Phil Capel in his SEL at 2011 Phatwater Challenge on Mississippi River.On Tuesday, November 22, I had an all time PR for my 11 mile course from Mccorrie Point to 3rd Rock in my Stellar SEL Excel. This is the Sakonnet River Race Course that I host, just a mile shorter. I have done this course 82 times since 2002. My previous record was in my SES Excel February 5, 2011. Today I broke that record by a minute. My average pace was 9.11(minutes per mile) with a HR avg of 140. I have only used the 4 inch rudder with the SEL since I have had it. This PR is significant for several reasons:
1. Winter paddling requires extra gear so I have an extra 10 lbs of stuff: drysuit, pogies, extra hat, phone, epirb, muckluk boots.
2. Cold water is more sticky than warm summer water so times could be slower though not today.
3. Today was very flat. Previously I would have said my SES’s were faster on a day like today but my times(races, PR’s) have not supported this over the past six months. The SEL’s stability lets me lengthen my paddle by a centimeter getting a longer catch and I can solely focus paddling technique,leg drive and not stability.
4. One notable obvious difference between the SES and the SEL is the longer length of the SEL allows it to track like a rail, so not much correction in the steering to counter stability. Just point it and go. Go Fast!!
5. Training: Nothing happens without training! Last week, I just started my erg training(concept 2) in preps for the World Indoor Championships in Boston in February. I believe this training is already paying dividends. My previous PR for this course was in February 2011 as mentioned, was just 2 weeks before the World Championships a year ago. On another training note, I ran a 5 mile road race on Thanksgiving Day with virtually no running training time and did well. So the paddling/erg training is paying dividends when I want to cross train.
6. Lastly, I have been working on my technique during the off season as Ben Lawry has suggested to me for the past few years: My catch on my right side was slightly shorter than my left and on my left side I have been working on a cleaner exit.
So this confirms for me again that the SEL has the top end speed over distance of the any other high performance ski on the market due to its perfect combination of stability and speed. Looking forward to my Ultra SEL in a few months!!!
