So the dark ages (the days when we were without boards) are finally behind us…
We started this journey with borrowed boards. At a certain point, we needed to give those back and were unable to quickly fill the void. So I began an effort to procure our own boards. I did a bunch of research and determined that for what we needed (at this point in time), we would go with SUP ATX.
Our SUP ATX boards and paddles came in at the same time that my back went out (just over a week ago). We got a small paddle in last Monday just to get on the water but it didn’t feel like it really counted. It was super abbreviated and it just didn’t feel very good. Not paddling for a month or so definitely affected our paddling fitness and our stroke. Heather and I each did a couple runs. While the 1st run for each of us was rough, the 2nd was an improvement for both of us.
Over the course of this week, I continued to hydrate & stretch (will share my paddling stretching routine soon) and try to put the back issues behind me. The back is still a bit creaky but definitely a good deal better.
This weekend was crazy busy but thanks to Heather, I got a decent paddle in on Saturday. I did about a 1.75 mile loop on Tempe Town Lake. While I started to find my stroke and get used to the new board and paddle, it still hurt. Fitness is not there and my left arch was killing me the entire time.
One thing that I really like about paddling is that it lets you know if your body is off in any way. When we were paddling a good deal before I felt it in my lower back, my glutes and hips. I could tell that I needed to stretch well or I was going to be in big trouble. Over the weeks, the stretching greatly helped and I felt better and better. I also have a bit of an arch pain issue which I managed by paying attention to my feet during paddles (basically ensuring I was not gripping at the board with my toes).
Well today with the arch pain, it was obvious that my body is still not in prime shape for paddling. I’d spent the past month on crazy projects and a business trip and since I wasn’t paddling or in the gym, I slacked off pretty hard on my stretching routine. I’ve been working it again but I still have a way to come. With the mechanics of paddling, I think any problem in your kinetic chain is emphasized. I’m sure my arch pain is a part of the whole lower back, glutes, hips and calf stuff. Happy to have the signals telling me that so I can actually rectify the problem.
I will also say that the paddle reminded me just how much our bodies love to work. Afterwards I was breathing pretty good and my heart rate was up. My body was almost smiling. Just felt like a machine that was finally getting warmed up again. Many of us spend way, way too much time letting our bodies rust from disuse.
So a first step taken… I’m glad and now that we have our own stand up paddle boards and paddles, I just have to figure out a permanent routine to start getting on the water as much as we were in the summer.
Let us know if you’re going out or if you just want to try SUP. Love to connect!