As a backmarker on the weekend I learnt a few things the hard way!
General fitness (active triathlete) does not equal "Paddle Fitness". I have
been soft over the Melbourne winter and not got out on the water.
Big Mistake!
Prolonged kneeling on the board upwind ain't great on the knee's or the ego,
however falling off the board upwind,scrambling back on to find the board facing the other way also not a great moment.
Time on the water equals better balance.
I had the pleasure of seeing Jacko spin his Fanatic around the bottom marker in what I considered to be rough conditions( as he lapped me). Not even a wobble!!
Main lesson; Paddle often, train hard , start now for next year!
So stoked to hear what you got out of the race :)
Remember practise practise practise, makes perfect.
You will get there i have no doubt 
Now back to training you go 
XX angie
Angie
What is your usual training program?
Is it everyday, long distance or short etc?
Do you aim for speed or length of time in your workouts?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hey Hoagie,
Our coach is Peter Dorries and we pretty do what he tells us to do.
We Paddle train 6 mornings a week and also throw in Downwinders or extra sessions somewhere.
Plus a mix of weights and swim training 5 nights a week.
For instance this morning was 10km distance but with added WEIGHTS on your board for the ride, OUCH! but awesome resistance training.
Maybe Pete can jump on here and give u an idea of what we do.
We are pretty damn lucky to have a guy like Dorries up here :) His Paddle knowledge is unreal coming from all sorts of ocean paddling.
XX angie
Angie, some of us don't require weights on the boards for resistance training! 
That's the whole point of paddling for me... Lose weight, get fit, have fun.
That's the whole point of paddling for me... Lose weight, get fit, have fun.
Interesting to hear about the cross training aspect with swimmimg/weights etc (as well as the paddling rather than instead of, which was my mistake)
I have a weighted vest for running etc (aka personal drowning device), but I imagine you use weights on the board to increase resistance. What sort of loading do you go for? I know paddling with a 23 KG dog on the board certainly slows you down.
Personally I know I just need the kilometres under my belt at the moment
(technique, technique, technique!)
Hey Kaihoe,
if you've recovered from Sunday ok, perhaps come training with us in the morning.
Meet at HMB 5.30am if you're keen.
PT, Teeps and presumably Human Cartoon are in.
Ouch! I guess you're in for a different world of pain in the morning.
We'll be hitting the water just as you get to bed!!
