My training has really become a weekend affair with the nights closing in and it getting colder and more unpleasant out. Also with my leg x-ray coming up I don’t want to start putting in long runs in on the off chance that I make something appear worse than it is. But that’s not to say that I am not doing anything and I have an ache today, the likes of which I haven’t experienced for a while.
Wednesday morning I woke early, and rather than lounge in bed watching breakfast news, I went for a run. My running is being kept to a minimum and I was only out for about half an hour.
Friday night will now see a new element being added to the cross training, Squash. This brutal game is the reason why every muscle in my body aches like agony today. My dad used to play a lot of squash a few years ago, and I played when I was at school too, so I thought it would be easy to have a semi-competitive game once a week.
Turns out our skill levels are separated by some margin and I spent most of the time thrashing thin air or hitting the ball outside the game area while my dad patiently talked me through some of the finer points on how to play.
No matter. I improved toward the end and was able to get some control of the shots, with a little practice I will be brilliant at this game.
Squash is not like distance running which is a sort of continuous load on the muscles and cardio systems. Squash is 50% standing around 50% explosive energy and I was knackered. I had worked up a massive sweat after ten minutes, and was close to fainting at one point. We played for about an hour and it really took it’s toll. My left hand (the hand with the racket) aches, and my left deltoid feels a little tighter from my enthusiastic swinging at the ball. But every other muscle in my body has been tight and yesterday I struggled to move at all.
Saturday saw the continuation of the weekend swim. I’m loving this at the moment. 52 lengths swum this Saturday (I intend to increase the number of laps each week) with more distance with the front crawl. I’m finding that I am running out of energy while doing front crawl after about a length, I sort of feel out of breath and my arms start to flail about a bit. I don’t know if it because my breathing technique is bad or that I don’t have enough stamina in my arms. Either way I am going to have to keep on putting the lengths in.
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Training, Planning and Running the Devizes to Westminster Race
Welcome to my blog where I am documenting all of the training and planning toward competing in the Devizes to Westminster kayak marathon in 2010.
When I started this my one and only goal was to be ready to take part in the DW race but once I begun my training in earnest I started to look around at other endurance events with a desire to take part in those as well.
On the 22nd of March I took part in the Ironbridge half marathon finishing the race in 2h 01m 32s.
The 12th September I will compete in the Great North Swim.
8 days later I will take on the Great North half Marathon.
And then in April 2010 is the reason for all of this, the Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra marathon.
Thank you for your support.
When I started this my one and only goal was to be ready to take part in the DW race but once I begun my training in earnest I started to look around at other endurance events with a desire to take part in those as well.
On the 22nd of March I took part in the Ironbridge half marathon finishing the race in 2h 01m 32s.
The 12th September I will compete in the Great North Swim.
8 days later I will take on the Great North half Marathon.
And then in April 2010 is the reason for all of this, the Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra marathon.
Thank you for your support.
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Short sleeve thermal top
Short sleeve lightweight cag
Long sleeve heavy cag
Full length lycra or thermal trousers
Zipped spray deck
Normal spray deck
Paddling gloves
Poggies
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The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race is the longest non-stop canoe race in the world. It starts in the quiet market town of Devizes in Wiltshire and finishes 125 miles later at Westminster Bridge, directly opposite the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London.
It is held over the Easter weekend each year and has been a fixture in the British sporting calendar since 1950. But DW is much more than just a canoe race - it’s an adventure! It forces competitors to dig long and deep into their reserves of physical and mental stamina which is why the race is often called “the canoeists’ Everest”.
Having the technical skill to paddle a kayak or canoe is essential but the most important quality needed to complete DW is raw determination. And the reward for making the mighty effort needed to cross the finish line is a sense of satisfaction so profound that many paddlers can’t resist coming back year after year.
It is held over the Easter weekend each year and has been a fixture in the British sporting calendar since 1950. But DW is much more than just a canoe race - it’s an adventure! It forces competitors to dig long and deep into their reserves of physical and mental stamina which is why the race is often called “the canoeists’ Everest”.
Having the technical skill to paddle a kayak or canoe is essential but the most important quality needed to complete DW is raw determination. And the reward for making the mighty effort needed to cross the finish line is a sense of satisfaction so profound that many paddlers can’t resist coming back year after year.
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