Monday photo feature

My buddy Rob and I check out the Hudson River at Peekskill, New York, in August of 2016.

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Paddling and sweating

On Friday I got in the boat and did another workout involving subtle changes in stroke rate.  It was six sets of (1 minute at 60 strokes per minute/1 min. at 64 spm/1 min. at 68 spm/1 min. at 72 spm/1 min. at 68 spm/1 min. at 64 spm/1 min. at 60 spm/2 min. rest).  The objective was to keep the stroke form and intensity consistent throughout the various rates.  My biggest challenge during a workout like this is concentration: it's so easy to get distracted out on the water.

Yesterday I did two sets of six all-out 15-second sprints at 4-minute intervals.  For the first set I had some extra weight in the boat, and then I removed it for the second set.  The idea was to feel the grip on the water promoted by the extra weight in the first set, and then search for that same sensation without the weight in the second set.  The workout was a reminder that I enjoy going fast even though it's both physically and technically hard to do so.

This morning I did five sets of (13 min. on/2 min. off) with stroke rates of 60, 64, 68, 64, and 60 spm.  The main difference between such a workout and a simple distance paddle?  Concentration.  Maintaining a particular stroke rate for 13 minutes takes concentration.  Those 2-minute rest intervals were mental breaks more than anything else.  One thing I find is that when I'm paying attention to my stroke rate I'm also paying attention to my stroke mechanics and my posture in the boat.

It's continued to be muggy and hot here this weekend, but we're in for a change in the weather shortly: the remnants of Hurricane Ida are expected to arrive up here sometime tomorrow.  Mostly, it'll mean a big bunch of rain for us.  I expect we'll have some gusty winds, but of course nothing like what our friends closer to the Gulf Coast are experiencing.

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Pushing through late summer

I started Tuesday with a half-loop of the harbor with Joe.  Thoroughly warmed up, I then commenced the workout: two sets of four (2 minutes at 64 strokes per minute/1 min. at 72 spm/2 min. at 64 spm/1 min. rest).  Maks told me to "execute the pace changes swiftly and with as little extra moves/stress as possible."  That was tricky to do; I think I was doing it much better by the second set.

Yesterday I returned to the river for a technical session: two sets of (4 times 1 min. on/1 min. off at 56 spm and 4 times 45 seconds on/75 sec. off at 76 spm).  Posture and leg drive were the focus, and I tried to call upon all the power of my legs and core that I could.

Today I did a gym session.  It's been very humid and hot this week, and it's expected to remain so for a couple of more days before abating a bit.

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Monday photo feature

Dana Chladek, a member of the U.S. whitewater slalom team in the 1980s and 90s, sure looks psychedelic in this photo.  But in fact her splash top is blue with a red and white swoosh, and her boat is solid red.

This is a screen shot from an old stroke drills video that I've had in VHS cassette form for almost 30 years.  Lately I've been getting together the things I need to make some mp4 copies of old video tapes: a VCR that plays, the right cable to connect it to my laptop, the right software--all that kind of stuff.  My early digital copies have featured every color of the rainbow, and whether that's something I can fix on my computer or simply a trait of old beat-up video tapes that I have to accept is something I'll learn eventually.  In the meantime I'm not all that worried about it.

I have posted this stroke drills video on my You Tube channel, and you can watch it here.  Along with Ms. Chladek, the video stars Jana Freeburn and Davey Hearn.  The soundtrack features some Dire Straits tunes... I don't know whose idea that was.

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Some fun despite the heat

After a few days of not-so-bad heat it was starting to get rather sweltering by Friday.  I went to the river and did an interesting workout: it started with pieces of 7 minutes/6 min./5 min./4 min./3 min./2 min./1 min., with a minute rest after each one; I started the series at 56 strokes per minute and nudged it up to 68 spm (basically adding 2 spm with each new piece).  Then, after a 3-minute rest, I did the series in reverse, ending with a 7-minute piece at 56 spm.  It was essentially a new variation on an old-fashioned endurance paddle.

On Saturday I paddled to the mouth of the harbor and saw a barge rig coming up the Mississippi.  The towboat was one whose bridge can be raised and lowered, and in my experience those usually generate nice waves, so I went out to see what kind of surfing I could do.  A lot, it turned out: I found myself surfing the nicest set of towboat wakes I've seen since this glorious day last year.

After maybe 20 minutes of fun out there, my spirits were as high as they'd been in quite a while and I returned to the harbor feeling energized for my assigned workout.  It was four sets of four 15-second sprints at 2-minute intervals, with a stroke rate of 100-110 spm.  The efforts were not all-out; the objective was to practice good mechanics and technique at high speed.

Yesterday's session was a calm 80-minute paddle.  I did a loop out on the Mississippi and the only reason it wasn't entirely delightful was that it was very hot outside.

I continue to have a lot of non-athletic things going on that are making me feel swamped and not as enthusiastic about going to the river as I should be.  But for the last several days I haven't felt as physically exhausted as I'd been for a while.  Right now I'm just trying to keep something going in the boat and survive the hot summer.

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Through the motions

My post-vacation letdown continues.  I'm still getting down to the river most days and performing most of what my coach has assigned, but it feels mechanical and uninspired.  Being an athlete is a mind-body connection, and when I'm just going through the motions of a workout without deep mental engagement, I can't help wondering whether the workout is really doing me any good.

The USCA nationals took place last weekend up at Warren, Pennsylvania, and quite a few of my friendly racing rivals were there turning in solid performances on all three of the days.  I should know better than to judge myself by the fortunes of others, but it was tough to read about their vigorous efforts while I was sitting at home feeling like a slug.  Maybe some of them felt the same way when I was paddling hard and having fun out West just a month ago.  It's weird how my mood has swung so completely to the opposite pole since then.

On Tuesday my assigned workout was three sets of three (4 minutes on/1 min. off) at 68-72 strokes per minute--basically an aerobic-endurance-near-threshold session.  I was planning to meet Joe down at the dock, and before Joe arrived I did about the first half of this workout.  Once Joe was there we just paddled easy and I couldn't motivate myself to do any more.

On Wednesday I didn't feel like going to the river at all.  Part of the reason was some continuing non-athletic work I had to get done, but I also just didn't feel like paddling.  Friday is usually my gym day, but I did my gym session Wednesday morning instead.

Yesterday I was back in the boat, doing what I'd been assigned to do on Wednesday.  It was primarily a technical session: three sets of five (45 seconds on/75 sec. off) at 80 spm with some resistance on the boat.  Once again my mind was elsewhere and I can only hope that my muscles will remember whatever good technique I managed.

We've been getting a fair amount of rain this week, and while it's not making me any more eager to get outside, I'm glad to see this area getting some rain.  It had been very dry since my return from the trip.

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Monday photo feature

Joe White of Lorain, Ohio, and Hollie Hall of South Point, Ohio, navigate Flare Rapid on the Allegheny River at Warren, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.  They took third place in the "unlimited tandem mixed" class at the United States Canoe Association national championships.  Photo by Kelli Anthony.

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Plodding

By the end of the week I was feeling tired, surly, and low on energy.  I think the hot weather is a big part of the reason: this past week was our most oppressive of the year so far.  I also have a project in the workshop that's been consuming a lot of my physical and mental energy.  My shop is not air-conditioned, and though it's well-insulated, sandwiched between the two next-door buildings and below my air-conditioned living space, I've been less than comfortable down there while tackling this project that involves some heavy lifting.

By Friday the temperature was as high as 97 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity was through the roof.  With very little enthusiasm I headed down to the river and got in the boat.  The workout was simple enough: four sets of (6 minutes at 60 strokes per minute/4 min. at 64 spm/3 min. at 68 spm/2 min. at 72 spm).  There was a minute rest between pieces and two minutes between sets.  I actually did just three and a half sets because I took a break to chase a few barge wakes.  The surfing turned out to be fair, not great.

Some thunderstorms came through Friday afternoon, and there was some slightly cooler air behind it.  Yesterday morning the temperature was in the 80s and still pretty humid.  I went out and did six 250-meter pieces, starting every 6th minute.  The main purpose was to focus on taking good forward strokes: Maks said "stay upright, stay strong, anchor well."  The prescribed stroke rate was in the "A3" zone (90 spm or higher), and I tried to keep it in the low 90s.  The workout wasn't too taxing, all told; the first couple of pieces seemed the hardest, maybe because I wasn't completely warmed up for higher-intensity efforts.

Today's assignment was a 2-hour "non-specific" endurance session, so I rode my bike on the Greenline out to Shelby Farms, where I did a loop around Patriot Lake before returning.  My total distance  covered was 36.4 kilometers or about 22.6 miles--not bad for my clunky low-tech mountain bike.  The ride almost didn't happen because when I went to get my bike out of the garage I discovered its rear tire was flat.  I had a spare tube and fixing the problem wasn't really that hard, but with all the other work I've had to do lately it almost felt like one chore too many.

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Riding out the dog days

This week we're having just the sort of sweltering hot weather we expect in August in the Mid South.  Fahrenheit highs are reaching the high 90s, with triple-digit heat indices, and it's dipping just barely below 80 degrees overnight.  It looks like we might get a moment of relief this weekend.

On Tuesday I did two sets of three 8-minute pieces (2 minutes recovery) with stroke rates of 60, 68, and 60 strokes per minute within each set.

Yesterday I did four sets of four (1 minute on/1 min. off), alternating between 60 spm and 80 spm within each set.  I put a small resistance on the boat.  This was a technical workout, intended to put my focus on anchoring each stroke and executing good leg drive and pelvic rotation.

Today was a gym day.  I stayed in and did the same routine I've been doing since my return from the Pacific Northwest: some lat pulls, some military press, some abdominal exercises, some pull-ups, and some dead lifts.

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Monday photo feature

NBC doesn't broadcast canoe and kayak racing on over-the-air TV, but if somebody from the U.S. wins a gold medal they'll let her on The Today Show.  Nevin Harrison, the first U.S. paddler to stand atop the Olympic podium in 29 years, acquitted herself very nicely this morning and eloquently explained why our sport is legitimate.  You can watch her appearance here.

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More strength and technique work

Friday was my gym day, and I did a round of my latest routine involving arm, leg, and abdominal exercises.

The past week had treated us to some cooler-than-normal weather for the month of August, but by yesterday the temperature and humidity were definitely creeping back up into the less-than-comfortable zone.  At least there was a pleasant breeze blowing down on the riverfront.  Yesterday's workout was eight 250-meter pieces at 84 strokes per minute with some added resistance on the boat.  I was to start a piece every fifth minute.

Maks described the session as "not a hard workout at all physically."  I thought, "Eight 250s with resistance?  Not hard physically?  Really?"  I had my doubts, but dutifully I commenced the assignment.  It turned out it wasn't all that bad, though I could definitely feel it in my muscles.  The main point was to focus on the various stroke mechanics and to involve my hips and legs.

This morning I rode my bike to the river and did a 75-minute endurance paddle with a stroke rate in the low 60s.  I felt tired in the boat and was glad to get it done, pedal back home, and head into a day off tomorrow.

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Doing a little each day and feeling good about it

We've enjoyed cooler weather in the Mid South this week.

My assigned workout for Tuesday was "non-specific endurance"--hiking or bike-riding or some such thing.  But Tuesday is also when I paddle with Joe.  So I combined some easy paddling with out-of-the-boat endurance by riding my bike to and from the riverfront.

Yesterday I did a workout that wasn't super-hard, but not exactly easy, either.  It was three sets of four (90 seconds on/90 sec. off), with the first and third sets done at 75 strokes per minute and the second set done at 85 spm.  Maks explained that 90 seconds would be short enough for me to focus hard on all the technical aspects of paddling without too tired.  He was right, but I was feeling pretty tired nevertheless once I got deep into the workout.  I tried my best to do all the right things: sit upright, anchor my stroke well, and have all my muscles firing in unison from my arms and shoulders through my pelvic area and legs.

This morning I did a somewhat unusual endurance session: pieces of 9 minutes/8 min./7 min./6 min./5 min./4 min./3 min./2 min./1 min. at 60-64 spm.  Maks didn't specify a recovery interval between sets, so I made it a minute.  I concentrated once again on all the technical stuff and tried to put solid power into each stroke.

I'm glad I told Maks to give me some workouts for this more laid-back period I'm going through.  I like having something to do and it helps motivate me to get to the river each day.

In other news, an athlete from the United States has won the gold medal in the Olympic flatwater sprint regatta for the first time since 1988.  19-year-old Nevin Harrison of Gig Harbor, Washington, posted the fastest times in the heats, semis, and finals en route to claiming the women's 200-meter single canoe title.  Harrison had come out of nowhere to win this event at the 2019 world championships, and her performance in Tokyo this week erases any doubt that she is for real.  She is also the first female single-blade gold medalist in Olympic flatwater history, as this is the first Olympics in which women are allowed to compete in canoe classes.

Harrison is the only U.S. athlete in this Olympic regatta.  When I was growing up the U.S. always had a large contingent in flatwater sprint, with K2s and K4s and C2s and the whole nine yards.  But in both 2008 and 2012, only two U.S. athletes qualified for the Olympics, and the number has shrunk to one in 2016 and this year.  The U.S. flatwater sprint program has not been strong in recent decades, but I believe the biggest reason for such tiny rosters in the modern-day Games is the increasingly stingy athlete quotas imposed by the I.O.C.  As more and more made-for-TV events are allowed onto the Olympic programme, I can't help but be infuriated by the I.O.C.'s treatment of sports like mine, and I'm feeling less enthusiastic than ever about the Olympic paddling events (through no fault of the athletes).  I'm glad, at least, that my country's lone entrant this year is an extremely good one.

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Monday photo feature

Paul Ingram shot this photo of me in the Blue Cruz Canoe and Kayak Race, on the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 2014.

This event last occurred in 2018.  Flooding on the river forced its cancellation in '19, and pandemic worries have scuttled it for the last two years.  I would love to see it come back in '22.

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Easier paddling that's still technical

Friday morning I was feeling some soreness from the previous day's gym routine, but it wasn't too bad.  I went down to the river and paddled a calm 50 minutes.  The smoky haze from the wildfires out West was the thickest I'd seen since getting home a week earlier.

Yesterday morning was sunnier but there was still quite a bit of haze hanging in the air.  I still had some soreness but I could tell it was running its course.  I got in the boat and did a speed session: three sets of four 10-second sprints at 2-minute intervals.  Maks told me to use flying starts and try to reach as high a stroke rate as I could, noting that I might not actually be as fast as I would be with a more controlled stroke rate, but that the point of the workout was "to activate fast muscle tissues and move fast."  I moved as fast as I could and was getting up to around 130 strokes per minute, according to my cadence sensor.  In between sets I gave myself ten minutes of relaxed paddling.

This morning I went down to the riverfront and did six sets of (2 minutes at 50 spm/1 min. at 80 spm/1 min. at 50 spm/1 min. at 80 spm/2 min. rest).  The objective, as with most of these "contrast" workouts, was to find a good grip on the water at the lower stroke rate and then replicating it at the higher stroke rate.

A front came through overnight and this morning we finally had some relief from the sweltering heat that had gripped the Mid South since I got home from my trip.   It looks like the cooler temperatures will last for most of the coming week.

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