Winter Weekend Warriors

The Winter Weekend Warrior Workout project.

From the brisk chill of a bright April morning on the Susquehanna to the dog days of a late summers afternoon winding along shallow Irondequoit Creek, dodging bugs and rocks, paddlers are out training. In the far north, competitors glide through the woods on the Raquette river after a few days of rain while the ocean tides decide the direction NYC canoeists take on the Hackensack that day.

That all ends when the snow starts falling.

When the paddles are put away and garage door is frozen shut, a very real depression can set in. The days are short and dark, contact with friends who met up at 5:30PM every day is cut to a few texts; “Hey I saw a gap in the ice today!”. To stave off the Holiday calories, some paddlers take to their skis, or join a gym, or wrap up warm enough to run outside,
During the NYMCRA end of season banquet, a handful of paddlers hatched a plan to get together once a week to drink beer and relive the glory days get mad abs and sick cardio. Emma Millspaugh was to be the point person. As a trainer with Metro Fitness in downtown Syracuse, she secured a group rate for a large workout space.  

The group met once for a trial workout and paddle December, and began the weekly routine in early January.
The workouts themselves aimed to hit the whole body, and went heavy on cardio.Emma had several circuits set up each week. Among other things the group would often swing battle ropes, push a 45lb sled, spend time on the rowing machine, and repeatedly hit a tire with a sledge hammer. Emma would explain each exercise and each circuit 4-5 times before we started, and sometimes again during the workouts when we still hadn’t caught on.

The high intensity of the workouts and the group setting kept us pushing each other, and kept us focused on race day.

For our final workout paddlers from NYC, Oneonta, Ithaca, Rochester, Camillus arrived in Syracuse. Katie Peck, Wardell lee, Joe and Dylan did a split paddle workout on Saturday. Just under 2 hours in the morning and afternoon, each. The workouts wrapped around an excellent lunch at Pyramids Halal.

The Sunday workout metro fitness was heavily attended, as was the paddle after on 9-mile creek. Teams included Ed Wagner and Jon V., Phil and Emma, Phoebe and Katie, Ben and Miranda, Joe C1, and Trevor C1/C0. Thankfully it was a bright sunny day, and teams were able to pack up.

The Winter Workout Warrior sessions were a great way to keep those who could make it active throughout the offseason, and continue to foster camaraderie in the community. Next year we will start getting the word out about this program earlier, and hopefully bring more people into the fold.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dealing with ice and cold temperatures

By Dylan Kirk Our days have been getting progressively shorter since June 21 st . As our planet follows it's annual course, the Earth's axis positions the Northern Hemisphere away from the Sun's direct rays. As a result our temperatures drop, and our lakes and rivers freeze. A wise paddler once described winter as “this sucks”. If a river's current flows quickly enough, the water molecules will have too much energy to solidify. The river will not freeze. Several of these rivers exist throughout New York State, and many paddlers brave frigid winter temperatures to stay active. In mid-March 2013, Ed Wagner and I were out in his JD Pro, paddling past large chunks of ice on the Owasco Outlet. As we came to a sharp corner, I planted a post to bring the boat around. The boat jostled and we went in. I gasped. It was my first time in freezing water. I was afraid, but not at all surprised. Both Ed and I had a hand on the boat and we swam it to shore. The paddle from...
Read more

Inside Training

While I am writing this it is currently 8 degrees outside and while we would all like it to be 80 degrees and sunny so that we would all be able to get out and paddle, bike, run or do something else enjoyable outside, we find outside inside either enjoying the Holidays or working out in the basement as I do to try to keep in shape and try to keep my weigh down after over indulging on food over the past month. I try to work out in my basement at least 5 days a week for at least a half hour minimum, splitting my time up between my Schwinn Air dyne, Paddle One machine, Total Gym, Stationary bike and free weighs. In order to prevent boredom I usually watch my ceiling hung TV typically watching some up lifting old TV reruns of the Dukes of Hazzard, MacGyver or some movies such as Miracle, Blue Brothers, Animal House, etc. Although some up beat fats paced high energy music always goes well with any type or workout. I would like to get out and paddle or do some other type of outdoor activi...
Read more

Briana Fitzgerald and the Michigan Marathon

Hello NYMCRA members. Most of you know me, I'm Briana Fitzgerald. Last season I completed my first AuSable Marathon with Jeff DeFeo from Massachusetts. It was a wonderful experience. Michigan takes canoeing to a whole new level I've never experienced on the East Coast. Jeff DeFeo is a seasoned AuSable competitor and knows all the ins and out. He was a great person to stick by in an unfamiliar community. This was my first time in Grayling, but they are so welcoming to all the paddlers, I felt like part of larger family. Everyone told me that the moment right before the start gun goes off is the most exhilarating and unique experience. They were right, it was unbelievable. It was silent, you could feel the tension and adrenaline accumulating in the humid July air. Once the gun goes off and you’re running to get into the water, try to take a glimpse at the spectators across from the boardwalk. I was awed at how many people were wildly cheering us on. Their support stretched ...
Read more