I Will Do it Tomorrow! - Part 2

As mentioned previously, I have had a couple of equipment ‘incidents’. Both of which involve stupidity on my part and were totally avoidable!

Incident Number 1 – Put bike on roof of car after a race at Ruapuna, drive home, go up the driveway and …Bang! Yes. I had forgotten about the very sturdy rose trellis ¾ of the way down the drive.
Result: One unsafe road bike with a creased downtube and warped back brakes, one twisted bike rack, one bent roof bar, and a small dent in the rose trellis! Doh!

Incident Number 2 – Plan a paddle on the Waimak followed by a bike ride. Drive to river, see it looks brown and fast flowing (not good), try to put kayak in just before some willows. River forces me into willows and trying to make way through branches.
Result: Paddle slips from grip. Good bye expensive wing paddle and end of training session! Doh!

Both these incidents happened just before Christmas but both have a happy ending! The insurance company paid up for the bike so I was able to buy a replacement and take the best components off my old bike! As for the paddle, it turned up a month later 15 km downstream (not far from the river mouth) washed up on the high tide mark! Yes, I have learnt a lesson or two!

I Will Do It Tomorrow (Part 1)

It is amazing how the days fly by when there is so much to do. For a long while now I have been thinking, ‘Tomorrow, I will update the blog’. However, ‘tomorrow’ comes and then there is something else to do!

Obviously, the busy Christmas period has been and gone since my last entry but also work has been hectic and the garden has needed tending and... However, training has gone on regardless give or take a couple of ‘equipment incidents.’

We spent Christmas at home, with Helen and Ian staying over for a few days. Christmas day itself was great. A warm and sunny day enticed us all to the beach for a morning dip or in my case surfing. Then it was back home to stuff ourselves on a large traditional Christmas dinner! Rose and Ally joined us late afternoon and we spent Christmas evening eating, drinking, spinning vinyl (Stone Roses, Funkadelic, Primal Scream) and playing Trivial Pursuit. After allowing myself a Christmas Day training break, normal service was resumed on Boxing Day with a long bike/run combination.
Even though, I indulged in the usual Christmas/New Year festivities I did not overdo the drinking side of things so was able to maintain my training program. I was pretty pleased with the way I balanced things and even managed to get on the course for a run on the mountain section and a paddle through the Gorge.

The ‘run’ did not go quite how I hoped as I accompanied a newbie over the course. Oh! The perils of using Sportzhub website to arrange things with people you have not met! My intended 5 hour training run turned into an epic 7 ½ hour test of patience bush bashing and looking for high routes because my partners were very nervous of the river crossings. Admittedly, the river was high and running fast but it was frustrating!

As for the paddle through the Gorge, I must admit that it raised a number of doubts. I had two ‘swims’. One of which was a long one and had me bouncing off a bluff and getting momentarily pulled underwater even though I was wearing a very good PFD. The second swim came not long after the first whilst I was still a bit cold and a bit tentative with my paddling. After that one, my confidence had gone and I had a tense final hour or so paddling to the end. The key to staying dry is confidence and aggression!

I intend to get on the course a few more times yet so hopefully things will go well. Otherwise, I will have to switch to the two day event! By the way, I will write about my equipment 'incidents' another time.