So What's Next?
It’s always the second question I get asked, followed closely behind “Have you recovered from the Jungle? It sounded awful.” Then they smile, which leaves me wondering if they read my latest blog. The answer – Kathmandu Coast to Coast 1-Day. I’m a sucker for punishment, but a few things have fallen into line lately, and an opportunity has come up to race in the 2017 event.
I have joined forces with Kathmandu, which is super exciting, and I will be documenting my adventures as I lead up to the race. It’s very fitting really, as the reason I initially started this blog was that of my first Coast to Coast mission, the 2-Day in 2014. Kathmandu has had a shake-up recently and has some exciting things planned going forward, so I feel it’s an excellent opportunity for me to grow both my magazine and my personal brand alongside a well-known adventure brand. Plus they’re naming sponsors of Coast, which is still my favourite event to date.
My goals are the same as they were two-and-a-half years ago (Jeez how time flies!); to enjoy it and do the best that I can. I have a bit more experience on my side this time, but I’m giving the 1-Day a crack so know it will be an entirely different race. It will be fast, it will (most likely) be lonely, and it will be long. So soz support crew – family, if you’re reading this, you’re support crew! Ha, but it will be great, because, just like last time, I will do everything I can to ensure I am in the best condition, mentally and physically, heading into the race.
I’ve teamed up with Richard from Complete Performance to help me with my training, which I’ve been doing for a few weeks now. It’s keeping me honest; I feel like a naughty school kid when I don’t do my training! I’ve never actually worked with a program before, but so far so good. I’m feeling good with my running and over the weekend I pulled out my road bike, washed off the bird shit, peeled off the old Coast to Coast sticker and pumped up the tyres, making her ready to hit the tarmac once again (which hasn’t been used since the final leg of Coast in 2014!). But kayaking is a whole different ball game. I am still to get to the bottom of the Waimak without falling out, so I need to work on getting my confidence up again (or just some faith to begin with!).
I’ve also visited Bids from Motus Health for a Movement Assessment, to ensure I am firing on all cylinders correctly and moving efficiently. This was surprisingly interesting, as I discovered a weak glute was the reason for a slight IT Band niggle. I’ve been instructed to do some quite boring exercises (don’t tell bids!), and I’m working on getting this corrected. We will see how long the enthusiasm lasts!
Training has slowly begun; Volume Six of Say Yes to Adventure is now at the printers and due out at the start of next week, which has taken up a fair bit of my time over the last month. But with a good break since the Jungle, and spring just a few days away, I’m excited about the next five months of training.
On Sunday I hit up the Port Hills 6-hour Rogaine with Scott. It was an absolute boomer day weather-wise, and we had a great run around the hills. I can’t believe all the new tracks I have discovered; goodbye my usual Rapaki and Harry El, you’ve been downgraded! Our rule when doing any Rogaine is that we have to collect all the 100-point markers on the map. This means we don’t pick the most logical route to collect the most points, but we do cover a fair bit of ground. We found 100% of the markers we went for too, always a relief. We made it back with 15 seconds to spare (a minute on my watch), I’d say that’s damn near perfect time management (and maybe a little luck!)! I’m getting more confident with the compass too (even if I did forget mine on Sunday!), when I say better, I more often than not head in the right direction now. My Landscape Architecture background has given me a good understanding of map reading, although this will be interesting in a month’s time when I do the South Canterbury 12-hour Adventure Race with Jacqs and Caeley, and we don’t have Scott double-checking our direction!