Sunday
Race 5 Dunedin Winter Kayak Series - Henly-Taieri Mouth 17km
Well race 5 of the winter series was on Sunday 15th August and the competition seems to get a bit tougher and closer each race. This race doubled as the Otago K1 Marathon race series so there were a few extra fast paddlers there in their K1s on the start line. This race used a handicap starting system. Having done well in the previous races in the series coming in 1st multisport boat in each of them I had earned myself a 34 minute handicap delay on the starting paddlers. I would have liked to be in one of the earlier handicap time groups with the other multisport boats but found myselfthe only multisport boat lined up in my UFO alongside all other K1s - It was always going to be a tough call to stick with them but I hammered the best I could in a hope to reel in some of the earlier starters throughout the course of the paddle. It was slack water on high tide at the start but by the time we turned under the bridge at Taieri Mouth to race back up through the gorge the tide was flowing out and the use of eddies and river currents proved decisive. The handicapping system made for an exciting finish catching many boats towards the end, competing for line honours. Being on the 34min handicap I had to work hard to make up ground on the paddlers before me and try to minimise my losses to the K1s. I finished up 2nd Multisport Paddler and had the 10th Fastest time of the day to all the K1s and the 1 other multisport paddler who held out 2 minutes on me. A great blast and a good way to keep things honest over the winter months in the kayak! full results can be viewed at http://www.kayakotago.org/events/calendar.html
Race 4 Dunedin Winter Kayak Series Sunday 18th July
Henley to John Bully Gully and return – 13km
Well after missing race 3 of the series I was back to try and hold onto the good finishes I had had in the first 2 races of the series. My goal has been to be the first multisport boat paddler in my trusty UFO finished in each race while staying as close to and getting in front of as many K1 paddlers as possible. Races 1 & 2 saw me achieve this and finishing amongst the K1’s and Surf club ski paddlers in 5th and 6th respectively.
Raced 4 had a slight course change at the last minute due to a Jet boat race on the same waterways, after some discussions with the Jet Boat racers a course was decided that would see us all avoid each other out on the river, which is good because a massively powerful V8 jet boat is going to win over a thin piece of paddle powered carbon any day!
The race was a mass start and as always I like to get a solid break on other boats from the start before settling into a good rhythm for the rest of the race. We were off and I found my self doing a bit of wash hanging on 2 K1’s and we had one in the distance that we were never going to be able to catch. So I hung tight with the 2 K1 paddlers and worked at almost maximal effort to stay on their tails all the way down to the turn point – my paddle was hammering a solid cadence all the way and feeling pretty good. A the turn point we had to exit our boats and run up and around a picnic table on the river side before getting back in our boats and heading back to the finish. I had a bit of a slip running up the grass and a slow transition here so missed the 2 boats I had been paddling with.
Heading back I could see that we had built a good comfortable lead on the chasing 23 odd paddlers behind us. I worked hard to keep up a good paddle turn over and most of all good technique. As the fatigue of working at almost maximal effort sets in sometimes techniques drops and with this speed drops too, so well aware of this I kept good technique focus on my stroke for the return leg.
Heading back in the distance I heard the roar of about 20 jet boat engines and could see a big group of rooster tails coming from boats heading my way, I glanced to my left and saw a buoy in the water and suddenly clicked that the buoy would be the turning point for the jet boat race. My heart rate stepped into overdrive along with my boat speed – I had a vision of 20 jet boats mowing me down and that being the end!! The boat drivers are very skills and alert and zoomed down and around the buoy and back up the river while I was in the middle of the river they zoomed past and made some good chop, but all was safe, I hammered it out to the finish from here to finish 4th in a time of 1hr9min, 2min off 2nd and 3rd. A good paddle, the next race of the series has a handicap start system so I will need to work hard there as good finish places mean longer handicap times at the start. Anyway a good blast for a mid winters morning.
Well after missing race 3 of the series I was back to try and hold onto the good finishes I had had in the first 2 races of the series. My goal has been to be the first multisport boat paddler in my trusty UFO finished in each race while staying as close to and getting in front of as many K1 paddlers as possible. Races 1 & 2 saw me achieve this and finishing amongst the K1’s and Surf club ski paddlers in 5th and 6th respectively.
Raced 4 had a slight course change at the last minute due to a Jet boat race on the same waterways, after some discussions with the Jet Boat racers a course was decided that would see us all avoid each other out on the river, which is good because a massively powerful V8 jet boat is going to win over a thin piece of paddle powered carbon any day!
The race was a mass start and as always I like to get a solid break on other boats from the start before settling into a good rhythm for the rest of the race. We were off and I found my self doing a bit of wash hanging on 2 K1’s and we had one in the distance that we were never going to be able to catch. So I hung tight with the 2 K1 paddlers and worked at almost maximal effort to stay on their tails all the way down to the turn point – my paddle was hammering a solid cadence all the way and feeling pretty good. A the turn point we had to exit our boats and run up and around a picnic table on the river side before getting back in our boats and heading back to the finish. I had a bit of a slip running up the grass and a slow transition here so missed the 2 boats I had been paddling with.
Heading back I could see that we had built a good comfortable lead on the chasing 23 odd paddlers behind us. I worked hard to keep up a good paddle turn over and most of all good technique. As the fatigue of working at almost maximal effort sets in sometimes techniques drops and with this speed drops too, so well aware of this I kept good technique focus on my stroke for the return leg.
Heading back in the distance I heard the roar of about 20 jet boat engines and could see a big group of rooster tails coming from boats heading my way, I glanced to my left and saw a buoy in the water and suddenly clicked that the buoy would be the turning point for the jet boat race. My heart rate stepped into overdrive along with my boat speed – I had a vision of 20 jet boats mowing me down and that being the end!! The boat drivers are very skills and alert and zoomed down and around the buoy and back up the river while I was in the middle of the river they zoomed past and made some good chop, but all was safe, I hammered it out to the finish from here to finish 4th in a time of 1hr9min, 2min off 2nd and 3rd. A good paddle, the next race of the series has a handicap start system so I will need to work hard there as good finish places mean longer handicap times at the start. Anyway a good blast for a mid winters morning.
Race 5 Dunedin Winter Multisport Series 27th June
A great race out at Macandrew Bay. A solid Kayak saw me finish the 10km paddle in 3rd place and then onto a solid MTB up and over the peninsula hills and onto the final 10km run from Lovers Leap down through Sandfly Bay and back up over the Harbour hills and down to Mac Bay to finish. I lost 3 spots on the MTB to end up finishing 6th in a time of 3hrs 11min, a good sold race.
Friday
Race 4 Winter Multipsort/Duathlon Series, 3 Mile Hill Sunday 13th June
I had another good race at Race 4 of the winter series on Sunday up on 3 mile hill around the snakes and ladders track and near by - 2 superman style crashes and one tree hit - no breakages though. The race was made up of a 3-4km run, followed by the relatively challenging MTB of about 15-20km followed by a repaet of the first run to finish. A good race finishing 5th. The next and final race is at Macandrew Bay on Sunday 27th June.
Tuesday
Macandrew bay Multisport Race - Dunedin Winter series Race #3 Sunday 30th May
Went out and raced in the third race of the multisport series. After having to take the high road to Mac Bay because of some trees and slips along portobello road we were given a perfect mornign for a race!
Off in the Kayak I hammered it as hard as I could knowing that the kayak my lead will be eaten up on the MTB. I lead the Kayak down to the turn around and then hung tight wiht the first paddler Norman Dunroy and had Matty Graham and Jim Cotter hot on my tail. It was out of the Kayak and onto the MTB this is where Jim and Matty got away on me. It was a good grind up the road to Larnachs Castle and along to the Paradise track which was a quick and slippery descent before a good climb back up to Highcliff Rd and a slippery descent down the Greenacres Track into Mac Bay for the final 5km run to finish. all in all a good honest course and lots of fun and challenge on the MTB in the mud! I finished up 4th overall, so happy with that.
Off in the Kayak I hammered it as hard as I could knowing that the kayak my lead will be eaten up on the MTB. I lead the Kayak down to the turn around and then hung tight wiht the first paddler Norman Dunroy and had Matty Graham and Jim Cotter hot on my tail. It was out of the Kayak and onto the MTB this is where Jim and Matty got away on me. It was a good grind up the road to Larnachs Castle and along to the Paradise track which was a quick and slippery descent before a good climb back up to Highcliff Rd and a slippery descent down the Greenacres Track into Mac Bay for the final 5km run to finish. all in all a good honest course and lots of fun and challenge on the MTB in the mud! I finished up 4th overall, so happy with that.
Sunday
Dunedin Winter Kayak Series Race 2 - Careys Bay Sunday 23rd May
I went out and raced in the 2nd of the Kayak series races yesterday at Careys Bay set over an 11km course. I have been feeling pretty good about my Kayaking lately and had a solid paddle yesterday with my trusty JKK UFO slipping through the water nicely. There were 41 Kayaks in the race and it set off at a pretty hot pace. My goal has been to get amongst the surf club paddlers in the K1s & Skis and keep with them. The pace that they set is pretty quick. Yesterday there were a group of 5 paddlers that established an early lead and held their distance form the followers. I was leading the following group for the most of the way until I really lit things up and managed to pull away a bit and hold that while trying to close in on the front group. It was me and Brendan O'Neill (paddling a K1) chasing hard on the front paddlers. we were never going to cathc them but held a solid pace keeping the gap to the boats behind us getting bigger. In the end it came down to a sprint to the finish line between Brendan and I, only to be pipped by a boat length at the finish by him. I finished 7th overall, I was really stoked with the race and felt the Kayak was slipping through the water real good. Next race of this series in 4 weeks so I'll keep working on things for more gains in that.
Monday
Race 2 - Winter Multisport/Duathlon Series Whare Flat Sunday 16th May
I went and raced at the 2nd Race of the winter series Today. The course was a blast out around Whare Flat where we ran and biked around parts of the Racemans Track and other bits of forest track. Just like the first race for the series there was another good turn out of people there keen for a good blast.
We started with a quick 3ish km run through some up and down tracks - I was hanging on to a hot pace being set by Matty G for the most of the run and just dropped of the pace and was passed by Gav, Jim Cotter and Kashi Leuchs just at the end of the run, this was how it would stay. Onto the MTb and it was a bit of a grind up the road and into the forest before the soingle track fun - slipping and spiinning through the tracks was fun but quite challenging with muddy slippery tree routes - IO managed to sty on the bike and in control for most of the ride. COming off the ride it was another loop of the first run to the finish. I had a great blast, finishing up 5th behind Kashi Leuchs, Jim Cotter, Gav Mason and Matty G in that order. Kashi and Jim had a massive lead after the MTB and were flying!
Anyway great fun on a good course, and feelimng pretty fit and strong at the moment. Next race is in 2 weeks and next weekend the 2nd of the winter Kayak races at Carey Bay.
We started with a quick 3ish km run through some up and down tracks - I was hanging on to a hot pace being set by Matty G for the most of the run and just dropped of the pace and was passed by Gav, Jim Cotter and Kashi Leuchs just at the end of the run, this was how it would stay. Onto the MTb and it was a bit of a grind up the road and into the forest before the soingle track fun - slipping and spiinning through the tracks was fun but quite challenging with muddy slippery tree routes - IO managed to sty on the bike and in control for most of the ride. COming off the ride it was another loop of the first run to the finish. I had a great blast, finishing up 5th behind Kashi Leuchs, Jim Cotter, Gav Mason and Matty G in that order. Kashi and Jim had a massive lead after the MTB and were flying!
Anyway great fun on a good course, and feelimng pretty fit and strong at the moment. Next race is in 2 weeks and next weekend the 2nd of the winter Kayak races at Carey Bay.
Dunedin Winter Multisport Series - Race 1 - Broad Bay Sunday 2nd May
A fantatic turnout of people for the 1st race for the series yesterday was good to see. There must have been about 30 Kayakers lined up on the start for the race which consisted of a 5km Kayak/15km MTB/5km Run and there was also a duathlon race alongside this also.
The Kayak was on glass like water and we were all off at a pretty solid pace. I was working hard to stay with the front paddlers which consisted of mainly K1 Paddlers and 2 other multisport boats. we blasted through the paddle and I came off the paddle in 4th place for the individuals and set into hammering it on te MTb as I had 2 of the three people infront of me in sight but couldn't quite reel them in. On the first hill climb o fthe MTB I had Matty G pass me and slowly fade into the distance as he peddalled a solid ride. I t was off the MTb and onto the run which was a great offroad scramble and dash up through some bush and farmland before crossing over the top at Highcliff road and down to the finish in Broad Bay. A fantastic race and i felt happy with the result of 5th in the end. These races are a great way to get some good speed and keep you working hard all the way. Next race is 2 weeks away.
The Kayak was on glass like water and we were all off at a pretty solid pace. I was working hard to stay with the front paddlers which consisted of mainly K1 Paddlers and 2 other multisport boats. we blasted through the paddle and I came off the paddle in 4th place for the individuals and set into hammering it on te MTb as I had 2 of the three people infront of me in sight but couldn't quite reel them in. On the first hill climb o fthe MTB I had Matty G pass me and slowly fade into the distance as he peddalled a solid ride. I t was off the MTb and onto the run which was a great offroad scramble and dash up through some bush and farmland before crossing over the top at Highcliff road and down to the finish in Broad Bay. A fantastic race and i felt happy with the result of 5th in the end. These races are a great way to get some good speed and keep you working hard all the way. Next race is 2 weeks away.
Friday
Dunedin Winter Kayak Race Series - Race 1 - Vaxuhall 10km/Otago 10km Champs Sunday 25th April 2010
(Photo - I'm the 2nd White Boat at left of picture behind K1)I went along to the first of the winter Kayak Series races last sunday and had a good paddle. There was a turn out of 39 boats which was good to see and i guess future races will get even more as the weather was pretty windy. So after a good 40km spin out to Portobello on the road bike prior to the race it was into theKayak race. It was a 10km course that ended up being 4 laps of a 2.5km circuit as the wind was quite strong on the harbour - I enjoy the rougher stuff as it sorts out the paddlers and slows the K1 padders down a little. The race was prett quickly paced with a good turn out of the surf club paddlers. I stuck with the front bunch of them for the first 2 and a half laps and then dropped back a bit. I ended up finishing 7th overall and was the first multisport boat which I was happy about coming in behind 3 K1 paddlers and 3 surf skis,all surf club paddlers who are strong as!
Next weekend is the first of the local winter multisport races with the first one being out at Broad Bay - a good series to keep you honest over winter and have some fun,
Thursday
Goldrush Multisport Race 2010 - March 20-22
Well this year’s Goldrush was going to be no easier than any other year. The stunning yet challenging terrain stays unchanged waiting with the weather to deal to competitors in the 3 day 375km race consisting of Kayaking, Mountain biking, Running and Cycling.
This year’s Goldrush was my 2nd time competing as an individual and 4th time in total. After completing it as an individual in 2008 and having to miss it last year I was back and keen to have another challenging weekend. This year’s Goldrush training has been based around balance – Balancing a good family life with Cherie and Oscar(who is just 5months old now) and making sure I fitted in enough training to get by and feel happy with my efforts and performance but not wanting to let it take over other priorities in life. Life is a busy time these days and time is a valuable resource!
This year the numbers at Goldrush were down a little on my previous years at the event. There were 103 teams and 17 individuals, There was definitely a good depth of talent in the reduced field and still a great atmosphere amongst competitors and supporters.
Day 1 – Started with eh 30km Kayak to Roxburgh Dam – A good solid paddle and once I was on the water I set into a solid paddle stroke and made good time on the way down to Roxburgh – Coming into Roxburgh Dam in Just under 2 and a half hours and having the 19th fastest paddle overall I was happy with this. Onto the MTB and it was a solid grind up over the Knobby Range into a pretty stiff and relentless head wind through top the summit before a quick descent into Little Valley coming off the MTB in around 2hrs4omin and then onto Stage 3 and the final stage for Day 1 – the Run.
A good Honest 18km run up over some good sized hills to the Upper Manorburn Dam area. I had kept the run in my mind throughout the MTB and not wanted to be completely cooked for the run. Onto the run I made my way to the top of the first big hill climb before it levels off a bit and then set a good pace to get through the run in just on 2hrs. All in all it was a solid Day 1 finishing In 5th place of Open men’s, this was the place I would hold for the duration of the race. After a good feed and a massage we headed back to Alex for the luxury option of showers and beds at a friends place.
Day 2 – After a good sleep it was an early rise and off out to the start line for Day 2. The first stage was a MTB ride thought what I think is some of the best scenery of the whole race – 10minutes into the ride I felt a solid hit to the rim on the back wheel from a rock – yes sure enough it was hard enough to puncture my rear tyre, so I guess it was a 10minute loss on time here fixing this and losing sight of the guy in 4th place who I was hoping to stick close to for Day 2, anyway nothing much you can do here other than stay cool , fix it up and carry on happily! Off the MTB in around 2hrs 30 and onto the road bike for a Quick Spin down the road to the start of Stage 3 the Rail Trail Run.
The Road cycle for me is a good time to spin out the legs and load some food into the system before the run and last MTB stage of the day. Onto the Rail trail Run and feeling good on the legs running – set into a good pace running with a team runner and knocked the 15km run out in 1hr15min which felt good.
It was now time for the crux of the Day – the 58km MTB through Thompsons Gorge to Tarras. This is a tough stage for all, especially Individual Competitors as it is at the end of a big biking day, has a pretty solid and steep climb and this year like most others we had a strong westerly head wind. Mental toughness comes into play here big time and keeping positive and just chipping away at it worked for me, It didn’t make the stage any easier though! Coming into Tarras after a 3hr20min ride and a total day time of just on 8 hours I was pretty exhausted! Another good feed, massage and back to the luxury of showers and bed along with some more tasty treats and food in Alexandra and it was rest up time for Day 3!!
Day 3 – Well day three arrived and it is always a little harder to get up and into it each day. After a pretty solid thunder storm and rain it stopped and began to clear for the early start in Tarras. The first stage was a Road cycle up to Albert Town via Hawea Flat – We started in waves like every other Day - Today our wave took off like we were in a sprint finish of a race – needless to say me and a couple of others were quickly dropped from the impressive speed that Dougal Allan and Gav Mason were setting today just like all other days! After the Cycle it was into the Kayak for the 40km paddle down the Clutha River – Paddling is something I enjoy and is a relative strength compared to other disciplines. However my Kayak training has mainly consisted of paddles on the Waikouaiti river and a few splashes in the surf in the race boat for some simulated rough. It had been 2 years since heading down the Clutha, I remembered the river well having paddled it a lot in the past and really enjoyed blasting down the river through the occasional bouncy rapid and made a good solid paddle of this coming off the river in just on 2hrs30min. A quick transition into the running shoes for a short run up the my road bike before heading down the road from Tarras to Clyde. I was onto the bike and feeling good with the though of the end getting closer. You wouldn’t believe it though – Good tyres, correct pressure… another puncture – a small sharp stone had worked it’s was through to puncture the tyre – oh well another 10minute delay in quickly changing this before getting away and making my way to Clyde for the last stage of the run. I got off my bike and onto the run to give it all I had left to blast to the finish in the 13km run. I was working as hard as I could here and managed to pass 13 other runners – of which most were teams – this was good for the mind and motivation at this stage of the race, I was completed the run in just on 1hr and that was the end of Goldrush 2010 – A solid 3 days of competing in a great area. Overall finishing 5th Open Man and around 60th form the 120 teams and individuals I was happy with my achievement and the fact my body handled the demanding physical challenges! A little slower overall from my last Goldrush in 22hr30min – I put this down to some of the winds and maybe puncture time. Overall though a great race!! Back again for more at some stage!
This year’s Goldrush was my 2nd time competing as an individual and 4th time in total. After completing it as an individual in 2008 and having to miss it last year I was back and keen to have another challenging weekend. This year’s Goldrush training has been based around balance – Balancing a good family life with Cherie and Oscar(who is just 5months old now) and making sure I fitted in enough training to get by and feel happy with my efforts and performance but not wanting to let it take over other priorities in life. Life is a busy time these days and time is a valuable resource!
This year the numbers at Goldrush were down a little on my previous years at the event. There were 103 teams and 17 individuals, There was definitely a good depth of talent in the reduced field and still a great atmosphere amongst competitors and supporters.
Day 1 – Started with eh 30km Kayak to Roxburgh Dam – A good solid paddle and once I was on the water I set into a solid paddle stroke and made good time on the way down to Roxburgh – Coming into Roxburgh Dam in Just under 2 and a half hours and having the 19th fastest paddle overall I was happy with this. Onto the MTB and it was a solid grind up over the Knobby Range into a pretty stiff and relentless head wind through top the summit before a quick descent into Little Valley coming off the MTB in around 2hrs4omin and then onto Stage 3 and the final stage for Day 1 – the Run.
A good Honest 18km run up over some good sized hills to the Upper Manorburn Dam area. I had kept the run in my mind throughout the MTB and not wanted to be completely cooked for the run. Onto the run I made my way to the top of the first big hill climb before it levels off a bit and then set a good pace to get through the run in just on 2hrs. All in all it was a solid Day 1 finishing In 5th place of Open men’s, this was the place I would hold for the duration of the race. After a good feed and a massage we headed back to Alex for the luxury option of showers and beds at a friends place.
Day 2 – After a good sleep it was an early rise and off out to the start line for Day 2. The first stage was a MTB ride thought what I think is some of the best scenery of the whole race – 10minutes into the ride I felt a solid hit to the rim on the back wheel from a rock – yes sure enough it was hard enough to puncture my rear tyre, so I guess it was a 10minute loss on time here fixing this and losing sight of the guy in 4th place who I was hoping to stick close to for Day 2, anyway nothing much you can do here other than stay cool , fix it up and carry on happily! Off the MTB in around 2hrs 30 and onto the road bike for a Quick Spin down the road to the start of Stage 3 the Rail Trail Run.
The Road cycle for me is a good time to spin out the legs and load some food into the system before the run and last MTB stage of the day. Onto the Rail trail Run and feeling good on the legs running – set into a good pace running with a team runner and knocked the 15km run out in 1hr15min which felt good.
It was now time for the crux of the Day – the 58km MTB through Thompsons Gorge to Tarras. This is a tough stage for all, especially Individual Competitors as it is at the end of a big biking day, has a pretty solid and steep climb and this year like most others we had a strong westerly head wind. Mental toughness comes into play here big time and keeping positive and just chipping away at it worked for me, It didn’t make the stage any easier though! Coming into Tarras after a 3hr20min ride and a total day time of just on 8 hours I was pretty exhausted! Another good feed, massage and back to the luxury of showers and bed along with some more tasty treats and food in Alexandra and it was rest up time for Day 3!!
Day 3 – Well day three arrived and it is always a little harder to get up and into it each day. After a pretty solid thunder storm and rain it stopped and began to clear for the early start in Tarras. The first stage was a Road cycle up to Albert Town via Hawea Flat – We started in waves like every other Day - Today our wave took off like we were in a sprint finish of a race – needless to say me and a couple of others were quickly dropped from the impressive speed that Dougal Allan and Gav Mason were setting today just like all other days! After the Cycle it was into the Kayak for the 40km paddle down the Clutha River – Paddling is something I enjoy and is a relative strength compared to other disciplines. However my Kayak training has mainly consisted of paddles on the Waikouaiti river and a few splashes in the surf in the race boat for some simulated rough. It had been 2 years since heading down the Clutha, I remembered the river well having paddled it a lot in the past and really enjoyed blasting down the river through the occasional bouncy rapid and made a good solid paddle of this coming off the river in just on 2hrs30min. A quick transition into the running shoes for a short run up the my road bike before heading down the road from Tarras to Clyde. I was onto the bike and feeling good with the though of the end getting closer. You wouldn’t believe it though – Good tyres, correct pressure… another puncture – a small sharp stone had worked it’s was through to puncture the tyre – oh well another 10minute delay in quickly changing this before getting away and making my way to Clyde for the last stage of the run. I got off my bike and onto the run to give it all I had left to blast to the finish in the 13km run. I was working as hard as I could here and managed to pass 13 other runners – of which most were teams – this was good for the mind and motivation at this stage of the race, I was completed the run in just on 1hr and that was the end of Goldrush 2010 – A solid 3 days of competing in a great area. Overall finishing 5th Open Man and around 60th form the 120 teams and individuals I was happy with my achievement and the fact my body handled the demanding physical challenges! A little slower overall from my last Goldrush in 22hr30min – I put this down to some of the winds and maybe puncture time. Overall though a great race!! Back again for more at some stage!
Rail Trail Duatlon 27-28th Feb 2010
A great weekend of racing. Day one consisted of 8km run/37km MTB/11km run/35km MTB - I had a great day and held a solid speed all the way through the 4 stages. The runs were pretty quickly paced and the time on the MTB was also good - got moving along doing some good laps with a few others at stages of the bikes unitl I or them dropped off - Day one finsihed with me in 4th Place and in 4hr12min.
Day 2 started with an 8km run which i knocked out in 29min!!! we were flying and then it was onto the MTB for 42km of pumping the pedals and keeping things moving along before the last stage of the race which was a 9km run - feeling ok here I used what energy I had left to finish as stong as I could. I finished day 2 in 4th place again after spending much of th ride today with the 2nd placed individual, but there was a 12min time gap i was never going to be able to close on him on day 2.
So overall a good race, I was placed 4th Individual and overlall from the teams as well i ended up around 20th which is always quite satisfying beating lots of teams!! It had been 2 years since I did this race and I took 35min off my time!! A very competitive field this year made for some good hard racing. Things are shaping up well for the Goldrush on 20-22nd March which is my next race and one of the biggies for the season.
Otago Peninsula Challenge 31st Jan 2010
A good blast out on some fantastic tracks and terrain. Lots of good grunty hills to sort things out and some slippery descents also! I finished up 12th Open man and 22nd over all from 168 riders so happy with this performance. Ride time of 2hrs 42min
Lake Wanaka Half Ironman January 16th 2010
We headed up to Wanaka on the Thursday morning, Had a swim in the lake on Thursday arvo - was a reasonably chilly 13.7 degrees, but once your forehead went numb the swimming was ok! So 8.15 am on the Saturday morning the individuals started - a deep water start with 235 swimmers, I got into a comfortable stroke and the swim went well, coming out of the water in 37min which i was happy and actually enjoyed the swim in the clear waters considering the swimming is not my strongest skill. A bit of a slow transition from swim to bike ( I almost left transition without my race number on me so had to dash back and get that) Onto the bike and it was a good honest 90km ride out past Glendhu Bay and then back through Wanaka and down to Tarras before cutting back up around lake Hawea and then back to Wanaka - A good spin on the bike, my goal was to stick to 30km/hr and do a 3hr ride, I managed to stick pretty close to this and take on fluids and food for the upcoming 21km half marathon run off the bike. I came off the bike in 3hrs5min and got onto the run and established my legs and a pace that felt good to keep up for the 21km without cooking up. By the time we were onto the run things were getting pretty warm, with the temperature being around the 30degree mark, so I worked my way through the run feeling not to bad and pushing it along as good as the body would let me. The finishing chute and main street of Wanaka was a buzz of people and a great atmosphere to finish to. I ran 1hr51min for the run, which was ok for a hot day and a rolling course after the bike. So total time was 5hrs42min, putting me 34th in my age group and 81st overall individual. So back again next year...maybe double the distance and try the full distance.. will have to see.Monday
Kelly's Canter Running Race
Sunday 18th October 2009 - The Annual "Kelly's Canter" Runnign Race Palmerston
I slung on the running shoes yesterday arvo and ran in Kelly's Canter in Palmerston,the blast upa nd around the monument on top of the hill. Having been up and down that hill more times than i can remember as a kid growing up in Palmy it is always good fun as well as a bit of a lung and leg burner. Last year I had a pretty good result and was back for more. This year the $300 prize for 1st man and !st women attracted a few faster club runners and people from about the place. Anyway had a pretty solid blast up the hill and came in 2nd Open man and 6th overall fro a field of about 50 runners, not quite managing to snap up the $$ - it was a young club runner from town who took the win quite convincingly. Anyway a good solid blast on the legs.
Rail Trail Classic 100 - Sunday 27th September 2009 152km MTB Race
Well on Sunday I went and competed in the Rail Trail Classic – the 152km MTB race from Clyde to Middlemarch. Initially when entering I didn’t think too much about the distance and challenge this could become, after a bit of thought and talk with others I realised the 152km on a MTB on a gravel road had the potential to be a long way. Anyway starting at Clyde at 8am we headed off and my main goal for the day was to get to Middlemarch without wrecking myself in the first 100km and suffering for the last 50 odd km. So making sure I was taking on good amount s of food and fluid along the way was going to be important. With a clear crisp morning it was a good pedal through the first 65km to Oturehua and occasional times where there were a few of us to share the load a little – however it was surprising how quickly everyone spread out and I found myself pedalling alone for a lot of the day. From here on there was a slight head wind picking up and by the time I left Ranfury after some quick food loading it was 60km to go to the finish. The legs were feeling pretty good until I had to slog out from Ranfurly to Hyde (about 35km) on my own into a fierce head wind, pretty demoralising when you are grovelling by yourself into a wind like we had and your barely moving. Anyway a bit of a grind but at Hyde with 25km to go we got a bit of a bunch going and were really able to wind it up to the end in Middlemarch, In our bunch there were 5 of us so I worked it so I was in a good spot to make a break on my own and about 200m to go I gave it all I had and managed to ride off the bunch and finish solidly dropping the rest in the final sprint!
Having eaten well and kept my fluids up through the day I felt ok on finishing.
I finished in 7hrs12min, placing me 36th overall out of 157 starters including teams and was 23rd individual across the line. With only 13 teams in front of me I was pretty happy with this result. IN my class 19-34yrs open men I was 8th – the longest ride I have ever done in one sitting on my bike!!! Some good base miles for other upcoming events! Full results at www.rtc100.co.nz
Dunedin Half Marathon 13th September 2009
Well, I had resorted to the half marathon this year instead of the full marathon due to having not really managed to build up enough miles on the feet since my recovery and knowing that you can't comfortably bluff your way through the full marathon without inflicting some serious pain on yourself!.... To add to this having had a cold/sinus/blocked up head congestion for the last week and a half and been off school for half of last week, i thought my chances of linig up for a run in the Half Marathon yesterday morning were going to be pretty slim.... anyway after contemplating my flu symptoms and dosing up on some de congestants i went for it... I decided to leave my watch at home otherwise i would be trying to keep to probably unachievable times - so with my watch at home i just ran with what felt ok and didn't worry about times going for the surprise sighting of my time at the end - an interesting way to run letting the body tell you what it feels ok with while having no real idea of pace. I got into what felt to be a reasonable pace and tried to clear my nose for the first 5km or so and then used what energy i had left to run on. Energy levels were a little low but going on what the body felt like was better for me yesterday and Overall i was pretty happy with the run coming in in 1hr42min. The next race for me i now in 2 weeks and is the RTC100 - which is the 152km MTB on the rail trail so i guess that will sort the legs out!
Kayak Race - Henly-Taieri Mouth 9th August 2009
Well i headed out to Henly for one of the winter Kayak series races yesterday. It was a 16km paddle to to Taieri Mouth and Back. I have had a few paddles in the boat over the last months and am building back some tummy strength ok, so i thought it would be good to head out and race to see where things are at. A fantastic morning weatherwise and there were about 40 kayakers there at the race which was fantastic to see.
The race was a Handicap start based on Boats pretty much so i was in the 35min+ group and had the 40min group f the K1 surf club guys behind me which was goint ot be a challenge to hold them off to the finish. We took off from Henly bridge to Taieri Mouth and there was a good outgoing tide flow so the trip down the river was pretty quick - i lead our bunch unaware that when i looked over my shoulder at the Taieri Mouth turn around there were a string of 5 boats behind me - including one double! After the turn around i tried to put the hammer down a bit and some of the washriders dropped away to leave me, the Double and one other, we worked hard all the way back and i started to fade with 2-3km to go from the end, but we had passed most of the earlier markers by then, the double put in a solid finish pulling away from me 500m from the end and the other paddler got 40m on me, blasting to the finish it felt like my paddle was being dragged through concrete but i managed to hold off the K1s from the 40min group.
All up a solid paddle and felt really good, so the build back into things is going well. I finished 6th Overall from the Handicap start system, 5th MAn and had the 10th fastest paddle of the day. So all good!!
Winter Kayak Series Race 4 9th August 2009
The race was a Handicap start based on Boats pretty much so i was in the 35min+ group and had the 40min group f the K1 surf club guys behind me which was goint ot be a challenge to hold them off to the finish. We took off from Henly bridge to Taieri Mouth and there was a good outgoing tide flow so the trip down the river was pretty quick - i lead our bunch unaware that when i looked over my shoulder at the Taieri Mouth turn around there were a string of 5 boats behind me - including one double! After the turn around i tried to put the hammer down a bit and some of the washriders dropped away to leave me, the Double and one other, we worked hard all the way back and i started to fade with 2-3km to go from the end, but we had passed most of the earlier markers by then, the double put in a solid finish pulling away from me 500m from the end and the other paddler got 40m on me, blasting to the finish it felt like my paddle was being dragged through concrete but i managed to hold off the K1s from the 40min group.
All up a solid paddle and felt really good, so the build back into things is going well. I finished 6th Overall from the Handicap start system, 5th MAn and had the 10th fastest paddle of the day. So all good!!
Winter Kayak Series Race 4 9th August 2009
Peak to Peak 2009.... my first hit out since surgery!
Well the Peak to Peak multisport race is one of my favourites and this year was my 6th time competing in it. It was my first race since major surgery only 5 months/21 weeks ago – I am probably my own worst critic and hardest judge maker on my performance, I felt a little disappointed initially at my result and performance in this years event. I have been building up and slowly regaining lost strength and muscle tone over the last 2 months or so as the body and the healing process has allowed, surgical battle scars are pretty tender and need some ease taking when getting back into things I have found!
However my initial disappointment has been changed with a sense of achievement and a solid benchmark as to what I need to do to regain and build up to where I was before having surgery to fix my tummy troubles. To be able to complete this race only 21 weeks after the operation was a good achievement in itself.
In competing in the peak to peak last year I set a Personal Best time of 2hr45min, and this year I thought I might lose 15minutes on that with where I was at, however parts of the race were more of a challenge than I expected.
So it went a little bit like this….. A beautiful clear day in Queenstown not a cloud in the sky and no wind at all. Barrett was kind enough to sort me a ride up to the top of the Remarkables with my MTB and Skis while Cherie waited at the start of the Kayak to assist with all the transitions from there.
The Ski My skiing skills are pretty basic but sufficient enough to get me down the slopes ok, but usually after a run or two just to get my legs and turns sorted, IN the last few years we have skied pretty easy runs on the mountain. However this year was to be a little different as there was a good amount of snow we skied “Homeward Bound” which is a steep and more advanced run, I had skied this running my first ever Peak to Peak and got a bit bashed up by it. Anyway I skied off down th start of the trail ands then made my way out onto the main face of the slope to be challenged with trying to execute confident and quick turns to get me down the mountain, (the last time I was on skis was the Peak to Peak in 2008!) Needless to say I took a while to get down the slope and didn’t have too many people behind me at the end of this ski.
The MTB This is always a good blast down the hill, I got onto the bike and pedalled my way as quick as I could to Frankton passing a couple of people on the way. Great fun coming down the hill
The Kayak I believe the Kayak is one of my strongest disciplines and I something I really enjoy. I got into the boat and wound It up across a glass like lake and set my eyes on all the other Kayaks I wanted to reel in and pass. Over the course of the Kayak I managed to pass 28 paddlers and felt pretty good about this.
The Run Onto the run and I was starting to feel a little fade in my energy, but settled into a comfortable enough pace knowing that the last cycle up Coronet was going to deal to me! I got through the run and felt a little flat and heavy in the legs by the end of it, not looking forward to the next stage much at all, but the end was getting closer!
The Last Cycle The cycle up Coronet Peak is a tough grind and one I wasn’t looking forward to much with my leg strength currently being a little limited and the effects of the previous stages of the race. I got onto the bike and started to grind my way up the hill, Once on my way I was in the low gear on my road bike wishing I had the gearing of my MTB as the roadie isn’t the lowest of gearing for hills. Anyway, not far into it I had to give myself a mental toughness talk and tried to overcome the pain of some cramp that were starting to eat into my thighs. With about 3km to go from the top of the hill my legs were locking up and I was having to get off and push my leg out of it’s locked straight position and deal with the pains of the cramping – so it was walk a bit to relieve locking and cramping and then try to get back on and bike until the cramp locked me up over and over again – not pretty and all and quite tough on you mentally as you get passed by others looking 10x better than yourself – anyway enough whining on about how tough the last cycle was – I finished and could enjoy an ice cold beer!
The Outcome I finished in 3hrs and 35min which was down on last years time by 50min, however now looking at this result in a positive and reflective manner I feel it was great to get back out there and get started back into some races and will continue to work hard on getting my strength and speed back to where it was as quick as. It was great to be able to push the body and it all held together!
Friday
Big Endurance Event!!.....
Well I have managed to complete the biggest test of my endurance and strength to date over the last 2 months, 2months being the length of this "Endurance Event".
My Surgery that i had on the 18th of Feb was pretty major and knocked me a bit but was very successful and i think that in time it will make me even a bit quicker in races as i am feeling so much better with the work of the surgeon complete, however it has been one mission over the last two months, both mentally (having to watch and follow results and hear of the races i was supposed to be racing in has been pretty tough) and the physical side of the operation recovery.
The "Endurance Event" went a bit like this......
After pre surgery admission clinic meeting with my anathesist and Surgeon i was admitted to hospital where things all began.
Stage 1: Surgery - 4hours 30min, The Surgery took 4hours and 30min for the surgeon to complete where a whopping 50cm of my large bowel was removed and the remaining ends rejoined, via Laproscopically assisted surgery - leaving 5 incisions over my abdomen and multiple layers of stitching of my abdominal muscles back together.
Stage 2: Hospital Recovery 5days,5 days in hospital was tough, after waking from the surgery i was on a diet of jelly and juice for alomst 4 days before eating semi normal food again and the pain of the operation was prett intense, only managing to get out of bed and sit up for about 5 minutes at a time, and this was a mission, i became a common site walking around the ward at Mercy Hospital every few hours - really painful, but the electric tilting bed and nursing staff helped me wiht this along with some pretty good pain medication, after 5 days they sent me home.
Stage 3: Home Rest 4 weeks After getting home i spent the best part of 4 weeks lying down and doing not much moire than short walks to the end of the driv eand around the block - really sore and slow going with lots of bruising and swelling, anyway made the brave step back to work after the 4 weeks at home and that was a mission in iotself getting back into the classroom. Itching to do some exercise but limited to walking was tough...
All go again now.. Final consult with surgeon last week and he has given me the ok to start getting back into things which is great, Having 2 months of feeling sore and unable to do much more than just exist has been tough, but short term pain for long term gain!! I am now feeling pretty dam good and the sore tummys i used to get are really just a thing of the past we hope, so back into some light running and spinnign on the bike, might be another month or two before abs are ready for the Kayak though.
So after missing out on the main summer races i had planned and entered for i will just have to re plan this last season all again for next season.
I hope to make the Peak to Peak in July my first big hit back into things and then work on getting things all back to speed for spring and summer races that i began to race this year and the ones i missed!!
My Surgery that i had on the 18th of Feb was pretty major and knocked me a bit but was very successful and i think that in time it will make me even a bit quicker in races as i am feeling so much better with the work of the surgeon complete, however it has been one mission over the last two months, both mentally (having to watch and follow results and hear of the races i was supposed to be racing in has been pretty tough) and the physical side of the operation recovery.
The "Endurance Event" went a bit like this......
After pre surgery admission clinic meeting with my anathesist and Surgeon i was admitted to hospital where things all began.
Stage 1: Surgery - 4hours 30min, The Surgery took 4hours and 30min for the surgeon to complete where a whopping 50cm of my large bowel was removed and the remaining ends rejoined, via Laproscopically assisted surgery - leaving 5 incisions over my abdomen and multiple layers of stitching of my abdominal muscles back together.
Stage 2: Hospital Recovery 5days,5 days in hospital was tough, after waking from the surgery i was on a diet of jelly and juice for alomst 4 days before eating semi normal food again and the pain of the operation was prett intense, only managing to get out of bed and sit up for about 5 minutes at a time, and this was a mission, i became a common site walking around the ward at Mercy Hospital every few hours - really painful, but the electric tilting bed and nursing staff helped me wiht this along with some pretty good pain medication, after 5 days they sent me home.
Stage 3: Home Rest 4 weeks After getting home i spent the best part of 4 weeks lying down and doing not much moire than short walks to the end of the driv eand around the block - really sore and slow going with lots of bruising and swelling, anyway made the brave step back to work after the 4 weeks at home and that was a mission in iotself getting back into the classroom. Itching to do some exercise but limited to walking was tough...
All go again now.. Final consult with surgeon last week and he has given me the ok to start getting back into things which is great, Having 2 months of feeling sore and unable to do much more than just exist has been tough, but short term pain for long term gain!! I am now feeling pretty dam good and the sore tummys i used to get are really just a thing of the past we hope, so back into some light running and spinnign on the bike, might be another month or two before abs are ready for the Kayak though.
So after missing out on the main summer races i had planned and entered for i will just have to re plan this last season all again for next season.
I hope to make the Peak to Peak in July my first big hit back into things and then work on getting things all back to speed for spring and summer races that i began to race this year and the ones i missed!!
Monday
Otago Peninsula Challenge 1st February 2009 - MTB Race
A great race, i was hoping to place around the same as last year (8th) but this year found myself down a bit (30th) but wiht a time only 1min slower than last year - there was a huge depth of fast riders there and having the SI cup riders start in a bunch 2min ahead of us made it difficult to chase them and stick with them when they are out of sight. Anyway a good race,now just going to work on maintinaing good health and fitness as i have my big surgery on 18th Feb so will be lying low and recovering for a few weeks and maybe a few weeks more? www.otagopeninsulachallenge.co.nz
Lake Dunstan Triathlon 2nd January 2009
Link to results http://www.cromwell.org.nz/raceresults.asp
Well I drove up to Cromwell for the Lake Dunstan Triathlon to be held on Friday 2nd January. As we drove into central the wind seemed to get stronger and stronger, by the time we got to Cromwell there was a really strong Westerly wind blowing – the race had a Kayak Cycle Run, Swim Bike Run or Duathlon option. I was all geared up for a fun time in the Kayak Cycle Run race only to be told tat there was to be no Kayak Cycle Run race as the lake was too rough – I always enjoy the rough as it sorts out the paddlers from the highway paddlers. Anyway the option was to do the duathlon or the swim triathlon. I had thrown my wetsuit and goggles in the car for some reason so decided to do the swim tri (about 100m into the swim I remembered why I prefer multisport races and Kayaking!) Anyway the swim was pretty short 300m or so, I took off at a good pace only to get a good gulp of water in the mouth about 100m into it which had me having a small coughing/gulping/spluttering fit! Anyway got the swim out of the way – not at great speed really, but onto the bike and time to hammer it a bit. The cycle stage was an out and back 22km so I gave it heaps here and was passing cyclists all the way – one advantage of the slow swim – playing chase all the way and then onto the run which was about 5km around the lake side – gave it heaps here and continued to reel in lots of people, Finished the raced in 1hr10min – a pretty short quick race compared to the usual races I am used to., Quite enjoyable having a crack at trhe swim tri as it has been a while since I have been foe a swim let alone done a swim tri! Finished 9th Open Man.
Well I drove up to Cromwell for the Lake Dunstan Triathlon to be held on Friday 2nd January. As we drove into central the wind seemed to get stronger and stronger, by the time we got to Cromwell there was a really strong Westerly wind blowing – the race had a Kayak Cycle Run, Swim Bike Run or Duathlon option. I was all geared up for a fun time in the Kayak Cycle Run race only to be told tat there was to be no Kayak Cycle Run race as the lake was too rough – I always enjoy the rough as it sorts out the paddlers from the highway paddlers. Anyway the option was to do the duathlon or the swim triathlon. I had thrown my wetsuit and goggles in the car for some reason so decided to do the swim tri (about 100m into the swim I remembered why I prefer multisport races and Kayaking!) Anyway the swim was pretty short 300m or so, I took off at a good pace only to get a good gulp of water in the mouth about 100m into it which had me having a small coughing/gulping/spluttering fit! Anyway got the swim out of the way – not at great speed really, but onto the bike and time to hammer it a bit. The cycle stage was an out and back 22km so I gave it heaps here and was passing cyclists all the way – one advantage of the slow swim – playing chase all the way and then onto the run which was about 5km around the lake side – gave it heaps here and continued to reel in lots of people, Finished the raced in 1hr10min – a pretty short quick race compared to the usual races I am used to., Quite enjoyable having a crack at trhe swim tri as it has been a while since I have been foe a swim let alone done a swim tri! Finished 9th Open Man.
Bethunes Gully MTB XCtravaganza 3 Stage Race 7th December 2008 - Report
Race Stage 1 – XC 3 laps around Bethunes tracks – 8th
This was a great blast, 3 laps of single track, the first part of each lap was up the road and then onto a climb up to the top of the trees before the traverse descent down to lap back to the entrance gate. My strength on the hill was great but I then gave up a few places on the fast singe track stuff, but then made my time up again each lap on the road and climb part of the laps – a great fun first sage, crash free!! Was 8th in this stage.
Race Stage 2 – Hill Climb – Bethunes entrance to Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes Intersection Summit – 4th to top 3rd Open Man
After about a 30 min rest from race one we started stage two to the top of the Mt Cargill walking track where it meets the organ pipes track. I was looking forward to this stage as I have been doing quite a bit of hill work and feel this is possibly one of my strengths. We were off with a blast and I quickly got myself into 4th and then just hammered all I had up the hill, constantly trying to pedal just that little bit harder and spin the pedals at a good pace, but one that I could sustain for the whole climb. I felt good (well “good” being working as hard as possible and sucking for oxygen with the legs pumping!) for the whole climb and got to the top in 28:44, which had me 4th to the top Behind Tony Hogg, Peter Green and Mickey Fan, An awesome climb to the top. It was then a cold misty wait for everyone to arrive before the down hill stage.
Race Stage 3 – Down Hill – Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes intersection to Carpark at bottom of the track. 17th open man
Well my tyre choice and pressure probably wasn’t ideal for the steep fast descent on pretty loose fresh gravel track. My “Mezcal semi slicks” didn’t offer the ideal traction slipping through the corners, and my conservative approach to the downhill saw me get down in 9:23, not as uick as I would like but with things like our wedding coming up I didn’t want to break any bones! A fast and fun descent. The fastest down hill rider was 7:03!
Overall a great race set up, I really enjoyed the XC stage and loved the hill climb,
Open Men’s results for me were
XC – 8th
Hill Climb – 3rd (4th to the top overall)
Downhill – 17th
The final results combined from all three stages had me finish 8th= open man for the day which I was really happy with
Below is the link to the MTB Otago website full results:
http://www.mountainbikingotago.co.nz/html/modules/news/article.php?storyid=72
This was a great blast, 3 laps of single track, the first part of each lap was up the road and then onto a climb up to the top of the trees before the traverse descent down to lap back to the entrance gate. My strength on the hill was great but I then gave up a few places on the fast singe track stuff, but then made my time up again each lap on the road and climb part of the laps – a great fun first sage, crash free!! Was 8th in this stage.
Race Stage 2 – Hill Climb – Bethunes entrance to Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes Intersection Summit – 4th to top 3rd Open Man
After about a 30 min rest from race one we started stage two to the top of the Mt Cargill walking track where it meets the organ pipes track. I was looking forward to this stage as I have been doing quite a bit of hill work and feel this is possibly one of my strengths. We were off with a blast and I quickly got myself into 4th and then just hammered all I had up the hill, constantly trying to pedal just that little bit harder and spin the pedals at a good pace, but one that I could sustain for the whole climb. I felt good (well “good” being working as hard as possible and sucking for oxygen with the legs pumping!) for the whole climb and got to the top in 28:44, which had me 4th to the top Behind Tony Hogg, Peter Green and Mickey Fan, An awesome climb to the top. It was then a cold misty wait for everyone to arrive before the down hill stage.
Race Stage 3 – Down Hill – Mt Cargill/Organ Pipes intersection to Carpark at bottom of the track. 17th open man
Well my tyre choice and pressure probably wasn’t ideal for the steep fast descent on pretty loose fresh gravel track. My “Mezcal semi slicks” didn’t offer the ideal traction slipping through the corners, and my conservative approach to the downhill saw me get down in 9:23, not as uick as I would like but with things like our wedding coming up I didn’t want to break any bones! A fast and fun descent. The fastest down hill rider was 7:03!
Overall a great race set up, I really enjoyed the XC stage and loved the hill climb,
Open Men’s results for me were
XC – 8th
Hill Climb – 3rd (4th to the top overall)
Downhill – 17th
The final results combined from all three stages had me finish 8th= open man for the day which I was really happy with
Below is the link to the MTB Otago website full results:
http://www.mountainbikingotago.co.nz/html/modules/news/article.php?storyid=72
Bannockburn Gutbuster 2008 - MTB Race
Well a great weekend on the MTB, Went up and raced in the Bannockburn Gutbuster ride from Garston to Bannockburn – 75km with 1300m of climbing in it, so a good honest ride. From Bannockburn I caught the bus through to Garston. The bus ride wasn’t the best as I ended up down the back end of the bus and the windy road made me a little bus sick, losing a bit of breakfast on arriving in Garston, luckily the bus arrived about an hour before the start of the ride, so I was able to get some food into me and get rid of my grogginess!! Anyway at the start of the ride everyone was off! Not long into it and the 1st climb began, I settled into a pretty solid and comfortable rhythm and worked my way to the top of this climb feeling good (which was planned as there is a lot further to go) a the top of the climb my rear tyre felt a little softer than it should have been, so I stopped and puffed a bit of air into it, thinking that it was probably going to keep going down. Anyway blasting off down the hill I was right as the tyre went down, by the second creek crossing I dunked the bike in and could see a stream of bubbles coming out of it, bugger! So a quick tube change here, a bit gutting seeing people cruising past a s I repaired this, but back onto the bike after this and I managed to make up a lot of time and places on those who passed me and was feeling good. On and on down the valley and finally arriving at the start of the climb up to the top of Duffers Saddle, from the bottom to the top I just focused on keeping those pedals spinning round and eventually got to the top, feeling pretty exhausted but satisfied with the climb, from her it was a quick descent and grind along the road to the finish in Bannockburn. I finished in 4hrs7min, and this placed me 65th overall and 35th Open man from a field of about 300 riders. A good blast. click on this link to view web page of full 2008 results http://www.cromwell.org.nz/downloads/2008Gutbuster.htm
Kaitangata Black Gold XC MTB Race - 16th November 2008
An awesome 45km MTB race around some fantastic purpose built single track along with farm land, forest roads and a very small amount of sealed road. The race started off on tarmac at the Crescent Rugby Club before entering forest terrain with and undulating tracks. There is a moderate climb followed by a fast narrow single-track descent back into the forest. Racing took us across farmland, alongside the Clutha River and through bush before the finish at the clubrooms again.
Awesome weather and a great turn out of riders, felt pretty good most of the way and loved the single track stuff. Jumping around 4th - 5th - 6th place for a lot of the ride, but lost a couple of places in the last 5km to finish 8th which i was still pretty happy with considering the numbers and level of riders there. An awesome event - back again definetly!
Awesome weather and a great turn out of riders, felt pretty good most of the way and loved the single track stuff. Jumping around 4th - 5th - 6th place for a lot of the ride, but lost a couple of places in the last 5km to finish 8th which i was still pretty happy with considering the numbers and level of riders there. An awesome event - back again definetly!
Kelly's Canter October 2008 - Palmerston - Running
Well a great day for the annual run up to the top of Puketapu Hill and return (about a 4km blast to the top of the hil and back to the town centre). Having been up and down this hill many many times over the years i felt pretty good on this run. A hard pace alll the way and my lungs screaming for Oxygen as i went up and then the legs just holing together as i descended! Leather GArden gloves on for the rough Down hill part at the top made the thistles and rocks less painful! Anyway a great blast up and down, placed 4th overall - 2 seconds off 3rd in a sprint finish.
Won the Chip Dunkley Memorial trophy for the first Open Man home!
Won the Chip Dunkley Memorial trophy for the first Open Man home!
Dunedin Marathon 14th September 2008
Well what a cracker of a day weather wise yesterday. I went out and ran the Dunedin Marathon yesterday. A fine morning wiht perfect conditions had me off to a nice pace. I was hoping to run between 3hrs20 and 3hrs30 so had set times for along the way to try and stick to. Feeling good in the legs right through until about 35km where i hit the wall a little, legs were fine with no cramps or stiffness, just seemed to run low on energy and couldn't push along as quick as i woulds have liked for the last 7km - so by this stage i was thinking why do i put myself through this torture???... anyway the same old answer came to mind... because i can.. and seem to forget the pain of these marathons fro one ot the next. Anyway i ended up finishing in 3hr38min, which was about 3min down on last year, still happy enough with this result as i really went into it with the goal ofd a personal time to beat - but didn't so i guess i'll have to keep lining up until i can crack the times i want to beat!!
Thursday
Peak to Peak Multisport Race Queenstown - 19th July 2008
One of my favourite races, the Start of this is high up on the Remarkables and the Finish is at the Ski Field Base at Coronet Peak!!! Stages are as follows1. Run/Ski
2. 17km MTB - fantastic downhill on the Remark's access road
3. 7km Kayak across from Frankton to Queenstown.
4. 9km Run (all up hill) to the bottom of Coronet Road
5. 9km Cycle up Coronet Peak Ski Field Road.
This year was my 5th time racing as an individual and i managed a PB time of 2hrs 45min which i was stoked with. The winning individual time was 2hrs 22min. I had pretty good stages feeling strong in all areas. I finished the run in 38min which was the 6th fastest individual i think. A well run event and heaps of fun! Open mens section placing was 16th out of 51 individuals and overall including teams i was 48th out of 150 entries!
Sunday
Mac Bay Lovers Leap Multisport Race - Race 5 WInter Series, 6th July 2008
the last race of the five race multisport series was Today (Sunday). Had a good race and feeling not too bad despite the cooler temps and the wind!,
So for the series i was
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 3rd
Race 3: 3rd
Race 4: 1st
Race 5: 2nd
Well after a mission of a drive over the motorway after all the snow yesterday i arrived at the race start at Mac Bay at 9.30am, this is when it was supposed to start, even leaving home earlier i still got held up by trucks on the icy roads. The race consisted of a 10km Paddle, 20km MTB and 10km Run. Anyway it was a super quick get ready which basically involved gettin gmy bike off the car, giving my running shoes to be taken to the run start , hopping in my boat and GO!! A southerly wind coming up the harbour for the paddle, we did 2x 5km out and back loops for the paddle, It was only Gav and I and one other woman doing the Kayak option, but we had 4 of the surf club guys there to keep us honest on the paddle so cranked it hard for this. Gav was out of the water about 1-2min clear of me and i followed onto the MTB up centre road and along the tops before dropping down the Buskin track and following along the bottom before coming up the road from sandfly bay. From here it was alog the road further and up the road to the Lovers Leap park which was the run transition, from here we ran around the headland before dropping down into sandfly bay and running along the beach. On the MTB and run is where i caught and passed 5 of the Duathlon competitors who had started ahead of us, this is always good for the spirits when you are feeling a little worn! Running along sandfly beach was tough as the wind was really strong and then up the dunes out of here and a touch climb back up ontho the top road before dropping down the Greenacres track to finish back at Mac Bay. A solid race which was tough, i never managed to catch Gav he was cranking well infront of me, I only got a Glimpse of him ahead of me coming up the hill from Sandfly bay. A solid finish in 2nd (even if there were only 2 doing our option, about 8min back on Gav i finished in just over 3 hours!! Great blast, next Peak to Peak in 2 weeks time.
So for the series i was
Race 1: 2nd
Race 2: 3rd
Race 3: 3rd
Race 4: 1st
Race 5: 2nd
Well after a mission of a drive over the motorway after all the snow yesterday i arrived at the race start at Mac Bay at 9.30am, this is when it was supposed to start, even leaving home earlier i still got held up by trucks on the icy roads. The race consisted of a 10km Paddle, 20km MTB and 10km Run. Anyway it was a super quick get ready which basically involved gettin gmy bike off the car, giving my running shoes to be taken to the run start , hopping in my boat and GO!! A southerly wind coming up the harbour for the paddle, we did 2x 5km out and back loops for the paddle, It was only Gav and I and one other woman doing the Kayak option, but we had 4 of the surf club guys there to keep us honest on the paddle so cranked it hard for this. Gav was out of the water about 1-2min clear of me and i followed onto the MTB up centre road and along the tops before dropping down the Buskin track and following along the bottom before coming up the road from sandfly bay. From here it was alog the road further and up the road to the Lovers Leap park which was the run transition, from here we ran around the headland before dropping down into sandfly bay and running along the beach. On the MTB and run is where i caught and passed 5 of the Duathlon competitors who had started ahead of us, this is always good for the spirits when you are feeling a little worn! Running along sandfly beach was tough as the wind was really strong and then up the dunes out of here and a touch climb back up ontho the top road before dropping down the Greenacres track to finish back at Mac Bay. A solid race which was tough, i never managed to catch Gav he was cranking well infront of me, I only got a Glimpse of him ahead of me coming up the hill from Sandfly bay. A solid finish in 2nd (even if there were only 2 doing our option, about 8min back on Gav i finished in just over 3 hours!! Great blast, next Peak to Peak in 2 weeks time.
Monday
Whare Flat MTB Duathlon - Race 4 WInter Series - June 15th 2008
I went and raced in the Whare Flat MTB duathlon yesterday along with 12 others. It was a cracker of a course. We started with a 4km run along a forest road and back along the "snake" MTB track and back to where we started to get on the mtb, I took off pretty quick on the run and established a bit of a lead and held this to the mtb transition. Onto the MTB and it was a quick balst up the forest road before dropping onto the "Snake" mtb tracka dn this is where the fun started, the track was greasy and windy with a few we surprise bumps and things in it, one trip over the handlebars early on in this for me and then another on some slippy clay (my mezcal semi slicks were not the best tyre choice for the day!) on the technical stuff i was passed by the second rider and lost a bit of ground to him, it wasn't until we started the climb back up longridge road i pushed hard and reeled him in and passed him to take the lead again, from here it was another nasty single track section which was steep and rutty I got passed again (my lack of technical skill and the fact my seat was a bit high for the steep drops didn't help) so I was off the MTB in 2nd place and onto the last run which was a repeat of the first run. Here was where i gave it heaps and established a lead before getting back onto the the single track, from here i hammered it and really ran hard to make a comfortable lead and managed to finish FIRST!!!!! with a 2min lead put into second!! I was pretty stoked to pull this one off.
Mac Bay Multisport Race - Race 3 WInter Series - May 25th
Well a few hard people (or completely crazy) headed out to Mac Bay yesterday in the wet miserable weather to race the Mac Bay Multisport and duathlon race. it was a 5km Kayak, 15km MTB, 5km Run. I had a solid paddle cranking along with Matty G until the end where he put 20-30 m into me coming out of the water so i was in 2nd onto the MTB and held close till top of Castlewood road hill by Larnachs Castle and then was caught and passed by Ray Hope so sat in 3rd for the rest of the race, coming down the paradise track was wet and greasy riding, I was taking it pretty easy and not too crazy down here due to the whole in my hip and skin still repairing from the race 2 weeks ago!! off the MTB and a good solid 5k run to finish 3rd. behind Matty G in First and Ray in 2nd.
3rd
3rd
Whare Flat Duathlon Race 2 in Winter Series - 10th May 2008
Well there was a real cracker of a mtb duathlon course i went and raced yesterday. It was out the bottom of Whare Flat/Swampy Summit Rd and involved a 2-3km run/crawl/slide through the bush which was a mud fest followed by a fantastic Mtb through some forestry single track also laced with mud and slippery roots etc, following this we ran the first run in reverse and slipped and slid all through this!! All the time it was wet and rainy!! I had a good race and led off the first run and onto the MTb Matty Graham established a lead early on, of which i chased hard but once onto the single track he made further gains on me. I was storming around the mtb tack on the verge of out of control at many times, near the end of the bike stage i came rocketing over some wooden bvoard walk, i didn't realise i was on this until i was sliding along on my side over this and then ended up off the boardwalk and into a tree - ouch!! - i have onle huge lump and open graze hol,e in my hip now with all the colours of the rainbow developing on it today!! so up and away again only to find my front tyre going flat, i thought it was only 1-2km ot the finish of this stage so i ploughed on up the gravel road out of the forest but it was further than i thought. I ended up having to stop to make a quick tyre change , while doing this i was passed and then had to chase hard onto the last run but couldn't quite make up the time lost from the puncture!! Finishing 3rd i was prett happy with this, Matty Graham Finished 1st, with another Matt 2nd and Myself 3rd. All oin all a great time out in the rain despite the crasha dn puncture!!
3rd
3rd
3 Peaks Runnign Race - Sunday 20th April 2008
I went and ran the 3 Peaks Race yesterday for the first time. A pretty cool course with some decent hills to sort things out amongst the field. I started at a pace i felt i could maintain and ran so i was able to run all the up hills and keep a steady and solid pace throughout the race. A good climb up onto the top of flagstaff to start and i was feeling good, along to Swampy and then down some pretty slippery stuff to get to where you cross the motorway and a climb up the hills onto the top of Mt Cargill (it was here i was feeling strong - a few leppins in the system by now and i charged up tho the top before the decent down through the Mt Cargill walkway and onto the finish at Chingford Park. Coming down off Mt CArgill i really wound it up and enjoyed the thrill of running down the track bordering on olut of control at places just hoping for solid foot strikes on the somewhat greasy track in places.
Anyway as a first go at this race i felt i ran strong and the runnung is feeling good at the moment. My goal was to go under 2hrs30min - i managed to achieve this coming in in 2hrs29min1sec!! this placed me 10th Open man and 17th Overall. Some of those dedicated runners are quick with the winning tim being 2hr4min!!
Anyway this is the link ot the full results,
http://www.leithharriers.com/ThreePeaks/ThreePeaksResults2008.html
Anyway as a first go at this race i felt i ran strong and the runnung is feeling good at the moment. My goal was to go under 2hrs30min - i managed to achieve this coming in in 2hrs29min1sec!! this placed me 10th Open man and 17th Overall. Some of those dedicated runners are quick with the winning tim being 2hr4min!!
Anyway this is the link ot the full results,
http://www.leithharriers.com/ThreePeaks/ThreePeaksResults2008.html
Broad Bay Multisport Race - Race 1 Winter Series - April 13th 2008
Well i went out and raced the first of the winter multisport races yesterday at Broad Bay. I didn't actually realise they started this weekend but went out there for a blast. The race was a 5km paddle on the harbour which was liek glass so made for some pretty quick paddling, i cranked it up and can out of the boat first with about 1min on the next paddler and ontot he MTB for about 15-20km of gravel roads and then onto the run which was a good steep run over the hill and bush and then back down to Broad bay to finish there. I got caught ont eh bike and lost about 2min on the bike and never made this up on the run but was certainely trying, I finished 2nd about 3min behind 1st. Overall a good race and felt pretty strong especially in the boat. It certainly made me feel a little quicker when Dougal and Matty are away at the Traverse and not racing!!
2nd
2nd
Friday
Snapshot of Some Events June 2007 - May 2008
I am no longer recording my training on this site, i am now recording all of this on a site www.mapmyrun.com this site you can probably link to my training by searching andrewjsloan and it should come up. I will put photos on this site and race reports here still
Here is a video of some races from June 2007 through to May 2008
Here is a video of some races from June 2007 through to May 2008
Monday
Monday 17th March - Goldrush Day 3 - Race
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A fantastic 3 days of racing, i think i actually got quicker and stronger over the 3 days which seems crazy, had a real blast and looking forward to improving on some things and coming back next year. Overall i finished up 13th open man individual, pretty happy with this result.
full results from the goldrush can be found at www.goldrush.co.nz
full results from the goldrush can be found at www.goldrush.co.nz
Thursday
Sunday 27th January - MTB Race - Otago Peninsula Challenge
Well a great morning for this race, the long course MTB covers 46km from Smails Beach in Dunedin out to the end of the harbour, covering some pretty amazing terrain and scenery(not that there was any time to look at the scenery!) There were about 180 riders lined up at the start for the long course mtb. I went inot this event in the mindset that i would just ride as hard as i could and see how i go. Well off at the start and pretty much into a good solid climb, legs were feeling great and i set into a solid pace and just pushed hard the whole way, som e enjoyable down hill sections followed a lot of the climbing. About 3/4 of the way through the couse i passed a man watching and he told me i was in the top ten!! so this gave me m ore energy to just keep hammering it. Well a really solid race pushing hard the whole way, all my hill rides are paying off. Came in in 2hrs31min and ws 7th really happy with this result.
MTB Race 7th, 2hrs 31min, 46km
MTB Race 7th, 2hrs 31min, 46km
Wednesday
Monday 7th January - Kayak
Took the UFO out into the surf at the beach for some skill prac and fun, only really paddling about in the broken white wash and some small waves, paddled along to Matanaka and back, side on to the breaking stuff is a good similarity to side on stuff in river wave trains, good for the balance and proproception.
Kayak 30min
Kayak 30min
Sunday
Sunday 6th January - Cycle
Cycled Waikouaiti-Palmerston-Goodwood-Waikouaiti, legs feeling a little flat today especially on the hills, although still managed to push along a good pace and got around in ok tim e with av speed 31km/hr
Cycled 1hr12min
Cycled 1hr12min
Saturday 29th December - Race - Clutha Classic
Went up to Wanaka to paddle in the annual Chutha Classic Kayak race, a paddle from the Wanaka lake front across the lake to the start of the Clutha River and then downt he river to Maori Point near Tarras. A total distance of 59km. A good solid paddle, the river was flowing very fast and high at about 300cumecs which made for some big boils, swirls and wave trains. This was the first time i had been on moving water since Coast to Coast in Feb 2006!!! So really just a recce down to see how things are looking for the goldrush in March. The first part of the paddle across the lake was pretty much a solid crank into a light chop, playing chase as my boat is classified as cat1 and all paddlers in these started on a 23min handicap! Down the river there was a fast flow and even on the flats in this river you need to keep working as the biols and swirls are quite unpredictable on your paddle entry and strokes. The first noteable rapid to come to is the Pioneer rapids, a big long bouncing wave train that curves around a bit, I actually thought this was still to come and it weasn't until i found myself bouncing through some massive waves that i thought , oh shit i'm int eh wrong line of this one, 2 waves from the end and i stuffed up a stroke and tool a tumbe! tried for a roll but was heading for trees and other obstacles, quickly a throw rope from a jet boat and a tough tow to the side to empty out and carry on, carried on down the river playing a bit of chase on the 10min or so lost to the swim, Around the 'Devils Elbow and through 'Shitters Ditch' no worries, a few people taking the wrong lines through 'shiters Ditch' as there were some massive waves and a few swimmers getting plucked out as i passed through it no worries. Grind onto the end to fuinish the paddle in about 3hrs, not a confident and strong as i would have liked for today but gives me some things to focus on in my training over the next month or two.
Kayak 3hrs 59km
Kayak 3hrs 59km
Monday
Saturday 15th December - TEVA Race Methven
Well i had a great day in Methven on Saturday racing in the 'Teva Methven Big day at the office' multisport race. There was a pretty strong field of athletes lined up to race, there were some prett solid efforts put in by all and the heat was just sizzling!!
It all started with a mass cycle for 40km, this ride was a good warm up for the run, the first ride was over in just over an hour and it was onto the run for the 24km around the Mt Somers walkway and over the saddle int he middle of this run, this run last time I raced this race severely punished me so I knew what I was in for and stuck to my pace and plan for the run, it worked because I ran the run 25min faster than the last time i raced, coming out of the run in 3hr2min i felt pretty good, onto the bike and formed a small bunch with a couple of others and once we had a few words to a couple of 'hitchikers in the bunch and got them working we made some good efforts for the next 30km, onto the paddle after this and i was feeling about as dry as a rasin! chopping back the fluids and pushing on to cover the 9km paddle and 3km run to the finish in an ok shape! So true to name a big day at the office!! Felt much better than the previous time i raced this and finished an hour faster. Came in in 6hrs30min and was 18th Open man and 30th in the whole race, really happy with this and puts me on track for the other events planned for the season. Here is a link that will direct you to the website with the full race results: http://www.ashburtononline.co.nz/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93515&Itemid=226
It all started with a mass cycle for 40km, this ride was a good warm up for the run, the first ride was over in just over an hour and it was onto the run for the 24km around the Mt Somers walkway and over the saddle int he middle of this run, this run last time I raced this race severely punished me so I knew what I was in for and stuck to my pace and plan for the run, it worked because I ran the run 25min faster than the last time i raced, coming out of the run in 3hr2min i felt pretty good, onto the bike and formed a small bunch with a couple of others and once we had a few words to a couple of 'hitchikers in the bunch and got them working we made some good efforts for the next 30km, onto the paddle after this and i was feeling about as dry as a rasin! chopping back the fluids and pushing on to cover the 9km paddle and 3km run to the finish in an ok shape! So true to name a big day at the office!! Felt much better than the previous time i raced this and finished an hour faster. Came in in 6hrs30min and was 18th Open man and 30th in the whole race, really happy with this and puts me on track for the other events planned for the season. Here is a link that will direct you to the website with the full race results: http://www.ashburtononline.co.nz/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93515&Itemid=226
Race consisting of Cycle 40km/Run 24km/Cycle30km/Kayak9km/Run 3km = 6hrs 30min
Results Teva Multi Sport Race 2007
Thursday
Wednesday 5th December - Cycle
Cycled from DUnedin to Seacliff where Cherie met me, average pace and spinning high cadence on flats.
cycle 1hr20min 35km
cycle 1hr20min 35km
Wednesday
Wednesday 5th December - Run
Short hard paced run down beach to Matanaka and back with dog. Only short but high intensity
Run 25min
Run 25min
Tuesday 4th December - Rest
Still got a bit of back and shoulder pain, so another rest to help it clear up
Tuesday
MOnday 3rd December - Rest
Keen for some training but have pulled or hurt something in my back/shoulder. Very painful and not sure how or what i have done, hopefully will be back into it in a day or two!
Monday
Sunday 2nd December - Run
Ran from Home to Hawksbury and around McGrath Rd loop and home, good doing this block in opposite direction to usual, good rolling terrain to finish with. Running at comfortable moderate pace.
Run 55min, 12km
Run 55min, 12km
Friday 30th November - Cycle
Road Cycle home from DUnedin via Karitane Coast Road. Pushing into a sdlight NE wind today, Working hard and pushing big gears on the hills.
Cycled 45km 1hr 40min
Cycled 45km 1hr 40min
Thursday 29th November - Run
Beach Run down to Matanaka end and back home, hard intensity over short time. Speed focus
Run 25min
Run 25min
Sunday 4th November - Kayak Race - Pilots Beach
24km Kayak race from Pilots Beach at Tairoa Heads down the harbour to finish at Vaxuhall Yacht Club. The race was hld on the incoming tide so this was of a good assistance. The first 30min i was feeling a little average until i got inot the rythmn of things. I paddled hard the whole way to finish 4th in the line placings in a time of 1hr43min. The fastest time of the day was 1hr 32min. I am unsure of my placing relating to time. below are the reslts from the ODT Paper
Kayaking OTAGO Results of the final race of the winter/spring kayak series from Pilot’s Beach to Vauxhall (24km) held yesterday.– Handicap placings: G Swanson, 1hr 45m 15s, 1; G Ramshaw, 2; D Wilson, 3; A Sloan, 4; B O’Neill, 5; G Newton, 6; F O’Connor (fastest time), 7; S Thomas, 8; D Allan, 9; C Neiper, 10; J Revie, 11. Series winners — Men: D Wilson, 1; S Thomas, 2; G Newton, 3; B O’Neill, 4. Women: J Revie, 1.
Kayaking OTAGO Results of the final race of the winter/spring kayak series from Pilot’s Beach to Vauxhall (24km) held yesterday.– Handicap placings: G Swanson, 1hr 45m 15s, 1; G Ramshaw, 2; D Wilson, 3; A Sloan, 4; B O’Neill, 5; G Newton, 6; F O’Connor (fastest time), 7; S Thomas, 8; D Allan, 9; C Neiper, 10; J Revie, 11. Series winners — Men: D Wilson, 1; S Thomas, 2; G Newton, 3; B O’Neill, 4. Women: J Revie, 1.
Tuesday
Sunday 14th October - Outram Hill Free Half Marathon
Well I brushed off the most of the cold/cough last week and went out to Outram on and ran the R&R colours around the roads in the Half marathon which incorporated the Otago Half Marathon champs race. Feeling ok but not 100% I had an ok run.
The race was completely flat so I anticipated a quick time but there was a massive southerly wind with rain just pouring down so it was cold windy and wet!! Running in a group of 4 pushing along the first 10-15km went well and held onto 4min ks for this but the cold had my chest gasping a little and the last kms were a little slower, finishing a windy course in 1hr30min41sec, not my fastest but the winning time of 1hr18min was down a little on expected times possibly due to wind and weather.
Overall a good hard run which will all help in build up for summer multisport racing.
I finished 5th Open man and 14th overall from about 70 runners.
Friday
Thursday 11th October - Rest
Rest day today, feeling little chesty and tired this week back at chool, take it easy before half marathon race this Sunday
Thursday
Wednesday 10th October - MTB
Well the new road bike hasn't arrived yet, so it was a ride home from Dunedin to Waikouaiti via the Karitane Coast Road. Well i had almost forgotten how painful a ride on tar seal on the MTB can be, a bit slower than the roadie and the fact i was a little low on food before i started made for a hard grind home!! Feeling pretty flat for the last 10km of the ride having trouble keeping a good cadence up. Good hard efforts.
MTB 2hrs 45km?
MTB 2hrs 45km?
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday 8th October - Run
Home from work and a short sharp run from home down to the beach tot he Matanaka end and return, up tempo pace , focus on leg speed and posture. Hard efforts, Had Paris(dog) chasing along for the run.
Run 25min
Run 25min
Monday
Sunday 7th October - Run
Ran from home out Bucklands road, good undulating rises and then onto McGrath road around to Hawksbury village and returned home via the main road. Had Cherie along side on the bike. Running at a moderate to hard pace the whole way. Hard eforts and focus on leg speed and posture. good run
Run 60min
Run 60min
Saturday
Friday 5th October - Run
Short sharp run down along beach and back home, feeling good at high pace.
run 25min
run 25min
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