Getting Lazy

Mom and dad fought over something stupid, like bank loans and investments.  So mom "ran away" and ended up parking with me...

So I slept naked, big deal.  She decided to come into my bedroom at 0500 and turned on the light.  I hastily -- and groggily -- covered myself, and asked "what the hell" as politely as humanly possible.  Turns out she couldn't find her bottle of perfume.  Frog!  She knows I hate perfume.  Why would she bring a bottle of perfume into MY room?

Told her to turn off the light when she was done, wanted to express my displeasure but decided not to.  Ended up being so pissed off though, I couldn't go back to sleep.

Proceeded to get in and out of bed all day, no training, nada.  Mucked around online, then got back to feel sorry for myself, and felt very personally wronged by all the perfumes in the world.  Suddenly remembered how I used to wear mom's highheels and kept a close account of all her bottles of exotic perfumes when I was a kindergartner.   Then one day, I notice a new bottle of perfume on her dressing table, shaped more or less like a hand grande.  I took it, played with it, and conveniently put it away into my toy-chest before mom got home.

I got a beating of my life for it.  The beating was so bad, my school principal and day care headmistress both called to find out what did I do to deserve that kind of beating.

I think, the lesson she tried to teach me, was not to play with her things without permission.  Somehow though, I am stuck with the impression that wearing highheels and perfume leads to a lot of pain and tears.

I still hate high heels and perfume to this day.

Spend all day feeling very grumpy, ready to yell at my mom any moment, but managed to get by with a very deep frown.  When she asked me questions and I answered, I was surprised to find my voice calm.

Anyway, that's how I spend my day.  Fitting though, because part of the issues I need to deal with is psychological -- what do I do to get back on schedule when I am bored, when I am angry, when I am lonely ...

Right now, I feel like loneliness is better than having to deal with my mom, but I also know I inherited her hot temper and so I should be more compassionate.  No matter, now is as good a time to iron out my mental kinks as it's going to get.

Was still hopeful that I could launch Martlet at 5pm, but as the sun sets, the task was getting less and less appealing.  So I dragged my feet until 6, then 7, then I convinced myself that it's too late.  

Decided to make myself run up the stairs of my parent's building for "discipline."  I thought, if I don't paddle 21km, I should have to jog up a flight of stairs.  Ha!  What a joke, it took me 4 minutes.  I think, my body would trade 21k for stairs-climbing any time.

Also did 90sec wall-sitting =_=  Brings back fond memories of karate torments...

My left foot hurts again, not sure what it is; doc says it's flat foot but I don't think so.  

Butt also sore from my previous SK trip -- need to get another piece of sponge to sit on.  I've got skin lesion from the hard seat again.

And my knees are a little stiff.  I regularly sit on my knees and never had any problem before.  Today, I noticed my knees were very stiff and I walked a lil bowl-legged for a few seconds when I get up.

Volvo Ocean Race winners interview

An article with some excellent points on preparing a long, gruesome expedition. 

After eight months and more than 37,000 nautical miles over ten legs, the Ericsson 4 team has won the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race.

Captain Brad Jackson speak to CNN about the challenges of life on "Ericsson 4."

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more photos »

The team's new title comes as no surprise: It had been clear for a while that "Ericsson 4" were unbeatable, having accumulated enough points to win long before crossing the finish line in St Petersburg, Russia, on June 20.

CNN's Mainsail spoke with Stu Bannatyne and Brad Jackson -- watch captains on the race winning "Ericsson 4" -- about preparation for the race, motivation and the challenges of having ten men on a 70ft boat...

CNN: What has been the most challenging aspect of the last eight months?

Stu Bannatyne: Perhaps the most challenging aspect has been the intense competition of these boats. All the teams are very good and we have found ourselves fighting for every mile and half a mile in a very competitive fleet.

CNN: You have dominated the race, what do you put your extraordinary success down to? What extra skills helped you during your time at sea?

Our success in this race has been entirely due to preparation as well as the commitment from Ericsson in deciding to do this race very early on. By starting early we have been able to make the best choice in designers, builders, sailing team, shore team, and across the whole team structure.

 See more pictures of the ups and downs of the Volvo Ocean Race »

Having put together the team early it was then easier for us to make good decisions from the start and spend the money the best way possible.

As for skills, if commitment is one, then that is a pretty important skill. As a team we have a clear goal -- to deliver a race winning boat and the commitment to win.

CNN: How did you motivate yourselves during the long periods at sea? With 10 men in a confined space for a long time, did you ever feel claustrophobic?

SB: On the boat you can for sure get claustrophobic at times -- 40 days at sea with 10 other guys on a 70ft boat in confined conditions. And for sure, there are low periods in the race when conditions are tough.

But we have a mutual respect for each other, and when things are tough we back each other up. We all have a common goal, which is to get there as quick as we can and we all work together with that.

CNN: What is your diet on the boat like? How much sleep did you generally get?

Brad Jackson: We mainly eat freeze dried food that is reconstituted with desalinated water. And we then supplement with snacks and lots of water.

We normally work a four-hours-off-four-hours-on watch system, which means that some of the guys are trying to get some sleep while the others are on watch. The reality is that this system is very much driven by the conditions and the length of the leg.

On the more recent shorter legs we have had little sleep. For example, on the 525-mile leg from Marstrand to Stockholm we probably only got a couple of hours sleep each.

CNN: How long did you train in preparation for the race? Do you train mentally in any ways?

BJ: We started training in Lanzarote in 2007 and spent about 18 months training there before the start of the race. This was a good time to be able to not only do the two-boat testing but also to iron out any of the personal issues amongst the team.

CNN: What is the prospect of being back on dry land like? Are you looking forward to a rest or will it take some adjusting to?

BJ: Like any event there are always mixed feelings when you reach the end of it. Some of us are going straight into other sailing events, some are taking a holiday or just time off with family and friends.

As this is a race with stops you kind of get used to being back on dry land, but it will good to think that we do not have to get up and leave on another leg straight away.

CNN: What comes next?

BJ: At the end of the race most guys go off to do their own things. "Ericsson 3" and "Ericsson 4" will come back to Stockholm for a season of corporate sailing and hospitality through to the autumn. Some of the crews are involved in that and the rest will have a break with family and friends and probably start the next sailing season. 

Morning session with Phil

Again, couldn't sleep last night, got in and out of bed till well past 0400.  So I was dragging my feet to meet Phil for our early morning paddling.  I wonder when or if I'm ever going to get over this. (this = trailwalker-phobia)

Paddled Phil's tandem out to Kau Yi Chau to "admire" the crazy traffic, I don't think Phil has paddled out here before, because he seemed surprised by the heavy traffic.  I know that's the one thing I won't miss when I get to NZ.

As we paddled the following tidal stream, I went onto autopilot and hastened my cadence, Phil followed suit and our paddles clashed.  I really do suck at teamworks...

DB 0713

E Kau Yi (DPT) 0811

W Kau Yi (Arr) 0824

--> Capsize/ reentry drill near a jelly fish ^_^;;;

DB 0850

[edited to say: Dennis just called to call off the trailwalker training today.   Ha!  I needn't lose sleep over this afterall.]

強 烈 季 候 風 信 號

強 烈 季 候 風 信 號 仍 然 生 效 。 預 料 本 港 吹 西 南 強 風 ， 平 均 風 速 每 小 時 超 過 四 十 公 里 。 陣 風 間 中 達 每 小 時 70 公 里 。  1. 如 果 你 身 在 當 風 地 方 ， 會 受 到 西 南 風 的 正 面 吹 襲 ， 請 採 取 預 防 措 施 ， 以 防 強 勁 陣 風 帶 來 損 害 。 花 盆 及 可 能 被 風 吹 倒 的 物 件 應 搬 入 室 內 。  2. 所 有 在 公 路 及 高 架 天 橋 上 駕 駛 的 人 仕 ， 請 特 別 提 防 強 勁 陣 風 的 吹 襲 。  3. 打 算 參 加 水 上 運 動 或 進 行 海 上 工 作 人 士 請 特 別 小 心 ， 以 防 大 風 大 浪 帶 來 的 危 險 。 在 南 面 離 岸 的 海 域 ， 風 浪 尤 其 大 。  以 上 天 氣 稿 由 天 文 台 於 2009 年 06 月 27 日 11 時 43 分 發 出

T3 paddling - very disappointing

Paddled around Peng Chau today (CCW), but the sea was so flat, I felt I was cheated out of my storm ;_;

615pm Tai Pak

644pm Peng Chau South

655pm Peng Chau East

706pm Left that rock East of Peng Chau

735pm Landed on DB Tai Pak

Phil SMS'ed me today ^_^  Just in good time, funny I was going to invite him to paddle, but his message got to me first.  

So I'll paddle a tandem tomorrow morning, then I'm going to paddle Martlet, then I'll rest, and then hike the Lantau Trail with Dennis from 1500.

20.5km after my 4-days sabattical

Paddled the exact same route as last Friday (no whitecaps today though.)  I didn't train for four days in a row.  I spend time with dad on father's day (Sunday,) then I trained with my CLG group from Monday to Wednesday.  I couldn't launch when I got back to Tai Tan after CLG, due to unbelievably crazy low tide (new moon.)

Which means I should be fully recovered, right?  But no!  I was a mess, a symphony of pain.  I launched in the evening (to avoid the brazen sun) and felt very tired and lethargic.  My lower back ached, one of my toes is inflamed, my butt also started to get really sore after the first 15km (no padding on the hard seat this time -- I lost my foam!! *cries.*), to alleviate the pressure on my butt, I gave up pushing with my feet, which means I had to brace my thighs against the cockpit, and my legs started getting cramps after locking my legs in the thigh-braces for so long.  I noticed I paddled very slowly in the last 4 km, though that's mostly to avoid aggravating the pain in my butt.

Hate to admit it, but I think I got a bit chewed up at CLG practice.  I had two humpback-whale sized patients (both boys are well over 200lbs); Michael told me to "work on endurance and power by rescuing both of them at the same time" -- so I ended up with close to 500lbs load on my stern and bow decks, and they thought it would be funny to wiggle around while I was paddling.  It was all I could do to not capsize; I could hardly plant my blades down.  In fact, even as I sculled for my life, and leaned my body all the way to the port side, I still couldn't correct the starboard tilt of the kayak.

Then I decided to practice rolling with a heavy, leaky CLG boat.  I did okay, at least on the right hand side, but my back is still killing me right now.  I don't think my body is made to roll for three days in a row.  

1536  Launch (Sze Tei) 

1558  Nam Fung Kok

1638  Bluff Head

1706  Chek Chau NE

1736  Kung Chau East

1800  Grass Island South

1834   Landing (Sze Tei)

Again, I paddled well over 8km/hr in the first hr, but slowed down significantly afterwards.  Tsk tsk, need to drill on endurance...

Very anxious about trailwalker training this Saturday; section 3 is supposed to be "very difficult," took me long enough to recover my "morale" after section 7 & 8...

Second day off!

Did not train at all yesterday; then I went to CLG practice today during the day (mostly I did rolling and re-entry), came back to Tai Tan just in time to realize it's new moon and the tide is going all out.

Which means either I don't launch tonight, or I launch in the dark.

I opted not to launch.  Dare devil is one thing, but I'm still feeling down from trailwalker practice.  I don't trust myself to fight for my life right now if I need to.  

It feels as though it has been ages since I last paddled 21km, even though I just paddled Shek Mun two days ago.  It means my body is getting used to a 21k+ routine, it means I'm craving it, but it also means I'm really starting to slack off.

Going to sleep now.  Sinus hurts from rolling in fresh water.  Got a headache too.

Ocean Sailor's Attitude

I know, I'm grasping at straws, but it's father's day, so I'm insuring myself against the next "Shek Wu" thunderstorm by spending time with my family ^_^;;

Leisurely browsed online and saw an article about Dee Caffari, who sailed around the globe single-handed twice.  I even took the online personality test, and this is what it says:

Well, that's encouraging :)

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.

Trailwalker training day 1

Going to Shek Mun HQ to train now.  Will then hike MacLehose Trail sec 7 and 8 tonight, between 7 and midnight... 

Feel so anxious about the hike, I couldn't sleep last night.  Now I understand how Dennis feels before a major kayak expedition.

evening trip: 20.5km from Fred's

Decided to launch after all - no rest for the wicked!

Fred's 0km 1635

Sze Tei (the rock outside Tai Tan) 1639

Nam Fung Kok 3.4km 1701

Ocean Point 5.3km 1714

Bluff Head 8.5km 1740 (following sea/starboard side wind up to this point) 

Chek Chau NE 11.5km  1812  (strong head wind heading towards CC)

Kung Chau 14.13km   1847 (even stronger port wind with long whitecaps)

Ko Lau Wan 17km  1917 (same as above)

* * * headed towards Nam Fung Wan until I couldn't see the WS Pier light to make sure I stay well away from the ferry lanes, because it was getting dark.)  

Sze Tei 20km  1946  (following sea up till NFW, then flat water towards Sze Tei.)

Fred's 20.5

The whitecaps East of Chek Chau took me by surprise; my seahorse took in quite a bit of water, I'm not sure what the observatory is playing at, but the wind certainly didn't feel like a BF 2 (and the whitecaps agreed with me!)

Got stopped by the police patrol boat just before I reached Nam Fung Kok, they questioned me for a bit (are you alone?  are you really paddling alone?  Where are you going?  When are you coming back...) and then let me go.  

Managed over 8km/hr in the first hr due to a mild, following sea.  Then struggled against the head wind -- what with the choppy waves, I started zoning out.  No point thinking about posture and movement efficiency, I just had to react to each wave, one at a time.  

Got quite nervous, because I didn't expect the sea to be choppy.  I launched without a PFD (not even in the boat!), paddle float, drinking water, and spraydeck; I wasn't sure whether Dennis got my message for safe-call either (he didn't.  Duh!) It was also very very foggy (especially towards the north)... I kept thinking I should turn around, but at the same time I also felt I need to push myself to learn to handle the unexpected.

Glad I finished the trip, but need to commit to pack better next time. (had trouble getting the head light out of the dry box, didn't use it at all in the end.  So it's like I didn't pack it in the first place.)  Also need to confirm safety calls before I launch.

Oh ya. My new year resolution, to "never land in the dark again," ha!  so much for that.  I suppose I could modify it into never "accidentally" land in the dark again, ever.

mariner's quotes

Heavy rain and occasional thunder this morning, and Loshue tried to demolish the bathroom door while I showered.  Just the excuse I need to stay home and rest.

Meant to do this for a long time.  Here goes:

the sea has no patience for the unprepared -anon (?)

the more your sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle - (navy seal motto)

The length of a man's boat should equal his age - anon

All boats are compromises.  A good boat makes good compromises; a bad one does not. - Fred Brooks

Just as beauty in woman creates allure and inspires affection, so it does in a boat. - William Snaith

A small sailing craft is not only beautiful, it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble.  - E.B. White

A sloppy, ill-kept ship is ever the mark of a poor sailor and an indication of indifference or ignorance or both. - Harvey Garrett Smith

Only fools and passengers drink at sea - Alan Villiers

A fool at sea judges his position by what he conceives to be his nearness to a given object, but the prudent man insists on two bearings. - anon

The first rule of coastal cruising: start early, finish early.  - anon

Though a large vessel is usually more comfortable than a small one, size has little to do with safety in open water.  A little vessel yields to every movement of the sea - herein lies her safety.  The huge unyielding bulk of a great ship exposes her to the full force of every blow.

It's always time to reef when you think it is. -- Thomas Fleming Day

We all like to see people sea-sick when we are not ourselves.  -  Mark Twain

It is best for the mariner, if he can manage it, not to think too deeply during times of stress.  - Ralph Stock

When the porpoise jumps, look out for your pumps -- old weather saying

When all about are losing their heads, the captain must keep his. - anon

The one real crime at sea is the crime of indecision -- John Irving

No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself -- William Penn

A man may be tolerated in a racing yacht in spite of his moral delinquencies and faults of temper, because he is a very smart seaman, but a sloven should be given a very wide berth, as he will not only be offensive to the rest of the crew, but in all probability not a good seaman. -- Dixon Kemp

When a [yacht] fails to make her port to windward, in nine cases out of ten it is the crew that fails rather than the vessel.  -  Claud Worth

It was midnight and our captain was fast asleep.  But Capt. Kennedy jumping upon deck, and seeing the danger, ordered the ship to wear round, all sails standing.  An operation dangerous to the masts, but in carried us clear, and we escaped shipwreck, for we were running right upon the rocks on which the lighthouse was erected.  This deliverance impressed me strongly with the utility of lighthouses, and made me resolve to encourage the building of more of them in America, if I should live to return there -- Benjamin Franklin, on escaping shipwreck on the Scilly Isles.

A caution, always work the tides.  - Frank Cowper

Never go into strange places on a falling tide without a pilot -- Thomas Gibson Bowles

Out of sight of land the sailor feels safe.  It is the beach that worries him.  - Charles G. Davis

Vessels are sometimes retarded, and sometimes forwarded in their voyages, by currents at sea, which are not often perceived.  -  Benjamin Franklin

Some day the history of the sea will be divided into two great periods.  The Age of SImplicity and the Age of Complication.  -  Felix Riesenberg

The poetry of the sea is written on shore.  -  Laura Alexandrine Smith

In a rowing craft you find that you are closer to the water than you ever were before, no matter how much boating you have done in other craft.  You are much more aware of sea and weather conditions, and see more of your surroundings than you ever did before.  You get into places, holes, and creeks you never really knew existed.  --  R.D. "Pete" Culler

In a rowboat you are propelled without any noise or expense of fuel; you can explore shallow water regions without damaging your propeller.  If it becomes a little cool you can keep yourself warm quite easily.  In fact, rowing in temperatures down to freezing is very comfortable.  While it is true that rowing races are apt to shorten one's life, still rowing for pleasure will greatly lengthen the life span.  But best of all, it will greatly reduce the waistline.  --  L. Francis Herreshoff

Rowing is life life.  We don't know where we're going, but we have a clear view of where we have been.  -- anon

Rowers leave nothing behind them but the swirls from their oar blades.  - Mac McCarthy

On the water no one can hear you scream.  -  T-shirt slogan seen at a rowing regatta

From first to last the seaman's thoughts are very much concerned with his anchors.  It is not so much that the anchor is a symbol of hope as it is the heaviest object that he has to handle on board his ship at san in the usual routine if his duties.  The beginning and the end of every passage are marked distinctly by work about the ship's anchors.  --  Joseph Conrad

A harbor, even if it is a little harbor, is a good thing.  -  Sarah Orne Jewett

shek Mun training Day 4 (21k)

Didn't windsurf, wind too mild, would end up pumping on the sail all day.

So I went to Shek Mun to train instead, and I'm glad I did.  Had curry for lunch in the Thai place near Sai Kung Pier first, then bused to Shek Mun (ho hum...)  

As soon as I got there, I spend 30+ minutes on the stepping machine, got my heart rate up to 172, then drank a lot of water.  Maybe I drank too much?  Or I ate too much at lunch?  I ended up feeling really sick and puked.

tried to get back onto the stepping machine, but was feeling too sick to go on.  Studied for a while (JLPT), puked some more, then did what I could on the weight sets.  After stretching, I felt much better, but decided not to push my luck (or stomach, for that matter), and went down to the water where I always feel more at home. 

I think I performed well today.  At least, I did much better than my previous attempt at Shek Mun:

Launch (pontoon) 1420 

--> mucked around for a bit, needed to rearrange the styrofoam, cos I could hardly stuff my legs into the cockpit.

-500 mark   1434

3ooo mark  1504

-500 mark   1529

3ooo mark  1559

-500 mark   1624

3ooo mark  1657

-500 mark   1721

pontoon       1733 (had to dodge a few row-boats)

heart rate at 116bpm

21km/167mins = 7.5km/hr

For some reasons I felt very uncomfortable while moving downstream.  When I paddled against headwind up the river, every paddle stroke felt solid; I could tell whether I was rotating my torso by gaging how much power I had to exert with my arms.  But when I moved down stream with the wind, (I felt as though I was being sun-dried alive, and) I felt as though I was just going through the motion.  When I planted my blade and rotated my torso, it felt as though the water gave me nothing back to grab.  In terms of speed I was moving faster than upstream, but I just felt as though I wasn't moving efficiently, like my body was rotating and moving in vain.

was tired after I rounded the 3000 mark for the 3rd time, and my speed also dropped significantly, so obviously I need to work on endurance.  I know I still haven't fully recovered from the 60k (SMB) trip, and I also lifted weight today, but I think it's encouraging that my body can recover while I continue to paddle 20+k on a daily basis.

KAT with Fan Goh (WSWSC, 21.5km)

 Took the seahorse out to paddle a KAT with Fan Goh, Cho Kau, Ka Bo, Stella, Ah Ho, and a young man (forgot his name.)  The trip went surprisingly smoothly.  

Stretched for about an hour before I get down to the water, also did one set of twenty sit ups, and rolled around a bit on the pontoon (aikido ukemi forward rolls).  I think the stretching did me much good.

I was still a little sore, but was able to perform more or less normally.  Was slightly behind Ka Bo and Cho-Kau, but didn't feel like racing ahead to catch up, so I paddled at my own pace.  Found the entire trip rather easy and comfortable.  I even beat Ka Bo as we crossed the Tolo Channel, because we were paddling with the wind/current behind us.

Fan Goh and Cho Kau both said I rotate too far back ... actually, at first Fan Goh said I wasn't rotating, so I went out of my way to rotate, and duh, they said I overdid it.  My head also tend to follow my body when I rotate, which means my boat wiggle around a lot.

Really need to learn to navigate; kept getting blown downwind and off course.  Ka Bo and Cho Kau both kept teasing me about that.

I feel fine, I did a reasonable workout but not tired.  Also drank quite a bit today, so am only mildly dehydrated.  If I feel well after a good night's rest, I might even be able to paddle to TMT tomorrow for windsurfing.  (28k return trip.)

Fan Goh said I over trained (both the 60k and the gym work out), so I need to slow down on that and focus on CV training.  Am allowed to take a day or two off to rest, then work it up gradually (no more over-training though.)

For full day training, he advised to paddle a very short course in the morning if I've already worked out in the gym; and then do a longer course in the afternoon.  No need to work on weights morning and evening; in fact, I shouldn't work on them everyday (I should do them every second day), unless it's really light.

Gonna get dinner, read a book or two, then go to bed.

Shek Mun training Day 3: only 8km!!

My performance is definitely going down!

Went to Shek Mun today, worked out in the gym then went down to the water.  I actually did better in the gym -- toiled on the stepping machine for the first time (20mins), managed to finish 3 sets of 20 dips (ballistic), and 3 sets of 20 sit ups.  Couldn't finish the pushups (did 3 sets of 10) and the pull ups (20/20/15) though.   

Only paddled one round, finished the 7km in exactly one hour, easy arithmetic, so I don't think I made a calculation error -- my speed has dropped!

And I only did 8 km today.  I could get down to the water to paddle now (I'm at Fred's), but it's like pulling teeth.  I'm really too tired to go on.  I don't think I can quite follow Fan Goh's program.  So I'll have to talk to him tomorrow.

And I might end up trying to follow Siu Ming's: i.e. 40% land workouts, 60% water works, with study/research time in between.  21k+ a day is fine, but not if I didn't spend as much time working on cardiovascular and strength.  More to the point, I get to take a break once or twice a week to let my paddling muscle recover.

Dreading the KAT tomorrow, I know I won't be able to perform normally; the DB->SMBWSC -> DB trip had me whipped.

Mountaineering Accident - when your ego runs the show and you get too far ahead

1306 and I'm still mucking around...?  For some reasons I couldn't sleep until very late last night, so I woke up tired.

Decided to join Dennis' Trailwalker group, so we start training this Saturday.  I've always thought, as soon as I land, all is well, nothing could harm me.  Ha!  Funny girl.  I'm rather helpless on land, which is not a good thing, especially when I have to take care of myself for 3 months or so in NZ in the wilderness.  And contrary to my screwed beliefs, shit can happen on dry ground.

This reminds me of the incident when I took my Kayak Proficiency Gold exam with Danny, the sea was heavy and Danny picked a somewhat difficult route (considering the heavy tide, wind, and rain anyway), the other 2 examinees seemed to have troubles paddling against the head wind; I was moving steadily ahead, but kept glancing back and noticed they were stuck in the narrow passage between Grass Island and Kung Chau.  

At the time, I reasoned that it would be easier for Danny to take care of two incapacitated students, instead of three, so I lowered my head and paddled hard against the headwind, moving away from the "crux" to wait for them in the next designated check point.   I kept looking back, they still weren't making any progress, but Danny did not give me any signal to come back, so I paddled on.

After I left the narrow passage, I realized the current was still rapid and I would be sucked backward if I remain stationary just ahead of the passage, so I decided to paddle to the next check point just around the Northern point of Grass Island.  I reasoned that once I rounded the Northern tip, the wind will come from behind me, so it would push me forward, instead of backward.

The wind did exactly that, but I soon realized my body temperature dived once I stopped paddling, so I decided to paddle just a bit further ahead to find a sheltered area to try to stay warm.

I've never seen Danny so angry; when he finally left the other two students behind to look for me, he didn't even yell at me or anything, he just stared at me in complete disbelieve.  He told me he was ready to call the center for a powerboat to search for me when he didn't see me in the previous 2 checkpoints.  He asked me what I would do if I were to capsize and nobody saw me.  

Looking back, that's probably the shittiest "prank" I've ever pulled on my kayaking trip leaders.  I was the only girl on the trip, and I wanted to prove myself capable of handling my own craft despite being a girl.  Looking at the fatal hiking accident in NM, I suddenly realize what a nasty, self-centered megalomaniac I have been.  I still have a tendency to leave my companion behind, I really need to change that habit.

In the mean time, as the title suggests, shit can happen on land, so I'm committed to really work with the rest of the program (strength, resistance, CV, jogging...), and not just the water-logged bit.

Will head to shatin now with a decent pair of runners; I'll work on the land stuff till I drop, then get down to the water if I have time; or bus back to Sai Kung and get my 20+k launching from Fred's.

Don't think I can pester Dennis about safety calls at that kind of ungodly hours.  Or maybe I can get him to phone police if there is no mail in his inbox by early tomorrow morning.

recovery from 60k

Paddled 60k yesterday: DB - SMB, then trained KA skills with Man Sir (bow-rudder, hang-draw, rolling, swimming-in-canoe, cross bow-rudder), then paddled back to DB.  Squally thunder followed me all the way to SMB from Ap Lei Chau (actually they were thumping down on Ding-Ling Islands when I was along Ap Lei Chau.) Took a bit of a detour while crossing channel cos I was trying to avoid collision, and ended up on the wrong side of Kau Yi Chau.

I was cold all night after the 60k trip yesterday... so typical.  And finally I got blisters, I've been wondering what's happening to my old friends (blisters), I haven't seen them since Japan.  But they are back =_=

Mostly my right forearm hurts, I blame Richard's paddle, which hasn't got a feathering angle (in fact, it's slightly offset to the left, so it's actually a left-control paddle.)  I knew I was in trouble before I even reached Kau Yi Chau, but decided not to let excuses get in the way of training.  Turns out it wasn't a training day, it was a punishment day.

Got really scared in East Lamma Channel, but it's about time I finally meet my nemesis.  I was so busy watching out for all the passing vessels that I hardly had time for reminiscence.  Have to admit though, even though I didn't consciously go through the nightmare in 2007, crossing the channel was still intensely stressful.

The entire journey back was a punishment, I knew I was going very slow but all I cared was to go home and shower.  I wasn't even sure I had enough willpower or strength to bring myself  back to DB, but I was surprised when Round Island drifted towards me, then Ap Lei Pai, then Magazine Island, CyberPort, Green Island ... I was just too busy dealing with the pain, and started zoning out, and then before I know it, I was home.

Crossing the channel was again, nerve whacking.  But I'm dealing with the irrational fear one step at a time, and progress is progress.

Palms and fingers thoroughly abused by the time I landed on DB, but I think, if I give myself a week's time to rest (and work on other strength training), eventually I can get used to a 60k day.  

Very tired today, woke up at 0600 but mucked around at home till now.  Am going to do some mild jogging, push ups, etc, and launch Martlet for 22k, (see below) and then rest.  No more over-training for the next week or so.

edited to say: just finished my 23k (after a few half-ass sets of sit ups and burpees), took martlet out with the heavy paddle (Neville's), my fingers started tingling before I even left Tai Pak.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with that particular paddle.

Felt an intense pang of hunger before I even made it to Kau Yi, only then did I realize all I had was a bottle of water -- no sport drinks, no candies.  So typical u_u  Paddled on anyway, am still very exhausted from yesterday, started taking breaks by the time I rounded Sunny Island, I wonder if it's just from over training yesterday, or if it is because of the unbelievably heavy paddle.  (Seriously, it's like paddling with a set of free weights.)   

When I got back, I decided I wanted to practice rolling -- and did a few half rolls with the heavy paddles, but then the water really is too disgusting, so I finally left.

Foody time now.  Good to know I'm getting back to normal -- that is to say, feeling intensely hungry, rather than tired, after a mild day trip.

DB 1:39 (head wind)

Kau Yi 2:29

(at the pt where I can see the gap between HLC and Sunny Is) 3:14 

Rounded the corner of HLC at 3:38 (following sea)

The bend of the Dam at HLC 3:55

Hei Ling Chau NW Pier 4:13

Tai Lei 4:52

"pincher" of DB5:12

Siu Ming's training program

You know how they say, "be careful of what you ask for, because you might get it."  

First I wasn't training; now, I  can't seem to find the time or energy to finish my "homework."

Here goes: Siu Ming's program

Daily routine: 2 hrs land-bound workouts, then push for speed on water for 2 hrs.  Lunch.  Two hours of studying, 2 hrs gym/land workout, 2 hrs paddling. 

1. distance is one of the measurement of the strength only, therefore 20-30km paddling is not conclusive, kinds of resistance during  paddling are to be considered as well. such as wind, current, loading of the kayak. foer example, paddling in training pool in shek mun & on shing mun river is absolute different, towing & un-towing paddling etc.

 

1.1 time measurement

 count your time to finish a fixed distance. eg. 1hr/10km 1st (edited to say: as if!), after a certain period of time, the time should be shortened. 

 

1.2 cardio-pulmonary fitness (jogging)

count your max heart rate= 220-age, the lower the better

 

1.3 wt training,

strength (anaerobic), endurance (aerobic) etc. design a programme for yourself. what's the starting weight? 10 time wt lifting each time X 3 group, take a break (??sec/??min), train, rest, train, rest......

 

1.4 other muscle training & stretching before & after training

say, sit-up, push up,

 

2.hydration is always important, water is the best medium to regulate the body temp, to prevent either hyper/hypothermia. in hot weather, water to take away the heat via vasodilation & sweating. in low temp, water/blood flow can bring warmth to all part of body, that's why the mountaineers drink more than 3 litre a day, although they look no water loss/ sweating at high altitude. they always observe the colour of urine rather the feeling of the thirsty as an indication of hydration.

 

3. nutrition

 high carbo food (polysacaride/complex sugr) is the first priority as the energy source. electrolyte is better than glucose solution (simple sugar) since the latter one can vary the insulin secretion, a bit more compplicated mechanism will follow by, i'm afraid it will do more harm than benefit. 

 

DB to SMB to DB log

Would write more but my whole body aches... especially my hands.  So...

0542 DB Sam Pak (launch)  

1022 SMBWSC (land)

1350 SMBWSC (launch)

1634 Magazine Island

1724 turned NW just in front of Victoria Harbour channel 

1918 landed (DB Tai Pak)

Remarkably few checkpoints, I know.  To busy dealing with the channel traffics and stuff to really memorize the time for each check point.

Must sleep soon or die hard.

T-storm and wrong paddle

a 60k journey starts with a thunderstorm and the wrong paddle.  Oh well, no excuse for the wicked.  Better get down to the beach and see what happens.

DB to SMB to DB route plan

In the ideal world, the entire universe spins around me and all the sealiners in East Lamma Channel will get out of my way, in the dark, for my benefit.

(28.4km cruising)

Ha!  If pigs can fly.  So this is what I'll have to do instead:

DB Sam Pak (launch) 0 (0430 or so)

East Kau Yi Chau (North Beacon) 6.7 (0530)

Pok Fu Lam Beacon 12.1 

Cyber Port 13.6 

Magazine Island West Beacon 14.7 (0630)

Ap Lei Pai Beacon 17.8

Round Island Beacon 20.7 (0730)

Bluff Head Beacon 24.3

Lo Chau 26.7

WSC 29 (0845)

Played hookey

I failed.  FAILED.  

I didn't paddle today, and there is no way I could cover 20k in the nest 90 minutes before midnight.

It's no use crying over spilt milk, so I'm just going to have to make it up tomorrow, and commit to never let it happen again.  (then again, if I'm just counting 24 hours intervals, I can still make it up if I get down to the water before 4am)

BTW, Paul Caffyn wrote back, so that's pretty exciting.  He warned me to be prepared for many surf-landings,  To be honest it's something I welcome, something I look forward to.  But the "surf" zones in HK are pretty lame, which means my experience is very limited.  And more than anything, I think my nerves can't handle a series of daily "accidental seal landing" for 90 days in a row. 

Which means I need to be prepared.  Which means I'm going to pack my gears, write my route plan for tomorrow, and go to sleep now and train hard before the sun rise.  Paul said he likes my signature -- "the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat."  That's encouraging; I hope I'm doing something right.

stressed about the program

Not sure how I'm going to find time for 20k+ tomorrow.  Have to leave SK early to bus to HK South, there is no way I'll have enough time to paddle to SMB from DB tomorrow.  Plus, I'll be windsurfing, I don't think I'll have enough energy left to take the 30km journey home after the workout on water.

Maybe I should leave early to paddle either in Shatin or DB.

I'm definitely committed, but this daily requirement is adding so much unnecessary stress.

Crooked Island trip log

Breakfast today:

• scrambled eggs x2, with tomato paste,  half an onion and half a green bell pepper
  
• 1 can of blue mountain coffee

Lunch:

• 1x G-granola bar, 1x Y-granola bar, half a tube of chocolate-condensed milk. (on water)
• 1L water

Dinner:

• 1 jumbo can of pork with preserved veggies, stir-fried with 1 head of lettuce.
• Dark Chocolate

Got down to the water just before 1100, but the thunders were cracking over my head and the WSC also hoisted a red flag.  The kayak actually trembled as the thunder cracked.

Stayed in the WSC to wait out on the storm.  Relaunched just before 1400, I did arrange for safety call this time, but I told Dennis I was going to use the same route as yesterday (i.e. turn around at Raft Head of Ngo May Chau), but in the end, I decided to follow my trip plan for today (except I didn't go into Tap Mun for lunch.)  If they did have to pull a SAR on me, I think they might have quite a task.  That said, I don't think I'm capable of drowning in Double Haven.

I know I didn't perform so well today, stomach hurts and am a little dizzy.  When I landed my hands were shaking, I wasn't scared or cold or anything, I was just ... weak.  That, or maybe it's the coffee.  I honestly can't remember the last time I had coffee.

Also had to stop to drink after about 15km, also took a granola bar and some chocolate-milk, but my stomach continued to hurt.  So I was distracted after the snack break, trying to deal with the burning sensation in my stomach as I paddled.  

Then I had to stop to read the map with the help of the compass, I got sort of nervous once I headed South from Crooked Island. 

Then I had to jump out to use the gigantic toilet (I sincerely hoped there was no shark in D-Haven, because I would have been a bright and shiny beacon for those bloody man-eaters.)  I think jumping into the water and pulling my pants down caused some of the petroleum jelly to come off, because after I climbed back into the kayak, I start to really notice the painful irritations of my abdominal skin.  The shirt/pants kept rubbing it every time I rotate my torso, as of right now, it's covered with red, angry sores.

I noticed I was really slowing down by the time I got to Grass Island; had to get out of the way of a fishing boat that was towing nets so I dashed as fast as I could between Port Island and Grass Island.  Again, I had to dodge a ferry that was heading to WS Pier from KLW, so I had to dash for my life between Tung Sum Kei and Tai Tan.  Otherwise, I slowed to a crawl, barely had the energy to even sing a song.

More or less followed the original route plan, except I headed straight to Crooked Island without stopping at Raft-Head; I didn't land on Grass Island for lunch either.

I'd say today is a trip-day, not a "training day."  The "oh no I'm lost" and reading the map part totally distracted me from thinking about rhythm, cadence, and postures.  I knew I was way behind schedule by the time I got back to WWC (Wong Wan Chau), and I couldn't care less.

1121 launch 1 -->T-storm cracked

1130 returned to pontoon (Like Siu Ming says, save the forest so you don't have to worry about running out of firewood!)

1254  Launch 2 (pontoon)

1323  NFK

1408  Bluff Head

1451  Peaked Head

1505 - 1512 * * * snack/ water break * * *

1523  Au Si Kok (Crooked Island West)

1548  Pak Sa Tsui 

1553 Butt Ka Chau

1616 - jumped out (toilet break along WWC)

1624 Zik Mun Tau

1641 Bluff Head

1709 Port Island NE

1736 Grass Is. Dragon's Tendon

1755 KLW

1809 Wong Mau Kok

1822 Tung Sum Kei

1827 Tai Tan

37.6km / 5hrs 33 mins = 6.77km/hr  (sniff sniff)

Crooked Island Route

Trip Plan for today:

0 Fred's

3.2 Nam Fung Kok

5.2 Ocean Point

9 Bluff Head

12 Raft Head (Muk Fut Tau)

13.5 Peaked Head (Gai Kung Tau)

17.4 O Si Kok

19.6 Pak Sa Tsui 

22.8 Zik Mun Tau

25 Bluff Head

28.1 Port Island NE

31.2 Grass Is. East (Dragon's Tendon)

34 Grass Is. Pier (lunch)

35.4 Ko Lau Wan

36.7 Wong Mau Kok

38 Tung Sum Kei

Fred's 39.4

Bloody Lia

* * * too much details warning * * *

Woke up late (0745) and drenched in blood -- the curses of womanhood again.  No wonder I've been cranky and irritable.  Took a shower, and the nauseating smell of blood and rust lingered in the steamy bathroom.  I wonder if it's dangerous to paddle in the early morning and evening in such a bloody state, what with the great white in NZ and all. (Maybe I should seriously consider using a plastic boat.)  And no wonder I'm anemic, how can I lose so much blood overnight and still stand up, it's anybody's wonder.

As I showered, I seriously thought about toying with birth control pills again.  Used to do that when I was a teenager: I noticed my period stops for a month or two when I start taking the pills, so I would take the pills a week or so before I go camping, and stop the pills once my trip is over.  But I'm a little older now, and I wonder if it's worth messing with my hormones just for a good day on the water, especially with the tumor growing in my left breast.  Still, there has to be smarter ways to deal with my period; I have no doubt it's dangerous to lose so much blood, and on a regular basis.  I am feeling dizzy and thirsty as I type (and I just had a can of coffee).

Right, woke up late, and still mucking around online, so that means no sailing for me today.  I'm not willing to skip my 20k assignment, so I have no choice but to play hookey in sailing. 

Breakfast today:

• scrambled eggs x2, with tomato paste,  half an onion and half a green bell pepper
  
• 1 can of blue mountain coffee
  

Lastly, I wonder if it's cheating if I paddle over 30km during my 20-30km assignment.  You know how professors send your essay back if you write 10 pages instead of 6 pages as assigned... It's probably safer not to ask, I don't want to out right defy instructions; it sucks to be told explicitly not to do something -- it makes me crave it with a passion.

Sai Kung Evening

I can't believe I forgot to arrange for safe-calls today.

Didn't launch until well past 1100, then I found out my tiger has turned into an ant-hill (in two days!!  I paddled it only last Sunday!!)  Took me forever to get them out; they were hiding in the built-in styrofoam floatie at the back, I had to sink the boat, then drain it, then sink the boat, then sink it, again and again and again.  Some of them still managed to hang on by clinging onto anything that floats, like the paddle leash that's still tied to the deck, or, well, the floatie.

After a long battle, the bay surface was covered with swimming red fire ants, and I had no choice but to paddle the anthill away -- it made no difference anyway, my body was already crawling with ants by that time.

Sat on the stern deck while I paddled.  No matter, ants still crawled all over my body.  Brings back fond memory... =_=  Anyway, washed it down a few more times on the WSC slipway, then paddled out for a few, um, half-rolls to wash the ants off me and the boat.  By the time I emptied and repacked the boat, lunch time was already over, which means I skipped lunch O_O

Sailed the Laser 13 with Joie, but it's rather painful, the SW wind was so feeble, I was getting drowsy all afternoon.

Finished derigging the boat just before 4, sort of hesitated about launching, because I was hungry and thirsty, and the sea has little patience for those whom are poorly prepared.  But I decided that hunger and thirst aren't going to keep me from committing to my assignments; I'm sure I'll have to keep paddling despite hunger and thirst at some point when I get to NZ, so I might as well get used to it.

Launched at 1608, was anxious that I wouldn't have enough time to finish 20+ k before sunsets.  But Sai Kung evening really is breath-taking.  A thin layer of fog descended around the waist of the small islands, the sky was clearing up after the thunderstorm, the sea was calm and water flat, the breeze was mild but cooling nevertheless.  It was easy to make-believe that I have found my way into utopia.

So I tried to focus on training, on posture, on driving with my feet, on rotating my torso, on synchronizing the strokes with my breathing, on driving the vessel with my lower back ... caught myself trying to sing a few times, bullied myself into training mode again, but at the end, I decided it was a losing battle, the entire experience was so beautiful, it's criminally stupid to mar it by being anal about such mundane things as techniques and postures (ahem.)  

My only regret was that I launched too late, had to worry about sunset as it was still rather cloudy and I knew I couldn't count on the moon to show up.  Funny, turns out my timing was perfect -- I made it to the rock just outside Tai Tan at 1926 -- not a moment too soon, because by 1927, everything was pitch dark, I ended up running aground (at rather high speed too), and then it started raining hard (with thunder and all).

Must remember to arrange safe call from now.  It's one thing to spontaneously decide to train in the dark in Shek Mun, but it's a scary thought that I was paddling alone when not a soul in the world knows where I was.  Well, it made my adventure into utopia more private, more secretive,  more magical.  But still, safety comes before romance.

1608  WSWSC

1638  Nam Fung Kok

1720  Wong Chuk Kok Tsui

1749   Ngo May Chau Northern tip (turned around)

1823  Wong Chuk Kok Tsui

1906  Nam Fun Kok

1927  Sze Tei

1929  That rock just outside Tai Tan -- stopped to pull out strobe light etc.

1941   WSWSC pontoon (low tide)

That makes 12.4x2 = appr 25km over 3hrs 21mins = 7.4km/hr

Oh ya, food.

Breakfast: hot and sour soup, dark chocolate, soy milk.

Lunch: nada

Dinner: cucumber, a can of fish in olive oil, 1 can of pocari sweat, 1 green granola bar.

Great White in NZ

Mucking around in the house due to thunderstorm.  Truth be told, I just want to stay dry today.  How am I going to finish my 20-30km assignment...?

Doing some readings about dolphins and sharks in NZ; I don't know why I'm so obsessed about them, I think I have a better chance of being struck by lightning than bitten by one of these creatures.

Globally, there were 61 unprovoked shark attacks in 2004, according to The International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Seven people died. There were also 15 provoked attacks (typically a diver bit after grabbing a shark or a fisherman bit while removing a shark from a net) and 12 cases of sharks biting boats. The global total was down slightly from recent years but still part of an upward trend overall.

I know.  12 isn't much.  But still, hate to be part of that statistic.

Shek Mun training Day 2

I thought Fan-Goh's June training menu was easy enough to follow.  Ha!  I would laugh, except my ab hurts too much.

It's nearly mid night and I'm still up, so it doesn't look like I'll be able to paddle 20k in the morning before I go sailing.  And I thought, 20-30km a day was supposed to be an insult to my endurance! 

Bused to Shatin today.  Got there late, so neither jog nor stretch cos want to save time for paddling.  Changed the gym routine to see if I do better on the first few items ... well, yes and no.  I managed 20 dips on the first set, but couldn't finish the 2nd set.  The most pathetic part was the sit-ups -- my ab hurts so badly I couldn't even lie down comfortably.  I nearly teared up when I tried to sit up on the inclined board.  Did all of the TWO sit ups, and I was ready to give up.

Paddling went okay.  Found a tiger with a big styrofoam block inside so was able to push the kayak forward with my toes as I paddled.  I think I did a little better than yesterday, but have to pull out a calculator to work out the average speed and am too tired to do that.  First round was ridiculous, was going to try the baby gremini paddles but gave up after I made it to the -500 mark.  It gave me no power, no leverage at all.  So I went back to get the winged blades.

First few rounds were feeble, forgot to synchronize my paddling with my breathing all together on the first run.  After a few runs, I think my body finally got the coordinations down, and my performance improved.  I thought I wasn't too tired while I was still sitting in the boat, but once I climbed onto the pontoon, I was surprised at how stiff I was.

Took a short break (all of ONE minute) between round 3 and round 4 to have a drink -- ended up drinking up the entire bottle of poccari sweat, and I swear it jump-started my performance.  So for longer trips, maybe it is a good idea to stop for sugar and water.

Will write down the details tomorrow.  I'm so sleepy I'm getting dizzy.

Oh, and I finally contacted feifei-cat, the coastal search-and-rescue coordinator.  Really looking forward to training and planning with his team.  

[edited to add]

pull ups 20/20/20

dips 20/15/20

push ups 20/20/20

sit ups 1/1/- (DNF)

1455 launch 1

1511 got to the -500 mark and back to the pontoon (swapped the gremini for winged paddle)

1518 launch (pontoon)

1525 -500 mark

1602 3000 mark

1627 -500 mark

1707 3000 mark

1725 - 1726 -500 mark * * * 1 minutes water break (!) gulped down 1L of poccari sweat * * *

1755 3000 mark

1822 -500 mark

1851 3000 mark

1919 -500 mark

1929 landing (pontoon) * * * pulse rate 104 bpm * * *

Morning blues

Can't seem to get myself motivated in the morning.  Been mucking around online, researching about cooling and heating during and after exercises.

Had pasta + tomato/rosemarypaste and olive oil for breakfast, with one tomato and some cucumber sprinkled with sugar on the side.   That, and soy milk.

To obey or not to obey, aye, that is the question.  Should I listen to Fan Goh and bus to Shatin, or am I going to defy regulation right off the start and paddle there with a tiger?

-Fan Goh's genie. 

Shek Mun training Day 1

Slept well last night, was tired but not over-the-top-exhausted.  Woke up at the crack of dawn but wasted all morning mucking around in my apartment in DB.  Tried to excavate my MP3 player for the gym workout but to no avail.  Finally got my ass out of the house at 1145 and didn't make it to Shek Mun till 1330.

Had all sorts of crap for breakfast: chocolate cream cookies, potato chips, juice, cream soup... the fact that I've been told to stay away from fatty food drives me to crave them even more.  And don't even talk about the alcohol ban.

One thing I found out about my performance / energy level is that it's all tied to my perception of how I'm doing -- paddled three rounds between the -500m to 3000m marks, and tried to calculate my average speed per section as I cruised.  For some reasons my brain farted and miscalculated my last section -- I thought I was 10 minutes behind schedule and suddenly decided I was hungry and tired and cannot go on.  So I slowed down to a crawl and felt fairly defeated ... until I was nearly at the -500 mark and checked my watch again, turns out I was actually 4 minutes ahead of schedule.  My heart did a summersault and I felt sure I could push for another round or two.  But I told the lifeguard I was going to land before 7 and there wasn't enough time for me to push for another set, plus I had to catch the last bus back to Tai Tan, so I landed.

With an unloaded tiger on flat water, my cruising speed (as of today) is appr 7kph.  I felt sure there is room for improvement though - I wasn't rotating my torso at the first round and a half, I'm also not familiar with the winged paddle, which I used today for the first time.  Which reminds me... my neck hurts.  I'm sure it's the new paddle's fault.  I couldn't have paddled much more than 20km today and I shouldn't be sore, it just doesn't make sense.  I don't know if I want to use the winged paddles again either, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to use that for NZ, I can't even trust it to do a simple sculling-draw stroke to get me to the pontoon.  I think, I should probably use the paddles that I intend to use when I go to NZ, like my Kiska or whichever spare paddle I decide to get before the expedition.

The gym work out was disappointing.  I just don't have the will power to push myself through the last few sets.  I ended up dragging my feet and doing steady sets of 10's, that is to say, I performed worse than yesterday.  I know I can do it if my life depends on it, but it's hard to convince myself lifting the metals have anything to do with survival when the water waving at me to come down and play.

In the gym:

chin-ups: 20/20/12

push-ups: 20/20/16+4

dips: 10/10/10

sit ups: 10/10/10

leg lift: 7 ... u_u

On the water:

1434 launch (pontoon)

1505 turned around at the very end of Shing Mun River

1533: pontoon -- went up to the gym to get snacks and drinks.  Was really hungry.  Then my body cooled down too quickly and I had to take a hot shower...

1552: launched from pontoon again

1604: -500 mark

1636: 3000 mark

1704: -500 mark

1734: 3000 mark

1802: -500 mark

1812: landing (pontoon)

tried to do another set of gym routine but the skin on my palm was peeling off.  So went to shower after a painful set of 10 chin-ups and went home.

Came home to walk and feed the dogs, and I'm ready for bed again.

[edited to add]

I need to do something about my cool-problem.  I was shivering uncontrollably on the bus on Monday after working out in Shek Mun, and I was shivering under the 30C sun when I took a lunch/snack break yesterday.

Shek Mun Initiation, and Fan Goh's program

Trained K1 with Suk-Fun today (instead of Man-Sir), then went to Shek Mun to train for the first time.  Spend the first 15 minutes being told off with a lot of far-fetched metaphors about what a liability I could be to HKCU if I were to paddle solo and get hurt.  But then we talked about the circumnavigate NZ trip, and that was very helpful.

Am too tired to write coherently.  So will use point forms and maybe reorganize later (or not).

• I have 6 months before the expedition, so make 6 progressive monthly training plans.
• write up all my calorie intakes (food + drinks), time of consumption, (how frequently)
• write up  how much work out I did every day, and paddling speed
• make a point to analyze my recovery (how long did it take to recover after a long, hard, continuous trip?) and make a log 
• measure my pulse rate after the paddling exercise, aim to work it up to 191bpm, but starting with 114.
• paddle 20-30 km every day, with a tiger, with no break at all (not even to bail water or to drink, bring a mountain fountain for drinks.)  Must work it up to 8km/hr by the end of June.  And that's "leisurely pace," not the 100m dash pace.
• sync my breathing with every stroke.
• run/jog for 7-8 km every day for cardiovascular conditioning.
• #3 Work on Endurance
• #2 Work on Strength
• #1 Work on techniques, skills, postures, rhythm, cadence, coordination... 
• must work on speed for the sake of survival -- in case I need to turn around at the mercy of a storm
• use a pair of 8 lbs dumbbells to tone the biceps.  Lift (L.R.L.R...) for 5 minutes, rest for 3, lift 5, rest 3, repeat 3 cycles until I can do it easily, then do 4 cycles, and so on.
• 3 sets of 20 : pull-ups, push-ups, dips, sit-ups.  When I can do it steadily with decent speed, add another cycle. (ha!  fat chance!  oh, but think survival...)
• work on 20-30 lbs dumbbells only just before the trip (or tournament)
• take frequent, small meals, with lots of veggies, but must also eat meat.
• absolutely no smoking, only half to one glass of wine per day, and avoid fatty food.
• avoid using a liquid-only diet for long term
• stretch for 20 minutes before paddling, stretch for 10 after.
• towards the end of the paddling exercise, paddling slowly to cool down and let the lactic acid out.
• experiment with seat paddings for height and also to reduce blisters.

That's all that I can remember for now.  Oh, and the gym session was humiliating.  I couldn't even finish one set of dips.  And I had to finish my second set of push ups on my knees.  Got down to the water  after 3 cycles though, paddled a tiger and somehow managed to keep pace with the k1 paddlers.  So that lifted my mood a little.

whoa, 0129 in the morning!  must...get...sleep.

I'm upset!

Just a quick one before I head out to practice K1 with Man-Sir.

For some reasons I'm getting worked up and upset about the bantering of my fellow paddlers.  Fan Goh just forbade me from paddling to Shek Mun to train -- I have to take land transportation to Shatin just for the sake of lifting bars and paddling down the river.

So that loss of freedom, the fact that somebody managed to impose on me what I'm allowed and not allowed to do with MY kayak, irks me. (I don't tell you who to shaft with your dick, so leave mine alone!)  But I think, part of the reasons why I'm feeling upset, is because Siu-Ming and I were discussing emotional problems that can crop up during an expedition.

Boy, do I know about them.

I was a mess from Day 3 of the Lamma/TPC trip.

I was useless after I landed with Dennis after the Cheung Tsui snafu.

I was almost ready to give up and just fold in when the sealiner came up behind me down in East Lamma Channel. 

Then there is the maddening boredom from not having anyone to talk to for days on end.

When I left HK for Japan, I made a conscious decision to leave the water.

I don't know why all these fears are stabbing at me right now.  Sai Kuen and Siu Ming and even Saqib all seem to think I have no fear.  Of course I have fears; I just mechanically manage them, and only let them out when I know it's safe to.  Like, when I was alone on TPC, and I couldn't find my kayak anyway, so it was as good a time to break down and cry as it's going to get.

Whew, feels good to let that out.