Trailwalker Training Day 1

Turns out I was right to be anxious; I haven't felt so defeated and helpless in a long time.  Not even with the 60k commute with a leftie paddle last week -- I was tired, but I had no doubt I had the ability to take myself home before sunset.  Today, on section 8, I seriously doubted whether I could go on.  

Maybe it was because I travelled in a group of four, somehow I thought bailing out was an option.  As I got dizzy and wobbly, and the end of the ascending hill was still out of sight, I started making up excuses in my head, "it's dangerous to go on, I will collapse and fall off the hill.  I'm covered in goosebumps, there's something wrong with my metabolism."  

But I finished the training session, which proves I had the physical ability to do it; it's only will power that I lacked.  I got mad at myself for contemplating quitting; I imagined I was paddling against strong current and headwind, so I lowered my head, and took small steps forward slowly, and carried on.  Somehow linking the process with paddling helped.  

I have a workout program, jogging 7-8km a day is part of my daily assignment; I haven't even started on that part of the routine.  I knew my CV fitness is crap, and I knew training is going to be painful, so I worked really hard to avoid CV training.  

But I think, I'd rather take a small dose of stress on a daily basis, than to repeat the painful lesson today.  I've better start working on my CV routine.

Oh ya, the Shek Mun HQ log:

Gym: finished three sets of 20 (all items), then stretched for 30 minutes.

pontoon       1:55

-500 mark   2:05

3000 mark  2:30 

-500 mark   2:58

3000 mark  3:26

-500 mark   3:53

3000 mark  4:27

-500 mark   4:53

pontoon       5:02

pulse 114bpm

That's hopeful.  My first round is close to the 8km/hr mark -- which is my June target.  Though I seem to have trouble keeping it up.  Turns out my endurance isn't nearly as good as I thought it was.