Sadly, it appears that the Australian Surf Lifesaving community has lost another young member to the surf in Kurrawa. Tragic for the family more than anyone else and my thoughts go out to them at this terrible time. Who knows how many lives this young lifesaver would have saved in his time on the beach. A terrible tragedy and another reminder that the surf can be a very dangerous place, even for highly trained and extremely fit competitors. Being a surf lifesaver is a great thing, it requires dedication, strength, knowledge and often, a whole heap of courage. There is no reward for being a lifesaver aside from personal pride and great friendships. Our lifesavers deserve all the respect that our war heroes get. Week in week out over summer, volunteers put their lives at risk to keep the public safe and literally thousands upon thousands of people owe their lives to these remarkable people.
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So, tomorrow morning I will be the subject of an interview and story being put together by a bunch of students from the North Sydney College of TAFE. It should be a good bit of fun and hopefully the final product might be a great tool for me to tug the interest strings of possible corporate sponsors. I have only a vague idea of what they are planning but apparently they want to overlay some old photos of me as a lifesaver down at Newport Beach (where the interview will be filmed). There are surprisingly few photos from my 13 or 14 seasons in the boat so I'll have to do some digging! I think my two boys will be starring in some of the shooting tomorrow so fingers crossed that neither of them have a meltdown!
In about 2 weeks I will be having my second fitness test with my sponsors down at Freshstart Narrabeen
which I am definitely not looking forward to. I am keen to see how much fitter I am than the first fitness test a month or so ago. I would hope that some of the weights and ergo's I've been tackling will have at least some effect on my time. Last time was 16min 36sec from memory so if I can get it below 15min 36, I'll be stoked. Luckily for you all, you will be able to see the carnage on your computer screens because the students didn't want to miss filming that one!
In case you are interested, here is a comparison between my first weights session and the one I did today, 4 weeks later.
Feb 29 (Leap day...hopefully a positive omen)
A)
1. Front squat (heel chock)5x5@bar (20kg)
2. Walking lunge 4x12steps each leg@body wt
B)
1. Chin up 5x5 @body wt with purple band (Couldn't complete the first 5 un-assisted)
2. Shoulder press 4x10@bar (20kg)
C)
1. Roll out 3x12@body
2. Russian twist 3x20@10kg
Cardio: rower 5mins max cals, 5min rest, 5mins max cals (Could not do as I was too buggered!)
Today
A)
1. Front squat (heel chock)1x5@70,4x5@75
2. Walking lunge 4x12steps each leg@6kg
B)
1. Chin up 1x5 @body wt , 4x5@body wt + purple strap
2. Shoulder press 4x10@32.5kg
C)
1. Roll out 3x20@body,body,body
2. Russian twist 3x30
@10kg,10kg,10kg
Cardio: rower 5mins max cals, 5min rest, 5mins max cals (Killer but the progress has been great)
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Beaten To The Punch!
Finally, I read in the Manly Daily today that a 51 year old woman from the Curl Curl is running across the Simpson Desert starting on April 1 (no joke) and intends to start from the geographical centre of the country, ending in Birdsville after running 650km over 1300 odd dunes. Is she mad? She attempted it last year but bushfires ended the attempt. This year she has to avoid quicksand! It will be really hot at that time of year but I'm sure she will do it. Unlike me she will have support the whole way but she is running it....running!
Its all in aid of Bear Cottage so if you want to check out Jane Trumper, check her out. What a legend!
Yo Merv!
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