Karen and Kate's journey to Ironman and beyond

Sensible eating - yeah sort of, a week before a marathon is not a time to cut calories but also not time to go overboard.  I'm not being particularly successful here. In spite of my good intentions, it is far too close to Easter and there is still too much chocolate around, oh I have NO self control.  Good on you Kate, salad and pasta for lunch. Gear stocktake - new tri-shorts, wore them last night.  They ride a bit lower than my old favourites, so I have to remember to pull the bottom of the legs up so I dont feel like there is a danger of them wandering down. New top - this works ok, no chafing problems so far.  New shoes, got a few km on them now, seem to be fine. Socks, new too, and it took ages to find the pair that I wanted. Buff visor hat, getting a bit shabby but I still love it, these things just dont seem to wear out, they just get ugly. Energy gels, got a few roctanes and some sportbeans already packed in my fuel-belt (with bib tabs) ready to go. Mans hanky, watch, sun

Last long run yesterday, I'm officially resting now.  I don't feel like I have done a whole lot of work, but I know I'm ready for the 50th Rotorua marathon in...5 sleeps. Time and time again I talk to runners (or people who would like to run but think it's an impossible ask) who seem to believe that you need to run and run and run and be in a constant trained-into-exhaustion state to finish a marathon.  That's a No and a No. I found an article the other day which goes to support my point that people training for shorter distance races often do the same or more training volume than is needed for a marathon. This was in an article on Runners World  and the author also makes this very valid point "Runners too often get caught in the mileage trap, thinking more is better. The truth is, more mileage is better only up to the point where you can achieve your potential. After that, each additional mile only increases your injury risk". The Runners World rec

Big run last sunday, it was 30km plus, I say plus because I am sure the much-loved GPS doesnt record accurately when I am down in the deep bush gullies, I mean I'm pretty sure that when I was running full-tilt down the pine needle covered trail I wasn't doing a 12 minute km which is what the device told me.  No matter, I am happy, the run went well, and on monday I was a little weary but nothing to write home...blog...about.  I did another 29.3km yesterday, I plodded along and barely raised my heart-rate, it was a no problems run. It would have been a lot more arduous (read 'boring') if I hadn't had the company of another Te Puru runner who was also in pursuit of 30km. It's always a relief to work my way up to those sorts of distances and I now think I could run Rotorua marathon next weekend if I had to. Some things do raise my heart-rate though, like on a little run the other day, early evening, I came back through Omana park. I was hot and for a change worki

I packed up my wetsuit, it was rinsed and dried after that lovely lake swim in Taupo and I have now carefully rolled it, tucked it into its mesh bag and have stuck it at the back of the wardrobe. The next time I look at it will be much later in the year when we start training for the Rotorua half Ironman which we have already signed up for. I admit to having a love hate relationship with my wetsuit. Because I loathe swimming in a pool, I'm lucky to live by a good swimming beach, but while a quick dip on a nice day without a wetsuit is one thing, swimming km after km in any weather condition is something else and the neoprene skin makes a big difference. Now I've learned a little about wetsuits having spent many hours encased in the things in recent years and having successfully managed to destroy a few. I usually buy relatively unused second-hand for very low cost, hoping to get a year of swimming out of each one. It is amazing how many people invest a heap then only use

I don't think of what I do as extreme.  I mean, how can an average of less than 5 hours of training a week, my usual for marathon training, be extreme?  Some people spend more time than that at the gym or playing team sports or waving around to their Wii sport controller.  Yes, an average of 11 hours a week for about 12 weeks leading up to Ironman is a little more out there, but even that is still not what I would call excessive, certainly not in comparison to what some people do. I have heard of averages of 20+ hours, eek, that's equivalent to a part time job. Maraetai Beach early Anyway, I went to the doctor yesterday to discuss some test results for an annoying but relatively minor problem I have had for a while.  The tests indicated that there was nothing sinister to worry about, but the specialist comment in her report had me laughing, her conclusion was that the problem was "most likely a result of extreme exercise". Yeah right.  I'm extreme. An extr

Kate is in there somewhere I was completely exhausted by Saturday night.  Nothing to do with my training, everything to do with being support crew for Kate's Orca Auckland half Ironman. But what a fun day. Up early and over the road to see Kate started on her 2km swim, the girls declined the opportunity to go back to the house to wait  and instead played in the sand as the sun continued to rise over a picture perfect sea. Exiting the water, people behind Then Kate was off on her bike, and I eventually managed to herd the girls home. A couple of hours of housework, well, actually, me tidying and then wasting energy trying to get the girls to tidy their own rooms. Then preparation for a long afternoon ahead at Kawakawa bay while Kate slogged it out on the hot road. After lunch, girls, chilly-bin, sunscreen, hats, food, frozen drinks, and importantly a chair for me (I like to be comfortable these days, anything wrong with that?) and we drove off to Kawakawa bay.  The cyc