During our time in Wellington, Davis and I have full access to the gym and facilities located at the Poneke Club House. The generosity of the club has not only allowed for this incredible experience to happen, but it has also given us the tools we need to make ourselves better rugby players and better athletes.
Going to bed on Thursday night, I thought it would be nice to have an early morning lift down at the club on Friday. We have went on early morning runs, but I haven't really tried an early morning lift. I woke up the next morning, made some breakfast, and started my way down to the club. The clouds were out and about, and it looked like I was going to get drenched. I got to the club just before the rain came down. After lifting, I came out of the weight room to a completely different sky than when I entered. There were about 3 clouds and the sun was gleaming, and it was actually pretty warm (warm for a Wellington winter at least).
Our entire time here, I have been wanting to go swimming in the sea, but I never really had enough motivation to go down to the beaches on these cold, rainy days. I figured I would run along the coast (a run that Davis and I do quite frequently, and is incredibly beautiful), and if I was still sweating and hot by the time I was at the docks, then I would go in.
Surely enough, I was out of breath, sweating like a dog, and burning up. So, I jumped over the gate and ran to the dock that extended out into the bay. I thought I was trespassing at first because this wasn't one of the many docks that we have seen people jump off, so I was planning on just jumping in and out really quick. When I got halfway out on the dock, there was a sign that said that you actually could swim here. I dropped my bag, put on some music , and stripped into my rugby shorts. I climbed down the dock ladder and stepped in up to my knees. Yup, it was about as cold as one would expect for the South Pacific in the middle of winter. I figured that I might as well still go in though. I climbed back up to the top of the dock, got a running start, and flipped right off. Just as a jumped in, there was some wake from a passing boat in the harbor and I used it to get the hell back to the ladder as fast as I could. The frigid water reminded me of when my friends and I would go swimming in rivers in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the fall. I climbed back up and was met with a few interesting looks from by-passers (probably thinking, "Crazy Americans..."). I took a few more jumps and then let the sun and the wind dry me off. The wind never leaves Wellington, so even when it's warm, it really isn't.
After my mid-morning dip, I began my arduous run back up to Brooklyn. I treated myself with a warm steak and cheese pie.
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