Tuesday, August 02, 2016

Kitesurfing, Training & The Olympics

We just hit August and the 3 months since I last posted has flown by. Finn has already grown so much, has 3 teeth, can hug, kiss (allbeit very gozzy), crawl and has just started his first steps. He has so much energy and my heart melts for each and every cheeky grin that he throws my way and out to others too. He seems such a happy little chappy which makes up for the nights of broken sleep.


Looking back on his first 3 months in to the world I realise how much of a testing time that was. My mum's advice about situations is to try to "stay calm & unruffled on the surface, but paddle like hell underneath." Its quite true. There is so much to deal with, but you just keep your chin up and carry on. I think i probably threw in one adventure & one long car journey more then necessary as a way to kick back and continue forward through this monumental life change.



These last 3 months have been different to the first 3 and I think I can think much more clearly. I'd say the biggest thing that I have noticed has been all about fitness and sport. Its been big deal to get back in shape and be able to hit the water again, so when Finn was 5 months old we travelled to Dominican Republic to get some consistent time on the water.



In the 8 months that Finn has been in this world the holiday is by far the one biggest thing that I look back on and think how worth the buck it cost and the effort of travelling on a 9 hour flight with a still very small baby. It has put me in good stead for getting back in shape.


Chris was super dad! He took care of Finn a lot by lifting him and holding him as much as possible so that I didn't have to. They bonded even more then they had already and had great adventures steering a ship which was in fact a viewing bar from our apartment block garden.




Having both Chris & Finn and some of my bestest friends who we were visiting gave my body a chance to recover from the aches and pains from bad posture and post pregnancy. I would get to kite for 2 hours on most days. I started off with simple tricks which is all I was brave & fit enough to do, but by the last day I could do a little better and I felt much stronger.



Once back home it was onwards & upwards and fitness mostly consists of two jogs per week with the pram & a trx session in the garden every now and then. Kiting is certainly not a frequent enough occurrence, but this training off the water makes each session count much more when on the water. It has helped my confidence grow.



 In July I had my first job as a professional kitesurfer once again. Kiting for a film crew who were making an advert for an industrial minerals company. I kited for 5 hours pretty much straight & it felt phenomenal.


For at least a month now I have been feeling much fitter and I can see the way forward to bigger and better tricks on the water once again.



Business Jo Wilson Coaching - Kitesurfing Coaching Holidays I have been focusing on Youth Training.  Together with both Finn and Chris we have run half of the British Kitesports Pro Kite Youth Training Program. It consists of 4 weekends around the country, so a perfect project to work on.


For the two weekends that have happened, it was a challenge to switch my brain off from Finn, but it has been a great additional focus and awesome to work with talented kids.  I have already seen that they train hard between coaching weekends and the progress really shows.  It has also been another rewarding time to see both my boy and my man enjoying time together on a often wet & windy beach. The next training date is later this month in Hunstanton which Im really looking forward to.



To continue on the sports theme, how exciting that the Olympics are imminent!? I am still officially on maternity leave for one more month, so it feels only right to maximise on the Olympics this year.



We are going to throw ourselves in to supporting Team GB. We've downloaded the app, the schedule & our TV will be ON ON ON for the whole time! The photo below is the UK's female windsurfer Bryony Shaw who visited us just after the 2012 Olympics. She throws her heart and soul in to her training and is such an inspiration.  My niece and nephew loved showing off this photo at sports day this year!!




There is nothing like achieving something and we cannot wait to shout at the telly and send support to Bryony and all the other British athletes.


I hope you are all having as great a summer as we are and if you are in our hood and want to watch some olympics then get yourself over to ours!!

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