Usually winter-time training goes pretty well for me. My wife sends me off to Maryland to stay at my family's place. I get to paddle and see my family and she gets to do...nevermind, I don't want to know what she gets to do while I am away!!
These past few months of training for the Carolina Cup have not gone as well as planned. There has been a lot of upheaval and so many curveballs have been thrown in my direction that my eyes almost well up with tears every time I think about clicking on that button that registered me for the Graveyard Elite race instead of the Money Island Open race. The Graveyard race takes you out in the ocean and the last time I raced in the ocean off Wrightsville Beach I got pummeled. I expected to spend a lot of time in Ocean City trying to get acclimated to wavy seas but didn't make it there once...
As I have examined all that has gone wrong I have divided up things that are my fault, my wife's fault, my mother's fault, and the fault of TOoMC (Things Out of My Control).
Me: 473
My Wife: 0
My Mother: 0
TOoMC: maybe 1 but really 0
I have had to adjust to many of my own mistakes and try to find some balance in life to continue progression and to keep things on an even keel. Here are highlights of a few tests and trials:
As soon as I got back I rushed out to paddle and went into the wind using a 9" blade because I was panicked that I was behind my mileage schedule. End result - dangerously shore shoulders. Anybody reading this who is a paddler is shaking their heads thinking what an idiot...I know I know.
My offseason time in the weight room might have been too much. Being that it was winter I spent a lot of time lifting weights and running and standing on medicine balls. I introduced a few more exercises into my weight routine that focused on getting my shoulders stronger. The transfer from land to water did not feel very good. During my last re-entry into paddling after a long hiatus, from November to January, I did not feel as uncomfortable getting the paddling muscles into a smooth flowing motion. This time around it was quite different and quite uncomfortable. I knew I should have dropped a day of weights and gone into the hot yoga room!!
This trip I took Eli Mongrel with me. Eli is such a sweetheart but he is a HANDFUL! My wife and I decided that winter in Oxford would be good for trying to work on the separation anxiety with the mongrel because the building where I would be staying would be empty of occupants and my mother's house has no full-time neighbors on either side. Well, there were plenty of cars in the parking lot on weekends and my mom was in Florida on vacation so she wasn't around to help out with the process. I don't mind a dog barking his head off as long as he isn't bothering someone else and/or flailing against his crate. Coming back from a paddle and finding Eli with a bloody snout or completely busted out of his crate did not make the process easy.
When my mother finally returned from her trip she was exhausted and on the verge of getting sick so I didn't want to leave Eli with her for too long. Eli Mongrel is not a comforting companion for the very tired individual, especially an individual you love and who has bent over backwards all of their life for you! My paddles were either kept too short or I went too fast because I was worried about the mongrel bothering all of Oxford's winter-time population, which was more than I expected this year. Also, the water was just too cold to keep flowing over Eli's private parts when I took him paddling with me!! Damn recessed deck!
My board was full of water. This one hurt. My 12-6 DEAN got dinged on the nose while in winter storage, not by me, and out of curiosity I tipped the tail end up to see if any water was inside of it. WOW, was I surprised!! There were microscopic hairline fractures along the seam at the tail where carbon fiber joined what looks like balsa wood. I cut those out and tipped the nose up then watched the water really flow out of it. I left it at an angle and traveled back to Chicago to pick up more gear, hoping I would be able to patch it when I returned.
Unfortunately, there was still some dampness around one of the holes so I needed some sun to dry the surface around the ding. Sun has been hard to come by this year! As I began to panic I began to smear Marine Tech on the holes and dinged the bow again moving the board around to find sunlight so I smeared more Marine Tech on the board. All the dings were fixed and sanded except for one. I tried to rush things and just created more work for myself. I knew, at the very beginning, I should have cut the tail off and let the board drain and the foam dry completely. Such is happening right now so the board should be ready to repair when I get back from my 2nd unexpected trip back to Chicago.
Looks like we have to move again. (Our building was sold and the new landlords are awful and do not deserve one penny of our rent!) Gracie's mom has permitted us and the two hairy mongrels to return to her house in Ogden Dunes so my employment plans for the summer are up in the air again. I am back in Chicago trying to see if I can work something out, but my wife has graciously allowed me to return to Maryland for the summer if opportunities await there. And it is still so dang cold here in Chicago that the thought of going out on Lake Michigan doesn't really excite me, but I have to in order to get some more miles under my belt. Eli went swimming this past Saturday and his body felt like a block of ice when he got out. It was so extreme that I got a little nervous that the cold would affect him physically. However, he did not even shiver and his tail wagged for more. (We left the beach after feeling his body.) The dog is a lot tougher than we all thought...unless he is out of sight of his momma!
Where has global warming been this year? Last winter spoiled me. I haven't be able to man up and get out on the water on these cold dreary days. Although I wish it wasn't, this one is still my fault because I have the gear to be out there and still be safe.
I think I have complained enough today...
The best part about venting my whines is realizing that I still cannot wait for the Carolina Cup weekend to arrive!! I am doing a paddle clinic with Danny Ching, as are a lot of my paddling buddies, racing out in the open ocean, which is always a great learning experience, getting my Level 3 certification in Paddle Fit, which might help me earn a shekel or two, and getting the opportunity to see old friends and family and possibly make some new ones. How can getting ready for any part of this upcoming weekend be a bad thing? There is only one answer to this question:
IT CAN'T BE A BAD THING!
Having to adjust to the circumstances life throws at you, if you react properly, increases growth. When you don't react properly you dig some deeper holes, but...if you, again, adjust, there is great potential for growth. I am working on that great potential now!
I am still growing and learning how to become a better Christian, husband, son, dog owner, paddler, business man, friend, and family member. During these recent trials I have discovered a lot of areas where I still need work. This is good, sometimes hard to accept but good nonetheless. I hope that on the other side of April 27th I will have worked hard enough so my growth is noticeable to others and I can have a positive effect on those around me.
All the while I will be open for advice from others to make this positivity happen!!
Come on spring!!
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