Just 5 Days to go

thats what the email said.. Kepler entries open in 5 days (and probably close in 5days 2min). Oh the excitement, well the remembered excitement and anxiety.. “What if I don’t get in, my whole year ruined”

With the talk in the last few weeks about kepler entries, I have been slightly tempted to go for it. But then sanity takes over, and I just wouldn’t recover quick enough. If I was a light footed runner, maybe that would be a different case.

So the Kepler will pass me by for another year, and I will sit and observe others getting up at 6am and hitting refresh waiting to enter.

A 2nd Wet long bays in 2 weeks

Whats happened to the crisp frosty Christchurch winter mornings? Its just constantly wet at the moment.

The only similarity to last weeks ride was the rain and the route. When I look at the weather forecast this morning, it said “Sprinkles”, and looking out the window it was slightly drizzly, but was brighter over the hill. It was just plain LYING. On my way out to Tai Tap it was drizzling like a soaker.I was absolutely drenched, and trying to decide why I had put on my windbreaker instead of the rain coat when I left.

I kept saying to myself, let’s get to Tai Tap and see how cold I feel when I get there. Quite frankly, I was not very warm when I got there. But for whatever foolhardy reason, I reminded my Lance Armstrong gets out and trains even when its raining and kept on going. As I was heading towards Gebbies, it did occur to me that LA probably only trains in the rain in summer, as he wouldn’t be where ever winter is…

Anyways the legs were feeling much better this week, the enjoyed climbing up Gebbies, and the bitches were just a little bump on the way. The goal was to stand on the climbs and managed that most of the time. It was much drier the further I went around the bays, and I even struck sun in Sumner. I ended up being 15min faster than last week.

The feet were frozen, and took me almost an hour to warm them back up at the end  of the ride.

Yes, there is pink in my new running shoes

I was slightly shocked when I got my new running shoes last week. The trim is pink, but shockingly I don’t actually mind them that much. I must be mellowing 🙂

I took them out for a couple of runs, and they felt a bit brick like. Made me realise that my old shoes must have been well past their best before dates. Plus I have been using my k-swiss and Nike frees more often, though I am still not confident in wearing them for longer runs, and only use the orthodics if longer than 2hrs.

I had a couple of hill runs this week, which was a bit different, the last couple of months I have had flat or short hills run. One run I went up the hill to the kiwi via hackthorne. And for the first time I made it under 50mins, was rather happy with myself. I came back down Harry Ell, and it was still dark, it been a while since I been on a trail in the dark, I was a bit unco.

A Duathlon in the warm

Yesterday, it was almost like spring had come early. The cold and wet weather for the last few weeks had disappeared and a reasonable day had emerged.

I ended up racing in my shorts and shirt… a long way from the planned clothing options of the day before. Duathons are not something I do very much off, and when I do it has normally been the dead of winter on a very strong frosty morning. Well the race was in the afternoon, so the frost wasn’t going to happen, but to not be cold… thats just plain odd.

I turned up at the race track, completely and utterly unmotivated, my legs felt like dead weights. I took a spin around the track, but still didn’t feel great. After briefing I took my legs for a bit of a run. Tried to get of speed in them, but still they weren’t wanting to move much. Uh well, just go out, take it easy and enjoy yourself, I thought and lined up at the start line.

The first run went OK, was pushing a little harder than I thought wise, but wasn’t too uncomfortable. The bike went stormingly well. Though Gina lapped me about half way through… uh crap I had tried not to get lapped.  I manged to loose count of my laps, was having an internal argument with my self (“its the 3rd lap”… “nuh you are on the 4th”). After a while it occurred to me just to have a look at my speedo and see how many k’s I had done.

The last run, went pretty well. Legs felt dead to start with but after the first lap they picked up and half way through I was starting to feel comfortable. Probably a little to comfortable… I had people overtaking me breathing really hard. I just can’t seem to push myself like that. Probably why I like the long distances.

Overall, I was pretty happy with how I did, results say I did it in 53:41. I didn’t have my watch, so not sure how that breaks down

Close to diasatrous

Thats has to be one of my worse attempts at long bays…

I left fairly early in the morning, it was still fine, but knew that there was rain predicted. My legs were feeling shattered when I started off. I couldn’t belive it, I must have gone harder at the duathlon yesterday, than I thought (Race report for that should be coming soon).

I was hoping that once they warmed up they’ll start to feel more the thing, while they did improve slightly, they never really warmed up.

The wind down Gebbies Valley was horrible, I struggled into the head wind. Normally when you get to the climb the wind dies down a bit, it didn’t want to today. I felt like crying when I got to the top, haven’t felt like that before. The trouble is, once you are there, there isn’t much turning back. I could have gone up coopers, or turned around and gone back home. Coopers isn’t easier, going back isn’t quicker and I’d just get a head wind. Plus long bays was the plan so just keep trudging.

It started to rain, just after Rapaki. I have never wanted to go through the Lyttleton tunnel before. I actually wondered what they would do if I did.

I started to climb evans and as I got closer to the top the rain got harder and then colder. Then when descending it felt like the rain was hail and stung my face.

I don’t normally stop at the coffee shop when I am out by myself, but today I was feeling like shite, and just wanted to be somewhere warm. So stopped for a hot chocolate and picked up a afghan as well. Thats was a bad decision, especially after I made a bad decision of a sausage roll after the duathlon yesterday. Still got to work on those impulse eating habits.

After waiting a bit in the cafe the rain eased off and with a tail wind, made my way home without too much difficulty.

Death

My hat goes off to those that are nurses or medical professionals that handle the sick and dying every day. I am not one of those individuals. I was never at risk of being recommended to being a doctor or nurse my career advisor.

Maybe in my life I have never truly been introduced to death, those closest to me are healthy and fine (x fingers should be like that for many years to come). My first biggest introduction to death was when my uncle was killed in a plane crash when I was about 11. That was a shock to the family, but I was the youngest, and never really touched by it. I didn’t go to the funeral, and as I have a tendency to do move on and not face it directly.

A few years ago my nana passed away (the only grand parent I had ever known), she had lived a good long life. I had not managed to visit her in the last few weeks… I wasn’t prepared to face death. I knew if it was me I would have like people to visit, but I couldn’t do it, and she wouldn’t have rcoginsed me anyway. I cried I moved on.

This last week death came back to visit, early last week I got a txt from mum to say Uncle Clyde  was not well, and not expected live longer than 36 hrs. It was a bit of a shock, but I admit to not thinking much about it. Uncle Clyde was a spectra of my child hood. He was one of my dad’s  brothers (there are 5 brothers, 2 married and 3 others) We only ever really saw the “other” brothers at christmas or Birthdays. Uncle Clyde was the happy one, he took you for rides on his motor bike, he gave you presents, though some were a bit strange… I’ll never forget the time he gave my 2 cousins and sister a present of a record voucher, but he must have forgotten about the youngest child. And when I asked where’s mine, he was slightly stump and handed over some more record vouchers that were in his wallet… I ended up with twice as much as everyone else (of course mum made me share with my sister… totally unfair)

Uncle Clyde hanged on to life for longer than any one thought, my parents had to go back to Tekapo, so over the weekend they asked me to visit him. That was tough, he was in a comma and there was no hope… everyone just waiting for him to die. I didn’t know what to say and just chatted to Uncle Alex, who was the only one in the family that could stay in the room for a long period of time.

Hopefully, he heard me, and hopefully it helped him in those last days.

Its kinda scary, 3 weeks ago he had been fine. He got a bacterial infection and his immune system shut down. All I can say, look after you immune system, it what keeps you upright.

Yesterday morning he passed away, and it effected me harder than I thought. I was quite upset, and I think the reason was because I had visited him in those last few days. I now had a connection to him that I didn’t before.

So once again death has touched me, but I’ll move on. But it has reminded me how life is precious and your health is all that you truly have in this life. Just try and be healthly for life.

Managing Hunger

Back to the nutrionist today, time for the evil weigh in. Ahh sigh, still looseing weight but not as much as I would like.

Quite frankly if I could I think I’d prefer to starve myselft for 2 weeks, and then not worry about it.

I have thought lately that I have ben managing my hunger better, but maybe the problem is I have been less hungry, because my portions have been hungry. Than theres the odd “treat” like that donut I just couldn’t resist this morning.

So back to mesuring portion sizes, and only buying food from the supermarket ( that’s the one which is the most effective rule I have discovered)

1:59:15 – Christchurch Half Marathon 2010

Well that’s what my watch says, I passed under the clock at about 2:00:30, but I it had taken me a long time to get to the start line after the gun.

You know I’d like to one day near the elites so you can actually see what is happening with the speeches etc… the only way that would happen, would be as me as a spectator.

The day was a drizzly coldish morning. It was probably the best conditions for me. If it had been a fine frosty morning, my lungs would have done their normal burn and die routine, and at least it wasn’t hailing a sleeting like last year.

Well the first k was the normal dodge and scramble around people. This year seemed worse than previous though, there were even some damn walkers I had to negotiate around, and I had actually started up near the 1:50 sign, and felt bad about that, but I sorta got stuck in the crowd and thought it was good enough. Ugghh, surely people can be realistic and find a best spot for them to be.

I heard someone call out my name near the fire station, and thought it sounded like Zarnia, I saw her on the way back on Peterbrough, I almost offered to swap places and let her finish the race for me 🙂

I was ahead of my first time split at the 1 K… the plan had to be slower, but I wasn’t feeling like I was pushing hard and comfortable, so I just kept going at that place.

Came across Nades, just after that… I mocked her for her Skort (what would you expect of me)… but soon lost her dodging around the crowd, so not sure where she went. I past the 5 K mark and I was almost 4 minutes under my split time… it was time to slow it down a bit and be a bit more conservative, but I was still feeling pretty good… up until the 7K mark that is, then I started to feel the pace I had been keeping up was not going to be sustainable.

I saw Geoff sitting outside his house, so decided it was time to ditch the hat and gloves and threw them at him (though crossing the road back again slowed me down a bit).

I got to the 10 K mark at 54mins… I am pretty sure that is my fastest 10k (not that I race that distance much). When I reached the 11K mark my CP was telling me to stop, I did have a few of those “let just walk a bit” thoughts, but I just smiled and kept on going.

That last half was pure torture… my splits were still ahead, though I was starting to catch up to what they were supposed to be. I actually detest the part that goes around the park and down Harper Ave. At least the road workers guys have flattened it out a bit so the camber isn’t as bad as  it used to be, but it just keeps on going and going, its horrible.

There were points through the park where I just want to stop and sit down and contemplate life, but some reason the legs just kept going and soon I was on armargh, then going around the Crammer Square and the final (long long)straight. I could see the clock tick over to 2hrs, I knew I had a minute and half or so to get there… to which I did.

Thank god I got under the time I wanted. I am not sure I want or need to do the chch half again, for a few years at least. It isn’t the mostest fun race out there.. Its just good for going fast I suppose, and proving what you can do at the moment.

I feel I finally turned a corner with running and with a bit more weight loss, I expect I will start to get even faster.

If the All whites can get to the world cup, I can go under 2 hrs

Seems like a completly ridicoluous comparison, but for some reason its been stuck in my head for the last day or so.

I am completly panic’d… I will feel the absolute weight of disgrace if I don’t get there tommorrow. I just keep on telling myself you just gotta tell your CP to shut up, where at the 14K mark it’s saying stop or slow down… I know why I like tri’s so much, by the time you get to the run its more about survile than pushing yourself to go fast.

Why the heck am I putting myself through this torture… Ok that is not a postive thought, I am trying to have positive thoughts, but nothing is coming. I could so easily down a entire tub of Choclate Ice cream right now… ugh crap!

I also had a bad bad run this morning, that doesn’t really mean much, I always have bad runs on my final taper week.

Ok, time to right my split times on my arm and get ready I suppose.

Fast… think fast

I have a feeling that the half marathon this Sunday, may just be one of the hardest races I have done. Hard, mentally that is… I have a goal time and quite frankly if I don’t make it I’ll be pissy as a pissy thing.

I haven’t had the best taper either, last week I was sick and this week, while doing those last few “speed” sessions I just couldn’t breath probably because mucas keeps on blocking my breathing. I have decided to go on a “diary free” diet for the next 2 days, hopefully that will reduce the mucas. Have no idea what I am gong to eat though as yoghurt is practically what I survive on these days.

Ok right… all my mind is thinking about for the next couple of days is Fast… just keep running fast.