Yesterday I paddled a moderate-to-strong 60 minutes in the harbor. I kept the stroke rate low and tried to put good power into each stroke, sort of like the sessions I did on Tuesday and Wednesday of my week in Florida.
It was cold yesterday--around 34 degrees Fahrenheit--but the sun was out and the wind was light, so once I was in the boat it really wasn't bad at all. It reminded me of the last couple of mornings in Florida, when we had very nice paddling conditions despite chilly temperatures. The only reason that it wasn't just as nice as that yesterday morning is that the water is cold in the Mississippi River and the harbor, while the spring-fed Rainbow River is around 72 degrees all year long.
I'm feeling a bit tired and my left arm still hurts, and since returning home I've just been trying to keep something going until I've fortified myself for another good training block that will build on the one in Florida. One question I'm occasionally asked is "If your arm still hurts, shouldn't you just be resting?" My answer is that I've tried that. After coming home from the Columbia Gorge race last summer I pretty much shut down for a while, and saw no improvement in my condition. I really don't think paddling is what caused my arm woes, and the ailing muscles don't seem directly involved in the act of paddling, so I feel pretty confident that I can continue at least a moderate level of paddling while I keep searching for relief.
This morning it was cold again, but sunny and forecast to rise into the 50s. Once again I used the memory of those cold but lovely mornings in Florida as motivation to get down to the river. It was breezier today, meaning that it wasn't quite as nice on the river as yesterday even though it was some 10 degrees warmer. But it was fine. I did another steady 60-minute paddle in the harbor.
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