This morning I did two sets of the April strength routine and paddled for 120 minutes.
It was quite breezy from the south today, but because of light barge traffic the river wasn't as rough as it sometimes gets in a south wind. As I've said before, ideal conditions are no guarantee down at Vicksburg in three weeks, so I decided to get in a good long downriver leg into the wind. I paddled into a headwind for several miles, then experienced some beam winds where the Mississippi turns sharply to the west below downtown Memphis. That was probably good for me: the river at Vicksburg flows in a southeasterly direction, so beam winds are possible there.
I think paddling in windy conditions are a mental challenge as much as anything. Having the wind noise in your ears can make things seem gnarlier than they actually are. I just tried to stay relaxed and get into a nice rhythm, keeping the boat running over the chop.
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