The last time I wrote on here I was just about to go into a hand operation to sort out my dexterity issue after breaking it earlier in the year. At the time I stated I felt like I was capable of more but unfortunately may not get a chance to prove it for awhile. I never expected what the next 12 months would bring, and to be honest, despite the further injuries and setbacks, I'm not sure I would change a thing.
So what have the last 12 months involved?
A few months recovery and physio from hand surgery
That classic thing called covid and its impacts
And a little slip on ice resulting in fractures to my T6/7 and a seizure...
It's definitely not all bad though. I'm now working as the Christchurch station manager for St John Ambulance. I've joined the committee of Arawa Canoe Club as the race coordinator. I've organised 28 kayak events with all proceeds going towards supporting juniors (and another 7 events planned between now and Christmas). I've also received the Arawa Volunteer of the Year award and have been nominated for the Canoe Racing New Zealand Volunteer of the Year award.
I read something recently by David Goggins. In true Goggins style he flourished his explanation but the premise of what he was saying connected with me. It takes years of studying weak responses to disappointments, failures, and limitations to realise that someone who is trying to do their best is going to encounter every disappointment possible. A savage, as Goggins puts it, knows they will get injured. They know that there will be setbacks, failures and defeats. However they approach the bad times of life very differently than the average person. They come out of these moments even more motivated despite being a fraction of who they were before the injury, setback, etc.
While I definitely wouldn't call myself a savage, I like to think that after all the setbacks over the years, I'm consistent at coming back motivated and giving my all in one way or another.
While I'm probably more known these days as a kayaker/race director, my passion and where my journey in sport started was mountain biking. The benefit of a ban from driving post seizure is I now have to bike to work each day and it has reminded how much I enjoyed riding. With a recent 30th birthday, I decided to go all in and celebrated getting old by entering the Hanmer Howler 12 Hour in a team with the wife.
Leah has done this event the past few years as a solo rider in the 24 hour and 12 hour category. While the event is on the small side in terms of attendance, the course packs in a lot of bang for buck with each lap bringing a combination of steep climbs, flowing descents, and endless straights that drain your energy. With a snow storm hitting Hanmer the day before the race, the course was quite muddy and slow feeling compared to prior years.
With a distinct lack of training the past few years, uncertainty as to how my back would respond to racing, as well as Leah recovering from a recent ankle surgery, our plan was pretty conservative, only expecting to average a lap an hour, meaning we would get 6 laps each before the end of the 12 hours. To finish the event with 7 laps each and 2nd mix team we were pretty stoked! It certainly wasn't easy, and 5 days later I am definitely still feeling the effort in my legs and my back, however my drive to do more bike racing has definitely been re-ignited.
So what's next? I've decided to double down on the return to racing with minimal prep and will participate in the Tekapo 10 hour on 2 December. I last did this event in 2017 and love the course, especially since the start/finish line is in the same location as my first ever mountain bike race back in 2006. It's safe to say I'm pretty excited to put a number on again!
Comments
Post a Comment