Antipodean training programme episode 2 - Heel Job and death-dive
Well, it's all been going quite swimmingly over here, apart from it being too hot after 2pm to risk going outside (or do anything apart from open another cold stubbie - such is life). Slight problem with the last ten-miler I did, caused by setting out a bit too late (8am) and getting far too hot - I distinctly felt another grunty-fen swan-dive coming on, which I add to the ever-growing pile of evidence that it was heat-exhaustion.Things have taken something of a turn for the worse today, though - up at Coronation Beach (500kms north of Perth, on the edge of the desert, and one of the word's premier wavesailing locations). Johnson stuffs up a spectcular dismount in a breaking monster wave, stamps down hard on the reef , and puts a neat, deep and rather ugly hole in his left heel (see below) - rivalling toe-job's eponymous injury in the Boundary Run this year.
Hmmm, we're thinking - that's going to mess up the Paris training if I keep sailing on it - unless, of course, I can neatly seal it against the ingress of sand, seaweed and other yukky and hurtful stuff. Now, what could we use? Plaster - no, lasted all of 20 seconds. Gaffa-tape? Well, it worked for Robby Naish, but not for me. No, there's only one answer - out somes the superglue from the toolkit, and the Johnson foot is as good as new, (barring it hurting lots, of course).
Right, there's wind and waves a-wasting - let's get out there in the break again. Jeremy leaps on board and races away from shore at 30+kts towards the peeling monster face he's just seen cranking up out to sea. Hits the wave, points board towards sky, and takes off. Rather higher than he expected. In fact, a bit too high for a survivable landing. OK, time to pull the ripcord.. BAIL!
Ed and Jim have doubtless already guessed what happened next...
There is a right time and a wrong time to discover stuff. On the whole, I would have to say that aattempting to bail and kick the board away in a 20 foot jump in a 30kt wind is very definitely the WRONG time to discover that you have just superglued yourself into your footstraps, and are now inseperable from your kit as it cartwheels through the air, dragging you after it and dooming you to land on it as it hits the water.
Hopefully I'll be healed in time for Paris 2008...
posted by Jeremy @ 3:14 PM
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