THIS IS IT!!!!
When I agreed to this crazy Amazon Thing in February, I just never thought the day would come so quickly. I am a marathon runner therefore I love being alone, I love training alone, and I knew I was in trouble with this Amazon Thing when I had my training blues. Usually with marathon training, I get sick of all of my runs being about a goal, hill training, speed work, endurance work etc. My training blues about his Amazon Thing was about being with the other paddlers!!
I just wanted to get into the boat alone and do my 8 hour paddle, no talking, no eating, no talk of rotation, (the word rotation is what threw me into the blues) ROTATION!!, you expect me to rotate after paddling for 5 hours! The next morning I told Ross “we had to talk” I explained that I did not want to do this Amazon Thing, I just wanted to be alone, I missed my Sunday morning runs because I was too tired from the 6 hour extended paddles, that maybe I am a sprint paddler not a marathon paddler, he responded in typical Ross manner “it’s too late you can’t back out now”. I had many responses in mind: “who is going to stop me”, “give my ticket to Bruce”, “I am sure anyone else can fill my slot” and the mind wanders.
Well here we are, we are leaving tomorrow and I am still not convinced that this is my thing…..but then I never thought marathon running was going to be my thing until crossing the finish line for the first time. As I crossed the finish line I asked “when is the next one”….its amazing what the endorphins can do to the human mind. Will I say those words as we pull to the finish line in Iquitos? I don’t know, but if I do, hit me with some jungle twine!