Nutrition PART I

Nutrition & Paddling

Oh, the glorious challenges of endurance racing!  As any athlete knows, the human body can only perform for so long with no fuel before breaking down.  In the outrigger 9-man season - the true endurance portion of the outrigger year, it's not uncommon to be out on the water for over 3 hours, and thus it is very important to eat wisely. 

If you have never been out for a significant amount of distance, the lack of preparation can be a shock to the system.  One of the major differences in a long paddle is that DURING the race you have a significant amount of time to rest, refuel, rehydrate, and catch your second (or third) wind over the long event.

Paddler fueling preferences come in all varieties - which one are you?

The Iron Stomach

Iron Stomach's can eat anything ... absolutely ANYTHING on a support boat and be totally fine.  Hard boiled eggs? PopTarts? Tales are sometimes told of paddlers pulling out fully loaded ham and cheese footlong sandwiches from their bags mid-paddle and wolfing them down.  (The smell of mustard was intense.)

Seasick McQueazy

To keep balance in The Force, every Iron Stomach is likely accompanied by a teammate who can't handle eating anything.  Watching Iron Stomach's feast away happily often make their situation even trickier... but be it the rocking of the boat or simply a tummy that gets picky during activity, it seems that only water, Dramamine and prayer may get these folks through the day. 

The One with the Banana...

Let me first just say that bananas are a terrible support boat food regardless of any rumored superstitions because the change boat is a violent, volatile place.  There are heavy water bottles, bags and bodies being rolled back and forth willy nilly across piles of gear, and the delicate though delicious banana is bound to fair poorly in such environments.  Squashed banana gets on everything - toes, boat decks, zippers, pockets - it's just slimy and gross.  That said, don't be that guy who looks like a total Rookie.  NEVER BRING A BANANA ON A BOAT. 

Food Babies

Every now and then you find yourself in such a feeding frenzy while on the support boat, you may have just enough time to eat a little too much.  Just like Thanksgiving dinner, sometimes by the time you realize you've overeaten it's far too late, and you'll notice your wet jersey is just a little bit tighter around your belly than it should be.  Mazeltov, you have a food baby!  Word to the wise, a swollen belly is NOT a lot of fun while you're in a canoe, so be careful to watch your portions as you quaff.  It may have tasted great going down, but it may also settle like a literal rock in your gut for the next hour.

Sugar Fiends

Sugar Fiends are usually the pre-race carb lovers that only seem to function on gel and gummy packets, Coke and candy bars.  A lot of sugar fiends will rotate seasonally between power bars because they tend to find a "favorite" brand for a season and quickly burn out on the flavor.  Sugar Fiends are handy in a pinch when you run out of food, but useless if your body is craving something salty.

The Elite Micromanager

This person is most likely some sort of professional in the fitness world, an athlete or a coach, maybe a doctor or a meticulous accountant of some kind.  They organize, analyze, and plan out their nutrition for every moment of the race.  Do NOT touch their stuff, this is part of their mental comfort so you don't want to throw them into a bad head space when they can't find their exotic specially formulated power gel.

Fuel Thieves

You heard me, and you know who I'm talking about.  Sometimes you find yourself slaving away in a canoe, fantasizing about that delicious chocolate chip cookie you have waiting for you in your support boat bag.  You can almost taste it, you can hear it calling to you.  You happily suffer a little longer just to be reunited, only to then have your heart sink as you climb into the support boat and open your lunch bag, and empty wrapper flutters out! 

Filthy, dirty, rotten fuel thieves!  You know who you are.  They never come prepared and bring minimal or zero support boat supplies.  Sometimes they are simply too lazy to find their own gear bag and decide to ransack one that is within arms reach.  Slyly sneaking innocent sips of random fluid that does not belong to them or unabashedly raiding unprotected stashes, these monsters need to be kept in check!

So, which one are you?  Did we miss anyone?  Whatever category or hybrid you fall under, own it! Or maybe learn from it ... either way, big races are headed your way, so make sure you don't bonk because you didn't come prepared.  You may not always feel like it, but you are an endurance athlete now.

Fuel wisely, paddle hard and have a great race!

#ifyoupaddleyougetit

Winter Withdrawal

The Catalina championships have come and gone, and before I even knew it was happening, suddenly the sun has set on the OC6 racing season. 

To be honest, I have been fantasizing about this for months - trying to remember what an open schedule felt like, wondering what my other friends were doing on the weekend without me.  Every weekend I thought about how good it would be to sleep in on Saturday mornings again…

But now that the off season is here, I’m totally miserable.  I’ve been told this is quite normal “withdrawal” that follows any long cycle of extreme endorphins.  But I have a lot of weird symptoms…

Loss of Identity

Who am I without paddling?  How did I fill my time in the past?  I am a stranger in my own home every weekend as I try to remember the other activities that brought me joy.  I get restless when I watch movies for too long now.  My tolerance for mundane “Netflix and Chill” weekends has dropped significantly.  I tried going for a jog around the neighborhood, but it’s simply not the same.  My cat eyes me suspiciously for being home so often.  My phone isn’t blowing up with pictures being posted online or texts from teammates looking for a carpool. 

Do I even have friends

My Wallet is Full

Between the travel expenses, the t-shirt booths and the mountains of food I would consume during the season, my budget got used to being stretched to the very limit.  Now my wallet is full of money.  I started shopping for an OC1 online today.  That should fix this.

I am getting WORK done at WORK

Though I enjoy my job well enough, half of my brain was always preoccupied with a checklist of weekend logistics.  What to pack, where to be, race strategies, wondering who would be in my crew this week.  Now what is there to day dream about?  May as well drown my sorrow in the distraction of work – I got a compliment the other day on how productive I’ve been.  I may even be able to start accruing vacation soon…

Sleeping in on the weekends is hard

At 7 AM my eyes snap open in a panic.  Am I late? Did I not set my alarm correctly?  And then I remember that I am not obligated to do anything at all.  I relax and snuggle back into my pillow, but deep in the back of my sleepy brain, some sadistic part of me is a little sad.

Spending time with Significant other / friends/ family

The “black hole” from which I suddenly emerged has left me confused.  I have all this time to spend with friends and family, but do these people even know who I am? They don’t understand what I have been through, even the ones who really try to get it.  Suddenly my inside jokes are not so funny anymore, and I was finally asked to stop describing my “paddle butt” at the dinner table.

Watching paddling videos online obsessively

My online activity log is chalked full of “LIKE” actions on any and every season picture I can find.  Old, new – it doesn’t matter.  I’ve been researching dated YouTube videos and watching the continuing action in Hawaii with a romantic sigh of longing.  There is an entire paddling family out there in the world, waiting for me to go and join them.  I don’t know if I’m ready for that… so in the meantime I’ll just watch them virtually and stalk them in the creepy hours of the evening.  And on my lunch break.

 The Hunger

The hunger is fading, but I feel the need to feed anyway.  My stomach thinks it is still fueling for time trials and racing, but my tight jeans remind me that these are calories I haven’t earned...

Where did these clothes come from?

Not long ago, I couldn’t find a clean pair of paddling pants to save my life.  I felt like I was doing laundry constantly just so I wouldn’t have to wear anything moldy to practice.  Having too many t-shirts was an impossible thought - but now that all the laundry is done, clean and either put away neatly or heaped strategically around my room, I’ve had to go out twice to purchase more hangars.  A new dresser might be needed as well, just for the new paddling clothes and equipment.

POSSIBLE REMEDIES

·         Denial

The denial strategy worked for a week or so while I rested the sore muscles, and while I could simply pretended it wasn’t over yet.  Instead I keep telling myself that any minute I am going to be heading back out to the water. 

·         HEAL

The scars and bruises on my body are beginning to fade, at long last.  I finally got a chance to sign up for regular yoga and got a massage.  The therapist asked me with alarm what sport I could possibly do that makes my shoulders so tight. I guess the body could use a little love…

·         Organizing a Paddler Dinner

I miss all the stories and loud voices.  I want to know what everyone else is doing with their new found free time.  Maybe they will want to get back on the water in a couple weeks?

·         Revisiting my Reading List

Everyone kept quoting “Boys in the Boat” all summer so I finally picked up a copy at the book store.  I cried, I sighed, I had to put it down a few times and let the memories of the crew sink in.

·         Setting Goals for Next Season

Before I started paddling I couldn’t do a pull-up.  Now that the season is over, I still can’t.  But now I have all winter to get better, stronger, faster … all those things that will make next year even more amazing. 

·         Winter Paddling?

I could not help but start researching other races in the winter.  From the Monterey Bay Crossing to the Molokai Hoe – there is a great big world of year round adventure to be explored!  My SUP buddies keep pestering me to give my solo career a go, maybe that’s just what I need.

My friends and family may not really get it, but at least they listen to me every once in a while.  And who knows … maybe next year I’ll get a couple more of them to pick up a paddle and come out with me to be adopted into the crazy paddling family.

Car Smells like "Low Tide"

I love my car.

I don't think I'm alone here - a lot of folks have special bonds with their vehicles.  My car is my noble steed, my trusty companion.  My car is my mobile home, my staging ground, my changing room, my storage unit, my kitchen, even my bed.

When friends, teammates, co-workers need a ride I am always happy to help them out, but during paddling season these generous lifts often come with warnings....

"Sorry about all the sand...."

"Oh, watch out for the paddles!"

"Don't mind the smell - my wet bikini has been soaking up the sun in here all day."

"I think that's just sunscreen..."

The Four Phases of the Post-Paddle

PHASE I: “THE HUNGER”

Phase I often begins immediately upon completion of the workout, though in some paddlers the effect can be delayed.  There have also been cases observed in which the HUNGER will begin over the course of a strenuous workout.  The HUNGER descends with great fury and without warning, a primordial drive that terminates logic and potentially removes ones very identity.  The empty husk that remains is a desperate creature, animated solely by the desire to eat everything and anything within reach.

 On the plus side, spouses and housemates attest that the HUNGER is an excellent way of getting rid of leftovers in the fridge or fruit on the verge of spoiling.

PHASE II: “THE BLISS”

There is a beautiful moment in time where carbohydrates and proteins make peace with one another, and fats, salts and sugars of all varieties are welcomed to the table of even the pickiest of eaters with gusto.  Only a miracle of heaven can be compared to the sensation of full life being restored to the body via sweet, sweet fuel.  The unalloyed joy that floods the once hollow body; the spirit returns to the eyes and the soul.  Just as the ancient Israelites were lead out of the wilderness to the land of milk and honey, so shall the paddler be freed from the bondage of hunger and into the paradise of milk and honey, on top of toast, dipped in yogurt and fruit, with a whole chicken on the side, maybe a potato or two...

This is a vulnerable time of tenderness and warmth, where a paddler will recall fondly even the worst moments of the race or workout and wish to share every detail of the story with strangers, loved ones or really anyone who will listen.

PHASE III: “THE DENIAL”

Riding the wave of BLISS, there is a window, ever so brief, where a paddler may think for a time that they can continue their day as a normal human being.  In this phase, as one relishes the color that has returned to their cheeks, they may begin to plan to do chores, attend social events, or generally map out the rest of their day.  This is madness, and a sign that DENIAL has settled in.

This phase is often short lived.

PHASE IV: “THE CRASH”

Once the body obtains the food it desired, the CRASH may begin with a sudden, unexpected and even violent wave.  It is recommended that paddlers be watched by loved ones prior to this phase; in case there is need to set up a soft landing space for their impending collapse.  

The CRASH can manifest in a power nap on a sandy beach, or a deep fairy tale slumber that lasts through the night and into the dawn.  Do not be too hard on those who do not wake - but please do snap photos of their awkward sleeping positions, and feel free to draw things on their faces.

Paddler Roles & Reputations (OC6)

In a 6 man outrigger canoe there are a variety of subtle role changes among the paddlers in a crew depending on what seat they are in.  These roles are often in constant flux from race to race, so individuals tend to pick up favorites and odd habits.  These roles also vary between teams, depending on their individual traditions and preferences.

There are some inevitable responsibilities/ requirements that accompany each role, as well as a few stereotypes that tend to spring from the paddlers who usually fill them.

Seat 1: The Diva / Princess

Seat ONE sets the pace, rhythm and stroke rate for the entire crew, so this role tends to lend itself to perfectionists and "Type A" paddlers who relish taking the lead and being the center of attention. ONE thinks they are Mick Jagger, the cats pajamas, the alpha and omega of the team, leading the charge into the frothy seas.  The crew wins and loses by their sweet cadence, their diligent consistency.

The seat is usually physically small, since lighter paddlers prevent the canoe from being too nose heavy.  This makes ONE a magnet paddlers with a Napolean complex.

All right, all right so they aren't ALL little whiny babies - in fact ONE is a seat of grueling endurance, focus and patience.  This seat weathers the worst of the choppy seas and wind, being one moment launched in the air and the next plunged completely under water.  (But trust me, you'll hear ALL about how brave and courageous they are later...)

Seat 2: The Slacker

Seat TWO is essentially the stroker for the opposite side of the canoe, but without any of the pressure or responsibility of ONE.  They follow, they follow, they follow.  This seat is often the ego booster for the Diva, caressing the ego of ONE, whispering sweet nothings in their ear and telling them they are the master of the universe.  Coddle away, TWO! That Princess up front needs to be constantly reminded of how beautiful they are - and enjoy that front manu, it makes an excellent back rest between runs.

Seat 3: The Cheerleader

There is always at least one energy hub in the boat, and seat THREE is a great place for them to be.  If you have a chatter box who never shuts up, someone who keeps the energy flowing, or someone who sounds like a feral wild animal when they yell, you may as well have them calling out the changes from side to side to give them something to do.

THREE will pass up messages from the back of the boat to the front, and vice versa.  A good caller will learn when to speak, and when to shut up.  They are the first member of the engine room, so they should also be complete power house who can pull a lot of water.

Seat 4: The Amma Whisperer

Seat FOUR is a work horse, a grunt, a beefcake, and the watcher of the precious amma.  If the canoe ever starts to flip over, seat FOUR is often the last hope of recovering it.  They should keep one watchful eye on the left side at all times.  They are like the orcs in Warcraft - muttering "zug zug" / "work work" to themselves constantly as they put the paddle in, pull the paddle out ...  driving everything they can down into their blade.

FOUR is also the key seat that feels the canoe lift at the exact moment it can catch a wave to surf a canoe, so having a seasoned surfer is helpful in FOUR.

Seat 5: The Middle Child

Poor seat FIVE never gets any credit for anything.  They are often regarded a wannabe steersman or as a "throw away" seat where novice, under fed weaklings or timing strugglers are banned.  However in reality, seat FIVE is a key part of the engine, producing an incredible amount of power and acting at any given time as the back-up steersman should the need arise.

Seat 6: The Slave Driver

Oh Captain, my Captain!  You are the mighty SIX, the leader of the crew, the shout of warning, the call to arms, the rudder of the ship!  You can be an arrogant prick, a silent watcher, a drunken fool, a pirate, a gambler, a wise sage or an epic war hero - but no two are ever the same!  The crew will live and die by the quick decisions, strategic risks and timely commands of SIX.

How do they sleep at night?

WE DO NOT ROW

Welcome to my humble "all things canoe paddling" blog & comic.

Specifically, the paddling of ancient island hoppers - the strange and beautiful outrigger canoe.  This space is being established for my fellow ocean lovers to share a laugh about the not so glamorous aspects of our awesome niche sport.

A big tip for noobs:

DO NOT CALL IT "ROWING"!!!

We paddle, we do not row.  Crew is a glorious sister sport, viewed by the main stream often in the Olympics, known for ivy league prestige, and certainly has many similarities.  But dear reader, if you know someone who is a outrigger paddler, please know that we call it "paddling."

Outrigger is not in the Olympics, I don't know what a coxswain is.

Paddlers only have one paddle, and we are often over protective of it.
Sorry I use a LOT of Hawaiian terms and I'm going to assume you know what they all mean.

Outrigger canoe racing is popular all over the world; in the U.S. there are clubs up and down the California coast, spreading up to Washington and across the continent to New York.  Most of these clubs were founded in Hawai'i, where outrigger is actually their official state sport.  Toots Manville established the now US Championship race from Newport Beach to Catalina Island in 1959.

There are many outrigger boat types, all named after the number of paddlers they hold - OC1, OC2, OC3, OC4 and OC6.  You can double hull a six man canoe to create an OC12, and outriggers with a rudder are V1, V2, etc.