Triple Peaks Challenge

Monday 23rd March...

2009-03-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Aaron...

Well that was tough, not just physically but more so mentally for me and I could not have completed the run in the time we did without Chris, he is one amazing guy. There were times on the run I wanted to walk and he said not yet mate wait till we get on a ways, and sure enough I had plenty left in the legs. Then there was the Redwoods at the bottom of Te Mata Peak where I offered him the timing device and told him I would finish but he should go on, but he told me he didn't want it and to get my arse into gear and I did. But that peak was tough, my legs were screaming for relief and because we knew the trail like the back of our hands we knew what was to come but we just kept on going with Chris leading the way. He had a bit of trouble with cramp near the top and thats when I knew it was my turn to take the lead for the first time and try and spur my mate on. We got to the top and our mate Mike was there and things for me seemed that bit clearer and we were off and I felt great. We met the kids again 1/3 of the way down and I had a good couple of swigs of flat coke cola and I was off and I think knowing the way home the way we did helped enormously and I was on a real high. Disaster nearly struck just at the bottom of the track as Chris clipped a tree root and his leg cramped up and he hit the deck, I looked back and though oh shit I am going to have to carry him now. I could see he was in pain and a bit of disbelief as he hadn't had his legs go like that but he kicked on and we eased the rest of the run out and crossed the line in 5hrs23mins with the kids running in behind us and a couple of relieved and proud wives at the finish line.

The whole event was pretty emotional for me on a personal note and I felt like blubbering at the 2nd transition as we ran in past other teams and their supporters who had seen the newspaper article the night before and were pointing to us saying they are come on guys you are going great, but I looked at Chris and he looked strong and I thought I can't cry if hes not. Then at the finish line, all over, we have done it, kids jumping up and down Lucie and my Mum crying, I looked at Chris and he was smiling and I thought "shit I still can't have a cry". I felt so proud to wear the shirt with Gina on the front, I thought about her a lot through the run and asked her for help once or twice. I am also proud that we have created a vehicle that we can raise money for to help kids and their families whose pain and challenge doesn't have the same defined "finish" line as ours.

While I am at it thanks to Lucie, Ellie, Hannah and Callum, your support has been great. Thanks to Fern Ridge for the sponsorship of our running shirts and Russ and Annette Black and family for the entry fee and the countless others that have sponsored us or just said you can do it.

Lastly, and this is the end, thank you Chris and Debbie, you are two remarkable people and I am privilaged to call you my friends and your strength is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration for me and my family, kia kaha Aaron.

Saturday 21st (Race Day)

2009-03-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Jesse......

Morning of the Triple Peaks! I have had my breakfast & Hydrated a bit before today, with still 2 hours to go!

Had my last run on Tuesday which was a nice 10km, and have just been doing a bit of biking for the rest of the week! I got a little niggle in my calf, so have been putting the deep heat on, and have worn my tights to bed (I can imagine Aaron reading that and saying 'good on ya mate!).

Hope all goes well today, weather is meant to be in the 20's.....so will definatly be needing plenty of fluids!

Getting quite nervous at this stage, but at the same time, I really want to get out there, and do this! It will be cool to see everyone supporting, and hopefully donating to help out the facilities that helped Georgina!

Before I go......Check out the neat picture at the top! :)

Thursday 19th March 2009

2009-03-19T01:17:00.000-07:00

Chris...

Just the one day left and then its all go.
I have not been updating the blog because i have been struck down with the dreaded 'lurgy'. I woke up Tuesday morning with a sore throat and a blocked up head, sniffing and coughing like a good one. I have not done much at all this week apart from a couple of 3k jogs around the block with Ben. I seem to have gone down hill all week. I felt like shit today when I woke up and realised that it had gone onto my chest, so a visit to the quacks was in order and I am now on Anti Bionics. He said it was the worst case of Man Flu he had ever seen, he did not know how I was still standing, he even compared it to child birth , only worse!! I just hope that I don't get post Man Flu Depression !! - Joking aside I am pretty down with the fact that I have been training hard for many months now, only to get a cold and a chest infection in the last week. I will get round the course no problem but unless these pills start working I am gong to be pretty slow. Still its not about being fast, that's just my pride messing with me, it's about creating awareness and raising funds to help children and their family's who are suffering with Cancer. It's about reminding people that my daughter Georgina, was here and was beautiful, kind and considerate and that she fought long and hard and probably endured more in those 11 months, than most of us have to endure in an entire life time. - proud of you kid

I will post again after the challenge and let you know how it went.

Thank you all for your generosity and kind support.

Later.
Chris

March 18th 2009

2009-03-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

Aaron...
Well thats it, did my last 4.5km today and have hung up the training gear and now the next trainers I lace up will be on race day 60 hours away give or take. I have to say I have been jumping out of my skin for the past couple of days and cannot sit still at the office it is such a bizzare feeling I struggle to explain it. Its like my body is crying out for a run and the 4-8kms we have run each day this week barely scratch the itch. Lets hope that come Saturday the feeling is the same. Getting plenty of carbos on board now and drinking water like there no tomorrow and visiting the loo more times than I care to count but thats not a bad thing. Spoke to Chris a couple of times today and he sounds like crap, he has picked up a bit of a cold/chest infection and he is sweating on losing it as soon as possible, maybe its time to get in some antibiotics but he will be fine on the day.
We have had a fair few donations to the Trust and we cannot say how thankful and blown away we are to everyone who has taken the time to read the site and send in money especially in these difficult financial times. Again the people in my office have jumped onto the sponsorship bandwagon albeit with a few qualifying statements for the promise of extra dollars, I hope we can meet and beat expectations, its all for a good cause as they say.
Well I think I will make a last pre-race entry on Friday and then thats us, all the hours and kilometers spent training for this race are behind us and its just us, 3 peaks and 47kms, bring it on. Kia Kaha Aaron

Monday 16th

2009-03-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

Jesse (Slacker).....

A bit of a delayed blog post, but finally made it on!

Aaron has caught me in my new tights (As silly as they look, I didnt want to be too left out!!). Training has been going good, usually doing the 10KM runs to the track every Tuesday, the usual Saturday runs with Chris, Aaron & ben, and any other runs I can fit in during/after school.

Saturdays run was good, although went a bit longer than expected!! It was a scary thought knowing the next time we would see the top of the peak is when we will be nearly a marathons distance through the race!! Needless to say I felt very good on the run, and I am luckily getting better each time I run the peak!

The marathon around the Tuki Tuki with Aaron a few weeks earlier was a real confidence boost!! Especially at the end when both Aaron & I had the energy to pick the pace up on the last leg (making it look like we had just run around the block!). I was actually really surprised on that run at our performance, as for the two of us that probably wouldnt have even though of being able to complete a marathon 1 year ago!!

I participated in the Triathlon this weekend on short notice, for the Hastings Fire Brigade! It was my first time in my compression pants, and they felt really good (although I wont wear them on the day of Triple peaks - Sorry!)! I was about the 15th "yellow number" to leave from the swim transition, and by the time I had finished my run, I was the first "yellow number" in, so I must have passed a few people!! The run felt really good, and didnt feel tired at any point, I was even able to manage a powerful finish!!

Mixed emotions about this weekend!! I am excited to be helping Chris raise funds for the facilities that supported Georgina through her treatment! And excited to be part of something that when I complete will be one tick on the bucket list! I am just hoping I do not get stitch or anyhing along the way, but I am sure Aaron & Chris will pull me along! Although I am not too prone to getting caught short on runs, I might pack a few rolls of toilet paper for Aaron (If he goes that many times in a just over 3 hours, I wouldnt like to see the amount of toilet paper he would use in the Triple Peaks Challenge :P!!).

I will probably take Aarons advice, and not go for any more long runs, and just take a few walks/bikes throughout the week.

C ya for now! -- Jesse :)

16th March 2009

2009-03-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Aaron...
Well its funny how the world goes around in circles as low and behold who turns up in tights on Saturday morning but none other than our esteemed leader Chris. I thought it was only because it was cold but knock me over with a feather and Sunday evening he is in tights again but this time without shorts over the top and despite what has been inferred on previous posts I have always protected the greater public by wearing shorts over the tights but I think Chris really liked the sheer look. I also bumped into Jesse at a local triathlon on Sunday afternoon and he had bought some tights on Saturday so I have taken a reasonable amount of stick and everyone has ended up in them.
As Chris mentioned we did our own thing on Friday and I did about 10km at a reasonable clip and really felt good. Saturday was a good one as well, little bit longer than we expected but nice to knock off the Peak one last time before the day and although it hurt a bit going up, recovered quickly enough and had a long stretch off at home which I have tended to overlook. Sundays run went through the Tainui Reserve again and it was good to stretch the legs out for an hour or so.
Met up with Chris at lunchtime today and had a good hit out for just on an hour, I think its a bit of a case of killing time now and we spoke about getting a bit nervous/excited and it cannot come quickly enough.
Plenty of support about from family, friends and colleagues and I just found out last week that there are comments from the UK on this Blog and I really enjoyed reading those as well.
Kia Kaha Aaron

Sunday 15th March 2009

2009-03-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

Chris...

Not long now, just a matter of days !!

I could not meet up with Aaron on Friday so we both did our own thing, just an easy jog for me.
We all met up early Saturday for our last run together before the big day, we had decided to run for about 1hr 30min to 2hrs taking in the peak as we went. All was good, no problems, no twinges or niggles. We ended up running further and for longer than expected 2hrs 10min I think it was just because we were enjoying ourselves and nobody was really watching the time. It's the last time I will see the peak before Saturday, just easy runs left now, no hills and nothing over 10k to come.
I ended up doing an extra 3k at the end though, because I found myself locked out of my home and had to run up to Anderson park, where Jake was playing cricket, just used it as an extra warm down - no worries.

I met up with Aaron tonight and we ran for an hour up and around the Tanui reserve, we decided that we would complete 3 more runs before the weekend no more that 10k, Mon - Wed with lots of stretching.

Nothing more we can do now, lets just hope we have done enough!!

Bye for now. Chris

Thursday 12th March 2008

2009-03-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

Chris...

I jogged down to the village today and met up with Aaron to do the peak. We set off nice and easy, picking up the pace as we went, made the top in just over 40 mins and felt great. A quick stretch off and back down, no worries calf felt good. Haley gave me another rub down tonight at work which is making all the difference with some great advice on stretching, which I will share with Aaron tomorrow - Thanks Haley.

The tights had another outing today, this time supported by a pair of Nike shorts, not sure whether this was in order to take the lunch box out of the equation or just to prevent further wolf whistles from the local builders. Either way it still gave me and Ben a laugh !!

I did bring up the age issue, which Aaron keeps harking on about and apparently its because on several occasions now Aaron has been mistaken for John, who is in fact nearly 50, same hair style though (short back and shine) this was starting to rattle Aaron, so he decided to have a go at me to take the pressure off. No problem mate, what ever works for you!! - Ageist

Easy run tomorrow 45 to 50 mins with lots of stretching, I am feeling real good and can't wait.

Bye for now.

Chris

Wednesday 11th March..

2009-03-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Aaron...
Debuted the compression tights today and they are the mutts nuts, even Chris said he thought they looked pretty good and I am sure he now wants a pair. Nice easy run today which was good about 12km and body is feeling really good. We are planning to run the Peak tomorrow and I am hoping we can do it a little faster than my efforts of Tuesday but that will depend on the elder statesman of the team and how his calf holds up. Chris felt almost youth-like while John was running with us but since his departure from the team Chris has had to take on the mature role which is pretty easy for him considering his age. The website flyer's are beginning to appear about the village which continues to raise the profile and I have had a few people stop me on the street and wish us good luck having either read one of the newspaper articles or having seen a flyer and that always gives you a boost. Until tomorrow Kia Kaha Aaron

Wednesday 11th March 2009

2009-03-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Chris...

As I said in my last blog, I had a bit of a niggle over the weekend with my calf, it turns out that i have a small tear in my calf muscle, which I have sorted out by having a couple of days off running, a bit of physio, compliments of Haley, ice and a compression bandage. It seems to be doing the trick I had an easy run today with Aaron, I reckon it was about 12k and I felt good, I ran from my house prior to meeting up so I should have got in about 16k. I could still feel the calf and had to chop back from time to time but all in all I think that I will be just fine.

Talking of niggles, Aaron ran in his new compression tights today - even Ben the dog laughed, he didn't seem to mind though and stepped out loud and proud, he reckons they are the biz. I won't go into too much detail but just lets say he ain't no Linford Christie !! I just felt sorry for Lucie !!

We are meeting up tomorrow to do the peak from the village domain which should be around 15k so looking forward to that. We are talking about doing a 20 to 25k on Saturday before chopping right back for the last week - it can't come quick enough now.

Bye for now. Chrissss

Tuesday 10th March...

2009-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Aaron...
Well it looks as though the curse of the calf has hit Chris with confirmation of a tear in his left calf last night, he has done everything by the book though and I have no doubt he will be back at 100% in 3 maybe 4 days. Its lucky in a way it is now rather than a month ago as he has done all of the hard yards and we are now scaling back. I have to be honest and say that I don't think I have done enough hill work and its playing on my mind a little, I went up the Peak today and it took longer than I was expecting but managed to not stop so that was a good thing. Flats tomorrow then another assault on the Peak on Thursday and we will see how we go. I called into the physio on the way back down and picked up a snazzy pair of compression tights so I will look like a right fruitcake now but if they do the trick I am really not bothered. One look at me and I think you will know I gave up caring about looks a long time ago, no blonde hair dyes for me aye Chris!
Lucie has taken to the fundraising trail and is going around some of the local businesses and getting flyer's up where she can, she is a pretty determined woman so I am sure we will see flyer's up all over town by the end of the week. There is also a really good article about Gina and the Triple Peaks in the Village Press today and I am sure Chris will try and get it onto the website somehow. Well that's all for now so keep smiling and catch you later. Kia Kaha Aaron.

Monday 9th March...

2009-03-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Aaron,
I always enjoy reading Chris' blogs, some "interesting" anecdotes I must say. I enjoyed most of the run on Saturday but the Peak was tough and I had really started to feel my legs as we crossed through the Tainui Reserve and headed up the track. As a side note it never ceases to amaze me how many people are on the Peak doing the fitness thing over a weekend, its great to see and I think Kiwi's by and large really do get out there and just do it, at least the 30+ age group.
I broke first on Saturday regarding feeling drained and doing it tough but received quick agreement from Chris as he was feeling it as well. The Goat Track was once again unrelenting and I walked a bit more than we had previously but I kept trying to keep up a bounce up the track but as Chris was the leader whenever he stopped I didn't complain and was happy to suck in some heavy breaths! We had a great run down though and we had a couple of fellow competitors in the way of Lisa Birkett and Ali Every behind us that we had no intention of letting them get the better of us. Bit stiff and sore Saturday and Sunday but a nice gentle jog with Chris around Anderson Park was ideal tonic. Have to say I was a bit worried about Chris' calf as sometimes little niggles like that in a bloke of his advanced years can take a while to heal but he is doing all the icing etc and a visit to a physio should see him right. That's all for now and today is a rest day, I love rest days, so will do my best to update every day from now on with only 13 days till the starters gun...Kia Kaha Aaron.

Saturday 7th March 2009

2009-03-07T23:19:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Easy run yesterday in and around Havelock with Aaron in preparation for today, we ran for just over an hour probably about 15k.

Up bright and early today, we had arranged to meet at the village pool at 06:30 (still dark) for our long run of the week. I have to say that I was not looking forward to this at all but I woke up feeling ok and pretty optimistic considering. We set off with the idea we were going to do the Te Aute / Crystal road / Endsleigh loop which we had done some weeks previous but to then loop the peak twice in order to do over distance for this week, being our last long run before the big day.
Jesse could only do the first part of the run as he had a prior engagement (shagging) so he had to leave us before we hit the peak.
All was going fine we were about 1hr 30 in, we turned up a slight inclice when I got a twinge in my calf muscle, not exactly painfull but more uncomfortable I shortened up my stride but it just got worse. We stopped for a stretch (not sure whether that was right or wrong) and then carried on taking short easy strides. I soon got back into the run and all seemed fine, we cut through Taunui reserve and headed for the goat track and the peak. This is where it went from bad to worse, not with my leg but with a total lack of energy I just could not keep running and had to knock it back and walk most of the climb, I was not on my own as this is when Aaron decided to share with me every ache and pain he had ever had and I could clearly hear him puffing and panting behind me. We hit the top and decided that doing the peak twice in our present form would be a bad idea so we headed off home. Still it was over 30k and we got back under 2hours 30 so should be pleased, not too sure whether it was good for us mentally though as confidence, especially Aarons was sky high prior to this and he seemed to be on a bit of a downer after this run.

I have taken Aarons advice on my calf and kept it on ice and heavily strapped all day and so far it feels good, although there is definitely a niggle of some sort. I will see what the weekend brings.

Friday 6th March...

2009-03-05T21:37:00.000-08:00

Aaron.

Well it has been a week or so since I last logged on and I feel a bit guilty about that and I was meant to finish this on Friday but it didn't happen. So just a bit of a re-cap on the previous couple of weeks starting with the BIG ONE that Jesse and I did on the 28th Feb while Chris was playing with the Dolphin in Mahia and probably having a few more Nana Naps. I woke about 1.30am on Saturday morning for a call of nature to hear the first drops of rain on the roof which quickly became a downpour and I thought hear we go next I will be getting a text from Jesse to pull the pin on the run. I left home at 6.15am in the pouring rain convinced that I would be running the Tuki Marathon on my own but as I rounded the corner of Chambers I saw Jesse there which was good as I didn't fancy a solo run. I must have been really well hydrated as I managed no less than 4 decent toilet stops on the way round and that's just while I was running with the young fella, not to mention the stop on the way to meet him. We kept up a decent pace despite the horrendous weather conditions, and to finish the distance in 3hrs20mins was a real boost. It didn't hurt as much as the previous time with Chris but the mind and body were starting to cry out for the end as we pushed on up Te Mata road. The Domain was a welcome sight and I cannot tell you how pleased I was to complete the distance and adding on the 3-4km from home it was a really pleasing effort. I have to say that I was stoked to see Lucie and the kids just over half way round, it gave me a real boost and they came bearing bananas, Leppins and water and big smiles all round, thanks guys your support was and continues to be fantastic.
I think as a direct result of my naivety I ran too early the following week and picked up a little niggle but nothing to worry about. Had a couple of decent runs with Chris during the week and he was keen for another big Tuki loop on Saturday but I have managed to convince him to do another loop to include the Peak so looking forward to that....Kia Kaha Aaron

Thursday 5th March 2009

2009-03-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Had a day off yesterday, not fealing to good, I don't know what was up I just never had any energy and felt drained, to be honest it has been like that over the last week or so. Today I was much the same but thought that I better get out and do something. Aaron is away with work for a few days and text me to say that he has picked up another injury and is a bit worried, Jesse is busy with his school work and is running his own program during the week, so off I went up the peak from my house (about 18k) all on my own. As I said I was not fealing at all strong and struggled all the way up but managed to keep going and made it home without stopping. Hoping that I sort myself out soon as time is flying by, I have been full of confidence over the last month, i had started to think and we had even talked about getting around in a fast time but today brought me back down to earth and I am back to thinking that just making it round the course will be good enough.
Gunna hit the hay early tonight and try and sort my head out.

Tuesday 3rd March 2009

2009-03-02T23:22:00.000-08:00

Chris....

Back again after what seems like ages, I have still been running 6 out of 7 days but because i have been so busy with work, the web site, and trying to get some money in, i just have not had time to update the blog. Yeh i know i just need to harden up and keep on top of things but its easier said than done.

Any how i am not the only one who has not been updating - Aaron, Jesse - hint! hint!

In short I have ran each day with Aaron, Tuesday to Sunday with Monday as a rest day and we have varied the runs as much as we can with distances from 15 to 20+ - running on the flats and hills and doing the Peak at least once a week. Nothing to difficult we are both fealing realy gd. We have saved our big runs for the Saturday morning reaching 35k a couple of weeks ago which i blogged.

Last week i was away for the weekend so i had do the long run by myself on the Friday. I thought that i would just do the same Tuki route as the week before but maybe aim for a faster time. I took a slightly different route to the week before thinking it would be the same or at least a bit longer so i was well pleased when i came home in under 2hrs 30min, i came crashing down to earth when it was maped at 2 k's less. It would have still been 10mins faster than the week before when i worked it out but still it was a bit dissapointing.

Aaron and Jesse i am sure will update their own blog but i will give you a taste because i think they did awesome, they ran 42k (marathon) in 3hrs 20mins and said that they felt great, dont you just hate that when it happens!!

I will try and update on a daily basis from now on until the run - 2 weeks on Saturday !!

Bye for now

Tuesday 17th February 2009

2009-02-16T22:58:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Went for a quick blast up the peak today with Aaron. We set off again from the Havelock Domain and headed straight up Duart Road, nice and easy does it.

I had decided well before todays run that next time I did the peak I was going to do it without walking. I had purposely kept this challenge to myself (just in case), anyway I kept to my word and manage a walk free peak, which I am well pleased with.

I put todays success down to mainly pacing I shortened my stride up when hitting the hills and kept it short when going down which might sound odd but it seemed to work. The other thing I did was pick points out, maybe 10 metres ahead and aim for that and then when I reached it I chose another one, like a rock or a tuft of grass or even a sheep, although I would not choose the last one again as the bugger kept moving, again this really helped and I will deffinitely use it next time, (good tip Aaron)

Bye.

Monday 16th February 09

2009-02-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

Chris.....

Well happy with the run on Saturday, the only niggle was my knees 35k on the road and they were getting sore. No problem though I never felt like stopping and I could have carried on for a few more k at the end if needed. We even had enough energy for a bit of a blast down Te Mata road to try and get in before the 2:48 time from the week previous, I think we might have done it as well, untill Aaron was stopped by some oldie asking for directions to the Peak.

I have a good routine going now, I take Leppins every 45 minutes, whilst sipping water constantly, time just seems to fly by and I am always amazed with the time when we finish.

I will admit to having a bit of a 'siesta' about lunch time, it was only for an hour and as I say it was a 'siesta not a nana nap as Aaron keeps calling it. All in all I felt great and looking forward to next weeks big one.

Day off today, back at it tomorrow when we are planning on hitting the Peak.

Bye for now

Monday 16th February

2009-02-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

Aaron...
Just Chris and I out for our Saturday morning run this week with Jesse away in Taupo and John struck down with a touch of sciatica. We took on the Tuki loop, 35.2km return to Johns house and we did it in 2hrs48mins which I think we were both pretty stoked about. Must say the run hurt a bit on Saturday in my feet, ankles and knees, its a long way on the roads and we have had the "luxury" of doing a fair bit off road on the long runs so this was new for us. Recovered really quickly though and I felt pretty good on Saturday evening and again on Sunday which I was pleased about. Went for a quick run with Chris again on Sunday through the tracks on Tannui reserve which was good to run out the legs after Saturday. 32 days to go and I think we are looking OK, another couple of long runs over the next couple of weeks before we start tapering back and hopefully she will be all good on the day. Kia Kaha Aaron

Tuesday 10th February 2009

2009-02-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

Aaron...
Well I thought I would ass my thoughts on Saturdays run which in hindsight was a goodin but to be honest I thought we went out too fast and also did the Peak too quickly and I hit a bit of a wall on the way up. I have always been told that the long runs should be long and slow, even a bit embarassingly slow and we didn't do that on Saturday. I am hoping that the run this week will be longer and a notch down on pace but we will see what the old fellas have instore for us. Chris and I went for a run up the Peak today which I really enjoyed although getting passed by a runner on the way up was a bit of a reality check for us I think and a bit gutting to be honest. Tomorrow we are going to do another lunchtime run, 10kms as quick as we can so looking forward to that and will see how we go. The body is holding together (just) although my knee is starting to blow up a little and my right foot is a bit painful and swelling up and the ankle I turned on Sunday is a little tender but all manageble and you just deal with them and keep knocking the kms over. 39 days I believe give or take and the excitement is quietly building. kia Kaha Aaron

Sunday 8th February 2009

2009-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Had a good run out on Saturday, we ran for time again aiming for 3hrs in total but for some reason we ran a lot faster than last week. The run was 2.2k longer than the week previous but we came home in 2hrs 48min compared to 2hr 45min, so as you can see the pace was well up. I have to say that i did prefer the faster pace as it just felt more comfortable than the week before which seemed a real plod. I made sure that I kept myself well hydrated and for the first time I ran while taking Leppin every 45min. I am not sure whether physically there was a huge difference because I am not experienced enough but psychologically it gave me a huge boost. The old fellas did real good and I am well pleased with our progress.

Today was just Aaron and myself as John had hit the gym earlier and got stuck into his boxing training. We went for a short run of about 1hr for recovery after yesterdays big hit. We took it real easy setting off from Aarons house and hitting Tainui reserve, running up and down the tracks, it was soft under foot and nice and cool out of the sun. It was real good and I was glad I had pushed myself into turning up as I was still a bit stiff from the day before and had not really fancied running at all. You need to concentrate around there though as it is a bit dodgy under foot in places, lots of ruts and tree roots to negotiate, one nearly had Aaron towards the end we were heading down a steep slope picking up the pace and chatting away, when over he went - that's multi tasking for you !! Only girls can do that.

Day off tomorrow, with an easy run with my boy just a jog out maybe 3k in all. I will pick things up again on Tuesday with an early start

Bye for now.

Saturday 7th February 2009

2009-02-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

John....

I have finaly got round to writing something. I have been back to the UK over the Christmas period. It was bloody freezing and made me realise why I moved to Hawkes Bay. On returning I was pleased to see Chris and Aaron running like they have been doing it for years. We have now entered the serious phase of running for three hours plus once a week, and one and a half to two hours in the middle of the week.
Today was the a good hard run with Aaron running for an extra 15 mins at the end just to shame us lazy poms.But all joking aside to see the progress in Chris and Aaron has been outstanding. Their commitment and the determination has been exceptional. I have trained and run with sub 2.20hr marathon runners and Chris and Aaron match them all with their heart and determination. To think just 5 months ago 5Klms was a push for them.

Tuesday 3rd February 2009

2009-02-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Had a day off yesterday (Monday) - well deserved i thought and needed it to0. Back to the grind today with an early run 5:50 with John, easy and flat - good pace though, around 12k in all. Ben the dog is a bit under the weather and according to the vet his running days might be over but we will have to wait and see. Jesse is busy with school and Aaron is busy with his house and work so they are running at different times but hopefully by the end of the week we will be back together for the big one on Saturday.

Sunday 1st February 2009

2009-01-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

Chris...

It's been a hard week on the road this week topping the 100k mark but still feeling good. We all got together on Saturday morning and set out for time, steady away, chatting all the way round. We hit the roads first taking in Te Aute road, School rd onto Endsleigh loop then back into Havelock via Iona and Tanner Street before heading up Pufflett and through Tainui reserve then onto Tauroa and up the peak via the goat track we reckon it was 25 k plus and we did it in 2 hours and 43 minutes. The plan was to run between two and half and three hours, running strong but comfortable. Next weekend we are planning on doing the same but running for three to three and a half hours so we will be extending the end of the run in and around Havelock. We are about 7 weeks out so the build up over the next 4 weeks will be pretty intense, all good though with confidence building to new highs.

Tara for now Chrisssssss

Thursday 29th Jan 2009

2009-01-28T15:16:00.000-08:00

Chris....

Well I got back from the Summer Champs and a bit of a break in Mahia on Friday, I will be honest in telling you that i have done very little training in the time i was away, only managing a few runs in total. I was really busy, getting up early and finishing late each day. When I did get time to run it was just too dam hot.

I have been assured that Aaron and the boys have been putting in the miles, they have just neglected to udate the blog, understandable for John as he still does not know how to put on an update (my fault not shown him yet), Aaron could possibly be forgiven because he must be well busy moving into his new house (lots of rooms - lots of christening to do !!!!) but Jesse I will be having a quiet word in the young mans ear !!

Done a few runs with Aaron over the last week and I have to say that he has really got the running bug (and legs) making me work all the way round on a couple of decent runs - well impressed, keep it up buddy !

Did a 12k with John this morning nice and easy all the way round, us old boys know how to go, saving ourselves for the big one at the weekend.

I have just about blown off the cobwebs after taking time off but i think it will be another week or so until I am as comfortable as I was before I went away. It is surprising how much fitness you can loose in such a short time, months and months to get your fitness and you can loose it in just a couple of weeks!!

We are all getting together on Saturday morning to do a long one, planning on running for up to 3 hours taking in the peak a couple of times during the run. I will keep you posted

Tuesday 13th Jan 2009 P.M

2009-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Yep got myself a Camelbak so ended up going for another run, which will probably be a regular occurrence from here on in. Only managed 7k as I had to go to work but I am glad that I have got the pack now rather than later as I think it will take some getting used too. The water sloshing around is one thing that irritates, never mind the straps across my chest.

Going away for the Summer Swim Comp, then taking a few days at Mahia beach with my family so i will not be updating the blog for a couple of weeks but will still be running and hopefully I will be able to give an outline of my runs when I return.

Tuesday 13th Jan 2009

2009-01-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Up early 5:00 and on the road at 5:30 we set off easy building up to a decent pace but tried to keep a conversation going all the way round. The run was mostly flat taking in a few hills at the end 10k in all, quick stretch off and home for breakfast - easy.
I am going to buy a Camelbak today and will probably put in a few more k's by the end of the day I will let you know.
Bye for now.

Monday 12th Jan 2009

2009-01-12T16:48:00.000-08:00

Chris...

Did the peak yesterday with Aaron, we set off from my house which I map at around 17k ish. We ran up by the goat trak only walking twice once by the fossils and again on the last leg of the peak. I felt strong talking most of the way, it was by far I thought our best effort yet. Aaron was using his Camelbak with an energy drink mix and I have got to say that he looked far more refreshed than I did on our return, I think that a belated xmas present is coming my way.
Up early tomorrow 5:00 for a quick 10k will let you know how it goes

Wed 7th Jan

2009-01-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Aaron...well the swim on Monday went well but I am no Michael Phelps, thats for sure. Caught up with Jesse during the day and we made a plan to meet at 6am at mine the next morning to do the goat track. Tuesday dawns and Jesse and I ended up running to the water tanks on Te Mata via the tracks, and I felt every day of the 22 years difference between our ages! Must be great being 16, fit and not carrying 86kgs up the peak, but recovered quickly again on the downhill and felt great during the day. We are up early again tomorrow and will be doing the goat track so that will be another testing start to the day but the more of these I get under my belt the better, especially as Chris has plans to do the Peak twice on one run this weekend! I went for a "fast" 8km run this morning and managed to keep a pretty good pace up for the full distance, this place is beautiful at 6am in the morning and the sun rising across HB is awesome and it makes the early morning call a lot easier to get up to. I will report back on the goat track tomorrow and hope that Jesse takes it easy on the old fulla. Kia Kaha

Monday 5th Jan 2009...

2009-01-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Aaron...75 days to go, well I thought it best we have some sort of grand countdown to the big day. Ran the Peak yesterday with Chris and Ben and went up via the Goat trail which highlighted to me that there is no respite on this challenge as we had to walk on a couple of sections prior to the top and it was tough. Felt pretty good though and recovered quickly for the descent but I for one need more practice on the downhill as Chris and Ben flew down the trail like a couple of goats while I plundered along. I found it tough but must say once home I recovered pretty well and felt great in the evening. With today as a rest day (from running) I am off for a swim at lunchtime which I am looking forward to and I think I will run the Peak tomorrow and launch into a quick 10-12k run on Wednesday. We are looking to click things up a gear now and we need to be ready for John's return in a week or so as I am sure he will want to really start pushing us. Thats all for now, Kia Kaha, Aaron.

Saturday 3rd Jan 2009

2009-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

Chris...

First runs of the New Year and all is going well. Started with an easy run with Aaron on Friday about 10k just to blow off the cobwebs. Got up a bit earlier today, joining Aaron at about 7 ish for a 15.5 k around Havelock. We took it easy again, Aaron is still recovering from his calf injury and we did not want to aggravate anything. We got back within 1 hour 15 and I have to say that it was real easy, we were both talking non stop all the way round. It is good to see that Aaron has not lost any fitness at all and his calf muscle is recovering well, all credit to him for listening to the physio and wearing his "girlie" stockings at night.
Doing the Peak tomorrow night hopefully this time without stopping !!

Tuesday 30th December 08

2008-12-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

Chris...

I have not done a great deal of training over the Christmas period but managed a couple decent runs one of which was on Christmas day and I felt real good.

Started back on a program with Aaron on Monday but made the mistake of running in the midday heat and struggled to say the least, I should have taken notice of the the blog Jesse wrote and maybe I just might have learned something. Anyway went for another run with Aaron today - again in the heat of the day (i will never learn) and yes I just about melted, having to sit in my swimming pool for an hour to cool off whilst drinking so much water I could have been mistaken for a camel. Two good runs though totaling over 28k with another planned for tomorrow.

Hope you all have a safe and prosperous new year

Back on the bike, so to speak - 29th Dec

2008-12-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

Aaron...well I have to say I got the sort of all clear to try a few little walk/jogs over Christmas and went for a run on Boxing Day, the 27th and 28th the first was 10k building up to a 12k yesterday and the calf felt great. It felt good to be running again and Chris and I are looking at a cheeky 12k at lunch time today. Didn't overdo the food or booze over Christmas and I dont tend to eat a lot when its hot. January is going to be a busy month as we amp up the training and I am also moving house but looking forward to it all. Spoke to a couple of guys who have done the Triple Peaks before and soaked up a bit more advice and its always good to speak to people who have been there and done that. I think I need to pull my head in a bit as a couple of people have mentioned a few ideas for our next challenge but I really need to get through this one first. Kia Kaha

Sunday 28th December

2008-12-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

Jesse......

After a little Christmas rest I thought I better fight of bulges of the Christmas ham when mum offered to drive me out to run with the girls at 5PM. The pace was slow, so I was relieved when I went my own way along Iona Road back into Havelock. Everything was fine until the heat finally got to me when I reached pufflet Road, resulting in a few stops of chundering. A good lesson for me though, never to go running at 5PM without drinking enough water!!! (Let alone just running at 5PM!!). I managed to walk my way up Tanner and picked up the pace down Duart. Definatly a wake up call to my body on how important water intake is, especially in these sorts of heats! New Years resolution is to pick up the training more to get prepared for challenge ahead of us!!

:)

Saturday 20th December

2008-12-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Photo: John, Chris & Ben!

Jesse....

Here I am with my first blog entry after being prompted to by Chris! Had a great run this morning despite the early morning wake up for my paper run before hand! Luckily I inflicted no injuries from the previous nights paintball game running amongst trees in the darkness (surely an accident waiting to happen!). We were off by 7.30am doing a loop run which totalled roughly 20KM, which gave me the initial thought of the scale on triple peaks, that we would be running nearly 2 1/2 the distance we did today, with some massive challenges in the hills! But in saying that, Im proud to be part of the crew, and after each run I get a sense of satisfaction that Im able to help! Also, Aaron Chris & John are great guys and always seem to have an interesting story to tell along the way! The challenge for me, is more than just the run, first of all its a great way to help raise money for the services that assisted Georgina throughout her treatment, and its to show others and myself, that determination can help you exceed your expectations!

Getting back onto the run, I think we were all comfortable with where we are at, crusing along at a comfortable speed, which allowed John to whip out some helpful advice for the day! I ended up getting a bit of the stitch around endsleigh, but staunched it out and it ceased after we got to Iona (funny that, something must have taken my mind off it!).

Overall I am happy with where I am at for this time, but I am aware that there is a lot to go!!

Thursday Dec 18th

2008-12-18T00:43:00.000-08:00

Aaron...or should that be "sick note". Up nice and early today for my walk as prescribed by the physio, felt like a cop out but if its part of the bigger picture to get me running again then no worries. Managed to make a few calls for work on the way round so not all lost. Unfortunately within 1/2 an hour of finishing my walk I was driving the porcelin bus after a rapid onset of what I can only suspect was a touch of food poisoning, whats their slogan "Eat fresh" - yeah right!! Managed to get ready for work and into the car but had to make a stop on Lawn Road and I must have looked a state, bent over double on the side of the road. Thought that clean out would do the trick but only just managed to make my parents place in Clive before I was crook again. I then raised the white flag and had a couple of hours kip and managed to make work about 12.30. Just a bad spell I hope and will be back into it in no time.
My 6 year old daughther came home from school yesterday with the news that one of her classmates has been flown to Starship Hospital urgently. We are not sure of what is wrong but it doesn't sound great and makes you think that there are families out there suffering everyday and that is why this Trust and Challenge are so important as we know only to well through Chris and Debbie how important the support services and organisations for famlies with sick children are.
Thats all from me, I will sign off before I manage to do some damage to myself typing. Kia Kaha.

Thursday 18th Dec 2008

2008-12-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

Chris...
I had a few beers at the xmas quize night with Aaron on Tuesday so I was a bit worse for ware to say the least all day wednesday, needless to say I had a day off from running putting all my efforts into nursing my hangover. Like Aaron since starting all this running lark I have virtually given up on the booze, so now I'm anybodies after only 3 or 4 drinks - cheap date or what.

Got up nice and early today 05:30 arranging to meet with the veteran John before 06:00 - we did an easy to moderate run, half flat and half hills around Havelock totaling 12.5k taking about 55 mins. We both felt real good barely breaking into a sweat and talking all the way round.

Training is going good, we just need Aaron back on his feet, then we can start picking up the pace. Planning on doing a long run again over the weekend and maybe even the peak - stay tuned.

Wednesday 17th Dec

2008-12-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

Aaron...the calf twinge has turned out to be a tear and I am now going to physio to get sorted. Pretty gutted not being able to run for the next week or so but will have to up the rowing and do some cycling as well. So its obviously my turn to break down every 5 minutes as this calf injury comes on the back of the knee I injured after my guest appearance for the Beckenham Vets rugby team in the UK, yep I know, I am too old to be doing silly thing like that. Still I am pretty pleased with where we are at considering 4 months ago I was struggling with a 5km run and keeping up with Chris, to now knocking off a 24.5km run last Saturday. I have noticed that my ability to drink alcohol in any quantity has diminished substantially and a couple of pints now results in a hangover for the best part of the next day, I like my beer so I might have to work on that one. Initially I did have some quiet reservations about this challenge and thought that as a mid life crisis this was not exactly what I had in mind, but now, after the weekend I am pretty excited about it and I look forward to getting out on the roads. Kia Kaha.

Tuesday 16th Dec 2008

2008-12-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

Chris...
I ran in the P.M [19:00hrs] today for the first time in ages, I struggled at first seemingly lacking any energy after a days work but soon managed to pick things up. It was supposed to be an easy 16k but it ended up being a bit of a speed workout as I was listening to some of my daughters favourite tracks, the more upset i felt the faster i ran. Poor Ben he was knackered.
Good run though [should have had the clock running]

Monday 15th Dec 2008

2008-12-15T00:36:00.000-08:00

Chris..
Sunday ended up being a rest day for me due to work and an early start, so today was my first run since saturday and I was a bit stiff to say the least. I decided on a half flat and half hill run at a moderate pace, totaling 15k around Havelock. I was late up missing my run time and with a busy morning ahead I ended up running in the mid day heat. Big mistake I just melted out there and Ben the dog did not fair much better, I was practically dragging him around. I have learnt my lesson though, I will set the alarm from now on - early is best!!

Saturday 13th Dec 2008

2008-12-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Chris...
Well I thought that I would get things started, hopefully the rest will follow.
We got together on Saturday to do our first long run (24.5k in total) this was done at an easy pace with the three of us talking all the way round. I was suprised when we came home in just under the 2 hour mark at 1 hour 56 minutes. All was good until Aaron got a bit of a twinge in his lower calf heading up Tainui Drive, which incidentally coincided with the realisation for Aaron that the 20k run had turned into a 25k run. The winging was fast and furious but soon abated when the wheezing took over at top of the hill. John meanwhile got caught short and had to answer the call of nature, so if you were doing a bit of gardening over the weekend and you thought that the Great Dane next door had left you a present - think again!!!

All in all a good run and I am well pleased with the progress we have all made. Keep up with the hard work boys.