Tarawera Ultramarathon 2011 Race Video
Report to come!
A time for reflection
I ran past the spot where a cyclist was killed on Wednesday this morning. The police were there removing their police tape and the only indication that anything had happened was a few bundles of flowers on the footpath.
It made me reflect somewhat that our time here on Earth is pretty brief and we had best make the most of it!
Running going well–eating not so much
Last week I managed to run 78ish km which is my highest mileage week since the longer runs of my last marathon training cycle back in May. We’ve had beautiful Spring conditions this week:
My running is going really well and I’ve been really enjoying it. I’m at the point where exercise is a must have not a nice to have in my life and I love that feeling!
The eating on the other hand…
Mac had a great post out yesterday where he made this point that I can really identify with:
Many people think that losing the weight is the hard part. And yeah, weight loss IS hard; I’ve done it. But let me tell you, I think maintaining your weight loss is even harder. It takes persistence, diligence, and dedication just to keep your weight the same.
I’ve found my weight creeping up slightly – I’m still in my happyish zone but the danger signs are there so I need to focus on eating clean again. It’s not that hard – I just have to get out of the mindset that I can eat lots of snacks because I’m running heaps. Which is actually surprisingly hard! Back to basics, one day at a time.
I long for Aiur
I’ve been quiet as I bought Starcraft 2 and I’ve been playing it!
I’m still running etc. but time is precious at the moment! 
Who’s worried about cholesterol?
I realised that it’s been a while since I had my cholesterol checked. I normally do it every year but I forgot last year for some reason. Anyway I went and had the blood test last week and the results arrived yesterday.
| Recommended Range: | April 2007 |
April 2008 |
April 2010 |
|
| Total Cholesterol: | Less than 200 | 343 | 152 | 193 |
| HDL Cholesterol: | Between 35-60 | 58 | 36 | 55 |
| LDL Cholesterol: | Less than 130 | 266 | 101 | 225 |
| Triglycerides: | Less than 151 | 118 | 62 | 30 |
| Total/HDL Ratio: | Less than 4.5 | 5.9 | 4.3 | 3.5 |
My good cholesterol (HDL) is up heaps which more than offsets the rise in the total and the bad (LDL). My triglycerides are way down low as well so I think I’m in pretty good shape. My blood pressure was 108/57 and heart rate 52 (in the doctor’s office – it’s in the low 40s at home in bed). Overall, I think these are pretty great results.
Who would have figured that eating right and getting fit would make me healthier? I can only imagine how horrific my results must have been when I was at my heaviest.
Ten things I love
The lovely Erin from Erin takes control tagged me to list out ten things that make me happy. I don’t normally bother with these things but I think happiness is important so I thought I would have a go. It’s things not people so I won’t list my lovely wife and daughter although they are #1!
1. My iPod Touch.
I love this device. I carry it almost everywhere I go. It carries my books, my music, my podcasts, my twitter and all sorts of other apps. Love it, love it, love it.
2. My Garmin Forerunner 305
I love knowing how far, how fast, how high, and how hard I’ve worked out. This GPS watch gives me all that and more.
3. My Sennheiser MX75 running headphones
These headphones are brilliant. Water resistant, fit great and sound brilliant while letting in ambient sound so that mack truck doesn’t run me over!
4. My iPod Shuffle
My brother got this for me for Christmas and I love it for those days that it is a bit wet and I don’t want to risk getting my iPod Touch wet.
5. My internet connection
I love being connected and having access to so many great things/people/ideas. I especially love that my internet connection gives me access to you folks. The ever supportive blogging community. I’ve received so much support, advice and encouragement – it’s truely a blessing.
6. My city
I love living in Auckland, New Zealand. Consistently ranked in the top 5 places to live in the world and I can testify that it is great.
7. Peanuts
I love peanuts and they love me. Enough said.
8. Mowing the lawn.
I really like mowing the lawn for some reason. It’s almost like therapy.
9. Reading books
I read a lot. Way too much according to some. I normally go through at least 2-3 books a week and I can’t imagine not having access to a book. My first paying job was in a bookshop but it didn’t pay enough for me to make a career of it.
10. Running
Last but not least. I love running which I think you’ve guessed by now.
Speaking of which I did a beautiful 10K this morning. Conditions were great:
Auckland is definitely lovely.
Goals for 2010: Weightloss
I’ve decided that 2010 is the year that I get to my immediate weightloss goal which is 188 pounds (85kgs).
To do this I need to return to what worked for me in 2008 and the early part of 2009. Daily weigh-ins tracked on Physics Diet and weekly reporting. On that note here is my weight chart for the last week:
I know I don’t need to go crazy with restricting my food as I tend to eat very healthy most of the time. I just have to remember moderation in all things is a good idea and with the amount of running I do I’ll be fine.
It’s funny but for me the key to success is definitely measurement and reporting. I also hope that losing a bit more weight will help me run a bit faster which will help with my running goal of beating the 4 hr mark in my next marathon.
On that note I did a nice 12.3 km run this morning in pouring rain and a strong wind. Fortunately it was rather warm so I actually enjoyed it to be honest.
Friday mornings with my lady
One of the highlights of the week is my Friday morning run with my beloved wife. This morning we ran around the Orakei Basin which is the submerged crater of a long extinct volcano. As you can see it was a beautiful, crisp, still winter’s morning:
I’ve got a very nasty cold so it was rather tough going but definitely the highlight of my day. I never thought I’d be blessed with the ability to run, nevermind run with my wife in one of the most beautiful areas in the world.
Not dead yet!
I’m sorry that I’ve been a bit quiet lately but life has gotten in the way I’m afraid. I’ve been really busy at work and then just doing family stuff in the evenings instead of sitting on my computer. Normal service will resume shortly! Thanks to all of those who’ve checked up on me!
A glorious morning run
I love my new treadmill and having been rediscovering my running mojo on it.
Having said that there is nothing like getting outside on a beautiful predawn morning in Auckland. I had a 7am appointmentso I decided that it would be a good move to wear my running gear, get my wife to drop me off and run in to work afterwards.
I started off by heading towards One Tree Hill (which still has no tree on it) and running around it. I then headed in towards the city via the Domain.
It was a beautiful time of day to be out running and I just really enjoyed it. I think I’m going to make a point of trying to run in at least one day a week.
My new treadmill is pretty good. The only problem I have with it is that the distance travelled seems to be coming out about 7% low so I’m going to try and tighten the belt a bit and see if that helps. For example if I run at 10KPH for an hour I should travel 10 km. The machine says I’ve done about 9.3 km so that’s not good.
March has been a bit of a disaster on the weightloss front as I’ve consistently gained. I haven’t really been eating too unhealthily I just been eating too much. Such is life I guess.
Daily Mile
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RoadID
