Hard workout done for the week; on to the festival

Tuesday was an utterly lovely day: sunny skies with a high around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  I paddled steady and relaxed for 60 minutes Tuesday morning, and that was just what I needed.

The warm weather continued yesterday and, following the usual trend for this time of year, the wind picked up.  Strong thunderstorms with lots of wind were forecast for today.  The temperature was supposed to rise into the low 70s this morning and then drop into the 50s this afternoon, so I was sure to paddle in the morning.  I did another set of six 1000-meter pieces, starting every 8th minute.  The wind was blowing from the south, so I started off paddling toward the south end of the harbor so I could do most of my 1000s coming back north with the wind at my back.  I did do the first 1000 into the wind, and though I'd hoped to move at 11.0 kilometers per hour, I could only manage 10.6 or 10.7.  Once I was paddling with the wind my goal was to maintain 12.0 kph, but the speed and direction of the wind were so inconsistent that it was hard to find any consistency in my speed.  Sometimes I did 12.0 or a little faster, but other times I was as slow as 11.4 or 11.5.  I tried my best to keep my intensity at a consistent level.  It definitely was another tough session.  After a couple of pieces I wondered how I would complete all six, but I kept the workout moving along and finally made it out the far end.

Tomorrow I'll be heading out on a little road trip, not for a race but for a film festival.  The National Paddling Film Festival in-person event is Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do there besides hang out and fly the flag for my entry, but I reckon I'll find out.  The award for the amateur category (in which my film is entered) is scheduled to be handed out at 4 o'clock Eastern, so I'll find out if my movie was the best-liked of the bunch.  If you haven't gotten around to watching my film yet, I'll be most grateful if you go here and watch and VOTE!

For more information on what this blog is about, click here.