Bayou racing, Part 4: recovery begins

The gossip mill had indicated that I might be asked to join a K4 for the "big boat" race, the last of the three events of the day.  But the invitation never came, and that was okay with me, for after two six-mile races I was thoroughly tired and wicked sore.  If I had been asked, I would have done it--we paddlers rarely get paid for what we do, so it would have been worth suffering for 50 more minutes to put a few more dollars in my pocket.  But it's just as well that I didn't have to make that decision.

The "big boat" race was won by the K4 consisting of Brad Pennington, Andrew Korompay, Brian Poda, and Robin Lashway.  Their time was 47 minutes, 16 seconds.  In second place was a K3 paddled by Randy Hargroder, Jeff Schnelle, and Brad Rex.  Another K3 consisting of Carson, Conrad, and Peyton Pellerin took third.  The results are posted here.

I could have used a nap upon the conclusion of racing, but instead I got in my car and began the long drive home.  Getting back over to Interstate 55 north, the road that would take me home to Memphis, involved driving east on U.S. 90 almost all the way to New Orleans.  A landscape dominated by water, much like a mountainous landscape, offers few direct routes to anywhere.

The last leg of my drive, north of Jackson, Mississippi, was particularly tough.  Keeping some blood circulating in my legs was a challenge, and I had to point the air conditioner right on me to discourage dozing off at the wheel.  When I finally pulled into my driveway in the beautiful Binghampton section of Memphis, I was nearly catatonic.  I grabbed only those things I would need to get ready for bed, went upstairs and took a badly-needed shower, and hit the hay.

I spent this morning relaxing, unpacking the car, putting my boat and gear away, and updating this blog for my beloved readers.  This afternoon I was feeling a bit more energetic (though still very sore), and headed down to the riverfront for an easy 40-minute paddle.  I did some thorough stretching before getting in the boat, and once in the boat I paddled slowly but deliberately, encouraging blood flow in all the fatigued muscles.