On Monday I did my strength routine while tired and sore, especially in my lower back area, from Sunday's long paddle. Those Smart Bell workouts can be quite intense, but on Monday I did a more laid-back version, interspersing some household cleaning chores among the exercises.
By Tuesday I felt slightly more recovered but still a bit sore. So Joe and I kept things easy while paddling for 75 minutes in the harbor. We anticipated getting rained on but were spared all but a light mist in the last ten minutes.
Since then I seem to have recovered most of my pep, but my lower back remains a bit stiff and sore. I've been trying some of my usual tricks to get it to loosen up. My lower back gave me a lot of problems in the latter part of the last decade, but in the last few years it's been doing remarkably well, and needless to say I'd like that to continue.
Yesterday I felt good in the boat and upped the intensity a bit during a 60-minute session. After warming up and doing three 8-stroke sprints, I did three buildup-tempo pieces of 5-6 minutes each. It's always satisfying to open up the pace and then not feel worn out afterward.
Wednesday and today I did the strength routine and felt pretty good throughout both times.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
Monday photo feature
Somebody moved a boat in front of his face right as the shutter clicked, but that sweet smile could belong to nobody but Sonny Salomon, one of the veterans of Memphis-area paddling. We're at a mid-1990s edition of the Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race. Back then I was racing in a whitewater boat, for which I am holding the sprayskirt and paddle. Photo by my dad.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Race schedule update
It has occurred to me that my first race of the season is now less than four weeks away. So it seems like a good time to re-post the schedule. This is still very much a "working" document--I probably won't make every race on this list, and there very well might be an event or two I don't yet know about that I'll end up going to.
I'm still not sure of the date of the "Paddle Grapple" race, so for now I've just got it penciled into the same weekend it occurred on last year. It briefly appeared that the Gator Bait race was in jeopardy when its director of the last few years decided to step down, but somebody has stepped up to take her place and has announced a race date a couple of weeks later than last year's. Meanwhile, I've added a race up in Nashville at the end of June.
There's a registration link for every event whose registration is now open.
March
18 Battle On The Bayou. Old Fort Bayou, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. An 8.25-mile out-and-back course on a flatwater coastal bayou. Register
April
1 Top of the Teche. Bayou Teche, Leonville to Arnaudville, Louisiana. A 7.7-mile race down a Class I river. Register
8 Bluz Cruz Canoe and Kayak Race. Mississippi River, Vicksburg, Mississippi. A 21-mile race down the Mississippi from Madison Parish Port to the Vicksburg front. Register
22 Pascagoula Run. Pascagoula River, Pascagoula, Mississippi. A 12.5-mile race finishing at Lighthouse Park in Pascagoula. Register
29 Bluegrass River Run. Kentucky River near Richmond, Kentucky. A 19-mile race down a scenic deep-water river. Register
May
13 Osage Spring 12. Osage River near Jefferson City, Missouri. A 12-mile race down a Class I river. Register
20 Chitimacha Race. Bayou Teche, New Iberia, Louisiana, to Chitimacha Nation. A 20-mile race down a Class I river. Register
June
17 Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race. Mississippi River, Memphis, Tennessee. The 36th edition of this classic. A 5000-meter race down the Mississippi, finishing at Mississippi River Park in downtown Memphis.
29 Music City SUP and Kayak Race. Cumberland River, Nashville, Tennessee. A 6-mile flatwater race.
July
17-22 Gorge Downwind Championships. Columbia River, Hood River, Oregon. Register
August
5? The Paddle Grapple. Fontana Reservoir near Bryson City, North Carolina. A 6-mile flatwater race.
10-13 U.S. Canoe Association National Championships. Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa. Flatwater marathon races in numerous classes sanctioned by the USCA.
September
9 Lower Atchafalaya Race. Atchafalaya River, Patterson, Louisiana. An 8-mile race on this major distributary of the Mississippi River.
October
7 Gator Bait Race. Barnett Reservoir outside Jackson, Mississippi. A 5.5-mile flatwater race.
I'm still not sure of the date of the "Paddle Grapple" race, so for now I've just got it penciled into the same weekend it occurred on last year. It briefly appeared that the Gator Bait race was in jeopardy when its director of the last few years decided to step down, but somebody has stepped up to take her place and has announced a race date a couple of weeks later than last year's. Meanwhile, I've added a race up in Nashville at the end of June.
There's a registration link for every event whose registration is now open.
March
18 Battle On The Bayou. Old Fort Bayou, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. An 8.25-mile out-and-back course on a flatwater coastal bayou. Register
April
1 Top of the Teche. Bayou Teche, Leonville to Arnaudville, Louisiana. A 7.7-mile race down a Class I river. Register
8 Bluz Cruz Canoe and Kayak Race. Mississippi River, Vicksburg, Mississippi. A 21-mile race down the Mississippi from Madison Parish Port to the Vicksburg front. Register
22 Pascagoula Run. Pascagoula River, Pascagoula, Mississippi. A 12.5-mile race finishing at Lighthouse Park in Pascagoula. Register
29 Bluegrass River Run. Kentucky River near Richmond, Kentucky. A 19-mile race down a scenic deep-water river. Register
May
13 Osage Spring 12. Osage River near Jefferson City, Missouri. A 12-mile race down a Class I river. Register
20 Chitimacha Race. Bayou Teche, New Iberia, Louisiana, to Chitimacha Nation. A 20-mile race down a Class I river. Register
June
17 Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race. Mississippi River, Memphis, Tennessee. The 36th edition of this classic. A 5000-meter race down the Mississippi, finishing at Mississippi River Park in downtown Memphis.
29 Music City SUP and Kayak Race. Cumberland River, Nashville, Tennessee. A 6-mile flatwater race.
July
17-22 Gorge Downwind Championships. Columbia River, Hood River, Oregon. Register
August
5? The Paddle Grapple. Fontana Reservoir near Bryson City, North Carolina. A 6-mile flatwater race.
10-13 U.S. Canoe Association National Championships. Mississippi River, Dubuque, Iowa. Flatwater marathon races in numerous classes sanctioned by the USCA.
September
9 Lower Atchafalaya Race. Atchafalaya River, Patterson, Louisiana. An 8-mile race on this major distributary of the Mississippi River.
October
7 Gator Bait Race. Barnett Reservoir outside Jackson, Mississippi. A 5.5-mile flatwater race.
The short and the long of it
On Friday morning I paddled in the harbor for 60 minutes. After warming up and doing three 8-stroke sprints, I did ten 30-second sprints at three minute intervals. I've mentioned before that I've been doing this workout occasionally for the last several years. When I first started doing it I remember finding it very tiring; I remember just sort of hanging on through the last couple of sprints. But both times I've done the workout so far this year I've felt great throughout, and satisfied and energized afterward. I'm curious to know if there's any particular explanation for that. Am I fitter than usual this season? Stronger? Is my technique better? Am I sleeping better at night? Is my diet better? Am I at a more ideal body weight?
Body weight is the only one of those variables whose comparison to previous years I know. I've been a bit heavier lately, tipping the scale between 160 and 165 pounds after being in the mid 150s for a long time. Like so many people, I've been conditioned to believe that more weight is a bad thing. But maybe maybe my body needs those few extra pounds for optimum performance... I dunno.
Today is another one of those warm, sunny, non-February-like days, and I got out for my "long" paddle this morning. At 10.7 feet on the Memphis gauge, the river was too low for paddling around the Loosahatchie Bar, and another one of my long loops, paddling up the Wolf River to the Danny Thomas Boulevard bridge and back, would be awfully shallow as well. So I decided to paddle down the Mississippi for 45 minutes and then come back up along the Arkansas bank, a route that I figured would take me about two hours total.
In those first 45 minutes I got about six and a half miles downriver. The river makes a big S-turn just below downtown Memphis, and I got through the first bend and down to where the bend back the other way was beginning. Then I turned around and began the long climb back upriver. My speed going downriver had been around 10 miles per hour, and for quite a while after the turnaround it was between 4 and 5 mph. When I reached the big eddies in the inside of the bend just below the Harahan and Frisco and Memphis-Arkansas bridges, I got up over 6 mph.
Once back upstream of those bridges I knew I was right on pace to get back to the dock in two hours. I was quite tired but I was still able to paddle pretty hard, and I tried to stay relaxed and take the best strokes I could. When I re-entered the harbor I threw in a long surge to the monorail bridge, moving as fast as 6.8 mph on the harbor's flatwater. Considering how tired I was I thought that was pretty good.
I got back to the dock and stopped the timer on my G.P.S. device right at two hours. I had covered 13.4 miles, so my average speed was 6.7 mph. Even though I had started and finished at the same place, and therefore had no net gain or loss of elevation, I should note that that was not entirely an "honest" 6.7 mph, for on both the downstream and upstream legs I had taken the path of least resistance: going downstream I had paddled out in the main channel, whereas coming back up I had used the relatively slack water and occasional eddies near the bank. Oh well... it was a solid workout and it felt good to have the "long" one in the books for another week.
Body weight is the only one of those variables whose comparison to previous years I know. I've been a bit heavier lately, tipping the scale between 160 and 165 pounds after being in the mid 150s for a long time. Like so many people, I've been conditioned to believe that more weight is a bad thing. But maybe maybe my body needs those few extra pounds for optimum performance... I dunno.
Today is another one of those warm, sunny, non-February-like days, and I got out for my "long" paddle this morning. At 10.7 feet on the Memphis gauge, the river was too low for paddling around the Loosahatchie Bar, and another one of my long loops, paddling up the Wolf River to the Danny Thomas Boulevard bridge and back, would be awfully shallow as well. So I decided to paddle down the Mississippi for 45 minutes and then come back up along the Arkansas bank, a route that I figured would take me about two hours total.
In those first 45 minutes I got about six and a half miles downriver. The river makes a big S-turn just below downtown Memphis, and I got through the first bend and down to where the bend back the other way was beginning. Then I turned around and began the long climb back upriver. My speed going downriver had been around 10 miles per hour, and for quite a while after the turnaround it was between 4 and 5 mph. When I reached the big eddies in the inside of the bend just below the Harahan and Frisco and Memphis-Arkansas bridges, I got up over 6 mph.
Once back upstream of those bridges I knew I was right on pace to get back to the dock in two hours. I was quite tired but I was still able to paddle pretty hard, and I tried to stay relaxed and take the best strokes I could. When I re-entered the harbor I threw in a long surge to the monorail bridge, moving as fast as 6.8 mph on the harbor's flatwater. Considering how tired I was I thought that was pretty good.
I got back to the dock and stopped the timer on my G.P.S. device right at two hours. I had covered 13.4 miles, so my average speed was 6.7 mph. Even though I had started and finished at the same place, and therefore had no net gain or loss of elevation, I should note that that was not entirely an "honest" 6.7 mph, for on both the downstream and upstream legs I had taken the path of least resistance: going downstream I had paddled out in the main channel, whereas coming back up I had used the relatively slack water and occasional eddies near the bank. Oh well... it was a solid workout and it felt good to have the "long" one in the books for another week.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Feeling tired but good
On Tuesday the harbor was calm and the Fahrenheit temperature was in the mid 40s. After warming up and doing three 8-stroke sprints, I did a couple of long (around ten-minute) hard pieces--I didn't have my G.P.S. device with me but my guess is that I was averaging around 7.5 miles per hour. Then I did a third piece at the same intensity that was about six minutes in duration. For all three pieces I just picked some landmark in the distance and declared that my finish point--kind of a loosely-structured workout, I guess. My total time in the boat was 80 minutes.
When I got back in the boat yesterday I was tired, partly from Tuesday's hard work and partly from doing both my strength routine and some logging work on Wednesday. So I just did 60 minutes of steady paddling at the fast end of my comfortable cruising pace.
When I got back in the boat yesterday I was tired, partly from Tuesday's hard work and partly from doing both my strength routine and some logging work on Wednesday. So I just did 60 minutes of steady paddling at the fast end of my comfortable cruising pace.
Back to business: a new strength routine
I'm definitely feeling better now and I've basically pronounced myself "well" even though I've still got a lot of residual sinus gunk. It's a nuisance but I'm carrying on. Among the things I've done this week is start up a new strength routine.
At my last teaching job in the 1990s I became good friends with the school's wrestling coach, and he introduced me to a thing called a Smart Bell, invented by a friend of his, U.S. National Team wrestler Paul Widerman. A Smart Bell is a steel object that sort of looks like a steering wheel; it is precisely balanced to facilitate numerous strength-in-motion exercises. My Smart Bell, more than 15 years old, weighs 15 pounds; it appears that modern-day Smart Bells are lighter. That suits my general attitude toward weight training, that the amount of weight is less important than precise technique.
I've got a set of Smart Bell exercises that my wrestling-coach friend showed me years ago. I've looked all over You Tube for video footage of these exercises, but haven't had much luck; perhaps one day I'll post videos of myself doing them. In the meantime, I'll point you to this video in which a guy does some of my exercises in one approximate form or another. (Actually, he does some other exercises I'd never seen before that I should consider incorporating into my routine.)
My routine goes like this:
1. Standing torso-twists (similar to what the guy is doing at 1:37 of the video)
2. Orbital circle (not on the video)
3. The Russian (what the guy is doing at 0:28)
4. Pushups, placing the Smart Bell on the floor and gripping it
5. Situps, holding the Smart Bell behind my head
6. Squats (what the guy is doing at 1:10)
7. Circle (what the guy is doing at 0:44)
8. Lunges (the guy does lunges at 1:23, but I do them with the Smart Bell behind my head, and I actually walk across the room)
At my last teaching job in the 1990s I became good friends with the school's wrestling coach, and he introduced me to a thing called a Smart Bell, invented by a friend of his, U.S. National Team wrestler Paul Widerman. A Smart Bell is a steel object that sort of looks like a steering wheel; it is precisely balanced to facilitate numerous strength-in-motion exercises. My Smart Bell, more than 15 years old, weighs 15 pounds; it appears that modern-day Smart Bells are lighter. That suits my general attitude toward weight training, that the amount of weight is less important than precise technique.
I've got a set of Smart Bell exercises that my wrestling-coach friend showed me years ago. I've looked all over You Tube for video footage of these exercises, but haven't had much luck; perhaps one day I'll post videos of myself doing them. In the meantime, I'll point you to this video in which a guy does some of my exercises in one approximate form or another. (Actually, he does some other exercises I'd never seen before that I should consider incorporating into my routine.)
My routine goes like this:
1. Standing torso-twists (similar to what the guy is doing at 1:37 of the video)
2. Orbital circle (not on the video)
3. The Russian (what the guy is doing at 0:28)
4. Pushups, placing the Smart Bell on the floor and gripping it
5. Situps, holding the Smart Bell behind my head
6. Squats (what the guy is doing at 1:10)
7. Circle (what the guy is doing at 0:44)
8. Lunges (the guy does lunges at 1:23, but I do them with the Smart Bell behind my head, and I actually walk across the room)
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday photo feature
I don't often get blisters from paddling, but I got a pretty good one last Sunday (Feb. 5) when I paddled around the Loosahatchie Bar. This is how it looks eight days later.
What to do when I'm not my usual spunky self
I'm not a hundred percent in the pink yet but I'm pretty sure I'm shaking free of last week's health woes.
I always face a bit of a dilemma during periods like this when I'm feeling crummy. Should I skip paddling and other exercise entirely, and let my body focus all its energy on healing? Or should I go out and at least go through some of the motions to preserve some muscle memory and get some blood flowing through the relevant muscles?
On Saturday I opted for the former, taking the day off. I spent part of the time doing a few light chores and part of it taking a long afternoon nap.
As I pondered the question again yesterday morning, I had some good reasons to repeat yesterday's decision. Training had been going well before I fell ill, and I wasn't too concerned about missing a few days, knowing that once I'm feeling better I should get right back to where I was quickly. And slow, lethargic paddling is arguably worse than no paddling at all for a racer who wants to train his body to go fast.
But there was another important point to consider: racing isn't the only reason I paddle. I paddle because I like to paddle, and to be outdoors and breathe fresh air and move my body at any speed. Yesterday's warm weather tilted the scales in favor of a "Yes. I will paddle" decision.
And once I got going, I felt pretty good in the boat. The result was a session with some decent training value. I did three 8-stroke sprints and then paddled a strong tempo for twenty minutes or so against the windy front that was moving into the region. By the end of 60 minutes I felt better than I'd felt before paddling and relished the satisfaction of having spent part of my day outdoors.
I didn't do any strength work at all last week. Today I plan to ease into a new routine and prepare to resume life among the healthy able-bodied folk.
I always face a bit of a dilemma during periods like this when I'm feeling crummy. Should I skip paddling and other exercise entirely, and let my body focus all its energy on healing? Or should I go out and at least go through some of the motions to preserve some muscle memory and get some blood flowing through the relevant muscles?
On Saturday I opted for the former, taking the day off. I spent part of the time doing a few light chores and part of it taking a long afternoon nap.
As I pondered the question again yesterday morning, I had some good reasons to repeat yesterday's decision. Training had been going well before I fell ill, and I wasn't too concerned about missing a few days, knowing that once I'm feeling better I should get right back to where I was quickly. And slow, lethargic paddling is arguably worse than no paddling at all for a racer who wants to train his body to go fast.
But there was another important point to consider: racing isn't the only reason I paddle. I paddle because I like to paddle, and to be outdoors and breathe fresh air and move my body at any speed. Yesterday's warm weather tilted the scales in favor of a "Yes. I will paddle" decision.
And once I got going, I felt pretty good in the boat. The result was a session with some decent training value. I did three 8-stroke sprints and then paddled a strong tempo for twenty minutes or so against the windy front that was moving into the region. By the end of 60 minutes I felt better than I'd felt before paddling and relished the satisfaction of having spent part of my day outdoors.
I didn't do any strength work at all last week. Today I plan to ease into a new routine and prepare to resume life among the healthy able-bodied folk.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Blech
I've been sort of sick this week--in other words, I've had a cold that was mild for several days before suddenly getting much nastier overnight into yesterday morning. It's been an unusual winter that way: I've enjoyed a largely illness-free run in the last decade or so, but this is the second bug I've gotten this season, and just like the last one, this one has behaved differently from most of the bugs I get.
So I've backed off the training a bit. I did an easy paddle with Joe on Tuesday and another yesterday, but I'm taking a break from the strength routine. I'm hoping this crud will work itself out soon so I can be back in action by next week.
So I've backed off the training a bit. I did an easy paddle with Joe on Tuesday and another yesterday, but I'm taking a break from the strength routine. I'm hoping this crud will work itself out soon so I can be back in action by next week.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Immortalized in literature (followup)
Regarding my post a week ago about the fictional character I think is based on Keith Benoist: since then I've had a look at Greg Iles's website and found evidence that Iles does in fact know Keith. There's a picture of Keith in which he's helping control a water moccasin while a photographer shoots it for the cover of one of Iles's novels.
Monday photo feature
Andre Pellerin looks like a satisfied customer as he secures his new Nelo Vanquish II K1 on his trailer. I met him down in Jackson, Mississippi, last Tuesday evening, and we closed the deal in a parking lot. Then Andre made the almost-four-hour drive back to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I understand his son Conrad paddled the boat on Bayou Teche the following afternoon.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Another winter weekend in the books
We've been sitting in the mid 40s Fahrenheit, with mostly cloudy skies, for a few days now. I don't like it but it's exactly what one should expect in the first week of February.
Yesterday actually started out bright and sunny, but I was unable to get to the river until late afternoon and by then it was cloudy with a few raindrops falling. The temperature was 48 degrees. So it was hard to conjure up much zest as I headed down to paddle. But once I was in the boat I felt pretty good and by the end of 60 minutes I had a satisfying session under my belt.
I had a slightly warmer day for my "long" paddle today. The temperature got up into the mid 50s and the sun came out about a half hour before I finished. I did my clockwise loop of the Loosahatchie Bar that I'd intended to do last weekend but aborted. My G.P.S. device told me I covered 12.65 miles (compared to 12.66 two weekends ago when I did a counterclockwise loop) and my elapsed time was one hour, 55 minutes, 15 seconds. Anything under two hours is a pretty good effort for me when I paddle around the bar. And today I did it while not feeling so great in the boat: my digestion has been a little messed up the last couple of days and that made things unpleasant.
With a river level of 19.7 feet on the Memphis gauge, I encountered only a small patch of shallow water up at the north end of the bar.
Yesterday actually started out bright and sunny, but I was unable to get to the river until late afternoon and by then it was cloudy with a few raindrops falling. The temperature was 48 degrees. So it was hard to conjure up much zest as I headed down to paddle. But once I was in the boat I felt pretty good and by the end of 60 minutes I had a satisfying session under my belt.
I had a slightly warmer day for my "long" paddle today. The temperature got up into the mid 50s and the sun came out about a half hour before I finished. I did my clockwise loop of the Loosahatchie Bar that I'd intended to do last weekend but aborted. My G.P.S. device told me I covered 12.65 miles (compared to 12.66 two weekends ago when I did a counterclockwise loop) and my elapsed time was one hour, 55 minutes, 15 seconds. Anything under two hours is a pretty good effort for me when I paddle around the bar. And today I did it while not feeling so great in the boat: my digestion has been a little messed up the last couple of days and that made things unpleasant.
With a river level of 19.7 feet on the Memphis gauge, I encountered only a small patch of shallow water up at the north end of the bar.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Weather weirdness, delivering a boat, pace work
Joe and I did our usual paddle on Tuesday. It was another springlike day to close out a weird January: the Fahrenheit temperature got up around 70 in the afternoon.
But I would spend most of the day in the car. I finally made that trip down to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver the K1 to its new owner, Mr. Andre Pellerin of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. His 15-year-old triplet sons Carson, Conrad, and Peyton plan to get more involved in flatwater sprint racing this year after spending the last few years cutting their teeth in many of the same races I compete in. I'm glad I could provide one of the boats that will carry them through this journey and I hope the new challenges will give them some fresh motivation and enthusiasm. I feel certain that all kinds of fun is in store for them: chances are they'll find more people their age pursuing the Olympic discipline of flatwater sprint.
As I lay in bed this morning I could hear the wind whistling outside, and by the time I was up and heading down to the river it was an overcast 42 degrees. When I got down to the dock I realized I'd forgotten to bring the shell I'd planned to wear over the couple of shirts I had on.
I gritted my teeth and got in the boat, and once I was paddling I didn't feel too bad. The wind was blowing from the northeast and I went up into the north end of the harbor where the trees and high banks offered about as much protection as any place I could go. After warming up for ten minutes and then doing three 8-stroke sprints, I commenced today's workout: three ten-minute pieces with five minutes recovery in between. My goal pace for each piece was 7 miles per hour; I had to adjust a little depending whether I was paddling upwind or downwind, but in general the workout went smoothly enough.
I'm still observing my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule for the current strength routine. I might do this routine one more week, or I might start a new one next week... I haven't decided yet.
But I would spend most of the day in the car. I finally made that trip down to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver the K1 to its new owner, Mr. Andre Pellerin of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. His 15-year-old triplet sons Carson, Conrad, and Peyton plan to get more involved in flatwater sprint racing this year after spending the last few years cutting their teeth in many of the same races I compete in. I'm glad I could provide one of the boats that will carry them through this journey and I hope the new challenges will give them some fresh motivation and enthusiasm. I feel certain that all kinds of fun is in store for them: chances are they'll find more people their age pursuing the Olympic discipline of flatwater sprint.
As I lay in bed this morning I could hear the wind whistling outside, and by the time I was up and heading down to the river it was an overcast 42 degrees. When I got down to the dock I realized I'd forgotten to bring the shell I'd planned to wear over the couple of shirts I had on.
I gritted my teeth and got in the boat, and once I was paddling I didn't feel too bad. The wind was blowing from the northeast and I went up into the north end of the harbor where the trees and high banks offered about as much protection as any place I could go. After warming up for ten minutes and then doing three 8-stroke sprints, I commenced today's workout: three ten-minute pieces with five minutes recovery in between. My goal pace for each piece was 7 miles per hour; I had to adjust a little depending whether I was paddling upwind or downwind, but in general the workout went smoothly enough.
I'm still observing my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule for the current strength routine. I might do this routine one more week, or I might start a new one next week... I haven't decided yet.
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