Thursday 31 December 2009

Happy New Year


Apparently myself and my fellow NZ1 passengers were the first people on earth to see the first sunrise of 2010. No sooner had we crossed the dateline than the sun started to rise over the Pacific.

The journey was long but not that bad - plenty of movies and some sleep after leaving LAX have left me feeling tired but not completely disorientated. Unpacking and re-packing in a small hotel room has left me feeling a bit dizzy though, so i will take the chance for some fresh air and go for a 20min run soon.

I have met up with a few fellow campers (campee's?) and the mood seems bouyant and excited. Some Aussies, Americans, Canadians and a few Brits make up the 25 of us. People are friendly and the banter is already starting. Oh, and no one has any hair on their legs. And everyone is ripped. Its like walking through a moving Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue - needless to say i'm sucking in my mince pie belly and wishing I had put more work in on the guns.

the official start of camp is tomorrow where we gather at midday for a welcome briefing before getting a 4hr bus ride to Kaitia, our first stop of the camp. Training starts on Sunday from the northernmost tip of the North island - Cape Reinga. Details to follow tomorrow,

My prep for this camp has been great, well October and November were excellent. The weather and travelling in December put paid to any big bike work in the final 14 days. As such I feel like I am coming in very rested but slightly underdone. I think I probably peaked in early December and have lost a few% since then (with the compromise that I have shed all the fatigue from a solid 10 week cycle)

Looking at my numbers I have done more training hours in the last 12 weeks than I did in the 12 weeks prior to Ironman Austria this year, which is a good confidence booster. However on the flip side my body composition has slipped slightly in the past few (Christmas dinner(s) weeks). I am currently about 81kg, which is 5kg more than Austria and 3kg more than I wanted to be at this point.

As for my strategy - well its pretty simple: survive. Complete the camp minimums. Anything else is a bonus. From day 4 its all new territory. No ego riding in the first few days (by all accounts the first few days are very lumpy which should serve to break the pack up) and no heroics.

I'll leave them 'till the second week :-)

3 comments:

  1. This blog is dated 31st Dec 2009 and you talk about having seen sunrise on 1st Jan 2010 ... arrrgghh .... all too confusing for me this early on New Year's day!
    I like the photo. Hope you will find time to take more in between all the cycling, running and swimming.
    Wendy

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  2. Hi Rob, Nicola told me what you are about to do, and I think it's awesome. You will cycle the distance I cycle in about six months in two weeks :-) Unbelievable!

    Good luck and a happy new year!

    Annelies & Jeroen

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  3. Good luck Rob! Like you say, don't overcook it in the first week and tough it out in the second. You will do it!

    All the best

    RichO

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