What we have managed to do is name it 'Fifty' ...shades of blue. Here she is in the snow - you may notice that I opted not to change into my paddling gear to do this modelling stint!
We thought it would be good for those far away to have some idea of where we are training - it's central London and just off the Thames - one of the old shipping basins.
This is "the Basin" at Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre in Tower Hamlets:
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We have been round and round in circles a bit. We have a circuit that is 0.35miles and we can see Canary Wharf looming above the skyline. A short evening is 17 - 18 laps in a 16ft Old Town Discovery and 20 is standard. So far in our 4 nights we have clocked 26.25 miles round in circles. We have a routine that we change paddling sides every lap and when lap 15 is almost done we are allowed to sing 10 green bottles.
We're thinking that our repetitive circles may help us get used to the repetition of paddling for 60 hours - who knows, and are thinking of having an hour dedicated to certain artists. So far we have Dolly Parton hour, Gilbert & Sullivan Hour and are in desperate need of more suggestions for songs to keep us sane - sea shanties are being considered as is humming Duelling Banjos.
In all of this practice a couple of things have come to mind:
1. How are the people in Canada training as it's all frozen there
2. Will we peak too early
3. Are we insane?
If you have by any chance done this before and are happy to share - how long did you train for and what did the training involve - we're on 2-3 times a week in a boat and 2 times a week in the gym. We're not after any medals just to get to Dawson before all the toes get eaten.
Canada isn't all frozen this time of year, here on the east coast we have open water, same for the west coast. That said, we haven't been on it for a few months now but are training indoors or skiing. Train for endurance for sure. We do 6 days a week usually and this works for us. You won't peek, but keep getting stronger until a few weeks before the race when you should taper off some and get rest.
ReplyDeleteOn the water you should paddle as much as you can and find a place where you can go longer and not in circles. We think it important to get a few good 6 hours paddles in and one 12 hour without leaving the boat. Try to do this at your best pace, eating as you would on the race. Which canoe you are in is less important as you are not that concerned with how far you go. Do this to prove to yourself you can take long periods in the boat and learn a bit on how you will store your food etc. There is much to be learned on what we do and have done over the past three years training on our blog. @011 might help you as it was our first year training. Since then we have changed things some and if you aren't bored yet, you can read the other two years. Here it is: http://www.ryersonclark.com/Ryerson/Yukon_River_Quest.html
As you know, you can ask us anything, no secrets.
Thank you for your great advice as always it's much appreciated. 6 hours in a boat without getting out is fine by me - have done a couple of stints like that before - we are planning on paddling through the entire daylight hours as soon as they increase so we can get used to not getting out. I suspect the siezed ankles will be interesting when we do get out and that extra ibuprofen will be a good idea.
ReplyDeleteSounds like at the moment my 3 gym trips (added an extra one from this week) and 3 paddles a week should do the trick and all of the muscles I let go after the channel swim have started to come back with vengeance
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteyes, you are insane...
ABBA songs would be good
did you really have a STAR WARS extra in the canoe with you?
or is that Bob?
wish i could come up to cheer you over the finish line....
sadly my sister's wedding gets in the way ;o(
Just in case you're wondering that's me.... #technologicallychallenged
DeleteSorry to disappoint Lucy, it was just me in the front. Highly reflective cycling jacket!!
Deletedid you know if you google Yukon Quest you get an annual 1,000 mile dog sled race starting tomorrow from White Horse. by the time you finish river quest, you should be about ready to start training for next year. Not sure where you'll get/keep 14 malamuts in London though.
ReplyDelete