Well, the race has finished and we crossed the Drake passage last night. It certainly lived up to its reputation as the “Drake Shake”… We left Antarctic waters a bit earlier than planned so we could miss the worst of it.
The race finished as it started for me, which was slowly. But I was always told that if you’re going to do something, then do it well. So I feel that I wasn’t just slow, I was exceptionally slow haha. The last stage was a 7.5hr, 2.4km loop around another small island. One side of which was blowing a gale, the other side was about as calm as you can expect down here. Unfortunately with the wind comes snow, so my shoes were soaked within the first 90mins or so and my feet felt like they were taking part in a pain test, except I wasn’t allowed to remove my feet from the ice water…. Once the wind and snow died down a little bit though I changed my socks which was enough to take the sting out of it, even though my shoes were still soaked. Lot managed to find her way to shore also and was able to walk the last 5 or so laps with me which definitely helped to take my mind off things. It’s been a great week and the scenery has been spectacular.
I hope everyone is well (and that Horne beat Mundine) Talk to you all soon!!
Day three turned out to be another long day. Almost 10hrs up a hill and down the hill…. I took it pretty easy and just kept moving at a pace that doesn’t feel like I’ll be doing any damage. The top girls and boys seemed to make pretty light work of it (as they always do), and as mind numbing as loops can be, they are quite social, so the time goes by reasonably well. It was an absolutely stunning day, and the 360deg view from the top of the hill was amazing. It stayed sunny for the majority of the day also, so it was a good day to be a lomg one.
It was 9pm by the time we got back to the ship and started eating, at which point we were told that due to weather later in the week in the Drake passage, today was going to be another 12hr day, starting at 0600…. The news was met with the ethusiasm you’d expect haha. Everyone got up today for breakfast at 0500, however it was quite windy with lots of snow and fog. We were told that it wasn’t safe so we could eat, then go back to bed. This was also met with the enthusiam you’d expect…. So now its 0930 and we’re still waiting. We’re hopefull to get out at some point, and the course today is meant to be quite flat which will make a nice change. It should also give the top runners a chance at hitting the 250km mark if we get long enough on shore…but not too long ;)
Lot had a great day exploring the local area with the guides, and managed to get lift back to the race for the last couple of hours which was nice. She’s just about to get on a zodiac and have a look at ghe post office down here…
I should be off and start to maybe get ready for something that may or may not happen. And Sam, I put in an extra special effort yesterday just for you...
Well, stage 2 started with me achieving a personal milestone. I got lapped after 2km (insert face palm emoji, laughing emoji). It pretty much sums up how my body is holding up. But as the Dali Lama said, “If you cant be fast, be happy”. I’m more than accustomed getting into the grind, so I’m just taking my time and enjoying every step.
Lot got to spend time on course yesterday which was awesome (with her snowshoes) and got some great shots of the penguin colony that inhabited the island we ran on. She even saw a couple (of penguins) having a shag, so really, we could probably turn around and leave now.
Today (day 3) is planned for another 12hr day, the weather is looking good and the scenery is spectacular so it should be a good time. Until next time!!
Thnks for the update, I have to admit I laughed out loud about Beths wedding. A very Thomas wedding indeed!!
Well day 1 is over and it was a long one. It was supposed to be a 12h day, but was finished at about 9.5 probably a combination of wether nd the lead runners doing such a massive ditance in the time. The weather was pretty ordibary with lot of wind, snow, rain and not much sun. The body feels exactly like it should for yhe lack of preperation and I’m glad we have a much shorter (4-5h) for our second day that starts in the afternoon. There’ll be quite a bit of panadol getting consumed in the coming days haha.
Lot got to go ashore and did some snow shoeing and enjoyed it for what it was. It was a beautiful day though, nd with the changing weather the scenery really seemed to change by the hour. Apparently ther’ll be a lot of penguins on this second stage so we’re looking forward to that.
Thanks for the updtes, great news all around! Big huggs to everyone and have an amazing time K&F on your fast pack! Sounds amazing!!
Well we’re almost 24hrs into the trip and so far so good. Lot started off ok, but started to feel bit queasy this morning whenever she moved around. We got a patch off the ships doctor and that’s seemed to have helped. I haven’t had any real dramas, so I’m either tolerant to the seas, or the pills I got during our stop-over in NZ turned out to be A1! My other theory is that over the years, my love of beer has somewhat conditioned my equilibrium…..
The seas are living up to their reputation. I’m sure it can get worse, but it could also be a lot better. It makes it hard to sleep when you slide from one end of the bed to the other, so the next 36hrs or so will just be sleeping whenever we can at night, and naps through the day. Kinda like whenever I’m off tour, HA! There are a lot of familiar faces which is nice, and the thought of having a shower at the end of the day and a proper meal and bed has everyone pretty excited.
Other than that, not too much to tell yet. How did the wedding go? Also, how did the Australian women’s team go in the T20 final? I hope everyone’s well, I’m off to grab some more carrot cake.
Comments: Total (1) comments
Mum Hogan
Posted On: 03 Dec 2018 04:56 am