The Challenge

A friend, who will be known simply as "the blonde", has issued me a challenge. Well, not so much a challenge per se. There is no specific goal or timeline, I don't think. It's to keep each other motivated in a fitness/healthy eating regime. So more of a "I'll kick your butt if you kick mine" type of agreement. That's how I understand it, anyway. I haven't read the fine print, yet.

I won't be publishing any numbers (not at this stage, anyway) but will be reporting on progress on a regular to semi-regular basis. And I'll also be reporting on the progress of my partner in crime. I'm not sure if she knows this yet.

So not much to report today except that it has started. I had actually started a few days ago, but I ate a bunch of ice cream yesterday so maybe we'll say I'm starting today.

Let the butt kicking begin.

The Morning After

Firstly, you people raised $700 for Parkinson's New Zealand! Well done and thanks very much for that!! With only 3 weeks to raise money, I didn't think that amount would be possible. And thanks for all the interest you've taken in this event. It's nice to have all that support.

As for the race, I made it. And if you need proof, you can find it here. Yes, I admit my placings are nothing to brag about but that just leaves lots of room for improvement...if I'm ever dumb enough to do this again.

It was a big event, with 2600 competitors. That's over half the population of Kerikeri itself. And the weather was perfect: overcast and cool.

I parked near the finish line and took one of the buses taking competitors to the start line. It was very well organised. I was convinced the bus must be taking the long way to the start line and we'd be taking shortcuts back. Wishful thinking!

The first 4km was a worry. Soon after the start, my shins started tightening up and becoming very painful. I slowed down to see if that would help and I started being passed by everyone. When a couple of old ladies passed me, I was wondering if I'd get to the finish.

Luckily about the 5km mark my shins came right. So I switched into higher gears. From 5km to about 17 or 18km, I was going pretty much all out. And I was doing much more passing than being passed. Take that, old ladies!!

This being Northland, of course there were hills. But for Northland, it wasn't an extremely hilly course. I'm still feeling every one of those hills today, though.

The last few kilometres were hard work. By now my legs were sore, my lower back stiff and sore, blisters on my feet were sore and my knee was starting to hurt. And I'm sure someone must have been moving the kilometre markers further apart. As we entered Kerikeri, a couple of boutique shops that sell fudge and chocolate were on the street giving competitors samples. This seemed like a good idea at the time and I thought it would be a good burst of energy. As it turns out, after 3 hours of walking, food was the last thing I wanted. As good as those samples were, next time I'll pass.

There I go talking about next time again. That's still up in the air. But I don't know if I can retire with those terrible placings. Thanks again for the support.

The Night Before

I'm fully loaded with pasta. My iPod is fully loaded with music and power. I think I'm ready. Ready, even though I haven't done any walking since Saturday. I started a fitness bootcamp this week which was pretty intense. So hopefully my legs are ready for a good walk tomorrow.

Today was a beautiful, sunny, warm day. Tomorrow they're calling for cloud, some showers, and cooler. Which is just as well because a 4 hour walk in today's sun might have been too much.

Keep an eye on this blog for the after race info and possibly some photos.

Swim, Fat Boy, Swim

This half marathon training has flicked some switch in my brain. I didn't want to go walking today because of my big walk yesterday but I felt like I needed to do something so I went for a swim.

It was my first serious swim in what must be about 2 years. I decided to take it pretty easy, but I still managed to do 1km. Technically my stroke is probably a nightmare, but it felt good and I got through it much easier than I expected. So easy, I considered doing 1.5km, but thought I should ease into this.

There's an ocean swim series I have in the back of my mind, but one thing at a time. Less than two weeks to the half marathon!

The Inaugural "Post Halloween Sugar Rush 15k"

Halloween is not popular in New Zealand like it is in Canada. I didn't have anyone knock on my door last year. Still, you get some kids trick or treating to see what they can get. With that in mind, I had to stock up on goodies just in case any came to my door. I swear it was only a coincidence that I bought my favourite chocolate things.

As it happened, a group of 5 kids did come to my door. Just as well I was ready for them. BTW, not content with dressing up as a cowboy, one little boy (5 years old at the most, I'd say) was dressed as a dead cowboy. And his sister was a dead princess. Where do kids get their ideas from??

Needless to say, I had plenty left over. Damn. I made a big dent in that leftover pile last night. I woke up this morning feeling guilty and wanted to burn a lot of those calories off. Plus, it's only 2 weeks until the big half marathon (which you can still donate to). So I set off to do a 15km walk. It's close enough to the 21km half marathon distance to give me an idea as to how I'll feel.

To be pedantic, I did 15.2km. When you put all that energy in, you want credit for every last step. Although a bit tiring, it wasn't too bad. And I was happy with the time: 2:37 (like the distance, you want credit for every minute, too). Which means a sub-4 hour half marathon is a realistic goal. And now my official time goal.

Perhaps I need to save a stash of Halloween candy for the night before the big race!