Surfing and Stand Up Paddling as Zen arts.
Written by Len Barrow and Robert Stehlik. Focus and paying attention to technique, equipment, mental aspects, the interplay with nature and others.
Showing posts with label Molokai race training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Molokai race training. Show all posts
Training for the Molokai to Oahu race Jeff Chang (I call him "Coach" because without him I would not be doing all this) and I did the Molokai race last Summer. We did one long training run two weeks before the race from Sandy Beach to White Plains. This year, we decided to step it up and start doing a long run every two weeks to be more prepared for the 32 mile distance of the race. This is a report of our most recent run for those of you that enjoy reading about SUP racing and training. Today, on Memorial Day, Jared Vargas, Jeff Chang, Darin Ohara and myself went on a long training run. This was our fourth distance training day this year. Click here for some pics from a previous run that Jeff posted on his facebook page. We started out in Hawaii Kai and paddled to Barbers Point for a total of over 31 miles. For a map of our course, time, speed etc, please follow this link with the stats from Jared's GPS watch. Its pretty cool how much information it contains: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35289093?sms_ss=email We launched on the marina in Hawaii Kai which is a good way to warm up and add about 1.5 miles to the total distance. The run to Black Point was nice and fast with good bumps. Darin passing Diamond Head, he did not have time to do the whole run and stopped at Kaimana Beach. We stopped at Ala Moana beach park to refill our water bags- about half way. There was a nice south swell and we were catching waves along the way. This shot is after passing Magic Island. The current news is dominated by bad news, including oil spilling uncontrolled into the Gulf, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, financial crisis, global recession and with my business facing many challenges it's sometimes difficult to keep a positive outlook. Out here on the water, however, it's all good. Looking at the city in the background reminds me of the Santa Monica song by Everclear: We can live beside the ocean Leave the fire behind Swim out past the breakers Watch the world die For me, paddling is a great way to connect with nature, focus on the present without distraction and balance out my otherwise busy urban lifestyle. I always feel far removed from it all when I'm out in the ocean. For some this may sound like a torturous way to spend Memorial Day but for us it's more like therapy. Jared getting goofy Jeff somewhere off Sand Island Jared powering up. All three of us were keeping close to the same pace and barely had to stop to wait for each other. A plane taking off as we pass the reef runway Diamond Head looks pretty far away by now Cargo ship passing on the outside By Ewa Beach there is a shooting range, we could hear the shots echoing out on the water. The cement wall says DANGER- STAY CLEAR 5200 YRDS. I lose my focus and wonder: What the heck is that supposed to mean? How did they come up with that distance? 5200 yards? Did they actually measure how far a stray bullet travels? How are we supposed to know how far away we are? Are they really shooting bullets out towards the ocean? I just want to get away from here as fast as possible and start to paddle harder. The sign reminds me of the bumper sticker that says: "If you can read this you are too close" Luckily we did not encounter any stray bullets. The bumps were awesome, the run from the airport runway to Barbers Point is one of my favorites. We have done it 6 times or so now and I thought it was even better than the Hawaii Kai to Black Point section every time. With clean windswell bumps from the back and ocean swells from the side this is a fun, fast, challenging downwind run. We kept chasing each other and maintained a strong pace. On previous runs we finished at White Plains beach, which has a nice sandy beach, mellow, rolling waves, surfboard racks by the showers, grass and is a great place to land after a long paddle. Today we wanted to go further and decided to go all the way to Barbers Point lighthouse in the Cambell Industrial Park. As we got closer we saw some sizable surf breaking. I felt foolish for not bringing a leash and thought of what would happen of a big roller took my board and I would have to swim in. With the strong wind and currents I might not be able to catch up with my board. So losing the board was not an option. Jared sneaking out over a wave before it breaks Getting in was not as bad as I feared, I was able to come in on one of the smaller waves, no problem. Landing at the lighthouse was challenging as there was no sandy beach, just jagged sharp reef with shorebreak washing over it. Here is Jeff sacrificing his feet to keep his new Dennis Pang board from touching the reef. I just had to take this picture before going to help him. Here is Jeff with his home made cable rudder system that he engineered in his garage the day before using a plastic cutting board, bungee cords and other high tech equipment. He was quite happy with the way it worked. The cables run through tubes sunk into the deck under the footpads. The bungee cords keep the steering in neutral when not engaged. The truck is loaded and we are ready for the long drive back. Below is a short video I shot of Jeff somewhere outside Ewa Beach.
My wife asked me after the Molokai race: "What were you thinking about for those six hours?" My reply: "I was trying not to think about anything." 'nuff said... I had several more people ask me what was going through my head during the Molokai crossing, so while it is still fresh in my mind, I will write down some thoughts on the mental aspect of the crossing. So, if the short answer above is not enough for you, read on. Focus: One of the most important aspects in Stand Up Paddling is maintaining balance. To achieve peak performance it is critical to stay focused. Keeping my focus sharp for the 6+ hours it took to complete the 32 mile race was a big challenge for me. Focus is important in every sport. In surfing for example you need to be fully focused when you are catching and riding the wave but when you are paddling back out or waiting for the next set you can let the mind wander, daydream, talk story or whatever without major consequence as long as you can turn off the chatter and fully focus when you swing the board around to catch the next wave. When you are racing on a SUP you need to stay focused the whole time, which is easier said than done. Training: When my mind starts to wander I slow down, miss bumps and/or loose my balance and fall in. One of my goals in training was to work on keeping focused and balanced. Doing long distance paddle sessions for five or more hours prepared me for the race endurance wise but was also important to train the mind to stay focused for a long time. Music: Many paddlers use waterproof MP3 players to allow them to relax. I have tried this and found that it makes the session more fun and does help me relax. I decided not to take music with me for these reasons: 1) It's more equipment to deal with- I like to keep things as simple as possible. 2) I found that it can be distracting- for example: songs can trigger memories, the earphones get loose or start to be irritating, I'm in the mood for different music, batteries go dead, etc. 3) It's a crutch- I find that although it helps, I don't need music to relax and focus. I know that it works for others. Jamie Mitchell, 8 times Molokai champion cruises to his itunes and it obviously works for him- so don't take my word for it, try what works for yourself. Relaxed Focus: This was my mantra that I kept repeating to myself during the race. I tried to keep my mind clear and when I noticed I was losing my focus or having distracting thoughts, I would repeat this in my head along with some other words I would repeat to myself. Relax Plenty It was the first time I did the Molokai crossing and I was not sure exactly what to expect. I started out at a steady pace that I knew I could keep up for the whole race. I kept thinking about something Aaron Napoleon said about going downwind and catching bumps. He said something like- I see some guys paddling so hard non stop, when I ride bumps I relax plenty. I have a lot of respect for Aaron, he is one of the fastest guys in the water, low key and a super tough waterman. So I have this recording of Aaron in his pidgin saying: I relax plenty and kept playing it to myself. There were lots of bumps to ride and the easterly winds made for good bump riding. I kept taking a few hard strokes and then relaxing, getting long gliding rides and making good time. I felt strong and relaxed and I actually thought I should push harder or I would not feel totally exhausted by the finish line. Glide: I did not repeat this word to myself but it was my goal- to glide, so I'm putting it in here. I think this is the key to doing well in the Molokai race. If you counted all the strokes each paddler took, I'm sure that the winner, Ekolu Kalama, crossed the channel with less strokes than any other paddler by gliding more and paddling less. The last 5 miles: Todd Bradley told me- The race does not really start until the last 5 miles. Although I had trained for the tough finish and paddled around Portlock Point many times, I did not really understand what he meant until I had to do it myself. The water got choppy, there was a current and it became more and more difficult to catch bumps. Dave Parmenter described it as going through quicksand which is exactly what it felt like to me. Distractions: I did not see any other solo paddlers (we had white shirts) for the whole race until right before Portlock point, when Jenny Kalmbach from the Big Island caught up to me. She was paddling strong and I was running out of steam. I lost my relaxed focus and just tried hard to keep up with her pace. My forearm muscles felt tight and started cramping. Negative thoughts started filling my head. I fell in and as I got back up on the board my abdominal muscles cramped up, something that has never happened to me before. I hit myself in the stomach to loosen up the cramp, then tried to stretch. I finally loosened up and kept going. I knew I could not keep paddling at Jenny's pace but I also knew that once I got close to China Walls I would be able to catch some waves and stay close to shore, I had practiced this many times, so I just had to get there. I tried to relax and just focus on catching bumps. The waves were disorganized and choppy but there were still some bumps to catch and by focusing on using every little push, I was able to make steady progress while conserving the little strength I had left. Relief: I got to China Walls and was pushed in by a couple of waves, then snuck through the reef pass without losing my board and felt a great sense of relief. Almost there. I caught a couple more waves and stayed close to shore. I did it, just a little more! Finishing this race was a huge accomplishment for me and it felt great. Now What? Another interesting thing is how I felt a couple of days after the race. I put so much time and energy into this goal and finally accomplished it. So now what? I had neglected many things in my day to day life (yes, I work and have a family and am not a professional athlete) to prepare for the race and now was the time to get caught up with everything. I was stoked and proud but I found myself feeling tired and frustrated, I did not feel like getting caught up on my to do list at all, or anything, really, I just wanted to be a couch potato, which made me feel worse. Luckily that did not last long. I started training for the Duke's race which is coming up soon and am applying some of my energy and persistence towards work and the goals I have for my business. I'm also setting a goal for next year's Molokai race, maybe I'll see you there. Aloha, Robert Stehlik
For more on my experience on standuppaddlesurf.net click here for overall race results click here for Stand Up unlimited results Check the video below, filmed by my friend Len Barrow at the finish of the race featuring interviews with the top finishers- Jamie Mitchell, Ekolu Kalama, and Kanesa Duncan.
