Quick Update

Oops... well meaning intentions to blog weekly have slipped by the wayside recently! I suspect there is a direct correlation between training volume and blogging. This will just a be a quick one relating to the last 3 or 4 weeks.
 Headed up to Aucklnad on 4th March and then Becs, Mary, Lachie , 4 bikes and I drove down to Taupo to have a good training weekend, hang out and support friends competing in Ironman New Zealand on the Saturday. My best laid plans of lots of swimming and a big bike ride didnt come to fruition; by the time we arrived in Taupo on Friday evening I was able to get out for a run. Saturday we awoke to torrential rain- always optimistic it would clear, decided to go watch the end of the swim and cheer people on. By the time we had seen everyone we knew, I was freezing cold and soaking wet! Quick coffee and a delicious date and orange scone from Bodyfuel and back to the house to throw stuff in the dryer and change. Still no abating of the rain or any sign that it was likely to clear so we all decided to head out in the car and park up on a side road off Broadlands  to watch the cyclists. Took about 5 minutes and we were drenched again, however some heat was generated in the form of ranting at that blatant drafting of the front end age group men with some pro women nicely tucked in the mix. Credit where it is due, a few in there were obviously trying to keep to the legal 7 m between bikes but others were sucking wheel. Quite disgusting especially from professional athletes who I believe shoudl be setting an example by riding clean in races, not cheating.



Ugly Weather

Thats ok but where were the technical officials?? And why bother penalising the back end of the field when its the pointy end that have the most riding on a race result in the form of Kona slots, sponsorship , prize money etc.

Anyway, enough on the soap box :)   Didn't end up doing any training for the rest of the Saturday as couldn't will myself to even go for a swim - the lake was shrouded in low cloud and after spending all day in a semi-saturated state, swimming had lost it's appeal.Thus I also passed the day battling feelings of guilt about missed sessions and despondent about the impending Ironman. Watching the poor soaked souls out there shuffling their way up and down the lakefront made me start to question why on earth I decide to take these things upon myself? Why? Why? Why can I not just be content with some social riding, running and swimming for health and fitness instead of this obsessive, life-encompassing quest to see how quickly I can cover 226 km?!!!!!!! Deep huh?!

Next day it was still wet ; albeit slightly less miserable so Becs, Lachie, Mary and I set off for Whakaipo Bay. Becs+ Lachie were going to mountain bike the W2K track in training for Xterra, I was going to do my 2 hr 15 run and then aim to get at least half an hour of lake swimming in and Mary was going to go for a shorter run and look after the car keys. I had a very pleasant run  which climbed up hill for several km through forest and the track was quite wide with a soft surface and not too many tree roots to trip over! Made it in for a swim after the run, though there was quite a bit of swell and  about 50m out I couldnt see the bottom of the lake at all which freaked me out a little - I guess because I was onmy own - so I swam back and forth parallel to shore which was not altogether that pleasant but I stuck it out for just under 30 minutes. Getting out and walking to shore was rather difficult however; I was feeling quite sea sick and couldn't walk in a straight line let alone stand on one leg to remove my wetsuit!! Am sure the ducks were highly amused.

We drove back to Auckland that afternoon and I got the last flight back to Christchurch, ever optimistic that Monday would be a dry day and I would get in a good long ride.

Am I brave enough to tackle the Levy??!

Hey Presto!!  A cold but sunny day beckoned - so had a good jaunt over the hills to Purau  and back then out on the flat with the condition that I didn't ever use my small chain ring. Ended up having a gratifying 5 and a half hour ride; pleased that I can at least ride the bays of Lyttelton Harbour between Governors and Purau. I did debate as to whether I shoudl really try rip my own legs off and go over to Port Levy and back, but i was a bit too scared about potential  rockfalls on the road so I chickened out of that! Maybe next time.

Reality Bites

Well, has been a rather up and down couple of weeks since my last post. I had intentions to write last week  as I had a post composed in my head during an episode of insomnia broken up by the odd aftershock or two:)  But I never seemed to have time - we still didnt have any running water  at home til last Friday (the 4th of March) - so my spare time between being at work and training was spent driving to friend's place for a shower and to get a couple of loads of washing done. On this note - John and Mair -THANK YOU!! for the use of shower and washing machine; was a lifesaver!!

Spot the Canadian

First few days after the quake I couldn't get my head around training. It seemed a rather selfish way to spend my time, as well as not being able to have a shower afterwards!.However, I also felt rather anxious about leaving the house by myself just in case another big one struck.So, rather than ride my bike last Sunday, Brett dragged me over to Sumner to Lidia and Andrew's house which sits nestled up Sumnervale, a few metres below Captain Thomas track. It was almost a 4 wheel drive adventure to get there as the roads through Ferrymead and into Sumner are a huge MESS. Rockfalls strewn across some pavements and if you happen to look up as you  drive into Sumner past Shag(ged) Rock on the cliffs, you can see the houses on the top have decks overhanging the edge now where the cliff has crumbled away. We also spotted parts of barbecues and laundry in the debris of boulders and other detritus lying in what was previously a small reserve . Anyway, spent the day helping build a rockprooof fence at the top of their garden. I have to mention that the gradient of the garden is about 30% so I certainly got a satisfactory strength workout for both upper and lower body - have you ever tried hammering in a waratah??!!!! I also learnt how to tie steel; not dissimilar to making removable orthodontic appliances really!

This is across the road from work

Went back to work last Monday, cleared out 6 years worth of old journals and other trash from the surgery so that was something. The entire week was quite unproductive  as anticipated  and I expect that is how it 's going to be for a little while. After a mild panic attack about finances, lack of swimming pools and shaking ground I came to the decision that I stick to the original plan and stay at work til Easter  then head north  either to Aus or UK after we return from Utah. I don't cope well with a disrupted routine as i am a creature of habit and after weighing up pros and cons of staying put vs leaving , staying won out in the end.

Swimming is proving a little difficult at present with no pools open here in Chch; the nearest pool being in Rangiora or open water at Pegasus lake which are both 45 mins- 1 hour drive away, depending on the time of day. However, its not the end of the world. We still have a house to live in that is basically undamaged, friends and loved ones are all accounted for and Jemima hasn't run off in fright.