A Paddler on the verge of a mid life crises

2011-08-27T02:27:00.005+02:00

The 23/07/2011
My birthday and practice day before i was to compete in the veterans category in the National champs .

It's been some time since I updated this blog. My sporting goals have changed by circumstance, weather, age maybe or just by accident.
It's an accident which caused me to rekindle this blog. I have never needed a goal like I need one now so somehow spilling my guts here helps with the motivation to get back in the saddle and start again.
It was on my 42nd birthday that I broke my collar bone for the second time in as many years.
It was the day I blew my chance at becoming a national champion at anything I ever competed in. The recovery I know will be slow given past experience. Work, wife and family will be less than impressed and I have pain in my near future, a lot of it.

I've looked back on the day and the iriony of it. I was in with a good chance of the title only as the fastest guy in the catagory Ian MacIntyre was already out with a broken collar bone.
I had timed myself in practice and had done a sub 2.30 run and I was feeling confident. All the single race runs we'd been doing in our club league in the months leading up to this had really paid off and my head was in the right place. It's this head game that counts in a one race run scenario, as much as training and more than equipment.

All the preparation, from the night spins over the winter, all the sprint work and the weekly club racing count nothing now I'm back to square one.

I had allowed some weight to creep on with all the time I'd been spending on the DH bike the month before the race and it's easy enough to work out this was to my disavantage when I thumped the ground with my shoulder.

Any way square one means new start in my book. I like to be optimistic in adversity.
My wife wants me to quit down hill riding, I'm pretty sure my job does too but when you find something your good at in life it's a difficult, near impossible thing to do. It's like a drug, your self confidence feeds off it, it's an escape from the rigors of life and even your social life get entwined in it.
I'm not giving it up. I can't , a few more years though and I may have to.

Dam my age and this old fat body I wish I'd taken up this sport years ago.
I have loose weight, strenghten up and for the first time in my life it's gonna be hard work.
God how I miss being young.

My goal, well National champion of course. It's probably unrealistic at this stage with me getting older and younger fast riders coming into the catagory every year but you gotta have a goal.
With out goals you can't improve, you can't fail, you can't win, you can't live life to the full.

25/9/2011
It's been 4 week now.
Right after the Champs weekend I went to Spain to join up with my family. To be fair my wife has been good enough about my injury. Knowing her as long as I do she likes her man to be strong and has little patience for weakness. It's the Italian in her I suppose, she's definately not nurse material but she's the mother of 4 boys and my place would be a nut house if she showed too much compassion.
My boys are dissapointed in me, being the age they are sure it's all about them. Now I can't go snorkling with them or go carting or surfing. They remind me daily in Spain how I've ruined their holiday. Well for the first few days anyway.

I changed my ticket to stay in spain and extra week as I couldn't work anyway. I felt my collar bone was healing well but when I returned to Ireland the docs gave me the news. Bad news. The last time I broke my collar bone I had smashed it to bits. It took months to heal and now these old injuries were slowing up my new one's recovery.
Another 4 weeks, out of work , off the bike and just being feckin useless stood in front of me.
Gutted again !

I had let myself go in Spain, an inescapable combination of holidays and depression led to carbiside and now I am sitting at home a big fat useless ejit.

Diet and exercise need a serious looking at but my motivation is low so I need to buck up!

My right arm was just getting back to full strenght after smashing the same collar bone last year. I know already I'm going to have to da a lot of physio.
I think I'm going to make some sort of return to kayaking for the upper body work out it gives. Maybe I'll find the love I used to have for it before the endless rain chasing and rock grinding started. The last few years weather patterns have been a kayakers nightmare .
We'll see.

There’s no Show like a Moe Show !

2008-09-30T22:01:00.017+02:00

There’s no Show like a Moe Show !

Anyone involved in freestyle, rodeo, play boating or whatever you want to call it will know or know of Moe Kelleher.
Arguably the best freestyle paddler to have emerged from this fair Isle. I say arguably only because his brothers Len and Louis might argue.
Moe has returned from his summer exploits Stateside and being the decent skin that he is provided some content to help me and all the rest of ye Helix.
He’s put together a deadly video with some advice etc..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5UooyG984s

The coolest thing is Moe has also used this segment of video to improve his own technique.
Big thanks to Moe and congrats to all his sponsors you’ve backed a great ambassador for the sport.

On the personal front I’ve done in my shoulder again. I jarred an old MTB injury doing a combat roll at the bottom of the Dargle falls a couple of weeks ago so it will be another while before I can get back to boating.
With the summer we had I have to confess I’ve only been in the playboat once but the same can’t be said for my creeker.

Summer Boating
The last few months have produced some cracking creeking and I managed to get a run down my favorite stretch of river in Wicklow, the Source of the Liffey.

For a stretch that’s usually hard to get running I got a run in July, August and again early September.

It’s a super stretch of ditch boating with no worries of trees in the river. Its hard on gear and swimmers and can get pretty exposed in winter but if your up to paddling grade 4 – 5 and have a tight group it’s well worth seeking out.
Pic's (loan of boat and cag) courtesy of Colm Healy. Thanks man !

This is the day I frazzled my video camera. On our way home Colm Patisson and I ran the Shankhill river from the bridge down. Short but sweet. I'm laughing as I cocked up my line. We where a bit late to get anything above the bridge with enough water on it. Footage is a bit crap but it give an idea of the river.

A couple of weeks ago I also attended a good friends Wedding up in Letterfrack.
It was a fabulous shindig and I’d like to thank Richie and Jo Jo Kilfeather for asking me along. Best wishes for your future guys.

Before I traveled up for the wedding I got a call from Jimmy Fitzpatrick he said seeing as we where in the vicinity we should bring the bikes and have a go at Croagh Patrick.
An epic experience was had. If Mtb not your bag stop reading and see ya next time.

Everybody needs a Jimmy !

Due to deadly wedding I starting drinking at 1 pm Friday finished drinking at 5am Saturday.
Jimmy Fitz gets me up at 9am and drives us up to Croagh Patrick.
Arrive put bike on back and start humping to the top. ( Jimmy disappears off into the distance). I'm at deaths door with hangover and now drinking all the water I can get my hands on.
After humping my way up beyond the col I hit the final 45 degree scree slopes. I have about 80 percent of mountain behind me but mind and body are done.
Out of the cloud appears Jimmy. He had got bored waiting at top and came back down to carry my bike. He's some man for one man and in my opinion "everybody needs a Jimmy"
I’m now walking like a man nearing the summit at some oxygen deprived altitude and Jimmy quickly disappears back into the haze with my bike on his shoulders making me feel pretty useless but thankful.
Finally the summit.
At this stage I reckon all the alcohol has been sweat ed out of me.
On the way up in between vast moments of feeling sorry for myself there was the occasional thought of "how the f*ck am I going to cycle down that"
Well the time had come.
Jimmy and peter where on Santa cruise V-10's so I let them out front (like I'd have had a choice) and the madness began.
I had 4 varying degrees of "off's" in the first 300 yards.
My learning curve for riding down 45 degree scree slopes was fast.
Rounded another bend snow board style and to my horror 50 odd pilgrims appear in the mist spread out across the track. I'm off again with an audience.
Finally catch up with the guys at the col. Steep stuff done but fast stuff ahead.
My arms are pumped my wrists limp.
Jimmy and peter take off again.
I wait and watch hoping some strength will return to my fore arms. They streak away into the distance Jimmy styles it all the way. Peter bin's it big half way down having chosen a difficult line but springs back onto his steed. He's ok.
I finally take off. Very quickly I'm wishing I had more suspension travel than the six inches on my bike.
It was full on but worse my arm's were weakening again. So much so It was difficult to brake no mind hold on.
I was nearing the bottom but the arms where gone. My hands merely resting on the bars no ability to brake or steer remained. My only way to stop was to bin it.
I lay the bike over and rolled off the back through the rocks. My body armour saved me from everything but one bruise on my hip. Feeling very jammy I decided my day was done. I was at the sheep gate and the majority of the mountain was behind me. I walked the rest.
The previous days drinking had taken it's toll, I was absolutely bollixed but inside I was smiling.
Jimmy and Peter where near finished changing by the time I rolled into the carpark. I was not bothered even on a good day I would never have kept up with them two lunatics.
Apparently we got a mention on the Ray Darcy show a couple of days later. Some punter text ed in about 3 crazy lads on bikes on Croagh Patrick.
You have to laugh though the punter who text in was probably walking it in his bare feet. ( and they call us crazy )
Drove back to Dublin using a combination of hands and knees to steer and stopped for a lot for coffee.
It's full on and in reality I should have been on a downhill bike. Probably should have got a little more sleep and been a bit more sober to have really enjoyed it.

Peter myself and Jimmy a couple of minutes before the mayhem

Straight from the Hoarse's mouth

2008-07-16T23:59:00.008+02:00

My plight was mentioned to Steve Fisher by our own Moe Kelleher and Moe said I should contact Steve directly.
Steve has been more than helpful. He offered some advice and sent me this article even though he's a busy man at the moment.
Below is the article and a couple of pic's he included.

Howzit Brendan.

here's the article I promised you.

I'd actually forgotten to reply to you but I'm busy plugging content
into the new framework for my website and in digging through all
kinds of old articles I found this one that I wrote in September
2002. Pretty classic really. Hard to believe how time flies!

enjoy. Good one

Steve

.....................................................................................

New Move - The Helix

In 1999 a bid to hold the 2001 world freestyle championships on rapid 12b - Zambezi, was turned down after competing countries voted in favor of Spain. I therefore found it quite ironic that it was on this very wave, on the day that the competition would have started (4th October), that I pulled my first 'helix'...that would have had the judges scratching their heads!

The move is basically an upside-down spin where the boat does a 360 rotation on two of it's three axis. If you can do a good aerial flip turn, then you can probably do this move. Really, all it requires is a good boat, a good wave and a lot of commitment. It’s more difficult mentally than physically – the hardest part is figuring it out in your head.

People often mistake a good flip turn for a bad helix ( I call that a Fleelix.). I’ve watched a lot of guys initiate perfectly but not follow through and finish the move. The key definition here is that the boat needs to rotate all the way around and end flat, upright and pointing upstream after the 360. The stern of your boat must not touch the water as it comes around on the upstream side – otherwise it catches and your bow comes over your head vertically, ending pointing upstream – that’s a radical flipturn. The key to getting this right is that, whilst you’re completely upside down, you need to lift your initiating hand out of the water and aggressively grab the water with your other hand – this will finish the horizontal rotation of the boat and roll you back upright. Easy huh?

The most common question that I experience is: “How did you think this move up?”
Well, just like many of the other moves we’ve invented, it’s a natural progression of existing moves as we improve our skills and boat designs. I started to do flipturns that rotated the stern all the way upstream and realized that if I could put in another paddle stroke whilst upside down in the air, I would be able to rotate the boat 360 degrees on two axis.
I was hanging out in the bar with some mates in Zambia, using a coaster to figure out the move, when I finally got my head around the idea. The response was; “Whatever dood! There goes Fisher with his ideas again.”
I hardly slept that night and was up first thing in the morning and paddled down to 12B. I dropped onto the wave and stuck the move first try.

HERE IS A DISCRIPTION OF HOW TO DO THE MOVE - JUST IN CASE!
I guess the best way to describe what the helix is and how to do it, would be to compare it to the aerial flip turn, since it is an extension of the flip turn. Therefore if you can do a good, radical flip turn, you should be able to do the helix. Here is a step by step instruction of the flip turn and a comparison of the two.

First - the Aerial Flip Turn

One of my favorite moves as well as one of the most dynamic and aggressive moves I know, is the aerial flip turn. You will need a fairly large, fast wave and a kayak of a very radical and aggressive design - a boat with a hard carving edge and/or fins. This ensures that the kayak will hold and grab as much water as possible whilst carving, so that by the time it releases it is ready to explode out of the water.

The goal of the move is to over edge a carve or turn so that the boat becomes airborne as a result of the force between the hull and the fast green water from upstream.

Step one:
Start in a neutral position as close to the top of the wave as possible. As you feel the boat surge down the face of the wave as maximum speed, use a stern rudder to start turning the boat and start a spin momentum. A slight bounce of the boat at this point can help.

Step two:
One your boat is almost sideways use an aggressive 'hip flick' to over edge the boat in the turn - leaning it down stream. The water would naturally want to push the boat downstream, but because of forward speed you have gained, the only option is up. Lift your paddle out of the water and enjoy 'take off'.

Step three:
At this point if you do nothing you will crash... and burn - either your boat will land bow first or you will land upside down. By putting in a forward sweep with the same hand that you initiated the move with, your bow will be pushed up and your stern will hit the water first. The more air you have and the later your sweep, the more the stern will rotate around and the more radical the move will be. (* This is the turning point between a flip turn and a helix)
Step four:
Your stern has hit the water, and you should help the bow to come down by thrusting your legs forward and your body onto the back deck. Add in some forward strokes, as soon as possible, to help regain your forward speed and bring your body upright.

This move will require every ounce of your energy and commitment. It is not as technically difficult as it looks but be sure to have an aching body after a day of flip turns.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helix Vs Flip Turn

*At step three, in the flip turn is where the change occurs. In This example, instead of planting a sweep with the right hand (which would smash the stern into the water), an aggressive switch to the left hand and a twist of the body causes the boat to continue rotating on a horizontal plane. As the boat comes around on a full 360 degree rotation you plant the left paddle blade and start to rotate the boat back upright. So the boat has now done a 360 degree rotation on two axis.

flip turn: right blade is in the water smashing the stern. Helix: both blades are out the water allowing the boat to continue horizontal rotation
........................................................................................

All I can say is thanks again Steve.
Check out Steve's website http://www.stevefisher.net/

On the progress front I have moved from practicing them on the flat to trying a few Feelix's at Stackallen, which to even my surprise where successful.
Unfortunately I knackered my video camera last week. Colm Patison and I where taking advantage of the recent downpour running the drops and slides on the Shankhill. I was recording Colm's run and I got it wet and then dropped it for good measure.
Ok guys and gals get out there Helix'n

Bren

East Coast n No Water

2008-07-02T00:54:00.004+02:00

What's a guy to do ?
The Blog has been very quite for a while. Wish I could say I was off doing some secret training but alas its been dry on the east coast for some time now.
As soon as you write about trying to achieve a goal kayaking the kayaking stops.

Its the law of SOD.

I haven't being doing nothing though. LOL. Your never doing nothing with 4 kids.
In the few spare moments I have kayaking has been temporarily replaced with MTB.

Amoung the many things I set out to do when I started this ( well other than learn how to blog or Helix ) was to catch up with the times and learn how to get some video onto my computer.
This is my first attempt so go easy on me.
It stars your truly checking out some trails in Townley Halls with a cameo from my youngest Noah.
Hope you enjoy

If this Summer shapes up like last ( and it's looking that way ) I might get some paddling in yet.

Fingers crossed.

Bren

Off to a great start then !

2008-04-12T23:32:00.005+02:00

Since my last post I’ve only managed to get out for a paddle twice.
A 2 megawatt play session at Sluice and a medium level run down the Upper Liffey with two good friends up from the country.
Some of you guys will know them from their exploits in Siberia with TeamS7G. The money they and the rest of the group raised for the Red Cross through the sale of their video and other similar endeavors for the blind is admirable. A few of you may be luckier and know them personally.

Jimmy Fitzpatrick from Kilkenny is the biggest little man I know and Richard Kilfeather hailing from Sligo is another true gentleman.

I’ve done some of my most challenging paddling in the company of these guys and a better crew on the river you couldn’t have.
This is why it felt strange to be meandering down the Upper Liffey with them.
Neither of the guy’s had paddled the Upper before and as they’ve chalked up most of the other stretches in Wicklow including the Source of the Liffey it was decided the time, level and our proximity was right for a run.
The Upper is an enjoyable stretch of river. Its not too challenging but it drops consistently through out the run.
It’s a great warm up run for a day in Wicklow and a decent stretch for paddlers looking for a grade 3 ‘ish run. (level dependent) .
On the way down I told the lads about my goal to Helix before I’m 40.
Neither thankfully fell out of their boats laughing at this point, eyebrows where raised alright, but I wasn’t laughed off the water.
I explained my plan.

Step 1. I’m going to start to work out the move on flat water.
This is to help me dial the move into my head.

Step 2. Learn and practice Flip turns

Step 3. As I will rarely be anywhere other than Sluice work the flip turn into a
Felix ( Helix in a hole )

Step 4. Hit the surf or Gower and bust my nuts till I nail one.

Right after that I launched into a flat water attempt in a spot that was obvious to everybody but me too shallow and cracked my head off the bottom.
The lads where probably laughing at this stage.
Off to a great start then !

Well all I can do now is look forward to better water levels and wish ye all Happy paddling till my next post.

Finally Someone who’s met Steve Fisher

2008-03-27T22:19:00.011+01:00

In my quest to nail a helix I’ve decided I’ll leave no stone unturned and as a previous post suggested I wanted to talk to Irish paddlers who have met the man who conceived the move Steve Fisher.
Irene Hughes hailing from Mayo but now living in Galway is one such person.

Irene running Bugagaly Falls, White Nile, Uganda.

Irene is an accomplished paddler. She has paddled in the Alps, Zambia, Uganda and Nepal. Formally a DCU student she unfortunately qualified and now works for a living. This has been a stressful transition for her but she is coping well with occasional trips to the Tuam hole!!!
It was on one of her trips to Uganda that she encountered the man at the 2006 Nile Festival where she herself got a very credible 2nd place finish in the gruelling 45k boater endurance event.
I decided to ask her some questions.

Hi Irene me auld flower, I believe you had an encounter with the man Fisher in Uganda on the White Nile. Can you tell us the circumstances?

Truth be told this is one of those paddling moments…although it felt like more of an eternity than a moment- where I’d rather pretend it just never happened. In this instance I’d like to think that I have an evil kayaking nemesis who stole my gear, jumped in my boat and proceeded to make an ass of me to the delight of an attentive audience. Evidently I don’t need an arch enemy for this, as I’m quite the capable candidate myself :-)

Set the scene for us Irene, what had you where you where and why?

Well, it was the Friday Freestyle Comp of the Nile River Festival, and I entered for the laugh having arrived in Uganda (round 2) just a few days before. For those of you who have not been, the heats were mixed, they have a specified number of competitors per heat and you get 20mins to have as many go’s as you could get either by dropping on to the wave or using the rope. I think the other female competitors in my heat were Jessee Stone and a Swiss girl named Andrea, while amongst the male competitors was the infamous Steve Fisher.

So how did your heat go for you?

Sooo, the jucy stuff… I dropped on to the wave, surfed a bit, did a shuvit I think and was feeling pretty good when I came off the wave (don’t remember if I was upside down, but assume I was) when I dropped into the hole behind the wave. Just as I was about to roll up there was an earthquake (under the water of course – that’s why nobody else noticed it!) followed by a raging torrent of nemo fish trying to bamboozle me which was ensued by a moment of insanity where I popped my deck and swam out of the hole (in front of all those people).

Really? Go on!

As my attempts to self rescue turned out to be pretty pathetic, Jesse came to my aid and started getting my boat to the bank, meanwhile Steve Fisher apparently shouted “stop the competition, stop the competition” jumped off the water, got in his speed boat and completed my ultimate
nightmare. He literally speeded down to where I was floating (more like a belly-up flat fish than a damsel in distress) lifted me into his boat, picked Jessee up too, and then returned us safe and sound to the competition and the cheering masses. I was certainly humbled by the whole experience, and Bren I don’t mean meeting the magnificent man himself!!!

So after to shock of the underwater earthquake, all those cute fish and the sight of a big South African speeding towards you in a boat while you where enjoying a nice swim and some girly company what did you do then?

I sat out the rest of the comp that day. Later that night I gladly downed my funnel of swim beer (drunkness seemed like a great idea just then J) and I bought Steve (first name basis of course) a “thank you” beer for saving me from the under-water-earthquake and the vicious nemo fish.
I think that about sums up day one of the comp for me.

My hat is off to ya girl not only did you meet the guy you but you got in the swim beers with “Steve”. Not forgetting a bit of a chin wag with Jesse Stone :-)
Irene thanks a million for the interview and the insight you’ve given me on Mr. Fisher.
Any guy who’d leave his competition run to curry favour with two hot paddler babes is alright in my book ;-)

Bren daaarrrling, I wish you the best with your helixing endeavours, but know that if it doesn’t work out I will always be able to sympathise with your public humiliation ;)

Irene scouting on the White Nile

I need to do my homework

2008-03-21T21:19:00.010+01:00

As i said before the "Helix" was conceived by world renowned kayaker Steve Fisher. I know little about the guy and the nearest I've got to meeting him was possibly summer 2006 where we may have been on the same continent for a short while.
I need to get a little insight into the man who conceived this complicated maneuver.
I'm going to do some digging around paddlers in Ireland and try and get the beef on him.
You can't thrust the videos and stuff posted on the web by internerds like me so
I need to talk to actual people who've met him and ask them stuff like,
Did you paddle with him ? Did he fish you out of a river somewhere exotic ? Did he get his round in or try chat up your girlfriend ? Is it true he hides fish style gills under his neck seal or can he actually hold his breath for upwards of an hour ?
What language is that he speaks ? when he stands on the rocks scouting the line on a 5+ does he actually see a line or is it just time he takes for one last prayer ?

These are the important questions that need to be answered !

They are important because I cant think of better one's right now but I reserve the right to introduce further important questions should I be prompted or think of any.

Scot Lingren is flogging this video at the moment so have a look at the person he wants you to think Steve Fisher is for now and I'll get back to with what I find.

Enjoy

I'll fecking helix before I'm Forty !

2008-03-19T21:46:00.003+01:00

I have put absolutely no thought into how I'm going to achieve my goal as this blog was born of impulse. This fact may well come back to bite me in the future.
I'm just a regular Joe who's main achievement to date was to marry a woman I didn't deserve to get. As the saying goes she is the better half.
Life for me can be bit hectic sometimes with my four young sons. If you've ever seen a TV program called "Malcom in the middle" well I am Hal.
In my very limited spare time I like to mountain bike and white water kayak. Both sports provide an amazing outlet for me and are in the most part responsible for my sanity.
I have made many good friends kayaking over the years and I hope to pressure them into contributing to this blog.
Now to the meat and veg of why I'm doing this.
One discipline of white water kayaking is freestyle kayaking. This involves surfing a river wave or hydraulic and preforming tricks in your kayak on the wave. One of the most difficult tricks is a move called "The Helix". It was conceived by world renowned kayaker Steve Fisher.
The move involves spinning the kayak on two planes over the wave face ( more about that later).
Its normally the preserve of top class kayak free stylers so I'm pretty sure a donkey like me will never do one but dam it I'm going to try.
With the big 40 approaching and my body aging fast due to the kids running sorties the my bedroom every night, I feel it's now or never for me to do this.
Sound like a mid life crises to you ?

On my journey to mastering the Helix there will be diversions due to locations, lack of rain or even injury ( lately I seem to be using trees to stop on my mountain bike)
Here is a good link I've found to get started http://www.niftytricks.com/kayak/ftricks/helix.html
More posts and video to follow.
Bren