Down to Work

I finished June with a total of almost 60 miles, still well over target. Not bad considering I went on holiday the week after completing the 'marathon'. It did include another ten mile club outing on the last day of the month, but that was all. That trip went quite well after almost two weeks away from kayaking and I was holding my own with the pace and a good average paddle speed hitting 5 to 6 mph.

I set off July's account with a ten mile jaunt to Papercourt lock, but it was a poor show with a much slower pace than two days before. There was a heavy current running on the river stretches and a blustery wind kicking up against me making the going hard work.The tiredness showed when I came to get out of the boat at Newark lock which has a high-ish get out and is just above eye height when sat in the boat. I don't normally have too much trouble getting out here but today my left shoulder gave out as I levered myself upwards to the top of the bank and the boat rolled under me as I pushed upwards. How I didn't go in I don't know but I ended up sat across the back of the boat with my feet on the seat in the cockpit and clinging onto the bank for dear life. After a lot of scrabbling about I finally made the bank without getting wet, but it was a close run thing.

A number of the club members have already teamed up, unheralded, for DW training sessions. Although they are heading towards the overnight event it would have been nice to have had the opportunity to join in the paddles which I believe would have made the training that much easier as part of a group, rather than on my lonesome again. Hey-ho, looks like I'll just have to do it my bloody self.