Stand up paddle in Kauai: Part 2

So where was I?  That's right, I was trying to do stand up paddle.

After falling on two numb feet and then having to hoist my body weight up onto the paddle board using nothing but my brute strength, I tried to tell myself the worst was over.  I fell...big deal but more importantly, I did something I never thought I'd do in having to use that strength and I suppose it was good to know that in a pinch, if I had to depend on it, I could.  I was back to knee paddling again.  I tried to keep the weight off of my ankles this time and it took more core balance.  I did well but I was ready to just be up on the damn thing already.  We got to a shallow part and I mean so shallow the board fin could hit if you were in the wrong place.  I felt a little better about trying there but also knew I could do serious damage if I fell wrong.  The instructor directed me out to a place slightly deeper but where I could still touch.  I was getting ready to try and he said "I just saw you tense up!  You're not ready!"  I loosened my shoulders, took some deep breaths and tried to get out of my head.  When he saw I was more relaxed, he told me to do three long, deep strokes on each side and then stand up and if I felt wobbly, go back down to my knees.  I did three strokes and went to the other side and he told me two more on each side and then stand and when I did, the paddle went into the water with the curve side down...completely stopping me dead in the water.  He told me to try it anyway and to look up to get my balance.  I knew the whole "look at the horizon" thing from the Mr's tape but I swear to God no matter how many times I told myself in my head to look up, it would not do it!  It was like I was physically incapable of looking up no matter how much I wanted to.  My knees were so wobbly and shaky I was like a freshly born Bambi trying to stand.  I felt all of that balance board training fly right out the window.  In reality, it didn't help me with that at all.  Maybe muscle wise but yeah, I don't feel like it was nearly close enough to feeling the same that I would recommend it to people as a way to train.  I kept telling myself under my breath, "you can do this, you can do this!"  As I continued to rock with no way to regain my balance or gracefully go back down to my knees, I tanked over the side in a deliberate tuck and roll fall.  (My own creation)

It was much easier to get back on the board and I laid on my stomach for a second as he encouraged me to try again and I told him to hang on for a second.  I told him the Mr fell four times and I wanted to beat him.  He thought that was pretty funny as the Mr asked what we said.  I didn't repeat myself until later.  The instructor said he makes people try twice then he will spot them.  So he paddled over to me and got in a T formation at the top of my board to keep me stable and now I had to paddle us both.

Great.  That nagging voice in my head said "you will fall forward, crush him, drown him underwater and they'll have to peel him off the front of you."  I said "I'm going to kill you if I fall forward!"  He assured me I wouldn't fall on him...glad he had confidence, I didn't.   I stood up, slow and shaky and was finally able to get my damn head to look forward.  Score!  My knees were unstable again with the slight bend in them, which I thought you needed for balance.  I could feel myself losing it again.  I heard the Mr say to try to lock my legs because it helped him.  I did and it did stabilize me which was surprising since we both thought you needed your knees kind of soft for control.  But there I was...stand up paddling!

My paddling still kind of sucked but I was moving, there was proof and that's about all I cared about at that point!  We all talked and I apologized to both of them for not looking at them because if I did I was going down.

I remembered the Mr talking about the horrific arch pain he had when he did his the first time and because I already had foot issues, mine kicked in with record speed.  I kept trying to relax my feet and keep the weight in my heels but that arch pain was not fun.  As we approached our turnaround point, we had about 400 yards to go when the pain shot from my arches up into my shins and toward my knees.  This is what my chiro would call "pain I shouldn't push through."  I let the Mr know I was having a problem with it and let him know it was more than the arch pain he was feeling.  I kept having visions of me having to be towed back by motorboat (they do that) or having to wuss out and paddle on my butt or something.  It wasn't how I wanted to go out but this injury was not happy with me.  That's when I let the instructor know I had a foot injury.  The information didn't seem to compute with him one way or the other.  I suppose in his mind he was saying something along the lines of "you should've told me up front."  This was also when my shoulder blades really started getting to me, not so much from SUP but from the upper body workout I did the day before.  I mentioned that too and I told him about our weight loss.

That seemed to open up a whole other side of him because he told us how he was also a personal chef and how he loves to cook healthy.  We talked about chia seeds, how we each prepare brussels sprouts and all kinds of health related stuff which thankfully seemed to make the ride back much easier to handle.  My feet finally just went numb from the pain so yeah, the dismount was going to be interesting.  As we approached Hanalei Bay and the small sand bar on the side, he told me to just paddle up and "park" it on the beach.  I did and we high fived as the Mr caught up to us.  We posed for a few pics and then he had to be on his way for his next class.  I think I made him late with how slow I was.  Sorry, C!

Paddling back toward the beach, see Bali Hai (mountain from South Pacific) in the middle of the pic?

I'm parkin' my ride and the Mr is paddling in.

Our boards safe to shore.

I wanted to check it off the list, I did and that's about that.  I would love to say I picked up a new sport that I'm going to love doing but I honestly think it would be quite a few years before my feet would ever allow me the opportunity.  Moreover, I think for me personally I will have to be much thinner to do that again.  It has nothing to do with my abilities because I know I can do it but I just know that with my muscles in my legs possibly being an issue with me for a long time, the less weight I have on them the better.  I'm not trying to dissuade anyone bigger from doing it.  Just go in knowing at first the board moves more and every little motion affects your balance until you're used to it.  I think most companies will rent 12' boards and to people up to 300 lbs.  Oh yeah, request the 12 footer too.  Unlike the Mr on his first time, I didn't get that more stable 12' board, I got the 11' 6" which doesn't sound like much on paper but trust me, it is on water!

The next day, our anniversary, I was basically crippled.  The pain and soreness were in my ankles, of course, but went up my shins into my abs, hips and thighs.  The one place I didn't feel pain?  My arches.  Weirdos.  I cried a lot the next morning, the Mr massaged my legs as best he could, I did my PT stretches and I existed on pain relievers so I could at least walk.  I might've walked like Frankenstein but it was a mode of transportation.  So there you have it.

I felt like I was seriously being tested and it was kind of like the universe laughing in my face like "HA!  You thought you knew exactly what you were getting into...bwaaahahaha!"  I don't like that feeling of not knowing what to expect but I guess I proved my perseverance and that when faced with public humiliation or finding a way to lift myself on a board out of the water, that seemingly impossible task became possible somehow.  I'm not saying I'll never do it again I just know personally, I want to be a lot thinner before I do and I want to give the feet all the time they need to fully heal first.  Don't worry, I found my groove with something else.

Have you been stand up paddling?  Where?  If not, where would you like to?

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