Lake Delavan Adventure Race
Peter Noverini
Fall Fitness Program Participant - 2006
Running Base & Strength Program Participant - 2007
PC Tri Participant - 2007
Personal Training and Cardio Plans
|
I look at the small lake ahead of me, the dawn still rising, the beach in front of me, and ask myself, "Are you sure you can do this?" This was the first time I had multisported... 7.5 mile kayak, followed by a 5K run. Kayak?! What was I thinking? My kayak was in front of me, awaiting the beginning to the race. Was I ready? Sure, I had been training in a kayak on my own... but it wasn't enough. A week before the race, I had an intense one-on-one session with Matt |
to tweak my paddling in addition to my regular training sessions - I was having some real issues with tiring quickly and keeping a straight kayak course. After about an hour of instruction, the lesson finally clicked. I was able to return to my routine training, a bit more knowledgable in what I needed to do.
So there I am again, waiting for the horn blast. It had already been 15 minutes past the scheduled start time, and the 11 of us were getting very anxious to begin. What a strange assortment of vessels were here... everything from a handcrafted wooden kayak (this guy won the race, by the way) to sleek competitive rowboats... and me, with my rented sea kayak. Probably not the best choice for racing, but it should work better than the smaller kayak I had been using at Independence Grove.
Finally, the horn blasted. I slid my kayak into the water with a running start, and made a clumsy attempt of a running-jump into the cockpit. But, nonetheless, I was off and going! My first fear was such a small group of racers... How would I compare to them?
|
At first, poorly. I was able to pass one individual - when a splash caught the corner of my eye. Nothing is as unnerving during a race to me than seeing a fellow racer in trouble. Indeed, the person on a competitive rowboat had lost balance and flipped her boat over. She was swimming, |
 |
and appeared to be in good shape. I called out anyway, asking if she was ok...
indeed, she was. In any case, a lifeguard was paddling over, so I continued on the course.
The first good news - the shape of the hull dictated the speed of the vessel, and I actually picked up 1.5 mph over what I had averaged with the kayak I had trained on!
Fifteen minutes in... a quick gulp of my sports drink, and a reach for the sports beans... but a real hassle to open the package, especially when I have my rhythm going with the paddling. I hate to stop, but I need to fuel. Eventually, I had to stop and fuel several times. We were paddling from one end of Lake Delavan to the other... looking for a flagpole at a park on the southern tip of the lake. After what seemed like forever... there it is! At the base of the flagpole was a bucket of arrowheads. Our goal was to grab one, and bring it back to the finishline. This time, however, climbing out of the kayak and getting back in was not as graceful, I almost did fall over this time, and definitely lost time trying to get in and out. However, getting back was easier now, knowing where we had to go.
|
 |
I made it back to the beach and lost more time in transition. I should have practiced transitions more! Now onto the 5K leg. I thought that this part would be easy, but in fact, it was very challenging. The 5K was actually three laps around a fairly hilly course, which ended up stressing my fuel reserves to the max. I certainly dealt with a lot of disorientation. I couldn't remember how many laps I had made around that course, and my heart rate was shooting through the roof. However, I did see a runner get on the ground kneeling. I slowed down enough to give him a package of jelly beans... I hope it helped him. After another lap, I was finally able to figure out how much longer until the end... and indeed the end was in sight. I gave it everything I had left, and finished. |
Lessons learned? Fuel fuel fuel. After the kayak portion, I was wiped, and it showed. I was 6-7 minutes slower than my usual time on the 5K. But - I was amazed at how effortlessly the kayak moved faster, because of the different hull design. The extra one-on-one session with Matt gave me that edge I needed as well, to achieve better control of the vessel. This race was definitely not my finest acheivement; but I did give it my best. Armed with what I know now, and with continued training with Matt, my focus will be bettering my standing for next year! |
Back to race stories
|
