Virtually racing

We lucked out with the weather for yesterday's "virtual" Outdoors, Inc., Canoe and Kayak Race.  The morning was sunny and pleasant, the humidity was down, and the wind was light, giving me hope that I could submit a decent time.  I loaded up my boat and headed down to the historic cobblestones on the Memphis riverfront.

I'd invited people to join me on social media, and I ended up having two takers, as Adam Davis and Scott Andrews arrived with their boats.  We lined up with a pair of utility poles on the cobblestones, from which we would paddle north in the harbor for 2500 meters, make a turn around a concrete structure by the old LaFarge plant, and return to where we'd started to complete the 5000-meter course.

Somebody yelled GO!, and off we went.  Adam and I were neck-and-neck out front, and I settled onto his right-side wake, where I would spend most of the first kilometer.  We moved along at around seven and a half miles per hour.

Once we'd passed beneath the Hernando DeSoto Bridge I moved into the lead and pushed the pace up to around 7.8 or 7.9.  I knew I couldn't sustain that for all of the remaining 4000 meters but I was hoping I could break contact.  By the time we reached Harbortown Marina I had a lead of three or four boatlengths.

The turnaround spot came into view: the concrete structure for loading barges next to the old LaFarge plant.  I made a beeline for it.  The Mississippi River has been dropping this week, but with a level of 22.2 feet on the Memphis gauge there was still ample room to made a high-radius turn and head back south.

As I got the boat back up to speed I hoped to maintain 7.1 or 7.2 mph the rest of the way.  I tried to relax and take the best strokes I could.  I was starting to feel taxed but felt certain I had one more good mile in me.  Once I was back south of the HDB I was hoping I could break 25 minutes.  As I passed beneath the monorail bridge I began my final charge to the finish, nudging the speed up around 8.0 mph.  I eyed my watch as the seconds ticked by, closer and closer to the 25-minute mark... and then past it.  I had to settle for a time of 25:12.

I brought my boat around to watch the other two come in.  Adam completed a respectable effort with a time of 26:28.  Scott was paddling a much slower boat but was undaunted by the challenge as he came in at 36:51.

It felt good to race again, even if it was a rinky-dink affair compared to a real OICK race.

Today I waited until the afternoon to paddle.  It was another sunny day, warmer than yesterday, but still not the blistering heat for which Memphis summers are famous.  I paddled mostly easy for 60 minutes.


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