Epic Camp NZ 2010 Day 12 Tara

Day 12: Christchurch to Geraldine

Totals:

Run: 18k trail run
Bike: 150k
Swim: 3k

The run today started and finished at the Molina homestead. The trail run was amazing. I have run this run (or at least various parts) in the past with Scott and it really is spectacular. The views were incredible and the weather was perfect (not for long...)! Of course I was particularly careful running on the trail because it brought back memories of me tripping and fully rupturing my hamstring tendon last year on a trail run at Epic. At one point I stopped to go to the loo and I had to up my pace (on the road section) to catch the four blokes I was running with and surprisingly the intensity and pace increase felt good. Who knew that could happen on Day 12 at Epic!? Not me!
Fortunately I had Dave Langley (my protector) with me on the trail run and near me later on the ride about the time when Pete took a tumble after touching a wheel. Fortunately Pete 'fell well' and despite wiping out on a pretty rough road surface, is ok. Good thing, because there is still one KOM left to race against Pete :)

The ride today was WET, COLD and WINDY. The first 60k were friendly (for real this time), only it meant that my heart rate stayed low and so I was cold. I was relieved when we finally turned off the main highway (where Pete had his tumble) and after we all worked well together in a nice echelon, lunch finally came. At this stop everyone proceeded to apply every layer they had in their day bags. There are two things I forgot coming to this camp and I needed both of them today. One thing I forgot is my PRO booties and the other item is my GIRO cycling gloves. Charlsey has lent me a pair of his gloves for the camp which has been great, but my full fingered GIRO gloves would have been nice today. Clas saved the day and lent me his toe covers. I owe him a favour for sure!

After the lunch stop, I rode a few minutes in my aero position which was a relief but had to catch the fast group in an echelon-ing train as it came by! I circled for a long time with the group but my hands were sore (it is much harder to grip my TT handle bars then a road bike bars, especially when my hands are cold). My hands felt like they were slipping a bit with my non-grippy cycling gloves so I dropped back with Petro and rode my aero bars off the back of the pack. Much better! And much safer!

It was fun having everyone work together and in these conditions it made the ride much more tolerable. But I did get a bit of a low energy sense from the group tonight at dinner. I think people are really starting to fatigue and today's conditions didn't help. So much for summer in New Zealand! My SRM temperature read 12 degrees and I can assure you with the wind and wet conditions it was much colder than that!

After the ride, Gordo, Lord Lordy, Petro and I went to do a swim. Gordo, Steven and I swam 3k and Petro swam 6k!!! He is going for the red jersey and I am very impressed. I did my best to help him through a couple kms and was pleasantly surprised that I felt fast in the pool (for the first time during this camp).

Dinner was almost all gone by the time we returned from the pool but the ice cream and carrot cake (my fave) were perfect. Oh, and so was that beer and cup of tea :)

Ok, I need to sleep to rest up for a 400IM tomorrow (yah, right!)...I am sure there will be some good laughs at the pool tomorrow watching us campers attempting butterfly on Day 13 of the camp!!

Tara