Collecting My Thoughts

I have an appointment with a personal trainer tomorrow to talk about getting a programme together for the next six months. I feel like I'm cheating on Duck! I'm not planning on seeing him for workouts, rather I want him to set me a schedule and then to catch up every month or so. This trainer is a very experienced Ironman triathlete and is known for putting together these types of programmes. I need someone to sit me down and tell me what's realistic!

For the next year my major goal is obviously the Rotorua Half Ironman at the end of the year. Enroute however are a number of tasty races which are just too tempting. I can't do everything but here are some of my options:

• The Korokoro run the weekend after Taupo already mentioned in my last post
• A 150km cycle race round Taranaki on 10 January and another on 24 January. It's been pointed out to me that I shouldn't really consider doing both so the Yarrow event on the 24th is my preferred choice, in particular because it's the day before my father's birthday.
• The Graperide - 101km round Taranaki and my sentimental favourite, being my first ever cycle race
• Unfortunately the Graperide clashes with the SPARC duathlon, which was where it all started and which I had originally wanted to do again this year with Mum
• Le Race, in Banks Peninsula, which I'm told is the week before the Graperide
  
• The Wellington half marathon (January? February?)
• The Harbour Capital half marathon (June)
• The Rimutaka Incline run (November)
• The Rotorua marathon (2 May).
• A whole series of other half marathons, including both the Wairarapa Country and the Pelorus Trust, both of which are unfinished business for me.
• Plus, of course, all the lead-up cycle races that I did this year and which I'm sure I will want to repeat next year. And we won't even mention Taupo itself, because it will clash with the Half Ironman.
  
• And there's more, but those are the major ones.

Yeah. So obviously I can't do everything! For a start, doing even half of those events would leave almost no time to get my swimming sorted and I'll probably end up copying Kate's strategy and using the Scorching triathlons as Rotorua warmup events.

On to slightly different matters, I'm loving the weather tonight. It's warm and muggy but there's a gale Northerly blowing and it's raining. Somehow the combination of balmy temperatures and being safe inside in a storm are really appealing to me.

I collected Cleo from Penny's this afternoon, having not wanted to ride her in 130kmph winds. I managed to grind through my brake pads in four months! She's looking all shiny and new though and I'm feeling the Cleo love all over again. She's my baby! Unfortunately though I can't get drink cages for behind her seat to fit her fat seat post, so I'm tossing up whether to just take two bottles and stop to refill them or whether to use my Camelbak. Decisions, decisions ... I'm probably going to have to stop anyway to take some extra medication because I can't imagine fiddling with pills while riding, so perhaps going Camelbak-free is still the best option.

Going back to work today after nearly a week off was odd. I'm not in a work headspace at all. It's all cycling and family right now. Mum still hasn't heard anything from the hospital, so we are still none the wiser as to what is happening. However she thinks it's suspicious that I've developed a similar cough to hers after my time up there. I'm reserving judgement.

Oh, and I wore my new Annah S dress today and got a whole heap of compliments. She should start paying me a commission ...