Secret spot session
The Lap no. 21 - D-Day - 7 Months
“Retain your youthful enthusiasm “
—— Laird Hamilton, big wave surfer
It’s easy to get caught up in the discipline of training and forget that you’re supposed to be having fun.
One of the paradoxes of long-distance endurance training is that if you’re doing it right, the big challenge is maintaining your enthusiasm to keep showing up. Long, slow cardio sessions can feel exactly that way, long and slow.
It’s good to take a break from the grind sometimes, to leave the heart rate monitor and GPS at home and just mess around on the water.
Last week was a rest week which means long walks, light weights, and easy paddles. I got to do some roll practice in a local pool, and I found a secret surf spot.
There was a decent swell over the weekend, with multiple weather systems pumping offshore and churning up the North Atlantic.
Even though I’m 14 miles from the open ocean, Bantry Bay is deep enough that a long-period swell can still have plenty of size and power when it explodes on the rocks near my house. If the wind is calm, like it was the other day, there’s a chance to do a little surfing.
The cove in front of my neighbor’s farm is a place I normally would take shelter from conditions, but over the weekend, the right combination of swell direction and tide sent gorgeous little right-handers peeling off the rocks on one side of the horseshoe-shaped cove.
The waves were perfect for kayaking: soft enough to catch easily but steep enough to be challenging. And in a world that now has 8 billion people in it, I had this secret spot all to myself.
I got a picture of a smaller set breaking in the cove with my phone in its clear dry bag. Unfortunately, in the spirit of just messing around, I left my GoPro at home with the other gadgets.
Thanks for reading,
-Charlie
Thank you to Mike Jones for coaching and guidance.
Kokatat is the official gear sponsor of The Lap.
The lap will be fueled by Resilient Nutrition’s Long Range Fuel and bars.
Expedition coffee by 3fe.
