to start this addiction to paddling. I wish I’d gotten hooked younger. I’ve been a cyclist for over 30 years, raced in my 30’s and 40’s and since then just do the senior games and such. About 2-3 years ago I inherited a kayak and a couple of surf skis when a good friend died. I paddled a little but it wasn’t until last November when I broke my foot and couldn’t cycle that I really got into it. My husband would help me hop to my more stable surf ski and I’d paddle on a local lake for an hour or so a few times a week. Three months later with foot healed, I couldn’t stop. It is hard going from one sport you’re really good in to a real novice in another, but there is so much to learn, explore, and discover that it feels like being a kid again. I’m back on the bike, but some days I can’t decide which to do so I cycle in the morning and paddle in the afternoon. Now to get my husband on the water. He is NOT a water person. Hmmmm, subject of another thread…how to get spouse to love paddling. Break his foot???
It’s contagious
Quite Complementary…
since by two boys have grown up, I’ve been backed to bike commuting daily (which I had done before kids) for the past several years. I really enjoy have the time to clear the mind before and after work that the bike affords.
The weekend, I reserve one and sometimes two days for paddling. I have to admit, as much as I enjoyed paddling and I am only 20 minutes away from a launch into Boston Harbor, I think there is a little too much of getting things together for paddling to make it as easy and accessible as the bike.
sing
walking
called hiking if it's more than 5 miles. :) Easiest sport there is. Requires nothing but shoes (debatable), can be done anywhere (varying degrees of enjoyment), and costs nothing (mostly). It's my daily mental and physical health activity. The boats are a close second. Keep 'em on a dock at a club with a shower, and can get in 2 hours of paddling before work with a little effort.... Even 30 mins outside NYC (you'd be surprised).
But yeah, it took a torn achilles tendon to force me back to paddling after some years of hiking.
As for spouses... one reason I do all these things is for quiet time alone. She can pick her own activities. If they happen to coincide with mine, ok...we can do that. If not, we can do that, too.
Agree… But…
I don’t have (or want to take) the two hours to walk instead of the 45 minutes to bike to work. 
I do enjoy hiking a loop around the local reservation for a couple of hours if I am not paddling on a weekend day.
sing
I like my quiet alone time too
but hubby thinks I spend too much time doing things without him so if I could get him on the water with me, he’d stop giving me the evil eye! Besides, his cycling is limited now due to post polio syndrome and paddling would be a great option.
Activities
I too, am a long time cyclist and relatively new to paddling, having started last year. I enjoy both, and walking as well. I paddle every Wednesday evening, and ride other evenings. Weekends vary. I enjoy the variety of activities.
My husband doesn’t like water either, but he is fine with my paddling since it makes me happy. We do ride and walk together. Have fun!
It Was My Hip
About 15 years ago. Wish it was just my foot but yeah, it got me started paddling. I still bike a lot but paddling is great. I guess with the surf ski you don’t bother with a roll.
I tried taking my wife biking with me a couple of times. Never again. Worlds collide.
I was a lifetime runner, then hiker, unt
my legs said no more. Paddling was the answer. “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”
Talking avocations, not spouses.
I am fortunate that my wife , although not an outdoor person, knows I need it and is very supportive.
Welcome to the
paddling side, especially solo paddling. There’s nothing quite like it. Like biking or golf, one challenges oneself, rather than another person. It’s not for everyone but for those fortunate few who get it there’s magic. I’ve often wondered what part of the human psyche is at play here but usually just accept it for what it is and go on paddling. I paddle a Colden Wildfire and Bell Merlin II depending on conditions. See ya on the water,
Pag
Ummmm…
I bike with old guys like myself and most of the time it gets competitive and challenging. Our gang sign is an extended middle finger… with a smile of course.
May not happen
And pressure on him is not going to make it happen any more.
My spouse and I paddled together, but we were one of maybe four couples who regularly did so in an evening paddling group that at max size would have over 40 boats on the water. Most of the rest were married or in a serious relationship, most of them had a non-paddling spouse. They paddle with groups of fellow paddlers, in one case the wife plays golf pretty much at the same time.
I rode road bikes heavily for a long time, my husband never did. I found a club. He spent time with friends in other activities.
Find a local meetup group or whatever for paddling company. If your husband eventually joins you that is great, otherrwise you have what you need to get on the water.
what did you break?
Years ago I suffered stress fractures in my foot. It kept me off the bike and hiking trails for awhile but like my other injuries, really served to motivate me. I think there’s something in our individual psychology that determines how we react, whether we use it as motivation or an excuse to sideline ourselves and make lifestyle changes (someone ought to write a study!).
You may never get your husband to kayak with you. As long as he has his own personal passions, take solace in the fact that you each have your own and that you each allow the other the freedom to enjoy those passions, it’s one of the best gifts you can give each other.