Learn to suck at something new

The ‘Gla Gla Race’ has been running for 6 years.?It attracts about 800 paddleboarders each year and takes place in January.?After a chance meeting with the race organizer whilst returning from Mallorca on a ferry to Barcelona we suddenly found ourselves to agreeing to a weekend in Taillores on the shores of the stunning Lake Annecy.?We had entered for the 8km race – the middle distance of 3 races available.??

Dressed head to foot in neoprene (not a great look) our morning race anxiety were exasperated as we had to scrape a thick layer ice off our paddleboards following the severe overnight frost. A rookie error not to cover your paddles and boards at night.??It was -8 degrees on the start line, the wind had picked up and you could feel the anticipation in the air as hundreds of paddle boarders looked to get on the Lake.?

Eventually we got our turn to launch our boards.?Rule #1 – DON’T FALL IN ??.?I stayed firmly on my knees as I nervously waited to hear the starting horn to echo around the lake and surrounding mountains. ?On cue, we were off to a huge cheer and a little like ‘Bamby’ I edged my way from kneeling to standing.?All I could think was – DON’T FALL IN.??Although I was suitably dressed for a dip ..and the water was crystal clear, it would be bloody cold and I didn’t really fancy it.?Conversely, Lorraine was confidently pointing out the beautiful mountains and the stunning views.?I could only look straight ahead as my legs were now doing a good Elvis impression.??

As we rounded the first buoy, (and with the support of my personal paddleboard instructor) my confidence grew a little and my legs slowly began to stop shaking?so vigorously.?I was now even beginning to take in the stunning scenery as we headed across the water to a beautiful Chateau.?The sun started to break through the clouds and now the most important thing was just to soak everything in.?Here we were, middle of a magnificent lake nestled in the snow covered French Alps, paddling confidently(ish) and quite simply having a fantastic time.?

As we rounded the last buoy and although we were towards the back of the field of competitors I was starting to wish we were doing the longer race as I didn’t want this to end. ?I wanted to stay on the water and keep going.?However, the smell of the post race food village was wafting towards us and very tempting so we crossed the finish line and headed to shore.

High fives and a hug were the order of the day as we collected our Race Buffs for a successful finish.?And with my land legs well and truly back we celebrated with a Vin Chaud and Tartiflette – one of the many advantages of doing a race in France.????And as for the Race name ‘Gla Gla’…it means ‘its bloody freezing’…and they were right, but we loved it and we’ll definitely be back next year.

I always believe that outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens - 'learning to suck at something new'. That’s where you grow and you learn about yourself.?It’s also amazing to think about what you can achieve with the support and encouragement of a great partner or team.

?And if you are a tempted to experience Paddleboarding, ?Team Adventure Days or Paddleboard Yoga – check out www.thesuplife.co.uk.??I highly recommend the Instructor and her team ??