Back Into It

Back to work today after what has been an extraordinarily long holiday for both Hamish and I. The first day back is always pretty cruisey - lots of checking emails and catching up with colleagues and coffee breaks. I managed to get a little work done in between all the gossip, and that's the best that can be hoped for under the circumstances!

Today was also 'back into the training' day. I toyed with the idea of taking it easy on my first real day back, but that didn't seem like much fun. So it was up at 6.00am to head into the gym for my first weights session in three weeks. Although I feel like I've lost muscle tone I don't seem to have lost any real muscle strength, and I didn't have to drop my weights at all, which was a relief.

At 11.30am I started to feel like going for a run, so it was back to the gym changing rooms and out onto the pavement. I ran another half hour down to the waterfront and back. The out must have been quite fast, and I did get my 'fifteen minute stitch', which was annoying. Thankfully I ran through it and it eventually dissipated. I ran a little more slowly on the way back, got into a groove, and it was almost with regret that I arrived back at the gym. It was a gorgeous day for running, with a light Northerly keeping things reasonably comfortable. I'll have to head out for a longer run on Wednesday and start building my times up again. My knee feels fine and I'm confident I can up things without doing myself damage.

Come late afternoon the sun was out and I was in the mood for a swim. I was toying with walking down to Freyberg, but a colleague emailed me to say she was leaving for Thorndon soon, and did I want to come along? So Thorndon it was, which was more sensible really as it's much closer and near the bus terminal. I just feel fond of Freyberg, as it's where my swimming career began.

In the end Thorndon was an inspired choice. It was lovely swimming outdoors in the sun. At first the slow lane was fairly quiet, and I got several good lengths in, first swimming on my side, then doing a few lengths breathing to one side. Towards the end I practiced breathing to both sides for a few lengths. My main problem is breathing out enough so as to not get water up my nose when I eventually lift my head to breathe. If I keep breathing out until my head is out of the water I feel like I sound like a surfacing whale, making a big wet blowing noise. Thankfully Hamish has now told me that everyone sounds like that, so I guess I'm just normal.

When I started to tire I thought about getting out, but it was so lovely in the sun that I moved to the recreation lane and messed around for a while diving underwater, floating on a tire tube and on my back. I tried swimming on my side without flippers and sank, so I can see that's going to be my next challenge. I have to be realistic and accept that I may not have things down sufficiently to be ready to do 300m without flippers by the 28th of January, but there's always another event. I've realised it's better to not worry about working towards an event and just enjoy the process of learning.

Duck sent out an email this afternoon reminding us (as if I could forget) that tomorrow is the start of the second round of Women's Multis. However her next comment really threw me. Her instructions were to bring running, swimming and cycling gear. Gulp! I haven't got a wetsuit yet and I'm still not overly confident about swimming in the sea. I decided I would try to swim tomorrow with a floaty, rather than risk panicking in water over my head, at least for the first swim session. I'm still trying to decide whether to cycle to work in the morning - as it will involve carrying my running shoes, my swim gear and my office clothing all on my back. It might be easier to get Hamish to drop me off.

Nobody told me the logistics of triathlon training would be this difficult!

Grey Boxing Day

After the day of Christmas veranda gluttony...

Came the grey Boxing Day of gloom...

I woke to a relatively mild, but grey and windy morning. Running outdoors did not appeal, nor did cycling. A traditional Boxing Day lie-around-in-the-sun-and-eat-chocolate event at the Sanctuary was clearly not going to be on the cards, and I was too late for RPM at 9.00. However a quick jump on the scales led to the horrified conclusion that a 10am emergency Body Attack class was called for. By 9.30 my bags were packed (one of gym gear, and one full of Sanctuary clothing) and I was out the door.

An energy borne of desperation got me through one hour of high-impact aerobics. If I thought I was doing it hard, the poor instructor's mike broke down half-way through the class. Full credit to her - her ability to mime while doing star-jumps was absolutely stellar.

It's in classes like Attack that my higher levels of fitness start to really show themselves. At about the time I expect to collapse dying in a heap I somehow manage to keep on going, and going, and going. However higher fitness levels don't necessarily translate to higher levels of co-ordination. I'm still as clumsy as I ever was...

A quick stop at Subway for a Chicken Teriyaki Sub, and it was over the hill to Karori. Conditions were, to put it mildly, interesting. Here was the view of the upper dam just after mid-day...


And looking North towards the lower dam...


And South across the upper reservoir...


I'm hesitant to post too much about my Hihi monitoring activities, but all is action stations in Area 3 at the moment. I managed to miss a fledge, and had to fight my way through wet, muddy bush to try to locate the surprisingly agile young Hihi. I suspect they may have left the nest yesterday while we were all at home eating too much. They were moving too quickly to have just left the nest this morning.

One female is still feeding her chicks, another is about to lay, and the last is sitting on eggs. The males are, depending on what stage the breeding cycle is at, absent, friendly, indifferent or alarmed at my presence. Each of them, however, has their own distinct personality. I've been pushed for time this year, but I do still want to continue with my Sanctuary volunteering. As much as I've been pretty stressed by the lack of down time, I'd really miss my 'feather' children.

However days like today are rather frustrating. The Kaka were flocking in large numbers at the upper dam feeder station, and that made me enthusiastic about being there. Whilst in the lower valley I was still rather sheltered, and that made me glad to be there as well. However, far into the upper valley it was damp, windy and exposed. I didn't have to put on all my layers, but I certainly had more on could be expected at this time of year. Surely we've earned some decent summer by now?

And there's another cold front coming through. Looks like tomorrow will be spent in bed, although I've booked a 5.30pm RPM and will aim to accompany that with either a swim or a weights session. This is me on a holiday...