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So I did a thing. A pretty amazing thing. I just rowed in a canoe with two guys for 178 miles. No, not in one day. Four days actually. As of last Wednesday my plan was not to be in a canoe for 8-10 hours a day for four days, but things happen and sometimes you end up being the clutch person. The race began on Friday (my sister's birthday) and ended yesterday (my brother's birthday), so I dedicated my La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge to my dear siblings. I'm not going to lie, at times this was a painful and mentally challenging feat. I won't quite put it up there with running marathon, since I was able to perform without training at all, but it is not for the weak hearted.

Day 1: Starting under the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border, the race begins at a frantic pace. Our wide bottom boat was a saving grace as most of the sleak racing canoes tipped immediately in the chaotic start. We were fresh and paddled our way towards Banana Bank, some 50 miles, fueled by bananas, snickers, and Peanut Butter sandwiches. The friendly faces of our support crew greeted us from several places along the way as we paddled along. Among the other 100 + boats, two other teams of Peace Corps volunteers added to the competitive nature. Days Time: 7 hours, 20 minutes.

Day 2: A little sore from the first day of competition and a little bit psychologically intimidated by the 60 miles that lay ahead, team PC Northmen cruised through the first 4 hours with little problem. The river began to widen and slow as we passed through a less inhabited area than the day before. Troups of howler monkeys, parrots, herons, igaunas and other fauna made the ride more interesting, but the day was a long one. A couple of 5 minutes respites from paddling and more than one snickers kept us going. Fellow PCV's in Barracuda boat kept us entertained with singing and various quizes. Day's Time: 9 hours, 10 minutes.

Day 3: Much shorter than the day before, this day was still the hardest. Physical exhaustion was wearing in with shoulders, back, and posterior feeling the pressure of 16 hours of sitting on a wooden seat constantly paddling. The river and the head-wind made the going much slower, and a lack of energy in the boat made for long, long periods of complete silence save for the birds and the swishing of the paddle going through the water. Day's Time: 6 hours.

Day 4: Last day, and the shortest, but what drama. A supposed 8:30am start turned into an 11:20am start after a major false-start on the part of the elite racers who then refused to stop paddling and turn their boats around. By the time the safety boats had cut them off and threatened disqualification, they were nearly half-way done. Eventually we started and our team battled it out with the other PCV boat, Team Hairy Posse. We eventually overtook them after 2 hours of intense paddling and made our way into the wind and tide that was making the river a major challenge. With only two brief pauses for gulps of gatorade, we paddled on into the mangrove swamps of Belize City and came in to the putrid waters of the metropolis. Days Time: 4 hours.

OVERALL: Thumbs up experience, but not something to mess around with. Camping in the rain, paddling in the rain, crappy food, and living in a canoe for over 24 hours is pretty intense. But that's life and that's me. Intense.