A little followup on the foot peg adjustments - I tried your suggestions and
after a bit of experimenting, found a position that allowed my legs to be
almost straight, but still sufficient to allow me to brace when I needed to.
So far no more heel pain. However, now with my legs more straight, my
stomach muscles (such as they are) are complaining. I keep telling them
it'll be good for them!

Haven't had the opportunity to try the helpful suggestions on rolling
technique... maybe this weekend if higher-order priorities don't intervene
(such as yard-care, taxi duty, Mr. fixit role-playing, etc.).


"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message
news:Q2YHe.3627$b91.2544@trndny06...
Michael Daly wrote:
On 2-Aug-2005, "PG" wrote:


I haven't had any pain problems with shorter paddles, so maybe the
problem
is that I kept the feet locked into position for too long without
relieving
pressure on the heels. However, I am curious what adjustments the
experienced paddlers make when they are doing paddles of 5 to 8 hours at
a
time.


Don't lock yourself into the kayak. You should be able to move your
legs and feet around and it's a good idea to change leg positions
occasionally. If your feet are big and the kayak deck is low, you could
be jamming them in and putting excessive pressure on the heels - my WW
kayak is like that and I don't have the room to change it (footpegs are
all the way forward). Move the footpegs forward a bit and point your
toes
forward more if that's the case.

I don't make any adjustments that are related to time spent in the kayak.
Mine is set up for comfort all the time.

Mike's advice is right on the money. A common beginner mistake is to set
the footpegs for too tight of a fit. A simple test is that you should be
able to straighten your legs with your feet on the foot pegs. That will
feel a bit loose when paddling with your legs bent, but all you need to do
is flex your feet forward to lock yourself into the boat when necessary.