Karen writes: Touch Rugby at Te Puru

-
Been taking smallest daughter down to touch rugby practice on a Tuesday evening. I drop her off with her mates and head off for a nice run myself, out to Beachlands for a few km, then back to Te Puru to run round the field while keeping an eye on how she is doing in her new chosen activity. There are other runner mums, the possibility is there for a bit of company sometimes which is a bonus. I hadn't realised however until the first game of the season yesterday just how popular the game actually is. I mean the Beachlands and Maraetai townships aren't that big in the scheme of things but there were thousands of people at Te Puru, multiple fields going and game after game starting with the young ones and ending with the more mature. I watched the small ones run and dodge and the spectators expend lots of energy yelling encouragement... often to both teams at once as it seemed there were more than a few siblings playing each other. All was followed up by the ubiquitous sausage in bread with lashings of tomato sauce.

Being someone who participates in what are in effect solo sports I had to reflect on the massive amount of effort goes into organising this sort of thing, I really hadn't appreciated the scale before and can only have utmost admiration for those with so much passion for the topic. Anyway, more here: Beachlands Maraetai Touch Rugby club.

Then the realisation came that this happens every Wednesday over the summer season...hmmm...might have to go back to the training programme and rework it with Wednesday my new day off, especially as it seems that there is a roster for cooking all of those dratted sausages.

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