Adventure sports are, hands down, the most awesome and fun things in the world. Whitewater paddling, climbing, skiing, mountaineering; these are the things I look forward to every day. I'm lucky enough to have easy access to all of these amazing activities through school, home, and Keeners. However, no matter who you are and no matter how much you train and how strong you are, you will eventually burn out. It's a simple fact of life. After two weeks of paddling big water rapids seven hours a day, I'm exhausted. I'm sore, sunburnt, covered in mosquito bites, and so tense I can barely lean forward.
That is no issue. Even when I climb so hard that I can't curl my fingers and my skin is ripped and bleeding, I just tape it up and keep going. My body aching is part of the game. Even so, it does take some enjoyment out of the sport I love so much. That's where weekend rest days come in. 48 hours to sleep, watch movies, stretch, and be a total couch potato? Awesome.
And here's the most important part: no matter how much I enjoy an activity, eventually I get bored. It happens with everything. Taking a day or a weekend here and there forces me to do nothing, get tired of doing nothing, and allows me to come back fresh, strong, and pumped to paddle hard and get better. Rest days are awesome.
Paddle hard.
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