So  a little bit about me.  My name is Millie and I unfortunately have been diagnosed with terminal Kidney cancer.  The Coast to Coast is on my bucket list and with the help of the Kathmandu Coast to Coast and Richard I will get to the finish line.  I have been completing a blog, and Richard suggested I start one here. So here is my latest post.

This blog is going to have to be summary of everything that has happened in the last 6 weeks or so.  Training has definitely picked up and its getting really exciting.

The biggest thing is that we have officially signed up for the two-day individual Coast to Coast!! Eek, there is absolutely no more excuses.  So where do a start… (ok I needed to go back and read my last post..I really need to write more) The weekend after my last post Mike and I went for a first two big adventures. A 2 hour walk through the porthills and a bike ride for an icecream.

Lets start with the leisurely walk through the hills.  Our mission – set by Richard of course was to get lost.  Well that we did and somehow ended up in Governors Bay.  Turns out walking down is a whole lot easier than walking up  and unfortunately what goes down must go up… so once we got to Governors Bay we went hunting for a track back up. An hour and half later, many stops, swearwords, and sore legs we made it back up to the car.  Sunday was going to be a first hill ride. What was with this weekend and hills. With an immense fear of going down hill and losing control we took off from Lyttelton with the glorious promise of an icecream in Diamond Harbour.  So it turns out it wasnt the downhill I needed to be worried about, turns out thats a lot of fun. What isn’t as much fun…biking up hill! the first few were ok and we took it slow. By the end of it, its fair to say we had well and truly earned those icecream calories.

The next couple of weeks consisted of a lot of running in preparation for the Woodbourne Half and another big walk in the Porthills. I also had a great session with Richard on biking up hill. Some great tips by the way.  Anyway I was tracking pretty well for the my next Half and was looking forward to running with Mike and my sister Francie (who was coming over from Sydney).  In fact I was the only one running more than twice a week… and was quietly skiting that I was sitting at the top on the Nike App.  But it wasn’t to be.  The week before the Half Marathon I got a phone call from the hospital.  “Mrs Smith are you free Tuesday. We have had a cancellation.  Can you come in for your hernia repair”  So thats what happened. Tuesday came, two hours of surgery and a hernia the size of tennis ball repaired.  The rest of the week was an absolute write-off.  I was surprised at how sore I was.  I think in my head I downplayed the surgery (especially because the last 2 surgeries had been so big). I really thought I would be ok. Mike and Francie both completed the half in under 2 hours, and both with having only done 4 runs. A massive achievement by both. I was so proud of them and loved cheering them on.

So after 10 days of just walking, we have finally got back to training.  We got cleats on our bikes last week and spent last weekend getting use to them.  I haven’t fallen over (Mike has, completely forgetting he was attached..) and getting slowly faster at clicking in.

This week Ive walked everywhere and gone for a bike ride to Sumner and back. We have a kayaking adventure tomorrow and another bike ride.  Sunday we are back into the porthills, getting lost and exploring everything Christchurch has to offer!

Ive got a special mention tonight as well, welcome to running Dad.  Our next race, the Crater Rim, is going to quite a family affair, with Francie coming over again and Dad joining in.

So with our Coast to Coast entries now complete and training well on its way, its starting to feel more real and instead being scared I am really excited. Lets do this!!!!

Fo more background of Millie’s Blog follow this link 

I’m back!

Last year my BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) was to complete the Queenstown marathon, which I ticked off not necessarily in style, or in the time that I was aiming for, but got the job done anyway. For anyone who is contemplating doing this run – do it! Not only is it a beautiful scenic run, it has enough undulations and a wee hill towards the end to keep the run interesting and the mind focused. So, what’s been happening since then? I have to admit that after the marathon I was on a bit of a high for a few weeks and when I spoke to Richard to de-brief, I was all about ‘yeah lets do that again!’. I was busy searching around the Internet trying to find another marathon event I could do before Christmas. His advice was to see how I felt in a few weeks…. In reality what happened was the euphoria wore off and the body and mind remembered the physical and mental effort it took to achieve that goal. I was quite happy to toddle off on holiday and have a break from training and I enjoyed just running for fun without having to meet targets and also not ‘having’ to run for an end goal.

While on holiday I went about planning what my next goal would be. I decided to see whether or not I could do a half marathon under 2 hours – my previous best was 2:19. I always lament about how slow I am and get frustrated with constantly being passed by other runners so, armed with a training programme from Richard I did the St Clair half and managed to improve on my time – or maybe it was the free bottle of wine at the end that spurred me on…

St. Clair Run completed

I also joined the CP Tuesday morning run group which has been a very steep learning curve for me. I am in awe of the athletes in that group (they are my run heroes) and I have gotten quicker just from trying to keep up with their warm-up pace! Christchurch half rolled round in early June and I surprised myself with a new PB. About 16km into the run I decided that flat, asphalt running did not put me in my happy place, so the mental challenge was to suck it up and appreciate the fact that the sun was shining and there was coffee at the finish line. At this point my achilles was pretty sore and if someone had offered me a ride to the finish, I think I may have been tempted.

My goal for a long time has been to run an ultra (will start with 50km!) and I have decided to aim for completing the Tarawera 50km trail run in November. As I write this, I am 117 days away from achieving this goal. Watch this space to see how the plan and journey unfolds….

We did it – we completed our first ever GodZone Pursuit the first time it was ever run! We were all new to expedition length adventure racing but had all competed in multiple shorter adventure races before. I did not know any of the guys before joining the team. A team member got injured at the last minute and we only just managed to get a last minute replacement. Thanks Simon!

Standing at the start line on the beach at Kaiteriteri, I looked around. We were the youngest team by miles with Nathan – 19 years old, Lachlan 19, myself 21 and our replacement Simon, bringing up our team age average at 58 years. When you are out there together as a team age doesn’t matter, what does is working together to get through the race. We were off on the first leg, which was coasteering and sea kayaking. The kayak was okay but not great. My stomach decided not to like me much, I was feeling pretty sick and threw up while paddling. Not a great start.

We got fantastic support from local friends and family at the Rabbit Island transition onto our mountain bikes. The guys are from Richmond so they knew the biking area reasonably well – we even biked past Simon’s house and his family was out cheering us on. I really enjoyed the single track in the Richmond Hills. We caught up with a few teams on this leg. There was a big climb up to control point (CP) 8, it was a bit of a slog so the boys pulled out the towline to give me a bit of a boost up the hill. Once at CP 8 we enjoyed an awesome downhill ride to the transition area (TA) to find our support crew ready to feed us some nice warm food.

It was dark when we headed onto leg 3 – the alpine trek in the Richmond Range. We climbed up Ben Nevis and had a clear night sky once we were at the top. We keep going along the ridge for a bit longer before stopping around 4am for a nap. We wanted to bank some sleep early on in the race and not to burn out too early. Lachlan and Nathan got to sleep quickly while Simon and I struggled and got really cold. I managed about an hours sleep before we had to get moving quickly as we were freezing on the ridge. The weather had deteriorated so we woke to fog. We keep moving until we hit a point where we were not quite sure where we were…This became a trend for the next 6 hours as we tried to navigate in the fog. We ran into some other teams in the same situation. We also discovered that our two compasses indicated that north was in different directions as one was 180 degrees out! Eventually, we found a point we could identify and then Nathan successfully navigated us out of the fog and onto the track.

It was pretty smooth sailing from there. Lachlan was having some issues with his knees but we still managed to keep moving. We walked along the track for several hours until we reached the bike pick up point. I was relieved to get there, as the soles of my feet were painful. We biked up a little hill to the transition area to find our support crew ready with hot chocolate and warm food. We were pretty tired at this point so we slept and hit leg 4 – a mountain bike in the day light. It was the most amazing sleep!

After waking, we fueled up and set off on the 73km mountain bike. We all felt good at this point, which made for a nice ride. We had a section on the road to start with and then a hill to get over. The downhill was awesome and we spotted a good view of Lake Rotoroa. Once passed the Lake an onto the next section of the bike were we had a super cool downhill section which was so much fun.

Then it was off the bikes and onto the paddle down the Matakitaki River. We had not done much training for this leg so we weren’t going to be super quick, but it didn’t take us long to get the hang of it. Lachlan knows how to raft guide so him and Simon went in front so we could follow their lines. We got though the ‘middles’ run section of the river and got ‘dark zoned’ just before the river run ‘lowers’. We camped up and enjoyed a nice long sleep. Fresh in the morning we set off on the river and had a blast on the grade 3 section. We got off the river in Murchison and headed along the road to the TA where we enjoyed some breakfast, yum – spaghetti on toast. We then set off on a short 34km bike to the next TA.

Before heading off on the 25km Alpine trek Lachlan had an injury checked, which gave us time to chow down some pies! We had a nice hill to start with, it was a steady climb but we made good progress on it. We keep moving steadily on the trek while keeping the eating and drinking up. It was good to be doing it in daylight with Nathan keeping on top of the navigation. We spotted some teams on a ridge but they were all Pure teams. It started getting dark on the downhill section. Everything was going well until the end of the trek where careful navigation was needed to ensure we took the right four-wheel drive track. We took our time and nailed the nav. As we neared the road we realised a bull was rapidly coming towards us! We jumped onto the side of the track to see the farmer herding it away from us and the track. Phew!

After the trek, it was onto the 140km mountain bike ride to Totaranui. Before starting, we had a good feed and had our feet looked at, in preparation for a long night ahead. Everyone still seemed to be in good spirits. We headed off on the bikes and into the night. The first part of the ride was just riding on the road so we tried playing a game called Goose to stay alert. It involved trying to spot yellow road signs and yelling out goose…..it seemed so exciting at the time……. We finally made it to the start of the Takaka hill roughly around midnight. It was a slog of a climb that we steadily conquered. The whole ride seemed to involve a few too many stops involving light issues/battery changes, layer changes and lots of peeing. Eventually we made the top of the Hill and we headed onto the Rameka Track (about 3am), an awesome single track that was super fun and kept me awake. We had a sudden stop when Simon spotted a Native Snail on the track and rescued it. Once we were back onto the road, I started to feel a bit drowsy so I smashed back a gel, which managed to wake me up. The last hill over to Totaranui bay was killer but we finally made it to the TA after a long night.

The sun was up and it was a beautiful day to paddle the Able Tasman to Kaiteriteri. Paddling is not our teams’ strength, but we managed it. We all found ourselves dozing off at points and struggling to stay awake. Not that it mattered much as all we only had to make it through the paddle. We paddled around the corner and spotted the finish line. After 4 days 2hrs 27min we had made it! We had completed GodZone Pursuit, the first ever expedition length adventure race for all of us. It was an incredible journey with its ups and downs (literally), we stuck it out together as a team and made it through. We finished 4^th place over all in the Pursuit teams and 3^rd in the mixed teams. The Pursuit race was a good first expedition race as it made the organisation a bit easier and meant our support crew could look after us in TA’s. It was a fun way to experience expedition length adventure racing and made me want to do more. It is more than just a race – it is definitely an adventure.

We could not have done this race without our amazing support crew – Team parents. Thanks Mum, Nathan’s Dad and Uncle and Lachlan’s dad. Also thanks to Lachlan and Nathan’s mums who joined in on some of the fun as well (they provided lots of good food and brought us pies). The support crew seemed to work nearly as hard as us (they even gave us their beds at one TA) and were up at crazy times. Strangely enough, my Mum does not seem put off by this and already wants to come along next year. Also thanks to Awaken Bars, they were super yummy and easy to eat. I always looked forward to them while out on the course. So what’s the next big adventure?

The months after GodZone pursuit have been incredibly busy. After getting back to Christchurch (from the race) I had barely unpacked when I headed off on ‘Journey’, a 10-day tramp as a part of my Environmental Science paper. It was a fantastic way to recover from GodZone. Most days we only tramped for a couple of hours, did presentations and learnt about the environment. It was lots of fun.

After Journey it was back into study. I had another 2 weeks off training, but barely noticed it as I was focused on getting out whitewater kayaking and rock climbing to log hours in for my papers. I had not managed to get enough kayaking/rock climbing hours in during the holidays due to racing GodZone. This meant I had a short time to log around 35hrs of the 60hrs kayaking hours I needed as part of my Kayaking paper. The amount of theory work also increased. This meant hitting the books and spending time in the library. With all this going on I decided not to race the 3D Rotorua premier 50km multi-sport race this year as I could not train enough to be competitive. So I decided to do something different and entered the 3D Rotorua half marathon on Queen’s birthday weekend, which gave me a chance to improve my running. I also convinced my boyfriend James to race it as well, which was fun.

With only a couple of weeks training and a crazy week of assignments race day came. It was a chilly morning and reluctantly we removed all our warm clothes and headed to the start line. This race for me was just going to be a bit of fun and a way to see where my running was at. I didn’t have a serious race plan but was still prepared with water and a couple of gels. Off the start line we went. I did not want to start too fast, so eased into it. I saw James just in front of me, I wasn’t worried……yet I never saw him after that. Lots of people surrounded me for the first hill climb, I liked it when the field spread out a bit more. When I got onto the second hill climb, it was awesome -less people, gorgeous bush and awesome single trail. It was a good climb with a nice steady gradient to start, which got steeper as it went on. I slowly gained on a chick in front of me. I managed to catch and pass her but that was not the last I saw of her. I popped out of the single track onto a four-wheel drive track – yes the top of the hill! Ahhhh, wrong I was deceived as there was more hill around the corner. I was enjoying the downhill until seeing the chick I passed before was catching me. I picked up the pace, but she managed to pass. I kept the pace up and tried to keep her insight and not let her get away. Past the finish line – 10km done and onto the second lap. I got over the first hill and on the second hill and found I was gaining on the chick again. I pipped her just at the top but knew I would have to work hard to keep ahead on the flat and downhill. I did not stay ahead for long before we were running together and having a quick chat. I kept on her tail the rest of the way and tried to pick up the pace in the last few kms. She spotted this and did the same, I just didn’t quite mange to catch her before the finish. I was stoked to make it to the finish line having enjoyed my run with a bit of competition.

I enjoyed the half marathon and feel that I achieved my goals, well other than letting James (my boyfriend) beat me. This was my first official half marathon – the other I have done was the Outward Bound half marathon. Racing only one discipline was different for me and has given me an idea about how my running is currently. Next up is sitting down with CP coach Chris Stagg and setting out my goals and races for the rest of the year.

Le Race Petite proved to be an event of two funs. The type 2 fun, (the type that hurts at the time) came early on in the day when my left knee made too close an acquaintance with the gutter; again. Any one who rides up Dyers Pass Rd has probably noticed that strip of mounded asphalt on road side of the gutter. Well I hit it, all on my own, and was into the gutter at the feet of the crowd. It was a long, hot and very windy trip from there to the type 1 fun at the domain in Akaroa. Richard rolled me an ice cream, took a picture and made it all better! Best ice cream ever.

Easter provided 4 days of uninterrupted training opportunities kicking off on Good Friday with a climb up to the Packhorse Hut from the Kaituna Valley side. Simply gorgeous views all around and the Easter Bunny had been out and about. It wouldn’t be a walk without some steps for the collection… Saturday was vigorous gardening day, aka lumber-jacking with my favourite weapons the pruning saw and long handled loppers! Take that trees! That was going well until I disturbed a wasp nest and conducted a hasty tactical withdrawal. I wasn’t quite fast enough not to get stung several times though. This gardening business is hard yakka. So Sunday it was back to the hills and a super quick recce of Mt Isobel at Hanmer. It’s been on my mind for a long time that I really should climb my namesake one day. Another gorgeous day and I went far enough to see that I’ll have to come back another time and with some experienced company. It looked like coming back down was going to give me more trouble than going up but I was pleased with how much I did and what I’ve learned for next time. I was so focused on the mission and the time frame I had available I completely forgot about taking any pictures! I can tell you that the view is staggering in all directions but especially along the Waiau Valley.

So what about the bike? Yes I thought I’d better do some pedaling with the Grape Ride Taster coming up next and I found this super lane complete with gravel sections to practice on across the Waimak around Clarkville. It wasn’t so sunny today and even a few spits of rain that was lending a gloomy backdrop to my lowering mood when I found these roads. I love riding new territory and making discoveries along the way. It never feels like training at all when it’s an adventure.

Ok, now Le Race is only a week away, my course ride went ok, hit a wee wall in the second half and took longer than I would have liked but I need to remember it was all by myself and race day is a different kettle of fish with bunches, people to chase and people to get away from to hopefully reduce my race time.

Overall, I am feeling pretty good about the race, I have a few concerns but they are more tactical than fitness related so hopefully I will have finalized my plan and worked them out come race day.  I have been working on my homework for Richard, having an event planning background it is probably slightly overkill but hey, I like my lists.

Only had to do one ride on the indoor trainer this week, with Geoff away, so I am pretty happy with that; thank you to Grandparents and Aunties and Uncles that have babysat.  Funnily enough couldn’t find anyone to babysit at 5.30am so I have been training in the daylight this week and I must say I have enjoyed it.  Not so much all the bugs about on the warmer evening rides (I seemed to swallow a fair few – extra protein!) but training in the daylight has been good.  Unfortunately, I managed to re-aggravate my hamstring which is frustrating being this close to the race and made even more frustrating by the fact it wasn’t even during training it was doing the lawn edges of all things!!

So with one week to go and this week being about the rest, planning and preparation, I am off to finish my lists and checklists I have decided on my theme song “Supermans got nothing on me” so if you come across someone singing this on the course, or saying wheee going down hills and around corners, or making car noises, that will be me 🙂

Today is the original date for the inaugural two up mountain time trial at Coronet Peak. It’s been postponed to 2017 but I was still hoping to do it around this time but all kinds of personal events overtook me and I’m on track now for the last week of April. In the lead up then I’ve planned a series of events to break up the training and extend my experience. Next up then was last Sunday’s Canterbury Cycling Development Trust’s road race at Cust. Owing to road works outside Rangiora the course was altered to an out and back of the Ashley Gorge. I like this route better anyway, way more interesting than the flat bits! It also means you get to see the leading bunches coming back towards you. I was really pleased with how I paced myself and my food and fluids, it was around 30C up there. Great to see some other Team CP folk too. It wasn’t until I was browsing the results the next day or so that I realised I’d actually come second in my age group. Holy moly that’s my first ever podium finish when there have actually been more than three people entered!

Next up is Le Petite Race so I have been hill climbing at almost every opportunity. Nasty little pitches like Whaka Tce, fell off on Hollis Ave, Kennedys Bush, Dyers Pass. Vanessa has been outstandingly patient with me on Wednesday evenings, I’m pretty darn slow but I get there eventually. This morning I set out from Lyttelton to ride around to Diamond Harbour. Boy was it cold! The weather has suddenly gone from 30C to 3C but it was sunny and calm. This has to be one of the most scenic rides almost anywhere and it was simply beautiful out there. I came back over on the Ferry in time to check out the market too! It doesn’t feel like training at all and that’s just magic.

That doesn’t mean I don’t get tired and stiff though, I just have so much fun doing so I hardly notice at the time. I head off to yoga to undo the stiffness and tackle the tiredness by not gardening! Managing my energy has been quite different post chemo, that and just plain old getting older I suspect has meant I don’t recover as fast as I used to. I’m more than OK though with going at my own pace even if that pace is pretty slow. I figure it just gives me more time to view the scenery. Onwards and upwards!

The countdown is on, only a few days between me and the Motatapu ride.

On the western side of the Lake Hayes track, heading South.

I’ve been lucky this year on two counts.  The first is that I won a competition for entry into the 2016 Motatapu event.  This also came with the added benefit of Pure drink powder and coaching from the esteemed Richard Greer!  Now spare a thought for Richard as that old adage regarding a Sow’s ear and silk purses floats around.  I’m not what you’d call performance athlete material: in my 50s, with a perfect example of a Dad bod rather than the normal image expected for cycling, and close to the ‘Clydesdale’ category if truth be told.

I‘ve got an idea of what to expect as I’ve biked the Motatapu event 5 times previously: 2002, ’03, and ’04 were from Arrowtown to Wanaka, then ’10 and ’15 from Wanaka to Arrowtown.  Each time I’d get 2/3 through and think “not enough training” alongside “this is the last time”.  However my buildup has always been a little, sh7all we say, unfocused.   A few hill rides to build up the legs and a few more rides to get the distance. My goals have been simply to ‘enjoy the scenery’ and ‘cross the finish line a little better than last time’.  Having a coach has been a welcome surprise: not only the discipline of the rides I should be doing and why, but the things to focus on weekly and how they’ll assist me come race day.  Nothing keeps you more honest to your training than submitting the gpx logs of rides as homework!  Of course life/work/travel does get in the way, and that’s been handled superbly by Richard and the coaching calendar as well.  I suspect I’ll be largely preaching to the Choir, but for those of you entertaining the idea I’d highly recommend a coach no matter what level you’re at.

On the Twin Rivers ride, beside the Kawarau river, heading for the Shotover.

Looking Northeast on the Lake Hayes track

I said I’ve been lucky on two counts.  The second has been the opportunity to train on and around the Queenstown Trail tracks over January and parts of February.  My normal haunt is Dunedin, and while the Peninsula and Mt Cargill have a lot going for them as scenic rides, in my book they don’t come anywhere close to the scenery, selection, and quality of trails around the Wakatipu.  The Motatapu Event gives people access to stunning valleys that are private most of the year but the views are just as spectacular all around the area.  Christmas holidays then weekend trips to Arrowtown as a base has allowed me to explore the wider area.  This is all in the name of required training you understand, certainly not (purely) as a tonic for the soul.

Giving the poor steed a rest at the top of Tobin’s Track, looking South over the Wakatipu basin.

So, will I be ready for the big ride on the 5th of March? Well another month or so of training would always help physically, but apart from that, yes. Yes I will be.  Will I be up there with the strong, the fit, the full-time athletes, with times that would challenge a 4WD? Of course not!  The engine for the bike is still that overweight Dad-bod that I started with after Christmas, but I’m fitter and mentally keen.  I’m looking forward to being able to enjoy the ride as well as my own personal performance.  See you there!

All this fabulous weather (well, apart from a couple of Wednesday evenings for some reason!) and I’ve been steadily adding frequency and height to the climbs. Bit by bit I have now made it up to the Takahe and Evans Pass. The hill climbing on the bike is still complemented by hill walking which I love the most but I find myself at last enjoying the biking too. To be frank it began as a chore, a means to an end, and that end is fundraising for the Pinc and Steel Cancer Rehabilitation Trust. Now I’ve learned to re love the bike more for its own sake. Apart from the Wednesday Team CP ride, I ride alone for the most part but a couple of weekends ago a bunch of more ‘mature’ gentlemen swept me into their pace line until we parted ways at Lincoln. I still say that there is nothing like bike riding for just falling into informal, friendly groups on the road.

Next up for me is the Charity Classic at Cust, half Le Race and the Graperide taster. It’s great to have so many events to choose from, each one another step towards Coronet Peak at the end of April. I will take a rain check on some of the more rocky tracks on the Port Hills and let the earth settle down a bit so there may not be so many step photos which will probably be a relief for the viewers! I found these rutted, ‘sort of’ steps on the Kennedys Bush trail. Onwards and upwards!