The NATIONALS!!!!

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!

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!!!

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

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!

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!

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!

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.