Wow, summer has certainly zoomed by. It's been too long since I last posted here. The days since I went go-karting seemed to have started and ended with me always in a rush to get work done, to meet deadlines, to get to paddling on time, etc, etc. Rushing. That's a perfect way to describe the last month.
What have I been up to since my go-karting evening...
- Ed and I attended Paul and Teresa's wedding (wonderful celebration!)
- We went camping at Green Lake - actually cabin-ing is a more appropriate description
- We went to Vernon with our DB team for the Vernon DB Festival
- I went to Vernon (again) with the FCRCC Outrigger team to compete in the 45km Fresh Water Challenge
- I volunteered to be a timer for the novice and womens races during the Outrigger Nationals in Kits
- Ed and I went to Calgary with Without Warning to compete in the Club Crew qualifiers
- And in between all the paddling and road trips, I worked and worked and worked.
Yes, it's been a busy summer. Regrettably, I have not been in touch with family and friends much. But with my paddling season winding down, there will definitely be more time for that.
I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend where I can just sit at home and hang out with Ed and our cats. I'm crossing my fingers that weekend will come soon...
29 August 2007
12 July 2007
Go-karting
I’ve never gone go-karting before, until last night. I went with my workmates and we had a blast. I didn’t expect to have soooo much fun driving a little, speedy, noisy go-kart around and around a track, passing and bumping (not on purpose) other go-karts. I started out very slowly and tentatively. I just wasn't sure how to handle the car in the turns and how fast it can go without me losing control. We got to race four times and with each race, my confidence grew and I got faster and faster. I even finished second in one race. I still can’t believe how much I enjoyed it. Definitely have to do that again!
Gibsons race
July 7, 2007
27km! I actually did it. I raced with the FCRCC outrigger womens #2 crew - Jen, Sandra, Cathy, Lela, and Barb. I carpooled to Gibsons with Cathy on the Friday. On the ferry, we bumped into a couple of paddlers from Victoria. Mick started pointing at landmarks - this island and that island - and how we’re going to paddle from the island over there to the island over there and then to Gibsons over there. Like, far points over there! That was when it truly hit me that this race is freakin’ long! My heart started pounding and I started to feel very anxious. What the hell did I get myself into?!?
I had a restless sleep. The anxiety of the race made it impossible to sleep well. Woke up at about 6:30am and had a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Filled up my hydration system and got my energy gels ready.
Time to race. The first leg of the race had big waves. I still find it awkward paddling in big waves but I concentrated on getting into the forward lean position to plant my blade and catch. I guess paddling in big waves is more fun and interesting than flat water. I just need to get more comfortable doing it. We finally got calmer water once we turned around Hut Island and paddled the length of Bowen Island. The boat also sagged at that point. But we battled through it and got some power pieces in there. I set my Garmin GPS to beep every 15 mins and also every 9km. I started thinking of the race as 15 min pieces and that helped a lot in keeping my focus. I could do a 15 min piece, no problem, and focusing on the task at hand that way was a big help. I focused on my technique - keeping my back tall, swinging my hip forward as I reach it out, leaning forward solidly for the plant, burying the blade fully, and using my legs for the pull. I thought about acceleration through the water. But as I got tired, the harder it was to do that. But really, all I thought about throughout the race was keeping my form solid and doing what it took to keep pulling hard.
The third leg of the race, we turned away from Bowen and started heading back towards Gibsons, was wavy and windy again. This last leg was pure adrenalin. I think all of us got a second or third wind because we got the boat to glide a lot better. The most tiring part for me was around km 20 when Barb had me paddle on the left side for a while to help keep the boat stable through the waves. It must have been around 6 hut-ho’s that I stayed on the left. It was like dragon boating but after paddling for 20 kms first. That one hurt.
Our time was 2 hrs and 42 mins and we came in 5th overall (out of 11) in the women’s category. I think that was a good showing for a crew that had a newbie who had never paddled 27 kms before. I was very happy with how I did and how my body held up. Staying hydrated did wonders and eating properly before the race helped, too. When we crossed the finish line, I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe that I did it! What an amazing feeling that was. I think that’s what people who finish a marathon for the first time feel. Disbelief and pride, all rolled into one big emotion. It was great!
27km! I actually did it. I raced with the FCRCC outrigger womens #2 crew - Jen, Sandra, Cathy, Lela, and Barb. I carpooled to Gibsons with Cathy on the Friday. On the ferry, we bumped into a couple of paddlers from Victoria. Mick started pointing at landmarks - this island and that island - and how we’re going to paddle from the island over there to the island over there and then to Gibsons over there. Like, far points over there! That was when it truly hit me that this race is freakin’ long! My heart started pounding and I started to feel very anxious. What the hell did I get myself into?!?
I had a restless sleep. The anxiety of the race made it impossible to sleep well. Woke up at about 6:30am and had a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Filled up my hydration system and got my energy gels ready.
Time to race. The first leg of the race had big waves. I still find it awkward paddling in big waves but I concentrated on getting into the forward lean position to plant my blade and catch. I guess paddling in big waves is more fun and interesting than flat water. I just need to get more comfortable doing it. We finally got calmer water once we turned around Hut Island and paddled the length of Bowen Island. The boat also sagged at that point. But we battled through it and got some power pieces in there. I set my Garmin GPS to beep every 15 mins and also every 9km. I started thinking of the race as 15 min pieces and that helped a lot in keeping my focus. I could do a 15 min piece, no problem, and focusing on the task at hand that way was a big help. I focused on my technique - keeping my back tall, swinging my hip forward as I reach it out, leaning forward solidly for the plant, burying the blade fully, and using my legs for the pull. I thought about acceleration through the water. But as I got tired, the harder it was to do that. But really, all I thought about throughout the race was keeping my form solid and doing what it took to keep pulling hard.
The third leg of the race, we turned away from Bowen and started heading back towards Gibsons, was wavy and windy again. This last leg was pure adrenalin. I think all of us got a second or third wind because we got the boat to glide a lot better. The most tiring part for me was around km 20 when Barb had me paddle on the left side for a while to help keep the boat stable through the waves. It must have been around 6 hut-ho’s that I stayed on the left. It was like dragon boating but after paddling for 20 kms first. That one hurt.
Our time was 2 hrs and 42 mins and we came in 5th overall (out of 11) in the women’s category. I think that was a good showing for a crew that had a newbie who had never paddled 27 kms before. I was very happy with how I did and how my body held up. Staying hydrated did wonders and eating properly before the race helped, too. When we crossed the finish line, I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t believe that I did it! What an amazing feeling that was. I think that’s what people who finish a marathon for the first time feel. Disbelief and pride, all rolled into one big emotion. It was great!
21 June 2007
Paddle, paddle, paddle
In years past, I would start training with my dragon boat team in late January in preparation for the Alcan Dragonboat Festival in June. Alcan was always the focus. After Alcan, our training tapers off until the next festival - sometimes it would be Victoria in August, most times it would be Kelowna in September. But training for these festivals would never get as intense as the training for Alcan. I always thought it was a shame that we put in months of work in the first half of the year in order to compete in two or three festivals for the year.
This year, the summer will be different for me. Alcan was last weekend and instead of it being the start of tapering off, it puts my racing season into full gear - for dragon boat and outrigger. Looking ahead to July and August, I have two more dragon boat festivals and three outrigger races to compete in. If my dragon boat team decides to go to Kelowna, then that's another one I can race in come September. It's going to be a busy summer...
The other thing that's different is the amount of paddling I'm doing. In years past, the week after Alcan was spent off the water. This year, after racing in nine races during the Alcan weekend, I went out in the OC1 to practice for an upcoming time trial the day after Alcan. On Tuesday, I had a coached session in an OC1 and paddled around 8km. On Wednesday, I had a practice with the OC6 crew and we paddled over 12km. That's a lot of paddling. Tomorrow and Friday will be rest days. It's time for some rest.
So, if you're wondering what I've been up to lately, there's your answer. Paddle, paddle, paddle.
This year, the summer will be different for me. Alcan was last weekend and instead of it being the start of tapering off, it puts my racing season into full gear - for dragon boat and outrigger. Looking ahead to July and August, I have two more dragon boat festivals and three outrigger races to compete in. If my dragon boat team decides to go to Kelowna, then that's another one I can race in come September. It's going to be a busy summer...
The other thing that's different is the amount of paddling I'm doing. In years past, the week after Alcan was spent off the water. This year, after racing in nine races during the Alcan weekend, I went out in the OC1 to practice for an upcoming time trial the day after Alcan. On Tuesday, I had a coached session in an OC1 and paddled around 8km. On Wednesday, I had a practice with the OC6 crew and we paddled over 12km. That's a lot of paddling. Tomorrow and Friday will be rest days. It's time for some rest.
So, if you're wondering what I've been up to lately, there's your answer. Paddle, paddle, paddle.
6 June 2007
Radio station
Z95.3 closed it’s radio station last Monday. Just like that, Nat and Drew were gone. I wake up every morning to Nat and Drew. I wonder what happened.
In any case, I started looking for a different station while driving to work and stumbled across 107.9. They played alternative, some rock, a little pop. It’s a good mix and hardly any ads or contests and sh*t like that. Found out today that it’s a station run by BCIT students who are in the school’s radio programming and management program. Pretty cool!
In any case, I started looking for a different station while driving to work and stumbled across 107.9. They played alternative, some rock, a little pop. It’s a good mix and hardly any ads or contests and sh*t like that. Found out today that it’s a station run by BCIT students who are in the school’s radio programming and management program. Pretty cool!
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