June 18th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China
Today’s distance / ???????: 27.4 miles / 44km
Average speed / ????: 7.2mph / 11.6km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 46m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 4955mi plus 377mi (?) / 7975km plus 606km (?)
Ascent / ??: 650m
Descent / ??: 200m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N41° 47′ 39.10″, E095° 07′ 47.60″
I have spent the last three days skating uphill. 1000m in three days. That is a very gradual uphill. I am 1700m at Xinxinxia pass. It is 11:30am and I am taking the rest of the day off.
I woke at 5:30am. Told myself I must get up. Must get up. Must get up. Ah, but it is so comfy here on my sleeping pad. Sooooo comfy. No! Must get up. Ah, but I don’t want to get up!
Just because I am skating around the world, it does not mean that I am super-human motivated in the mornings. I have to force myself up, and force myself not to give in to the small voice that, if it had it’s way, would have me sleep in till the sun rose well above the horizon.
But every time that I force myself up, within 10 minutes of getting up, I am glad I did not listen to that small voice. I am glad that I listened to the voice of reason, knowing that an early start is always a great way to start the day.
Today I continued on the same gradual insidious “you are weak” uphill for 20km before at last the road entered some low lying hills and some more steep uphills. Steep is good. You can see and feel the result of your effort.
That’ll do for today. 130km done unsupported. Not too shabby considering it was uphill, into a headwind, and I had to carry all my guff.
Do you think that any of the hills had trees on them at some stage? It seems incredible that there is so much of 'nothing' in China.
