M2O: The Open Ocean is a whole other beast....

I can't believe it is over.... It's funny how these BIG adventures you work towards through training, logistics, hype, and emotions come to a brisk ending. Well, this has been one hell of an adventure. I would suggest to everyone and anyone to go through your dreams/bucket list/desires, pick at least one and DO IT. The hours of preparation, the excitement, the unknown, the ups and downs, the money, the logistics, the training and learning is ALL WORTH IT. It may seem tough and possibly impossible at times but that is what makes them big dreams, special and possibly why you haven't done it yet. I truly believe pushing yourself, testing yourself, learning, adventuring, making mistakes and succeeding and stepping out of your comfort zone will enrich your life and open your eyes to possibilities you never thought were possible. As my students kept telling me: YOLO (You only live once!)

Andrew is the best hubby/friend/partner EVER.... HE went out of his way to help me realize a dream of mine while putting his own on hold. He also made a great video and took some awesome pics along the way.

VIDEO M2O: I crossed that finish line! YES!
Molokai to Oahu from Andrew Dye on Vimeo.

PICTURES: follow link

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8442196@N02/sets/72157634846126885/

It was one tough crossing. The heat, the bumpy not consistent waves, the length, and the bigness of the ocean all played a part in making it a really tough race: physically and mentally. I had a good start, was happy with the people around me but the experience of prior races, the ocean, and their amazing paddling slowly kept the top females paddling further ahead of me. I need more practice, time on the water, and training (fyi tough to do when you are working full time....). The escort boats came along and then everything got a little jumbled for a bit... awkward boat waves made it tougher to paddle and focus. Eventually people spread out but people were never far away. My captain, Chuck kept me on the middle line going slightly north and then slightly south.... I was happy with that. I had moments out there where I was pushing hard digging with my Werner Small Grand Prix Paddle, and then I would have moments where I just didn't feel like going super hard (prob not the best in a race....) I would have day dream moments, moments where I didn't care about the "race" aspect. I would then randomly snap out of it and push hard again... ?!? funny. I did one swap with Andrew with a different camel back. I thought I drank a lot but in the end I only drank slightly more than 2L of water with Nuun...not enough.... arg. I never drink enough.... I ate 2 packages of Cliff block shots, one package honey stringer chews, and one mini snickers. I actually found it super awkward to eat out there. Next time I would try and consume all of my calories, proteins, and carbs through liquid.... I just need to find a good drink for this...

The water definitely got choppier as we got closer to Oahu. The China wall was pumping so my boat captain took me around the bay. I lost time but also likely saved my body and board. With about 10 miles to go my legs started to get sore.... When I fell it was the worst... it hurt so much to get back on the board. I also seem to have been standing on the rudder peddle awkwardly as my right knee started to really hurt... Infact when i finished I couldn't step off the board and bare weight on it. I needed to ice it and sit down for about 1.5 hours before I could walk. It feels better now but was slightly worrying at the time. So the last bit in the bay is the worst, people did not lie about that. It hurt a lot and the headwind and outgoing tide were awful.... but the finish line is so close and so you can't give up. I am happy that I crossed that line. 6 hours 27min.... 6th female SUP..... I'll take it. Thank you M2O for a great adventure!!!!!! I love pushing myself like that!


Congrats to all the athletes who crossed that finish line. Congrats to Norm and Dan the other Canucks out there. Thank you for all the support from all over.. I could not have made it without you!!!!!!!!!!! (you know who you are.)

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!

Time for well deserved mini surf sessions and relaxation with friends

lina