Training Log Archive: Vaala

Out to the TT. Running a bit late so M was busy taking all the shortcuts.

So painful! My legs were just screaming at me the whole way although they did sort of improve and get into a rhythm. Everyone was talking about this tailwind but neither of us felt it! It was just hard work the whole way. Thank goodness it was only 8km otherwise I really couldn't have done it.

Flying home from the TT function in the cold. Got a good tow along the last part of Old Tai Tapu then we were on our own pushing hard. Hit the wall a couple of kms before home but managed to hang on.

Cruising round Red 4 with Mum...attempting to keep her on track and not get distracted which was hard! Then she sent me into the swampy, muddy forest sections to get the controls for her! Good times. Still feeling weird and like being sick though.

ARGH! What a terrible race! So slow, so useless, so humid, so sick! From the moment the race started my legs felt awful. I'm pretty sure some of that is down to going so hard at the cycling race last weekend. Plus my back was really not happy but I'd been unable to find any pain killers beforehand. I guess I have been super stressed and not sleeping that great lately despite early bedtimes so that could account for the dizziness and mini blackouts in my vision. I mean I wasn't even going very fast at all with such wooden-feeling legs! This did make the technical rocky sections a bit mentally exhausting too, just trying to make my brain and eyes concentrate enough to not fall over. Just felt so ill by the time the last hill came around that I didn't jog up very far before giving up and just walking. Not sure how I even got this far round running. Lucky I can walk up hills fast though even when sick!

Then on the way back to town on the ferry I was so sick. It's been years since I've thrown up. I think the last time I was a kid and ended up in hospital so it was really unusual for me. Was a long walk back to the car afterwards but luckily my parents were there to help by this point.

I don't know what's wrong with me :-(

Quick gentle jog up the valley to the last gate and back. Humid. No idea how long it took as I appear to have lost my watch for the millionth time.

Being a good girl and not rogaining which was sad but need to rest my back. Instead I stalked Tane and his bright blue bike pants at the traffic lights. In true stalker style I didn't let him know I was there :-P
Then I ate cake and cackled loudly with my bookgroup in an attempt to scare the rival bookgroup also at the same cafe.

Since I am foolishly running a half marathon in the weekend M told me I had to run instead of go to the time trial. Most sad because the conditions were so lovely. But it was still a lovely run. Just did the double valley. Got a bit hayfevery in the long grass though. Back seemed okay but any longer or harder (I was going pretty easy) and it wouldn't have been.

Slow walk with M round the river. It's cold outside. I would have liked to go for a jog but my back isn't exactly great. I hope it's better by Saturday.

The start area was quite full by the time we arrived but we managed to find a good spot by the 3:30-4:00 sign. In retrospect it was a bit far back as we spent the entire length of Colombo Street either passing people or riding alone. Still passing people all the way up Dyers which was not what I was imagining. So nice to see supporters out to cheer us (thank you!!)!

Somewhere just before Kennedy's someone's race number came off their helmet and stuck itself to our tyre so once we got to the top of the hill we had to stop and pull it off. Didn't really lose any time but was frustrating. The conditions got cold, a bit windy and very misty with super low vis along the tops. We were mostly by ourselves on the way down the Basdrat where there seemed to be carnage in the form of so many people with punctures the whole way down.

Hit the flats at some serious speed with a tail wind. And then the real hard work began. Had a bunch of about 6 of us to start I think which took a while to get itself organised while we spent a lot of time out the front. Finally the bunch got working and that was quite exciting having never been in a bunch before. Our bunch slowly grew as we caught more people. Were slowly closing in on the bunch ahead as we made it to Little River.

I totally expected the bunch to drop us big time on the climb up to Hilltop but we were out near the front and passing the bunch in front too! Unfortunately the climb was really starting to kill my back and the pain wasn't so good by the top. M was really racing hard too which made it a bit tough. Flew past Riki which was very surprising. He looked like he was suffering. Various other riders were lying around on the side of the road clearly suffering cramp. But then M's lack of sleep caught up on him and he started to feel a bit bad and slowed right down. I was afraid he was going to make us stop and I thought if we had to stop my back would seize up too much to continue so I pushed really hard to keep him going. On the steep climbs (of which there are so many along this stretch!!) my back was really unhappy but I kept trying to push.

The wind got super ridiculous...scary crosswinds that tried to blow us off course. It was pretty rough. My legs had nothing left for the last couple of climbs but M seemed to have recovered a tiny bit by then so we did eventually make it up them. My arms and wrist were also in pain by the descent so I was worried I was going to have trouble hanging on but the excitement of passing people going down Long Bays Rd (and, quite frankly, a bit of terror at the speed) sort of distracted me from the pain! It was pretty windy on the descent so our weight probably helped us be able to go faster and stay in control.

Anyways, that was a long writeup to basically say it was incredibly tough (the winning time this year was a lot slower than last year despite a stronger field so it wasn't just us!) but I was pretty proud of our achievement especially with us both struggling to sleep lately and my back being sore. I have wanted to do this race for years but especially after my crash I thought I would never get a chance so although it sounds lame it was a pretty emotional experience to finish this race, especially being able to do it with M. Plus we made the podium! First (and only :-P) tandem!

C • Story 3

My lower back is pretty sore and kept me awake during the night. M had to help me out of bed this morning :-(
Trying not to panic. But hopefully Viv's magic touch has made it better...hopefully! It definitely felt a bit better after that and I can now stand up properly.

With Lara. Some crazy strong wind up at the start just below the Sugar Loaf. We headed up first then round the back of the Sugar Loaf where I managed to fall over. It was pretty ridiculously slippery back there. Didn't think much about it at the time but by the time we were heading down the Harry Ell my lower back was really starting to hurt. Then I managed to fall over going uphill (!) and that got my wrist hurting really bad. There may have been some tears at this point. We could have easily picked up the 40 pointer on the lower track but by this point I'd lost any drive and Lara wasn't convinced we had time so it ended up meaning we had a nice leisurely stroll back up the hill for the last couple of controls, complete with trying to do them without getting out our headlights.

Far too cold and wet for any of that outside nonsense. Still feeling a bit crappy too so even got M to pick me up after work. We waved energetically at Tane on the way home but he snobbed us so we were sad :-(

I hope it's not this cold tomorrow night!

C • Whoops 7

Feeling a lot better today so went for a little cruise in the valley dressed up in all my warm winter stuff. I didn't even get too hot which is a bit depressing.

Feeling a bit crappy.

C • oh no 2

With M up Dyers and along the tops then down around round the flat via Tai Tapu. Managed to pretty much make our race aim times on the climb and down off the flat so feeling a bit more confident about next weekend although scared myself quite a bit when the bottles came flying off on the first cattle stop. The Basdrat descent is going to be a bit nerve-wracking I think. If you're out there on the road near us I recommend you stay away!

From SOT up round the back of the Sugar Loaf then along the tops to Kennedys and back again, down the Harry Ell since it was pouring with rain by this point. Felt pretty crappy going uphill so glad I had decided I didn't need a whole hill climb today. Felt alright by 45 minutes though and 2 hours no longer feels like that long which is nice.

Nice cruisey ride with M out towards Mt Pleasant and partway up then back again with a bit of an interval over the Murray Aynsley.

My fun times double valley loop complete with the fun sheep tracks. Confused one couple by coming towards them down the hill on the other side of the fence and then passing them again heading up the hill. They thought I was weird. Legs feeling pretty good tonight for the first time in, well, a long time!

Didn't do all the things I wanted 'cause Joe turned up and I got all embarrassed!

M decided we should go for a gentle ride than than the time trial so we just cruised around up some hills: Worsleys (the road, not the track obviously although if I could convince M we should get a Ventana tandem...), Bengal Drive (complete with some cross-country to get across to Hackthorne) and Major Aiken. It might not have felt so cruisey getting up Worsleys but it was easier than Holliss Ave the other day.

Up to the tops where it was cold and windy and because we are not super tough Godzoners we didn't last long and came back down again where it was warm. Then we rode to the bike shop and got our bike signed off for the race by the bike people. Very productive.

From Bowenvale up through Vic Park, along the tops and all that jazz to the track end past Coopers Knob and back again, down the valley. Legs felt heavy and full of tired cycling-ness for the first hour then felt good for an hour or 2 then legs felt awful in a different way for the last 45 minutes. So awful I walked some bits of the downhill! Bit drizzly and cold for a fair bit of the time making some of the bushy, rocky sections slippery and I did manage to fall over once.

Little walk up the valley and back. Legs feeling tired.

Nice little tandem ride with M up Huntsbury/down Major Aiken, up and down Holliss and up Dyers to the SOT and back down. Pretty nice night out. Super warm.

Slow run up and over to the hutch and up the sheep tracks in dry creek then over Mt Vernon, round wtich hill and down the valley where I bumped into Boyd. Stopped for a chat then tried not to get tripped over by several dogs and their owners on the rest of the way down. I've never seen so many people in the valley. Normally it's almost deserted.

Out to the TT and a bit of a warmup beforehand.

Shorter course tonight with a very un-tandem-friendly turnaround so we ended up in the gravel! Felt like a headwind on the way out and a gale headwind on the way back! Felt awful and poor M felt sick!

Back home again. Kinda grovelling the whole way. Miserable headwind for much of the way.

Nice little, super hot tandem ride with M from Little River along the tops to Akaroa and back around the bays. M was very nice and talked me through all the bits of note. All I know is that it is going to be one very brutal race. Let's hope I don't collapse off the back in exhaustion!