Ribs - runs - riding

Well it has been a few days since I have posted. Not a hell of a lot has happened. The ribs still hurt though I am 90% sure there is no crack, fracture or whatever, just bruising. I have consumed a reasonable amount of wine a large amount of really bad food and am hammering away at a bottle of Laphroaig I was given yesterday.

I ended up going to the doc’s on Saturday as my daughter got an eye infection so as I was there... I had an x-ray but it turned out to be inconclusive as to whether the damage to the rib was old or new. The pain has really started to subside in the last couple of days so I am happy it was just bruising on the rib. The real pisser with rib injuries is there is no overt sign of damage, you just cannot show anyone why you are in pain ! It still hurts lying down though which is really mucking up my sleep.

I have pulled out of the Tauranga Half Ironman team, someone else from work was quite keen to get in the team so I have given up my spot as a week of training now with 3 weeks to go is not good. I have been hammering the weight on now that I am not doing any exercise, and I have been drinking a bit too which does not help, not excessively, but more than I should and enough to effect my diet.

I will also can the plan to run the Kaweka this year, though I have bought the gear and was starting to enjoy the off road running I cannot get the miles in over the next few weeks to do it justice.

I will possibly get back onto the bike and try and do the single speed team in the N-duro 24 hour race. I aim to get a ride in over Christmas if the pain keeps subsiding like it is. I have had one lousy 5 minute ride in 5 weeks and it is just sux big time to not be riding cos of a stupid crash. My mates rode on Sunday and took a new guy out who was apparently cursing the dirty F%^ker who built an all uphill track. They told him that I would normally be riding with them as well….

Crash - bang - wallop

Listening to The Arcade Fire - No cars go as I start this post.

Went out for a Woodhill ride last night. Number 1 son and his friend who had just bought himself a new 2005 Kona Stinky Dee-lux. Woodhill had their Christmas party last night so the bike park carpark was packed, fortunately by the time we got there they had started to allow people to park on the road. Good to see so many people out riding. Though I think I liked it how it was a few years ago when you could be the only people there...

Anyways...

Ride started Ok for the first 500 metres when I went to pop off a raised tree root that I have popped off about 100 times before, I have no idea what went wrong, maybe I pulled up too hard on one side, maybe the front wheel kinked on the root as the weight was removed, but the wheel shot out sideways and I was heading down. I managed to push the bike away from me but did not have time to put my hands down and landed heavily on my chest on the ground. I was quite badly winded and in a it of pain, I tried to ride on but it wasn’t going to work. The boys carried on and did a quick circuit while I did the slow ride of shame back to the carpark.

When I had a look at the bike later to see if there was any damage, and thank God there wasn't, there was pine needles jammed between the tire and rim, the front tire must rolled a huge amount for the needles to be stuck so far in. Tube still has air though.

I have not been to the doc's not sure if I will yet, I have either cracked or bruised at least one rib. It hurt like hell driving home, especially when I had to change gear and I had a very bad nights sleep...

Damnit - I hope it is nothing major as I have so many things I want to do in the next few weeks, 21km run in the half ironman, Rotorua single speed mobbing, Kaweka mountain run... Last time I cracked a rib I was out for 6 weeks and this is not a good time to not be running or riding.

Bike servicing

Blogging while listening to Broken Social Scene - Almost Crimes.

I am not a great one for biking servicing, I am not great at it myself, though more than capable of the basics. Now that my bikes are getting a bit older I find it quite hard even getting around to cleaning them. Though they do not get overly dirty riding in a sand based forest.

I use a mix of 2-3 bike shops for bits of servicing, depending on need, cost and time. Primarily my friend Darin does the maintenance on all my bikes, he is very good and it is cool just to hang out and talk bikes and crap. I do not like to abuse his hospitality however so I have not been visting for ages.

Number 1 son and I went for a quick visit last night, Darin replaced the rear sprocke on my SS with a nice new 16 tooth BMX sprocket which I will test ride tonight. He also had a look at the rear shock on number 1 son's AC. Looks like we may have to take the shock in for a service which will be a pain. He will ride it tonight and see how it goes as I think the Rock Shock people here may close down for Christmas, so we do not want him to be bike less for 3 weeks.

Looking forward to a ride tonight, hopefully the threatened rain will stay off, number 1 son will not cause any grief at home and the day passes quickly. it will be good to get out with a few of the boys for a quick spin.

Had a quick run yesterday afternoon, only mnaged 20 minutes due to some time constraints, had another go at some reps up the path at Crum Park.

Training

This mornings post comes courtesy of Children’s Hour "Carolinas Dream". Maybe I should listen to more uplifting music in the morning, it may make the day pass quicker.

Had a quick training run yesterday afternoon. My intention was to get out of bad at 6.00 and be running by 6.30 and get 2 hours of road in. With Deana working Sundays and neither of the older kids home I needed to be home before 9.00 to be with the youngest. I did wake at 6.00 but promptly went back to sleep again and did not wake till after 7.00 and woke up feeling flat and drained.

I did sneak out around 1.00 for a quick run down to Wood Bay and up through the Zig Zag track and back home, a 44 minute run that was hard work. It was quiet warm and very very humid I was completely soaked by the time I get home and it took a good hour to cool down.

I did run with the new back pack. If felt good, easy to run in and it did not move around too much, with the fancy webbing straps and liner between the bag and my back I did not notice any excessive sweating or discomfort on my back either.

I have had an awful diet over the last few days, I had 3 days of fried foods, and combined with the massive amount of alcohol consumed on Wed night I feel quite flat. I will aim for a bit of a cleanse this week in the lead up to Christmas, though I do have a work lunch on Friday that promises to be rather long and liquid.

Woodhill ride

Listening to Minor Threat - In My Eyes.


I must remember to take the camera riding, not that anything particularily exciting happened, but I should capture these moments.

I took Aiden and his friend Jaden riding yesterday. It was only a short ride, a little over an hour. The boys had a big night at the pools on Friday and were a little tired.

I took the single speed up and had my first ride with the new glasses on, no real issues very little fogging, I do need to buy a new sweat liner for my helmet though.

We did Cookie, Spag and SPCA, I am still loving the SPCA trail. I did a couple more of the small-medium drops and jumps and am feeling quite good getting the bike off the ground with the seat right up.

It was my first ride in weeks and it was good to get out, I would really have liked to have had a good hard ride. It was also very very humid, quite overcast but it did not really rain.

I did buy a new bladder today for the Hydrapak.

Work functions

I went to a supplier Christmas function on Wednesday afternoon. 4.30 ferry to Waiheke Island, bus to the Mudbrick Vineyard, 9.00 PM ferry back to Auckland and then drinks at O'Hagans bar. It was not a bad event, the beer was cold, the champagne before the meal was beautiful, the wine was very nice, the scotch at the bar afterwoods flowed.

Yes there was an unfortunate pattern there, I was toasted by the time I got home. I had planned on taking Thursday off which was a good idea as I could not move. I had the worst hanger I have had in years, I was dying I swore of alcohol for life on Thursday morning.

Well had a couple of beers tonight, does that count ?

This is not doing my training any good at all, hopefully I will get out for a good long run at the weekend, I would like to do a slow 20k if I could. I would like to squeeze a mountian bike ride in as well, I have not been on the bike for 4 weeks now and that is just damn sad...

2nd Anniversary of non-smoking

Yay - today is my second anniversary of giving up smoking.

In that time I have had half a cigar at a friends wedding and that was way back in January 2004.

I must have given up 100's of times in the 24 years I was a smoker, and never lasted more than a few days without having a sneaky puff, then a sneaky half ciggie on a friday, then a whole ciggie with a drink, then 20 a day.

This time I used no nicotine replacements just pure cold turkey - and lots of running, riding and determination.

I am better for it.

Kona Stab Supreme

My son works part time in our local bike shop, which primarily sell Kona and Marin bikes.

One of the young guys there has just bought himself one of these bad boys.




A 2006 stab supreme. He is going to take 2 months off of work after Christmas and race the 2006 NZ national series.

I took the bike for a spin this afternoon, I have never ridden a 'proper' DH bike before. Man - that thing is awesome, I jumped the front steps of the shop and the bike just leaves the ground so easily, seeing as I was riding flats, this was a minor miracle. This is a seriously cool bike, it accelerates very nicely and did not seem to have much bob at all.

me likey - lots.

New running bag

I bought myself item number 2 from my list of things I need for the Kaweka run.

After a bit of looking around I purchased a Deuter Race Air pack. It fits very nicely and has all the bits I was looking for and more. It was also very cheaply priced at $100 compared to the other bags (Kathmandu, Macpac etc). I hope to test run it one night during the week.

The cool thing about this bag, is it is also designed for biking and has a little flap that comes out the bottom that clips up and becomes a helmet carrier.


The bag...

Aunt Betty's Tri Series race 2

My work had 2 teams in race 2 of the Aunt Betty's Tri series. This race started and finished at Mission Bay. I did the 10k run leg.

The weather was not too bad, dry, quite warm and a nice little breeze that was either head or tail depending where you were on the 2.5k circuit.

I did the run in 49:30 which I was more than pleased with, I did not expect to go under 50 mins for the 10km. I have never competed in a 10k before so had no real idea of pace and there was a real mix of Triathalon pros to team competitors like us, but I paces myself Ok, my 4 laps were reasonably consistant.

And the main thing was we kicked the other teams arse..