Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Self diagnosed injury and yoga
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Quince, coconut and white chocolate dessert
Saturday, November 6, 2010
15kms of fun
Obviously I chose the latter and busted out a quick ( well not so quick) 15km loop. Was great to be out in the sunshine but I didn't take hydration with me so was pretty fatigued by the time i got in the door.
Ran round in 1hr 19 so it was a cruisy pace but its the longest run I have done in a while and with the Thames half marathon in 7 days it was nice to get a longer run in.
This week will be continuing to work through my gym programme for definition of upper body and doing distance running at night in prep for Thames. I have to say it again...I love summer
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Summer Running and training
This week has seen me ramp up the training. I have been given a new programme at the gym and so this week I have been doing running at night and gym work outs in my lunch break from work. I love the feeling I get when I smash out a work pout during the day. Gives me energy for the afternoon. Back down today for a leg and core work out then will be hitting 10kms after work to keep up the preparation for the Marathon on 05/03/2011.
Also have a half marathon next weekend in Thames. Not feeling uber prepared for that but will be nice to go for a jog and won't be worrying too much about my time. Just using it as a good training run.
Summer running...it really is one of life's pleasures
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rest day
Which is OK as I am still sore from yesterdays chest and tri session at the gym. Have just embarked on a new program and it is awesome. feeling the burn everytime and hitting it hard which makes me feel so good afterwards. Love the release of all the happy chemicals after a good hard work out. Have discovered french curls/skull crushers which make me feel really weak but I just see that as a challenge to build up my under used triceps.
and then tomorrow will be back into the running to keep up with the prep for the marathon training. The countdown continues
Monday, October 25, 2010
Good Food and Training week one complete
It was just really nice to get back in the kitchen. I love cooking but very rarely get time to cook with work and training so it was nice to have the time to play.
Also got back into the rhythm of training again as I head into week 2 of the preparatioin for my first full marathon on 05/03/11. Managed 3 x 10km runs over the weekend and I had forgotten how awesome it is to run under blue skies with the sun beaming down and a slight head wind to cool one down as you run. One of life's true pleasures.
While the runs weren't perfect they certainly weren't horrible either and got through with only a little bit of soreness so am happy to be underway.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
136 Days to go
http://www.energycityharriers.co.nz/marathon%20home.html
This event is booked for 05/03/2011 and so that means I have 136 days to get myself back into shape and to get to the 42.2km mark. I will be using this blog as an accountability tool for my training.
Started last night with a gentle 40 minute run...all I can say is that its going to be a long journey. today I am going to the gym at lunchtime for a run and then have my programme being mapped out for me tonight with my trainer.
so it begins...again
Friday, August 6, 2010
Saturday Intervals...in the rain
So I woke this morning to a grey and wet Auckland day. Really starting to forget what summer felt like and wasn't immediately keen to break my week of slackness. Finally got some motivation (after 2 cups of coffee...hardly the worlds greatest pre run nutrition but in my defence I also had a banana). Got changed and headed out into the rain.
My initial plan was to do a lazy 10km and just to wander round with no time in mind. Got Half way round and I decided that my heart wasn't in the long slow run so instead I thought I should change it up a bit. So intervals began
I picked distances of approximately 100mtrs and sprinted along the footpath till I got to my target, then walked for about 100mtrs then repeated. I did this for about 4kms and during some of the longer sprints ( I added some 200mtr distances for "fun") I nearly felt like throwing up...
Of course this just inspired me to run harder on the next sprint.
Finally got in the door with quads aching, lungs burning, drenched from the rain and a HUGE smile on my face. I haven't done intervals in months and I forgot what an awesome, heart rate raising, endorphin releasing beast they can be. I will be working one of those sessions into my training each week from now on.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mizuno Taupo half Marathon race report
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Taupo weekend...leading up to race
The drive only took me an hour and a bit as there was no traffic on the road and it was not icy, which meant of course that I was in Taupo by 7:20am for a 9am start. Went into the Great events Centre to collect race pack and transponder and texted my sister to see how far away she was ( as she was travelling down from Hamilton). Turns out she would be there about 8am so I went for a wander round looking at the set up of the finish line and went for a stroll along the lakefront ( which was very grey on such a cold overcast winter day)
My Sister turned up at 8am and we had a few photos and then started to warm up. It was really cold so we kept our jackets on as long as possible. The start was set for 9am so at 8:40 we headed for the starting corral. This was on the road by the marina and hosted by the MoreFM crew and the Mayor of Taupo. The clock ticked down and at 9am, the gun went off and we were away in waves. Race report to come soon
Thursday, July 29, 2010
15km...and raining again
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Great 5km run..and now more leg pain
Walked in the door, drenched, but happy and noticed my ankle starting to play up. But have strapped it, aplied a heat pack and resting it to get it right for Saturday.
its also Day 9 of the Whole9 challenge and I have lost nearly 2kg. I know they say not to look at the scales but I couldn't resist as I seriously feel better, more energetic and leaner. Am now banking on huge gains by the end of the challenge. I will be starting a home work out plan next week and will post the details after this weekends race report.
Roll on taupo
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Another 10km and Healthy Crepes
When I got home I got some beef out for dinner and decided to do an Asian style ginger/soy beef salad with tomatoes, lettuce, snow peas, celery, avocado. It turned out really well bit I knew I would have a sweet tooth afterwards so I whipped up some crepes. The 31 day challenge I am on says no wheat but I cheated a little and used normal flour for the crepes although I put no sugar in and used coconut creme instead of milk. I filled them up with berries, mangoes and bananas and they really hit the spot...felt so full afterwards so maybe ate a little too much but at least it was a healthy option right.
The crepes (with icecream on the side for the rest of the family. I refrained from icecream)
Today will be a day to do some speed work and hoping to schedule a session of this in for this afternoon. The day looks awesome outside so as soon as I have sorted kids out we will be off down to the park where i plan to get thoroughly outplayed in soccer by Mr 6. Sunday Mornings rock.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Head Cold's suck
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 4 of 31 day challenge
I have also resumed training again (running) as I have the Taupo half marathon next weekend. Have been for a 10km run every night this week and have found that without grains etc for easy carbs I am struggling with energy levels while I run. I am also REALLY hungry all the time at the moment despite eating a heap of fruit. Going to start eating more tuna etc during the day to try and ensure I have fuel in the tank for my runs after work.
It doesn't help that it is miserable weather wise at the moment so am running in the cold and the rain...still...its awesome to be back out running pain free so that's one small win and once I detox I am looking forward to getting my energy back again.
Roll on the 2 week mark
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Nutrition - This is a cool post I borrowed from Zach at Cuth throat barbell club
The Whole30, Version 2.0Last year, we proposed a squeaky clean eating program designed to “change your life in 30 days”. The response on the blog was overwhelming. Hundreds of people participated, following the “rules” inspired by the experience we had when we completed our own 30 day nutritional program. It wasn’t long before testimonial after testimonial began rolling in – body composition started changing, gym performance went through the roof, medical biomarkers began to improve and a whole bevy of physical ailments and conditions were miraculously “cured”. In July 2009, the Whole30 was born, and became the foundation of the nutrition for our Whole9 practice.And now we’re back almost one year later to launch the program again. First timers are welcome. Repeaters who may have started off strong but slipped back into old habits are encouraged. Bring your Mom, bring your book club, bring your whole gym… because for the next 30 days, the Whole9 site is your nutritional source of motivation, support, advice and direction.
THE SUMMARY
Certain food groups (like grains, dairy and legumes) are probably having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent (or non-existent)? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you train, or are pretty lean but still have a little extra puff on your midsection? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, insulin-spiking, calorie-dense, nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days and let your body heal, recover and reset from whatever effects those foods may be provoking. What, exactly, does that mean? Super strict, by-the-book, 100% Whole30 for the next 30 days.
WHY?
First and foremost, this will change your life. We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact. This. Will. Change. Your. Life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and hundreds of people have since done it, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion.
WHAT?
So what does “Whole30” mean? This is the plan we have created, in as much detail as we can provide.Eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, some fruit, and good fat from nuts, seeds, coconut, olives/olive oil and avocado. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.1. Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese (hard and soft), yogurt (even Greek) and milk (including cream in your coffee or tea).2. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, cereal, oatmeal, corn and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa and sprouted grains.3. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (soy, black, kidney, etc.), peas, lentils, and peanuts. (No peanut butter, kids.)4. Do not eat or add sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.5. Do not eat processed foods. This includes protein shakes, processed bars (like Zone bars), dairy-free creamers, etc.6. Do not drink alcohol, in any form.7. Do not eat white potatoes. It’s kind of arbitrary, but one, they’re a nightshade, and two, sweet potatoes and yams are a more nutrient-dense option, so go for those instead. (On that note, if you have serious inflammation issues like arthritis, you may want to consider avoiding all nightshades for 30 days.)8. Most importantly… do not try to shove your old, crappy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” existing less-than-healthy recipes – no “Paleo” pancakes, pizza or Fudge Babies.A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients.
These are less than optimal foods that we are okay with you including in moderation.
1. Processed Meat. On occasion, we are okay with organic chicken sausage (these are nitrate, dairy, gluten and casein-free), and high quality bacon, deli meat, and jerky.
2. Nuts. We do not want you cracking out on nuts and nut butters, people. Sunbutter is acceptable – buy the organic (no sugar added) if possible.
3. Dried Fruit. In general, careful with the fruit. Use dried fruit and Larabars in serious moderation, and only if it doesn’t send you running for the nearest candy dish.
4. Non-”Paleo” Vegetables. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas. While they’re technically a legume, they’re far more “pod” than “bean”, and we want you to eat your veggies.
5. Coffee and black tea. We’re okay with coffee (black, or with a little coconut milk) in moderation, and only if it doesn’t interfere with sleep. Usually, that means none after noon. If you really want to go hardcore and reset your body’s sensitivity to caffeine, skip the coffee/tee for the 30 day period as well.
6. Vinegar. While it’s technically not “Paleo”, we’re fine with using it in small quantities as a salad dressing or in salsa.
7. Salt. While some “approved” foods like olives or bacon will have some salt in them, go easy when adding salt to your food.
HOW?
Now that you have the basic plan, you need to know how to implement it. It’s simple, actually.Start now. Today. This minute. Count out thirty days, go immediately to your local health food store, farmer’s market or grocer and stock up on things you’ll be eating. And then… go. Cold turkey, just start. It’s the only way to do it. If you give yourself excuses or reasons to put it off, you may never begin. Do it now.Your only job for the next 30 days is to focus on food choices. You don’t need to weigh or measure, you don’t need to Zone. Just figure out how to eat like this in any setting, any special circumstance, for the next 30 days. Your only job? Eat. Good. Food.The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days. Anything less and you are selling yourself – and your results – short. The first few days (at least) will be tough, as your body heals and adjusts to this new way of eating and your brain wraps itself around going without all those sweet tastes and sugar-driven energy spikes. And while you may start to feel better after a week or two… the healing process takes significantly longer. In addition, the mental addiction and emotional connections to sugary foods, large amounts of carbohydrates and over-the-top, chemically-altered flavors is going to take a lot longer to overcome. Stick with it, be patient with yourself, and commit to the full program.This is not a “challenge”. If you’re just looking for a 30 day test of mental toughness before going back to your beer and pizza on day 31, go somewhere else. We want you to THINK about what you’re eating, why you’re eating it and how it makes you feel every step of the way. We want you to think about what you’re NOT eating, and how those foods may have been negatively affecting you. And we want you to commit to sticking with it for as long as it takes for the magic to happen.At some point, we promise you… the magic will happen. Your energy levels will increase and stabilize, and you’ll feel just as good first thing in the morning as you do at the peak of your day. Your body composition will start to change – even if you don’t cut calories (and we encourage you not to). Your performance in the gym will improve, and your recovery will skyrocket. Conditions, ailments, aches and pains will miraculously start to improve. And through all of it, you’ll be eating delicious, fresh, natural, real food… things that you will come to realize DO taste good, and are both satiating and mentally satisfying.The final caveat: this requires full buy-in, and 100% commitment. That means no cheating. Just ONE “cheat” could irritate your digestive tract and promote an inflammatory response, or provoke an insulin spike which sends you straight to the nearest vending machine for a Coke. A single cheat will ruin the effect of the “reset button” you are trying to push. This isn’t Whole9 playing the tough guy. This is a FACT, born of education and experience. The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days, without a single, solitary “cheat”.
WHERE?Right here on the Whole9 site. Come to our house, sign up for the month and post back here as often as you like. We’ll provide the forum for the next 30 days. Post your progress, your results, share good recipes, ask questions. Tell us how good you look, how much better you feel, how much energy you have. Inspire each other. Support each other. Fist bumps all around for those of you who finish out the full 30 days. Right here, right now. Let’s do this.
TOUGH LOVE
Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here)”. This is for you.
1. It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Giving up heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. Because if we (Dallas and Melissa) can do this while living out of a car on our road trip, relying on a restaurant or a cooler for 90% of our meals, while constantly socializing for business, YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime. So suck it up and join us.
2. Don’t tell us you “slipped”. Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of Krispy Kremes, you DID NOT SLIP. You made a choice to eat something of poor quality. It’s always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident. Commit here, 100%, for the full 30 days, or go somewhere else.
3. You never, ever, ever HAVE to eat anything you don’t want to eat. You’re all big boys and girls. Toughen up. Learn to say no (or make your Mom proud and say, “No, thank you”). Learn to stick up for yourself. Just because it’s your sister’s birthday, or your best friend’s wedding, or your company outing or the Fourth of July does not mean you have to eat anything. It’s always a choice, and we would hope that you stopped succumbing to peer pressure in 10th grade.
4. This does require a bit of effort, people. If you’re cutting grains, legumes and dairy for the first time, you have to replace those calories with something. You have to make sure you’re eating enough, that your vitamins and nutrients are balanced, that you’re getting enough protein, fat and carbohydrates. You’ll have to figure out what to eat for lunch, how to order at a restaurant and how often you’ll need to grocery shop. There are a ton of good resources search-able on this site, and Googling “Paleo Recipes” is a great place to start. We’ll give you plenty of resources here, but take responsibility for your own plan. Improved health, fitness and performance doesn’t happen just because you’re now taking a pass on chocolate milk.
SUMMARYIf just one person changes his or her life – just one – this entire series of posts will be well worth our time and energy. If this is anything like last time, hundreds of you will take this seriously, and see amazing results in unexpected areas of your life. We want you to participate. If this is the only commitment you make this year, do it. It’s that important. We believe in it that much. It changed our lives, and we want it to change yours too.There are plenty of “Paleo challenges” out there – things that sound a lot like the Whole30, that promise you’ll “look, feel and perform” better. They give you more of what you want – arbitrary points or a burpee penance for cheating, acceptable alcohol choices “if you must drink” or dark chocolate approval if it’s “pure”. But here at Whole9, we’ve built our entire business around telling you what you need, not what you want. We will not pander to you here. We will tell you what we know to be true, based on literally hundreds of testimonials and clients’ real results. Programs that offer built-in cheats or rationalizations for less than healthy food choices simply do not work long-term. They don’t teach you anything about how the foods you are eating are affecting you, and they don’t do anything to help you change your habits, patterns and behaviors. The Whole30 program has been in motion for almost a year, with participants all across the world – and has measurable, real-life, sustainable results to back up our claims.Post questions to comments. Post your commitment, if you’re up for it. (Just make sure you re-read the Tough Love portion again before you sign up.) Start the Whole30 with us today.
Monday, July 19, 2010
I'm Back
It has been a long time since I have blogged and that is simply because I have been injured. It started close to my last half marathon when I was getting some ankle pain and this moved in to shin splints and ultimately some lateral knee pain on my right leg. After talking to a lot of people about what was going on, the general consensus was that rest would do me the most good.
So that is what I have done. I have had 3-4 weeks off running with only the occasional 10km blast in there to keep me sane. This has meant that my overall fitness has dropped away but my leg pain has now resolved and I am back into training as of last night. Which wasn’t a moment too soon as I have entered the Mizuno half Marathon in taupo in 2 weeks time so need to get some Kms in. I am not expecting a quick result but will be nice to just get through and finish it
Felt so good to be back out running again last night even though it was dark, cold, raining and generally unpleasant conditions.
I have also started day one of a 30 day challenge on nutrition and will post some info on this soon
So I’m back…woohoo
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Back at the gym..and loving it
Did a great chest and bicep work out last night and this morning was up early and back to the gym for an interval session on the stationery bike. Last night I got through some bench press work, dumbbell fly, cable cross overs/presses/squeezes and some good old fashioned dumbell bicep curls. Chest is feeling sore, biceps are tired, legs are still sore from the squat session on Tuesday...and I am absolutely loving it.
Will be great to see if the benefits of cross training become apparent for the next half which is booked for July and is an off road event in pituresque Taupo.
Monday, May 24, 2010
and training resumes
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Huntly Half Marathon Race Report
Me finishing
Turned into the finishing chute after completing the final 2km in 10 minutes and sprinted down with my wife and eldest daughter cheering me on for a finish in 1hr50mins.
Georgia and I at the finish
As this was the thirtieth running of the event, all finishers were given a medal which we got engraved with our finishing time. Was a great run and a good event and will definitely be back to run this one next year. Of course, getting a PB on it has probably helped.
Friday, May 14, 2010
PB in almost 20km
Today went for a team building exercise and climbed the Auckland harbour bridge. Was fantastic to be 67 metres above the sparkling waitemata harbour looking at the Auckland skyline. Was a great day for it too. Ended up with an early knock off so headed home, changed, stretched, strapped on hydration backpack and headed out for a 20km run (according to map my run).
Got to the 10km mark in 46 minutes and home finishing in 1 hr 34 minutes,\. This shocked me as I expected to be slower than this as my goal is to go sub 2 hours at the next half marathon. This made me doubt the distance a bit so wifey and I headed out to measure it using the car. Ended up only being a shade under 19km. But it still fills me with confidence that the sub 2 hour mark is there to be taken.
Would be a great goal to tick off seeing as I only decided to run a half marathon at start of year and this will be my third :-)
Monday, May 10, 2010
Time for a change
So it was up early this morning and down to the gym to have a chat to my brother in law who is the fitness coordinator down there. We have agreed to catch up at 6am Thursday morning to write a plan with two goals in mind. Firstly i want to really start improving some of my times, especially over the longer distance (15km plus).
Secondly I want to shift my stubborn abdominal fat.
I went out for a 10km run last night and as I was running I kept thinking about changing things up a bit. I know that I should be doing more cross training type work to get faster and fitter but because I am focused on the running i tend to just stick to that at the moment. While I was running last night I kept thinking of the old saying
"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got"
So I think this was the kick in the rear I needed to get to the gym this morning and start planing for better results both on the road and in my body shape.
Next race is the Huntly half Marathon in 13 days and after that I have a decent break so will use the time to get back to a more balanced training routine and hopefully see some great results. I will be taking pics to share at some point in the future as a record of how the body shaping goes too
Thursday, May 6, 2010
New Gear makes me happy
I was also very excited because my new long sleeved thermal running top had turned up from Ronhill. It is a particularly lovely fluoro yellow but as I am almost exclusively running in the dark at the moment it is perfect for winter runs. The photo below really doesn't do the colour justice but trust me..it is BRIGHT
So I changed and once Ebs was home from the gym I headed out the door. I decided to just take it very easy and was hyper vigilant of any pain in my hip/butt. Took the first 2 kms very quietly and as there was no pain picked up the pace slightly. It was another awesome autumn evening and the temperature was just chilling down which kept me cool while I ran. Felt so good to be out there running after only a couple of days away from it. I timed the run but in my head I wasn't too worried about what time I would put in as I was more conscious of just getting round the 10km hopefully without pulling anything or experiencing too much discomfort.
The long and short of it is that not only did I get round pain free, but the leisurely 10km was done in 50 minutes 49 seconds which is only a minute and change off my PR.....let me tell you, this is VERY exciting as it means that i may be able to set a new PR in the foreseeable future for the 10km AND I am back on track for the half...woohoo. Very happy boy today
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Pain in the butt
Sunday, May 2, 2010
T42 Race Report
Got through gear check ok (after nearly spilling scroggin over the table) and collected race number, transponder and race pack and headed back out into the icy air for the drive back down to Taumarunui.
At 9:30 we were in the starting corrall and the race horn started and we were off. Out of the domain and left up into the ohinetonga track. A beautiful part of bush with nice wide tracks. The weather was overcast and cold and damp underfoot but some sun peeking through. Great conditions for running. Over the crest of the first hill and i took off my gloves and settled in to the rhythm of hill running. Passed a few people as everyone settled into their race pace. 3 kms in and we left the bush and turned past the first aid station on to a gravel road. This started to climb quite steeply and it wasn't long until the running was interspersed with bursts of walking for the steeper sections. At the 6.7km mark we turned right up a very steep clay and stone track which prevented much running. The scenery was spectacular as we were getting quite high by this point and I saw several runners stopped and looking at the view down across the rolling valleys of the King Country which was a glowing green with the overnight rain. At that point I wished I had brought my camera.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Last week of training before T42
The picture above is the view from the bed at the B and B...woke up the next morning and sat and watched the sun come back up over the beach then read my paper from cover to cover (a treat as I never get to do that unninterrupted by kids etc)
then went down to Beachhaven for coffee and got a pic of me with Rangitoto in the background. Was a very cruisy Sunday morning.
This week started with a lie in and then last night a 15km run. Got round in 1hour 22 mins. Felt really good on the run but when I headed out at 5am this morning, i felt like rubbish. Legs were aching, I had a bad stitch and basically everything just felt wrong. So I stopped running and decided to just walk it out and see if things would resolve. The short of it is that they didn't so I got home (feeling very djected) and have rubbed a lot of deep heat cream into my quads to try and get them relief. Good long stretching session and they are feeling a little better. Will hopefully get out for another 15kms tonight but will have to check on how they feel.
Very very frustrating tuesday
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Training update for T42
Monday I woke with the sinking feeling that it is only 2 weeks till the T42 and I am woefully underprepared so have decidede to try and run 100km this week to get some good solid miles in prior to the mountain run.
Monday night I did 10kms, Tues am went out at 5:30 for a really nice morning run in light drizzle. Got round in 53 minutdes and then after work that night I did another 10km ( again in drizzle) and did 52 minutes so pace was similar.
Wednesday morning I gave my quads a rest and then Wednesday night busted out another 10km at dusk after work. Work has been crazy lately so it has been awesome to get home, get my shoes on and go and blow out the cobwebs from the day. Ebs is being really supportive of my running at present which is great having the flexibility to run when I need to.
Thursday was a rest day (enforced) as I had to fly to Christchurch for the day for work. I was trying to figure out how to get a run in but I was up at 4:15 am to catch an early flight down and didn’t get home till after 8:30pm. Just had to resign myself to a rest day.
Up this morning for another 10km though and once out there it felt good. Was a slow run though and only got round in 54 minutes...will head out again tonight and the plan is to get a couple of long runs in over the weekend
Sunday, April 11, 2010
HALF MARATHON NUMBER 2
the course was two laps of the Orewa township including a 3 km run along the beach itself. the Start finish line was directly outside the local surf club so we set off along the sand. About 1km into the run there was a fairly steep climb into the streets around the bay and then the course dropped down across the causeway and out the back of Orewa. A long stretch around the back of town and we hit the beach again at about the 8km mark to run the length of the beach (approx 3km) and then back around.
the first lap (10.5km) felt great and I passed the timing clock at 52 minutes. The second lap was a lot harder and i was kicking myself for not having got some longer runs in prior to the race. I found the hills particularly hard going second time around and also walked the drinks stations on the second lap to ensure I was getting plenty of hydration in. Finally turned onto the beach and ran with a beautiful cross wind down the final stretch to get home in 2hours and 3 minutes.
My sister also ran the race and got home in 2hrs 26 which is a great effort for her first race ( seeing as she couldn't run 3 kms 6 months ago).
Lessons learnt from the race were that I need to get more hill work in for the upcoming T42 and that longer runs are a must do prior to a half. Generally the legs held up OK but I did get some cramping in my right calf which I had to stop and stretch out a couple of times.
Day off today as a reward and then off to the long runs again from tomorrow as it is now only three weeks till the 24km off road run...woohooo
Monday, April 5, 2010
5 sleeps till half marathon
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tauranga
(THE VIEW FROM THE BALCONY AT AVALON AND DAN'S APARTMENT)
(Happy boy after my run...out on the balcony rehydrating and stretching)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Looking Back
Before After