HALF MARATHON NUMBER 2

Ran my second half Marathon yesterday at the Orewa Beach half Marathon and got home in 2hours and 3 minutes. Was a particularly hard run and I think I was a little under prepared for it so was happy to cross the finish line.

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

5 sleeps till half marathon

Back home after having an awesome weekend away in Tauranga. The wedding went great and was so nice to have a few days at the beach. Made the most of it by getting in some reasonably good runs but did eat relatively poorly while down there (the curse of the holiday right). Caught up with the bride and Groom yesterday for lunch at the Naked Grape on the Strand and was so nice sitting in the sunshine

Went for a walk around Mt Maunganui yesterday and it was such a beautifuul day but there were amazing waves crashing up over the rocks and almost reaching the path. was worth a photo.

So back to Auckland last night and back to work tomorrow and it is now only 5 sleeps till the next half marathon in Orewa this Sunday. And murphy's law means that the weather has turned and the Autumn rain seems to be setting in. Really drab and grey out today and will mean it will probably be my first wet run this year tonight when I get home. Will do a quick 5km tonight as not wanting to do too much this week until after the half.

Tauranga

This morning we packed up and headed out of Auckland (with what seemed like the rest of the population) and headed to the beach for the long weekend. One of Ebony's best friends is getting married tomorrow so we have headed down for a few days., They have a gorgeous little apartment just back from the water at Pilot Bay and we are happily ensconced here for the next few days. Georgia is with a girlfriend and Baylee is with Mum and dad so we only have Charlia with us. One kid instead of 3...this really is a holiday :-)

(THE VIEW FROM THE BALCONY AT AVALON AND DAN'S APARTMENT)

So having driven down we decided to go for a walk down the mount. Stopped and grabbed some lunch and sat in the sunshine and confided in Ebony about how my motivation for going for an afternoon run was disappearing as I tucked into a grilled chicken breast and salad and one of the best coffees I have had in a long time (Real runner food huh??) Ebs, being a pragmatic as ever, said that he thought i should maybe just chuck my shoes on and my gear and go for a walk. Of course i knew that If I did that I would go for a run, so having finished lunch and meandered back to the apartment, I took the car and mapped out a 12 km route. Well is 12ish cause part of the route involved running around Mt Maunganui which is no car access so I had to guess. Eb and Charlia have gone over to see her dad on the other side of town so I put my gear on and headed out and.....

I loved it

Running along the boardwalk on a pristine day, a light headwind to cool me down, bright sunshine and a brilliant podcast on ACL repairs (everyone has their vices..mine happens to be medical podcasts). It reminded me why I love running and made up for all the bad runs I have been moaning about lately.

(Happy boy after my run...out on the balcony rehydrating and stretching)

So now I m sitting here enjoying the post run endorphin rush and at one with the world...it going to be a great weekend.

Looking Back

The last couple of days I have been increasing my traiing as the wife and I are off to sunny Tauranga this weekend for a wedding and so I know that my training will be interrupted so trying to cram a bit more in this week. the Orewa Half is only 10 days away so need to continue to get some good quality sesisons in prior to tapering a little next week.

Yesterday morning got up and was at ther gym at 6am. Hit the bike first for some sprints as a warm up ( I had forgotten what a great way to get your heart rate up this is) then followed it up with leg press (150kg), Bench Press (70kg), Chest cross overs, dumbbell fly's and some bicep curls. A good all round work out to start the week.

Then last night after work I went out for a solid 10km run. Got round in 53 minutes but there was a strong headwind so the run didn't feel good (probably why the time was so slow). Loved the endorphins afterwards thouugh and it was thinking of these that kept me going rather than stopping.

This morning was up and at the gym again. Did a 5 minute blast on the rower then straiht into a core, bicep and tricep work out for 40 minutes. Got home, had an apple and a shower then off to work.

Because I have been feeling flat lately I took stock of how far I have come. It gave me a mental boost to think that this time last year I was fat, unhappy, unfit and now I have lost 16kgs, run a half marathon, booked for 2 more and am committed to getting fitter, faster and stronger. the pics below also gave me a before and after boost as well...

Before After

2 weeks till next race

It is now two weeks till my next half marathon and I am feeling particularly under prepared. My weekly running has been seriously reduced in the last two weeks so will need to use this week to try and get back on top of things again.

Because of everything else going on in my world at the moment my diet has also been suffering (read that as I have been really lazy with what I have been eating) and as a result I have put weight back on and feel generally sluggish.

So as of this morning I am back into my old eating regime which is modelled pretty closely on the paleo diet. Lots of fresh fruit and veges and avoiding grains/legumes and processed sugars wherever possible. This is much harder to follow when I am short on time as I am still a huge fan of peanut butter sandwiches (must be a throw back to my chldhood).. these , of course, do nothing but load me up with carbs which I can do without.

I do notice that I have a heap more energy when I am eating properly and so need to try and reverse out the last couple of weeks with back to good habits again. I will be pushing more on the training front as well now that kids are better. I am still lacking motivation as the weather cools but have found that just getting my running gear on is ofetn enough to get me out the door. I love it once I am out there but just find it difficult getting started....particularly when it is cold and dark out.

some runs just suck

Been a bit of an interrupted week this week. Miss 4months went down with a particularly nasty dose of the flu and ended up dehydrated so was hospitalised on Monday night and Tuesday so they could get some fluid into her. Because of her flu she had gone off eating and was going downhill. One tube down the nose later and she has made a great recovery.

However it meant that I was unable to get out on the roads since Sunday/. Finally got out last night (thursday) for a 10km run right on dusk. Was a bit cooler so wore a tech singlet and a T Shirt as well as my hi vis reflector vest I wear when running on roads. It was a sluggish 10km and didn't feel flowing at all, I also found I was so hot by the 5 km mark I wish I had left one of the layers at home.





Got round in a bit under the hour ( didn't time it as just wanted to get the kms in) and felt brilliant afterwards.





have been feeling really flat the last week and with minimal sleep in hospital on Monday and tuesday I have found my motivation flagging. Really pleased that I got out there and did the run last night and it is amazing how just one slow run has helped lift my mental state back up again...guess I really am getting addicted to running...eeeek

New 5km PB

What a great end to the weekend. After being up most of Saturday night with sick kids then driving to take Mr 6 home after the weekend, I decided to go out and blast the cobwebs away with a quick 5km TT. Started off fast and felt weak setting out which wasn't good. Hips, quads and feet all sore from yesterdays sprint session so wasn't expecting a lot from the run but decided to try push through it anyway. It was still quite warm and there was only mild breeze around so for once I wasn't running into the wind.

Got to the half way point and felt better having turned for home and so picked up the pace a little and lengthened stride. Slowed slightly just before the final Km for a small rise then blasted down the last leg. Stopped the clock at 22 minutes 40 seconds. So stoked...my previous best was 23.16 so took 35 seconds off my time. Starting to think that with some more training that elusive 20 minute mark might nearly be achievable. Love getting new PB's...makes the pain worthwhile

now into the last leg of training for the Orewa Half Marathon...only 3 weeks to go...woohoo