Mandy and I being SUP rockstars!

Everyone knows that summer is the time for fun, getaways, vacations, amazing food, and sometimes if you’re lucky a little summer lovin’ may find it’s way to your heart. I’ve found love this summer in the Beaches. A little thing called stand up paddleboarding! Ya you may have heard about it especially if you’ve been following the blog lately. It’s all I seem to talk about these days. That or running. But let’s face it we’re all entitled to change and I really don’t want to bore you to death with how much running I’m doing. I’m running all the time! I too needed a break and stand up paddleboarding seemed to be just the thing I needed. Yes, it may have been taking me away from some of my Saturday training runs… but I’m okay with that! I deserve to enjoy the summer… or what’s left of it. It sickens me to think it’s almost over. I may cry.

Last summer I went stand up paddleboarding with Jackie for my first time ever at the Harbourfront. It was right around (what I thought then) Jackie’s permanent departure from Toronto. She talked about SUPing a lot and I decided I needed to try this so called SUPing with her before she left. The first time I went I didn’t really stand up. Actually I hardly did at all! It’s rather intense your first time, finding your balance and the sweet spot on the board. When I went with Jackie I had no idea what I was doing. So this year, after meeting Jenn, I decided a real lesson was in order. When I took my friend Mandy to the Beaches last month I hardly stood up again! I was a bit of a baby. The sky was cloudy and dark and the water was wavy – not my ideal SUPing conditions. However, we stuck it trough and once again I quickly realized how much fun this sport can be! But rule number to really let go and have fun: stop fearing falling in! If it happens it happens, so what. I let loose the second time around and that’s when I really had a good time.

My second trip out to the Beach was much nicer and calmer than the last. It was the perfect day! The sun was shining the water was picturesque and I could not wait to jump on my board and go! This time I stood up like a pro and paddled all over. The wind was just right, so we literally could have gone anywhere. A good chunk of our time was spent playing. We practice yoga moves, attempted balancing postures, and just enjoyed the fact Toronto is a city where you can escape within it. That’s if you really want to. Jenn can show you the way!

A big thanks to Jenn for the pictures!

I went out for my third time last Saturday once again with Marianne (hi, Marianne!) and plan on getting in a few more rides before the end of the month. I’m addicted. I can’t help it. When you start to get god at something it’s really hard to stop.

There are many places in the city to try stand up paddleboarding all the way from the east end to west end. It’s a good work out and a lot of fun all rolled into one. You may recall JK’s guest post when she went last summer with SUPGirlz. I know that Jenn, from Big City Boards, plans on paddling up until the end of August. Get your last summertime fix in while you still can (sunrise and sunset are the best)! At the rate the weather is changing we might not have summer for much longer! That’s too sad to think about right now.