South Africa prep is in its late stages

On days when I plan to do my dry-land routine, nudging myself into motion isn't easy because, frankly, those workouts are pretty hard.  They include a lot of running, and running taxes me in ways that paddling never has.  I'm also usually a bit sore for a day or two afterward.  And yet, every time I finish a dry-land workout I feel pretty great.  Some of that is endorphins, I expect, but I think it's also the result of simply completing something that would have been very easy to skip.  

Monday was a scheduled dry-land day, and because the temperature had dropped well below freezing in the early morning hours, that further sandbagged my motivation to get myself down to the Greenbelt Park.  But get down there I did, and by then the temperature had risen to an almost-comfortable 43 degrees Fahrenheit under a lovely clear sky.  Once the workout was underway, my body responded well and I got the work done without any trouble.

Today the temperature was supposed to reach 63 degrees, but it was still in the 40s when I got down to the riverfront this morning.  A strong wind from the south made it seem even chillier.  I got in the boat and paddled into that wind, to the mouth of the harbor, before turning around and commencing my workout.  Once more, I did a set of four bridge-to-bridge sprints, starting every 8th minute.  My times were 2:14, 2:12, 2:11, and 2:10.  Those were a bit slower than I'd clocked doing the same workout last Thursday even though I had a stronger tailwind today.  One might think a stronger tailwind should always produce faster times, but I don't think it's quite that simple.  Today the wind was generating chop on the water, while last Thursday the conditions were smoother, and I think it's easier to make a boat go fast over a smooth surface than over a bumpy one, even if those bumps are moving in the same direction that you are.

In any case, I accomplished my main objective, to give a good consistent effort in all four sprints.  This is the last time I'll do this workout before my departure, and it feels good to have it under my belt.  I plan to do one more dry-land workout before I leave, and it'll feel good to have it in the books as well.  As I've been saying, my overarching goal is simply to be physically prepared for paddling in South Africa, and I believe I am pretty well prepared.  Things aren't ideal, mainly because of the arm soreness, but under the circumstances I think I've put in a solid body of work.  I'm feeling confident, and confidence is the result of good preparation.

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