Active Rest

"Harder! Faster! Stronger! We must give 100% at all times. No Pain No Gain!" Every Coach in America

As much as I like to make my training resemble a Rocky training montage, it is impossible to give 100% at all times. Quite frankly it's also stupid. In the past week I have been updating my facebook status with my "active rest" week. Many have asked what this means. Many have told me to stop resting and get back after it.  The purpose of this article is to inform you what "active rest" is and to continue to encourage you Train Smart, Paddle Hard, Out Perform."

"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.” Ralph Marston

Why Active Rest?
Active Rest is the exactly what it sounds like. Letting the body recover from normal stress patterns and intensities yet remaining active through exercise that is designed to rejuvenate the body often in a manner that feels good or is fun. The strategic practice of active rest can increase performance and more importantly keep you stoked about your training. In an article called active rest makes you stronger on active.com the author states, "Although rest is needed, it is still important to remain active on those days. The body, just like the mind, needs stimulation every day. Even after a grueling marathon many people find it's a good idea to move around, maybe take a walk, as early as the day after to avoid stiffening up. Even people who suffer heart attacks are encouraged to get out of bed and move around as soon as possible." I find the concept of rest challenging yet active rest still gives me all the benefit without me going crazy. Intense training or racing breaks down the body. Only through proper amounts of rest and diet can we recover and come back stronger. Over training is the #1 source of injuries in endurance athletes. If these athletes simply took a break , varied intensity, or cross trained they could avoid over use injuries and increase performance. The National Academy of Sports Medicine defines the #1 goal of sports performance is to decrease injury. Therefore, if we systematically plan recovery periods or simply listen to the quote above, we are likely to avoid over use injuries and keep our stoke firing.

Examples of Active Rest
Walking
Static Stretching
Dynamic Stretching
Low Intensity Paddle (an eco tour, etc)
Light Yoga
Bike Riding
Playing with kids
Light sporting activities
Knocking out the honey do list ;)

My Active Rest Experience - These are my actual Facebook posts in my active rest week following the Key West Paddleboard Classic and the Gulf Coast Stand Up Paddleboard Championships.

I was absolutely fried after back to back races. I fell apart in the Gulf Coast Race and knew it was time to take a break. I normally do not get passed in races after the first few minutes and begin to pick people off in the 2nd half of races. I faded at the four mile mark and had about 6 people pass me loosing my chance at a top 10. I knew I need a rest. It has been completely worth it. I feel refreshed energized and as stoked as ever. I have begun setting my sights on the YOLO seaside celebration in September as my next performance goal.
Here's the posts.

Day 1 Active Rest, slow sunset beach walk. Doing my best to let these tired muscles rest.

Active Rest Week Day 2 is going good so far. I shot baskets for about 40 minutes and did about 20 minutes of foam rolling and corrective exercise for my shoulders. Today is a normal training paddle day I'm jonesing for the water, might have to at least go float around. Please encourage me to keep resting!

Active Rest day 3. Long beach walk to Caladesi Island park border. No one in sight besides my beautiful wife.

Active Rest day 4 took a little bit of a hit today when one light game of basketball turned into 4 competitive games. Whoops, still lighter volume than normal and it had the fun factor.

Active Rest Day 5. Got a light core and flexibility workout in on the TRX today. took about 25 mins. I am falling more in love with TRX every day.

Active Rest Day 6. 1 hour relaxing paddle with my lovely wife. No intervals, mileage goals, or stroke thoughts. Just enjoying the water and the stoke of this wonderful sport. Almost ready to get back to training mode

Active rest day 7. Swimming with sharks! We walked up to caladesi island and went swimming. Some fisherman comes running up and splashing. "No need to worry he's just a little guy" as a 4-5 ft black tip swims away. Awesome.!We stood an watched him stalk a school of fish after.

It's quite funny to look back at these days and remember how I felt on each one. It was really hard to rest at first, but I really began to enjoy the slow pace of things. Even though I was "resting" I still exercised for over 60 minutes a day. Best part of all my sore shoulder is recovered and I found a way to loose 2 lbs even with the holiday weekend! Time to get back after it. YOLO!

5/3/11 Training Journal SUP endurance intervals

I feel like a kid at Christmas. I am so excited to get my new QB paddle out on training paddle and see how it measures up.

Goal
6-8 miles of 1 mile sprints with 3 minutes recovery in between each mile.
30-45 min of cardio whatever I feel like
Indo Board Balance and core training/ freestyle

Cardio Summary
One of my co-workers wanted to get a piece in basketball so I promptly stomped him four games in a row of 21. This took about 45 minutes and was a good workout.

Indo Board Balance
After hoops I introduced my fellow trainer Mike to the indo board. I can not believe how far I have progressed in a week. I can stand on the board in different directions and have improved on the core moves I do from pushup position. Best of all I can feel the increased balance improving my paddle stroke and efficiency. So fun, so effective. I feel completely comfortable doing my buoy turns regardless the conditions.

SUP Training
I met Jason at his place for our training paddle. He lives near Rocky Point in the northern  section of the bay. I was amazed by how beautiful it was even though we could see the Courtney Cambell Causeway. There were acres upon acres of protected mangroves and tons of wild life! I drive past this everyday and never realized how gorgeous it truly is. There was a dolphin fishing in the channel right outside of  Jason's house. I saw so many fish and different kinds of rays. I was however quite mad that my Garmin was dead when we went to paddle so we did our best to simulate about 1 mile intervals. We went against the wind for the first 4 sprints and thankfully had the wind aid us as we mostly coasted back and worked on form. I estimate the total paddle at about 7 miles. It was one of those great paddles that was relaxing and I felt like I was exploring, but I kicked my ass. Love it.

Quick Blade
My paddle felt fricking amazing. I feel faster with it and the 110 blade doesn't seem to bother me. Jason even commented that I seemed faster. Watch out people.

5/2/11 Training Journal - MET con workout, hoops, and testing my QB

I am in hard core mode again. It is my goal to train about 2 hours a day up until the day I leave for Key West. Then I will give my body a couple days of recovery time to get ready for the big race.

Goal
Strength Workout
Bball for some fun cardio
Paddle Training my wife Erica

Strength Workout Summary
Today is designed to take about 45 mins and really tax the transverse or twisting plane of motion with a lot of SUP specific moves. I am having a lot of fun on the indo board, and can already feel a difference in my balance on my SUP board.

Core Warmup
Indo Board Freestyle
Square feet Triangles
Reach Triangles

Blocks are performed for time with no breaks. 3 minute recovery between blocks.

Block 1 X200
TRX Muscle Ups X50
TRX 1 arm Reach & Row X100
TRX Scorpion X40
Bball Court Sprints

Block 2 X 200
FM SUP Chop X50
FM Bar Press X50
FM Lawn mower X50
Rope Crosses X50

15 min shooting baskets cool down
Overall all I felt good. I can feel more mobility and power in my trunk and hips. All good things for a SUP'er.

Bball with Jason Grace
2 Games of 21 about 30 minutes
I abused Jason once again, but he keeps coming back. Gotta love it.

Training Paddle With Erica
Erica has 3 races in 3 weeks so I am helping her with a little technique and turning. She is not to concerned with placing just wants to feel comfortable on the board, enjoy the water, and work on her fitness. We paddled from the Clearwater Sailing Center Beach at Sunset. It was magical. Not many folks out. Just us, the dropping sun, and buoy turns. Erica is getting better at stacking her shoulders and beginning to add the "punch" to increase her RPM's.

My new Quick Blade!
Wow I am sold. This paddle lives up to it's name. I got a 110 in QB elite racer. I am very impressed with the paddle's efficiency. I feel like I am faster already. The blade does not "dance" in the water and enters and exits the water very smoothly. I didn't paddle very long distances on it, but I definitely feel more eefficient.

4/30/11 SUP Training Paddle 10.6 Miles around Caladesi

I couldn't make it to the Carolina Cup so I created my own Epic race course. Training Partner Jason Grace met me at my house on Clearwater Beach and we drove to my secret parking spot on North Beach. The goal is to head north and go all the way around Caladesi Island and travel south back to my dock. I approximated the course to be between 10-12 miles and take around 2:30 hours to account for breaks and the fact that Jason is on a stock board.

Gear Checklist
Garrett YOLO Prowler 14'
Jason YOLO Eco Trainer 12"

Hydration/ Nutrition
Camel Bak 50 oz Flash Flo filled with Power Aid Power Option -Green
Lara Bar
Shot Blocks

The conditions were glorious. A Cold Front had recently pushed through and it was actually kind of cool by FL terms when we started. The gulf was mostly flat with a predominant ENE wind that was blowing between 10-15 mph. It was absolute sserenity on the wateras we headed north towards the pass between Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. There were no boats and only a few dominant souls walking the state park beach, as my friend Dave Matthews says, "It's good for the soul when there is not a soul in sight" We were set in a tempo pace with a focus on form. My only stroke thought was to pull my feet to the paddle not the paddle to my feet. I had been getting a little lazy with keeping my arms perfectly straight so this stroke thought really helps. Thanks Dave Kalama. It felt so good to finally have my own paddle back. I felt my normal stroke for the first time in a month. It is truly amazing how much comfort plays a role in performance.

Going through the pass can quite treacherous as there are usually some really funky tidal flows. This time was no different as we said hello to the Eastern Wind. It was almost treadmill conditions as we made it through the pass, but we powered through and took a 5 minute break at the beautiful point of Caladesi Island. The East wind absolutely kicked our ass as we headed south. The wind was a steady a 15mph plus gusts. Jason said he wanted to work on paddling on his right side he got what he asked for. The back side of Caladesi is equally as beautiful as the Gulf Side. We took another break around the 6.5 mile mark to explore some mangroves.

The rest of the paddle was mostly a blur as fatigue set in. I couldn't wait to find the opening to get relief from the east wind. Once protected from the wind I sped up and got a little closer to my race pace. It was nice to actually paddle on the left side. I left Jason in my wake and left him to fend for himself against the pirate ship as we got closer back to my dock. My wife was waiting for me on the dock when I returned with a nice cold beverage. What a great wife and what a great life to be able to knock out a beautiful paddle like that.
We covered around 10.6 miles in just under 2:30 of paddle time.

4/27/11 Training Journal- Met-con and 3 mile run

The fuel is re fired after being humbled by the Florida State Paddleboard Championships. I've purposefully backed off training a little to give my body a chance to recover. Now it's time to step it up and peak for Key West and Gulf Coast races.

Goal
3 mile run
Met-Con strength training with Training Partner Jason Grace

Run Summary
Wanted to take it easy, but get in a good sweat. I took the Bay shore route from Harbour Island and knocked out 3 miles in 27 minutes. I was impressed with 9 minute miles since I have cut back running and was just trying to jog.

Workout Summary
Met-Con Metabolic conditioning- is simply power endurance workouts designed to keep my HR very high while performing powerful movements. This is proven to improve SUP work capacity. Those crazy cross-fit people live in this phase. Performance training goes in cycles to prevent over training and plateaus.

This felt fantastic. The volume was just right. Could definitly tell we were fatiguing in power movments, but without sacrificing form. Great workout it's so fun to chuck medicine balls around.
Core Warmup
Lateral Resist Tube Walks
Indo Board- Free Style
Indo Board Bar SUP chop
KB Traingles

Block 1   150 reps
KB Walking Swings X50
MB Over Shoulder Toss X 50
Hurdle Hops X 50

Block 2 150 Reps
DB snatch X 50
MB Soccer Throw X 50
Hurdle Shuffle X 50

Block 3 100 Reps
25 DB Burpees
25 Pushup Rows
25 Pullups
25 Pop Pushups

50 Rep Finisher
10 MB Slams
OH Run down/ back
10 MB Chest Press
Arms Extended RUn down/back
10 MB toss Right
Run down/back
10 MB toss Left
Run Down Back
10 MB Bupees
Run Down back

Interval Training for SUP Smarter Not Harder

Interval Training for SUP Smarter Not Harder

by Garrett McCoy

CSCS, PES, CPT, Yoga-fit 1, PT Manager at Harbour Island Athletic Club
Support: YOLO board, Victory Kore Dry, Revitalabs, Stand Up Fitness
Author: http://suptraining.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SUPracetraining

Interval training is a hot topic in the SUP community and there are several different theories out there. My aim is to simplify the topic and give you an applicable plan a beginning paddler or an elite racer can benefit from.

What is Interval TrainingInterval training is a combination of high energy expenditure with planned periods of slower speeds and or rest. This training style has been scientifically proven to increase speed due to it’s effectiveness in training the body to buffer lactic acid. Lactic acid is an exercise waste product that causes the “burning feeling” or fatigue. The more efficient your body becomes at working near your lactate threshold the longer and harder you can perform before fatigue. Although often viewed as “speed training” or anaerobic, interval training is also very effective in increasing aerobic capacity and overall endurance. Interval training produces a chart of hills and valleys like the picture below. Imagine how your heart rate will rise with the work portion and crash with the rest period. Your heart rate will follow a similar pattern. The fitter you become the more quickly your heart rate will return to a more manageable heart rate. The peaks and valley effect keeps your body “guessing” so that it will burn more calories and your cardiovascular system will become more efficient. Overall this will burn more calories, increase speed, and increase endurance all with less total time on the water.

                        


Smarter Not HarderI have to chuckle when I hear about runners who run five to 6 days a week. Think about the constant pounding to their joints. It’s only a matter of time before overuse injuries kick in. Guess what? The same thing happens with SUP. I understand the stoke, but it’s just as silly to SUP that often. Especially if you are in “training” mode on all of your paddles. Paddle muscles and more importantly paddle muscle patterns need to rest to come back stronger. If you go out and paddle the same speed or distance all the time guess what the training effect will be? You will become really efficient at that speed or distance and not progress. You will be in a constant plateau. You are ignoring the most important rules of training.

Training RulesS.A.I.D. Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands- You have to train fast to be fast.
Progression- using the training variables of time, intensity, volume, and duration to continually improve performance.
Periodization- Being planned and specific with your workouts and phases so that you may peak at your most important races and prevent plateaus.

Sample Interval Plan and DefinitionsBelow is a sample 4 week interval plan applying the concepts from above.

HIT Interval Explanation (HIT High Intensity Training) 10X 1:1 Means performing 10 sets of a 1 minute sprint followed by 1 minute of a leisurely pace.

Fartlek- is not just fun to say, but means speed play in Swedish. 5X 5:1 Means 5 sets of paddling 5 minutes near tempo and then sprinting for 1 minute. It’s not quite as intense as HIT intervals, but is a great way to break up a paddle and still gain the endurance benefits of intervals.

LSD (Long Slow Distance) - These are mileage days. I still would perform these close to race speeds, but the goal is the training variable of duration in the form of distance. It is important to progress and latter down when building up mileage)

1 Mile Sprints AFAP (As Fast As Possible) - Many of the top riders use this interval to gauge their speed. I recommend adding a 3 minute rest after each mile to gain complete rest and allow your heart rate to become more manageable. Remember the point is to train fast to be fast so adding in the break actually helps you perform at higher speeds)

Week 1Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up -> 10 X 1:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo
Paddle 2 Fartlek - 5 min tempo warm up-> 5 X 5:1 fartlek intervals -> 10 mins at tempo
Paddle 3 LSD- 6 miles AFAP

Week 2Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up-> 8 X 2:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle
Paddle 2 1 Mile Sprints- 1 Mile AFAP-> 3min recovery (repeat for 4 miles)
Paddle 3 LSD- 7 Miles

Week 3Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up -> 6 X 3:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle
Paddle 2 Fartlek intervals- 6 X 4:1 fartlek intervals -> 10 min tempo
Paddle 3 LSD- 6 miles AFAP

Week 4Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up-> 12 X 1:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle
Paddle 2 1 Mile Sprints- 1 Mile AFAP-> 3min recovery (repeat for 4 miles)
Paddle 3 LSD- 8 Miles

Resources and other linksAbout.com does a wonderful job simplifying the science and giving some advanced interval info
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/Intervals.htm

Karen Mirlenbrink the bay area SUPilates expert organized a lot of the great info on intervals in her blog.
http://suppaddleboard.com/blog/?p=101

Please direct questions tohttp://www.facebook.com/SUPracetraining
or supracetraining@gmail.com

Interval Training for SUP Smarter Not Harder

Interval Training for SUP Smarter Not Harder

By Garrett McCoy

CSCS, PES, CPT, Yoga-fit 1, PT Manager at Harbour Island Athletic Club

Support: YOLO board, Stand Up Fitness, Victory Kore Dry, Revitalabs

Author: http://suptraining.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/SUPracetraining

Interval training is a hot topic in the SUP community and there are several different theories out there. My aim is to simplify the topic and give you an applicable plan a beginning paddler or an elite racer can benefit from.

What is Interval Training

Interval training is a combination of high energy expenditure with planned periods of slower speeds and or rest. This training style has been scientifically proven to increase speed due to it’s effectiveness in training the body to buffer lactic acid. Lactic acid is an exercise waste product that causes the “burning feeling” or fatigue. The more efficient your body becomes at working near your lactate threshold the longer and harder you can perform before fatigue. Although often viewed as “speed training” or anaerobic, interval training is also very effective in increasing aerobic capacity and overall endurance. Interval training produces a chart of hills and valleys like the picture below. Imagine how your heart rate will rise with the work portion and crash with the rest period. Your heart rate will follow a similar pattern. The fitter you become the more quickly your heart rate will return to a more manageable heart rate. The peaks and valley effect keeps your body “guessing” so that it will burn more calories and your cardiovascular system will become more efficient. Overall this will burn more calories, increase speed, and increase endurance all with less total time on the water.

Smarter Not Harder

I have to chuckle when I hear about runners who run five to 6 days a week. Think about the constant pounding to their joints. It’s only a matter of time before overuse injuries kick in. Guess what? The same thing happens with SUP. I understand the stoke, but it’s just as silly to SUP that often. Especially if you are in “training” mode on all of your paddles. Paddle muscles and more importantly paddle muscle patterns need to rest to come back stronger. If you go out and paddle the same speed or distance all the time guess what the training effect will be? You will become really efficient at that speed or distance and not progress. You will be in a constant plateau. You are ignoring the most important rules of training.

 

 

Training Rules

S.A.I.D. Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands- You have to train fast to be fast.  

Progression- using the training variables of time, intensity, volume, and duration to continually improve performance.

Periodization- Being planned and specific with your workouts and phases so that you may peak at your most important races and prevent plateaus.

Sample Interval Plan and Definitions

Below is a sample 4 week interval plan applying the concepts from above. I never do training paddles two days in a row. I follow a schedule of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I do plenty of other cross training, but I believe in letting SUP muscles and patterns recover so that I may maximize each training session. Smarter not harder. The goal is a balanced routine so that I may continue to progress.

HIT Interval Explanation (HIT High Intensity Training) 10X 1:1 Means performing 10 sets of a 1 minute sprint followed by 1 minute of a leisurely pace.

Fartlek- is not just fun to say, but means speed play in Swedish. 5X 5:1 Means 5 sets of paddling 5 minutes near tempo and then sprinting for 1 minute. It’s not quite as intense as HIT intervals, but is a great way to break up a paddle and still gain the endurance benefits of intervals.

LSD (Long Slow Distance) - These are mileage days. I still would perform these close to race speeds, but the goal is the training variable of duration in the form of distance. It is important to progress and latter down when building up mileage)

1 Mile Sprints AFAP (As Fast As Possible) - Many of the top riders use this interval to gauge their speed. I recommend adding a 3 minute rest after each mile to gain complete rest and allow your heart rate to become more manageable. Remember the point is to train fast to be fast so adding in the break actually helps you perform at higher speeds).

Tempo- Is a fast yet comfortable pace that you can maintain ideal form. I use temp paddling to warm up and cool down. This is a perfect speed to think about "stroke" thoughts and form.

Week 1

Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up -> 10 X 1:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo

Paddle 2 Fartlek  - 5 min tempo warm up-> 5 X 5:1 fartlek intervals -> 10 mins at tempo

Paddle 3 LSD- 6 miles AFAP

Week 2

Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up-> 8 X 2:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle

Paddle 2 1 Mile Sprints- 1 Mile AFAP-> 3min recovery (repeat for 4 miles)

Paddle 3 LSD- 7 Miles

Week 3

Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up -> 6 X 3:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle

Paddle 2 Fartlek intervals- 6 X 4:1 fartlek intervals -> 10 min tempo

Paddle 3 LSD- 6 miles AFAP

Week 4

Paddle 1 Intervals- 5 min tempo warm up-> 12 X 1:1 intervals-> 10 min tempo paddle

Paddle 2 1 Mile Sprints- 1 Mile AFAP-> 3min recovery (repeat for 4 miles)

Paddle 3 LSD- 8 Miles

Resources and other links

About.com does a wonderful job simplifying the science and giving some advanced interval info

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/Intervals.htm

 

Karen Mirlenbrink the bay area SUPilates expert organized a lot of the great info on intervals in her blog.

http://suppaddleboard.com/blog/?p=101

Please direct questions  to

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SUPracetraining

or supracetraining@gmail.com

4/5/11 Run Intervals, Yoga

Tuesday 4/5/11
The weather is interfering with my training paddle again today! Lightning and strong winds made it impossible to paddle during my window of opportunity so it was on to plan b. My shoulder has still been a little tweaked so maybe someone is trying to tell me to take a rest.

Fighting Weight 204- (been stalled out for almost a week now, but I'm not too worried about it. I have been taking creatine which causes you to retain water weight)
Goal Weight 195 by 5/14 for Key West Race

Goal
SUP Intervals- rained out

Plan B
Run Intervals
Yoga

Workout Summary
Instead of trying to mimic the muscles and energy systems of SUP I wanted to take a little shake up and let my shoulder recover.

Run Summary
5 min jog at 6mph
5 X 2:1 intervals at 9 mph
Basketball shot cool down

I felt great on the run. 9 mph actually felt comfortable. I was very surprised with how quickly my HR recovered during intervals. That's part of the purpose of intervals, to control the spikes and return to lower HR. The fitter you are the faster they fall. This made me want to pat myself on my back.

Yoga
The yoga classes at our gym are great, but are never available in my down times. I went to a South Tampa studio on Platt street called Yogani. http://www.yogani.com/ I took their lunch time class. Here is the description "This class is one hour 15 minutes, one set of Bikram with a vinyasa in between. A beautifully rounded practice for those with a limited time at lunch but looking to get warm and work deeply into hips, shoulders with a glorious finishing sequence" Sounded great to me. I haven't done too much hot yoga so I was glad the class room was warm and not hot. I felt like 10 million dollars afterwards. The class truly energized me. I left for work at 4:40 and didn't get home till 6. This class gave me the energy and mind set to make it through the day. If you aren't a yogi, I suggest you try it. Mobility and core strength is a paddlers friend. Who couldn't benefit from being more relaxed and flexible. Chi is harnessed. I will be back.

4/4/11 EET Power workout

Happy Monday

“ The potential of the average person is like am huge ocean unsailed, a new continent unexplored, a world of possibilities waiting to be released and channeled toward some great good.” Brian Tracy

People dread Monday's. I embrace them. It's a chance to start a new and move closer towards my potential. Get your minds right.

GOAL

EET Power Workout

Possible SUP sprints (thunder storms in forecast for Tuesday)

Workout Summary

One of the privileges of being a Personal Training Manager is that you can have new trainer's train you. My newest teammate Larissa coached me through my drawn up workout. Thank you Larissa for keeping me on task. We all need a coach and preform better with a set of eyes on us. This is week 3 of the EET Power phase. I am feeling a little more explosive and my strength is going up on cleans and other Olympic lifts. My left shoulder is still a little tweaked, but isn't affecting me that much.

Dynamic Warm Up (Larissa's lead) she made me do a suicide the end of the warm up. That's just cruel.

Core Block-

KB Triangles

Plank (reach & rotation) Was surprised how hard this was. Loved it. good choice Larissa

MB Sit ups- always fun to throw Medicine balls around

3 sets of each block with approx 1 minute rests between blocks

Block 1

Cleans (155 X 5)

DB Jump Squat and Press (1 vertical 2 lateral 3 transverse) 10 reps

Block 2

Towel Pullups (good for grip, much harder) X 5

Lat Pulls (light and fast, it's all about speed) X 10

Block 3

DB Incline Press 85's X 5

Lateral Plyo Pushups BW X10

Block 4

Low Row (75's X 5) X5

FM Lawn mowers X 10

Block 5

FM Cable Press

FM Twist punch press

Overall a great workout. Having Larissa there made me work about 15% harder than I would have solo. This was a good mix of traditional meat head moves with a modern 3d approach. My entire body is pretty spent.

SUP

I was toast from my 11 he work day and I wasn't up for a down winder with winds about 20mph. Looks like the forecast has the storm pushing out in the early afternoon. I'll try to get some sprint intervals in on Tuesday around sunset.



4/3/11 Training Journal Sunset Paddle

It was my turn to do my weekend shift at work. So I opened the club bright early. Just what I needed after staying out late at The Hip Abduction show in St. Pete. I stopped by the Paddle Fit certification on my way home. It is an amazing site to see 20 boards on the water at one time not at a race. Brody Welte is doing an amazing job getting people qualified to spread the SUP stoke. Which reminds me have you seen the Stoke Harvester Logo? It's a guy out of Seattle. Very very cleaver. check him out on facebook.

After watching the Chicago Cubs break my heart and blow a lead in the 9th for what seems like the 10,000th time I took a power nap. Feeling rested I loaded up the boards and Erica and I headed south to Indian Rocks Beach. Close parking = minimum board schlepping and less tourists. The Gulf was flat and glassy. Thank you Jeff comer for loaning me a paddle as I wait on my replacement.
E and I paddled for about 45 mins at a moderate pace. It was very tranquil. I even saw an eagle raw go flying out of the water about 100 yards in front of me. My shoulders were still toasted from my "swim" home on Saturday. Light paddling felt amazing and I threw in a little Yoga as the Sun melted to the sea. Remember It's a great idea to harvest your stoke from time to time. It doesn't always have to be an all out training. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the post sunset "rainbow" of colors was spectacular. My soul is refreshed.

4/2/11 Stronger Than Carbon Fiber! Beach boot camp

I love Saturday's.
My friends have asked me to start a beach boot camp. The group ,energy, and excitement continues to grow every week.  After beach boot camp 3 SUP buddies joined me in my training paddle. It's so fun spreading the stoke.

Beach Boot Camp

KB's, DB's, MB's and SUP all blended together in a ffunctional core based class. We had 6 peeps in class today including one first time SUP'er, Lisa. We finished the class with a partner relay and my beautiful wife lit everyone up and gave her team a lead that would not be relinquished. Great Job E!

The SUP vibe in the Bay area keeps gaining momentum. I had my class of 6 going on while Brody Welte of Stand Up Fitness taught the Paddle Fit certification next door to a sold out class of 20! Kahuna Kai Adventure Center, also part of Stand UP Fitness had a 6 person lesson going on. My training partners joined up with me after boot camp and between all the groups there were 30 SUP'ers on the small Clearwater Sailing Center Beach!

Training Paddle
Jeff Comer, James Martin, and Matt Fillion and I had a 6 mile paddle planned to the spoil Island about 1 mile north of the memorial causeway. We launched from the Sailing Center Beach and I quickly took the lead. I wanted to be on the beach sipping coconut water before these dudes even got back to the bridge. As I was approaching the memorial causeway I had to pass one more boat channel. Of course 3 large boats came through at the same time and I had to stop and wait for them. They left me in some "washing machine" wake and I got pissed and tried to aggressively accelerate out of my dead stop to avoid falling off when SNAP! and SPLASH. I snapped my Kialoa Nalu in half and went flying in head first! It snapped in the middle of a carbon fiber paddle! I was 1.5 miles from the launch spot and my buddies were a bit back from me. I gathered my shards of paddle and it was time to prone paddle. My training buddies sat and chilled with me for a few minutes before I decided it was best to get my "swim" on. They continued on in the paddle. I was determined to beat them back. I alternated 20 swim strokes to 20 kneeling strokes. I have a new found respect for prone paddlers. My shoulders felt like molten magma. Thank god for the down wind. I couldn't wait to get to Brody and show him the paddle. Brody and the other paddle fitter's couldn't believer where the paddle was broken. I hope Kialoa will replace the paddle it wasn't even 9 months old and broke in flat water. I told him to order me a Quick Blade anyway. Apparently I need a stiffer shaft (that's what she said). I'm debating the 100 or 110 blade. What do you think QB users. My Nalu was 108in, I don't mind the big blade.

Anyway I guess I was still on the water for about 45 mins, about half the time I planned. I'll make it up on Sunday I guess. My training buddies wimped out and only went to the bridge. Come on guys step it up! The board was on my truck when you made it back.

SUP Community
I ran in to Chase from Water Monkey and Mike from Urban Kai while we watched the Hip Abduction SUP paddler Pat Klemawsihs's band. It was an all around great day for the SUP community in the Bay minus the paddle of course. check out thehipabduction.com. Amazing music. If you have seen my Youtube videos it's their music.

3/31/11 The Tornado SUP session?

What a gorgeous day in Tampa Bay! Psyche! Yes i just pulled a 90's on you. That's what happens when an outdoors man is stuck inside a cave all day. Tornado's, hurricane force winds, falling trees, and record lightning strikes. We must be paying for the last 2 months of perfect FL weather. Anyways...

Fighting Weight
204!
9 lbs to go in 6 weeks. 1.5 lbs a week. to make my goal for the Key West Race.

So my SUP session is out for today time to get innovative.

I wanted to duplicate the muscles and energy systems used in SUP. Trying to perform close to lactate threshold and killing my core. So here's what I came up with without planning. I wasn't as concerned with reps as I was with getting to the burn out on each activity.

Block 1
Row 500 Meters (I am improving here even got my first 500 in 1:35!)
KB Triangles 15 each side (works obliques and the "reach muscles")
TRX scorpions (getting better here i used to only be able to do 5 I did near 10 each set)

Block 2
Free Motion SUP chops (use bar attachment, hold like a paddle, and crunch)
Rope Temper tantrums (till i ran out of ATP about 20 reps)
Basketball court sprint

Block 3
Free motion Paddle decel (this mimics recovery the turn over or" punch of the stroke when paddle is out of water) Very hard!
Rope alternating arm temper tantrum (starting to get cooked by this point)

This only took about 30 mins and totally kicked my ass. It was a nice change of pace from my Power and endurance workouts of late, it was kind of in the middle. Nice curveball on opening day to keep the body guessing. That's how we get better.


Happy Opening Day People
The next two days are the greatest two days of the year. The rebirth of spring brings hope to all that love the greatest game in the world. There is no such game that mirrors our lives better than baseball. There is no such sport that is more diverse with nationalities. Baseball is Uniquely American and should be celebrated for what it still is our national past time. Remember catch with your dad, the first time you oiled up a new glove, juggling in the dugout while riding pine, sunflower seeds, big league chew, the first time you saw that green grass, or your first beer in the wrigley field bleachers. For today is opening day and may this finally be next year.

SUP Training Journal 3/30/11 EET Power Workout/ Caladesi 6 mile run

Goal
EET Power workout (light volume)
Run

EET Power workout summary
My shoulders are a little fatigued from my recent tough SUP sessions so today was a scheduled lighter day. The main event for strength training is my training session with my trainer Jason Grace on Friday.
3 rounds each block

Block 1
Wide Pullups 5
TRX "muscle ups" X10 AFAP (as fast as possible)

Block 2
DB Press 90's X 5
Switch pushups X 10 (staggered hands, push off as high as I can as fast as I can switching stagger)

Block 3
Free Motion Straight Arm Lat 30lbs x 5
Medicine ball slam 15lbs X10 (temper tantrum! woo hoo)

Block 4
Free Motion(FM) Fly 35lbs each stack X 5
FM 1 arm fly for spped 25lbs X10 AFAP

Basketball shooting cool down 10 minutes
Upper body is tight, did some corrective exercise for shoulders

Run Summary
"It's good for the soul when there is not a soul in sight" Dave Matthews in Kenny Chesney's I'm Alive.

Got out of work a little early today due to working this Sunday so I made the most of my time. I went straight from work to my secret spot on North Beach and went for a run. Here's some photos from my gorgeous soul filling journey.

Shell tree about 1.4 miles down right at the state park boundary.

Tiki man about 1.75 miles into the run

Trail head entrance about 2.1 miles down beach

 

Early trail. Love that no one is out here!

Turned onto the hammock loop about .4 into the trail. Love the smell of pine needles. Beautiful Live Oaks!

About a mile into trail 3.1 miles from start, when I started hearing thunder. That's usually a good sign to turn around, but i went another .4 miles anyway.

I turned around at 3.5 miles and took a little shorter trail back to the beach. Light rain started falling and as I neared the gulf I could see a major squall line.

The rain was never too bad and the wind actually shifted to make it an "Irish blessing" run meaning the wind was always at my back. I got out of leisure enjoy the scenery mode and averaged 8:20 miles as I ran the 2 miles back to my starting point. This run was amazing. I saw less that 10 people in my hour journey and they were all in the first 2 miles. Makes you really scratch your head about the people who come here on vacation to cram into motels on south beach. It also blows my mind that this is what this entire area should be like. I need to make this run mandatory at least once a week.

Total run 6.2 miles
58 mins (amazing considering I took all these pictures walked a little and I was running on sand and on trails)

3/29/11 Training Journal, SUP intervals, Beach Fun, and Yoga

Goal
SUP (8 X 5min :1min rest) Intervals + 1 mile sprint
Beach Fun
Yoga

SUP Summary
Board YOLO Eco Trainer
Launched from my "work" dock in down town Tampa at Post Harbour Apartments. It was a pleasure to finally get some manageable conditions with 10mphs and mostly flat water. The conditions have handed it to me in my last two training paddles. I headed out towards Davis Island and the bayshore route in an attempt to map some distance land marks for training partner Jeff Comer. I had the down wind on the way out and I was flying! Even with two one minute rests my first mile was 11:30. That is blazing on a stock board. I got progressively slower with each mile mostly because I got lazier in my rests. 2nd mile was 12:23. I turned around at 2.25 miles at Howard and bayshore and headed into the wind. My 3rd mile was in the 13's. After I completed my 8th and final 5:1 interval I took a full 3 minute rest. This was perfect timing as a pod of dolphins was feeding just off the bayshore sea wall. This site never gets old as the walkers and runners got quite the show of dolphin rolls, jumps, and splashes. I had about a mile back to my launch spot and I decided to go 100%. I knocked out 1.1 miles in under 13 minutes. Pretty fast for the end of a workout on a stock board. Overall all I felt great today. I'm glad I backed off my workout yesterday.
4.5 miles in 1:03 (11 minutes of this time was "rest" at very slow speeds)

Beach Fun
Erica and I walked down to the beach at sunset. It was quite peaceful for spring break with over cast skies. The water was extremely glassy. Would have been perfect for a sunset paddle. Doh! We played crack ball for about 30 minutes before sitting down and soaking in the serenity.

Yoga
I'm getting addicted to my fit TV yoga's. Turning this off after posting and harnessing my chi. YOLO!

3/28/11 EET Power Phase Week 2

Goal
Complete progression of last Monday's EET workout
Swim 30 mins

Fighting Weight
205 (woo to the fricking hoo!)
Goal 195 by 5/14 for Key West race.

Summary
Crazy busy day and crazy rainy day. The swim was rained out. Every time I got a break to swim it started raining again. Boo! I also got pushed to my workout till about 2:15 which didn't help my energy level. To continue with the excuses my shoulders and core were pretty fatigued from yesterday's 8 mile crazy condition paddle.

Anyways here's what happened
Block 1
Power Cleans 135 X 5
Tri Plane Vertical Jump X 10
1 min rest repeat for 3 sets  (felt pretty good, but definitely not 100%)

Block 2
Push Jerk 135 X 5
Hop Press 15 X 10sec
1 min rest, repeat for 3 sets

On my last round of push jerk, whether it was too heavy or I was too fatigued I decided to stop. My elbow began to hurt and i have a history of tendinitis flare ups. I decided to cut my losses and cut my workout short.
I vow to get 30 mins of exercise every day so I went to the Bball court to shoot hoops. Big reminder to anyone reading this if you aren't feeling your planned workout, you don't always have to push through. I go for the fun route in these situations. It keeps me from over training and makes me want to come back harder the next day. One of the bball hoops was down to 8 foot so I went back to being 13 years old and wanting to be Michael Jordan. I got some 360's, some bounce off the floor then the backboard, and even went for the free throw line dunk! Ok it was a volley ball line, but I'm a chubby white kid give me a break. Anyways i alternated jump shots on the big hoop and dunks to keep my heart rate up. Lots of fun and the 30 min flew by. On to fight tomorrow.

3/27/11 SUP 8 mile training paddle + Yoga

Goal
8 miles AFAP (as fast as possible)
Yoga (fit TV class)

Board
YOLO eco trainer (shoud have my 14 ft YOLO prowler in the next 2 weeks)

Summary
I am tired of the home track. Although I love the convience of dropping the board off my dock in the back yard I needed a change of scenery. I loaded my board and headed for my secret parking spot at north beach. There are a few public beach access spots, but very few known parking spots in the gorgeous North Clearwater Beach neighborhoods.

The weather was perfect!  It was in the low 70's when i started and there was a building southern wind. The objective was to go downwind for 4 miles to the end of caladesi island and go through the pass and then head back fighting into the wind. I am getting better at reading down wind bumps, but still have much to learn. It didn't help that i had a backpack full of water and food in the bungee system of my board so every time i caught a bump and water rushed over the nose the backpack acted as a break stopping the water. This proved to be a great learning experience as I toyed with my foot positioning. This forced me to read bumps and get in to the right position. I felt like I was in my own private nature park. Dolphins, tarpon, rays, and I think I saw a turtle as i cruse along Caladesi State Park. There where only a handful of people on the pristine beach and made me wonder what the hell is wrong with all the people crammed into south beach. Don't they now paradise is only a couple miles away and it only takes a 2 mile walk or a ferry ride?
Anyway I could tell the wind was getting stronger and I caught a handful of waves just south of the pass between Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. I went through the pass to a quiet spot where I was completely alone in paradise. I chugged a bottle of water, took down 3 shot blocks, and a banana to refuel. I was out of the water less than 5 minutes before I took on the "uphill climb" on the way home. It took only 49 minutes to go down wind and it took me 1:20 to fight the wind back. What a perfect training experience to get ready for Key West, there can't be that much more wind or current than I dealt with today. I am pretty sure my shoulders were as jacked as Dwight Howard's when I made it back. The couple days off payed dividends as I felt fantastic today. Can't wait to get my YOLO prowler. I want to go all the way around "Clearwater Beach/Caladesi Island" I'm guessing it's about 13 miles.

Other stuff
I bought some fresh grouper from Frechy's seafood market. Right off the boat! Going to go pan fry that sucker now to fuel up for another hard week of training.

Yoga tonight- I wrote it so now i have to do it.

YOLO!

3/24/11 SUP Training Journal 1 mile Sprints & SUP rides in the pool while wearing a kilt?

Thursday

Super Busy Day Today

My gym, Harbour Island Athletic Club is hosting a huge party tonight so there is lots to be done. I also have marketing to do to for Brody and I's demo tomorrow to launch the partnership between HIAC and Stand Up Fitness to bring SUP to downtown Tampa. It's going to be 14 hr work day, but let's be honest I don't really work I have fun all day.

Goal
4 1 mile SUP sprints.

Summary
I met my SUP training buddy Jeff Comer at the Post Harbour dock and we were in for a windy one.
Our goal was to gps out 1 mile intervals along Bayshore so we didn't always have to rely on a watch.
By the time we got to the harbour island bridge it felt like I was on a treadmill. I knew an audible would be called. I made it .75 miles to the Davis Island bridge, but Comer was way far back and there were actual white cap swells coming off the bay. I turned around and we decided to head up the hilsborough river towards I275. I enjoyed this route as I hadn't gone this way yet. We made it 2 intervals out and decided to head back. We were both flirting with the over training line so I wasn't trying to be any one's hero today. After each mile interval we took full rest about 3 mins and talked a little. We completed 3 full intervals and about 3.5 miles when we made it back to Comer's dock. He called it a day and I finished up with some sprints to buoy turns until I totaled 4 miles in 58 mins.
Overall happy with my performance considering fatigue level and the 20 mph winds. I'm going to take it easy the next couple of days to save up for a big training run on Sunday.

Too much fun
So the party at HIAC was called the shamrock shake. We are aware that St. Patrick's day was a week ago, but we decided to throw an Irish themed blast anyway. Our parties are quite ridiculous with food from over a dozen different vendors. Pizza, Sushi, French, Mexican, you name it we had it. Our members washed it down with complimentary beer and wine while watching Irish dancers and listening to a live band.However, I might have been the most entertaining part of the evening. I dropped my YOLO original into the pool to market our upcoming programs and before you know it I had 10 kids lined up wanting rides! This was way too much fun. Some of the kids might have been over the weight limit as I nearly sank or fell in a couple of times. 2 kids turned into 3 on the board and the next thing you know I was exhausted and made a run for it. What a cool night!

3/23 SUP Training Journal EET Power Workout 2

Goal EET Work 2

It was my turn to kick my trainer Jason Grace's ass. He hasn't used this phase much so this would be fun.
Remember EET phase goal is to
- enhance neuromuscular efficiency (brain body connection, how fast and efficient I can control motor skills)
- enhance prime mover strength
- increase rate of force production
- enhance speed strength
I'll be in this phase till 4/22. Hopefully you will see a powerful guy at the first WPA race on the 23rd.

1 minute rest between rounds of each block 3 sets of each.
Block 1
DL Power Pull   135 X 5  (from the ground using dead lift form powerfully perform an explosive upright row)
DB Burpee  10's X :10sec (got about 7 reps in before we burned out of ATP)
Cone Hop  (dynamic balance drill focusing on shifting directions laterally and in sagital plane, similar to "cross" hops.

Block 2
DB Bench Lunge 30's X 5  (just enough wait to pre exhaust R leg then immediately into R leg of next exercise and then go back for Left leg)
Single Leg Knee Drive  BW X 10 (from lunge use arm and opposite knee to explode off the ground)
Latter- ali shuffle, crossover,

Block 3
FM Lat Pull- 60 lb plate X 5
Spider Man's- from a squat and perform lat pull, jump as high and as far as you can letting the cables lift you like spider man. Perform 10 reps explosively)
Rope Slams- Who doesn't like to throw :10sec temper tantrum's

Block 4
Incline Press- 70 lb DB's X 5
MB Toss- 14lb soft MB- Jason and I tossed at each other, try to absorb and get rid of quickly like a VB set
Fists of fury- :10 sec on the punching bag all out

Block 5
Prone Bench Row- From a pushup position on a bench rowed a KB X 5
FM Hop rows- explosivly preform a cable row hopping backwards as you pull and forward to load
Rope battle- Alternate arm temper tantrum- was pretty gassed by here

Block 6
Plate Pushup- an incline pushup feet on bench with 45 lb plate on low back X 5
Side to side pushups- from knees explode as far and as high laterally on each pushup

Cool down- band stretch
a game of hoops

Summary
Felt great again today. I really enjoy this training phase. Jason did well today. He ran out of a little steam.
You peeps should look into the rope slam training. I'll work on a video for this once I get my new one in I ordered today.

Going to do something active at sunset time. Maybe a sunset paddle cruise, maybe to the beach for "crack ball" Find a way to burn 300-500 calories through something relaxing and fun! It all adds up. I got 11 lbs to loose before 5/14.

YOLO Winter Race Series #4 Clearwater- Summary

This one was for all the marbles. Several of the point titles were up for grabs. Including the men and woman's 12'6" race class and most importantly to me the stock division title. Brandon Rahae and I have had quite the battle over the YOLO series.
Brandon won
Race 1- In St. Pete on the Bay The "Brody Bowtie" course by dominating me on turns and winning by :55 sec
Race 2-  In Clearwater on the inter coastal in tough conditions by :34 sec

I won
Race 3 by :55 sec in Sarasota on the "Nascar course"

I needed to win by :35 sec to take home the points title. I was feeling very confident as this was my home course launching from the Clearwater Sailing Center Beach heading through the pass and back south along Sand Key before completing 2 buoy turns and heading back. Brody is a lier if he thinks this course was 4 miles. I use my GPS watch all the time on this course it is closer to 4.5 miles. So don't feel bad about your times guys.

How my race went
I had my best start ever. Was the first one to the buoy by a few seconds. I knew Brandon would be coming on strong as he is usually quicker than me in against the wind or against the tide conditions with his crazy fast RPM choke down stroke. Sure enough we were dead even by the time we got to the bridge. Brandon took the inside route close the jetty as did much of the field. I was laughing confidently as I knew this strategy would cost the field as soon as a boat come through with cross chop coming off the rocks. Sure enough no boats and Brandon had a 10 sec lead by the end of the jetty. The turn at the jetty had some wicked title flow and 2 racers from the race class decided to drop on their knees right in front of me at the turn. This killed my turn momentum and nearly knocked me in. I even went across the back of the guys board as I cursed at him under my breath. By now Brandon and Mary Ann were a good :30 sec in front of me and Brandon was set up right behind her drafting. Dreams of the point title went out, but I thought I could still win the race. I new I could gain on the down wind, but my catch up was minimal. When we got back to the jetty Marry Ann and I took the wide route as Sue and Brandon went inside. This time the strategy worked out as Marry Ann got in front for the win over YOLO Sue and I closed the gap on Brandon. It was an amazing finish as Brandon beat me by about :15 sec, Marry Ann beat me by about :5 sec and YOLO Sue finished close behind me. The video will tell the story



Check out the official final race standing's on YOLO's website

You should have seen Chase Kosteretz. He beat YOLO Justin by a full 2 minutes. The water monkey was cruising through the water and claims he got off to a bad start. Ha.

The most rewarding thing about this race was encouraging two first time racers to compete. Co-worker and my trainer, Jason Grace did the race and this was only his 3rd time on a board! He did fantastic! Jason even beat a few strong paddlers, not naming any names Matt.

Client and SUP enthusiast Jeff Comer competed for the first time in the 14 ft class. He apparently wanted no part of the start letting every one clear out before he hit the water, but he finished strong and had a great race. Check out the picture towards the end of the video where I am standing in front of a blue YOLO original with 2 other guys. Jason is on the left and Jeff is the ripped dude in the middle. He is my hero if I am half as active or in shape as he is when I get close to "the hill" I will be proud. Don't let back conditions, diabetes, or age hold you back. Jeff doesn't and look at him!

Unfortunately, I had to bail before the awards ceremony. My family was in town and I had them and several friends waiting on me to go to the Zac Brown Kenny Chesney concert. I really wanted to cheer on my rivals and bond with the SUP family, but having worked for Brody I know what "5 minutes means"

I want to give a shout out to Brandon Rahae. I didn't think anyone can out "rocky" me. I have a will to win and an under dog attitude that propels me to win by out working people. Brandon has the heart of a lion. Watch out 12'6" racers, there is a new shark in the water. Know that this guy will be on the podium regardless of who's in the race. Thank you for taking me from a good racer to a strong competitor. You have got to be an amazing influence on your PT clients. Move to Tampa I have a job for you and we can train together.

Also a shout out to Sarah Langdon my YOLO sister. Your attitude is fantastic. I want to see you take it to the next level and earn a race board like I have. I know you can do it!

3/22/11 SUP Intervals, Run Intervals, Short Swim

Goal for today
SUP Intervals- 10 X 3:1 Intervals + 1 Mile at tempo + Water Therapy
Run Intervals 10 minute jog warm up ->10 X 1:1 Intervals->10 minute Jog warm down
Swim 8 laps AFAP

Run Summary
My run volume the last couple of weeks has affected my SUP training so i scaled it back this week.
I started at 10:50 ran 10 minutes past the Davis Island Bridge and started my intervals.
I felt fricking fantastic! I saw a few HIAC members and one of my clients walking down bayshore so I went into show off mode. (I'm a ham I can't help it) I ran my intervals like parqour or whatever they call those crazy runners who are basically stunt men. Bay shore has exercise machines every once in while so I turned them into my obstacles. I hurdled the exercise machines and side walks,  juked out palm trees, and I even tried to long jump the sand pits. Fun!
Total time 45 mins approx 5 miles including walk time.
I ran in my Vibram Kamodo's for the first time today and they felt great, much better than my KSO's. They still need a little breaking in however.

Swim Summary
I've been slacking on my Total Immersion reading, but excelling in my swimming. My form is progressing every time. I am beginning to understand "Swimming down hill" and "floating on my buoy." My bilateral breathing is improving as well.
8 laps in 15 minutes. This is huge for me. A couple weeks ago this took me about 30 mins and I was nearly drowning every time.

SUP Summary
YOLO Eco Trainer
I have been focusing on form a lot lately so I wanted to focus on RPM's. I can't get the image of Brandon Rahae's RPM's in Saturday's race. He literally paddles at least 3 to my 1! Hence the interval I chose today.

I opened the gym this morning so I have been up since 4am. I took a power nap till about 4pm and hit the water around 4:30. I launched from my dock and headed south past the Clearwater Marina.
I hammered out my 3:1's paddling sub 12 min mile pace during the work period and pretty much drifting during the recovery minute. I went 7 intervals out before I turned around and went another Mile at tempo with a focus on form and efficiency. I finished with 10 minutes of "water therapy" where I stare in the water, drift with the current, and simply be thankful for being on the water. As seriously as i have begun to take my SUP training its equally as important to tune back in with why I love the sport in the first place.

I dominated today. If only I felt this good everyday through both workouts.
YOLO!