Your Questions

You guys are finally starting to get the hang of it, I'm getting more and more questions by email.
There were the usual SHARK questions about which I have nothing more to say. I'm not worried and I don't think about it. Yeah, I know, I posted the photo a while back (mostly for dramatic effect) and now that I have your attention could you please ask about something else?
What do you eat on long paddles? Last year during the Molokai Paddleboard race I learned an important lesson, what not to eat. On my longer training runs last year I did some (not enough) experimenting and learned that those sports energy bars made my stomach queasy and that fruit stayed down well but was a little shy of the energy content needed for such an endurance race. I took both with me for the race and was really trying to stay away from the energy bars. At about the 16th mile of that 32 mile race I knew I needed to eat. Yes, the fruit stayed down and yes, I still felt out of fuel. So I ate an energy bar and then another. Bad idea. I started getting sick and really slowing down. About 45 minutes later I sat up and spewed the contents of my stomach on the front of my board - several times. Then a wave knocked me off and the wind started blowing my board away. Pitiful. I did manage to dig deep down and find the energy to finish the race on just water but I do not want to go through that again so yes, I've been experimenting. The result? Almonds (raw) and water.
What about alcohol? You haven't mentioned your use of it. Basically a little, but not too much. Here I think I'll go back to my mention of Dr. Citron's book "Evolutionary diet and Cookbook"for his idea that we should eat and drink a diet similar to our cro-magnon ancestors. He doesn't talk about alcohol in that book but there is ample evidence that our cro-magnon ancestors had alcohol as part of his and her diet going back as far 100,000 years? Nobody really knows, but fruit and honey and other stuff will ferment all on its own. What a find after a difficult day hunting a Mastodon. So at least our bodies are accustomed to it and it has been part of human culture since there was a human culture. Mostly its made out of healthy stuff. While I doubt Gin has much nutrition in it, I'm mostly talking here about Beer and Wine. Both made with stuff more natural than anything else in the Supermarket in a bottle. Beer is made with barley and Hops. And Coke is made out of refined sugar and a whole bunch of artificial stuff that our bodies don't recognise or need. But the alcohol . . .aye, there's the rub. All recent studies that I've read suggest that moderate alcohol consumption is good for you. People who drink a moderate amount are healthier than those who do not drink at all and way healthier than those who sadly drink to excess. The excess is the problem (a very serious one) not the alcohol itself. I drink mostly beer, some wine and rarely the hard liquor. I don't drink every day but I think if you averaged it out it would be about one beer or glass of wine a day. I don't like how I feel when I drink more than two so its rare. I'd like it better if beer had less alcohol and some micro breweries are doing just that. I swear I wasn't drinking when I dreamed up this around the island adventure.
I really didn't mind when several people wrote to brag they had a faster time than mine up the Koko Crater steps. Steven and his girlfriend Tara both claim a 13:25 time. Did you two get to the top holding hands? I was also asked what is the fastest time I know of? I really don't know what the fastest time is but I'm starting to ask the ones who look really fast. I met Rachael on the trail today (she's a fellow lifeguard) and she too has some sub 15:00 times but the 13:25 is the fastest I've heard of yet. If anyone has more info on this let me know.