The scavenger hunt

I spent this month on a scavenger hunt, try to find all the things I need to get started.  The kayak turned out to be the easy part- there are tons of cheap boats out there, but no paddles! I splurged a bit on a good deal and got what feels like an incredibly lightweight paddle. Better than the particleboard laminate I was designing with the leftover wood from my husband's shop! (no, I'm not kidding- thought I'd save a buck, but then, I dunno, I got lazy and bought this one?)

Anyway, I didn't quite make my goal of staying under $400 for everything. I have spent $415 now (including boat), and still don't have a helmet or dry top. Dry tops are super-expensive! I'm going to just wait and ask for one for my birthday in November- have it be my one big gift everyone can pitch in on. They're around $300 new, give or take $100 depending on brand. Whew! That is something I will be able to use in the race, though, so it's worth it.

So here's a breakdown of what I've spent:

Kayak: Used Dagger Crossfire, $80
Paddle: Used Werner Sherpa, $100
PFD (lifevest): New/clearance women's style $60
Spray skirt: New/clearance, women's cut, $80
Longsleeve rashguard shirt: $55 
Neoprene 'shorts': $40
Drytop: still need it
Helmit: still need it

I figure I can rent the brain bucket and outer shell to use for the rolling clinic this June and any river runs I do this summer. I won't really need them as much for my flat water training. I can wear a water-resistant windbreaker and sun hat.

....Until I notice how cold I am. Hmmm. I do think I will invest in making a proper hypothermia emergency kit to carry with me, and I'll practice with it this summer.

April Exercise Log

Ooooo boy. I didn't keep my journal this past month. I don't think I like the old format anyway, so I'll try something new. Let me know which format you like better!

I don't think I can recall everything, and there were another 2 weeks of extreme fatigue from sleep deprivation/nourishment issues. My almost-toddler son, now 11 months, won't eat solids for me, and I don't do formula, so he's nursing still. He's thriving- 22 pounds and walking everywhere- but I am still trying to find the balance for what I need to sustain him AND myself while working out. And he stopped sleeping after 1am for 5 days. I'm so tired from the past couple of nights (week 2 of bad sleep) that I'm not safe to drive... again. *sigh*

So!

Tai Chi: 16 hours
Biking: 2 short rides, maybe 3 miles total; 1 long ride, 10 miles or so (pulling 60 lbs of trailer w/2 kids)
Swimming: quarter mile in 10 minutes one time
Push-ups: 60 (I'll be doing these regularly and more of them. good exercise)
Squats: 400 (I'm going to start modifying these to be more applicable to tai chi)
Sit-ups: 460 (insanely boring. Must find something better. I stopped bothering after a couple days)

As I type this, it's late May and I'm doing better on every level. April was so bad. I survived, though, recovered in early May, and have a good plan for this summer, so I'm not worried. My May exercise is better- I'll post it at the beginning of June.

We've had a really wet spring, so I expect to bike more starting in June, and if I get enough sleep I'd like to start paddling at 5am. We'll see.