The dark before the dawn saw Millie and I doing a reasonably pleasant 45 minute run. I can't say how far we went because I accidentally keylocked my Garmin so I can't get off the virtual partner screen (I was 170m behind him this morning...I'll catch the little bugger yet!). There were hills of sort involved but alas no trail, unless Cornwall Park counts but we didn't go off-piste.
My foot was slightly tender on the return journey but I blame the amount of driving I do for that rather than the running. The motion that the foot makes when depressing the accelerator is it's least favourite movement. I guess I might have to get back into taping if I want to be able to go any longer than an hour....which I do.
It was a nice start to the day but I'm feeling a bit tired now. Fortunately everyone was open to do-it-yourself pizza. All I had to do was shove the various concoctions in the oven. The boys seem to have developed an addiction to Paprika! I had a pleasant chicken, olive, capsicum and onion pizza with parmesan and tuscan seasoning, om nom nom. I could manage some chocolate but will resist, after all I know my virtual partner won't be eating chocolate and I WILL catch him, mark my words!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Whoops I accidentally ran trail
I know my plan was to hold off the trail until my foot was 101% better. I really had every intention of doing so. There was no trail in my training plan for yonks. But today was so beautiful and my trail shoes were just so embarrassingly clean.
Millie and I ran the Montana Heritage Trail in the Waitaks and I remembered why I don't do trail with her. She is the ultimate line hog. If there's a best way to go down the trail, she's on it. She also has an absolute confidence that she knows the way. Normally that's not a problem because I can see the right way and just take it. Unfortunately there was a point where the trail split, one way was narrow and looked like a created trail and the other was wide and looked well used. Now you'd have thought the sign pointing possibly more towards the narrow trail then the wide trail would have been a pointer but it really pointed at both trails. I'm sure in good weather the wide trail is fun and obviously heaps of people have used it but after days of rain it was exposed red clay interspersed with quick sand areas of mud. Millie was inclined to charge down it and I was inclined to turn the air blue with expletives.
We survived the pseudo trail (by that I mean I didn't strangle Millie and leave her for the possums) but we had a severe falling out on a set of stairs where she charged as my foot hit the slimy wood edge of a step causing initial impact of butt with the edge of the stair and then with the lovely deep muddy puddle below it. There was much anti-dogma and insults. I could hear her thinking 'stupid human! If you insist on running on those two legs what do you expect?'. I now have a step imprint on my butt. On the plus side my shoes are now way not pristine!
So it appears that Millie will have to remain a Roadie unless she learns to a) not hog and b) listen when I shout 'Wait' or make the tsh sound. If she could be off-lead we'd be on a winner but alas that conflicts with the Waitaks laws.
There are heaps more shoe cleaning stations on the trail now. It used to just be at the entry exit point but now they're at lots of trail junctions and entry to any areas where the Kauri are healthy. I big pits with the brushes and high-powered sprays are great but the little squirty bottles and scrubbing brushes are hard work. And what about Millie's paws? She didn't like being squirted.
Just as an after thought....why aren't there wine stops on the Montana Heritage trail. And will it become the Brancott Heritage trail now Montana has changed it's name since it was confusing the poor little Americans. What next? We change the name of French fries?
Millie and I ran the Montana Heritage Trail in the Waitaks and I remembered why I don't do trail with her. She is the ultimate line hog. If there's a best way to go down the trail, she's on it. She also has an absolute confidence that she knows the way. Normally that's not a problem because I can see the right way and just take it. Unfortunately there was a point where the trail split, one way was narrow and looked like a created trail and the other was wide and looked well used. Now you'd have thought the sign pointing possibly more towards the narrow trail then the wide trail would have been a pointer but it really pointed at both trails. I'm sure in good weather the wide trail is fun and obviously heaps of people have used it but after days of rain it was exposed red clay interspersed with quick sand areas of mud. Millie was inclined to charge down it and I was inclined to turn the air blue with expletives.
We survived the pseudo trail (by that I mean I didn't strangle Millie and leave her for the possums) but we had a severe falling out on a set of stairs where she charged as my foot hit the slimy wood edge of a step causing initial impact of butt with the edge of the stair and then with the lovely deep muddy puddle below it. There was much anti-dogma and insults. I could hear her thinking 'stupid human! If you insist on running on those two legs what do you expect?'. I now have a step imprint on my butt. On the plus side my shoes are now way not pristine!
So it appears that Millie will have to remain a Roadie unless she learns to a) not hog and b) listen when I shout 'Wait' or make the tsh sound. If she could be off-lead we'd be on a winner but alas that conflicts with the Waitaks laws.
There are heaps more shoe cleaning stations on the trail now. It used to just be at the entry exit point but now they're at lots of trail junctions and entry to any areas where the Kauri are healthy. I big pits with the brushes and high-powered sprays are great but the little squirty bottles and scrubbing brushes are hard work. And what about Millie's paws? She didn't like being squirted.
Just as an after thought....why aren't there wine stops on the Montana Heritage trail. And will it become the Brancott Heritage trail now Montana has changed it's name since it was confusing the poor little Americans. What next? We change the name of French fries?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Protein bars nom nom nom
I've always found protein bars to be reminiscent of eating a cardboard box. They would have to rank just behind Leppin gels as my least favourite thing to refuel with......until now! I was looking for a bar that had more than 10g protein, 25g carbs and 5g fat to have in my car for midmorning or afternoon mini meals if I couldn't escape. So I grabbed a Horley's Carb Less protein bar. The flavour was double Dutch Choc Fudge .....sounds yum but I've been fooled before. After a rather stressful visit I was really wanting some chocolate....as Buffy says 'There is nothing in the world that chocolate can't fix'. Since there was none on hand I decided to try half the Horley's bar with it's 18.4g of muscle building protein, measly 4.5g of carbs and a tinsy 1.6g of saturated fat. IT WAS DIVINE! Yumminess in an innocent metallic blue wrapper. Do you realise what those numbers mean? Half a bar is like eating two treat size pinkies (you know you can't stop at one). The pinkies would have been 112 calories vs 91 (OK not too much diff), 1.5g saturated fat vs 0.8g, a piddly 0.9g protein vs 9.2g and 17.2g of carbs to a trifling 2.2g. Plus it tasted and felt much more satisfying.
Of course the real stamp of approval came from Felix who ate a whole one and when busted pronounced it yummy! So now I know what to have tucked away to give me a kick when I need it or a bribe to do weight training!
Oh yeah...I ran 5k again and it wasn't raining. I wish someone would invent something to stow doggy doo in after you've bagged it when you're running. I've got a cool carry bag with a secret sealed compartment but it's no good for running. I'm sure it would sell!
Of course the real stamp of approval came from Felix who ate a whole one and when busted pronounced it yummy! So now I know what to have tucked away to give me a kick when I need it or a bribe to do weight training!
Oh yeah...I ran 5k again and it wasn't raining. I wish someone would invent something to stow doggy doo in after you've bagged it when you're running. I've got a cool carry bag with a secret sealed compartment but it's no good for running. I'm sure it would sell!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Wow!
One day into fundraising for the 7in7 challenge and I've already had $30 in donations! Makes this morning's run in pouring rain and wet shoes so much more worthwhile! I bought another pair of runners today so the wet shoe issue will be a thing of the past. Now if they can only make me go faster! I swear my virtual partner on my Garmin is laughing at me but it doesn't have to run up hills!
Today was a repeat of yesterday's run.....boring! I am not enamoured with the streets but time constraints meant there was no chance of heading West or south to find some nicer paths. The dog doesn't really care. A run is a run and if there are birds to chase even better. Why can dogs not understand that they cannot fly!
Today was a repeat of yesterday's run.....boring! I am not enamoured with the streets but time constraints meant there was no chance of heading West or south to find some nicer paths. The dog doesn't really care. A run is a run and if there are birds to chase even better. Why can dogs not understand that they cannot fly!
Back!
A game of S.N. cricket put my return to the trails back significantly. It was a case of twist and shout! So I've spent 5 months babying my foot. It's been taped so much I think I'll permanently have a white area on my calf, it was allowed only gentle walks and flat shoes.
By May I was able to powerwalk and that at least kept my sanity. Six weeks ago I decided to try a little short run in the evening...I'm talking maybe a k! But there was no pain and only slightly more twinges in the morning. Things were looking up!
Normally I charge ahead like a bull at a gate but for once I decided to take it slow....little steps. So I settled into doing a 1 mile course on the hilly streets around our house. Occasionally I'd push out to 2k but not further. I mixed in longer walks and was quite happy.
In fact I changed my focus and started weight training so my runs were just a cardio work out rather than the be all and end all. And I totally love the weights workouts! So instead of feeling like I was missing out on something I was doing something else I loved.
So I was rocking along like this, happy as Larry, until the first Saturday in July.....Kepler registration. I had resigned myself to the fact that a 60k run over trails was not doable if I wanted to really get sorted so I slept in. And then the remorse set in. So I decided to look for something to take my mind off the Kepler on the day and I found it....The Goat.....running round Mt Ruapehu. So joy was restored ....if I could up the ks.
Then I read the runs list for the 7in7 Challenge that Mal Law is running to raise money for the Leukemia and Blood Foundation. The day one run was a marathon in the Wanaka area and you didn't have to eat nails for breakfast to do it! So I registered my interest but it all depended on whether I could actually up the running. I have most running books under the sun and I knew just the book to grab...Marathon Running For Mortals. It's written by John Bingham aka the Penguin and Jenny Hadfield. So diary in hand I plotted the training programme. It looked doable but the proof was in the running so off I went yesterday for the first run....5k later.....no pain! Don't worry I've got until the end of November to get the ks up! So I set up my fundraising page because I can do this! All runners are encouraged to raise at least $400.
My page is Nic's 7in7 fundraising page. So if you've read this far, how about dropping by and promising a few dollars! And no, I won't be doing it in costume!
By May I was able to powerwalk and that at least kept my sanity. Six weeks ago I decided to try a little short run in the evening...I'm talking maybe a k! But there was no pain and only slightly more twinges in the morning. Things were looking up!
Normally I charge ahead like a bull at a gate but for once I decided to take it slow....little steps. So I settled into doing a 1 mile course on the hilly streets around our house. Occasionally I'd push out to 2k but not further. I mixed in longer walks and was quite happy.
In fact I changed my focus and started weight training so my runs were just a cardio work out rather than the be all and end all. And I totally love the weights workouts! So instead of feeling like I was missing out on something I was doing something else I loved.
So I was rocking along like this, happy as Larry, until the first Saturday in July.....Kepler registration. I had resigned myself to the fact that a 60k run over trails was not doable if I wanted to really get sorted so I slept in. And then the remorse set in. So I decided to look for something to take my mind off the Kepler on the day and I found it....The Goat.....running round Mt Ruapehu. So joy was restored ....if I could up the ks.
Then I read the runs list for the 7in7 Challenge that Mal Law is running to raise money for the Leukemia and Blood Foundation. The day one run was a marathon in the Wanaka area and you didn't have to eat nails for breakfast to do it! So I registered my interest but it all depended on whether I could actually up the running. I have most running books under the sun and I knew just the book to grab...Marathon Running For Mortals. It's written by John Bingham aka the Penguin and Jenny Hadfield. So diary in hand I plotted the training programme. It looked doable but the proof was in the running so off I went yesterday for the first run....5k later.....no pain! Don't worry I've got until the end of November to get the ks up! So I set up my fundraising page because I can do this! All runners are encouraged to raise at least $400.
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