Holiday

We've got a really neat trip planned for Friday. We're off to Christchurch! (South Island)

Our friends, and ex employees Ciaran and Sarah Tully are finalists in the Dairy Industry awards.

Ciaran and Sarah have lived in NZ for 14 years, they immigrated from England. They have progressed through the farm manager, contract milker and sharemilker cycle of dairy farming, and have just recently bought their own farm! A really cool couple, and we're so proud of them. They would have had no show of owning their own farm in England, so it's neat that they've made it here in New Zealand.

The prize giving is on Saturday night. Before that we have to organise a dinner suit and black tie for Brian! (No overalls and gumboots at this $85 per ticket night!). There will be 700 people there, and I've been warned not to expect to be back at our hotel until about 6 am the next morning!........................

Which would otherwise be fine BUT we're taking Celine and Ella. Celine is going to be on a live childrens programme 'What now' we have to be at the studio at 7.15 AM.

Arghh the things you promise your children, then can't back out of!

I'm actually (secretly) looking forward to the show, who knows, I might get 'gunged' 'creamed' or have some other embarrassing thing done! For those in New Zealand, check out TV2 on Sunday 8 am til 10!

In reality Celine is likely to hide out of view, she's quite shy.

We are then planning to go through to Kaikoura, Hanmer Springs and maybe venture to the West Coast. We have friends farming at Culverton, so will look at their farm. They have huge irrigation pivots on their farm, which is something we just don't see up here in the North.

I've never been to Kaikoura or to the West Coast, so will be able to check out some more of Noo Zilend.

Somehow I will manage to get some running in. I always get a little nervous running outside in a new place.

We're spending a few days away, so I need to organise the house, try to get clothes dry, find warm clothes for everyone and get the dog and cat to the kennels.

So best I get cracking...............

Got in first!

I must have got home first! Now I'd better go and get some groceries!

Taking up the rear

Well, today was the Huntly half marathon, and I struggled along to a slower than wanted 2 hours 25 minutes 7 seconds.
I wanted to go faster, but my body wouldn't oblidge. I think this is due to no speed work, no hills and still carrying too much weight. BUT I finished, and I didn't stop to walk! I only stopped to fill up my water bottle. I drank around 2 litres of water, which is heaps for me. It was quite a hot day though!
I got to meet Mike and his family (sub6) and Kathy and Paul. I wasn't great conversation, as after the race I felt quite ill. But great to catch up! None of us won any spot prizes, which were essentially either clothes driers or shoes.
The run was actually quite fun. It was UNDULATING, not FLAT, but the hills weren't the horrible 'have to walk' ones.
A run through town, then down a road for a couple of hundred metres, back again, down another road for a couple of kms, then round to the coal mine, past the Huntly Speedway. Back into town, round a lake (a very nice way to finish) and to the finish chute.
The first 10 kms felt like a bit of a struggle for me. With the out and back road bits I could wave to Mike, Kathy and my friend Maree from Ngatea. After 11 km I just thought - well I've made it this far, lets just keep going.
The last km was quite hard, I was catching a lot of the walkers at this stage, they have a tendancy to either walk 5 abreast, and you can't get past, or they wave their arms around and you get pinged with a fingernail, which is what happened to me! I was in no mood for either so I just said "coming through", and they soon moved!
I think Mike and Kathy were quite pleased with their efforts. I'll let them tell their own story.
So Melbourne in five weeks time, this time I will travel quite a few hundred kilometres to do a half marathon!!!

Ironic

The price of petrol is now just under two dollars per litre! I'm driving 57.2 km to Huntly to run 21.1 km, then driving 57.2 km back again!

I was going to go with my family, but some of our farm staff are having a few days well needed rest, so Brian is going to have to stay at home. I was also going to take a Ngatea friend, but she is planning to do visit friends after the event.

If the price of petrol wasn't $2.00 per litre, I wouldn't otherwise have thought about it!

But I will finally get to meet Sub6 and his family, along with Kathy and the Saint, which will be rather cool!

My last run was Thursday night, which was a game of hockey, I might just go for a long slow walk this afternoon. I'll go and check out the new farm layout.

It's a gorgeous autumn day today, it should be great tomorrow too.

I've found a website that gives you km splits - http://www.runnersworldonline.com.au/Default.aspx?s=paceband-calculator . The idea is to put coverseal over it and wear it as a wrist band. I've printed two - one for 2 hours and one for 2 hours 10 minutes! Might wear both! I tend to go a bit too fast at the start, so if I do, I might try and push myself for a 2 hour finish. That would be really neat!

Big Tonka Toys for Big Boys

Brian and local contractors have been having fun (at our expense), moving races (cow roads). There have been two big diggers, a bulldozer, and four tractors and trailors working on our farm for the last 3 days. This will create a great off road running track for me, I'll be able to get around the farm without getting my feet wet, or too dirty!

Of course, it's really meant for the cows, but why should they get all the benefit from it!

Predictions!

Just found this site - Sub6 (2) would be very keen on this, if he hasn't already found it! http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/GREER/RUNCALC.HTML What you do is put in at least two runs that you've timed and measured, and whammo, up comes a predicted time for the run you want to predict! There is lots of maths in behind the prediction, so of course no allowance for what the day's like or how you might feel on the actual race. But here goes for the Huntly Half Marathon - my predicted time is 2:08:18.0
As much as I'd love to go faster, I think this is reasonably optimistic. But you never know!

Famous Again

Can't forget to put this in! Alison is moving to the BOP Times on June 3, so Mike and Kathy might make the news!

Melbourne!

Last night I booked tickets for a family holiday to Melbourne. I have a sister who works there. She's coming back to live in Auckland at the end of the year. My chance to do something I've always wanted too - RunMelbourne - it used to be called the Age to the G. The run is from Federation square, around the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and around the river.

A 'family holiday' I said didn't I - oh well, very co-incidental! We'll also catch up with some friends - ex Kiwis from Warnambool, and see a show 'Guys and Dolls'.

So no mucking around on the training - I'll have to stick to it. I must admit to feeling a little worried about fitting training in. Early mornings are basically impossible after July because of the cows. It's the swimming that is the difficulty. The pools in Thames are the only ones open in the winter - it's still a 30 minute drive, and the opening times are 6-8 am then 11 am to 6pm.

Perhaps a babysitter from 4-6 pm two days a week, and one swim in the weekend? I'll work it out I'm sure.

For the weekends I'll get babysitters from the local school - easy money for them!

Anyway, still got the Huntly half to come - it's funny looking forward to going to Huntly! It's not the most meritorious place in New Zealand by any stretch of the imagination, yet attracts a large crowd for it's annual half marathon!