Training for the James River Rundown

I had the day off today for Good Friday and after waiting a bit to see if it was going to rain (it was very overcast with some sprinkles this morning,) I decided to head out to get in some base miles in preparation for the James River Rundown 100 mile race.

I got up and ate about 4 strips of bacon and 3 eggs and by the time I hit the water it was noon.

I skipped lunch.

I should also point out that I got myself into a state of dietary ketosis this past week.  (I’m never more than 2 or 3 days away from being in ketosis.)

I hit the water with my Thunderbolt-X kayak (my go-to flat water training boat) and new custom wing paddle and made the conscious decision to paddle for 20 or so miles rather than my typical workout which is geared toward maintaining relatively high speeds for 10 or 12 miles, with an all-out sprint for the first 5.

This was a huge mental shift.

It was very windy and the water was choppy.  I had to force myself to start out at a much slower pace than what I’m used to on my training runs.  I normally like to start out sprinting for 5 miles but today I wanted to paddle more miles to build calluses and log some base miles for my ultra-marathon in June.

I logged more miles on my local reservoir today than I ever have in one day before, and the wind was definitely a factor.  At one point when I was paddling directly into a brisk wind I remembered the words of one of my paddling heroes, Oscar Chulupsky, in a interview in some article when he stated, “You have to shift gears.”  He was talking about adjusting his wing paddle due to changing or different conditions on the water.

So with Oscar’s words reverberating in my head, I started playing with my paddle.

I normally paddle with a 30 degree offset but I tried different settings and found that a 50 degree offset seems to work well for me in windy conditions and seemed to favor a better stroke for a marathon pace.

I ended up paddling 20.7 miles and averaged 5.5mph. That was slower than I thought it would be, but not unexpected given the windy conditions.

The only nutrition I had with me on the outing was a 25 ounce water bottle with water and BCAA’s.

I was fine.

In fact, I didn’t need to eat again until a few hours after I got home at around 7pm.  That’s a full day with 21 miles of paddling on 3 eggs and 4 strips of bacon.

Being fat adapted is great!

I learned a few things as take-aways for my upcoming James River Rundown adventure.

1. I need to paddle a boat with a bit more stability that will allow me to lean back, twist my torso, and stretch my back without fear of overturning.  My back isn’t going to be able to handle a tippy kayak for 100 miles.  I’ll need to move around and fidget more.
2. I’m going to have to remind myself to start out at a steady, slower, marathon pace which is counter to all the training I’ve ever done.  Marathon not a sprint…marathon not a sprint.  I’ll be repeating this mantra for 90-95 miles.
3. I need to continue to experiment with different offsets and lengths with my wing paddle to figure out what might be the best starting settings for race day.  I’m so used to the same settings that it is going to take me a while to play around and figure out what works and what doesn’t.
4. Loose hand grip on the paddle shaft will be essential
5. I need to be in dietary ketosis on race day.

It was a great day on the water and I have an early season sunburn on my arms and shoulders now.

Let the training continue.

Feeling a little grizzled after 21 miles