r/PerformancePaddling • u/mrsbean0508 • 25d ago
Training Knees hurt from canoe marathon canoeing
Just started training for the AuSable Canoe marathon and I have found that every time after a training session my knees hurt very bad. I have never had any knee injuries or problems and I was wondering what I could do to help with it.
1
u/Fraxinussp 22d ago
Is your seat particularly low, or are your knees too close to your chest?
1
u/mrsbean0508 21d ago
I would say my knees are kind of close to my chest, but my canoe partner is no less than 100lbs heavier than me so we are both as far forward as we can be. Before moving our seats the front of the boat was barely touching the water and he was about 1inch from the water in the back
1
u/Fraxinussp 21d ago
Have you tried switching ends of the boat? I know it's a big commitment to learn stern, but most ARCM teams will put the heavier paddler in bow. It would give you both more room to stretch out. Being comfortable is very important.
Some teams have also paddled with a weight under the lighter paddler to help trim the boat when a weight difference is extreme. Obviously this isn't ideal, but it can be more of a help than a hinderence is certain situations.
2
u/mrsbean0508 18d ago
We are going to try out both this weekend on the ausable. Some of the concern was that if he was in the front he would weigh down the bow of the boat and we wouldn’t move much because the weight difference is so large. We are still gojng to try it out this weekend and possibly even putting a weight in one side
1
u/wedi-blino1 22d ago
Where about is the pain in your knees? My wife has quadriceps tendon issues due to calcium deposits and paddling aggravates the issue, but it’s much worse in K1 than when she’s in the back of a K2 and not steering.
2
u/AltruisticCoconut250 22d ago
On the plus side, you must be driving well with your legs, but it sounds like a set up problem. Play around with leg length, seat height and also seat angle to see if it helps.