Life's for the Living

So I seem to have been off the radar as of late! I feel I should be writing about my latest sporting adventure, but all that springs to mind are Derby Day, Melbourne Cup and Christchurch Cup and Show week. Luckily I have a love of the Gee Gee’s (I blame family), and I even managed a few wins. It was all about the light beers, but I still managed to feel guilty after these ‘not training based’ adventures! Great memories though.

Last weekend I went down the Waimakariri River from the Mount White Bridge to the Gorge Bridge, the full Coast to Coast course. It was awesome! It was a guided trip through Topsport Kayaking who I did my Grade II course with, and once again they were brilliant. The river was running quite high, so rocks that are normally there had disappeared, but there were a few other challenges because of it. Like the third section of the ‘Rock Gardens’! It was a full on wave train, and I’m not even sure if my eyes were open or not going down but I came out of it still dry and pointing downstream (just!).

It took us 6 hours all up with about 5 hours of it actual paddling. I managed one swim once we had gone through the Gorge when my mind was in neutral, hit an eddy, spun out and tipped up! If only I could roll myself back, but I might leave that technique for next year! It is a relief to have gone down and finally experience it for myself. It is a stunning part of the country, and quite a nice view from on the water too!

The ‘three months-to-go’ marker has been and gone, so now it’s down to the business end of the training. The tempo has picked up and the countdown is on! I managed to get some training done over the weekend, a good run, kayak and bike. These pics are taken from the Port Hills looking down on Christchurch from different angles. I felt like I was in the movie Yes Man, combining photography with exercise!

Next weekend I am competing in the Big Day at The Office, a race-based around Methven and one that people do in the buildup to Coast in February. I’m terrified. Actually terrified. But it will be a good race to do (I need to keep telling myself this!), so hopefully, my next post is positive!