Owwwwwwww!

Guess that's what I get for trying something new, right?

Let me back up. Here in Philly dragon boating has a growing following and if you run a search in Google, you see a bunch of cities with their own dragon boat clubs. Philly is no exception. There are competitive teams that folks can join (and get up at the crack of dawn for practices - no thanks) and there are regattas where teams from different employers and groups get together, usually for charity, to compete. EPA has a team, so I decided what the hell, why not try it out. The first regatta is on June 7.

We had our first practice this afternoon after work. I don't know if it was smart or not, but I rode my bike up to the boathouse. Should have paid attention to the forecast that called for stronger winds. That 3+ mile ride took longer (and more energy) than I had expected. We then spent the next hour in the boat doing stroke drills and speed drills. To know when to put the paddle in the water, you need to watch the folks in front of you as well as the folks in the front that are setting the pace. Um, that was a bit of a problem for me since I'm so short and I was at the back of the boat. Still, I made do.

By the end, I was totally fading. We came around this little island in the middle of the Schuylkill and I was distracted by the nesting pair of swans in the trees. I tried to take a picture w/ my phone, but the camera isn't very good. I was toast by that point. After finishing up, and riding back home, it only 2 about 20 minutes for the pain to set in.

I stretched, but there was no way that would help. Oh, and it probably doesn't help that I did an arm workout last night at the gym. Duh. I did manage to take one picture w/ my phone. I was at the back of the boat so it's not much of a shot.

I found this picture online from one of the regattas last year. See the boat in the middle w/ the green t-shirts? Yup, that's our EPA team.

I will admit that the pain was worth it. It was so nice to be on the water. It reminded me of the canoe happy hours we used to do when I lived in DC. We'd rent canoes at Jack's Boathouse, load up w/ wine, cheese, etc. and paddle out to the Three Sisters islands in the Potomac and watch the sun set. It was such fun. I wish it was possible to do something like that here in Philly.

Now that I think of it, these are kind of like the boats we went on in Ketchikan after our jeep tour. Not that you can really see the boat, but it is the Tongass National Forest and a nice shot. ;-)