Molokai 2015 No.2

With around 40 days until race day I thought it was timely to interview Stubbsy and find out for you all how the training for the Molokai World Championship is going. By sharing this journey with you we truly hope it inspires you to go for something you have always wanted to do…all you need is a plan to get there and a driving goal to keep you focused.

1 – Tell us about Molokai and why you really want to do it?
Why do it? The attraction of ocean paddling comes from the feeling of surfing ocean swell and wind chop, getting to speeds of 25km/h, whilst managing energy levels and navigating the quickest course to the finish.

Ocean paddling has really taken off over the last few years with major events being held in Sydney, Perth, Hong Kong, Mauritius, San Francisco, Canada, Portugal, New Zealand and South Africa, but Molokai was the original ocean race and on the bucket list of most paddlers. “Maui Jim Molokai Challenge” is a 52 km ocean paddle race from Molokai to Oahu across the Kaiwi Channel in Hawaii. 2015 will be the 40th year the event has been held and because of the large international field this race attracts it is considered the World Championship of Open Ocean Surf Ski and Solo Canoe Racing.

I first became aware of Molokai when I read about it in a magazine in 1987 and have wanted to do it since then, particularly as many great paddlers including Grant Kenny, Guy Leach, Clint Robinson and Dean Gardner have won it. Dean still holds the record of 3:21:26 set in 1997.

If conditions are good I’m hoping finish around 3:45-3:50, but if it’s a calm day I could be on the water for over four and half hours.

PS you think he’ll have it tough?…Think of us in the support boat especially if it’s rough!!

2-What other marathons have you completed in the past?
I’ve been competing in surf ski ocean paddle events, mostly in Tassie since 1988, but the longest race I’ve competed in was the 4 day-270km Pye Marathon from Forster to Bondi in 1990, so 52 km shouldn’t be too bad!

The most recent event round this distance I’ve done was a 44km paddle around South Arm a couple of years ago. This was done in fairly flat conditions and took me 3:46, so I thing I can still push for a top 15-20 placing overall. But a lot needs to go right on the day for a good finish!

Wow, that’s pretty cool…I’ll try to stay focussed and not go into holiday mode too early!

3- Tell us about your training program now?
I’ve got a pretty good fitness base from the years I’ve paddled. Over the last 28 years I’ve made plenty of mistakes with less than optimal training. This includes either too much training at a high heart rate or too much long slow stuff.

I started focussing for just this event in March and I’m paddling 5 times a week, ranging from 60 to 85km per week. This is based on training harder each week followed by an easy recovery week every fourth week before building the intensity and distance again.
Every 4th day is a 20 to 30 km paddle focusing on maintaining a decent speed at a lower heart rate, and the other days are 8 to 12km interval training, focusing on speed. Over the next three weeks I’ve got a 32km, a 35km and a 40 km paddle planned.

I would always prefer to start an event slightly underdone than overdone.

I’ve stopped weight training (FIRE- focussed, intense, resistance, exercise) for the last couple of months as I found it difficult to recover and fit it all in. I’m looking forward to getting back in the gym in June.

On my rest days I still am pretty active with my kids. They want to go surfing, jump on the trampoline and bike riding so I have to keep something in the tank.

I’ve definitely noticed more intensity…don’t forget about the housework though!! Happy wife = happy life!!

4-What about your nutrition what are you focusing on?
This is where my biggest improvements over the last few years have come from. I use to think that I was over training because I was always getting sick and my results didn’t always reflect the amount of training I was doing. But with what I now know about nutrition, I was most likely malnourished through a diet high in processed, refined, packaged food and very low in wholefoods.

Using Metabolic Precision principals I’ve been able to match the amount and quality of food to my training load. These days I’ll have a large omelette (plenty of protein and vegies) for breakfast and throughout the day consume another 5-6 meals. These will usually include lean meat and lots of vegetables or salads. I also need to eat plenty of high energy carbs for recovery and snacks. I don’t exclude anything, but I don’t eat junk food either. I also have used the MP research to help with supplementation to enhance recovery and performance. I’m pretty lucky Christine is on the same page when it comes to food.

Ah yes, you are …what a lucky man you are to have such an amazing wife! PS you get brownie points for that last comment!

5- What about rest and recover? How do you plan for this and what do you do?
A big part of my recovery is starts with the pre and post workout drink. This is a protein/carbohydrate/creatine mix to ensure my body has the best chance to recover before the next session. For my long paddles, I’ll consume 3-4 litres of the same mix, but in a more diluted form.

As far as training goes, I keep a close eye on my heart rate, particularly anything over 90 minutes. If I allow my HR to get above 140, I find I cannot recover for the next session. But for sub 50 minute sessions, I can push it to 165 beats a minute.

Other really important things that help my recovery is getting good quality sleep. It helps getting to bed at the same time every night. I program in rest days or less strenuous training sessions when I am on night shift as it can knock me around a bit.

The other big one is minimising stress.

And seriously, who could be stressed living with me? I am an angel!!!