N2U CT Challenge - Stand Up Paddleboard Plus N2U Recap

Today was the 4th N2U CT Challenge of the month.  It drove me nuts that I skipped September through October so I decided I would do 4 in the month of December to make 12 N2U CT Challenges for 2012.  Whew!  The 4th challenge was Stand Up Paddleboard or SUP.   This is something I have wanted to try for over a year but never have had the chance.

According to the Sail Honeymoon brochure, SUP is the 'next wave in paddling fun!'   The brochure also says 'Just a few minutes to get the feel.  Enjoy the view or 'pump it up' for a great core workout!'  Sounded like a good N2U CT Challenge to me!

We found the place yesterday along the route on our bike ride to Honeymoon Island.  It is along the protected waters between Dunedin & Honeymoon Island.   The weather in Florida has been chilly since we have arrived (OK chilly is relative - it has been in the low to upper 60's this week).  I contemplated putting on my wetsuit for warmth just in case I fell off the board.  The water temperature was only 61 degrees. I read somewhere that 9 / 10 SUP'ers stay upright but that meant 10% get wet.  In the end, I skipped the wetsuit & wore my board shorts, rashie & my PFD.

The rental was $25 for an hour.  Perfect.  Steve put his kayak in to paddle around with me.  After an oh so brief explanation on how to get on the board & how to paddle along with a quick mention if you fall off there with be laughter from the rental shack I was off.

The dude put the SUP on the beach next to the water but I was responsible for picking it up & getting it into the water.  Once in the water, about knee deep, I knelt onto the board to get a feel of it.

Steve didn't get any of photos of my not so graceful way of standing up.  Think being on hands & knees, then something like a down dog position then slowly lifting hands with a lot of wobbling & whoa's going on!   I managed to get upright & stay dry.

After about 5 minutes I had the hang of it.  I figured out how to turn around - just like in a kayak.  I started with my feet side by side but then moved them to a staggered position.   Both positions felt about the same.  I was worried about moving my feet though - I never did figure out how to move them without feeling like I was rocking the board too much.

We paddled out to one of the buoys.  The boats came pretty close to the buoys so I get to paddle around in the waves.  Trying to paddle into the wave was much harder than paddling away from them. A few times I started to loose my balance but each time I recovered.  It really wouldn't have been a big deal if I fell off the board - mostly my pride would have been wounded.  There were a lot of folks hanging out on the shore watching.

We paddled up & down the shore for the hour.  I really felt my legs working.  My right foot had a bit of a cramp from trying to keep my balance.  My core was engaged the entire time but it never felt tired.  After I got the hang of paddling it was really relaxing.  I found the experience very enjoyable.  I am looking forward to Spring when our local paddle shop, Canoe Kentucky, starts offering SUP.

I would like to thank Kim at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls for hosting this challenge.  It was so good to get out of the comfort zone & try some new activities.  A lot of them will continue to stay in the rotation in 2013.  I can't believe they year is over!

Now for the N2U CT Challenge Year in Review:

January - Pilates Reformer & Pilates Ball
February - P90X
March - Barre Amped
April - Kickboxing
May - Zumba Tone
June - Jump & Pump
July - Laurel Lake Paddlepalooza
August - High 30 Xtreme
December - R.I.P.P.E.D, CycleYou, TRX, SUP

The ones that will stay in the rotation are Pilates, High 30 Xtreme, CycleYou, TRX & SUP.  I have never been much for home videos but if I were P90X would be in the rotation as well.

My challenge for 2013 is 13 in 2013.  13 running events in 2013.  Any distance race 5K to marathon counts as does the run portion of a triathlon.   You can sign up for free through 12/31/12 HERE.  There are well over 300 people participating with lots of great prizes.  My first race is the Hair of the Dog Virtual 5K on New Years Day - it benefits an animal shelter in Washington.

Next stop - North Ft. Myers.....