Truck back...

A morning swim of 3.5k and then back to breakfast... dealing with some personal issues, I missed the train of bikes leaving at 8:45am so I was looking forward to a 130k solo ride until, that is, Blanco came back for me. Yay! I was not feeling great, so we decided that we would just enjoy the scenery and ride at a leisurely pace for the day... except that we didn't realize that it was a KOM day. Oops! Not that Blanco is counting points either, but he loves racin' so he was bummed to miss it.

The scenery was great as we rode down SH1 from Blenheim to Kaikoura, passing by black sand beaches, seal colonies, surf spots and even a snow-capped mountain range! The road was not so great as there was minimal shoulder and a constant stream of 18 wheelers moving their wares from the Picton port in the direction of Christchurch. "Truck back" was my continuous refrain as I sat on Blanco's wheel to maximize my shelter from the strong southerly wind.

Arriving in Kaikoura, we had a quick bite to eat before lacing up the running shoes and heading along the shoreline to visit a seal colony. I had a great run... my riding may not be the speediest right now but it's nice to know that I can get off the bike and punch out a 10k at 7:45-8:00 min/mi pace. I'm not running the most volume at camp but I am trying to maintain some run form and avert the Ironman shuffle!

It's worthwhile to mention the support crew here at EPiC Camp... they've been fabulous, quick to provide anything we need and always there to watch out for you. Mare and Kay came to my rescue when I was dealing with my personal issues this morning, and I wouldn't have made the stage without them!