Starting to champ at the bit

It seems that Tuesday is my day to be dead-dog tired lately.  Once again, I was so tired Tuesday that just stringing together a few dozen paddle strokes in a row felt like a tall order.  I was also sore in my quads from the new strength routine I'd started Monday.  I limited my paddling to an easy 40 minutes.

It's a good reminder that rest and recovery are more important than ever with a long road trip and challenging race coming up.  I absolutely don't need to be getting injured or sick.  For what's left of my time here at home I plan to make sure I'm actually spending my down time recovering.  When I get in the boat I'm still paddling hard and fast, but as soon as I'm out of the boat I need to flip off the intensity switch.

The heat and humidity here in the Mid South definitely contributes to the fatigue.  I'm starting to watch what the weather is doing out in the Columbia River Gorge, where I'll be racing in a couple of weeks.  According to the ten-day forecast for Hood River, Oregon, the temperatures are pretty high out there too--above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, even--but the humidity levels look much lower.  The nights could be chilly, so I'd better pack some cool-weather clothing; and I understand the water is cold, so some cool-weather paddling gear is in order, too.  It's easy to overlook stuff like that here in Memphis as I pack my things in a triple-digit heat index.

This morning I did a round of the strength routine and then went down to the river with a "work" workout in mind.  But when I got to the mouth of the harbor I saw a big barge rig coming up the Mississippi that was producing some good-looking waves, so I quickly changed my plan to a "play" workout.  I paddled out and looked for the first waves I could find in which the churning of the towboat's screws had settled out.  They were quite steep and a little intimidating, but knowing I'll need to show up in The Gorge with my "aggressive" shoes on, I dove right in.  The result was some really, really good rides.

After ten minutes or so I was breathing hard from all the sprinting I'd done, and the waves were starting to peter out.  I ferried over to the Arkansas side and pushed the pace upriver almost to the Hernando DeSoto Bridge before heading back to the harbor.  In the harbor I spent the last fifteen minutes paddling easy back to the dock, cooling down and letting fresh blood move into my muscles.  Upon the conclusion of this taut 60-minute paddle, I took a cool hose bath and headed home for some good recovery.