I got this paragraph off Adam Van Koeverden's blog and it almost moved me to tears. How true he puts it...

"Humans did not evolve in kayaks; our bodies were not designed to paddle these skinny boats around for hours a day. It is for this reason that I am most thankful for the human body's ability to adapt when stressed with hard work. Bill Bowerman coached the University of Oregon Track and Field Team for the majority of the 20th century, including well-known middle distance runner Steve Prefontaine. He described this training process succinctly with four words; stress, rest, adapt, improve. It is the fourth word with which I am most fascinated.

The more I use my paddle to pull my boat forward, the tougher my hands will get, the stronger my back will become. The more my lungs extract oxygen from the air, the more my heart pumps blood around my body; the more the enzymes in my muscles turn carbs into energy, the better my body is prepared to race my kayak for Canada this summer. It's a demanding process, and one that I'm (thankfully) lovingly addicted to. We train for months and years and race for minutes and seconds, so enjoying and embracing the process is of prime importance."

Sam