It's official! Race Registrations are open for the Coast to Coast 2010. I printed off the entry form this morning and as I held it in my hand had a few butterflies in my stomach. It seems far more real now that I see my name on the entry form (not that I've actually sent it yet). I will have until November to get my grade 2 cert for the kayak (a part of training that I am really NOT looking forward to after my last experience in a kayak).
Now I just have to grab the bull by the horns and post it off - oh yeah and find the money for the entry fee!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Outrunning Bono and The Edge
So last weekend was the Moonride, and on Sunday afternoon I was feeling both 'fit' and inspired. So I went for a 5km run. It was once I got home that the 'seedy' feeling kicked in after all the physical activity and lack of sleep.
Today I was conscious that the 1/2 marathon is looming around the corner so I decided I would head out for a little run. I had decided that instead of taking the usual route I would go a different path. I decided to run to the place where my friends kid does gymnastics; that way if I was really tired I could just hang out with her and grab a ride home.
The first couple of kms was hard going but I kept reminding myself that the last few runs I have been on it has been that way and it got better. When I made it to the gym I discovered that while Kendal was there, Sue was not. So I had no choice but to continue on my run. I was actually quite ok with that as I was feeling really good and knew that I had more in the tank.
I ended up running for 95 mins and it felt great. I tend to choose U2 as my running partners and today I actually outran them. They finished on the ipod before I did. So it was up to KT Tunstall to get me home.
The new tri shorts worked well too so that bodes well for the C2C10.
Today I was conscious that the 1/2 marathon is looming around the corner so I decided I would head out for a little run. I had decided that instead of taking the usual route I would go a different path. I decided to run to the place where my friends kid does gymnastics; that way if I was really tired I could just hang out with her and grab a ride home.
The first couple of kms was hard going but I kept reminding myself that the last few runs I have been on it has been that way and it got better. When I made it to the gym I discovered that while Kendal was there, Sue was not. So I had no choice but to continue on my run. I was actually quite ok with that as I was feeling really good and knew that I had more in the tank.
I ended up running for 95 mins and it felt great. I tend to choose U2 as my running partners and today I actually outran them. They finished on the ipod before I did. So it was up to KT Tunstall to get me home.
The new tri shorts worked well too so that bodes well for the C2C10.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Moonride 2009
So I have had two countdowns going on my blog; The Coast to Coast 2010 (the main reason for this blog) and the Moonride..which has now counted all the way down to ZERO!
I was nervously excited by the prospect of competing in the 24 hour moonride. Doing events for 24 hours is not new to me, having run from Dunedin to Oamaru and back, and cycled from Dunedin to Bluff and back. It was really the idea of mountain biking and in the dark that was a little daunting. I don't actually own one of my own but my friend Jaz was kind enough to lend me her bike. So I managed to get in a night ride and a day ride at a local track here in Hamilton. I loved it! In fact I began to see that this could be the best way to relieve stress and clear my head on a regular basis.
Arriving in Rotorua the team met each other for the first time. In the guy's open team were Mark, Bruce, Simon, Alastair & Wayne. Our team were entered in the mixed grade; Sue, Kath, Nick, Mat and myself.
Kath and I had to do some negotiating soon after meeting - Sue was going to do the first ride and both Kath and I were keen to follow. Kath graciously made way for me to go 2nd (I was so nervous there was no way I would have slept before my ride so if I was on from 2am-4am it would not bode well for the rest of the race)
My first lap was exhilarating and intense as I made my way through the track that was totally unfamiliar relying only on my trusty lights to guide my way. It felt like I had been out for 1 1/2 hours but when I got back to the tent I was stoked to discover it was only 40 mins. The next couple of lap times got a bit messed up as no one was recording my start times of each lap (i was stopping in between each lap to change my light batteries).
I got to go to bed at about 2:30am and by 6:30am was up heading towards the portaloos (after dreaming about them I took that as a sign I should get up and face the day).
My next two laps were great - I got to see the track for the first time in the daylight. It was great to be able to work out what was the best path to take, when to go left or right on the track and what traps to avoid. I was totally stoked to see that my laptime got down to 35 mins. On the second lap I was 15 mins into it when the 12 hour and 6 hour competitors were starting. I had only one goal that lap - to make it out before any of them caught up to me - so I had 300 or so riders hotly pursuing me - I did it!
My next ride was later as it was starting to get dark so lights were back on. It was awful! So many pushy and rude riders on the track and the volume of riders was really noticeable. You have to understand that previously when people needed to pass they asked and said thanks, or "just when you're ready". It was great for a novice like me to feel ok on the track with the elite riders. But I really did not enjoy that 6th lap at all - I obviously just wanted it over and done with as it ended up being my best time 34mins.
My final lap was slightly better, I stood my ground and didn't put myself in danger of falling just because someone yelled "passing on your right" and assumed I would move straight away. It was a slightly slower lap 36mins but I was pretty tired by then.
Now to put my lap time in perspective - the fastest lap times on the boys team was 19mins, ours was 22mins - but they are all experienced riders and have done lots of training and stuff like that. So I was totally wrapped with my performance.
The great thing is that Sue, Kath and I are all committed to the Day/Night Thriller in Taupo in Sept - so the training will continue so that next time I'm in the race I will be able to compete and offer more to my team than what I could for this race.
I was nervously excited by the prospect of competing in the 24 hour moonride. Doing events for 24 hours is not new to me, having run from Dunedin to Oamaru and back, and cycled from Dunedin to Bluff and back. It was really the idea of mountain biking and in the dark that was a little daunting. I don't actually own one of my own but my friend Jaz was kind enough to lend me her bike. So I managed to get in a night ride and a day ride at a local track here in Hamilton. I loved it! In fact I began to see that this could be the best way to relieve stress and clear my head on a regular basis.
Arriving in Rotorua the team met each other for the first time. In the guy's open team were Mark, Bruce, Simon, Alastair & Wayne. Our team were entered in the mixed grade; Sue, Kath, Nick, Mat and myself.
Kath and I had to do some negotiating soon after meeting - Sue was going to do the first ride and both Kath and I were keen to follow. Kath graciously made way for me to go 2nd (I was so nervous there was no way I would have slept before my ride so if I was on from 2am-4am it would not bode well for the rest of the race)
My first lap was exhilarating and intense as I made my way through the track that was totally unfamiliar relying only on my trusty lights to guide my way. It felt like I had been out for 1 1/2 hours but when I got back to the tent I was stoked to discover it was only 40 mins. The next couple of lap times got a bit messed up as no one was recording my start times of each lap (i was stopping in between each lap to change my light batteries).
I got to go to bed at about 2:30am and by 6:30am was up heading towards the portaloos (after dreaming about them I took that as a sign I should get up and face the day).
My next two laps were great - I got to see the track for the first time in the daylight. It was great to be able to work out what was the best path to take, when to go left or right on the track and what traps to avoid. I was totally stoked to see that my laptime got down to 35 mins. On the second lap I was 15 mins into it when the 12 hour and 6 hour competitors were starting. I had only one goal that lap - to make it out before any of them caught up to me - so I had 300 or so riders hotly pursuing me - I did it!
My next ride was later as it was starting to get dark so lights were back on. It was awful! So many pushy and rude riders on the track and the volume of riders was really noticeable. You have to understand that previously when people needed to pass they asked and said thanks, or "just when you're ready". It was great for a novice like me to feel ok on the track with the elite riders. But I really did not enjoy that 6th lap at all - I obviously just wanted it over and done with as it ended up being my best time 34mins.
My final lap was slightly better, I stood my ground and didn't put myself in danger of falling just because someone yelled "passing on your right" and assumed I would move straight away. It was a slightly slower lap 36mins but I was pretty tired by then.
Now to put my lap time in perspective - the fastest lap times on the boys team was 19mins, ours was 22mins - but they are all experienced riders and have done lots of training and stuff like that. So I was totally wrapped with my performance.
The great thing is that Sue, Kath and I are all committed to the Day/Night Thriller in Taupo in Sept - so the training will continue so that next time I'm in the race I will be able to compete and offer more to my team than what I could for this race.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
good to feel the sweat!
So this afternoon saw me head out for my first run in a few weeks. My silly back is still playing up but I thought I'd take the body out for a test run. The Moonride is less than two weeks away and the SBS marathon is at the end of the month. Its pretty certain that I won't be running the full marathon and I'm feeling a bit despondent about that - but have no one to blame but myself.
So I figured instead of sitting around the house feeling sorry for myself I'd take the frustration out on the road. It felt great...at the end of the 6km run. After about the first 1km I was thinking the couch was sounding like a great option. But I remembered the story Danielle Strickland shared about the rock and roll marathon and finishing the race, so I imagined myself running past live bands cheering me on and marines yelling at me not to give up....and it was great. When I arrived at home I felt I had more energy than when I started the run (go figure!)
So I am planning to run each day for the next 4 weeks and I want to build myself up to being able to do a good time for the 1/2 marathon at the end of May. Progress is slow but I'm making progress all the same.
So I figured instead of sitting around the house feeling sorry for myself I'd take the frustration out on the road. It felt great...at the end of the 6km run. After about the first 1km I was thinking the couch was sounding like a great option. But I remembered the story Danielle Strickland shared about the rock and roll marathon and finishing the race, so I imagined myself running past live bands cheering me on and marines yelling at me not to give up....and it was great. When I arrived at home I felt I had more energy than when I started the run (go figure!)
So I am planning to run each day for the next 4 weeks and I want to build myself up to being able to do a good time for the 1/2 marathon at the end of May. Progress is slow but I'm making progress all the same.
Monday, March 30, 2009
I have issues!
I have been prompted to post an update thanks to my wonderful Godmother (thanks Aunt Ann). It's been a frustrating couple or three weeks. I have not been able to stick to any sort of routine with my training...no excuses will do. However the main issue for me at the moment is a sore back. I don't know what I have done and I don't know what to do. It has put me off riding for a couple of weeks but I have added incentive to get back on the bike.
Our moonride team has gone CO-ED! Here was me thinking my first experience of the 24 hour moonride would be with an awesome bunch of girls who just wanted to "give it a go!" Our time or number of laps wouldn't be that important...what would be most important is to have a great time together and to say..wow we did it (whatever it is). However plans have changed and Sue and I are now the only representatives for the girls. Suddenly lap times and quantity feels somehow more important. This of course could be fueled by Marks various tweets on his rides, the mathematics of a 50 lap race etc. No pressure aye Mark!
I am off to Australia on Thursday for a week to do some speaking at a couple of youth events. I contemplated taking my bike but with no bag for protection I decided against it. So the running shoes will have to do and perhaps the bike can come with me to Easter Camp. Whatever happens April must be the month of biking first, driving second (except when it comes to grocery shopping. That's too tough trying to balance the shopping bags on the handle bars).
Our moonride team has gone CO-ED! Here was me thinking my first experience of the 24 hour moonride would be with an awesome bunch of girls who just wanted to "give it a go!" Our time or number of laps wouldn't be that important...what would be most important is to have a great time together and to say..wow we did it (whatever it is). However plans have changed and Sue and I are now the only representatives for the girls. Suddenly lap times and quantity feels somehow more important. This of course could be fueled by Marks various tweets on his rides, the mathematics of a 50 lap race etc. No pressure aye Mark!
I am off to Australia on Thursday for a week to do some speaking at a couple of youth events. I contemplated taking my bike but with no bag for protection I decided against it. So the running shoes will have to do and perhaps the bike can come with me to Easter Camp. Whatever happens April must be the month of biking first, driving second (except when it comes to grocery shopping. That's too tough trying to balance the shopping bags on the handle bars).
Monday, February 23, 2009
RPM
Each time I visit THQ (the Salvation Army's national office in Wellington) I am usually asked "how are you?" or "How's things?". It seems that since word is spreading of my intention to enter the C2C10 and the earlier event of the Moonride (in May) the question I have been asked on my previous two visits and no doubt the ones to come is this "have you been out for a ride?" or "how's the training going?"
I'm conscious that I really need to establish my base fitness before working on the technical aspect of mountain biking (and road biking for that matter). So I have decided that I will make use of the RPM class that Les Mills run. Having had a membership at Les Mills for a number of years now I've dabbled with RPM and always enjoyed it, but never made the most of it.
Today I went to the class, got there nice and early, attempted to follow the picture directions of how to set up my bike and look like I knew what I was doing. It was a great class but it didn't take long to realise I had set my bike up wrong. After the class I introduced myself to the instructor, Tony, and asked him to help me get bike sorted.
I thought some accountability would also be a good thing, so I told him my intention with the C2C10 & M/R. He asked me if I wanted to be pushed during the classes. I've told him to give me a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of RPM & adjusting the resistance etc and then go for it.
So whether I'm on my bike, or at RPM I should be able to answer in the affirmative whenever I visit THQ
I'm conscious that I really need to establish my base fitness before working on the technical aspect of mountain biking (and road biking for that matter). So I have decided that I will make use of the RPM class that Les Mills run. Having had a membership at Les Mills for a number of years now I've dabbled with RPM and always enjoyed it, but never made the most of it.
Today I went to the class, got there nice and early, attempted to follow the picture directions of how to set up my bike and look like I knew what I was doing. It was a great class but it didn't take long to realise I had set my bike up wrong. After the class I introduced myself to the instructor, Tony, and asked him to help me get bike sorted.
I thought some accountability would also be a good thing, so I told him my intention with the C2C10 & M/R. He asked me if I wanted to be pushed during the classes. I've told him to give me a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of RPM & adjusting the resistance etc and then go for it.
So whether I'm on my bike, or at RPM I should be able to answer in the affirmative whenever I visit THQ
Friday, February 20, 2009
no matter the weather
After last Sunday's kayaking 'adventure' I took a couple of days break from training. I tried to go out for a run on tuesday but even walking the dog was painful. Aussie is a wonderful motivating factor though to keep going out and training - he's much easier to have around if he's been out for a good run. I've managed to fit in a couple of swims this week working on my breathing and lung capacity under water. Friday the weather turned to custard and its been gross ever since, but since the weather on the day could be like that, or worse, I figure the more I train in it the better.
I've decided that I am going to do the RPM cycling class at the gym during the week as much as possible to really kickstart my cycling fitness. Its a great class and has a real mix of intensity levels and has great music to go with it.
I'm still working out how I can get myself a kayak. I think I would feel much more comfortable being able to have my own kayak to practice in regularly so I am really familiar with it by the time the race comes next feb.
I hope we still have a bit more summer to go before the weather packs in completely but we'll see
I've decided that I am going to do the RPM cycling class at the gym during the week as much as possible to really kickstart my cycling fitness. Its a great class and has a real mix of intensity levels and has great music to go with it.
I'm still working out how I can get myself a kayak. I think I would feel much more comfortable being able to have my own kayak to practice in regularly so I am really familiar with it by the time the race comes next feb.
I hope we still have a bit more summer to go before the weather packs in completely but we'll see
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