If you like it short, fast, and hard, short to middle distance SUP and prone paddle races are for you. For athletes with jobs, families, and other obligations,  the shorter distance means that you can spend less time training (at least when compared to an ultra-distance race), stay fit, and get in your paddle racing fix.

If you want to do well, however, do not underestimate how difficult the training for these races can be.  Properly training for a short to middle distance SUP or prone paddle race, because of the intensity required in your training, can be significantly harder on your mind and body than training for a long slog like an ultradistance race.

Here are the top 5 mistakes paddle athletes make to muck up their training for short and middle distance races:

• Not doing enough mileage : Even though your race may only last an hour, you need to include training sessions that are significantly longer than one hour. Although we sometimes calls these races “sprints” they are anything but a sprint. These races rely on your aerobic system. As such, you need to focus on your aerobic system in your training. A solid aerobic foundation will help prevent you from blowing up at the end of the race. Training the aerobic system requires long and slow training hours. As you build toward your race, you should be including zone 1-2 level training sessions of at least 2-3 hours

• Always training in the “grey zone”: If your training consists of trying to go harder than you did in your last training session in hope of getting faster, you may get faster for a while but what usually happens is that after a few weeks of this madness the bottom falls out. When that happens, what you think is hard is just kinda sorta hard because your accumulated fatigue won’t allow you to actually train hard.  Over time, all of your workouts become “grey zone” workouts where you are too tired to go hard but your head wont let you slow down.  Step 1 in training for short races is to get out of the “grey zone. “ Aerobic workouts should be slow. Intense workouts should be crazy hard.

• Not going hard enough in your hard workouts : Short races often end in a sprint to the finish. Mass starts are a frenzy of activity. Passing someone after drafting or bridging to get in another paddler’s draft are sprint level efforts. You need to train your “high end” systems directly or they won’t be there when you need them. Getting your intensity right during training is critical. When the time comes to go hard you need to really kill it in your hard workouts. Many paddlers find that they cannot go hard enough if they are training alone. If you are fatigued from “grey zone” training you won’t have the reserves for your intense workouts. Get some tunes , get a training partner, do whatever it takes to find the motivation to hurt yourself when you are training your “high end” systems. Interval workouts are a great way to train your “high end” systems.

• Not getting enough rest: the intensity needed in your training to do well in short to middle distance races adds up over time. If you do not allow your body to rest periodically, the fatigue will haunt you and you will feel like you are walking around with a 45 lb. backpack all day long. Periodize your training and take a rest week every few weeks. You will be glad you did.

• Paddling too often : If 3 times a week is good – 5 times a week must be better. Right? Wrong. Many paddle athletes cannot handle 5 paddle workouts each week because of the risk of repetitive use injury. A better way to build your fitness is to focus on cross training at least a few times each week as you allow your joints to recover from your paddling workouts.

The Riding Bumps short to middle distance SUP and prone paddle training program and 16 week progressive paddle interval programs are designed to help you prepare for your next short to mid distance SUP and prone paddle race and avoid these common training mistakes.