Time to get back in the saddle- a few thoughts post DW18

Dirty D and I returned to Loch Lomond from our annual DW pilgrimage this year with a K2 that did not once touch the water during a close to 1000 mile road trip.

So huge amounts of time and other resources expended over the last year for a did not start (DNS).

However in my view completely the right decision by the organisers to stop the event. We do not have the benefit of a parallel universe in which the event did proceed to analyse- but if there had I fear there would have been serious and possibly fatal consequences to the long term future of the event and possibly even the participants.

I really admired those that decided to paddle the shortened course. We chose not to for the following reasons:
1. We had trained and were in a mindset to get to Westminster. Looking at the rising River levels and the Red Boards that the organisers would have been deemed in any court of law to have failed in their duty of care to entrants if they had let the race proceed. Therefore in our mind it was always likely to get cancelled- though we had geared up for a Sat 8pm start when that was still an option. However when that option was removed our sole mission of a non stop pDdle to Westminster was no longer possible.
2. We had dragged a support on an Easter Weekend for the DW experience. They too hD better things to do with their weekend once it was clear the purpose of trip was now no longer achievable.
3. From a personal perspective my body is not getting any younger and with 4 significant injuries (to a head, shoulder, elbow and knee) over the last 2 years, I was not happy putting the body through an ordeal to achieve a partial paddle. For me it’s Westmister or bust.

But no regrets. In the big picture it’s just a Canoe Race. A pretty important one in my life but certainly not that high on essential priority list. So many thanks to the Organisers. I look forward, as does Dirty D, to being in a position to compete again next year (circumstances willing).

So as D would say “Onwards” and no regrets just a little more determination.

“No pressure, no diamonds” : Buccaneer Down…

“no pressure, no diamonds” – a quote discovered on the long drive home yesterday, and although it’s origins were subsequently discovered to be slightly less honourable, I think I will keep it all the same….

As Beaujolais has already blogged our DW2017 hasn’t quite finished as we’d hoped, it was more of a DR – Devizes to Runnymede… And yes, I am feeling a little despondent about the actual result, but there are so many positives to be taken from the experience that those feelings will pass fairly quickly (I hope)

First thing – the team. Entirely epic, as always – a truly dysfunctional but loving family! Beaujolais, Cortisone and The Rottweiler (aka Lady gAGA) really embraced the ‘it’s all about me’ concept and ensured that everything was in place to keep me moving in good style.

• Beaujolais with his firm but concerned portage routine, keeping it simple, reducing the information the paddler has to process – paddling K1 can be a lonely experience, other than the odd salutation exchanged when passing or being passed by another paddler you are mostly alone with your thoughts. So suddenly arriving into one of the busier feed stations can come as quite an assault to the senses – it’s loud, people are everywhere and then you have to get out of the boat and run, walk, feed and update your support crew… To have the unwanted/unnecessary humdrum removed, to have a focused support crew really does simplify things, and help keep things moving forward efficiently. Firm, direct, efficient…  His athlete abuse is also very funny, MOO!!
• Cortisone always the quiet voce of reason and calm. Ensuring that the support crew reach the next intervention in plenty of time, in good humour and supplied with the necessary items. Our most experienced DW supporter and a true gentleman.  His support crew abuse is also very funny, tickle tickle!
• The Rottweiler/Lady gAGA deserves a medal for her efforts in patching my body back together again – especially the hands!! I didn’t know you can use superglue on open blisters!! Blisters, chafing, soreness all tended to without a fuss. Always knows when a coffee will be appreciated. Too much of a lady to abuse anyone!

The Paddling:

• Day One, Devizes to Newbury, 56km, 6.57hr, 4138 calories burned…
  • Really enjoyed day one… The long pound lets you settle into the paddling after all the excitement and activities at Devizes. It soothes the nerves and lets you settle into the event – I know many find it’s portage-free length a little tedious but I actually quite enjoyed it – a flock of ducklings and a deer swimming across the canal providing the highlights – much to the surprise and disdain of the junior crew whose wash I was sitting on when I spotted the wildlife and shrieked out loud…
  • Met Sid the swan at Pewsey – not something I was looking forward to before the race… Started off swimming towards me, bow wave at his chest and a menacing look in his beady black eyes – so I stared him out and hissed at him!! He let me get a good 100m and almost relaxed before the thunk thunk thunk of beating wings started – oh f**k!! I’m not entirely sure what I thought I was doing, but I turned to face him, looked him in the eye and screamed at him – a guttural, almost primordial noise that I didn’t know I was capable of making!! It worked, he stopped chasing and seemed to mutter something about having left the iron on, and swam off…..
  • Tunnel – less fun in a K1 with two very fast K1s nipping at my rudder… Hit something with my paddle at one point resulting in a very girly shriek and then giggles…. But the daylight always come, and then it’s onto the highest portage!!
  • Knowing it’s a tough old portage, even in the K2 I decided to ‘go short’ and take my chances with the ‘grassy’ bank – easter being three weeks later this year means the nettles are three weeks further grown!! Probably quite comical for the poor guy waiting on his crew coming in!! He did give me some jelly babies though!!
  • Crofton flight – I loved this. All those hours training at Loch Lomond jumping in and out of the boat really paid off here, and I passed more than I was passed…. I skipped down the flight, and genuinely enjoyed the distraction of the portages.

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    Devizes – go go go!

• Day Two, Newbury to Marlow, 58km, 7.28hr, 4348 calories burned…
  • a tough day after a bad night’s sleep…. but managed to keep the boat moving!
  • the canal section was very congested with some portages operating a queuing system to get back onto the water – K1s can sometimes sneak past – result!!
  • A lot of high, awkward portages on the canal – I took these very cautiously, but no damage to me or the boat (my poor tights were less fortunate)
  • Was glad to get onto the river which was an unexpected emotion! Less traffic, more space and little assistance from the current. Happily sitting in the middle of the stream and coping perfectly with the washes coming from the cruisers, this was going better than I hoped!!
  • Daylight. This section has always been in the dark previously, and whilst it was a little chilly the sun was shining and the river thames was looking splendid – lots to look at, to help the mind wander, to distract from the enormity of the paddling itself.
  • Henley – lord, have NEVER paddled water like that in my life. A combination of wind against current and two way river traffic made for conditions that could only be described as sea-like. The river was in my knickers and I was squawking inwardly – the Kirton Tor was perfect, whilst I was not loving the conditions we handled them safely and kept paddling forward to limp down the Henley straight and onto the next portage – feeling very chuffed with myself.
  • Body starting to get tired… the last 10km being an exercise in counting down the km’s on the garmin, or at least until it chucked it due to lack of battery – at least I was doing better than that!! Blisters getting epic, wrist starting to ache on and off and left shoulder protesting after a particularly long wait at one portage with the boat on my shoulder…

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    Newbury

• Day Three, Marlow to Teddington (Runnymede), 29km, 3.27hr, 2200 calories burned…
  • Better sleep and woke ready to attack again, feeling much better in myself. Blisters taped up, and both shoulders ached so high hopes of plodding away to Teddington, and maybe even making up some of the time I had lost the previous day… life was good!!
  • More hogging the middle of the river and passing those early starters…
  • Wrist ached, but eased – shoulder not so much.
  • Passed Dorney Lake and headed into Windsor, heading to Romney lock with the shoulder now aching continuously – not chronically but just no relief regardless of how I moved it, changed pressure points, relaxed, tensed, wiggled…. Hmm!!
  • The irony was not lost on me as I pulled into Romney Lock and told Beaujolais that shoulder was very sore – the same lock our DW2014 campaign stopped due to his shoulder being broken…
  • But hoped it might still ease – it had the day before, and the support crew were going to bring drugs to the next intervention so I paddled onwards.
  • The scenery was lovely, some crazy expensive boats and houses to nosey at, other crews to say hello to……
  • But, an increasing awareness that things weren’t easing, the pain was increasing and spreading. The shoulder was starting to protest in sharp spikes of sore rather than a dull ache and no manner of flattening out my already flat stroke was helping. One more portage and the shoulder additionally started to seize up and the range of useable motion was decreasing… it all felt a little inevitable as I cruised into Runnymede – sore, barely paddling and hugging the bank in an increasingly unstable K1. I asked a passing crew how far the next lock was and they replied ‘3 miles’. I just didn’t think I had another 5km in me, and I wasn’t even half way through day 3…. It wasn’t a case of limping on for a final 5km, which might have been an option – as we (the royal we) learned the hard way in 2014 ‘limping on’ for another 30km just isn’t an option.
  • Bugger

  • 

    The only picture of my hands suitable for the blog – they got worse from here!!

The decision comes with little internal drama – because in reality it’s been on the radar since getting back in the boat after queueing at the portage the day before – the shoulder wasn’t happy, and I knew it then. At that point it’s a minor niggle, so I kept paddling and on reaching the river was much happier. But this race is so long and arduous that even minor niggles have the potential to turn into boat stoppers after a period of time – a bit like continuing to poke at an already painful bruise…

So no Westminster this year… But a great winter of training, and fabulous two and half days of paddling and portaging spent in very good company both on and off the water!!

Supremely organised event, with just the best atmosphere and the volunteers/ marshalls/ time keepers and everyone associated with the race are very special people – I tried to smile, thank, each and every one… I would recommend you try it… be beware, it WILL suck you in…

Pulled off at Runnymede – not the way we wished to finish DW2017

Having spent the last few years paddling with Diane Sharp, and in that time been through some highs and lows, I believe it probable that she is currently feeling a little down after having had to pull out of DW2017 due to a damaged shoulder at Runnymede ie after 90 miles and 70 odd portages. I will mention that she had been suffering for the last 2 days with bad blisters, and had taken an injury to her wrist- but these she happily managed to paddle through- a shoulder though is a different matter. So we pulled her off the course. I don’t think there is anyone who has paddled DW, who does not appreciate that whilst you can prepare as well as possible, if the Gods are against you, you are not finishing- it is brutally simple. If the body breaks, the body breaks and there is nothing you can do. In fact the sooner you pull out after the body has broken, the better, otherwise as a number of competitors over the years know to their cost, you are likely to end up with permanent significant damage.

So Diane aka Dirty D, it has been a privilege to be part of your journey this year. You pulled me down that course last year, with no complaints and total good humour. I only found out at Westminster after we had successfully completed Senior K2 in 2016, that camouflaged under your smiles and crap jokes (do you want super sex? Answer What flavours the soup), was a body that had been rubbed raw and been bleeding for the previous 50 miles. You are one tough (in a gentle way) Lady. Cortisone, The Rottweiler and I have had a fantastic weekend in your company. Team Dirty D was one very dysfunctional but happy family. We look forward to a rerun.

Cheers Beaujolais

Ps Big congratulations to Ione and Emma for their successful completion of Senior K2- in a fantastic time. It was great following these guys on the trackers. They too know the pain of not finishing- really pleased to see them pictured at the finish.

Day 3…

Oh my giddy aunt, fingers are a mess…

Onwards!

Day 2

Heading to Newbury…. smelling faintly of Vaseline and zinc oxide…..

Onwards….

Here we go…

En route to Devizes, tummy is full of evil porridge, banana and pain au chocolate… no wafer thin mint for this buccaneer!!

Onwards and good luck to all…

History Repeating – Kinda

My phone cheerfully reminding me that it’s a mere 2 days to go till I paddle under the bridge at Devizes and into another unknown… The unknown 4 days Devizes to Westminster Singles.

Right now the straight through Senior K2 event seems like a good option, purely and simply for the fact it gets it all over and done with – not having to paddle for what feels, right now, like days and days on end… I some ways it is days and days, and long days, days with multiple portages and other hazards to be navigated – it’s going to be great!!

In an attempt to distract myself from the impending greatness I pulled out some old photos – I love an old photo album and can happily spend hours flicking through the pages lost in nostalgia – I’m a soppy old goat really.

The photos above were taken 27 years ago – to the weekend – 13-14th April 1990.  The BOB on this occasion was my Dad – K2 Senior in 26.11hrs, awesome! Just for the record the FOB was my first ever canoeing instructor – these two are entirely to blame for my love of all things paddle sports. Devizes, Marsh and Westminster are still instantly recongnisable (although no Millennium Wheel in those days…) – the portage  with the boat on shoulders i have no idea where it is – answers on a postcard…

The training is done, no more training, no more portages just for the sake of portages… The last two weeks have been, as they always are, a horrible drag – just waiting on it being time to head south and get the job done. But that time is rapidly approaching – thank crunchie!!

The winter of training has been great, and I’m not sure I would have done anything differently. The weather this winter has been odd, but in a good way…. less wind and subzero temperatures than we have seen for any of our other training campaigns, it’s been a little surreal…. and it looks like the ‘meh’ is due to continue right into Easter weekend – brilliant…. Daren’t hope that the forecast holds…

So the hopes and fears are ever present and building… looking forward to the paddle, to the challenge, to the bubble – it’s all about meeee!!! Concerns are the body not holding out, swans and tideway/general gin cruisers – but all I can do is worry about what is within my control, keep smiling and just keep bloody paddling…

Onwards!!!

 

Checking the weather be like…

365 little days…

This time last year it was all over… Beaujolais and Dirty D realised their DW dream by passing under Westminster Bridge, in good time and good humour…
Brilliant, no need to do all that again…. 

So in 19 days I’ll be paddling down the Thames, in a k1 this time around…. and I have been asked why? What keeps me motivated to paddle through the worst of the weather, what keeps us moving forward? It’s almost impossible to put into words – I love paddling, I love being outdoors, I love activities that are on the slightly bonkers side of normal…. but is that enough to drag a tired body out of bed at 5am at the weekend, to organise the rest of life around paddling, and the constant monitoring of the weather…? I honestly don’t know what the answer is, perhaps if I did I’d be in a position to write a best selling motivation book…. ‘how to conquer your hopes and fears – a practical guide to making the DW canoe race a reality’ Might need to work on a snappier title…

In many ways, and I’ve said this before, it simplifies life… No need to choose between swimming, running, gym, paddling – its all about the paddling with the tiniest amount of running thrown in, and that can be scheduled for when the weather doesn’t allow for paddling – simples.

Why am I back for 2017, no idea…. but I am!

Gotta Love It…

Goose stepping, 1920’s flapping and walking like an egyptian – there’s something deeply cathartic about a grown man in shorts and a bobble hat trying to distract you when you’re on the phone!

Two fluffy ducks later we headed for a much needed paddle…

#lovingit