Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Surfed out sleep depravation??

Don't really know where to go with the blog now - I can't imagine that anyone really wants to read 'I got up - and it was sunny - and I went for a paddle - and it was knee high' blah blah blah - so I was thinking about knocking it on the head. It was always intended to be a 'start up' journey. It's nice to read about Blane Chambers dropping into 15' Waimea - blindfolded - and Laird Hamilton paddling to the moon and back and Adam Zervas 'busting up' the Cribbar, but although it inspired me to start paddle boarding it didn't really help me how to do it. I wanted to see, actually I wanted to know that people were falling off and smacking there head on their boards and falling off and pulling their shoulders and falling off and stuff just like I was. So that's how this started. Plus - I had a ULI - a blow up inflatable, full on stand up paddle board, and it was so much fun I thought that others might like to be turned on to it as well.

So as I start thinking about stopping the blog - I notice that people are referring to it and asking me stuff not because they think that I am an expert - WHICH I MOST DEFINITELY AM NOT but because people like to talk and swap ideas and simply get another viewpoint - without a vested interest. And that's made me feel that the blog is worthwhile - so unfortunately for you guys - for the time being I will ramble on . . . and on . . and on . . ZZZzzzzz...

So anyone had so much paddle surfing that they hurt - not bad injured hurt - just that fully knackered all over muscle ache that makes it had to find a comfy spot in the bed at night. I have had a few sessions now, usually over a couple of days when I put in two or three hours each time and am just in bits the next day.

Quick lay person's lesson on sports nutrition follows - the body generally stores muscle fuel in the form of Glycogen in the liver. This is usually enough following a decent meal to sustain about forty minutes or so of fairly intensive exercise after this point you either put more fuel into the body in the form of carbohydrates (difficult noshing on energy bars, gels or paste when it's 3' and clean), or the body has to turn to an alternate fuel source to fire its muscles - this fuel is body fat. Perfect - go paddle surfing don't eat anything loose weight - right ?? Well sort of. Converting fat to fuel is a very S L O W reaction essentially you burn fat but not at a speed that will keep the muscles happy unless you ease up on the effort. Muscles treated this way need repairing this repair needs protein and the best time for muscle repair is nightime - sleep is the time the body resets and repairs.

Again I'm not an expert on this stuff so if you are and I've got it wrong please correct me my knowledge comes from a few endurance cycle events and triathlons.

'Where the hell is he going with this?' you are probably thinking - well I found some stuff that helps me and having tried it a few times and tried not using it I am fairly satisfied that it pretty much does what it says' on the tin.

SIS NOCTE - basically it's a protein milk shake that you drink (cold in my case) 30 minutes before bedtime. Not sure if it helps me sleep better but I definitely feel sharper next day - still sore but more 'worked' than w£^ked - if you get my drift.

I don't believe in crystals or witchcraft or alien abduction or have any direct financial interest in SIS (science in sport) but I think this stuff works - I wouldn't use it every time, only when I'm toast. Might be worth buying / trying a sachet - at a £1 a pop I think its worth a wiggle.

Still with me? - Had couple of sessions this week - mellow little surf at Sennen Cove with Gavin on Monday night so hot I almost left my wetsuit on the beach. The wave was bairly knee high occasional set at waist high - beautiful evening and the water at Sennen is always so clear - stayed in till dark. Bit of a laugh and Gavin is really getting to grips with his 9'er now (still laugh at him when he falls off though).

Tuesday night I jumped in after work at Gwithian. The forecast looked sound four feet at ten seconds - trouble was everyone else thought the same - I think that you could have walked from Godrevy to Gwithian on surfboards - it was very hard to find space. Few good waves but hard going again knee to waist high, and then as the tide pushed up building the swell slightly - so did the wind - bang offshore but stiff.

So I went home and mixed a Nocte chocolate milk shake !!!

Now I'm desparate for a decent - big scary - clean wave.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

okay, if you're going to continue to play, so will i! good going!

I'm an old out-of-shape guy and after a full day of SUP I am in big pain. I'm exhausted and typically have cramps running from head to toe. And then I'm sore the next day. Etc.

So, I started searching on the Internet, looking at various and sundry and all of a sudden I find myself: drinking carb/protein shakes before I SUP; two reg. protein shakes during the day. Downing pills with names like Animal Flex. Brewing up powders with names like Cissus. Whipping together blends with names like Body Octane and Purple Wraath. And downing endurance-generating concoctions with names like Cordygen5 and Citruvol. Wow. What a load of stuff. Oh yeah, I'm drinking water like there's no tomorrow, for the cramps. And taking quinine pills, again for the cramps. Sheesh. Has it all helped? Yes, I think so. But since I'm taking it all, I really don't know if it's just one thing working or everything. anyway, google on some of the names and you find some interesting stuff. p.s. glad you're going to stick around for a while!

csx355 said...

Wow - that is a lot of kit - I'm not sure that I could deal with all that - cramps are usually lack of fluid and potassium for which I believe banana's are a good natural source. Still if it works and it does no harm why not? With the Nocte' I only use it after a particularly hard couple of sessions and 'test' it sometimes by not using it. It's no miracle cure but then I don't think anything is but it seems to help recovery.

Thanks for the p.s.

Anonymous said...

Great blog, thanks for keeping it going. Kinda made me realise that having orderded a starboard 12' is probably a mistake and should have gone smaller. It does need to double a kids beach toy, flat water tool etc etc. Would welcome your advice. ( main break such as it is is Torbay. As to pills potions etc, once attended a very good training camp (cycling) with somne of the guys from SIS and to a man they all seemed to say that if you only buy/ take one get the REGO and get it down you straight after the session. As to the rest they actually said just eat a healthy diet and spend the cash on quality ingrediants.

csx355 said...

Hi Kneehigh thanks for leaving a comment - I have not had any experience of the SB 12'r but from my own startup and other's there is a much faster progression than there is surfing. Gavin - the guy I surf with has gone to a 9'er from a JL11 with no problem. My JL11 is pretty much redundant now BUT I have to say that for flat water stuff the shorter boards are frustating. The Extremists are easy to get on with but they are wave boards - and the bigger the wave the better they are. IMO.
I've not used REGO - thats also a protein recovery drink - the SIS guys know their stuff. I have to admit to being a bit wary of some of the kit out there. I'd be afraid of growing bigger breasts and starting to lactate!!

Anonymous said...

so it looks like i might be getting a 9-8. if so, it's going to have to be a sportech since the tougher tufskins (my first choice) aren't going to be available for quite a while.

first thing i think i'll do it put a nose guard on the thing. any thoughts about what i might put on the rails to offer them some protection? i'm a confirmed rail basher...