Training

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Run one walk one – an easy ultra

Date: 13 January 2018
Distance: 60km

Time: 8.5 hours (and about .5 changing gear, eating and filling water bottles and food stuffs)

 

Shortly after we started, Gerry had to stop to suck out the air from his sloshing bladder.
This is where things got interested, trying to find the track from the end of Waitoetoe Park through to Pioneer Highway.
Passing through the suburbs.
Finally back in a park, testing a log chair which was not yet needed at that point.
On the trail again.
Just across Pioneer Highway.
The walkway carries on up to Milson Line.
Apart from a few road crossings, the track is mostly away from traffic.
Most of the track follows the Palmerston North waterways.
One of the underpasses.
Some nice graffiti under one of the bridges.
Gerry having time to play with his camera.
Passing under the railway line.
Yet another bridge to pass under.
Interesting graffiti behind a building in the industrial area.
And still the track goes on.
And on.
Until the track was no more … From here it was a ziczac throught the industrial area before heading down Napier Road, Te Marai Road and back to the river walkway.
Back on the Bridle Track just after we had a good shower. And then the camera battery died.

Planning for Gerry’s 50th birthday, we decided to do that “thing” where you run your age. Eyeballing the running calendars high and low for a 50km run the weekend before or after his birthday, delivered nothing. So what does Gerry do? He signs us up for a 100km event instead, only double his age. What’s a few kilometres between friends? (Goodness knows how we’ll manage a 100 miler when he turns 80!). Continue reading →

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On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …

The Big Christmas Feast – A Greatest Virtual Run Challenge, raising money for kids on the spectrum

Date: 1-12 December 2017
Distance: 200km
Previous GVR: 2017

My middle name is procrastination. And Gerry’s first, middle and last names are procrastination. Maybe it is just a severe case of student syndrome? But, it only took us until well into the first of December, the day the challenge started, before finally entering. It might just be a classic case of an already out-of-hand hectic life, with work, this time of year, and all that jazz that the fun things in life tend to be ignored and end up falling by the wayside. Luckily we had two minutes of sanity to quickly enter. Continue reading →

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Creatures of habit – Hatuma time again

Date: 17 September 2017
Distance: 21.1km (+11.1km)
Time: 2:25.28 (+1:16)
Previous: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016

Photo by Nicole Patterson. After about 7km, things were still going well.
Lake Hatuma in the back.
A beautiful run out in the country.
Photo by Caroline Williams.

For our fifth running of the Hatuma Lime Half Marathon, we decided to add a few kilometres before the event start to get to 32km. It might be partially psychological, but I like to do a 32km long-run three or four weeks out from a marathon. Luckily the event was on so we only had to add 11kms to make up the distance. Continue reading →

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The Greatest Virtual Run

Date: 15 April 2017
Distance: 10.2km
Time: 1:18

gvr

Funny how things just pass you by when you’re not vigilant and half organised. Is it a sign of our already very hectic lives that the thought of trying to fit anything else in, is just too overwhelming? Or are we just plain too damn lazy? Continue reading →

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Hip rehab

hip-tools

Instead of going under the knife, I’m trying this colourful collection first. 🙂

In the early evening of 12 December 2016, I got up from the couch to have a look at the jam I was cooking, when suddenly I had excruciating pain in my right hip area. Hunched over holding on to the couch, I knew that something was badly wrong. Even just breathing had me in agony, and with gasps and involuntary tears in my eyes, I found my way back to the couch. Several hours later and with the help of a handful of pain pills and Voltaren, I could manage to get myself into bed where I promptly faded into a deep sleep hoping that everything will be better in the morning. Continue reading →