Quick Workout Routes - Follow the Markers

With our days getting shorter and windows of decent weather becoming less frequent, I often find I just want a simple workout that I can do in less than an hour. By knowing the distance and repeating the route, I can compete with myself for time. One route I like to follow is along the channel and hazard markers north from Swantown Marina and back. I through in a little zigzag from Priest Point to the old floating log on the return for a little extra time too. It's just over two and half miles of paddling and depending on your goals and tempo, can be a 35-55 minute workout. Perfect for those days when you spot a little break in the clouds on the double doplar radar.

The Route in a Clockwise Fashion

Looking North with the Arc of Markers

Nearing the Turn Around Point

The Turn Around Point and Towards Priest Point

Impressive Ship, Still Proppant Cargo

A few posts ago, I wrote about the Port of Olympia receiving cargo from China that is destined for fracking in other places in the country. Well, it wasn't a one time incident. The Star Kilimanjaro is here, unloading more ceramic proppants. Sure it's bringing two day shifts to the Port, but again I ask, does our community want to participate in the potential enviromental disasters of other communities?

M/V Star Kilimanjaro

Someone Finally Turned Off the Faucet

We went from an amazingly dry extended summer to a drenched fall overnight. It's as if someone turned on a faucet and forgot to shut it off. Okay, maybe it hasn't been that bad, but after the summer we had, if feels like it. That's why it's so nice to be able to sneak out on a paddle with dry skies whenever you can.

Fall Colors at the Marina

Changing Leaves and Gray Skies - Fall in the Northwest

An Abundance of Jellyfish Remain -
this island stretched for fifty feet or more!

An Incredibly Dense Mat of Jellies

Homework, Pt. 1

Now that the rainy season has returned to the Pacific Northwest, it's time to start thinking about indoor conditioning for paddling.  I want to start introducing you to some SUP-specific movements you can do without a lot of equipment on those days when the weather takes a turn for the worse. 

The first two are both very similar movements and engage the shoulders, chest, and lats. Imagine the movement of your top hand as you complete a forward paddle stroke. Both of these movements simulate that. And the pulling of your lower hand as you paddle; these movements complement that as well. These two movements are essentially reverse pullovers. 

Exercise Number One: Position your hips and torso on the Fitball. Keep your core engaged. Start with a good stretch and reach. Pull your upper body through your arms while using your shoulders, chest, and lats. Return to the start by extending back on the ball. Eventually try to build exposiveness on the positive, return part of the movement.  3 sets of 10 - 15 repetitions.

To Start - Pull the Body Through

Finish - Return to Start

Exercise Number Two: On your knees, with your core engaged, slowly roll outward with the handwheel. Roll only as far as in comfortable. As you build strength you can extend further. Use your core, lats, and shoulders to return to the start. Do 2-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

Start - Keep the Core Engaged

Middle of Movement - Use Slow Control,  Extend Only as far as Comfortable

To Finish - Engage Core, Lats, and Shoulders and  Return to Start of Movement

Rowing and Stand Up Paddling

After talking with some local rowers, we came to the conclusion that stand up paddling is the perfect complement to the art of rowing. Using movements that complement  rowing, build balance, strengthen and stretch the hips, and the ability to work out when the weather and seas are rough are all reasons why cross training with a paddleboard is great for rowers. It seems that men in particular have a difficult time using their hips to 'roll' their shell over broadside wind waves and boat wake, and by forcing them to loosen their hips, paddleboarding in particular, helps them when in their rowing shell. Rowing is considered one of the best all around sports and activities, and with so many similar movements, stand up paddleboarding has to be a close second. Depending on your workout, both can require aerobic and anaerobic endurance, power, and balance, all while on the water. So for those of you who crew or enjoy sculling, when the weather is rough, I'd suggest going for a paddle while standing up. I promise it's better than looking at a wall while rowing on the Ergo. You'll just have to get used to not having to continually look over your shoulder. 

Baselines & Outliers

Because I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Nutrition, I hear it all the time. "You'd hate to hear what I ate yesterday." I may as well be a priest holding confessional. I find myself reassuring folks all the time,  it's not what you you every once in a while, it's what you do most of the time. I'm talking about your baseline - what you typically do 90% of the time. Do you typically eat well, get enough sleep, exercise regularly? If so, then that extra piece of dessert, late bedtime, or missed workout isn't going to be the end of you. I encourage folks to think of it in this way. Try not to hold yourself to an impossible ideal, just try to support your life's goals and values 90% of the time. Set and maintain your baseline in a way that feels in line with your lifestyle and values. Then the outliers won't seem so out of control. It's when the outliers become the norm that trouble begins to surface. And most of us know and recognize it too. Think of yourself as a high performance machine that needs high octance fuel and a lot of care and maintenance. You can get away with a little neglect now and then, or run some low-grade fuel, but if you try to do that all the time, your engine will start to sputter and stall. And you don't want that. Most of us know what we need to do to take good care of ourselves, whether as athletes or not, it's just taking the time and care to ensure that we do it.

Why Not an Omnium Race?

In the world of stand up paddleboard racing, there are sprint, circuit, and long distance races. Each requires a different set of strengths and skills. Sprints require raw power, circuit races demand paddling skill, while distance races necessitate both aerobic and anaerobic endurance. So I've been wondering, hasn't there been a race weekend that involves all three? A race series that awards points based on race placing and acknowledges the 'best' overall paddlers.

Sprint and circuit racing are both incredibly spectator friendly and would fare well in a waterfront-based city, perhaps one with a marina. I've never organized a race, but now that I think of it, Olympia seems like the perfect place for an omnium weekend. Between Portland and Seattle, two stand up racing hotbeds, and right off of I-5, maybe there is room for an omnium.

200m or 500m Race

Circuit Race

Distance Race

Omnium Potential?

In the Moment...

There's a weekend forecast that includes showers. So wetter weather is finally on its way. First measurable precipitation since August. But this morning, it was as beautiful, calm, and clear as it's ever been. It's hard to believe it's the first week of October!

Battle of the Paddle Racing Videos

From last weekend's racing at Dana Point, Cali...

This is a long one...

And these great videos at Vimeo...

Aerial View of the BOP

First Day Qualifying Heats of the BOP - this video almost makes you overlook the custom board carnage

The Port and Fracking - NIMBY

From Shanghai to Olympia

The M/V Star Dieppe arrived this past Thursday from China, not to load lumber from the Port of Olympia, but to offload cargo. The cargo it was unloading is called ceramic proppants, for a company based out of Texas called Rainbow Ceramics. Proppants? What in the world is that you ask? From Wikipedia, "A proppant is a material that will keep an induced hydraulic fracture open, during or following a fracturing treatment, while the fracking fluid itself varies in composition depending on the type of fracturing used." Hydraulic Fracturing, or more commonly known as 'Fracking,' is a very controversial method of petroleum or natural gas extraction. Environmentalists, activists, and the people in areas that have been affected by fracking cite poisoning of the water table, harmful air emissions, increased earthquakes, and health complications as reasons as to why fracking should be stopped. Of course, the oil industry suggests otherwise. 

But I want to ask, if there is such a controversy, and the results aren't in with respect to its safety, why is the Port of Olympia supporting it by receiving proppants for Rainbow Ceramics? In western Washington, we don't have to think about fracking very often, because it's not happening in our backyard. But having had to face and still contend with our own Superfund Clean-up site at Northpoint, thanks to Cascade Pole, do we want our Port to be a participant in other communities' environmental problems? 

The M/V Star Dieppe is gone, its cargo unloaded, and fracking in the midwest, east, and south will continue...

Know Before You Go, Pt. 7; Tidal Predictor

Here is another site that offers tidal current predictions: XTide Prediction Server. By simply entering the name of the location you are interested in, you will find out about the currents' times and velocity for that body of water. This is particularly helpful since the BIS (Boater Information System) Portal hasn't had tidal data available for about a month. 

The Beast of Budd Inlet?

By now, some of you have probably discovered my interest in mythology & folklore.

May I present Buddy, the Beast of Budd Inlet...

South Sound Paddles; West Bay Log Boom

A nice, relatively easy paddle in the southern end of Budd Inlet is from Swantown Marina to the log boom on the west side of the inlet. The majority of this part of Budd Inlet is a No Wake zone, so there is much less of a concern of reckless boaters and their wake. You will need to be concerned with wind and weather, however. Summer afternoons typically bring wind from the NNW and fall, winter, and spring brings storm patterns from the SW. So be aware of what the wind may do as you paddle to and from the log boom.  

You'll also want to keep a safe distance from the many harbor seals that haul out on the boom. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires that you remain 100 yards from any mammals. This can be  difficult to do when circling the boom but I'll personally request that you give them the space and respect they deserve and keep noise to a minimum when passing by. Other wildlife you may encounter include eagles, osprey, herons, and kingfishers.

This is a beautiful and accessible paddle from Olympia. Aside from weather, there are few additional concerns - tidal currents are typically negligible. In addition to launching from Swantown Marina, West Bay Park is another nice start and end point, so long as the tide will remain relatively high during your outing. Have fun!

Swantown to the West Bay Log Boom and back via Priest Point Park
Round trip distance: 3.5 Nautical Miles

Swantown Boat Launch

Leaving Swantown, Paddling North

Looking back at Swantown Marina

Looking towards West Bay Marina

Southern End of the Boom

Northern End of the Boom 

Harbor Seals at the End of the Boom

The Real Harbor Patrol

Local Race this Sunday, October 7th

I'm all about fun, local racing and  also not having to drive long distances to participate in the sport or activity you love. But a $55 entry fee feels a little steep. That's a nice chunk of money for some good old fashioned suffering. I guess I'm glad that I have other obligations on Sunday so that I don't have to decide between supporting a local race and spending more than $50 to compete in it.  But if you have the time and money, check it out here. It's being put on by Tacoma South Sound Sports, an organization that has a solid reputation for promoting different sporting activities in the South Sound area.

Same Amazing Sunsets - Now Just A Little Earlier

A second paddle of the day. Tonight's paddle was another incredible one. Paddled with a good friend, Brian, who was a natural on his first outing. And these sunsets still defy description.

What Is Going On?! The Weather Report

This Morning - More of the Same

Now it's getting ridiculous! The weather couldn't be better. When reviewing my amateur meteorlogical record keeping, we had 30 dry days in September; 20 of them with completely clear skies. Twenty three of thirty days saw temperatures reach 70 degrees F or higher. Add to that 25 dry days in July, and 30 dry days in August, when the only damp day saw very light showers. And...the forecast for the next two weeks suggests more of the same! I'm starting to take this for granted. 

And a special message for those of you living outside of the Pacific Northwest: That weather report was a joke! It's been non-stop rain, wind, and below normal (far below normal) temperatures since last December. Ugh! Whatever you do, don't move here.