|
Six weeks to go. Six weeks until I'm standing on the beach at Kalua Koi squinting in the early morning light to see the volcanic mass which is Oahu 55kms away. Between me and there will lie a stretch of ocean which has become iconic. Be it on outriggers, paddleboards or surfskis, many a waterman has covered this piece of the Pacific. And in 42 days time it'll be that time again.
 Lone paddler approaches Oahu - Molokai 2006
Open Ocean
The Molokai channel is open-ocean. The water is a deep, deep blue; and it's clean. In the middle of the channel awaits an experience which is impossible to replicate; you can only experience it there. As fatigue begins creeping into your muscle fiber it's easy to let your concentration slip. By now the adrenaline of the race start has waned and the exhilaration of catching giant ocean swells has become strangely ordinary. At this moment you will experience a unique realization or epiphany, as some may call it. You will suddenly realize where you are and what you're doing. You are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; the Hawaiian Islands; and you are paddling yourself across an angry sea. There are no engine parts working here; no machinery and no mechanisms. The only fuels being burned here are carbohydrates. It's just you and the sea. Suddenly a giant swell will sweep past your bow and, combined with your realization you will be either exhilarated or terrified. Either emotion will awake your adrenal glands and a fresh burst of adrenaline will work its way through your veins. In an instant your senses will become seemingly supersonic; you will feel like Neo from The Matrix and in the confused water in front of you will suddenly make sense. You'll see a trough open up. Two, three, four, five strokes and now you're surfing. And in almost one breath 2 hours has gone by and you're chasing the swells past China Walls towards Hawaii Kai. You made it across the sea. You have just done something absolutely amazing.
Preparation
How do you prepare yourself for something like the Molokai Crossing? The race is multi-faceted and brings a unique combination of endurance, speed and skill. You need as much of all three as you can get and the only way to get all three is to get your body into those places as many times as you can. It's one thing to be able to catch a run, but can you put 2 runs together; and more importantly, can you put 2 runs together after paddling for 3 hours?
I started training for the Molokai at the beginning of February. My training so far has involved 4 long paddles over 40kms. 3 were in downwind conditions and 1 was a brutal 50/50. I have also done 3 paddles of just over 30km where the focus was on endurance rather than pure downwind. I try to do one long paddle a week and then fill up the rest of the week with 2 endurance gym sessions (medium weights), 4 interval paddling sessions (about 1 hour's paddling) and 2 alternative exercise sessions like swimming or cycling.
On Track
I was going to build the Tahiti World Cup and the King of the Harbour into the program, but with Tahiti being cancelled and little prize money for the King of the Harbour, the trip was not viable. Instead we did a fantastic race locally in Plettenberg Bay.
So with the 42 day countdown ticking away relentlessly, things are on track.
.jpg "Molokai 2007 podium") Molo 2007: Lewis Laughlin (1st), Hank McGregor (2nd), Dawid Mocke (3rd). (Pic: Pierre Tostee)
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
