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Since July my weight has dropped a little, my fitness has, I think, increased a little but my fitness stats have remained about the same. Here are the numbers
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | Sept | October | November | December | |
KM | 12,96 | 120,71 | 230,88 | 217,3 | 363,66 | 212,16 | 228,69 | 200,83 | 272,09 | 207,18 | ||
Weight | 101,4 | 97,3 | 98,3 | 98,2 | 98,6 | 96,4 | 97,9 | 97,2 | 97,4 | 96,8 | 95,6 | |
VO2 Max | 49 | 50 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | N/A | 46 | |
Resting HR | 54 | 52 | 53 | 53 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 51 | 52 | 52 | |
HRV | 45 | 48 | 50 | 47 | 48 | 52 | 51 | 54 | 53 | N/A | 64 | |
Training load | 434 | 804 | 1402 | 942 | 1001 | 1510 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
5km | N/A | 33m 47s | 32m 33s | 33m 41s | 31m 7s | N/A | 32m 14s | 34m 8s | 32m 8s | 31m 8s | 33m 2s | |
10km | N/A | 1h 7m 29s | 1h 11m 23s | 1h 7m 39s | 1h 3m 35s | 1h 5m 47s | 1h 3m 54s | 1h 7m 33s | 1h 3m 42s | 1h 4m 29s | 1h 6m 0s |
And here are the 2023 stats for comparison
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
KM | 208,69 | 122,34 | 152,94 | 273,27 | 260,77 | 248,81 | 200,4 | 225,94 | 155,90 | 184,02 | 233,05 | 135,03 |
Weight | 98 kg | 96.1kg | 96,3 | 98,7 | 98 | 94,9 | 97,1 | 95,1 | 96,0 | 94,9 | 98,4 | 99,3 |
VO2 Max | 46 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
Resting HR | 54 bpm | 50 bpm | 50 | 55 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 49 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 53 |
HRV | N/A | 48 | 48 | 45 | 50 | 54 | 54 | 56 | 46 | 46 | 44 | 45 |
Training load | N/A | 851 | 161 | 723 | 963 | 928 | 913 | 1001 | 615 | 1173 | 242 | 170 |
5km | 38m 18s | N/A | 33m 21s | 33m 7s | 32m 45s | 30m 33s | N/A | 32m 25s | N/A | 31m 57s | 32m 40s | N/A |
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 | 1h 16m 44s |
Breaking down the numbers
Weight is the biggest change in a set of data with no big changes. I have made no significant dietary changes but I have reduced the quantity of chocolate I am consuming. This is my biggest treat, if a self-supporting adult can have a treat that is, but it has been replaced by ... coffee. I will add some words about my coffee hobby later.
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| Resting HR, consistent |
Resting HR is essentially the same, occasionally it drops under 50 through the month but for some level of consistency I take the figure in the summary I get from Garmin Connect at the end of each month. I do find it interesting that, using the same data, other sites report different figures but that only highlights the need to be careful with the data you choose to use. Sticking with the same reporting method gives you more consistent data, picking and choosing the 'best' numbers might not be the most useful way to interpret your metrics.
I have stopped reporting my Garmin Training Load in this blog. My occasional indoor cycling is now on MyWhoosh and Garmin does not collaborate with them in the same way that they do with Zwift. I could get around that with dual recording, starting my watch when I start to ride, but the numbers are not really important, another way of admitting that I do not always remember to record on my watch ...
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| MyWhoosh, indoor ride alternative to Zwift |
However, HRV is back after a short break. My Garmin Fenix 6X is no longer usable after the backlight failed. It seems to work fine but reading the screen is a challenge. Garmin has not been that helpful with options for repair or recycling so it is sitting in its box while I work out what to do with it. It was replaced by a far more budget-friendly Garmin Forerunner 255 which has a similar toolset, minus mapping. The new unit has upgraded software and sensors and my HRV has jumped somewhat as a result.
HRV is a very interesting metric that I am not qualified to explain but this article from Garmin explains why it is a useful number.
Drysuit Season
Winter is here, after a false start with a few days in October with frost things warmed up again extending my neoprene use further into the year than I remember but in the last week or so temps have started to drop to the point where I am using my drysuit and 7mm boots. That combo is a little warm right now but I almost always dress for immersion, you can read about what happens when I dress inappropriately here!
Along with cooler air temps, the water has started to chill to the point where it is now noticeably slower. A max effort over 10km in early November was completed in 66 minutes flat with my 5km split in 33 minutes 2 seconds, consistent with the overall effort but not fast. On a close to perfect day my HR data indicated I had put the effort in for a very good time but the clock does not lie and it was significantly slower than the previous month, which was completed in less than ideal conditions.
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| November TT at the lake. EO SUP Nebula, air temp 4 degrees |
Along with my warmer weather clothing my ambitions for speed have been put away for the winter.
2024 Goals
The year is not yet over but I think it is fair to say that, barring a miracle, I will not hit two of my yearly goals, both were speed-related.
However... despite an awful January, when I only paddled twice, my goal to paddle 2400km is back on track! My May and September totals did a lot to close the gap and putting in a good position to close out the year with 2400.
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| Closing on on 2400 km in 2024 with SUP My Race |
Falling short of the speed goals is frustrating. I am faster and fitter than I was last year but when looking for such small improvements everything has to be perfect and this summer my ability to paddle fast did not line up with the best days to try. A change to my drug frequency has not helped me, it has taken months to get used to more frequent shots and the impact they have on my body. But they are getting easier to manage, almost.
Putting that frustration to one side it is hugely encouraging to know that my best 2024 performances were with water and wind conditions that were not ideal and I got close to my 2023 best, which were set on perfect days.
Equipment
All of my fast work has been on the 2022 EO SUP Nebula and you can read about that here. Posting that link reminds me that I need to do a follow-up to that blog! I have also been using the same paddle for all of my timed runs, the EO SUP Fortis paddle, with a 95 sqin blade. You can read about that one here, that paddle has now paddled well over 4000km with me in all conditions from ice breaking in winter to hot supper days in shallow water, and it still looks fantastic, even after a big hit on an unseen boulder this week!
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| EO SUP Prototype fin. |
Only one thing changed from 2023 to 2024, the fin I have been using. And there is a part of my brain that wonders if the fin I was using is faster than the one I am using. Or, if not faster then maybe better suited to my paddling.
In 2023 I was using 2 fins, both very similar. One was handmade by Maris at EO SUP and the other from FCS. In 2024 I have been using a VMG Blade. I need to do more investigation in this area...
The Leisure Racer
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| Paddy (far left), Jorgen (left) charging away while I am about to get to my feet in the middle of the image. Image Erik Svalander / Viskan River Race |
I went to another race! In the middle of September the Viskan River Race was held not too far away from home in Borås. I finished third which sounds great until you know that only 3 14' race SUPs were on the start line alongside a range of other paddle craft, skis, canoes, kayaks and inflatables. I was beaten by two far more intelligent paddlers who knew not to use a leash for a race where we would run to the boards to start then paddle an out and back course on a river before leaving the board on the beach and running to the finish line.
The race started, Paddy and Jorgen were the first paddlers to start to paddle and were gone before I had put my leash on. I got going in the middle of a bunch of sit-down paddlers, it took me 3km to pass one as we made out way through the first third of the course and never caught the other SUP racers, I did close the gap once I had passed a double blade-er only to get tangled up in the tail end of the shorter race being held at the same time. A fun course and very well organised, I hope to go back next year.
This proves, without a doubt, that racing is not just about fitness and technique. It requires brains too!
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| It is not often I hit 15 km/h when I am not doing sprint intervals. |
Coffee as a hobby
I was a late starter with coffee, I simply did not like as a younger person. But I clearly remember my first 'real' coffee, it was in Aukland, New Zealand a long time ago and since then my coffee habit has slowly developed. There have been peaks and troughs on the way, much like with SUP training, one peak was getting my Gaggia espresso machine in 2012 and I still have it. Movving to Sweden set my habit back a little as it was hard to find good, locally roasted beans here but that has changed, along with the way I view making coffee.
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| Modified Iberital grinder and 2012 Gaggia Classic |
Somewhere between 2012 and this year, I found out that making espresso has evolved and now it is common for home users to weigh beans and work to a formula, or recipe, with their espresso. That information, and improvement in my own coffee skills, came about from a YouTuber called James Hoffman, if you don't know him and like coffee then check him out.
I was first introduced to this channel about 3 years ago at a time when I was not doing so well with life and I didn't pay much attention to this geeky coffee obsessive. But this year I re-found him and the routine of making the best espresso I can is a significant part of my daily routine, and if the other geeky coffee obsessive who pointed me at Mr Hoffman reads this then thank you! Coffee is something that crops up in conversation with Michael although I am not sure if he thinks I am slightly mad with the detail I provide. I think Michael simply likes nice coffee.
One other thing that frequently crops up in my discussions with Michael is investing in ourselves.
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 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.