So there was a move back to Oxfordshire; freezing Scottish waves; finding the stoke again and training; real training, in a boat!
N Scotalnd trip!
Thurso was called by Thorpy, with Potter and a 3rd seat still unfilled in his van I was drafted in very last minute for the long weekend mission.See more shots and read the story on his site:
2 shots of thorpy here, one ripping; the other, well, doing detailed reconnaisance of the reef!
To my relief I got a few good shots of the boys. We got some decent conditions and we all want to go back for more!As well as some proper windsurf reef-break action in nuking ;) winds, for me the highlight was surfing Thurso on a clean barrelling day.
Struggling to find work I reluctantly left Cornwall to move back ‘home’ to Abingdon, Oxfordshire. I did two swimming instructor/coaching courses and got part time pool lifeguard work, have been volunteering with a swim team and mentally preparing for September’s PGCE start(!) with some science lesson observations. Dealing with the frustration of not windsurfing or coaching somewhere consistent I put my efforts back into pure training for the meantime, in the knowledge that this would all pay off when the time came!
An old school mate suggested I get involved with City of Oxford rowing club where they’ve been preparing for the summer racing season, just in time for their Easter training camp at home on the Isis. Around 150km later, much of which was side by side 2km raced pieces at 80-90% again and again, I was feeling new levels of soreness but had got through it, tougher and faster, and more disciplined to stretching! But a second week on with a strained rotator cuff and minor deltoid tear; not part of the plan! An old injury from Egypt had come back to haunt me…
One of our coaches is our in-house physio and after some treatment made sure I did the correct rest and rehab training.
The next two weeks were frustrating not being in a boat, though at least I still wasn’t missing any UK windsurfing. I found new ways to train while resting the shoulder, running and cycling of course, but also some great circuits, and legs only pool sessions with fins, exhaling slowly underwater pushed the lungs!
Getting ready for the first 09 UKWA event in Ireland though I hadn’t been able to windsurf as much as others at least I knew-given the shoulder would heal in time?-I’d be fighting fit again.
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