Summers finally here!

Just a short and sweet update! As usual there has been no rain :( so paddling whitewater hasn't happened! Praying for some rain in Wales!!! Training on the other hand has been great, the sun has been out and the temperatures perfect. My runs have been great as usual and mixed with cycling to work my cardio feels pretty sweet!

My sprint training is slowly improving and I'm noticing a lot of muscle build in the shoulders and back which is great. I've just ordered a new carbon Select paddle which is built for slalom and white water some I'm hoping it'll be a great paddle for racing, ordered it with large blades for added power! So hopefully that will arrive soon and that'll be my paddle for the Sickline. This will give my foam filled double diamonds a break as they have been getting abused lately on shallow runs.

My old shoulder injury has been playing up occasionally but it's still better than it used to be. Sometimes I have to reduce how much I'm lifting during weights as it hurts too much. I'm hoping over time it will eventually heal but I have a feeling it could be a fairly life long recurring injury.

Let hope for more sun and maybe a little rain for my days off :)

Tryweryn fest rear gopro mount testing

So before everything kicked off on the Saturday I hit the water with my new rear Gopro mount to test it out on some moving water. It did pretty well and I'm pleased with the footage, it's a little shaky at times and I'd have a lower camera angle next time but it gets some great shots! I put together a simple edit of some of the run, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmeaOeIbuyc

Tryweryn Festival!

Hi all,

Well yesterday I got home from a seriously epic weekend at the Tryweryn Festival, and lets just say I was pretty happy and seriously knackered! We set off for the 3 hour drive on Friday night after work and arrived just in time for a few beers and a pub quiz, lots of fun. Sadly my airbed had a hole in it so I slept on the floor for the night, boohoo! We woke up early, quickly threw some paddling gear on and hit the water for a couple of runs before the competitions started.

First up was the rolling competition, I wasn't really looking forward to this one.... Basically your put in a topo duo with a stranger and the first one to roll up wins. Lets just say rolling up someone's body that's fighting you is not easy! Anyway drawing in the first round I bailed in the second as I suffered the worst brain freeze I've ever had! I was glad to have it behind me.

Next was the Pyranha King of the Wave competition! There were about 10 of us at cafe wave battling it out for the longest rides and old school moves to please the judges. There was plenty of carnage and of course some cuts and bruises, lots of fun!

Shortly after was the 8ball Boater X. This was a head to head race from above cafe wave to below NRA bridge. During the race we had to make a number of slalom gates and avoid large inflatables full of mean people paddling at your face! In the first heat I was quick off the line and after bouncing a few inflatables out the way got a big lead and won putting me in the semi finals. In round 2 I was lucky enough to get another good start and managed to keep the lead again whilst battling the inflatables, so I went through again. With some talented paddlers and being made to start near the back I wasn't too confident in the last round. Shortly after starting I managed to get into second and after pushing the leader back as he made an upstream gate I took the lead again. I got nailed by an inflatable and nearly lost the lead but through NRA wave they timed the inflatables wrong and I slipped through and took the win! Super stoked.

You guys remember the cardboard kayak I built? Well that race was last and lets just say that I SUCK at making cardboard boats... It didn't even last a second :) Very funny! After changing we headed to the party where we had some awesome food from pieminister and had some beers and partied. They also did the award ceremony and gave away prizes for the competitions that day and the video+ photo competition. First off I was really surprised and stoked to win the video competition, winning a huge camera bag from Lowepro, very cool! I Also came 2nd or something in the King of the wave, winning some sweet prizes from Pyranha and obviously winning some great prizes for winning the 8 ball race. The band rocked and we had a great night!

I got up quite early and drank 2 Beet-it shots in preparation for the final race and freestyle competitions. The BCU ran the race and tried to combine extreme racing with slalom. Basically we started at the cafe and finished at NRA again. On the way down we had to touch a number of markers with our hands, do a roll in an eddy and a freestyle move at NRA wave. The first heat went well, I held second throughout the race until the very end where I managed to creep up and draw with Nick from Palm. With 4 of us in the final it was on! After some crazyness above Fingers I managed to finish second behind Nick again. Was a really good laugh!

And last but not last was the Big Dog Rodeo at Top hole. Swapping my creek boat for my Allstar I headed up to the top. with about 8 of us competing and the judges wanted old school and entertaining moves as well as serious one we decided to have a relaxed 10 minutes where everyone takes it in turns to show their stuff and and have some fun. After nailing some serious moves and a few air guitars and shudder rudders I was quite confident that I'd done well. But the crowd wanted more so Lowri tried to stand up in her boat and ride the wave, but it didn't work out... So I gave it ago and.. it didn't work! After flopping into the hole and swimming down it was time to head to the centre for the final awards ceremony.

At the final prize giving I took joint first with Nick from Palm for the race and 1st for overall biggest moves for freestyle competition, then I was crowned the Tryweryn festival king! I was seriously pleased and I was given some amazing prizes from Pyranha, Big Dog and Select paddles. Thanks again guys!

It was an amazing weekend and probably the best paddling festival I've been to! Thanks to Will Mead for driving and being my boat muel and Jessica Mead for making me sandwiches ;).

My new Nookie Ti vest was super comfy and and did well against the elements!

I felt strong throughout the races which has reassured me that my training is working! As for stamina I think the Beet-it shots did their job. Happy man!

Thanks to the Tryweryn facebook page for some of photo's.

See you on the river!

Broowwnn training!

So today was my last chance to get some training in before the weekend, the sun was shining and the outdoors were calling! My run was good as usual then it was onto the river. Having missed all that awesome rain in Wales during the week, it finally arrived here this morning. The river was stonking! So I ditched the bucket this time as I think I'd have been dragged out to sea.

The extra flow was enough to bring up the intensity so it was a great session. I'm now able to go longer, and not completely knackered after each sprint, endurance is building! Been using Beet it this week as studies suggest loading up before events, so that is also probably helping me go longer. Beet it have also put some new research out saying 2 beet it shots 2 hours before intense exercise brings the best results, so Sunday morning I'll be filling up on Beet it!

Excited for some partying, paddling and competing!

Buckets and rain!

Trainings going really well, everything's gradually feeling easier and the intensity is increasing with it. My run today again felt great and only took me about 23 minutes, awesome! My good friend Simon Wyndham gave me a tip about dragon boater's using a bucket tied to the back of their boat when training and obviously when it was taken away you thought you were flying!

So I headed over the road today with my boat and my bucket and did 3 sprints with the bucket and three without. The feeling is extremely weird to be putting so much energy into your strokes and not get anywhere and then putting the same force without the bucket and you feel as light as a feather!

Feeling good for T-fest, will have a rest day tomorrow then have an epic training session Thursday, and that'll be it till race day. Just four days of work to get through, then time to have some fun :D

Eat, sleep, work, train.....

It's been a good couple weeks for training, we've had sun and pretty dry weather which has been great for running etc, not so great for paddling... The Mellte was up yesterday and with a little rain forecast, we were hoping to head over there today and get a run in. But as usual, the rain was minimal and the river dropped, BOOOO! 

So today has become an epic training day. After dropping my better half off at work I drank some Beet-it and went for a run up Coppet hill. My runs seem to be feeling a little easier, less out of breath and less pain near the top. I also feel like my pace is faster. I have the Nike+ set up for my Ipod so I'll start using that again and track my times! 

After my run I did some free weights which are getting easier so I need to step the weight up again, and to finish it off I did some sprint training on the river. This is the first time I've used Beet-It with the sprint training and although it still hurt a lot, I was going a little longer. 

This coming weekend is the Tryweryn fest! With little water around I'm quite excited to get wet and have some fun! I plan on loading up on beet juice through the week so I'm good to go for the race on Sunday. Can't wait, should be a lot of fun!! 

A beautiful day for training!!

Well today the sun came out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! So I started the day with an awesome run up Coppet Hill then a free weights session in the sun. I decided to go for a paddle as the weather was incredible and it'd be rude not too. So I headed across the road and did some sprint training. During training I realised that the first part of me to go lactic/ knackered were my forearms.

So I'm adding to my training some forearm exercises including using a grip strengthener whenever I'm sat around etc as this seems to work on the forearms, hopefully after a few weeks I should start to see an improvement! I'm also doing planks 3-4 times a week to strengthen my core.

I also got a chance to try out my new Ti vest for Nookie. First off the top looks super sharp and stylish, it slips on easily and is incredibly comfortable. It fitted snugly over my deck and after putting a few rolls in did not let any water into my boat. The top is designed with no seams under the arms so there is no chaffing or rubbing whilst paddling. Overall I think it's going to be a perfect top for the Summer and I can't wait to hit the Tryweryn festival in a couple of weeks.

Today I also made my cardboard kayak for the race at the T fest. It looks pretty sketchy.... but hoping it'll float for a minute or so! Should be a laugh.

Summer/ Sickline training...

Finally winter has given way to some more summery temperature's which makes training much more pleasant! I'm generally very active and like to stay in shape but I'am now starting to step it up a little bit. My job is very physical spending 8 hours on my feet most days. So here is a run down of the training and exercise I shall be doing between now and the Sickline.

Cycling: I always cycle to work when I can, it's a 4 mile cycle each way with a few nice hills thrown in! Obviously this is weather dependant but I generally do this 2-4 times a week.

Running: I've been regularly running for about 3 years now and it helped me lose a lot of weight in Australia. I run about 3-4 times a week, the route I do is only about 2 and a half miles but it goes from river level to around 600 feet. It's a very steep path with steps and doing this none stop definitely gets the heart pumping! It takes me around 25-30 minutes.

Free Weights: I lift weights at home 3-4 days a week using bench press, dumbbells etc. I try to mix up my routine as much as possible so my muscles don't get comfy! I do a mixture of bench press, flys, curls, shoulder press, sumo lifts and many others.

Kayak sprint: Living opposite the river is coming in real handy as I'am now heading down there 2-3 times a week and practising sprints on the flat water. The fastest people generally finish the Sickline course in around 58 seconds so I have been doing 6-8 flat out sprints for 60 seconds at a time. This doesn't sound like much but it hurt a lot! I will slowly increase the time/ number of sprints over time.

Kayaking: Obviously I'm going to be trying to paddle white water as much as I can and hopefully some gnarly stuff will start flowing in Wales, fingers crossed. But in the mean time while it's dry I will be using the Tryweryn course as practise for sprinting on white water. Although it's an easy grade it's all good practise on choosing fast lines and keeping your line whilst being knackered!

As for my eating, I'm only human and I'm not a health nut but I do like to eat well and avoid artificial foods. I tend to eat high protein foods and when I can organic foods. Lots of fruit, veg and lots of meat! I always avoid ready meals and generally all my meals are made at home (packed lunches for work etc). I'll be drinking my Beet-it juice to aid my training. I plan on drinking the Beet-it juice for 2 weeks leading up to the Sickline as this is the recommended dosage for a race.

So basically that is my plan for the Sickline and the Summer! Hopefully it's enough :) Only time will tell!

See you on the water!

Beet-It- Rocket Fuel!

Recently Beet-It have been kind enough to send me 3 boxes of their Beet-It Sports shots for the Adidas Sickline! They have added me to their Beet-It Challenge where there are a number of other people using Beet-It to smash their epic challenges! The page is here:

http://www.beet-it.com/challenge/

The Beetroot juice boosts Nitric Oxide in the blood which helps the body use oxygen more efficiently and therefore increases stamina. New studies are also showing that the juice can reduce blood pressure. I shall be using the juice throughout the summer for my training and drink them daily leading up to the Sickline, hopefully they give me the stamina I need!!

If your serious about your sport and training then you need to try this! I drank one before my run this morning and although I haven't started timing myself, I certainly felt faster and more efficient. The taste is really unique but with the small amount of lemon juice that is added, it takes away the intensity of the beetroot, I really like it! Thanks again Beet-it! 

Tryweryn Festival Video Competition Entry

The title says it all really! This year the Tryweryn fest is having a short video competition based on Welsh kayaking. So I decided to throw together this edit of our recent trips on the Nedd Fechan and Mellte. The video is nothing fancy but I like to think it's entertaining to watch! Let me know what you think :) The link is below, Enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/64308293

Sunny times at Nottingham

It's been a while since I've been play boating as I've been focusing on my creek boating this winter but since the rivers have been fairly dry, we decided to hit HPP! The sun was shining (most of the time) and the wind died down so was a really good session!

It was really nice to get back into it and once I'd nailed a few loops and back loops it all came straight back to me. I guess it's like riding a bike, you never forget! It was also good training for the Tryweryn Fest as they are having a freestyle event I plan on rocking up to. 

Overall it was a sweet day! Got to test out the Nookie assassin cag in some rough stuff and it kept me nice and toasty. Lets pray for rain! 

Empty rivers :(

Yesterday I arrived home from work to a big parcel from Nookie, was super stoked to get my new cag and clothes. The quality and fit of all of it is excellent! It was perfect timing as the plan was to hit the Mellte today as it was meant to rain all night. So I got up nice and early to check the levels.... nothing, not even a scrape! Disappointed and with new toys to play with Matt and I went for a short paddle on the Wye, epic! Matt was testing out his new C1 creek boat and I had my new cag and gopro mount to play with.

The mount definitely effects rolling, not sure I want to be upside down on rapids with this thing, but as you can see the shots are pretty sweet! As for the cag, I couldn't ask for more comfort and dryness. Although it's last years model if you can get your hands on an Assassin dry cag it's worth it! I can't wait to be warm and dry during the Sickline :) Here's some shots from today:

My DIY Gopro mount

For months I've been searching the net for a rear Gopro mount for my boat, we little success. Eventually I came across a design on Unsponsored.com and a shopping list was made. After a trip to B&Q I started work. Surprisingly it all went together really well and a solid quality mount was made. The main thing I struggled with was finding a flat piece to mount on top for the Gopro, which is why I've ended up with a telescope look. 



I can't wait to get it wet!! 

A cheeky New year run down the Nedd Fechan!

It had been raining all night in the Brecon's, so Matt Price, Andy Shan and I hit the road early and headed to the Nedd Fechan. I hadn't paddled this river in years, but it used to be a regular run so I know the river well. I remember the first time I ran it in low water in my little Necky Chronic.... how things change! Today however it was pretty high! But it was dropping so we needed to get on quickly. 



We inspected the first drop and set up safety, it's an interested two tiered drop which kicks hard right into an overhanging wall, a perfect warm up! I fired it up first with a little success but got launched into the wall, but all good! Andy went second and flipped before the second lip and got pushed upside down into the overhang, he quickly pulled his deck and we had a difficult rescue on our hands. Downstream of the drop there is an island and both channels are blocked with dangerous trees so floating down is not an option! We managed to get Andy back in his boat stress free and Matt hit the drop with the best line (guess he learnt from some mistakes..).

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Andy at this point decided he wasn't feeling it that day and decided to walk back to the car, but he ran safety for us on the next drop. This next drop is a 20 foot waterfall with a challenging lip and shallow landing. About 3 feet from the lip is a stopper which can kill your speed and kill your boof, and pencilling this drop isn't a great idea! In the past this fall was considered a portage, but now it is much more commonly paddled.  Matt decided to go first and after a long wait he flew off the lip, unfortunately he missed his boof stroke and came down with a crazy angle. Luckily he came out really well and pretty stoked! This didn't fill me with confidence but I was sure that I could do it. Sitting in the eddy at the top it's really hard to see your line as the actual lip of the drop is behind the stopper. This left me a little uncertain as I peeled out of the eddy, all too quickly I boofed the stopper and put a strong boof stroke on the lip and took a pretty smooth landing. Great drop! Certainly gets the blood flowing, technically easy/high consequence.  



After this drop is another 20 footer, this one lands on a concrete slab and is almost always portaged but has been run a few times in the past, we portaged. Unfortunately the Nedd Fechan has a lot of trees in it at the moment so we had to portage a few great drops but the rest of the run was still great paddling. We walked up to the Pryddin drop, a 40 foot clean drop with a shallow landing. It's been run a lot recently but we decided that it needed a little more water and with just the 2 of us, an accident would not be great. 



Over all an awesome, successful paddle!