Karen writes: Our aims...

-
We have a couple of aims for writing this blog.   As more…ah…mature…women we have re-discovered how much fun we can have being fit, and achieving the sorts of goals we wouldn’t have even looked at a short time ago.  We can now say (much to others disbelief) that we are ‘marathoners’, ‘triathletes’, ‘runners’, ‘cyclists’, and…this is really cool…walk into a sports shop and have the assistant who used to look the other way, now pretend to take us seriously, because we almost SOUND like we know what we are talking about!  We want to encourage others to take on their own impossible journey too and have as much fun (suffering?) as we are.

Our biggest aim is of course fundraising for the Christchurch Diabetes Service which is a very powerful incentive, keeping us going on the long slow buildup to this, the biggest event of our lives. The Christchurch Diabetes Service have had a very hard time since September 2010 when the first unexpected earthquake occurred causing major devastation.  They have since had to deal with ongoing aftershocks which continue to damage significant parts of Christchurch city and make the lives of many Cantabrians very hard.  The story of how the diabetes team and the local volunteer service, Diabetes NZ Christchurch, coped with keeping themselves and their people with diabetes going when their own lives were in crisis is just amazing.  

Karen and Kate at 2011 Rotorua Marathon
We also admit to other motivations though...we want, as unlikely athletes, to have a new title, that of ‘ironman’,  we want to hear the "you are an ironman" called out for us as we cross the finish line.  Kate also thinks ironman jewelry is a fitting reward, but my secret motivation is that I want the tattoo.  While running  this years Rotorua marathon I envied those who had the ironman logo transfer on their calves as they ran and I thought “I so want that to be ME”….   Then I thought, “oh hell, I shall have to swim 4km, cycle 180km, then do what I am struggling with right now, run the 42km…not possible”.   


But it is possible of course, we want to do something for our colleagues and their patients in Christchurch, there are many amazing people who have taken this journey (see our link to Heidi-Jane for example), and of course we have told too many people of our own plans to back out now!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Still...swim, cycle, run...walk

-
Image
We've got some new staff at the organisation, which is now called " Diabetes Foundation Aotearoa ".  Sitting at the lunch table answering questions on the topic of endurance training and eventing, it reminds me of how long we've been doing the longer exercise efforts now, and that we take for granted how much we've learned over the years.   bike training isn't training without icecream Someone asked about nutrition in a long event and  I spouted off a bunch of words about the exact makeup of the breakfast that I've spent so many years messing around with, said something about a gel here and a banana there and a bumper bar somewhere else and a salt tablet when whatever and the importance of recovery nutrition...and then realised it sounded very much like I actually had it sorted.  I have to admit I don't really.  I'm not sure if anyone can ever say they have everything 100% nutrition or hydration wise for all conditions and circumstances,
Read more

Karen writes: Swimming pool blues

-
Image
I loathe the swimming pool.  With my severely cut down swim training I've been putting my effort into a few slow wetsuit swims in the sea, gently putting my dodgy shoulder under pressure to see how it copes with greater time in the water, not worrying about harder work just aiming to achieve the distance with a minimum of stress.  This week I just couldn't see how I could swim in the sea, the tide is way out in the mornings and evenings all week and it wont be possible to swim on the weekend. So I had to go to the Otara pool before work today.  Older daughter is off to school camp, tenting, so it was a bit muddly getting last minute items packed for her, is there enough sunscreen because its shaping up to be hot outside and what's the plan for the expected torrential rain?  Yep, good old Auckland smorgasbord weather, just pack everything.  Anyway, finally she was ready to go and I was too.  I had my togs under my clothes, wearing jandals, bag with undies/ towel/ toiletrie
Read more

Karen writes: Obstacles

-
Image
I went for a ride, of course that was not what the training plan said I should be doing, but it fitted.  Older daughter looked at my trademark pink legwarmers before I left, "are they new?" she says. "Nope".  "They're clean" she observed. I looked, they did look clean.  Why?  They were inside out. These poor things had been getting very grubby, more chain oil than clear space, but aha, here was a way to now double their reasonable lifespan. Anyway, with the old-new inside out pink legwarmers on, I took the easy route, headed off towards Clevedon and wandered round a bit there feeling uninspired. The most significant thing about this ride was something you only see when your training is mostly on country roads.  I came scooting around a corner on Monument Road and there was a significant obstacle.  Cows all over the road.  Ok I thought, they are just crossing I will wait for a car to push through and follow it. Well it turned out that from my low vant
Read more