All SUP races are not created equal. Your SUP race training must be tailored to the type of SUP race you are doing. This is the first in a three part series introducing the three SUP race formats and how to maximize your SUP race training time for each of them.

The three general SUP race formats are:

1. Battle of the Paddle style race
2. Ultraendurance race (such as a major channel crossing or race over 20 miles)
3. Long distance race (any race between 5-15 miles long)

.

Introduction to the Battle of the Paddle SUP race format

Battle of the Paddle races are generally short (under an hour) and require racers to perform several buoy turns, surf into shore, and, in some cases, a running sprint along the beach.

You will often hear the word “ carnage ” in the description of these types of races as racers commonly fall, crash, and smash into one another in a tangle of boards, paddles, and flesh as they return through the surf.

These races are as much about technical skill as they are about fitness. The fittest racer does not always win. Rather the racer with the most fitness, and the best all around SUP board handling, drafting, turning, racing, and surfing skill (as well as a bit of luck) will win the race.

Although these races are short, they should not be considered sprint races. These races are endurance events that require a sustained aerobic effort and repeated anaerobic efforts to get through the surf, around buoys, and charge the finish line.

Common Battle of the Paddle SUP race training mistakes

The most common training mistakes we see are based on the false belief that these are sprint races. Battle of the Paddle racers often fail to acknowledge how much distance training they must do to compete well at these types of races. As an analogy, pure sprinters such as kilometer cycling track athletes, whose races last 60-90 seconds, will log hundreds of miles per week during points in their training year. If these pure sprinters need to do that much endurance training you do too. The be successful at an SUP race lasting 45 minutes, distance training (e.g. long, slow, heart rate zone 2, aerobic training) is critical.

Another mistake we see is that athletes fail to understand that a Battle of the Paddle style race is, in some ways, more like a golf game than a show of pure fitness. Without the technical skills to get around the buoy, pace yourself, and surf to shore, you do not have a chance at one of these races. No amount of fitness will overcome your technical limitations.

These races will require you to put in repeated submaximial efforts. Think of them as mini-sprints during a larger endurance event. The physiologic energy systems needed for these efforts must be trained directly so you do not red-line and blow yourself up at any point in the race.  As they say, each one of these efforts “burns a match” and you need to have a full book of matches to burn during your race.

Finally, many paddle athletes are great paddlers but their leg strength and flexibility are less developed. Turning an ankle or tweaking your back as you get off your board and run to the finish are great ways to get injured and injuries are not unheard of at BOP races. You need to have full body fitness (not just paddling fitness) and flexibility to be successful and avoid injury at a BOP race.

Ways to maximize your Battle of the Paddle SUP race training workouts:

• Put in the time and miles:
  • Early in the season get good endurance base before doing specific (higher intensity) battle of the paddle training
  • This is an endurance race, you need to include long paddle sessions until 3 weeks before your race. Your long paddle session should be at least twice the length (duration not distance) of your race

• Focus on your technique
  • Practice buoy turns during every workout
  • You cannot surf enough. Be sure to surf your race board during your training
  • Practice drafting
  • Perform “in and out” drills during your SUP race training

• Don’t forget your cross training, flexibility, and functional strength training
  • Run at least once a week
  • Maintain your flexibility with 3x/week flexibility training (minimum). Jenny Kalmbach’s Tuesday training tips is a good place to start.
  • Keep up the gym work
  • Practice your sprints running in the sand

• Focus on your interval training
  • Perform high intensity intervals of varying length during your training to  focus on your high end energy systems that will be needed during the race.

• Practice racing and pacing: Racing is a skill that you must train. Learning how to pace yourself during this type of race is a skill. The only way to learn this skill is to practice. You should try to race at least once per month or 4 times in the year before your target BOP race. Do not worry if these are not Battle of the Paddle style races. Just get the race experience.