Time Trial

I paddled a 4-person canoe tonight at the time trials. It was a lot of fun. I was in the second seat, behind Alec Davis. FWIW, second and third seats in a 4-person canoe are difficult positions to be in; the canoe is soo wide that it is difficult to use efficient technique. I am glad the course is only 3.45 miles in length.

We had a lot of fun .. we got a jump on all the paddlers at the start, then we got stuck on some rocks and got behind. We had to work hard as a team to get back into first place. At the finish we were edged out by a nose by an unlimited kayak. It was high fives and smiles all around after the race!

Distance: 3.45 miles
Time: 29'15"

If I were to paddle that c-4 again, I'd try to move the second seat closer to the bow and use a longer paddle.

Think Legend

Ok. I needed to clear my head, so I took out the think legend for a 1 hr time trial.

All I can write is *Wow*! The legend is a lot of fun ... fast, accelerates well, and is fun!

I did my usual loop.



Time: 57 minutes
Distance: 7.00 miles

I must say, it was a great way to clear my head!

Disappointment

So, Dot called Mac to confirm my registration, only to learn that I somehow got dropped from the 90-miler and *can't race* unlimited k1. Paydirt! This is unfair.

For me, the 90 miler comes around only once every 6 years.

I was registered to paddle in the 90 with a very good friend in stock canoe. Mac acknowledged this in June at the 9-miler; we laughed and goofed about our training program. Later, my friend had to withdraw from the 90-miler due to work conflicts. However, Mac told me that everything would be ok and that I still have a 'seat' at the 90 in spite of the set-back. I asked him specifically about paddling k1 at the St. Regis race and he said "no problem".

Now, I am told that I cannot race.

My plans are like a bad MasterCard commercial.

a second hand boat: $1950
two nights accomodations: $150
comfortable lifejacket: $120
gu and sports drink: $60
Getting *dropped* from the 90-miler: Priceless

Birthday present

So ... after lugging around a 41+ lb boat during practice yesterday, my wife purchased me a new lightweight surfski for my birthday!! She bought me a second hand 'Think Legend'. It is a nice boat, fast in the shallows, good in the deep water and it's *only* 26 lbs! It should be a great companion for the 90-miler!

We drove all night to pick it up ...

I had it for a short session. I notice a few things about the boat: (1) it is *very* stable, (2) at speed, it has slightly less glide [or is slightly more 'draggy'] compared to my fenn mako6, this maybe a result of the horribly shaped rudder? or the flattish bottom? The jury is still out. (3) it is the *most* comfortable cockpit ever built into a ski - I can rotate, (4) it planes out well in shallows, but bogs hard in suckwater.

I wonder what the Think Uno is like ... Mmmm ... now that might be fun!

Reference for picture - http://www.thinkkayaks.com

90 Practice Run

Today I tagged along with the NNYP club for a day of portages and paddling. In short, I needed to learn where the portages were in order to ready myself for the 90.

I started with paddling with a stock canoe around 10:30ish. We talked and paddled to the first portage, where it was clear that I was *too* slow on the portages.

An analogy can be made to the motion of a slinky ... they would leave me behind on land and I would spring forward on the water easily catch and pass them. We did the 'slinky dance' until Brown's track portage. When I put on at Brown's track, the canoe was long gone and I couldn't tell if they'd paddled up- or down-stream. So ... I sat on the dock and waited for nearly 1/2 hour before getting directions from Kim. Kim, Joan, and my wife were setting up a pit stop for the lagging war-canoe.

I then got to Racquette lake. I was alone and desperate for directions, so I talked to some fishermen. It turns out that they share a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a 'cove'. [They told me to, " ... paddle along until you get to the second cove ... the second cove will be the marion river ...". Incidently, the second cove by leads you into another gigantic lake.] Nevertheless, after about an hour, I finally spotted Bob [a great guy and good stock boater]. I followed Bob into the Marion River and slowly made my way to the final portage.

Alas, the war canoe finally caught up and I raced them to the take out. They were slightly faster on the portage [my kayak weighs 40+ lbs], but I had the advantage on the water. I beat them to the take out! Woot! Woot!

Newcomb North Country Challenge

It seems the more I paddle the slower I go, in training I am consistently paddling over 7.25 mph for 1-2+ hrs. On race day I struggle and often fail to hit 7.25 mph. I have no idea why this is the case lately ...? In the past, I am far faster come race day than I'd been in training. Not the case lately ...

Anyway, this weekend was the Newcomb Northcountry Challenge. The last time I paddled it was 2007 and if memory serves me correctly it was *wicked windy*. That year, there were a few swimmers on one end of the lake. I remember that race well ...

This year, the course was as flat as a duck pond. In spite of not having my flatwater boat, I enjoyed racing a k2. I had a very good first lap [37 min], and barely held it together on the second lap [got some severe foot/leg cramps ... ].

I couldn't get a consistent glide from my boat - I wonder how much of the course is cement water?

Time: 1hr17min

Dist: 9.15 mi

It was enough for fastest time of the day and first place. I was more excited by the TWO packs of free granola nut clusters that they provided after the race!! Mmmmm ... Mmmmmm ....

Nearing the speed of light &Time Trial

The theory of relativity holds significant fascination for me. As a particle approaches the speed of light, 'relativistic effects' become significant. These relativistic effects are immeasurably small for everyday objects, but as a particles speed approaches the speed of light, relativistic effects become measurable. Two such relativistic effects are time dilation and length contraction. If two observers are moving relative to one another, they will get different measurements for the length of a given object or the time that passes between the two observers. At tonight's time trial, I believe I was able to measure time dilation. (jking of course)

I paddled the bow of a stock canoe this week. I started my watch on "go" and I crossed the finish line in 31'20", our timer said 32'07". What? Three, four or even ten seconds could be attributed to *random error*. However, standard watches, yet different times?? Hmm ... Relativistic effects?! We must have been moving very fast! LOL.

My time:
31'44" (I'll take the median)
3.49 miles
173 HR avg

Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun and a good workout!

5th Time trial

Tonight was *HOT and HUMID*.

Three weeks ago I *cruised* the course and ended up with a sub 28 minute time, tonight I planned to break my previous PR. Despite near perfect conditions and a very hard effort, I failed.

In the end, I paddled:
Fiberglass Mako6 (aka blue bullet)
3.45 miles
27'30"
7.53 mph

Dang!

GPS from fifth time trial.

FWIW - In the surfski, I have to start my GPS early in order to get data, as I can't reach it on the bulkhead to push "start". So I start it about 10 minutes b/f the race. If you look closely, you can see that the race started at a distance of 0.28 miles.

Comedy of errors

Ok ... so this weekend was a comedy of errors.

It all started when I got to my apartment Friday after work, too late to drive home to go camping as previously planned. It continued on Sunday, when I thought I could race my ICF on a wind blown lake, and culminated in my running through the woods with a canoe on my back!

I got to the St. Regis Canoe Classic with plenty of time to register and ready myself for the race. In fact, all was well until I walked past the sheltered parking lot. At the water's edge, my boat nearly blew out of my hands. No big deal, right? WRONG!

Madpaddler testing the waters about 40 minutes before the race start.

The waves were coming into my cockpit!

A quick test run revealed that it wouldn't be a good idea from me to paddle my Mohawk. So ... I was going to "chicken out" and go to Lake Placid to have dinner with some friends. As I was packing up, I saw MAC. Mac was very gracious and offered me his woodstrip c1.

The only catch was that I'd have to drive out to his place, pick it up, and drive back before the race started (ca. 15 minutes). He gave me directions, which I remembered as "turn right on Rte 30, drive to the 'T', turn right, drive 2 miles, and turn right." I followed his instructions and as it turns out, exactly 2 miles past the 'T' there is a a right hand turn onto a side road. I turned right on the side road and was still looking for his place when the race started. In short, I *shouldn't* have turned right, as MAC's place is about 2.1 miles past the 'T'.

After returning from my trip, I was 20 minutes late. My wife informed the race director that I had changed boats and was now paddling a stock c1. For the record, I have only ever raced a C1 once. No problem ... they are like kayaks with training wheels, right? Not true ...

I found that paddling a canoe in the wind has its own unique set of problems. Instead of getting swamped, the bow is pushed around A LOT more than the bow of my kayak. Save for the wind-cocking issues, the trip across the lake through spitfire and onto lower St. Regis was mostly uneventful.

As I was making my way to the portage, I looked skyward and saw a bald eagle frolicking in the breeze. I allowed my canoe to glide and watched in enjoyment. On the portage, the enjoyment of watching the eagle was replaced with agony.

I grabbed the wood strip boat, threw it on my right shoulder and began jogging, essentially barefoot. The path is a 1/4 mile route uphill on a narrow path through the woods, then is about another 1/4 mile on a dirt road. As I was running with my head-down uphill, I passed by an Adirondack lean-to, continued down hill, through a stream, next to a pond, back up hill, and then the trail disappeared! Suddenly I realized that I was not on the portage path! I backtracked to the lean to and found the portage path. I figure I ran an extra 1/4 mile or so ... (detour marked in red below ...lol)

I was amazed that I wasn't out of breath when I arrived at the put-in. I started to make my way back to Paul Smith's College. Within 5 minutes, I was passed by a C2. It was the C2 of Kennedy/Santor. [They were paddling the long course and I was at the back of the pack for the short course] We exchanged well wishes and then they were off.

As I made my way to the lake, wind-driven waves replaced the calm water of the river. I had a hard time surfing the c1 to the finish line. A c1 doesn't have a rocker profile nor the chines to permit surfing at angles of greater than 45 degrees to the direction of the waves. Surfing straight down wind and about 10 degree to straight is fine ... but 45 to 60 will make the boat heave and bob. In any event, I managed to make my way to the finish line.

Madpaddler in c1 stock at finish.

My GPS tracks.

I finished the race with a GPS time of 1hr 27min. I guesstimate that I can subtract about 3 to 4 minutes from this time (because of running on the wrong trail in the woods), which would also subtract about 0.25 miles from the 7.7 miles.

Distance 7.45 miles

Time 1 hr 25 min (?)

4th Time Trial

Tonite I didn't paddle. The hot glue that fixes the blades to the shaft came undone during my previous workout. I don't have the tools to fix them while I am away from home. So, once again, I was waiting on a promise to paddle tandem canoe. The canoe and paddler never showed up.

I sat on a picnic table, reflecting on life and enjoying the evening. Below are two images taken about 1/2 an hour after the time trial at the Park.

The barge canal at the rexford park looking "downstream".

The barge canal at the rexford park looking "upstream".

Tempo workout

I had a fair bit of excess energy from tapering and NOT racing at the Owasco Challenge. I needed to race. Given that there were no races on Monday, I decided to do a 1 hour time trial on the Erie Canal. I can normally paddle about 7.2 miles in an hour, which is about the distance from the Rexford boathouse to the 3rd upstream bridge.


I paddled 7.2 miles in just about 57 minutes.

Lake Owasco

My wife came down Saturday night, so I am skipping the Lake Owasco challenge. Maybe next year?!

Long Distance Paddle

This Sunday is the Lake Owasco Challenge. In preparation of the race, I paddled did a LD (long, slow distance paddle) today.

I paddled for just over 2 hrs and did several laps on the Erie Canal.

Third Time Trial

This week, in a downpour, I waited on the promise of paddling the bow position in a tandem canoe. The promise was empty and my canoe never showed.

So ... after the canoes started, I put together my paddle and grabbed my kayak and set off on a chase. It was cold and rainy - perfect for madpaddler - I paddled hard and enjoy being 'in the hunt'. I caught the lead canoe at the top of the island. At which point, I tried to pace the lead canoe and give them an opportunity to ride wash. With about one mile left, I cruised to the finish line.

No time, since I wasn't racing. I suppose I can consider this an interval night - 2 x 0.5 mile.

I need to plan a long paddle on Friday for the Owasco Lake Challenge on Sunday.

Second Time Trial

I made it to the second NNYP paddlers time trial. This time I knew where I was going and we had fair weather. It was a good race for me.

I paddled hard to the top of the island, putting some distance b/w myself and the pack and then I coasted to the bottom turn and then stepped on the gas for the last 1/4 mile to the finish. It was a solid effort, one that I am happy with.

Distance: 3.44 miles
Time:27'05"

Electric City Regatta

This morning I woke with a pinched nerve in my lower back and could barely walk. I talked it over with Dot and was just going to use the race as a chance to do an Long Distance paddle and speed recovery to my sore back.

The Electric City Regatta is held on Lock 9 on the Erie Canal. When we arrived, the weather was overcast and cool with no breeze. It was beautiful and there was even a barge near the canal.

After I registered, I did a 1 mile warmup. I was interested to know if my back could survive a 12 mile paddle. The pinched nerve limited my rotation on the right side, but I worked at stretching it on water.

The race start-
About 20 minutes before the first starting wave the winds picked up. Kayaks were to go last and I paddled around waiting for the start. I saw my friends Tom and Scott in their new K2. Scott trains A LOT [ I think he trains more than I sleep] and is a very good paddler. In sum, I expected to get dusted at the start.

Tom and Scott in their K2.

For whatever reason, they didn't blast off at the start and it made for a very lonely 9 or so miles of the race. I paddled up-canal for 5 miles turned at a buoy and then started to make my way down canal to the finish. In fact, when making a hard sweep at the buoy I felt something 'let go' in my lower back and was able to rotate and paddle without pain. Finally! I could now *race*. I was also now in the deep part of the Erie canal were my boat speed is relatively unaffected by the shallow water effect and I had finally caught up to the back of the first wave.

The back of the first wave (yes ... that's the "Captain"in the red hat) at the finish line.

I caught the front of the first wave of canoes heading down canal, about 2 miles from the finish line. About 6 or 7 canoes were side waking and moving along very well as a pack. I knew from past experience that if I paddled alongside, that I would bring out the competitive nature of several of these canoeists and they would break formation. I didn't want to see this happen, as I think there was a lot of learning going on within the pack.

When I was spotted by one of the racers, the pack split. A mixed team, with a top male paddler seated in the bow, spotted me and made chase while another all male team slide onto my stern wake. [You can see the all male c2 just over my should in the photo below].

Race Finish Photos-

Mixed canoe with top ranked male paddler in the bow.

Another mixed team with the talented Joe Shaw in the bow.

Madpaddler nearing the finish line.

I finished the 11.18 mile course in 1 hr and 33 minutes.

Northern New York Paddlers TIme Trial

Tonight was my first NNYP time trial. I had to drive 1Hr 15 minutes to get my boat and get to the Erie Canal. The time trials are held in a little park owned by the local rowing club in Rexford, NY. I arrived with only minutes to ready myself for the race.

I had heard that a very good local paddler usually shows up with his kayak and destroys the field. Indeed, he is a very good paddler and I'd lost at least twice to him two years earlier when he was paddling the NYMCRA circuit. So ... I was expecting a similar result.

We all lined up, and then the race was off.

I paddled moderately because I had no idea where I was going. I was paddling out front, looking over my shoulder, trying to anticipate the course based on the direction and actions of the paddlers behind me. I had slowed at the 1/2 mile mark because I wasn't sure if we were turning at the bridge abutment! It was actually a lot of fun, but I didn't get a great workout.

After the race, the NNYP had a small party for one of its members and they offered me cake! It sure beats the pizza that I'd normally have with SLVP. I can't wait for the Electric City Regatta on Saturday.

Sunday's Long Distance paddle

I have arrived in the Albany area and have finally found a nice place to paddle. In Rexford, at the aqueduct, there is a beautiful section of river. It is quite calm compared to the St. Lawrence, even with a bit of motorboat traffic. Nothing like having a "Salty" chasing you down the length of the St. Lawrence River. Nevertheless, I did manage to sneak in a one hour paddle on the Canal.



And yes, I slowed down two or three times to wipe the sweat from my eyes or to take in the scenery. [I passed below a train bridge *just* as a train was coming through! What fun!!] I plan on paddling at the Wednesday night time trial in a few days. Stay tuned ...

Taper?

Since my last posting, I've traveled much and paddled very little. In short, I have moved temporarily to Troy, NY for my career. [Which promises to be a lot of fun, especially for protein biochemists...]

Due to various circumstances, I had to travel back to the St. Lawrence Valley [4+ hr drive]. I dislike driving, but was excited to make it home early enough to paddle on the Oswegatchie River. My usual course is a loop that takes me upstream for about 2.6 miles around an island and then back downstream. It is a perfect course for sprint or marathon kayaks.

It has a number of turns; nice mix of shallow, suck and deep water; a fair amount of current; and a little island that serves as a turn buoy. The start and finish is located on the upper right hand corner of the following picture.

And here are the results from garmin training center.

I hadn't paddled in over a week. Perhaps this is like a mid-season taper? Anyway, I paddled the 5.35 miles in 43'30" with an average HR of 157 bpm. Which rounds out to about 7.35 mph. A new PR ... Fantastic!

Missed workout

I was travelling on Sunday, so I missed my long distance (LD) paddle. Shoot!

Today, I planned to do my LD workout: 2 HR on Lake Bonaparte (no GPS and no HRM) at comfortable pace. The first hour went well. The wind started to blow in and give me some great practice surfing waves.

As I started to make my way around the lake for a second time and I heard loud noises, which I I originally thought was a nearby army base (fort drum). The US army practices their maneuvers nearby and at certain times of the day a person can listen to the sounds of various artillery. When I saw flashes of lightning, I knew the difference and cut my 2 hr paddle back to 1 hr 10 min. Dang!

So much for my LD paddle ...

Friday Kayak Session

This morning when I woke, it was HOT AND HUMID, so I planned an afternoon kayak session. I was hoping to get a session in before my wife came home at 3:30. In this way I wouldn't have to choose between two of my favorite things: paddling and hanging out with Dot.

As soon as I finished working around 2 o'clock, I grabbed a pair of paddling shorts and was ready to try the Kajner 2- XL in my dominator II (an ICF kayak).

Much to my surprise a rain storm had quickly rolled in

Then it started to thunder and lightning, accompanied by hail.

I debated waiting it out and leaving a bit later. However, a quick check of weather underground

ensured that I *wasn't* going to be paddling on the water any time soon. [See the yellow blob on the St. Lawrence!]

So ... I decided to spend some quality time on my torture machine (AKA my speedstroke).

So ... my session:

• 15 min warmup at 12 kph,
• Several 4 minute intervals (VO2 intervals) with 2 to 3 minutes rest.
• cool down for about 5-10 minutes
• called it a day.

In all, I logged about 45 to 50 minutes on the torture device.

Sadly, I am not going to be able to make it to Dan Murn's race in Rochester again this year...

First outing with new paddle

I train (or at least try to) three times per week: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday . I reserve Sunday as a long slow distance day (or a race day), and the other two days are for long and short intervals, respectively.

Today I decided to skip the long intervals and do a tempo-esque one hour paddle to test my new Kajner 2 -XL. I've learned over the last couple of years that the best testing grounds are ones that remain consistent. I've found that Lake Bonaparte in Harrisville, NY (in the early morning hours) is a great place to test equipment.

For two weeks in a row, I've been greated with nearly perfect conditions. In fact, it has been like a mill-pond at 7:30 AM.

It is almost exactly 7 miles in circumference following the main (read deepish) shoreline, making it ideal for a 1 hr paddle.

I've averaged 7.22 mph on two seperate outings at comfortably hard (i.e. not race) pace. I repeated the same effort with my new paddle.

So, how was my first trip with the new paddle? The first thing I noticed, and was pleasantly surprised by, was the 'catch'. My k6 gurgles a bit on the catch and the new paddle has a Hollywood-esque sound of a ninja sword slicing rapidly through the air. In other words, the gurgle is gone and replaced with a slicing sound. I wasn't surprised by the release - there is no hesitation in the release (and least not at my ability level).

Here is a google earth image of my GPS tracks on Lake Bonaparte.

And the GPS results (6.58 miles in 53'42")

This is a speed of just over 7.3 mph with the new paddle. Compare that to my previous best of 7.2 mph with the old K6. Fantastic!

I am aware that I should repeat this process over (n>20) to have statistically reliable results. However, based on the feel at the catch, the lighter weight and the new locking mechanism - I think the new K2 is an improvement over the old (but still very nice) K6.

New Paddle

Woohoo!

I just received my new paddle from Mike Fekete (AKA "Coach"). It is sweet!

I had been debating getting a new paddle for two reasons. First, long paddles are usually the preference of sprint kayakers and very strong paddlers. I watched a video of Hank McGregor in an endurance event (surfski). Hank is very tall, powerful, and is an ex-sprinter. He apparently uses a paddle with a length of about 215 cm. I am shorter, less powerful, and am using a paddle that is much longer. In short, I owed it to myself to try something shorter. I was also concerned about breaking my old paddle and not having a spare.

So, I originally ordered an exact replacement. My old paddle was a Kajner 6, but Kajner no longer makes this paddle. Instead, I learned that it has been updated! Fantastic!! In its updated form the paddle is referred to as the Kajner 2. It just came in the mail. It is the XL version with plenty of surface area at the tip for a strong catch.

It also has a very high rate of twist, which should allow the paddle to track easily away from the side of the boat and exit cleanly. I expect it will exit more cleanly than my Kajner 6.

Another nice addition to my new "spare paddle" is the locking mechanism. It is far better than the plastic lock on the Epics. Like my K6, it remains rugged, but is very quick to change feather and length on the fly. My Kajner 6 had a small tool that I could use to lock the feather angle, but could never *really* adjust it on the fly.

I can't wait to try it! Stay tuned ...

Macs 9-Miler

I raced my first kayak race of the season on saturday. It was a horrible race, but a great training paddle. The course is officially known as the Tupper Lake 9-miler, but is really a 7.3 mile course on a narrow, but deep river. I'd estimate the current to be about 0.3-0.5 mph. Prior to the race, the race director told us to be mindful of some giant rocks and ledges just under the surface. His advice was to stay b/w the green and red buoys.

After a 10 minute warmup, I was ready to race. It was too difficult to get a 'front position' on the starting line so I had to line up behind a mass of boaters. Nevertheless, I moved from the second line to first position within 3 minutes. I was now on clean, "fast" water and was putting time b/w myself and second position (perhaps b/w 30 seconds and a minute per mile). As I neared the 3 mile mark, I was moving into the first of three boulder strewn channels, marked with about 15 sets of red/green buoys. Recalling what the race director had said, I positioned myself b/w the first set of red/green buoys hoping to stay away from the boulders. Nearing the 3rd set of buoys, I felt my kayak heave hard to one side - I HAD HIT A BOULDER. [the buoys had apparently moved due to high water]. I tried valiantly, using whitewater technique, to keep the boat upright, but in the end I failed. I was upside down. I now had to swim to shore, empty the boat and get underway.

As I was swimming to shore, I saw the lead pack pass me. I also felt devastated as I saw the second and third packs pass me - I was now 'dead -last' and still swimming. As I was making my way to shore I noticed a touring class paddler getting into his boat - I learned after the race that he had hit the same rock.

Once I got to shore, I met perhaps the nicest 'little old lady' - she was watching the race from her dock. She offered to let me use her dock and also offered to help. I appreciated the offer of help, but didn't really want it nor need it. I knew I could empty my boat of water much faster than 'we' could. She insisted on helping (she even offered me a 'cold drink - lemonade, water, & cookies, etc' .. lol ) and after what seemed like an eternity, I had returned to racing.

I paddled hard, telling myself that I could catch the leaders b/f the finish. After about 2 miles, I had passed the third pack. Another mile and I'd chased down the 2nd pack. It wasn't until I turned the final corner and was pointed towards the finish that I came within sight of the leaders AND the finish line. I 'sucked it up' and sprinted the final 0.5 mile. The lead pack had broken up as people sprinted for the finish ... in sum, I passed all but three kayakers from the lead pack. Two paddlers belonged to the 'masters' class, so I came away with second place hardware and a chance to set the course record another day. I also came away with a very good training day as I had a very fast second half; I worked much harder trying to catch up than I would have if I'd paddled out front. Results are posted here.