I am feeling really positive about my kayaking at the
moment. I think I banished a few demons by going out midweek, another
session on Sunday cemented my feeling that I could be able to do the DW in my
new boat. There are still some concerns, but not as many.
Heading to Chichester canal with my DW partner who took out
an old Talisman that she bought a few weeks ago because she is worried that her
Hobby2 is too heavy. Considering it is December, the weather was really mild
and unlike my session on Thursday there was pleasantly no wind.
We set off at a fair pace and stayed mostly together, though
early on I was struggling with stability when I got into the churned water
of her wash. There were also few narrow boats out doing a Father Christmas run http://chichestercanal.org.uk/boat-trips/father-christmas/,
which gave me more churned water to deal with. I wimped out when they went past
deciding to hug the bank and wait for the wash to pass rather than paddle
through and risk a capsize.
After we turned in
the basin I waited for a stunted little barge to leave ahead of me not realising
that I would have been considerably faster than it had I committed to go, I then found myself stuck behind it unable
to get too close because if I found the wake from a slender Talisman a bit of a
problem, the backwash from this inelegant tub was causing me havoc. Eventually
they slowed to observe a belligerent heron and I gritted my teeth and ploughed
through the bow wave.
I had fallen some distance behind my friend and really had
to put the power down to catch up. I found my focus and worked really
hard trying to keep the paddle cadence up. Usually when I try to speed up I eventually catch the paddle awkwardly and end up setting myself up for a tank slapper but for about two kilometres I was in the zone. I don’t think I have
worked that hard in a kayak for a long time but was a really nice feeling to be flying along only focusing on catch, rotate, power, catch, rotate, power.
We started a second lap and I was much happier dealing
with the disturbed water from another kayak, probably because I had to deal
with that barge earlier in the morning. We had some impromptu “efforts” whenever
we drew alongside (you remember efforts from when I had that taster session at
the Wey kayak club?) at full power I was generally the faster, be it I have a
quicker boat, more strength, or both.
We had completed 10k in a little under an hour and twenty
minutes and I finally had to deal with my current nemesis, namely getting out. I decided to try
this week from a fishing pontoon rather than at the quayside where we put in, because
it was a little bit lower (and wasn’t made of concrete which has been scratching
my boat). I did achieve what I think is my first dry exit from a K1 but it wasn’t
pretty and for anyone watching I'm certain it resembled a seal hauling itself onto a beach.
I think I have two main challenges at the moment, dealing with
turbulent water and getting out of my boat for portages. Both essential for the DW but they are bite sized things to work on.
In my last post I vocalised that fact that I was starting to
get a bit concerned by how little time I have spent in my boat, especially considering
it still gives me a little fright every time I think I have tamed the wobble.
Well I decided to do something about it and took my last remaining holiday off specifically to go for a paddle.
I headed for my favourite section of canal in Chichester (it’s
not my favourite section of canal, that honour goes to the first few miles of
the Llangollen canal from Hurleston, but Chichester seems to be the only place
I am comfortable to paddle my K1 at the moment) and put on for a solo paddle.
I had a tail wind for the first 2kms as I headed toward the
basin which helped with my speed and not long after I had started I achieved my
max speed of the day. Turning around was a bit sketchy as the wind caught me
and my boat at an angle which nearly saw me swimming, and it wasn’t until it
was against me did I realise what a boon it had been for the first two
kilometres.
After about 40 minutes or so I had completed a lap of the canal and usually I would stop
there, but I had taken a day’s holiday for this and I was going to make the
most of it. I headed off again for another trip to the basin and back which rounded
the total distance up to 10kms.
I didn’t fall in… Well. I didn’t fall in while paddling
which was a pleasant change. I did still have to throw in a few support strokes
every now and then but in general I felt very confident in the boat. I do seem
to have a problem getting out of it though, in fact, I don’t think I have
managed a dry exit yet. I pulled up to the bank tried a couple of times to get
out before finally losing the battle and plopped in, which was a shame as it
had been a very successful paddle up to that point. My concern is the 77
portages on the DW, which currently means 77 dunkings.
It has now been three weeks since I have sat in my kayak (in
fact any kayak, mine or otherwise) and I can’t believe how quickly this month
is flying by. Ongoing manflu, injuries, the grim weather, and other prior commitments,
have kept me in rude supply of believable excuses for staying away from the
water. I am however painfully aware that I have a boat that is more unstable than
I am used to sitting in my back garden and not being practiced in, while the
Devises to Westminster race creeps ever closer. I’m actually not too worried
about the race per se, I have battered myself on multi day events a few times
and know that I have the minerals to get to the end. But if keep putting off
this training malarkey I might not be quick enough to make it to the end. This
post is essentially me voicing my own kick up the bum to go and train in my
boat.
I do want to talk about other sports today though.
Predominantly this blog is about my journey to get to the DW and I don’t want
to venture too far from topic but I am, to a degree, using other sports to
improve my fitness for the race so it is sort of about the DW… Isn’t it?
Anyway Quadrathlon is the word of the week. It’s like a
triathlon but with a kayak interval throw in to join the run, ride, and swim. Up
until yesterday I hadn’t really given this sport a thought, I think I was aware
that a multi-discipline event with a kayak section might exist but I hadn’t
looked into it at all… I take part in the other sports individually already and
when my DW partner mentioned the quad to me, a little seed was sewn.
There is a long way to go with this, a tri specific wetsuit,
and a tri-suit will need to be found, and I will need to work on my running,
riding, and swimming in addition to kayaking if I am to finish anywhere but
last (and as it seems that there are usually quite small fields of entrants the
chances of being at the back are high). There is however a quadrathlon next September
held in my old hometown and I am very seriously considering entering. The idea
of this event has really got me excited, probably because I haven’t done it
before, and at the moment I am mentally working up a training plan. I guess
only time will tell if this really is my new passion or just simply the word of
the week…
