A few miles

Eight weeks of running and speed and I've been getting pretty sharp. It's been great to mix up the training with a block of higher intensity stuff. I reckon my running is down towards 5/10k PB territory, which is a first since I've come to NZ.

Now with 9 weeks to IM Taupo it's time to get those longer endurance sessions in. Unfortunately, I've taken the extended Christmas Hols and summer sun to get some longer runs in and gone a little off programme (sorry Dave).

Last weds, after a pub (albeit not drunk) conversation the week before, Chris Swallow, local off road run star, and I hatched a plan to try and do something a bit special before Christmas. Earlier in the year I'd missed out on racing the local Southern Crossing mountain race as I hadn'trun the route before. After a pint and some banter it seemed a great idea to try and run the point to point route twice. At 36k+ for once over it was always going to be a big day.

Anyway 16hrs was all it took! And we made the local rag

http://i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6193484/Lunatics-run-double-Southern-Crossing

After some RnR over Christmas I flew up to Auckland yesterday to try and ride home,via the East Cape, in 4 days. The route is around 1200k and I only pushed out 200 yesterday after a late start. So that's over 200 miles (320k) a days to do the next three days.

Right now I'm I. whakatane having second breakfast, 80k into day 2. Every inch seems to be headwind so here's hoping when I get up to the top of the cape it'll be on my back.

More later
LP