Since my last post training has been going really well! Apart from being ill for a week with a stomach bug (I think from dirty river water) I finished off my strength block having made big improvements and really feeling the difference on the water. My training then changed emphasis to speed endurance training, mainly short efforts with short rest. While my technical training on the water took more of a delivery focus and keeping gym work down to a session or two a week.
At the end of August I travelled up to Grandtully, Scotland where I competed in an officials event as the main event was for Division 1, the division below the one I compete in. However there was some good competition in my event from competitors I race against in the Premier division. On both Saturday and Sunday I completed good runs down the course not picking up any penalties, enough to see me take the win on both days. I left the weekend confident that as I freshened up over the next two weeks I would be in really good shape for the next Premier division race in Nottingham on the 15/16 September.
Qualification on Saturday was a mixed bag. A very tough course set saw everyone competing pick up penalties and alot of mistakes being made. I knew that half of the 52 man field would be qualifying through to Sundays semifinal so I set off on my first run to deliver a solid run. On most of the course I did this apart from on one gate half way down where I lost around six seconds, I still placed 12th after first runs. Therefore on my second run I aimed to eliminate this mistake and push a bit harder in a couple of places, knowing if I did this it would firmly place me in the top 5. Unfortunately it didn't work out like that; although I didnt have any big time losses, I did pick up a few penalties and a few small time losses, I ended with a slower run so my first run counted. I finished qualification in 16th , safely through to the Semifinal and confident having delivered some good stuff, even if it hadn't all come together.
My semifinal got off to a poor start on an equally tricky course, with time losses over the first few gates and penalties on gates one, three and four I left myself alot to do to get into the 10 man final. Completing the rest of the course to plan, paddling through the last gate, gate 22 and crossing the finish line, I felt disbelief that I had started the run that poorly. I had left myself too much to make up, I posted a time that would have qualified me into the final in 8th but with penalties ontop I dropped to 14th, and that was my race over.
Although the result was disapointing, I know that if my run had all come together I would have been in the top 5. Also having watched the video I can see that the aspects I have been working on over the summer have got much better. I look forward to the final 3 races of the season to see if I can put it all together.
At the end of August I travelled up to Grandtully, Scotland where I competed in an officials event as the main event was for Division 1, the division below the one I compete in. However there was some good competition in my event from competitors I race against in the Premier division. On both Saturday and Sunday I completed good runs down the course not picking up any penalties, enough to see me take the win on both days. I left the weekend confident that as I freshened up over the next two weeks I would be in really good shape for the next Premier division race in Nottingham on the 15/16 September.
Qualification on Saturday was a mixed bag. A very tough course set saw everyone competing pick up penalties and alot of mistakes being made. I knew that half of the 52 man field would be qualifying through to Sundays semifinal so I set off on my first run to deliver a solid run. On most of the course I did this apart from on one gate half way down where I lost around six seconds, I still placed 12th after first runs. Therefore on my second run I aimed to eliminate this mistake and push a bit harder in a couple of places, knowing if I did this it would firmly place me in the top 5. Unfortunately it didn't work out like that; although I didnt have any big time losses, I did pick up a few penalties and a few small time losses, I ended with a slower run so my first run counted. I finished qualification in 16th , safely through to the Semifinal and confident having delivered some good stuff, even if it hadn't all come together.
My semifinal got off to a poor start on an equally tricky course, with time losses over the first few gates and penalties on gates one, three and four I left myself alot to do to get into the 10 man final. Completing the rest of the course to plan, paddling through the last gate, gate 22 and crossing the finish line, I felt disbelief that I had started the run that poorly. I had left myself too much to make up, I posted a time that would have qualified me into the final in 8th but with penalties ontop I dropped to 14th, and that was my race over.
Although the result was disapointing, I know that if my run had all come together I would have been in the top 5. Also having watched the video I can see that the aspects I have been working on over the summer have got much better. I look forward to the final 3 races of the season to see if I can put it all together.