I'm going a bit stir crazy

Part of the reason I haven't said much lately is that I haven't had too much to say. No amusing paddling anecdotes because I haven't been paddling since the Round Hat Island Race up in Mukilteo on September 13. Turns out I'd over done my shoulder back in July up at Gibson's, then did it some more a week later down at the Gorge. After the Gorge I took a week off to rest my shoulder and then back into it to train for the change out race end of August, and well then the last race of the season is in two weeks, I can muscle it through that and then recover. When it hurts enough that it's effecting your sleep, hmm, that may be a sign that you should have paid attention a little sooner. D'oh!

I went to an acupuncturist who is also a certified massage practitioner. He said that all kinds of stuff was out of alignment, ya, like I couldn't have told him that when I walked in the door. He moved things around some and did a little needle work. Then a few days later I went to my foot torturing massage person, Carmen. Damn, I thought she was brutal when she was working on my feet. Seems my neck and back were all a nasty knotted mess.

I'd hoped to be back on the water for a Sound Rowers race on Oct 11. Good sense, though hard to acknowledge, suggested I pass on that race. Then there was fun relay to be held in Tacoma on Oct 25. I decided to pass on that one as well. My back on the water date was going to be Nov 1, this Sat. I'd planned to go to our regular OC6 practice. Then I got an email that the Tacoma race was being postponed to Nov 1! Wahoo!

I figured I could do one of the four 2.6 mile laps. I've completed a 3 mile time trial in 31 minutes. I figure I can do a leisure 2.6 miles in 45 minutes and call it good. I'd found 3 folks to do the relay with me, Neil, Lise, and Janelle. Janelle has had a family emergency so we'll either do only 3 laps, have Neil or Lise do two laps, or find someone on the beach interested in doing a lap. I realize that I cannot do the first lap, I'd over do it trying to keep up with everyone else. And I cannot do the final lap, I'd try to finish hard since it's the end of the race. So, I am relegated to one of the middle laps. Sigh, at least it's paddling. And the quicker I'm off the water to sooner I can get a bowl of Bren's Chicken Long Rice!!!

To help kill some time before I can paddle again I voted today! I hope you have either filled out and sent in your absentee ballot or have figured out how you plan to vote so you are ready when you go to your polling location.

Oh, The Humanity

My bedroom and living room windows overlook a sidewalk to an exterior door to my apartment building. It can be troublesome during the warmer months when I have all my windows open, the dogs hear anyone walking past and feel the need to let me know there is someone out there, Gus with a low moof, Llelo with a more assertive and higher pitched WOOF! People will go out there to smoke, eww, or are talking loud and drunkenly coming home from a night out. During the colder months it's much less an issue, until Friday night. Someone was knocking on the door and calling out, it was 5 am and I still had a couple of hours before I needed to get up and ready for the race on Lake Sammamish. I get rather testy when people wake me like that, I generally have trouble falling back asleep. I stuck my head outside and politely asked him to keep his voice down. Turns out it was a kid (both in actions and age), under 25 or so, who used to live in the building. Seems he'd had 'entirely too much fun' that night and couldn't remember where he lived. I can only speculate that he was dropped off by a taxi, thankfully. He claimed he'd moved back into the building and since we were acquainted from when he lived here I tossed keys to him. When he brought them up to me I asked how he was getting into his unit only to discover he was so hammered, still, that he didn't know anything and didn't live here, he was whining about how cold he was, it was so cold outside (dufus was wearing shorts and a t-shirt). Since he was obviously no threat, he couldn't stand upright and steady at the same time, and I did kind of know him and I really wanted to get another couple hours of sleep but didn't want him wandering the halls of the building I brought him into my apartment, pointed to the couch and handed him a blanket. I could smell the stale smell of alcohol wafting off him from the other room, gag, I opened my window so as not to be knocked out by the fumes. The dogs thought this was great fun and Llelo kept jumping off my bed to go jump onto him on the couch. I finally closed the baby gate to keep the dogs in my bedroom and was able to go back to sleep. I got up around 7:30, took care of the dogs, had some breakfast and coffee. Around 8:45 I started trying to wake the kid up. It was more challenging that I anticipated and I didn't think it would be that easy. I finally pulled the blanket off him and told the dogs to jump up on him and give kisses, Gus even got into the act. Finally got him up and out of my apartment, kid was still so drunk he had no idea where he lived. I got him outside the building and headed down to SSP to load the boats for the race. I've done my mitzvah for the day.

I headed down to SSP to meet Minnie to load boats for the Lake Sammamish sound rowers race. We were there a little bit late but in plenty of time. This was my first race in the new boat. I made sure to have my protein shake before I left the house as well as my emergen-c drink. They made all the difference. I felt pretty good during the race. It was a little frustrating, they had started the pre-race meeting early so I'd missed the part detailing the course, I knew I'd be far enough behind the race leaders to see where the turns and things were, it just would have been nice to know in advance. Conditions were ideal, sunny, cool, only a hint of breeze, essentially flat water, a perfect day for racing. I started out pretty well, perhaps not as fast as I should have, I did maintain a pace over 5 mph for the entire race except the tight turns. I finished in 1:04:24 and it was 5.8 miles, took first in W OC-1, there were two of us, Minnie was behind me. I crossed the line 38 out of 47. It was neither my best nor my worst race, generally a pretty good race. Sound Rowers races are fun because there are so many different type of boats participating.

Next week I'm off to Portland for another PNW-ORCA winter series race.

A new race on the schedule

There is an organization called Sound Rowers, they sponsor races of human powered craft. I did the Mercer-Medina Sausage Pull last October on OC2 with Ed. The conditions were aggressive, windy and got more windy during over the course of the race and there was some chop, too. It was my first small boat race and I was pleased to be able to do it with Ed, who has quite a lot of experience. Since then I've done most of the PNW-ORCA winter series, I've purchased my own OC1, and I have gained a tremendous amount of experience in the small boats.

I just found out they have a race scheduled this Saturday in Lake Sammamish. Guess who's racing this weekend! How could I pass up a race so nearby? And with such a reasonable start time? The short course (6 miles) starts at 11 am, with a pre-race meeting at 10:30 am. I am so there. If you'd like to come out and see what small boat racing is like the weather sounds like it will be cooperative, too.

Then the following weekend is another race in Portland, the next to last winter series race.