We’re within100 days until Chattajack. It seems like a long time away on one hand yet on the other it seems rather close, especially since it’s approaching the point where you have fewer days left to train than there are days since you registered. Time goes by quickly and you can’t get it back. If you aren’t making the most of it you’re not going to be optimally prepared for 31 miles down the Tennessee River Gorge on October 26. I’m here to tell you that although it’s been

So here it is late June already, which means it’s only 18 weeks till Chattajack! Those that have done the race before know that doing 31 miles well requires some considerable training. We’re not just talking about throwing things together and getting down to work a month or so before the race, but actually engaging in an extended period of training over a period of 6 months or more that provides you with enough time to build the fitness that allows you to put in a high-quali

Of course being able to execute a strategy like this over a 5-8 hour race is easier said than done. We all know that completing a race like Chattajack requires a commitment to training. However the type of training you do is important and in the end, no matter what type of training program you do there are a few things that I’ve learned from experience make a difference. Here are four tips: Do your 2 km time controls. On a SUP they’ll take anywhere from 11 to 15 minutes.

At some point the draft train is going to break apart and it’s going to become every paddler for his or herself. In 2015 at Chattajack it happened to our train in the last 1500m. In 2016 our train fell apart early with about 12 km to go. When the train falls apart it’s time to work on your own, or hang onto whatever wash you can for as long as you can until you can get to the finish on your own. When it comes to preparing for the finish of the race what you’re really tryin

While the purpose of this post isn’t to discuss how to actually draft, here are some tips for making the most of your draft train that can make a big difference over a long race like Chattajack: Relax as much as possible while drafting. Find the sweet spot where it is easiest and your board is moving with the least effort, and do your best to stay there. The ability to do this improves dramatically with practice, so do your homework in training so that your drafting skills

I like to think of draft trains as either being cooperative or competitive. Cooperative trains are made up of paddlers that recognize that working together can help chew up distance, make the race go faster, and allow everyone to save energy to use in later stages of the race. Paddlers in the train share the lead pretty equally, don’t make people work to take their turn leading and will even wait for others, especially for drink and food breaks with the understanding that t

Determining how hard to go in the first 10 minutes takes practice as I’ve mentioned. If you were to start doing weekly 2 km time controls 10 weeks out from race day you’d get lots of opportunities to develop your sense of pacing. However I think it is always easier to acquire a skill (and properly pacing yourself is a skill) if you have a good understanding of what is involved before you start practicing it. So lets look at pacing from an exercise science perspective. It’

Chattajack Race Strategy Having just recently completed the 40 km SEA Paddle race around Manhattan and with Chattajack only 10 weeks away, it seems an appropriate time to begin discussing race strategy for long, five hour plus, races. Whether it’s any of the three previous Chattajacks I’ve done or this year’s SEA Paddle, when I talk to people at the finish I usually hear one of two different stories – they either worked in a draft train for all or a significant part of the ra

Thursday, July 20th (TODAY!) marks 100 days until Chattajack. It seems like a long time on one hand yet on the other it seems rather short, especially since it will also mark 81 days since registration. You might find yourself asking, “What have I done with the last 81 days?” When you consider that we’re closing on the point where there is only half the preparation time left from when you registered it can make the event seem awfully close. I’m here to tell you that althou

Obviously if you’ve made the commitment to do a long race like Chattajack this year, you know you’re in for a lot of paddling. The race alone is 31 miles long which is going to take anywhere from 5 to 8 ½ hours to complete on a SUP. That’s a lot of time on your board. But that’s just the last little bit of paddling you’ll be doing because there’s no way you’ll be finishing if you aren’t prepared to paddle A LOT between now and race day. The big questions that people seem t

Last weekend I went for a fun SUP paddle with a couple of buddies of mine from my canoe days. Conditions on Lake Ontario were pretty good, with a moderate northeast wind kicking up nice, fast, two-foot plus wind waves and a small ground swell. We did the usual upwind/downwind paddle you’re stuck doing when you can’t arrange the logistics to go downwind; hammering upwind for 6km and then turning around for a nice 6 km downwind leg with speeds averaging 5:30/km. One of my budd

One of the most important things you can do in paddle sports is train strength. While this is especially true in sprint racing, it is no less important in distance racing like Chattajack. Whether you’re chosen craft is a kayak, surfski, outrigger, prone paddleboard or a SUP, strength is important. It’s relatively easy to address, really just requiring time, and pays huge dividends on the water. In any paddle craft, the idea is to secure your blade in the water and pull you

As I explained in my last post, If you’re going to get maximal benefit out of the time you spend training and perform at a high level at an event like Chattajack then it is imperative to periodize your training according to some coherent plan. But in tandem with that it is becoming increasingly evident to coaches, exercise physiologist and sport scientists that a polarized training program as part of the periodized plan is the most effective way to achieve performance gains.

If you’re competing seriously in any sport you should be following a training program of some sort. And if that program is going to lead to successful performances, particularly in high-level endurance sports that also involve a lot of power (like SUP, kayak, surfski and outrigger racing), it had better be well planned and properly periodized. So what is a periodized program? Simply put, it’s a training program that is systematically arranged into cycles of progressively in

Earlier this year I put this post up on Paddle Monster for our All-Access members. I think it is worth reusing here for those preparing for Chattajack. Last year Chattajack was a challenge above and beyond the usual associated with 31 miles down the Tennessee River Gorge. Cool temperatures and strong winds made the course slow, and especially in the last 6 miles the wind was a back breaker. You’ve got two choices when you face a big headwind late in a race like that. You c

I’ve traveled around a fair bit for paddling and wherever I go I’m always stoked when I find a group that does 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,

Welcome to the first installment of Paddle Monster's Chattajack blog take over! Every 2 week Paddle Monster head coach Larry Cain will be sharing useful, Chattajack-specific tips to help you achieve your race goals. To give you an idea, here are the first 7 topics he will cover: Consistency and Commitment Train with a group Follow a program and stick to it. Avoid Freelancing Periodize your training Polarize your training/training zones Love the Conditions Learning to paddling