Training Log Archive: iansmith

NEOC Canoe-O champs set by Aims Coney at Buffumville Lake in Charlton, MA. Results. I paddled with Sam Levitin, and we borrowed Aims' green boat, which he classifies as a Rec Canoe. Aims also graciously let us use his carbon fiber marathon style paddles. Sam and I both paddle only a few times per year, so to say we were out of practice is an understatement. I paddled stern, and our cadence was slower than I would have liked. Still, the GPS suggests our cruising speed was in the neighborhood of 8.5-8.7 km/h.

The lake was a fun venue, but it didn't lend itself to splitting much. Sam dropped me off to run to 12 and 13 before we returned to the water to get 11. I think the best order would have been to paddle to 11, then drop a runner to get 12-13. However, my running speed is quite a lot faster than Sam's solo paddling speed, so it's not clear that split is ideal. The only other split which made sense was to drop me off just past 2, (1:09), where I got 5 and 8 before rendezvousing (1:16) with Sam.

We finished about 16 minutes behind the Miller bros, who paddle at least 1 mph faster than we did. Our race was essentially optimum, with no navigational errors; a good showing for a couple landlubbers.