The Tarawera Ultra course doesn't have any massive hills, compared to Kepler for example, but there are fair few undulations. My training record looks a lot like that at the moment, except the last couple of weeks have been steep descent.
At this stage, my programme has me concentrating on long weekend runs every second week, with a couple of moderate week-day runs but no big distances through the week. It seems to be working well - I feel strong and fit, but I do get ancey after ten days without a really big run. And though for me its about time and not distance, I still like to see lots of kms on the clock.
Then last week I got a cold which isn't a big deal, granted, but enough to set me back and spend 7 days feeling miserable. You know the ad where God hands out goodies to the world and New Zealand gets pineapple lumps? I got the ability to make a cold last at least two weeks and add at least a URT infection to the mix. Snotty, boring, dispiriting.
But now for the up again - and a big up it will be, too. This weekend is the biggie: 7 hours on Saturday, backed up with 4 more hours on Sunday. And I'm really looking forward to it. This feels weird: I half expect the nice people in white coats to pop along to see me anytime soon. That's if they've got time after they've been to see everyone else who runs a lot further than I do!
The big run will be a physical boost and a confidence boost, and looking at the forecast, no bad way to spend a weekend in Wellington. In fact I'll be looking for shady spots to hang out. Maybe time to turn off Mr Brain and do laps around Otari. Here come the white coats...
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Back on track
This last weekend was a goody. Five hours on Saturday and three on Sunday, and after that lot I feel much better about my chances of getting to the finish line at Tarawera.
That said, when I blogged about the start of the big weekends, I now understand that I had no idea what I was on about. Now I reckon I've reminded myself of Kepler just enough to have a clue.
Saturday was a tour of Belmont Regional Park with a great local guide, a guy who did the 85km Tarawera last year and is doing the 100km this year. He's an inspiration and had lots of extremely useful first-hand information about the course, and the ups and downs of a long, good day's running. We had good weather but the kind of Wellington northerly that you can feel whistling through the mesh on your shoes as you get pushed sideways. Needless to say we had some missed steps on the ridgelines!
Sunday was a different story with drizzle AND wind, so I stayed mostly off the hills. This was also a nice preserver for my tired but still functioning pins. I ran about half the time with friends training for the Rotorua Marathon and the company and the pacing was very welcome.
Today I'm totally functional and not sore at all. Stoked with that. In fact I'm quite looking forward to the series of big weekends to come, every second weekend from now on. And a few extra 'mental health' runs in between, just to convince myself that I'm doing enough. The old saying is true: it's really as much about the head as the legs.
That said, when I blogged about the start of the big weekends, I now understand that I had no idea what I was on about. Now I reckon I've reminded myself of Kepler just enough to have a clue.
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| View of Belmont Regional Park (from antonykitchener.wordpress.com) |
Sunday was a different story with drizzle AND wind, so I stayed mostly off the hills. This was also a nice preserver for my tired but still functioning pins. I ran about half the time with friends training for the Rotorua Marathon and the company and the pacing was very welcome.
Today I'm totally functional and not sore at all. Stoked with that. In fact I'm quite looking forward to the series of big weekends to come, every second weekend from now on. And a few extra 'mental health' runs in between, just to convince myself that I'm doing enough. The old saying is true: it's really as much about the head as the legs.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Food is fuel - and fun!
Running a long way involves lots of eating, and this is something I truly excel at. In fact I spent a large proportion of my running time thinking about what I'll eat when I get home. That is, what I'll eat after the compulsory piece of toast and Vegemite.
I've taken the step of seeing a sports nutritionist: Kath Fuohy, so my eating keeps pace with but doesn't extend beyond my training, and so I don't get bored in an endless pasta rut. Based on her advice, I've delved around and found some recipes that satisfy as food and fuel - for me it has to be both, and be fun to cook.
Here are a couple of my favourites.
Perfect porridge
For a breakfast of champions (or least those dreaming of finishing), I love Ruth Pretty's recipe for steel cut oat porridge, which you can find here. It's deliciously nutty and creamy (without any added cream), and keeps brilliantly. I load mine into an empty Collective Dairy Straight Up container, and take it to work, where I eat it with big dollops of Straight Up, some bananas, chia seeds and cinnamon. Excellent fuel base for lunchtime running.
Yoghurt hotcakes
This lovely recipe comes from the Wellington City Mission's book "Food for a Mission". Good for after run refuels, and for brekkie when running later on a weekend day. Nom noms!
2/3 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c milk
1/3 c yoghurt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 c berries (optional)
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in egg, milk, yoghurt and butter. Fold in the berries until just incorporated. Heat a heavy-based frypan to medium-hot (a wee drop of mix should sizzle), drop in 1/4c lots of the mixture and cook until golden on both sides - about a minute each way. Enjoy with more yoghurt (plain or flavoured), fruit, syrup, or whatever your favourite toppings are.
I've taken the step of seeing a sports nutritionist: Kath Fuohy, so my eating keeps pace with but doesn't extend beyond my training, and so I don't get bored in an endless pasta rut. Based on her advice, I've delved around and found some recipes that satisfy as food and fuel - for me it has to be both, and be fun to cook.
 |
| Steel cut oat porridge, recipe and image from Ruth Pretty |
Perfect porridge
For a breakfast of champions (or least those dreaming of finishing), I love Ruth Pretty's recipe for steel cut oat porridge, which you can find here. It's deliciously nutty and creamy (without any added cream), and keeps brilliantly. I load mine into an empty Collective Dairy Straight Up container, and take it to work, where I eat it with big dollops of Straight Up, some bananas, chia seeds and cinnamon. Excellent fuel base for lunchtime running.
Yoghurt hotcakes
![[Photo: straight up pot]](http://www.thecollectivedairy.com/nz/images/img/straight-up-pot.jpg) |
| Straight Up deliciousness, from the Collective |
2/3 c flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 c milk
1/3 c yoghurt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 c berries (optional)
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir in egg, milk, yoghurt and butter. Fold in the berries until just incorporated. Heat a heavy-based frypan to medium-hot (a wee drop of mix should sizzle), drop in 1/4c lots of the mixture and cook until golden on both sides - about a minute each way. Enjoy with more yoghurt (plain or flavoured), fruit, syrup, or whatever your favourite toppings are.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Holiday running
Facing the first really long runs of my training programme, I thought that going on holiday would present some really good opportunities to get out with company, run in some new places, and have my children engaged in fun stuff while I potter around the hills. And, of course, the chance to get active after the Christmas excess. For me, it's not Christmas without pud. And lots of it.
But the reality was a little different. I struggled with leaving the rest of the family to go out running, especially when it meant they needed to plan their days around me. I hadn't realised how important routine is to my running - meaning that without the usual constraints of work, school and my husband's schedule, there was no pressure to get out running, and to go NOW! We didn't get to do some of the runs we'd planned, but we did go exploring a totally new track and got some good kilometres done. And I did all but one of my scheduled runs, the missed one due to a turned ankle (now totally OK, luckily!)
That said, it's good to be home as I face up to the bigger weekends on my programme. This weekend, it's five hours on Saturday and three on Sunday. Those are pretty certain to get me back on track. I'm thinking bring it on, just not saying it all that loudly yet!
But the reality was a little different. I struggled with leaving the rest of the family to go out running, especially when it meant they needed to plan their days around me. I hadn't realised how important routine is to my running - meaning that without the usual constraints of work, school and my husband's schedule, there was no pressure to get out running, and to go NOW! We didn't get to do some of the runs we'd planned, but we did go exploring a totally new track and got some good kilometres done. And I did all but one of my scheduled runs, the missed one due to a turned ankle (now totally OK, luckily!)
 |
| On the way down from the trig at Ringawhati. My left knee shows what happens to clumsy runners on this track! |
That said, it's good to be home as I face up to the bigger weekends on my programme. This weekend, it's five hours on Saturday and three on Sunday. Those are pretty certain to get me back on track. I'm thinking bring it on, just not saying it all that loudly yet!
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