Monday 31 January 2011

Found a flaw in my bike training

I was feeling a bit fed up about Sunday rides when I realised what I needed was a bit of a change. This year I had been picking an area and then doing several weeks riding in that area. So I went back to an old route that I had done early in the summer along Puhetiri RD towards Rissington (a school, a few houses and farms), the bit I knew had a few hills but nothing too hard. This was going very well until I reached Rissington and then had another 10miles before turning round and coming back. I prefer doing out and back on my own and it is easier if Teresa ever has to come rescue me.

I had planned to 47miles and it was taken forever to get to 23miles, it was pretty much uphill into a small headwind all the way. The conversation in my head was going along the lines of I'll cut it short and say that the hills made it longer,etc This argument was backed up by the fact for the last 2 months I had been riding mostly flat. The only thing to be said for continuing was the benefit from not quitting and smug satisfaction of finishing my longest and hilliest for a long time. And that is exactly how I felt when I got back home after completing it. In fact I realised that it had taken less out of me than some of the flatter rides riding into a headwind on the way home for 20miles, but I have always preferred the variety hills provide.

After a quick shower, watched Emily and Cameron perform a dance (I had to pay 20cents for the pleasure) and then went and get on with building the raised veggie bed. Went swimming in the pond and would have set a pb(pr) if some idiots had stolen the club's bouys.

Next post garden photos and the new raised veggie bed built with my two helpers.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Thursday 27 January 2011

Holiday is over

Had a 2 hour chat with one of my clients discussing the future direction of his online business we went full circle about selling/not selling through his websites. We concluded that he already used trademe (like ebay) and uploaded all his product info there and didn't have time to put the same info on his other websites so I would act like his IT department and he would pay me to do it

It was a good meeting and like most of my clients we get on really well. But there is a lot work to do and it begins tomorrow. After I finish reorganising all the images on my brothers business website. He asked me to add new stuff but I couldn't till I'd sorted out the mess the cowboys had made - it's like being a forensic webologist tracking down all the photos. And in the afternoon I have a prospective new client who needs a rush job. There is a good chance I will get the job if I want it as I already did a website for her husband.


Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Teresa away on a conference

She is spending 2 days in Rotorua at a teaching conference, the whole staff have gone. She went at 3.30pm Wednesday and will be back about 7pm Friday

She didn't mind going and they were told that it replace the normal teacher only day but she was told/reminded this week that despite going to the conference they would still be having a teacher only day on the Monday before school starts. The management are pretty bad at communicating and often say one thing but change their mind at the last minute.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Monday 24 January 2011

Banana tree 2011

The banana tree really struggled in the old house's garden and used to get mown over when Teresa cut the graas. I rescued it put in a pot and now it is blossoming kept on the covered deck(almost transparent roof.




Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Sunday 23 January 2011

Torrential rain ruins training plans

Normally on a Sunday is my long bike ride followed later on by 4x250m(approx)hard in Pandoras Pond which after Fridays swim in the pond when I set a pb by 22secs for that session I was expecting another pb however the weather has spoilt it.
Ihad 47moles on the road planned for the bike and normally a rain doesn't stop me but we are in a real tropical that tends to last 3 days and it was just too heavy to go out. I did an hour of hard intervals on the turbo instead.

Training has been very consistant since our return from the UK in July, I don't know if it is the lack of running that has given me more energy or the right level of effort on my mid-week bike sessions but I have hardly missed a session and had no easy/recovery weeks. That have been some weeks were I haven't wanted to train but I make myself start the warm up or even have a longer warm up and that felt fine. Yesterday I did my short barefoot jog in heavy rain and my ankles are feeling a little sore but I felt no tiredness and was looking forward to today. It is almost I have passed through a stage were my body has adapt4ed to the hard work. A bit like this guy Paulo Sousa (a former coach of Simon Whitfield) talks about. But we shall see.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Saturday 22 January 2011

Belated Christmas Post

Just realised hadn't even done a Christmas post. We enjoyed a really quiet one. I cooked a turkey(free range) with lots of trimmings for the first time and I was really pleased with it.

For the second year we made our Christmas cake and this year I made my own almond icing and royal icing. It was fantastic - I saved up all my carbohydrate allowances(I eat a very low carb diet)for a whole month to enjoy it.

But the real hilite this Christmas was our adopting a kitten from the SPCA. Emily chose the name and then we found a kitten to suit and we definitely found the right cat for us. Meet Sparkle the newest member of the family.


Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

New shoes

I just bought some RunAmoc-LITE minimalist running shoes to use when the weather gets coolernot just for running but walking in. Altough this guy at Barefoot healthy goes barefoot in the snow. They have 2mm vibram sole and are made from sustainable sources in America by Soft star shoes.

Above is a picture of the Runamoc LITE but with the heavier 5mm sole and once you get used to the appearance they are great, very comfortable but I haven't worn them properly yet as it is still hot summer at present. They remind of the leather running pumps the elite runners such as Bannister, Lovelock, Brasher, Elliot all used to run in , before Bill Bowerman's invention running shoe and the start of Nike, except with a wider toebox for proper toe spread.



Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Friday 21 January 2011

Fiddling with the look of blog.

Please be patient with any problems, after redoing Teresa's class blog I want to do my own but as with all design ideas for myself I have too many ideas. This time I am going to persevere.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Raw milk

Since I gave up being vegetarian we started buying organic milk, but even this is pasteurised so I found a localish supplier of organic raw milk. It tastes great, very creamy and works out cheaper than supermarket bought organic milk. However you have to join their milk club because like it is in other countries it is illegal to sell raw milk to the general population.

And it is this joining the club where the farmer has in my opinion failed in the business sense. I have been trying to join before Christmas paid my joining fee and for a week of milk upfront, filled in forms, etc No response, tried phoning - no-response. I don't understand as a small business owner selling a specialised product to a niche market, you just can't afford to waste an opportunity to get another customer. Or so you would think. I've asked for my money back but no response.

The organic shop has a sign on the window for raw goats milk - I may try that next.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Feet

I have a habit now of looking at people's feet, looking for healthy feet.

Emily's feet - she hardly ever wears shoes, if she does they are flip flops or sandals and she can walk on sharp stones, that hurt my feet, without a problem.


My feet - both of these photos taken about an hour after our 7min barefoot jog, my feet are always veiny, Emily cut her jog short I think I'm going a bit too far and fast for her and I think she finds running for the sake of running boring. That's another lesson - children run for fun in games but hardly ever just run to run.





Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Barefoot running practice

Here I am with my running and swimming coaches. Emily never really wears shoes and when I ask her are you in your running clothes she always says yes, doesn't matter what she's wearing. That says a lot, children just run, they don't need special clothes or shoes.

I have learnt heaps and reinforced lots of my research about swimming by just watching Emily and Cameron learn to swim from an early age.






Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Monday 17 January 2011

The plan to Ironman

Second barefoot run today - photos to follow but our new camera(Teresa won it) won't download on my old computer.

I am planning to do New Zealand Ironman the year I turn 50, I turn 44this March so it gives me 6years . It is held the week of my birthday 1st of March the race is 5 March. I have never been one for the log bike ride so I plan to set a target of increasing my Sunaday ride by 2 weeks before my birthday each year, this will follow the plan for ironman. This year is 50mile, I haven't done that or longer since about 1996. And I'll increase the length by 10miles each year. I have to be really comfortable mentally and physically for longer rides and I have always thought that many people rush into longer events without putting in the aerobic miles and rely on eating the whole way on the ride. I have memories of me in the early 90's riding for 60miles with a bottle of water and a single banana. Not fast but fit aerobically.

The long approach will mean I can save up the money , gradually replace gear and the children will be older and My run technique which I'm working on now will be sorted. The goal will be to get around comfortably under my time set in Lanzarote in 1994 which was 12.06 - Lanzarote was/is a really hard course so I should be okay.

In the mean time I will race locally until I decide I am good enough on the swim and bike to have another go at travelling the country to Olympic distance - I just don't see the point of paying out all the money to race if I'm not going to be reasinably conpetitive - been there done that.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Saturday 15 January 2011

First official barefoot run

Swim-I've been too busy and lacking the motivation for blogging. Training has become almost automatic and regular over the last few months that I lost interest in posting about it.

I've been swimming 5 times a week - 2 in the pool and 3 in Pandora's Pond. The pond sessions have been intervals between the bouys. 3 different sessions of hard timed intervals in all conditions. I know I can swim the distances but my problem was/is having the confidence swimming them hard. And what can I say it is working, I feel really at home in the water - I swim hard and when I feel I can't keep up the pace - I do.

Bike - I have been dealing with a pain on the outside of my left knee , which I think was caused by twisting my cycle shoe from my new pedals and the realise tension was set too hard. And I have what feels like a thigh strain both of these don't stop me from cycling but I would stiffen up when sitting down and when in bed. They are both almost better. I planned to race the swim and bike and try the run even though I hadn't run since last March. But these problems stopped that which was probably for the best. I'm not going to race at all this summer just keep on working getting better and better in the water, on the bike and run.

Run. I have been doing a lot of barefoot walking but have been having problems with the really rough footpaths near my house. So this week I had a few test jogson smoother concrete sections and it felt good so I thought I try an official barefoot run. So this morning I went down to the concrete bikepath on the ocean front, that has smooth concrete and goes for miles, with Emily and ran barefoot for about 5min which was enough because I could feel my arches a bit, there is no rush to do loads so I am going to do it 3times a week and add a little bit each time. It was very enjoyable and I had to make myself stop and not over do it as I often do with new activities

I've revised my triathlon plans and the goal is to aim at the Ironman but that is my next post


Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.