Japan to Korea

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)

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/

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/

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/