The WORST weather of the week was the day of the Cold Stroke Classic! Cold and windy. It was the windiest race I had ever participated in…by far. Such conditions do not make for a bad race because it was the first time I had pushed my body to its limits in quite a long time. The Cold Stroke is a great race to participate in because you find out where you stand, physically and mentally, well before race season truly gets under way. If you look at the calendar the 12 week mark for the Carolina Cup is February 1st. The Cold Stroke is a great litmus test and guide for where your training program should focus in preparation for the Cup. I have much preparation to do in 12 weeks!!
I had a great start or so I thought! My feet went from the sand right on top of the board like I had been practicing at the Strand Beach. However, when I went to paddle my blade would not hit the water. I had no idea why until I felt some tightness around my ankle and realized my paddle was tangled up in my leash. I HATE LEASHES (but I understand and appreciate their use…at times). After a few twisting tugs of desperation my leash came free and I was able to start paddling. As I made the turn to head north I still managed to have the lead. Halfway up the first leg Dan Gavere went by on my right and Ron Gossard went by on my left. This leg was pretty much downwind so I thought I could catch up to Ron and try to draft him but I wasn't ready to use up all my energy to do so. Bad choice on my part, sort of.
When we turned left to the dead upwind leg with gusts of 30 knots I fell back from Ron and Dan. If I had expelled all of my energy to try and get to Ron's tail I would have been dead in the water going upwind. Upwind has always been my strong point but such was not the case at the Cold Stroke. This breeze stood me straight up at times and I did not have the strength or the wind to push through as well as I would have liked! Jeremy Whitted, who ended up winning the race, and a gentleman named Steve passed me going upwind and looked too strong to catch when doing so.
Then I got passed again…I wanted to stay in the top 5 and was not in the top 5 at the end of lap one. Things needed to change. On the downwind leg heading east from the ICW toward the Blockade Runner I knew this was the time to make some changes. The lead pack of four was nowhere in sight.
Before the race I had ripped the top off a Hammer Nutrition chocolate gel (which proved to be a valuable time saver) and stuck it in the top pocket of my SUPreme jacket, in case I needed it. I definitely needed it. I took the time to suck in the gel a bit at a time without losing too much momentum. I would paddle then take a gulp while I had some glide from a small bump. I also took off my gloves. Gloves were a necessity at the start but with all the work this race demanded I soon felt overdressed. Plus, to make up time I need to feel my paddle and get the best possible purchase to get after it for a while. The gel kicked in, the hands felt good, the electrolyte tablets in my Dakine hydration pack quenched my thirst and I was ready to work harder.
On the second lap everything was coming together. Feeling much better I was able to catch up and draft for fifth place. We switched off just before rounding the turn to head back west into the wind. Here, I saw the lead four. I really shortened up my stroke and tried to speed up my cadence. Most importantly, I prayed for strength to speed up the cadence! It had been a while since I saw the lead 4. I wanted to get to them.
For a while I felt like I was catching up to the lead pack! However, as time went on that reality was short lived. I did not take a great line heading west into the wind and by the time I made the left turn to head under the bridge over the ICW the top four were out of sight again.
Turning left to head east on the downwind leg they still weren't in sight. DANG! Them beasts were fast! REAL FAST!
Heading downwind I did something I swore not EVER to do in any race. I looked back. I saw that I had a comfortable lead to keep fifth but in the 14' class there is never a comfortable lead. You never know what can happen so I always want to look ahead and stay after it. I did not want to fall too far behind, time wise, from the lead pack. Oops, I guess you can't have everything you want!!
I was super happy to grab 5th and stay in the top 5 until I saw my time. Yikes! Luuuuuucccccyyyyyy, we got some training to do!!
All in all the Cold Stroke was a great time! Had a fun dinner Friday night with all the boys in the Orange Mafia (SUP Annapolis crew) who came down for the race. On Saturday I really enjoyed hanging out with fellow racers. Ron and I talked strategy before the race about what line to take at the start. His strategy worked well throughout the whole race and Ron grabbed 2nd place with a blistering fast time. Cousin Neil grabbed first in the 3.5 mile race and Bryan Barton took second so Maryland represented well in North Carolina.
Other highlights from the week: I enjoyed meeting Jason from Carolina Paddleboard Company and hanging around his shop talking shop. Seeing Barry Blackburn is always uplifting because it is just always good to be around good people. His daughter Anna won the Female 3.5 mile race which is AWESOME. She won first in her age group and first overall! Anna is a young lady to watch emerge in the SUP scene! Isn't it great to see the next generation work hard and get results!!?? It was nice to see John Beausang on the water after hearing about his shoulder issues!! Paddling the 2014 Starboard Allstar is just a pleasure. That board feels great in all conditions. The only reason that board was so far behind was due to operator error. Prone! I love going prone. I want a 10-6 custom JM Paddlebaord to go race in the ocean. I had such a good time feeling the beat down of laying down to paddle! Eli Mongrel is a great training partner for doing intervals on the beach. He will make you sprint. Feel free to borrow him any time you want to go running!
Remember, the 12-Week mark for the Carolina Cup is February 1!! Time to rest up and get ready to hit it hard!
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