Training, training and more training

As Sarah has handily pointed out, it is 45 days to race day!!

I am pretty sure that means I am allowed to be a wee bit terrified of what we have blithely signed up to do.

Racing 444 miles in 3 days with only 10 hours rest.

We have been training since early January, through ice, snow, rain, swimming tests, a little bit of sunshine, canals, rivers, canoe chutes, lock portages (hate them!), good days, bad days, singing (from the back of the boat - I only know 10 green bottles), food testing, map reading, distance planning, and counting every 15 strokes almost all this time - now this drives me mad although it's an oddly addictive pastime!

So, what else do we have to do? Well, the answer to that seems endless right now. I currently have a spreadsheet for all the gear we need. Another document that tells me what final details and documents I have to check (oops, must remember some dollars). Then there is the maps, I still need to write timings on, laminate and then spiral bind. I've now started another checklist for the food which, to be honest, could be another post in and of itself.

Although, I've been told that carbo loading for ultra marathons (yes, the YRQ is classed as an ultra marathon - who knew) doesn't work if you start over a month before the start date - darn shame!

Yesterday's training run down the Thames, just over 30 miles, wasn't fantastic as we are both a bit tired and weary of canoeing. But, it wasn't awful despite the wind making it tricky keeping the power on and the boat straight. So, I've decided that is a positive - even though the thought of having to paddle in hard winds across Lake Laberge is worrying me - what if we don't make it?

Sarah and I have had out discussions about what we are doing if we feel tired, cold, grumpy etc and I'm pretty hopful that if one of us absolutely wants to stop we will - at least for 20 minutes while brewing up a lovely cup of tea and having a choccie biscuit!!

But not until we've passed the rapid! I wonder which flow level we will be lucky enough to have ...

Probably not this one!

Part of me wants the 26th June midday to be here already. I know we still have some intensive training to do and that, in some ways, this is the most important training we will do. But also, I'm tired of training - I want to race down the Yukon!