One of the advantages of being an older soul is that over the years I’ve tried out loads of different kit and equipment so you’d think I had pretty much figured out what I like and what works well for me. Thing is that new products and refinements of older ones keep coming along and so I am just working out that the world of sports and fitness hasn’t half moved on since I last looked some 5 years ago.

I’ve been very short sighted since I was about 10 yrs old. Unless I use contact lenses (and I have in the past but can’t be bothered now) the world of fancy sports sunglasses is largely denied me. Now I’m ‘older’ my focal length for reading is heading in the other direction! I want to have sunglasses I can wear on the bike that protect my eyes from the wind, let me see clearly, work in bright and low light and it would also be nice to be able to read my cycle computer when it’s on my stem. Check out my Adidas ‘Evil Eye’. I came across the sunglasses in one of Torpedo7’s terrific sales. Keeping a look out for this sort of bargain can really pay off as prescription lenses don’t tend to come cheap. A bit of googling showed they come in a small size, (great for women), adjustable all over the place, interchangeable coloured lenses included, with a yellow for low light, and can take an inserted prescription lens. Off to my favourite opticians, T+S at Northwood and hey presto, clear vision, a lens for every weather condition and they look the part. Even in the drizzle at the Brunch Ride, sunglasses of this lens colour can make a big difference for comfort and clarity.

One of my other favourite bits of kit are Ground Effect’s ‘Chipolatas’ gloves. Newer materials mean I can have gloves that fit snugly, keep my hands warm and dry and I can still work the controls. No more mashing or missing the levers!

On the training front, Fleur continues to unleash her stash of stairs on me. I actually really enjoy them; honestly! I was just having a bit of fun here for the camera. I am also doing circuits and bumps on the ‘Downs’ more and more. Got up to 8 bumps yesterday… Hmm I wonder how many bumps it will take to equal Coronet Peak?

Most of my runs are on long, straight country roads due to us living in Irwell. In fact, I had to run 27km a few weeks ago and I ran it in one direction due to a strong southerly blowing (I don’t do head winds) and I literally turned only about four bends. Many of you would find this unbelievably boring but not me. It is a great feeling getting to the end of the road and the Garmin is telling me I have just run 20k. Great only 7 to go!

On Sunday I ran 31k’s around Brookside to Leeston and back. It was a great run! I have run these roads many times before and I know most of the families that farm in the area and they know me. One farmer calls me “the crazy running lady”, which is slightly offensive but I quite like it!

The first thing I do on a long run like this is to drive the course and put out my drink bottles – they are always waiting for me. No one out here thinks it’s odd that there is a water bottle lying beside their letter box or road sign. If I get hot I can leave my jacket or hat in any of the letter boxes and they will always be there for me to pick up later. I have one farmer who leaves lollies in his mail box for me – do you get that town??

The scenery is always changing in the country. You get to see all the seasonal transformations. Watching the paddocks being turned over and planted to then seeing the header coming in to do the harvest when the crops are ripe, the calves and lambs being born means warmer days are beginning. I have even had to do the odd rescue. One time I heard a little lamb crying on the side of the road. There were no other sheep around so I picked her up and put her under my jacket to keep her warm and went up the first driveway I came to – why do farmers have the longest driveways in the world? The farmer named that little lamb “Pauline”. Another time I saw a poor old ewe trying to give birth but the lamb had become stuck, so I ran up another long driveway and told the farmer. He said “well did you pull it out?”

Running in the country does mean running on the roads. There are no footpaths out here. I always run on the right so the traffic is coming towards me. Most drivers are really considerate and will give me heaps of space, I always give a ‘thank you’ wave and nothing beats a cheering toot, toot from friends as they drive past. If I happen to see another runner (a rare occurrence) there is always a big shout out and even a mid-road conversation. I can’t say the same about some of the townie, Lycra wearing, road cyclists that dare venture over the Selwyn bridge, unfortunately!!! *

So give country roads a go. Come on out. Did I also mention there are no hills, no smog, just the sweet smell of the silage being fed out and occasionally the not so sweet smell of the offal pit burn off!
*CP cyclists do not fall into this category.

For the most past I am pretty good with what I eat, I know about good nutrition and how to eat well for my body. I eat a good range of foods – fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meat, dairy, grains and a few treats here and there. I am also a Weight Watchers Coach, each week I help people to reach their weight loss goals. I really enjoy learning about nutrition and food, recently I have been researching about sugar and the effects that it has on the body.

Something I do not know anything about is performance nutrition. This is a whole new ball game for me! I literally have no idea how to fuel for performance. This has meant that I am now floundering and wondering what the heck I am supposed to do when I am running!

In the past I have only ever done half marathons and for the two and a bit hours I would be running have never felt like I needed anything to eat. I have always just had the standard water or sports drink at the drink stations and the complementary banana as you cross the finish line.

I went for my first longer run this past weekend (1hr45min) – so I thought it would be a great chance to start playing around with what I should be eating while running. Richard gave me some guidance and said to look at fueling by having 60gms of carbohydrates per hour. As someone who has never had any type of gels or anything like that I was wondering how it would work and if I would like it or not. I tried the Clif Shot Bloks – 40mins in I started with one “shot” and proceeded to eat one every 10 or so minutes till they were gone. I also had this very stylish “fuel belt” full of water – I looked like a real professional!
The Shot Bloks were really good, I think I could work with them! Over the next few months in the lead up to the marathon I am going to try some new things and play around with what I can eat and deal with while running. I have a 2hr run planned for this weekend so I am going to try something else this week and see how it goes!

I guess I have a lot of researching to do….but then again I do enjoy it!
(I have a book about the Glycemic Index on its way)

The CP Brunch Ride was great. In the pic is Fleur on the left and my fellow newbie, Amy on the right. That makes me the one in the middle! Both Amy and I were nervous beyond any sense of proportion, anyone would think this was the World Champs or something. But for us new folk it is a bit like that, any new challenge is a mix of excitement and anxiety. The good news is we both won our ‘World Champs’ and felt really pleased to have earned our cake and coffee. Big thanks to Brett and Richard and the bunch for looking after us. Thanks too to Richard for letting me fill in all you brunchers on my mission for the Pinc and Steel Cancer Rehabilitation Trust. I collected some donations at the time and will keep this fund open for a bit and then these will be added to the site under the CP team banner. Of course you can go direct to the site and donate that way too.

Now it’s time to try pointing the bike at some baby hills. There are not a lot of these around locally I find. Plenty of stonking great big ones yes, but not much in the way of gentler slopes and/or shorter stretches. I headed out to Cashmere Road this morning and rode over ‘the downs’ a couple of times. It wasn’t my fault I had to climb from a dead stop, the road was being repaired and was single lane! That’s my excuse for having to find granny gear and I’m sticking to it. That and the southerly head wind added plenty of resistance of its own. Coming back with a tail wind was a lot nicer, I am getting craftier in my old age and thinking about these things in advance.

See you out there!

Well here I am less than 12 weeks out from my current BHAG. I have finished sulking about the cancellation of the Bedrock50 and have readjusted my mindset and reasons for doing the Queenstown marathon. I have also been vigorously researching other runs to replace the Bedrock and at this stage I am planning on entering Mission Mt Somers in October and the Routeburn Classic run in April 2016.  It’s not quite the ultra marathon I was after but it’s a good starting point….

Being only 12 weeks out from my BHAG has made me quit procrastinating and sign up with CP to get a training programme.  Thanks to Richard I now have a plan to get me to where I want to be come 21 November (marathon day!) – my body in one piece and my mind raring to go!

Training over the past two weeks has consisted of runs of various lengths as well as cross training.  Prior to my training programme I convinced myself that each run I set out on had a purpose i.e. time, distance, pace, focus on form etc.  However upon reflection my self-prescribed training programme looked more like this:

• Long run = meandering in the hills preferably with my camel bak stocked with ‘nutrition’
• 5km TT = 3km good speed, 2km my mind screaming it was tired and convincing my body to stop
• Aiming to run at intensity 5 = woo hoo I’ve made it out the door, just cruise

This didn’t necessarily happen with all of my runs but its fair to say that once Bedrock was off the table, I was much less focused on running/training and spent a lot of mental energy ‘self-congratulating’ myself for just getting out the door.

So with my training programme comes accountability with a sharp focus on the end goal.  There is also nothing like someone else checking in on how you are going to make you keep at the right pace or finish the run that has been planned. As I log my runs both on-line and in my training journal, I am holding myself accountable for doing what I said I would do, as well knowing that there is a coach who is going to see what I have (or haven’t!) done. For me accountability also has a flipside which is knowing that there is someone who is knowledgeable, and has the expertise, to get me to the start of my goal strong and ready to go.  It also means that Richard gets bombarded with questions every time he rings to check in with how I am going!

Another part of my training over the past few weeks has been planning and fitting in my cross training sessions.  I learnt a lot last year about how cross training can complement my running as I made the mistake of forsaking all other physical activity to 1) focus on my running and 2) I was petrified I was going to get injured if I kept playing all of my other usual sports.  This time round I am continuing with Pilates, swimming, tennis and strength training. I have discovered that with epic fails comes wisdom!

I was actually quite a keen runner when I was at school. However that enthusiasm all ended in an instant when I was turning the final bend of the 1500m race and I heard and saw Chester Copperthwaite* making fun of my bounding chest. That was it! Running career over in the 4^th form.

Five years later around 1987, my parents came to watch me play netball. After the game I said to my mother, “so what did you think?” Her reply was, “you need a decent bra”. So by the following Saturday my mother had purchased me a new bra. You could hardly call it a bra, it was more like a combination of a corset and armour! The row of hooks down the back could have kept a commercial fisherman happy, the straps were about two inches wide and it went from my collar bone to almost my belly button and worst of all it was beige!!! Yuck – but it did the job. The only thing bouncing on that court was the ball.

When I started running about seven years ago the bra issue came up again. Luckily sports bras have been invited but I am still searching for the perfect bra. I feel like I have tried them all. I want a bra that gives me maximum support without giving me the mono boob look. It seems that I have to make a choice – support or shape. Why shouldn’t we be able to have both? My bra of choice at the moment is the Shock Absorber. Doesn’t that sound impressive! It is a great bra but I struggle doing up the upper catch so it is a bra that needs two people to get it on me. Not very convenient when I am on my own. My 12 year old son refuses to help and fair enough, many a friend and the odd stranger has had to lend a hand on the start line which grosses them a little – lucky for me I have no shame.

No matter how far or fast you run you need to be comfortable. I need to feel that I am locked in and confident that my bra is going to go the distance with me and not have my chest go off on its own journey.

Ladies if you have any recommendations, let me know.

Pauline DD Lay

*real name used.

It’s raining. Rats. Last weekend was glorious! But together with Fleur we always have a ‘plan B’ if not plans C and D as well sometimes! I really love having a coach that relieves me of having to think about all the ‘what ifs’ so I can be better prepared. Taking this load off me has meant I can assign myself to other tasks that also benefit from the same approach. I see this as a form of mental cross training. I’ve learned heaps lately. I’ve been so busy that the last two weeks have just flown by. I’ve been challenged too, the training programme is beginning to bite, but in a good way, the way that tells you this is working.

At the risk of sounding both a bit obsessed and a lot derivative, I am reminded of the motto ‘does this make the boat go faster?’ first used I think for rowing or sailing but is a useful catch all for thinking about what you’re doing, or about to do. I certainly don’t lack for motivation, my everyday hero page has received some awesome and very humbling donations this fortnight. That’s the goal, that’s my ‘boat’ going faster and the training for the 2UPTT event is getting my personal ‘boat’ going faster.

I can’t rate power yoga highly enough, I am finally starting to get the ‘power’ part as strength returns to long underused muscles. Recovery from the surgery is a long process and I will always have these physical limitations that I didn’t have before. Yoga works on both the physical side, lengthening and strengthening the body and on the mental side, being present with whatever the situation is at that time, accepting that this is how it is right now, and only right now.

Someone a lot wiser than me said ‘everyone feels pain but you choose whether to suffer’.

So the event I refer to in the title is the CP Team Brunch Ride. For me this is an event. The first group ride I’ve undertaken in years. I am a bit nervous but I am really looking forward to meeting more of the CP Team and what’s more I have my CP team kit to show off. Shame it might have to be hidden under a rain jacket though. See you out there!

I wasn’t sure on what I wanted to write about this week, I had a few ideas but I just couldn’t really decide. My health has improved from my last update (yay, I’m not sick anymore), it took a bit longer to get better than I expected. I felt fine most of the time but I lost my voice which took a long time to get back; it showed that my body wasn’t really fully recovered. I was excited to get back into training more this week especially since Spring Challenge is slowly creeping up.

So the training session set was a cycle called rolling hills, 2hrs, sweet. My friend had asked me the week before if I wanted to go cycling, so I thought this looked like a good session for him to join me on. Spending 2hrs cycling around the cashmere downs didn’t sound overly exciting, so I decided I would go on a mission to find some other rolling hills.

We started at CPIT after class and rode up Dyers Pass road (it definitely doesn’t count as a rolling hill), and then down the other side and on to Lyttelton. I did not think this section of the ride through. It was awesome riding along Governors Bay Road, with some kinda rolling hills which is what I had been hoping to find and awesome views. It was going pretty well until we reached Lyttelton……so…. it turns out you’re not allowed to bike through the tunnel, oops and the only other road out is over the hill, which is closed…… My friend talked to a guy on the street about some options. He was about the walk up the bridle path…that’s a good idea. So we decided rather than to bike all the way back the way we came, we would push/carry our bikes up the Bridal Path. 🙂 It was one of those moments where it was convenient that I currently use mountain bike cleats and shoes on my road bike. It was a bit of fun going up that hill, and I had some good conversations with the guy who gave us the idea. Once at the top of the hill we got some nice views. We turned right at the top of the bridle path and only had a little bit more hill along summit road before turning down Mt Pleasant Road and whizzing downhill, which was awesome. We ended our little adventure back at CPIT where I picked up my backpack full of my study stuff and biked home.

The day wasn’t quite over yet, I made it home for short while before heading out for a paddle with the TeamCP kayak group. We had a good session working on technique and power. No mini adventure luckily, one was enough for the day. Unfortunately not much study was achieved other than attending class.

The ride didn’t quite go to plan but was a good training session and fun. It’s the things like this that are what make training interesting and fun. The reasons I love training and racing is because it’s lots of fun, sometimes comes with adventure and because of some of the small but exciting moments, like reaching the top of the hill and the awesome places it can take you. 🙂

Have now completed my first “official” Brevet, albiet a short one. The Coaster micro-adventure, 230km, 2400m of climbing and 13.5hrs riding over Saturday 1st August and Sunday 2nd. While most decided to ride the entire distance on the Saturday, a friend and I decided it was far more sensible to overnight in a comfy motel in Cheviot. I rode with my full kit on the bike on day 1, as a test, then decided to strip out all the non-essentials for the “sprint” on day 2.

What did it show? – 1) – after a very slack 5 months of training since Challenge Wanaka, I’m not as fit as I used to be!!

– 2) – There is still a large amount of “residual” stamina tucked away in the body and as long as I keep my heartrate down around 75% of max, I can keep turning the wheels for sustained periods of time

– 3) – After a bike fit and a few reasonable rides, my bike seat / posterior are still at odds with each other.

To solve no 3 above, I have now purchased a Brooks B17 leather seat. All the reports I have read and people I’ve talked to about the Brooks seats appear to be 100% correct. For touring, these seats appear to be supremely comfortable. A 3 hour first ride, followed by 2hrs the next day and no issues, on a seat that supposedly takes up to 3 months to break-in.

On the “exciting new toys” front, I am expecting my new handlebar roll, Top Tube bags and Stem Pouches from Stealth Bike bags shortly.

September is shaping up as a big month. Micro-adventure 3, a weekend of biking around the Methven area is shoe horned in between a ride from Timaru to Twizel and return on the 12th and 13th, and a 3 day weekend (South Canty Anniversary) on the 26th – thats 3 days to bike instead of two!!

I’ve also got my A into G and started swimming again, just to keep some variety in life

The Coastal mini-brevet, Gore Bay

On the back road to Culverden

Last time I updated the blog I was finishing up my first four weeks and embarking into the unknown of the next four weeks.

The last few weeks have involved spending more time on my feet and practicing carrying compulsory race gear and nutrition. For the last two Sunday’s, I have headed out on two 3 hour walks with my partner in crime Jenn who is also training for the marathon distance in the Taraweras. We’ve headed out come hail, rain or shine.

I am usually a fair weather runner/walker and of course, the weather has not been obliging the last two Sundays. The first Sunday I headed up the Rapaki, traversed the Crater Rim joining Mitchell’s track and Gilpin’s Track before heading down Mount Vernon and to Fava for a well deserved coffee and slice. It was great getting up into the hills and you will all remember the beautiful fresh snow up there.

Last Sunday I headed out again but this time in the rain. It was non-stop for 3 hours. This time I headed up Bowenvale which is one of my favourite ways onto the Port Hills. The terrain is so mixed and it is a fun way to make your way up to Summit Road. At the top, I jumped onto the Crater Rim and headed down the Harry El track and back round to Bowenvale. By hour 2 I was a bit over it as every inch of me was wet and sodden.

I have learned a lot about wearing the right gear. The first week I headed out I wore quite minimal gloves and I did well to keep all 10 fingers. I upgraded for the second week and kept my hands toasty for the first two hours before they submitted to the rain.

The next few weeks will be more gym sessions along with lots of ab work. If I happen to laugh or cough in a weird way, it’s because my abs feel like they may explode. Good to know there are some muscles in there though! As well as the gym work, I am also doing my first hill run up the Rapaki along with a 10km time trial. Almost 8 weeks into the training and I’m still loving every minute of it. Now it is only 12 weeks to race day…almost at the halfway mark.

I think I’m starting to ramble…a bit like my long walks so I’ll leave it there.

Until next time…