Karen writes: Ruapehu

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Bike ride on Friday evening, did the hard hills around Whitford, out to Takanini for those long wind blown straights, off to Clevedon then finally out to Kawakawa bay and back. Thinking all the while...the plan says 100km...should I do that or should I do what my body says...go home now.  My shoulder hurt, a bursitis problem from earlier in the year which never really went away, but it was possible to ignore the occasional twinge while I wasn't attempting to strength train or doing much in the way of swimming...hello...triathletes normally swim...now what?  Why, the usual, stretch, avoid doing the things that hurt (like sleeping on my favourite side or sitting on a bike for hours at a time), panadol, cold and/or heatpacks, and eventually when I get a bit more worried off to the physio.  On the plus side, the bike is going really well, I'm getting used to it's idiosyncratic but now relatively reliable gear changes, and there are no new strange noises or bits threatening to fall off.

So home after the 97 slow km on the bike I checked the news and read that Mt Ruapehu is poised for an eruption in the near future.  I thought about Kate and me being headed to Taupo on Friday for the round the lake cycle challenge and imagined 20km high ash plumes as there were in 1995...wondering if it is possible to cycle in a mask? Ruapehu makes itself known at several points on the course as you sweat your way to the top a hill and look across at its spectacular snow covered peaks.  Surely...surely we wont be unlucky enough to have another event cancelled...this time for a misbehaving volcano!  On the other hand, if it was cancelled I could hopefully get the shoulder in better shape in the 5 weeks left to the Rotorua half Ironman, and I have to selfishly say that if there is going to be a risk of a volcano I would much rather it now than in March next year at Ironman time.
Ruapehu crater lake
Last weeks training consisted of - Monday off, Tuesday 60min light spin, Wednesday 40km cycle, Thursday 60min light spin, Friday 97km cycle, Saturday off, Sunday 15km run.  The question is not whether I can ride 160km next Saturday, as much as how difficult is it going to be given I haven't put as much effort in as I should have.

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