After years of looking out my office window watching people stand-up paddleboarding and wishing there was a cleaner body of water nearby where I could give it a try, I finally got up the courage to SUP in the Potomac River.
My SUP adventure started with the same friend who got me to try Splash Cycle last week. Aren’t friends like that great?
SUP In The Potomac River
Margaret has a membership to the Key Bridge Boathouse, where you can rent paddleboards or kayaks–which we did a few years ago. She’s always looking for friends to go with her, and plans fell in place among our Moms Run This Town group to go stand-up paddleboarding this weekend.
We met at the boathouse @ 8:30 Saturday morning, left our shoes in lockers, fastened on life vests, and headed to the dock. After minimal instructions on where to place our feet, we crawled onto the paddleboards–they want you kneeling as you leave/approach the dock–and were off.
I was the last to get started, so I’m way in the back!
We paddled for about an hour and none of us fell in! The boards were more stable than I expected, but I still braced myself when a small motor boat created a bit of a wake. We saw a few people with dogs on their paddleboards–one man had two pugs on his board–but I don’t think Scooby will ever be that calm.
Now that I know I can SUP without falling in the water–and really, without getting wet at all–I am looking forward to joining my friend for some after-work SUP. It would be a great way to unwind and leave the stress of the day on the shore.
Weekly Wrap
I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap, so here’s a run down of the rest of my week. My workouts were influenced by the realization that it looks like I might be doing the Reston Perfect 10 after all–and that it’s only 5 weeks away (September 30)!
Monday: 2.5 Hilly Scooby Miles + Strength
The Reston Perfect 10 has a hilly course, so I chose a hilly route for a short run with Scooby before I did my running-focused PT exercises.
We encountered a fox on our run–that wore both of us out!
Tuesday: CycleBar
Wednesday: Strength Training
Thursday: 4.7 Scooby Miles
No fox, but we had to cross the street to avoid two deer
on a strip of grass between the sidewalk and a fence!
Friday: CPY2 at Core Power Yoga
I managed my first legit unassisted handstand–it took a lot of patience and courage!
Saturday: 8.25 miles + SUP
If I’m going to run 10 miles at the end of September, I need to build up my mileage again. I had just enough time for 8 miles before SUP.
I decided the flat shade of Hains Point was worth the tedium, and chose to experience it as a tourist. If I were on a business trip, I’d love to find a 3 mile loop on a peninsula in a river with lots of runners and cyclists out and about. On the east side, I watched the airplanes taking off from National Airport, while on the west side I noticed a lot of scenery to enjoy.
Sunday: Reston Metric Century–more on that later!
Have you mustered courage to try something new?
Do you encounter wildlife in your neighborhood?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
I haven’t tried SUP, and there’s really no good place to try here. I did try surfing in Hawaii and I felt it more the next day, while not noticing all the corework I was doing during the surfing.
How fun to SUP on the Potomac! I’ve SUP’d in a lot of places, including Chicago (on the lakefront). I’d never SUP on the Chicago River. It’s so gross and I think maybe toxic!
The Potomac used to be really bad. I know it’s better, but it’s still subject to sewage overflow — there are even warning signs.
I am so glad you finally tried it-I love it! Also don’t love the Potomac river. We also went out in Reston this summer-a little cleaner for sure.
That looked like a nice place to do SUP!
That SUP outing looks fun…but I have no idea if I’d stay dry very long (I always say my balance is my downfall LOL).
I bet you’d do great!
Awesome week of workouts and good for you for trying SUP! I still need to get up the courage to try it!
It helped to do it with friends — and with some who had done it before.
I love to SUP! We bought two many years ago…kind of before they became so popular, but I just loved the idea of being active on the water!
That sounds like a very fun outing 🙂
I love your Scooby miles. Does he know he is training for a 10 mile race? 😉 I still haven’t tried SUP and it looks like so much fun! If we ever move to the lake, I’m buying a SUP board…and a kayak. Friends that suggest new adventures are the best. I can’t wait to hear about the Metric Century Ride. Thanks for linking!
I tried SUP and I’m not as coordinated as you. I fell off twice. I do want to try again.
But on our rivers. They are gross. On a lake.
I see a lot of people doing SUP but I would be rubbish at it, I just know! I try to challenge myself at yoga but refused to do I think it’s a plow, all rolled up over yourself with your feet on the floor behind your head. Just re-fused. And sat there!
Well done on a great week! I see foxes sometimes and lots of birds, including the parakeets in one local park.
The SUP experience sounds like a lot of fun! How cool that people had their dogs with them 🙂 I did fall into the water the one time I tried SUP but we were also horsing around and falling in was kind of fun. That was also in a bay up in New Jersey that seemed a bit cleaner than the Potomac. How crazy that you and Scooby saw a fox!
I would love to try SUP but I’m terrified that I won’t be able to balance at all! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
How fun! I’m so impressed you didn’t fall off. When I SUP’d in the ocean it was pretty rough and windy and I had somebody on my board, whom I’m going to blame for making me fall in. Haha!
Totally feel you on the cleaner body of water — there are a number of reasons I’m not likely to ever do a Tri. The top one is that I’m not immersing myself in the HUdson River water. LOL
SUP looks like so much fun, but I am almost certain I’d end up very wet! Glad you enjoyed it!
SUP is one my weekly activities and it is so good for relaxing! Happy to hear you are planning to do it again soon!
Other than rabbits, squirrels & chipmunks, not too many animals in our neighborhood usually. Turkeys on & off (like years on & off), groundhogs at my neighbors, and my husband has seen deer but I haven’t. And of course there was that black swan once!
Good job on the SUP! The one time I did it it scared me. I can be such a wuss.
I haven’t tried SUP yet but am amazed at all the people that can get their dogs to stay on their boards! Maybe I should try it next summer with Baylee?