Ok, still here and still training, feel like I am on a rollercoaster through ups and downs, don’t want to write what I feel is a less than positive update so keeping it short and sweet and just going to share my highlight of cracking 1000m in 2 hours, twice!! 1^st time was 1500m in 2 hours although that was a bit tedious going up and down the same hill, 2^nd one was 1097 and that was just through riding my two hour ride.  Woohoo!!

There is only a week until Coast to Coast (C2C)! I’m doing the two day C2C which involves a 3km run, 55km cycle and 32km run on Day 1. Day 2 is a 15km cycle, 67km kayak and a 70km cycle into Christchurch. I’m starting to get excited and am working through my race prep – sorting gear, nutrition and my race plan. Racing is just one part of the adventure; training for the race has been a journey in itself.

GodZone Pursuit team before heading out on the second day sea kayaking.

I did a few races in 2015 on my build up to C2C. After Spring Challenge I turned my focus to C2C, spending the last couple of months

training for it along with GodZone Pursuit. I finished the first year of my degree in sustainably and outdoor education in 2015 and then hit the holidays. My summer job has pretty much been training with a bit of holidaying. By holidaying, I mean going to different locations to train and doing some fun training with different people. I visited Wellington and had an epic tramping mission in the Tarauras – 19 hours tramping in one day including ‘bagging’ six huts along the way. Next, was mountain biking in Taupo and Rotorua and spending some time with family. After Christmas, I joined my Godzone Pursuit teammates in Nelson for a week’s training. We did an epic three-day tramp in the Richmond Range which involved navigating our way to set checkpoint’s/controls. It involved long days and a mix of on and off-track tramping. After a rest day, we headed out to the sounds for an overnight sea kayak trip and even saw Orcas.

Back in Christchurch I started focusing on C2C training. I did some training on the C2C course. I went through the run course to work out the lines/route choices, which was fun. I also did a couple of gorge trips to work on my whitewater paddling in a multisport kayak. I was a happy after my last trip as I got through without swimming. I’ve been getting out for some cycle training.

Hut Bagging on Goats pass the C2C run route.

With only a week to go I’ve started to taper. My goal now is to make the start line in one piece, full of energy and ready to race. I am looking forward to going hard, having a good race and some fun!

I’m beginning to think that there’s something out there determined to thwart my every effort at getting to Coronet Peak in March. For those of you who need a recap or are new to this blog, the story so far goes like this… A charity that helped me begin my recovery from cancer treatment launches a new event, the 2 Up Mountain Time Trial set down for March 12, 2016. Then the event gets postponed for a year to 2017 but I am going to do it anyway. Training starts to hum. I have a terrific recce in Queenstown in November. I need more treatment to help get over the side effects of the original treatment and that takes me away from training a bit. Then my Mum falls ill and dies in hospital December 29 and I really don’t feel like training at all. Now my husband, the key support in my life, can’t make the March date…

Add in the rotten weather lately and here I am having to do a major re-think of the whole plan. Fleur and I have pencilled in a series of lead up events with an eye on the last week of April for the assault on Coronet. First up is the Masters Games in Dunedin over Waitangi, this will strictly be training for me but I hope it’s fun none the less. Then it’s the Run to Remember (or walk in my case), followed by the Petit Le Race and the Graperide Taster. It’s all very well seeing it written on paper but I have to confess that my concentration on the task has taken a big hammering. To that end then I’ve been on some brain training in Auckland and have learned some new mental techniques to apply to myself in my mission. Check out Rick Hanson, the man is awesome!

I did think about all those stairs in the Sky Tower but had to settle for these little ones instead!

It’s less than one month to I will be standing on the beach at Skippers Canyon at 8am, with 42km of trail between me and the finish line at Moke Lake. While I am slightly intimidated by the Shotover Moonlight Marathon, I am pleased with my training and feel reasonably prepared.

In the past three months I have ticked off several adventure runs. They have been a mix of 6-12 hour “adventures” in the hills, as well as shorter and faster “runs” in the Port Hills. Last weekend I successfully ran 42 km from Lyttelton to Diamond Harbour via the tops, which has proved to myself that I can run that far.

With four weeks to go it’s almost time to taper, but not quite. Richard has agreed with me to cut back the distance, and focus on strength work via some hill sprints in the next fortnight. While I haven’t necessarily changed what I’m doing with the coaching, it’s nice to have someone to talk to and ensure each week has a focus, making sure time and effort is not wasted!

After the Moonlight, my focus will turn to cycling, with Le Race the target. The first group training session last night confirmed that I still have some work to do! It hurt, but in a good way. Apart from treating myself to a 160 km round trip to Akaroa, my cycling has been limited of late, but I am confident it will return quickly. The CP group sessions are a great way of encouraging you to dig deeper than you would by yourself, and I highly recommend them.

Mt Herbert somewhere in the cloud

Well we did head away again so the holiday got longer and I am using that as my excuse as to why it has been a while since my last update.  Haven’t done another hill mission so no cracking of the 1000 🙁

I keep saying that being away training in different terrain was like being on a holiday and it has been great I have really enjoyed my time training in different terrain and I cannot complain about this view while riding.  But with  holidays you also get the first week back at work which is always tough, and I definitely have been finding it tough the last few weeks, with fitting everything in, being tired from probably doing too much, and struggling to get motivated for some rides.  A few of my lessons and reminders I have had the last few weeks;

• Don’t construct/build things on the ground and then climb hills the next day as chances are all the bending over nailing and sawing will mean your hamstrings will be sore!
• Your glasses need cleaning every now and again as when you are riding into the sun it is like your windscreen, if it is dirty you won’t be able to see!
• Do a better job of checking the weather; after a 2 hour slog to Oxford, my planned ride through Ashley Gorge was abandoned due to the gale winds and not having enough food for my now extended ride so I flew home in an hour with some puncture practice on the way. With being blown off the road, an untimely puncture and the ridiculous head winds, I honestly think the ride was trying to break me 🙂  Pleased to say my spirit survived to get on the bike again.

It has not just been about lessons thankfully I did tick something off the to do training list;

I rode the summit ride from Little River to Akaroa.  Scotty had said to me the Summit Road likes to torture you, you think you are at the top, but you go around a corner and BAM another rise!  Well I would have to agree with Scotty, it’s like the ride is saying Sucker every time you round one of those corners!!  Richard told me to take my time and enjoy the ride and the view, but it was a very windy day and a southerly, so COLD.  Needless to say I didn’t do any sightseeing.  It is good to train in these conditions but if anyone wants to join me on a training ride, be prepared for a windy day or s#@t weather as that is what I seem to get weather wise 🙂

Reading back through this is not the most positive sounding of updates but training journeys are often filled with highs and lows so here is to next time and being out of this slump!  Added the pic because it always make me smile and reminds me that riding a bike can be fun.

Apologies for the silence on my part lately. A month ago I wrote that I should expect more difficulties in my path, the mission is a tough one so why should anything else be any different? Since then I’ve been up and down to Dunedin five times for varying lengths of time to be with my Mum in hospital there and Dad at the family home until it was just Dad when Mum passed away on the 29th December.

Now I’m back in ChCh and trying to pick up the training again. I’ve done very little exercise at all, not even yoga could tempt me. So I started out this morning with my favourite training exercise, so much a favourite I don’t really count it as training at all, more like a treat.

Found my way to the Mt Pleasant Bluffs track that sidles along towards Mt Cavendish whilst hanging above Lyttelton. What an amazing route! So many runs of steps I just couldn’t inflict that many photos on you all! Small ones, giant ones, rocky ones, clay ones, scrubby ones, sheer ones… and all to myself. There was a strong southerly wind though and dopey here hadn’t taken a jacket so I grabbed the picnic mat from the back of the car and wore it like a poncho! You wouldn’t want to be on this track in an EQ that’s for sure. The scars of five years ago are still quite obvious. Speaking of which I’ve signed on for the Run to Remember next month, then Le Petit Race in March, and the Graperide Taster in April and somewhere in all that I’ll ride up Coronet Peak in March.

I’ve got $676 to go to reach $4000. I can do that.

Busy, busy, busy, Christmas, holidays, birthday, fishing, diving lots to fit in + training of course.

Heading away this week I was not sure how I was going to fit everything in not only was there the children to fit things around but also importantly needed to fit things around tides for fishing and diving; priorities changed a bit this week, my queen of the fish title was up for grabs again.

I think I have felt every emotion since my last post.

Determined to beat my 870 hill metres from last hill mission

Exhausted from being up very early with a child

Pleased, with myself when I still went for my ride, lots of talking myself into it before it actually got done, but still did it

Happy/Smug, still Queen of the fish

Joy/Love, when Miss Emily (my oldest) greeted me on my return from my ride with a very excited and happy “your back”

Disappointed, when I realized that Amberley is not just round the next bend as I hadn’t yet past the Hamner turn off 🙁

Ecstatic, 977 metres on my last hill mission, didn’t think I would have beaten the 870, will break 1000 next time

I feel like it has been a merry go round of a week with the different time constraints to juggle, although I have enjoyed riding on different terrain in a different area it was like a wee holiday in itself within the training. But with the different challenges it brings, I question my sanity as we are now considering heading away again (dependent on a sick child recovering), although different hills for another hill mission…..1000 here I come.

First thoughts upon hearing I had won the TeamCP Le Race competition, were eeek! I never win anything!  Uh oh what have I got myself into!  After laughing at myself for most of the morning I finally said.  “Well I always wanted to do the race, now I have the opportunity to, so let’s get training”.

First things first, I gave my bike a wash in the hope that if I treated it right it would be nice to me 🙂  Competition was probably very good timing as have a niggle in one of my Achilles so changing focus to bike will give my Achilles time to settle down hopefully.  Although back is protesting a bit being back on bike, thought it might be bike set up so got that checked out with Scotty, but nope time to get some core work in.  2 caesareans will do that to you though I guess.

Apart from riding to Motonau (from Glenmark) a couple of times, have not spent a lot of time on any hills, most recent bike rides have been on trainer inside or on the flat (not a lot of hill options in Kaiapoi).  So plan is to try and get to the hills once a week.

Caught up with Richard this week to discuss goals, I had not really thought past finishing 🙂 hence the getting off bike unassisted is part of my goal as I imagine after 100km on the bike my body will have a thing or two to say.

Training wise this week, after thunder, lightning and hail riding up Dyers Pass last week, this week’s hill ride was very calm weather wise.  Rode up Dyers and then around Summit Road to Sumner where my support crew were chasing seagulls on the beach and visiting the café.  I have not been around the Summit Road post earthquake, I felt like I was MTB’ing at one point!  Although I must say it was nice having the road closed and no cars zooming past you.  Sometimes the success of my ride is based on how many cars I have yelled at; well it is usually the first thing I report on when I get home anyway (Geoff just shakes his head at me)

Christmas next week so trying to figure out when I am going to have my rest day, I think I want to fit a ride in somewhere on Christmas day so I don’t feel guilty indulging in all the goodies, but usually ride first thing in morning and get home just as kids are getting up and I don’t want to miss Santa excitement…..I guess not a bad dilemma to have but what to do……

Got to the bottom (sorry, bad pun!) of my right leg weakness, it’s all in my backside! Somehow I’ve twisted my pelvis and the sacro-iliac joint is out of line. I’ve learned how no muscles actually act on this joint but if it has moved then the muscles that attach nearby are trying to act on the hip joint from a slightly different starting position, hence the sudden feeling of near leg collapse and a leg that won’t do what it’s told! Treatment has been (wo)man handling the joint back in line (thanks Grace!) and lots of exercises (homework for me) aimed at keeping it there. It’s only been a couple of weeks but in that time I have already lost muscle strength in that leg even though it’s working properly again.

I’ve never been so happy to be told it’s a ‘mechanical’ problem. Once you’ve had a cancer diagnosis, every single bodily event becomes the worry that the cancer is back, especially when wakeful at 3am. Once dawn arrives so does some sanity thankfully but I understand from fellow members of the C club that this is a pretty common reaction.

So I went out this morning for a wee test on the ‘downs’ and Kennedy’s followed by some repeats on Shalimar. It went pretty well once I’d given myself the HTFU speech, so I rewarded myself with a trip to a bike shop for some new gloves. Cue silly selfie time!

My latest challenge is the news that my Mum has myeloma and there is little more anyone can do apart from palliative care. My wish is that we can get her home from hospital for Christmas Day and see what happens from there. My training programme has to adapt again, Mum and Dad are not in Christchurch, so I’ll be shifting bases for a bit. This is where I realise that training is so much more for me than the physical aspects. I need my training for my mental health, for friendship, for adventure, for the sheer joy of being outdoors; to make the very most of this wonderful gift called life.

It’s nearly Christmas, take care everyone, it can be a silly season at times. Rest, recover, reflect.  Above all I wish everyone peace.

And I hope that Santa has found my name on his ‘nice’ list 🙂

I had a great time in Queenstown in mid November, living the life of a professional athlete with nothing to do but eat, sleep, train and recover. You may have seen my wee videos that Richard convinced me to do. The week concluded with me taking part in the 10km part of the Queenstown Marathon. I had only planned to walk it but I got so carried away with the great training behind me and the atmosphere on the day that I was even seen running some of it!

The only snag in the plan was the professional, bit; I couldn’t find anyone to pay me to keep this up!

Since then things have gone a little pear shaped. I’ve had a couple of day surgeries which have gone well in and of themselves but I didn’t need the thyroid scare that has been biopsied and found to be benign to my great relief. Now I’ve done something to my back that has resulted in a sudden loss of power in my right leg. I nearly fell off in the carpark last Wednesday night group ride as my leg nearly collapsed under me when taking off! So frustrating because I was so keen to show off the results of my hard work on the bike in the hills. The local hills look very short after trying some of Coronet Peak.

So I am trying to stay calm and not fret about losing my momentum in my mission. Daily yoga is such a help in this. I am still completely focused on riding up Coronet Peak in March. The ride itself will not be easy so I should expect the lead up to have its difficulties too.