Back to Training!

The sun is shining but once again the outside temps have nose-dived back down to the ‘40’s. Damn, I got too used to those recent warmer days! This cold weather just adds to the challenge of getting out the door for forays on the water. I’ve officially given up trying to SUP for longer than two hours at a time. When it’s less than mid-upper 50’s not even 7m booties, 3m dive liners, and wool socks keep my feet from turning as cold and gray as a cadaver’s. So it’s laps in the aluminum canoe with 20-below rated snow boots and wool mittens, or, if it’s really chilly, the NRS mitts they so kindly donated. The first mile is always the coldest mile, but after that, the body gets cranking and the hands get warm, sort of, but still, the feet somehow stay out of the warmth loop. Nothing, though, will keep my hands warm when it’s 20 out and blowing 20. Amazing how fast the hands don’t work in those conditions. Holding the paddle becomes a serious problem, especially in the wind. Winter training definitely makes me appreciate the spring and summer, and perhaps I’d take the good stuff for granted if I didn’t have the bad stuff…or so I keep telling myself, because this year more than others, I’m sick of this winter.With the price of gas what it is I’ve been using the lake behind my house a lot more. I’m very spoiled and lucky to be living on a little lake. Up and back is a hair under a mile, so with music to ease the monotony, I can pretty much tolerate 10 laps or so. I’m sure the neighbors think I’m nuts out there, as it seems it’s more likely I’ll get on the water if the wind is blowing insanely than if it’s flat and seriously boring. With a little lake you have to take your excitement any way you can get it, and wind definitely makes it exciting, or at least, entertaining. The challenges of managing an aluminum canoe solo in the wind rival SUP paddling in equally strong winds. The problem on the board isn’t necessarily the difficulty of paddling into the wind, it’s getting blown off the board. This happened to me last year. After I blew off the board, the board, a heavy windsurfing board, blew up in the air, hit me in the head, and then continued to blow down to the end of the lake. After swimming back to shore in 32 degree water, I managed to retrieve it from underneath a neighbor’s dock. And so I learned that when it’s really blowing out, you gotta wear your leash. It’s even a greater challenge to keep an aluminum canoe going headlong into a strong wind. The bow, even if you’re sitting in the real bow facing the stern, catches the wind and you have to seriously paddle strong to keep from blowing in circles. It’s actually an amazingly good work-out.One thing that keeps me getting out there even when I’d rather not is the fear of failure. This year I’m totally committed to paddling the coast of NJ without stopping for anything other than water/food/bathroom breaks. I really don’t know if I can do it, but I’m hell bent on trying. I’ve picked July 15th to start this paddle in order to take advantage of the full moon. Of course, tides will be more extreme, but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue if I can stay on the ocean rather than slogging it out against the currents in the Inner Coastal Waterway. I’m hoping to raise money for CHOP’s neuroblastoma research and for the Surfrider Foundation’s Emerald Coast Chapter’s water tests in the Gulf. I have not yet set a goal for how much I’d like to raise, but I’m thinking of getting folks to commit to so much per mile—maybe groups of folks and families can “own” a mile by donating $100 for one of the 127 Coastal miles I’ll paddle (I’ve snagged this idea from Roz Savage, who will be rowing the Indian Ocean soon-she’s getting sponsors per mile. Thought it was a good idea, so I snagged it, with her permission, of course!). I’ll have to figure a way to do a “shout out” to those that “sponsor” a mile of the paddle. And then of course, there’s the raffle of the Starboard SUP! It’ll be a shame to part with it, but it’s for two very important causes and all part of the fundraising package. So with today’s blog, I’ll be back to blogging about training and my outdoor local adventures. Contrary to what most of the county thinks, even in overdeveloped NJ one can still have local outdoor adventures. It’s just a different kind of “rush.” Instead of being on the open ocean with wind and swell providing an adrenalin rush, biking on roads with no shoulders and fast traffic more than make for an exciting bike ride for the adrenalin challenged. Bike with a bike cart and kid seat going into the wind and you have an amazing thigh-burning spin session, no music or sadistic spin instructor needed. Time to hit the water for a blow around session on the lake!