Draggin' Boating

I am pooped! If I were a betting woman I would wager that tomorrow will be a major sleep-in day for me! I honestly can't believe that I am still awake right now since I can barely keep my eyes open, but I really want to briefly recap the days events.

The dragon boating regatta was phenomenal! I can't even begin to express how much fun it was and how proud I am to be a part of such an incredible team! We finished fifth overall out of twenty-five teams which - according to everyone who has taken part in these types of races before - is pretty incredible for a relatively non-competitive group like ourselves.

We rowed in four races which were divided into five sets of five boats each. We came in first place for the first two sets we rowed in, but placed fifth for the third and fourth ones. I feel sort of bad because they let me paddle as lead for those last sets, but at the same time we were competing against the best rowers there for those two races. Plus, we had sloppy water (lots of wind and we were in the outside lanes) for those runs which meant I literally had water pounding into my face with every single stroke for about three minutes straight. I did the best I could and I learned a lot for next time! Besides, I think everyone on the team was thrilled with placing fifth in the regatta!

The day turned out to be extra special because our team performed a Chinese lion dance and a dragon parade which raised money for a local scholarship fund, and I even got to be the one who operated the lion's head (which, believe it on not, was on my life list and is now happily checked off)! Then, on top of that, the coach choose me to be the guinea pig for a team building exercise in which I laid down, had each team member placed a single finger beneath me, and then lay still as they lifted me up about five feet off the ground (yes, I'm serious; it was incredible and so very cool). It's a good thing I am so trusting! I even brought my Paralympic torch down to the event so that it could be symbolically passed between all the teams' captains! It was truly an amazing, albeit exhausting, day!!!

We are the team in the background in the white boat.

I'm in the big mask with the cape being led by a teammate.

In case you haven't guessed, kilts are part of the team uniform.

I don't usually get to see this view because I am in the front.

I also must note that Tammy’s Summer Challenge has now come to an end. Sadly, I was not quite able to meet my goal, but I did manage to walk away from it 8.4 pounds lighter than I was at its commencement! I am really proud of that! Considering how far into this weight loss journey I am I think that I did really well, and I am so thankful to Tammy for hosting this fun online event as I really felt that it kept me on track throughout April. Now, I just need to stay focused for May...

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 toasted raisin English muffin with light peanut butter
- 1 banana
- 1 cheese biscuit
- 2 small mugs spiced apple drink
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli chicken, grated cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 fiber chocolate delite bar
- 20 sweet potato fries with spicy mayonnaise
- 5 cups Caesar salad with shrimp, Parmesan cheese, and croutons
- 6 tiny ice cream and sorbet samples
- 1 scoop root beer sorbet and 1 scoop green apple sorbet in a waffle ice cream cone
- 1 piece of a homemade blond brownie with icing
- 1 Cadbury cream egg

EXERCISE:
- 9 hours at a dragon boating regatta (approximately 1 hour on the water)