On the 26th of June I did my longest individual kayak training of 52km (32.33 miles). As I finished my training, I remembered my first time I went kayaking with Kouji about 10 months ago. It was only 5km but my body was beyond exhausted when I finished. I fell asleep in the back seat of his van as we returned to the kayak school. I also remember how impossible this dream seemed when I first started, but as the distance increased with every training, I could also see it becoming a possibility. With every blister, sharp pain in my hand or shoulder, and $5 spent on a shoulder massage, I was coming closer to 70 Kilometers. Just in case you were wondering, if you would like to say my shoulders hurt in Japanese its 肩が痛く (Kata ga Itaku)
45 Kilometers, Beach Trash and Kayak Fishing
I kayaked 45K, caught a fish by hand, and found a old fire extinguisher on a beach on Kasado Jima. Amazing… During this training on April 19th, I focused on both my technique and grip on the paddle. Only a few kilometers into the paddle, I started to feel some pain in my wrist but it soon went away after I loosened my grip on the paddle and focused on a more even and longer stroke. When I stopped for lunch I found a lot of trash on the beach. Not only did a find a piece of a Ski with the binding still attached and 4 car tires, but I also found a motorcycle seat. Did I really catch a fish by hand? Yes..and No. When I was kayaking I saw the fish swimming in circles upside down on the surface of the water. I reached in a grabbed it and took a picture. https://cloud.gaiagps.com/public/BJC5gY0Nt6AqRh6XQQlGFcx8/Aerial/
50KM and Iwai Island
On April 13th, Koji and I did a 50km training in the Setouchi inland sea. We went around Iwai-Island and also visited some friends on the island. It was my first time going to Iwai-Island. Its a very beautiful island. The streets on the island are very small and some of the walls are made of stone with a white finish (Picture Below). When I finished the training my hand hurt a little because my form was not great during the paddle. I now understand how important good technique is during long distance paddles. Check out my visual training log https://cloud.gaiagps.com/public/d8j43BmLAcqjSOF1pVgmA6ot/Aerial/
45 Kilometers and a frayed rudder cable
On April 2nd I did 45 Kilometers (27 miles). The weather was amazing and the seas were very calm. During my training, I noticed my rudder cable was frayed but it did not break. I will fix it soon. Here is the visual training log: https://cloud.gaiagps.com/public/6kmTXMX5FQjx0KIDwmGCv2dy/Aerial/