Ab Ripper X

I did a round of Ab Ripper X. I don't do these workouts too often. I know I should but for me these are really difficult, and I don't really like it. It is totally wrong attitude, and I need to change that fast.

By the time I was finished this workout, I was shaking, and completely soaked from sweat. I glad I made it through it. I will use this session as my motivation for the next Ab Ripper X.

P90X Phase Two - Day Thirty Six

Today is the first day of the second phase. I am one third of the way through the first round. It is kind of a milestone in my journey for better fitness, and being able to go faster in the boat.

I thought that Shoulders and Arms was a good workout. It was nothing compared to Chest, Shoulders and Arms. This workout is great. For the first time through this workout, I took it easy on the weight. Good thing. Even with the lighter weights I was struggling with the last three reps. The slow motion push up were specially hard. Going down for a count of four, and back up to a count of four, and it seems Tony counts way too slow. The one arm push ups I had to do it on my knees, there was no way I was going to able to do it with straight legs at that point.

My personal favourite exercise in this workout was the pike presses. It is a kind of do or die exercise. If you fail part way, you are going to do a face plant guaranteed.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty Five

This session of Yoga was a hard one. I was doing ok with the moves all the way up to Reverse Warrior, and then things went south. I was really struggling with Warrior Three. I had to drop one one knee more than once on each side.

The balance moves were good, but anything that required me to keep my leg straight wasn't going too well. My Hamstring are not very flexible at this time. This is an area I really need to work on, if I am going to improve at this.

Masters Technique Session

Today was a Masters Technique class at Burnaby Lake. I have missed the last three or four sessions.Since that time the ranks have swollen to over 12 paddlers. There was around 13 or 14 K1s out on the lake today. It was a prefect day for paddling, no rain, no wind, and it was actually warm out. I had to strip down to one long sleeve shirt after one lap of the lake.

I got to the lake early so I could set up my Thunder and get a good warm up and stretch. I did a short dryland warm-up of running in place, with high knees and wide stance, much the same as in P90X. Then I did all my stretches, especially working on the my legs, or so I thought.

There were so many boats that there was a line up to get out on the water. Once on my way down the lake, I realized that I did not in fact stretch my Hamstrings enough, because boy could I feel them, they were really tight. I even considered turning around to go back to the dock to stretch them, but I kept going.

My balance was pretty good today, I had no emergency braces at all. My stroke rate was medium, some where around 80, and I was just concentrating on technique. After about two laps of the lake, the call came from my coach, to turn around and see her. She said she was going to video me and observe my stroke. I told her to give me a few meters for the steam on my glasses to clear up. She said I didn't need to see.

So off we went down the lake. It never fails, the video camera always makes me nervous, and it sure showed. Then we stopped and discussed my areas of improvement. As usual, I am leaning too far back, and losing it at the catch. (Hamstrings too tight) I was going to slow with my rotation at the hips (Hamstrings too tight) and not enough slide. I was cycling too fast and not pausing for the setup. I need to slow down at the setup with a horizontal shaft, "before" putting the blade in for the catch.

This is why you have a coach. They are able to see where you cannot, the errors in your technique, and give you ways of correcting the problems.

After the video section I did two more laps and then headed in. It is good to see so many new faces to the club. Most of them are from the Tuesday night races in Deep Cove. Good job Chris and Gary for promoting the club. Next weekend I will back at the slough to train in K1.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty Three

Core Synergistics was the workout this morning. Today I was sluggish, and wasn't keeping up on some of the exercises. I kept an even pace throughout the workout, but could not get into the "X" level of it. As usual I did the extra. It does not make sense to me to stop, and fast forward to the cool down. Just keep going and do the extra stuff, at the end you feel much better for doing it.

Still having difficultly in doing the banana to superman. Will keep working on it. Presently I am setting up my calendar to do two rounds of P90X. The next one will be doubles, and should take me to the start of the spring surf ski racing.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty One

This mornings workout was Kenpo. The one issue I have with this workout is that there is not enough of a warm up for the legs. So the next time I am going to do this one, I will do a separate warm up before I start.

At 5 in the morning, things are just not ready to go full out, and my hamstrings were not up to the task today. My kicks were basically pathetic. The punches no problem, actually they were a relief after trying to do the kicks. As with the other workouts, this is just another part to work on to get better. The workout is fast paced and fun.

I was still sweating from it, even after my shower. It really gets the heart pumping, and I guess that is what it is all about.

P90X Phase One - Day Thirty

Wow thirty days already. Time really flies when you are focused.

This mornings workout was Core Synergistics, and after only getting about 4-1/2 hours sleep, it was difficult. This is really a great core workout, and I felt it afterwards. On this first run through I did not add any weights to the exercises, just worked on form.

This was a good idea, especially doing the Lunge, Kick Back, Curl, Press routine. I tries it first with weights but had to drop them because I was such a spaz, I kept tipping over. I also had trouble doing the Superman to Banana exercise. Going from Superman to Banana I had no problems, but going the opposite way, I had to push off with my hand every time.

No one is perfect right off the get go, and these are areas I need to work on. It what makes this program fun. Learning new exercises and moves makes it interesting and challenging.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Nine

Today's workout was Yoga X, and It is becoming my favourite session. When I started doing this workout at the beginning, I cannot tell you how many times I fell over. I was thinking that Tony and the group was not human, but I kept working at it, and now I can go through the workout without falling.

Mind you my form is still no where near to the group. but I am going to keep pushing it. This workout has really helped my flexibility, and this will show up in the boat. My Quads and Hamstrings have always been really tight, which does not equal a good leg drive. The looser the muscles the better the drive with each stroke. It will also help prevent injuries, and increase my endurance.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Eight

Today I tried as usual to play catch up on the workouts that I missed. It was a grinder doing Legs & Back. It has a lot of pull ups, which is my weakest area of all, but even with that said, I have made improvements doing them. Small improvements, but improvements all the same.

Tomorrow I start week #4, and the cardio section of the program.

Monday: Yoga X
Tuesday: Core Synergistics
Wednesday: Kempo X
Thursday: X Stretch
Friday: Core Synergistics
Saturday: Yoga X
Sunday: X Stretch

It will be a good week of workouts, that's for sure.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Four

Today was my fourth round of shoulders and Arms, because I am re-doing week three over again.
Even with my cold, I managed to keep the same intensity was the last time I did this workout. The only exercise I did not match was the second round of Tricep Extensions. I had to stop two reps short because I was going to drop the weight on my head.

Since I have started P90X, my chair dips have gone from 20 reps to 40 reps, with my butt just short of touching the floor. Those last 5 reps are a killer. I am also up to 20 Side Tri-Rises, again the last three or so reps are difficult, to say the least.

Even though I am struggling with the weights I am using, I need to start looking for heavier ones. So I can decrease the number of reps I am doing. Less reps with heavier weights is where I am heading towards.

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty Three

Back on track with the workouts. Today was another plyometrics session. It is becoming one of my favourite workouts because it is a grinder. It really makes you want to work hard.

Even though I have been only at it for a little over three weeks, including the pre-P90X sessions, I am starting to see results. I need to add another hole in my belt, to tighten it up more, and I have lost about 5 lbs. Cool.

Tomorrow it is back to the weights and my top work out, Shoulders and Arms

P90X Phase One - Day Twenty-Two

Today is my re-start of week three. Last week I had a cold, and wasn't feeling that great that I only managed one P90X workout all week. So I decided to re-start at week three. I managed to go beyond what I did last time with some of the exercises, but on others I bombed and could only do half the reps.

That is what it all about. Trying to better the last time, and kept on improving. Even if it just one more rep than last time or more weight with the same number of reps. Inch by inch, step by step, just keep pushing yourself, and you will get better.

Deep Cove Distance Surf Ski Paddle

It has been two weeks since I was actually in a boat, that you can paddle. It was a group paddle out of Deep Cove, on a beautiful partly sunny day. It was a well organized paddle and thanks goes to Jeff of SurfSkiBC for setting it up.

It was a good turn out with eight paddlers taking part. There was Jeff in a Fenn XT, Katja in a Think Legend, John in his Fenn Millinium, Ben in a Fenn 6, Tom in a Westside X-Par missle, Gary in a Think EVO, Caroline in her Huki SX-1, and myself in a Think EVO.

We had a brief discussion on which course we were going to do, and the north or old marathon course was picked. this would take us out of the cove going, of course north, to the power stations and back. So off we went, at a nice easy pace. The pace was perfect for practising technique, and since I had missed the previous days' Technique Class, this is what I needed.

As I was paddling along, I heard a boat motor coming from behind. I turned and saw Tom riding the stern wash of a big sail boat that was going up the arm. So I jumped over and rode the side wash for a little while. Then I dropped off the waves and let it go for a short distance, and then hammered along the side wash back up to the boat. It was a good drill, but very tiring. By this time Ben and John were up in the distance ahead. We managed to get spread out a bit, but every once in a while the leaders would stop and we would regroup.

As we were coming to the point where we turn to cross the arm to head over to the power stations on the east side of the arm, I saw a familiar face coming towards us. It turned out to be Bern coming back from paddling to the end of the arm and back. This was a long paddle of about X kilometers.

We all stopped and grouped up to cross the arm together. Caroline had cut the corner, and was at the north power station waiting for us to cross. As we headed south along the east side of the arm back to the cove, we were four across, and cruising at a nice pace. I could see Tom off to our right closer to the middle of the arm, and Gary and Caroline bringing up the rear. As we came to Twin Islands, the front group stopped for a quick rest and then we were all off in different directions.

Jeff and Katja headed towards Bedwell Bay, John and Ben headed towards Raccoon, and Tom and myself waited for Gary and Caroline to catch up. Tom and I discussed which way to go, and I said I was just going to head straight to the cove from here. Once Gary and Caroline had caught up, off we went in a group of four. Once we had passed Raccoon, I could not see which way Ben and John went. It turned out that they went towards Jugg. As we headed towards the cove, our group split in two, with Tom and Caroline going down the middle, and Gary and myself heading over to the west side of the arm.

At this point I was starting to get fairly bagged, but I looked over and Gary was going strong, so I sucked it up, and kept up the pace. It wasn't until we got inside the cove did Gary say I needed to take it easy on him. The whole time I thought Gary was driving the pace. Oh Well.
Since I did not know when I was going to get out actually paddle with a group, I decided to crank up the pace, just for fun. At first it was 10 kph, then I upped it to 11kph, and then I had some left in the tank, and pushed it pass 12 kph. It was a good hard push at the end of a great paddle. Hopefully I will start feeling a little better, for the next paddle. hopefully next weekend in the Thunder. So the paddle ended up being 18+ kilometers in two hours.

P90X Phase One - Day Seventeen

I have the past two days of P90X, one because of travel and the second because of illness. Monday had to be the worst day on the ferries I have ever experienced.The first ferry out of Earl's Cove was an hour late. Which made us late for the ferry at Langdale. We had a two boat wait while in Langdale, so my evening was completely shot. So no Chest and Back workout.

The next night, my cold was getting the best of me, and so no workout. So tonight I was really looking forward to getting back on track. Tonight's workout was Shoulders and Arms, which is one of my favourites. I upped the weight and lowered the number of reps. That sure made a big difference. I could barely hold the pencil to mark down my info after each exercise. I tried to do each exercise to failure, and at one point I thought I was going to drop one of the weights on my head during the laying down triceps extensions.

This weeks schedule is a little crazy trying to get all the workouts in, I might decide to re-do this week.

P90X Phase One - Day Fourteen AM

I was so bagged from traveling up the coast yesterday, that I did not do the Kenpo workout, but did it this morning instead.

This is definately a cardio workout, wth not much if any breaks inbetween sets. For the breaks you have a choice of running in place, jump rope, and jumping Xs, or actually taking the 30 seconds break. I did the cardio. This workout is a tough one. I main problem was with the kicks to the side and back. I had to really slow down and concentrate on my form, verses speed and power.

Hopefully I will find time tonight to do the X Stretch workout, but I am not going to hold my breath.

P90X Phase One - Day Twelve

Another round of legs and back. This time I didn't progress as well as I wanted. I managed to do one or two reps more on some of the pull ups, but basically stayed the same.

The wall squats are a killer. I still can't go the full 60 seconds at 90 degrees. For some reason I am better at the one leg version verses the two leg one. Also my coordination when doing the three way squats with kicks, is quite humorous to watch. What a spaz, but I still keep going no matter how stupid I look.

One Year To Go

Today is a special day, it is the one year count down to the World Masters Games.

No other multi-sport event in the world attracts as many participants as the World Masters Games. Since 1985 the Games have brought together mature aged sports men and women from around the globe who share a commitment to the simple philosophy of "sport for life". 
 
"Masters" is simply an age designation; it does not denote a level of proficiency or a particular achievement.  To compete, all you need to do is to satisfy the age criteria for your sport. The World Masters Games are for you.
 
The World Masters Games have been held on six previous occasions:

Toronto 1985
Copenhagen 1989
Brisbane 1994
Portland 1998
Melbourne 2002
Edmonton 2005

The seventh Games will be held in Australia's global city, Sydney, from 10 - 18 October 2009.

The sports for the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games were endorsed by the Games Advisory Committee in April 2006 and subsequently approved by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA).

The sports are separated into two groups;
The Core Sports that must be conducted under our contract with IMGA are:

Archery                  Athletics                    Badminton
Basketball               Canoe/Kayak              Cycling
Football (Soccer)      Hockey (Field)            Orienteering
Rowing                   Shooting                    Softball
Squash                   Table Tennis               Weightlifting

SWMGOC recommended the following Optional Sports that have all been approved by the IMGA.

Baseball                 Diving                       Golf   
Lawn Bowls              Netball                      Rugby
Sailing                  Surf Lifesaving            Swimming 
Tennis                   Touch Football           Volleyball  
Water Polo  

Optional Sports and disciplines in the Core Sports have been chosen on the basis of:
Their tradition in the World Masters Games and other similar events,
Sports expected to attract a base number of participants,
The response by Sports Associations when invited to submit a case for their sport to be included,
Local interest in the sport, and Venue suitability and availability.
A discipline of a sport that did not meet the majority of these criteria may not be included in these Games.

Triathlon has been in previous World Masters Games but at this stage will not be included in the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games as the International Triathlon Union (ITU) is no longer a member of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA) and have resisted our invitation to be involved in the Games. However, we remain open to any future change of direction by ITU and suggest that you occasionally check the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games website for updates. 

Mountain Biking will not be included in the Sydney 2009 World Masters Games.

Registration ...
Ready to Register for the Sydney 2009 World Master Games? To start, you must first complete our personal details form. This will provide you with a User ID and Password to access myGames.

Please allow up to 5 minutes to complete this form and approximately 15 minutes to register for the Games. Click here to start your Games registration.

P90X Phase One - Day Eleven PM

Just finished Yoga X. As with the other workouts Yoga X was a "little" easier. I still have balance issue, but isn't that what it is all about. I am finding that I can remember the poses better, and can move form one to the other fairly easily.

This is definitely a good workout, that works every muscle in your body. This is what killed my abs last week. We will see how they feel tomorrow.

P90X Phase One - Day Eleven AM

I did not have enough time to do day ten's workout of shoulders and arms so I did it this morning. So today is going to be a double day.

I am bagged from this workout because I really pushed on it. The max reps from the last time I did this one, was my starting point for todays. I had to pause the DVD a couple of times, once to get in the reps I wanted to do, and once just to catch my breath. By the time I was finished my arms were and shoulders were rock solid. Thank god, there is a cool down, and a hot shower afterwards.

During the few exercises that they go through that has a mandatory 16 reps, I actual did more. What a rebel eh.I would do an extra 4 more reps with each exercise.Even though this only week two of thirteen, I am starting to feel a difference. The weights I am using are getting easier to do at the same number of reps. So I am increasing the number of reps first, and then increasing the weight.

Tonight's workout will be Yoga X, which I am looking forward to. Simply to see if I can do it better than the last time.

P90X Phase One - Day Nine

I just finished my second Plyometrics workout. It was a good one today. I managed to keep up to the video, i.e. no extra long water breaks, just kept the DVD going. Also I managed to only modify two of the exercises.

The Rock star, where I only did the legs part of it. I am too much of a spaz to get the hand part down just yet. Which made it so I could do the whole exercise without stopping.

I also had to modify the one legged criss-cross. In stead of doing the cross pattern, I just hopped up and down in one spot. Again this made it so I could finish the entire exercise with the group.

The sweat part hasn't changed either, I am totally soaked yet again, and loving it. this is what I need. A good kick in the butt, to get into better shape.

P90X Phase One – Day Eight

Today was the first repeat week of P90X. I did the Chest and Back workout. This one was a bit of a killer this time for two reasons. First I up the reps, and my abs were sore from the Yoga X I did on the weekend. I never realized how much you use your abs on pull ups, but boy could I really feel it with each rep.

I really went out too hard on the first set, and paid for it on the second. There were a couple of exercises that I did not pass the number of reps on the first set. These were of course the pull up ones.
The push up exercises and the weight exercises, I manage to meet or beat the numbers of reps. By the time I was finished, I was beat. There was no way I was going to be able to do the Ab Ripper X workout afterwards, so I skipped it.

I also found out why you should not do these workouts after eating. I did not think I was going to make it without running to the bathroom. So note to self, do not do these workouts within an hour of eating, or you will pay.

P90X Phase One - Day Five?

Well I just finished Fridays workout of Legs & Back. So I managed to only one day short this week. This gives me incentive to complete all the exercises this coming week. I am going to try and do them before going to work. That means getting up early and doing them.

It is going to be tough getting up at 5 am just to work out, but it is the end result I am striving for. Which means in way better shape and faster as a result in the boat. Of course this will not help my technique in any way, but I will have more power to propel the boat forward.

I am having a tough time with the pull ups. The first sets are ok, but as the workout goes on, I get sweater and sweater, and my hands keep slipping off the bar. I am going to have to use some hockey tape to make it so I don't slide off.

P90X Phase One - Day Four

Since I am way behind schedule, I did Yoga X this morning.

It is a lot harder than I imagined. There are positions that right now I just cannot do. So I do them the best that I can and just keep going. I managed not to fall over doing the workout, but I think that was just a fluke.I certainly do not have the flexibility of the people on the DVD, but that is why I got it in the first place. duh. If I was good at it I wouldn't be using this system.

The workout is the longest of the series at 1-1/2 hrs.long, but worth every minute. It is definately one of the best of the twelve, and most likely the hardest.

P90X Phase One - Day Three

I am really getting behind with this program. I missed last night's workout, so I got up early this morning and did the Shoulders & Arms workout. Sometime today I have to do the Ab Ripper X workout as well.

On the weekend I have to do two workout per day to catch up on top of my paddling workout on Sunday. It is going to be a tough weekend for sure. Then I get to start the whole thing again on Monday.

Next week I will make sure that I don't miss any more workouts. Trying to make them up is painful.

P90X Phase One - Day Two

Todays workout was plyometrics. Which turned out to be a really hard one. It is just under an hour of jumps, squats, and lunges. Some of the exercises I had to do the modified version because there was no way I could do the regular form. Even then it was hard. Sixty seconds of jump, reversing squats is a killer, especially at the 45 second mark. That is where it is really burning good, and I had to zone out just to finish it.

Hopefully I will get better at it in the weeks to come. This workout is one of the few that you do every week for the full 90 days.

P90X Phase One - Day One

I was so bagged from the regatta, that I started my P90X one day late. I have to shift everything over one day for this week. Meaning there will be no rest day on Sunday. Next week I will be back on track.

First up was the Chest & Back workout. This is a series of push and pull exercises. Going from push ups to pull ups. I listened to Tony and paced myself for the first set on most of the exercises. Since I had done this workout before, I knew what to expect.

As with all of the DVDs, I was soaked by the time I was finished. These are excellent workouts and guaranteed to work you.

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.

Week Update & P90X

I haven't done an update in a while, between work, family commitments, and getting ready for the B.C. Masters, this week has been a blur.

I have been doing P90X workouts, trying to get ready for day one. I wanted to try each one once, so I have a general idea on what the workouts are.

Friday Sept 19th
Core Synergistics
Ab Ripper X

Saturday Sept 20th
Cardio

Sunday Sept 21st
Plyometrics

Monday Sept 22nd
Chest & Back
Ab Ripper X

Wednesday Sept 24th
Cardio

All of these workout had me sweating, to the point where I was totally soaked.

Some I could push, others I had to back it down a wee bit, and some a had to pause the DVD and catch my breath.

I can't wait to start full time, so I bumped it up a week and will start on Monday Sept 29th.

Also the Burnaby's Technique classes are switching to Saturdays for the rest of the fall / winter. Which means I will actually get to go to most of them.

P90X Extreme Workout Program

I have decided that during the “off season”, I am going to really up the level of training that I am doing, both in quantity and intensity. For this reason I have gone with the P90X training program.

I like the theory behind the program, of always mixing it up, to make it fresh. I also like it because it is a total body program. Along with the training is the nutritional aspect of it. My diet is pretty good, but I want to take it to the next level. This means no donuts, strudel, and a reduction if not an elimination of COFFEE. Oh my god, what am I saying.

I am going to start the program full time after the B.C. Masters on September 26th and 27th. The week after will be a recovery week, and then it is back at it. I am going to do the “classic” program. I have already slotted it into my calendar. I can see some gaps that I am going to have to find a way to overcome.

With this training I am hoping to increase my capacity to do harder sessions in the boat.

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.

P90X Test Drive

Decided to give P90X a test drive to see what all the hype was about. I checked it on you tube, and tried the chest & back video someone had did of themselves. First off, P90X is not for beginners. It is for someone who exercises regularly, and not someone coming off the couch so to speak.

The workout was fairly intense. It involved a lot of push ups and dumbbell work. It went like this:

*Standard Push ups
*Military Push ups
*Diamond Push ups
*Wide Push ups
*Inclined Push ups
*Heavy Pants (which were more like double rows)
*Lawnmowers (which were like pull starting a lawn mower)
*Dive-Bomber Push ups
*Back Flys
*Two Arm Triceps Kickbacks

I these exercises twice with about 15 to 20 reps each. By the time I was finished, I wa pretty much done. My heart was pounding, and I felt bagged. It was great. Can't wait to try another to see what it is like.

Hot Paddle in September

Today was one of the hottest days that I can remember in a while. (of course my memory is not that good)

It was a easy two laps with Shota in the Extreme and me in my Thunder. I kept having to stop and look to make sure Shota was doing ok. After coming in, I went and stretched again because I was tightening up. Then it was time to practice balance and more starts. The balance section went good, but the start section wasn't as good as I had hoped.

For the balance it was more of the same. Sitting still with my eyes closed, and paddling around, with side draws. Rocking the boat, and bouncing the boat. After the main balancing drills were done, I started to try new ones. I tried to tip the boat over as far as I could without going over. A new one was taking my PFD and putting on my seat, and paddling around. This made the boat extremely tippy by lifting me up by about 2 inches above the seat. this is where I got to cool down from the heat. Boy that felt great.

The starts weren't very good. I kept leaning over to the right for some unknown reason. I went swimming on numerous occasions. I just could not get it hooked up, with any consistency. I just have to keep working on it, to get it dialed in.

I gave Shota a shot at the Thunder. He got in the boat while I held it by the bow. I did not let go, and he got the idea on how tippy this boat is real fast. I asked him if he wanted to try it again, but he said no.

Still lots of fun on such a warm day.

Starts, Starts, and More Starts

Today's workout started like the rest, with stretching. Having my muscles warmed up and loose is very important to having a good session. I start with the legs, and then move progressively up the body:

Calves
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Lower Back
Upper back
Shoulders Arms
Neck

I did two loops of the slough, before heading to the beach to practice balance and starts. First up was balance drills. Side draws, backwards paddling, bouncing the boat,etc. Then I though of a new one, I took my feet off the foot board all moved them side by side towards my butt. I managed to get my heels touching the seat platform. Then I paddled around in that position. I almost went in doing this. I got a cramp in my right leg, and pushing my feet back to the foot board, I tipped over, but saved it right at the last moment.

Then I started doing the start progressions. Starting with just sitting still and keeping my paddle in the start position. Each time I would try to hold it longer, from one second all the way to the full ten seconds. Next was paddling backwards and then one hard stroke forward. Again with each time I would increase a forward stroke all the way to eight strokes.

Then it was full start from a stopped position. Always lining up to something and looking both left and right to line myself up. Then it was a quick hard stroke, and building to eight strokes. Then session was really good, and I didn't go swimming. So since the water was warm, I decided to really go for it. This time I would pull as hard as I could, if I went in, oh well. I managed to stay dry and it really increased the speed of my starts.

As always a planned one hour session turned into a hour and a half session. Once things are clicking, you just don't want to lose it, so you keep going.

Touring Through Delta

This mornings paddle was basically touring. Myself and my new foreign exchange student went for a leisurely paddle out of Deas Island and into one of the channels that go all through the area.

This was Shota's very first paddle in a kayak. Straight from Japan, and straight into a kayak. Sounds good to me. I had him in my Current Designs Extreme, and I was in my EVO surf ski. All I had to do was show him how the rudder peddles worked, hand him my SET wing blade, and off he went.

He had a smile on his face the whole time. I think he was having fun. We ended up seeing seals and blue herons, and heard, but did not see, one of the local bald eagles. At the end of our 12 kilometer journey, (boy is he going to sleep tonight) Shota practised paddling near the dock, while I did some full out starts to 100 meters. I managed to do about 5 starts, before things began to go south. So that's when I ended it.

A good paddle on a nice day.

Readership Expanding

When I started this blog on January 2nd, 2008, I thought this was a good way of keeping a training log for my lead up to the World Masters Games in 2009, and to promote kayak racing in general.

Since then it has been read in 73 countries and over 2,000 unique visitors as per google. This is cool, and I hope some of my training will help others in their goals as well. As well as my failures. (learn from my mistakes)

Thanks for reading.

Darrell

Dark and Dreary K1 Practise

I got off to a late start tonight, so by the time I got to Deas, it was 6pm, raining, and dark. The rowers were already out on the water. (the ones that actually braved it) Good thing I had my neon yellow shirt with me for visibility out on the water.

So I decided to try going out without stretching. Turn out to be not so good of an idea. Big surprise. I started to seize up by the time I got to the bridge on the first lap. So I had to stretch in the boat on the next length, by over rotating in the boat. This worked out ok. When I got back to the dock, I hopped out and stretched properly. Mental note, ALWAYS STRETCH, even if it is pouring rain.

Back for another lap of the slough. This time I was concentrating on pulling my blade out of the water fast and at the hip. I have a visual clue, as to when my on side blade is at my hip. My off side hand is just before the center of the boat, at that time I snap the blade out of the water, and continue to rotate past center a little to set up for the next stroke.

If you sit in a chair, you can go through your stroke to see where your visual clue is. It will be different for different paddle lengths, arm lengths, etc. As you rotate look at your on side blade, and stop it at or just before it reaches your hip. Now look at your off side hand to see its location. That is your visual clue, as to when to pull the blade out of the water. It sure is easier to do this in a chair versus an ICF flat water boat.

So I made sure that I had my weight on the blade all the way through the stroke, and then snap it out of the water. It is important to keep the power on, all the way through the stroke, not just at the beginning.
This was working ok, but I would lose it, and get it back again. Still not an automatic thing, needs work. Reminds me of a saying I heard “Amateurs practise till they get it right, Pros practise until they can't get it wrong”

After working on this, I decided or the rain did for me, to cap it at two laps, but that was not the end of paddling. Now I started to work on an area that I am weak on, and that is starts. My starts are very poor.
So the first thing was to break down the function of the start and work on it step by step.

The first thing is paddling to the start line, and get ready for the start. So I had an imaginary line, and use it to line up. I did a couple of things here, at first I would ease up to the line and just sit there. Then I would go past the line and paddle backwards slowly to the line. This is because as part of tactics, you should go past the line by a little amount and have the starter call you back. Be forewarned though, some starters can get a little annoyed with this tactic, and can start bagging on you.

Then I practise some of the stuff that might come up as you sitting at the line. Scratching my head, looking at my watch, that sort of thing. I can't tell you how many times myself or someone else has gone in by just adjusting their hat, or fiddling with something at the line. So I did this for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Next up was raising the paddle for the start. It is one thing to sit there with your paddle in a “neutral” position, it is another to hold it in a off balance position, as in the start for any amount of time without practise. So I did this one for about 15 minutes. I would raise the paddle just like the start, with the blade in the water, and hold it for as long as I could.

Now came actually starting. The first four strokes are the power ones, to get the boat up and moving. So in my mind, I would be saying “racers start within tens seconds”, raise the paddle to the set position, hold it for a couple of seconds, and then hammer the first four strokes, and then glide. I would try to get a explosive start, like a 100 meter sprinter on a track. I did this about ten times, each one with different success. Not consistent at all. Needs more work. I managed to only swim twice during this section of the workout, and one was because I was braking really hard, so I wouldn't hit the beach.

By now it was dark, and almost 8 pm. I hustled to get the boat bagged and on the car, and then changed. I was the last person to leave the park. It sure is creepy in the rain and pitch black. Other than that it was a good practise.

Nicomekl River K1 Practise

As a bit of a change I kept driving down the freeway to the Nicomekl River Rowing Club for today's K1 practise. Also because the ski boats had the slough this afternoon, not that the Nicomekl would be any better for boat traffic. The Nicomekl has no set times for paddle sports and boating, it is every man for himself.

After getting my boat to the dock, and finished my stretching routine, it was off to paddle up stream first. Within the first 100 meters of leaving the dock the first boat appeared from behind me. They slowed down for the marina where I launched, but as soon as they got past the marker they gunned it. This was going to be a concern, but I turned into the coming waves and paddled through them. I watch the waves come right up to the combing, just short of coming into the cockpit.

Then I turned back toward the shore, riding the waves in that direction. It was fun, and the speed cranked right up fast. I am starting get the hang of paddling the Thunder in some pretty bouncy conditions. From here it was a easy paddle to the first turn in the river. There was current going the opposite direction as I was, and when I got to the turn, the bow wanted to swing around on me. I managed to keep it straight, and headed around the dock the golf course made, and straight to the shore on the other side.

I wanted to stay fairly close to the shore because I was paddling by myself, and if need be, I could just swim / paddle to shore and get out. That's one of the reasons why I wear my Vital ID band. Usually I am paddling on my own, and if I get into trouble there is emergency information on me.

I continued all the up to the Elgin bridge and then turned around a headed down river. Once I got back to the dock, I pulled over and stretch again before heading to the ocean. I stayed on the west side shore of the river, just in case I need a easy exit from the water, and the boats seem to hug the opposite side.

Nothing exciting happened all the way down the river, no boats, no sudden waves, just a nice easy paddle. When I got to the train bridge, I pulled over for a bit of a rest, and watch the boats leaving the Crescent Beach marina, heading out to Mud bay. After about 5 minutes, I decided to head back to the dock.

Cruising along, a cabin cruiser came by, so I turned to catch the wave at the right angle, so I would not dump. Let the waves roll past, and then paddled to catch them. Riding these waves was interesting because they were trying to throw me in the wrong direction than what I wanted. So I was continuously adjusting my steering and my paddle to compensate.

I came to the last 90 degree bend in the river, just before the dock. This is the spot where the water gets quite fun. It is where the river flow meets the in coming tide, or it seems. The water ends up going straight up and down, as in washing machine. Great in a ski, not so much in a K1. I must be getting better in this boat, because I had no problem paddling through it. In fact I went back for a second shot at it.

Then I did a sprint the length of the dock. I jumped out of the boat and stretched a little bit, and then paddle again up to the Elgin bridge and back. The total distance was only about 12.5 kilometers.

Good & Wet K1 Practise

The K1 practise today was at Deas in the Thunder. It was raining non-stop the whole time, but the good thing about it was it was warm.(Not like winter, when it is raining all the time and cold.) I liked it, because you can regulate your temperature better, then in the heat. If you get too hot you can strip off a shirt or two. In the heat there really isn't much of an option than to get wet.

After getting my gear ready and my boat down to the water, I went to the rowing club's porch to do my stretches. I wanted to stay dry for a little longer, before going out and being soaked for the next hour and a half. My coach is really on me about stretching before paddling, and the more I do it the more it becomes a habit. I can really notice the difference if I have not stretched before hand. My rotation is not very good, and my legs really cramp up.

So now before I start paddling, I make sure that I have done my stretching routine. This workout was going to be a steady technique paddle, and after each lap get out of the boat and stretch. The water on the first few laps was flat from one end of the slough to the other. During all the rest of the laps it was a different story, the wind had kicked up and made some nice waves to practise on.

It was not the same from one end to the other though. At the club house side, because of the trees around the slough, the wind was low, but at the marina side, the wind was blowing. This was great. I like paddling in bouncy, wavy water to get used to it. Especially in the Thunder. With these conditions I would practise powering up in the flats and then in the wavy section focus on getting my blade in vertically and power all the way through the stroke.

Turning at the marina end was fun as well. Practised cranking the tiller bar over, and turning slowly around, to maximize the effect of the beam waves on the boat. I wanted to practise technique with the boat really rocking from side to side.

After about an hour and twenty minutes, I decided that was enough. My technique was going south rapidly, and I was getting tired. The one good thing about it, was that even though I was tired my balanced stayed the same. Usually at this point I am bracing like mad, but it was only my technique that was suffering.

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.

Raining Buckets K1 Masters Practise

This weeks Masters Practise was very, very wet. As I was driving to Burnaby Lake to pick up a Super Lancer to use, the skies opened up and started to just dump. I got soaked just going from my car to the water, which was only about 10 meters away.

I managed to get in two laps before the rest of the crew got to the lake. The first lap was ok, but the steering in the boat was off. I had to crank over the tiller bar to the right to go straight. So after the first lap, I pulled over at the beach and tried to fix it. It did not seem to work, no matter what I did. So for the rest of the night, I would fiddle with it, and still have the bar cranked over.

I managed to over come this by just leaving it where it was and placing my feet below the tiller bar on the foot board. It was the most comfortable solution, but it worked. I will have to check the steering this weekend to make sure there isn't a problem at the rudder end of the system.

The next lap I caught up with Katja and paddle beside her. My goal was to stay with her, but with a slower stroke rate. That way I had to use power to keep the boat at the same speed. Then it was off to the beach to talk to Lynn my coach. I was getting good rotation, but I was still not pausing long enough at the catch before rotating. As well my hands were too low, so I wasn't getting the blade in vertical.

My next lap was to concentrate on those aspects of the stroke. Some times I would get it, other time I would lose it. When you get the proper stroke you can really feel the boat rocket forward. This is why my practises usually end up longer than scheduled. Once I get in the groove, I don't want to stop because I will lose it. So an hour usually ends up being an hour and a half or two hours.

It was overall a good practise because I was really trying to use power with technique. I was really tired after this one.

Round Alice Lake Swim

Today was the annual get together with our friends at Alice Lake near Squammish, B.C. The weather at home was thunder and lightning and plenty of rain, but we decided to go anyways. Once we had picked up friends in Ladner, the weather looked like it was improving.

The closer we got to Squammish the better the weather was getting. Driving up the Sea to Sky highway, I noticed that they have a long way to go before they are finished, if ever, on this road. It seems to be in worse shape than it was one year ago. Of course we had to look at the slide that happened a couple of weeks ago near Porteau Cove. It was all cleaned up, with new railroad tracks and pavement.

By the time we had arrived, the sun was out and it was nice and toasty. It did not take long for everyone to hit the water. Once the kids were in, it seemed that they did not come out. I had to drag them in to have lunch.

As I was looking across the lake, I thought, now that would make a nice swim, to go across to the other side of the lake. Then I thought that it would not be too much of a stretch for me to swim all the way around the lake. So when a couple of kids decided to go to the playground on the other side of the lake, I had my opportunity to actually do it. So the kids and Amber started walking over to the playground, and I waited for a little bit before heading out.

I told some people what I was going to do, and off I went. If you stayed in the sunny area of the water the temperature was not bad, but if you went into the shadows, burrrrrrr. So I skirted the border between the warm and the cold water. This distance was good as it was not too far from the shore. The only thing you had to watch for was the snags in the water. You definitely did not want to get caught in those, or you were going to get in trouble real fast.

As I approached the shore at the first corner, I saw a couple of guys diving off a log. I swam up to them and asked what direction was the playground. They pointed to my left and said it I was just over about 100 meters. I saw an area where I could get out of the water with ease, so I swam over to it, and got out. From there I walked the 75 meters down the trail to the playground, and met up with Amber and the kids.

Chatted for a little bit, and then it was off to finish my swim. Along the shore to the main beach, and then along the west side of the lake, back to where I started. When I managed to find a map, it turned out that my swim was 1.45 kilometers long. Not bad for a old guy.

K1 + Ski Boats = Swimming

Today was a short (one hour) paddle at the slough. When I got there, a water ski boat was attempting to get his kids to water ski. Good to start them young. As I was doing my stretches, I noticed that he was getting a large inner tube setup to pull behind the boat. I though, humm this is going to be good. I need some practise in some larger waves, and it was hot out, it might serve two proposes. You can see where I am going with this.

Just as I was getting in my K1, the boat took off with two kids in the tube, and heading off for the far end of the slough. I waiting a second or two to let the water settle down before going. Once I was moving I saw that the boat was hanging around the middle of the slough. One of the kids had gone airborne, and was regrouping. Just as I was getting even with them, they took off, but this time spinning donuts, making some rather large and confused waves in all directions.

Since I knew this was coming, I thought I was ready for it, boy was I wrong. The first set came complete beam side and they were big rollers, which I managed to stay up in.But I forgot being so close to shore, the reflective waves nailed me on the other side. In I went. I did not mind in the least. I needed cooling down from the heat, and it made for a nice short swim.

After emptying my boat, it was off for a couple of laps, with the odd power up, and some steady state paddling. Then about 10 to 15 minutes of balance training. It was a good short paddle / swim.

K1 Practice – Look Ma No Paddle

Today was another K1 technique practice with balance drills at the end. It was the usual loops around Deas with some power ups just to make things interesting. My back is sore from the weekend so i wasn't into really pushing my limits. I did manage 6 loops in the time that I had.

Coming in after the last loop, I decided to do some balance drills at the beach. So I positioned myself about 3 meters from the shore and started to do some side braces, and leaning the boat over as far as I could. then I started to do the closed eyes drills. Side braces, forward strokes, and backward strokes, all with my eyes closed. Then I tried to sit in one spot and lift my arms up to shoulder height with my eyes closed. This did not work out too well, as I decided to wash my shirt since it was sweaty, lol.

After draining my boat, I decided to do some no paddle drills as suggested by Lynn my coach. So I tossed my paddle on shore and started to paddle down the slough. Before I knew it i was 150 meters from shore. what can I say no guts, no glory. It is one thing to go this in shallow water, it is another to do it where you will need to swim a fair distance to get back in.

I continued to paddle around with just my hands for the next 15 minutes. I was having fun, this was a blast. I paddled back to the beach area, and parked about 5 meters from the shore. Then I was trying to sit there and bring my arms up in a “T” at shoulder height. Then I would bring them slowly down and forward, to makes things interesting. Then I tried to bounce the boat at the same time. I could only do this for a short time, as it was getting a little too tippy without a paddle.

I ended up going in again because as I wasn't paying attention, and was drifting backwards towards the shore, and digging the stern into the shore. Oops.

I have come a long ways since starting to paddle ICF K1s. When I first started I could barely paddle a Laser trainer, and now I am closing my eyes and staying dry. I remember trying a boat with this level of stability and being scared to let go of the dock. I would stay up for about 5 seconds max, before going swimming. Just goes to show you that if you keep at it you will succeed.

K1 Technique Practice

oday was a technique practice in Deas slough with the Thunder. Each time out now I am getting better with both balance and technique. Mind you there are set backs some times.

I have been paddling for almost a week now with my new one piece paddle. It is a Think carbon mid wing blade, and has a different feel to it than either my Epic or my Set. This is going to be my main paddle from now on. It has a bigger bite at the catch and has a smooth exit. I would like to thank Daryl of Think Kayaks for setting me up with the new paddle.

This practice was all about technique and distance. I worked on what Lynn was telling me the day before about pausing at the catch or setup and then powering through the “entire” stroke, not just at the beginning. By moving my seat up really helps in this regard, as I can really push hard off the foot board.

I concentrated on slowing my stroke rate down, and make each one count. Trying to setup each stroke properly with lots of rotation, and putting as much weight on the blade as I could without getting tippy. With each time out I am improving this aspect of my paddling. Also keeping my on side arm straight through the stroke is working out. Doing this helps keeping the power on the blade through out the stroke.

You can really feel the boat jump forward. After a couple of laps, it was time to practice some balance. Did the usual, eyes closed, side draws, forward, backward strokes, as well as I started to try bouncing the boat. Having your eye closed gives a whole new meaning to being able to feel the boat.

Then it was off for three more laps of the slough. This made the distance by the time I was done, to 11 kilometers. I am looking forward to the next practice. Whenever that maybe, with work being so busy right now.

The thunder is definitely my hardest boat to paddle, but it is still my favorite. It gives you a sense of accomplishment being able to paddle it.

Masters' Technique Session – Deer Lake

Today was a Burnaby Lake masters technique class at Deer Lake. I was looking forward to it, because a had missed the past four sessions. I got there early so I could stretch and do a bit of a warm up paddle in the Thunder.

There were not very many people at today's session. So it was pretty much one on one for coaching. Lynn (my coach) was saying that I was dropping my hands too much and bending my on side arm as I was coming through the back of the stroke. As well as, pausing at the catch. So that was my focus for today's session. Slow my stroke down and pause, then rotate keeping my hand up, and pulling the blade straight out of the water at the exit.

Easier said than done, especially in the Thunder. I did a short loop so Lynn could watch what I was doing, and correct my mistakes. At some point close to shore I went for a unintentional dip. It sure felt good because of the heat. After about ½ hour of that, I decided to do some balance exercises just off the beach. So I would sit in the boat in about three feet of water, and close my eyes and sit there. At first I was just sitting without moving the boat, but after a while I started doing side draws and paddling forward and backwards with my eyes closed.

I even got real brave and tried a start with my eyes closed. I got exactly four strokes before face planting into the lake. Then Lynn said to paddle around with no paddle just my hands. So off I went along the shore with just my hands. I could paddle forwards and backwards, but side draws with my hands just wasn't working and in I went. It was pretty funny. Good thing it was a warm summer day, and not a cold winter day.

I stayed an extra 30 minutes after everyone had left, just to keep practising. It is my goal now to stay in the thunder until the end of September.

K1 / Surf Ski Practice at Deas

Today we were in singles, Amber in the EVO, and myself in the Thunder K1. It is hard to tell someone how to paddle when you can't really see them. Being in the front of the K2, it is not very good to keep looking back to see how Amber is paddling.

So we spent about an hour and a half, just working on technique. The one good thing is that Amber has good balance from rowing, so she can just hop into the EVO and go. It makes it a lot easier to just have to worry about technique than it is to add balance into the equation.

We did some drills were you touch the opposite side of the boat after each stroke to hep with rotation. As well as, taking one stroke and rotating two more time in the air, and then taking a stroke on the opposite side, and so on.

We were at the slough at the same time as the rowers from Deas were out, and they were giving Amber the gears about paddling instead of rowing. All in good fun.

K2 Practice at Deer Lake

Today we decided to do a K2 practise at Deer Lake, since Burnaby is full of weeds and lily pads this time of year. We arrived at the club house at around 11:30 and packed up the K2 on top of my car. Since we were only going to drive about 4 kilometers, it would be ok on top of the Focus wagon. It sure is a lot longer than my surf ski when you get it up there.

The parking at Deer Lake was nuts, even with the added stalls which basically doubled the parking. Parked in a no parking zone to unload the boat, and gear. Just as we were finishing unloading, a car pulled out, and we quickly scooped up the spot.

We adjusted the boat to our liking, and pushed off the beach. There were quite a few people curious about the K2, having probably never seeing one before. Today's workout was just getting used to paddling together and working on a couple of things.

The first lap was good, with no shakes or wobbles. We just had to pull over top do a little seat adjustments. The timing is getting better with each outing, so we were trying to work on rotation. Once around the lake, we went to the beach to go over some of the basics.

Then it was out for another couple of laps in the blazing hot sun. Once back to the beach for the last time, we tried some balance drills. Basics like side draws in both direction at the same time, as well as one person at a time. Holding the paddles up in the air, and bouncing the boat. We managed not to go swimming, which is a good thing.

Grouse Grind

Today we decided to do the Grouse Grind, as something different. The grind goes from the bottom of Grouse mountain to the main chalet. The grind is approximately 2.9 kilometers long with an elevation gain of 800 meters. The average incline is 15 degrees, but in some sections it is at 40 degrees. It is listed as a hike in the books, but it is no where near a hike, it is a climb.

It started out ok, as it always does, by the ¼ way up sign, I was dieing. It seems I was not the only one who over estimating their abilities to climb this trail at a faster speed. There were many people stopped on the side of the trail. Some were doing better than others, but all were amazed how hard this trail actually is.

The whole time I was struggling with each section. There were spots where I was feeling better, and again started to increase my speed, only to be drained by a steep section. It was good to get in behind a slow group, that way they dictated the pace. That worked real well, until they pulled over and let us pass.

At the top, the “trail” was really wet and slippery, from all the rain from the previous week. When we got to the top time marker, I said lets keep going to the real top, as in the top of Grouse mountain it self. So off we went toward the peak. Since the last time I had been up there, they had actually built a access road to the top. At the top the view is just spectacular, you can see all of Vancouver and all the way to the states and Vancouver Island.

So we did it, from the bottom (where we parked the car) up to the start of the “trail”, and to the actual top of Grouse mountain. It was hard, but I am glad that I did it.