A Gift of a Day!

To My Most Amiable Readers...

Sometimes in life we run into days that smack of joy; this was one of them. I was far from thinking that today would be such a day. We had rowing exams today which involves rowing as hard as you can (sustainably) for 2000 meters on a rowing machine, with (hopefully) enough strength within the last 300 meters to kick it in hard. If this sounds relatively easy (we row up to 21 km on an average day), it isn't, not even close. It's around eight minutes of heart-slamming, aerobic, muscular, and mental torture. My stomach hurt this week whenever I thought of the trial awaiting me Saturday!!

My day started with some fresh Chilean bread, spread thickly with Nutella, and a cold glass of milk; eaten standing in my kitchen as my appointment with Senor Ergometro (rowing machine) loomed large. I knew I'd need the sugar, protein, and carbs for what awaited, but had to force the food down. After kissing my babies and Dustin goodbye, I hailed a taxi. The sun was already beating hot and heavy at 9:20, when I existed the taxi and began the walk to the club. I was wondering why I was wasting precious strength on the long walk (I could have taken a bus nearly directly there), but I was glad to get limbered up.

Arriving at 10:00 at the club, I noted several omminous signs: no brackets outside ready to receive boats, no youth filling water bottles at the hose, and a distinctive WHOOOOSH! sound (Senor Ergometro's). The tests had begun.

We gathered around our ancient rowing machine as one by one we were called to warm-up before our exam. After warm-up, I was called upstairs to where Felipe, the trainer, had set up a lovely Senor Ergometro that we borrow from a guy whenever we need to do exams. I honestly had to use every ounce of self control to enter that room and not turn around and run away!

It was boiling hot in the room; the sun beating down on the aluminum roof and no windows to bring in a breeze. Felipe started entering the data into the machine's computer and I sat and prayed. I prayed for strength, perseverance, and that I would not feel desperate as the pain set in hard.

Felipe said I could start whenever I was ready. And then something incredible happened. I had the strength. I pulled hard. I was breathing well (one can fall into shallow panting as pain hits). I was not feeling wildly desperate (like last time I'd done this test). And I kicked it in at the end. Felipe was all smiles. "Buena!!!!" He showed me that I'd improved 30 seconds over my last exam! Wow!

I would have gotten up and danced around that musty room, but after 2000 hard meters your body can't stand up right away. Not to mention that you're heart's slamming and your breathing sounds berserk. I sat until I could get up, praising God with all my heart that He brought me through this. I walked out of that inferno dripping with sweat, hobbling on tense muscles, and smiling wide.

When exams were done we went out on a 45 minute run in the intense heat, out to a hotel on the peninsula and back. Yoya, my doubles partner, and I ran side by side and endured together one more test of strength that day : ).

Arriving back at the boathouse we went down to the docks to see catch the breeze on our hot faces. The water looked so invitingly cool. "Banamos?" (swim?) I asked Yoya with a twinkle in my eye. Before we knew it our entire club were in the water (clothes and all). We all decided to swim out to a buoy way out. We spent probably an hour out there, trying to climb it, swimming under ropes attached to it, being crazy clowns. A fellow club's instructor came by in a boat to see all the "lobos del mar" (sea lions) : ).

I rode home on the bus dripping wet and smelling like canal and totally happy. Arriving home I showered quick and headed over to our neighbors where Dustin and the other guys had prepared a huge bowl of ceviche de salmon...YUMMMM! We passed a few hours there talking and joking, until the toll of the morning's exercise hit me. I stretched out on our couch near the open window and took a hard siesta.

What a gift of a day.....

Your Most Devoted, Sarah