Getting Started

The 10th annual Yukon River Quest is scheduled to begin in less then a week. At 460 miles, it is the longest annual canoe and kayak race in the world, and this year has a record 90 boats with about 240 paddlers entered. Some of the competitors will be carrying SPOTs, and as a test for the Yukon 1000 race, these SPOT results will be posted on the new Yukon 1000 race websites results page.

Kristen (KiwiBird) and I will be following this with great interest, as we plan to race in the inaugural Yukon 1000 Canoe and Kayak Race next July 2009. It’s all getting quite exciting, the entry pages for the Yukon1000 should also be up for registration in the next few days.

So it's time to start planning. With a year to go, I need to begin thinking about my training strategy. I know how to train for endurance and distance, having finished 5 WaterTribe Everglades Challenges (300 mi), a WaterTribe Ultimate Challenge (1200 mi), and a Missouri River 340 mi challenge, but this time around, I’ll be training to race, a new and different challenge for me.

For starters, this summer will be all about a healthy and active lifestyle. Including some nutritional changes (yes there is still that awful 20 lbs), becoming more active in my yoga practice, and especially working harder on core and strength training, all the while maintaining a good aerobic base with paddling, swimming, and biking. It’s too early to start any real race specific training, but I intent do work a good bit with my Greenland paddle developing technique for strength and speed, as Kristen and I are planning to race this using Greenland paddles.

One new thing I’ve started is biking to and from work. I found myself a great commuter bike ($200), with rack and fenders, and can vary my route from 5 ½ to 16 miles a day depending on time and which hills I want to tackle. Even Paul is talking about giving it a try.


Summer is here, lets get it started.