tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53831581948869151692024-02-06T23:48:26.741-08:00Tarawera 50km here we come!Always having an adventure - this time training for my first ultra marathon in Rotorua, New Zealand in November 2015Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-40702778188072770802015-11-15T15:30:00.002-08:002015-11-15T15:30:24.282-08:00The big day finally dawned!Simone and I headed down to Rotorua on Friday 13 November 2015 in readiness for the Tarawera 50km event taking place the next morning. It is quite a surreal feeling to face the realisation that we really were about to run 50kms (somehow when you train each week you never expect race day to actually arrive - but here it was less than 24 hours away). Once we had registered and collected our race numbers we headed off to pick up takeaways for dinner (burger fuel) and then decided it might be wise to get an early night.<br />
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To be fair I didn't sleep at all well - I was awake at midnight, 2.30 am and then 4.30am. I finally got up around 5.45 to have a hot shower followed by a light breakfast (banana and cup of tea). Coach Sue and husband Graham were picking us up at 7.15 to take us to the starting line, so we were ready and waiting by the time they pulled up outside our motel.<br />
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It was a stunning day with clear blue skies and no wind - perfect for such a big day out. The race started at Te Puia amongst the geysers and mud pools - it was such a relief when the start was finally underway. The 50km walkers left first at 8am followed by the rest of the field (marathon and 50km participants), 30 minutes later.<br />
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Strangely enough it took me about 10kms before I felt I was part of the event (this has happened before for events that really take me well outside my comfort zone) - it also took an hour and 20 minutes to get to the 10km mark. I was starting to realise that the Tarawera trail was going to be one of the most gruelling events that I have ever taken part in. The terrain was quite unforgiving and there were some parts that I literally had to crawl up on my hands and knees due to the steepness of the trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling for the camera (anything for a break)</td></tr>
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There were aid stations every 7 kms and I was blown away by how well catered the event was but also wondered how on earth the organisers were able to set up tables in middle of the forest laden with every possible food imaginable. That must have been quite a feat in itself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just past the 28km mark</td></tr>
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There were parts of the day where Simone and I felt quite physically sick (thankfully not at the same time) - but possibly from the sheer challenge that the trail provided - on some occasions our hearts felt like they were going to burst from pumping so hard.<br />
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The scenery was magical but to we were so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that I doubt we enjoyed our surroundings. By 28kms (4 hours 15 mins) we were asking ourselves what on earth we were doing (in language that wasn't quite so pretty).<br />
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We managed to run together through to the Buried Village (or just slightly beyond) which was at 35kms. This aid station put on scones, jam and cream which are a vice that I couldn't pass up and unfortunately I didn't feel too well afterwards (no surprises there)! The trail out of the Buried Village was up some very steep steps and I had to let Simone go on whilst I slowed up a bit to get over the feeling of nausea.<br />
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I went through the 40km mark in 6.5 hours and realised given the terrain that there was another 2 hours ahead of me. However, I knew at this point that I would definitely finish the event despite my toes being very blistered and sore. There was a shock to come at the 46 km mark on hearing that the next two kilometres were practically vertical and at this stage of the day there was very little left in the tank. However, persistence pays off and at 48km the last two kilometres were all downhill - albeit a very steep trail down which was quite slippery due to the gravel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">48kms</td></tr>
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It was such a relief to reach hot water beach - 50kms - I don't know where I got the strength from to run to the finish line but it came from somewhere. It was awesome to see Simone there who had finished about 15 minutes ahead of me - we were both so relieved to have survived the day. It was now after 5.00 pm - 8.5 hours after we had left the start line. The longest day out that either of us had ever had in any sporting event.<br />
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We then had a two hour wait to get on a boat back to mainland - the queue was so long and there were only two water taxis - we were beyond tired although managed to inhale a sausage and glass of beer while we waited. We then took a shuttle and a bus back to the start where we then had to walk a kilometre back to our motel (I don't know how we managed that). We finally arrived back at the motel at 8pm, ordered an indian takeaway, sat in a spa, then ate dinner hardly able to speak a word to each other. I did manage to phone Sue to see how she had done on the course and was very impressed to hear she had finished in just over 7 hours (such an awesome result). <br />
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Then blow me down if Simone didn't say she thought she might do it all again next year Really?<br />
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Until next time…..:)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-54051864644783224252015-10-31T17:51:00.000-07:002015-10-31T17:53:00.791-07:00Auckland Marathon DayThe Auckland Marathon / Half Marathon is the biggest event on the running calendar for us so it was with great excitement this morning that we made our way down to the Devonport start line. The excitement was made all the greater with the All Blacks playing in the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham against The Wallabies and so there was a big flat screen TV just next to the start line so that we could all watch the game finish. Thankfully the mighty All Blacks won - so what a great start to the day. <div>
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It was also exciting to be running today with lots of good friends, including my running buddy Simone who will do the 50km with me in two weeks time, my gorgeous daughter Soph and my awesome niece Orla who was running her first half marathon and had flown up from Christchurch to take part. We also ran into Suzanne at the start line who Simone and I worked with at ANZ a number of years ago.<br>
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The half marathon started at 6.50 am (50 minutes after the marathon which my friend and neighbour Helen was taking part in). Once the race started things moved very slowly given the thousands of runners who were taking part. Simone and I had decided to start the race together but potentially split at the 15 km mark if one of us was feeling better than the other. The day was perfect for the event, no wind, no rain, and temperatures of about 16 degrees. It is always great to see friendly faces supporting the event and so it was wonderful to see coach Sue at the 9km mark at Smales Farm. She took a few snaps of us running past so will look forward to seeing those.<br>
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The highlight of the run is going across the Auckland Harbour Bridge - the top of the bridge happens to be the 15km mark which is where Simone left me as she was feeling really good. Then at 18km Soph crept up behind me and went past - her goal for the day was to beat me across the finish line and to be honest I didn't think she would manage it given all the training I have been doing - but off she went and whilst I was very comfortable maintaining the same pace, I didn't have the energy to lift my pace to keep up with her. There was a turning point down by the Viaduct at 19kms and I noticed Suzanne was very close behind me and I knew she was wanting to run a 2.15 half marathon so I shouted out to her that she was close to being able to achieve her goal.<br>
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Finally the finish line was in front of me and I was so grateful to see it. Just as I went to cross the line Suzanne flew past just pipping me at the post - I was really happy that she achieved her best half marathon time.<br>
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Other results - Orla finished her first half marathon in 2.06, Simone finished in 2.14, Soph finished in 2.15 followed very closely by me at 2.16 (along with Suzanne). Helen also had a great marathon finishing in 3.20 - just awesome but inconceivable for me!<br>
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We enjoyed a great family brunch before Orla flew back to Christchurch down at the local cafe where we were joined by my mum and dad.<br>
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There are 13 days left now until the 50km run and very little left for Simone and I to do other than a few short runs/walks which will allow our legs to freshen up for their big day out at Tarawera in Rotorua on Saturday 14 November - start time 8.30am.<br>
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Until then!!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-46734056653235228132015-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:002015-10-17T20:06:02.176-07:00We aren't the only ones who are winning...With 4 weeks to go now, this weekend was the biggest week of training for Simone and I with 6.5 hours training in total to be completed.<br />
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So at 6.30 am on Saturday morning Simone and I headed off once again along the beaches and coastal walkways up to Torbay and back - we ran for 4 hours and 6 minutes and covered 30kms - which from a distance perspective doesn't sound a lot but the terrain really does slow us down. The crazy thing is that four hours doesn't seem as long as it did a few weeks ago now that we have some seriously long runs in the bank - I guess thats the purpose of building the distances over a period of 10-12 weeks.<br />
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Then this morning with the All Black's playing France starting at 8am I got up extra early to finish the next 2.5 hours of training so that I could enjoy watching the game with good friends (as I suspect all New Zealanders were doing today). Coach Sue had told me just to spend the 2.5 hours on my feet whether it was walking or jogging so I took her advice - actually I mostly jogged along but towards the end I stopped in at the Takapuna Beach Cafe for a spicy chai latte (made with almond milk as I have dropped dairy out of my diet) and then stopped in at the Takapuna Markets to get some strawberries to take to breakfast.<br />
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Soph and I then headed off to Clara and Jason's for an awesome bacon and egg breakfast whilst watching the All Black's play and win an amazing game of rugby- absolutely outstanding result.<br />
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Then once the business end of the weekend was completed it was time to jump into the spa pool to take the aches out of my very tired legs - whilst continuing to enjoy such great company!<br />
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Until next time….Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-60881536755676339212015-10-09T20:15:00.002-07:002015-10-09T20:15:12.262-07:005 weeks and countingThere are now five weeks remaining until the 50km and today was the biggest run for Simone and I in the lead up to the Tarawera trail. Where to go was the biggest question for us as we needed to run for a little longer than the 4.5hours we did a fortnight ago. It is amazing how much of the North Shore can be covered in that number of hours.<br />
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We decided to head off towards Devonport and pick up the route of the 25km race that I ran a few weeks ago which has similar terrain to what we are expecting on the trails of Tarawera - boardwalks, cross country (up and over North Head), beach and coastal walkways.<br />
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In the last few longer runs I have experienced some nasty chaffing on my back from carrying my camelback so wanted to try a new cream to reduce/eliminate that and also today was a good day to test the nutrition requirements. I had some gu chewys and also a peanut butter bar as well as my electrolyte drink in my camel bak.<br />
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What never ceases to amaze me is that Simone and I never run out of things to talk about while we are pounding the boardwalks - it is amazing how fast the hours pass by when you have great company.<br />
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Once we completed the Devonport /Belmont / Hauraki loop we then headed back along Takapuna Beach through to Milford and did a few loops before heading back along the coastline.<br />
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The chewys went down a treat - they have caffeine in them which provided some well needed boosts and we stopped a few times to refill our camelbaks - we started to be aware how much water we took in during the latter part of the run.<br />
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The good news was that we both felt really good for the whole way - eventually completing 4 hours and 40 minutes - only 10 minutes longer than a few weeks ago but still long enough to test our stamina at being on our feet for that amount of time - the good news is that there was no chaffing today and the nutrition worked out a dream. <br />
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I did need to refuel at the completion of the run - and after a hot shower, where better to head than to Burger Burger - Soph told me that they made the best burgers in town and she was right - it really hit the spot.</div>
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Until next time….<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-33572982255970890532015-09-26T20:01:00.000-07:002015-09-26T20:03:06.394-07:00Time on our feetI don't think any of us slept well last night as we were due to head out for a 4-5 hour run this morning at 6.30am - the clincher was that it was the start of daylight saving so 2am became 3am - we were all worried that our clocks wouldn't change and we would miss the start. None of us did.<br>
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It was dark though at 6.30am (what would have been 5.30am) and the tide was high so we planned to run from Takapuna to Murrays Bay on the road and then head on the coastal walkway to Long Bay and over to Okura River. As the sun came up it became clear to us that it was going to be a stunning day after weeks/months of winter and rain.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZubQP5pTNCXEBSi53KHNWn_nynm6tw1-MZezKF4GU8qDf0dbKVdCKKSeLwIUnClXD6QTqRWdGn34hMhPMrYQ-czEtUsZNpWdLFdSCbBVJLIQo886rFr9ApSAudcDffk2iXPk-Yl5UopE/s640/blogger-image-880277102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZubQP5pTNCXEBSi53KHNWn_nynm6tw1-MZezKF4GU8qDf0dbKVdCKKSeLwIUnClXD6QTqRWdGn34hMhPMrYQ-czEtUsZNpWdLFdSCbBVJLIQo886rFr9ApSAudcDffk2iXPk-Yl5UopE/s640/blogger-image-880277102.jpg"></a></div><br>
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We live in one of the most stunning places in the world and as we headed along the countryside from Long Bay to Okura some of the views were stunning.<br>
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My anxiety levels were rising today as I thought about the time that we were due to be out for - 4-5 hours is a long time on your feet but as coach Sue reminded me the 50km event may take in excess of 7.5 hours due to terrain so its good for the mind and body to spend a significant time in training on your feet.<br>
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We turned around when we could go no further at Okura and at this point we were getting close to having been out for 3 hours. We were also testing nutrition today and the thought of some of the gels we had with us wasn't appetising - thankfully Sue had some yummy treats that were equivalent to great lollies so I will be looking to purchase some of those before the next long run.<br>
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When we got back down to Long Bay beach we decided to take a chance and run back along the coastline - the tide was going out by now so it would be another change of scene and terrain. What we hadn't anticipated was the slimey rocks - some so slippery it was preferable to wade through the ocean - which actually was very refreshing on such a warm sunny day.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR1PPugjcSYlhpZqvfhNzE12ue47swtYomr67mOzQkMy1YyBNNiaFecdGM1uazD0PFAPQ5-oXJWeDyuFGmJXBiS-h4vHYh3JDWfQOEMgOKVXiCuBP3boQ-bCBF6hHzR-s4_ucxLPSFLI/s640/blogger-image--1890029358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR1PPugjcSYlhpZqvfhNzE12ue47swtYomr67mOzQkMy1YyBNNiaFecdGM1uazD0PFAPQ5-oXJWeDyuFGmJXBiS-h4vHYh3JDWfQOEMgOKVXiCuBP3boQ-bCBF6hHzR-s4_ucxLPSFLI/s640/blogger-image--1890029358.jpg"></a></div><br>
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At the 4.5 hour mark, Sue's husband very kindly arrived at Waiake to pick us up - what a relief it was to finally sit down. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHKkF-QDfMd-wCXno5TBDqyy0Nns_SuJRJfeo-SPSqvbIRS9rvLSPTLX5fZPQbEw-Tu6mk7QEUC8qMuXlSl_ReJpo-MufFT7vofl2oyL1LEv70G8RbCxTKk_lmQGzwQD63VQv4-FjH1I/s640/blogger-image--922344748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHKkF-QDfMd-wCXno5TBDqyy0Nns_SuJRJfeo-SPSqvbIRS9rvLSPTLX5fZPQbEw-Tu6mk7QEUC8qMuXlSl_ReJpo-MufFT7vofl2oyL1LEv70G8RbCxTKk_lmQGzwQD63VQv4-FjH1I/s640/blogger-image--922344748.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I have to say I was starving at this point so once I got home and had a shower Soph and I walked down to Burger fuel and picked up a burger and kumera fries - absolutely delicious and hardly touched the sides after our busy morning.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyTXw4VE88Oa8VVb62htnApuluTxTaKT2wqJI2z8fkRKzCcwiuT2WP_IBOWp7jJCaQqjICqVg4z-On5hgPGh7xJqzUqwMFR6PThrKdAlQ0B92PaIyxxi4UiyAUwkxe92wZaTz8ivAKfU/s640/blogger-image-1350561636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyTXw4VE88Oa8VVb62htnApuluTxTaKT2wqJI2z8fkRKzCcwiuT2WP_IBOWp7jJCaQqjICqVg4z-On5hgPGh7xJqzUqwMFR6PThrKdAlQ0B92PaIyxxi4UiyAUwkxe92wZaTz8ivAKfU/s640/blogger-image-1350561636.jpg"></a></div><br>
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What a great morning out with two awesome friends…..Until next time.<br>
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<br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-71454885878758409912015-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:002015-09-19T19:31:34.799-07:00The Devonport Classic<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFfZlU1upXvO9PR3JPqpmuRbSt2pAsEZG4hJxrx0S-xj_GUj_k5NZT5ImRhGiX86QBQK88Ods6via4bht6ZczEZmoOqyuGeGYyJMUQgFiRlFgSQbaqo8kxv8aLxbnjsDTlHH3Jn04bcw/s640/blogger-image--543146039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFfZlU1upXvO9PR3JPqpmuRbSt2pAsEZG4hJxrx0S-xj_GUj_k5NZT5ImRhGiX86QBQK88Ods6via4bht6ZczEZmoOqyuGeGYyJMUQgFiRlFgSQbaqo8kxv8aLxbnjsDTlHH3Jn04bcw/s640/blogger-image--543146039.jpg"></div><br>
Today was the day of the Devonport Classic - 25km/15km/10km and 5km events. Thankfully the day (weather wise) turned out much better than we hoped after torrential rain had kept me awake for most of the night - I began to wonder whether the event would be on or not - but good news - it was :)<br>
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Helen, Sue and I were all doing the 25km and Soph was doing the 15km. The 25km started at 8am - I had been worried for a few weeks as to whether I would finish before the cut off - there was a 3 hour time limit which is a little unusual in these types of events. The course was full of twists and turns, trails and boardwalks as well as loads of hills. <br>
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It wasn't long before we were off - there was quite a bottleneck at the start as we wound our way along the Devonport waterfront and then up a number of steps and onto the road/boardwalks. I saw Sue on the course twice where she reminded me to take in a gel and then Simone was waiting at the 13 km mark to cheer me on - she had decided not to enter this event - so it was really nice to see her on the side of the road and then run along next with me for a kilometre or so before she went off in another direction to finish her training run for the day. <br>
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I had an idea of where I needed to be at the conclusion of the first hour and the second hour so was really happy to see I was on target - that was until we turned a corner to run up North Head at the 20km mark - it is a really steep hill and all on grass which was very muddy after the heavy rain. But by the time I ran down the other side I had worked out that from a timing perspective I could walk the last 3km and still make the cut off. I kept the pace going though and was really happy to finish the 25km in 2.46 - 14 minutes under the cut off - such a great feeling!<br>
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It was great to see the others at the finish line - Helen had finished in just under 2 hours (very impressive) and Sue had finished in around 2.20 (also very impressive). Soph ran the 15 km in 1.35 which I think she should be really happy with as her training hasn't been as good as she had hoped for.<br>
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There is now 6 weeks to the Auckland Marathon (Helen is running the marathon and Soph and I are doing the half marathon) - that will be just 2 weeks out from the Tarawera 50km - so at this point I am well on track.<br>
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Now i am off for a nap!<br>
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Until next time ...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-86547631752788306942015-09-04T21:06:00.000-07:002015-09-04T21:06:51.566-07:00Over or Under?It was great to catch up with Simone this morning given we had missed running together last weekend.<br />
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We had a 90 minute run on the programme today which seemed very short after 4 hours last Saturday. I have to say that it took me most of the week to recover from that long run and a few early nights were needed to bounce back.<br />
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It has been a miserable week weather wise with torrential rain and gale force winds so it was a slight relief to head off under grey skies but without the rain. We headed towards Devonport which is a nice undulating run and then decided to make our way back along the coastline.<br />
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Because of the heavy rain during the week the rocks along the coastline were green with slime and very very slippery. After taking 15 minutes to complete 1 kilometre on the rocks and a nasty fall by Simone, we found a steep staircase which we hoped would take us back up to the road. <br />
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It was quite a climb up to the road so we were very disappointed to find that there was a fence that had been put up to stop people going down the staircase to the beach but it was also going to prevent us from getting back to the road.<br />
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However, where there is a will there is a way. Simone very confidently climbed over the top of the fence but I am not so agile and after attempting to go over the top and failing I found another route out - under the fence. I was absolutely filthy when I got up after crawling out but pleased not to have had to return to the rocky slippery coastline.<br />
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We headed back along the road and then Takapuna Beach taking nearly 2 hours in total as opposed to the 90 minutes planned. Never mind - ultra distance run training is all about time on your feet.<br />
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Until next time…..<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-33572189449377725912015-08-30T01:09:00.002-07:002015-08-30T01:15:59.239-07:00How Long did you say?I was a bit freaked out this week when I saw that I had a 4 hour run scheduled in my training programme this weekend - I don't remember running for that long previously other than whilst taking part in a half ironman or marathon event.<br>
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So it was with some trepidation that I headed out at 7am yesterday morning with my camelbak securely fastened to my back with enough fluids to last 4 hours. Simone wasn't able to join me on this run as she had a crazy busy Saturday planned with family activities.<br>
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I decided to pick a fairly challenging course which is a different approach to previous years when I tended to find an enjoyable easy training course. I think picking a more challenging course will only be of benefit on the day of the 50km.<br>
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The first 18 km flew by in 2 hours and then the coastal walkway slowed me down significantly. I headed up hills, steps, ran along beaches and roads stopping at a dairy to buy some additional water as the fluids I thought might last me, didn't. The third hour signalled 25.5 kms and as I headed in to the fourth hour I slowed even more. My legs were tired - I was hungry but didn't feel like eating. I really need to nail the nutrition in readiness for the big day as food and water play a major part in the training plan. <br>
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I finally arrived home at 11am - 4 hours after I had left - although actual running time was 3.45 as I had stopped off for traffic lights and buying water along the way etc. I had completed 30.5 kms which I was happy with given the challenging terrain. Goodness knows how long the 50km will take as I had slowed more and more with each passing hour!<br>
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I have to admit that I did very little else over the weekend - I sat in the movies with Soph, got a rotisserie chicken take out for dinner - then lazed on the couch all day Sunday with the exception of walking Bella for about an hour on Sunday afternoon to loosen up the muscles.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdgYzaZWV8lsnsgViJd1FFb92NjoXnvLfG6SZEjBKaEWtmeCfsC0NgQaMLrxJiVq9XG2jJA9QfcCDPu-95pfkTCTE2yKV1SM1dKOP1fGA_77ticQb_U-wPbqCtri0hJnK4NRVSBNxtlc/s640/blogger-image-606237215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdgYzaZWV8lsnsgViJd1FFb92NjoXnvLfG6SZEjBKaEWtmeCfsC0NgQaMLrxJiVq9XG2jJA9QfcCDPu-95pfkTCTE2yKV1SM1dKOP1fGA_77ticQb_U-wPbqCtri0hJnK4NRVSBNxtlc/s640/blogger-image-606237215.jpg"></a></div><br>
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Until next time…..<br>
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<br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-83586046619446952962015-08-23T01:45:00.000-07:002015-08-23T01:45:48.369-07:00Coastal WalkwayWell it was good to be back in training this week after a nasty head cold last week which resulted in a few days horizontal on the couch.<br />
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Yesterday (Saturday) my great friend and neighbour, Helen, organised a fun run for her husband Andy who was turning 40. When I say a fun run - I soon found out that Helen, Andy and their friends run at a blistering pace despite pushing strollers with their pre-schoolers inside holding on for the ride of their lives. Having started off very confidently at the front of the pack things only deteriorated from there and I arrived in second to last place at the finish spot 6km later (when I say second to last I am not sure that little Danny peddling as fast as he could on his scooter counts). Anyway I was very grateful to another great friend, Clara, whose nephews were roaring along the pathway with Clara's triplets holding on in their stroller so Clara had borrowed her nephews bike and very kindly rode the last kilometre or so with me as I gasped for air trying to keep up. We arrived just in time to see the pre-schoolers taking part in some races along the beach. Everyone then headed back to Helen and Andy's for an amazing feast of bacon and eggs which were devoured after the mornings exercise (see the photo below of some of the shoes and strollers on Helen and Andy's doorstep). I am sure its no surprise that I needed a lie down in the afternoon.<br />
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Then this morning after a quick walk with Bella the dog, Simone and I headed off at 7.30am along the Coastal Walkway from Campbells Bay to Torbay and back - it is quite a steep, long and winding walkway but it was a gorgeous day for a 2 hour run particularly because for the first time in a long time the rain stopped and the sun was shining. Simone and I have picked out a few challenging training runs which we hope will get us into good shape for the Tarawera 50km Trail run which is now only about 12 weeks away on November 14. </div>
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These photos were taken at Browns Bay Beach on our way back to Campbells Bay - it was still fairly early in the morning so the beach wasn't as populated as it was later in the morning - everyone was out by midday enjoying the winter sunshine. <br />
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Until next time :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-90498266786404128752015-08-08T02:25:00.000-07:002015-08-08T02:25:45.498-07:00Training BeginsI haven't blogged in over 14 months since my return from Singapore where I spent almost two years living and working. So I thought now would be a good opportunity to pick up the laptop and capture my next new adventure.<br />
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I have always liked a challenge and this year isn't any different - I have signed up to run my first ultra marathon - an off-road trail run in Rotorua, New Zealand - The Tarawera 50km. I have a training programme all sorted (thanks to coach Sue Brewster) and a great training buddy (Simone Guy). Sue and Simone have also signed up to run the 50km so we hope to have a blast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break on a Saturday morning training run</td></tr>
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The ultra-marthon journey actually started almost 12 months ago when I signed up for a 60km event also at Tarawera, but during the build up I completely psyched myself out and eventually withdrew. I did travel down to the event though as both Sue and Simone were taking part. It was such an incredible event and I spent the day cheering on Sue and Simone who finished the course in approximately 9 hours (just 10 minutes apart). I was so in awe of their achievements that I thought I needed to get over myself and sign up again. I have to add that the 50km distance doesn't scare me as much as the 60km so I am hoping I don't psyche myself out this time.<br />
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I have run (jogged/walked) a number of marathons over the years but they have all been on the road - so trail running is really new to me - I entered a couple of trail events over the last few months and it is so much more fun than pounding the pavements (apart from the day I lost my running shoes in the mud at Riverhead). NZ is such a beautiful country and I am continually surprised by the many trails around that I never knew existed. <br />
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Training is now underway with just 14 weeks to go until the Tarawera 50km and early this morning Simone and I headed up to Long Bay, just North of Auckland, for a 2 hour training run - the weather was a bit gloomy with patches of heavy rain and hail (what can one expect in the middle of winter) - but nothing was going to dampen our enthusiasm to hit a new trail - the views were amazing and well worth getting up so early for. Until next time…..<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading towards Okura</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back to Long Bay Beach</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-5021376072567750222014-02-22T18:05:00.006-08:002014-02-22T18:20:41.406-08:00A new focus<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">
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It seems like it has been a while since my last blog – probably because there has been a lot going on since I arrived back from Auckland in early January.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Soph was here visiting for two weeks prior to returning to Uni for the start of her third year. We managed to fit in a lot of exciting things whilst she was here including a day trip to by ferry to Batam, Indonesia for some amazing spa treatments – including an hours head massage where we lay outside under the trees (photo below) whilst having a lovely concoction massaged into our heads - very relaxing – ideally we should have stayed 24 hours at the spa/resort as the surroundings were gorgeous (if you have time google 'Tempat Senang Resort and Spa'). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><br></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFPgplSLaYJRH_aOyl6_RC_MRMRSp7avBMN4HFrbgbp70eAd2XfmuDEcHNWguYFJ3adk2J5L8ykBJywcYzuzlVavkCSi_gAMufeMgquJebfW25jTsvrLkhiaLj1qB6UqPl5ElbHIzVPw/s640/blogger-image-1906786327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFPgplSLaYJRH_aOyl6_RC_MRMRSp7avBMN4HFrbgbp70eAd2XfmuDEcHNWguYFJ3adk2J5L8ykBJywcYzuzlVavkCSi_gAMufeMgquJebfW25jTsvrLkhiaLj1qB6UqPl5ElbHIzVPw/s640/blogger-image-1906786327.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLv8i95aooKbdgxOtsgOO-szxc3cTgV6swXVMb43cSxvqJfsDZHk_3yf50gKVIuQkro_PAvo-NgMVpUbm_FlvspYzT_or08eXjq_BrKvvrF6frTbbfy2nnjvpEiQ85ZCSBZpcdMynunAo/s640/blogger-image-1608409448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLv8i95aooKbdgxOtsgOO-szxc3cTgV6swXVMb43cSxvqJfsDZHk_3yf50gKVIuQkro_PAvo-NgMVpUbm_FlvspYzT_or08eXjq_BrKvvrF6frTbbfy2nnjvpEiQ85ZCSBZpcdMynunAo/s640/blogger-image-1608409448.jpg"></a></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><br></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We also managed to get to the movies to see ‘The Book Thief’ which we both really enjoyed; ate in some lovely restaurants – one of Soph’s favourite was Hard Rock Café </span><font face="Wingdings">- </font><font face="Calibri, sans-serif">and we managed to fit in some running at MacRitchie which is an 11km trail run and Mt Faber as well as some gym sessions together. Soph also had to do some study in readiness to sit two exams on her return to Uni having not been able to sit them in November due to her chickenpox incident during exam week (the good news is she just sat one of the exams and got 80%, so she must have managed to fit in more study that she thought). At the end of the two weeks it was tough waving her off but was made slightly easier knowing we will be at home together at Easter.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2lho6QcVDTHRMlkcnnjFdRj-PzKn9_7ixDqEK44l8En8Uv95ch1MCuBFfIdMZaQmI0Gw_S6MKGBVLsyB4uA4RI9hnZSeN6uMF79_zzHZUTVVUJ_4JzuK28Ig6tqAmq0PjK5dirO_5RY/s640/blogger-image-61709779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2lho6QcVDTHRMlkcnnjFdRj-PzKn9_7ixDqEK44l8En8Uv95ch1MCuBFfIdMZaQmI0Gw_S6MKGBVLsyB4uA4RI9hnZSeN6uMF79_zzHZUTVVUJ_4JzuK28Ig6tqAmq0PjK5dirO_5RY/s640/blogger-image-61709779.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div>
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I also took some time to reflect on what I wanted to achieve for 2014. I have always wanted to become a counsellor so I finally signed up to complete a Diploma in Counselling which I will do part time whilst working full time. I can complete six months of the qualification whilst living overseas but will need to finish it on my return to NZ (not sure yet when this might be).<o:p></o:p></div>
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I signed up to the gym in January and have been getting there 5 mornings a week from 7am - 8.30am and doing a mixture of workouts either with a personal trainer which is exhausting and after the first session it took me four days until I could lift my arms up to wash my hair….and I also run on the treadmill for up to an hour (mostly doing interval training to speed my legs up a bit). Today I joined a friend from work, Caz, who is training for the Prague Marathon in May, for a 90 minute run and was surprised that I could run that far having not done a lot of outdoor running since I have been back - the heat here can be a real challenge. This morning though it was a fairly cool 26 degrees with a nice breeze - very nice running conditions. Its also really nice to run alongside someone who is training for a marathon rather than it being me who is training for one.</div>
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After getting so confused with the diet issue – dukan/ primal /paleo / low carb - high fat, I decided to return to 'normal' eating habits only to find I didn’t know what 'normal' meant anymore. Scary….for the first time in months I had a sandwich for lunch (smoked salmon and avocado) and really enjoyed it. Lets hope it doesn’t take me long to find my way back to normal eating (whatever that may be)! I think 'normal' for me just means eat healthy at least 80% of the time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So for the next few months my plan is to study ; work out in the gym 3-5 times a week, run a few days a week and eat healthily. Sounds like a good plan to me – oh and fit in some great movie viewing – I just saw ‘Rush’ a true story about James Hunt and Nikki Lauda who were competitors in Formula 1 motor racing – really enjoyed it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Until next time</span><font face="Wingdings">!</font></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-5647789065009440812014-01-24T20:56:00.000-08:002014-01-24T21:11:13.554-08:00Celebrations Begin….One of the biggest celebrations for the year is about to begin here in Singapore with Chinese New Year. The city is looking really colourful and yesterday at the office I was excited to take part in a 'Lo Hei' - the tossing of a prosperity salad - the higher you toss the salad, the more prosperous you become.<br>
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Given we had more than 600 employees tossing salad you can imagine the fun that was had and surprisingly the tossed salad was really tasty. We were also given gifts as we left the lunch - 2 mandarin oranges which is another symbol to help usher in prosperity - this was followed with traditional music being played by an orchestra in the afternoon which was enjoyed by all - a fun day.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFW_7tPOaQdhYG6y-jw4dHwW4zUOw3523yzIacZo-VBWZpkkGhbPbZ5g67rBBKEt3PAWsug-umHDxZCT8vLt2eXXt5betMK6J7edD5aFbzoHMPxikNf2T8z4OAiqxJmgnFLYXLsJQIxyU/s640/blogger-image--1173993668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFW_7tPOaQdhYG6y-jw4dHwW4zUOw3523yzIacZo-VBWZpkkGhbPbZ5g67rBBKEt3PAWsug-umHDxZCT8vLt2eXXt5betMK6J7edD5aFbzoHMPxikNf2T8z4OAiqxJmgnFLYXLsJQIxyU/s640/blogger-image--1173993668.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-57UAGrESQVKdRQbvwazvEvcCxz3UZNcjmQW3dtC67d6nDcyjCwnL07NbD_EkQpNI5Kwuwa2HAqOS1VBXuU98VGNZJqpP1R3KGlehUDChAZ6-5-No3K0O01lAWn7aD1ns1sEh9O8uIo/s640/blogger-image-1112698536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-57UAGrESQVKdRQbvwazvEvcCxz3UZNcjmQW3dtC67d6nDcyjCwnL07NbD_EkQpNI5Kwuwa2HAqOS1VBXuU98VGNZJqpP1R3KGlehUDChAZ6-5-No3K0O01lAWn7aD1ns1sEh9O8uIo/s640/blogger-image-1112698536.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjUJIAh7YwqMdlYhVKaqAq5VVgsZH8DiHG1OY3qnnKKPW8V-ziXEyWEL-82bZ8_H-02rewR_4JZzF0M1LSfQHcm-Qrj1ojImg-n3u_fztsn_EKnKKh9u59oQTTBgMSq-HAOEyl6z4HtI/s640/blogger-image-1275362334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjUJIAh7YwqMdlYhVKaqAq5VVgsZH8DiHG1OY3qnnKKPW8V-ziXEyWEL-82bZ8_H-02rewR_4JZzF0M1LSfQHcm-Qrj1ojImg-n3u_fztsn_EKnKKh9u59oQTTBgMSq-HAOEyl6z4HtI/s640/blogger-image-1275362334.jpg"></a></div></div><br>
I wanted to try and capture some of the excitement in the city so on my walk home from the gym this morning (3kms) I stopped to take photos - the colours of the mandarin trees and the decorations are really gorgeous. The temples are full and the traditional restaurants have queues around the block. <br>
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As most of the celebrations centre on family and food its not surprising to see the price of food has sky rocketed (hard to believe given the already astronomical cost of food) and you don't want to to see a hairdresser or a manicurist as they all hike up their prices with the long weekend starting on Friday and everyone wanting to look their best. Taxis are really hard to come by (as most of the taxi drivers are enjoying their celebrations) and advice to those needing a taxi is to 'jump the queue' when using the taxi app's to book a taxi, which adds an extra $5.00 to the $3.20 booking fee. So the cost is $8.20 before you have left your destination. Given the majority of people living here don't have cars - taxis are the next best mode of transport - no wonder you need all the symbols and wishes for increased prosperity - just to make it through the New Year!<br>
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Anyway, I am particularly looking forward to the long weekend as my gorgeous girl Soph is coming to stay. That in itself is reason to celebrate - we will both enjoy the firework displays that will be on show as the Chinese begin to celebrate the most important event of the year on the Chinese calendar.<br>
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I am also another week in to the paleo low carb high fat and maintaining less than 50 carbs a day. Given a few days ago I was weighed at they gym and had body fat etc measured I can watch closely to see if this is going to work for me. I suspect I may be eating too much fat - if you are reading this Helen K or Mikki can you let me know if I need to watch the calorie intake as well or just keep below the 50 carbs?? I just want to make sure I do it right. I headed off to the supermarket this morning and loaded up the trolley with organic low carb high fat foods - the better stocked I am the less likely I will fall of the wagon. Looks pretty good doesn't it!<br>
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So things are off to a good start for 2014 - I am back at work, have joined the gym, and seem to have the food under control so lets see what happens!</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-61626026370534853782013-12-29T23:58:00.001-08:002014-01-01T20:28:40.446-08:00The start of another year - January 2014Happy New Year and a toast to all the opportunities that 2014 will bring.<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBe5c96d33RwsxI-mZtiQaLXKwivfLeeyEJfYAjds7cLE11GHN3iMac_lgxqi8z2PU9jF1sMd6FUqwK6vcxu-bCPe9RzkJp4vR9_agfi0vSZax-LDxOdMhGg7-GozY6Q4jxTEVZo9wic/s640/blogger-image-642188123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBe5c96d33RwsxI-mZtiQaLXKwivfLeeyEJfYAjds7cLE11GHN3iMac_lgxqi8z2PU9jF1sMd6FUqwK6vcxu-bCPe9RzkJp4vR9_agfi0vSZax-LDxOdMhGg7-GozY6Q4jxTEVZo9wic/s640/blogger-image-642188123.jpg"></a></div></div>
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The start of a new year is such an exciting time and full of so many possibilities - a new beginning and a clean slate.<br>
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As we start this new year, I am making a list of things that I want to accomplish during 2014 such as beginning yoga classes to increase muscle flexibility, joining the gym for strength training, looking for some exciting events to see if the yoga classes and strength training make a difference and I will also be thinking about next steps career wise as my current contract is due to conclude in June. <br>
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There is also nothing like the shock I got a few days ago to help get things back on track after I found out that what I thought I was eating on my Paleo low carb / high fat diet was in fact a high carb / high fat diet. High carbs and high fat do not go well together when the aim is weight loss - in fact weight gain is a guaranteed outcome (I am sure we have had this conversation before - but I am a slow learner). It wasn't until I sat down with my good friend Clara who started punching the 'carb' numbers that reality set in - an apple has HOW many carbs?' oh dear, no wonder the weight loss isn't happening!<br>
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I then spent the rest of the afternoon making a list of what I can actually eat so that I am all ready to stock my pantry with low carb / high fat foods for the new year. It was a surprise to see the number of carbs in things like dates and grapes which I thought would be fairly low in carbs. I also found out that the number of carbs I need to aim for is approx 50 grams each day (for weight loss purposes). Its always advisable to know what the goal is (how else can you achieve it)! The good news is that as a result of this 'understanding carbs' exercise, there will be a lot of cream, avocado and full fat cheese filling my shelves in 2014 - all these yummy items have no carbs at all (or less than 1 gram) - I can't complain about that. </div>
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<br>Anyway, enough about carbs.... I have had an awesome 2 weeks spent in my beautiful little home in sunny Takapuna over the holiday season enjoying being able to spend time with family and friends and enjoy the beautiful beach and clear blue skies - it may sound strange but hanging the washing out in the garden with the sun shining on it has been quite a highlight - its so humid in Singapore that the washing can take a week to dry. But like all other great holidays, this one is now coming to an end. As always its been an amazing time and a real bonus was getting to meet Clara's triplets who were born a little earlier than expected on New Years Eve. They are absolutely gorgeous.</div><div><br></div><div>I have tried hard to catch up with as many of my nearest and dearest as I possibly can - but for those of you that I missed this time, I will be back in early April for Soph's 21st birthday, so will look forward to seeing you then.</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I fly back to Singapore at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning so will be making the most of my last few days in Paradise (on this trip anyway).</span></div><div><br></div><div>Here is to an awesome 2014 - may all your dreams come true. Until next time -</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnJ7zZSiSIBXJ9cFnNkth-YoQCLfyuZEFxW_k1wRw3hMlSItLiLuczmeXBCxicf7EKmyOD_yUR_NVMiV6C9bz8y8C9BudicHCRGUUx9FWykUVarbypmp_jiJ5WH2qgVzzBX82RyFNqZ8/s640/blogger-image-614237971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnJ7zZSiSIBXJ9cFnNkth-YoQCLfyuZEFxW_k1wRw3hMlSItLiLuczmeXBCxicf7EKmyOD_yUR_NVMiV6C9bz8y8C9BudicHCRGUUx9FWykUVarbypmp_jiJ5WH2qgVzzBX82RyFNqZ8/s640/blogger-image-614237971.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-71014691995912028352013-12-09T04:44:00.001-08:002013-12-09T04:48:57.882-08:00Lessons LearntWell what a weird weekend - after three months of working towards a goal it seemed a little strange not to have to head out for three plus hours pounding the pavements. Instead I downloaded four great movies and barely moved off the couch. Bliss. Time for some R&R before I decide what is next on the race agenda.<br />
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However, whilst lounging on the couch, I have been reflecting on the lessons I learnt during the marathon build up that I will take forward for future events and thought I would jot them down for reference - I hope one of them (or all of them) might be helpful to you to!<br />
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The first lesson was the most significant for me psychologically - for this build up I didn't have a set routine that I stuck to the night before a long run, or a set meal that I ate the night before a long run, or a breakfast that I ate on the morning of a long run, or a particular electrolyte drink that I drank along the way. For me this was hugely beneficial as if one of those routines didn't eventuate leading up to race day then I would second guess every ache or pain during the event and put it down to my routine being broken. The longer the race the more important it is that I don't panic if things go wrong. So I continuously changed things along the way and built confidence knowing that whatever I ate or drank it would work for me. I told myself that I had a cast iron stomach - and thats exactly how I felt on the day.<br />
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The second lesson was that when I found myself injured I still exercised for the same amount of time that I was scheduled to run for. So if I had a 3 hour run scheduled then I walked for 3 hours instead or for the shorter run times I would aqua jog. This really didn't impact on my race day at all - I still ran the best pace that I had planned given the heat and humidity experienced here in Singapore (although to be fair I did do the shorter event). Thinking about this lesson led me to the next lesson...<br />
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Lesson Number Three - I felt very comfortable turning up to the half marathon event given I had covered 23-24 km distances on three previous occasions in the weeks leading up to the event. I knew without doubt that I would have no trouble completing the 21 km distance. If I decide to take part in future marathons then I will consider 50km training events so that psychologically I feel as comfortable as I did turning up to the half marathon. It is very liberating to feel so confident to the point that I was really excited about the day and enjoyed every minute of the run. It was over before I knew it. <br />
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The last lesson comes from having for the first time (after many many years of completing running or more recently triathlon races) had an absolute blast in a half marathon. Usually I am so stressed out thinking of the time that I want to run the race in - hoping I will run faster than the last race, wondering if I will be able to do it - and from all this anxiety/stress I burn up so much energy that there is nothing left for the run. I want to change that and train well, be confident, relax and savour each moment.<br />
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So those are the lessons I learnt.<br />
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I am now looking forward to heading home to Auckland for Christmas - its been a long year living so far from home - but I am very lucky to have an opportunity to live here in Singapore and experience living and working in another country. However, trust me when I say, there is absolutely no place like home. 11 sleeps to go and then I get to see my gorgeous girl who I haven't seen for 15 weeks (I will never leave it that long again) and my extended family and friends - these are the most important gifts in life and for which I am truly grateful.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-42178239033512713742013-11-30T20:33:00.011-08:002013-11-30T20:56:46.190-08:00Race DayWell before I start my blog today, I need to make a confession. Yesterday one of my colleagues who recently had dengue fever, tracked me down to say he wasn't feeling well enough start the half marathon and wondered if I might like his entry. Would I??? YES I really would - thank you so much Nick. It was such a relief as I really wasn't prepared to run the full marathon and one should really respect the marathon distance.<br>
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So it was with rather light feet this morning that I jumped out of bed at 4.30 am and sat down in front of the telly to watch the 5am marathon start whilst I enjoyed my banana and large mug of peppermint tea. <br>
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The taxi arrived at 5.30am which took myself and another one of my work colleagues, Jeremy, who lives in the same condo, to the start line at Sentosa. Given the early start there wasn't much traffic on the road and we arrived at the start-line at 5.37am for a 6.30 am start. Oh dear. However, there are benefits in arriving at the start line early, especially when there are 22,000 other half marathon runners also lining up - a great starting position.<br>
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I had decided the absolute best I could hope for would be to keep to the same pace going for the whole distance and keep to what I had been doing in training - run for 8 minutes and walk for 2 minutes - I had my garmin set to buzz every 8 mins and again 2 mins later so that I didn't need to keep checking the time. This worked really well and I was excited to go through the 8km mark in 1 hour (the exact pace that I managed on really good training days given the heat and humidity). The route was very scenic and even wound its way through Universal Studios where I managed to get a few snaps:<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZmlNyuGgXDSDHd7vRi714XUBDI7fDT41etArG9ITqrf4Hgz_16sLobkWFw59OEhS9eD7YeKt8G4TjNwBT7qnZJYgk_zI5td9jlHKE66qAqGw1eMk307PC134v59kqF3v2bdhLHIprE8/s640/blogger-image-1692852938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZmlNyuGgXDSDHd7vRi714XUBDI7fDT41etArG9ITqrf4Hgz_16sLobkWFw59OEhS9eD7YeKt8G4TjNwBT7qnZJYgk_zI5td9jlHKE66qAqGw1eMk307PC134v59kqF3v2bdhLHIprE8/s640/blogger-image-1692852938.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br>
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To be honest the kilometres flew by and I went through the 16km mark in exactly 2 hours so was still on pace - I had downloaded some awesome Christmas music to listen to on the way - and was having so much fun that I realised I was singing along out loud and was not in the least bit worried that no-one else could hear what I was listening to. <br>
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At the 18 km mark the marathon runners merged with the half marathon runners and it did get very congested (given there were 16,000 in the marathon race and 22,000 in the half marathon) but nothing could dampen my enjoyment and realisation that I was almost finished.<br>
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Just before the finish line 'the kids dash' was starting and Morag's kids, Sam and Isla, were taking part along with over 4000 other kids so I was keeping my eye out for them - that race started 750 metres from the finishing line. In total more than 54,000 took part in one of the race day events so you can imagine the craziness at the end.<br>
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I crossed the finish line in 2.35 minutes so had picked up the pace a bit in the second half (what a well paced run). I really had an absolute blast - enjoying every minute. I don't even feel the slightest bit guilty that I didn't do what I had set out to do which was run the marathon. Sometimes plans need to change as things don't always go the way we intended. Sam and Isla were very proud of their efforts as well:<br>
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I am inspired now to build on the training I have done to date and will get ready for the Triathlon season which starts here in February - I have to see if I can improve on my third placing in my age group - lots to look forward to. </div><div><br></div><div>Before signing off today I want to say a special thanks to Sue Dorman for her wonderful coaching - she always goes with the flow for which I am very grateful. See you in Auckland soon Sue! <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Also I hope that Nick (whose race number I borrowed) likes the finishing photos - I definitely beamed at every photo opportunity!</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br>
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<br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-25439864592639895322013-11-23T19:51:00.001-08:002013-11-23T19:52:51.518-08:007 Sleeps to goWith only 7 sleeps to go to the Singapore marathon, I have been reflecting back to the first marathon I ever took part in almost 30 years ago - it was the Rotorua marathon and I was scared to death! <div><br></div><div>I had joined the Auckland YMCA marathon club a few months prior and turned up bright and early every Sunday morning to join their build up to the Rotorua event. I remember one of their 20 mile runs which went out to the airport and back from the central city and I was so exhausted afterwards I despaired at the thought of having to run a further 10kms on marathon day. Then the night before the marathon there was a dreadful storm with hail and high winds and I sat crying in the bathroom wondering what had possessed me to sign up to such an event and what was I thinking having told people about it - now I had to start! It really was a monumental moment as I had been a couch potato for most of my life prior to entering the marathon. Unfortunately by morning the weather hadn't changed and I lined up at the start of the marathon with a rubbish bag over me to protect me from the hail stones and high winds. And then we were off. It felt quite surreal. I plodded along in the dreadful weather conditions and did ok until the 32km mark (3 hours 30 minutes) and then hit the wall as we all hear about. It took me an hour and 41 minutes to wade the last 10km to the finish - but you couldn't wipe the beaming smile off my face for days to come despite the awful stiffness that plagued me the following week. It was a huge milestone for me. A few months later I ran a 4 hour 12 marathon in Hamilton and went on to do a number of other marathons including London and New York - what a great way to see a city and one day I will break that 4 hour mark (but not next week).<div><br></div><div>So nearly 30 years on I still don't know what possessed me to enter this event as the marathon distance really takes its toll - I haven't had a great build up but there are many years of miles in the bank and many lessons learned along the way. I have also had the great pleasure to run in many cities in the world, London, New York, Denver, Chicago, Washington, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Wellington and Auckland, so I guess it makes sense at some strange level to line up and take part in one of the biggest events in Singapore along with nearly 25,000 others. </div><div><br></div><div>The Singapore marathon starts at 5am next Sunday 1 December (that's 10am NZ time). I guess there are only a few things left to do - both these little gems seem appropriate today...</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUoh08aa_B0uEa31wCUfHL68ZAI-OHnA4YCqn0upEU9lFe6_XZeagmpej-xAZRnIvrMJe1QnFYV5QnrnprwXXCmo4o_X_PcinjDRQFcIanwgtrHIZcxvzak9PMcSbNE3hJ3M839BQIg8/s640/blogger-image--510547110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUoh08aa_B0uEa31wCUfHL68ZAI-OHnA4YCqn0upEU9lFe6_XZeagmpej-xAZRnIvrMJe1QnFYV5QnrnprwXXCmo4o_X_PcinjDRQFcIanwgtrHIZcxvzak9PMcSbNE3hJ3M839BQIg8/s640/blogger-image--510547110.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">and......</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiSFE0GCTQaTY1sXmEdEI1ym3-nyXI9GV9WVCxkJXWSOvJKi8mkU4q9TA1WThlV52gQvsJE1g4yOuCqKN6WfLG2Tt9Bw2XHTNry0XP7pWV5LA-S_iMdxSKCVhC1k1sjIWsIeBOAYY06Y/s640/blogger-image--1453022113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiSFE0GCTQaTY1sXmEdEI1ym3-nyXI9GV9WVCxkJXWSOvJKi8mkU4q9TA1WThlV52gQvsJE1g4yOuCqKN6WfLG2Tt9Bw2XHTNry0XP7pWV5LA-S_iMdxSKCVhC1k1sjIWsIeBOAYY06Y/s640/blogger-image--1453022113.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Until next week.....</div><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-47183632421913987322013-11-16T20:51:00.001-08:002013-11-16T20:53:38.252-08:00Countdown is on<div><br></div><div><br></div>Monsoon season has arrived and every morning there is massive thunder and lightning which has me pull the sheet over my head, roll over and go back to sleep - I will head out training in most weather but not lightening. On Tuesday I had got 4 Kms down the road when the thunder and lightening started so needed to get home as quickly as possible to avoid a lightening strike. The other life threatening challenge being faced here at the moment is an outbreak of Dengue fever - my boss was hospitalised with it earlier in the week - here is the notice in our neighbourhood reminding us about it:<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3c5crwnMXn0VmU2k_b0BlGDI_q4sSJ4H_HZbu_FFPJ84Y6KIYQac0FBDX4H4FhRFTxWX_NiMomiSpmamt_dGccNr6jbGtDVdd52KC0nb5wpVTyE5vyBCORXk_ZfTn3ZaukTwvQeDfr4/s640/blogger-image--718337967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3c5crwnMXn0VmU2k_b0BlGDI_q4sSJ4H_HZbu_FFPJ84Y6KIYQac0FBDX4H4FhRFTxWX_NiMomiSpmamt_dGccNr6jbGtDVdd52KC0nb5wpVTyE5vyBCORXk_ZfTn3ZaukTwvQeDfr4/s640/blogger-image--718337967.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div>So despite the challenges there is still a marathon to run. This week I wondered whether my running shoes may be contributing to the running injuries being experienced so I headed out to running lab which is similar to shoe science in NZ to see what I could find. The first pair of shoes I tried on felt amazing so despite never having run in this particular brand I headed home with them - amazingly they match my camelbak perfectly :)</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbqnlT_65ekN0DIrXI-uz9FNvqp8XMwj-rplFnX_c8yBhOEm73d6gann3wxTcjpi5orTU8mrizQ7_M4Sdm3rpSjO6j14ZU2X2N-Txlcy0j2yI0ujLMADKprouASq2r4ytJ0epfE61U7s/s640/blogger-image-1720665351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbqnlT_65ekN0DIrXI-uz9FNvqp8XMwj-rplFnX_c8yBhOEm73d6gann3wxTcjpi5orTU8mrizQ7_M4Sdm3rpSjO6j14ZU2X2N-Txlcy0j2yI0ujLMADKprouASq2r4ytJ0epfE61U7s/s640/blogger-image-1720665351.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Its not perfect buying new shoes 2 weeks out from the marathon but the way things were going it was unlikely I would make the startline - so I figure there is nothing to lose by trying new shoes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This morning I headed out for my last long training session - 3-3.5 hours was the aim. I wanted to eat breakfast this morning as a trial as there is no way I want to start a marathon without breakfast. I am still eating Paleo and love this - I have it every morning. 1 apple and then a handful of each of these nuts, seeds, goji berries and coconut - into the blender and then a topping of Greek yoghurt - yum - nutritious and delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO8SHN-CFizKT1H4ddpeHRavjwcqGv-jlFQF_nr9zBvjuCaJMl4dOLfH01HspW9IUuwC25Flg2boPIBZXPl26clpFzqmwbDAGItcDiKSR4dRCCLJcwBTcaiAgoSmvjwuhSXlQkn8yyRI/s640/blogger-image--1803169297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO8SHN-CFizKT1H4ddpeHRavjwcqGv-jlFQF_nr9zBvjuCaJMl4dOLfH01HspW9IUuwC25Flg2boPIBZXPl26clpFzqmwbDAGItcDiKSR4dRCCLJcwBTcaiAgoSmvjwuhSXlQkn8yyRI/s640/blogger-image--1803169297.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Once I had eaten and loaded myself up with all it that I take with me (who knew you needed so much gear) - hat, sweatband, camelbak, iPod , iPhone, garmin, money and waistband to carry my chocolate gu):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V48lrKe8Tmgx8ss1mw4qxboV13mg71WwonsakiQWhLh8MqevZKXIrP0desdvk4EfQdj0t0KiigboaKQ1zzfOn3QwZ-v6nlfFEYXWbNTt4uogQtU2JQ6J3SS6EFPTiaQdQp-3oL7xERc/s640/blogger-image-1747793590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7V48lrKe8Tmgx8ss1mw4qxboV13mg71WwonsakiQWhLh8MqevZKXIrP0desdvk4EfQdj0t0KiigboaKQ1zzfOn3QwZ-v6nlfFEYXWbNTt4uogQtU2JQ6J3SS6EFPTiaQdQp-3oL7xERc/s640/blogger-image-1747793590.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I headed off towards Mt Faber which offers a great running trail to Kent Ridge. Here are some pictures I took along the way:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWCOa7B-hIbruyk58PVFgJD1LZy1qQlq87Hj4ZQFNWw5OcmkYs0lZSGMw-bK1nFol2V0Xx27orf5xEVzNeBI4yLjg12uh3Yl6y3UGhbvhqITA4mGC9cgHN0vqcebxaH6NOCAvaIjE8fU/s640/blogger-image--1662543303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWCOa7B-hIbruyk58PVFgJD1LZy1qQlq87Hj4ZQFNWw5OcmkYs0lZSGMw-bK1nFol2V0Xx27orf5xEVzNeBI4yLjg12uh3Yl6y3UGhbvhqITA4mGC9cgHN0vqcebxaH6NOCAvaIjE8fU/s640/blogger-image--1662543303.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo-sMkRwPaDsK0TbXgxFbFhAKdzMXXoA9AHKpfoDVLoawS6Bxh0xSCgjkA0o99UE5QMgLcdxFre6p7xKS60vNhnk7mmIONEM8GayPqc0rZc-RwCc-NCa-SozfDJHsXNW86ISochmzm6w/s640/blogger-image-857928132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIo-sMkRwPaDsK0TbXgxFbFhAKdzMXXoA9AHKpfoDVLoawS6Bxh0xSCgjkA0o99UE5QMgLcdxFre6p7xKS60vNhnk7mmIONEM8GayPqc0rZc-RwCc-NCa-SozfDJHsXNW86ISochmzm6w/s640/blogger-image-857928132.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As always I did have a bathroom stop - wow talk about the call of nature - look at this awesome bathroom I found along the trail - definitely worth a photo!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZE4uaaHwZoqGTisyqAj88f2uCZhTXDZJ33CKDtxpqhnkCxwL-TU0MyXKm2J1FbxAjr-VUnpYzscS4sGI1wkDOc6ILE4bqoB7xdoMyNZfuj-FTxrU-M5ifkYTea9FznUHLsxNCnT48xwY/s640/blogger-image-390784180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZE4uaaHwZoqGTisyqAj88f2uCZhTXDZJ33CKDtxpqhnkCxwL-TU0MyXKm2J1FbxAjr-VUnpYzscS4sGI1wkDOc6ILE4bqoB7xdoMyNZfuj-FTxrU-M5ifkYTea9FznUHLsxNCnT48xwY/s640/blogger-image-390784180.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The new shoes were feeling good and pain levels from injuries was about a 3/10 so not really enough to complain about. I walked and jogged for 3 hours 20 mins only covering 23 Kms but I finished the same distance 15 mins faster than last week. I am definitely ready for a half marathon but as we all know I am signed up for the full marathon. I am hoping one of the guys at work who is doing the half marathon changes his mind so I can take his spot! The training miles are now all in the bank and its time now to rest up and freshen the legs up a bit - now I am heading off for a 60 minute massage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div><br></div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-74773469000512579692013-11-08T21:24:00.001-08:002013-11-08T21:37:51.629-08:00Looking out a different windowThere is a saying I once heard 'If you don't like the view then look out another window' and that is what I am doing this week. Another visit to the chiropractor suggested that I won't be running the marathon in 3 weeks time - I have tendonitis in both archillies and the ITB injury is still causing pain. As a result I have decided to 'take time to smell the roses' and walk the event. No more complaining from me about aches and pains and slow running times - I thought this roadside sign that I saw was very apt! <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ghf5kQmewxFx6kOGagpdVpOGw0EifjOv1G0MXdU8chMoTTYbgijBg5OifZEgmLs16VWEJzwpSfcYNW20pOS-gjfLbKnQ5qr_2UMEZ78EO7ZMtvfwjaVz_p5KZgW-2nqrfTh4B7oIR6M/s640/blogger-image-843957025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Ghf5kQmewxFx6kOGagpdVpOGw0EifjOv1G0MXdU8chMoTTYbgijBg5OifZEgmLs16VWEJzwpSfcYNW20pOS-gjfLbKnQ5qr_2UMEZ78EO7ZMtvfwjaVz_p5KZgW-2nqrfTh4B7oIR6M/s640/blogger-image-843957025.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br><div><br></div><div>So I decided to go on a bit of an exploring adventure this morning which took me through 'Gardens by the Bay' - I am ashamed to say that in the 13 months I have been in Singapore I have never been there despite the Gardens being less than 5km from my front door. It is gorgeous. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Pii8agvFLCsFhGI2EO9SKXaWg1gwtLQ6hhHc5bSkJz35JRFTojpRn2IWCIuazc5ZH4kJwGwDO59ONV3BpyyR_8UKfztIZoF4eZ-dGP-1rSqTj66r7P2CKs-V4FzU4UIuqfe-0l235Y/s640/blogger-image--1955535313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Pii8agvFLCsFhGI2EO9SKXaWg1gwtLQ6hhHc5bSkJz35JRFTojpRn2IWCIuazc5ZH4kJwGwDO59ONV3BpyyR_8UKfztIZoF4eZ-dGP-1rSqTj66r7P2CKs-V4FzU4UIuqfe-0l235Y/s640/blogger-image--1955535313.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKtvtbfbsRyBKNmPOUYFA2eW71Wg_7V3ljFym0k_6bTErbcGFpKd67SAom5HudvdJX_cl9mz0ITzNz4W0c4vtu4EKnema8KVPzaWSX_wH9-S4IKqJmSbzxQExOSKPcigP9aIsSmIHYgI/s640/blogger-image--731079986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKtvtbfbsRyBKNmPOUYFA2eW71Wg_7V3ljFym0k_6bTErbcGFpKd67SAom5HudvdJX_cl9mz0ITzNz4W0c4vtu4EKnema8KVPzaWSX_wH9-S4IKqJmSbzxQExOSKPcigP9aIsSmIHYgI/s640/blogger-image--731079986.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8g_jHQ-2H-FomYnnv7IfB7VXPM-CBYQgjpxmzeRnOzngC-94yqVdpBBaRzyL94motaQs_5A26OHZWAChmdIe7yVEprKBSDGAZRAQL5MSmZvBp9W9WjBg-SybvbxeEt4-B4E0TJnnd5Y/s640/blogger-image--966684345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8g_jHQ-2H-FomYnnv7IfB7VXPM-CBYQgjpxmzeRnOzngC-94yqVdpBBaRzyL94motaQs_5A26OHZWAChmdIe7yVEprKBSDGAZRAQL5MSmZvBp9W9WjBg-SybvbxeEt4-B4E0TJnnd5Y/s640/blogger-image--966684345.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I then decided to head up the East Coast and try to find a crossing back over the river rather than walk out an hour and 45 mins and then turn back and as luck (or perseverance) would have it I found a way across the river and wound my way back into the city. The joys of taking time out to explore!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">As I headed home I walked into hundreds of tourists watching the dragon boat racing on the river although I am sure they didn't stay watcing for long as the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down which was a great pleasure for me having walked for more than 3.5 hours in the 32 degree heat.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11uKTpI60RsEiVyqO3A4KotruQasv-B1NMFcX_NFoUG49it4-LLVKqhtULnZKyL9FzbLT8p1TbdOEl62LiQOhafG3Uc0A4j7Wf65Lanfdh5BlY18w-jlWKWcCRm5y1eHzl0vJNixruNM/s640/blogger-image-869799825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11uKTpI60RsEiVyqO3A4KotruQasv-B1NMFcX_NFoUG49it4-LLVKqhtULnZKyL9FzbLT8p1TbdOEl62LiQOhafG3Uc0A4j7Wf65Lanfdh5BlY18w-jlWKWcCRm5y1eHzl0vJNixruNM/s640/blogger-image-869799825.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><br></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">So although I haven't completed any 32 km runs (or walks) which I would normally have done about three times before a marathon event I am just going to head out on the day and see how things go. I have another 3.5 hour training walk/run scheduled next week before I start 'tapering off' to freshen up the legs before 1 December and will look forward to another opportunity to explore a bit further.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">In the meantime here is my new roller which is supposed to do wonders for ITB injuries - I will keep you posted.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzUOHIm2tla6NK0YA6XIM5eIRg60YPyorljlIXWX8tWxA4Oqc29ubjfZKJXK2cUBLvRXr_go-cEgpkIkJi4ybzD7SYOPtlC4NwWOy7BhoERG4VgCCoZjpXID00AR2-ZzHKvFq87RWhkU/s640/blogger-image-1881043964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzUOHIm2tla6NK0YA6XIM5eIRg60YPyorljlIXWX8tWxA4Oqc29ubjfZKJXK2cUBLvRXr_go-cEgpkIkJi4ybzD7SYOPtlC4NwWOy7BhoERG4VgCCoZjpXID00AR2-ZzHKvFq87RWhkU/s640/blogger-image-1881043964.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-42097509708813310282013-11-02T05:34:00.001-07:002013-11-02T17:26:45.319-07:003 hour run todayWith the stress of Soph having been so sick this week and the ongoing pain of my ITB injury there hasn't been much training going on. There are now only 4 weeks remaining until the marathon on 1 December and despite desperate attempts to switch to the half marathon the race organisers aren't having a bar of it - they tell me its against the race rules and then send me the link to the race rules - I haven't got the time or the inclination to read them.<div><br></div><div>So this morning I decided there was nothing else to do but strap on the camelbak and running shoes and head out the door. The run time scheduled on my training plan today was 3 hours and given the injury I decided to be even more cautious than I usually am - so for the first hour I walked 8 mins and then ran for 2 mins. There wasn't too much pain being experienced so during the second hour I lifted the pace slightly and then did the same again for the third hour - finally I was back to running 8 mins and walking 2. </div><div><br></div><div>The other interesting observation is that the fat adaption continues as I am still enjoying the real food I eat on paleo - I didn't eat breakfast before I left for my run this morning and I didn't get hungry while I was out. I took 1.5 lites of electrolyte with me and also bought a litre of water while I was out - that helped to wash down the 2 chocolate gu's that I had at 40 minute intervals starting after I had been out for an hour and 40 mins.</div><div><br></div><div>I also decided that given the amount of time I needed to be on my feet I would to explore parts of the city that I haven't covered before and I attach some photos I took along the way - similar views but taken from different angles.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlUwts1m_xLc9I-WnRT09Kujaqcfpp1zDlXJkBcACGqLY_8JmmxE0I574ci0hdghYFag0mqVXUIEK0EZU5qrHVfhjtLUeQlzlEWhpw6zAiffgo5D_SbzY2fk1t6X7AbigDq-JDlTAFNI/s640/blogger-image--1202339068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAlUwts1m_xLc9I-WnRT09Kujaqcfpp1zDlXJkBcACGqLY_8JmmxE0I574ci0hdghYFag0mqVXUIEK0EZU5qrHVfhjtLUeQlzlEWhpw6zAiffgo5D_SbzY2fk1t6X7AbigDq-JDlTAFNI/s640/blogger-image--1202339068.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsCP20EFHkGmljfd6m44jGI9Kgy9LTmmic_CK4x-38dcFJuIc-ucVAK12rJxW8Hns6ezXxxKf_fdvfqMCm9mu0T_pZBWqdbvlcL6HdzxvyUUHt_aMMVAZ7kBIDIeH8AtKnuyyCDOuRu4/s640/blogger-image-260805987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIsCP20EFHkGmljfd6m44jGI9Kgy9LTmmic_CK4x-38dcFJuIc-ucVAK12rJxW8Hns6ezXxxKf_fdvfqMCm9mu0T_pZBWqdbvlcL6HdzxvyUUHt_aMMVAZ7kBIDIeH8AtKnuyyCDOuRu4/s640/blogger-image-260805987.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I was finally relieved to arrive back home with my watch showing that I had been out for 3 hours exactly- however, only 22 Kms was covered - goodness me - ar this rate I will be out for 6 hours on marathon day - I will need to take a packed lunch!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2wJ3VDzIgb7phthQNOwJooOU-dkxeEUpiXEkO4-TLpVrVwDpKAqjp_EbkbtVAh1REZtMuXO8VQMnBjNDoAFQHToJFKOfPyS5-6o4n4JG5w5xbV2zD68ije1fUdcLWt0WGKiaJ_adNZ0/s640/blogger-image--1662757666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2wJ3VDzIgb7phthQNOwJooOU-dkxeEUpiXEkO4-TLpVrVwDpKAqjp_EbkbtVAh1REZtMuXO8VQMnBjNDoAFQHToJFKOfPyS5-6o4n4JG5w5xbV2zD68ije1fUdcLWt0WGKiaJ_adNZ0/s640/blogger-image--1662757666.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-66050612994161031472013-11-01T21:37:00.001-07:002013-11-01T21:53:42.255-07:00A week I hope will never repeat!Well things weren't so bright last week but they were about to get a whole lot worse. For those of you who know me well you will know that I always imagine the worst possible outcomes to situations especially if my gorgeous girl gets sick but even I hadn't imagined what would eventuate this week.<div><br></div><div>I mentioned last week that Soph had got the chickenpox - hers turned out to be one of the worst cases that the Doctor had seen. The older you get the worse it is. By Tuesday her temperature was 39 and the spots were raging everywhere - her gums, ears, head and entire body - even her hands and feet - the Doctor said there was no way she could sit any of her remaining 3 exams and I suspect the message was received with a mixed reaction given all the work that had gone into preparing for the exams but also balancing that was the realisation that she couldn't study or get out of bed to attend an exam. </div><div><br></div><div>On Wednesday she was having trouble standing up and I wondered if it was due to her ongoing low levels of iron. Then her spots started turning black. Thankfully one of her wonderful friends took her into the hospital where she was admitted. Her resting heart rate was 168 and an ultrasound of her heart showed the valves had collapsed. She was so severely dehydrated that she needed 4 litres of fluid pumped into her. If she hadn't gone to the hospital when she did she was told she would have gone unconscious and her kidneys would have begun to fail. </div><div><br></div><div>While all this went on I was quite unaware of how serious things had become. Soph had called me to say that she was just going to get her spots checked at the hospital and then that she was being admitted overnight but neither she or I had any clue as to how serious things were. Although I guess in hindsight you don't get admitted to hospital these days unless things aren't looking good. </div><div><br></div><div>A number of times I have wanted to jump on a plane home (as any parent would) but Soph has been adamant that I don't come as I have not had the chickenpox and she says she couldn't cope if she thought she could pass it on to me. So I have had to stay close to my phone so we can skype morning and night and text during the day - thank goodness for technology.</div><div><br></div><div>The good news is that Soph was given medical clearance to fly home to Auckland today where she is now tucked up safely with grandparents hovering around. I am hoping now that she can rest up without worrying about exams and packing up her Otago flat for the year that she will get her energy back up. Oh and plenty of fluids!!</div><div><br></div><div>Here is a picture I took of her whilst we were Skyping once she was released from the hospital.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgg0EXxBdpIn3lF2lanteg69TDDW5v0Hs2LxHv12ri6b5XeBtll4ZQB6PZ0Kbyjon-TxyNvqcTnBQEsebIr3BpLPDbcia2nkAfCl55bgA4B92bnDCPnatnHZaAlLvwNjQjAWry6Vab6s/s640/blogger-image--496099790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgg0EXxBdpIn3lF2lanteg69TDDW5v0Hs2LxHv12ri6b5XeBtll4ZQB6PZ0Kbyjon-TxyNvqcTnBQEsebIr3BpLPDbcia2nkAfCl55bgA4B92bnDCPnatnHZaAlLvwNjQjAWry6Vab6s/s640/blogger-image--496099790.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Before signing off I want to give a big shout out to Soph's wonderful school friend, Olivia Harland, who went above and beyond this week with the incredible care she provided my gorgeous girl - she stayed by her side for hours on end despite needing to sit her own exams - Olivia, I will be forever grateful - and Soph, its so good to know you are now home safe and sound - 7 weeks and counting till I will be home with you xxx</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-72322927528241427082013-10-27T01:34:00.001-07:002013-10-27T01:48:15.214-07:00Out of the running?Its been a whirlwind week with ups and downs....mum flew into town for 3 nights on her way from London to Auckland - one of the great pleasures of living at a halfway point in the world...I thoroughly enjoyed her visit and was spoilt with some great massage. We also got to wine and dine at some lovely spots both in town and locally.<div><div><br></div><div>Just as mum was about to get in the taxi and head for the airport my gorgeous girl Soph called to ask what might be the cause of the blisters that were starting to break out all over her skin - my mother immediately said chickenpox - and this was later confirmed to be correct - chickenpox is not nice at any stage but can be awful when you are 20 years old and in the middle of end of year exams. Soph is not sure yet what this means for the exam she is due to sit later this week e.g. will she need to sit in a room on her own - or will she be well enough to sit it at all - I guess we will find out when she talks to student health on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Then I had the chiropractor tell me that I mustn't run for a week due to my IT band which is thoroughly overused and very painful - not good with 5 weeks to go to the marathon - I have had four days off so far and the pain is lessening but I am becoming concerned about running on it again and causing permanent damage - time will tell. Might be the wake up call I need to stick with triathlon as I never got injured doing multi sports. I am contemplating walking the marathon distance at this point - after all what's another hour or two out on the course! </div><div><br></div><div>The most exciting news is that in less than 8 weeks time I will be home for Christmas - not that I am counting or anything but bring it on - I just can't wait.....after all there is just no place like home :)</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-31738110259123917712013-10-18T19:57:00.001-07:002013-10-18T20:20:04.160-07:00Some new toys<div><br></div>This week has had some ups and downs - I have been waking up in the night with an aching hip and both ankles in pain so I decided I had to find myself a chiropractor. Thankfully the chiropractor I had seen in Auckland earlier in the year had given me the name of someone to see here, so off I went to see him. Apparently the band between my hip and knee is wound up very tightly and the chiropractor also said I was standing on a 'lean' so needed a few adjustments so I can stand up straight again.<div><br></div><div>Anyway I have my running programme now for the next four weeks which is the most challenging part of the marathon build up and with the distances building I decided to try a new toy to help reduce dehydration issues:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVXqduboCfOUMrP186B4KH8hQ2CS1zeqAzxraWC0gx6roML1c7xEloX85uTWEDr8T9mCA_3GOIEzzudh91RGamR0wxbHqlVWBYGW5dzhPuQR50hJBASpn6zJrmivGxJuMnx2QH1bllik/s640/blogger-image-700133030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVXqduboCfOUMrP186B4KH8hQ2CS1zeqAzxraWC0gx6roML1c7xEloX85uTWEDr8T9mCA_3GOIEzzudh91RGamR0wxbHqlVWBYGW5dzhPuQR50hJBASpn6zJrmivGxJuMnx2QH1bllik/s640/blogger-image-700133030.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The camelbak worked really well and I carried 1.5 lites of electrolyte (nuun), stopping after one hour 40 mins to refill it with water and to eat a chocolate gu. </div><div><br></div><div>Another challenge is working out which products are best - I heard my chocolate gu has caffeine in it and my other electrolyte tablets have sugar. Who knew there was so much to look out for!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aMPvgt3bba-bZWnS5gy-rE4kAFB_rCYni95wd7hjzRJb8VkOjpQQBIxYag-VE6iMrod4x_QUh2EozNseYfo_jJVccdZmRTLITZrIRRhhdKOpESwnmeyi6oOqJfvzg2rikfkHqjH2vS0/s640/blogger-image--1203779364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aMPvgt3bba-bZWnS5gy-rE4kAFB_rCYni95wd7hjzRJb8VkOjpQQBIxYag-VE6iMrod4x_QUh2EozNseYfo_jJVccdZmRTLITZrIRRhhdKOpESwnmeyi6oOqJfvzg2rikfkHqjH2vS0/s640/blogger-image--1203779364.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway, the good news is that I ran 19 kms this morning in 2.15 which 3kms further than I ran last week on my 2 hour run and I was a km ahead of schedule. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBheHW9405aWw-Kx2Qq6HtkqUDbF9X9pht4KlU9xwmnt5bDAw2k-ZaBBcyHheD9IT0YidY7byqNg2qnoI6MK2cZm5q7cRbhWozKDh7E9fc4HMauztw2DZ9vgXp6qLUVzmA9k7z34uQxJg/s640/blogger-image-1795760740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBheHW9405aWw-Kx2Qq6HtkqUDbF9X9pht4KlU9xwmnt5bDAw2k-ZaBBcyHheD9IT0YidY7byqNg2qnoI6MK2cZm5q7cRbhWozKDh7E9fc4HMauztw2DZ9vgXp6qLUVzmA9k7z34uQxJg/s640/blogger-image-1795760740.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So what was different today? It was 3 degrees cooler than last week at 7am although the temperature steadily rose as the morning progressed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLchuhB3RAe5-7IwEynpGsQBrzO4eebefr2ZMiYlADESpff2_bYumAGE-wHPo5cgstENYI5-Xm5oN9hVQZMfVLhmptGQoxEeNN7zlwJzamFjcSAk9NoKhvB5gzF_X3PBVAjtkB0FXaCE/s640/blogger-image-2026344722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLchuhB3RAe5-7IwEynpGsQBrzO4eebefr2ZMiYlADESpff2_bYumAGE-wHPo5cgstENYI5-Xm5oN9hVQZMfVLhmptGQoxEeNN7zlwJzamFjcSAk9NoKhvB5gzF_X3PBVAjtkB0FXaCE/s640/blogger-image-2026344722.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Also, usually I run without having breakfast but today I had a banana before my run and then the chocolate gu at the hour 40 mark. I also took on 2 lites of fluid - 1.5 lites of which was electrolyte. I will review all this information as the marathon date gets closer to make sure I have the best day out I can (and it may well be a whole day out at my current pace!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So it's off for a massage this afternoon now that the hard work has been done for the day. Awesome!</div></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-51095623791219607772013-10-12T19:47:00.001-07:002013-10-12T19:49:31.141-07:00Tracking wellWell its Sunday again and I just finished my two hour run - I am tracking consistently at 4 Kms per 30 mins, so managed 16 Kms comfortably in the 2 hours today - 1km an hour slower than I would be tracking if I was in Auckland. The temperature was up 5 degrees on last week - my water consumption went up accordingly and despite stopping to buy more water I had run out before the 90 minute mark. Not good but I won't have that problem on marathon day with water stops every 3 Kms (so I am told). <div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WOUcOWn78Rp2FQLQnRgi_xRVMF24QHO4stMKhm7rTAmM0oOZnc7vBHU_PZcx8bGMj1n8nduSfWI1liVCVnAUzI3F5AdMwMpj1JNy2crtXzHEE6tbVNh9lSYz2op06ETAwj4tpkEnne0/s640/blogger-image-75237426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WOUcOWn78Rp2FQLQnRgi_xRVMF24QHO4stMKhm7rTAmM0oOZnc7vBHU_PZcx8bGMj1n8nduSfWI1liVCVnAUzI3F5AdMwMpj1JNy2crtXzHEE6tbVNh9lSYz2op06ETAwj4tpkEnne0/s640/blogger-image-75237426.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are 7 weeks to go now till the marathon and the next 5 weeks are the most important as this is when you put the miles in the Bank - I expect I will be lifting my distances by almost double between now and mid November. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A few of my colleagues in my new company are also taking part and the most common fear is dehydration - other colleagues are refusing to do more than the half marathon for this reason. I am tempted to join them due to my slow pace but will assess things nearer the time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also finished the Paleo 30 day challenge this week but will keep the eating regime up as it really works for me. I am not sure the scales truly reflect the weight loss so I took this picture this morning showing my trousers have a lot more room in them - I am happy with the result.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sXlqNa_yUq0te-s9aQAnn305A2n87Gm8vxTO3LanE7TaB8odknf9Qdbkwnp4L_Pz3GPt259-WZHN1qmtJ_rlkr2-Pbc9nhbtKRhQae_3k6bFiz-M_itXVwhaZxVojHtBGMX6jisT_DI/s640/blogger-image--411281413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sXlqNa_yUq0te-s9aQAnn305A2n87Gm8vxTO3LanE7TaB8odknf9Qdbkwnp4L_Pz3GPt259-WZHN1qmtJ_rlkr2-Pbc9nhbtKRhQae_3k6bFiz-M_itXVwhaZxVojHtBGMX6jisT_DI/s640/blogger-image--411281413.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway - a great run which I finished comfortably just outside our local cafe - Flock - where I picked up a freshly squeezed orange juice - YUM!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZplaeKaV9rQLWaZ2a3JcRtM6xsG2QK5saerTTL8TwUCBxk6aFaLgDEC7A2NGmQQaA8frOcEZcHcDL6xmNN-B4tsgfkHZnnXm8fux04NyLegcnA9pP8HejUV8gQAdruoeE491Vr_3wNIc/s640/blogger-image--1860195097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZplaeKaV9rQLWaZ2a3JcRtM6xsG2QK5saerTTL8TwUCBxk6aFaLgDEC7A2NGmQQaA8frOcEZcHcDL6xmNN-B4tsgfkHZnnXm8fux04NyLegcnA9pP8HejUV8gQAdruoeE491Vr_3wNIc/s640/blogger-image--1860195097.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">What a great way to start a Sunday morning! </div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383158194886915169.post-63732810845790613472013-10-04T22:03:00.001-07:002013-10-04T22:03:37.910-07:00One year anniversaryWell its hard to believe but 1 year has now passed since I arrived in Singapore and so much has happened over 12 months. I have travelled on business to Hong Kong, China, Japan and Australia and also been lucky enough to get home to NZ three times to celebrate Christmas, Easter and my dad's 80th birthday. I have competed in triathlons (getting two podium finishes - 3rd place), aquathons and duathlons and am now registered for the Singapore Standard Chartered marathon in December. I have had more visitors staying with me in Singapore than I ever did in Auckland - which is just awesome. So has it been a good move? Yes, it has.<div><div><br></div><div>When I look back it was a fairly risky decision to leave a good job and head to a country I knew little about - but as my cousin Geoff often says - Life is a Daring Adventure or nothing. I am now on contract till June 2014 and then will reassess what is next. My daughter, Sophia, has been accepted to attend university in France for the second half of next year so I may look at options in the UK for a short contract so we can enjoy some fun in Europe together - who knows what the future holds. Exciting times.</div></div><div><br></div><div>Anyway, back to the marathon which is now 8 weeks away. I flew along on my run this morning and wasn't sure whether it was due to the Paleo diet (day 27) the training plan or what. However, when I got home I checked the temperature and suspect that as it was about 8 degrees colder than usual (and raining) it may have been due to that - although the diet and training plan are clearly contributing. It was exciting to feel so good though!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OSWcMQzo_KRpG0OA8hEdov3cqrHXzJa23PBfgPfeiUsj8_YzMNH3nk-OkNLayXD7D6zEQoDddtWHcl__I4yhEXZ4RxHLvsQLMVRAbS1e-J_zaI1_KtOm7UJl9ruuGnN6cGWFQo5MOso/s640/blogger-image--212071526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OSWcMQzo_KRpG0OA8hEdov3cqrHXzJa23PBfgPfeiUsj8_YzMNH3nk-OkNLayXD7D6zEQoDddtWHcl__I4yhEXZ4RxHLvsQLMVRAbS1e-J_zaI1_KtOm7UJl9ruuGnN6cGWFQo5MOso/s640/blogger-image--212071526.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is also a 'rest' week from a training perspective and I only had an hours run scheduled - the easier week is a pleasure but I am sure training ramps up again next week and will continue to do for the next 6 weeks or so before tapering off before the big event.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am also excited that a few people who I am now working with are also training for the marathon so its great to be surrounded by people with the same interests! I hear there are 25,000 people who participate in this event and that the pace is fairly slow given the numbers - well that shouldn't cause me any concerns :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway, after my run I enjoyed my Paleo breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and avocado - I have got very used to this type of breakfast and despite the 30 day Paleo challenge coming to an end I doubt I will ever stop eating this way - I feel and look leaner and eating this way is now becoming a normal part of life. So, here is to the second year in Singapore - I wonder what might it bring?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiixD9WQsoxYIsDd71EnTgkkPl2i34XYnTglYIkQtYHUp1ng7qp10ugAXpx5fLtSt7TCK1T6Cs0uDZ61AoSWFTzNb80FQdo_Nv4eYOcQfYrGqwTffe9reSOi_1RAedk7tdBUD4j_MpFnQ/s640/blogger-image-630489422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiixD9WQsoxYIsDd71EnTgkkPl2i34XYnTglYIkQtYHUp1ng7qp10ugAXpx5fLtSt7TCK1T6Cs0uDZ61AoSWFTzNb80FQdo_Nv4eYOcQfYrGqwTffe9reSOi_1RAedk7tdBUD4j_MpFnQ/s640/blogger-image-630489422.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492951178652256083noreply@blogger.com0