This training session is dedicated to Air Force Tech Sgt. John Chapman who lost his life in Afghanistan in 2002. During any Watertribe event I have been in, my next day plan always ended up having to be changed due to circumstances I encountered.  Having to adjust my training plan to accommodate circumstances is really good training. Originally I was scheduled to do a morning session and an evening easy paddled on Thursday, a morning lift on Friday, a long 15 mile / 4 hour paddle on Saturday and an easy 6 mile/1.5 hour paddle on Sunday. I got the Thursday morning session in which was a 33 minute bike session of 11.2 miles and a weight lifting session. That is where things got derailed. I ended up with a conflict and missed the Thursday easy paddle, Friday’s lift session, and Saturday’s 15 mile/4 hour paddle. Knowing how important the long paddle sessions are I decided to combine the original Saturday and part of the Sunday paddle distance and do a 5 hour paddle Sunday. I  ended up covering 20 miles during this session. This gave me an average speed of 4 MPH and I was fighting head winds for the first 10 miles. I felt pretty good during this session and never had the negative gang of Archie and Peanut show up. My fueling protocol seemed to work fine but based on how I felt Monday morning I would say I pushed it too hard. I did complete the Monday morning run of 3.4 miles in 33 minutes and performed a TRX1 workout but I was a hurting gator. Peanut was all over me. The long paddles are important and they are only going to get longer so my goal should be to complete them feeling pretty good versus pushing it and having a problem recovering. By Tuesday morning I was feeling better and had good session. Walked 4 miles 35 lb. weight and completed a weight lifting session. Sunday’s paddle was a long paddle and I spent a lot of time alone on the water. For Air Force Tech Sgt. Chapman’s family, that included two daughters, I can only imagine the long periods of loneliness they have encountered. Please consider a donation to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation to help provide a college education to his children. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/billwhale/ufc2012