Tuesday 30 December 2008

Weekly training 22Dec- 28Dec

Swim
total: 2850 only one pool swim because of xmas and one open water swim.
Bike
total:74.3miles - Two trainer sessions and 40mile Sunday ride on Middle Rd past Camp David for the first time , no scary climbs and I was sort of disappointed.
Run
total:29miles - 1x9, 2x10 now I have reached an area with hills I have much greater variety. Closer to my house it is flat and I refuse to drive somewhere to run - that partly defeats one of the benefits of running - just go out your door.

Other news: Yesterday I wanted to plug up the old chimney (no longer used) so I can board up the disused fireplace. I mixed the concrete, had the ladder ready and it hasn't stopped raining since.

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Sunday 28 December 2008

Kayaking at the pond

Yesterday we hired a kayak for an hour at Pandora's pond and took turns at taking the children around. I swam in the pond first, more practice at starts and gradually increasing the distance. It was a great day out and then we went home for lunch read a bit and then worked in the garden for an hour. I must post a garden update soon as things are really happening.





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More Christmas photos

Home made Christmas crackers complete with banger, chocolate as a gift and party hats. We bought the children Twister with money from Linda and Dave, Teresa's aunt and uncle. I had never played this before and I was in hysterics and nearly farted in Teresa's face as we played because I was laughing so hard.






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New fruit alert

Teresa asked if I could buy a berry plant for Cameron to give her for Christmas. I had seen these in the garden centre and I thought it was a bit different plus it said that it was good in pots on the deck which is exactly what Teresa wanted. It is a Pepino incredible Ruby. They also had another version which is has a skin sort of the colour of the inside of this purple one.


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Thursday 25 December 2008

Christmas

We are having great Christmas Day. We have a small budget that we add to all year about $10 NZ a week and then everything we do for Christmas comes out of this budget. This includes close family members presents in the UK, Teresa's staff Christmas meal at the Mission Winery(we only had to pay for mine) and our presents.
For ourselves we limit mine and Teresa's presents to $20 each - I put it towards new racing tyres I'd been saving for and Teresa put hers towards the cost of a party dress. The children's presents for us are $10 or less. The children get larger presents from Grand parents and relatives.

This year we made mince pies (as always),Christmas crackers and we have meringue, berries and ice cream for dessert (it is hot in NZ at Christmas) and this year I made the meringues from our own eggs. I found some vegan ice cream. Next year I am going make the Christmas cake (a vegan one).


Cameron's Christmas party at Kindergarten. Our Christmas tree with the presents . Cameron's big wooden digger and Emily's new scooter.












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Wednesday 24 December 2008

I enjoyed this on youtube about youtube


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Monday 22 December 2008

Weekly training 15Dec- 21Dec

Very good week of training. Swim training was down on distance because I had my first open water swin since last summer and I had the family with me, so I just did some practice starts into oncoming waves. This is a particular weakness of mine because it is very different to pool swimming once I'm out of waves or crowds of other swimmers I swim much better.
Swim
Total: 4200m

Bike
Total: 73.3milesChanged my seat position in an effort to find more comfort on long flat roads. I have always preferred riding hills it is just more interesting. I was always fascinated by climbers in the pro-peloton they just seemed a breed apart.

Run
Total: 28 miles This week saw the last of my 5am runs for a long time (maybe even forever). I have been doing it for a number of years and I won't miss them.

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Monday 15 December 2008

Weekly training 8Dec-14Dec

Woke up Monday feeling really tired from the weekend. I usually go swimming but wasn't really in the mood so when Cameron fell asleep an hour before we were due to go to Kindergarten I realised it just wasn't meant to be.

Woke Tuesday at 4.30am for my run at 5am listened to torrential rain decided to go back to sleep.


I decided to complete things by missing Wednesday evening bike trainer session. So I missed one session of each discipline.

The good news is missing those sessions was the right thing to do and I trained really well for all my other sessions. Swimming was fantastic.


Swim
total: 3500m
Bike
total: 54.41 miles
Run
total: 18 miles

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Thursday 11 December 2008

Fruit update

This is the latest fruit tree in the garden.

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Tuesday 9 December 2008

Weekly training 1Dec- 7Dec

Swim
total: 4200m
Another fistgloves ripped so I started to use some small plastic balls to do the same job. Only they are even more difficult to use, using the fistgloves there was a slight flat spot. The balls take even that flat surface away, so I went back to doing 100s and 30sec rest with balls and band aound my legs
Bike
total: 67.35 miles
This week the computer stopped completely on m y ride (Raukawa Rd towards Waipawa). I turned around after 18miles (after one of longest climbs I've done for years so the return would bring me to 36miles. But because of the computer I don't know how accurate it is. I know I was out for a long time and I felt very tired at the end but that might simply be the doing harder hills. I spent some time on Sunday trying to diagnose the computer problem and it turns out that the magnet that attachs to the rear wheel had died. So I found another one and it worked.
Run
total: 26 miles
1x8, 2x9 feeling very comfortable. Used a new pair Brooks adrenalin shoes I had stored away, to see if it helped my plantar problem. I have been using my current pair of adrenalin for quite a while and they are some of the best I've used, a really long lasting sole.

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Tuesday 2 December 2008

Garden update

Gardens going well black raspberries are really amazing and we have had some red. I've had a battle with some birds that have nested in one of the trees, I have to seal the raspbeirries in a bird netting cocoon. Strawberries are providing 2- 4 fruit a day. Feijoa tree almost died through a lack of water, I honestly thought it was drought resistant. We have started buying a different variety of feijoa (it has a beautiful red flower) to grow into a hedge at out front fence to replace the trees I have been slowly cutting down. I just don't see the point of keeping trees pruned if they don't provide yummy treats.
Harvested the second half of the garlic crop 23 bulbs of proper garlic. We have planted two types of runner beans (one is purple until it is cooked) and after the success of the broadbeans I insisted on another so we found some butter bean seedlings. We also planted courgettes and cucumbers as seedling as the hens had messed with our seeds before I hen proofed the veggie beds.

Garlic (second batch)


The best garlic bulb from first batch


Cameron wearing my beaten up sunhat (its the hat or skin cancer) the hole in the ozone layer is directly above New Zealand


Winning the raspberry battle

Final note..

New Bertha is broody, my friend Shelly who gave us new Bertha asked the other day did we want chicks and if so let them know when we have a broody hen. We're undecided, Ill probably see Shelly at her stall at the farmers' market on Sunday and ask her for a fertilised egg.


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Monday 1 December 2008

Weekly training 24Nov-30Nov

Swim
total: 4800

Monday I did 3x500 wearing the fistgloves and band and I was amazed then I did 100 with no band and the feeling was amazing it was a religious, magical feeling. I felt like a cork -so bouyant. Tuesday I challenged myself to do 2x750 with the gloves and band which I did and very proud of myself I was do. I backed down from doing the 1500m with gloves and band on Thursday.


Bike
total: 64.17 miles - still having computer problems.
Run
25 miles (2x8mile)1x9mile

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Monday 24 November 2008

Weekly training 17Nov-23Nov

Swim
2300m very good
Bike
61.19 - although this maybe in question as the computer on my road training bike seems be playing up. I thought so last week, as I like to go out and back the same way on a ride, last week I was sure I turned around at 15miles which would have given me 30 on my return but it said 28 I thought I had just made a mistake. But this week on a different route I set out to do 32miles, I made sure the computer said 16 when I turned around but when I got back it said 33.62miles. I did it was slow and tortuous going out but there was an extremely strong headwind. I cleaned the contacts of the computer as the problem seems to coincide with when when I last used silicon spray on the bike. I'll use it again next week and see then I'll try new battery and if that doesn't resolve it I'll have to get another one.

The mileage isn't that important I can base it on time, Iknow roughly how much time I want to ride for. The mileage is imortant to my obsessive compulsive side that like to track it and it's nice linear progression in my training diary.

Also my old red turbo trainer bit the dust Friday night, the 'fixed' fan flew off across the room. I put my bike on Teresa's cheap magnetic trainer thinking the load and ride would be rubbish. (I had such an experience on one I owned 12 years ago- the only positive that came out that was I learned to spin a really high cadence).

But I was pleasantly surprised. It was great and Teresa says I can use it until she wants it back (which is likely to never as she has a hate hate relationship with cycling).
Run
3x8 - mostly very good except for Saturday morning after the turbo session Friday night. It was a case of just getting it done (hardwork) it gave me an opportunity to practice managing discomfort and reinforce my practicing being patient (I have a habit of getting impatient near the end of a run- which you can't afford to do with longer races like Ironman.

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Monday 17 November 2008

Weekly update

weekly training

Took an easy week this week- just listening to my body.
just 2 swims total 2300m, bike 1x8mile run and 1 bike 30miles. Legs felt sore and tired after the one run much worse than after a full week of training.
Produce from the garden



Still learning to take photos of things close up

Optimist yachting

I had the opportunity to help Teresa take her year sixes yachting on one of their sessions. Teresa is in charge and is trained but she has been sick and the children would have missed out so I took her class and she came in for the yachting afternoon while I did the policing and organise the putting away of the yachts - a job that requires a loud voice, bossiness and muscle. There were parent helpers but they don't know how to organise a large group of children, don't know how to be get them to do things and the children know they don't have any authority over them. The picture is of Teresa doing preliminary training in the school pool.

and finally..


As I mentioned Teresa has been sick so I took her class for three days. On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting New Zealand olympic triathlete Andrea Hewitt - former world under23 world champion and top 10 in the Beijing olympics. She was in as a prize for the school because the school had entered the most children for the children's weetbix kids triathlon in the local area. The school's entries and encouragement was arranged by Teresa. Did I ever mention that Teresa is the ultimate teacher - the school doesn't know lucky they are. She is also jointly in charge of ICT and runs a school orchestra. This is why I hate her teaching because she is exhausted all the time but she loves it. I get concerned because when I taught full time I was the same and I burnt out really quickly.
I have too say Andrea was a delight, very humble and I am convinced she will be a world or olymic champion. And don't tell Teresa but quite attractive in real life.

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Monday 10 November 2008

Veggie garden

We've been busy in the garden again. Planting out lettuce, more spinach and rocket. My Goji bushes arrived but not in very good condition and are struggling to survive. I was going to email the company today but I had to go into Teresa's class because she was sick she was also sick last Friday. We've has our first strawberries and I have been busy chicken proofing the garden see photo.

Bonus photo: Chickens love when I empty the kitchen's organic waste bucket onto the compost.


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Weekly training 3Nov-9Nov

Swim


total:3000m all with leg band and fistgloves - 3 sessions of 10x100m.

Bike


total:56.16 miles

Run


total: 22miles

Very good all round. Training at a lower intensity is much better, although I still feel tired somtimes it doesn't take much to feel better or I'll just start a session and see how I feel and I feel fine. I glued a new yellow fan off another old windtrainer onto the red one I use with the broken fan. So far it is working and will hopefully save me the cost of buying a new one - the one I wanted was approx NZ$900.


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Monday 3 November 2008

Weekly training27Oct-2Nov

We survived Emily's ballet week, it seemed there was a practice evry day culminating with 2 performances and after show party on Saturday. She is six the second performance finished at 9pm, 40min to get changed and then 30min for her party. Teresa and I were more exhausted than her.

Surprisingly I got all my planned training in when I was expecting too either because of tiredness or unplanned ballet crises.

Swim


total:2000m all with leg band and fistgloves

Bike


total:54.6 miles

Run


total:3x7 = 21miles

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Tuesday 28 October 2008

Weekly training20Oct-26Oct

Swim


Made a change this week. Decided I was getting a little bored so I decided to start my sessions by swimming with band on legs and fistgloves. Extreme technique practice (or that's what I tell myself). This is what I was planning to do at the end of the summer ready for next season. Because my shoulders were feeling very tired I only swam Thursday 10x100m.

Total1000m

Bike


2x 60min on turbo, 24 miles on the road : Raukawa Rd via Bridge Pa and had a heavy down pour at halfway. Kept cadence below 100rpm and was much better.

Total51.78

Run


1x6mile, 2x7mile : I very rarely have to run in the rain but did twice this week.

Total20miles

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Monday 27 October 2008

Labour and Hawkes Bay anniversary weekend

This will be mostly in pictures. We weeded, planted , mowed lots of grass and strimmed. Thr chilean guavas, blueberriess, raspberries (all 3 varities), strawberries and red currants are all showing fruit. Apple tree is in full swing as are all 6 citrus trees are flowering. But we know that from experience that it doesn't matter about flowers it only counts when you can actually eat the fruit, sometimes the wind blows the fruit off, birds can get at it.

Teresa has planted lots of seeds:- peas, rock melon, which in the photos are under upturned buckets and plant pots to protect them from marauding chickens - I was putting our amazing compost on the veg garden and I forgot the chickens love it because it so full of juicy worms and other creepy crawlies. They scratch in it and we didn't want them scratching up the seeds. We've planted radishes, beetroot and carrots and the same beans as last year.

I planted out some bought tomato plants, eggplants because ours grown from seed aren't ready yet. We also have some capsicum plants to be planted also because ours aren't ready. We are hoping to learn from last years mistakes and get more for efforts.

On top of all this we have lots of herbs and lettuce growing in planters especially our favourites rocket and basil.

I also repaired the Kindergarten's toy digger that Cameron is modelling.












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Trying new things - Kohlrabi

The photo is of a weird vegetable called a kohlrabi (tastes a bit like cabbage).

A post on the the kitchen gardeners website reminded me that this was one of the new things I tried this year. I try and do this , when I see something new at the farmers market. This week it is artichoke, I've had it marinated out of a jar but never cooked one myself.

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Tuesday 21 October 2008

Almost knocked over

I forgot to mention that last Thursday I almost got knocked over, not killed but legs would surely have been broken. I was returning home on my run at 6am with about 1.5 miles to go I was crosing a side street and this woman turned into the road at speed (probably half asleep) almost got me. It was so close I felt the moving air on my knees and was only really saved by my own reactions as I performed my best matador impression. The driver didn't even seem to see me just drove off at speed.

There were witnesses a man and woman out walking were crossing the same road but in the opposite direction.

I have always been very tolerant, I abhor racism, sexism, ageism any form of discrimination but I find myself becoming increasingly frustrated with people who just don't seem to care about other people or the planet. People who abuse other people, gorge themselves into obesity and diabetes and in turn abuse the planet.

As I was being verbally abused by a motorist on Tuesday I realised why he needed such a big SUV, it was carry his huge arse, stomach and head. He was verbally abusing me because I shook my head in disgust because as I rode my bike home from dropping Cameron off at Kindergarten, he drove his monstrosity at me. He was on the wrong side of the road. He was pulling away from a house after dropping something off. I think obsesity not only causes laziness, scruffiness, diabetes but I think fat also rots the brain and ruins the eyesight.

And for those people who think it is personal freedom to become overweight and die what about my freedom to live in on a clean planet and not have to pay, through increased health costs for other peoples lack of personal responsility.

I needed to get that off my chest.

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Monday 20 October 2008

Tired today and We have beans

I felt very tired all over this morning so I decided that after taking Cameron to kindergarten instead of cycling to the pool I would come home. Swimming is usually my only session on a Monday.

Also I made an exciting discovery in the garden this morning, the bean plants have loads of beans on them. This may seem like common sense but they are a new variety of green beans and the plants have been growing very well, plenty of flowers but when they withered away no beans. No beans that is until now there seems to be a delay which is different from the beans we grew last summer.

It is labour weekend combined with Hawkes Bay anniverary so a four day weekend this coming weekend, traditionally the time to plant summer crops (last of the frosts). So I am planning a garden post this weekend.

Now I'm off to shell walnuts.

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Weekly training13Oct-19Oct

Swim

5550m highlight was 4x200m with band on legs in Thursday's swim

Bike

49.38 miles - 22miles on Sunday, took it really easy, too easy 100+ cadence on flats. Going to keep it between 88 and 100 this coming Sunday. Signifcantly I'm not using heart monitor on Sunday rides, it was much less stressful and I enjoyed it without the constant beeping. Which will make it more likely to keep it going.

Run

19 miles

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Sunday 19 October 2008

Hawaii Ironman and other stories

Every year I watch this and it never ceases to motivate me. This time I got really excited and had a problem sleeping for a few days after. I also get grumpy a few days before, the same thing happens a few days before Ironman New Zealand which takes place only a couple of hours from here. My own personal countdown to my participation in 2011. After I finished Lanzarote in 1994 I had the feeling that I could conquer anything, I've achieved a huge amount since then. I wonder what I'll feel next time round.

Other news


Emily's first ballet recital is fast approaching. She had to miss her first swim lesson of the new term (advanced breathing class).

Cameron (not yet four) had his first swim lesson. All this took place on Saturday and it was one of those few days where a second car would have been useful but we survived.


Cameron



Emily



What chickens do - the Dust bath


Ethel lying in dust bath under lemon tree.

Ethel leaving dust bath.

What chickens do - Nest


Bertha getting ready to lay. She is sitting on one of the browns hen's egg.


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Monday 13 October 2008

Weekly training 6Oct-12Oct

Swim

5400m

Bike

46.21 Miles

Run

18miles

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Tuesday 7 October 2008

I'm delaying work this morning.

Up at 5am ot the door for 5.35 run 6miles just under 48min and the whole family still asleep, bliss! Breakfast treat a couple of lightly boiled eggs. We have four from yesterday, so 2 for me I know that Cameron and Emily will be up any moment one each for them and Teresa (a creature of habit) will only want the homemade muesli. I want a breal from the museli because I also have it after training but also I got fed up paying NZ$3 for a litre of rice milk (I prefer rice milk to soy because it doesn't have sugar in it) so I'm experimenting with making my own and it is very much a work in progress. It seems okay in coffee but it has a hint of banana in it, because it has banana in it. Back to the drawing board.

I've just been doing my morning ritual after breakfast I go and find any eggs, check on fruit crops and the raspberries to see if they are being eaten again. Then it is on to a quick scan of blogs I read, checked on my own and this is what stopped me from my work and the real reason for this post.

I think somebody or something maybe, possibly reading my blog...other than me that is. This suspiscion has arisen because twice now after a post my counter figures have leapt up. Normally it goes up 1 a day and I know who that is , its me. The idea that somebody else may or may not be reading this is kind of creepy and very unexpected because if you are reading this you will know that is purely drivel and I encourage to not read it.

Just as a side note: we are getting a new woodburner installed on Thursday. The good people at Metro fires are replacing the whole thing because og the split in the top and the fire is about 4 years old. Now that is what I call customer service would I recommend this company, without a doubt.

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Monday 6 October 2008

Weekly training 29Sep-5Oct

Took time to watch the bees do their thing with the apple blossom.

SWIM


5250m - still doing lots of fistgloves with legs together, band on legs no fistgloves and regular swimming with fistgloves. Because I go to a pool which is used by the public not swimmers per se I am faster than most of them wearing fistgloves and holding my legs together.

BIKE

38.28miles - this coming Sunday I'll be stopping my turbo session which I normally do after the farmers market to my on road ride because the farmers Market moves outside for summer and I like to get my ride (which will go from 20 up to 50miles by the end of December) out of the way. So I will be heading out about 7am.

RUN

17miles - 3runs - 2x6 and 1x5 at my 'I am enjoying running again' pace.

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Spring is exciting

All the fruit trees are starting to flower, seeds in trays are sprouting. We are doing tomatoes(yellow and red cherries,beefsteakand heritage all started from seeds collected last summer) lettuces, herbs (rocket and basil are favourites), we have started peppers(I usually remember these too late) and aubergines. Strawberries in hanging baskets are going well, raspberries are really going well even the black ones that have never fruited before. I realised I pruned them in their first year when I wasn't supposed to. The red ones were being eaten but spraying with gatlic spray and checking daily seemed to have sorted that out. We just hope that the wind doesn't blow off lots of young fruit like it did last year.

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Chicken Cam

Featuring Ethel, Daisy and Choc Choc (Bertha is a bit of a loner sometimes). Daisy hadn't laid an egg for the last 3 days we were starting to get concerned especially as she seemed to have a limp. She is back in the groove today I will be observing her for any sign of limping.

We're actually trying to keep them off the deck because they poo on it.




Natural egg laying.




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