Thursday 19 March 2015

Train with a Partner or a Training Group



When I was in Miami a few weeks ago to do a clinic, I was stoked to see that the group there did a lot of their on water workouts together as a training group.  I honestly believe whether you're training on land or on the water, you get far more out of your training if you're part of a group than you do if you always train alone. 


While training for the Olympics I almost always had a training partner.  Whether it was Brian Bliss, Peter Koschanow or Jack Chubaty, most of the workouts I did I had someone there to push me and keep me honest.  When they weren't there I actually enjoyed the change of pace that came with being alone and the solitude of being alone on the water.  I could still train effectively (even without the advantage of today's modern technology like a GPS and heart rate monitor) and had some refreshing time to myself.  But when I was doing really intense stuff, or when the training program was really nasty and I was feeling really rundown, it was great to have someone else there to push me, motivate me and to share the experience with.


Unlike swimming, which seems to me like such a solitary sport, paddling is a social sport.  You can have a conversation while you're paddling.  Granted, if you're paddling hard that conversation gets difficult to maintain, but in the rest between pieces or when you're loading your board on your car you've got time to chat and share the experience of what you've just been through.  It is usually so beautiful out on the water it's really nice to be able share that with someone else.  It's a part of the workout I always look forward to.  The end of a long downwinder when we're all just sitting on our boards talking about the great rides we got, the paddle back to the dock after a killer flat water interval workout and shared stories of pain or trash talking about who won what piece - it's all part of the awesome experience of sharing what you love to do with someone else who is equally into it.  Though I have always been fully capable of training effectively alone, these are the moments in paddling that I live for.  These are the moments I love.  Having a training partner or training group certainly makes the sport more fun.


When I was getting ready to race my C1 500m final in 1984 I wanted to do a very intense warm up.  I wanted to be ready to go harder and faster than I ever had when it mattered most, and I knew I needed a push to get me to that spot before I pulled into the starting blocks.  Peter Koschanow, who,was sent to the Olympics as a reserve to cover all the races should someone on the team get sick or injured was essentially my training partner during the training camp in Sacramento, and once we got to the venue at Lake Casitas north of Los Angeles.  He dutifully went out for my warm up with me and pushed me through three all out one-minute pieces.  He helped get me to the place I needed to be to feel shot out of a cannon on the start of my final.  In 1989 at the World Championships in Plovdiv, Tamas Buday did the same type of thing, which undeniably helped me have a great race and win a silver medal in the C1 1000m.


It's really cool when you go to a competition as part of a group in which everyone has trained hard and feels confident in their preparation.  Being surrounded by these confident people instills even more confidence in you.  You feed off each other's confidence and it is no surprise when almost everyone in the group races really well.  That happened last fall when a bunch of us from the Toronto area joined Tamas Buday Jr. from Montreal at the Surf to Sound in Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Everybody had fun and everyone kicked ass.  For some of the group it might have been one of the most memorable weekends they've had in sport.  It was awesome.  The same thing happens every year with the Burloak Canoe Club at the Nationals.  Everyone is well prepared and the club has a real history of success.  Everyone feeds off each other and that usually translates into personal bests and athletes exceeding expectations.


While paddling is almost always fun, training sometimes isn't.  You're tired, run down or maybe the weather is just so crap you'd really rather not train even though you know you should.  This is where your training partner helps you get out there and do your workout.  You don't want to pick just anyone as your training partner or invite just anyone into your training group.  Look for that person who is positive, who looks at life with optimism, and who enjoys paddling and training as much as you.  They don't have to be the same speed as you.  If they're faster then they represent someone you can aspire to beat and everyday they set a standard that you can work towards.  If they're slower than you then they'll give a push when they can, they'll keep you honest and won't let you slack off, and they should inspire you every day as they try to hunt you down in a workout.


That group in Miami sure seemed to have a great dynamic going.  They all seemed to truly enjoy sharing the sport with each other and as I was leaving to head back north they were all making plans to train together in the coming week.  If you're already part of a similar dynamic you'll have been nodding your head in agreement the whole time as you've read this post.  If you aren't, then find a group or a training partner.  It will help your training enormously and make your paddling experience even more enjoyable.