Workout x 2: Longboard Paddling
July 21st, 2008 by Melissa
After all the carbs I had Saturday, I needed to make an amends with my body. Thank goodness, we do our long runs on Sunday, so I ran for a little over two hours in the Ala Moana/Kakaako to Aloha Tower Marketplace area. As I wandered the parking lot in a daze, classmates David Kansaku and Kyle Unten (who had run Tantalus) pointed me toward the water. Our other running friends, Burt, Muriel, Rex, and Kat, had discovered a free longboard paddling demo by Tropical Blends. (Maile and Val came later.)
You’ve surely seen this phenomenon out on calm waters: People standing on surfboards and paddling back & forth along the beach. You need to have good posture & balance and a good, strong core to do this well. According to longboard paddling champ Candice Appleby, women seem to take to this sport faster than men do because of their natural posture.
I wasn’t going to try it, because I am really really really NOT a water person, and am by no means athletic. I am just not into water sports, period. But then David said that this sport is a workout for your entire body—your quads, your butt, your arms, your abs. He has a friend who works out like us, but could not shed weight beyond a certain point. He took up longboard paddling, and managed to shed those last extra pounds. Well! That sounds like me and my poundage, so I thought I better give this free demo a try after all.
I finally got to the water, with Rex helping me. Not sure why the Tropical Blends staff didn’t come along to add their two cents; maybe they thought Rex’s instruction would be enough. He was pretty good about making me be “one with the board” before standing up, and being specific about how & where to place my feet and focus my eyes.
As you can see, I managed to stand and I did manage to paddle toward the reef a bit. Once I started to move, I did feel more confident, even though the wind caused little waves to lap up and make the board wobble. A Tropical Blends staffer paddled past me and said, “Is that board working for you?” And all I could say was, “I don’t know! This is my first time and I’m so scared I’m about to pee in my pants!”
One thing I did not expect was how the wind affects you. At one point, the wind was blowing and I was trying to paddle as best I could, but the board was not moving! I’m not sure what happened, if the wind picked up and caused a larger wave, or if I paddled too hard, or a combination of both, but in a split second I found myself falling off the board!
From there I had to figure out how to get back on the board without being able to touch bottom. After some struggling, I managed to flop myself (think of the recent stinky whale carcass) onto the darn thing, and had to figure out how to get myself into a kneeling position, which would be even harder. I did do it, but had to start paddling on my knees because I couldn’t figure out how to stand from there.
At that point, Rex had already started swimming out to me. He coached me back onto my feet and served as my “outboard motor” as I attempted to paddle to shore. It seemed like I would be doing OK, so he gave the board a little push to propel me, which of course caused me to topple backwards and back into the water!
I flopped myself back on the board and Rex decided we’d try to go tandem. Bad idea. We capsized yet AGAIN. This was not a good day for someone who does not dig water sports and relies heavily on hair products. Besides which, if you suddenly find yourself swallowing water three times, you start to wonder what the bacteria count is in those parts!
Val & Maile had a much easier time as the wind had died down by the time they started paddling. The verdict? I can honestly say it is a neat sport and probably more fun with more friends in the water. I don’t think I would do it again since I’m not a water sports kinda gal, but I think my running friends are all turned on to it.
One last note, I’m glad I was wearing my Kiss Me Mascara for this! (Remember my previous blogs on this?) After running for two hours and falling into the ocean three times, my mascara still held up. I decided not to Photoshop my red eyes since that’s how they should really look after a dunking!
Tropical Blends Surf
907 South Queen Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
593-0211
www.tropicalblendsurf.com
(Free longboard demos are not offered on a regular basis; check with the store or website for the next one.)
Tags: Candice Appleby, longboard paddling, Tropical Blend Surf
July 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Envy, envy, envy. I’ve wanted to try this since I’m not going to risk getting another impinged neck nerve disability by trying regular board surfing and paddling with my heck hyperextended.
Seems I recall seeing another tent with paddleboarders out there too. Is this a growing trend - giving freebie “try it before you buy it” for lessons?
So, good workout that you could feel afterwards?
Nice overcast day to try this in. Surprised I didn’t see you at the Tin Man Triathlon where I volunteered yesterday.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I wanted to try this sport so when is this free domo offered?
July 21st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
It’s actually not a regular thing. I asked if they were there every Sunday and they said no, you need to check with the store or their website for the next one.
My whole body is tight today! Mostly shoulders….I guess it depends where you need the most work.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
No pain, no gain…
July 21st, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Melissa, you rock so hard you rocked right off the board. Nice job for a reluctant watergirl. Your makeup looked fab. Next wekend we go!!!
Nice job by the Tropical Blend folks. They were busy all day I heard.
July 21st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hey Melissa,
You should send this to Jon Stewart - he did a whole bit on the Daily Show about not knowing what paddle boarding is - seems Pierce Brosnan is a paddle boarder
July 21st, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Isn’t it actually called “Standup paddle boarding?”
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 am
Wow, losts of pics you took, huh?
It was fun, fun, fun for me even though my light arm have some
muscle pain this morning. (but almost gone now.)
I wish I could have my own board but it’ll be over $1,800…
so there’s reason I have to work hard anyway. Mahalo!
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 am
Over $1800…ouch…I think I will stick to my swimming as my workout.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 am
I got a kick out of your post — you find the most interesting things to do and I love your color commentary too!
BTW, on the Today show today, they are doing a segment on guppy pedicures! I’ll try and catch it and let you know how much it costs. It doesn’t look like they had as much fish as you did though!
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 am
i love it when people can poke fun at themselves! “stinky whale carcass” …hilarious! self deprecation is the new black. i would make fun of myself too, but i have self-esteem issues.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:59 am
That loks so fun!! Even with all the pain and strain.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Me too!
Hey I just tried it my first time today. Had a blast.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Me too!
Hey I just tried it my first time today. Had a blast. Please note the equipment doesn’t have to cost $1800. You can find used SUP boards for less than one thousand. Also if you are small in stature you might be able to SUP using a conventional longboard 10-11 ft wider the better. Also if you are a beginner don’t get sucked into buying an expensive $300 paddle. If you have some ingenuity you can make one out of an old kayak oar. I got a $20 oar from ebay and modified it. I’m small so I was able to get by using a 9′6″ X 23″ longboard. It was a little wobbly at first but after getting the hang of it was okay. Best bet is to try someones board before going out and spending the cash.
July 28th, 2008 at 9:04 am
I want to try this too. What are you doing standing up paddle boarding when I have been trying to convince you to go to Bikram yoga with me for the past 4 months. Yoga is not a water sport but I guess with Bikram you do sweat a lot so it is a wet sport but definately not a water sport. If you go again, I would like to go too. Then we can both be standing up (when not flopping into the ocean) paddle boarding together. Then we can take turns laughing at each other causing the person standing and laughing to fall in too which would cause the person who fell in first to laugh harder.
July 28th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I was also reluctant to try this after running and feeling tired. I’m glad that
Burt, Muriel, David and Kyle told us to try. Maile and I saw you out there
trying to paddle back in also and made us worry a bit that we might get stuck. Rex assured me that he’d come out to rescue us like he watched over you. Luckily the wind died down when we finally got our turn, we had to wait for 30 mins. Once we got out there we were lucky that we didn’t fall off. It reminded me of childhood days when your parents would tell you that it’s time to go and you yell back 10 more minutes please. I was okay the next day, but Tues & Wed my shoulders felt tight. I’d rent it again to practice a bit more before purchasing anything. Thanks Tropical Blend for giving us the opportunity to try this new and exciting sport.
July 31st, 2008 at 5:35 pm
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