Well, I've been following the program and my paddling is improving noticably. I've been doing all sorts of interesting stuff like using sandbags, doing hard intervals with short recovery, lactate tolerance sessions, long easy sessions, recovery sessions, sprints, starts, etc. All of it is heart-rate based, which is fantastic because I don't have to think about whether I'm training hard enough or not. I just program the session into the Forerunner and away I go.
I'm loving following a program because I'm not undermining myself all the time..."Have I gone far enough", "Have I gone hard enough" etc. I don't have to think about it, I just get out there and do it...no cheating.
There was one particularly great session. I won't go into detail, but it involved doing short intervals at a very high heart rate, with short recoveries in between. I was really nervous beforehand because I knew it was going to hurt...bigtime. After chatting to a few paddling buddies I convinced a few to come along and paddle with me for motivation. It ended up being Anton (in his Flyer), Mark (in his Van Dusan, with an resistance tube on the front), and Jack and Jen in their double. Of course I was the only one doing the specific program (because it was based on my individual heart rate), but they all paddled along with me (or in the near vicinity).
I felt good right from the first interval. I was "in the zone" and loving pushing myself. It went great. It was also really nice having the others there too. It actually ended up being much more enjoyable a session than I thought. Now, don't get me wrong, it was hard and it definately hurt. But I was feeling so good, that it hurt in a good way...if that makes sense.
Anway, my balance is improving, my sprinting is improving, my fitness is improving and I'm loving my paddling and my program. It's all good!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
State Marathon Series - Wyong
My wonderful husband Chris sacrificed his Soccer game so I could do the State Marathon Series race at Wyong last Sunday (2nd August). I went to bed the night before soooo looking forward to it. I could talk and write about this race forever, but I'll restrain myself and just publish a copy of the email I sent to Lyle after the race...
"...With lots of peer pressure and against my better judgement I was convinced to do the 20km, not the 15km like I had planned. Should have trusted my instincts. Anyway, I basically spent the whole race practicing my balance and just dealing with everyone's wash that came past. I think there was about 5 minutes where I could relax and could actually get into some kind of rhythm, but the rest of the race was highly frustrating and to be honest I don't think I would have even considered doing Div 6 if I'd known that they were going to change it at the last minute. Anyway, I did my best under the circumstances and am really happy with how I handed the start and the wash. But at the 14km mark my poor stabilisers were so fatigued I just "lost the plot", and capsized. I called it quits after the 3rd lap as I realised I had reached my limits of balance for the day. Pretty disappointing really! It's the first DNF of my whole life and whole sporting career, so I'm pretty down on myself for it. But it was the right decision under the circumstances and it was a great learning experience. Fitness wise I could have easily handled the distance, but my balance still has a long way to go. Really, 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have handled the conditions anywhere near as well as I did, so I guess I have improved lots."
Lyle quickly replied to my email and as he has already done on several occassions had "just the right words" to say. He really has a knack for knowing what to say, and putting things in perspective. I felt so much better afterwards.
"...With lots of peer pressure and against my better judgement I was convinced to do the 20km, not the 15km like I had planned. Should have trusted my instincts. Anyway, I basically spent the whole race practicing my balance and just dealing with everyone's wash that came past. I think there was about 5 minutes where I could relax and could actually get into some kind of rhythm, but the rest of the race was highly frustrating and to be honest I don't think I would have even considered doing Div 6 if I'd known that they were going to change it at the last minute. Anyway, I did my best under the circumstances and am really happy with how I handed the start and the wash. But at the 14km mark my poor stabilisers were so fatigued I just "lost the plot", and capsized. I called it quits after the 3rd lap as I realised I had reached my limits of balance for the day. Pretty disappointing really! It's the first DNF of my whole life and whole sporting career, so I'm pretty down on myself for it. But it was the right decision under the circumstances and it was a great learning experience. Fitness wise I could have easily handled the distance, but my balance still has a long way to go. Really, 3 weeks ago I wouldn't have handled the conditions anywhere near as well as I did, so I guess I have improved lots."
Lyle quickly replied to my email and as he has already done on several occassions had "just the right words" to say. He really has a knack for knowing what to say, and putting things in perspective. I felt so much better afterwards.
Hook, line and sinker
On the Saturday before the club race (Sat 25 July), Chris had to work, but I was determined to do my program as planned. There wasn't anyone available to train with me in the afternoon so I headed off on my own. I had preprogrammed the forerunner, so all I had to do was follow the beeps and instructions. I found the workout very easy, and actually had to keep easing off to keep within the heart rate range.
There was a minor incident with a motorboat that came speeding past (in the no-wash zone), but I managed to get to shore before the waves got me. If I hadn't I would have been swimming for sure! The rest of the paddle went really well. It was getting dark on my return trip and as I paddled past the boat ramp and was almost finished my cool down, I saw Anton standing on the pontoon. He has come down to see how my new toy (forerunner) was going. I commented that I had a few minutes to go and would soon be back. I paddled a couple of hundred metres towards the bridge and then headed back.
Just as I was nearing the put-in/take-out spot (literally gliding in), I felt a vibration across my heart rate monitor band. I thought..."this things' clever, it even vibrates to let me know when I'm finished". That thought didn't last long as I felt an intense tugging in my arm and looked down to see a fish hook stuck into it! The vibration had been the fishing line and hook dragging across my chest and then embedding itself in my shirt and arm. Now that's balance practice. I quickly dug my paddle into the bottom of the river and tried to work out what to do next. I couldn't back paddle, because I couldn't move my left arm. I couldn't snap it off, becuase my right hand was holding the paddle, which was keeping me balance (and stopping me from falling in and probably doing some serious damage).
Thank goodness Anton was there, because he took off his shoes, waded into the water and snapped off the line. Luckily it hadn't gone in past the barb, it was just kinda hanging there. And luckily I've just had a tetanus injection! What an adventure...life is never dull around me!!!!
But it also reminds me of why it's not a great idea to paddle in the dark. I've never had a problem with the line that this residence normally has out, but in the dark, I failed to see it, and obviously paddled too close.
There was a minor incident with a motorboat that came speeding past (in the no-wash zone), but I managed to get to shore before the waves got me. If I hadn't I would have been swimming for sure! The rest of the paddle went really well. It was getting dark on my return trip and as I paddled past the boat ramp and was almost finished my cool down, I saw Anton standing on the pontoon. He has come down to see how my new toy (forerunner) was going. I commented that I had a few minutes to go and would soon be back. I paddled a couple of hundred metres towards the bridge and then headed back.
Just as I was nearing the put-in/take-out spot (literally gliding in), I felt a vibration across my heart rate monitor band. I thought..."this things' clever, it even vibrates to let me know when I'm finished". That thought didn't last long as I felt an intense tugging in my arm and looked down to see a fish hook stuck into it! The vibration had been the fishing line and hook dragging across my chest and then embedding itself in my shirt and arm. Now that's balance practice. I quickly dug my paddle into the bottom of the river and tried to work out what to do next. I couldn't back paddle, because I couldn't move my left arm. I couldn't snap it off, becuase my right hand was holding the paddle, which was keeping me balance (and stopping me from falling in and probably doing some serious damage).
Thank goodness Anton was there, because he took off his shoes, waded into the water and snapped off the line. Luckily it hadn't gone in past the barb, it was just kinda hanging there. And luckily I've just had a tetanus injection! What an adventure...life is never dull around me!!!!
But it also reminds me of why it's not a great idea to paddle in the dark. I've never had a problem with the line that this residence normally has out, but in the dark, I failed to see it, and obviously paddled too close.
Club Race...finally
Due to a late change to Chris's soccer game time I managed to finally do a club race on 26th July. Here's a brief rundown of what went down...
I've never raced in my K1 before and have never had to deal with a lot of other kayaks wash. So my main aim was to go hard and stay in. I had hoped to beat 1:10 (hr:min). But they gave me a handicap 2 minutes quicker than that. On the trip out, I was paddling really well. Heart rate around 190 and speed around 10 - 10.4km/h (which is good for me). I had to deal with a bit of wash, but coped well. About a third of the way back the pack caught me and threw off an absolute heap of wash. Anyway, I basically had horrible wash the whole way back and just couldn't get my rhythm or put much effort in. My speed dropped to around 9.5km/hr (which is dissapointing), but I did manage to stay in (which I am VERY happy about). My time was 1:09, which I'm disappointed in. I did beat the 1:10, but I have previously done 1:07 in the Van Dusan, and 1:05 in the Struer (with a lot of wash riding). However, my time for the lap out was great. If I could have kept my speed up the whole way back (which fitnesswise I could have), I would have done around 1:06. So, it was great for my confidence in my balance, but highlights the fact I've got a long way to go.
I've never raced in my K1 before and have never had to deal with a lot of other kayaks wash. So my main aim was to go hard and stay in. I had hoped to beat 1:10 (hr:min). But they gave me a handicap 2 minutes quicker than that. On the trip out, I was paddling really well. Heart rate around 190 and speed around 10 - 10.4km/h (which is good for me). I had to deal with a bit of wash, but coped well. About a third of the way back the pack caught me and threw off an absolute heap of wash. Anyway, I basically had horrible wash the whole way back and just couldn't get my rhythm or put much effort in. My speed dropped to around 9.5km/hr (which is dissapointing), but I did manage to stay in (which I am VERY happy about). My time was 1:09, which I'm disappointed in. I did beat the 1:10, but I have previously done 1:07 in the Van Dusan, and 1:05 in the Struer (with a lot of wash riding). However, my time for the lap out was great. If I could have kept my speed up the whole way back (which fitnesswise I could have), I would have done around 1:06. So, it was great for my confidence in my balance, but highlights the fact I've got a long way to go.
Paddling update
Soooo much to update. I'll do the kayaking update seperately as there have been a few interesting incidents. But basically, my paddling has been going really well. I am absolutely loving the program Lyle's set, and look forward to each session. The sessions have been going fantastic and I'm really enjoying my paddling. I LOVE the forerunner!
Running update
Well, it's been a huge couple of weeks, hence the lack of updates recently. I won't bore you with the details and I can't remember many sessions in much detail, so here is a general update...
Last week I did a couple of normal runs (around 20 min jogging with warm up and cool down added). I'm loving the Forerunner. I've also been trying out some of Lyle's running training ideas (that he kindly supplied to give me some ideas to mix up my cross training). One of these included some stair/hill running intervals. I went to the local beach and whilst mum watched the boys running around I did 3 lots of shuffling up the stairs and recovering on the way down, then repeated it but shuffling up the steep ramp and recovering on the way down. Gee it was hard. It took me about 90 seconds to get to the top each time and the legs were truly burning. But it was great to do something different. I'll definately try it again.
I also went down to the local footy field and let the boys play in the middle whilst I did intervals around the edge. Each lap was about 700m, and I did 1 lap easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy...with all jogging. I found it hard and it makes me realise how unfit I still am. I was a bit dissapointed with that one.
This week, I did another 20 min jog on Monday and due to parent-teacher night, couldn't do anything on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I also had a procedure done at the specialists yesterday (won't go into details, but it's for "chick stuff"), and had a fair bit of pain from this yesterday. Pain killers weren't really helping too much and I was very thankful when Chris got home as I went to bed for the rest of the afternoon/night. This morning I woke up feeling much better and decided to ease into a run. I only did 10 minutes because I could feel that I was stirring it up, and the pain was returning.
I'm getting disappointed in my lack of progress running at the moment. I still feel slow and unfit, and I really need to increase the intensity and length of my runs now.
Last week I did a couple of normal runs (around 20 min jogging with warm up and cool down added). I'm loving the Forerunner. I've also been trying out some of Lyle's running training ideas (that he kindly supplied to give me some ideas to mix up my cross training). One of these included some stair/hill running intervals. I went to the local beach and whilst mum watched the boys running around I did 3 lots of shuffling up the stairs and recovering on the way down, then repeated it but shuffling up the steep ramp and recovering on the way down. Gee it was hard. It took me about 90 seconds to get to the top each time and the legs were truly burning. But it was great to do something different. I'll definately try it again.
I also went down to the local footy field and let the boys play in the middle whilst I did intervals around the edge. Each lap was about 700m, and I did 1 lap easy, 1 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard, 1 easy...with all jogging. I found it hard and it makes me realise how unfit I still am. I was a bit dissapointed with that one.
This week, I did another 20 min jog on Monday and due to parent-teacher night, couldn't do anything on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I also had a procedure done at the specialists yesterday (won't go into details, but it's for "chick stuff"), and had a fair bit of pain from this yesterday. Pain killers weren't really helping too much and I was very thankful when Chris got home as I went to bed for the rest of the afternoon/night. This morning I woke up feeling much better and decided to ease into a run. I only did 10 minutes because I could feel that I was stirring it up, and the pain was returning.
I'm getting disappointed in my lack of progress running at the moment. I still feel slow and unfit, and I really need to increase the intensity and length of my runs now.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Training Program
Well, I've been thinking about it for a while, and finally got off my butt to do something about it. A few weeks ago I approached Lyle Mead from Winning Ways Kayak Coaching, to see if he would consider writing a training program for me. I filled him in on my history and the very limited amount of time I could devote to training. However, he didn't hesitate to take me on board. Now, most coaches wouldn't even bother helping someone like me. After all, I can only do 2 on-water sessions a week. Most coaches wouldn't even think it would be worth their (and my) time. But Lyle was immediately willing to work with me (even with the limited time I have available), has taken this challenge on board and I consider myself very lucky that he would do this for me.For the last week there has been numerous emails and phone calls back and forth between Lyle and me, trying to work out the best way to approach my challenging situation. Each reply and question has been answered by him very quickly, with honesty, thoughtfulness and good humour. I must say I've been very impressed all the way through. And within days of me deciding to get him to go ahead and write a program, it arrived in my email inbox today. Now that's fast!
I've just taken a look through the program and it's awesome! It's exactly what I was after, and I can't wait to get stuck into it. This is soooo exciting.
Here's a link to Lyle's website. It's really cool, and there's so much excellent information and so many great services he can offer. It's definately worth checking out.
http://www.winningwayskayakcoaching.com.au/
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