JuliaCreations

The Bold and the Beautiful

2011-02-26T20:35:00.000-08:00

Since moving to Manly my life has transformed in many ways, instead of spending 4 hours of my day experiencing the variety of public transport Sydney has to offer I now get up, walk to Manly Surf Lifesaving Club and meet the Bold and the Beautiful. A fantastic bunch of Ocean Swimmers who meet all 365 days of the year to swim from South Stain end of the beach to Shelly Beach and back. Since joining this eager group of early rises I have witness the most amazing sunrises and marine life. The most spectacular was the baby whaler sharks, actually looking like mini sharks complete with shark weave, I never thought I would be this excited about seeing a shark but so many of the swimmers had spotted them I was starting to feel left out. The other truly amazing swim was a morning when the sea was filled with electric blue plankton, they shone in the sea like neon blue lights as we swam through them - truly magical!

OCEAN SWIMMING

2010-03-24T22:37:00.000-07:00

The most incredible sport I have taken up since I have been here is the Aussie Ocean Swims. There is nothing quite like running into the sea within a pack of people on a beautiful sunny day and diving into the bluest of oceans. With the blast of adrenalin, excitement and anticipation of swimming within the raw elements with no aid but my own being, I feel more alive than ever.

My first race here was the Cole Classic in Manly Beach. It had strangely rained so much non-stop for the previous two days there was talk that it might be cancelled. But on the morning of the swim the rain had stopped and the race was on. A small alteration had been made to the course which meant swimming further out to sea – great I might get a shark sighting after all!

There is a fantastic pre-race atmosphere as all the swimmers with their brightly coloured hats (to reveal real age) wait their turn for their category to be called. These ocean swims aren’t just about your swimming ability, but how you handle this kind of sea assault course. The initial stage of the race is the most testing dew to the catapulting splash of strong sea salted water and flying arms and legs attacking from every direction.

I found myself laughing because I felt right in my element. With no fear of the water or the swim ahead this was the best sporting challenge I’ve had in a long time. The race settles out and a good pace was found. There’s no swimming lane boredom here but extraordinary surprises, one being the amazing sea life, lots of different shoals of fish, the sun beaming in like pure paradise then the Oceans natural swell which was pretty big on this day.

I reached the last cone to mark the way and gave it everything to the shore with final sprint up the beach to the finish. I suddenly felt really sick and very nearly throw up – the first aid ran over asking if I needed assistance! No, I think I was suffering from simple seasickness. I enjoyed that swim far too much for it to pain related!

I have been hooked ever since, competing nearly every weekend and training is even better. On a Saturday morning I meet friends and we do the Manly to Shelly swim. It’s so much fun, random people join us, we see the shoals of fish to swim through then finish the morning off with a big Brekki in one of the beach cafes. I love this place more and more each day. Who needs a holiday when you can have all this?

Shoot the Player at the Carriage Works

2010-01-24T16:45:00.001-08:00

For those that don’t know, Shoot the player is a non-profit music video production team founded and run by Amelia Tovey and Jonathan Wald.

Last Saturday morning I went to their live discussion at the Carriage Works. What they do is they approach great musicians they either like or who have been recommended by followers of Shoot the Player and ask them to perform acoustically in iconic random spaces i.e. a park, the beach, the streets etc. Amelia and Jonathan then film them in the agreed location but with out any rehearsals! These are never-to-be-repeated musical and visual experiences. They don’t just film the music they capture the interaction the musicians have with the public, the mistakes that happen, the lead up to the song, the in between songs when they joke around with each other. Everything is there raw and interesting, you get a real glimpse of the true artists personality. Via the internet the bands can be seen by fans all over the world.

I love great music videos but this off the cuff film making was a first for me and afterwards I had a great admiration for the pair. Despite neither of them having much technical knowledge or state of the art equipment the short movies are captivating and imaginative. It just shows what wonders the creative eye can produce no matter what tools there are to play with.

You can watch these one-take music videos on www. shoottheplayer.com/blog/ If you can know of a band you think would be great to shoot in this spontaneous way or an interesting destination for them to film you can post your comments on http://twitgoo.com/c55c6

My introduction to Sailing!

2009-11-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Sailing on Sydney Harbor is a completely different experience to the rough brutal English Channel experience I had earlier in the year. My fun spirited, adventurous, indefatigable friend here, also from Bristol Rowing Club introduced me to Friday night sailing, they call it the twilight session.

We arrived at Sydney Yacht Squadron – the most prestigious sailing club in Sydney (Prince Philip is a patron!) and I was introduced to the Skipper, his wife and their impressive 34ft Beneteau, a large sailing yacht.

Now I don’t have much experience in sailing at all apart from the odd experience between the ages of 14 and 17 I trapezed off the side of a Fireball, great fun until we capsized in the freezing dark Welsh waters. Then there was a few outings on a Laser where the friends Dad form of teaching was to just shout louder in hope we would understand in the end!!?! And then a couple of times on my Grandad’s boat here in Australia. Sailing has been a huge part of his life and I have always admired his strong passion for the sport.

So this Friday evening session is in fact a race but 20 mins into it, the red wine is opened and nibbles and dips are passed round! The sun is setting, we are in Sydney harbor with the Bridge and Opera house so elegantly poised, sea breeze, good company – I can’t imagine a better way of ending the week than this. Everyone has their jobs and works well together on board. There is slight tension between crew now and again but nothing like what was to come on my future sailing expeditions!

We all come in to the club, more wine/beer dinner and I get invited to come back next week to help crew, now with an increasing knowledge of what has to be done on board. As I am so enthusiastic about taking up the sailing I am then introduced to a guy who is organizing a course on sailing Ynglings, a boat slightly bigger than the Laser but less vulnerable to capsizing… apparently. He says I need to be at the club for 9.30am. I immediately stop drinking and put my self on a train back home.

I arrive at the club bright and early to discover I am being instructed by an Olympic Sailor and using her own Yngling boat she used in Athens! It was theory in the morning and sailing with practice of putting the spinnaker up in the afternoon. I actually felt very, very sea sick towards the end (something that I know I am vulnerable to) and the boatman had to extract me from the sailing vessel and into his speed boat where we powered round the harbor checking on each of the other boats progress while my sickness subsided – I was having terrific fun so I told him and to which he replies ‘well this is only half throttle!!!’ and powers the speed up even more! I got back on the Yngling for the last 10 mins and felt OK. I was then informed I was entered into a regatta the following day where we would do 6 races which would take about 5 hours!! Normal for a sailing regatta I am told. I practically only learnt to sail in a day and even then I was ill but nether the less I couldn’t turn down this opportunity of racing with an Olympic Athlete!

In the morning Lucy my lovely Godmother comes down to the club with me and I manage to get her on one of the speedboats watching our race. The kind gentleman’s daughter is racing in my boat too. So Lucy is whisked away in his Jag to his 3 story house looking over the harbor with speedboat parked out front. The next time I see Lucy she is sitting on the top deck of this speedboat, drinking tea and eating sandwiches, bobbing a few meters away from our finish line.

I made sure I took my Kweles! Which hadn’t worked on the Channel so my faith seriously needed to be with stored now.

Karen the Olympian was amazing, for almost every race we were first off the start and if we weren’t, as soon as we tacked we would be ahead again, she read the water with complete natural instinct and a calm confidence. I was the forignhand where I control the jib sheet and attempted to put the spinnaker up. I should have a lot more jobs but this was about my limits of sailing knowledge! It was great fun and I didn’t feel sick once! To my astonishment we won the regatta – mainly down to Karen’s superior instructing. Once back on land we received our Gold medals, drank lots of champagne and a BBQ to end the day. I was then invited to race on Tuesday night – The Women’s Yngling twilight race!

Tuesday came and I raced with predominant members, Hamish and Louise. This was a lot more serious and I way out of my comfort zone, at one point I thought I might be more help if I jumped out and swam back! I am far from fluent in the technical terms of sailing lingo, they might as well have been talking in some far outback aboriginal tribal language from what I was understanding. Each rope controlling not only different sails but different parts of the sails, and then there is the sea, yes that big vast blue thing that has now turned into this manuscript which needs to be read meticulously to anticipate your every move to ensure the boat is set up on the most dynamic course possible. For what I thought was supposed to be a friendly affair of a race was actually more similar to a heated argument between jail-mates the whole way round! Back in the club we all met and I was asked if I had fun?? I wasn’t sure I had but I knew it wasn’t enough to put me off, so replied ‘oh yes it was great fun’. Secretly thinking I need to get good at sailing FAST or I wont last a second longer. Once the Champaign was flowing (they seem to celebrate a lot!) the outing I had just experienced turned into this fantastic event that I couldn’t wait to happen again! As always I want to take the bull by the horns and get stuck in as much as possible so when Louise suggests joining her the next day for 2 races on a Sydney 38 (another type of huge sailing yacht) I can’t refuse!

Another beautiful day in Sydney! I meet Louise at Milsons Point and we walk across Sydney Harbor Bridge – I have to pinch myself now and again as I feel so lucky to be here. I love this city more and more everyday. It rained a couple of days ago as I was walking back from the station but was actually very refreshing and I always notice how the wet weather enhances the wonderful smell of the eucalyptus trees that line the streets.

The Sydney 38’s are amazing yachts, so big and have a huge presents in the harbor especially when sailing along together in a pack. This time four of us girls have the job of being dead weight on the high side of the boat when keeled over. This is in fact a very important role as it enables the boat run faster! One of the few rolls I have actually mastered! The blazing sun, blue cloudless sky, legs dangling over the edge, high above the seas splash as the yacht blissfully slices through the ocean. The Skipper got a bit hot headed at one point, something or someone had made an error when going about and we were now being over taken – he shouted to the crew ‘that’s it no more beer!’ By this point we had only had one each and I hardly think having the job as ballast weight another beer would make us any better or worse at our job!! Maybe for the more active crew members it would. Anyway it was soon forgotten and back in the docks we all sat in the cock pit (I am still learning the lingo so that could be wrong!??) and lots of lovely canapé type food came out followed by more beer and wine. Louise insisted we did the twilight session, so another Sydney 38 opposite preparing to go out shouted across if any of us wanted to crew so Louise and I piped up and jumped across. This was a shorter race and a younger crew, everyone dashing about their duties despite the fact most people were knew to each other. It was quite an eventful outing as two of the head sails broke, thousands of $ worth of sail gone in an hour. They seemed amazingly chilled out for the damages that occurred!

This sailing lark definitely attracts the most pro-active personality because it’s highly important to look busy this kind of earns your place on the boat, everyone is constantly looking for a job and just getting on with it. My uncle told me when he’s at work he looks busy by walking round the office with a piece of paper in his hand (the paper has nothing on it!) perhaps if I walk around the boat with some rope in my hand this will have the same impression, just while I am learning anyway!

We had another fantastic sail as the sun was setting. Afterwards we all headed to the club bar where all the crews are mingling with each other, the atmosphere is buzzing and I am invited to race on various boats almost everyday next week. Some people I hear call this a boat whore but I see it as fast tracking my boat skills so I can start pulling my weight instead of being just dead weight!!! The down side is I am never going to find a job if I am sailing all the time! But this has to be the most perfect place in the world to learn to sail.

Cherbourg via the Isle of White (a sailing experience that questioned weather I would ever sail again!)

2009-11-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Butleigh rugby club as many well know has a plethora of traditions; one of these is the annual yacht trip to Cherbourg to pick up refreshments for the club. On the evening of July 16th four people; Mike Rodgers, Chris English, Julia and Antonia Maunder assembled in Butleigh’s Rose and Port pub before setting off in Mike’s specially purchased family car to meet up with James piggy Pearse the captain of the ship. Now there has been some speculation as to whether girls should be allowed to join in on this sort of thing but in the spirit of the new Butleigh committee and the fact that Julia has out drunk several Butleigh players several times it was decided she should go.

Now Mike doesn’t just share his first name with Schumacher for nothing and within 10 minutes he had his front seat companion, Chris sweating, praying for his life and holding on to the passenger door handle with the grip of a python tackling ambitious sized prey.
Little did Chris know this would be the smoothest part of the journey ahead.
Arriving at the south coast port minus only a wing mirror Chris was sent immediately to the yacht to unpack his enormous suitcase on wheels.

In Butleigh style the trip kicks off by meeting at a bar in Poole where skipper Piggy moors his yacht ‘H.M.S. Scudamore’ in a near by marina. The first leg of the cross channel journey is a purely technical affair, that of boarding the boat and chugging half a mile negotiating the harbour lifting bridge before mooring up and returning to the pub.
The following morning, much to the astonishment of Skipper Piggy everyone was up at 5am and ready to help. Mike set about making bacon and egg baguettes as they cruised out of the calm warm waters of Poole harbour with the sun shining brightly in a big blue sky. They were, however heading out, unbeknown to everyone except Piggy into Gale force 10 winds complete with howling thunderstorms and reduced visibility. Chris, by this point was down below donning an apron, one of the many practical items he had packed in his case. Strangely he only packed one pair of trousers which as he later discovered wasn’t to be enough when in a mid channel nautical incident involving heavy seas his flies broke and thereafter he had to spend the entire weekend flying low. This was to attract a great deal of attention in a bar later that night.
The crew cleared the idyllic white cliffs that shelter the Dorset coast and started to get into rougher waters. As the boat lurched down one of the first larger waves Chris in his marigolds and apron was sent flying backwards and lay sprawled out on the floor of the boat. Julia and Chris at this point were looking decidedly pale. It was clear there was soon to be re-sampling opportunities of the culinary delights of Mike’s breakfast baguette and Antonia was duly sent to get life jackets and ties lines for them both. Seconds later Mike lurched half over the side heaving and retching coming up a few moments later with blood and worse all over his face. Julia and Chris soon followed suit.

Thirty minutes later, Antonia joined this elite group leaving only Captain Piggy still digesting his breakfast. Gagging noises heard coming from his direction cast doubt as to whether this would last. By this time Chris was doing a chameleon impression having matched the colour of his face to his green coat. Piggy with winds screeching through the rigging voiced his concern that no one was having fun and asked if anyone would like to turn around; ‘we have a further 9 hrs of this to make France’ he shouted. Mike with patches of scraggy dried blood on his face insisted despite not being able to show any enthusiasm that ‘everyone is loving it’. Piggy then asks Chris directly, who at this point is looking close to death how he is and from somewhere a quiet heroic voice says ‘lets push on’ before closing his eyes. Julia and Antonia aren’t caving in either. Piggy in a vain attempt not to put the crew off sailing for life (to the secret relief of all on board) turns around.

Almost back in Poole harbour and most of the sickness is passing, terra firma is within grasp and there is an eager anticipation to take that first step on to land. Showers are also high on the agenda particularly for Antonia as she has inexplicably managed to throw up down her own back. Piggy however isn’t going to let anyone off, rounding up cats would be a simpler task than getting this rabble back on board after stepping on dry land. ‘The Isle of White I believe has four vin yards’ he shouts and turns the boat about and a new heading is set for the Island’s main port!
On arrival at Yarmouth, Isle of White, the two nearest vin yards are located and the crew set out by foot. British wine doesn’t have the greatest reputation and after sampling the 5 bottles on offer (no red because it’s all in the local co-op) they left feeling obliged to purchase a couple of token bottles. Completely sober, it’s decided to get back in the Butleigh tradition and head straight for a pub, Piggy knows just the one.

The ‘Saltys’ Inn is famous for its live music and fantastic atmosphere during the summer months. Within an hour Julia and Antonia are dancing on the tables along with half of the population of the Island. Chris is singing a reluctant duet with the DJ and Piggy is making his own moves on an attractive brunette, taking full advantage of the lack of space or maybe dirty dancing is just his style.

2pm and the music is over they head back to the harbour only to discover the yacht’s dingy not where they left it. Mike had tied the dinghy up using simple Plimsoll knots but had made up for it with sheer quantity ruling out the possibility of it having drifted away.

Captain Piggy who in the pub had been the ‘skilled‘ winner of a pacey card drinking game ‘shithead’ is by inclination a mariner of stern social etiquette but was now a wild boar, charging up and down the marina before spotting his dinghy being rowed a short way out by two men. He shouted at them ‘get back here!’ and much to everyone’s surprise they did. As it arrived at the steps the two men quite little and very large tried to run past, little squeezed through Chris’s legs but large had the wroth of a raging piggy who unleashed a well aimed haymaker shouting ‘you’re swimming’ as large fell back into the harbour waters.

Piggy having gained control of the dinghy fired up the outboard motor and to the concern of his own crew headed fearlessly towards the men’s yacht to take on the rest of their twelve strong stag group leaving the two miscreants standing on the shore quaking and stranded. Eventually after a wholesome exchange of abuse with the antagonists Piggy was persuaded back towards the faithful H.M.S. Scudamore.

The following morning the expedition complete with just the two bottles of Isle of White wine arrived back in Poole harbour delighted and happily exhausted with their fulfilling but unfulfilled venture.

Two weeks later a new crew including the battered but unbowed Mike Rodgers under resolute Captain Piggy set sail for France once more.
by Antonia Maunder

2009-10-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

The quickest 6 weeks of my life just went by...

2009-10-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I just had the most amazing 6 weeks of my life. I stopped having time to blog/email/barely FB but it was actually refreshing when usually I spend most of my life on a computer. It made me think even outside work so much time is consumed looking at a screen when we should be having REAL experiences. I will now be re-living the past 6 weeks through my computer for the next year... well hopefully not because this year will be filled with LOADS more : ) A new adventure this time based in Sydney.

Instead of writing an essay I am going tell my East Coast travels in pictures....

Leaving Sydney on the tube - very very very excited!

Cairns harbor. Unable to swim in the sea because of the crocs!!! But there was a lagoon that all the party animals hung out on in the day time.

Cape Tribulation - such a beautiful
tropical beach.

Below are some friends we made including Vanessa, a crazy, very good fun Irish girl and Marco who we said goodbye to 1000 times as we kept bumping into him all down the coast!

Heaven must look like this...

2009-09-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Just got back off the Atlantic Clipper where I stayed for the past two nights visiting the Whitsundays. It is truly the most beautiful place. Whitehaven is what my idea of what heaven must actually look like. As soon as I get my photos on here you will understand and if you have seen them you will agree.

We took a 9hr Greyhound bus to Arly Beach and Stayed for the night in Magnums backpackers. Our hut had 6 other northern lasses in it. Very friendly but one had 250 bedbug bites on her!! nice. We got on the Clipper at 2pm and it sailed (ok motored) over to the Whitsundays. There was 53 of us on board. It was a really lovely boat and our cabins were pretty roomy, plus we got a duvet so I was about to have my best nights sleep I have had in 3 weeks. We had all meals provided which was a blessing especially as there was a brilliant cook.

All travellers would have heard of 'The Goon' basically cheap boxed wine that tastes rank. But everyone drinks it so time to get stuck into it as well. Feels like we are back at uni sometimes. There was then lots of card games played and music on the top deck. We have learnt a brilliant card drinking game called 'The ring of fire' I can't explain now but is great for a big group.

Next day we were up early and spent the morning on Whitehaven - beautiful beyond words. Then we went snorkeling obviously on a different part of the Barrier Reef. We saw a huge Turtle loads of fish - parrot fish - so pretty loads of fish big, small. Then got back to the clipper and they attached a huge water slide to the boat - so much fun. Like Green Bank Pool in the old days but I didn't get told off for going head first!!!

Last night there was an erotic story writing competition. I love a competition and I love creative writing so I got stuck into it. Last night they read all the good ones out and for a moment I thought oh no mine was so bad that they weren't going to read it, but he saved the winning story till last and it was mine ha ha. So funny, the crew said they felt slightly arousied reading it so it had to win and I got the prize money of a whopping great $30. There is an after party tonight with the whole crew - can't wait.

Oh aaaaaand One of the crew called Rhyan has just got a job in Neighbours and starts in 5 weeks so I already have his autograph and a photo with him - he said I was his first fan!!! So there is no way he will forget me!! Neighbours fans will understand . . . sisters back me up here!

Off to meet these 2 lovely dutch girls in the lagoon, Scott and I met them at beach Olympics, one of them is an events manager and she said I could have a career in it if I wanted!

Speak again soon xxxx

ps and we saw dolphins last night 5 of them played around the ship for a while. So cool.

CAIRNS!!

2009-09-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am finely finding the need to use this blog site again. I could attempted to write everyone personal emails which I would prefer but my Internet time now has a limit plus the sun is beckoning for us to be out side!

Having a fantastic time. Scott and I are now certified divers now! The first two days were in the classroom and pool doing lots of skills tests videos etc. It was very intense, had to take a lot in in a short space of time. Then at the end of day 2 we had the theory exam. There was 7 of us and we were aloud to take as long as we liked, after about half an hour the rest of the class had finished and gone home and Scott and I were still there half an hour later ha ha., to the point the instructor woman who was a patronising cow said to us not to worry, there's nothing wrong with being slow!!! We thought this comment was hilarious but she then thought we weren't taking it serious enough! Anyway we scrapped through and passed.... we are designers what do you expect!

Spent the last two days in the Great Barrier Reef and it was absolutely amazing sooooooo fantastically amazing. We saw all the fish in finding Nemo.... even a shark although it was the size of my arm! Not scary at all. We saw a huge turtle which was amazing. Scott touched it's back so I did then got told off, even though the instructor was flinging a sea cucumber around like there was no tomorrow. I really don't think she liked us. Then yesterday we had this really cool Korean instructor called Ray, he was so enthusiastic about everything and we completed our PADI withe him and it was high 5's all round. Plus he thought Scott and we so natural we were aloud to go out by our selves on the last dive. We were slightly apprehensive as we seem to get lost quite a lot generally let alone under the sea. But it was really good, a huge sense of freedom in a new world. We found our way back fine.

The hostel we are in at the moment isn't the best and this morning just as we were checking out a cockroach fell on my head!!! Not impressed but we are heading to mission beach on the Grey Hound bus at 12pm then booked into do a sky dive on Scott's birthday on the 24th Thursday plus we are staying in a hostel called Scotties!! So it was as if it was meant to be.

We have made friends with a couple of Irish and English and an Aussie girl who are doing the same thing. They said Scott has to wear his birthday suit to do his sky dive ha ha... Can't wait for the sky dive, 14,000 feet and we land on the beach it's self.

Got to go, miss you all loads xxx

My training partners name is now pain!

2009-02-02T01:03:00.000-08:00

Well pain was always there waiting for the opportunity to step up and now coincidentally just as Julia has chosen a new path I have found a new level of pain… the kind you get that makes you feel like you’re going to pass out or throw up! But that’s a 500m sprint for you and the name of this game. Training at Elmbridge is good and it’s just what I needed to make this winter a positive one. Elmbridge canoe club is a fantastic place; with plenty of talent, the Thames and great coaches. It makes working hard that bit easier and so far I am happy with the improvements I have made here.

I am very excited about the year ahead and although Julia is already missed and the reason I have got this far, I know that this is for me regardless of my environment or company. Even when I’m not sure about stepping out of the door in the ice, sleet, rain, snow, wind and floods; I just have to think about how lucky I am to be training every day and how much I enjoy pushing myself to new limits and striving to improve in the boat and in the gym.

I will endeavor to keep you updated on my progress on Julia’s blog if you care to follow the second sisters continuing journey in the world of sprint kayaking!

Goodbye Kayaking

2009-01-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

It has been far too long since I have written but over time I have made the decision to give up kayaking. It was the hardest decision I have ever made and took a long time to realise that I couldn’t go on any more. I had a lot of doubt in my mind for a long time and this started to make training a constant battle. When I was training 3-4 times everyday it just made me very unhappy. I can’t stand the thought of giving up, but I was burnt out and felt mentally drained all the time. Maybe if there had been a sharper progression curve I could have thrived off this but I think it is one of the hardest skills to master in the world as an adult and I would like to see Rebecca Romero take on the Sprint Kayak challenge.

My sister Antonia on the other hand is still extremely motivated and to be honest was always slightly better than me at the sport. I found this very hard to deal with as well, because she’s my younger sister. I have always felt I should be better than her and although I did come to terms with it, when you are training in a pair most of the time you are either first or last.

Antonia has now moved to Surrey and is living in Kingston-on-Thames and training with Roland Lawler at Elmbridge Canoe Club. Roland is a leading GB coach who guided his son Ivan to 5 successive world championships. Our original plan was for me to move there too, however after completing a couple of grueling training sessions I knew that I couldn’t do it anymore!

I do feel sorry for letting people down who believed in me but I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to give everything and see how far I could take it. I couldn’t have done that with out the support of my family and friends. I don’t regret spending 18 months training full time, it was a brilliant experience and I have far more respect for every athlete who invests the time it take takes to train at that standard.

I will always do sport because it’s in my blood and would go crazy with out it. At the moment I am running a lot with Wells Harriers. I aim to do a triathlon at some point this year or any sporting challenges that come my way.

I have recently made another decision of moving to Australia. It is something I have always wanted to do and now I really want to do something for myself. I am lucky that I love my career in Graphic Design and want to pursue this in Sydney. Half my family live there so feels like a natural move to make. Also I haven’t forgotten about the Iron Man competition I saw on Coogie Beach – an exciting goal that isn’t 4 years away!

I have a lot of respect for Antonia, training is her life and she loves leading it this way. Antonia never questions the amount of training even when she is really exhausted, she just gets on with it. She is doing really well at Elmbridge and is around the right people to enable her to see how far she can take it. Antonia is going to write the next installment on her progression.

Thank you to everyone who helped me pursue an amazing dream especially those who helped coach me. Andy Maycock, Matt Brown, Ivan Lawler and to the BCU who lead me on this adventure and introduced me to a very good friend Naomi who has been a kind of mentor through out.

Fast track slow track by Antonia

2008-11-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

Fast tracking myself has been a challenge that is nigh on impossible, as to do something quickly you need to miss out the mistakes which take up time by learning from the best in the game. The best people in the game are few and far between in this country. Sprint Kayaking is a minority sport and as I have realised by training at nearly every club in the south, the place to be for the fastest improvement is London. All serious canoeists travel to London to train, to get the depth of competition required to gauge how good you really are. What purpose does it serve to be the best at your local club if you turn up at a national competition only to be thrashed and ultimately humiliated? This issue is compounded by the technical nature of sprint kayaking and that most clubs don’t have dedicated coaches. Sprint kayaking is the most technical sport I have attempted to master. I never would have thought to be the case, but even months after learning, I had only just scratched the surface. All my fitness, strength and power, hours in the gym and on the lake counted for very little when a chubby 14year old girl effortlessly moved passed me, while I thrashed and fought my way through the race. She was technically sound and that is what is required in the first instance to move a sprint boat fast.
It is evident now that we have taken a slow track in the way we have progressed in the sport; not in time but in relation to the number of sessions we have done. We haven’t started canoeing like most with one session a week; we have thrown ourselves into it with complete commitment and enthusiasm. Typically training on the water five times a week and land training including specific weight training, running, swimming and cycling seven times a week from the start. This is where we have gained momentum and improvement at a greater rate than the typical canoeist and also why I feel like my input hasn’t yielded the results that I set myself a year ago. My targets were inline with the athlete being coached on the fast track programme and even with the quantity of training in place, without the quality of coaching and expert knowledge we have not been able to attain the results we were aiming for. However in this year I have markedly improved my paddling, strength and fitness and by taking the route with a big detour we managed to gain a strength in character, confidence and self belief that cannot be given to you by a coach. However it is now time to go to London to get some decent coaching and combine strength and fitness with technique to see if I have what it takes to make a boat go faster than anyone else.

5 x falling in champion!

2008-09-05T00:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the last Sprint Regatta of the season. I have no idea how much we have improved but the last two weeks it has seemed the odds have been against us.

Firstly we have a serious transport problem. The head gasket went on our car then our mothers car then yesterday on the way to our last paddle session the exhaust decided to fall off my borrowed Grannies car! So it seemed doubtful that we were even going to get to Nottingham but luckily living on a farm it was fixed or temporarily welded back on . . . it could still fall off on the way to Nottingham!!! (please no)

This last month we have had the honor of training with Elmbridge Canoe Club. One of the foremost canoe clubs in the country. At one of the regattas someone pointed out the Kayak legend Ivan Lawler, 6 times world champion. If you want to be the best you have to surround your self in the best so we approached Ivan to ask if we could train with them. We told him our back ground and he said if we had been on the fast track programme we must have some bite about us and agreed to see us.

Elmbridge Canoe Club is based is Weybridge so we trecked up there to meet Ivan and his group of youngsters he coaches. We went through loads of skills that we had never been taught to help our stability issues. It was very refreshing to have his input, he truly is a gifted coach and his methods were similar to the rowing coaching we used to get. A no messing around attitude and if you show willing, he has a lot of time for you.

The next morning Rowland Lawler Chief Coach of Elmbridge and yes Ivan’s Dad who coached him to victory was taking the session in the morning. We had already done a session with Ivan first thing and we were asked if we would like to join the group where about 40 paddlers get on the water and are split into 3 groups. One of our main issues is we find it very hard to paddle in wash as so we thought we should just go for it. Whats the worse that can happen, we fall in!

So we got on the water and were circling in our boats while everyone came on. We recognised a few paddlers from the GB squad and I suddenly thought what the hell are we doing here?? We were put in the third group and Roland set the first 2 groups off. Well the whole river turned into the sea and then he set our group off, after 500m I fell in! I couldn’t believe it! Antonia bless her was worried and waited for me. I quickly got back in and we managed to catch up with them again in time for the 2nd effort. But yes I fell in again! The groups just seemed to paddle off into the distance and as I had a bit more of a swim I wasn’t sure I would catch up with them so headed in that direction anyway. I eventually saw them and realised they were actually charging towards me so quickly spun the boat and joined in a head of the wash, I managed to stay in for this one! Amazing! They started setting people off with the slower ones first. Roland shouted out “what’s your name” at Antonia, she answered “Antonia” he replied, “can’t say that your name is Tony!” Then said to me, “your Tony’s friend”! Charming! So he set Tony’s friend off first, yes me, then Tony. This worked a lot better not being in the wash, but I managed to fall in another 2 times!! The choppy water is my biggest enemy, the Hunstpil is so flat and if there is wind it’s coming from one direction so can get use to it. We found to improve we just have to paddle more often with a group it’s the only way forward.

Our biggest problem is living 40mins from our nearest river and 2 hours from our nearest decent club. We spend so much time traveling around the country and it really takes it out of you. We will be into winter training after this regatta and need a solid season if we are going to make the improvements we need by next Summer. Hopefully this winter wont be too bitter or we might just find our selves in Australia again!

No rest for the wicked!!!!!

2008-08-03T01:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I went on a family holiday in St. Ives. Even though I was slightly apprehensive about sharing a house with extended family with 3 teenage boys (my cousins and brother) I was quite looking forward to a break from training and working day in and day out. I find it very hard to just stop. A lot of the time I don’t feel like I deserve a break. I train more than the average person so I spend working in my spare time to make up for it.
From when I get up at 6am till I go to bed I am either training or working which doesn't leave any time for socialising and relaxation.
A few days before this much looked forward to relaxing holiday a letter came through the post from Sport England inviting Antonia and I to testing for the Girls for Gold Scheme. Great Britain are doing another scout for talented athletes in Cycling, Modern Pentathlon, Windsurfing, Bob Skeleton and Rowing. I don’t know if we are insane but somehow we couldn't resist doing the testing. It would have been like closing a door on opportunity. With this testing due, only a week after the holiday we had to get in some quality sessions. So we took our road bikes and loads of training kit and off we went.

No it's not a big seal it's my Dad. The sea really is that colour - Beautiful!

The day we arrived our cousins got us in the sea and we swam a mile across the harbour. Ok it wasn’t that intense but I did have my little?? 21 yr. old sister Suzanna on my back for half the way as she didn’t think she would make it.

Day 2 was Antonia’s birthday. We were going to take it a easy so we got the bikes out to go for a discovery peddle around. We saw a sign to Land’s End and thought how exciting lets cycle there and get the train back!. OH MY GOSH it was soooooo hilly. Up a hill half an hour....., down a hill ......2 seconds, up a hill...., down..., there was no flat the whole way!! As we hadn’t prepared for it, by the time we got there we were staving and in shock. There was no train station, in fact there was nothing apart from a touristy shopping complex. I had such a sugar low I could barely walk, but we found the pasty shop and had the most AMAZING pasty I have ever tasted. We then rang Suz and got her to pick us up. She wasn’t amused and granny had told her not to come and that we should cycle back!!! Perhaps she was right but we wouldn’t have made it before dark and Ant’s birthday BBQ would have been over!

Another ridiculous idea was going for a run first thing before breakfast, along a the coastal path to Zenner, it was 7 miles. We thought, 'that will be a good run there and back.' It started off fine then turned into extremely rocky terrain so we had to run where we could and climb the parts we couldn’t. Antonia described me as a mountain goat to some passers by!! After an hour it turned very misty and there was nothing but cliff edges, rocks, sea and gorse. There was no escaping and there was no way we were turning back so we carried on. Luckily we found a stream half way and had a drink out of it - I couldn’t taste dead sheep so think it was all right. We got to our destination after 2.5hrs (I'm sure it was more than 7 miles!) and were so pleased to see a cafe in the tiny Cornish village we ordered a huge lunch at 11am plus it had a bus stop. We weren’t running back!

Amongst pier jumping and swimming with seals, we also went mackerel fishing which was a big mistake. Five minuets into it I felt so sick I had my head over the side - Dad thought I was just taking the fishing very seriously until he himself was sick, followed by my Auntie, then my little cousin then my sisters. At that point the fisherman said he better take the hospital boat back to shore. I am never doing that ever again!

The last adventure we went on was a trip to Portrieth, to go Surfski kayaking with Holly, who we had met on the fast track programme. The Surf was huge and we were using these kayaks you sit on instead of sitting in. We paddled through the surf to get 'out back' which was great fun.We fell off and had to quickly get back on before the next wave crashed over us, then paddle as hard as possible to make it over the next wave. Once we were through the breaking waves, there were yet more huge rolling waves. It was awesome fun. Holly is into Quadrathlon which is swimming, kayaking, cycling and running - I have to do that one day, I may as well put all these skills to use.

So, not very relaxing holiday! Although it was a break and I don’t do sunbathing anyway. Plus the boys made it much more fun and they learnt the valuable skills of washing up!

We had testing last weekend for the Girls for Gold. I don’t want to say too much about it. I was really glad I went and again they sell you the dream of competing at a home Olympics. What they don’t say is there are no guarantees, you can give up everything and give it your all and then that isn’t enough either. But for me it’s worth that risk, it’s not a risk it’s a choice to take the opportunity.

Nat Champs Review

2008-08-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

I have finely found time to write on here. The Nationals had it’s highs and lows. In kayaking you are promoted on your 500m and 1000m time so it’s important these races both go well. The 500m are always first, we had a heat I was in the first one and Antonia in the second. We both came 3rd in our heats and got exactly the same time! In my final there was a lot of pressure building up I felt a lot better in the Plastex and we have trained everyday in the boats bar 4 so I was expecting massive improvements. Got off the start and was going OK until with 200m to go I fell in. Distraught! I was in the frame of mind, why the hell do I do this? All the time spent put into it and I can’t even show that in a race. After a bar of chocolate I felt better. Ant got a 3rd which was really good. My other k1 races went OK but had blown my chances of a promotion.

Our k2 however was a different story. We had a tub of a boat but was pretty stable and we felt confident. We both wanted the same thing, to destroy the opposition and we had that faith in each other that we were going to go all out. The categories had been merged together so we were now racing a higher division. We were really looking forward to the races as this was our first time competing in a k2 since Australia where we got so annoyed with each other we nearly through ourselves out of the boat mid race.

500m I had steering issues and we came 4th, very annoying but we came back for the 200m and blasted it down the course and came 2nd. The best race of the weekend and made my training pay off at last. The race takes a minute, it’s just full power the whole way. Then the 1000m the next day we got a Bronze.

Ant got a bronze for her 1000m K1 as well. There was a harsh cross wind and I was on the far side where it was a lot worse OK!!. . .

We got our first Silver and Bronze medals in the K2 Wuhoo!!!!

2008-07-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

The National Champoinships

2008-07-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of July Antonia and I have been kayaking for a year. It's been the quickest year of my life . . . I say that every year but this one was ridiculously quick.

This weekend we are competing in the National Championships in Nottingham yes the lovely Holme Pierrepont where it all began, the same regatta in fact we watched last year with the chosen 12 who started the fast track programme. I remember watching all the kayak races thinking . . . yeah a couple of months and I will be able to do that!!! I can safely say this project Antonia and I took on has been harder than I ever imagined.

The hardest thing has to be, to enjoy a sport I have never done before. The normal way to get into a sport is either as a child where you naturally have more fun what ever it is you do or you have a go at something new and if you like it, build up gradually. We were thrown into the sport to which we were thrown out of every day for most of the year in my case, and then asked constantly if I am having fun??? Well no not really but I can’t give up till I have cracked it! The point is without out the deep foundations of canoe and kayaking usually built over years, the love of it is a bit false. I love water sports, training hard and competing but the actual love of Sprint Kayking has to come through over time. It's hard to do when there is so much pressure on us to get good quickly. A whole year later and I am only just starting to feel the love and that has come through meeting inspiring people, experiencing different disciplines of kayaking, actually racing and for not being rejected by my kayak for 3 weeks now! A year on I realize I have only just scratched the surface of an amazing sport, I couldn’t possibly give up now, I will see how things are looking in another year.

As for the Nationals, yes I am nervous but I am going to race for the love of racing. We have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

p.s. I missed rowing enormously over the weekend of Henley. The Bristol girls (and guy coxes) did the best the club has ever done and I am very proud of them.

A Kayaking Adventure!

2008-07-02T09:20:00.001-07:00

Over my Birthday Antonia and I were invited to go Sea and Surf Kayaking in beautiful St. Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Matt Brown thought it would be great for us to broaden our kayaking knowledge and most importantly to ‘have fun’ - something I find hard to do when my life consists of training, working, training, working, training, bed.

We met Olivia ex British junior Wild water racer and Matt at lunchtime, got kitted up and headed down with the play boats. We had to paddle over to the next bay to get to the good surf. Now these boats don’t go in a straight line as they have to be able to maneuver easily in waves, so this was very hard work and as the sea was very choppy I started to feel very sea sick. My goal became to paddle as quickly as possible to the other bay and get out onto lovely flat none-moving land. I got half way across and turned to check where the others were, to my surprise they were further away than I expected. I waited for Olivia to paddle over and she informed me Antonia was also feeling sea sick and finding the paddle over almost impossible. I waited for a bit but really need to get to land. I got to the surf and a big wave came . . . ok 2ft but I was side ways on and capsized. I was in shock, Matt had told us what to do in the event but after all the talk of them being so stable I seriously hadn’t thought it was going to happen. While under water with the tight neoprene deck around my waist which firmly attached to the cockpit I actually thought, ‘oh my god I am going to die on my birthday’! Then I found the pull thing at the front of the deck, pulled it and tumble-turned out of the boat. I had an emotional few seconds and walked to the shore with my boat. Antonia padded over to join me with an anxious look on her face after seeing me under water for what felt like a long time. Olivia came to the rescue with some Brioch - chocolate bread. The three of us sat on the beach eating, Antonia and I wondering if this was a weekend of torture!

We got back in the boats with the sea sickness and shockness subsided and actually had brilliant fun. As I find with surfing there is nothing better than being out with the raw elements. Matt came to join us as he had gone back to let his dog the soppy rockwieller Boffy out. We fell out loads of times but it really didn’t matter.

For our second session we went sea kayaking. These are different types of boats again. Long, like our sprint kayaks but very stable and able to carry enough equipment if you became stranded for at least a week. Antonia and I were actually amazed at how much safety equipment we had to take. A spare tent, a flair each, a gas cooker, spare paddles are just an example of what measures we had to take. This made me slightly worried about how dangerous sea kayaking was.

So we set off, the sea was so clear, we paddled round the cliff edges and saw lots of different bird life. We then paddled across to Ramsey Island. It was a bit choppy and Matt was explaining about the tides and eddies but nothing too threatening had made me think we might be firing up the gas stove in the luminous orange tent while firing off flares!

Out of no where a huge school of Porpoise were jumping in and out of the water just in front of the boats. They are a part of the whale/dolphin family. It was so amazing to see in such a natural environment. Going from being in heaven I was suddenly in my worse nightmare. The sea turned into conditions I have never witnessed in person. Huge un-breaking waves with eddies that took my small boat away at least 100m in the space of a few seconds. Matt was very calm and told me direct instructions to follow. I managed to get back to them but the whole time thought a huge wave would tip me up and I would be carried to a cliff side and thrown against it. Antonia however was very calm and took it all in her stride I was very impressed. We got through it and paddled back, it was dimpsy dark and I was still getting visions of being on the show 999 as we had been gone for a good 2,5 hours and felt very tired plus Antonia was singing the theme tune out load! But that night as we tucked into a huge well deserved dinner I felt we had just had the most incredible adventurous day. Also we now know we would NEVER attempt an Atlantic crossing in a rowing boat or kayak.

Some great kayaking!

2008-05-26T03:21:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUt0wH4mHrg

May Regatta

2008-05-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

WINNERS TAKE CHANCES

2008-04-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Winners take chances.
Like everyone else they fear falling,
but they refuse to let fear control them.

Winners don't give up.
When life gets tough they hang in
until the going gets better

Winners are flexible.
They realise there is more than one way
and are willing to try others

Winners know they are not perfect,
They respect their weaknesses
while making the most of their strengths.

Winners fall, but they don't stay down.
They stubbornly refuse to let a fall
keep them from climbing.

Winners don't blame fate for their failures,
nor luck for their successes.

Winners accept responsibility for their lives.

Winners are positive thinkers
who see good in all things
From ordinary, they make the extraordinary.

Winners believe in the path they have chosen
even when it's hard
even when others can't see
where they are going.

Winners are patient.
They know a goal is only worthy as the
effort that's required to achieve it

Winners are people like you.
They make this world a better place

Nancye Sims

2008-04-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

First race of the season!

2008-04-17T03:27:00.000-07:00

Our first week back in the UK was awful, it was freezing and it was so windy we could only get out in our boats twice before the race at Nottingham. We were both thinking the same, why did we come back? But luckily we found this amazing coach in Worcester, Matt Brown. If it wasn’t for him I’m really not sure I could have carried on kayaking. Before Ant and I went to Australia we were actually at a very low point. Matt entered us in all the K1 races and all the K4 races too. I was so worried about racing in front of the British Canoe Union lot I really wasn’t sure I could compete yet. But you know you just have to think, no one cares about these races as much as you, so the only person you are really letting down is yourself. So basically just get out there and do it, as there will be just as much pressure built on the next race and it will be just as mentally hard!

So we did the first 500m and came middle of the pack but once that was over I felt ecstatic and enjoyed all the following races because I realised that it didn’t matter what my times were because as long as I put in 100% I know there is only room for improvement. Plus I did all my races in a much more stable boat which meant I could put on full pressure without the worry of falling in. Ant is doing really well in a sprint boat so yes she is still faster than me, but when I eventually do get in a fast boat we will see who REALLY is quicker!

Matt Brown has been an amazing support and I feel we are actually getting somewhere for the first time in a long time. Since then training has been the best we have had it since we left Nottingham! Now I feel like we can finally make a real difference and ever since competing I am highly motivated to train hard and get chunks of seconds off for the following regattas.

One thing I have learnt recently is every athlete is very complex and must be treated individually, it is easy to underestimate someone because they aren’t improving the text book way. If you look at the bigger picture there are always areas of improvement but each area progresses at different rates for each individual and it takes a good coach to recognise these and develop them with skill and enthusiasm - Matt does this.

Don’t read if your vegetarian!

2008-04-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written for a while now mainly because the sprint season has started and fitting work around training can be a struggle. Luckily I like my design work unlike my sister who has endless delivering all over the country side and then there is dealing with the meat for the farm shop. Actually not long a go a customer asked my sister for some ribs, Dad was out and as there were wasn't any prepared by the in-house butcher, so Antonia thought she would use her initiative and cut the ribs from the cow she knew was hanging in the chiller.

From all our weight training squatting a large amount isn’t usually a problem but when it’s a full grown cow on your shoulder it’s another story (btw I would never do something like this!) So Antonia using all her will power gets this cow into the cutting room and attempts to saw the ribs out. If you can imagine sawing through bone then you will realise how hard it is. So after half an hour of sweating and sawing away decided this just wasn’t going to happen and went out to tell the customer in fact there were no ribs available and would she prefer a chicken? The woman just looked at her stunned and left. Then Ant looked down at her apron to see that she looked like she had just massacred something!

Ant managed to put the cow back but it looked as though a couple of alsations had been at it. She was so worried what dad would say that she didn’t tell him and that was the day before we left for Australia. Dad still hasn’t said anything to her and actually he offered her the business yesterday, so I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know she had anything to do with it!

A few things I have to mention . . .

2008-03-18T04:51:00.001-07:00

Well done to Phil who also did the Sydney Harbour Swim! I know Liz forced you to do it in a hope that you would win another holiday but it was worth it and you achieved your goal of surviving!

Thank you Liz for showing us the beautiful Royal National Park despite only just being able to walk after a serious back operation! . . . you better get training asap as I'm coming back to challenge you to another Ocean Swim! (you've got 6 months!)

Antonia you must start using your own camera, I can't have these kind of photos blocking up my memory card!

and last but not least . . . THANK YOU Lucy for letting us stay with you and being the most wonderful second mother and fantastic friend, you are one in a million!

Goodbye my beautiful Australia

2008-03-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

Fridays racing of the 200m were still nerve wracking but not half as much as the first one plus we had a chat to a couple of the aussie Olympians who were really friendly. We both felt we were able to get a good start and we both got through to the semi finals which we didn't realise until a club member came running up to us saying we were racing again in half an hour. We were shocked but glad to get the chance to put in a better time. Ant's heat was before mine and there were 4 false starts by various people, I felt very sorry for her. Then in my race the same thing happened but lane 6 a NZ girl made two false starts which isn't aloud and was disqualified. She slowly paddled past us with tears rolling down her face. After all that I didn't do a PB!

The K2 200m were moved to the Sunday and by this time with all the advice we had been getting and being told not to care about anyone around you, just do it for yourself, this is your first year racing just enjoy it spiel I really felt relaxed, so relaxed I nearly made myself worry about being overly relaxed so managed to control that feeling and the K2 was far more in time and actually felt some run on the boat so it just proves the more racing experience you have the better you can perform under pressure.

I heard there were storms in England last week!!!! I was wearing factor 50 on Manley Beach today so I am really not feeling the urge to come home. But we have our first Sprint regatta in Nottingham on the 5th and 6th of April which will be another interesting experience as this time it wont be the Aussie Olympians we are racing but all the girls we started this kayaking lark with in the first place!

Sport doesn't build character it reveals it!

2008-03-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

In my head I already knew I was going to come last in my heat at the Nationals when I was up against girls qualifying for Beijing not just from Australia but from countries such as New Zealand and Itally so I had set my own goals. 1. was not to fall in 2. to beat my last PB for 500m and 3. to beat Antonia! (she doesn't know the last one but she will now)

Before the race I was a nervous wreak which I think i had every right to be, imagine warming up with girls who where wearing their country's lycra and Ant and I in our Bristol all-in-ones! Plus being that nervous made me even more unstable than usual. When I came round to the start we had to back the K1's onto the start where a kid holds your boat until the starter beeper goes off. I was just thinking please give me a bloody rowing boat this is a stupid sport, why would anyone in their right mind want to do this. Actually why am I here? Then they called . . . starting in 10 seconds beeeeep. . . and I basically crawled off the start line while the Olympians raced ahead. I was so nervous my whole body was shaking. When I eventually finished, miles behind the others I nearly cried because I was so glad it was over. The pure humiliation of it all there was no way I had a PB and what was worse Antonia had beaten me ahhhhhhh.

We then did a K2 together where we fought all the way to the start line (very stressed at the thought of racing Olympians again) as we have rating issues then the race went better than my K1 but felt rushed and out of time. Anyway it's over and we don't have to do it again until Friday when we have the 200m. The say sport doesn't build character it reveals it. I certainly felt ripped raw to the core with that experience. I am so glad we have got tomorrow off, we are going surfing at Bondi where I can fall in as much as I like! Oh yes I didn't fall in!!!! (but think I held back for fear of falling in)

Also we got talking to a few of the officials and one of the old guys works in a School with my Grandma and the other invited us to Kayak at Windsor (Sydney) Canoe club who train at Penrith where we raced today so if nothing else comes of it apart from the great?? experience we might have opened a door of opportunity as we are thinking of coming back in September for a bit longer. Australia is the place for kayaking that's for sure!

This post sounds quite negative but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Things can only get better!

Sydney Harbour Swim (on a not so sunny day)

2008-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

2k swimming race in Sydney Harbour sounds quite easy but when your amongst hundreds of other swimmers as well as the natural swell of the sea and wash from other boats it turns the swim into a whole new skill. The hardest bit was to control my breathing but after the swimmers have broken out a bit and found space it became easier. Antonia's age category started before me but the funny thing was after about 3/4 of the way through I knocked someone swimming by and looked up and it was Antonia, out of all the people we were in there amongst, we just laughed at each other and swam on then I thought I can't believe I wasted energy laughing! I finished the swim in 26.59 which I didn't think was so bad for my first ocean swim plus I have had no practice. . . . apart from back in the Summer in Nottingham oh and few few endurance swims here on the lake (with a kayak full of water) so that is a small lie but it's nothing like the sea!

Here is a non attractive photo of Ant and I in our lovely swimming hats we had to wear!

IRON MAN!!! I soooooo want to do this!!

2008-03-01T21:15:00.001-08:00

Surfski Kayaking, Paddling on a board and swimming x 3!

The NATIONALS!!!!

2008-03-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Last week at the club there was a lot of talk about the ultimate race in Sprint Kayaking which is the Australian National Championships. As well as being the last race in their sprint season this is also where the top athletes in the country will be fighting it out for a place in the Beijing Olympics.

All the guys at the club have been entered and were asking if Ant and I were going to compete. As always we are up for anything so entered on-line as soon as we got home. It felt great to be entering as 'international' representing GB but apart from age category there wasn't anywhere to state what level we were, like in rowing you start novice and work your way up through the categories and this being our first sprint race ever wanted to make sure we were going to be racing people of a similar level.

So I rang up the regatta organisers and told the nice woman, although we have entered as international we have only been paddling since July so want to make sure we will be racing at the right level and she promptly informed me that England had a good system going and Australia were thinking about implementing it but the only categories they have is age so you could be racing against Olympians!!!!! I said wow that will be an experience but I really am very novice and might fall in off the start line! She said just practice some starts you will be fine! So then for a minuet I was very excited and then realisation hit me and the pressure of what we have let our selves in for.

So yes next week I don't think we will be doing many other forms of training other than paddling and Duffy has even given us a key to the club so we can get extra sessions in.

The nationals start on the 12th March. Ant and I are competing in a K2 and k1 500m and 200m on the 13th and 14th March.

I'm reading Lance Armstrong's autobiography and he said that all great athletes aren't scared of putting them selves in positions where they could make a fool of them selves through lack of experience because that's the only way you will learn fast! hummmm . . . he also says " make every obstacle an opportunity" which I think is a better way of looking at it.

18 sessions in 6 days!

2008-02-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

Our first week here was pretty full on training wise which of course is a good thing but when we planned to have Saturday off as we were meeting Liz and Phil on Friday night we had already done 18 sessions in 6 days! Then on Friday we had a paddle first thing in the morning then felt like zombies plus we had promised our selves we had to do a 30 min interval run 2 mins hard 2 mins less hard! Then we went straight from that to a body balance class which is just loads of stretching and we barely had the energy to to do that. So we crawled back home ate lunch and went to bed! We then met up with Liz and Phil in the awesome Pizza restaurant called The Oaks. Not long after we had Sat down this guy came over to me and asked if I was a rower because of the size of my arms!!!! I said I use to be but I used my arms too much instead of my legs so I had to change sports. Then Liz jumped in and said feel my arms i'm a rower!! Very amusing even though reality struck that I am turning into a hulk! See hulkism below with little lovely Lucy with whom we are staying with and is like a second mum to us. We love you Lucy! (sorry if I'm a bit scary!)

At the weekend we went to watch Northern Beaches Canoe Club in a regatta in Penrith where they held the Sydney Olympics rowing and kayaking events. When we turned up Duffy the coach told us GB were there and sure enough they had entered six of their top women who we had met during our stay at Nottingham. We watch their K4 race seen here below:

Here they weren't doing too well and came last but their K2 did really well although we missed

that race. Northern Beaches also did great although in training this morning the coach had a go at them and said she noticed after most of their races they were able to talk way too soon which of course meant they weren't trying hard enough which has to change in time for the biggest race of the season, The Australian National Championships which are in 3 weeks time!

"You need to learn pain" in Duffys words!

Below two of the boys from Northern Beaches Kayak club after their k2 race.

This weekend we also visited Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains which was absolutely stunning.

We trained some more on the beautiful lake and visited our very cute, cheeky cousins! Antonia loved having that overly large stick insect in her hair!!!

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!

2008-02-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

Our awesome gym, I just did a spin class for the first time and it was AMAZING!!!! Recomended for anyone who likes to burn baby burn!

When we first talked about having a training camp here I was thinking it seams quite extreme to do it on the other side of the world but it is totally worth it. It's so motivational being in a warm climate and being constantly surrounded by a healthy fit nation who always seem positive and happy.

The kayak club are a 25 min drive away so to be on the water for 6am it does mean waking up at 4.45am but we have done it just about every morning so just feels normal at the moment.

Northern Beaches Kayak club are based on the beautiful Narrowbean Lake which is huge. The club train 9 times a week and is mainly kids between 8 and 18 which is really perfect for us as the coach is the best technical coach in NSW and technique is what we seem to be lacking! But this coach Christine or Duffy as the kids call her is a no nonsense woman. If your a minute late, the squad are gone, if you miss a training session, your out of a crew boat, if you fall in you have to swim to the bank and yesterday I fell in . . . in the middle of the lake! The shore looked miles away and slowly the other paddlers and Duffy in her wash making speed boat were out of sight.

I was left stranded thinking there was no need to find that 50m pool today. Antonia kindly came back for me and at first I told her she shouldn't have as it looks bad if we both don't stick with the group, but she pointed out it was our first time in the speedy K1's they had lent us and she was also worried about how far I had to swim. So she suggested she toe me and my water filled kayak but that didn't work, I tried straddling it like on a surf board but it was too full of water so I swam and swam, I could see the shore in the distance but it didn't seem to get any closer then I had a panic attack and suddenly thought I would get leaches all over me then Cockodile Dundee crept into my head, Antonia realised I was being completely irrational and reminded me leaches don't like salt water (as the lake runs into the sea) and Crocodiles are only way up the North coast so I got a grip and carried on swimming. Then I spotted this beautiful Pelican that was standing in the middle of the lake! No it wasn't Jesus reincarnated it was a very shallow part, so I swam there and thanked nice Mr Pelican and he said "any time mate" and flew off! Ok Ant paddled over first and he fled! So I got back into my boat and paddled back to the club.

Sunny Sydney

2008-02-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

We arrived in a hot sunny Sydney about 5 hours ago and despite feeling like I am on deaths door through lack of sleep we have already found a huge free-weights gym and have our first paddle with Northern Beaches Canoe Club at 6am tomorrow morning! I am sooooooooo happy. It is gloriously hot and everyone one we speak to sounds pleased to see us, maybe that's just the accent. Off for a nap now, Antonia is insisting we go to the gym tonight, the hour of core we did in Tokyo airport wasn't really sufficient!

Warm weather training!

2008-02-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

OFF TO AUSTRALIA WUHOO!!!

Around Christmas time Antonia and I were talking about having a training camp in Oz to give us extra inspiration to continue training hard up until sprint season. As many know half our family live out there so we were hoping accommodation wouldn't be a problem! At first it was just a 'far out' idea but then after an especially windy, wet and freezing outing on Bristol Docs we thought we just have to make this trip happen. So we made all the necessary arrangements and tomorrow we are off to Sunny Sydney (apparently it's a bit wet at the moment but at least it's not cold!!) We have found a canoe club who train every day, a free weights gym and the superb accommodation we are staying at has a 50m pool at the end of the road!

I will be writing again as soon as we have sussed the place out but for now I have to track down where our lovely new Bracca IV paddles have got to!

p.s. We went to watch Debra Searle do a talk at Bristol University and I can't help but quote her as she is the most inspirational person I know.

Opportunities happen when you put your self out side your comfort zone. I love that because now when ever I don't want to do something I will change that feeling instantly by realising what great things will come from it!

Rowing is so last year darling! Our first kayak race!

2008-01-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Antonia and I had our first marathon experience this Sunday. It was the first of the waterside series Great Bedwyn to Newbury 13 1⁄2 miles including 21 portages. We weren’t sure what to expect apart from a lot of pain but as soon as my coach Andy said we ought to do it I was very up for it actually more up for it than I thought I ever would be, it was the thought of finally competing again thrilled me. Apart from the trials in Notts and the friendly Endeavour race both our last proper races with lots of other crews was Henley Royal Regatta in a much loved rowing boat!

We got to the start on time, the atmosphere was so much more relaxed than a rowing head race, which was nice in a way as it took the pressure off what we were about to do. It didn’t help that we boated the wrong way around and the marshal said it would be a long race if we were to do it back wards! We just made out we were going for a long warm up paddle in the other direction!!! Which he didn’t buy!

We started with 3 other crews and went off hard then settled into a good rhythm but 2 mins into the race we had the first portage. This is a skill in it’s self as you can loose a lot of time hauling your self out and in of the boat. To get the fastest portage you have to do everything in sink, from grabbing hold of the side, getting out the same way and running as fast as your partner to the other side of the lock gates and putting the same foot in the boat before your bums hit the seat and then pushing off the side. We were very bad at this having no experience but got better even though in the last hour I questioned whether my arms would lift my body weight out of the boat any more.

It was such a good experience and to race with all those people around was a huge buzz plus we over took loads of crews. This sport is mainly dominated my men so a lot of the crews we overtook were men and judging by the subtle remarks they made to one another found it demoralizing.

We finished the course in 2hrs22mins coming 9th out of 28 other women’s K2’s and also beat 29 other senior K2 men which we were very pleased with as we have only been paddling now for 7 months.

We also were spotted by Worcester Canoe club coach who has asked us to train with them at the weekends to make a k4 to race in the Summer which will be fantastic!

The canoe community is pretty small so it was good to finally meet a few of them. I can’t wait until the Summer now bring on the racing!

New coach, new gym, new fantastic year!

2008-01-28T05:25:00.000-08:00

I was in a Glastonbury café last week and on the back of the menu were my stars for the year, (not that I believe in any of that stuff) but it said Gemini’s are about to have an incredible year and so far they have proved right!

Antonia and I have a new weights and conditioning coach who has been such an inspiration to us. Pip the former England woman’s rugby player as taken us under her wing and has set us a pure power and sprints focused programme. We have already undergone 2 bleep tests and cleans are becoming second nature.

We also have to say a MASSIVE thank you to the TRAIN STATION GYM in Glastonbury who have kindly given us free access to their superb free weights and cardio equipment. The staff are extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and I would recommend it to anyone. We haven’t been to any of the classes yet but they sound very motivational!

Although we had set up a good gym in the cider cellar it was starting to get slightly monotonous. We have to do a lot of our training with just each other so to have a gym and train with other people has given a massive boost to our moral.

Slalom Paddling!

2007-12-12T05:06:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago my sister and I were invited to Nottingham to stay with a very good friend known to many as Aggressor and to also train with the Fast Track girls we left at the end of August.

I my self was very apprehensive about it although I knew it was an opportunity we couldn't miss as it would show where we are compared to the girls still on the programme.

After seeing the word time trial on the duel carriage way on the drive up and automatically finding myself driving as fast as I could to win of course, I realised that I was in a good, focused mind frame and if I got a speeding ticket I would never be able to borrow my mums car ever again! (don't panic mum nothing has come through yet!)

Saturday morning we got up early and walked to Holm Pierrepont and met the girls, they were so pleased to see us both it was quite overwhelming. It felt very strange, like a day in the life of the Summer but so much has happened since then. We met Mark our old coach, got out our previous boats we initially learnt in and pushed off the landing stage. Our racing boats we now own are far more unstable than the boats we started in so it felt good to know our stability has improved.

We were doing 500 metre sprints and just the feeling to be back training with a bunch of people who are so focused and driven was exhilarating (like being in a committed rowing crew) and to get that intense coaching made me really miss what we had in the Summer. Antonia and I weren't last out of the four who still remain which in my mind is a big achievement. However we have a lot of work to do by the sprint season which starts in April but now knowing where we stand and have a good set up at home our only limitations are our selves.

It is a lot harder doing it with out the kind of structure and input they have, but we have to remind ourselves that we also have a lot of support and must focus on what we do have not what we don't. If you can get through the hardship and stick at it, you will come out on the other side a far stronger person with far more motive to keep going especially after you have invested so much in it.

After some kayak erg work with one to one coaching we then hit the water again for the last session. We boated on one of the smaller lakes beside the main racing lake and paddled onto the river Trent to do a steady state piece. On our way back onto the lake I was in a slight trance, feeling quite tired. The next thing I know the water is actually pulling me into the lake and thought for a split second 'oh my gosh they have turned the rapids on' Nope I was heading for the Slalom lake and even with frantic back paddling it was too late and was swallowed into the first rapid. I capsized and had to get myself out of my spray deck under water which I have never done in flat water let alone in a waterfall type situation. My boat and my paddle went flying out the other end and I came up spluttering and choking to find a group of worried kids paddling towards me. I manged to grab hold of the side when the instructor taking the Children's slalom lesson pulled me out. I thought straight away how will I live this down! The slalom kids paddled over with my boat (in one piece thank god!) and my paddle. Antonia came running over the bridge after seeing the whole thing from a safe distance to see thankfully, I was OK. Mark my coach had disappeared which he later told me was so embarrassed at what I had done pretended to disown me!

Antonia asked how I missed the big sign above the bridge saying SLALOM CANOE COURSE, HELMETS AND LIFE JACKETS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES! Yes I still don't know how I didn't see that either, again so focused I was oblivious to anything around me!!

That night we went to the classy stores of Asda to get things for dinner and one of the Canoe guys who I didn't know happened to be working in the Pharmacy and said "are you the girl who took a sprint kayak down the slalom course?" word gets around fast.

A lot learnt and much banter had, I just hope we get invited back after making such a lasting impression??

Choose Your Attitude!

2007-11-12T04:02:00.000-08:00

I’m sorry Petumbukan Frangipani (what a lovely unusual name you have!) that I haven’t written for a while but I didn’t want to write again until I had something positive to talk about and today I feel like I have climbed a foot hill of a mountain which feels like an amazing accomplishment.

Last week Antonia and I decided to go for an especially long paddle on the Huntspil, it was a lovely fresh Autumn day with the sun high and the sky was blue as ever. We set off to kayak the whole stretch of the Huntspil and back. On the way we greeted by a friendly fisherman who told us to ‘get off the river’ so we kind of just ignored him and paddled on. The Huntspil is very straight and as it was such a clear day we could see the end from miles away. After 2 days had gone past we finally got there . . . ok 1.5 hours. We turned our boats around reasonably easily in the 2pmh winds so we were now in a head wind which is easier to paddle in. I felt quite confident and said to Ant ‘we will fly back now it feels so stable’ then a few well spirited strokes later and I fell in. It was FREEZING, another friendly fisherman packed up his stuff and moved a few metres down as I clearly must had disturbed the fish (sorry Mr fisherman, don’t you mind me, I only could die of hypothermia!)

I quickly climbed on my boat and paddled to the side but the banks were so high I couldn’t get out so ended up paddling (lying on the boat) for quite away then spent a good 20 mins getting back into the boat. By this time the sun was going down, we quickly paddled on but I was getting cold and colder so we stopped and Antonia gave me her dry top (see mum we do love each other!). We paddled further but with the sun down I didn’t last long until I felt so stiff with coldness I couldn’t paddle any further. That sounds very weak of me but I’m not one for giving up and I just thought if I fall in now, we are still so far away from the car I might just die on the river bank (a bit dramatic but that’s how I felt at the time) so we both got out our boats in a random field.

It was now very dimpsy dark and as soon as a got out I felt dizzy (I think I had a major sugar low) so Ant said we had to run and leave our boats. So we did, through fields, over hedges, dodging an evil looking bull then crossing the M5 in our lycra in the dark. We eventually got back to the car got changed and drove to the nearest garage to get vital food supplies - food always comes first something we both feel strongly about so no arguments there! Then of course we had to find the boats which meant taking Granny’s car for a little off road adventure (sorry Granny). We couldn’t find the boats – I had visions of a cow fancying a quick paddle (still delirious from the cold) Antonia thought they had rolled in the water! No we were just looking in the wrong place but as it was pitch black and we only had the light from my glowing heart rate monitor so it was very hard to see. They were still in one piece so we loaded them up and went home.

My next outing in the K1 I actually felt slightly more stable which is the first signs of a considerable improvement I have had ever since we got them. Then this morning we had a usual early morning session in the gym and my weights went up. So finally all the ground work we have been putting in since we left Nottingham is finally paying off.

I just read the most inspirational book by Debra Searle which has really helped me: The Journey, How to achieve against the odds. One thing that especially stood out was when you wake up in the morning you have to make a decision. What attitude am I going to choose. You can either choose to battle through the day and feel sorry for your self or you can choose to be positive and optimistic, what ever the day has in store for you, this makes you far more in control of the situation/training session, choosing to fight it instead of it fighting you if you know what I mean. So quote of the day ‘choose your attitude’.

p.s. Sorry Uncle David I didn’t get to the hedges in time and Mum got the hedge trimmer out and cut through the lead! No more hedge trimmer, I better get the old secateurs out!

Huntspil River

2007-10-24T03:24:00.000-07:00

The best river I have paddled on and it's only 30 mins from home. This has meant Ant and I have been able to go paddling every day to make sure we are staying upright well and truly before winter sets in. I think this river is also a rowers dream. Maybe City of Bristol should have a training day here! No ferries, no barges, no speed boats, only 1 or 2 swans, the odd leaf, the odd fisherman. All that is there is flat wide river - fantastic!

These are photos taken yesterday where we had our longest session in our K1's yet.

A swans nest saved my life! (kind of)

2007-10-24T02:53:00.000-07:00

Training as everyone knows has it’s up’s and downs. A couple of weeks ago was a particular low point for me, with the trees shedding leaves like they are in a hurry for winter to come and constantly getting caught on the stern of my boat and an obvious drop in temperature, falling out of our K1’s has become even more unpleasant than it was before.

We were doing a sprint session and for the first four efforts my boat had been picking up leaves like it was designed for it, producing a sluggish pace rather than a flat out one minute sprint, and to top it off Antonia’s boat didn’t appear to be collecting half as much debris. By the fifth effort this was more than testing my patience and a few too many aggressive strokes in my unforgiving Nelo, landed me in the cold water, gasping.

We were on a more flat scenic part of the river rather than the busy docs and there wasn’t anywhere obvious to get out. Luckily I spotted a swans nest and swam over to it. The angry swan to whom we had the delight of meeting earlier was no where to be seen but even so Antonia was on vicious Swan watch while I hauled myself onto the bed of grass. As you might be able to imagine it’s quite hard to boat from a nest and it took 2 attempts to finely leave the unusual landing stage. That was the end of that session even though we had quite a while to paddle home I couldn’t get warm which infuriated me even more as I hate cutting any training session short but made up for it in a weights session later. At the time I was not amused, Antonia was trying to have her concerned voice on but actually thought it was hilarious.

Swans will always be a pain to paddlers because of their territorial nature but for just that session I was extremely grateful.

Endeavour's Canoe Challenge

2007-10-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend Antonia and I competed in our first k2 race in the Endeavour's Canoe Challenge. It’s a grueling 50 mile relay-style competition from Market Drayton to Great Haywood in Shropshire. Twelve teams of consisting of 6-10 people entered the event.

The Canoe Challenge is a fund-raising event, aiming to raise valuable funds for Endeavour's youth development projects throughout the
country.

Teams of all levels of experience take part in this unique team-building event. Each section of the canal is taken in turns by team members to paddle as hard as they can, usually until a portage is reached then have to jump out, run with the boat and hand over to the next canoeists in the team. A vital support crew follow in a mini bus driving as fast as the speed limits allows to ensure they meet the paddlers racing at the decided point and swap team members as quickly as possible.

Not only did Bristol come away with first prize but all the teams together also raised over £13,000 to support Endeavour's work with young people.

First Class Gym/Cider Cellar

2007-10-11T03:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample of some of our weights!

Chins

Bench Pull

High Pulls
Bench Press

A Woman is not finished when she’s deflated; she’s finished when she quits

2007-09-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

If ever there was a true test so see if you can push your self on your own for me that is now. In the beautiful surrounds of Somerset which use to be associated with a place of relaxation and eating lots it’s now a training zone.

Coming back from Nottingham without a boat, paddle, gym, a coach and more importantly an accessible river close by, the decision to carry on Kayaking and training to eventually compete at such a high level was quite a challenge to say the least. But with such good people in the world we now have all of the above and we couldn’t have got this far without:

Andy Maycock: New coach (previously competed at the Worlds, loads of experience, drive and actually trains with us instead of shouting from a car through a megaphone) He also found us our wonderful speedy racing boats.

Granny: For letting us turn her Cider Cellar into a 1^st class gym (my sister has had to get over her spider phobia, as they come back as fast as we get rid of them!)

Dad: For having a rugby pitch right opposite our house to do circuit training on but has yet to join us for a session (Dad, just because you scored a fluke try last week doesn’t mean that training is obviously not needed, we know you just don’t want to be 5 laps behind your two daughters!)

Mum: For reminding us to stretch all the time, cooking and doing 4 loads of washing a day! (Mum I will cut the hedges very soon I promise!)

Simon: For building us a chin up bar in the Garden.

Last but not least thank you very much to Jihan, Sarah, Alisdair, Neil, Diego, Dee, Gidas and Lauren for your letting us stay over in Bristol so we can get all the water sessions we can on one tank of petrol. Jimmy, Christi and others who I have not approached yet can we stay at yours at some point?

So training has taken a turn but for the better, we can run and cycle in one of the most beautiful parts of England, actually meet other canoeists instead of being refined to Holm Pirrepont and Antonia can work for Dad at the Farm, one of her dreams come true . . . not quite, but it has it’s pluses - free Chicken, wuhoo.

Kayaking World Championships Video by Naomi, Viki and Julia

2007-09-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Minor set back!

2007-08-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

OK so testing took a turn of events.

The lunch before the dreaded 4k run test, the girls and I reveled to each other we all had been having dodgy stomachs all weekend and it wasn't just nerves! With none of us wanting to have excuses for the coach to why we maybe shouldn't do the run we just got on with it. I took 67 seconds off my last time which I was thrilled with. Straight after word had got to the coach that we had all been a bit ill so we were told if we had been to the toilet more than 5 times that day, we had to go on gut rest and was only aloud fizzy drinks! This seemed a pretty harsh way to celebrate after the run but a speedy recovery was of the essence so orders must be carried out! So then testing had to be put on hold for everyone, slowly normal training resumed and the only other test to be carried out was water on the Friday morning of reviews!

My best 500m time improved by 16 seconds from the last lot of testing and I felt I paddled as well as my technique allowed me to at this stage.

Reviews were . . . disappointing to put mildly. Both my sister and I aren't being offered the funding we hoped for. Apparently we aren't as technically advanced as the others despite all going at a similar speed! If I had written on here on Friday night it might have gone something like 'the BCU (British Canoe Union) can go to hell' but I love kayaking now and greatful for being introduced to it.

After such an amazing experience I'm not ready to give up that easily. I have been shown the goal in life I want to ac hive and believe I have the will power to take me there (technical issues can be iron out - I have only been paddling for 8 weeks!) Now I am better off because I am surrounded by a supportive family and the best friends in the world. Plus I have twice as much incentive to beat the girls who have stayed on the programme! (girls if you read this I mean that in a healthy competitive way!) One of the girls who has stayed on (who would kill me if I mentioned her name) has particularly inspired me with her positivity and you can achieve anything you want attitude. If you can't push your self on your own then you wont make 2012 anyway.

I know it will be hard but that's all part of the challenge and I have to give it a shot.

You’ve banked all your savings now make sure you spend every last penny!

2007-08-19T01:51:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the start of a whole week of testing:
Monday: 4k run (where I am expected to take off 1 whole minute from the last test)
Tuesday: Weights test (more improvement)
Wednesday : Lab testing on a kayak erg with lats being taken every few minutes
Thursday: Timed pieces on the water
Friday: Judgement day (reviews)

I have decided not to let one negative thought into my brain so at the moment I am feeling confident I will improve on everything.

I am now feeling slightly sick I have written down what I have to do but nerves are healthy and make you go faster so it’s all good . . . remain calm . . . today is rest day so all I need to focus on is relaxation and the precise order of music I will play on my MP3 player tomorrow during the run. My best track to get into the zone (where I picture myself on a start line in a race) is Evanescence, Bring me to life.

There are now 6 of us left and all of us want this as much as each other but only after this week we will see who the panel of judges think have the potential to make it to London 2012.

Hopefully catch up with people at Bristol Regatta and Somerset the weekend coming x x

Regattabahn Duisburg: Sprint Kayaking World Championships Germany

2007-08-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

After travelling for ten hours on a small bus with 6 big girls to arrive at a forest/campsite in the pouring rain and have to pitch a tent wasn’t the best start to a ‘holiday’, but never the less we got on with it. It rained all night and all day and after having heard about the heat wave in Europe none of us had packed water proofs or warm clothes so we all had to acquire them from random people/coaches feeling sorry for us.

The first 2 days were heats, then on Saturday and Sunday were finals where the weather improved 100% and racing had become very exciting. We had each been given a category and we had to observe them and talk about them every night in turn. Mine was the women’s K2, Hungry and Germany dominated every race and Germany won most over all.

Tim Brabance GB, won the men’s K1 1000m and came 2nd in the 500m. When he was being presented his medal and the national anthem was playing I think we all felt how much we wanted his place as well as being immensely proud, in fact when we watched all the the GB squad competing, now we know them and kind of feel part of the squad although we aren’t quite on it yet the thought of competing, representing Great Britain and most importantly winning seems more in our reach in the short time span we have. Seeing the racing made me really want to train as hard as possible to really put Great Britain up there with the Germans and the Hungarians.

It was an amazing experience although communal cold showers and horrid loos wasn’t oh and I got my first international win in a cycling competition on a turbo bike! (It was in one of the clothing stands and I won a cycling top).

Back in Nottingham for some more intensive training which is being taken up a notch and then more trials and dreaded lab testing in Loughborough all next week! If we get through that then we will sort out about moving here permanently. I feel ok about it now but we have got some tough days ahead of us. So if I don’t write it means I am too exhausted to as I intend as always to give 10000%

Thanks for your comments guys they mean a lot. I’m sorry I haven’t got back to you all, having a time limit on internet is such a pain.

GOOD LUCK AT OXFORD BRISTOL! X X

I MADE IT!!!!

2007-08-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say I made it through to the last stage of the conformation period. I actually convinced myself I was going home yesterday, to the point I even packed all my stuff up ready.

Yesterday was extremely tense, the testing was over and everyone was talking about the following days evictions! And yes it feels like Big Brother! Then just when everyone didn't feel like socialising we were all invited to the coach of the GB senior women's house for a BBQ to meet all the girls on the squad we eventually aim to join. I think everyone was feeling as if this might be the only time we get to see them so the atmosphere was hardly lively! (not to mention the absence of alcohol!)

Reviews started at 9am this morning and it was bad news for the first 2 girls. Everyone became highly emotional at the thought of loosing friends we have shared so much with in this short space of time. It was Antonia's turn next so she was bricking it! She came back to the room where we were all waiting for the latest outcome, she had got through but still on edge as I was next and we both know how hard it would be if only one of us got through but it was good news again. Thank the Lord! It is really great having each other here, the extra moral support is priceless.

So next week we are off to Germany to watch the World Cup Sprint Kayaking Championships as well as some serious cross training!

Words can not explain how happy and relieved I feel right now.

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

2007-08-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were tested on our 4k run where I took 16 seconds off then another Dyno test and weights test - bench pull and bench press. Where there was NO improvement what so ever?? I don't think I should be writing on here write now but this blog site would be quite boring if I always write how great everything is!

Today we had 3 x 500m on the water. 1st one and 2nd one I was concentrating way too much on technique and made me too slow so the last one I thought sod the technique I'm just going balls out where I actually came in at the same time as the other two in my race.

Tomorrow we have reviews to find out who they are cutting, I could be in Australia sooner than I intended! Oh well apparently the surf life saving team out there are really great fun so I think I will take that up next.

I will let you know tomorrow.

Bye for now.

btw I always prepare well!

Persistence prevails when all else fails

2007-07-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

With with more testing is sight the pressure is on to make more improvements in the short space of time since the last testing. We had an individual goal setting review and we have been told we have to reach certain targets to stay on this boot camp. At the time I found it very positive and something to aim for but training with fatigue can soon make you feel like the target is a out of sight. I found you have to quickly dismiss these negative thoughts and remember that no matter how tired you are you still have to make sure you give 100% and get as much out of the session as possible. With people around you, all potential competitors for 2012 selection there is no time to take it easy on anything!

We did some more hill sprints this week but as it was raining . . . AGAIN so for health and safety reasons we couldn’t run down the hills so our coach told us to roll down them. Yes getting on the floor and rolling down in the mud and goose s**t that seams to b everywhere. As some people know I get car sick very easily and hate all fair ground rides for the simple reason; they make me very sick! By the last hill sprint I was crawling back up the hill instead of running and Antonia was following shortly behind.

Later on that day we had our first race in K4's where we were put into random crew boats with experienced kayakers and had to race 10k! Most of us had only paddled 6k at the most in one water session and that was with countless stops, wobbles and fallings out. So the challenge was on to not just complete the race without our arms failing us but also to beat the crews with the other talent ID girls in. We all got though it, my crew didn't come last, and arms could just about reach mouth to have dinner so it was all good. Made me realise how much stronger we have to be.

Today we had a proper rest day and all went to a very posh leisure centre where they did us a special deal for being 'Women’s British Fast Track Kayaking Squad' little did they know we have only been on it four weeks! Jihan joined us for the day too and had no problem flashing her guns along with the rest of us to prove we were part of the squad.

Back Holme (yes I used it again!)

2007-07-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

I think the novelty of being here has slightly worn off, training has upped a pace and everyone knows they have to up their game to get through the next 2 weeks. Rest has never been more important, so tomorrow we are having a sleeping workshop (no we aren’t aloud to sleep in it!) Our coach doesn’t think we are resting enough and making it compulsory we all sleep for an hour in the day!

The next two weeks are a real test if we can sustain the training and give every session 100% even if we are tired. I am finding the paddle sessions the hardest because we still aren’t entirely stable and it’s so frustrating trying to apply technique when you are still trying to balance the thing. Extra sessions on the kayak Erg seem to help and also being reminded if you have a bad session just make sure the next session is the best one you have done yet. Positive thinking and some visualization gets you everywhere!

This really is FAST TRACK

2007-07-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't written for a few days mainly because we were moved to a hotel while some French rowers took over Holme Pirrepont and also because our new GB boats are so unstable that our coach took away our time off and replaced them with extra water sessions - a few of the girls weren't happy but we got on with it!

Yesterday we had lots of testing one being another 4k run where I took 50 seconds off, another part of it was some timed pieces in our twitchy boats but it was more who can stay in there boat for the whole 500 meters. It was quite funny as a few of us would line up on the start, the coach would say 'go' then as we paddled down the course you would hear a huge splash and you knew there was a woman down. At one point one of the girls fell out on the start line, the safety launch sped over with urgency, knocking 2 others over with the wash, so there was now no one on the start line to actually compete. The girl in question threw some abuse at the man on the safety launch and said she didn't need any help and if it wasn't for him she wouldn't be in the water in the first place. I managed to do two of the timed pieces, but fell in on the way up to the start line by getting caught in masses of weed.

Back in lovely Somerset now for some much needed rest . . . but that didn't last too long as I just had to go for a run.

Resting HR has gone down by 10 beats in just two weeks, this really is fast track!

Tired but happy

2007-07-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Apparently cakes are ok if you share them I was told by the nutritionist today, so I got a slice of lemon cake and a slice of fruit cake and shared them both . . . aren't I good!!!! It was actually very interesting, carbs and protein are in a lot more food than I initially thought, no need to eat extra protein to get bigger muscles because if you eat too much meat it's just plain fattening.

Everyone seems to be having a slightly off day, we all went out in K4's this morning for two hours, the rowers of the group not surprisingly stay in time with stroke without even thinking about it, the others were caught out on timing quite often. I can't disclose our exact training plan we do for various reasons you can probably guess . . . wouldn't want the Hungarian women getting any inside information (big rivals we need to be as fast as or pref ably faster than by 2012) but I think fatigue is setting in and the honey mood period is coming to an end, we just about know each other well enough now to let our inner thoughts somehow escape when cross. But it's all part of the experience. We have swapped rooms as well which is good I think as groups were starting to form, mainly because we tended to stick with the people we knew better.

Very, very tired in every way. Going to bed at 9pm tonight and I can't wait!!!!

Big girls are beautiful!

2007-07-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a heavy weights session where I discovered a new pain thresh hold which is always good. Every time I think I have pushed my self to the limit I soon find new levels I didn't think existed.

We are seeing the nutritionist tomorrow, but my food diary from a week I did when I was in my working and rowing life is completely different to now. I eat three times as much and a lot healthier but a lot more cakes, muffins, brownies and hot chocolate, I think the food at Holme Peirre Pont is amazing! Oh and on the unhealthy stuff there are signs saying 'stop and think' well that just makes me stop and think how much I want it! With lots of heavy weights sessions and eating so much I am going to be massive in no time NICE!!! I'm just hoping my neck will take longer to develop!

Quotation of the week

2007-07-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

If you don't train hard today someone else will!

FRIDAY

2007-07-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

We have to fill out a form every morning about how we feel, mood, fatigue, motivation, how much sleep etc it's out of 10 (10 being great) so muscle soreness 4, motivation 10!

Went for a 35 mile cycle ride and it was awesome and best of all I managed to keep up with the triathletes although I only lead for about 2 miles of it though. Very hard work and I thought I was going to be sick at the top of one of the hills as my quads were hurting to much! With 4 miles to go we did stop for a cream tea, which we well and truly deserved. Had a massive lunch then slept, yes I have finally learnt to sleep in the day.

I am loving this life, don't want it to end . . .

Day Three

2007-07-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys, thanks for all your comments it's great to hear from you all, good luck at Llandaff, I really wish I was there to swim another lap at midnight, can someone please keep up that tradition I started! Thanks for the running advice Christi!!! I knew I could count on you for advice no matter what it was.

Weights was at 9.30am and we did our 3 rep max on the arm pull, the bench press and the bench pull. Most of us were at the same amount of weights apart from the ex light weight GB rowers could lift that bit more! My goal is to have them! We then did a short circuits session of 5 mins of press ups, seated single arm row, Belgium single arm pulls, and dreaded chin ups. Everyone was put into groups of 3 apart from my group had 2 people. Who ever got the most reps out at the end of the 5 mins of each won. So our mission was to try and beat a group with three people in. 5 mins is along time, we were aloud to assist each other on the chins but we ended up practically lifting each other up which was quite funny as my partners arms went and her arse landed on my face as I was lifting her from her feet. Ha ha But we came 3rd out of 4 so mission accomplished and now not only my quads kill but EVERYTHING else too! If I sit still for too long I can’t move.

After lunch we did some technical work on the kayak erg. Then this afternoon we kayaked 4k to the end of the 2k lake and back, our coach Mark was cycling along the side and shouting technique stuff to us. After I went in K4 and it was awesome, I just loved being in a crew boat.

Tomorrow going for a 2 hour cycle ride at 8.30am with some very experienced cyclists, I just hope Antonia and I are at the same level at this or I will be last, I don’t think my cycling to work is going to match the triathletes is the group!

Buy the Sunday Telegraph, I had a chat to a journalist yesterday about it all and plugged COB a thousand times!

Day Two

2007-07-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6.30, Had to do a hard 4k which was to the end of the 2k lake and back, the other girls are all fantastic runners, I came 8th out of 11!! not impressed although I was dead and my sister beat me!!!! then had breakfast then had a weights session, just going through them mainly but my quads killed! Then lunch, then core stability and a yoga session with Jihan our physio, who is also half Egyptian like my Jihan. It was really good - bristol rowing girls I have sooo many new exercises for you! Then had a water session which was really good again, managed to pick up some speed and didn't fall in. Mark said I had a good session but need to see the beast he saw in the trials on the water, so tomorrow I intend to shop him just that, even if it means falling in!

Just had another huge meal and going to bed very soon as we have a weights test tomorrow morning!

Bye for now, sorry about spelling grammar etc I have run out of Internet time!!!! x x x

In Nottingham at Last

2007-07-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

For people who are interested, I have only 2 hours of Internet time a week, so instead of writing e-mails I'm writing here, which is what it is for anyway.

Arrived yesterday in time for lunch at Holm Pirre Pont, afterwards we were allocated rooms, I am sharing with one of the girls called Fern who is also a rower. For people who haven't stayed here it's like student halls.

First had a chat with the psychologist which seemed ok although I felt like I had to justify everything I said in case it was wrong. Then had a chat about the training plan with the sports science coach, then unpacked and had our first water outing. It was actually great fun as people were falling in left, right and centre. I fell in right at the end of the session when my new coach Mark told me to make sure I enter the water with a straight arm!

Had dinner and I have found a group of girls that actually out eat myself and Antonia, felt right at home! Oh we got given our own brand new paddle which we wrote our names on then were told we will be given our own boats each in GB colours on Friday - can't wait!!!

I DIDN'T FALL IN THE DOCKS!!!!

2007-05-25T01:03:00.000-07:00

Went Kayaking at 6.30am this morning in a K1 opposed to the very buoyant Surf Ski and didn't fall in!!!!! But was a nervous wreck for the whole hour. I hope this gets easier soon, this sport is no good for my stress levels!

2007-05-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

Yeay my very own Blog spot now I don't have to rely on COB for gossip because I can post my own right here!! wuhoo!!