Shark Week?

The questions keep piling up and I've been too busy training to get to them, sorry.

Dane wrote and asked now that I've had five months of working on this around Oahu adventure what is the hardest part of doing something like this? Well Dane, the physical part for me has been the easier part. The psychological part has been much harder. First, trying to keep focused on something like this for six months is turning out to be too much. Next time I'll cut that time down to maybe three or four months. Also trying to keep focused through trying personal times has held me back more than anything. But I'm close to all my training goals and if I'm lacking in any way I'll make it up for it by calling on my great inner reserves of stubbornness - I will make it around this island as I have planned.

Lin wants to know if I've been watching "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel? I have this feeling that there are going to be a lot of disappointed readers of this blog if I don't have a shark encounter. Yes, my son and I did watch some of those shows and we both came away feeling even more safe in the water. But just to make sure I will try not to look like, act like or smell like a seal, turtle or fish.
Robert is really getting into bodysurfing and wants to know who are the best bodysurfers, are there any good bodysurfing websites and are there any good bodysurfing movies? It just so happens that I know someone who knows those answers and tomorrow when I see him I'll get him to enlighten us. Check the "comments" in the next few days.

Sean wants to know - What's your longest training paddle? I start at the park near the Pillers surf spot at Portlock and paddle around the Diamond head buoy and continue to the Honolulu harbor buoy and then go back to Portlock. About 30 miles. I've done it twice this past month. Its not so much the distance but that half of it (the going back part) is into the wind. Makes it seem more like 40 or more. I paddle a lot and my arms aren't really sore but my neck takes a beating on the into the wind part.