My life on the Kayak

What a day. . . we’re somewhere lost in Porto. . . the gps is having the time of its life making fun of us and seein the expression on our faces trying to find our way to the nelo showroom in Vila do Conde. . . Suddenly it came back to life and after only 4 hrs of driving we saw the light!!!

The Mecca of kayak production!!! This place is neatly situation on the riverside in Villa Do Conde. . .From there we were escorted to the NELO Factory and finally the moment arrived!!! I just could not contain myself. . I was like a child on christmas morning!! Seein all those craftsmen preparing and finishing kayaks, and andre’ running amidst everyone as if he was directing an orchestra!!!

This place was simply amazing and seeing how the boats are made every step of the way was very intriguing!!!

An experience which i will never forget!! A big thanks goes to the nelo staff who were extremely busy but who also made the time for us and showed us around!!!

As in all modern sports, kayaking entails very high tech equipment and choosing the right equipment may prove to be just as hard as the sessions which we do on the water and in the gym day in day out!!!!

My choice of equipment for this year’s season is complete!! I’m opting for a Vanquish 3 XXL and as a paddle i’m gonna be using a bracsa 4 Max. Thanks to Nelo, They’re shipping me over a model which i’m gonna train with till the games!!! It’s a mighty boat and by far the most comfortable i’ve used in racing!!! Being quite a big guy, finding a comfortable boat is hard to find and surely this one is the best i’ve felt in so far!!!

Paddlewise, i’ve trained with a bracsa 1 in winter. Since we train in the sea, i wanted to emulate freshwater conditions so i used a bigger paddle to feel that little extra resistance in the water. On the training camp i’ve switched to a bracsa 4. . The hard sessions i’ve put in in winter just did the trick!!! Not feeling much of a difference when paddling in fresh water now and i in the words of my great coach Tibor Virag (2 time world marathon champion) - ‘ I’m Beating the Water!!!’

Now it all boils down to man power and keeping my cool!!!

This morning i started the day with a relaxing 12km paddle, working solely on technique. . . It was really nice!! Just paddling and enjoying the scenery!!! Was pondering. . . AM I IN KAYAK HEAVEN???? Simply the best way to start the day!!! Following the paddle i had a 30 minute run!! Again . . . The scenery is breathtaking and i simply lost track of time. . . I only looked at my watch cause my stomach grumbled, when i realised it was 10am and i didn’t have breakfast yet!!! Had just 30minutes to head back to the hotel, shower and create mayhem in the dining area!!! Right, arrived at the hotel, showered (At least i bothered to!!. . hehe) and rushed down for breakfast!!! It was 1025. . . had 5 minutes to devour whatever gets in my way. . .Well i managed to pack it in with 3 baguettes, 8 eggs, a bowl of fruit, 2 croissants with cherry jam, 1 cup of coffee and 2 glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice!!! You know what they say about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. . .Bulls***!!! To me, all 6 meals are important :D. ..  k . . .by the time i was done i went for a walk and it was just about time for lunch. . . COOL!!!! This is truely heaven!!!

In the evening i had another double session which consisted of 4 x 2000m time trials, 2 of which at 80% and the rest 100%, followed by a gym session. . .The weather in the afternoon took a turn for the worst and surely the conditions weren’t on my side, having a constant nagging wind hitting me from the side and front. . In any case in my first time trial i did 8:53 and in my second i did 8:52. . I was like. . what the hell dude?!?!?! that’s a PB, followed by another PB!!! .  . NARLY!!! These time trials weren’t on a fixed 2000m course but on a 1000m course which meant i lost time to do the 180 degree turning. . In my first time trial it was 15 sec and in my second time trial it was 21 sec. . . What the hell . . . Enough with the ifs and buts. . . 2 pb’s are 2 pb’s and i’m proud. The last time i did 8:59 was in hungary and after i was finished i spent two days not being able to walk properly!!! Today after the time trials i went and did the 4th session for the day in the gym. To me that’s a victory on it’s own since it shows that i’m taking the training in my stride!!!

Till next time!!

On monday 20th April i came to Portugal for the first time ever and guess what??? It’s AWESOME!!! The people over here are so nice. Everyone is willing to help and thank God for that!!! One instance was at the train station. . .For some reason or another the train ticket indicated i should wait at platform 5. . . .I just asked a person if i was at the correct place and they rushed me to the correct platform, which by the way was facing the other way!! Godd thing i kayak and not fly planes!!!

Anyway it took me 14hrs of travelling to arrive at the NELO training centre in Cinfaes, oh and without a paddle which was still lurking somewhere in Milan airport. . . It just felt like home!! Everyone made sure i was comfortable and the best was yet to come!! In the morning i received a call from nelo to see what the situation with the paddle was. Theyjust offered me to bring me a replacement paddle!!! What more could an athlete ask for?! One more thing. . . .Will i be using a vanquish 3 kayak?? The response from nelo was. . . Of course. . What are your exact specs so we’ll deliver the boat to you!!!

Today i  got the boat and i just can’t wait to try it out in the evening session!!! I’ll also be testing out a Gpower paddle which a Latvian athlete has lent me. . .Felt really good!!!

Yesterday we had the first race of the season for this year!!! I competed in a K2 boat with a friend of mine - Matthew Schembri (16) and it was not only great racing for us but alot of fun as well!! For us it was the first time we raced in a K2 boat and we did much better than we had originally anticipated!!! We won the 3 lap race (about 8.5km) in 39:46, the 1 lap race (2.7km) in 12:34 and also the sprint!!! AWESOME!!!!

From these races we really learnt alot and we are looking forward for some more K2 racing in the future, possibly even abroad!!!

This year, my club is going to start off the racing season on the 8th of march, with the traditional manoel island race. . .This consists mainly of a 10km route in the open sea. . Not really my kind of race in terms of conditions and distance but hey, a race is a race and it’s always good to get out there and give it your best!!!! Our next races shall be held every 2-3 weeks on beaches and should be quite fun, with some portages. .

Intense racing is going to start taking place

Dunno how the weather is changing so freakishly on this lovely mediterranean island. . . At some points we’ll be trainingin good conditions and all of a sudden the wind picks up to force 6-7or even 8. . Freaky!!! Adding to the windy conditions, a very cold chill has hit the island and guess what?! -

We’re still gonna train!!!!

We’re not used to this weather and so the amount of clothing we’re gonna put on is gonna make us look BUFFER

Let’s hope for the best!!!

5 months have passed since i started the training for this season and have yet another 5 months to go before my competition. . . Seems like ample time but hey. . . it’s gonna pass really quickly and i can’t wait to go on the water in Lago Di Bomba and represent my country in the Mediterranean Games!!

This week was the lighter week in my macro cycle however every day i was setting PB after PB. . Feels great to start finally seeing results paying off after the hard training grind i’ve been going through!!

Oh well. . . I just have to keep my head down and keep the motivation to keep pushing and pushing to head faster towards the finish line

Sport really does bring people together!!! This blog has made it possible to meet new people who are as passionate about this sport! So far two foreigners have come to Malta and i’ve had the pleasure to get equanted with them. . . From here i’d like to salute Niklas from Sweden and wish him all the success at the Richmond canoe club, and also thank publicly Paola Romanelli - Fick official for the memento with which she presented the club that i attend - Malta Canoe Racing Club. It’s so amazing how friendships are made so easily through sports!!!

Well. . . I didn’t really know what i was gonna give my girlfriend for Christmas, so when she told me she’s going away for the week i decided to pimp her kayak up a bit!! It took me and a good friend of mine the best part of 5 days to get the paint job right, and we went all the way, allowing no tiny little details to be overlooked!!!

Tonight i’ll surprise her when i’ll take her to the club just a few hours after she will land. . .That’s what Christmas is all about!!!

 Now that’s what i call pimpin!!!

Happy new year everyone!!!