Last weekend, I headed up to Buford, GA for what may be my new favorite cross training activity – kayaking. This was my second time out on the river in a kayak, and I had a lot more confidence getting started this time. I was with a kayak class and somehow we managed to be on a 4 mile section of the river for over 6 hours. This probably had to do with the fact we kept going up and down the same rapids over and over!

We were on the Chattahoochee River, on which there are a few small Class 1 rapids and a single Class 2 rapids. The only spill I had was going down the Class 2 rapid my 2nd time. However, I made it down the first time and two times afterwards, so I wasn’t too upset with that! We spent a lot of time learning how to play in ferries and eddies that we saw along the river. Some of the class was a little hesitant on some of the rapids, but since I had done this exact same section of the river before, I had no problems barreling down them (I had taken a swim the first time as well so had no problem with that happening again!) Even though it was so warm out (85+) it was still quite a shock to hit the cold water. You wouldn’t think it, but the water was probably in the mid to low 40′s and was almost too uncomfortable to be in!

Why do I call this cross training? Well, because by the end of the day, I could no longer feel my arms! It took more work than I thought to paddle against the current back up a rapid just so I could coast back down it! I really enjoyed my time on the river though and as soon as I find a good deal (and finish paying for the bike rack for my car I just purchased) I will be getting myself a kayak. I’ve already found a couple of “off-road” triathlons that require the use of a kayak, so who knows, being in the kayak more could really become part of my official training!