At competitions I don’t really like hanging around in my kayaking kit for too long before competing so usually leave it quite late before getting ready. Last weekend at the British Championships I strolled out of the changing rooms to see that my heat had already started. I started my runs without any warming up and managed to pull my carve muscle whilst finishing off a phonix monkey. At the time it felt like the worst cramp ever and I had to abort my run. Luckily I managed to get another run in and just made it through to the next round. It goes to show how much you actually use your legs in freestyle and I’ll make more of an effort to do some leg stretches next time. The next day the leg was fine for paddling and I finished the brit champs in 3rd behind pringle and ed smith.
A very windy hpp
River Exe Levels Guide