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Showing posts from 2013

Kate writes: Rotorua and big hills

I was totally under trained but had a great day.  Swim was good but got caught behind some non swimmers with flippers on, thought I was going to drown but got over myself by the first marker. 49 mins good swim for me. Bike was great got all the food right, not enough to drink, need to work on that. Big Big hills, saw a friend   twice, I was no help to her at all, but gave a wave. Not sure why I was so slow... maybe down to lack of training. 4hrs 26 slow Run/walk was glorious lovely views and all off road, well almost. Had a huge argument with an official as he wanted to close the run 1k short down a long path, he should have known better than to argue with a nurse. I was prepared with water. He let me go through haha. 2 hrs 57mins, about right. Sunburned on areas that do not usually see the sun. Feel very sore today, but determined to do better next time 

Karen writes: Ideal leadup to a half ironman

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Number 4 Rotorua half Ironman finished.  Tick. The event this year, I have to say, is right up there among the hardest physical (mental?) challenges I have ever completed, and it showed up in the result of 8 hours 19. I really wanted to give up on more than one occasion, I was on that hot road for nearly a whole hour longer than last year and was a full 70 minutes slower than my best time a couple of years ago. What happened? After a good swim I bombed out on the ride, I felt unwell and most importantly gave up on eating properly fairly early on which probably contributed to the thigh and hamstring cramps threatening whenever my legs had to work harder. I tried to take my electrolyte capsules early in the ride but in wrenching the cap off the container with my teeth I spread the precious little things all over the road...oops. Sometimes cramps hit you with force and you don't have time to do anything, these were more insidious, they showed up as a deep groove across my thigh and wo

Karen writes: Goliath

Some situations are just plain surreal.  Straddling my bike at the side of the road at an intersection I waited for a break in the traffic so I could safely go. A massive truck and trailer unit with much noise and air movement wedged itself in beside me. I mean, this was shoe-horn finesse going on here.  I was in a something of a state of disbelief  as I stood next to this hulking great monster while it wheezed heat and fumes into my breathing space.  Wow it was big.  Oh, and I was small. What a mean thing to do, talk about intimidation! I looked quickly around, no-one watching, I reached over (it was THAT close) and drew a quick and tiny happy face on a dusty, mirrored, wheel center. Got you I thought rather madly, then I hopped my bike sideways into the gravel as far away from the beast as I could get. As soon as I could I continued on my way, take that Goliath!

Karen writes: Taupo cycle challenge - number 7

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Sunday evening, home tired and satisfied after yet another challenging Taupo experience. The Taupo round the lake cycle  weekend always starts with a rush to organise everything at home so I can have a couple of days away from the whanau, thank goodness for Grandma and Grandad who could step in to help out. Every item of cycle gear packed to cover (hopefully) every weather or condition eventuality, and of course FOOD.  Pick up Kate, onto the motorway south, play spot the other bikes on the trip, eat and eat all the way. We stayed in a cute little bach looking out over the water, had a nice dinner on Friday night at a Restaurant we visit most years where we watched the trees rock'n roll in the wind and the waves thrash the top of the lake. Saturday morning up, a bit of a breeze but not too bad, overcast, on with a mixture of clothes to cope with weather predicted to range from hot to cold/wet/windy then out the door with fingers crossed. On the road, I was planning on about 8 ho

Karen writes: Good driver, bad driver, lucky driver

I went home on Friday after work and fitted in a short bikeride to clevedon and back, about 45km.  It was alarmingly hot, the tar was making popping noises when I rode over it. I puffed in the still air and wondered if I should have re-applied sunscreen even though the heat of the day was technically over.  I'm ready to ride Taupo I kept telling myself, goodness, I couldn't possibly be worse than I was those first few times we rode round the lake...but then I wouldn't want to be, that was 9-10 hours of TORTURE. As I scooted back along the road towards the coast, there is a narrow tree-lined stretch. I was racing for home at this stage, enjoying the shade, a blue car came up behind me and that was ok, they weren't trying anything silly, they just sat there far enough back for me to feel secure, waiting for a clear stretch that was safe to overtake in.  Good driver. Next thing there was the roaring of a motor, lots of horn tooting and yelling, I didn't look back, I

Karen writes: Shadows

I went to the beach as the sun was going down, I wouldn't normally swim at that hour but I needed a short swim and after a busy afternoon with the daughters at Touch rugby it was the only time I could fit it in. It was hard to leave the comfort of home so I was quite pleased with myself for even getting into my wetsuit (now tight) and into the water, which was choppy and murky after a blustery day. I swam along the beach, as I do. I'm not brave enough to head out into the bay being chronically suspicious of what lurks below, and swimming by myself I like the security blanket of being able to easily get to shore if I hit trouble, like a cramp. Sloshing along, my heart sped up when I saw these intermittent dark shadows underneath me, they were swimming smoothly along, great big things, what were they? I realised that these shadows co-incided with me taking great gulping mouth-fulls of sea water instead of air when I turned my head to breathe. Turned out I was seeing the effec

Karen writes: Update on losing weight through eating more...

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As I wrote a bit over a week ago, I have been worrying about my steadily increasing weight so I got some professional sports dietary advice.  That advice, in a nutshell, was to eat more, especially carbohydrates and protein. Now I'm eating every 2-3 hours during the day, some protein, some carb, its hard work. What probably is surprising is that I have been pretty much actually following the advice, notable exceptions were falling off the wagon for birthday cake in the office, and pie and chocolate on Friday's 5 hour bike ride.  I may also admit...perhaps...to some m&m cookies which followed me home for the kids lunchboxes, I had to do a quality control test on them myself first.  I am eating more, ignoring (trying to) the energy in/out calorie approach, and concentrating on quality. I started this process feeling nervous so it wasn't a big surprise to me really that after my sterling efforts to push MORE food in I am steadily putting on weight.  I feel like I did t

Karen writes: How to turn an event into a holiday.

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Last weekend I did something unusual for me. I checked the training programme, it said '2km swim, run 20km', then I ignored it completely.  On Saturday a friend and I took our respective daughters into Auckland city to stay in a hotel on the waterfront for a Sunday event, the Sculpt 6km walk/run.  We had decided we would stay overnight rather than drive in horribly early in the morning and have to worry about parking etc. Anyway, Saturday afternoon was spent firstly with some urgent city road-safety training for our country town girls then checking in at the Queens Wharf registration for race numbers and goodie bags. Then we wandered along the Auckland waterfront. There is the coolest playground at the Viaduct with a sea theme, well worth a look. The girls climbed climbing things, rolled down a fake grass bank, spun on spinning things and had to be retrieved, slightly damp, from the shallow water feature. There are lovely cafes and restaurants on wharf type structures with

Kate Writes: You would be proud of me?

Yes we had a great ride but .... I had a puncture/flat tyre. This is my second flat this year, the last one I had a wobbly bottom lip and cried as I felt hopeless in how to change a tyre, especially the back one. But this time I was convinced that I could manage. I also had GI Jane with me (AKA Karen). We were going up a hill on a very small windy road and I thought the road was a bit Bumpy, but no my back tyre was flat. Off to the side of the road and safety we went. The Back tyre is the hard one as it has gears to contend with. But we got the wheel off and the tyre and put the new inner tube in. But it was not sitting right so after a little time of trying to get it to fit we just put another one in.  All ready to get back on the road. The one casualty though was Karens bar of Chocolate. It had been sitting in the sun and had melted. Very SAD.

Karen writes: Last big bike ride before Taupo

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I took annual leave on Friday and Kate and I met up at Clevedon for our last big training ride.  Our bikes were loaded down with plenty of food, we had money to stop at one or more of the three shops on the 100+km route to buy more food and drink, and we were prepared for hot weather.  Five hours later we were back.  We had eaten all the food, successfully covered the distance and gotten hot and only slightly bothered in the process. Actually it was a lovely ride, grinding up all of those huge hills heading out towards Hunua, racing along the flats at Kaiaua, and onto more huge hills to get to Kawakawa bay. There were smaller hills back to Clevedon, plenty of boats and trailers to dodge, and everywhere lots of glorious scenery.  I was happy that there were no suspicious mechanical noises from the bike and nothing fell off it, and I made a valiant effort to stick to the new nutrition requirements.  Well, except for the fruit and nut chocolate and bottle of coke at Kawakawa bay, and ma

Kate writes: Swim in the sea

Sunday was the Herne bay masters swim in Auckland. Yes I can swim 2.2km, I think. You know you can do these things but sometimes you need to be reminded. It was a great day, the sun was shining and hardly any wind, the sea was flattish.  I registered late and had a white cap. They sent us off in waves and the white caps went first. Bit of a shock, no one to follow. Anyway it was not long before I could follow the ones in front. We swam towards the island, but were soon pushed over to a buoy by one of the boats. Now we had been told not to go that way but you do go the way you are told. I had just got  to the buoy and another boat said we were going the wrong way. No need to get upset, I mean we were just out for a swim so off to the island we went. There was a bit of a current and it seemed to take ages but eventually I got there. Another boat was close by. I always wonder do they think I'm not going to make it or am I just the last one in the sea? Still another km to go and the wi

Karen writes: Shoe mystery

The last two weekends have been pretty much spread out half Ironman events.  Big ride on the Friday, swim Saturday, and run Sunday, a lot of hours under my feet or wheels so to speak in a relatively short space of time. Friday just gone I got on my bike for my 2nd 100km in the leadup to Taupo. I headed off, not for the flats of Takanini this time, but the full-on hills towards Whitford and beyond.  I slogged up rise after rise, I ate, slogged and ate. Fortunately on the bike I usually see something to sidetrack me which makes the time go a little quicker, and this time was no different. After I got from Whitford to Alfriston, I did a loop taking me to the outskirts of Manurewa and back via Ardmore.  I found myself fascinated by a trail of shoes on the roadside. Now these weren't pairs of shoes, but countless individual shoes, some left, some right, heels, flat, strappy, all colours, and all looking about the same size. None matched that I saw, it was almost as though someone had

Karen writes: Getting fat through eating not enough...

Energy in equals energy out. It makes sense, anything you don't burn through activity is stored, so take less in or burn off more if you want to lose weight.  That is what we teach, that is what all the recommendations say, that is also what the research unequivocally shows.  For by far the majority of people this equation is absolutely right, the hard part is offsetting the multitude of complicating factors life throws at them, things that make eating too much of the wrong food and doing too little exercise into the easy option. In the last 6 months the energy equation has not been working for me, I've been putting weight on even though my average energy intake has been way below my energy output. In desperation I even dropped cake AND chocolate to the bottom of my essential food list (notice I said 'bottom' not 'off').  My big energy deficit has often been accidental, for example, to completely replace the energy burned in a 5 hour run or bikeride, about 300

Karen writes: 3 days of challenge

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Wow, back training with a vengeance.  The problem with having a really late (as in 2 months behind where I was last year) start to training is you have to take a risk and hop into a programme at a relatively high level. Last week was the case in point, I did a grueling spin session on Thursday evening, Friday went off to do a 100km bike ride, Saturday 1500m swim (planned on 2km but ran out of energy), and Sunday 17km run. Fortunately the risk seems to have paid off, I didn't injure myself, and while I'm a bit tired today I don't seem to have pushed myself into that state of exhaustion which means I have to take extra time off.   Having said that, 2 days of rest now is probably a good idea so I can be in shape to repeat the effort next weekend. So, the Friday bikeride.  I took a day of annual leave and the morning started with a trip up to the local school to watch the class assembly for oldest daughter, then home to get ready.  What to take?  It had been a while since I h

Karen writes: Touch Rugby at Te Puru

Been taking smallest daughter down to touch rugby practice on a Tuesday evening. I drop her off with her mates and head off for a nice run myself, out to Beachlands for a few km, then back to Te Puru to run round the field while keeping an eye on how she is doing in her new chosen activity. There are other runner mums, the possibility is there for a bit of company sometimes which is a bonus. I hadn't realised however until the first game of the season yesterday just how popular the game actually is. I mean the Beachlands and Maraetai townships aren't that big in the scheme of things but there were thousands of people at Te Puru, multiple fields going and game after game starting with the young ones and ending with the more mature. I watched the small ones run and dodge and the spectators expend lots of energy yelling encouragement... often to both teams at once as it seemed there were more than a few siblings playing each other. All was followed up by the ubiquitous sausage in

Karen writes: Pool water drinking and rolling

Bike ride in 4 weeks, you know, that little 160km round lake Taupo with one or two minor hills along the way?  Apart from intermittent spin sessions, I have had 3 rides to train for this event so far, one 20km ride, one slightly longer version, and then 73.3km last week (I'm a bit desperate when I have to count the fraction).  Yep, should be a doddle.   But then, the real trick, 2 weeks after that is the Rotorua half-Ironman. I'm pretty ok with going into the Taupo ride knowing I am fit, but not 'bike' fit. It will just mean there will be no personal best (ha ha), and things  might be a bit challenging on the way round.  The triathlon is likely to be less forgiving though so yesterday I drove into central Auckland to have the swimming lesson I won off the Ironman 70.3 competition (thanks organisers!).  It was to be delivered by Andrew of Boost coaching.  It was at a pretty nice place (I was impressed that they had pot plants and towels and coat hangers and even an iro

Kate writes: New experiences

I'm staying with my friend in Wellington for the long weekend. The weather is rather windy and not suitable for running in. Well I am a fair weather runner so we went to the gym. I've never been to a proper gym before so it was a new experience. I was shown how to use the running machine and off I went. It kept me true to the speed, I ran 5 km and walked for 1 km to slow down. It was quite funny because it had a map of me running around a track that was 400m, I think I ran around 13 times.  I then went on to the spin bike for 20 minutes, had a stretch and that was it. We stopped at New World to get food and then home. But we got home and no power. So we are sitting in our gym stuff smelling.... hope it comes back on soon.

kates writes:trip to the uk

My mum passed away last week and I have had an urgent trip back to the UK. I thought I would run whilst away so packed my running gear. But it has turned out to be a journey of life and just too busy to run. But we did have a stop over in Korea on the way to the UK and I did go for a lovely walk. I wore my GPS watch and will be seeing my walk on the computer once home. Mum loved her fitness and went to 3 different classes a week. Her road bike is still in her out house, not sure when she last rode it, and her running shoes by her bed. I have many memories of her but one was of her in her health and beauty outfit. Now this would have been in the 1960's. She had a white silk top and blue knickers and off to movement class she went. She had a little badge that she wore on the shirt with a lady flying through the air. We are our mothers daughters. She will be missed.

Karen writes: Going triathlon again

I went for a bike-ride on Saturday and managed a whole 20 km on a blustery day with occasional hail, that's 1/8th of the distance needed for the next event.  Went for a run on Sunday, did a lethargic 16 km, that's pretty ok, I can manage the half marathon distance if I can stay at that level. Today, Monday I was determined I would have a swim, I haven't swum since May.  I went to work with my swimming gear and at the end of the day went over to the Otara pool.  It was SHUT for maintenance.  But I was so committed, I drove home, dug out the wetsuit, squished into the thing with less trauma than I had expected given the scales are telling me a really, really sad story, and went over to the beach for a swim. I managed 300 seriously chilly meters I estimate, oh, only 1700 m to go!

Karen writes: Home again

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A very long time ago Grandma said something along the lines that when you have made your first cup of tea at home you might never have been away.  For me it is   more like, when I go for my first run I might never have been away.  Last night I ran down to spin at Te Puru park, the Taupo 160km cycle challenge is in 8 weeks, I need some bike time and a spin class is as close as I can get during the week right now.  I got to Te Puru, the building was shut up tight, I looked in the window, no bikes?  Ok, something has changed in the couple of weeks I have been gone.  The joy of smartphones, I quickly found the facebook page for the gym people who run the spin, phoned and was told the session had moved to Pine harbour.  I grizzled that I hadn't heard of the change, and as I had run to Te Puru I wasn't going to get the extra 3km to Pine harbour in the 2 minutes left before the 6.15 start.  Oh that's ok she says, we don't have a 6.15 anymore, it's 7.15, plenty of time to r

Kate writes: animals

I was out having a little ride on my own, minding my own business when suddenly I was attacked by a magpie! 3 times it dove down and hit my hat. What had I done to up set it? I screamed like a deranged women and threw my hands around.  Not sure if it did much good. I was then up by Awhitu Church and this huge deer ran out in front of me and down the side of the road and into the bush. On my way home I got the magpies again! It was a day of animals. But fun too.

Karen writes: Nearly ready to come home

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Back in Barcelona via a 2 hour train-trip from Zaragosa on a train that got up to 300km/hour according to the digital readout in the carriage.  After a little walk around new and unfamiliar streets on the opposite side of the city from where I stayed last time, I’m in a motel room on the 4 th floor being treated to a magnificent show of thunder and lightning out of my window which looks west to a range of hills.  The 6 days since the marathon have been spent mainly walking, walking and pursuing food.  I re-visited lots of the places I ran on Sunday, and have walked to cathedrals and museums and roman marketplaces and bridges (as usual over and under multiple times).   I'vé been so impressed with how both Zaregosa and Barcelona look after the walkers and cyclists.  Almost every street has a light which allows pedestrians to cross with ease, no buttons to push, you take your turn with the traffic and drivers seem to take stopping seriously.  Cycle lanes are fabulous, m

Kate Writes: Mountain biking

The message was" Mountain Biking Tuesday evenings. Waiuku Forest starting Tuesday 1st October Meet Mine Site entrance for a 5.30pm start.  Plan is to follow the SMIM Course  With Daylight saving changing this weekend this will give us plenty of light to train on the SMIM Mountain Bike course or just get out and have some fun. There will be someone from the Sunset Coast Multisport Club each week to show you the way, or just follow the markers already put out." So why not go I thought! silly Idea. The SMIM (steelman ironmaiden is an event the multisports club put on each year   www.smim.co.nz have a look .)   I was lucky that  a fellow slow rider came as well and knew the route, as the fast bikers were off. It was an amazing evening. 2 hours of riding off road through the forest with the West Coast on one side and woods on the other. Through puddles and sand. I only got off once when i thought i might fall but it was great fun. roll on next week :) 

Karen writes: Farewell old faithfuls!

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In the past I have described how hard it is to let go of faithful items of running gear, or shoes, you share a lot of significant experiences and bunging these things unceremoniously in the kleen-sak to go to the Whitford tip just seems somehow...disrespectful.  Well, I brought an old pair of tri-shorts with me to run this marathon, they had holes in the inseams, the fabric was to too thin to be decent anymore, the leg-bands were sprung, it was to be their final race, their swansong as it were. Today I said farewell on a lookout in the bush high on a hill above a city halfway round the world. Thanks for the memories old friend! PS: I did actually put them in the bin.

Kate writes: spring camp

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We had 3 days training in Taupo and this was the photo of me under water.  I had been invited to spring camp with others who are training to do Ironman. The picture is of a large whale trying  to swim, but is actually me in an under water video. 

Karen writes: Race report Zaragosa

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Ok, race report...starting with Sunday morning, 0700, trying not to jitter and resisting going out the door far too early for the 0830 race start, trying not to think I was going to run a marathon over 19000 km away from home, literally half a world away.  I told myself 0715 would be early enough, but I was a bit paranoid at this point, was I even sure where the startline really was?  What happened if I'd made a mistake and the start was over the other side of the city, would I turn up and find that no-one else was there?  Who would I ask, well, how would I ask? But at 0715 I was ready to go, I headed down to reception and for some strange reason I took the stairs which were dark, there seems to be a lot of power saving going on here, the lights are only on in the stairs during the day, I chided myself for my stupidity on this one as I gingerly felt my way down, only to miss a triangular stair and set my heart pounding as I recovered from that near tumble. Ok, calm and collect
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865 our of 875 participants, adjusted time 4:59:58. 

Karen writes: VII Maraton de Zaragoza

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It's 2pm here.  What a day it's been!  Another marathon, this time pretty far out of my comfort zone in faraway Spain. Anyway, just to put on record that I have finished, around 5 hours, my slowest ever but that isn't always what necessarily counts. It was very hot for a winter trained kiwi with the official temperature reaching 27 degrees, but some of the street thermometers saying 31, I sure felt it out there.  I took salt capsules every hour and drank more water than I ever have, and made full use of the sponges provided, a wet hat made all the difference on those long exposed stretches of road.or winding around the narrow, airless, cobbled streets. I will write up more about it when I have found food and had a rest...in that order.  Some evidence though..after the finish My girls wanted me to carry a kiwi, this little guy was attached to my hat, a few people recognised it as a kiwi but most called it 'animal'.

Karen writes: Ready to run Zaragosa

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And I'm at last resting with my feet up.  Its 3pm, the pedometer says I have walked 23017 steps and I believe it completely.  First thing this morning, a sensible trip by taxi to the registration point across the city. The taxi driver was keen to help but seemed slightly misguided, after a few miss-starts and being turned back by armed police eventually he stopped outside a building he described as "sporta pavilion". Hmmm...didn't look good, no signs, no cars in the carpark, one person walked in the door as I watched, they didn't look like they were getting ready for a marathon.  Inside there were pictures on the walls, including one of some feet in water apparently being nibbled by small fish, say what?  After a couple of women walked in carrying gym looking bags...aha...beauty salon/gym?!  Am I being given a hint here? Outside, a chat to some wonderfully helpful and armed police provided hope.  They huddled round the piece of  paper, they ummed and arrrrrhed o

Karen writes: Zaragosa

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The diabetes conference in Barcelona is over, it was a great experience but now it is time for another of the important things in life, running. I am now in Zaragosa after an excellent train trip, who would think you could cover over 350 km in less than 2 hours?  Zaragosa from what I have seen so far  is quite different from Barcelona, first thing is the temperature is 31 degrees, but it seems much more open and fresh and quite a pretty city in the middle of very harsh looking landscapes. As usual I have laid out my running gear in the hotel room and come to the conclusion that everything is there (too bad if it isn't at this stage) and it is now time to go on the hunt for food.  The supermarkets are fascinating, food is quite cheap by kiwi standards but I’m getting a bit tired of the bread based products, preserved meat, and cheese (not so much the cheese of course). I have really been looking for a steak, perhaps I might find somewhere that serves such an alien food ite