Currently In ... December

Ah December, how I love this month.  I've had lots of fun times these past few weeks and now I'm looking forward to having a nice quiet week leading to Christmas.  I don't have New Year plans yet, but I'm not concerned about that I'm just looking forward to nice break.

Reading: Nothing yet, I have Christmas themed mysteries to read and I'm looking forward to a quiet week where I can read them!

Watching: Star Wars!  Kane and I had a lovely date night and saw the movie in Imax.



Feeling: Relieved to have completed all my Christmas shopping and nervous as I hope everyone likes their gifts.

Anticipating: Christmas and all the food!  I love preparing and eating Christmas food.

Listening to: Serial podcast!  Season 2 has just started :)

Planning: Ok, this might be shocking, but I still don't have my decorations up despite planning on having it done last weekend!  I can't complain because I have been busy with fun things and social engagements.  My new plan is to simply having them up for Christmas even if this means doing it on Christmas Eve.

Wanting: To watch Christmas movies and I hope to get to do that all of Christmas week :)

Needing: Nothing, I feel quite contented but I wouldn't turn down a glass of wine and a bubble bath :)

Grateful: For all the fun times of late.  Sometimes when I'm in the thick of it I forget to enjoy it, so I'm taking a moment just to be grateful for good friends, the opportunities to attend rock concerts, participate in choirs, and Kane with whom I get to share it all.

// Me and the ladies of NFA (No Fella A cappella)

//At the AC/DC concert

Wishing: My in-laws had sent more Orkney oat cakes, they were delicious and I can't wait until we go to Orkney next year.

Your turn, what are you currently reading, watching and listening to?

Hello December!

I am so pleased to have met the posting deadline so now I can relax a little and enjoy the festive season!  It's our first month of summer and it's starting to warm up.  There are lots of lovely things on my calendar for this month so I'd thought I'd share some of the things I'm planning and looking forward to.

Starbucks Red Cups

I like to kick off the season with one of the festive Starbucks lattes in their famous red cups.  This year I had the panettone latte and it was lovely.

//Starbucks Panettone Latte

Barbeques

I went to my first Christmas BBQ of the season last night and it was so fun.  We took with us some vegetarian quarter pounders and a tub of Swedish ginger thins and we enjoyed some potato salad, tabouleh and ice cream Christmas pudding.  I loved the ice cream pudding and will need to try that at home, its vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, fruit mince, nuts and red and green candied cherries, all mixed and shaped into a pudding bowl.  And there are more BBQs to come!

Reading and Relaxing

Now that I'm finished with the physical shops and only have online shopping left to do I'm looking forward to lying out on my lounger and reading the two Christmas themed books I got from the library.  Both are easy read murder mysteries.

//Image from Goodreads

Music Concert

Kane and I are going to see AC/DC this month, it's going to rock!

// Image from acdc.com

Star Wars & Christmas Lights

Last year we went to see the Hobbit on Christmas Eve and then we went to Franklin Road which is famed for all the houses having very elaborate light decorations.  This year we are going to see Star Wars on opening night and then taking the trip to see the lights, it's such a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

Beach Trips and Ice Cream Cones

One of the best things about living at the coast is access to the beach!  Ours is a pebbly cove but there is a lovely sandy beach a short bike ride away that receives regular visits from an ice cream van.

Sherbet dip + flake = yum!

There's also a newly created foreshore recreation area a little further away that I'm keen to explore.

Community Choir Concert

My community choir is putting on a little concert for friends and family and I'll also be performing a couple of songs with my a cappella group too - it's going to be so much fun!  Of course, I'm crazy nervous too, especially of the a cappella songs because there are only 6 of us and we all have our own individual parts, there's nowhere to hide!

We also have to wear a white t shirt and jeans.  I'm liking these 3 styles but I haven't decided which one to buy yet.

//Images from Portmans

Midsummer and Christmas

We celebrate with food!  Most of our traditions revolve around food in some way and this is no exception.  We've tried our traditional Christmas dinner which was just too heavy and too hot for summer and we've tried a lighter summer seasonal meal which didn't feel very Christmassy at all, so now we try to incorporate the best elements of them both into our Christmas day celebrations.  However, we save all the best traditional winter stuff for our midwinter Christmas which has become really popular here and it's one of our new traditions that we love - we get to have two Christmases :D

Putting up the Tree and Decorating

I haven't got around to putting up the tree or decorating yet but I plan to do that at the weekend.  I like to put on some Christmas music and have some Christmas mince pies or stollen or panettone or some other festive treat and just have fun.



Happy festive season!  Do you have a favourite festive food or drink?

November: Meal Miles Books and Looks

It has been a stressful month as I waited to find out what was happening with my financial future.  Thankfully today I have received some clarity around that but now I'm woefully behind with Christmas planning and the last posting date to family is on Friday eep!

 

Meals

I'm a little light on meal photos this month and I wished I had taken a picture of the delicious pizza that Kane made last week topped with lots of peppery roquette - yum.

 

1.  Halloumi fajitas

 

2.  Pfeffernüsse cookies - I'm ashamed to admit that I had 1.5 of these for breakfast, but I regret nothing!

 

3.  Sardines on toast make a tasty lunch

 

4.  Cappuccino that I made myself - I've not totally got the hang of the milk steamer so some come out better than others.

 

 

 

Miles: 45.8km

I've just started working with a coach to help me build consistency around training and to prevent me getting injured which is something that happens to me too often.

 

My new schedule is to run 3 times a week for set distances (3k, 6k and 11k), to do some fun activity 3 times a week, and to build the habit of a 5 minute morning walk every day.

 

I bike commuted one day last week when it was such a beautiful morning and I think I'll be doing more of that.

 

//Me on the Grafton Bike Path

 

Books

I read two books this month one fiction and one non-fiction.

 

Brooklyn is the story of an Irish girl who emigrates from her small village to New York in the 1950's.  It's an interesting look, not only at life in those two very different places at this time but also at the challenges of growing up.

 

//Image from Goodreads

This was interesting book about introversion but it mostly applies to American life.

//Image from Goodreads

Looks

I got these blue tights from Lululemon last month when I was dressing up as a super hero to run a race.  I love them and I love the colour so I've added them to my yoga outfit rotation but I found myself slightly self conscious walking to the studio in them because they are so eye catching!

 

// At the studio

 

It was Scottish night at our Lions club in the middle of the month.  Kane wore his Orkney rugby shirt and I wore my blue dress with tartan tights and Scottish jewellery.

// Janelle, Kane & Me

What was your meals, miles, books and looks of November?

Currently In ... November

 

Reading: Right now I'm reading Rosemary Conley's Amazing Inch Loss Plan.  I also got an Isaac Asimov book from the library too but I haven't started it yet.

Watching: I watched hockey on the NHL app for my phone whilst on the bus yesterday - I love living in future!  Lately I've watched the first episode of Man in the High Castle and the first few episodes of Super Girl.

Feeling: I've been burning the candle at both ends so I'm feeling tired.  I get a night off tonight and even though there are a million-and-one things I could and should do, I think I just need a quiet night.

Thinking: It's time to try and lose some weight.  I love food and I eat far too much of it.  It's going to be a hard task but it's important.  That's why I've got the Rosemary Conley book, it's a low fat calorie controlled diet and with my family history of cardiovascular disease and gall bladder issues this heart healthy approach should be just what I need.

Anticipating:  The start of the Christmas festive season!  I'll be putting on some festive music and writing out my cards then soon it'll be time to dig out the decorations.



//Santa and Reindeer above Farmers Dept Store



//Doves and Baubles across Vulcan Lane

Listening to: Not a whole lot.  For some reason my podcast app is playing up.  My whole phone is playing up, it's like it knows a new model is out and it's almost Christmas.  It's an Apple conspiracy.

Planning: My black Friday shopping list.  It's not a thing here but I noticed last year how it's much cheaper to buy stuff from the US in the sales and have it shipped to me :)  We don't have Gap here and I love their jeans so that's something that's definitely on the list!

Working: Last week I started with a running/fitness coach who's focus is on helping women get into running and build healthy habits.  Right now we are working on the consistency habit.  I'm also working on redecorating my home office.

//Image from Moxiee Running

Wanting: I read the books and I've seen the other movies in the cinema so I'm keen to go see the last Hunger Games movie: Mockingjay part 2.  Maybe I'll take Kane for a Friday cinema date night.

Needing: My morning routine really needs a shake up.  I've gotten into a bad habit lately of just staying in bed after I wake up checking out social media on my phone and before I know it I've wasted huge amounts of time!  I also need a new phone :(

Loving: I'm loving yoga and my yoga studio.  I managed crow pose for the first time recently so I think I'm getting a tiny bit stronger yay :)  I celebrated by buying a new pair of Wunderunder leggings today.



//Lululemon Britomart

Grateful: for Earl Grey tea.  I drink a ton of this stuff every day and it helps me get some incidental exercise as I walk back and forth the kitchen and - I hope this isn't TMI - also the ladies room.  It's reported to lower cholesterol as well as fight anxiety, depression and stress but I started drinking it because that's what Cpt Jean-Luc Picard drinks in Star Trek:TNG and I really love the taste.

Wishing: If wishes were horses poor men would ride.  I was thinking about this yesterday and imagining what a world overtaken by horses would look like.

//The friendly neighbourhood horses

Are you going to see Mockingjay Part 2?  What is your favourite beverage?

Auckland Traverse 12k

Race Website: Traverse 12k Event Info

On Sunday 1st November I ran the Auckland Traverse 12k, which was the event that the Run Walk series had been leading to.



Official Stats:

Distance: 12 km
Time: 1:39:30
Pace: 08:17 min/km

Pre-Race

The day before was fairly low key and I'd almost forgot it was Hallowe'en.  We don't get many trick-or-treaters where we live and even though I had bought decorations, I totally forgot to decorate and hadn't bought any lollies so it was just as well no kids came around.

We did have a nice pasta dinner of spaghetti and vege sausages in a spicy tomato sauce.

In the morning we were up early to watch the Rugby Wold Cup final between New Zealand and our neighbours Australia.  It was quite exciting lots of stand out moments and an emotional win for NZ as lots of these players are retiring now.

Once the game was finished it was time to head into town.  The race starts and ends at different locations so we parked in town and then our friend Carmy, who was also racing the 12k, drove us to the start area.

We all waited in a nice big grassy area for a while before it was time to put our drop bags in the cages and head down to the start line.  I wished Kane luck and he headed further up the crowd while Carmy and I stayed to the back of the runners but in front of the walkers we had a little while to chat and get our tech sorted out before the gun went off and then it was an easy walk to the start line before we could start running.

 

On The Course

I already wasn't feeling my best so had devised a race strategy that I would be happy with, which was running for 3 minutes and walking for 2 minutes. 

 

The first 2km went by really quickly to reach Akoranga bus station which was where the race started last year (when it was the Quarter Marathon, 10.55km) most of the rest of the course was very familiar to me having raced on it last year.

 

Around the 5km mark was where I reached the bridge.  The bridge is an evil steep hill.  I tried to keep with my run 3 walk 2 but started to struggle with it towards the top of the hill.  I saw Alex Asher of Moxiee Running going in the opposite direction giving encouragement along the way.  There are cut off times for participants in the marathon, half marathon and 12k to make it over the bridge otherwise the sweeper bus, known as the loser cruiser, will have to take you across to the other side and Alex was making sure his clients beat the bus!

 

I did a couple of run 2 walk 3 on the bridge so I made up for it on the way down by running for 8 minutes.  Then there is another long uphill stretch with a short steep downhill.  I had done around 8km at this point and could tell that I had reached the edge of my training.  It was also really hot and sunny now and there was no shade as we ran by the marina.  I had been sweating lots, drinking a lot of water and had clicked over the hour so I found myself worrying I was going to die of hyponatremia.

 

The course pleasantly deviated from last years around the Wynyard Quarter and the last 2 km was around this well populated area before heading along the straight towards Victoria Park and the finish line.  I must have gone too easy on myself out there because I had loads left in the tank for a sprint finish, I should have kicked it up a notch a kilometre or two earlier.

 

Kane got me at the finish line and we headed to meet Kelly, who had been doing the half, at her fund raising tent where we got egg rolls and lollies.

 

Post Race

Once Carmy arrived we all headed back to my office where some of us showered and changed and then we drove Kelly home and Carmy to her car.  Kane and I headed out for the Scandinavian Christmas Market.

 

The market was extremely popular and we picked up some goodies. 

 

I got lots of cute tree ornaments, a little tray and a Yule Goat.  We also got some other grocery items, pepparkakor and a chocolate yule log cake.

 

We got home about 4.30 where I made us some dinner and then we spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  It was a really great day.

 

There is a German Christmas market at the end of the month too!  Do you have festive markets near you?

October: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

October was a good month; we kicked off the NHL hockey season, and the rugby world cup was under way, Kane and I went on a date night to the cinema to see The Martian in 3D, I got in some great hot yoga workouts, went on away for the weekend with my friends to run in a relay race, all good things!

Meals

I ate out way too often this month and mostly it was lunches but I'm pleased with the evening meals I made.

 

1. Baked potato with lentil chili, corn chips and home made guacamole.

2. Baked potato with lemon garlic prawns - It was Hallowe'en so I made the prawns into a 666 on the potato hahaha!

3. Honey & sriracha prawns & vege kebabs.

4.  Corn and capsicum stuffed mushrooms topped with mozzerella cheese.

 

1.  Pumpkin ravioli with tuna steak and asparagus.

2.  Quorn mince chili with corn chips, salsa and homemade guacamole.

3.  Baked potato with coronation style mushrooms.

4.  Boiled potatoes tossed with butter and oats, fish balls in dill sauce and asparagus.

 

Miles: 30.3km

I had two races this month, one was 8km and the other 8.27km.  For my other workouts I went to a barre class and I did a couple of hot yoga classes.

 

Books

I thought I'd try something different and read two graphic novels based on fictional novels by the fictional author Richard Castle who is played by Nathan Fillion on TV's Castle.  I quite enjoyed reading these as they were light entertain and just what I needed this month.

 

I also read The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag after reading Amber's review and it was certainly a quick and fun read.

 

//Image from Goodreads

 

 

Looks

And I have no looks to share with you this month.  I need new clothes!!

 

Hope you've had a great October, what did you eat and read?

Road Race Series versus Trail Race Series

This year I took part in two different race series one was the Run/Walk series which are road races that lead up to the Auckland Marathon and other distances and the other one was the Blackmores XTERRA trail series.

Run/Walk Series

I did this series for the first time last year and entered the one lap option and then ran the Auckland Quarter Marathon.  I enjoyed this series a lot and looked forward to doing it this year in the hope that I would show improvement and I did (with the exception of the last one by seconds).

This is a road race series so it's mostly on roads and pavements with a couple of park paths at some locations.  I'm more familiar with this sort of terrain as I have done most of my running in the past on roads, pavements and the treadmill.  Its easy terrain to navigate, it's fast, and time/distance/pace is easier to compare between runs even if they are done on different stretches of road.

The series is progressive and the courses are 2.5k, 5k, 6k, 7k, and 8k with options to do 1, 2 ,3 or 4 laps.

The 5 race series plus entry to the quarter marathon (or 12k as it is this year) is $175 and this gets you a series t-shirt and an Auckland 12k t-shirt.  The courses are well marshalled and the aid stations well tended with water and sports drink available and there's a banana at the end.  There are no medals or prizes for race or series winners, but there are some spot prizes of shoes and such like.

I was super pleased to find that I was 5th Female in the series and that Kane was 1st Male!

Race Reports:
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 2 - Alexandra Park
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 3 - Devonport
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 4 - Highbrook
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 5 - Barry Curtis Park

Blackmores XTERRA Trail Series

This was the first year I did this series and actually my first go at trail running and I loved it.  The series is suitable for most abilities and there are runners and walkers.  It also encourages the whole family to take part.  More than once was I overtaken by fit senior citizens and small children :/

There were 4 course options to choose from: short(5-7km), mid(10-14k), long(16-20km) and super long(21k+).  I chose the short course option which aimed to keep the distances under 7km.  You could also select from either runner or walker.

I didn't know what to expect of the trails and it turned out that every race was different.  One race was straight up a steep hill and then down the other side, one was knee deep mud, one was quite sandy, one was surprisingly flat(ish).  At first I tried to compare my times to road running and then I tried to compare my times with the other trails, but it was impossible. 

The 7 race series is $345 and this gets you a hoody and a goody bag with a toiletry bag, tote bag, anti-inflammatory cream and vouchers.  The courses were well signposted and taped and the aid stations had water and sports drink.  At the end there were sausages, beer and sports drinks.  There were a few spot prizes at the end of every race and there was a prize giving for the series participants.

Kane placed 5th Male and I placed 10th Female for the series, but we ran all the races together otherwise I'm certain Mr Speedy would have placed much higher!

Race Reports:
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 1 - Shakespear Regional Park

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 2 - Riverhead Forest
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 3 - Totara Park
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 4 - Waiuku Forest
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 5 - Waharau Regional Park
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 7 - Hunua Ranges

Next Year

I really enjoyed both of these series and had planned to do them both again next year, however next years dates have been posted and they clash!!

I'm toying with the idea of training for a marathon, but right now I need to train be fit enough to start training!  Depending on how that goes, that may or may not help me make a decision on which series to go for.

What's your favourite, road race or trail race?  Have you used trail running to train for a road marathon?
 

Long Weekend

I've just had a lovely lazy long weekend.

It started on Friday evening when I went to the mall and picked up my lovely new Starbucks cup, 2 OPI nail polishes and some pretty Christmas decorations from Kikki.K.

My new Starbucks cup

On Saturday it was raining so we did some housework and grocery shopping for the week and then spent the rest of the day playing computer games and then watched some TV.

Sunday was devoted to watching sports and it started early at 4am with the NZ v South Africa rugby semi final - it was a real nailbiter and I was relieved when NZ won.  Then we had 2 NHL games to watch, Leafs v Canadiens and Red Wings v Canuks.  The Leafs played well but the opposing goal tender is just a machine!  And Kane was happy that the Red Wings won out.  I also gave myself that much needed pedicure so now I have happy feet and pretty pink nails.



 

Reminds me of the Griswold car in Christmas Vacation

The adverts during sports games are all pretty much the same: cars, tyres, fast food, beer.  After hours of them I caved in and got us a Wendys for dinner with beers that we already had in house.



Little wooden Xmas tree

Monday was Labour Day and we tackled the garden.  I'm glad I got some hard labour in otherwise I would have felt like it was a very inactive weekend!  It's going to take a good many hours of work to get the garden back into shape.  My goal here is to get the garden totally tidy, beds all empty, new raised beds built and filled with soil, new garden lights, and the bbq area decorated in the next 4 months.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!  Do you paint your nails?  What's your go-to favourite colour?

Currently In ... October

I've had a fun October so far, but I can see things starting to speed up real soon with the Christmas season approaching.  I had such a good Christmas last year I don't think it will be possible to recreate it, but I'm hoping to get close and that involves planning, organisation and getting started early.  But I'm getting ahead of myself, here is my snapshot of where I'm at right now:

Reading: Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.  I just got this from the library and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it.



\\ Image from Goodreads

Watching: All the shows!  The Muppets, Greys Anatomy, Big Bang Theory, Castle, Fargo, How to Get Away With Murder, Agents of Shield, Black List.  Continuum has just finished and Grimm will soon be starting.  I also went to the cinema at the weekend to see The Martian and I quite enjoyed it.



\\ Image from IMDB

Feeling: Very happy that NZ beat France to get through to the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup and very disappointed that Scotland missed out by 1 point and a dodgy ref decision.

Thinking: that it's only about 9 weeks until Christmas and there's a lot of things I want to get done before then so I need to start making lists!

Anticipating: The holiday weekend coming up and then the Auckland 12k the week after that.  I'm full of nerves about the 12k because I'm not ready.  I've revised my plan to be a run 3/walk 2.

Listening to: Ryan Adams version of Taylor Swifts 1989 Album to see what the fuss is about.  I like Taylors better.

Planning: A Hallowe'en date night with some decorations, a home cooked meal and a movie.  I'm not sure what to watch yet though as Scream is about as scary as I can go.

\\ Image of Neep Lanterns by Paul Stainthorp

Working: On being consistent with my workout schedule.  It's a struggle but it needs to happen.

Wanting: A new spring jacket for those surprise showers and little gusts of wind.

Needing: A pedicure.  My tootsies aren't feeling the love right now, so tonight I'm going to soak, scrub and moisturise, and paint my nails.

Loving: Plan free weekends!  I'm keeping plans to a minimum for the foreseeable future.

Hope you are enjoying October!  Do you have Hallowe'en plans?

Champagne Problems

There is some uncertainty in my professional life right now which I think makes other problems feel bigger than they are, so when I caught myself getting genuinely frustrated and worked up trying to get a piece of technology work and then feeling so annoyed when it wouldn't work and I had to try something else, I just had to stop and laugh at myself.

So this post is me poking fun at myself and to remind myself to lighten up.

This Weeks Champagne Problems:

1. I couldn't get the NHL game centre app to work on my PS3 so I had to chromecast it from it my iPhone.

\\ Image from Google Search

2. I couldn't go grocery shopping at the weekend because I went away for vacation and now I have to buy take out lunches.

\\ Image from St Pierre's

3. Pinterest is full of tasty autumn recipes and cute autumn fashions, but its spring where I live and too hot for cute scarfs and casseroles.

\\ Image by Robin Capper

4. I forgot to get my ice skates sharpened over the spring break so now I have to start the new term with dull blades.

\\ Image from Google search

And there you have it! Haha I can't believe I've complained about these things in the last week :)


Do you have a champagne or first world problem you want to share?

Ekiden Rotorua Weekend

As is fast becoming our annual tradition, last weekend we headed off to Rotorua for a spring break and to run the Ekiden relay race!

 

The last time we were in Rotorua was earlier this year with Kane's parents, the blog post about that is here: Rotorua Summer Getaway 

What is Ekiden?

 

Ekiden Rotorua is a relay race held on the 42.2km marathon course and is split into 6 legs of varying distance: 1: 7.5km, 2: 7.88km, 3: 7.93km, 4: 8.27km, 5: 4.74km, 6: 5.88km.  Some have hills, some are mostly flat.  Instead of passing a baton, the current runner wears a sash and passes this on to the next runner.

 

Race Website: Ekiden Rotorua

 

How we got started

 

In 2013 my friends mother had roped her and another friend of mine to be part of their walking team for the Ekiden relay race and even though the weather was just awful that year, they really loved it and wanted to put together their own team for the following year.  

 

I was part of their team in 2014 and it was such a fun weekend.  We raved about so much afterwards that more friends wanted to take part so this year we had 2 teams! 

 

Ekiden Rotorua is also the self proclaimed world fancy dress championship so we like to take part and dress up, this year we were heroes and villians.

 

(1) Our 2 teams all together at the start
(2) Team 1 at the finish (3) Team 2 at the finish

Pre-Race

Kane and I headed down to Rotorua from Auckland on the Friday night, which was about a 4 hour drive.  Most of the others had taken the day off work to head down earlier in the day and some of group had travelled up from Wellington.

We arrived at 9pm and checked in.  A short while later the last 3 of troupe arrived and we gathered in one of the rooms to collected our chips, bib and race freebies which, this year, was a t shirt and a gym towel.

Kane and I hadn't had the chance to eat dinner but had brought some food with us, so we headed back to our room to make pasta and sauce and relax after our drive.

Race Day

We woke up feeling well rested and had coffee and some toast with cheese for breakfast.  We put on our running costumes and made some adjustments.  We both went as Fantastic Four members, me as Susan Storm (the Invisible Girl) and Kane as Reed Richards (he preferred to be referred to as Mr Fantastic).

We met with the others and made some last minute team changes as some people needed to switch distances and others needed to switch teams.

Once we were all sorted we headed out to make the race briefing at 8.30am.  The race walkers had already started at 8am and the route went past our motel so we got to see some fun costumes on our drive to the start.


(1) The Start Line (2) Glenn and Tania our first 2 runners
(3) Kelly passing the sash to me with Glynn hot on her tail! (4) At the end waiting for the prize giving

Our teams first runners, Glenn and Tania took off and my group jumped in to my car to head to the first change over point, while some of the others headed off to get coffee and breakfast.  We spotted Glenn first and cheered and waved and then a little further up we spotted Tania looking strong and cheered and waved her on too.

We got to the first change over point and hung around waiting for them to come in.  Tania was first and handed over the sash to Charlie.  A short while later Glenn came in and handed the sash to Kane.  Speedy Kane took off and managed to run over all those hills even faster than last weekends race!

The rest of the race was spent hopping from one change over point to the next, stopping to beep the horn, wave and cheer at our runners.  The only break was when it was my turn to run.  I put on my headphones and zoned out for an hour.

Soon it was time to make our way to the finish line where we would meet our last runner and then all run up to the finish line together.  Charlie and Tania, from the other team, had their car break down so Glenn and Kelly of our team had finished with the first team in order to collect their medals and then go to help them.  Charlie needed to stay with her car so Kelly brought Tania back so that she could cross the finish line with our team.  Kelly ended up crossing the finish line with both teams and that's why she's in both team finish photos, but at least she was able to collect Charlie's medal for her.  And roadside assistance sorted out Charlie's car so it was all good in the end.


(1) Change over point 1 group shot (2) Finishers medal
(3) Glynn doing a gangnam style dance? (4) Catherine cruising in to the change over point

Post Race

Prize giving finished at about 4pm and we were starving so we made a bee line to pizza hut which we could see across the park and then headed back to our motel to enjoy our pizzas.  Then we went into pool. 

The pool is the number 1 reason we come to this motel.  It's heated to around 37degC from the geothermal activity that Rotorua is famous for and there are also two indoor mineral pools.

This year some of us brought pool noodles to just float around with and it was perfect!



Last years pool photo as we didn't take one this year!

After hanging out in the pool for ages, we then got cleaned up and hung out in one of the rooms and enjoyed some wine and MTV classics.

The following morning we checked out and then headed for a group breakfast before going our separate ways again.  A most enjoyable weekend!  We're already in discussions for next years costumes :D

My Official Stats:

Leg: 4
Distance: 8.27 km
Time: 1:02:51
Pace: 07:36 min/km

I did better than last year by 4 minutes but I got really bad cramp last year.  I think I need to do more hill training!