The same weather pattern that delivered a late snowstorm to the northeastern U.S. brought some cool temperatures to my part of the country. For a few days the Fahrenheit temperature didn't rise above the low 60s, and when Joe and I paddled on Tuesday we did so in a steady rain and a temperature in the low 50s.
Now, I'm thinking such wet chilly days must surely be behind us now. On Wednesday the temperature reached the high 70s, and when I paddled yesterday morning it was mostly sunny and warming up toward a high in the mid 80s. I did a tidy 60 minutes with three 8-stroke sprints and a few relaxed surges. The highlight might have occurred just as I was leaving the harbor and ferrying across the Mississippi: there was a skinny bright-green thing drifting downriver that at first I thought was a piece of gift-wrap ribbon, but turned out to be a little snake. It was probably some variety of garter snake. It's memorable because I almost never see snakes of any kind out in the main flow of the Mississippi.
This week I did rounds of the strength routine Tuesday and today. For some reason I've been feeling weak in my arms lately... I'm not sure if it's my imagination or a real thing. I'm definitely getting sore in my arms doing things that used not to bother me. That biceps soreness I mentioned several weeks ago is better, but not entirely gone. Like that wrist pain I've been having, this biceps pain seems to have taken up long-term residence.
In other news, the outlook has become somewhat clearer for my one race that hasn't been canceled yet, the Gorge Downwind Championships scheduled for July out in the Columbia River Gorge. The state of Oregon has nullified all permits for such events through September, meaning that for the race to go forward it must be based entirely on the Washington side of the river. The organizers sent out an e-mail this week stating that the event, should it happen, will most likely feature a much smaller field of mostly-local participants. In the message they add, "If you are planning travel, are international, have complex arrangements, or have rented skis, it may be in your interest to pull the plug."
A more definitive decision about whether the race will occur at all is supposed to come on June 1. But regardless of that decision, it's looking less likely than ever that I'll be out in the Columbia Gorge to race this July. I haven't completely ruled out the option of driving out there with my own boat, but I doubt that will be a realistic thing to do, considering that the industry I would count on for food and lodging will not be functioning at full strength.
Certainly, I'm disappointed. My trips out there the last two summers have been immensely enjoyable. But at the same time it's nice not to have to go about my paddling routine without knowing for sure whether I'm supposed to be training for an event like that. I plan to continue paddling about four times a week, working on skills and, most importantly, having fun with it. I have a couple of ideas for a trip I could take in lieu of going to the Columbia Gorge, but again, I'll have to see what the conditions are for interstate travel a couple of months from now.
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