The Sunday Paddles: Lapping Around The Bay or How Do You Know What You Know

First the forecast was light winds, then came a strong wind warning, finally, the day before - as everyone was sending me cancellation emails - a gale warning. But, the morning of the Sunday paddle, the winds inshore were actually how they had been all through the up and down forecasts, light and completely appropriate for paddling. And, it was another gloriously sunny clear winter day which made me glad I had persevered with planning the paddle.

After a series of Sunday paddles more suitable for kayakers with some experience, I wanted this Sunday paddle to be open to everyone: launch from Wimbie Beach (always sheltered), wander through the Tollgate Islands, lunch at Judges Beach (mostly sheltered) and amble back by way of Square Head and Snapper Island.

And that is pretty much how the day unfolded. We were five, and Lippy got extra paddle time by staying out front and weaving a half a kilometre in either direction. Lippy is a keen paddler and gets out most days paddling in Canberra. The rest of us moseyed along. Margot was telling hilarious stories of a paddle from Currarong down to Gum Getters Bay where there were 19 instances of people capsizing in a group of 12 paddlers. Some people had multiple swims, and some capsized while under tow. Funny enough to hear in hind sight but probably what most of us would think of as a clusterfuck.

M and I had an interesting training discussion spurred by M being somewhat fatigued from having done rowing intervals the day before. While M's nomenclature is a bit non-standard, it is easy enough to understand that he essentially completes a series of sprint intervals (30 seconds on/30 seconds off for 5 rounds, rest a few minutes then repeat 4 or 5 times) on his rowing machine. He sets the resistance on his rowing machine fairly low and his output is limited by reaching his maximum heart rate. The reason M trains this way is so that he can power out through difficult surf when required.

To my mind, breaking out through difficult surf requires a sustained near maximal effort of many minutes; this capacity is known as muscular endurance or power endurance. I was suggesting to M that if he wants to train power endurance, the effort needs to be limited by local muscular fatigue not generalised aerobic capacity. Therefore, what M should do, is dial up the resistance on the rower until he is limited by local muscular endurance not maximum heart rate.

I did this kind of training before we went to Canada last year in preparation for climbing a lot of mountains. I would load up my pack with water and walk up a steep long hill. I was completely aerobic and was limited by local muscular endurance in my legs. I think it worked, and certainly, the science behind the theory supports the effectiveness of this type of training.

M, however, thinks his type of training works. And, maybe it does, however, I can't help but wonder if a more science based approach to power endurance training might work even better.