Your First Paddle Board Race
An eight-week training plan, pacing, fueling, and a race-day timeline for a first SUP race, built around Battle of the Bay.
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Paddleboarding
For the recreational paddler and the athlete. Trip reports, training plans, and gear notes from lakes, rivers, and open flatwater.
By the Numbers
A Year of Paddling, Logged
Apple Watch data from every paddle I logged between September 24, 2025 and September 5, 2026. The training guides and speed benchmarks in this collection are built on this set.
- 66 sessions logged
- 264.0 miles paddled
- 105.1 hours on the water
- 41,996 heart rate samples
- 12.01 longest single paddle, in miles See the speed benchmarks
- 4.47 moving pace over 10.7 miles, mph What counts as fast
- 65.1 miles in the 35-day build for USA SUP Nationals, including two ten-milers eight days apart Read the event guide
I log every session and go through the data afterward. What lands in these guides comes from three places: peer-reviewed research, my own time on the water testing technique, and a year of tracked progress. Here is how I measure moving pace.
Train Stronger, Paddle Longer
Science-backed strength, endurance, and racing guides. ACSM, JSCR, and real Apple Watch data over modeled numbers.
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The SUP Strength Program
Six-week strength program built on ACSM and JSCR research. Posterior chain, rotational core, the lifts that transfer.
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Speed Benchmarks
What 3, 4, and 5 mph feel like on a 14-foot inflatable, with split data you can compare against.
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Why You Bonk on Long Sessions
The carbohydrate math behind paddle fatigue, plus the in-session fueling that keeps you upright past hour two.
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Recover Between Sessions
Targeted stretching, grip and hand work, mobility, tendon care, and post-session recovery.
The SUP Stretching Guide
A 12-minute post-paddle routine for obliques, shoulders, and chest.
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Paddle Grip & Hand Position
Why your hands hurt after long paddles, and the grip-pressure changes that stop dorsal hand pain.
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Nerve Glides for Paddlers
A five-minute daily routine covering the three nerve pathways that paddling compromises.
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Isometric Exercises for Paddlers
Holds that build a tendon’s tolerance for load, with where the research supports them and where it stops.
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Paddleboard Exercise & Recovery
Earlier piece on what a typical paddle session burns and how recovery should look on the days after.
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My SUP Elbow Injury
The arm that gave out in a Nationals race sprint, a normal X-ray, and what peer-reviewed research says it could be.
Read the story
Gear and Accessories
Tools for long paddles and recovery, picked from gear I've used on the water.
Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Four sunscreens tested over full days on the water. What reef-safe means, and which ones I trust.
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Paddle Board Pumps
Electric, cordless, or manual. PSI headroom, heat shutoffs, and altitude failures, with the pumps worth buying and the ones to skip.
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KT Tape for the Elbow
What trials found for kinesiology tape, three elbow applications from published protocols, and the evidence on wear time and water.
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Where to Paddle
Trip reports and access guides from launches I've paddled. Parking, water conditions, the windows that work.
Sand Harbor State Park
Tahoe east-shore launch with the alpine-postcard view. Parking, entry, wind, and best paddle windows.
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Jenkinson Lake (Sly Park)
About an hour from Sacramento. A 5 mph zone in the narrows, and clean, dry paddleboards skip the golden mussel quarantine.
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Fuller Lake
Smaller Sierra reservoir at 5,400 feet, about 24 winding miles from Nevada City. Quiet water and a granite shoreline.
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Lake Natoma
Folsom flatwater with a 5 mph limit and hand-launched craft only. Glassy mornings, the everyday training paddle.
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Folsom Lake
Entrances, fees, and parking for a flood-control reservoir that is drawn down every fall and refilled each spring.
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Lake Clementine
Deep-canyon reservoir below Auburn. Granite walls, a paddle-friendly upper lake, and water skiing on the lower.
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Juniper Lake
The largest lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park, at 6,800 feet. The road reopened in July 2026; the campground and day use area are still closed.
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Races
What to expect on a stand-up paddle race course at every level, from a local festival with a First Timer’s Race to a national championship: courses, board classes, race-day logistics and results.
PaddleSplash Festival 2026
Three races in one Sunday morning and three first places: the 8 Mile in 1:49:01, the First Timer's Race, and the four person relay.
Read the race report
USA SUP Nationals 2026
The first Nationals with a separate inflatable division. Sprints on Friday, a 10K on tidal salt water Saturday, and a technical course Sunday.
Read the event guide
Battle of the Bay
The 15th annual race launches from Dunphy Park, with SUP, surfski, outrigger, prone and rowing shells on one course. Proceeds go to Play Marin.
Read the race guide
How These Guides Get Made
01
Science-Backed Claims.
Every training claim has a citation. I lean on peer-reviewed scientific studies and academic papers from well-researched professionals: ACSM, JSCR, Frontiers in Physiology, and the Compendium of Physical Activities.
02
First-Person Testing.
Gear reviews come from equipment I've tried and played with thoroughly. Speed claims come from my own Apple Watch data on actual paddles.
03
Community-Backed.
Fellow paddleboarders help evaluate gear, pressure-test the data, and refine techniques. Whether you're race-curious or out for the slow-Sunday float, you're welcome to weigh in: send me a DM on Instagram.
Why do you have to be so good at everything!
Megan, “Pink Menace,” after run-launching for the first time after she demonstrated it to me.
Start on flat water. Lake Natoma is the Sacramento default.
See the lake guideHit a wall at 90 minutes? The bonk has a fix.
Read the fixHand pain at mile three has a mechanical fix.
Read the techniqueFAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is paddleboarding hard for beginners?
Not on calm water. Standing up on flat water usually happens in the first session on a board 32 inches or wider. The learning curve is steeper for paddling efficiency than for balance.
How long does it take to get good at paddleboarding?
An hour on the water feels comfortable after three or four sessions. Getting fast is a different question. The math of pace, stroke rate, and board waterline starts to matter after you've put in about a year of regular paddling. The SUP Strength Program accelerates the strength side; pace comes from miles on the water.
How do I train for my first paddleboard race?
Give it eight weeks. Start with aerobic base building (long, easy paddles), add tempo and interval work in weeks three and four, and keep strength sessions on land alongside, such as the SUP Strength Program. The full week-by-week plan is in Your First Paddle Board Race.
Where can I paddleboard near Sacramento?
Close to town: Lake Natoma for a sheltered paddle with a 5 mph limit, and Folsom Lake for a bigger day. About an hour out: Jenkinson Lake (Sly Park), with a 5 mph zone in the narrows. Farther out: Sand Harbor on Tahoe, best in the morning before the afternoon wind builds.
How do I prevent hand pain on long paddles?
Loosen your grip. Squeezing the shaft harder than the stroke needs causes dorsal hand pain after the first hour. The fix is mostly conscious relaxation between strokes plus the grip-position adjustments in Paddle Grip and Hand Position. Nerve glides (covered in Nerve Glides for Paddlers) help if it's already chronic.
What's a good speed on a paddleboard?
On a 14-foot inflatable, 4 mph sustained for an hour is solid recreational pace. 5 mph for the same hour is competitive at the local-race level. Rigid boards run roughly 5 to 6 percent faster at the same effort. Full benchmark data with Apple Watch splits is in Speed Benchmarks.
Collection Updates
September 24, 2026: Added my SUP elbow injury report to Recover and the KT tape elbow guide to Gear.
September 15, 2026: Added a Races section, Folsom Lake, Juniper Lake, isometric exercises, and a browsable list of every paddleboarding article. Corrected lake rules, routine lengths, and program details on several cards and in the FAQ. Updated the Juniper Lake, Jenkinson Lake, and Fuller Lake cards to match those guides' corrections.
May 24, 2026: Launched the collection with 13 articles across Train, Recover, Gear, and Spots.
All Paddleboarding Articles
Every guide, trip report, and race report in the collection, newest first.
Lake Natoma in Folsom, California – Complete Adventure Guide
Lake Natoma, located between the Folsom and Nimbus Dams in Sacramento County, California, is a relaxing spot to enjoy a day of non-motorized water activities, wildlife watching, and picnicking along the lower American River. Lake Natoma is often cited as one of the best lakes in California to paddle on. It’s certainly one of my …
Paddleboard Accessories
Now that you have your SUP, it’s time to get some paddleboard accessories. There are all sorts of neat gadgets and toys to add on, and I’ve been testing them out and discovering the best products and some of the more unique things you can do to bling out your paddleboard adventures. There are a …
The Lake Clementine Guide to Summer Fun
Lake Clementine is one of the most beautiful, serene lakes in Northern California. Located on the North Fork of the American River in the Auburn State Recreation Area, this stunning destination is split into two sections: Upper and Lower Lake Clementine. Whether you’re an avid paddleboarder or kayaker, or prefer hiking, boating, or swimming, indulge …
Juniper Lake – Lassen Volcanic National Park
Juniper Lake sits at 6,800 feet in the southeast corner of Lassen Volcanic National Park, the largest body of water in the park and the most remote of its drive-in lakes. After five seasons closed, you can drive to it again, though you cannot camp there yet. Juniper Lake Road from Chester, closed after the …