Tag Archives: compression tights

Sup Perspective: Nature’s Colors

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Print by Peter French

Elk Lake at the Gerry Lopez Summer series

From the glacial blue of a high mountain lake to the azures of a tropical sea, a great deal of the awe for standup paddlers is simply standing high above our favorite waters drinking in color. I recently saw a photo of one of my favorite elite SUP athletes, Candice Appleby, playfully skimming along on a sweet wave. She was wearing her trademark grin as well as a fitted paddling top in a variety of colors that looked just right against the blues of the sea and sky.

A challenging place to take a standup paddle. The 2 mile trail to this lake at the base of Broken Top mountain (Oregon) is rocky and steep.

I took some time to search out just what she was wearing and got a solid clue from the logo on her compression tights.  I noticed she was wearing a very stylish two-toned blue racerback tank top. There was just something about the color of that top that had me suddenly exploring all the links of the Sweet Waterwear website. Since I like to keep sun off me as much as possible and I live in Central Oregon (land of the “don’t blink or you’ll miss it” summer) I was immediately drawn to their crew neck long sleeve style.

The top arrived in the same color combination I had admired Candice wearing at the race (their Pacific & Sky color combo).
That combination made me happy just looking at it.  I hoped the size would be just right so I could take it on our weekend SUP camping trip to the high lakes. I was pleasantly surprised that the medium fit extremely well – as I sometimes need a large. My back and arms have gotten strong and more “robust” after a summer of great SUP training. ) I noticed the content was 18% spandex so it has plenty of stretch to accommodate most all figures and shapes in a nice slightly fitted and very flattering way. Clearly a lot of careful thought and skilled design has been put into their styling and the all-important fit.

On the website, the material the Long sleeve top is made of is described as “Silky Soft Comfort– Our special tricot knit is soft & satin smooth, no chafing” You know how marketing speak goes, we mostly take it with a grain of salt. In this case the description was solidly right on! I had planned to simply try on the top, check the size then pack it in the duffel bag for the camping trip. Once on, it felt so darn good that I wore it the rest of the afternoon while packing and loading the boards.

Even though I was paddling the cooler high lakes of Central Oregon I was cozy and comfortable even on the frosty mornings in my Sweet Waterwear top. I felt on top of the world amidst a palette of blues – quite a bit like Candice did in that one intriguing photo I saw.

I have to mention that the same day I got the long sleeve top, I got a pair of Sweet Waterwear’s women’s pro elite performance tights. The story of why I got them (I am certainly NOT “elite”) and my experience with compression tights is coming up in a blog article very soon.

Summer SUP – Winter Training

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Sitting here in the wintery world of ski-season, quads wonderfully shredded from 3 days finding off-piste fun, I started thinking about some compression tights to wear pre and post exercise. I remembered that Karen Wrenn was wearing something when she visited one of our river races last summer so I took a quick look at her website to determine what brand was good for SUP. Bummer, I can’t tell from this photo.  No problem though. I had the chance to explore Karen’s website and blog – great information right when I need it.

Just in time for paddling season this year I will be turning 63 (for real???) and staying ready to paddle in races and long tours is a priority. I “enter” races but I don’t “race.” While every stroke is the strongest I can muster at the time, and the camaraderie of the race is so much fun, I am usually the last to cross the finish line on my 11’3″ Amundson.  Occasionally I borrow a race board, most recently from Dave and Meg at Kialoa, but my agenda is all about the paddle in the water, the connection between heart/lungs/muscle/sights/sounds and friends on the water. Training for all that is important.

Reading about Karen’s busy life as mother of three and the off-season whether she deals with in Portland was inspiring.  She suggests ways to stay motivated and carving out the 45 minutes or so needed to stay in shape.  Especially interesting is her explanation of her cross-training routine.

On her blog, Karen explains,  “Circuit training is great because you can get your heart rate going, build muscle and muscle endurance. I will first do something that elevates my heart rate followed by a couple exercises that include strength and balance. For example, I might do 20 double jumps (or you could do 100-150 single jumps) with a jump rope and then move right into 20 kettle ball swings (from a squat position swinging the kettle ball to shoulder height coming to a standing position) and repeat. Then I would move into a plank position with elbows on a ball and roll the ball forward and back for 20 reps. I would do this circuit 3 times and then move on to another circuit.

Another idea of a circuit is to do 15 split jumps on each leg (http://www.livestrong.com/video/5310-split-jumps/) and then 20 tri-cep dips then 20 reverse crunches (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVVlXA0dqGg) and repeat this circuit another two times. Basically, come up with some circuits of three exercises. Have the first exercise of the series be something that will elevate your heart rate ( jump rope, running stairs, sprints on a rowing machine) add a strength exercise ( kettle bells, push ups, tricep dips, pull ups, etc…) then add in a core exercise ( reverse crunch, plank, medicine ball sit up and throws). After you finish one circuit of three then move on to another.

Bye, for now! I am heading to the gym and then to the trail. SUP season will be here before we know it. How do YOU train off-season?