what a season we have in store!!!!!

Hi everybody... sorry it's been a while since I posted.  Things are going 1000 miles an hour here as the season rapidly approaches.  First and foremost, let's talk about what's been happening in the water.  I got my first windsurf session in last Saturday at Wolf Lake.  It was HOWLING, gusting into the 40's.  I started the day on 5.5m and ended overpowered on 4.6m!  What a great start to the season, shaking off the cobwebs and enjoying some blistering speed runs and powerful jibes.  Sorry, but I didn't get any action shots... maybe next time.

Other than that one windsurf session, it's been all about waves here.  We're having a slow start to spring with colder-than-normal temps, which arrive accompanied by strong North winds that mean... you guessed it... WAVES for us south-enders.  These next two shots I grabbed off of Facebook... that's Chicago surfer Tommy Shimenetto getting some action at Ogden Dunes.  I missed this session due to work, but I've had a few good surf sessions lately and a lot of other Great Lakes surfers have been posting some pretty amazing pics around FaceBook.  It's been a great surf season.

BUT, it's almost time to swap bottom turns for buoy turns... that's right, race season is just around the corner and if you've been lagging on training as I have, you might want to turn up the intensity a notch or two.  I was kind of nervous about being a bit behind in my training, but recent developments have put me into a full-on panic!  Here's the scoop...

A few weeks ago I was approached by the organizers of Leon's Triathlon, which runs on June 2nd at Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.  Leon's is the Midwest Qualifier for USA Triathlon, so it's a well attended event hosting over 650 participants.  After a few phone calls with the event's incredibly enthusiastic founder, Leon Wolek, it was decided that we had an opportunity to make history... and we seized it.  We're a few days away from the official announcement, but I can take the liberty of letting the cat peek out of the bag here on the blog.  Leon's Triathlon will be the first-ever USAT Qualifying Triathlon to feature a brand new format, SUP TRI.  In SUP TRI we're going to replace the swim portion of the triathlon with a standup paddleboard race.  This is going to be intense!  It's an Olympic distance event, so we'll be looking at a 4.5km SUP leg on a technical course with a bunch of buoy turns.  After the SUP leg athletes will jump on their bikes for a 40km road ride, then put on the running shoes and do a 10km run.  There will be details up on the Leon's Triathlon website sometime next week, so if you're interested in entering the race check out their site and join us to make history!

In addition to Leon's Tri, there's also a new Spring race series being pulled together called The Amped Up Midwest SUP Cup.  This series kicks off in Fontana, Wisconsin on May 4-5 and features a race each weekend through June 22.  Click the photo above for a closer look at the schedule.  I'll be at the May 4-5 event in Fontana, so if you can make it come on up and get on the water with me.

And finally, if you aren't already dialed in to the Midwest Standup Paddleboard Championship series, here's the link to the BIG ENCHILADA of Midwest SUP racing.  Midwest SUP is our own WPA-sanctioned race series.  If you want to accumulate points toward the regional championship and possibly even win yourself a spot at the nationals, this is the series you must compete in.  Of course, if you couldn't care less about points, championships or even casually paddling around a racecourse, these events are still a blast.  There's always food, music, clinics, boards to demo and the generally raucous scene that goes with any SUP event.  Do yourself a favor and get out to at least one of these events to see all that the SUP community has to offer.

OK... that's it for today.  Hope you're getting out on the water a bit and looking forward to an incredible season of Midwest SUP!  See you all out on the water soon!

the very important paddle stroke for SUP

     Regardless of whether you're paddling for recreation or fitness, SUP surfing or racing, good form should be an imperative to everyone who steps on a SUP.  Proper paddle form will help prevent injury, make you go faster using less energy, and make standup paddling way more fun.  If you're going to do it, do it right!

     Jimmy Terrell, founder of Quickblade Paddles and former Olympic canoe champion, is one of the world's top authorities on paddle form.  Recently Jimmy shot a sequel to his popular SUP instructional video, The Very Important Paddle Stroke for SUP.  I've posted them both here and I highly recommend reviewing the first and watching the second to get your form in check.  

training tips from Dave Kalama

If you recall, last year I posted about one of the great watermen of all time, Dave Kalama.  Well, Dave has recently started posting his workouts on his facebook page.  I've copied today's workout below... check it out and if you want to learn more about what Dave's doing, you can like his fan page on Facebook.  I'm going to try this workout this afternoon... I'll let you know how it goes.

Dave's Workout:

This workout is designed to be done on a beach (barefoot); the benefits of training in sand for SUP board control and balance are maximized on sand. But, if you don't have a beach, use your local park, your yard... or... I hate to say it... your gym :) Try to jog about 50-100 yards in between each round of exercises.

- 5 sets pushups to 80% of "fatigue" (don't go until failure, but about 1-2 repetitions before failure). In between each set of pushups, do a moderate 30 yard jog at 60% pace. I like to do these jogs backwards, sideways (hopping sideways), karaoke style or extended stride (lengthened jog strides). This loosens up your hips and works more muscles in your quads, glutes and calves then just standard jogging.

- 2 sets maximum pull ups on a tree limb.

- 2 sets of seated "dips:" Find a log or bench. Put your palms on the bench and hang your rear over the edge. Lower your behind to the ground 30 times, flexing your triceps at the top.

- 1/4 mile breathing exercise. This isn't just for big-wave surfers! It is for your cardiovascular stregth AND your mental focus. Beginning at a count of 1 (unless you have done this with me, if you know your number, begin higher), hold your breath while very lightly running. Then, breath for the same count while jogging lightly. Do this in rounds for about 1/4 mile. While you are doing this drill, think of nothing, don't even think of thinking of nothing; simply release your mind to emptiness. The idea is to find a number that is strenuous but doesn't take you anywhere close to passing out. Most folks will find a 3-5 count challenging. I may do a 6-10 count.

- 15 "stepovers" on each leg: Find a log about 6-18" high. Resting one foot on top, move the other foot from one side of the log to the other as quickly as possible. This is essentially a speed and balance drill.

- 200 lunges

- 20 "log jumps:" Find a log about 12" high. Put both hands on the log in a way that will allow you to balance your body briefly over it. With your body parallel the log, and both legs together (ankles close together) on one side, jump your feet quickly back and forth over the log KEEPING your core tight/abs flexed. This is a core strength/stability drill.

- 350 stomach crunches. Any variation of stomach crunches here. We will go into more detail in a later post, as that is a longer topic :)

- 2 X 40 yard bear crawls: Hands and feet touching the ground, race 40 yards like your 2 year old child would (just not with your knees on the ground!).

- 2 X 30 yard hill sprints.

That's it... for the beach workout for today.

1:00 pm I will still get a 9 Mile Downwind SUP paddle in.

Nice work if you get either of these in today. Keep it up.

Mahalo, Dave.

training inspiration

I ran into this video on Facebook the other day... this guy has come up with some amazing SUP training exercises.  I've added a bunch of these moves into my own training and I can tell you, they are difficult and effective.  And by the way, even if you're not into Stand Up or any other water sports, the body awareness that these exercises develop will make you better at anything you do... Have a look.

suzie trains maui

     We spent a few weeks on Maui this past month, and were lucky enough to score epic conditions.  There was surfing on the south shore, windsurfing on the north shore, and beautiful sunsets like this one pretty much every night.

   
     I felt lucky to be in such a beautiful place spending time on the water every day, but I was really lucky to be invited to Suzie Cooney's studio for a training session.  Suzie is a paddler on the Naish team and a Certified Personal Trainer who works with some of the top athletes in stand up.  Over the past years, Suzie has applied her knowledge of fitness and training toward a SUP-specific training system that helps paddlers maximize their strength, endurance and power on the water.

   
     After an short interview, Suzie put me through the paces working on my flexibility, strength and balance.  It was a great workout, but more importantly I learned a bunch of new techniques that I'll be applying back in the gym at home.  You can get a taste of what Suzie offers at the Naish website under the SUP Fitness link, where many of her SUP-specific exercises are detailed.  Of course, it's no substitute for a face-to-face experience, so if you're planning to be on Maui any time in the future, I'd highly recommend booking a training session or two with Suzie.

     Unfortunately, I got home a bit late to take advantage of the massive system that just hit the Great Lakes.  This grainy shot is of a kiter on Lake Superior, but I know we had equally epic surf here on Lake Michigan.  If anybody has any photos or stories to share, please send them along and I'll be happy to post them.  Looks like the weather's going to calm down and warm up a bit after the weekend, so I'll be out paddling for sure... come and join me if you can.  See you on the water.