What to wear?

I'm down to three or four choices for my costume for the adidas half. One is probably not a goer because a crucial part would set me back around $300! I'll have to try the various options for ease of motion.

Simon and Dan Hunter are conspiring together on a costume which will be 'interesting'. It may even give me the opportunity to keep up with them, at least until I peel off for the park and they carry along towards the long trek around the bays....and back.

Just found out that the cut-off for Arthur's half is .....4 hours so it definitely looks a goer. No costume but!

Trying out Arthur's Half

I decided to try out Arthur's Half route today! I started in Titirangi so I could finish there and go to a cafe for lunch. The first half went well. It was down hill or flat. I made it quite happily to Glen Eden and bought two slices of ginger crunch there as my glycogen levels were feeling a bit depleted. I ate one then and saved the other one for later on. West Coast road was long but not too boring....and then I hit Carter Road! It is uphill nearly all the way to Shaw Road - 4kms! It goes up over 130m to Scenic Drive.
Scenic Drive was OK, just had to hug the edges and slosh through a bit of mud. Heading from centennial Drive to titirangi Village always seems further than I remember - a bit depressing.
I was glad to get into the village and sit down for some pasta salad and a yummy latte. I also managed to beat the rain - brilliant.
A bit more hill training and I'll be ready for Arthur's Half and Auckland should be heaps easier!

Inspired again!

After the lows of Rotorua, the Gold Coast marathon has inspired me again. I'm thinking of doing Arthur's Half in September and Three Bridges marathon in December (I owe it to Mel).
I've been to the cross-training seminar at the gym so hopefully I'll get over my running addiction and make use of the resistance and cardio machines!
Now to see if I can train for a marathon and lose weight!

Gold Coast 42k - tick!

We're back from the Gold Coast. I went to do the half and ended up doing the marathon! The day before the event we met Phil C at Harbourtown and he said that he was hoping to get Margaret through her marathon in 7 hours (she's 80!). I thought I can do that!
So in pouring rain I went back to the registration tent and once Simon had retrieved my race number from the apartment I upgraded. The girl on the counter was very surprised - most people were downgrading!
The race day dawned with pouring rain and winds. Lucky by the time we started it was just slightly overcast and there were a few drizzles.
The event went well with the ladies relaxed and enjoying themselves. The only fly in the ointment was the official who tried to pull us off at 25k. He said we had gone over the cut-off - noone was aware of any such cut-off and Margaret steamed off refusing to be thwarted.
The shock did manage to reduce the number of toilet stops so we made good time and by the next new cut-off we were 1 minute over and by the time Dot and I got to the next cut-off we were under the cut-off time! The organisers had agreed to keep the finish open longer but in the end it was totally unnecessary! Dot and I passed tired entrants as we gently coasted into the finish and Margaret and entourage finished under cut-off time too!
All the stress was forgotten by evening and we had a good story to dine out on. Most of the support workers were fantastic - encouraging and caring. Our 'tail end Charlie' woman on her scooter was a real star.
I came through feeling great and even managed a day at Movie World the next day no problem!