This morning I did two sets of the January strength routine. Then, because the weather was much too warm for sitting in a car, I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled it down to the river.
Today's temperature is somewhere in the mid 70s, Fahrenheit. When it gets like that at this time of year, it typically is accompanied by some serious south wind, and that was the case today. My friend Joe showed up at the dock about the same time I did, and we decided it was a day for paddling in the harbor. We paddled for 75 minutes and got in as much conversation as we could with the wind howling in our ears.
Word on the street is that the Mid South is in for some severe storms sometime tonight. Behind that will be some more seasonable weather.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday photo feature
Sunday, January 27, 2013
More water
Today I did two sets of the January strength routine and paddled for 90 minutes, all in the surf ski.
A couple of weeks ago a system came through that dumped over three inches of rain on Memphis, and it moved on across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. As a result, the river is now over 20 feet on the Memphis gauge for the first time in at least ten months. It crested at 23.2 feet a couple of days ago. Since then it's been fairly dry here at Memphis, but precipitation farther north, such as the ice storm that just hit the upper Midwest, should keep the river at a reasonable wintertime level for the next while.
A couple of weeks ago a system came through that dumped over three inches of rain on Memphis, and it moved on across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. As a result, the river is now over 20 feet on the Memphis gauge for the first time in at least ten months. It crested at 23.2 feet a couple of days ago. Since then it's been fairly dry here at Memphis, but precipitation farther north, such as the ice storm that just hit the upper Midwest, should keep the river at a reasonable wintertime level for the next while.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Make every session count
I'm still reading the back-posts on Ron Lugbill's whitewater slalom blog, and new posts are appearing frequently.
One of the recurring topics on the blog is that of the importance of quality in all training sessions. In his most recent post on the topic, Lugbill says,
Even though I'm not really racing slalom anymore, I try to make every session a good session. In flatwater/open water racing, it might not be as obvious what constitutes a good session as in slalom, where you know you're doing well if you're having good crisp runs without all the poles swinging behind you. But just remember the main objective: propelling the boat forward as fast as you can. That means taking nice fluid strokes with full rotation, and keeping your boat quiet (i.e., not rocking or bobbing the boat).
That's what I try to do every time I get in my boat, whether I'm doing an excruciating set of lactic intervals or just paddling around with my nieces and nephews. If I let myself get sloppy at times like those, there's no reason to think I won't be sloppy when I race.
And I think this counts for out-of-the-boat sessions as well. Two or three times in the past I've referred to what Greg Barton said in William T. Endicott's The Barton Mold: if you don't practice good form and technique while lifting weights, you're likely not to have good form and technique in the boat.
One of my favorite times to give serious thought to my stroke and boat control is on days after hard workout when I go down to the river for some light paddling. It's actually harder keep a tippy boat balanced when paddling slowly, and I use this time to explore the connection between my hands that pull the paddle and my core and legs that keep the boat upright and push the boat forward. In this way, even a low-intensity session can have high training value.
One of the recurring topics on the blog is that of the importance of quality in all training sessions. In his most recent post on the topic, Lugbill says,
Your goal should be to have excellent runs in practice. Training is not about just some physical conditioning to train a particular energy system. Training is about learning to have top quality runs so you will have top quality runs in competitions.
If for some reason, you cannot have quality runs in practice, you are better off not training than to practice having poor runs. Wait for another time or another day to practice when you can do quality runs.
If you are too tired, in such a bad mood, sick, have bad equipment, or for some reason you are not up to having a top quality practice, then you should not go out and just do poor runs for the sake of conditioning. Rest, fix your boat, do what you need to in order to get yourself ready to have good quality runs. And only then should you go out and train.
Even though I'm not really racing slalom anymore, I try to make every session a good session. In flatwater/open water racing, it might not be as obvious what constitutes a good session as in slalom, where you know you're doing well if you're having good crisp runs without all the poles swinging behind you. But just remember the main objective: propelling the boat forward as fast as you can. That means taking nice fluid strokes with full rotation, and keeping your boat quiet (i.e., not rocking or bobbing the boat).
That's what I try to do every time I get in my boat, whether I'm doing an excruciating set of lactic intervals or just paddling around with my nieces and nephews. If I let myself get sloppy at times like those, there's no reason to think I won't be sloppy when I race.
And I think this counts for out-of-the-boat sessions as well. Two or three times in the past I've referred to what Greg Barton said in William T. Endicott's The Barton Mold: if you don't practice good form and technique while lifting weights, you're likely not to have good form and technique in the boat.
One of my favorite times to give serious thought to my stroke and boat control is on days after hard workout when I go down to the river for some light paddling. It's actually harder keep a tippy boat balanced when paddling slowly, and I use this time to explore the connection between my hands that pull the paddle and my core and legs that keep the boat upright and push the boat forward. In this way, even a low-intensity session can have high training value.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Some more K1 fun
This morning I did two sets of the January strength routine and paddled for 80 minutes. I wanted to paddle my new K1 today and the conditions were fair for it (mostly cloudy and chilly, but dead calm), but I didn't want to spend the entire session wobbling around in a tippy, unfamiliar boat and not getting any good strokes. So I went half-and-half, paddling the surf ski for 40 minutes and the K1 for 40 minutes.
When I got in the K1 I felt pretty good (I think it helped to be warmed up from paddling the surf ski), and I set off toward the north end of the harbor. But some 300 meters from the marina I let my center of gravity slip just a hair too far to the right, and over I went.
The harbor does not have many good places to pull out on the bank; the banks are steep and covered with trees and/or underbrush. I pulled myself onto the boat's stern deck, face-down, and paddled myself over into the trees, dodging vines floating logs, and seeing the bright side of winter in that the snakes are hibernating. I used a sturdy sapling for support and climbed back into the boat, which hadn't taken on too much water.
The problem now was that I had to dodge more logs and vines to get back out of the trees, and in my effort to do so I flipped again. The boat took on more water, but that actually made it more stable and this time I hopped back in quickly (using another tree for support). I paddled back to the marina, dumped the water out of the boat, and spent the rest of my 40 minutes paddling laps around the marina. I didn't flip anymore, though I did have a couple of close calls.
One might think I'd be demoralized by the experience, but actually I feel good about the session. It was only my second time in the boat, and swims notwithstanding I already felt quite a bit more stable than I had last Saturday. It was also reassuring to have some idea of the consequences of a swim this time of year: today, with the air temperature in the high 40s, they weren't bad. I'll continue to make sure I'm properly dressed.
The objective, of course, is to become comfortable enough in the boat to take good forward strokes with full rotation, and today I had short stretches where I was able to do that before I had to stop and brace. Now I just have to lengthen those stretches, and that will come with more time in the boat. I figure for the next several months I'll keep working in short sessions like today's whenever the conditions are calm, and then I'll really hit it hard this summer.
When I got in the K1 I felt pretty good (I think it helped to be warmed up from paddling the surf ski), and I set off toward the north end of the harbor. But some 300 meters from the marina I let my center of gravity slip just a hair too far to the right, and over I went.
The harbor does not have many good places to pull out on the bank; the banks are steep and covered with trees and/or underbrush. I pulled myself onto the boat's stern deck, face-down, and paddled myself over into the trees, dodging vines floating logs, and seeing the bright side of winter in that the snakes are hibernating. I used a sturdy sapling for support and climbed back into the boat, which hadn't taken on too much water.
The problem now was that I had to dodge more logs and vines to get back out of the trees, and in my effort to do so I flipped again. The boat took on more water, but that actually made it more stable and this time I hopped back in quickly (using another tree for support). I paddled back to the marina, dumped the water out of the boat, and spent the rest of my 40 minutes paddling laps around the marina. I didn't flip anymore, though I did have a couple of close calls.
One might think I'd be demoralized by the experience, but actually I feel good about the session. It was only my second time in the boat, and swims notwithstanding I already felt quite a bit more stable than I had last Saturday. It was also reassuring to have some idea of the consequences of a swim this time of year: today, with the air temperature in the high 40s, they weren't bad. I'll continue to make sure I'm properly dressed.
The objective, of course, is to become comfortable enough in the boat to take good forward strokes with full rotation, and today I had short stretches where I was able to do that before I had to stop and brace. Now I just have to lengthen those stretches, and that will come with more time in the boat. I figure for the next several months I'll keep working in short sessions like today's whenever the conditions are calm, and then I'll really hit it hard this summer.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday photo feature
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Trying to stay on track
This morning I did two sets of the January strength routine and paddled for 90 minutes. I would have liked to paddle the K1 again today--what kid doesn't want to play with his new toy?--but I needed a real session today after yesterday's ten minutes or so in the boat, and so the surf ski it was. I think for the duration of winter my K1 paddling will be limited to sunny days when it's dead calm.
I paddled at a good strong pace today, throwing in a long surge about 25 minutes out. I was trying to get back across the river from the Arkansas side ahead of a tow rig coming downriver. He blew his horn at me, but I got across with plenty of room to spare.
I paddled at a good strong pace today, throwing in a long surge about 25 minutes out. I was trying to get back across the river from the Arkansas side ahead of a tow rig coming downriver. He blew his horn at me, but I got across with plenty of room to spare.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Struggles
I didn't make it to the river yesterday, but I did do two sets of the January strength routine in the afternoon. I think my lower abdominals must be getting in better shape, because those exercise ball drills have been feeling easier the last several times. The exercises that still feel very difficult to me are the core drills that Daniele Molmenti does at 4:40 and 5:03 of this video.
The big excitement came this morning, when I went down to the harbor to paddle my new K1 for the first time. At least, I was excited during the drive down there. But that faded as I found myself spending a lot more time fussing with the adjustments of the seat, footboard, tiller, and rudder than I spent in the boat. Apparently the boat's previous owner and I are polar opposites in our settings preferences. And it's possible I'll be fussing with the settings some more once I get somebody to look at me in the boat and tell me how trim it is.
Once I was finally in the boat, I was reminded of just how much tippier than a surf ski a K1 is. I managed to stay upright, but I dared not stray far from the marina in case of a swim in that cold water. The weather was not helpful: even though it was some 20 degrees warmer today than it was earlier this week, it still wasn't exactly balmy, and a pretty stiff south wind created a fair amount of chop. In the end I just did a few laps in the interior of our U-shaped marina where I had a little protection.
In short, very little actual paddling took place today, and I think it could be a while before I really get comfortable in this new boat. We've still got two months of winter ahead of us; would've been nice if I'd gotten this boat in the summertime. But no worries... stability will come. And this new challenge will give me some fresh motivation.
The big excitement came this morning, when I went down to the harbor to paddle my new K1 for the first time. At least, I was excited during the drive down there. But that faded as I found myself spending a lot more time fussing with the adjustments of the seat, footboard, tiller, and rudder than I spent in the boat. Apparently the boat's previous owner and I are polar opposites in our settings preferences. And it's possible I'll be fussing with the settings some more once I get somebody to look at me in the boat and tell me how trim it is.
Once I was finally in the boat, I was reminded of just how much tippier than a surf ski a K1 is. I managed to stay upright, but I dared not stray far from the marina in case of a swim in that cold water. The weather was not helpful: even though it was some 20 degrees warmer today than it was earlier this week, it still wasn't exactly balmy, and a pretty stiff south wind created a fair amount of chop. In the end I just did a few laps in the interior of our U-shaped marina where I had a little protection.
In short, very little actual paddling took place today, and I think it could be a while before I really get comfortable in this new boat. We've still got two months of winter ahead of us; would've been nice if I'd gotten this boat in the summertime. But no worries... stability will come. And this new challenge will give me some fresh motivation.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Santa came in January
Well, my Vanquish K1 has arrived. The nice man from KAS Transport came through Memphis last night.
I'm having a very busy day in my workshop, so it remains to be seen whether I put it in the water today. If not, I'll take it down to the harbor tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll have to spend some time making adjustments to get the boat trim and get the rudder working the way I like it. And then the first few sessions will probably be spent trying to keep the thing upright.
I'm having a very busy day in my workshop, so it remains to be seen whether I put it in the water today. If not, I'll take it down to the harbor tomorrow morning. I'm sure I'll have to spend some time making adjustments to get the boat trim and get the rudder working the way I like it. And then the first few sessions will probably be spent trying to keep the thing upright.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
No whining, even on crummy days
This morning I did two sets of the January strength routine and then paddled my boat for 70 minutes.
There had been a very mild ice storm here yesterday, which is to say that while it put a coat of ice on almost everything, it did not affect the streets and did not bring down tree branches and stuff like that. When I got down to the marina the temperature display in my car's dashboard said it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so whatever thaw took place today had only just begun. After surviving an extremely dicey walk down an icy ramp, I struggled to untie the ropes that secured my boat to its rack and to undo the zipper and fastex buckles on my boat's cover.
The rest of the session was simple enough, though it felt like sort of a chore on this cold, dreary, cheerless day.
Since I'm sitting here fighting off waves of self-pity, it's a good time to point you toward a new post on Ron Lugbill's blog about being a good sport. He talks about the things we all think about, such as not whining about poor officiating and not congratulating the people who beat you, but he also mentions more general things like not forgetting the huge variety of people who help you along your way and maintaining good relationships with fellow competitors. Good advice for athletes in any sport. Read the post here.
There had been a very mild ice storm here yesterday, which is to say that while it put a coat of ice on almost everything, it did not affect the streets and did not bring down tree branches and stuff like that. When I got down to the marina the temperature display in my car's dashboard said it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit, so whatever thaw took place today had only just begun. After surviving an extremely dicey walk down an icy ramp, I struggled to untie the ropes that secured my boat to its rack and to undo the zipper and fastex buckles on my boat's cover.
The rest of the session was simple enough, though it felt like sort of a chore on this cold, dreary, cheerless day.
Since I'm sitting here fighting off waves of self-pity, it's a good time to point you toward a new post on Ron Lugbill's blog about being a good sport. He talks about the things we all think about, such as not whining about poor officiating and not congratulating the people who beat you, but he also mentions more general things like not forgetting the huge variety of people who help you along your way and maintaining good relationships with fellow competitors. Good advice for athletes in any sport. Read the post here.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Another blog to look at
Ron Lugbill, a member of the U.S. national team in whitewater slalom in the 1970s and early 1980s, has a blog I've just found out about. Take a look at it here.
Ron is the less-famous of the two Lugbill brothers: his brother Jon was a five-time world champion in the C1 class. I've never met Ron myself--he had long since retired from competition by the time I started racing slalom in the 1990s--but I admire him based on my second-hand experience with him, such as reading articles he's written and talking to racers he's coached. I think he's a lawyer these days, but does some freelance coaching and, as one can tell from reading his blog, spends a lot of time thinking about the sport.
Of course, the racing I'm doing these days is not slalom, so there's a lot of stuff on Lugbill's blog that doesn't really apply to my training. But there's a lot of stuff that does. It'll take me a while to read through all his back-posts and ponder what it all means for me. One thing that's already caught my attention is his assertion that one should work on speed and power throughout the year; I've always done most of my speed work in the couple of months before the biggest races. He also talks about how best to incorporate strength training into a paddler's regime.
I learned of the blog when somebody linked to it on the Whitewater Slalom Alumni and Friends page on Face Book. Go "like" that page if you're looking for more paddling stuff to chew on.
Ron is the less-famous of the two Lugbill brothers: his brother Jon was a five-time world champion in the C1 class. I've never met Ron myself--he had long since retired from competition by the time I started racing slalom in the 1990s--but I admire him based on my second-hand experience with him, such as reading articles he's written and talking to racers he's coached. I think he's a lawyer these days, but does some freelance coaching and, as one can tell from reading his blog, spends a lot of time thinking about the sport.
Of course, the racing I'm doing these days is not slalom, so there's a lot of stuff on Lugbill's blog that doesn't really apply to my training. But there's a lot of stuff that does. It'll take me a while to read through all his back-posts and ponder what it all means for me. One thing that's already caught my attention is his assertion that one should work on speed and power throughout the year; I've always done most of my speed work in the couple of months before the biggest races. He also talks about how best to incorporate strength training into a paddler's regime.
I learned of the blog when somebody linked to it on the Whitewater Slalom Alumni and Friends page on Face Book. Go "like" that page if you're looking for more paddling stuff to chew on.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
My boat and I get together in all kinds of weather
I've got several days to catch up on here, days highlighted by severe swings in the weather.
Friday was flat-out beautiful--sunny and reaching 68 degrees by the afternoon. After doing two sets of the January strength routine that morning, I decided it was too nice a day to drive down to the river, and rode my bike. I paddled for 70 minutes amid quite a few floating logs that had been flushed out of the Wolf River by the heavy rain we'd had Wednesday and early Thursday.
The warm temperatures remained through yesterday, but the sun didn't. We got about a quarter-inch of rain during the day, and then overnight last night it started pouring. It continued to rain hard this morning as I did another two sets of the January strength routine. And it was distinctly colder outside. There would be no bike ride to the river today.
One thing I can say about that Go Pro camera that Martha gave me for my birthday last August: it gets me out in my boat on days like today when a person could be forgiven for staying home. I'm on sort of a personal mission to shoot footage of the Mississippi River in all kinds of weather, and opportunity knocked today.
I planned to paddle for 70 minutes, and that's exactly what I did. The cold, wet conditions prompted me to push the pace even though I knew that wouldn't make the time pass by any faster.
The rain continued past lunchtime. I'm actually glad to see it considering the severe drought our region, like most of the rest of North America, has had. We need a lot more days like this to pull us out of it.
Friday was flat-out beautiful--sunny and reaching 68 degrees by the afternoon. After doing two sets of the January strength routine that morning, I decided it was too nice a day to drive down to the river, and rode my bike. I paddled for 70 minutes amid quite a few floating logs that had been flushed out of the Wolf River by the heavy rain we'd had Wednesday and early Thursday.
The warm temperatures remained through yesterday, but the sun didn't. We got about a quarter-inch of rain during the day, and then overnight last night it started pouring. It continued to rain hard this morning as I did another two sets of the January strength routine. And it was distinctly colder outside. There would be no bike ride to the river today.
One thing I can say about that Go Pro camera that Martha gave me for my birthday last August: it gets me out in my boat on days like today when a person could be forgiven for staying home. I'm on sort of a personal mission to shoot footage of the Mississippi River in all kinds of weather, and opportunity knocked today.
I planned to paddle for 70 minutes, and that's exactly what I did. The cold, wet conditions prompted me to push the pace even though I knew that wouldn't make the time pass by any faster.
The rain continued past lunchtime. I'm actually glad to see it considering the severe drought our region, like most of the rest of North America, has had. We need a lot more days like this to pull us out of it.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
More continental drainage 101
Well, it's pouring down rain here in Memphis today, and that might get up one's hopes for a major rise in the Mississippi, until one looks at today's national weather map:
As the map shows, the heaviest precipitation is south (i.e., downstream) of Memphis, where it will have no effect on our part of the big river.
There is, according to this map, some rain falling in the Ohio Valley, along the state line between Kentucky and Indiana and between Kentucky and Illinois. That will send some water our way. And I believe the rain showing up along the Kansas-Nebraska border is falling in the Missouri River watershed, so we'll eventually be paddling on that water. It'll add some much-needed flow to the section of the Mississippi between St. Louis and Cairo as well.
One interesting wrinkle in the Mississippi's watershed is southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas. Rain that falls in that region does not affect the Mississippi at Memphis. The region is part of the St. Francis River watershed, and the St. Francis flows almost as far south as Helena, Arkansas--well downstream of Memphis--before it joins the Mississippi.
Well, that's enough lecture for today. Perhaps I will continue this lesson in a later post.
As the map shows, the heaviest precipitation is south (i.e., downstream) of Memphis, where it will have no effect on our part of the big river.
There is, according to this map, some rain falling in the Ohio Valley, along the state line between Kentucky and Indiana and between Kentucky and Illinois. That will send some water our way. And I believe the rain showing up along the Kansas-Nebraska border is falling in the Missouri River watershed, so we'll eventually be paddling on that water. It'll add some much-needed flow to the section of the Mississippi between St. Louis and Cairo as well.
One interesting wrinkle in the Mississippi's watershed is southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas. Rain that falls in that region does not affect the Mississippi at Memphis. The region is part of the St. Francis River watershed, and the St. Francis flows almost as far south as Helena, Arkansas--well downstream of Memphis--before it joins the Mississippi.
Well, that's enough lecture for today. Perhaps I will continue this lesson in a later post.
Training session and ASHOF update
Yesterday morning I did two sets of the January strength routine. I've gotten over most of the soreness, but I still can't believe how much the core exercises hurt, especially ones with the exercise ball.
Then I went down to the river, where misty precipitation increased into a hard, steady drizzle during my paddling session. I think the river is exceptionally beautiful in this sort of weather. And the temperature was higher than it had been in recent days--I think it was in the upper 50s when I was down there--so I was reasonably comfortable. I didn't wear pogies, and that's always a bonus in January.
In the last several years my friend Phil Capel, a fellow paddler and the director of the Arkansas River Canoe and Kayak Race at Little Rock each June, has been speaking with voting members of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame regarding the candidacy of Mike Herbert that I talked about in my last post. Phil tells me that there are some 300 potential inductees on their list right now, meaning that anybody hoping to be inducted could have to wait some years yet. Right now he's trying to get some assurance that Mike is on that list.
And at the moment that's the main thing I'd like to be sure of, too: that the voters are aware that Mike exists and that he's getting the same consideration as candidates who perhaps have a higher public profile. I've never received a reply to any correspondence I have ever sent to ASHOF, so right now I have no idea whether anybody is listening or not.
For now, what I would like is to know who the voting members are so that I might send them a polite letter in support of Mike's candidacy and encourage others to do the same. I'll share what I find out here.
Then I went down to the river, where misty precipitation increased into a hard, steady drizzle during my paddling session. I think the river is exceptionally beautiful in this sort of weather. And the temperature was higher than it had been in recent days--I think it was in the upper 50s when I was down there--so I was reasonably comfortable. I didn't wear pogies, and that's always a bonus in January.
In the last several years my friend Phil Capel, a fellow paddler and the director of the Arkansas River Canoe and Kayak Race at Little Rock each June, has been speaking with voting members of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame regarding the candidacy of Mike Herbert that I talked about in my last post. Phil tells me that there are some 300 potential inductees on their list right now, meaning that anybody hoping to be inducted could have to wait some years yet. Right now he's trying to get some assurance that Mike is on that list.
And at the moment that's the main thing I'd like to be sure of, too: that the voters are aware that Mike exists and that he's getting the same consideration as candidates who perhaps have a higher public profile. I've never received a reply to any correspondence I have ever sent to ASHOF, so right now I have no idea whether anybody is listening or not.
For now, what I would like is to know who the voting members are so that I might send them a polite letter in support of Mike's candidacy and encourage others to do the same. I'll share what I find out here.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Just what I need: another project...
Yesterday the daily newspaper here in Memphis ran an item in its sports section announcing the 2013 induction class for the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Several years ago it occurred to me that my friend Mike Herbert of Rogers, Arkansas, had not been inducted into the ASHOF, so I composed a letter to the Hall's powers that were, hoping to convince them that Mike is every bit as outstanding as the men and women already inducted and therefore should be considered for induction himself.
I never got any sort of response to my query, and eventually I got busy with other things. Whether any influential person ever laid eyes on my letter, I have no idea; all I know is that now, in 2013, Mike still has not been inducted into the Hall.
So I am giving it another go. This morning I sent an e-mail to Mr. Ray Tucker, the ASHOF executive director. This effort alone will probably not do the trick, and in the coming days I hope to track down contact info for members of the ASHOF board, and perhaps bestow some paper snail-mail upon them.
If anybody reading this would like to join in this effort, please do. I welcome any advice on how I can get the ear of the actual decision-makers in this process.
The rest of this post consists of the e-mail I sent to Mr. Tucker.
To the board of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame:
I wish to congratulate the eight new inductees in the Class of 2013, and I commend your selection committee for choosing such an exemplary group. These eight men and women represent a standard of achievement that all Arkansans can be proud of.
It is my privilege to be acquainted with another outstanding Arkansan and I urge you to consider him for future induction into the Hall.
Mike Herbert of Rogers is one of the greatest athletes ever to compete for the United States in the sport of flatwater sprint kayaking. He made his first Olympic team in 1988 and became the first American ever to make the final of the 500-meter single kayak event. In that final, he fell just inches shy of winning the bronze medal. You can watch the television footage of that final race in Seoul, South Korea, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95iuP4jnonM&feature=relmfu
During the next two years Mike won three world championships medals, a rare feat for U.S. paddlers in this European-dominated sport. Then, in 1991, Mike won the 1000 meters at the Pan American Games in Havana, making such an impression on Fidel Castro that the Cuban dictator saluted the U.S. flag during the medal ceremony:
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-05/sports/sp-183_1_gold-medal
In 1992, Sports Illustrated ran this feature of Mike in its Olympic preview issue prior to the Games in Barcelona:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004021/index.htm
The following is a summary of Mike Herbert's athletic career:
Michael Adam Herbert
Sport: Flatwater sprint kayak
Born September 30, 1960, Belleville, Illinois
Residence since early teens: Rogers, Arkansas
Current address: 8865 Galleon Drive, Rogers, AR 72756; k1herbert@msn.com
Mike Herbert began racing canoes as a teenager with his father, Bob. The two quickly became the tandem to beat on the circuit in northern Arkansas, where marathon canoe racing is popular on rivers like the Arkansas, the Black, the Buffalo, the Current, the Eleven Point, the Mulberry, and the White.
After watching the 1984 Olympic kayak races on TV, Herbert switched over to kayak and set the goal of becoming an Olympian himself. He found himself on the water in Seoul for the 1988 Games, in which he missed winning the bronze in the 500-meter single kayak event by mere hundredths of a second.
The next several years were remarkably successful, as Herbert won a bronze medal at the 1989 world championships, two silver medals at the 1990 world championships, and a gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games. Precious few Americans have won world championships medals in this European-dominated sport, and Herbert's three medals from the worlds make him the second-most decorated U.S. flatwater kayaker ever, behind the legendary Olympic champion Greg Barton.
Though his international career is behind him, Mike Herbert continues to be active in the sport, attending the national championships of marathon canoeing most years and renewing his friendly rivalry with Greg Barton each year at the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race at Memphis.
Mike Herbert's achievements on the international level and his continuing enthusiasm for his sport on the regional and national levels present an overwhelming case for his induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Olympic results
1988 Olympics, Seoul, South Korea: 4th, single kayak 500 meters
1992 Olympics, Barcelona, Spain: 9th, 4-man kayak 1000 meters
1996 Olympics, Atlanta, USA: 8th (semifinal), single kayak 500 meters
World Championships results
1989 World Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Bronze Medal, single kayak 500 meters
1990 World Championships, Poznan, Poland: Silver Medal, single kayak 500 meters
1990 World Championships, Poznan, Poland: Silver Medal, double kayak 500 meters
Other international results
1987 Pan American Games, Indianapolis, USA: Gold Medal, double kayak 500 meters
1987 Pan American Games, Indianapolis, USA: Gold Medal, 4-man kayak 1000 meters
1991 Pan American Games, Havana, Cuba: Gold Medal, single kayak 1000 meters
About flatwater sprint kayaking:
The format of this sport is similar to that of swimming: racers are placed in lanes on a lake or other calm body of water, and propel their boats forward as fast as possible. At the Olympics, world championships, and most other international events, paddlers compete over distances of 200 meters, 500 meters, and 1000 meters.
The national governing body for canoe and kayak racing is USA Canoe-Kayak: www.usack.org.
The international governing body is the International Canoe Federation: www.canoeicf.org.
Several years ago it occurred to me that my friend Mike Herbert of Rogers, Arkansas, had not been inducted into the ASHOF, so I composed a letter to the Hall's powers that were, hoping to convince them that Mike is every bit as outstanding as the men and women already inducted and therefore should be considered for induction himself.
I never got any sort of response to my query, and eventually I got busy with other things. Whether any influential person ever laid eyes on my letter, I have no idea; all I know is that now, in 2013, Mike still has not been inducted into the Hall.
So I am giving it another go. This morning I sent an e-mail to Mr. Ray Tucker, the ASHOF executive director. This effort alone will probably not do the trick, and in the coming days I hope to track down contact info for members of the ASHOF board, and perhaps bestow some paper snail-mail upon them.
If anybody reading this would like to join in this effort, please do. I welcome any advice on how I can get the ear of the actual decision-makers in this process.
The rest of this post consists of the e-mail I sent to Mr. Tucker.
To the board of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame:
I wish to congratulate the eight new inductees in the Class of 2013, and I commend your selection committee for choosing such an exemplary group. These eight men and women represent a standard of achievement that all Arkansans can be proud of.
It is my privilege to be acquainted with another outstanding Arkansan and I urge you to consider him for future induction into the Hall.
Mike Herbert of Rogers is one of the greatest athletes ever to compete for the United States in the sport of flatwater sprint kayaking. He made his first Olympic team in 1988 and became the first American ever to make the final of the 500-meter single kayak event. In that final, he fell just inches shy of winning the bronze medal. You can watch the television footage of that final race in Seoul, South Korea, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95iuP4jnonM&feature=relmfu
During the next two years Mike won three world championships medals, a rare feat for U.S. paddlers in this European-dominated sport. Then, in 1991, Mike won the 1000 meters at the Pan American Games in Havana, making such an impression on Fidel Castro that the Cuban dictator saluted the U.S. flag during the medal ceremony:
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-05/sports/sp-183_1_gold-medal
In 1992, Sports Illustrated ran this feature of Mike in its Olympic preview issue prior to the Games in Barcelona:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004021/index.htm
The following is a summary of Mike Herbert's athletic career:
Michael Adam Herbert
Sport: Flatwater sprint kayak
Born September 30, 1960, Belleville, Illinois
Residence since early teens: Rogers, Arkansas
Current address: 8865 Galleon Drive, Rogers, AR 72756; k1herbert@msn.com
Mike Herbert began racing canoes as a teenager with his father, Bob. The two quickly became the tandem to beat on the circuit in northern Arkansas, where marathon canoe racing is popular on rivers like the Arkansas, the Black, the Buffalo, the Current, the Eleven Point, the Mulberry, and the White.
After watching the 1984 Olympic kayak races on TV, Herbert switched over to kayak and set the goal of becoming an Olympian himself. He found himself on the water in Seoul for the 1988 Games, in which he missed winning the bronze in the 500-meter single kayak event by mere hundredths of a second.
The next several years were remarkably successful, as Herbert won a bronze medal at the 1989 world championships, two silver medals at the 1990 world championships, and a gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games. Precious few Americans have won world championships medals in this European-dominated sport, and Herbert's three medals from the worlds make him the second-most decorated U.S. flatwater kayaker ever, behind the legendary Olympic champion Greg Barton.
Though his international career is behind him, Mike Herbert continues to be active in the sport, attending the national championships of marathon canoeing most years and renewing his friendly rivalry with Greg Barton each year at the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race at Memphis.
Mike Herbert's achievements on the international level and his continuing enthusiasm for his sport on the regional and national levels present an overwhelming case for his induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Olympic results
1988 Olympics, Seoul, South Korea: 4th, single kayak 500 meters
1992 Olympics, Barcelona, Spain: 9th, 4-man kayak 1000 meters
1996 Olympics, Atlanta, USA: 8th (semifinal), single kayak 500 meters
World Championships results
1989 World Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria: Bronze Medal, single kayak 500 meters
1990 World Championships, Poznan, Poland: Silver Medal, single kayak 500 meters
1990 World Championships, Poznan, Poland: Silver Medal, double kayak 500 meters
Other international results
1987 Pan American Games, Indianapolis, USA: Gold Medal, double kayak 500 meters
1987 Pan American Games, Indianapolis, USA: Gold Medal, 4-man kayak 1000 meters
1991 Pan American Games, Havana, Cuba: Gold Medal, single kayak 1000 meters
About flatwater sprint kayaking:
The format of this sport is similar to that of swimming: racers are placed in lanes on a lake or other calm body of water, and propel their boats forward as fast as possible. At the Olympics, world championships, and most other international events, paddlers compete over distances of 200 meters, 500 meters, and 1000 meters.
The national governing body for canoe and kayak racing is USA Canoe-Kayak: www.usack.org.
The international governing body is the International Canoe Federation: www.canoeicf.org.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Monday photo feature
Epiphany marked the end of Christmas yesterday. Joe Royer took this photo during a yuletide river outing a couple of years ago, and it's as good a way as any to say goodbye to this holiday season and get on with a new year.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Adapting to some new stuff
This morning I did two sets of my new strength routine for the month of January. All the exercises are harder than they look in the videos, especially the core exercises. My lower abdominals have been very sore since I did the new exercises on Friday, so today's workout brought the pain.
After that I went down to the river and paddled for 70 minutes. I had a mission: on Friday I saw a flock of migrating pelicans over near the Arkansas side above the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, but I was pressed for time and didn't get far enough up there for a good luck. So today I brought along my Go Pro camera and planned to go up there and spend as much quality time with the pelicans as they would allow.
Sadly, when I got up to where they had been, they were gone.
Oh well. At least my paddling session was good. I was feeling it in my muscles from the strength workout, and I concentrated hard to make sure my stroke form didn't get sloppy.
It had been overcast and gloomy when I started paddling, but by the time I returned to the dock it had turned into a beautiful blue-sky sunny day. I drove home with the happy feeling of having done some good work for the morning.
After that I went down to the river and paddled for 70 minutes. I had a mission: on Friday I saw a flock of migrating pelicans over near the Arkansas side above the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, but I was pressed for time and didn't get far enough up there for a good luck. So today I brought along my Go Pro camera and planned to go up there and spend as much quality time with the pelicans as they would allow.
Sadly, when I got up to where they had been, they were gone.
Oh well. At least my paddling session was good. I was feeling it in my muscles from the strength workout, and I concentrated hard to make sure my stroke form didn't get sloppy.
It had been overcast and gloomy when I started paddling, but by the time I returned to the dock it had turned into a beautiful blue-sky sunny day. I drove home with the happy feeling of having done some good work for the morning.
Friday, January 4, 2013
New strength routine
I paddled this morning for 60 minutes. It was cold, but the bright sunshine and calm conditions made it an ideal day to paddle.
In the early part of the year, when the competitions are still months in the future, I sort of plan my training month to month. Here we are in a new month, so it's time to begin a new phase.
For paddling, that means turning up the volume a little. Last month I was getting down to the river twice a week, and I'll be making it three times a week this month. I'll lengthen my sessions a bit, too: I've been paddling for an hour each time, but in the next couple of weeks I'll be stretching that out to 80 or 90 minutes.
It's on the strength-building front that I really adopted the habit of monthly routines. I got the idea some fifteen years ago when I read The Barton Mold, William T. Endicott's case study of world and Olympic champion Greg Barton. Here's an excerpt from the book that I posted last February, when I was addressing this same topic. (The Barton Mold is available in PDF format on the International Canoe Federation website, here. This excerpt is from the section entitled "How Barton trains.")
For the last few weeks I've been focusing on my core. As I move forward I plan to continue some core exercises but also incorporate some other stuff. The strength routine I have made up for the month of January draws, once again, from the videos I have cited in recent posts that star Jingjing Li and Daniele Molmenti. Both are Olympians in whitewater slalom, and Molmenti won the gold medal in men's kayak at the Games in London last summer.
Here is my routine for January. The exercises are difficult to describe and I don't know what any of them is called, so I'll refer to the time at which they occur in either the Jingjing Li video or the Daniele Molmenti video:
1. Rubber band exercise at 5:42 of the D.M. video
2. Exercise ball exercise at 2:55 of the J.L. video
3. Rubber band exercises (hand paddling?) at 6:56 and 7:10 of the D.M. video
4. Core exercises at 4:40 and 5:03 of the D.M. video
5. Rubber band exercises at 8:42 and 9:30 of the D.M video
6. Exercise ball exercise at 3:10 of the J.L. video
I did a very light version of this routine this afternoon, mostly just trying to familiarize myself with all these different movements.
In the early part of the year, when the competitions are still months in the future, I sort of plan my training month to month. Here we are in a new month, so it's time to begin a new phase.
For paddling, that means turning up the volume a little. Last month I was getting down to the river twice a week, and I'll be making it three times a week this month. I'll lengthen my sessions a bit, too: I've been paddling for an hour each time, but in the next couple of weeks I'll be stretching that out to 80 or 90 minutes.
It's on the strength-building front that I really adopted the habit of monthly routines. I got the idea some fifteen years ago when I read The Barton Mold, William T. Endicott's case study of world and Olympic champion Greg Barton. Here's an excerpt from the book that I posted last February, when I was addressing this same topic. (The Barton Mold is available in PDF format on the International Canoe Federation website, here. This excerpt is from the section entitled "How Barton trains.")
Barton takes two or three exercises from each of [his categories of lifting exercises] and makes up a routine consisting of 10-12 exercises, which he continues for three or four weeks. He then creates a new routine. Some exercises would stay in the routine, but a number would be different.
I do this is because I think it helps to get over plateaus. I'll change to another
exercise that works the same muscle, but maybe from a little different angle.
As soon as I start the new exercise, I can make improvements right away.
But pretty soon I reach a plateau. Then maybe I'll go back to the old one and
find that, sure, maybe I've lost a bit initially, but not much. And then after
a week or two, I've actually surpassed where I was. It's a way of tricking your
mind and body into improving beyond what it felt was a barrier.
For the last few weeks I've been focusing on my core. As I move forward I plan to continue some core exercises but also incorporate some other stuff. The strength routine I have made up for the month of January draws, once again, from the videos I have cited in recent posts that star Jingjing Li and Daniele Molmenti. Both are Olympians in whitewater slalom, and Molmenti won the gold medal in men's kayak at the Games in London last summer.
Here is my routine for January. The exercises are difficult to describe and I don't know what any of them is called, so I'll refer to the time at which they occur in either the Jingjing Li video or the Daniele Molmenti video:
1. Rubber band exercise at 5:42 of the D.M. video
2. Exercise ball exercise at 2:55 of the J.L. video
3. Rubber band exercises (hand paddling?) at 6:56 and 7:10 of the D.M. video
4. Core exercises at 4:40 and 5:03 of the D.M. video
5. Rubber band exercises at 8:42 and 9:30 of the D.M video
6. Exercise ball exercise at 3:10 of the J.L. video
I did a very light version of this routine this afternoon, mostly just trying to familiarize myself with all these different movements.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Seasonably cold
It must be January. A pale sun didn't provide much warmth this morning as I went down to the river. Once on the water, I found my rudder was frozen and I had to work the pedals gently for several minutes until the lines came free.
But I was dressed for the cold, and once I got moving I was reasonably comfortable. A north breeze was blowing, but not the sort of screaming gale that makes me want to ditch my boat and hop the next one-way flight to the equator. And the temperature had risen above the freezing point by the time I got back to the dock: the water that had dripped onto my deck and my pogies was in its liquid state.
But I was dressed for the cold, and once I got moving I was reasonably comfortable. A north breeze was blowing, but not the sort of screaming gale that makes me want to ditch my boat and hop the next one-way flight to the equator. And the temperature had risen above the freezing point by the time I got back to the dock: the water that had dripped onto my deck and my pogies was in its liquid state.
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