Memphis in May

I had just over 2 weeks to prepare for the Outdoors, Inc. 5k race in Memphis after returning from my recent visit to our new factory in China. With minimal training during my travels, I knew I needed to get in some quality sessions, but not overtrain and become flat just before the race.

My first day back, I went out for a 15 km paddle, then took a day off as I was swamped at work. The following day was the start of the East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival on James Island in Charleston. I managed to do an intense 40 minute workout on the first day (Friday), but then was tied up with other activities and didn’t get a chance to train Saturday or Sunday. Below is my schedule for the 2 weeks leading up to the race.

Training Week 1

Monday: Paddle 8 km (40 min.) broken up with 3 long fartlek pieces.

Tuesday: Paddle 23 km around Isle of Palms – caught some decent surf runs down the coast, then fought the tide paddling back up the inner coastal.

Wednesday: Paddle 15 km cruising for 3-1/2 minutes, then sprint all out for 30 seconds, immediately dropping back into a cruise for another 3-1/2 minutes. Repeated for 15 sprints.

Thursday: Run 2.5 miles, then short weight lifting session

Friday: Paddle 10 km with 4 x 1.5km pieces, resting 2 minutes between

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Run to Pool (3/4 mile), swim 800 meters, run back, then lift weights for 25 minutes

Training Week 2

Monday: Paddle 24 km with 5 x 20 minute pieces / resting 3 minutes between

Tuesday: Paddle 7 km with 2 x 20 second sprints, 3 x 40 second sprints and then 2 x 20 second sprints from standing start. All pieces with long rest (complete recovery).

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: Paddle 8 km with 4 x 4 minutes. Each piece with 30 second hard start, followed by 1:10 at pace, then 20 second sprint, 1:10 at pace and 50 seconds hard to the finish.

Friday: Travel to Memphis. Paddle 8 km – put in near start, paddle don’t around turn and then back up to start.

Saturday: RACE 5 km on the Mississippi (plus warmup and cool down)

Training Rationale

I did a few longer sessions in the first week plus a couple strength building workouts. On Monday the 2nd week I had a long session at good pace, followed the next day with very short intense sprints. I wanted to push up the speed for a good start and good kick at the finish if needed. By Wednesday, I could tell I was getting tired. I hadn’t had much time to prepare, so it was better to take a day off – rather than continue to push hard and overtrain. I needed a rest to recover before the race!

On Thursday, I pushed some hard pieces, but the total length of the session and number of pieces was short, so as not to overdo it. Friday was easy to work out the kinks from traveling and check out the river.

Equipment Choice

I paddled Friday with a 26mm thick pad on the V12, thinking that sitting higher would be beneficial on relatively flat water. However, the Mississippi is very turbulent, with boils in the water – creating stability issues even though it is flat. After the practice session, I decided I would be better of going down to only a 10mm pad for the race. I’d more than make up for the potential 1 or 2 seconds to be gained with a higher paddling profile, by feeling completely stable and putting full power on each stroke.

In the race, I opted for our Mid Large Wing paddle at 217 cm. Since the race was short (16 minutes) I thought a larger paddle would give me more power and speed. I’ve noticed that the larger blade also tends to be a little more stable on tracking and thought that might help in the turbulent current.

The Race

On race day I had a good start. Typically Mike Herbert (2 x World Silver Medalist at 500 meters) tends to jump out 1 to 2 boat lengths at the start on me. However, this time, I held him even off the start and moved into the lead after 100 meters when we turned into the Mississippi. After 1 to 2 minutes I put in another spurt and managed to drop Mike off my wake. From there on in, it was a steady pull to the finish.

I was surprised by my faster than normal start. I’m not sure if it was the V12, the few sprints I did leading up to the race, or if Mike was just having an off day

You can see the results of the race here and more photos here.

Olympic Hall of Fame

On another note, I’ve been nominated again for the US Olympic Hall of Fame. Voting is open to the public. We’ll see if I get in this time!

Allstate Insurance is developing a FaceBook page for nominees, so I may have that up and going soon.