My Kayak Motor

Today’s kayaks are much different than they were 5 or 6 years ago. We have went from having to invent ways to mount full sized trolling motors in the past to having multiple options readily available in the consumer market to mount all types of motors from electric or gas and everything in between. They were even kind of sacrilegious in the beginning but have widely been accepted as a great too, especially in tournament fishing. But, my motor looks a little different. It is about 5’10’’, bearded and overweight. If you haven’t figured it out…..I am the motor… haha.

To me, who sticks to rivers for the majority of my trips, the paddle is a tool. An extension of myself that propels the kayak in any given direction. Sure, some paddles  are more efficient than others but in general, you get out of the paddle what you put into it. Your tool can only do so much, though. You supply the power! That’s where this story comes from.

I was on a float trip with a friend and while we were just getting on the water, the view was incredible. The sun was coming up and was trying to shine through the fog that was coming off of the water. I saw a perfect opportunity to get some video. When I got back home, I sat down to review my footage. I was extremely happy with my shots! There was just one problem. I could hear myself breathing like a fat kid running for a cupcake throughout all of the videos that I shot. I sat there wondering what I had done to make myself breathe like that and then I realized, I hadn’t done anything. I’m just that out of shape! I HAD TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! I immediately went and bought a membership to a local CrossFit gym, CrossFit Republic. 

It was a grind for the first 3 months but I stayed dedicated and trimmed up a decent amount. My cardio was MUCH better also! I felt so much better paddling and felt like I was more prepared than ever for whatever the river could throw at me. Then…..I got busy. Life got in the way. I made a whole lot of excuses. I gained a little weight back and lost some of my cardio. I knew that I had to find something else to keep me motivated. I needed a reason not to stop more than I needed a reason to start. Then, someone said something to me that really hit home. He said “pushing through to the next goal doesn’t cost you anything but quitting costs you everything. Just imagine where you’d be if you had never quit.”. From that point on I have been in the gym or at CrossFit almost every day and I am more motivated than ever to be better. Why? Well, because I want to feel, not exhausted, when I am out on my kayak doing what I love. Also, I don’t worry about distance as much when I have to paddle a long way. It is just part of the journey instead of a burden.

My kayak motor still needs quite a bit of work. It might need a complete overhaul even. But, I know that I am on the right track. I eat right but don’t make myself miserable. I work out but I don’t over due it and injure myself. I just try to balance it out, making sure that I am working toward progress in the right direction. Protein, water, lots of weight lifting and a little cardio all add up to make my time on the water that much more enjoyable. I can’t wait to see how much better it gets from here!