length. It was a hard grind just to do that, and I started to slide back again, losing the gains I had made. By the time we were going around Boulder the two had about 30 meters advantage on me. This distance remained the same all the way to Grey Rocks. After the we hit the wall section after grey Rocks, I started to use the waves more and started to make some ground on Gary and Lina.

Coming up to the 5 knot can, I was about 10 meters behind, and thinking there is no way I am going to catch them. Then a gift from the heavens shined its light on me. Bob in the safety boat was filming and came right up on my right hand side. Well I was not going to pass up on this gift. I ramped up the stroke rate and got on its side wash. Yeehaa, off I went towards my targets. I rocketed up to and past both Gary and Lina. But as I got about 5 meters in front, the boat slowed down and veered off, leaving me to hold off the two racers I had been following all night.

I was just knackered by this point, and I slowed right down, just waiting for the inevitable. There was still about 200 meters to go, and I was just trying to survive. I tarted to listen to the racers who had already finished there race and were cheering on the people coming in.
Just then I saw in the corner of my left eye, the bow of Gary's ski. So I upped the rate just to hold him off, but there still a long way to go. Then I heard someone say to Gary, “go Gary, you got him” upon hearing that, I knew it was time to hammer or give up. So I put the power on and crank the stroke rate as fast as I could go.

After that I could not hear anything because my head was just pounding and I was on the edge of exploding. As I was going over the finish line, I thought I was going to barf. I was completely wasted. After the race , I just managed to paddle to the other side of the dock, and just sat there resting. It was a really hard race for me.

Big Chop #6 – Great Downwind Run, Missed Race

Today had the biggest winds in Vancouver for some time. I got an email from Jeff saying lets get there early and do some downwind runs. By the time I got to Vanier both Jeff and Chris had done two runs already. Jeff suggested that we load the skis on a couple of cars and drive to Jericho and do a long down wind run before the race. So we packed up the skis and off we went.

We figured by the time we got there, we would have just enough time to make the race. We got ready in record time and launched from the Ecomarine rental shack. The windsurfers were really ripping it up out there. I cannot believe how fast they were going. We headed out into the bay. We were suppose to go at a 45 degree angle so we wouldn't get in a bad position by the time we reach the entrance to False Creek. But it was having a little difficultly in maintaining that line so I just went with the waves.

It was not long before both Jeff and Chris were over 200 meters to the left of me. So I knew I was on my own, and just kept an eye on them throughout my run. Boy this was fun. You really did not have to do any kind of hard paddling. The waves would just pick you up, and launch you. I managed to get to a maximum speed of 18.4 kph.

As I was getting closer to Kits beach, the waves were starting to come from multiple directions. There were quite a few times where the boat would completely whipped around across the waves. A quick brace, and I would spin the boat back to going with the waves. There was a couple of times were i was stopped and a wave from behind would completely fill the cockpit.

Anyways. As I was rocketing down a big wave, it kicked me sideways, and in I went. I quickly remounted my EVO, but did not get going fast enough, or stick out my legs for balance, and I got chucked out on another big wave. An OC6 out on a training paddle saw this and started coming over to me. They asked if i needed help, and I said I wasn't sure. I tried a couple of times to get in, but it wasn't going my way. So instead of getting too tired and getting myself in a bad situation, I asked the OC6 for help.

They came on my up wind side and drifted back to me. Once they were along side, one of the paddlers took my paddle, and I managed to climb back onto my ski. I thanked them very much for the help, and off I went. During my second dumping, my leash had actually unhooked itself. This is something I will have to fix right away.

From here I evaluated the conditions around the point before the entrance to False Creek. I was not in a good position to go around, so I headed straight with the waves into Kits beach. It was a very fast paddle. As I was heading in, I saw a group of swimmers actually out for a training swim in these waves. There was a lifeguard as well out there trying to row a dingy. he looked like he was wishing he was somewhere else. As I was coming into the beach I unhooked my leash, and out stretched my legs to prevent me from flying into the sand and rocks.

I got the ski up onto the beach without any difficulty, but the wind was blowing so hard, it was trying to spin the boat right out of my hands. From here it was a 1000m portage to the start line of the Big Chop. As I was walking up the beach, Jeff came paddling out of False Creek looking for me. I saw him, put the boat down with my foot on it so it would not blow away, and signaled that I was ok. Then i walked to Vanier with my ski on my shoulder. Yes I did get a few curious looks as i walked along the running path.

When i got to the start line I saw Alan and then Jeff paddling past, so I knew the race had already started. So I went to the registration desk, and told Brian that I was back and ok. then I went down to the beach and launched my ski. I figured since I am here, I might as well go for a training paddle, and use the racers as pace setters.

The course headed into False Creek, with a turn at the Cambie street bridge. The big chop was suppose to do two laps of this course. When I got out into the mix of things, Ryan was just in front of me in his sea kayak. So I cranked it up, and rode the waves up to him. Even though we were in False Creek the waves were still a good size for the wind. I passed Ryan and was looking for the next boat to catch up to.

As I passed the Granville Island market, the OC6 that rescued me was heading the other way out of False Creek. I said hi and thanks again for helping me. Continuing towards the Cambie street bridge, Alan came paddling by going the other way as well. He had done the turn at the bridge and was heading back for his first loop of the course. Right behind him by about 120 meters was Jeff, I said hello as he passed and I continued on.

I looked up ahead and spotted Sean and Chris coming towards me, so I turned around so I could paddle with them back to Vanier. Chris asked how my downwind was, and he told me about Jeffs' and his. We were both in agreement that it was one great day on the skis.

Heading back, I was on Chris's right side and Sean on his left. We were chatting the whole way to the Burrard street bridge and then I said I was going in. (still tired from the swim) So I backed off behind Sean. Then I thought, one more power up, so I put the power on and passed Sean and caught up to Chris. Then I turned and went in.

As usual the after party / meeting was great with smokies, cookies, and chips. So today's paddle / race was a real eye opener as to getting back on the ski in big waves. Can't wait for the next big wave so I can practice hopping off and getting back on in a some what control environment.

Deep Cove # 14 – Hard Race, Paddle Test

Tonights race was going to include a swim in the middle. The long course was going to be, out from Deep Cove over to the mainland across from Jugg Island. Beach your boat and swim 160 meters over to Jugg and back, then paddle around Raccoon Island, over to Lone Rock lighthouse and back to Deep Cove.The total distance would be just under 8 kilometers.


As well tonight I was paddle testing. I'm in the market for a new paddle, so I am trying out as many blades as possible. During the race I was using a Max paddle. It was the Hank McGregor model in carbon. As soon as it was handed to me, I knew that this paddle was going to be a little much for me, due to its size and the aggressive shape. It came in between the SET paddle I normally use and my large blade Epic, which I use on occasion.


The quality of the paddle was top notch, and the small shaft was perfect for my hands. So off I went for my warm up paddle. With the blade in the water, it became apparent that this was going to be a chore for me over the 8 km distance. The grip at the catch is big, and the blade holds the water all the through the stroke with minimal slip. The exit is effortless.

After a quick paddle to the 5 knot can, it was time to hustle to the start line. As we were sitting at the line, Bob got out of his ski onto the dock, and started to speak through the load speaker. He said that Ty's wife to be, had secretly bought him a new Kevlar Legend and was going to give it to him in a couple of weeks, but because he was whining about getting a new ski, that she gave it to him tonight. So with that said Bob pushed the boat out into the cove and said that if Ty wanted to use his new ski, he would have to swim for it. With everyone cheering him on, that is exactly what he did. He had the biggest smile as he was swimming for it.

Then it was time to go. It was a quick start, and I got a good position beside Rod. I looked over to the far right and there was a group of paddlers behind the double XT of Brian and Sasha, moving fast. Up at the front of our group was Jim in his K1. During this time, actual throughout the whole race my balance was just not on. I was tippy, and could not seem to get it to work. It was not long before I was off the back of the group. I was basically on my own for the next 2000 meters, when Lina came up on my left hand side. Lina is getting stronger every week in the XT. So I decided to fight with my balance a little and stay with her. She would start passing me, and I would up the rate and move in front . She would then up the rate and try to pass again, so I would up it again. It was fun messing with her, but after awhile my balance became an issue again and I dropped off.

As we were coming up to Jugg, and the swim, I could see Jim carrying his K1 up the beach, and head out for his swim. I got to the beach and pulled my ski up on the beach, and headed out for my swim. Boy was it cold. It may have been a hot day, but that water was not. I managed to pass a couple of people on the swim. Once back on shore I grabbed my ski, and tried to manoeuvre through the piles of boats all over the beach.

I managed to squeeze through a gap, and get going after Colleen who was ahead of me. Around Jugg, and off to raccoon, With both Hope Brothers right behind me. The balance thing was still going on, and slowing me down. Rod passed me, but I managed to hold off Greg. As we approached Raccoon Island, I pulled up beside Colleen, and sat there for the length of the island. We we reached the northern tip of the island, I decided it was time to go. So I upped the pace, and managed to catch some decent waves to scoot ahead. I was on my own from then on. Steve was just in front of me, but I just could not real him in before the finish line.

MTS 2008 – Paddling Leg

I left my house at 5:30am, so I could be at the border by 6am. A quick stop for a coffee and a couple of power bars, and I was on my way. It did not take long to get to the border, so I decided to go into Canada Customs to get my ski registered, to prevent the hassle coming back.

After getting my stamp of approval, I got into the line going into the states. Since it was a single lane, I was getting a little concerned, but after about 5 minutes, a second lane opened and I just breezed through. I turned into the parking area in Redmond exactly two hours later.

I checked out the boat area, and was surprised at how many boats were already there. So I placed my ski with the others in the staging area, and headed off to find some shade, and to hydrate up. With the heat already increasing at 8am , drinking lots before, during and after the race is important. I managed to down about 2 liters of water before the race, because during the race I don't drink enough.

I have everything set-up by 9am, and was chopping at the bit to get going, but I had to wait another 2-1/2 hrs. before I would be on the water. I have to say waiting is the hardest part of the race. As it was getting closer to 11am , Will, Joanne, John, and Daria showed up with my numbers and to tell me Wayne was on his way.

It wasn't long before my team was signaling that Wayne was coming up the chute for the tag. We tagged off, and it was a quick run through the crowd to my ski. I grabbed my ski ran over to the path to the launch, and came to a quick stop. There was at least 6 boats in front of me waiting to get on to the water. This was painful, it I even considered to cut through the bush and launch there, but thought better of it, and waited with everyone else.

After about 4 to 5 minutes I was on the water. Pushed my start button on my GPS, and was paddling hard to catch the boats in front of me. Right off the bat I was up to 11.8 kph, and catching the boats in front a little too quick. It was the area where you had to be in the middle of the river or you run aground. So I had to cut it close to the boats and kind of push my way through.

Before I got to the first bridge about 500 meters down river, I had passed about 6 boats. From here it was just picking one boat off after another. There was so many boats in front of me, I just used them as goals all the way to the finish line. Once I got past one group I would aim for the next one in front of me. This was a lot of fun, and managed to chat with everyone along the way.

The one major problem I had, was the weeds. I had to jump off the ski, and get to the rudder to clear them. Five times I had to do this. Once I pulled a clump the size of a volleyball off my rudder. Next year I think I will hook up one of those electric knives to my rudder.
I was passed by only two other paddlers. The first was when I was down to 8.4 kph from the weeds. But after stopping and clearing the weeds, I came pass him and never looked back. The next gut to pass me was on an Epic V10L and was motoring quite well. This was right before entering Lake Washington. The lake was fairly bouncy, much like English Bay with all the boat chop. I was trying to catch some rides on the waves but it was not working. Cruised into the finish, ran up and touched off with Will, and the next leg of the race was off.

Then I staggered to the grass for a little rest. see below.

Mountain To Sound Relay Victory

Today our team "Heavy Boots of Lead" came in 17th overall, and 1st in our division.

All team members and our team support, had to handle the hot temperatures, that were rumoured to be in the 90s'.

My personal thanks to all team members:

John Ward - Mountain Bike / Captain
Wayne Halabourda - Road Bike
William Schuurman - Half Marathon
Joanne Wild - Sprint
Daria Kurkjy - Support

This was one of the best racing experiences that I have had. It was a lot of fun with good competition.

Hopefully I will have complete team write ups with pictures of the race soon.

Deep Cove #12 – Short Course, 5 Km. Time Trial

Deep Cove #12 – Short Course, 5 Km. Time Trial

Today I was not feeling 100%, and with the upcoming Mountain to Sound relay race on the weekend, and Big Chop #5 on Thursday, I decided to do the short course tonight. (if there was one) Not many racers choose the short course, so I knew it would be a time trial for me.

Since I have a slight cold and a bit stuffed up, I wanted to test some of those Breathe Right nasal strips. As soon as I put one on, there was a huge difference in my breathing. It was alot easier, and a bigger throughput, so to speak.

Checked out the course board for tonight's course, and was greeted by a short course, yes! It was going to be from Deep Cove to Boulder Island and back. The same course Amber and I did in the double XT. Of course I got the usual flak for doing the short course, but with the up coming races, I was willing to take the heat.

Bob had a pre-race meeting with all the paddlers on the beach. He was telling us that we should be ble to self rescue should be come out of our boats, and that part of the race would involve a self rescue. Luckily for me, it was going to be at the end of the race. I didn't want my cold to get worse, and paddling soaking wet for 25 minutes was not going to help. So as you approuched the dock on the left hand side, you had to get out of your boat, and go under water, (head and all) and get back in your boat. This was for everyone, not just the skis.

With that said everyone went for a quick warmup paddle, and headed to the line for the start. After the usual course description, it was a GO. I started fast because I wanted to stay near the front. I managed to get on at the end of the lead group, and kept it there all the way to the edge of the cove. After that a gap started to form. We were cruising along the west wall out of the cove trying to dodge the incoming current. I could see some confusion at the front of the pack, as to where they were going. All of a sudden everyone cranked a hard left and started going across the arm.

Everyone up front was doing the long course and were going far to the left of where I wanted to go. This wasn't a problem because I was off the back of the lead group. That was until a white nose witha big red maple leaf came along my right side. That was going to be a problem because he was in the way of me heading to Boulder. To make things worse along came the nose of a V10L inbetween us. It was Renee, and he was telling us to go left, but I kept heading towards Boulder. He did not like this too much and then he started banging the side of my ski with his paddle. I guess I was squeezing him up against Mike.

I could see that this was going to go no where fast, so I let up and let them pass in front of me. This gave me a clear shot for the north tip of Boulder. As I was crossing over, I glanced down at my GPS, and saw 9.8 kph. I could feel the current, but didn't realize just how much it was slowing me down. My tactic would be to go to the north tip of Boulder and paddle as close to it as I could get. That way I might catch an eddy , and push up my speed. Sure enough the GPS was reading 11.5 going along the wall.

As I was going around the corner, I was checking out the for sale sign, and was wondering how much does an island cost these days. Soon I was back in the middle of the arm going with the current and making some good speed. I passed Brian and Brigid Wong going the other way in a plastic sit on top. I found out later that they came in second in the short course.

Coming into the cove the sun was shining directly into my eyes. This was another good time to practice eyes closed paddling. So that is what I did. Four strokes eyes open, and four strokes eyes closed. I did this for about 6 sets. Once I was in the shadow, I could see the dock and my destiny with the water. I really wasn't looking forward to being cold, but them are the rules.

So I hanged my legs over, which is really easy in the EVO, and in I went. I looked back to see if anyone was coming, and saw no one. I said to the girls/time keepers that I guess I could take my time, but since I did not want to stay in the water for too long, I quickly dunked my head, and remounted my ski. Then it was a easy paddle to the finish line.

My time was in the range I was looking for, and the nasal strip did its job perfectly. Made for a good time trial.

Mountain To Sound Relay Race

I have joined a local team to race the Mountain to Sound Relay race on June 29th in Redmond Washington. It is going to be a lot of fun and a good race experience. I will be in the 12 mile (20 kilometer) paddling leg. I am going to use my Think EVO surf ski.

Course Length - 100 Miles

Mt. Bike 23 Mi. / Road Bike 50 Mi. / Canoe - Kayak 12 Mi. / Run Legs Half Marathon and 6 Mi.


This 100 mile course extends from the Snoqualmie Pass areas beginning with a 22 mile Mountain Bike Leg that plunges riders into a two mile long, pitch black abandoned railroad tunnel requiring each rider to carry their own illumination. This leg continues on down the meandering Iron Horse Trail once used by the Milwaukee Railroad Co. and has been converted to a biking/hiking trail. Riders end at the Iron Horse Trail Head and Rattlesnake Lake where they touch off to the Road Bike Leg participants.


Road bikers immediately cruise down to North Bend along Cedar Falls Rd, giving a taste of what's to come over the next 50 miles. The Road Bike Leg takes riders through Washington's most scenic rural areas anywhere. Participants are treated to routes along the base of striking Mt. Si, then along the Three Rivers Natural Area and on via Snoqualmie Falls, Fall City and Carnation. A stunning, bucolic ribbon of roads meanders through Snoqualmie Valley giving enthusiastic bikers plenty of hills and dales to test their endurance. The course has been carefully planned to minimize traffic and maximize enjoyment. Riders culminate their leg by riding the the famous 'Redmond-Roubaix' Red Brick Road along 196th near Redmond ridden by the likes of Greg LeMond. Traffic will be controlled where necessary for safety but it is an open course.

Bikers finish by riding through Marymoor Park and ending at Luke McRedmond Park for the handoff to the Canoe / Kayak Leg.


Paddlers are in for a 12 mile, downstream adventure on the Sammamish Slough. Winding through rural and residential areas, the Slough parallels the Sammamish River Trail that becomes the Burke Gilman Trail in Seattle. The slough runs calm at about 1 kt. This paddle promises to be a unique experience to many paddlers who've not seen this part of our city. As the Slough enters Lake Washington, they'll cruise around to their right being cognizant of the many seaplanes landing and taking off at Kenmore Air. Keep paddling out into the lake leaving Kenmore Air and the marina to your right and look for marker balloons or flags on the end of the long dock jutting out from Log Boom Park. Go around the dock and disembark on the beach and touch off to your Half Marathoner or keep on trucking if you're an Iron Solo. Course Monitors will be out on the lake to aid your navigation.


Runners begin their test on a Half Marathon run over the top of Lake Washington and our famous Burke Gilman Trail. The trail meanders along Lake Washington's western shore past Magnuson Park and ending their leg at Seattle's Gasworks Park.


The Glory Run starts near Gasworks Park on the north end of Union Bay. Touch-off from the Half Marathoners will be ON the trail just before Urban Surf. You'll find adequate parking along Northup Way and Gasworks Park. Follow signs and course monitors and where Stoneway crosses the trail you may need to wait for the light. Stay on Burke Gilman and follow the direction signs along Shilshoal Bay. Stay on the parking strip and beware of cars and parking lots. At the Boat ramp, go left and get on the path again. That will take you to the Beach House at Golden Gardens and GLORY !!