Training Log Archive: hilarity

Big swell but not overly windy, and I daydreamed myself into la-la-land for 5km or so in the middle, but it was good to be out there.

I had an unplanned swim, the first of the season, and I paid for my lack of remount practice. I wasn't sure what to do so I ended up doing a combo of two different things and miraculously got in first go, but I would have lost more than a minute faffing around.

I had been catching Mean Simon for a while and was about 100m from him when this happened so I figured that was end of it, but a bit later I noticed he was also swimming and I got past him. Coming in to the beach he got in front and promptly fell out so I got past him again, fell out too and then my ski took his out and I was up the beach before him heheheh.

Here's why I call him Mean Simon - he told me that I'm his benchmark for when he is paddling badly, if I get anywhere near him then he knows he's not going well. How mean is that??

C • Evil 6

A lovely cool-ish morning for a bike ride and as I hadn't been on the bike in fluppin' ages I had no expectations of speed miracles today, but immediately I seemed to be seeing things well (and then not hitting them!).

I was feeling really quite good and then all of a sudden I was on the ground having slid on who knows what and landing my left hip on a rock. I didn't have much time to feel sorry for myself as a message went through the local marchfly network that someone was stationary and therefore suitable for lunch.

I got to the end of the singletrack at 52:47 which I'm pretty sure is a World Record (for me) and completed my loop in what is definitely a World Record for me. What an awesome ride! But I won't be sitting or lying on my left side for a few days . . . .

So it's blowing 17kt and what are we doing? TRIANGLES at Port Beach. Misery. But no-one wanted to do a downwind, despite the fact that most of these guys will be doing the Doctor.

It was absolutely awful paddling upwind, and after my first triangle I realised what these guys were doing was hypotenuses so I switched tactics too. But it's just not worth battling upwind for a short downwind blast and I only did four hypotenuses before I came in.

I almost managed to land gracefully but just when it was almost shallow enough to fall out I got hurled sideways and did the obligatory 'save the ski' leap over the side which resulted in the loss of my hat. Where do hats go when the ocean takes them????

And also when I leaped overboard I landed on the same hip that landed on a rock this morning, OWOWOWOW!

C • Hats 3

My plan was to do 20km, in the morning when there was less wind, but I was too lazy and watched an American football game instead.

So I deserved this punishment - I paddled from UWA to the bridge just past Claisebrook inlet (8km) with the wind behind me, great fun, then decided I better turn around now or I'd have even further to battle back into a headwind.

Almost 9km of battle as I went the other way around H Island. Some crazy waves and a fair bit of boat wash to contend with as well made for good balance practice, and the Swordy handled it beautfully.

My blister prevention finger-condom stuff worked a treat, nothing hurts!! My fingers will no longer prevent me from doing the Doctor, so now I just need to watch what the conditions are going to be like and if not massive wind and waves, then I'm in. :-)

It has finally cooled down enough to make it possible to exercise outside! Or even stick a toe outside . . .

One lap of Lake Jualbup with a pause to walk a bit at the far end which must be on a slight incline.

The whole thing felt pretty horrible, whatever running fitness I had is long gone now. On a good note the foot isn't painful which means I can get back to regular horrible running sessions, lucky me!

Hideous reviled smashing of the core (9:00) followed by chin ups which have been neglected recently. First wide-arm one was textbook, held :08 then lowered halfway and held :08. Next two not quite so good.

First narrow-arm one textbook also, held as above and then pulled back up. That effort seemed to kill me for the remainder of the session . . . .