2009 Training Runs..........

We were able to sneak in a few training runs this past summer. Here's a breakdown

• Pimisi Lake to Champlain Park August 3,2009
3 hrs in the Old Town Canoe.
• Champlain Park to Mattawa Aug 30,2009
2 hrs in the Old Town Canoe.
• Olmsted Beach North Bay to Pine Lake September 19,2009

Olmsted to McPherson Drive 1 hr 23 Min...Distance 11.4 kms
McPherson to 1 km short of Beaver Dam 19kms..Time 2 hr 14 Min
McPherson Drive to Pine Lake 11.8 kms. We got lost on Pine Lake.

Total distance for the day 23.2 kms using the new 17' Jensen Clipper Canoe.

North Bay to Mattawa River Canoe Race • July 24 • 2010

Paddle Part of our Heritage!
Test your skill and endurance in the annual North Bay - Mattawa canoe race. Usually held on the last weekend in July, this gruelling race follows the route of the Voyageurs on the Mattawa river. The 64 km race caters to people of all abilities and canoeing background. Paddlers are rewarded at the end of the race with a traditional meal cooked by the townspeople of Mattawa. For more information contact the North Bay - Mattawa Conservation Authority in North Bay (705) 474-5420 or the Ontario Marathon Canoe Racing Association.

So many races.......So little time

Less then 4 months to go before we can once again put the canoe in the water.We've set our sights on at least one race per month and hopefully more. Local Ontario races are the most convenient of course due to their proximity to home base. Mike is well located on the outskirts of Ottawa and close to both the Jock River Race and the Raisin River Race near Cornwall.
Here is our proposed schedule for 2010:
April 17/2010 • Upper Jock • Richmond • 12 kms
April 18/2010 • Raisin River • Sunday 30kms •
May 8 • Highwater Run • Kirkland Lake • 15 kms
May 28-31/2010 General Clinton 113kms • We would race on Monday May 31
June 5 - The Nonquon -24kms
July 24/2010 • North Bay to Mattawa 64kms
September 25/2010 La Descente• 19kms
The General Clinton is no doubt the most challenging of all the planned summer races.
I'm retired so I'm always available to go in any direction on a moment's notice but Mike has to plan carefully for each and every race months ahead of time.
But alas, we will have to put our dreams aside for a few more months yet as I am watching the snow fall gently outside my office window. Merry Christmas.....

The importance of hydrating.......You must drink even if you are not thirsty....

So, how much should you drink during a workout or race? Body weight and weather conditions affect your needs but you might start by taking several large swallows (7 to 10 ounces) of water or sports drink before setting out. Don't wait until you feel thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already on the slippery slope. You should then get an additional 5 ounces (about two good swallows) or so every quarter hour. In a long race or workout, alternate sports drink and water with food to maintain a relatively even intake of both nutrient and water.
Drinking fluids throughout the race and overall nutrition for 7-12 hours is mandatory. You must drink even if you are not thirsty. Eating, drinking proper fluids and rest 3 days before the big race is important so your body has stores of energy to fall back on. Suggestions would include pasta, salads, breads, bananas, milk and lean red meat. Stay away from soda, chips, and junk food.
The morning of the race eat a large breakfast of oatmeal, toast, bananas, orange juice, coffee, bagels, pancakes, etc. In the canoe, you should duct tape inside under the gunnels [within reach of the paddler] GU or Power Gel. These "pudding-like" nutrition packets will be a "lift" about each hour as your body struggles to keep up with the calories burned throughout the day.
Your drink in your jug should be packed with electrolyte replacement as well. This means water is ok, but not suggested alone for this long distance race. Some commonly used supplements added to water are: Gatorade, Power aid, Met Rx, Cytomax, and Endurox. Your jug should be replenished about every 2 hours throughout the race by your pit crew.
But what if you don't have a pit crew available to you...Five ounces every 15 minutes or 20 ounces per hour for let's say a 12-14 hour marathon would require you to have approximately 6 litres on board for each paddler. 6 litres X 2 paddlers=12 litres. That's a lot of extra weight to carry. 12 litres of water weighs an estimated 14lbs. The logistics involved with not having a pit crew available to you when you're away from home, will always pose a challenge.

Our First Race together...La Descente de la Gatineau....September 26,2009

Our first race together and we placed second. Wow! Pretty impressive I would think except that there was only two canoes registered in our class. Bummer. But we had a hell of a good time anyway. It was a beautiful sunny day but we had a 25km head wind for the whole of the 19kms that lay ahead of us. There were no rapids or portages to contend with. Only the wind. We did very well for the first half of the race. We averaged 8.5 to 9 kmph but then things began to take a turn for the worse. We are newbies to the sport and of course did not hydrate anywhere near the amount we should have. So needless to say our average speed for the second half of the race plunged to below acceptable levels. Lesson learned. We need to hydrate properly from here on in. We learned the hard way but managed to finish the race in 2 hrs and 23 mins. We were happy with that result and the day overall.
We met some new paddling friends that day. Well known marathon paddler's Steve and Lyn Hebert made up the other half of our Jensen Class for that day. We were able to help one another with our canoes and shuttle back to the start point. Steve is now Vice President of OMCRA and was more then willing to help us newbies with some valuable information. The race itself was fairly poorly organized and could use some serious re-vamping but having said that,a good time was had by all.

And They're Off..........

It didn't take long for my son and I to get on with the task at hand. It was early August and we wanted to get some practice in. We were nearing the end of the race season and we still didn't have a canoe that could cut the mustard but I did have a 14'8" Old Towne canoe from Canadian Tire and that's what we used for our first few times out on the water.
We started with a trip down the five or so sets of rapids between Pimisi Lake and Campion Rapids in Champlain Park. We ran all of them but one set successfully. We had a close look at Portage la Prairie and decided to walk around for safety's sake. We had thus far managed to keep ourselves dry and wanted to keep it that way. Our canoe weighed 68lbs so the portages were a little more challenging.
We departed from Champlain Park to Mattawa on our second trip out with the same canoe and managed to complete it in 2 hrs. It was a leisurely trip where we had a chance to enjoy the sights.
I was then off to Ottawa to purchase a new 17'Jensen Clipper from Jenda Sports. Mike & I were able to take her out for a test run on the Rideau River prior to purchasing and we were totally satisfied with the results. We couldn't find any Wenonah's for sale anywhere in Ontario but we had heard that Clipper made a comparable boat and although we would have preferred a Kevlar finish,we decided to purchase the fibreglass version and run with it. The manufacturer told us that our registration number indicated that our boat weighed 52lbs. A little heavier then we wanted but nonetheless happy with our purchase. We took it out on Constance Bay next to Mike's house the following day for a few hours of more practice and then returned to North Bay.
Our third time out saw us departing North Bay to Pine Lake in our new Clipper.We managed to make McPherson Drive in an hour and 23 minutes. The remainder of the trip was uneventful except for knee deep mud at one portage and getting lost on Pine Lake.
We were ready for our first race together as a team. Or were we?

The Annual North Bay to Mattawa Canoe Race is where it all began

I first completed this grueling course in 1981 and again in 1982. My buddy Norm and I completed all 64kms in just over 9 hours using a 17' aluminum canoe (Had to weigh 75lbs) and powered by a couple of wooden paddles we purchased at Canadian Tire for six bucks. Those were the days.
Never gave it a second thought until this past summer or some 27 years later when my son Mike approached me to see if I would be interested in taking up the sport once again. He was hooked immediately after completing the 2009 North Bay to Mattawa race with his cousin Mike. They registered in the Rec B class and finished in third place. Amazing considering their time was just over the ten hour mark. A 20km headwind dogged them almost the whole way and never let up until they passed the Campion Rapids and then they encountered torrential rains mixed in with lightning to make it interesting.
Mike was already hooked before he reached the Campion Rapids and both he and I were more than willing to take it to the next level.