Back in Memphis yesterday, I did six laps of the May strength circuit and paddled for 80 minutes.
I
met Meghan at the marina and we paddled together for 35 minutes. After
she left I did four pieces in the harbor from the monorail bridge to
the Hernando DeSoto Bridge (a little less than 500 meters). In the
first couple of pieces I paddled as hard as I could with a high (for me)
stroke rate; my times were 2:05 and 2:03. For the third one I decided
to back off the stroke rate and take longer, smoother strokes, and my
time was 1:59. I did the same in the fourth piece, and clocked about
2:01.
It was a reminder that paddling harder and faster
does not always produce faster times. Keeping the boat running
smoothly, without bobbing up and down or rolling side-to-side, is
crucial to making it go fast, and paddling so hard that you lose control
of those things is counterproductive.
Meanwhile, I
felt quite tired yesterday even though I'd just had several relaxing,
low-intensity days at Calico Rock. I checked my weight and I was three
or four pounds below normal... hmmm.
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