Stress

Blog posts aren't exactly flying off my fingertips lately.  I apologize to those who check in hourly hoping for new bits of canoe and kayak racing wisdom.

In the last week or so I've been experiencing some tightness in my upper back around the base of my neck, between my shoulder blades.  I first became aware of it during my time trial in the harbor last weekend.  I can't really tell you the cause of this discomfort, but I have noticed over the years that I tend to carry a lot of stress in this area--in other words, I get all worried over life's minutiae, and my body responds by tensing the upper torso area.

Anyway, it's not going to stop me from paddling or going ahead with my race at Ocean Springs next Saturday, but it's making things a bit less pleasant.  I don't know many stretches that target this particular spot, but I've been trying, with mixed success, to relax this past week.

That's been especially true in the boat, where on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday I put in 60-minute sessions that emphasized short, fast pieces with long recoveries.  Having recently done a long grind around the Loosahatchie Bar and a grueling time trial, I want to spend the remaining time before my first race reinforcing the notion that my boat is a happy place, a place where going fast feels effortless and fun.

Today I did a round of the March strength routine before lunch, and after lunch I did a recovery session, following a soak in the tub with some stretching.  The nice thing about soaking in the tub is that there's not much else I can do there but relax and enjoy it.  I'm bad about wanting to do chores even when I'm supposed to be relaxing and enjoying myself.

It's a bit frustrating to be feeling less than great six days before a race, but in the forty-six and a half years I've been alive I've seen this scenario a few times before.  There's still time to pull myself together and race well.