The Day Before Christmas

The Day Before Christmas

The weather forecast showed that tomorrow was going to be a brilliant day and one that we didn’t want to waste riding around here. 

Kevin and Andy met here and then we set off to the top of the Rimutakas.  Kevin set a cracking pace to the top where he turned around.  Andy and I continued down the other side into the Wairarapa, through Caterton, then turned right onto Summerset Road (where the hot air balloon disaster happened).

Me Chasing Andy

When Andy and I do long rides, we have this great system of taking 5 min turns on the front.  It worked very well along the flat Wairarapa straights.  We called a truce on Summerset Road but once we got to the bottom of Admirals Hill Andy put his hill climbing legs on and took off. 

Andy climbing like Andy Shleck

I’m not sure if we made it to the top but time was ticking on so we turned around and got back into our 5 min efforts to Martinborough.  The temperature was reaching new highs, we refilled our bottles at Featherston and set off to attack the Rimutakas again.  Andy made an early move and gapped me.  Thankfully he slowed down.  In hindsight, I think he suckered me into catching him.  Unfortunately I got caught up in the moment and carried on to gap Andy.  With sweat pouring off my head, I carried on to the top as if we were just starting out.  On the way down my head started feeling like a boiled egg.  I knew I had blown a gasket! 

We continued on with a little run to the dam and back.  My legs felt fine but my head continued to cook and even a swim in the river didn’t cool me down.

The news would later report that it was the hottest Christmas in 40 years!

The hottest Christmas in 40 years and Andy and I were riding over the Rimutakas in the heat of the day after 5hrs of riding.  If that doesn’t help us for Ironman, nothing will!

Taupo Half Ironman Race Report – LUCK

I’ve always believed that luck swings in roundabouts and this weekend was no exception.

On our way up to Taupo, Danielle’s car overheated.  This meant we were stuck on the side of the road for nearly an hour waiting for the AA man while the mercury rose.  Luckily, we were just out of Bulls and a bottle of Stop Leak in the radiator did the trick.

I had trained in mild weather so I was a little nervous about the predicted warm weather for the race.  On race day, I woke to overcast drizzle and couldn’t believe my luck! 

After my race breakfast it was time to head down to the transition area. After a thorough inspection of my gear I was in the water by 6.15am, certainly the earliest I had ever been ready for a race!

With a lingering chest cold I was nervous about the swim, the combination of cold water and intensity were sure to cause trouble.  400 metres into the swim and at my limit, a rouge wave caused me to swallow some water and start coughing … game over.  The coughing got worse and I struggled to continue swimming. I pulled to the side as swimmers were ploughing over me, put my hand in the air for assistance and waited.  A lifesaver paddled over and I held on to catch my breath.  This happened four times.  You can imagine how relieved I was to be out of the water and into T1. 

I knew Andy and Luke were in front, but the question was, by how much? The ride out was into a head wind, as I slowly made my way through the field I was jealous of those riding in bunches. I finally caught Andy who was tuck neatly in a great bunch!!! On the way back I was able to get into a group of three and we caught the large group Luke was in just before Heart Break Hill. Unfortunately for me, with all my attention on making up lost time, I hadn’t noticed that the increase in temperature.

As usual I took my time in T2, stretched my hamstrings and set off for the run.  Luke was a few hundred metres in front and I thought I’d be able to reel him in, but I just couldn’t close the gap.  The last few kilometres were a struggle; the heat was really proving to be a factor.

Upon finishing, I had the chills and didn’t think much of it.  Not long after we got back to the motel I had ONGOING stomach issues.  We thought that I was suffering from heat exhaustion and that with replacement fluids it would pass.

A trip to A & E on Sunday afternoon proved to be a very long but worthwhile experience. During the week I still couldn’t hold down food and on Thursday a doctor from the hospital called to ask if I was feeling better.  He wasn’t surprised that I wasn’t because I had food poisoning - Campylobacter.   That afternoon I saw my GP to get a strong dose of antibiotics which lead me back to full strength just in time to enjoy the Christmas celebrations.

A Taste Of Adventure Racing And It Was Delicious!!!!

Greg and I don’t get many chances to race together so when an adventure race in Otaki was advertised, we jumped at the opportunity.  The first thing we discovered about adventure racing is that you need a lot of things, equipment and a fantastic support crew.  We enlisted Danielle and her parents who did a fantastic job!

Map given to competitors

Race briefing and registration, which involved a very thorough equipment check was held Friday evening. The organisation was superb to get over 60 teams checked so quickly.  At the briefing we were told where the race would start and that’s all we knew.

Lemans start

Saturday morning, we arrived just in time to receive our map and supporters pack.  We quickly assembled our bikes and headed off down to the river for a Lemans start.  I really like these types of races, lots of people in board shorts, sneakers and borrowed gear, all there just to give it a go.

At the back again

We thought we got off to a good start but judging by the number of people we passed in the early stages of the MTB we obliviously didn’t.  The mountain bike course was on a private farm, one big loop to the top of the ridge, along then down.  We soon discovered unless you are absolutely sure where you are going, which we weren’t, it doesn’t pay to be near the front.  As we reached the highest point a few teams were standing there trying to figure out which way to go.  After a few minutes of discussion, people headed off in all directions; luckily we went the right way.  It only took a quick glance back to realise all the effort we put in to pass people on the way up was lost with a solid line of riders following.  The ride finished with a neat down hill and time trial up the gorge road to T1.

Running along the river

The second stage was the run.  We started off running along the river to two different check points, then headed straight up the face of a hill/mountain to the top of the ridge. 

We happened to be at the right place at the right time as we were able to take advantage of following some other groups as they bush bashed their way up. Once at the top, it was a leisurely run along the ridge on a DOC track then down to T2.

Perfect shot Greg!

Danielle and her parents had all our gear laid out so it was a quick transition and off to the second challenge - gumboot throwing into our tubes before we started our tubing adventure.  Greg was spot on, I missed.  For every person that missed, the team had to sit in the penalty box for three minutes.  Bad luck if you were a 4 person team and all missed.



In the penalty box





The tubing was the highlight for me, we were neck and neck with three other teams as we 

This is the way to race!!!

entered the river.  Most people were happy to straight line it across the river bed but I chose to stay on my tube and enjoy the ride.  At the end of each set of major rapids were life guards in case anything went wrong.  They were surprised so many people were walking.  It soon became apparent, big tube = fast in the water but hard to carry across the rocks and a smallish tube = slower in the water but easier to carry across the rocks.

Possible short cut

Greg was able to dig deep and we came off the river in front of the other teams we started the tubing with to finish in 5:13hrs.  Overall it was a fantastic event and a great way to spend a Saturday.

High Miles Week - it doesn't get any better than this!!!

Before my operation, Andy and I talked about doing a high miles week in the first week of the school holidays.  We made a "Bucket List" of some long rides and runs we would like to try.  This list certainly gave me the motivation to recover quickly and get my endurance back in time to take this challenge on.

Sunday - KONA HEAT VS AKATARAWA FROST

Today is the holy grail of Ironman, KONA.  I woke up extra early to follow it on the internet, it looked amazing.  I met Andy, Mike and his friend at 6:40am outside the Brown Owl Fish n Chip shop (the best in Upper Hutt). We biked over the Akas in the frost to participate in a 100km fun ride in Waikanae.  The race went well with another fast start. This time I was able to hang in the second bunch and chat with Luke (when  he wasn't at the front).  We regrouped at the finish and biked back over the Akas. I started to blow just as we got back to Upper Hutt.  170km, 6 hours BANKED!!!

Monday and Tuesday were recovery days, easy swims and light road rides

Wednesday - Andy (I ran a 1.23hr in the last Taupo Half Ironman) Brown and I did our swim workout then I took Andy on my favourite run in the hills behind Cannon Point. Running with Andy was never going to be easy and it WASN'T, but my calves seemed to handle everything I threw at them, so I was very pleased with that.

Thursday - THE BIG COAST - A WHALE OF A TIME

We had both wanted to do this ride for a long time and the weather gods certainly looked after us.  We set off from Upper Hutt, over the Rimutaka Incline, down to Ocean Beach and back around to Eastbourne.  The ride went exceptionally well, the ocean was still, very little wind and it wasn't too warm.  As we were making our way to Pencarrow Lighthouse, I noticed something odd on the beach.  Upon closer investigation, we discovered a beached whale and I happened to be the first person to report it to DOC (Department Of Conservation).  Once past the light house, we took turns 'lapping it out' and time trialled on the road back to Upper Hutt.  135km, 8hr day BANKED!!!

VIDEO STILL WITH PETE JACKSON - COMING SOON

Friday - Rest day for the big weekend ahead.

Saturday - 5HR RECOVERY RIDE

The weather forecast was for a calm day, so to make the most of it, we rode into Wellington, around the bays and out Makara.  We had always planned on doing a 5hr ride, but after Thursday it seemed like a recovery ride and we got home feeling fresh, this week must be paying off!

Sunday - THE HARDEST RUN I HAVE EVER DONE (AGAIN)

Peter Stevens very kindly took me on a run a few years back when HE was training for the Sounthern Crossing Running Race (something that is on my bucket list).  I had just finished training for Karapoti so thought, how hard could a run in the Tararuas be?  Turns out BLOODY HARD!!!! I blew big time and as Peter had an international flight to catch that afternoon, I let him go and walked out for the last hour.  As crazy as it may seem, I have always wanted to do that run again and be able to run the whole way, but I needed someone silly, I mean fit enough to do it with me.  Andy was up for the challenge.

The run starts at Kiwi Ranch, goes up Marchant Ridge, along to Block XVI, straight down to the river which you cross, down to Smiths Creek and back out to Kiwi Ranch. Sounds simple.  Add rain, hail, wet roots and stretches of bog knee deep and hills that go STRAIGHT UP and  DOWN (took us 40min from the ridge to the river) it starts to take a toll on your energy, but WE LOVED IT!!!!  28km, 6 hrs BANKED!!!

If you are into off road/adventure running then this is the run for you!!!

Best Run In Wellington

12 weeks since my operation,  8 weeks of training, 22 weeks until the New Zealand Ironman and another good week of base training.

This week was an easy week for running. The opertation seems to have been a huge success but for some unknown reason, I'm getting a burning sensation in my right achilles tendon+.  The physio thinks it's due to weak muscles and will come right, I'm certainly hoping so.

Key training for this week:
Saturday
Run from YMCA (Kiwi Ranch) at the bottom of the Rimutakas into the Tararuas to the first hutt (Smiths Creek).  It is my all time favourite run, beautiful forest, nice terrain and in the summer the river is great to take a dip in.

Sunday - Vets Wairarapa Cycle Challenge
Despite waking up to heavy rain and coming close to turning off my alarm and going back to sleep, I got up and got ready.  The weather improved and I stuck to my plan to bike over the Rimutakas.  As I cruised into Featherston I was amazed to see so many cyclists warming up.  I'm not sure how many people entered but it certainly looked like a fantastic turnout.

Once again, I started near the back thinking I would be able to work my way to the front.  WRONG!!!!!
The pace was insane from the start, too many cyclists going backwards causing too many gaps to bridge. The only silver lining was that there were some great riders in my bunch.  We worked well together and managed to limit the amount of time lost to the front bunch.  The ride home was a little tough due to a strong head wind going UP the Rimutakas.

A big thank you to the Vets (Wellington Veterans Cycling Club) for putting on another great event.

Run on Saturday

Ride on Sunday

ToraTora Mountain Bike Park

I know I am meant to be recording my training for the Taupo Ironman in March but this week I had the opportunity to get some cross training in. Greg decided he would show me around the new(ish) ToraTora mountain bike park just out of Martinborough. 
The weather was looking dubious as we headed over the hill, we arrived just before 10am, about the same time as the rain.  We had a quick chat with the owner and were off.  The ride started with a quick warm up along a gravel road, turned left onto some farm land (Greg's group missed this turn off last time resulting in them biking a few extra kms down the road - you DON'T want to miss it!).  After a few hundred metres the track headed into the bush and onto a nicely prepared track.  I took my cross country  bike, some other riders we met took both their XC and single speeds.  I think the track would be suitable for cyclocross bikes as well.  We did the main loop, which is about 14km including the road section to and from the start.  The ride itself was enjoyable, pretty much all rideable with some neat little down hills and I'm sure there would be some stunning views on a good day. On the way out the weather packed in.  Back at the start, the owner showed us some true Wairarapa hospitality and let me use the shower attached to the cottage.


I had hoped to take some great photos and record some action footage but the weather and constant chain suck didn't allow it.  It just means that I will have to go there again, bummer!  Greg and I are thinking about taking our cross country bikes to ride the main course followed by another lap on the downhill bikes to explore the other down hill tracks. Overall it's a track that can be as challenging or as easy as you want to make it.


To visit their web page, click here


The loop.

ToraTora in relation to Wellington.

North Island Cyclocross Champs

All week I had planned on NOT racing the North Island Cyclocross Champs as I didn't see how it would benefit my Ironman training, surely a long run would be more useful, wouldn't it?

After another quiet week of training, I was feeling fresh for the weekend (nice change).  On Saturday, Andy and I popped over the hill, around the lake and back over the hill, hopefully a practise for the Vets race in two weeks time.

Sunday morning rolled round and the thought of missing out on a race just across the bridge was too great.  Upon arrival, I was impressed with the atmosphere, C grade had just finished and the kids were lining up to start.   I raced B Grade on my cross bike and as a little reward those on cross bikes got to start at the front.
Below is a video of my first lap of 12.





The great thing about living so close is that I was able to watch the start of A Grade, pop home have lunch then return to take some great action shots.  Below is Stuart Stent, clear jump, nice height, level pedals, I score him 8.9

To see all the other photos, chick here

A Grade start.

A Whole New Playground!

I got into mountain biking as a way of exploring the hills around Upper Hutt and thought I knew most of the tracks.  The weather on Monday didn't inspire me to ride on the road so I thought I would try a track I had heard about even though it is just around the corner.  It's the section of the river trail from Twin Bridges to Te Marua bridge that goes through a nice section of bush, some farm land (sheep grazing if you are lucky), through some more beautiful bush, then it pops out next to SH 2.  It must be one of Upper Hutt's best kept secrets.  What makes this piece of track really exciting is that I can now ride from Upper Hutt to the top of the Rimatakas mostly off road, perfect for the cyclocross bike!

Oh, as luck would have it, it is perfect terrain for me to run on which will see me doing some great adventure runs, maybe to the top of the incline, Mt Climie or even over to Kaitoke Regional Park via the Ridge track.

Pretty average week for training, Saturday saw me get smashed again in Break two. It was a real eye opener, I couldn't keep up with my bunch on the flat which obviously means I don't have any speed and rightly so because I have been concentrating on Long Slow Distance.  The silver lining was I banked a 150km/5hour ride and I felt fine when I got home.  The large bottle of coke Luke bought and shared may have influenced my state of mind though.

Below is my Sunday run along the track I mentioned earlier, the two dark shapes are the Twin Lakes.

Someone forgot to read the script!!!

Someone forgot to read the script and when I say someone, I mean EVERYONE else!!!!-:)

I have parcipated in this race for the last couple of years with the same script. We cruised to the bottom of Wainui Hill, the odd Pantani attcked the bunch going up while the rest of us groveled to the summit.  As it is  a slight downhill to the coast,  those that got dropped would work together, catch the riders out in front and then we all worked together back up the valley into the head wind.  Once we got to the rubbish tip enterance the odd attack would start but the real contenders wouldn't start sprinting until leaving the dip with 100-200 metres to the finish line.  Sounds like quite a pleasent race, doesn't it?

(In the Balfour Pennington Series, the bunches are handicapped with Scratch being the fastest and Break four being the slowest.  The powers to be put me in Break two).

This year 'that script' was thrown out the window on the start line! All it took was for one person to jump on the "Go" and the bunch was all fired up, dropping people before the start of the hill.  For me, I was able to hang on along the flat and limit the damage going up Wainui Hill. A gap of 50m opened up quickly which slowly became 100m.  Any hope I had of rejoining the front bunch before the top was dashed about 3/4 of the way up on one of the steeper corners.  I tried to bridge the gap but my legs had nothing in them, leaving me to look around and join forces with three others.  We worked well together down Coast Rd closing in on a few riders just ahead of us.  WOOOSH, about half way down, Break 1 caught us, we worked  with them, caught Break 3 just before the turn around.  A few kiometers later we caught Break 4.  I never saw what happened at the front as I was tucked in neatly near the back of about 40-60 riders.  The pace suggested that we were riding into a very strong head wind.

It was a good day out, my first raod race in about 8 weeks, didn't crack or crash and I was able to bank a 4 hour ride.

I'm cooked*.....and I've got 26 more weeks of this!!!!!

I've now completed three weeks of my training with 26 left and I'm done like an over cooked Sunday roast. 

I had this great idea, I would forget about my training programme for swimming and biking which are currently low miles and train for the whole time available.  Since I am in the 'Endurance' phase (low slow distance - LSD) I thought it would be easy but unfortunately it's not!  I am feeling like I have been hit by a large dump truck several times over, my shoulders feel like they could fall off at anytime, legs are so full of lactic acid it hurts to walk up 4 stairs in to my house and I can't stop eating.

I will stick with this new plan/idea for a few more weeks, hoping body adjusts quickly and I don't pick up any major injuries.  If I can't handle it, I will go back to my original plan.

This Saturday should see me racing my first club road race in 8 weeks.  If there is one course that doesn't suit me, THIS IS IT!  The race starts in Eastbourne, goes over Wainui Hill,out to the coast and back.  AHHHH,I can hear the dump truck picking up speed already. 

*After a quick search on Wikipedia to see how overseas readers would interpret "buggered" I decided to use the term 'cooked' meaning 'stuffed.'  In New Zealand "bugger/ed" is a common word and made famous in this great add.

Cross Training

They say the best way to keep motivated during the "off season" is to cross train. The last two days have been fantastic due to a once in a lifetime snow storm.  To top it off school was closed today and will be tomorrow so I plan to get as much "cross training" in as possible :)

Monday afternoon Greg and I took our downhill bikes up Tunnel Gully to play in the snow.

Tuesday morning Greg and I took the quads up Mt Climie.  We got about 3/4 of the way up when the snow became too deep and we were just wheel spinning on the steeper sections.  Fantastic time and it'll be recorded as a core workout :)

 

Tuesday afternoon with the snow coming down thick and fast I felt compelled to go up Canon Point.  The cyclocross bike was the first option but taking into consideration the amount of snow that would be up there I pulled out the cross country bike (tomorrow will see the downhill bike have a turn).  To be biking up Canon Point in powder snow up to my hubs and not a soul in sight was very surreal.  

  

Tuesday night was finished off with a cold can of Coke and a deliciouls meal of fish and chips from Brown Owl, the best inUpper Hutt!

Wednesday brought the rain so it was another quick trip up Cannon Point to enjoy one last downhill run.  I was surprised to see that the logging trucks were working so I decided to come down the Zig Zag.  Slow going but a lot of fun!!!!

Click to see a video of Cannon point Zig Zag being ridden in the snow

Thursday was back to work to share our snow stories.  After work I also visited the surgeon for the last time, he gave me the green light to start walking/running.  My physio would like me to start next week so I will follow his advice as an extra week won't make much difference.

Friday jumped on the indoor trainer for an hour                                               

Saturday gentle road ride with Greg around the valley, nice to feel the warmth of the sun.                          

Sunday quick swim then in the afternoon dusted off my cyclocross bike and took it for a spin up the logging track, video recorded my run down and it came out much better than the Zig Zag.  Hope to post it on YouTube soon.

 

29 weeks to go! Training books reviewed.

This week I looked at some different training programmes available.  It's brief because most people already have their own thoughts on how to train.  I don't do much/any interval training, where I know friends who focus on intervals, yet we achieve similar fitness.  It makes we wonder if "just training" is the secret and not to get caught up in all the hype of trying to train like pros (complicated workouts).
I found 'Going Long' very informative, easy to understand and the workouts well explained.

My training programme has started without me

I am now at the end of week 30 and I haven't started training! My self designed training programme was calculated to start 30 weeks out to allow for an adequate build up. It's very basic. I just worked out when I am the busiest(Tuesdays and or Wednesdays) so they will be my rest days and made my high miles days when I have the most free time (the weekends). I then wrote down, all going well, what I could do in a 'max miles' week. From there, making sure every fourth week is a rest week, I worked back decreasing the training percentage from my 'max miles' (100%) by 5%. Week 30, sees me training at 35% of my max miles. In week 29 I need do be doing 40%.
Current situation:
Swim - N/A due to risk of infection
Bike - up to 1 hr on the indoor trainer lightly spinning (4 1/2hrs in week 30)
Run - just walking without crutches.
My video diary below

Cyclocross race right in my own backyard

Okay, so it wasn't in my backyard but my house backs on to the park where the 5th cyclocross race in the series was held.  Unfortunately, I was unable to race as I am just managing to walk around without crutches.  I knew quite a few people and wanted to try out my new video sunglasses which worked really well.  Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to record some mountain bike downhill runs.

I really like the photo below of Ken Feist, I think he was in 1st or 2nd at the time with the main bunch 50 - 100 metres behind in the background.

In the photo below Jeff Lyall is on what could be the ultimate bike and he has written plenty about it on his blog

http://jeffsbike.blogspot.com/

First VLOG (video blog)

First one down!
I was a little bit nervous and well aware that I need to work on that kiwi accent eh!

Public vs Private hospitals

Comming soon!

What do 31 students do when their teacher isn't there?

Write get well cards!

Thanks guys!!!

And so it begins

Taupo Ironman sold out in a matter of days and I was lucky enough to get a slot.  The first thing I needed to do was sort out a problem that has plauged me for the past 3 years - chronic exertional compartment syndrome in my calves.  Simply put, it's where the muscle is trying to grow but is restricted by the fascia (sheath).  On the 14th of July I had the operation where my fascias were sliced.  The surgeon described my calf muscles as "Opening up like cooked sausages," the muscle burst out of the sheath.  So fingers crossed that I will be able to run freely, something I can't remember doing.