Autumn update

I apologize to anybody who has wandered onto this blog only to find nothing new.  Some of the out-of-the-boat aspects of life have seized my attention and aren't letting go very easily.  Most of it is actually interesting--some projects in the workshop and some renovation work on a rental property I own.  But I feel out of balance without some pure unadulterated physical activity in the outdoors, and I'm trying my best to get on the water a couple of times a week.

Last month I got out my flatwater K1 for the first time in a couple of years. The boat is unbelievably tippy, and even after paddling it and paddling it and paddling it through the summers of 2013 and '14 I never was able to achieve the sort of balance and confidence I needed to relax my body and take good strokes.

This time around I paddled it twice, and remembered why I had put it away for so long.  Paddling it for a mere 30 or 40 minutes leaves me exhausted because of the concentration it takes to paddle effectively, with all the relevant muscle groups firing, while keeping the boat upright.

I really hate this feeling of having been "beaten" by a boat, but I'm afraid it's time to admit that I just don't have the specific type of athletic ability to make it do what it's supposed to.  As an athlete I want to challenge myself and to be fit and strong and skilled and to do well in races, but more important than any of that is I want to have fun, and paddling this boat is simply not fun for me.

I'll be putting the boat up for sale soon so that another paddler might use it to its full potential.  Stay tuned for more information.

Now I'm back in the surf ski and much happier on the water as a result.  I'm trying to relish this unseasonably warm weather while we've still got it.  I've been getting out for 60 or 70 minutes at a time, once or twice a week.  My friend Joe and I get together most Tuesdays for a loop in the harbor, and if I'm not too busy I make it out there on Saturday or Sunday as well.

One thing I try to emphasize in this blog is that it is not written by an elite paddler.  The advice, information, and ramblings here are not really aimed at elite paddlers, though occasionally an elite paddler makes my day by telling me he or she reads it.  This blog is simply the journal of a middle-aged guy who continues to pursue an activity he loves while dealing with all the usual challenges of getting older.  I recently read a short article about South African paddler Hank McGregor, a many-time world champion in marathon racing, and what strikes me about his approach to the sport is that he's taking a long view, seeking clever ways to stay strong through middle age and beyond rather than pouring all his energy into a dominant but brief career.  In so doing he advocates a few things that have occurred to me as well, things that I've tried to share in this blog.  The article is posted here.