A week of catching up on this poor little blog (that’s been
infiltrated with commenting spam monsters – hence comments being disabled)…
Where were we – yes, I’d just finished 13.2.
Where were we – yes, I’d just finished 13.2.
Followed that up with a Sunday SUP race. The SUPWA Flatwater ‘20’ Marathon (and 6.2km race). There is an awesome video of the day here.
The first ever Flatwater Marathon State Championships were held at Ascot Canoe Club in Ascot, WA on March 17th. This was a new format for SUP (and is similar to what the flatwater kayakers do in these types of races) in that there were laps in which racers had to exit and enter off of pontoons and in between run approximately 100m with their boards in a ‘portage’ of sorts. It was wickedly fun to watch and thankfully not a requirement of the 6.2km course.
Those racing the 20km marathon course (4 long laps plus one short lap) took off 10 seconds before those of us doing the shorter 6.2km course (one long lap and one short lap). I was pretty squeezed out on the start line (for no reason really as there was a lot of room) and since I love my board more than many things I just backed off and let the dude go first. I started near the back of the pack and while I knew most of the women were actually on 14’ boards (I was on a 12’6) it was still odd being so far back. I really struggled mentally for the first 2km – though I know I haven’t been paddling much I have the skill and with crossfit I most definitely have the fitness though my mind still went to many dark places through that start.
Some of the phrases that passed through my mind during the long stretch out to the bridge:
-my shoulder hurts, I should just stop
-this hurts, why do I do this
-I hate paddling in the flats why am I on a river
-next year I should just volunteer to be that guy (passing that guy) just counting racers from his board
-man that bridge is far
-why am I at the back, I should be faster than those people
-maybe I’ll just quit after the first lap
-wondering why I’d signed up to race when I enjoy paddling moreso socially now
There were also some positives in there that were the reason I kept going namely that I don’t quit – is something that crossfit has taught me over and over and over again – perseverance even in the most horrible of workouts. Keep fighting, never give up, it all ends eventually. And so I kept going.
As I was nearing the bridge I could see the first few men in the marathon race coming back towards us and what I noticed in that moment was the my heart rate wasn’t at all elevated – I wasn’t struggling to breath but my muscles were aching. I also noticed their rate and how high it was compared to my easy social paddling rate that I had carried through the first 2km (and which was similar to those around me to be fair). It was then that I kicked it into high gear knowing full well that I could easily sustain a higher rate with my fitness and I started to close the gaps that I’d let others pull from the start.
The other thing that worked in my favor was that the second half of the long lap was back into the wind. There wasn’t a lot of it but enough that my higher stroke rate worked in my favor. I easily reeled in 4 or 5 others which included one dudes on a 14’ board. That got me back into the groove and once I was in front I didn’t want to get passed by him again.
The second small (2km) lap was back to a buoy and then around the island. Cam had done the fun 2km race and was back on shore cheering for me (I saw him as we passed on the first lap) and I wanted to get back there and just be done (knowing that my shoulder wouldn’t be happy with me at all). Felt pretty good at this point but also very happy not to be doing the 20km which would have taken me forever. The guy on the 14’ board passed me again after the turn as we headed back downwind towards the island but then after the final turn fell off, I resumed the lead and made it to the finish before him. So it goes.
I was happy to be done, no idea how I’d placed but happy that I’d found my racing groove. Immediately I went in search of ice for my shoulder knowing I’d pushed it a bit too much (mostly paddling on my left when I could because of it) and waited around for the marathoners to finish and for awards.
I came first in my category – Women’s 12’6 – 6.2km. I’ll start with that as there was mass confusion during the awards. They called (what sounded in some way like) my name first (for third place) then called second and first only when the second place finisher came up I was a bit confused knowing I’d passed her on the first lap – I thought maybe she’d passed me back somewhere along the way and I’d missed it. Then when the ‘first place’ girl came forward in her bright green shorts did I know that they had messed up because I was definitely in front of her crossing the line, poor girl went from being called first to third and then to fourth when another women realized that she was also in front of her – so much for technology helping out with the timing. Oops.
Anyway, it wasn’t so much about winning for me or even racing for that matter. It was about supporting a community that is just as friendly and welcoming as the paddling community I left back in Vancouver/ Washington. They are an amazing and supportive bunch that put on a great race and I’m pretty sure everyone had a blast. And even with the dark thoughts entering into my head early on I’m glad that I did it and will definitely sign up for the next one and once again give it my all. This time I’ll try and remember I’m actually racing right from the start too.
Some photos from the day (thanks Cam)…
-this hurts, why do I do this
-I hate paddling in the flats why am I on a river
-next year I should just volunteer to be that guy (passing that guy) just counting racers from his board
-man that bridge is far
-why am I at the back, I should be faster than those people
-maybe I’ll just quit after the first lap
-wondering why I’d signed up to race when I enjoy paddling moreso socially now
There were also some positives in there that were the reason I kept going namely that I don’t quit – is something that crossfit has taught me over and over and over again – perseverance even in the most horrible of workouts. Keep fighting, never give up, it all ends eventually. And so I kept going.
As I was nearing the bridge I could see the first few men in the marathon race coming back towards us and what I noticed in that moment was the my heart rate wasn’t at all elevated – I wasn’t struggling to breath but my muscles were aching. I also noticed their rate and how high it was compared to my easy social paddling rate that I had carried through the first 2km (and which was similar to those around me to be fair). It was then that I kicked it into high gear knowing full well that I could easily sustain a higher rate with my fitness and I started to close the gaps that I’d let others pull from the start.
The other thing that worked in my favor was that the second half of the long lap was back into the wind. There wasn’t a lot of it but enough that my higher stroke rate worked in my favor. I easily reeled in 4 or 5 others which included one dudes on a 14’ board. That got me back into the groove and once I was in front I didn’t want to get passed by him again.
The second small (2km) lap was back to a buoy and then around the island. Cam had done the fun 2km race and was back on shore cheering for me (I saw him as we passed on the first lap) and I wanted to get back there and just be done (knowing that my shoulder wouldn’t be happy with me at all). Felt pretty good at this point but also very happy not to be doing the 20km which would have taken me forever. The guy on the 14’ board passed me again after the turn as we headed back downwind towards the island but then after the final turn fell off, I resumed the lead and made it to the finish before him. So it goes.
I was happy to be done, no idea how I’d placed but happy that I’d found my racing groove. Immediately I went in search of ice for my shoulder knowing I’d pushed it a bit too much (mostly paddling on my left when I could because of it) and waited around for the marathoners to finish and for awards.
I came first in my category – Women’s 12’6 – 6.2km. I’ll start with that as there was mass confusion during the awards. They called (what sounded in some way like) my name first (for third place) then called second and first only when the second place finisher came up I was a bit confused knowing I’d passed her on the first lap – I thought maybe she’d passed me back somewhere along the way and I’d missed it. Then when the ‘first place’ girl came forward in her bright green shorts did I know that they had messed up because I was definitely in front of her crossing the line, poor girl went from being called first to third and then to fourth when another women realized that she was also in front of her – so much for technology helping out with the timing. Oops.
Anyway, it wasn’t so much about winning for me or even racing for that matter. It was about supporting a community that is just as friendly and welcoming as the paddling community I left back in Vancouver/ Washington. They are an amazing and supportive bunch that put on a great race and I’m pretty sure everyone had a blast. And even with the dark thoughts entering into my head early on I’m glad that I did it and will definitely sign up for the next one and once again give it my all. This time I’ll try and remember I’m actually racing right from the start too.
Some photos from the day (thanks Cam)…
 |
| The correct winners |
 |
| Green board perfect for St. Paddy's Day |
No comments:
Post a Comment