Playing Like A Pro We could all use a tip or two when it comes to our favorite outdoor endeavor. Why not get them from the best? Here our favorite lady pros dish out their smartest advice. Stacy Pagoda Nine years ago Stacy Pagoda rented a kayak for the first time—and didn’t realize she was changing her life. From her very first paddle, she was hooked. Stacy, 29, has since been enjoying the waters of northeast Pennsylvania, where she has kayaked everything from the littlest lakes to the mightiest headwaters of the Susquehanna. Her paddling has taken her on expeditions from her favorite stomping grounds of Lake Ontario to Nova Scotia. After spending three years working in a specialty kayak shop, she became thoroughly obsessed with all things kayaks—their shapes, sizes, and performance—and she is currently the proud owner of a quiver of nine boats, all with unique purposes. “Having the chance to work with and be surrounded by many knowledgeable people in the industry has helped me learn about the sport and love it even more.” Stacy has been a professional paddler for Necky Kayaks for a year and is currently working on promoting Necky’s new women’s-specific boat: the Eliza. But that won’t keep her from paddling. “I plan on getting in 300 days on the water this year,” she says. Taking Your Kayaking to the Next Level 1. Put yourself at ease. If you have been paddling fairly guarded and are afraid to test your boat’s abilities or your own balance, go ahead and try. “Pick a nice warm day,” advises Stacy, “and your favorite body of calm water and flip yourself over. Once you realize what tipping really entails and that it is actually kind of fun to swim, you will most likely be a lot more relaxed and hopefully know how good it feels to get over a fear.” 2. Don’t forget about your feet. They’re in the boat where you can’t see them, and they never really touch the water, so it’s easy to overlook how important your feet are to technique. The more of your body that’s connected to your boat, the more control and stability you will discover. Staying in contact with the foot braces and applying pressure to each foot as you insert the paddle blade into the water will help involve your core muscles by causing you to twist instead of sliding around aimlessly in your boat. 3. Focus on one thing at a time. “When working on paddling technique, you must remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day,” says Stacy. “You can’t achieve perfection in kayaking after only 20 minutes on a river.” Holding the paddle correctly, getting the most out of each stroke, leaning forward slightly when sitting, and relaxing your grip—all are great points of focus. Practice each component, and work on them one at a time. Try to get comfortable before moving along to the next skill, and eventually they will all come together. 4. Use your resources. There is a world of information for everyone from beginner through elite racing specialist. There is always something to learn no matter how good you are. “Some of my favorite tools are instructional DVDs and magazines because you can stop, rewind, and review as much as you need,” says Stacy. 5. Go shopping! The kayak that you choose to spend your sweet free time with should fit as many of your needs and wishes as possible. There are many different types of kayaks: touring, recreational, fishing, white water, and more. Picking a boat that suits where you would like to go and what you would like to achieve in terms of skills will make kayaking a lot more exciting and enjoyable. Every boat will fit your body differently and handle situations differently. “Interview each boat as if you were hiring someone, and try each one on like an expensive new pair of pants,” advised Stacy. “There are many shops out there, where enthusiastic outdoor fanatics will love to talk about the good and the bad, the ins and the outs of all their favorite toys.” Trust people who are passionate. Sarah Uhl Sarah Uhl has never known what it was like to not be an athlete. As a kid she climbed and hiked and played basketball and softball. When she got a little older, her mom took her to her first Olympic Trials event, and she got hooked on cycling. After learning early on that she had to be willing to get down and dirty if she wanted to win, Sarah learned quickly what it was like to be at the top. She won the Junior World Sprint Championship in 2001 and then decided to go to college in Burlington, Vermont, which she attended on a Nordic skiing scholarship. Not long after she started college, Sarah realized that she just couldn’t stay away, so she got back into cycling and finished up her college career at Penn State. Sarah has gone on to be a three-time U.S. Elite Track Champion, a multiple winner of Collegiate National Championships, and a multiple winner of the U.S. National Road Calendar Races. And at only 23 years old, she is just getting started. “I love cycling because it is the platform from which I live my life,” says Sarah. “It is simply the best way that I have found to be myself and discover the great beauties of the world.” For Cyclists Just Getting Started1. Be brave. Some facets of bike culture can be intimidating. “There are not as many women riding bikes as you may like, and there are plenty of hardcore bikers out there who have taken the technical aspects of the sport way too far,” says Sarah. “Don’t let the fancy pants fool you into thinking you have to dress a special way or ride a certain cadence.” 2. Make friends of all kinds. Sometimes a girl has to ride with the guys. “Don’t be afraid of jumping right in there with the first group of cyclists you see, even if they are mostly men,” advises Sarah. “You’ll find after a few days you’ll fit right in, and maybe your efforts to play with the boys will encourage more women in your area to come around too.” 3. Get a professional bike fit. Riding a bike that doesn’t fit you can really have a negative influence on how much you’ll love cycling, and an improper fit is one of the biggest mistakes to make when starting out. Minor details can go unnoticed by the untrained eye, but in time they can really stack up against you. To reduce your risk of injury and increase your potential for an enjoyable and more efficient ride, seek out a cycling guru. “The investment will be worth it if you find someone trained and highly experienced to ‘retrofit’ you to your existing bike or size you up properly for a new bike,” says Sarah. “Just ask around at your local bike shops or human performance center.” 4. Try racing. Even if you don’t think you have a competitive bone in your body, you might be surprised at how much you love the atmosphere of a bike race. “Go to a race with someone you trust,” advises Sarah. “Women’s fields are typically small and varied, depending on where you live, so you very well might go out there and win your first race. Ask around and see when races are coming to your area. Check it all out: road, track, cyclo-cross, and mountain bike races. You may just fit right in with one of these groups and never look back.” Marja Persson Having grown up in northern Sweden, to Marja Persson backpacking has always been a way of life: “since I was old enough to walk and my gumboots were high enough not to take in water while walking through the swamps,” she says. With huts set up around the country and untouched wilderness every direction she looked, it was easy for her to fall into a comfort zone that lacked all the modern amenities. A hut with no electricity or running water has always been just another vacation for Marja, 29, who quickly learned that traveling with a pack on her back was the most efficient way to get somewhere. She soon began adding her skis to her packing list and learned to combine her two great loves: traveling and skiing. “It was actually my backpacking and traveling that got me into skiing around the globe,” she says. Her many years as a traveler and a skier have brought her to places many of us could only dream of—such as Gulmarg, Kashmir, and Niseko, Japan—and have taught her that with a pack on her back she will always be free to see the world. With no permanent address these days, Marja is living out of her car, so you never know where you might find her. Tips for Backpacking Like a Pro 1. Get a pack that fits. Choose a backpack that fits the purpose and your body: not too big, not too small, and with the features that work for what you’re doing, such as handle crampons, ice axe, and ski mount. Although it is pretty straightforward, be sure not to bring too much. There are plenty of little tricks to keep the weight down: don’t bring the whole cutlery set—a sharp multipurpose knife and a spoon should be enough; take your food out of the original packaging to make it as compact as possible and have the least amount of trash to carry out. Also keep your stuff in plastic bags, which make it much easier to find things and keep them dry. 2. Plan your layers. More than three sets of base layer are luxury on a backpacking trip. You need one to wear, one to change into, and one extra in case you couldn’t dry the other two. You will stink, but that’s part of the fun! 3. Plan ahead. Coordinate with your camping buddies about who brings what. Not everyone needs to bring toothpaste. 4. Don’t forget the key items on your packing list. “Nowadays wherever I go I bring at least two backpacks,” says Marja. “It’s a good idea to bring one as a daypack for skiing or touring the city and a second, bigger pack to hold all of your belongings.” A headlamp and down booties or flip-flops, depending on the season, are good to bring, too. 5. Survival handbooks aren’t always right. Bring toilet paper; no matter what you read in the survival books, leaves are no fun. If you don’t want to leave paper behind, burn it. Melissa White Melissa White was an All-American runner while attending State University of New York College at Geneseo, and her running career did not stall upon graduation. She is currently among the five female members of the Brooks-Hansons Original Distance Project in Rochester, Michigan, one of the most prestigious marathon training programs in the United States for postcollege athletes. Melissa, 25, is preparing to make a name for herself and her team. Her list of championships is lengthy, most recently with a highly coveted win of the prestigious Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando in February of this year. Even more impressive than winning the women’s division was her second-place finish overall, beating her winning time from 2006 with a new personal best of 1:15:41. But speed is Melissa’s motivator: “What still inspires me every day is my own challenge to see how fast I can become.” In her spare time, Melissa is a licensed massage therapist. But running is her passion. “Running competitively is something that I have to do right now,” she says. “I don’t ever want to look back in 20 years and wonder what if? How To Pick Up Your Pace 1. Make yourself a running plan and a schedule. Pick a goal race in the future and work backward from that date to determine your training schedule. “My training is usually broken down into three- to four-month segments with a goal race at the end,” says Melissa. “Once you know the date of your goal race, you can put together a schedule for your base training, workouts, and taper phase.” It’s a good idea to have short-term goals to keep you motivated during your training and long-term goals to give you something toward which to work. 2. Make every run have a purpose. “Everyone always wants to know what the secret workout is that will make them faster,” says Melissa. “Unfortunately, there is no secret workout.” Every run is just as important as the next. Ultimately, it is the weeks, months, and years of training that will help you improve. “I break my runs into about three categories: workouts, long runs, and recovery runs. All of these runs are important but for different reasons. Workouts are used to practice running at a certain pace, long runs are used to teach your body to run for a certain distance and time, and recovery runs are just that. A recovery run should be used to shake out the lactic acid in your muscles and increase your weekly mileage. When I head out the door, I know why I am doing the run and its helps me keep things in perspective.” 3. Practice in the same gear that you are going to use on race day. It’s important to practice with everything from shoes and clothing to the food and drink you will take before and during your races. “I always run in the shoes and clothes I plan on racing in to make sure they don’t cause blisters or chaffing. The night before workouts, I eat something similar to what I would before a race,” says Melissa, “and then eat a similar breakfast in the morning to make sure everything sits well in my stomach.” If you are training for a longer event such as a marathon, practice drinking something and taking in some energy gels on your longer runs. 4. You aren’t finished just yet. Your run doesn’t end when you finish your workout. It is the extra things you do that will help you recover so you can continue to train and stay injury-free. “Stretching, icing, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep are all things that should be just as important as getting your run in,” says Melissa. “Consistent training over months and years will help you see big improvements, and it’s the extra things you do that will keep you injury-free and out on the roads.” Darcy Africa Growing up outside of Detroit, Michigan, ultrarunner Darcy Africa didn’t get much exposure to running at an early age. In fact, up until graduating from college, her sport of choice was skiing. She seriously started running when she moved to Breckenridge, Colorado, and trained for the Breckenridge Mountain Crest Marathon. Following a couple of half and full marathons, she began pacing some of her friends who competed in ultraraces. After that she was lured in. “It was the feeling of adventure, running in the mountains, traveling long distances on foot, and the camaraderie of the sport that got me hooked,” says Darcy, 32. She has since competed in the Leadville 100, Wasatch Front 100, Bighorn 50 Mile, Western States 100, and others. Last summer she achieved the feat of finishing the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning—which comprises four of the oldest 100-mile trail runs in the United States: the Western States 100, Vermont 100, Leadville Trail 100, and Wasatch Front 100—with the best time overall for both men and women. “It was a true test of my mental and physical endurance,” says Darcy. Darcy plans to do more 100-milers and maybe get into adventure racing and international competition. “I just want to continue enjoying adventures in the mountains and finding new racecourses that I haven’t done before,” she says. How to Run Longer Distances1. Learn to train your mind as much as your body. In long-distance races, the mental piece can be larger than the physical. “I strongly believe in the mind/body connection,” says Darcy. “Whether it is learning how to meditate, talking positively to yourself, or whatever works for you individually, our minds have an unbelievable way of deciding what our bodies can and cannot do.” 2. Take an adventure. Spice it up by seeking out new trails. 3. Motivate. Running with friends or a group of people will help get you out there when you otherwise might not feel like it. 4. Diversify your racing. If you’re training for a longer race, put some shorter races on the calendar as well. “It’s fun to have training runs be actual races,” says Darcy. “It helps with motivation and speed work.” 5. Freshen up your legs. “If you’re training a lot, I recommend at least one massage every month—or every two weeks if you can afford it,” says Darcy. “They help flush out the lactic acid in the legs, and they help me feel fresh when my legs feel dead.” Nikki Kelly Nikki Kelly is known as one of the best female extreme kayakers in the world. A native New Zealander, Nikki, 32, started kayaking at 16 and has been hooked ever since. A year after she first tried kayaking, she started working as a rafting guide, and for the next three years was a guide in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. “Because [as a guide] I had people’s lives in my care,” says Nikki, “I learned a great respect for the river as well as an understanding of how rapids work.” In 2004 Nikki made the first female descent down the Stikine River, which runs through northwestern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. A year later she lead The North Face’s Lake Baikal Watershed Expedition in Russia, which benefited Russian children with cancer. While doing so she made a documentary about the children called Into Thin Air. Based in the freshwater paradise of Rotorua, New Zealand, it’s a safe bet that Nikki is on a remote river somewhere, but on which continent is another question. Tips for Beginner Kayakers 1.Start with a professional. “So many people I meet had bad experiences their first time kayaking, which usually puts them off forever,” says Nikki. “Learn from someone you trust, who has teaching experience and can take you through the first steps.” 2. Accept that there is a learning curve. “Kayaking is fun and very rewarding,” says Nikki. “Even though it may seem tough in the beginning, just remember that the learning curve is fast and you will improve noticeably every time you kayak. Just get over the hump! It took a six-day kayak trip down the Clarence River in New Zealand for me to feel invincible.” Beginners should also remember that if you don’t roll often, you’re not trying hard enough. 3. Paddle the long boats. “At some stage learn slalom kayaking. Get in a long boat and become an efficient and elegant paddler,” says Nikki. “This advice was given to me early on, and it gave me a base that has carried me through.” You will learn an efficient forward stroke and how to utilize the water. Unlike short boats, a boat with length will track straight, allowing you to concentrate on your stroke. 4. Play the river. If you simply “point and shoot” straight down the middle of a rapid, you’ll miss a lot of the action. Make a course that finds every eddy in the river. In so doing you can make a class I rapid into a class III without potentially disastrous consequences. By playing the river, your progress will be much quicker. Erica Allar Erica Allar is not your average psychology major at Penn State. She is also an international contender in championship road and track cycling. Erica, 21, began racing at 16 in the community program at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. She now races competitively for Team Fuji/Salamander. She’s participated in several national events as a junior and senior racer and last year finished first in the Under 23 Espoir Road National Criterium, fifth in the Collegiate Road Nationals Road Race, and fourth in the Collegiate Road Nationals Criterium. “As I’ve improved over the years,” says Erica, “I’ve found that certain things work—like when you’re training hard, eat lots of food.” Erica’s race calendar is pretty booked in the coming months, including the U23 Road Nationals Criterium and Somerville. Somehow she’ll have to throw a little modeling in there, too, as she also has the responsibility of being the Face of Fuji Women. Tips for Advanced -- Taking Your Cycling To The Next Level 1. The benefits of riding accumulate. “The transition from an intermediate to an advanced level can be made only if a person actually rides their bike,” says Erica. “It might sound funny, but it’s true. Riding stacks up each year on the previous years, and time spent in the saddle adds up.” 2. Gear up. “Upgrade bicycle parts and components. An advanced rider may not have the fanciest equipment, but it should be the most functional.” 3. Ask questions. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions about anything—from a bike mechanic about a piece of equipment to a more experienced rider about races or training strategy. Just make sure you’re asking a reliable source.” 4. Race often. “Riding is important, but if you want to be a racer, you need to race as much as you can. Every race is a great learning experience.” Beth Rodden Beth Rodden’s impressive climbing career started at the age of 14 at the Rocknasium in Davis, California. Remarkably, the next year she went on to win the Junior Nationals—and every year thereafter until she was 18. When she graduated from high school, Beth focused on sport climbing and climbed her first 5.14—To Bolt or Not to Be—at Smith Rock, Oregon. She was then invited with climbing legend Lynn Hill to Madagascar, where she developed a love of travel and trad (traditional) climbing. Beth met her husband, Tommy Caldwell, in Yosemite, and together they made climbing history by doing the first free climb of Lurking Fear, a 5.13c on El Capitan. “People ask us all the time how it is to be married to another climber,” says Beth. “I think it’s great. We always have climbing partners, and that’s a hard thing for a lot of people. He’s also my favorite person to climb with.” Beth, now 27, has climbed three more 5.14s, including the first ascent of the Optimist, 5.14b, in Smith Rock, and is currently the only American woman to climb at that grade. In October 2005 she followed in Lynn Hill’s footsteps, becoming the second woman to free-climb the Nose on El Capitan. Though Beth and Tommy spend half their time in Yosemite (and the other half in Colorado), Beth has yet to tire of the climbing mecca. “I’m amazed every day at the climbing potential [in Yosemite]. I also want to travel a bunch more. The Blue Mountains in Australia are at the top of my list.” Climbing Tips To Take You To the Next Level 1. Start in the gym. “Go to your local climbing gym,” says Beth. “It’s a great place to meet people and start climbing in a very controlled and comfortable environment.” The people who work there can help you get started. 2. Climb with your feet. “Most beginners think it is all about upper-body strength, but really a lot of the weight should go on the feet,” says Beth. “I’m relatively weak in my arms, but I have learned to transfer most of my weight to my feet.” 3. Find a partner. “Try to find a motivated partner who can learn with you. If you find a more experienced climber, or someone even better than you, watch them climb, and analyze how they move on the wall.” 4. Climb with three points of contact on the wall. “If you’re moving your arm, both feet and the other arm stay on the wall,” says Beth. This gives you a good base from which to learn. “Once you are more comfortable climbing, this rule is broken a lot, but it is a good starting point.” Jamie Whitmore This World Champion Xterra star knows a thing or two about mountain biking, even though she was first a swimmer and a runner. Born and raised in California, she earned a scholarship to Cal State Northridge in track and field and cross-country. “I didn’t start biking until 1998,” she says, “when I saw a TV interview with [world-class International Triathlon Union triathlete] Barb Lindquist and thought I would like to start competing in triathlons.” Jamie bought her first bike, and the rest is Xterra history. (Xterra triathlons comprise trail running, swimming, and mountain biking.) Now 30, Jamie has won five Xterra USA Championships and was the 2004 World Champion. Among other notable achievements, she now holds the title of Winningest Xterra Champion (male or female). She is married to another Xterra champion, Courtney Cardenas, and the two travel all over the globe from their home state of California to compete in Xterra races. Mountain Biking Pointers 1. Get on the trails. “The important thing to know about riding trails is that you have to constantly ride them to stay comfortable with the challenges they present,” says Jamie. “I see people riding their mountain bikes on the roads, and you can’t condition that way. You have to ride the obstacles of the trail to stay comfortable pushing through them.” 2. Ride with someone better than you. Jamie rides with her husband, also a professional mountain biker. “Most pro women mountain bikers ride with male training partners. You need someone better than you who can push you to the next level.” 3. Relax. “You can’t have a tight grip on the handlebars and brakes—stay loose,” advises Jamie. “Your body has to work like the fork, absorbing the terrain as you go.” 4. Make a game out of it. “When I first started, my training partner made a game where we had a point system. Every time I put a foot down, that was one point. If I crashed, that would be three points. If I walked a section, I’d get five,” explains Jamie. “If you’re a competitive person, this gets you to attempt things on the trail you maybe wouldn’t otherwise try.” Lisa Rands Lisa Rands has been addicted to climbing for a decade. Growing up in southern California, she spent years climbing traditional routes in Joshua Tree, Taquitz, Suicide, Yosemite, and the big walls of Zion, Utah. “While going to school in California, it was very easy for me to go bouldering because I could do it fairly quickly,” says Lisa, 31. “It wasn’t too much of a time constraint, and it fit into my schedule.” Bouldering Tips 1. The most important thing in bouldering is safety. A lot of people climb in gyms and aren’t used to being out on the rock, which can lead to injuries if you’re not careful. |
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