Niels Blaauw wrote >I would suggest you install the paddles of an old bicycle and get the energy >you need from your legs, not your arms. G'Day Niels and Paddlewise, Niels comment rings very true - while training for the Hawkesbury Classic (a 100km overnight race which, heaven help me, is on next Saturday) I came across this dilemma. If the footrests are brought closer to the seat so that the boat responds well to knee lift and pumping the legs, then the soles of my feet get sore and tendons cramp after about 2 to 3 hours paddling a sea kayak at 4 to 5 knots. At the end of a session my arms and back are fine but legs feel as if they have just run 15 km. This seems to imply that a lot of energy is being dissipated in the feet which, with cunning and dedicated engineering, might be converted into useful energy. If I set the pedals away from the seat then the legs are no longer sore but knee lift control is grievously compromised and it becomes easier to use a rudder - Am I missing something? Is there something wrong with the setup? Or is the use of a rudder justified to save legs on really long paddles? Can anyone recommend any techniques/exercises/stretches to avoid the foot problems and retain the knee lift? All the best, PeterO (Australia - where we knit woolley sweaters for Fairy Penguins) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Oct 22 2001 - 00:10:59 PDT
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