As a big competiton approaches.

As a big competition approaches it can occupy a large amount of our thoughts and much of our energy is directed toward it.
Some important things to keep in mind during this period are:

• try an keep life a bit normal, we still need to do our everyday things such as work and school these can't be neglected as they too will pile up and become insurmountable, usually just as the competition is occurring and take our focus off the race.
• At this stage the level of fitness you have is what you will take into the race this is the reason we have prepared and trained for the many months leading up.
  
• We can find a bit more speed in the next week or so through training and ensuring our technique is good.
• Race tactics are important as as strategies for drinking and portaging.
• It is far easier to do things to make you slower at this stage than to make you faster.

• As the competition comes closer the work will get harder but there will be less longer work, now is the time to allow your body to recover and freshen up so it is ready. More is NOT better, the time for lots of work was months ago.

Nutrition:
Everything that you eat is what fuels your performance if you eat rubbish your performance will be so.
Eat regularly and in smaller proportions

Check you boat now!
Is the seat in a good place (have you grown?)
What condition are the cables in?
Is the rudder damaged.
Do I have all of my wing nuts?
Are there cracks in the foot bar?
Does your pump work?

After a long summer and many weeks under canvas and without internet or phone I am back online. Tasmania was awesome paddled some fun whitewater and may upload some photos and video when I get them sorted out. Plenty of C boat paddling including my first outrigger regatta which saw a 2nd in the OC2 and 4th in a very rough OC6 (spent a bit of time leaning out of boat to keep it from tipping, uncomfortable).

Goals for the near future:

Return to Tassie for some C1 paddling on the Mersy and Bradys Lakes and hopefully qualify fir the WC in Oct / Nov.

Get the team ready for Nationals and good performances.

Friday 14th Nov

Been a bit slack in posting!

Training for me has been patchy over the last week, had some good C1 paddles including and hour and a half with Steve and Trifon on Sat and a good K1 paddle at Patterson Lakes (soon to be my new training area / club).

Made an awesome carbon seat for the downriver C1 last night, popped it off the flat board this morning. Hope to have it installed in a few days after finishing the coaching course this weekend.

Weekend

Paddled friday night, pretty easy at the lake and coached Saturday Morning, got out in the c1 for a bit.

Sunday
Paddled on Goulburn River at Seymour, a nice stretch of river.
Paddled flatwater C1 in crosswind, currents, boils and through small rapids all excellent practice.

Thursday night Outriggers

Out in the big boat again, the afternnon storms didn't materialise which is fortunate as we were able to get out on the bay as a result. Paddled out into a fairly solid northerly bouncing over swells copping a few in the face even though in seat 2! Had to work though a few technique adaptations as good habits in the K1/C1 are not good in the outrigger its more of a boofhead stroke and the paddle being fairly simple in design works differently.
The run home was more fun and sigificantly quicker, chasing runners / swells fairly intense periods of effort.
All up over an hour of fairly hard continuous paddling, good resistance training was very tired, woke up on couch at 12:30 that night hardly able to move....so tired......looking forward to loosening up paddle tomorrow night with the boys.

Wednesday

Hmm

Not much wind in the afternoon, though I'd go out in the C1 for the coaching session.
Of course the wind then blew up so I floated around prcticing turning in the wind (this C1 is a pig to turn in the wind). Jumped in the K1 for a bit and then the win ddied down, go figure.

Anyway stability and steering fine in the wind in this boat so once I have made a proper foot rest I'll be fine, going to Steve's factory tomorrow to chat about this.

Thursday Lunch...... ran 3 x Hill sprints on Kangan Dve with the boys at School....... I hate running breathing like an old goat.. will be good for me in the long run i'm sure!

Tuesday 28th Oct

Late meeting at school left work about 5ish.
Due to less than ideal time training is better done from home so I got out the road bike.
While having ridden the mountain bike a bit recently I have only been on the road on the indoor trainer.
Invented a new loop up in the hills near home and rode for about an hour either up or down hill so it was quite a good varied and challenging workout. Felt better than I thought I would and actually was feeling strong on the sustained climbs despite weighing over 10kg more (due to a few years gym, but contributes power) than last time I was bike fit!
I have lost a bit of condition on the bike so sessions will increase by 15 to 30min each time, pretty soon I'll be cracking out 2 to 3 hour rides for cross training.
Key to bike cross training for me, C1 paddling is more demanding on legs than K1 hence I need to make sure I am more conditioned all over than in previous years.