Training weekend at Tryweryn

By some miracle everyone ended up with the weekend off so we headed to the mighty Tryweryn for a spot of paddling and for me to paddle till my arms drop off! We met up with Rob and Andy and made the long drive up to Bala. The weather was meant to be terrible but other than Saturday night we actually got a lot of sun, glorious!

For the first run I spent some time with my better half who is just coming to grips with the grade 3 I keep leading her down. She managed to nail the upper graveyard, ski jump and chapel falls with no problems, super proud! I soon realized with rafts and the volume of other boaters that charging down rapids cleanly was going to be quite challenging. None the less I focused on nailing fast lines through Miss Davies and Fingers.

For training I think the weekend was great. I felt pretty good and fast but I know I need to focus on being able to make these difficult moves when I'm exhausted. I think if I can get an intense day on whitewater at least once a week up to the event I'll be on the right track.

My dad lowered the bar and took a swim on upper graveyard, he was tired.... but nonetheless entertaining! Andy apparently swam at ski jump and Simon took a swim on lower graveyard and lost his blades for most the day, glad you found them mate!

Physically I feel great, feeling strong and fit. My old shoulder injury tweaked occasionally during the weekend but it doesn't seem to be effecting my paddling so that is promising. Heading to the states in three weeks, so I'll be trying not to eat too many burgers and hitting the gym! Overall a great weekend with family and friends!

Heatwave!!

British summer has got a little confused and supplied us with two weeks worth of pure dry, hot, sunny weather! Although this has been more than useless for paddling real rivers, it has been a lot of fun. BBQ's and swimming have most definitely been on the agenda, but training as also been on the menu. Running has been more sweaty and challenging but still good and paddle sprints have been great. The weather has also allowed me to ride my bike to work everyday so this is an added bonus.

Next weekend we are heading to the mighty Tryweryn for a weekend of paddling and training. The stop watch will be brought out and I'll be timing myself down different sections of river and ultimately practice my speedy paddling techniques and reading of the river for the fastest lines. I realized the other day that not including the two weeks I'm in the states I only have 8 weeks of potential paddling and training to go before the Sickline, crazy! But I think I'am on the right track. Heading to the Pyranha fest for some racing in September which is the weekend before I head to Austria. So that'll be a good opportunity to get some last minute boating in!

Has summer finally arrived?

Well here in the UK it seems we are finally getting a little bit of consistent nice weather! Last week I had a week off work and although I kept up my running and weight lifts I took a break from boating and had my 22nd birthday party mid week. So it's been great to hit training hard this week, and I'm quite sore for it! So far this week I've done three runs, three weight lifting sessions, four days at work, 16 miles of intense cycling, kayak sprints and a 7 mile intense paddle from Ross in an hour. I think tomorrow will be my rest day!

Last weekend I went on a none paddling camping trip to St.Davids with Jessica which was great! No surf but the sun came out so we had plenty of fun. I got to wear my new Nookie boardies which are now my favorite boardies! They are a fantastic fit and look pretty swish! I haven't used my full length strides yet as it's been hot! but after trying them on I know they are going to be spot on for the Sickline.

This week made it exactly three months until the Sickline in October, it's creeping up very fast! I'm currently reading Brad Wiggins's new book about winning the Tour De France in 2012. It's a really inspiring book and for anyone who is into competing or sport it's a great read. It's made me realize that although I've been training hard, now is the time to push it harder as I don't want to go into it wondering if I could have done more. I want to go there knowing that I prepared the best I could and that means whatever result I get I know I gave it my all.

This week is definitely a step up and I intend to maintain it if not push a little harder. The new addition of a 7 mile intense flat water paddle turned out to be great and I think it will benefit me big time with endurance. I'm not saying I sprinted for 7 miles but I put on a pace I knew I could withstand but that still hurt a lot! So this July is going to be a big training month including the beginning of August. I then have a two week holiday to the States where I will be hiking and hitting the gym there. Then it's the last and most important month... September, I will need to make sure I'm at my peak. With this dry summer and not being able to paddle abroad it's becoming more apparent that I'm probably not going to get on much serious whitewater before the Sickline, this is concerning. But at the same time it's just pushing me to focus on my fitness. I may not be as well practiced as some of the guys out there but I will make sure I can paddle just as hard.

Enjoy the sun everyone! See you on the water.