"Re-Build"



22 Mile - 2010 C2C Challenge



Where have I been...

Its been month's since my last Blog post and many people have been asking; "What happened?"

Many of us have been competing in different sports for most of our lives. For most it is in our DNA. We turn just about ANYTHING into a competition. It's one of the things I truly enjoy about the SUP community. At every event, at home or while traveling, on or off the water, we make the simplest thing a contest. Even when my wife, daughter and I go shopping in the grocery store; my 6 year old daughter Gaya and I will at some point in the first 5 minutes begin the chant "I'll race you to (insert target)...Ready Set Go!". My wife Nancy realizes the start of this activity when one of us slams our hand in to her backside with a resounding "Beat you!" (Mommy's rear end is a regular finish line for many of our shopping race comps).

However in 2010 I started to lose my "Race Mojo". With advancing SUP race technology this past year and the rise of incredible new comers of all ages taking down wins at events, it became hard to keep up.

Chuck Patterson and I have talked by email and at events about this and it is frustrating for seasoned full time Pro's like Chuck; but even more debilitating for "Jugglers" like myself (see my early post for a definition of "The Juggle").

Standing by my Winston Churchill mantra of "Never, Never, Never, Quit", shortly in to the 2010 season, I set out to look at what I had been doing in '07, 08', and '09 and see where changes could be made.

The 2010 Key West Classic race I switched to a completely different race board design that proved terrible results. In the 2010 Gulf Coast Championships, I returned to my BARK 18 board and switched paddles...more terrible results.

I messed with my nutrition and hydration management; some success and some failures.

I decided towards the end of the season to completely change my "land training" which resulted in a drop of over 15 lbs in body weight and an increase in strength and endurance (Ala; Connected Fitness Sports Performance Training).

Just prior to the 2010 Battle of the Paddle - CA, I sold my 2nd 18ft Unlimited BARK and had Joe Bark shape me a new custom 14' race board that I used for the very first time the morning of the 10 mile distance race. I had trouble finding the "sweet spot" , but what I felt as I approached the second 5 mile leg, began a low flicker of excitement. Returning to the Right Coast after the BOP, the performance of the new BARK board in the 22 - Mile Flat Water 2010 C2C Challenge in Cocoa, FL made the flicker grow to a slow burn.

Further nutrition changes in October and November along with a change in race paddles has turned the slow burn back in to a FIRE.

So what does this all mean??

SUP surfing and racing gave so much to personal life when I first struggled to stay standing in the surf for more than 15 minutes back in late 2006 on a 12ft Surf Tech Laird. The grom like stoke and fun along with a host of incredible people in the SUP community began a whole new chapter in my competitive personal life and helped to further expand my waterman lifestyle.

I hope that most of you continue to grow and push yourselves in this incredible life we lead. Whether you just want to be able to cruise and explore further distances on your local waterways or travel to new spots around the globe to SUP explore. If you would like to push yourself in to entering competitions or even if you just want to see if you can move to a smaller SUP...whatever your challenge; Never, Never, Never Quit.

We (the surfing community) are a family, a tribe. Our love and enjoyment of the water bind us in ways that span continents. Try new things, go new places, reach out to schedule paddles with new paddlers in your area, borrow each others equipment. This is what SUP is all about. Spread the Aloha...let a child at your local beach hop on for a ride or offer that grumpy local short boarder to try out your rig...

Most of all, if you ever feel like I did in 2010; take a step back and "sharpen the sword" as it will...



Better yet, reach out to one of the tribe..remember we are a family and the stoke we share can never be extinguished. Just let someone pass their "stoke torch" to you and re-light.

So....

Tomorrow (Sat 11/27/10) is my first race since this first "re-build". I don't know what the result will be, but it really doesn't matter.

I am proud to be part of this global SUP family...so as we approach 2011...READY, SET....GO!

(Beat you!)

-See You in the Water

"Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer"

This is my new title...
Dad, Husband, Regional Manager (for a large global surgical device manufacturer) and...a Waterman.
Open any of the new crop of SUP specific journal's and you will see much of the same...pictures of exotic locals, amazing surf, globe trotting athletes all enjoying the amazing growth of this new obsession we have all fallen in love with...Stand Up Paddle Boarding.
As with any new love though, there comes the "reality phase"...how do you keep the stoke when "real life" rears its head...
This is the plight of the "Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer".
Or what I am coming to know as "The Juggle"...lol
Back Story:
In 2006 I had no idea where this would all go. I had been a surfer for many years, played on an NCAA National Championship football team and grew up competing in one design sail boat racing from the age of 5 on. I tend to "create" competition in almost everything I do...guilty.
Spring of 2006 I read an article about Laird Hamilton biking from Paris France to the English Channel and then crossing the channel on his new signature SurfTech Laird SUP. I had never seen it before and no one I knew had heard about it. So I dove into the internet to explore. A month later I laid down a deposit at my local Surftech shop for an as yet to be produced Laird 12'1" SUP.
After many delays, in January 2007 I finally took delivery of one of the first 6 x Laird SUP's to ship East from Santa Cruz.
Fortunately I had already found Todd Bradley with the then virgin C4 Waterman company and after several calls with Todd had secured a new paddle as the originally promised "paddle included" price for the Laird, did not materialize upon delivery (I was told last minute negotiations between Laird and Surftech did not leave room in the Pre-order price to include a paddle anymore).
The next 3 weeks I was a Grom again...laughing, falling, noodle legged...the works...lol
Then came "the glide" and I was hooked...forever.
Late summer of 2007 I learn of an Innaurgural Paddleboard Race to be held on the Indian River Intracoastal Waterway in Cocoa Beach, FL. 22 miles from the Cocoa Causeway to Pineda Causeway and back (11 miles each way).
3 weeks before the event I begin training.
My sister had been battling Ovarian Cancer at that point since 1999 and I immediately saw an opportunity to do somthing else by competing in this race.
In October 2007, I completed the now annual 22 Mile C2C Challenge...paddling the final 11 miles into a 20 mph headwind, finishing 3rd place in 6 hrs 52min (all of the other SUP paddlers behind me dropped out and were picked up by chase boats 10 minutes into the 11 mile headwind return).
I personally raised $2,000 for LIVESTRONG that first race through my watermanforhope.org site. (Over the past 3yrs, I have raised for LAF a total of over $7,000 personally competing in the C2C)
I was also hooked on SUP racing...but the boards for racing...well needless to say needed improvement.
From there I switched to the first 14ft C4 Waterman Vortice (epoxy version) for the 2008 paddleboard race season taking 2nd Place at the Florida State Championships, 3rd at the Eastcoast Championships and 1st or 2nd in additional races that year.
I then met Jamie Mitchell and Kyle Mochizuki during a Quiksilver Edition clinic tour through Florida the summer of 2008 and that led to talks with Joe Bark and his Unlimited race SUP designs.
I won the 2008 22 mile C2C on my first 18ft custom carbon fiber BARK race SUP (finishing in 4 hrs) and that led to more top two podium finishes in the 2009 race season and a 2nd BARK design upgrade board.
So why the "back story"?
Because at 43, father of a beautiful 5 year old daughter, married to an AMAZING beautiful wife, a Covidien Regional Manager overseeing Florida, Louisiana and Texas...how do I stay competative in this exploding sport with new "Young Guns" coming up everyday who have tons of time to train (not to mention the raw talent).
So 2010 for me is the birth of the "Working Man's SUP Racer/Surfer".
In the coming weeks I will explore what this means more and provide some tips as to how I get around "The Juggle".
See you in the water, - Aloha

2010 Quiver

Between training sessions, my daughters swim lessons, dog walking, home projects, quality time with my wife Nancy and my "Real Job"...I finally had a chance to reorganize the garage. Juggling real life and dropping everything to chase a swell or squeeze in a training session can get your gear really out of wack.

So I took the opportunity to lay out the 2010 Quiver for a portrait. (It is amazing how I fit all those boards, especially due to their sizes). Worst is I still have a custom shaped C4 12'6" flat water race board (a new design from SUP/surfboard guru Dave Parmenter) on it's way...where am I going to put that??

Included in the Quiver line up photo is my Sector 9 Long Board Skate Board and the wood Kahuna Creations "Big Stick"...it is great for cross training and so fun for runs to check the surf, hit the grocery store and take along to races and contests...check it out if you have not tried it yet; "Land SUPing"! http://kahunacreations.com/

See you in the water (or coming down the sidewalk!..lol)

Ocean Training Day (one of many)

Forgot how much different ocean paddling can be when you are not running downwind. NE wind and chop, E swell; washing machine conditions and pushing through it all while paddling parallel to the coast...what a mess.
But nothing is better for training! Add in a pod of LARGE Dolphin racing around under the board and it adds up to just another day of challenging yourself in the water and that is what I live for.
Took some shots with my new Go Pro HD camera at the begining and the end (had to concentrate on the actual "training" the rest of the time...lol).
More training ahead this week with weather difficulties adding to the mix (25 mph + winds and rain) and having to travel for my "Real Job" is difficult, but being creative keeps you in tune. When on the road, I travel with my TRX Suspension Training System and fold up Perfect Push Up handles that allow me to train just about anywhere including inside my hotel room (more on those items in upcoming blogs).
See you in the water!

My Watermans Sunscreen keeps me protected all day long and my H2O Audio gear keeps the miles jammin by!

 

Nothing like an 18ft BARK SUP race board; sooo smooth...

(Shot with Non-HD Go Pro Camera - Sept 2009)

I finally got back in the water yesterday around 5pm for the first time since the Cold Stroke Classic race in North Carolina earlier this month. No pictures from yesterdays late day session but if you look at the picture above, lower the temp about 25 degrees, add westsuit  rubber and booties the pics would be the same...lol. Not as brutal as the Cold Stroke conditions, but cold for Florida. Surpisingly fun session, not a soul in the water with brisk offshores. Pulled off some HUGE chucky floaters with my new 10' quad C4 Waterman Sub Vector. Felt great to drop in to a few shoulder high sets with the sun vanishing behind the dunes. The late evening light in Florida is incredible no matter what time of year.

I have been doing a bit of weight training the last couple of weeks including cardio and some "custom" cross training specially designed by my amazing wife Nancy ala her sports performance training business Connected Fitness (will be sharing more of that in the near future).

Pressure is on with the first big race of the Florida 2010 season on Feb 14 in Deerfield Beach, FL. The Deerfield Beach Founders Day Paddleboard Challenge is a 7 mile Prone Paddleboard and SUP race (Men and Women's stock and unlimited for both).

Today started cold and grey (not too motivating to get on the Unlimited BARK to train), but the sun is coming out and it is getting a little warmer. Its crunch time now for the next couple of weeks to get alot of miles under the BARK to be ready for the race. We used to have a nice break from November through March in the race season, but with limited weekends available in a calendar year combined with the explosive growth of SUP racing in the US, event coordinators have decided to add "cold weather" to the list of challenges for the Right Coast ocean/flat water racer. Cant' wait to put my wesuit away for the year...

See you in the Water!

2009 22 Mile Causeway 2 Causeway Challenge Paddleboard Race

Another video shot on my 18'6" BARK Unlimited Carbon Race Board to help promote the LIVESTRONG fund raising I do each year competing in the 22 Mile Causeway 2 Causeway Challenge in Cocoa, FL. As of October 2009 I have raised over $6,000 for LIVESTRONG racing in three C2C's. I finished 3rd Place in 2007, 1st Place in 2008 and 2nd Place in 2009.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G53CBTi_3NI

Hurricane Bill Video

Video I shot and edited during the passage of Hurricane Bill off the coast of Florida in the Fall of 2009. Shot this using a one of my Go Pro Fish Eye Digital Camera's...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHA-7qLodYc

The Blog

So I decided to join the "Blog Fest" and start recording some of the daily, weekly and annual highlights of my passion for Stand Up Paddle Boarding and the "Waterman Lifestyle" as it has been coined...remember that just Stand Up Paddling does not make you a "Waterman/Waterwoman"...immersing your life, family, mind, body and spirit in activities on, in and near all bodies of water will get you pretty close to that qualification...respect and support of the ocean's enviroment and sustainability is also a requirment to even consider being made part of this distinction...Live with Aloha...see you in the water