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Women's
Triathlon Training 2005 Page2
Palmerston North |
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On
30 January 2005,
the Women's Triathlon will be held in Palmerston North.
This is the second page of my web dairy about my training for this
event.
If you want to read about how I got started,
go
to Page1!
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Home
Genealogy
Photos:
New Zealand
Overseas
Travel
Soapbox
Triathlon Training: the beginning
Triathlon
Day
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| It is now twelve
weeks until Triathlon Day. I am following the training programme on the
Official website. |
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At the end of the 2004
Triathlon!
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| I have managed
to follow the programme as laid down all week. After my eight weeks
so far building up my fitness, I have gone onto the "Fit"
Program. This week is quite light in intensity, but in the weeks ahead
it gets quite intense, with only one "day off" and quite
a few "double" discipline work-outs each week. I am feeling
positive though that I will be able to keep it up! |
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| A
great thing about training at the moment is that finally the weather
has been kind for a while! I really enjoy coming home from work when
the sun is still shining and heading out for a neighbourhood walk.
And getting up to swim at 6am is not such a battle when you are getting
up in the light. |
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If
you are looking for the Official Site for the
2006 Women's
Triathlon
Go
Here!
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| On
Wednesday evening it was too late to cycle outside once I had finished
a few other things, so I used my windtrainer in the lounge. With the
Michael Palin "Himalaya" programme playing on video from
the day before, the time passed quickly by. |
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| Today
I headed out cycling on my "Te Matai Rd" circuit. I cycled
this circuit eight weeks ago when I started my training. I only set
a leisurely pace today, but even so, I realise how much easier I am
finding the cycling. My legs seemed to push those pedals without much
effort at all, and I found the 50 minutes went by quickly, leaving
me plenty of energy in reserve. |
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| En
route today I called into a friend's place in Te Matai Rd, and caught
up with some of the new spring arrivals. |
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One
of my dreams is to go cycling in France (and maybe Jersey and Ireland)
in 2006. With my increased fitness I am starting to think that this
is more than just a vague possibility.
Go Girl! |
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Yeah!
For a second week I have stuck to the programme. At least, I have
done everything, though I adjusted the days for wind and pool-busy-ness!
Tuesday seems less crowded than Mondays at the pool. And Wednesday
was not a safe day for cycling (ie it was far too windy!) so it happened
on Thursday. |
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Again
the highlight was my weekend long cycle ride. I woke on Saturday morning
to find it overcast, threatening to drizzle, and quite windy. I nearly
piked out!
The wind was in my favour as I left town, giving me a good push down
Ruahine St.(I was already fearful of the return!) I headed
out of town up Summerhill Drive, and hadn't climbed all that far up
it before I practised my "transition to walking". My aim
is to get to the next lamp-post next time. I really enjoyed the downhill
that was soon to come as I headed down the road behind Massey. I walked
up quite a bit of the second hill, but by the third hill I was able
to use my gears much better to make use of the speed I had picked
up from the downhill zoom. I was getting in the groove by now and
almost starting to forget the "headwind" I expected as I
headed back to town.
I passed Kahuterawa Rd where friends of mine, currently overseas,
usually live, and I thought of them in London. Then I was on the home
stretch. The revelation was that I found the headwind was not the
obstacle I had expected. Maybe the wind had dropped a little. But
maybe also I was feeling strong and active by this stage of the cycle
ride. I arrived home after 20km feeling really good. |
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Kahuterawa Road corner
on Saturday's long cycle ride
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Spring Trees Victoria
Avenue
on Sunday's walk
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| After
the week's efforts I have been able to relax a bit this Sunday afternoon.
I spent some time on the lazyboy reading "Spanish Steps",
the account by Tim Moore of his journey across northern Spain with
a donkey on the St James pilgrimage trail. Then I watched the All
Blacks against Wales replayed on TV. What a thrilling game! The garden
still desperately needs weeding, but I am well rested for next week's
training! |
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Well,
life is busy with its pre-Christmas madness, but I have managed
the swimming (indoors) and most of the walking. It is great having
a training partner for a couple of mornings each week in the pool:
one morning last week I nearly rolled over after the alarm at 6am
and went back to sleep but I didn't because I knew that J would
be at the pool!
However, my cycling has gone backwards lately: there is a reason
the wind farm has opened on the ranges near here! A couple of days
the gales have been so bad it has been impossible even trying to
walk.
I have learned to go cycling when it is a bit calmer,
no matter what day the programme says to do it!
I thought I might manage a nice cycle ride up in the Pohangina
Valley today, but yet again I woke to hear the howl of the wind
in the sky. Call me a wuss..... but I opt out of cycling on these
kind of days! Ahhh well, at least my arms are bulking up with a
bit more muscle from swimming. This is not the do-all-the-training
as I envisaged it, and sometimes I feel a bit disappointed. But
soon I will be on holiday (lucky teacher) and wind-permitting, I
should be able to fit in a lot more cycling.
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Oh
my gosh that is so scary to be writing a 4, knowing that on Monday
the countdown for the last three weeks begins!!! All in all though
I am feeling fairly well prepared. I have been to the outdoor pool
at the Lido and know I can swim the longer lengths and the distance
quite comfortably. I quite often go out cycling for an hour or more
and feel my legs are a lot stronger even in the wind. I have a whole
range of walking blocks of different lengths worked out from my
house and know these will remain used after the triathlon.
The
best thing that triathlon training has done for me is to get me
out exercising regularly. The "training schedule" has
had to go unfortunately, largely because of the weather. But I find
it great to be thinking about training across the three disciplines,
as it gives a lot of variety to physical activity. Somehow or other
I am sure I must be able to include gardening in there somewhere
as well, for strength training and endurance: the weeds after all
the rain certainly needed some attention!
Interestingly
I thought it would be easier to train when I was on holiday and
had much more time available. If anything it is harder, as it harder
to make choices when so many timeslots are available! Yesterday
for instance, I knew my body needed to get outdoors for a walk,
but I couldn't decide which "block". Fortunately a friend
told me how far the river was up, so a walk along the river became
the thing to do.
Hopefully
summer must arrive soon. I was planning a bit of a cycling trip
but am dipping out and taking the car over on the ferry instead.
Some beach walks will have to do for fitness now!
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| Manawatu
River has crossed the track and I can walk no further. (Notice runner
across the water whose route has also been cut off.) |
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Manawatu
River overflowing its usual channel
near Ruahine St, Palmerston North, Jan 6 2005 |
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OK
now I have to be honest here: summer did finally arrive while I
was down in the South Island ... not too hot.... just pleasantly.
But I never got that much exercise. Had a few short beach walks.
My favourite was at South Beach in Greymouth where my great-grandfather
James Lalor used to mine for gold (which is why I went walking there.)
Rugged stony West Coast beach. I enjoyed going to sleep each night
in my tent with the sound of the waves hitting the shore.
My
longest walk was in Murchison. I spent a night at a beautiful camping
ground beside the Buller (I think!) River, in very calm mode, watching
all the active kayakers go in and out and pass by. The next morning
I headed off for the Six Mile Matakitaki walkway. I thought I was
in for a steep uphill climb (along the lines of some I had done
further south the previous year where I learned that any mention
of the word "reservoir" or "dam" meant "steep".)
However, I seemed to have hardly started before I was passing a
small reservoir of water and I was soon walking along a flattish
ridge line that I followed for ages. I walked for two hours on this
track enjoying the beautiful rainforest.
Highly recommended for anyone passing through Murchison.
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