This last weekend was the Ta-hoe Nalu Stand Up Paddle Board Race. This is one of the largest races in North America, and many of the top competitors from all over the world were on hand to race. This year we experienced some really strong winds that combined with the wind direction made some of the hardest race conditions that most competitors had have experienced.

I personally did not have a very good race. Normally the first mile of the race is when I really try to push the pace, but because of conditions that were very unfamiliar to me, I was pretty slow over that first mile. After that I was able to pick up the pace and really started passing people, but a lot of the damage was already done. The turnaround point was 5 miles into the race, and at that point we would then have a long 5 mile down winder back to the finish. I had just passed four people right before the turn around and thought there was no way I was going to get caught by them, as I was finally paddling in a good rhythm. So, I made the turn, started paddling hard and was quickly passed by three people. Honestly I was very surprised, but I quickly realized that they were surfing the swells far better than I was, and spending less energy doing it. So, I spent the rest of the race to the finish line trying to go as fast as I could while learning how to be better at surfing the swells.

Overall I just wrote the race off as a learning experience. I have been so focused this year gaining better conditioning and a more efficient forward paddle stroke that I totally neglected the fact that I also need to learn to be good under all weather and water conditions, not just the conditions that I am comfortable racing in. So, back to the drawing board.

The next race is a month away. It is a 22 mile race across the length of Lake Tahoe. Hopefully I will get back on track and will have a better result this next time.

Jay