Post Race Lowdown - 53km 7 hours 6 minutes

Offical results for my division - 4 starters and 4 finishers:
http://www.pseresults.com/events/386/results

 Quite a way behind the other girls (who are all amazing paddlers).

As promised, below are the details from my Garmin forerunner - got a max speed of 13.9km waahooo.

 Check out the little hook I did shortly after leaving Molokai. This is because my boat captain Bobby said he wanted me to head north and then turn south later. Why? So I would do the hard work earlier when I am fresher and make the last few hours easier as I would be able to run with the swell. With the course line set
and Bobby looking out for me, I was left to paddle! Got some amazing connecting runs. Some big runners and some smaller runners, Got into the 'wave' zone and had a ball. 17 miles to go (of a 32 mile corssing) and only 2.5 hours in. I was surprised (good surprised), so was everyone on the boat. The boat thought I would make the crossing in about 5 hours or so (based on my first 15 miles). I had mentally prepared to be out there for 7 hours knowing that the last 5 miles would be the hardest. I knew how long it would take me to paddle from Koko Head to the finish line, and I knew how long 14 miles would take to paddle (and I knew how I was feeling), so I was mentally prepared for another 4.5 hours out there.
Kathryn was uber good with my bottle change overs and also bringing me a dr pepper, chocolate rice bubbles (that are gluten and dairy free) and a (shock horror) chocolate muslei bar. She managed (somehow) to keep the food dry after she had jumped into the 2300 feet deep water. Nice. Only had 3 bottle changes I think perhaps 4. I was taking a little drink from the mixture bottle and the water bottle each time I layed down from kneeling. No sea sickness either AT ALL = bonus!

Feeling good up on my knees paddling and a little slower laying down paddling. The last 2-3 miles heading in towards Koko Head were really bumpy and I fell off a couple of times. So I layed down for those few miles until I got around Koko Head and into Manaulua Bay. Now only 1.6 miles from the finish line, there was a hectic wind coming down from the mountains pushing us out of the bay. Knowing that there was going to be a strong wind here helped me mentally, but I had no idea how strong the wind would be. Back up on my knees now, I paddled home to the finish line. Crossed the line and amazingly no tears!! I surprised myself. Rick was there (Kathryn's boyfriend) who gave me some Leis' (thank you Rick) and so was John from Planet Sun Sunscreen (nice to meet you John!!! Love your product. I put one application on my face from the sunscreen stick and my face didn't get burnt at all - and I was out in the sun literally all day!). Shortly after making land, I was eating Snickers, drinking Dr Pepper and having a beer! Nice. I felt great. Not too sore and so happy with what I had just accomplished.

Luke and Jake Michael (friends from home) were at the finish line too to say congrats to me which was awesome, so a big shout out to Luke and Jake for making the effort and waiting around for me to come in. Good luck with Nationals and Worlds boys :)
One of my work colleague's Davor has a friend over in Hawaii and he was there too to say hi!!! So awesome! Thank you.

So, how do I feel about the race? Pretty good. Given my preparation/lead up had a few hiccups (like I did last night after leaving the Outrigger after only 2 or was it 3 beers!), it would be interesting to see how I would gone with a smoother leadup and a body that worked as required by my brain and heart. Wierd parts of my body hurt.. left ankle from sun burn, left elbow and right wrist some I don't know what - perhaps the arm wrestling contests post race!?!??!

 Brekky at Cheesecake Factory the next day === cheese cake and Mojitos!!!

PS: its been 12 hours since I first started this slab of Godiva Cheesecake and I still have some left in the fridge in the hotel... its has been beaten me twice in 1 day!!!Usually I'd smash these sorts things... but alas, this is not the case. Perhaps I will have another crack at it tomorrow morning. Take no prisoners!

With my wingman now on a flight home, I am all alone again in beautiful Waikiki. What a great 10 days it has been.Thanks for coming along on this journey with me Jason.

Thank yous: to everyone I want to thank - thanks to you for getting me drunk last night, this morning, and tonight, and potentially more than likely tomorrow evening too! Love yous all xxx

Thank yous

There are so many people I need and want to thank. You have helped me cross the channel today. There are so many to thank. So I have come iup with a genius plan to do it! I will have a beer for each person I want to thank, and 3 for those that have been uber supportive. So that takes me to about 3 beers hahaha no just kidding. More like 30 .... lets see I go woooo LOVE YOU ALL. Tinky out.

Completed!!!

Just a quick note to say Im done: 7 hours 6 minutes. First half of the race done in 2.5 hours...  will post Garmin info later xxx

Two Sleeps To Go For Race Number 85

Aloha Everyone. This time (7:30am Hawaii Time) in 2 days time  (Sunday), I will be on the water and have just started by Molokai Channel crossing. My first solo crossing. Preparations so far have been smooth. Training runs out from Manalua Bay have been great. Manalua Bay is where we finish, so to paddle the finish line area is very important to get a feel for the winds from the mountains (that push you out to sea/Waikiki) and the swell (which is tidal). If I was to do a straight line from the final headland - Koko Head - to the finish line, I would also have to battle against the wind from the mountains. The alternative is to hug the wall (the coast line) the whole way into Manalua Bay which gets me more shelter from the winds but then I need to surf the reef breaks. But it should be high tide, so not breaking to much. This tactic is important because it is the last 20 minutes (2km) of the race and this is when I will be the most tired and fatigued. Hopefully the Snickers and Dr Pepper will give me a good sugar hit and I may just be able to power through and take the straight line.....

Planet Sun Hawaii

Picked up my race pack yesterday from Duke's. Still doesn't feel real...that I am doing this... but have no doubt it will feel real mid channel when I will feel so small in amongst the 8 foot average swells and 15 knot average wind speed, not being able to see land, and paddling across a channel that runs to 2300 feet deep, and where the water temperature is 2 degrees warmer than the air temperature.

Final training run on Oahu today too. Getting the drink bottle system fine tuned too which is great! Will post a photo of the final board setup next week.

We got some fantastic all natural sunscreen for our trip across the channel from Planet Sun Hawaii (http://www.planetsunhawaii.com/) so a big thank you to John and Ben at Planet Sun Performance Sunscreen and UV Protection (All Natural sunscreen = I LOVE IT!!)

Hawaii Kai Marina

My gear and bottles for race day

We loaded up the boat yesterday at Hawaii Kai Marina (which is right behind Manalua Bay on the south east side of Oahu). We gave Bobby (the boat captain) all the gear required for the race day, including my race number - 85! Bobby is also going to take my board over for me which is great because it means I can get the board off the boat this afternoon and have a final (final) training run tomorrow afternoon. Also left my finish line back at Kathryn and Ricks place for Rick to bring to the finish line for me. It's a bright pink Victoria's Secret bag so hopefully he won't mind carrying that over for me!! Thanks Rick!

Leaving for the airport to fly to Molokai later on this afternoon. A tiny little propeller plane. Seats about 9-12 people. Wooo. It's like my own private jet but with propellers, so my own private propeller (doesn't quite have the same ring to it!).

REALLYYYY???!!!!

Not sure what the Internet setup is over on Molokai in the condo and there is no cell reception so it will be hard to contact you, but when I finish, I will send out a text message to let you know.

Signing off now.... heading into the final couple of days before the biggest adventure and journey of my life begins.

Day 5 in Hawaii

First trip EVER to CostCo with Kathryn today. And OMG!! It is amazing. You can buy any there. Including a 7 piece modular sofa! The store is like the warehouse of Ikea in Sydney. Floor to ceiling shelving stocked with gigantic packets of everything. I found Dr Pepper 24 pack for US$7.50 (perfect for the race if I run out of my special fluids/powder mixes) and a tray of 48 Snickers bars (hello chocolate ass!!). You can walk in, buy a diamond ring, a BBQ and 800 rolls of toilet paper. I heart CostCo! Check out these few photos I posted - clearly the pictures do not do justice to the actual thing, but you get the idea!

We had a sleep in this morning (until 6:30am) and had a nice leisureley brekky at the hotel. Went to the beach in front of the Moana to see if we could find Kylie and Heidi (Colin and Jason's wife's). Found them!! Woo, so much easier than finding someone on Bondi Beach in Sydney - 40,000 people on the beach in the peak of summer = crazy (which I why I live in Maroubra now!). Kylie, Jason and I all went surfing at Waikiki for an hour and loooved it. First surf since I landed and could not wait to get out on the 9ft board and get onto some nice long runs. When we were paddling out, some guy had a collision with a girl on a board and he broke his wrist - it was hanging at a right angle to his forearm = gross. Clearly I had to be careful not to get injured myself, so perhaps I will leave the surfing until I finish the channel crossing....Surfing with a bunch of random learners when I have a huge race in a few days is probably not the best idea!! Ahhh :)

Jason and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Duke's this evening, and guess what, the serving sizes were managable this time!! Wooooo! Although, I think I kinda like the idea of eating until I can't fit into my pants anymore and have to unbutton the top button and gaze out into the space because I am in a food coma.

Are you wondering why there is a random photo of me sitting in a chair.... yup, me too!


How to get these quotes on my board? Sticky tape and plastic cover??
"Embrace the pain... it won't last forever"
"Your mind will take you there"
"Luck has nothing to do with it"

Food In Hawaii

For someone who can eat my dinner and then walk around and finish other people's dinner (laa laa too!!) it will come as a surprise to you that the entree size servings here are defeating me EVERY MEAL TIME.

Surprise From The Hookers

Jason getting into the helicopter

Windward side of the island

Waimea Bay

Sandra and Jason organised a surprise "kick ass in your paddle race" surprise for me yesterday afternoon. To my delight it was a flight around the island of Oahu in a helicopter!!! SOOOO EXCITEMENT! The flight was amazing and a super duper present - THANK YOU SANDRA AND JASON (lubcheck!).

We headed out to the helicopter in the afternoon - best time for flying because the morning rains are gone. Standing opposite the Honolulu International Airport was a bit surreal because you are never allowed onto the tarmac quiet like this. The pilot was constantly changing his radio frequency to whoever was controlling the airspace he was about the fly through. Military and the airport control tower were the main ones. If they didn't allow us clearance we just hung about until we did!!

The views from the chopper were nuts! Truly an amazing and dramatic landscape. And did you know, that the Big Island is the youngest of all the islands and that's why it still have lava flows!??!

And what an eclectic group of people we had in the chopper. One guy had Jason and I in stiches of laughter just because he wanted to talk about the watermelons and whatevr else he grew on his farm here way back when. Doesn't he realised no-one cares and that whatever you say in the chopper will be recorded and used as evidence against you later!! Seriously, the helicopter records the everything you say and the scenery and then you can buy the DVD and listen to these idoits for the rest of your life!! Too funny. The DVD doesn't to the real thing justice at all. Perhaps my Sanyo footage will.... umm.

By the way, if you don't already know, crackers are crackers and cheese is cheese... checking you are reading!!!

Tinky out xxxx

Day 3 in Hawaii

Early start this morning and quick breakfast in the car onroute to Kathryns place out near Manalua Bay for my first paddle on board. Unpacked the Yellow Submarine and put in the bottle holder fin and Jason fixed on the camera. Will see if we have the camera angle right on the board later once Jason has had a chance to review the footage - hopefully it's not just me pulling wierd/random faces!
The drinking tubes I had cut for the bottles were a little too short so have just cut some slightly longer ones so
that I can reach them without being too far forward on the board - very important otherwise would probs dig the nose into the water out in the channel = loose all forward momentum = more paddling :(
Only out for a little bit surfing the little waves just out from Kathryns place in Manalua Bay. Most beautiful place, clear water, nice surging waves breaking softly ahh paradise!!

Once showered and ready after the paddle, we headed up to see Bobby, our boat captain. He is super nice and am so excited about the team I have here in Hawaii. I will be paddling as much for them and I will be for me and my goals, challening all my emotions and feelings and thoughts whatever they may be (fear, anger, happiness) into the main goal and focus of getting across the channel.  Its been super windy over here this season ... umm...

Just thought of how I can reuse the water tubes I cut that are too short.... attached beer bottles/cans to my favourite cap, insert tubes... away I go = nice! Anyway, back to topic:


Getting into the final preparations for race week: tomorrow is another training session, followed by a surpise (go get 'em) adventure from The Hookers, and then probs Ala Moana shopping centre on the way back (wooo shopping)!! Tuesday will be North Shore bound to see race organiser Mike, and hopefully some other friends up there if they are not working. Will swim at Waimea Bay, check out Turtle Bay Resort, and hang out for the day. Then will hopefully head to CostCo with Kathryn to get some supplies for the boat. Wednesday will be another board session - perhaps in the afternoon so I can paddle in the heat - and getting everything ready for the boat and what we will need on Molokai. Thats all I have planned so far and that is pretty much all we need to do.

Whilst I am here for the race, it is also a holiday. So 1 touristy thing per day.
Touristy thing for Sunday: Hanama Bay Lookout. Hanama Bay is fantastic for snorkelling and diving, but we just enjoyed the view. We will see Hanama Bay again in 7 days time but from the ocean side.

Okay peeps, think I am just rambling now (raaaannnblliiimm rose... who know this song!! dad!!) and need to get to bed and get some zzzzz

But one last thing I need to post is "STATUE BRO" 

Landed in Hawaii

Alooooooha peeps

Landed in Fiji after an hour or so on the tarmac at Sydney Airport. Was okay as I had a great book to read. Its called Black Ice and Lou and Damien gave the series by the author. Love these books. Should have bought the next book in the series coz almost finished the book on the plane = silly me!

So the flight to Fiji (Fun In the Jungle Islands) was PACKED with kids. I think I am now put off!! I would be a bad mother, I'd put my iPod on and probably leave them on the plane!! Note to Lou and Damien..... bring noise canceling headphones for our trip to Fiji!!!

Landed in Fiji and literally walked from one plane to the next. Bit better than having a 2 hour layover. This plane was smaller, and we stopped over in Apia (Samoa) to drop off and pick up passengers. I met a super nice Hawaiian on this leg of the flight who was on vacation visiting family. He works over here in Waikiki so will hang out with him once I finish Molokai.

So I have my Dodge Charger... I am an awesome driver. Driving on the other side of the road doesn't freak me out. I even managed to stop at the stop signs and make a right turn with no issues = Becci is awesome (ok enough of self ego rubbing - waaaa whatevs)!!

No GPS in the car... I am a search and (destroy) find type of person. With a full tank of gas and a vague idea where to go, I was in the 'lets see what happens' kinda mood. And so far, everything is working out PERFECTLY!! I got to my hotel, parked by 830am. Check-in is at 3pm, but went to the check-in desk and they said my room was ready (like seriously OMG). Had my bag bought to my room. Unpacked (race gear hidden away - as someone wise once said 'dont live the race now' (I think thats right). Thank you to this person - you know who you are. And BTW: luck has nothing to do with it = top 5 best quotes EVER.

So now I am in the hotel lobby tapping madly at this AWEOMSE Apple keyboard (gots to gets me one a dees) my iPhone 3Gs at the internet store being charged and setup for data/calls etc. All on track.

So now what do I do? Call Erin/Kathryn/Pura and Hank. Pop over and see Erol for a surf. Probs call Ryan and organise a surfing trip on the south coast and pop over to Ala Moana shopping center. NO NAP REQUIRED for this traveler loving the vibe on being on vacation, loving in my heart, yellow Nikon watch on (amongst other clothing and accessories!!) and generally super excited to be here.

Just had a Starbucks tall Iced Caramel Machiato (cant spell and dont care!) and think I have about 5 more minutes left out the post 30 minute allowance... !!! Eekkk.

Actually saw someone get their 15ft and 12ft paddle boards from the oversized baggage area from my flight ahhhhhhhh annoying. But the customs officer said that they probs paid heaps of excess baggage so that made me feel better. Plus, sending it prior was a good idea because there is no way I could have gone to get my hire car and put  13kg board on soft racks in front of them!

Love and Aloha to all

Dipsy/Sandra: sorry for hanging on you so quickly yesterday, I was boarding and the lady was like 'GET OFF THE PHONE' and was like 'erm, okay'.
Mum/Anita/Siobhan/dad: thanks for calling me at the airporto, was great to chat to you xxx
Wish I had my right arm with me... Laa Laa ahhhhhhhhhhh

Tinky out
(soon to be Tipsey!!!)

International Departures

Ever heard of the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs"?? Well the last week in Sydney has been raining elephants and rinos with the odd shower of horses and monkeys. Rain drops that hurt are not good!
Sitting at Sydney international terminal all alone watching planes get covered in rain on landing when they taxi through giant size puddles at 200kph! One plane landed and went through a puddle that was so big it sprayed up over the nose and the pilots where playing hide and seek!

Breakfast part 2 now completed i am starring out the window thinking of the amazing dinner I had last night with a lot of my supporters and friends. We had Stew, Nina, Dale, Joey, Tori, Barbora, Justin, Ryan (who walked on crutches with a leg brace to get to dinner = legend lord huckle!), Jason, Damien and Louise. Your support means so much to me. I have the card with me and it will be with me on Molokai so I can remind myself of all the awesomeness of you guys.

Quote from last night: "I will either be at finish line drinking beer or in hospital on a drip"!!! Basically, nothing will get in my way of paddling to the finish line grrr flick my earlobes (checking you are reading this!)

Thinking I should have left my car outside so the rain could wash it but thought the elephants and rinos may squash it! Yeah I know that doesn't make a lot sense but like whatevz, am tots amaze!!!

Okay peeps. Time to sign off. Signing in again when in Fiji or Hawaii cruising around in a dodge charger with a 15foot board on the roof. Reckon dukes of hazard boys would be proud of this effort!

Yellow Submarine!

Before

 With the uncertainty of getting a 15 foot board on the plane, yesterday afternoon was spent packing up my board so it looks like a Yellow Submarine! 

Jason Hooker (documentary director) and I got the board (Bruce) all wrapped up and safe to send by an international freight company to Honolulu Airport. Now the tricky thing is to make sure that the 18cm rudder is protected. Luckily I had kept some polystyrene packaging so we could use this to protect the rudder. 

After = Yellow Submarine!

We started out filming and got the board out
garage to take out the fin water bottle cages and plan how to protect the rudder. Then mother natures pours down on us. Ugh! So we re-arrange and setup in the garage. Out of the rain we continue filming. We got through the majority of a 50 meter bubble wrap roll, and that just me putting it on like a dress and rolling down the drive way!!!


With the board wrapped up and rudder protected, we officially make it "The Yellow Submarine" with the kayak sock that Stew let me borrow - thanks S Man of Think Kayak (http://www.thinkkayaks.com/). Final touch was the red wrapping of FRAGILE tape. My Bruce is now fulling protected and will be waiting for me in Honolulu this Friday when I arrive. Hang in the Bruce! Play nice with the other boards and no playing with other rudders! Erm, this just got weird! Better get back to work and focus with Katy Perry on the iPod! Love it.

Drove to the freight company this morning and delivered Bruce and half my right kidney to pay to get the board flown over. Then the guy proceeds to tell me that the airline he is using to send the board is a passenger airline that would have taken my board as checked baggage = great start to Monday. Ah well, at least now I have a guarantee that the board will be there the day I land and that is the most important thing.Just means I have 1/4 less kidney and no new jeans and swimsuits!! eek! 


Final week countdown to departure: 4 more sleeps.

Acclimatising

So Sydney has been pretty cold over the last week and looks to be the same for the next week as well. Can''t wait to get into the warmer temperature of Hawaii. Hopefully I have left myself enough time to acclimatise!

With the weather on the weekend, 30 knot winds, I froze. Didn't have enough layers on my legs. The chilly winds gusting around me made me so cold that in about 20  minutes, all I wanted was my bed and a hot water bottle. Paddling into the wind for 30 minutes was brutally cold. So when I got to Point Piper I decided to turn around and catch the 1-1.5 foot wind chop back to Rose Bay for a hot shower. Took me about 10 minutes to get back! Fun times.Not quite the 4 hours on the water I wanted.

With white feet and red and white blotchy legs, the hot shower didn't seem to be making me any warmer. So brekky with Anita and a pot of tea with Belly was the remedy! Eventually warmed up!

The caretaker where I keep my board was asking a heap of questions before I went out paddling by myself in this wind and weather. Do you have a life jacket or PFD, a whistle, an orange flag to wave if you are in distress, anything that can help you if you get into trouble. No! Nothing.

 Whilst this can be dangerous to take no safety equipment with you, I thought to myself, if I fall off in these winds where the waves aren't anywhere near as massive as those in the Molokai Channel, then I shouldn't be paddling the Molokai Channel. 

I understand that when you are on the ocean in these sorts of conditions, where the south wester generated massive and dangerous surf conditions, and the ocean swell would have been huge, safety equipment is important. But on a board, where do I put it? I have had this discussion with many people. Some of whom understand how and what board paddling is and how I need to use my body, other have no idea, which is sometimes hilarious and sometimes annoying. But all in all they are just watching out for my safety. Perhaps I should be more like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and strap a knife to my leg and guns to my back, but remember to pack the whistle and little orange flag and inflatable Butler. Oh, I know. I will pack a mini megaphone and use that when get into trouble, I can just sing to people, that can be my distress signal. 
Safety in numbers always works well. Over. Rodgie! 

The Plan for This Weekend

TWO weeks left now until I fly out.
Just a few more little but crucial things I need to sort out.
Firstly, I need to get my drink bottle system sorted out. Basically what this means is that in the race, I do not want to have take the bottle out of the bottle holder on my board unless I am changing the bottles over. It wastes times, stops me from paddling, and can put me off balance if I can't get the bottles out etc. So, what do I? Imagine a Camel Pack backpack that comes with that long straw thingo that a lot of ski paddlers, hikers, walkers etc use. Now replace the bladder part with water bottles!! Easy!!
 Well, to achieve this, what I will do is find the tubing/straw and cut it to length so that it will reach the bottom of my water bottles but also have enough length to reach me lying down on the board, which will be about a meter I think - will let you know!! Then, I need to get those funny little bite nipple things. And most importantly, more bottles that fit into the bottles holders!
Now, will all this gear, the actual setup starts. I need to drill holes in all the water bottles so that I can feed in the tubing, secure the bite nipples to the tubing (ensuring they fit properly), then I need to work a little device that I can tuck the tubing under so that it doesn't drop in to the water, flap about on the board etc.
The highly complicated utensils of a coat hanger and duck tape come into play here. Not 100% sure how it will work, but the plan is to set this up on Saturday (tomorrow) and test it all out on Sunday in the race at Botany Bay. A cheeky little 8km with westerly winds.

Now that I have bored (haha board) you will the drink bottle system technicalities, what else can I bore you with... Well, there is the matter of my board getting to Hawaii. Umm... I booked Air Pacific thinking I would be sweet to get my board on the plane, but I am beginning to have  my doubts. I have lined up a freight company as a backup just in case.

Now I think that covers my plans for this weekend.
Oh yeah, one and half hour massage tomorrow afternoon which will be SWEEET!

Entry Listed Posted

The official list of competitors is posted:

http://www.molokai2oahu.com/event-info/competitors/entry-list/

There are 4 people in my division. So that's a little more incentive to not be first loser!!!

Heart rate increasing... !!!

It's Been A While

Love and Aloha Follower and Readers (and Archie and Ollie!)

Since my last post way back in March, I have had my head buried in the sand so apologies for no postings. It has been a busy 4 months with lots of logistics, training, and scares. 

Not sure where to start with this update as it's all flowing through my brain like a cat following a laser beam!

The Scary Paddles

My board paddling sessions in April and May were beginning to increase in duration. I was paddling 1.5-2 hours on the weekends and twice in the week still (as it was warm enough) and was feeling good. Then...

Paddle 1: whilst paddling from Double Bay to Camp Cove as part of a training set with the boys Colin and Jason (on stock and clubbie boards), I was half way across Watson's Bay, paddling steadily with the wind chop (booo to no clean southerly that weekend). The boys about 1km behind me, I was in my element. Solo paddler. Then, about 200 meters in front (and a bit to the left), a fin comes up out of the water, cruises along the surface in front of me and goes back down underwater. AHHHHHHHHHH best U-turn on the board I ever did. Prefer to be paddling away from the at rather than in the same direction. 

I paddled back to the boys who were refueling near Neilson Park (legs hanging over the side of their boards).. "What are you doing?",,, "Thought you were going to Camp Cove".... me: "Yeah, saw a fin cruising around and thought I'd turn back." At this stage, I still had all my hands, feet, legs and arms on my board. Col and Jason slowly moved their legs onto the board and were a little concerned. Not to mention that the following day I was support paddler for my best friend who was swimming from Bondi to Watson's Bay (yeah team Stevo/TT!)... best not mention that experience until all the swimmers were safely across the finish line. Was definitely more alert paddling for her. Had my plan all worked out. See a fin, put myself between my friend and the fin. See teeth, take a photo!! Yeah, okay, not the best plan, but other than making sure that the board was between danger and my best friend, not much else you can do. Give it a Mars Bars or Snickers maybe... Slab of Dairy Milk never goes astray. (Now no freaking out please mum and dad!!!)

Funny thing was that Colin told his wife Kylie, who saw me in the morning and mentioned it and I said "shhhhhh.... I haven't told anyone that story yet!!". Hehehehe. Swimmers relax, you were all safe!

Paddle 2: So the following week we had the Bondi Ball at the great Ivy Ballroom in the city. That day Colin and Jason were planning to paddle from Camp Cove to Little Bay. Wanting to get a 3 hour paddle under my belt I started from Rose Bay. Now, I didn't really want to paddle by myself so ask my friend Alan to join me from Rose Bay to Bondi. Thanks Alan!! Best support ski ever :)

Picking up Col and Jason on the way, all four of us paddled to Bondi.Condition's weren't great, but at least I was out paddling. At Ben Buckler, Alan headed into Bondi and I waited for Jason and Col. As the light was fading, already 230pm, I didn't want to wait too long, so told Jason I was going to take a straight line for Little Bay. With that, I headed off on the final stretch of my paddle. 

Already organise my dad (wooo) to pick me up at Little Bay I was all good. Should have asked him to pack a bottle of Rum or something to still the nerves was I was there. 

I have paddled that stretch of coast between Bondi and Maroubra countless times already this year and previous years training for Molokai. Its a great paddle on a southerly wind and swell (Maroubra to Bondi). Had some of the best paddles to date on that course.

Feeling pretty comfortable to about Lurline Bay, when I see HUGE groups of seagulls on the surface of the water. Now, my neighbor Brett (thank you Brett) mentioned to me that weekend that there were heaps of salmon migrating north and that there were heaps of Bronzers out chowing on them. So when I saw these huge groups of gulls, I decided to paddle around them giving them a wide girth. So wide in fact that I ended up paddling very close to the headland at south Maroubra. This headland (the rifle range on the southern headland of Maroubra) is something I have never paddled before. I had heard it is a double headland and that "Dead Man's Cove" is there. Called Dead's Man Cove because (apparently) that is where any dead bodies get washed up due to the underwater currents and hence..... guess... guess.. yup, sharks. So the police find half eaten bodies, limbs etc in Dead Man's Cove. Didn't know that piece of information until about a month ago!! 

Feeling a little bit tired, it was towards the end of my paddle, and I only had 1 bottle of Peak Fuel for the journey, the conditions were beginning to freak me out. The sun was fading (4:45pm Sydney Winter time is not a time to be on the water at Dead Mans Cove). The back wash from the cliff was like nothing I've paddled in before. Not a normal backwash like along the Gap (between Bondi and South Head), this was chopping. Perhaps similar to Chinamans Wall (the last cliff wall we paddle along at the end of the Molokai Channel). Definitely not a time for kneeling on a little board, so chose to stay prone (laying down). Then, to my left, I see a huge grey thing moving past me. Fin. AHHHHH. 

Now the paddle from last week and what Brett had said and my own mind were running a million miles an hour through my head. This is the MOST freaked out I have ever been. I had no "out" option. Cliffs with dangerous conditions on my right and ocean on my left. Only way out was forward, towards Little Bay and my dad. 

Hang on, there was that Whale encounter of 2009.... but at least I wasn't solo then. That also rates highly on the "freaked out" scale, but whales are generally harmless. 

Anyway, had a little cry (such a girl) on the board and mentally got myself together. When paddling into Little Bay I was so thankful. Got of my board and hugged my dad crying. Crying out of being scared and all by myself out there. Crying out of relief of making it. Crying because of what could have happened (I know I know... but whatever!). 

Anyway, gathered myself. Waited for Colin and Jason, then dad dropped me off at Rose Bay to get my car and things. Then it was time to get ready for the Bondi Ball. 

Boy, did I get in trouble that night. The vote was no more solo paddles. too dangerous. Love you allll. 

Training and stuff

Now that scary, chick stuff is out of the way, lets get on to more serious things. The following weekend after Paddle2, I damaged my shoulder. Didn't really think much of it at time. I was doing something normal, but awkwardly, and something twinged in my left shoulder joint. I finished my paddle with Joey D from Maroubra to Bondi on my clubbie board (my agreement with my best friend and dad not to paddle solo - thanks Joey for paddling with me x). Shoulder feeling a little sore, I rested for a few days and got back in the pool 4 days later. 

Got in the pool. 

Pushed off the wall. 

Stroked with my right arm = all good. 

Stroked with my left arm = NOT GOOD AT ALL. 

Tried again. AHHHH Far out. 

This was the most sore my shoulder has EVER been. 

I tried to swim back to the wall and was in so much pain. 

I stopped. Got out. Went to my coach. "I can't swim". I almost cried.

.

went and got my fins and did kick instead. 

.

Swimming is a huge part of my training. Makes up about 70% of my overall program. At that stage I was clocking up a lot of kms in the pool. It's like building the engine in the warmth of the pool (as opposed to being on the board freezing my tooshie off!). 

This was a major chink in the training chain for me. How was I going to cross the Molokai Channel now. I thought it was all over. I was so devastated. My 2 year dream gone. 6 months of training gone. I was in a bad place. Still am a little bit but I think that is more nerves and a little disappointment that I will be paddling in Molokai without the training under my belt that I wanted.I need to stay positive (thanks for everyone so far who understands this and is helping me focus).

I took 3 weeks off the board to rest the shoulder. Anything I did on the board hurt. I was in the pool just doing kick sets. You should see my kick now!! Watch out Jackie Chan! Since then (which is now about 6 weeks), I have been having acupuncture and physio every week. The shoulder is improving heaps and just this morning I was holding good pace in the pool again. Feeling good. Just need to be careful and train smart!

That about does it for now... stand by for more updates soon... off to get the bus to have physio.... 

Lots you lots 

Becci

Coming into Week 4 of Block 1 Training / Documentary

Tomorrow is a 2 hour paddle in the delightful conditions Sydney has put on for us. With showers, a maximum wind speed of 26km per hour SW swinging to SE later in the afternoon = nice! Think I will be paddling after lunch so I don't get blown all the way to New Zeland (although, I must return for a visit soon but by airplane!)

Dad has been a superstar this last 3 weeks. Picking me up at home 3 mornings a week and taking me to where I need to be to train on my board, then waiting for me to finish training and then taking me into work in the city. Without dad, I would not be able to get the board training done that I need to. So thanks pops! YOU ROCK. And like this morning, even if there is no one else out on the water, the wind is blowing 18 nots and it's grey and overcast, I will still go out and paddle.... by myself!!!

This is me on my maiden voyage on the Lahui Kai board. 

Feet, neck, back, legs. These are areas of my body that hurt the most. Feet from rubbing on the pads on the board trying to get used to the rudder (which is proving to be more challenging than I expected especially in big swell). Neck back and legs hurting and being sore is all part and parcel of board paddling. Suck it up I hear you say, well damn straight!

After next week, I have a recovery week and it is definitely needed. So am looking forward to my weekend 26-27March with my best mate Louise (Laa Laa) for some baking, drinking, FOXTEL and CHILLLINGGG OUT.

The documentary is coming along nicely too. So check out the trailer and the website. Thanks to Jason Hooker :)

Documentary Trailer
Crossing The Channel Of Bones

Getting Organised

It is tough juggling a full time career with a full time sport. Social life... umm, Saturday evenings are my social night! With aims to keep progressing in my career and also exceed in my sport, burning the candle at both ends is an understatement. This is something many of us do, but sometimes, you need to sit down and re-evaluate things. What is important to you? What are your goals? Where do you want to be? These are all tough questions I have asked myself in relation to my career and my sport. My answer is: I want it all!! And whilst I am at a point in my life where I can be selfish with my time, it is now or never.

For a third year in a row, I am going to juggle my career and my sport. Although this year is going to be a thousand percent harder. Progression at work means more responsibility (and in turn more mental focus, learning and stress). Goals in sport means more training is required which drains you physically. My goal in sport is to paddle the Molokai channel solo on 31st July 2011. In 2009 and 2010, I did this event in a team which is much easier to manage, not only on the day of the event, but in the training leading up to it as well. I know there are many people out there that are doing similar things. These people are amazing. I train with amazing people who help me stay inspired and determine to reach my goals. By watching them achieve their goals, it makes me more determine to achieve my goals. It is a scary thing to say your goals out load, so I won't. But I will let you know when I achieve them!

It is less than 22 weeks now and I have 2 races to train for:
Race1: Maui paddle: which is a 9.56 mile down wind paddle on the north shore of Maui.
Race2: Molokai paddle: which is a 32 mile crossing between 2 islands. BIGGEST THING I WILL EVER DO in 2011.

Staying focused and motivated at work and at training will be tough. The mental and physical exhaustion is brutal. But with mental strength and being a smart athlete, I CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING I PUT MY MIND TO. So here goes...

Queen Mary 2 Passenger Ship Docked at Woolloomooloo

Passenger Ships Are Awesome!

At swimming on Tuesday morning we saw an amazing site as the Queen Mary 2 passenger ship docked at Woolloomooloo. Swimming training stopped and photos and gawks started. Looks like the bath toy is too big for the pool!

On the same day the Queen Elizabeth docked at Circular Quay. I have never seen so many people on a week day in the Domain walking around staring off into the distance at these amazing ships.

Training Program Finalised

With the help of Stew O'Regan and coach Vlad, I now have a program sorted 22 weeks out from the big race day. Now the hard work begins. No more chips or chocolate (apparantly).