Go long or go home…

Last year was my first season of outrigger canoe paddling and I fell in love with it.  During the season, I went to almost every practice (we paddled 3 times a week),  and was in the best shape that I’ve been in for a long time.  When the 6 man racing season ended, I made the significant investment of buying an OC1, with the intention of continuing to paddle regularly and racing in every one of the Winter Series races.  Well, it’s the middle of January now, and I’ve only taken my canoe out about a dozen times, and have yet to participate in a race.  As a result, I’ve fallen out of shape, and am not getting as fast as I dreamed of being.

Over the last month, I’ve been paddling once a week on Tuesday nights when our coach does speed training.  These nights involve sprints (400 - 1200 meters) and are designed for improving speed, not endurance.  Last night (Thursday) I paddled out by myself and went for 5 miles with no stopping at about a 80% pace.  I was definitely in the zone and it felt great!  You know that point where the hurting in your muscles fade to a dull throb and you just feel like you can paddle forever?  Ya, that’s it.  That’s where I was.  Now I know that 5 miles may not be a lot to most paddlers, but to me it was a sweet accomplishment.  Mainly because my team, Hanohano, is hosting a race next Saturday and I intend to pop my racing cherry.  The question is whether I’m going to run the short course (5 miles) or the long course (10 miles).  The short course stays inside the calm waters of the bay while the long course spends most of its time out in the open seas.  I’ve only paddled out of the bay once, and only for a short time.

The short course seems like the obvious answer, but I’m a guy and I need to prove something to myself.  My paddle last night let me know that I can do the short course, but I want to know that I can tame the seas and that I can last the long distance.  Go big or go home!  I’m kinda nervous because I’ve never paddled that long and I have no open water experience.  Oh well…. wish me luck ;)  I’ve got 8 days left to train…

This entry was posted on 15. January 2010 at 11:23 and is filed under Paddling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.