July 18 - Injury #2 - The Season Ender
July 11 - Injury #1
July 4 - Contoocook River Scramble
June 30 - Charlemont Lions Race
May 19 - Housatonic Downriver Race
May 5 - Upper Ashuelot
April 29 - Run of the Charles
April 21 - Westfield River Wildwater Race
April 8 - Scantic Spring Splash
April 7 - Ware River Ice Breaker
March 31 / April 1 - Scantic Spring Splash and Hockanum River Canoe Race
March 24th - The Icebreaker
 
 

Like many people, I have a certain "routine" on race day. I want to be up early, have a good breakfast (oatmeal and/or pancakes), caffeine, and then lots of water. With that in mind here come the odyssey.

March 17th - The Ice Breaker :
 

The Ice Breaker was supposed to take place on March 17th, but was postponed until March 24th. This was a good thing. First it increased the chances of actually paddling at least once before the race. And second, it meant being able to sleep in and enjoy the Saint Patrick's Day parade and activities. One of those two events occurred; and it wasn't the former.

March 24th - The Ice Breaker Part II :
 

The forecast called for scattered but heavy bands of Lake Effect Snow (LES). For me that meant load the boats the night before, cover them in case a band sets-up over us, get up extra early, and travel East along the Thruway before turning North through the Adirondack Park to skirt the bulk of the bands.

I had my oatmeal and took my giant travel mug of double strength coffee with me. I brought two bottles of water and a sandwich for after the race and I was on the road at 6:20 AM.  As I headed East on the Thruway, I spotted a C2 marathon canoe heading West and thought to myself "You're going the wrong way. You don't want to be heading North on 81 through LES."

I stopped at the last Thruway Area before Utica and got some French Toast Sticks and a bottle of water and was back on the road at 7:30 AM. I chose to take Route 8 to Route 30. A scenic ride through Lake Pleasant, Indian Lake, and Blue Mountain Lake. I made a quick stop in Long Lake for another bottle of water and I was off again. I was making great time. There was very little traffic and not a flake to be found. It was bright and sunny and only a couple of hours before the scheduled start as I passed through Tupper Lake.

As I prepared to make the left turn in front of the Town Hall, I didn't see any other boats in the parking lot, and I wasn't THAT early. I crept past the Town Hall and saw IT, plain as day. A very conspicuous piece of paper was centered on the door. This could mean only one thing; I should have called Mac's Race Hotline. The race had been canceled due to snow. I wasn't sure if it had been canceled because of the snow they had received overnight, or because of the snow that had been expected that day. In either case, I would have plenty of time to think about it on the ride home.

I decided to take Route 28 back to Route 12. (For the uninitiated, the stretch of road from Old Forge to Raquette Lake parallels the first day's paddle of the Adirondack Classic.) I chose poorly. I found a very heavy band of LES that ran pretty much from just West of Blue Mountain Lake to about 10 miles East of Old Forge.

After more than eight and a half hours of driving, there was clearly only one thing to do upon returning home - PADDLE.

I dropped a boat off at home and went to the only place I could launch that had open water. The snow was really coming down, and I was almost having second thoughts. As I approached the boat launch at the marina, I could not believe my eyes. There was another vehicle there with a canoe on top, and they were getting ready to take it down and launch. "Insanity is not for the meek."

I was pretty psyched about the thought of actually having someone to paddle with in that weather. As I was getting the boat down, I looked up to see one of the people holding a video camera. By the time I had the boat down, my gear together, my paddling jacket, sprayskirt, PFD, and gloves on, they had finished shooting their video, the canoe was loaded, and they were mounting up.

Undaunted, I put in and headed North, into the wind. Visibility was about 100 feet, but the snow flakes were so big and wet it was difficult to keep my head up. Within minutes, a thick coating of snow covered the front of my PFD. There was some snow on the kayak deck, but not nearly as much as the PFD. After about 20 minutes I noticed that the paddle had become glazed with ice, and the deck was now covered with more ice than snow; time to turn around.
 

Admittedly, not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't make my top 5 stupidest things in a canoe or kayak list either.

The only way I can rationalize this behavior is with the following analogy:

Did you ever crave Chinese food all day ?
Then, when you get home and ask your spouse "Chinese ?"  they reply "I had Chinese food for lunch."
Well, this race was my Chinese food, and I would not be denied . . . at least not denied of the paddle !!!

There is another race this weekend (3/31). Probably be another eight or nine hours of driving for less than an hour of paddling.

Scantic Spring Splash - Rain or Shine or Snow . . .
 

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March 31 / April 1 - Scantic Spring Splash and Hockanum River Canoe Race
 

So much for the "Rain or Shine or Snow" . . .

The good news is this weekend I avoided the driving and just called the race directors for updates. Both race directors waited as long as possible before canceling these races. The Scantic Spring Splash was canceled late on Friday, and the Hockanum River Canoe Race wasn't officially canceled until 7:00am on Sunday. Strangely, I was compelled to call at 7:00am on Sunday to find out if the race was canceled, even though there would be no way for me to arrive before the designated start time. I just needed to know. The truth is that the water was just too high and too fast for safety and I applaud their decisions.

Now, you might think that given yet another reprieve, I might actually paddle over the weekend. You would be wrong. It was a weekend for kicking back, relaxing, regrouting, recaulking, and painting. All things considered, I'd rather have been paddling.

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April 7 - Ware River Ice Breaker
 

OK, in keeping with last week's tradition, calls were made to confirm that both races were to be held this weekend.

Note to self:   After confirming the race is being held - GET DIRECTIONS.
I knew where Barre was. I think I had even been there before, but having directions would have helped ease my mind.

I'll skip the "routine" info let's just say up really early, load boats, eat oatmeal, drive for hours, eat pancakes, drive for hours. Anyway . . .

I get there a little after 9:00 AM and register for the race. The first thing that strikes me as odd (being new to kayak racing) is the lack of classes. There were two classes, long and short. No K2, no Women's, no Racing, no Touring, no Recreational, no Sea Kayak no Whitewater, just long (greater than 13' 2") and short (13' 2" or less). I was asked about my boat (I planned on using the MI-415 since this was a down river race) and told them it was 13' 7". They registered me into the short class because 1) "It was close enough" and 2)  "You don't want to be competing with the racing kayaks". As I walked back to the truck to unload the boat, I knew I'd be returning to the registration table to register in the long class; and I did.

Within minutes, I was reminded what I loved so much about racing and the racing community. Someone was walking over to check out the boat, offer some insight on the race, and introduce me around.

Note to self:   When someone who has done the race before offers advice - TAKE IT.
I used the MI-415 because it was a down river race. Had it been a flatwater race, I would have used the Voyager 445. More about this later.

As the race approaches, everyone has his or her own way of preparing. Some become very serious and withdrawn, some need to get out on the water and warm up, the guys I was hanging out with (TJ and Jim) are the joke making kind - it always helps to ease the tension. For me, it's a series of phases. I need the joking around for a while, then I get a little jittery and start bouncing, then comes the serious "game face". There will be a photo gallery soon.

Since there were only six kayaks racing (three long and three short), we all started together. I had visual contact with the two other boats in my class for at least the first mile. No, seriously. Now I know why they suggested I register in the short class. Hey, I took third.

As for the course itself, I would exactly classify it as a down river race. It was no Mad River, that's for sure. To say it was meandering may even be overstating the current. The Great Chazy south of the village of Champlain has more current as does the Missisquoi above the falls in Swanton; pretty much flatwater.

Good time after the race. Beer, chili, and war stories - just like I remember. Got myself a big ol' roll of duct tape for my third place finish. I had my choice of a few things, but come on - who couldn't use more duct tape.
 

Tom's Excuses for this Race:

5. Wrong boat for those conditions.
4. What did you expect, it was the first race of the year.
3. Resting was probably not as important as training.
2. Need to spend more time paddling less time drinking water during the race.
1. Oh yeah, like I'm supposed to beat well conditioned guys in kevlar kayaks.

The truth is even if I used the Voyager the time difference would not have changed where I finished in my category. The lack of conditioning was no doubt the largest factor in my performance, and will continue to be until I spend more time on the water.

Race results: Ware River Ice Breaker
 

April 8 - Scantic Spring Splash
 

Staying outside of Boston cut down on the driving for this race. It was only two hours away, and sort of on the way home.

I met TJ and Jim (from the Ware race) an hour before registration began to scout the river. We went to the first portage and saw the put in. There was also an optional second portage there. I was pretty sure that I would run that section, so I focused my attention more on the river than the portage route. At the end of the race there were a series of drops (or steps) to negotiate. We spent lots of time scouting this part. Since they had run the race route the week before, they had the lines all set; "stay right for the first two, come across and stay left for the last two". The last drop had a sizable chute, you hit it and you're golden; you miss it and you're toast. While it didn't look that bad from the shore, it would be different coming down the river.

I had a lot to think about before the race. What were the best lines? Do I want to use the optional portage? What about the part of the river that we couldn't see; that nasty "S" turn or whatever it was called? What paddle do I use whitewater or touring? Do I want to register in the racing class or just novice and skip the second half of the race including those drops? I didn't go all that way to paddle only 2.5 or 3 miles. I was in it for the whole thing.

Note to self:   If lots of other people are using carbon fiber paddles, it's going to be OK to use the light touring paddle rather than the heavy whitewater paddle.

This being more of an actual down river race, boats were started one at a time at 30-60 second intervals. First the novice classes then the racing. As you stand and watch people put in and begin the race, you find yourself and others looking on in almost morbid curiosity sometimes. There are people out there that every knows are not going to be able to stay upright. I know all about "seemed like a good idea at the time" and "it all for fun", but 35-degree water is only fun for a short time. Especially when you aren't prepared for it.

For the bulk of the race, I would have to say it was uneventful, at least for me. There was plenty of carnage from canoes in both the novice and racing classes. Not being able to scout that "S" turn was probably a good thing, I had no idea how scared to be. It was a wild ride that while only lasting a few seconds, felt an awful lot longer. As I approached the mandatory portage, I was sure that I would skip the optional one to save time. As I put back in, another kayaker was putting in behind me. Definitely need to run the river. As I began to put on the spray skirt, I could see someone being fished out of the water below the chute. I decided to take the portage. The other kayaker opted for the chute. He chose poorly. As I walked/jogged along the portage, I could see him going over and the rescue crew getting ready to do their thing again.

With the exception of a few fun spots, the remainder of the race was straightforward. I could see another kayaker ahead of me and I followed his line. As we approached the drops, I was over on the right (as planned). Over the first one, no problem. Over the second one, no problem. Hey, wait a minute, why isn't the guy in front of me going left ? He's right in the middle. He took the fourth step down the middle too. Well, the heck with the scouting report. I'm just going to follow him.

Note to self:   When you've scouted the river and KNOW where you're supposed to be - Don't follow the boat in front of you if it's not in the right place.

There is a reason we scouted this part. It was to make sure that I stay right on the first two and left on the last two. But come race time, I didn't. Oh, it turned out OK. I didn't dump or get overly wet, but I did look like an idiot on the tape after the race. No doubt failing to keep left cost me a few seconds. Not that I would have moved up within my class, but I would have posted a better time than someone in another class.

After the race was great. They had rented equipment and taped several sections of the race. It was a hoot.
 

Tom's Excuses for this Race:

4. Wrong paddle for those conditions.
3. Still need to spend more time paddling less time drinking water during the race.
2. Any one can scout the river, the trick is to actually USE the information..
1. What did you expect, I just raced yesterday.

I finished a respectable fourth out of six. Here are the entire race results: Scantic Spring Splash

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April 21 - Westfield River Wildwater Race (Novice)
 

I'll not bore you with the details of how this little adventure takes on epic proportions, but if you would like to read about the events that preceded the long day about to be described follow this link: Epic size it.

I got up at 2:30AM, loaded the boats, ate my oatmeal, showered, and hit the road.

Again, I met TJ and Jim before the race. We registered, scouted the river, and dropped vehicles off at the finish (enter Tom2). Then we waited.

We watched as more and more canoes and kayaks lined up in the grassy area at the start. There was a race official there to show you where to put your boat and everything. The boats weren't being lined up class though. It was as if they were just lined up as people arrived. This would have been a very good thing to know before coming.

This was a huge race, with hundreds of paddlers. Boats lined up in rows, then around a corner, and finally making their way back out onto the road. From the looks of it, our boats were about 150 from the start, with probably close to that many boats behind us.

As we were standing around, someone finally broke the news to me. "We start in the order that we're lined up in."

Note to self:   Next year either get there the night before or bring plenty of stuff to keep amused while waiting.

This was bad. It was well after 10:00 before the first boat started. At 60 second intervals, it would be at least 12:30PM before we started. We had no vehicle to relax in, no excess water to drink, and no food to eat (there was a concession stand at the starting line, but I had no money and donuts and danishes would not be my food of choice before a race). Many of the people had done the race before and were prepared. Some had food, others drink, and some even had lounge chairs for relaxing. For most of the time, we sat along the bank watching the early birds go by, critiquing their paddling, their boat, and their line.

The big tip for this race was that after the first portage, there is a huge eddy to negotiate. Other than that, there were a few interesting spots and a couple of ponds to paddle across.

The eddy didn't appear as hairy as everyone made it out to be, but maybe I was lucky and had the right line. There were definitely some spots to get wet, but nothing like the Scantic. The only thing that troubled me was every so often, there was a current or eddy that just wasn't visible, and all of a sudden, you could feel the boat start to turn on you. It freaked me out the first few times it happened.

Here's the funny part about this race. Apparently they take their "Novice" seriously, and as such, a person cannot win the same class more than once. And although I didn't hang around for the results (people had finished the race before we started, and as I drove by after I finished, others were still starting), I was told that I had the fourth fastest time in my class, but won because the three boats ahead of me had each won that division before. How cool is that ?

Westfield Race Results

Tom's Excuses for this Race:

3. Still tired from Thursday and Friday.
2. Needed to eat and drink more before the race - who knew?
1. Conditioning, Conditioning, Conditioning.

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April 29 - Run of the Charles
 

I stayed with friends not too far from the race, so I actually got to sleep pretty late (7:00AM).

This being the first flatwater race of the season (at least for me) I felt the need get in at least one paddle of 9 miles or more since I opted to do the 9 mile race (not the 19 or the 6 mile race). So one paddle of ten miles covers the training for this race. What I should have trained for was the 1/3 mile carry.

Note to self:   Races can be won or lost on a portage just as easily as they can on the water.

No TJ or Jim for this one (hint: don't expect me to bring them up if it says flatwater)

This was a kind of "old home" race for me. I grew up just outside Boston, worked in Newton (where the start for the race was), lived in Waltham (where the hellacious carry was), and lived in Brighton (where the race ended - OK, the race ended in Allston, but Allston/Brighton who can tell?).

The 9 mile race started at the Charles River Water Authority in Newton. The funny thing is that I have rented canoes countless times from the Charles River Recreation Center which is located right there. I have rented recreational canoes and even rented their kevlar C-2 Marathon boat on a number of occasions. The weird thing is that we had never paddled toward Waltham from there. We always paddled against the current on the way out (toward the falls in Newton), then paddled back with the current. So, for as many times as I had paddled it, I still hadn't paddled any of the race course.

This being a flat water race, there isn't really much to tell, but here's what happened.

I got a decent start off the line and was in fourth overall for K-1 (I had no idea who was Masters and who was Open, I was just counting boats). The good news was that the three boats in front of me were all kevlar, that bad new is that there were three boats in front of me. There were plenty of boats behind me. Plastic K-1s and K-2s, and even a few fiberglass K-1s.

I don't know exactly how far it was to the first carry, but I figured around three miles. There were still three K-1's ahead of me. The lead boats were probably 250-300 yards ahead and the third was less than a 100. I went with a sprint for the last 1/4 mile before the carry to pass a few canoes, close on the number three boat, and hopefully get a good spot to pull out. I was able to cut the lead down to about 25 yards and was very happy with the pull out location I got (down river more would have been better, but overall, not too bad). My transition was smooth. No excess water in the boat, no waist high wading.

About 75 yards into the carry, I passed the number three guy (he was a Masters paddler). And yes, I actually jogged part of it. No time to stop for roast beef today (if you find yourself in Waltham, go to Mimi's Roast Beef - best rb west of Beachmont). Anyway, I jogged and walked the rest of the way. About 25 yards from the put in, I got passed by a different K-1 (definitely in the Open class) and he was running. That hurt.

In the next three mile section of the race, there were two shorter carries (about 200 yards each). I passed the guy on the water before the second carry, and again he passed me on the carry. I almost caught him on the water before the third carry, but not quite (50 yards or less). And here's why:

There was actually some very fast moving water, dare I say class I, between the two short carries. Who knew ? Negotiating the relatively short rapids was not the problem, stupidity was.  I had a spray skirt with me. It was even around my waist. But after the first carry, I didn't see any point in spending the time (what, 10 seconds tops) to put it over the cockpit. Big mistake - huge. I took in a lot of water in that short stretch. To compound the stupidity, when I reached the second short carry I didn't take the time to empty ALL the water out because the Masters that I passed on the first carry passed me.

Note to self:   A few pounds of water sloshing around in the bottom of the boat adds more time than pulling on the skirt.

With only about three miles left in the race, hopes of catching the Open were alive, but fleeting. I focussed more on the Masters that was within 50 yards. Short bursts with recoveries inched me closer. With a 1/2 mile to go, I was drafting the small wake his boat put out. With 1/4 mile to go I pulled along side, and we both picked up the pace. The last few hundred yards were a sprint. I could hear his family cheering him on (I pretended my name was David and they were cheering for me). Hey, you have to take motivation wherever you can find it. I did manage to take him by a few seconds at the line. It was good enough for third in the K-1 Open class (one of the other K-1s ahead of me was in the Masters class) which I thought was good considering the field.

Please don't ask me to explain the race results posted on the web site. Yes, that was my time, but I have no idea where an additional K-1 Open paddler came from. I was listed as third at the end of the race, and received the third place hardware in the mail last week.

Tom's Excuses for this Race:

2. First time racing with a Camelback (first time paddling with one - way too much water) !!
1. Stupidity. Got the spray skirt ? Use it !

May 5 - Upper Ashuelot

 
Another flatwater race, this time no carries. We (kayaks and recreational canoes) put in below the spillway. Pro boats and racing classes for canoes put in above the spillway, did a loop, and a short carry. We started after all the racing boats went through.

It seemed like a short 9 miles especially after the Run of the Charles.

There was a small field of K-1 longs (2 kevlar (one sprint and one downriver racer), one fiberglass, and me with my plastic boat). It almost goes without saying, but here it is:

It was a race for third place, because short of a major accident, no one would catch either of the kevlar boats.

And so it began . . .Within a matter of minutes, the kevlar boats were out of sight, and the two man race began. I lead for about the first two miles while Ivan drafted me. Then Ivan took the lead and I drafted him (tried to draft is a more accurate description). I would fall back a few waves and have to sprint to get back up on him. I knew I could not afford to fall behind him, it would be devastating mentally. As long as we could work together, we would both be faster and better rested for the finish. Important Background Info.

 I would say Ivan had the lead for three miles or so before he was ready to give it back to me. I told him I was sucking wind and the pace would  not be as fast as the last couple of miles, but I was ready to give him a rest. We had been gaining on a C-1 paddler and I was planning on using both his and Ivan's wake to propel me forward. As I pulled up on Ivan's side wake and the side wake of the C-1, I felt great. I had a burst of energy - those carbs were ready to work for me, and into the front I went. We were moving along at a good pace, and I was happy to be able to return the favor.

I could hear some light chatter behind me as I paddled. Obviously Ivan and the C-1 paddler had struck up a conversation. I listened for a while, but there is no use trying to get into the conversation; I couldn't hear what my C-2 partner said half the time and we were in the same boat.

After a few minutes I actually became a little paranoid. I was thinking 1.) they are drafting me,  2.) there are two of them getting refreshed while I'm getting more tired, 3.) when we switch lead next time I won't be able to keep up with them.

As we went into a fairly sharp turn, I looked behind me to get an idea of where they were. I didn't see them over my right shoulder. Next turn, didn't see them over my left shoulder. Next turn, didn't see them over either shoulder. As we moved into a straight, I looked behind one more time. They were about 10 boat lengths back. I looked again later in the race, but didn't see them.

I finished third.

Of course, things being what they are in racing (nothing is ever simple), a kayak class was added late, so the winner of our class became the winner (and only entrant) in that class, and I ended up with the second place plaque.
 

Tom's Excuses for this Race:

1. It's May - I'm out of excuses.

All I want to do now is beat the boats that I'm supposed to beat and every now and then beat a boat I'm not supposed to beat - is that asking too much ?.

Race results (canoe only as of May 24th): Upper Ashuelot

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May 19 - Housatonic Downriver Race

 
Back to downriver racing.

The usual morning routine and typical four plus hour drive to the race. I met Jim and Tom there (TJ and Jenny were a little late getting there). I didn't get a chance to scout the river, but the course description in the race guide was said to be very accurate:

"10 miles. After a quick Class 2 rapid at the start, 5 miles of relative flatwater; then numerous Class 2 rapids with faster water to the finish."

As we surveyed from the bank of the river, I had to ask "Is the Class 2 around that first bend?"
"No, you're looking at it." was the reply.

I gotta tell you, Class 1 OK, maybe if they did a really big damn release in might be Class 2, but not that day. The only thing that stood out was that Eddy guy. (He seems to show up below a lot damns.) Anyway, the rest of the description was very accurate. There was lots of flatwater in this race (the times for the course certainly bear that out). And the "numerous Class 2 rapids" were the most fun since the Scantic.

The Class 2 section had gates up for a slalom race to be held the next day and there were a number of people out there getting in their practice. Back at the start of the race, I received some important information about that section of the river. "Stay right of center at the bridge, work over to the left and then back to the right." (Basically, it came down to follow the gates - still, good to know.)

The good thing about having the Class 2 five plus miles into the race meant that the C-2 racing canoes that started a few minutes behind me had already passed me and I wouldn't be messing up their lines. On the flip side of that, I was catching up to C-2 recreational boats and K-1 short boats.

One of the things that has become apparent to me this year is don't get stuck behind someone that is a little more timid in the fun stuff. It becomes more difficult to pick lines without the clear visibility, and you never know when someone is going to lose it and end up sideways or worse right in front of you. That said, I picked up the pace when I saw the bridge to get past a few rec canoes. I got some great help from the kayakers practicing and had no problems, but lots of fun through the rapids.

Pretty much flat to the finish. I didn't realize how strong the current was until after I crossed the finish line and began drifting well beyond the take out.

Overall, a pretty good race for me, time wise. Third place out of three - but there was no way I should have beaten either or those guys or their boats.

Race results: Housatonic Downriver
 
 

June 30 - Charlemont Lion Race

OK, it's been a while and the rust was evident throughout the day.

The up side of a "late starting" race is that I don't need to get up at 2:30 in the morning, the down side is that the whole routine is blown. I left a little after 7:00 AM sans oatmeal (it didn't seem like an oatmeal day), and headed for Charlemont. Stopped in Albany for hotcakes (some traditions never die), and continued on my scenic tour of Western Massachusetts. I was in Adams (Berkshire Outfitters) and Hadley (Adventure Outfitters) the previous week, so I knew where I needed to be and how long it should take.

I got there plenty early (not as early as Jim, but ahead of TJ & Genny), so I took a short walk up to see "The Gap" (Zoar Gap). The water was not flowing very fast, so it did not look nearly as impressive as the pictures I'd seen. But now I can say "been there" but not "done that" (yet). Anyway, we registered for the race (I was one of three boats in the K-1 long class - surprise, surprise 2 kevlar boats and me), and got a chance to look over the New England Downriver Championship Series (NEDCS) standings. TJ and Jim had some issues (their names had been spelled incorrectly for some races, and they had not received their points). I was very surprised to see that I was in third place in K-1 long category (by one point), although I was still one race short of qualifying for the series. Fortunately for me, Charlemont was the last race in the series and all I would need to do to qualify for the points series is finish. To finish in third in the final standings, I could either win the race outright (not bloody likely), finish second to Lou (who already had first place in the NEDCS locked up), or finish third and hope the Lou won and the person that took second was not the person one point behind me in the standings. If he was, we would have had the same number of points, in the same number of races. Now, I don't know what kind of fancy tie breaker rules they use (if any), but a head to head loss in this race probably wouldn't help my cause.

Now for the race . . .

I'm not sure how long the race is, the description said 5 miles, but people said it was more like 5.5 miles. No matter, how ever long it was for me, it would be equally long for everyone else. (The truth is that I hadn't done much paddling between races, so I was hoping more for the 5 than 5.5 miles.) It was definitely Class I with some Class II for good measure. I think the level was still going up when the race began, and I've heard it can be a lot of fun when it gets above 1000cfs. See the USGS Chart.

I can't remember any place in the race thinking "I might lose it here." That said, there were a couple of interesting spots; most notably where the Cold River joined the Westfield (at least I think it was the Cold River). Much trickier for a canoe than a kayak, but fun enough to get a rise in the heart rate.

The only other thing I can tell you about the course, is it was littered with paddlestrians. Rafters, kayakers, canoeist, and tubist galore were present from start to finish. I had little trouble with them through most of the race; the occasional caravan of tubers taking up some prime current, the unpredictable path of an inflatable kayak and inexperienced paddler or two, and the rafts that seem to wait until you are only fifty feet away before pushing themselves off of the bank and into your line.

I finished third in the K-1 long category - no real surprise. Fortunately, the kayaker taking second was in second place in the NEDCS, so I did finish in third for the year. TJ also took third in the race and third for the series. Jim finished fourth in the race and received honorable mention in the series. Tom W, who was not at this race finished in fifth place in the NEDCS.

We are still waiting to see the results for the New England Canoe Racing Association Downriver series. It is considerable more complicated (uses a handicapping system and all kayaks compete in a single category).
 

Race Results: Charlemont Lions

I was disappointed in my time (although not surprised given the lack of time preparing for the race). Based on past performances, I would have expected to finish in about 40 min and 10 seconds.

This is for all you math wizards - a simple linear regression using the winner's time in the previous four races compared to mine, a simple substitution, and BAM ! 40:10.

July 4 - Contoocook River Scramble

Having no real training time since the last race, I fully expected to have the same trouble with my eroded aerobic base in this race.

A little about the journey. . . as luck would have it, I was going to NH for a mini vacation anyway (which is really the only reason I would be doing a mid-week race so far from home). Instead of the "normal" up at 2:30 - 4:00 AM, I drove to NH the night before the race and arrived a little after 1:00AM. I slept 'til about 7:30 had a bagel and coffee (and grabbed a banana for my prerace snack) and then took off for the race. I stopped for my usual hot cake meal, but it being a holiday and all, I decided after 5 minutes in line and being no closer to the counter that the bagel, coffee, banana and lots of water would have to do for this race.

The weather was great and so was the turnout.

The organizers did a great job with almost everything; most notably with the addition of several classes of boats based on those that showed up for the race. There wasn't just K-1 long and K-1 short. They added a K-1 Men Sea/Touring class and a K-1 Women Sea/Touring class and a K-1 rec wide class, as well as several other classes for canoes (including "Man and Dog"). In addition, after the race there was a huge party with multiple fresh roasted turkeys (regrettably, I was unable to attend this year, but now that I know . . .).

The only criticism I would make is that the race could have used four heats to start rather than just the three (K-1 racing with C-1, C-2 racing, and rec). The third heat was overcrowded and could have been broken in to rec kayak and rec canoe.

There were more boats in the third heat than could stretch across the starting line. Unfortunately, I was not on the line, but behind another K-1 and sandwiched between two C-2 rec canoes. I had a fairly clean start easily staying with the K-1 in front of me. The C-2 on my right was passing the K-1 in front of me so I opted to slide ride and follow on their draft. That worked for about 45 seconds. At that point I was struck by another boat on my right side just behind the cockpit. There was little chance of going over, but it definitely induced a spin of more than a few degrees. I recovered without too much lost time, but not soon enough to stay with the lead pack.

Currently I was only trailing the K-1 that I had line up behind and I thought with a strong push I could get back to the lead pack. As I made my mad dash to catch up, it was obvious that I wasn't the only one bumped and the bumping was still going on in the pack of C-2s ahead, making it easier to catch. The lead K-1 was far enough left that he was not effected by any of posturing.

I caught the C-2s on a right hand turn and went wide to stay out of the fray. Well I tried to anyway. Unfortunately, I was not wide enough and soon found I had run out of water between my kayak and the C-2 on my right. This was not good. I was loosing momentum and falling further behind the lead K-1. Within second, a K-1 passed me on the outside of the curve and I was in third, no longer hanging with the lead pack, and just starting to get my stroke back. I watched as the K-1 pushed up river passed the lead K-1. I can only assume he had a more hectic start than I did.

I focussed on the K-1 in front of me, never getting closer than about five boat lengths, but not dropping more than eight back. And so it went most of the way up the river. Unable to close the gap, but not being dropped either.

There was a familiar chatter behind me as I pushed along. Two C-2 teams were within earshot, one drafting me and another perhaps drafting them. I led as long as I could and eased up enough to let the first C-2 go by, immediately jumping their wake. If we were gaining on the K-1 in front of me, it was slowly.

I thought that the turn around would be the place where everything would happen. We had closed to about 15 feet of the K-1 just before the turn and knew the guys in the C-2 would try to power it around the buoy. The only thing that I hadn't planned on was another boat (a C-1) being at the turn at the same time. The K-1 was able to cut inside the C-1 easily, the C-2 had to slow down dramatically or they would have T-boned the C-1. I also had to slow down and was forced into a sharper turn than I would have liked. We came out of the turn no closer to the K-1.

For a very short time, I thought I could out run the C-2 and catch the K-1 on my own. Each time I broke from the wake and pulled even or ahead, they came right back and I found myself drafting again. As we pulled even with the K-1 I thought of getting off the wake and just duking it out mono a mono - no more drafting. Seriously, I thought about it. But I also kept thinking about the Charles River Race, and maybe, just maybe, if I had drafted more, I could have placed higher - and sadly that's really why we race isn't it ? Anyway. . .

On one of the left turns, I went a little wide and jumped up from the stern wake to the side wake. As I began to settle back, I saw that the other K-1 had jumped on the stern wake. I was more than a little surprised. With a mile and a half or so left I was beginning to see a long struggle ahead. He didn't stay long, just long enough to let me know "yeah, I could do that too."

I had expected to blow past the C-2 in the final few hundred yards, but it was me that was passed by the other C-2 that had stayed back there the whole time. I had nothing left for the finish. Conditioning is so key to flatwater paddling, maybe next weekend.

It wasn't a very satisfying second place.

Race Results: Contoocook River

July 11 - Injury #1

Talking to TJ and Jim (and I would guess any white water paddlers) I heard a lot about "playing". Unfortunately, there aren't any convenient places for that type of paddling around here. And to be perfectly honest,  I probably wouldn't spend a lot of time just "playing" in my kayaks. I do like to do some surfing with them, and having them on the ocean doing beach launches and landings can be lots of fun, but by and large, I like to get in and paddle for miles. I have routes of known mileage, and I pretty much stick to them. I know it's my flatwater upbringing, but that's just how I am.

Before I go any further, here's the background info:
I am less than a mile from Skaneateles Lake, which is one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York. The lake itself is about 16 miles long (running north/south) and approximately 1 mile wide at its widest point. As you might expect the wind is predominantly from the west (NW, WNW, SW, WSW), which means dealing with varying degrees of crosswinds almost every paddle. The village of Skaneateles is located at the northern end of the lake which is about a quarter of a mile wide. Most of the shoreline at the village has concrete walls, or similar rigid structures and there is a concrete breakwater that extends out into the lake.

On this particular day, I was doing my normal 5 mile paddle (boat launch to village and back). The wind was very strong and almost entirely out of the south. This made for a fast paddle to the village and a great opportunity to play once I got there. The combination of the wind strength, direction, and all those solid objects created a great wave pool within a hundred yards of shore. Where the wall was perpendicular to the waves, they came bouncing back forming high crests and deep troughs when the were in phase, and relatively calm water when they were out of phase. Naturally, the shore line is not perfectly straight, so all those irregularities sent waves bouncing out at different angles.

I spent the first few minutes with the paddle out of the water and just rolling with the waves. It was a good time to play. I was focussing on balance and watching the water. There were definitely some spots that were hairy than others, and I made my way over to one. I managed to find a spot that was getting a lot of wave action bouncing off the breakwater in addition to the strong north and south wave action from the wind and walls. It would be a great spot for doing some bracing. I'm not a big fan of the brace, but I know it's an important skill for downriver racing (and isn't that reason enough ?) .

This is where I can't say what happened next because I don't know. I either became a little complacent and didn't see the rogue wave, or was so focused on what I was doing that I didn't here a power boat go by. At any rate, I must have been coming out of low brace when the wave hit. It caught the paddle blade and ripped it back in a most unnatural way. I didn't hear a pop in my shoulder, but there was an immediate burning feeling. Enough "playing" for one day. I made my way back to the boat launch and could barely lift the kayak back onto the truck when I was done. By morning, I could not raise my arm above my head. Not a lot of paddling gonna get done now.

Well, that's the last time I'll listen to TJ and Jim this season.

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July 18 - Injury #2 - The Season Ender
 

I don't consider myself to be accident prone, however, I do admit to having a certain knack for unusual injuries and causes for those injuries. Sometimes the manner in which the injury occurs is, well, let's say comical. That was not the case this time.

The simple truth is that I threw my back out picking up a dry wall screw.

Which, if I didn't say anything else, might lead you to believe I was possibly hanging rock all day, pushed myself too far, was tired, and ultimately paid the price. But, that's not exactly what happened. I was just patching a wall during my lunch hour (replacing a big flush mount cold air return grate with a baseboard unit will leave a hole in the wall).

Again you might be thinking to yourself, even handling one sheet of rock alone could provide ample opportunities for injuries. Getting it from the home improvement store, onto the roof rack, off of the roof rack, and into the garage give you plenty of chances to twist the wrong way. And while that is true, the sheet rock was already at home, and had already been cut to width before this day began. Which brings us back to just picking up a drywall screw.

While this sounds comical, I assure you, as I lay there on the floor unable to move, it was not. Unable to stand, let alone walk, I stayed on the floor for a couple of hours before crawling to the couch. With the help of my wife and a couple of baseball bats, I was able to walk well enough to see the doctor (well enough being a two year walking backwards was moving faster than me). I got plenty of medication and orders to rest.

Three days later, I was still unable to straighten up, or walk without the use of one bat. (If you're scratching your head about using a bat and not crutches, I couldn't stand straight enough to use crutches, but a good old Tennessee Thumper was just the right height.) The pain was still evident all the time, but no worse than a three. Every now and then, there would be a shooting pain. If I was moving, it would literally stop me in my tracks bring me to my knees. Eyewitnesses also liked to comment on how all the color would drain from my face. This hurt and hurt bad. Much worse than breaking a wrist snowboarding, not knowing it, and continuing to snowboard and fall on the broken wrist.

Seven days later, no bat, but standing up straight was still not a given. And my favorite part, those sudden bolts of pain. They were much less frequent now, only four or five times a day.

Ten days later paddled about two hundred yards and was barely able to get out of bed the next day.

By the middle of August, it was considerably better. I could go one or two days without that sudden and all too familiar pain. I still couldn't paddle two days in row without setting my recovery back week. And so August turned to September, and all the flatwater races that I had been looking forward to passed without me.

And so, with this season over, I look forward anxiously to next year. I have a little better idea of what I'm in for now, and who knows, with a little working out in the off season, 2002 could be my best season yet. It couldn't be any worse could it ???