A few things I have to mention . . .

Well done to Phil who also did the Sydney Harbour Swim! I know Liz forced you to do it in a hope that you would win another holiday but it was worth it and you achieved your goal of surviving!

Thank you Liz for showing us the beautiful Royal National Park despite only just being able to walk after a serious back operation! . . . you better get training asap as I'm coming back to challenge you to another Ocean Swim! (you've got 6 months!)

Antonia you must start using your own camera, I can't have these kind of photos blocking up my memory card!

and last but not least . . . THANK YOU Lucy for letting us stay with you and being the most wonderful second mother and fantastic friend, you are one in a million!

Goodbye my beautiful Australia

Fridays racing of the 200m were still nerve wracking but not half as much as the first one plus we had a chat to a couple of the aussie Olympians who were really friendly. We both felt we were able to get a good start and we both got through to the semi finals which we didn't realise until a club member came running up to us saying we were racing again in half an hour. We were shocked but glad to get the chance to put in a better time. Ant's heat was before mine and there were 4 false starts by various people, I felt very sorry for her. Then in my race the same thing happened but lane 6 a NZ girl made two false starts which isn't aloud and was disqualified. She slowly paddled past us with tears rolling down her face. After all that I didn't do a PB!

The K2 200m were moved to the Sunday and by this time with all the advice we had been getting and being told not to care about anyone around you, just do it for yourself, this is your first year racing just enjoy it spiel I really felt relaxed, so relaxed I nearly made myself worry about being overly relaxed so managed to control that feeling and the K2 was far more in time and actually felt some run on the boat so it just proves the more racing experience you have the better you can perform under pressure.

I heard there were storms in England last week!!!! I was wearing factor 50 on Manley Beach today so I am really not feeling the urge to come home. But we have our first Sprint regatta in Nottingham on the 5th and 6th of April which will be another interesting experience as this time it wont be the Aussie Olympians we are racing but all the girls we started this kayaking lark with in the first place!

Sport doesn't build character it reveals it!

In my head I already knew I was going to come last in my heat at the Nationals when I was up against girls qualifying for Beijing not just from Australia but from countries such as New Zealand and Itally so I had set my own goals. 1. was not to fall in 2. to beat my last PB for 500m and 3. to beat Antonia! (she doesn't know the last one but she will now)

Before the race I was a nervous wreak which I think i had every right to be, imagine warming up with girls who where wearing their country's lycra and Ant and I in our Bristol all-in-ones! Plus being that nervous made me even more unstable than usual. When I came round to the start we had to back the K1's onto the start where a kid holds your boat until the starter beeper goes off. I was just thinking please give me a bloody rowing boat this is a stupid sport, why would anyone in their right mind want to do this. Actually why am I here? Then they called . . . starting in 10 seconds beeeeep. . . and I basically crawled off the start line while the Olympians raced ahead. I was so nervous my whole body was shaking. When I eventually finished, miles behind the others I nearly cried because I was so glad it was over. The pure humiliation of it all there was no way I had a PB and what was worse Antonia had beaten me ahhhhhhh.

We then did a K2 together where we fought all the way to the start line (very stressed at the thought of racing Olympians again) as we have rating issues then the race went better than my K1 but felt rushed and out of time. Anyway it's over and we don't have to do it again until Friday when we have the 200m. The say sport doesn't build character it reveals it. I certainly felt ripped raw to the core with that experience. I am so glad we have got tomorrow off, we are going surfing at Bondi where I can fall in as much as I like! Oh yes I didn't fall in!!!! (but think I held back for fear of falling in)

Also we got talking to a few of the officials and one of the old guys works in a School with my Grandma and the other invited us to Kayak at Windsor (Sydney) Canoe club who train at Penrith where we raced today so if nothing else comes of it apart from the great?? experience we might have opened a door of opportunity as we are thinking of coming back in September for a bit longer. Australia is the place for kayaking that's for sure!

This post sounds quite negative but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Things can only get better!

Sydney Harbour Swim (on a not so sunny day)

2k swimming race in Sydney Harbour sounds quite easy but when your amongst hundreds of other swimmers as well as the natural swell of the sea and wash from other boats it turns the swim into a whole new skill. The hardest bit was to control my breathing but after the swimmers have broken out a bit and found space it became easier. Antonia's age category started before me but the funny thing was after about 3/4 of the way through I knocked someone swimming by and looked up and it was Antonia, out of all the people we were in there amongst, we just laughed at each other and swam on then I thought I can't believe I wasted energy laughing! I finished the swim in 26.59 which I didn't think was so bad for my first ocean swim plus I have had no practice. . . . apart from back in the Summer in Nottingham oh and few few endurance swims here on the lake (with a kayak full of water) so that is a small lie but it's nothing like the sea!

Here is a non attractive photo of Ant and I in our lovely swimming hats we had to wear!

IRON MAN!!! I soooooo want to do this!!

Surfski Kayaking, Paddling on a board and swimming x 3!

The NATIONALS!!!!

Last week at the club there was a lot of talk about the ultimate race in Sprint Kayaking which is the Australian National Championships. As well as being the last race in their sprint season this is also where the top athletes in the country will be fighting it out for a place in the Beijing Olympics.

All the guys at the club have been entered and were asking if Ant and I were going to compete. As always we are up for anything so entered on-line as soon as we got home. It felt great to be entering as 'international' representing GB but apart from age category there wasn't anywhere to state what level we were, like in rowing you start novice and work your way up through the categories and this being our first sprint race ever wanted to make sure we were going to be racing people of a similar level.

So I rang up the regatta organisers and told the nice woman, although we have entered as international we have only been paddling since July so want to make sure we will be racing at the right level and she promptly informed me that England had a good system going and Australia were thinking about implementing it but the only categories they have is age so you could be racing against Olympians!!!!! I said wow that will be an experience but I really am very novice and might fall in off the start line! She said just practice some starts you will be fine! So then for a minuet I was very excited and then realisation hit me and the pressure of what we have let our selves in for.

So yes next week I don't think we will be doing many other forms of training other than paddling and Duffy has even given us a key to the club so we can get extra sessions in.

The nationals start on the 12th March. Ant and I are competing in a K2 and k1 500m and 200m on the 13th and 14th March.

I'm reading Lance Armstrong's autobiography and he said that all great athletes aren't scared of putting them selves in positions where they could make a fool of them selves through lack of experience because that's the only way you will learn fast! hummmm . . . he also says " make every obstacle an opportunity" which I think is a better way of looking at it.