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Welcome
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Ask the Paddlers… Q:
Why do you like to paddle? What magic does it hold for you? Rudolph: I love to exercise, I love to compete, and I think it's a fun change from flying, the sport I've actively pursued most of my life. Q: How
do you mentally prepare for competition? Rudolph: Two things I always do. First off, I sit down with a good salt lick and relax. Second, I envision my actions through the whole race, starting with being ready at the start, and pushing through the finish line. Q: What
do you eat before a workout or to refuel afterward? Rudolph: Before a workout I usually eat an apple, some almonds, nonfat yogurt, and a small serving of hay. It’s always given me just the right amount of carbos, sugars, and protein. For refueling, especially on the distance workouts, I eat a couple of bananas, and drink a bucketful of water at room temperature. Much more than that and the methane consequences make me unpopular with the benches behind me. Q: What
do you eat before and after competition? Rudolph: Before
competition I try to eat the same kinds of food as before a workout. I try and eat continuously throughout the
day to maintain the right blood-sugar levels. I nearly bonked at one event
because the blood sugar got too low. Thankfully, one of my teammates let me
nibble on his trail mix. Q: How
do you control your weight without compromising your nutrition? Rudolph: I’ve never had a problem with my weight, but I do have a problem with bloating, so I watch the kind of fiber I eat before a race. Q: What
kind of training do you do in the off-season that helps your paddling? Rudolph: Well, I’ve always been into flying, so I gallop through the air an average of 2,500 to 3,000 miles a week. This really helps if we end up racing three 500-meter races in a day. Also, I started a weight lifting program last October, but gave it up because I kept dropping the weights--no opposable thumbs, you know. Q: How
do you balance an over-demanding schedule? Rudolph:
I find
that my winter training helps my paddling and vice versa. I have a pretty heavy
schedule leading up to December 25th, and things slack off sharply after that. I
add swimming to my routine in January. Q: Do
you have any advice for new paddlers?
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This page was last updated on 02/20/08. Contact Us Comments to Webmaster
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Rudolph
is our interviewee for December 2002.
He's usually in the engine room, sometimes strokes and guides us through the
winter fog.