Relearning how to run

I've been spending the last few years to relearn how to swim from scratch and I'm doing the same with running. Going without conventional shoes. Going from running , walking with custom orthotics and supportive shoes has been a lot harder than I thought it would be, suffering with painfuls ankles. However I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When this discomfort stops I can learn to to barefoot run with the help of this video.

Learn to Run Barefoot with Lee Saxby and Terra Plana from GTB Goodtruebeautiful GmbH on Vimeo.

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I've been busy

I am still here. I've been engrossed in training, life, family and exciting work. And to tired to spend extra time at the computer. But large project finished got a couple of easy ones before my next big one so I can get some posts done..soon!

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More corporate enviromental terrorism

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Hawaii Ironman highlights 2010

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Barefoot running

In preparation for barefoot running , I've just started doing some barefoot walking. And even though I have been walking in minimalist shoes that have worn holes in the sole nothing really prepared me for barefoot walking. I had done some barefoot walking around the smooth footpaths of Napier town centre and it was okay. However when I tried to tackle the walk that I do with the children to school it was a completely different kettle of fish.

Too start with I have been doing it at 6.30am and it is colder which makes the feet more sensitive and Friday morning it had been raining and every grain of sand sticks to your feet which also makes it harder. But despite all that never have I taken so much notice of every single foot step, felt every single grain of sand, imperfection. It is amazing that what looks like smooth is not when you're not wearing shoes. And the crux of the walk is a few metres where there is no footpath and I have to go on the road. And this road is made from very rough asphalt lined covered with gravel of sharp volcanic rock which is more commonly found on rural rodes and is very slow to cycle on.

I've survived 3 walks and I'm going to persist because I know it will get better. Because I had to adapt to minmalist shoes to start with. I think that if it has rained I'll wear my huaraches. And I plan to keep my early morning barefoot walk going and walk everything else in the huaraches and I'm going to go back to cycling to swimming so I can spend more time swimming.

Talking of swimming I plan to start swimming in the pond this weekend brrr....

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Fonterra (large milk company) enviromental terrorists

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What I've been upto.

I've been under the weather this week so I'm missing all training apart from essential walking to shops and picking the children up from school. Even without the arthritis flare up (which doesn't stop me training , just makes it harder) has been the worst year of training since Cameron was born almost 6years ago. And I blame him. No really I've had a lot more colds than ever and I think it co-incides with him starting school.

I've been doing a lot more reading and not just graphic novels(super hero comics) and watching hardly any tv. I've recently read a book about world record and olympic meadallist Peter Snell and the world record setter Ron Clarke. The most intersting book was The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is about Eustace Conway. At seventeen he ditched the comforts of his suburban existence to escape to the wild. Away from the crushing disapproval of his father, he lived alone in a teepee in the mountains. Everything he needed he built, grew or killed. He made his clothes from skinned deer before using their sinew as sewing thread. In the years that followed he stoped at nothing in pursuit of bigger, boder challenges: he travelled the Mississippi in a handmade wooden canoe; he walked the two thousand mile Appalachian trail; he hiked across the German alps in trainers.
However my take is he failed at his biggest challenge and to teach encourage p[eople to simplify their lives and live off the land, learn skills. He was thwarted by modern society and his own vision and high standards and his inability to be flexible. His cause was not helped by being emotionally starved by a father who was constantly diasppointed by him.

In other news I've joined Greenpeace..more info to come.

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Mr Arth Ritis comes to visit

My training and racing ambitions have been put on hold because of the remergence of my rheumatoid arthritis. Which is obviously over the years knew could happen and dreaded. It has been happening over the last 2 years mainly in my hands. After Sundays's bike ride my left hand was crippled and I immediately had to go and get some anti-inflammatories.

This is one of the reasons my motivation for training has been diminished - it's just so hard racing with one hand, not being able to strip your wetsuit off or put in the proper effort whilst swimming, get out of the pool easily. At present it is really bad in my left hand - although there are good days and bad days.

I have also been having a lot of pain in my feet and stiffness in my back. I have a gouty big left toe although it was never this bad and some swollen toes on my left foot, which I've never had before and pain and swelling around the ankles which I'm not sure is arthritis.

For years I ran with custom orthotics, in fact I wore them almost all the time for 8 years because a podiatrists told me too for plantar fasicitis. I feel they should have been telling me to go barefoot. About 18 months ago I ditched the orthotics and last year I ran the most I've ever ran since ironman in 1994. The shoes I used were old supportive ones and then in March I switched to less supportive ones but new. In born to run the author mentions the research that move into newer bouncier shoes causes injuries.

To cut along story short - afetr no running at all for 3 months I started barefoot or minimalist shoe walking and lots since we came back. The walking or running barefoot/minimalist shoes is like a workout for your feet and core muscles.
I have noticed a huge difference in my feet. Gaps between my toes as the toes are assuming their natural position not the position they've been forced to adopt through conventional shoe wearing and arches are higher. But I've still had a lot of pain and swelling, mainly on the inside of the ankle and there was heel pain (probably the plantar facisitis) which I've just realised that I haven't felt for a while (one of the reasons for strengthening my feet in the first place) and a lot of stiffness in my back.

I have 2 theories - One it is all arthritis connected and I've just got to live with it until it settles down again. And two (my preferred optimistic theory) - it is my feet and body realigning and strengthening itself after being forced into unnatural position because of the orthotics.
However I have read a lot about the benefits of going barfoot but I've come across any stories of the kind of 'realigning' I'm going through.

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Chris McDougall author of 'Born to run'

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Fascists and their bully boys in America trying to stop real food(raw milk)

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Just got my DIY Huarache Running sandals kit

Just got my DIY Huarache Running sandals kit from Invisible shoes .com , it consists of a piece of 4mm vibram and some laces. I had to buy a leather punch but tools always come in handy especially when I need to make more pairs. I plan to make my next pair out of tyres like Tamahauri in the book born to run which will be free and recycling.

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Talks@google Barefoot Ted

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Car day

This may sound odd but this is the first day since we have been the new house that I am actually going to use the car all day. Normally I walk everywhere (including to swimming) and even the children have surprised me by wanting to walk to school there and back every day. We even walk into town for our coffees.

This was always one of the main reasons we moved so Teresa could go on her own to school(walking) and then I would bring the children later. We thought they would have to adapt to it. It has been much better than expected - I filled the car with petrol about 3 weeks ago and I'm hoping to make it last at last another 3 weeks if not longer. I drove to the farmers market in Hastings at the weekend because I wanted some free range pork, bacon and ham.

Which brings me to today Emily is complaining of feeling sick but being half way through the term she may just be tired because not only is she walking to school they do cross country running most days, she has ballet on Monday, Kelly sports (sports programme) on Thursday and swimming lessons on Saturday and then she walks with us at the weekend. I think it is great and it is how I was brought up with plenty of exercise. Both the children have no problem getting sleep often going to bed early. But today I also have Cameron's class to trip to the library and we are supposed to walk, I am typing this whilst looking at the weather trying to decide should I leave the car at home knowing that if it rains I would be expected to tale children in the car. There are slightly grey clouds but a lot of blue sky and the forecast said it wasn't going to rain...

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TED talk - Chris Guillebeau - Fear and Permission

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TED talk by Jonathan Fields about overcoming fear

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Pull ups video

I used to love doing pull ups and if my arthritis allowed I would again. I used to do some of the simpler exercises in this video but I didn't know there were so many variations.

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Food, Inc - edited by Karl Weber

Food, Inc - How industrial food is making us sicker, fatter and poorer - And what we can do about it.

From the back of the book: The movie Food, Inc is shaking up our perceptions of what we eat. This powerful documentary deconstructing the corporate food industry in America has been hailed by Entertainment Weekly as 'more than a terrific movie - it's an important movie.'

If daily headlines about food poisoning, pollution, labour abuse and rampant hunger have left you worried or confused about the foods you eat, Food, Inc provides the facts behind the problems - and shows what you can do to make a differnce.

What I get from the book - The book is a companion book to the film which I haven't seen and it explores the challenges raised by the movie in depth through 13 essays, most of them written especially for the book by lots of different experts. One of whom is Michael Pollan who also wrote 'In defence of food'. The book made me redouble my efforts to buy organic, fairtrade, free range and locally produced. The pinnacle is buying locally produced organics and it isn't always easy. Fruit and veg is okay and meat from Ti Kouka Farm (just bought some lamb). The hardest bit it is seasonal, I know Teresa is missing fresh tomatoes and cucumber but it is New Zealand winter and it is the wrong time of year.

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The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle

The Moneyless Man - A year of Freeconomic Living( all proceeds of the book go to charity). From the back of the book - Imagine living an entire year without money. Former businessman Mark Boyle did just that and here is extraordinary tale. Article from Guardian newspaper

How do friends and Family react. What do you eat? Where do you liove? How does it affect your social life and relationships? How do you stay in touch with frientds? How do you wash? In this landmark book, Mark Boyle finds out the hardway and , in the process, explores the troubling consequences of our obsession with money. Encountering cuttlefish toothpaste, seasonal foods, skill-swapping schemes, and compost toilets, Mark even travels to Ireland without a penny and faces the unthinkable: a cash-free Christmas.

Following his own strict rules, Mark goes back to basics and learns ingenious ways to eliminate his bills and flourish for free. From making paper and ink out of mushrooms to constructing a rocket stove from discarded catering cans, Boyle puts fun into frugality and reveals some indispensable tips for economical and enviromentally friendly living. Heart warming and witty, The Moneyless Man is a testament to Marks's astounding determination and will inspire you to really question what really matters in life.

My take from the book: A very enjoyable read, re-enforces my belief in living simply, although what he does is to extreme to appeal to mainstream. People think I'm extreme by having one old fourteen inch tv in the house. It does remind me there are better ways of living and we could get by without money but to be honest for most people they can't see past buying stuff and I think it would taken a global catastrophe for people to stop pampering themselves and simplify their lifes. I enjoy living in a house with some heating. It made me think or re-enforce there is still a lot I could be doing and still live quite comfortably in our hoose e.g. replace the water flushing toilet for a composting toilet (Yes they do exsist for houses.)

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Comedian Lewis Black

I came across this, I've seen it before - comedian Lewis Black on the Milk and water. Very, very funny I particularly like the 'meat with eyes' bit.

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Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Born to Run - The hidden tribe, the ultr-runners and the greatest race the world has never seen.

From the back of the book - Full of incrdible characters, breathtaking, athletic achievements and cutting edge science, Born to Run is an epic adventure that begins with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets out to find the Tarahumara Indians, a tribe of the world's gratest runners, who can run hundreds of miles without rest while enjoying every minute of it.

I couldn't put it down It made me want to run forever, wear minimal shoes, reinforced all my feelings about Nike and other large running shoe businesses. It has reinforced my going barefoot (or very thin soled shoes) despite the pain I am currently in but more about that another time.

Tomorrow another excellent book I read while away - The Moneyless Man.

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UK trip continued

We had mostly brilliant sunshine except for the last 2 days but that just helped us leave.

We didn't have any long stopovers just a few hours in Dubai and Brisbane. Emily commented on how the airports were just like shopping malls and she was right and almost all airports look the same and have the same stuff to buy.

The final part of our journey was our domestic flight from Auckland to Napier. We always arrange a few hours between our international arrival and our domestic flight this time it was 3hours on a late Friday afternoon in miserable wet winter weather in the dreary domestic terminal (it just isn't as comfortable as the international terminal). We were all exhausted from our almost continuous flight and then our domestic flight was delayed by another hour.

We eventually got back to Napier our booked taxi was waiting for us and when we arrived bcak in our new house a friend had dropped off some cheese scones and milk

One of the best things about the trip was having time to read- I read Food Inc the book about the film of the same name which covers the Food industry in the US. The moneyless man - a year living without money definitely lots to think about and Born to run- life changing story first time in a long time I haven't wanted to put a book down.

More info on these books tomorrow.

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UK trip more details

I can actually say I enjoyed this trip to the UK, I know this because I missed being on holiday after we got back.

We had summer weather that we dreamed of but never fully expected. This gave us extra space in the in-laws small house by eating most of our meals in the garden. It also allowed us to take the the children for walks in the local fields and woods whilst the in-laws carried out their morning ritual of getting up at the same time and having exactly the same breakfast at exactly the same time everyday.

Our plan of booking two trips to other accommodation worked well Center Parcs at sherwood forest was good and the in-laws visited for days out. And we went to Pontins in Southport for four days to visit my Dad and my brother Jason came to stay there as well with his wife and my new niece. Chloe-Anne who is 18months was a good ice breaker and Emily and Cameron took to her instantly and she likewise took to them. We had a great visit with Dad just eating out and going for walks along New Brighton beach (where dad used to take us as kids) and took the children on Mersey Ferry. The only downside was Pontins, it was dreadful, run down , deadly I had stayed there for a week about 33years ago before moving to South Africa with my family. I remeber it being fun however it looked like it hadn't been maintained or decorated in that 33years we stayed only 2 of the 4 nights we had booked and paid for and went somewhere else for the next night and headed back to the in-laws in Doncaster a day earlier. Teresa left a gerat comment on their feedback form 'Are there no minimum standards' and 'Don't you ever get inspected'

It wasn't just the accommodation, it was also the travel through Liverpool in rush hour traffic back to Southport it was taking an hour and a half

And that wasn't the only driving causing problems , in Hawkes bay and in New Zealand generally there is really very little traffic congestion, but to get back to Doncaster from Liverpool we has to travel past Manchester and the level of traffic finally got to Teresa and she had to pull into the motorway services in floods of tears.

Organic food was easy to find in the local Sainsbuty's and we found local farms selling their own meat which was also great.

The inlaws had arranged a hire car - it was supposed to be an Astra but we had a huge up grade to a top of the line ford mondeo which was huge and both of us had trouble parking, it was a diesel and was very very efficient

There's a bit more to go which I'll write tomorrow.

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UK trip

Much better trip to the UK 19June-16 July but the flight never really gets easier. Details next post.

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I'm trying to get back.

I'm trying to get back to blogging after a hectic couple of months.

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Still seeking motivation for training

Training is still a struggle at present. There seems to be so many other things going on, with children , the house and of course the big trip to the UK where I know I'll have no training opportunities unless I can start running again. I plan to try tomorrow.

My best training has been cycling to and from swiming twice a week and my longer weekend ride. I've been enjoying swimming after I've made myself go. And last Sunday I enjoyed cycling in the rain.

Last weekend we finished most of the packing for the move on the 11thJune and the waiting has been getting to us. specially as one day this week I had to drive over to Napier 3times. We keep saying afetr the 11th we will hardly be using the car.

Business is also so very busy and I've had good responses from long term clinets about the redesigns of there websites. My favourite is Ericksen Honda particularly Matt who is so upbeat and positive and really appreciates my effort. He passed on a compliment from the Honda bosses in Auckland who apparently loved it and wished the main Honda website could me more like it.

Other fun clients are twin wedding photograpers, one has recently just recovered from a disease that almost took a leg but she is still more positive than some of my other clients.

A new project I thought I had just finished, a simple online registration of tradespeople who would be matched to jobs by an agent, has just become a lot more complicated and is evolving into something bigger minute by minute. The clients Sue and David are just realising all the possibilities there 'simple' website could do. And now they have big plans and I just hope I have the skills or can learn the skills for what they want.

These are all positive people who appreciate my efforts and knowledge and advice. But I get a lot of negative people who don't say thankyou and just nit pick about nothing. I had a new experience yesterday, a client who runs an electrical company, wanted me to do another website for his wifes holiday home business. So I finished meeting with them and went straight to talk to one of their employees who I just finished a website for his holiday home. He told me he basically didn't like part of the design (an essential). I consult my clients about the design and way before any coding is done then I show them and consult again after I have coded a proper page because as I go along I make changes, take things out, add details or something might not work as well I thought. But he decides to tell me this when it is finished this has never happened at this stage of the process before. I always have a meeting after I've finished, a sort of refinement meeting , changing little tings maybe a word here and there or a photo. I went home in a grump and had to recode my pages. I wasted an afternoon I had earmarked for another client. And there was no thankyou or a sorry. I just try and remember the positives and try not to dwell on it.

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Seeking motivation

Started doing a bit of training but Monday I had Emily home sick. But with the house move in 3 weeks the trip to the uk in 4 weeks I'm seriously lacking in motivation and I've been in a really foul mood.

On Sunday I marshaled at one of the multi sport club's duathlons down in Havelock North. It felt good to be involved and I plan to spend more time getting involved and training with club members and do the club races in the summer. I realised I've been missing and have been putting family first. So Teresa has agreed I can do more club stuff after we get back from the UK.

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Sick again and new house

Two weeks of my life gone, sick with flu. Teresa had a flu jab at school to prevent her getting the flu and she was wiped out for almost2 weeks and I think I caught it off her.

We have bought a new house in Napier a villa at 13 McDonald St much more expensive than Coote Rd but it was recently refurbished so needs very little work doing to it. And it has a clawed foot bath which Teresa has always wanted.

Hopefully back to some sort of training next week, there are only 5 weeks before our trip to the UK so I don't know how much training I'll get in.

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Lack of running

I forgot to mention my foot problems. My right foot is playing, plantar facisitis (spelling?) is back making it difficult to walk never mind run. I stopped using my orthotics over a year ago and I refuse to start using them again. I was born without orthotics and believe it has been shoe wearing that has caused the problem so I am committed to treating it there are lots of exercises to help it. The best one is using a ball or a an object that rolls and you roll it with the sole of the affected foot it serves to massage the planter ligament and breaks up scar tissue. I have a small piece of tree branch and a also a smaller diameter object which is fatter in the middle designed for foot massage that I use.

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Training and stuff

Not such a good training week again. Monday I was waiting in all day to talk to estate agents, etc. Then I had Cameron off sick Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday were I have been cycling around 28 miles and enjoying it on flat roads was ruined today by a peice of glass. Only 5miles in I hit a big piece of broken bottle and it punctured both tyres . I only had one inner tube with me so I had to get Teresa to rescue me. And it wrecked my rear tyre which was a newish specialized armadillo at $60 which are very good puncture resistant tyres.

So I got home and did a set of Tabatha sprints on the turbo which is what I normally do mid week. Then went to the farmers market - Esk Hill pork produce really thick bacon and other delicious treats from well looked after pigs.

House wise we offered 280 000 for the coote rd house and they settled for 285 000 they or originally wanted 300 000+. So it was good for us but we haven't had an offer on ours yet although we've had plenty of viewers. I had to dive out three times last week so somebody could look at it which in some ways is a pain because I have a lot of work on in fact I'm fully booked till August.

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House update

We've been very busy getting the house ready to sell. We`are doing it as quick as we can see it online here and we've put an offer on a property in Napier on Coote Rd see here and on Google maps
View Larger Map at the bottom of Napier Hill opposite Napier Prison which is now a tourist attraction and backpackers hostel. It is near the seafront and needs a lot of renovating which makes it affordable.

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I'm back

Training

Had a week off training. Started back with a little bit and than this week I felt sick and tired again. I'm going to try again this weekend.

Business

is going well my ericksen honda revamp has been really well received , although another made me fed up because I've got to spoil my design because they are too lazy sort their content. However they are providing a couple of more jobs so I'll just think about the bottom line and remove my name from the website.

Other Business News

Stopped teaching completely.

Other News

We've decided to sell the house and move before the end of the year. We were going to buy a lifestyle block but we've decided to buy in Napier as close as we can to Napier Central where Teresa teaches and the children go to school. This we decided but give Teresa and the children more`time at home and if we can get close enough they can all walk to school saving us money especially as petrol is getting more and more expensive. Napier Hill is more expensive so we will have a smaller house and garden.

Racing News

I was going to race the big olympic distance races and local races but because of the cost of transport and accommodation and wanting to buy our new house every penny will count so I've decided to just do the local sprint races again and maybe the national sprint championships.

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Weekly training 1Mar-6Mar

Eased back into training and decided I wasn't going to panic into trying to do pre sickness training. The race on the 13th will happen and its to late to try and do more training.

Swim

3 swims 50m sprints total 5300m

Bike

3 bikes Tabata sprints on the turbo total 26.94miles

Run

3 runs total 12miles

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Jamie Oliver's TED talk

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Grapes

This picture is one bunch of my first ever homegrown edible buch of grapes.

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Garden Photos

Some tomatoes (red and green zebra) and our best radishes ever.

Chillis - I planted chillis and bell peppers(capsicums) none of the peppers grew.

More chillis

I saved the banana tree by digging it up and putting in a pot.

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Weekly training 15Feb-21Feb

Great week (last week) of training and felt tired on the bike Sunday. I started the new week Monday 22Feb swam out of this world and then I fell sick later that night and haven't trained all this week.

Swim

3 swims Total:7800m

Bike

3 bikes Total:66.16miles

Run

3 runs Total: 26miles

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Weekly training 8Feb - 14Feb

The missing ingredient - harder faster work. After my downer from the race I had a swim session of 15x100m on Friday (which I haven't done for a while and then on Saturday I did a timed 2400m swim in the pond. I just swam normally and put in a hard effort in the last 200m. The time was 37.07min. So I was relieved - I knew I was swimming ok. I think at the race I got complacent after Whangamata and I got myself boxed right in the middle of the pack, lack of racing. And on Sunday's bike ride I rode really well. I am now where I should be a month before my first race not at the end of the season. In swimming I'm now doing lots of timed 100s and always timing myself in the pond -accountability. I felt embarrassed about my last performance.

Swim

2 swims total:5100m

Bike

2 rides total:53.02miles

Run

2 runs total:15miles

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On a downer - The race at Kinloch

I have stopped work to do this - I need to get this off my chest - it is making me miserable.
What is you might ask? It must be something really important.

The answer is it isn't important really but it matters to me.

I had a really bad swim at my race last weekend. After the euphoria of my last race swim I have come down to earth with a bump. I feel disappointed all round really.

All the work on the swimming in the pond and pool. I think I got trapped amongst slower swimmers and spent time looking around me. But I worked really hard.

The bike was extra hard this year instead of 3 laps they made it 2 and it took in a really big hill which was harder than my bike training was good for but I managed it not fast but comfortably and my bike was rideable. And I know that I haven't done enough work on the bike. It is where it should be a month before my first race of the season. So next year my first race will be Rotorua at the end of November and my cycling should be where it is now but at the end of October.

The run was the same 4 lap with small hills affair which I ran strongly and finished with a flourish thus achieving my goal but only 2 minutes faster than last year. But last year I hadn't run much in the month prior to the race and it started hurting on lap 3.

I think with the exception of swimming I am just impatient to be competitive and faster. I don't like the idea of being 36 th out of a hundred. But I know it takes time. It also takes confidence to put in the effort and pace required. It is still only my second Olympic distance race in 14years.

My final race for this year is on the 13 March in Wellington, the national champs so I will get a real reality check as to where I am (get my arse kicked). Although the course is flat and I have the tough Kinloch race under my belt so armed with that knowledge I plan to push a bit harder on the bike and run and try to have a good swim.

Now with my therapy session over I can get some work done (business is booming) and go for a run.

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Cameron's 5th birthday

Cameron's chocolate cake baked by me with the children's help. Teresa decorated it.


My beautiful boy having his party food on the deck. We invited 4 of his friends from kindergarten but 2 couldn't make it. It was short notice, straight after the 6 week summer holidays, back to kindy on Wednesday and gave out the invites and the party was on Saturday. Cameron wasn't bothered he still had a great time.

His kindergarten birthday when everybody farewells the person turning 5 and leaves for school. Cameron is handing out pop corn to the other children and then takes the rest home. Because Cameron will be going to Napier Central School where Teresa works and not the local he won't see these children again.

I'm writing this on day three of Cameron's school life and he loves it and I love having the house too myself most of the day I'm getting tons done especially as I no longer have the daily walk to kindy. I was sad to ending my relationship with the Kindergarten but I won't miss the walk and am excited about this new chapter in my/our lives.

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Weekly training 25Jan-31Jan

Had an easy week in swimming and cycling.

Swim

Only one pool swim . I was supposed to swim in the pond but the weather was atrocious. Wettest January in Hawkes Bay for a 10years total:2700m

Bike

2 bike rides. Sundays ride on the road was another 3 hour ride in torrential rain .I decided I had to harden up in the UK I used to ride in all weather rain and snow in winter, this was warm summer rain. I was also thinking what would Armstrong do? What would Whitfield do? What would Brownlee do? The answer each time was ride in the rain. total: 52.49miles

Run

3 runs and loved it. total:25.5miles

Racing next weekend at Kinloch hopefully I've fixed my bike setup issues and should actually finish - I'm in really good shape.

yesterday the children and I were stuck in the house all day because of the weather and Teresa was at a teacher only day so I read the Michael Phelps book 'No limits'. It reinforced in me -to do what others won't. This what I have been doing learning to swim from scratch starting from just floating, swimming with the ankle band and balls in each hand , to undo all my bad habits. To aim (dream)really high - this means for me my goal is to swim 20minutes for 1500m, which I am told is impossible for somebody my age - soon to be 43 from a none swimming background. And lastly I got from the book the correlation between hard work and success. I have seen the difference already in my swimming in open water by taking the plunge and adding 500m of band swimming per session in my pool swims. I am planning to add another 500m in the build up to my race in Wellington on the 13th March.

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

Weekly training 18Jan-124Jan

A great week of training my best for many years. I did something in each of the 3 disciplines that challenged me both mentally and physically.

SwimmingI swam a main set of 3x500m with ankle band and 60sec rest. I had done 3x400m previously which had also been a challenge.

BikeI rode to the bottom of the hill into Waimarama like I have been doing but this time I went back down and did it a second time.

RunI put up my mileage to 24.5 miles the .5 was a repeat of the hill half way on my ten mile run.

Swim

3 swims total:7200m

Bike

3 bikes total:65.37 miles

Run

3 runs total: 24.5miles

Easier week next week.

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

Weekly training 11Jan-17Jan

Swim

3 sessions total:7100m

Bike

3 sessions started using G14 instead of G20(53x12) for turbo sessions legs felt much better on Sunday's road ride(10 min faster than last week for same ride) total:63.27 miles

Run

2 sessions I missed Sunday's run because Teresa was racing - total:14 miles

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

Cooking primal - Kahawai fish

As part of my new determination to post more I wanted to get back to writing about other interests a bit more again.

Here is a case in point since my return to eating organic, grass fed, free range meat I have been buying a lot of fish. One of the many reasons for this is that fish is extremely healthy and canbe very cheap. I have had to learn how to clean and gut fish because whole fish are the cheapest. The cheapest is usually mackeral which seems to be a fish nobody wants and I can get these NZ$1.50 each and I've had some whoppers. My latest is the one featured in the photos below. It is a Kahawai NZ$5.50 freshly caught and it is in the oven baking stuffed with basil and fennel. As you can see it almost didn't fit in the oven.

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

Blog posting and swim thoughts

I felt I was a bit lazy in posting in 2009 so in an effort to try and get to 104 posts for the year an average of 2 a week, here goes.

Swam this morning, added 200m to my total so it was 1000m with band and balls, my 500g weight fell off after 3x100m the plastic zips ties aren't working I'm going to try old cycle inner tubes. 4x300m + 200m with just ankle band on. I'm increasing my harder stuff with just the ankle band, which has an added strength element as well as technique because over 1500m I find I am swimming the first half or maybe the first 1000m okay and then fading quickly so I figure that I need some more strength endurance.

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

Weekly training 4Jan-10Jan

Swim

2 swims 2400m in pool 1800m in pond total:4200m . After my swim at the race I really feel my retraining is working, I am training with renewed vigour and adding more swimming metres with just the band and no balls in hand. I may have forgot to mention that my technique work is still progressing with a warm up 1000m with balls and band and I 've added a 500gram weight to the band because I felt I was getting too sloppy.

Bike

2 rides, one turbo on a very hot day and it was a hard session I did because of not finishing the race . The session left me feeling yuck and buzzing in my ears. My legs felt it today on my road ride total:50.42miles

Run

2 runs total:14miles

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

First race of the season- 3rd Jan Whangamata

Disaster of my own making. I had been tinkering with my bike set up and used Profile fast forward seat post and had only ridden it on the turbo trainer and thoroughly tried iton the road. I came out of the ocean with a time of 25.48min for the 1500m swim including a very long run to transition, which for me if this was accurate would be a time, a long run to the bike, got on it and got 1 kilometre downthe road and knew the bike was unrideable. I had driven the course the day before and knew that there were dangerous bits and I wasn't prepared to risk it the way my bike was set up. It was too extreme. When we got home I bought a new ordinary seat post.

Because of this disaster I have decided to add another race down in Wellington but next up Kinloch on the 7th of February.

The disappointment of the race didn't spoil our little holiday, we will go back to the same apartment for an extra day and the race.

Another sideeffect of the race is Teresa saw all the fit looking people and decided she is not fit enough and is thinking that next season she wants to aim to do the sprint distance races, she has been doing half the distance of that this season.

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

New Years Day

As you can probably tell I've got time on my hands this morning so I am catching up with a few xtra posts. We don't do New Year and have a very low key Christmas.

This year's Christmas tree photo was taken by Emily

We have more exciting things in our lives than over indulging at this time of year. Our biggest worry was our noisy neighbours especially the ones down the road were seen taking in lots of cheap bad beer and makiong lots of noise in the afternoon but thats the last we heard from them and the feared party never happened

We are going away for 4 days tomorrow to Whangamata which is on the Coromandel peninsula. I am racing an olympic distance triathlon my second at the distance in 14 years - last season I got round one at Kinloch for the first time in 13years without embarassing myself too much.

I'm hoping just get around the course comfortably and I don't have injuries like the one I had before Kinloch last year.
I feel slightly underdone in terms of bike fitness, but I've continued to work hard on my swimming done a whole heap more open water swimmimg and I've done a lot of off road winter running.

At Whangamata the aim is to get around easily but I am going back to Kinloch again and this year the aim is to be comfortable and go a bit faster. This shouldn't be a problem because last year I had worn myself out training and felt exhausted the month before and also injured my right leg doing a strength training exercise. And I will have done more biking and I have had been having easy weeks every weeks not every 4 like last year and I think it has worked having the extra rests but I've also listened to my body more and cancelled sessions where previously I would ploughed on.

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

Last Christmas (at kindergarten)

Father Christmas made his usual visit to the Kindergarten's Christmas party. The pictures show Cameron with him. Cameron will have 3 days bach at Kindy before he starts school in February so this is my last Christmas as a 'Kindy dad' I've been coming here almost everyday for 4and a half years. I've great respect for the teachers especially Kylie and Fiona, they do a fantastic job. I guess being a teacher myself I am in a unique position to appreciate their efforts.
I've enjoyed helping them with their computers, going on trips and having good chats about the state of modern parenting and education.

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

Emily's ballet

Just some images from Emily's costume fitting for her ballet recital at the end of October.
Costume fitting.

Group shot of beautiful butterflies.

Waiting outside for Dad and Cameron to pick them up mummy made daisy chains.

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