How to Stay Awake at Keeners - Hunter Gibson

Keeners is an amazing program where you are on the water almost 5 hours every day for three weeks. This is amazing, you get so much better and gain so much confidence in your kayak. As a relative beginner last year and coming back this year I am confident to class four rapids and can, and have run some class fives with no paddling outside of keeners. I am always amazed at what I can do in a playboat. But there is a downside. You have these amazing coaches that paddle everyday year round or at least if the snow/ice permits. Well, they never get tired. But you will. You may not admit it to yourself until you are off the water but then you realise, wow I'm falling asleep during speech night, or, I can't focus on the rappelling because I'm so sleepy and this harness is so comfortable. Well do I have the answer for you! It's called sleep. You need to catch up on it. Go to bed early, no one is going to judge you. It's not like you are going to miss much, and others may follow suit saying things like "sounds like a plan". Really it's worth doing you will love it in the morning. When Anna comes around to wake you you will be thankful as you pop up long before your roommate and feel twice as good. There is only one problem with this plan, Keeners is a loud place, unless your roommates go play monopoly or watch a movie in the thunderdome it could be quite difficult to fall asleep. The easiest way to solve this is by putting a good movie on in the thunderdome. If you went to sleep early and you still don't feel like the god of thunder ready to take on the mighty ottawa. Well that means you are muscle tired. The easy fix for this is lots of stretching and a rest day. You are encouraged to take a rest day once every weekend, But im saying take two. If you really hurt, and if you do you will know what I mean, then take two rest days. Even Anna who lives here throughout the summer takes a rest day every weekend (from us, and the river). If that doesn't convince you then your screaming body halfway through your second week will. Take a rest day, sleep, surely there couldn't be anymore I can do, and I still feel terrible. Well now we get technical. What hurts? Is it your legs? then you should take a look at your outfitting. Is it your hands? Look at your paddle. Your back? You should actually do more backstrokes and try to stretch it out on the ground. If all else fails ask Anna, she is a professionally trained yoga instructor and is happy to help with anything, except boat related things, for that goto Stevo or Clay Wright. If none of that works still go to Anna and say hey anna I hurt and nothing makes me feel better not the stretches you gave me and I have changed everything about my boat I think I'm broken. She will tell you either to tough it out or if she thinks you are actually broken she will take you to the doctor. That is all you can do. thanks for reading!