J’espère que votre été se déroule bien. Je dois avouer que j’aime tellement mon été que les semaines passent sans que je m’en rende compte. C’est déjà les essais # 3 et j’ai vraiment hâte de courser dans les épreuves de C-1 et C-4 200m. Ces 3 dernières années j’ai dépensé beaucoup d’énergie en C-2, ce qui rend les choses un peu plus excitantes quand je course dans un bateau différent.
Je pensais à cela aujourd’hui et je me suis rappelé les années que je ramais presque exclusivement en C-1. En 2002, 2003, 2004 et 2005 je regardais les rameurs seniors et je souhaitais à tout prix connaître leur secret. Je voulais qu’ils me disent leur trucs, leur vision du sport et j’aurais aimé entendre leur voix intérieure pour savoir à quoi ils pensent durant leur course. Je pensais qu’il était simple de retrancher les 4 ou 5 secondes nécessaire pour faire l’équipe nationale. Je me trompais, il n’y en a pas de secret et c’est pour ça que j’adore mon sport. Je suis certain qu’il y a toujours moyen de progresser et il n’y a pas de limite incapable de dépasser. C’est à force de travailler fort chaque jour qu’on va vite, il n’y a pas de recette magique. S’efforcer à ramer plus vite chaque jour est comme assembler un casse-tête géant. Ce qui est le plus tripant est de découvrir les pièces de ce puzzle pratique après pratique. Je me considère chanceux que les gens qui partagent ma passion soient aussi formidables.
Mes colocataires, Mark, Ian et Jamie en sont un parfait exemple. À chaque entraînement, j’apprend des points techniques nouveaux (à faire ou à ne pas faire). En autre, mercredi dernier nous étions tous les 4 de C4C en C-1. Il était temps pour un grosse pratique de sprint. Tous sur la ligne de départ, et que le meilleur gagne. Au fur et à mesure que la pratique avançait, je trouvais des trucs pour rester devant. Chaque coup de rame était crucial si je voulais être en tête. Je m’améliorais à chaque intervalle puisque mon corps reconnaissait de plus en plus mes mouvements. Avec Mark et Andrew à mes côtés, je pouvais vraiment constater quand j’étais en perte de vitesse. C’est dans ces moments que je tente à tout prix de comprendre ce qui diffère d’auparavant. Pour moi, c’est après les 100 premiers mètres que mes trapèzes se crispent et j’ai moins de puissance dans l’eau. J’étais heureux de pouvoir relaxer vers la fin de l’entraînement, ce qui m’a permis de garder une cadence de 80 coups/minute pendant plus de 30 secondes.
Parlant de vitesse maximale, Andrew et moi avons eu la chance de s’entraîner avec quelques rameurs de très bon calibre (et c’est le moins que je puisse dire). Le champion Olympique un australien nommé Ken Wallace, le champion du monde Adam Van Koeverden et le champion européen le Suédois Anders Gustafson constituaient notre groupe d’entraînement. Lorsque nous sommes en C-2 et eux en K-1, nous allons à peu près de la même vitesse, mais cela nécessite un effort extraordinaire pour les suivre. Ce qui est excellent pour nous. Notre but était de ramer à leur vitesse le plus longtemps possible même si nous n’étions capable que la moitié du temps demandé. Nous voulions augmenter notre niveau ce confort à haute vitesse et c’est ce que nous avons travailler toute la semaine.
Demain est notre très grosse journée C4C. Nous coursons le C4 200m pour l’entrée des Mondiaux. J’ai vraiment hâte de mettre en exécution tout ce que j’ai appris. Ma tâche est d’aller en ligne droite et pousser vers l’avant avec ma hanche.
Aller au lit!
Dear C4Cers,
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I am truly enjoying mine and I can’t believe that it’s already time to race at trials # 3. I am really excited to compete in the 200m C-1 and C-4 on Sunday. Because I’ve been thinking about C-2 so much in the last 3 years, I always have big butterflies when I line up in a different boat.
I thought about it today, and I realized that I spent all of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 training almost exclusively in my C-1. During my first senior years, I was looking up to some really great paddlers and was trying to understand what they did that I wasn’t doing properly. I kept thinking that they had a secret, and if they could just tell me I could drop 4 or 5 seconds without a doubt. I was wrong. There are no secrets, there are no shortcuts, and that’s why I love paddling. I’m certain that I can improve and I keep trying my hardest to find a better way to go fast on the water. That is what I enjoy most, putting this giant puzzle together and realizing that new pieces are added every year. And I’m lucky that my sport is filled with the passion of so many awesome people all over the World.
For instance, my roommates for almost 6 years are Mark, Ian and Jamie. Every time we get on the water together, I find out something new that I can incorporate into my training. Also, last Wednesday, C4C was all in C-1s and we unleashed some serious sprints. I learned that I need to relax my trapezes if I want to keep my speed up. As the workout went, my body recognized the motion more and more and I was able to stay loose and hold an over 80 stroke rate per minute until the end. It really helps me to have training partners because when I go at a full effort, I don’t really realize when I tie up and slow down. However, having Mark right on my side, I knew exactly when I took a few bad strokes.
Talking about training partners, Andrew and I had the chance to work with some “pretty alright” K1 guys this week. (That was a probably my biggest understatement of the year). We lined up with the Olympic Champion Ken Wallace, the World Champion Adam Van Koeverden and the European Champion Anders Gustafson. A really good trio if you want partners that don’t accept a pace slower than 4 min/km (15 km/h) no matter what the practice is. For Andrew and I, our goal has been to stay with them for the longest time possible. Even if we held on for half a piece, every stroke we took beside them we figured what we did well and capitalized on that feeling. These guys have so much control over their bodies that you can not see a change in their technique with a naked eye. For us paddling in C-2, the challenge to keep our individual technique and our team synchronism at that high speed is a really challenging task. I feel privileged to take part in these workouts, and I hope to repeat the experience.
Tomorrow is C4C’s biggest day so far. It’s time for me to put in execution all I know about C-4. Keep it straight and push my hips forwards. I wish everyone great success for the Sunday Trials and thank you very much for reading.
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. I am truly enjoying mine and I can’t believe that it’s already time to race at trials # 3. I am really excited to compete in the 200m C-1 and C-4 on Sunday. Because I’ve been thinking about C-2 so much in the last 3 years, I always have big butterflies when I line up in a different boat.
I thought about it today, and I realized that I spent all of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 training almost exclusively in my C-1. During my first senior years, I was looking up to some really great paddlers and was trying to understand what they did that I wasn’t doing properly. I kept thinking that they had a secret, and if they could just tell me I could drop 4 or 5 seconds without a doubt. I was wrong. There are no secrets, there are no shortcuts, and that’s why I love paddling. I’m certain that I can improve and I keep trying my hardest to find a better way to go fast on the water. That is what I enjoy most, putting this giant puzzle together and realizing that new pieces are added every year. And I’m lucky that my sport is filled with the passion of so many awesome people all over the World.
For instance, my roommates for almost 6 years are Mark, Ian and Jamie. Every time we get on the water together, I find out something new that I can incorporate into my training. Also, last Wednesday, C4C was all in C-1s and we unleashed some serious sprints. I learned that I need to relax my trapezes if I want to keep my speed up. As the workout went, my body recognized the motion more and more and I was able to stay loose and hold an over 80 stroke rate per minute until the end. It really helps me to have training partners because when I go at a full effort, I don’t really realize when I tie up and slow down. However, having Mark right on my side, I knew exactly when I took a few bad strokes.
Talking about training partners, Andrew and I had the chance to work with some “pretty alright” K1 guys this week. (That was a probably my biggest understatement of the year). We lined up with the Olympic Champion Ken Wallace, the World Champion Adam Van Koeverden and the European Champion Anders Gustafson. A really good trio if you want partners that don’t accept a pace slower than 4 min/km (15 km/h) no matter what the practice is. For Andrew and I, our goal has been to stay with them for the longest time possible. Even if we held on for half a piece, every stroke we took beside them we figured what we did well and capitalized on that feeling. These guys have so much control over their bodies that you can not see a change in their technique with a naked eye. For us paddling in C-2, the challenge to keep our individual technique and our team synchronism at that high speed is a really challenging task. I feel privileged to take part in these workouts, and I hope to repeat the experience.
Tomorrow is C4C’s biggest day so far. It’s time for me to put in execution all I know about C-4. Keep it straight and push my hips forwards. I wish everyone great success for the Sunday Trials and thank you very much for reading.