Monday photo feature

Well, an entire week went by and I didn't paddle my boat even one time.  Hence the lack of posts since last Monday's photo.

But it's not unusual for me to take a little break this time of year.  And this year I have done so under special circumstances: at long last, I am living in my new place.  I moved in last Monday with the help of some wonderful friends.

The photo above shows the building as of this morning (compare it to the photo I took back in May and featured in this post).  There is work yet to come on the storefront, along with plenty of chores behind the facade.  In addition to getting my stuff moved in and settled, I have spent the past week tackling the long to-do list, which includes caulking, painting, installing doorknobs and other door hardware, sealing countertops, building closet shelves, creating storage space for boats and gear, and getting my woodworking shop moved and set up.

I'm a very routine-oriented guy, and having a "home base" from which to follow my routine is important to me.  And of course, including some paddling in my routine is a must.  Soon, I'll have the trappings of a paddler's life re-settled at last: my paddles, my clothes, a clothesline to hang wet gear on, all those little things.  The marina is about three miles due west of my building, and I'm pleased to say that the majority of the route will include protected bike lanes soon.

So even though I'm out of the boat right now, I'm laying the logistical groundwork for the next season, and I'm excited about the possibilities.

Monday photo feature

Here's how I spent my weekend.  It's not a specific form of training for canoe and kayak racing, but I did burn some calories and work some muscles.  My arms and shoulders are feeling pretty rubbery today.

Muddling around in a trashy harbor

Well, I managed to get down to paddle one more time this week after all.  My crafts fair setup went more quickly than I'd expected, so this morning I made time for 60 minutes in the K1.

Feeling tired and achy from recent higher-intensity sessions (and also from some out-of-the-boat activities), I took it pretty easy today.  My mind was mostly on other matters, and arguably I shouldn't have paddled at all, but what can you do.

The Mississippi is on a near-ten-foot rise this week, and that has resulted in a preponderance of floating litter in the harbor.  I did some more aluminum can collection, which as I mentioned Tuesday is a balance drill all its own.  I stayed upright today, and in an hour I amassed a colorful pile of cans that included everybody's favorite brand.  Busch.  Colt 45.  Full Throttle.  Steel Reserve.  Bud Ice.  Faygo, even.

Balance drills (aluminum can version)

I paddled the K1 in the harbor for 60 minutes this morning.  It might have been my last time in the boat this week: I'll be demonstrating bowl carving this weekend at the Pink Palace Crafts Fair here in Memphis, and I'll be busy getting ready for that from tomorrow on.

I might have mentioned in the past that I'm in the habit of picking up aluminum cans that I find floating in the water.  The Memphis riverfront has a litter problem that is much too big for me to solve by myself, but by focusing on cans I can at least feel like I'm a tiny part of the solution.  When I'm done paddling, I take the cans up to the grocery store near the marina and deposit them in a collection bin there; the proceeds benefit the Humane Society.

The trouble is, the K1 does not double as a garbage scow very well.  Twice this morning I flipped while trying to pour the water out of a can with one hand and brace with my paddle with the other.  The second flip provided some entertainment for some construction workers up on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.

Each time I managed to dump out my boat and get going again pretty quickly.  But there was a north wind blowing that seemed to intensify as the hour went on, and it was not fun exposing myself to that while dripping wet.

Oh well... I came away none the worse for wear.  And I made the water I paddle on a tiny smidgen cleaner, and I sent a few extra pennies in the Humane Society's direction.  It really doesn't take much more than that to get me singing a happy tune.

Monday photo feature

I really don't have much recollection of the circumstances surrounding this photo, other than that it was taken off Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 2008.  I'm not sure what that is in my hand, or what's on my mind, or anything else.  Some weeks my Monday photo sort of picks itself, and others I have to grope around in the darkest recesses of my digital photo archives.  This is clearly one of the latter weeks.

The length of the harbor, again

This morning I paddled the K1 for 60 minutes downtown.  After a rather warm, muggy week, a front came through last night and it was overcast and cooler than 60 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up this morning.

I warmed up in the boat by paddling from the marina down to the mouth of the harbor, and then I timed myself on the same course I did back on September 3, only in reverse.  Starting at the imaginary line that extends into the harbor from the double yellow line on Beale Street, I proceeded to record the following splits:

4:34 at the southern edge of the monorail bridge
6:57 at the southern edge of the Hernando DeSoto Bridge
10:24 at the southern edge of the Auction Avenue bridge
11:46 at the northern edge of Harbortown Marina
23:13 at the finish by the barge mooring tower at the north end of the harbor

Relaxing my legs, hips, and abdominals is a big theme--I want to trust the stability of my boat so my body can do all the things it needs to do to produce good strokes.

It's hard to know exactly why I was a whole minute slower today than I was on September 3.  I have not achieved consistency in this boat yet.

In a day's work

I spent most of the day painting at my building, but I stole down to the riverfront for an hour in the K1 this morning.

Down at the marina my friend Joe was preparing to paddle for the first time since having rotator cuff surgery back in June.  As we set off together toward the south end of the harbor, he apologized for how slow he was going, but it was just fine with me.  I paddled a relaxed pace and did all kinds of little balance drills while we talked.  I remember Joe and I paddled together shortly after I got the K1 last winter and I could barely listen to what Joe was saying because I was so focused on staying upright.  The fact that I could carry on a normal conversation with him today is a sign of some good progress over the summer.

Joe returned to the dock after 40 minutes or so of paddling, and I spent another 20 minutes doing some short sprints before coming back in myself.  Then it was back to work over at the building.  I think most people hear the word "kayaking" and they imagine epic trips through remote canyons or out on the open sea.  Such things are wonderful whenever you can do them, but I enjoy just as much the idea of taking a little time to paddle during the course of a busy day here in my home city.

More on the MRT

In Monday's post I mentioned the Mississippi River Trail.  For those not familiar with the MRT, it's a bicycle route that follows the Mississippi River from source to sea along paved roads.  More information can be found on its website, here.

The route is marked with signs like this one on Mud Island in downtown Memphis:

Trying to learn some speed

Work continues on my building, and I've been doing a good bit of it myself, such as painting and going to the store for supplies and stuff like that.  But I learned my lesson from last week and set aside some time this morning to paddle.

I paddled the K1 in the harbor for 60 minutes.  I timed myself twice from the monorail bridge to the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, and did a few shorter sprints as well.  I've been trying to incorporate these faster pieces into my K1 sessions all summer so I can develop some modicum of motor skill at a higher level of intensity.  I don't just want to paddle this boat without flipping; I want to go fast in it.  That's what a K1 is for, isn't it?

My times from the monorail bridge to the HDB were 2:05 (not bad) and 1:59 or 2:00 (possibly my best ever).  I had a pretty strong tailwind, and on that second piece I think it blew me as much as a boatlength over the starting line while I was waiting for my watch to reach the top of the minute, so I probably shouldn't get too excited about my good times--I'm a cheerless coach, I know.  But it was nice to see some positive results.

I spent the afternoon back at the building and got some good work done.  It's all added up to a day I can feel good about.

On another topic, I have weighed myself the last two days and I'm down to 143.5 pounds... yikes!  Oddly, I've been feeling pretty good, not low on energy like I often feel during low-weight periods.