Archive for October, 2008:
Auckland Marathon #11 – appreciate your car
In the weekend I was fortunate enough to celebrate Kim’s birthday with not one, but two birthday meals. We went to Daikoku Restaurant in Botany for lunch and enjoyed a couple of well-presented and tasty lunch-box sets. The waitresses wore kimonos and fashioned the latest Japanese-style footwear craze – the er… socks and sandals combination.
After a big lunch, we drove home. And I proceeded to get my running gear on and run back there.
And back again.
That’s about a distance of 17 km all up.
So with the help of Jesus Christ, Steve Jobs, Peter Somervell, Mark Driscoll, Jamie Cullum, Parachute Band, Bob Kauflin, I survived my longest training session yet: a run of 1 hour and 40 minutes (the list is not meant to be in any order of importance: Steve Jobs =/= divine dude).
You know that you’ve run very far when your stopwatch kindly reminds you that it’s the “halfway point” and you’re three suburbs away -�it’s times like this you start to appreciate the invention of the automobile. I guess back when people didn’t have cars, to get from Bucklands Beach to Botany would most likely have required a day trip.
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Even more fun was training today – a much shorter timespan of 40 minutes, but made interesting by the �interspersed 30-second mad sprints (yes, that would have been me doing random sprints along the Eastern Beach parade). Oh that was fun.
It’s funny how much effort it takes to get out the door and put your running shoes on… but once you’re out there and you’re at a comfortable pace, you almost don’t want to stop.
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Week 9: Training Record
8.10.08 – Route – 45 min – 8:01am – 7.98 km Pre-interview Jog
9.10.08 – Route – 43 min – 6:93am – 6.93 km Tea Run
11.10.08 – Route�- 1 hr 41 min – 3:24pm – 16.97 km Run
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Thanks Kelvin! Keep it up guys and gals, there’s less than 3 weeks before the big race! Sponsor my running/training/marathon mission and support the NZ Heart Foundation by clicking on this link here.
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My own Owen-Winston affair
The New Zealand 2008 General Elections are nearly upon us, and before I throw myself into the democratic process like the rest of the country, I’d like to digress.
At the end of August, I was driving Cheryl and Kim to a Vietnamese restaurant for a spot of dinner. We were searching for a carpark; on driving past a row that was filled up, I turned into the private car park behind the shop fronts to make a three-point turn and get back onto the main road.
I was in the middle of turning my car around and had stopped in the middle of the carpark, when a lady reversed into the front of my car. We exchanged details and I thought that the problem would be easily resolved.
However, she subsequently refused to accept liability, and fabricated (a la Winston Peters) a story that we had both reversed into each other. This is in full knowledge that:
- my car was stationary
- my car was facing forwards
- my car’s damage is not on the bumper but on the side panel where she hit me
- I had two people sitting in the car who can corroborate my version of events
I’m somewhat inclined to “let losses lie”, but I’m aware that the cost of panelbeating the vehicle is quoted at over $1000 – a definite financial strain, since I’m no Owen Glenn. My insurance company can’t cover my damage since I’m on a third party policy, and I’ve got little hope of getting anything from her insurance company since they won’t advise their clients to accept liability.
So the question now is: should I take this through to the disputes tribunal? It’s an unsavoury path but at the same time, the repair would cost a bundle. Thoughts/comments would be appreciated.
Auckland Marathon #10 – how long, how long
A marathon is 42.2 km in length. A halfmarathon is 21.1 km in length.
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Hi everyone – I’m running in the Auckland marathon in less than 4 weeks’ time.
Over the weeks I’ve changed my perspective of a long run.
When I first started, a long run was running further than the local dairy or corner store to get the milk or takeaways.
Now, a long run is when you’ve gone through two 40-minute audio sermons on your music player, your sweat begins to leave a fine salt film on your forehead, and your sugar and electrolyte cocktail in a bottle ran out 20 minutes ago.
That’s a long run.
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Got the chance to run my longest route yet on Sunday: a�large loop around Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands Beach.
Right now, I’m feeling great. I’m fitter and make up for my open-plan office sedentary lifestyle. It’s good to run.
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Week 8: Training Record
29.9.08 – Route – 23 min – 6:51pm – 3.95 km Jog
30.9.08 – Route – 25 min – 7:29pm – 4.00 km Uphill training
3.10.08 – Route – 46 min – 5:34am – 8.15 km Tea Run
5.10.08 – Route – 1 hr 32 min – 2:20pm – 15.46 km Run
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I’m running for the NZ Heart Foundation. Check out my HeartRacer page here.
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Well that wasn’t so bad…
Made the SH18 detour and got back home in… 1 hour and 52 minutes.
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“Into the West” by Toyota Camry
Looks like I’ll be driving the long way home.
From the AA Roadwatch at 2.29pm:
SH 1 Sh 1 Southbound Between Northcote Rd And Onewa Rd
Motorway Closed At Northcote Southbound Due To Serious Crash At Onewa Rd -
Expected Resolution >2 hours
Alternative Route Use Sh 18 – Sh 16, Or Northcote Rd Via Lake Rd Rejoin At Onewa On Ram
I guess it’ll be a good chance to sermon-jam, among other iPod-related pursuits.
Have a good weekend everyone!
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