Oh, to have time!

It's been a while since Logan and I went for a ride, or a run, and it's mostly because we've both been busy. When you are at capacity, timing your free slots with another equally busy individual is often impossible. However, when we last had a big chat, Logan said that training for an event was his motivation, so event hunting we went.

Our first option, seriously considered, was the Twizel Hard Labour Weekend which would involve a 44km mountain bike ride, a 90km road ride and a 19km hill run. I was the one with the issue here as my shins blow out after just a few km, so we did some training runs (Logan was training for the SBS (half)Marathon at the time) and I came to the conclusion that my legs would not be ready for a 19km run by the end of October, let alone a hill run. Plus, being out of town we'd have to organise families and all that... Sigh. Maybe next year.

Second option that presented itself, and is still an opportunity, is Le Petit Brevet 2010 which is a 300km mountain bike ride through the hills in 36 hours. I have seen the preliminary course map, and it includes 5.8km of elevation in it. Crikey. Advantages of this is that it's free to enter (and no prize money) and it's local. While there would be a bit of walking involved with the tandem, we'd be able to ride a vast majority of it. The problem is that it is a huge undertaking and will require long and extensive training rides in preparation for it, and we just don't have that kind of time.

And then I had an idea. I contacted Barbara from Events with Purpose about the Blokes Tri she runs. I had done it last year and figured it would be a local event we could easily train for as it's short, sharp, familiar and pretty cheap too!  While there is no tandem class, Barbara said we could sign up and so we did. Yep, we're taking on the series. Because I haven't been swimming with Logan before, and time is of the essence for us, we opted for the duathlon instead of the triathlon.

The first event is the 3rd October, about 7 weeks away. With a 1km run, 10km ride and 3km run, I know we can physically do it right now without any additional training required, but that's just an excuse. Eventually the ride is 20km and the run is 1+5km, a distance I cannot as yet complete without shin failure. So, jogging training is required, more for me than Logan, but there is of course one more challenge awaiting us. Transition!

As a sighted individual, transition can be quick and streamlined. But, with the Logan and the tandem it's going to require some practice. So, my first training session with Logan is going to be hell for him. Poor bugger. As we need to work on transitions and jogging and riding, we'll do laps on bike and foot, repetitively. I have a 650m circuit organised, on soft surface, so we can do 3 laps on bike at sprint pace, then transition to running for 2 laps, then transition back to bike, run, bike, run, you get my drift. As it's close to Logans house, I can work him till he cries, then wheel him home again. Unfortunately, I'll be working just as hard too and will have to make my own way home :(

So, that's the plan. October 3rd we rise early and do a duathlon as the sun rises, then learn from our experience for the next one in November. Between now and then, lots of short and sharp training sessions. Sprints and explosive power and probably a few tears too.

Is this a new beginning?

Well, it's been a hectic 2010, but there has been nowhere near enough time in the saddle for either me or Logan. Partly because Logans new position in his job had him working hard and travelling to distant lands on erratic timetables, and I was loaded to the eyeballs with work, projects and other time shattering commitments. 

We did manage to squeeze in a Close Up interview for BikeWise month tho.

And before we knew it, it's Easter. Not only that, but this Easter is a little special, because Logan has a new job. Yep, he's no longer a travelling salesman for the Blind Foundation's technology division, he's moved into government. No, don't panic, he's not in parliament, he's headed off to be a team leader or some such thing for ACC. Some poor buggers are about to have a very bad week...

So, we took the bike out for the first of many new adventures yesterday. It was a quick jaunt, just 32km. We headed to Bottle Lake for the usual circuit, but decided to spice it up a bit. There has been plenty of logging out there, and most of the tracks have recovered, but there are new ones and alterations to existing ones, so I'm not 100% on line/speed yet. However, after a quick discussion, we decided to hit a bit of track we had avoided in all of our previous visits. It's not too bad, just a bit more hilly, sharp and technical. But at one stage there is a drop, sharp right, sharp left, then sudden climb that had me worried. Oh, and the fact that it was part of the logging section, so many parts were new too. 

We tackled the new track like a couple of mad buggers out to cause chaos and spit in the eye of fate. It was going well, and then we arrived at the spot where I had always had issues when I first started riding here years ago. The hill-zig-zag-hill. I had already told Logan there was a 98% chance of failure, that we'd hit it, push, stop, and fail. But, maybe because fate had misplaced us, or maybe it was the trimming of the trees, or some other obviously mystical event (it was zombie jesus weekend after all!) but we hammered up that little hill and made it to the top. Fantastic! We paused, gloated, then headed off again and completed the loop back to the carpark in good spirits, mostly because it was a tailwind home. I had other plans tho, and while we cruised, chatted and planned, I was preparing for the roundabout as that was my mental mark. 

Once we're through the roundabout, I put another gear or two on, and we push a little harder. The wind is behind us and the road is pretty flat. The tyres are huge, knobbly and slow, but we'll just have to live with that for now. I want a consistent push home. From the roundabout at Marshland Road to Main North Road is about 3km and I wanted 30kph+ for the entire thing, or at least most of it. So, I started peddling harder, Logan did too. We quickly got to 33kph, and held it till a rough section on a slight incline were we were sitting on 28-29 but then quickly got back over 30kph for the second half. I think that if we had easier rolling tyres, we'd fly down there, but I'm not a fan of slicks on the mountainbike tracks. Might pay to change the mud-monsters tho.

During the ride, Logan was talking about plans to get a new, fully suspended bike, like an Ellsworth. Big $$ but leaps and bounds ahead of the current setup (frame-wise) and will make riding a lot more comfortable for Logan too. If you have a swag of cash you're not using post-recession, we'll whore ourselves out for you.

Something else he was talking about was an annual event to take on. We've done Molesworth Muster and the Rainbow Rage, both of which would be perfect to take on again were it not for the logistics of the event itself. Tekapo is similar, but it's the same weekend as the SBS marathon which Logan is training for, and is only a dozen weeks away. So, I'm researching some epic rides, something to train for, preferably October+ this year. Something run each year that we can benchmark and train to. Suggestions are welcome.

We'll be back to regular rides once Logan is settled again. We still haven't tested if the tandem can do the moguls at McLeans Island yet, and Logan is keen on taking on some quite long and difficult rides too, like double-fenceline. Gulp.