30 Jan 2013
Posted by mattwright
Question: I am always hearing it from my friends when I listen to tunes while SUP race training because they say I should be “communing with nature” or something when I am on the water. Do you listen to tunes while paddling?
– Anonymous, CA
Answer: Someone once said that the great endurance athletes need to be either dumb as a box of hair or super intelligent to deal with all of the hours of solitude required for endurance training. I guess that puts our intelligence at lukewarm because we need some tunes to get through our workouts. Music also has the potential augment your endurance training.
If you are going to listen to music while you are SUP race training there are, however, some ground rules.
- If you are paddling or SUP race training with someone take the earphones out of your ears. Even if you don’t have them turned on it is rude to have them in your ears when someone is talking to you.
- Never, ever, wear headphones if you are anywhere near a surf lineup. It is unsafe to surf with headphones.
If you are looking for some tunes, might we recommend:
- Stoke your skulll : Your chosen sport has a radio station and that station is Stoke Radio . Your first order of business is to get the app and listen to it religiously. The interviews are engaging and the playlists will keep you going.
- Get Spotify : it is time to put down the Billy Joel, Nickelback, and whatever else it is you have been listening to since you were in college. You don’t watch Night Court anymore, Captain Lou Albano died in 2009, and Joust isn’t as cool as you remember it. Time didn’t stop when you graduated college and neither should your music. With Spotify (Rdio, Mog, etc.) you can have pretty much every tune ever made with you at all times.
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Here is what we listen to:
- Rochs 2 hour paddle hour: when “Kung Fu Fighting” comes on he knee paddles like a steam engine. You will too.
- SUPpy time time mix : Mostly electronic and big beat mix to keep you paddling. Rated R.
- If Warren Miller paddled this is what it would sound like : You know those gnarly Warren Miller ski/snowboard movie soundtracks? Like that.
- Sunday Sunday : For the car or your house after your are spent from a long paddle session. Meeeelow.
- This is what you hear at Breedfreak’s house : an ongoing list of favorites. Everything except Billy Joel.
Roch and Matt
