SUP Austin

This weekend I went to hang out with the sister in Austin and had fun playing in the almost perfect weather.  It was a weekend of firsts - first time Stand Up Paddle Boarding also known as "SUP" and first time attending a cross country meet (shout out to Lauren and Callum!).

First off, if you haven't tried SUP, you really should - it's super fun and doesn't even feel like exercise.  Disregarding the men's clothing that I had to wear because I hadn't brought anything suitable, it's both easier and harder than it looks.  Paddling through still water = easy.  Paddling against the current = hard.  Standing up on the board = easy.  Staying standing up while craning your head trying to avoid the women's rowing team = hard.  Yes, I fell.  But luckily (and freakishly), I ended up landing on my board and not in the water.  The only thing that's bruised is my pride.

On Saturday morning, I woke up early to help my sister work the Texas State UIL (High School) Cross Country Championships.  She works for a mega sports brand (I'm sure you can guess which) and was there to cheer on the schools that she's been supporting all season.  We stood right by the finish line and I was in disbelief and shock as to how many kids collapsed / fainted / fell right after they crossed the finish.  Four or five runners were rushed to the hospital post-race.  The race results?  Fastest time for girls - 17:18 and fastest time for boys - 15:04.  Yep that's minutes and yep the distance is three miles.  Suffice it to say, I will never ever run that fast and after seeing the condition they were in afterward, I'm not sure I want to.

ATX and all of its quirky little eateries didn't disappoint and if you need some recommendations for some tasty vegetarian places, I've got them.  It was really fun to go back and visit and next time I go SUP, I'm bringing a swim suit!

Comments

  1. SUP looks amazing!! It'll be awesome to try that someday

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  2. Operation! I think I still have one in my parent's attic. So glad to read your review of "SUP". Every time I see it, I wonder if it's something I could do. Looks really cool though.

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  3. Aww, SUP does sound like fun. I likely won't be doing it anytime soon though!

    And OMG Operation! The funny bone equally the hardest and most fun to try to get. If I remember right...

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  4. Oh, I want to try SUP as well! I have seen people do it on the Hudson, maybe there is a place where one can rent the equipment. But I am not so sure I would like to share the river with so many big boats ;)

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  5. Sounds like you had a great weekend visiting your sister! :)

    I have seen others doing "SUP" but never gotten the chance to. It definitely looks fun. :) And I can assure you... I will definitely fall when trying it, no doubt. lol

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  6. That sounds like such a fun weekend. You're such a graceful faller... I would have landed head-first in the water, and multiple people would have seen, because that's just how my life is.

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  7. I always believed it when told it's a bad idea to stand in a canoe, so it's hard to wrap my mind around the idea standing up on that board is easy. I'm glad your head-turning slip didn't lead to an injury.

    I'm sorry to say I've run until I felt like I was going to throw up. But happy to report I've never pushed myself to the point of collapse (or gone 7 miles like someone I know). :)

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  8. I volunteered at a triathlon once and it convinced me never to attempt one. It was so competitive, kids were puking and crashing. It did not make the sport look appealing.

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  9. Would love to try the paddling! The weather looks great in your location. Wish it was the same here...

    LUXESSED

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  10. sounds like a great trip! i definitely want to try this sometime!

    Jessica
    http://www.jumpintopuddles.com/

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  11. i can't wait to visit austin someday, i hear SO many good things about it!

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  12. I've so many awesome this about Austin but have never been! SUP sounds pretty cool too, although I've heard that is much harder than it looks.

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  13. Ooooh I want to try SUP now too (although not in England because I would certainly fall and die of hypothermia). Also, was Operation already in the restaurant or do you carry a spare on you?

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  14. oh, will def try SUP one day. looks like fun :)

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  15. I've yet to see Austen--maybe when you get your trailer by the river, I'll come by for a visit! :)

    And Operation? I haven't played that for YEARS!

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  16. Rooth, u should be proud u were able to stand up at all, coz there's no way I would've been able to balance like that at all!
    And WOW on the running time. That WAS fast!

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  17. You're a braver girl than I, I'm too afraid to try SUP. But the acronym is fun! It is crazy though to paddle down the river right next to the city. Philly is squished between two rivers, and you don't want to go in either, trust me.

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  18. ahhh paddle boarding <3
    i'm from hawaii so i used to go out and paddle board all the time! so much fun and a good source of exercise :)

    happyleeliving.blogspot.com

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  19. That looks fun and difficult when hit by a current. The closest I got to paddling on my own was kayaking and I ended up continuously turning 360 degrees. :) Apart from that, I think that's a great way to spend afternoons especially with that gorgeous skyline and greens in the first picture.

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  20. Oh man, I have such terrible balance. I would be in big trouble with one of those things.

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  21. You have no idea how relieved I was when I read that you didn't fall in the water Despite the fact that I can swim, water kind of freaks me out. And still water with stuff floating on top, ahhhhh! That seriously freaks me out to no end. I think it must be a phobia.

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  22. 3 miles in 15-17 minutes?! I'm happy just to run ONE mile in under 10 minutes without passing out!

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  23. Hooray for Cross Country! Our kids came in fourth over all in the state championships. And 4th and 6th individually. What blows (literally) my mind is all the puking that goes on at the finish line. The last race we went to was right after Hurricane Sandy, so it was more of a mud run than anything...one girl from Cal's school lost first one shoe and then the other in the mud and she just kept running! She had her best time ever!

    I'd love to try paddle boarding...maybe river would be more up my alley than ocean. Hmm.

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  24. SUP looks like so much fun. I don't have great balance though so I'm not sure how long I would be standing up for.

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  25. Austin is one of the Texas cities I think I would love. SUP seems a bit like canoeing while standing, it looks like fun.

    I ran cross country in high school. I actually kind of liked it in hs when we ran over logs and through the woods and up crazy hills but I wound up giving it up for lent one year. Now I just do sprints when they announce my train is arriving in the station. It's amazing how fast I can run then. ;)

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  26. I've been wanting to try stand up paddle boarding. Not far from us (walking distance), we have on one side a beach and on the other the bay. On the bay side, stand up paddle boarding is all the rage. It looks like great exercise. Next summer, I WILL give it a try. You already look like a pro!

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  27. SUP seems to be fun to play! Does it hurt, though? Hahahaha XD

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  28. I can't believe you actually stood on the board. And yes, I would have fell in too!:)

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