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Acqua Dolce Paddle

2 months ago

Gorgeous October day with the lake to ourselves for almost the entire paddle. 10K+ looking at the nearly peak Fall colors. Gotta love NoMI.

📸@heatherhall
#acquadolcepaddle #traversecity #standuppaddleboarding #surfski #colortour #autumnvibes #nomi #puremichigan #silverlake ... See MoreSee Less

Acqua Dolce Paddle

2 months ago

Gorgeous day, but today’s paddle was hard. Part of it may have been that I was too hot in my wetsuit. (Note to self on the next few paddles this week - just wear leggings & booties 🥵). And, part of it may have been that I didn’t get great quality sleep & that I did a ton of work on our garage this weekend. All of that adding up to making me feel less than stellar today.

Some days are like that & we need to just push through. (Not suggesting you push through if you’re legitimately sick or injured - no!) But sometimes we do need to tap into mental toughness & do our best where we’re at. And, not label it a bad training either. It was a good training in spite of the fact I didn’t feel at my best.

I think there can be lessons in this for us to discern whether we need to rest or whether it’s okay to go ahead & do the thing we need to do, even though it may not be at the “level” we want it to be or feel like. We can learn something every time & grow from that.

#acquadolcepaddle #training #mindfulness #standuppaddleboarding ... See MoreSee Less

Acqua Dolce Paddle

2 months ago

Happy Fall! Every season is paddle season! 🍁
Training paddle today in the cold & rain. 🌧
(No this is not a post about what a bad a** I am for paddling in this or a complaint post. 😆)

Sharing this b/c training in different conditions regularly has really been of benefit to me. I feel like I have greatly improved my ability to read the wind & water.

The two are not always sympatico. For example, today sometimes the wind was blowing hard but the water was still flat. It still affected my stroke & keeping the board straight b/c it was blowing against my body & the board. I also encountered upwind, downwind conditions, as well as side chop. Conditions changed at different areas of the lake. Learning how to handle these varied conditions is crucial for safety as well as performance in a race.

If you are a recreational paddler & looking to improve your paddle skills, I highly recommend practicing in varied conditions (not dangerous ones like lightning or high winds you aren’t able to handle). The more you practice in conditions you may not consider favorable on a lake that you know well & can stay relatively close to shore, the better you’ll be when the wind or weather changes on you. Especially if you have a climate like us where the weather can change on a dime - you need to be prepared.

And of course, always dress appropriately & have a leash & PFD. 💕✌🏼🤙🏼

#acquadolcepaddle #standuppaddleboarding #suptips #fall #autumn #nomi #traversecity #puremichigan #wetsuit #infinitysup #blackprojectsup #roxy #ripcurlbooties ... See MoreSee Less