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| EO SUP Nebula FW |
In the last blog of the year I am going to look back at the equipment I have used for the last 22 months of improvements since my Booth Training journey started, fastest boards first.
But before then the usual stats recap
November was a strange month, I was due my Testosterone shot near the start of the month but that was delayed by nearly 2 weeks and that had quite an impact on everything. Training stopped. I think the best way to describe the effect of very low Testosterone levels for me is to compare my performance with that of a diesel engine, a normally aspirated diesel engine works well but a modern turbo-diesel is a far more effective engine. With Testosterone, I am a turbo-diesel, take away that turbocharger and I still function but with a lot less zip. So was able to paddle at a low intensity for some pretty good distances and I had some amazing water time, sometimes it's good to go slower and appreciate where we are in the world.
The last week of November was when I was scheduled to get back to training but I picked up a seasonal virus, a heavy cold and that knocked me for six! This is the first time I have been properly unwell for some time and I'd forgotten how frustrating doing not much at all can be. Now a week into December I'm still coughing and spluttering - like an old diesel engine! - and Michael has suggested a break from training, recover properly and then get back on the programme in January.
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | Sept | October | Nov | |
KM paddled | 208.69 | 122.34 | 152.94 | 273.27 | 260.77 | 248.81 | 200.4 | 225.94 | 155.90 | 184.02 | 222.03 |
Weight | 98 kg | 96.1kg | 96.3 | 98.7 | 98 | 94.9 | 97.1 | 95.1 | 96.0 | 94.9 | 98.4 |
VO2 Max | 46 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 48 | 48 |
Resting HR | 54 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 49 | 52 | 51 | 51 |
HRV | N/A | 48 | 48 | 45 | 50 | 54 | 54 | 56 | 46 | 46 | 44 |
Training load | N/A | 851 | 161 | 723 | 963 | 928 | 913 | 1001 | 615 | 1173 | 242 |
5km | 38m 18s | N/A | 33m 21s | 33m 7s | 32m 45s | 30m 33s | N/A | 32m 25s | N/A | 31m 57s | 32m 40s |
10km | 1h 9m 47s | 1h 8m 44s | 1h 15m 55s | 1h 10m 13s | 1h 11m 7s | 1h 3m 10s | N/A | 1h 2m 59s | 1h 4m 8s | 1h 4m 55s | N/A |
This downtime has given me some time to check out HRV and as luck would have it Training Peaks published a very informative article on what HRV is and how to interpret HRV data. You can find that here - Training Peaks HRV
Now for the look back at my Performance Improvements and the equipment I have been using
EO SUP Nebula
EO SUP Nebula Dimensions - 14' x 23" and 260l volume.
5KM Time Trial Best - 30 minutes 33 seconds / 9.83 km/h average
10KM Time Trial Best - 1 hour 2 minutes 59 seconds / 9.53 km/h average
This is the board and paddle combo that I have been using since late May 2023. The board is FAST! My initial review is here and since then I’ve got faster and faster on it although conditions prevented me from beating my initial time trial bests set soon after the Nebula arrived.
Sleek, stable and speedy this is a fully customisable thoroughbred race machine that continues to impress even after 6 months of getting used to the glide.
This is by far the fastest SUP I have paddled, including much bigger name brands’ recent offerings, I love this carbon speedster.
This is as close to a standard Nebula as EO SUP make, she is a demo board I collected from Maris and his family after I damaged my McConks race board, if I am ever lucky enough to get my own Nebula there are a few small tweaks I would want, storage up front, GoPro mount, forward leash point are all small things that are easy to accommodate. I would also ask for a quicker taper on the side wall towards the rear to make step-back turns easier for a paddler with size 46 feet!
Fortis Paddle
The paddle is simply a beast! 95 square inch blade made by Maris with ‘SUP My Race’ detail on the face, a beautiful wooden handle and a lightweight but strong carbon shaft. You can read about this work of art here and I am happy to report that is looks just as good now after a year of solid use, I haven’t used another paddle for over 2000 km.
McConks Go Race C
McConks Go Race Prototype Dimensions - 14 x 24 (19 under the water) and 360l volume.
5KM Time Trial Best - 32 minutes 4 seconds / 9.36 km/h average
10KM Time Trial Best - 1 hour 4 minutes 39 seconds / 9.28 km/h average
The first SUP My Race race board was a figment of my imagination but then was made real by Andrew at McConks in 2021 and this board was the catalyst for my quest to find out how fast I can paddle. Sadly she took a big hit to the rail in April 2023 and has been off the water in a state of partial repair, I have spent too much time paddling!
This board revealed that I had some potential to paddle quickly which in turn was the reason I contacted Michael as my speed increased. I am confident that I would have got more from her and, once I get around to completing the repairs she will be on water again. I’ve never fixed a board before and once she had dried out I started to work out how to rebuild her when I got the call from Latvia to collect the Nebula.
Because she is a prototype she is heavy and that weight is felt when compared to the Nebula, also the difference between a board that is a first version compared to a model that has evolved is stark, it’s a real shame that we couldn’t develop the Go Race but that’s life!
Infinity Blackfish Flatdeck
Infinity Blackfish Flatdeck Dimensions - 14' x 27" and 323l volume.
5KM Time Trial Best - 32 minutes 45 seconds / 9.16 km/h average
10KM Time Trial Best - 1 hour 7 minutes 52 seconds / 8.84 km/h average.
After the two dedicated flatwater machines, this is my Swiss Army Knife of a board, she does everything well and is surprisingly fast for a wide board. Bought from Infinity SUP Nordic at the end of summer 2022 she is my go-to board for all conditions where the narrow boards (and huge paddler) would struggle.
The main surprise with the Blackfish was, and still is the flatwater speed. This does not look like a fast board but she is a 9.1 km/h board and she files when the paddler is motivated to get a move on. She also surfs well, handles downwind paddles with ease and seems to get faster with the slightest sign of a swell.
The only area where she doesn’t do so well is winter paddling, the flat deck isn’t flat, it is recessed and this traps water which leads to very cold feet when paddling in below-zero air temps. Even 7mm boots cannot keep the cold at bay for long.
McConks Go Race iSUP
McConks Go Race iSUPDimensions - 14' x 27" and 360l volume.
5KM Time Trial Best - 38 minutes 59 seconds / 7.7 km/h average
Yes, there is an inflatable in the SUP My Race quiver, not used that often but I am very happy to have this indestructible race machine in the garage. For social paddles or overnight stays on rocky islands an inflatable is unbeatable and writing this I am actually saddened that I don’t get her wet more often. This board is the longest-serving SUP in this list and is a stable, relatively fast board that is capable of carrying a decent load, in winter this is the board I grab when I know that I will have to carry over ice to get to water or I am going to go for lunch on a snow-covered shore.
It is hard to beat a good inflatable SUP.
SUNOVA Allwater FAAST Pro
SUNOVA Allwater FAAST Pro Dimensions - 14' x 25.5" and 297.5l
This is the most recent addition to the quiver and the most difficult to write about because I think this board is designed for conditions I rarely paddle in, open water big swells suit the character of this board and in the shallow, sheltered waters here that doesn’t happen often. When conditions are rough enough this wooden work of art comes to life putting a huge smile on my face.
Now that winter has arrived here in Sweden she is starting to earn a place in the SUP My Race quiver, the very deep dugout and excellent drainage keeping my feet dry and therefore warm. In the last month alone I've paddled nearly 100km with air temps well below zero ending with an ice-covered board. This is my winter training board and I'm glad to have her.
The end of 2023
Goals have been set but right now I am in a period of recovery, more Zwift, easier but maybe longer paddles and some (literal) chilling out before re-starting in January.
The thing that has surprised me most writing this month's blog is that I am really missing my Nebula, going fast is addictive and I want to get back on my sleek race board.
Invest in yourself
Investing in yourself is the BEST upgrade you can make, with no exceptions. And that is what this series of blog posts are all about, investing in this paddler with the help of World Champion Michael Booth.
You can find out more about Michael's training on his website Booth Training, from his Booth Training Instagram account and on his YouTube channel BoothTV.
You can find me running the Facebook group SUP My Race, writing about all sorts of paddling for TotalSUP and now, occasionally, on Instagram.
See you on the water!
You can read the previous training logs here Training Logs and you can get to individual blog posts using the labels in the sidebar.