Post Marathon New York

On the Monday morning following the race we have a leisurely start with our first activity being brunch with Dick Traum - the founder of the Achilles Trust. Our NZ Achilles team walk on mass to the restaurant, we have to walk a number of blocks and I feel not too bad pushing my way there considering the marathon I did the previous day. Unfortunately some of my Achilles team mates aren't quite as luck and are walking a bit gingerly.

Achilles Team Dinner

In the afternoon Denise and I walk up to Central Park to check out the post marathon events. I take the opportunity to engrave my finishers medal and to purchase a few more items of clothing. We then stroll around a small part of the park and then try to find a cup of tea near the Columbus Circle at the south western corner of the park. We find a nice enough place but the tea ends up being POD tea, made like pod coffee. Our Earl Grey ends up tasting rather unusual. The day is end with a team dinner which is fun and a great opportunity to have debrief of the trip so far and the marathon. I really am in awe of my team mates who have achieved so much.

Tuesday our last full day in New York and it is a chance for us to have a look around. We stock up for the day with our awesome buffet breakfast, some fruit and muffins from the buffet even manages to find its way into my backpack. We head away on foot heading south and west towards the Hudson to link up with the High Line. The high line is a raised pedestrian pathway that utilises an old elevated railway. After

Highline Walkway

walking the length of this we find a good expresso and then flag down a taxi to take us to Ground Zero and the one World Trade Centre. The taxi driver zips us downtown and as we exit the taxi we are greeted with One World Trade Centre towering above us.  We take a few photos and then head to the newly opened Ground Zero Centre. The wheelchair is again given priority treatment when we cue for tickets and entry. After entering the building you are taken down into the basement and foundations of the North Tower. As you descend the story of the tradegy is told with photos, video and the voices of those involved.  This place is informative, moving and put together magnificently. As we exit we are greeted by the memorial pools which are a truly emotional place.

One World Trade Centre

It is a beautiful day so we eat our snacks and then head towards the Hudson for views of the Statue of Liberty. After spending some time by the river we track down a bus and head back up town. This first use of public transport is interesting with the bus well setup for wheelchairs. Denise starts up a conversation with a fellow passenger who insists we go to Savannah when she hears we are heading south. We round the day off with a show on Broadway, Jersey Boys. Prior to the show we look for a bar to have a light snack. We end up finding a Cuban bar opposite the theatre with a 3 piece band playing some very cool latin tunes. The food is excellent too, we could have stayed all night. Jersey Boys was a great show with both of us having a great time, our seats were good too being only a few rows back. On the way back to the hotel we grab a slice of New York pizza which helps appease our appetites before bed.

Our last day in New York is busy and emotional as we pack to leave. Kiri and Peter are taking many of the party back to NZ, they are also taking back my racing wheel chair. After breakfast it is farewell hugs and kisses as the team leave for the airport and we take a taxi to the train station. We only just fit into the cab with my wheelchair and our bags. Again when we get to Pennsylvania Station we are given special assistance with a porter taking us and our bags to the train. Goodbye New York - I hope to return sometime.

The Marathon - New York City

The day of the marathon started early with a 3am start although with daylight saving finishing we did get an extra hours sleep.  Following toileting and getting dressed in the marathon race gear, black skins top and black exercise pants, I wipped down to one of the hotel meeting rooms to pick up breakfast at 4pm. The early start was too early for the kitchen so they had prepared breakfast packs for us containing fresh fruit salad, water, energy bar, banana, yoghurt and of course a bagel. They had also provider a waiter who served us hot tea or coffee and ticked our names off as we collected our goodies. 

At 4-30am I meet with Peter & Rob, gave Denise a hug and a kiss and then headed out to walk to where the buses were waiting on 5th Avenue. This walk took about 15 minutes and it was amazing the number of people still on the streets, quite a few Halloween revelers were still around - many worse for wear. We got to our buses at about 4:45am which was right on time. Prior to getting to our buses we past stacks of other buses that were waiting for the hoards of runners that would be arriving soon.

I loaded the bus with Ian, another NZ Achilles athlete who was competing on a recumberent cycle powered by his legs that were amputated above the knees. Ian suffered massive injuries following the blast from an explosion which injured his legs, left him with no right elbow and a brain injury. If you watch out you may see him compete in the Rio Oympics at swimming which he is going to try to qualify for. Also next to me on the bus was a Norwegian, he was making a comeback to the sport after 10 years having recently completed the Berlin marathon. There were probably about 13 wheelchair athletes on our bus from countries including Germany, Peru and even the USA! I imagined that as soon as we were loaded we would leave for the start line, instead we waited for almost 2 hours. Apparently we were waiting for a Police escort which did eventually arrive including CHIPS style motorcycle cops.

Celebrating post race with Ian Winson

As we drove off from 5th Avenue it was starting to get light so we could few some of the city. We eventually got to a road that was next to the river and we started to see some of the bridges, firstly Brooklyn bridge and then the Queensborough bridge which we would cross. Onward we went with our police escort, through the Wall St area of lower Manhatten and then into a very long tunnel under the Hudson River. We then drove on a freeway to the Verrazona Narrows bridge crossing it to get to Statten Island and the start.

With the delays of waiting for the police we only had about 15 minutes to get to the Achilles area, go to the toilet, get the racing chair ready and myself loaded but no decent chance to check things over. We were lucky though to have Peter Loft with us to help get organised. We then wheeled to the start line and waited about 20 minutes for the 8:30am start for the push rim mens. Before we get going we have a couple of speeches, including a short one from the mayor and then the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung and we were under starters orders. I am feeling good at the start line; a little nervous but eager to get going and I am feeling fresh even with the early start and the jet lag - LET THE RACE BEGIN!

With Peter Loft - Mr Achilles NZ

I was at the back of the mens field along with my Norwegian friend, a couple of Peruvians and 2 guys with standard chairs. The hooter sounds and we are off. By the time I get over the 2 electronic timer bumps the rest of the field have left me behind except the two guys in standard chairs. The race starts with the climb up the
Verrazona Narrows bridge, a vertical climb of about 50 metres over 1.3km. I make slow but steady progress with my training at Staveley definitely helping. As I near the crest of the bridge some of the elite women fly past me.

Verrazano Narrows Bridge

On the way down the bridge I get my speed into the +40km/hr zone. One decision I have made prior to the race is not too take any of the corners too quick, I don't want my race to end with a crash. As I desend the bridge another women goes past me so I follow her as closely as possible to help gauge the best speed and line.

I get off the bridge without any drama and then go through a few corners and get my first "Go Kiiwi!" call after someone recognises my black silver fern flag.  Next is a relatively steep little climb which takes me to the start of a very long and virtually straight run through Brooklyn.  This part of the course is undulating and the crowd support is pretty full on with many people giving me encouragement. I am in a rare position of travelling through the New York marathon course almost exclusively alone and I am therefore able to interact with the crowd in special way. I find myself pushing hard on the uphills and then once my momentum is built up on the downhill I look around and check out the sights. I can't stop a big smile on face, this experience is incredible and several times I get a tingle up my spine....part of my spine that is!!

Through Brooklyn my progress is really good and I am averaging a speed in excess of 16km/hr which is about the race pace I will need to finish the race in 2 1/2 hours. As I progress through Brooklyn there are some distinct neighbourhoods including a Jewish quarter and it also seems to get more affluent with leafy suburbs and more recognition of my black silver fern flag. After getting through Brooklyn the next milestone is the Polaski Bridge which takes me into Queens. I seemed to spin through Queens pretty quickly maintaining a + 16km/hr pace, although I am aware the Queensborough bridge is still coming up, I will need reserves to tackle this beast.

Head Down and Pushing Hard!

The entrance onto the bridge is not ideal with an uphill grade and tight left turn which leaves me at a virtual stand still.  As I start climbing the Queensborough bridge it seems a lot older than the Verrazona Bridge, it is also gloomy as we are on the lower level. With security tight following the bombing at the Boston marathon there are no spectators on the bridge so you are left in the quiet with your own thoughts although the silence is broken with a train rumbling  above me on the top deck of the bridge. As with Verrazona Narrows it is simply a matter of putting your head down and pushing as hard as I can. On the way up the bridge I notice I am still releasing air from my left wheel when I brush the valve with my glove. On the bridge with me is a cyclist, one of the race helpers, I get his attention near the crest of the bridge and get him to tighten the valve for me again. Unfortunately he does not have presto valve dust caps to fix the problem.

Once I am over the crest of the bridge it is time for another speedy decent although I have been warned the corner at the bottom of the bridge is a doozey and sure enough I see the hay bales again and there are plenty of marshalls warning me to slow down. The corner is basically a long hairpin which allows you to turn back underneath the bridge and start 1st Avenue.  This is one of the iconic parts of the course; loaded with spectators and therefore very noisy and a special piece of architecture.

1st Avenue under Queensborough Bridge

When I start 1st Avenue I have travelled about 26km and I am still feeling good. 1st avenue starts with a little downhill and then starts to climb and I push on with an average speed still in excess of 16km/hr. After the noisy and large crowds at the start of 1st Avenue the crowd starts to thin as I get further up the road, it is a bit like Brooklyn again with a long straight that last about 6km. By the time I get to the end of 1st Avenue there is only the occasional spectator, one elderly african american women shouts support to me "Goes Achilles!", these moments when people recognise your group or country are cool.

I am now have to climb another bridge (Willis Avenue Bridge), a smaller one but it is still a decent haul up to the crest and then I drop into the Bronx. The Bronx don't seem to last that long with 6 quick corners over about 1.5km. I do get my hearing assaulted in the Bronx by some some huge speakers and hippop music. As I climb another small bridge to exit the Bronx I realise this will be my last bridge :-)

 I am now getting pretty close to home (35km) and I get a vehry quick look at Harlem which tries to out noise the Bronx with another huge DJ speaker outfit. When I reach 5th Avenue and Central Park I can hear somebody reminding me that "The marathon starts at Central Park", and this is absolutely spot on for me.  With the park on your right you start climbing 5th Avenue, I knew that there was a climb here but didn't realise how long it was. By now I am definitely not feeling that good and the arms feel empty which makes the climb challenging but I seem to be going slower than I should. I look down at my left tire and realise it is now nearly flat which is making progress very difficult. The climb never seems to stop but eventually I make the top and then I am into the park and descending quite steeply and I am rather cautious not knowing how the flat tyre will handle. While I am going through the park I am looking and asking spectators if they have a pump without any luck.

The route then takes me back out of the park and I have now completed more information 40km and there is another very small hill to conquer but ever uphill grade with the flat is tough and I am running on the rims now. It is then back into the park, a downhill and then a uphill to the finish. The last rise to the finish line is painfully slow and the stands full of people around the finish all start backing me and chant "PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!!". This not how I wanted to finish crawling over the line but having all those people support me was a real buzz! Once through the finish I am given my medal, there is photo and then on through all the helpers getting ready for the flood of runners.

Finished!

Eventually with some help I get to the Achilles area where Deniďse and all the others are waiting and I can relax. Denise gives mea kiss and I am wrapped up to keep warm and we go to find my standard chair and I wrestler my way out of my race chair. It looks as though I completed the marathon in 3 hours 2 minutes, not my target but I am happy to finish. Recovery means food, drink and a change of clothes and we then wait for Ian to come in. Ian eventually makes it to the Achilles area and is in pretty good shape considering the fact that he was very sick and dehydrated yesterday. After some recovery for Ian we head to some transport for the trip back to the hotel. There are 2 reasonably large SUV's waiting for us, no Chevy Suburban's as I was hoping for though! Unfortunately they have nothing to accommodate Ian's power chair so he is forced to go back to the hotel in via the footpath. Once back at the hotel I am feeling pretty good and surprisingly don't sleep following the very early start. The day is concluded at a bar just up the road from the hotel with World Marathon Tours arranging free drinks and nibbles. The beer definitely taste sweet and I eat like a horse.

Arrival in New York and Lead Up to Marathon

We arrived in New York after a very long travel day, flights were on time right through to Newark Airport New Jersey on Thursday evening.  Earlier arrival at LA all went well with one exception, my large bag with most of my gear did not appear at bag claim and it appears to have been left in Auckland!!  An Air New Zealand staff member at the bag claim area confirms the bag is still in Auckland. She tells us we need to register the lost bag with United Airlines at the end of our journey at Newark Airport. She also suggests the bag may be put on the very next aircraft leaving Auckland for LA later in the evening. Fingers crossed the bag won't be too far behind us, at least we have the race chair.

We clear customs and immigration meeting the most surly official you could imagine. Bags are then dropped at a transfer desk and we head to the next terminal, although not before we take a team photo.

Achilles New York  Marathon Team - 2015

We decide to walk to the next terminal to stretch the legs and get some fresh air, we are going from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 to get to our United Airlines flight to New York. It is a nice fine day in LA but where we are walking we are not in the sun, just breathing in car fumes from the roadway we are next to. The entry into the United Airlines terminal requires a security check and therefore more queues, shortly though an airport official asks me to go to the front of the queue. This will happen many more times in the states where they treat people in wheelchairs very well. The security check is eventually finished, surprisingly it is less intense than the Auckland International Airport check where they did everthing they could to me and my chair except getting the rubber gloves out.

Once in the terminal we take the opportunity to grab a bite to eat with some time before we board, this is our first experience with American cuisine and American coffee. The food is ok but the coffee very average. We do have a chance to chat to a nice American bloke who recommends some places to visit as we head down the East Coast after the marathon. We board the United Airlines flight which is a bit chaotic with the staff not to sure how help the wheelchair passengers. We eventually get on with our seats right at the back of the plane, it looks like wheelchair passengers don't get special treatment from United Airlines. The flight takes about 5 hours which doesn't seem too long as I chat to the passenger next to me, a United Airlines staff member who is off to the New York marathon! On arrival we get all our luggage which is a relief, I then register my lost bag with the United Airlines luggage desk. We are given a tracking number for the case and we are then off in a van with a nifty wheelchair lift. It is about 10pm as we are driving from Newark airport in New Jersey to Manhatten, it is a mass of lights and multi lane freeways. We get to our destination via a tunnel under the Hudson River and eventually through some jam packed streets. When we get to the hotel we try to check in but it looks like the wheelchair accessible room we should of had is not available so we will need to change rooms the next day. This sort of thing will happen all the way through the trip.

View First Night - Intercontinental Hotel, Time Square

Once in the room both Denise and I collapse and we end up digging into the mini bar and order room service as Denise can't face heading out onto the streets. When we finally collapse into bed and we have no problems getting to sleep, before I head to the land of nod I assess where I am at without my main bag. This main bag has most of my toilet equipment. I do though have quite a few catheters both in my wheelchair and my backpack. What I don't have is my special toilet seat which I need for my bowels. I therefore hope my bag won't be too far away and my bowels can hold on!!

Day one in New York starts well with our hotel having an excellent breakfast buffet which is part of the deal with our World Marathon tours package. Denise then heads away with Janine from the tour company to see if they can get me a toilet seat or other options and some clean undies! I though need to stick with the team who are heading to the Marathon Expo at the Jacob Javitz Centre, a massive exhibition building near the Hudson River.  Here we get our race packs and get to look at all the branded marathon clothing for sale, I take the opportunity to buy a few of my supporters back home some garments. Again as a wheelchair user I get preferential treatment which is handy when the queue is about 200 people long! Once the purchases are made I go to the "bathroom" and then make tracks back to the hotel. I meet up with Peter Loft who helps me navigate back. Denise is back with clothes, toilet supplies but no seat and my bag still hasn't arrived. This means I need to either wait for my suitcase or perform by bowels on the bed; I choose the former and continue the wait for the case and cross my fingers it turns up soon. With the rest of the afternoon free we have a look around Time Square and over to 5th Avenue, the weather is mild and as usual there are people everywhere.

5th Avenue, Macys and Empire State Building

After going in a few shops and catching a look at the Empire State building we find a shop selling phone SIM cards and buy a card that gives us a months usage with unlimited phone calls and unlimited data. During the trip we will find out that the data is not that great, very very slow. After this I head to Bryant Park which is a bit of a refuge from the packed streets with small stalls, trees and seats with tables while Denise continues to have a look around the shops. I find a stall selling coffee, good expresso coffee, and check my internet banking and other stuff using the data off the new SIM in Denise's phone. While I tap away on my tablet there is a game of ping pong going in the park and ball rolls over to me and I throw it back to the rather showy players. The coffee is good and Denise returns and we head back to the hotel via the GAP shop to buy me some jeans. Shopping for trousers for me in the US is great with extra long options easy to find.

That evening we are off to the the Achilles Pre-marathon Pasta meal and all the NZ Achilles Athletes walking around. When we get to the hotel we start seeing other wheelchair athletes and the comraderey is great, lots of knuckle punches and friendly support. We have a good evening with plenty of food and drinks and good conversation. When we get back to the hotel there is still no news about my bag so we head to bed with me making more enquiries about the bag.

Day two in New York and one more sleep until the race! There is also good news with an email saying the bag is now at Newark Airport and is awaiting delivery to the hotel along with a heap of other bags to be delivered to various Manhatten hotels. I head to the buffet breakfast hoping the bag can get to me before the All Black RWC Final. We are due to meet at an Irish Pub to watch the match but before this Peter Loft wants me to help take my racing chair to the transport arranged to the finish. This takes longer than expected so we go directly to the pub and when we get there we find it is a Basement Bar with steep steps the only access. We therefore go to a next door bar which is also showing game. The first half all goes well with the All Blacks doing the job with the try just before half time extra good. Just as the whistle goes for halftime I smell something.....looks as though my bowels have said enough is enough. I then spend halftime and most the second half dealing with this. I get to watch the end of the game and it is a good result in game.....a pity about my bowels.

Peter and I then head back to the hotel where I am happy to find my bag has arrived but Denise who never left with the rest of the athletes and guides has gone a city tour. I finish cleaning myself up and when Denise gets back we head out for a quiet meal and then hit the sack early for the race tomorrow...one more sleep!

Last Training Sessions and New York Bound

My training in the racing wheelchair concluded on Tuesday and we are now travelling to New York!  My last few training sessions have gone pretty well since my last post although there has been plenty of other stuff going on as well. During Labour weekend Denise and I had a few goals including the filling of the raised garden next to the deck and completion some training sessions. With regard to the raised garden, David Askin (Council's  Parks Manager) was very helpfully by arranging the delivery two loads of 'ballast' - left over grave diggings and some shingle. He also dropped off 2 large wheelbarrows and 2 shovels, all we needed now was some labour to operate them!

First thing Saturday morning after a bit of a lay in we headed off to the garden centre where we purchased a crab apple tree which will be a feature in our new garden.  We also purchased some weed mat and stakes to form a root barrier. While shopping Henry my builder and deck modifier rang to say he would be around to do the finishing touches to the deck ramps, this was great as we wanted to get the deck and planter box sorted before heading away. Henry ended up finishing at about 5pm and I ended up a bit frustrated from the lack of training. I therefore decided to jump on the rowing machine and cut out about 30 hard minutes, at 23 minutes though the fire duty pager went off, I was doing duty as Don was at Neil Daimond in Dunedin. The next day I woke early, SEMI FINAL time in the rugby world cup All Blacks vs Springboks. Great game, very close with the All Blacks just doing enough 30-28. Denise and I then used the early start to go swimming. Starting slowly I managed to work my way into a decent swim doing 42 lengths, just over 1km, this is followed later by a push. The day is fine and cool with a southerly blowing. I am aiming to complete a vigorous push on the EASTERN route, the start of the push is into the breeze but down a steady grade and I really push hard and average a good pace. The course after about 5km then swings north east and the wind is coming across my right shoulder and I have about 7km of false flat, gentle uphill grade - learnt this term off Brent Kircher a real cyclist. Again I push it hard and find the side wind making steering a bit of a challenge, the 7km is tough going but the tail breeze helps. On the next left turn the wind is directly behind us and we are past halfway and I hang in there and keep pushing hard to finish off another 23km. I am pretty spent but happy when I look at the time, 6 minutes quicker than I have ever finished this route.

Session stats;

Distance: 23.4km  Time: 1 hour 32 minutes  Avg Speed: 15.1km/hr

After a training session in new Catwalk gear.

Later that day the kids arrive after having been down to Dunedin with Jane to help celebrate her brother Jonathan's birthday.  Kate can't stay in Ashburton with art and photography boards needing completion. Thomas is also unable to stay with a mission to pick windsurfing gear pressing. Lucky we are left with the strong and willing HARRY!  My plans of getting two strong offspring to help move grave spoil is halved.....but up steps Denise.  With the Tiguan hardly out of the drive Denise and Harry make a start on the toil.  With the gravel all deposited and a few loads of soil thrown in for good measure things are halted for Lasagna, Dr Who and bed!!  Monday morning I manage to escape to Lake Hood for a short row and a goodbye to my fellow rowers. For the 'workers' the lions share of Labour Day Monday is spent moving the soil and eventually the job is completed after lunch and the results are magnificent. We finish the day by taking Harry back to Christchurch and having a farewell meal with Kate and Thomas, a really nice meal at Little India.

Harry and Denise Awesome Work with Great Results

With only one push during Labour Weekend I feel a need for one more push on Tuesday afternoon. Bruce Welch is willing for one last outting and we head up the road along the usual route NW of Ashburton and manage to cut out 20km. I push relatively hard at the start but then ease back on the downhill trip home. I complete the push and feel good at the end and find getting out of the chair relatively easy!!

Distance: 20km  Time: 1 hour 22 minutes

Training is complete!!! I have managed to finish this blog while flying to Auckland from Christchurch and then finalised on the leg from Auckland to LA. We are now with team Achilles and we get to meet the gang of athletes and helpers. It has just ticked over midnight so it must be time to say goodnight. I hope to publish this post with a team Achilles photo after we land in LA.

Too Much Taper???

Finally went out for a push this morning with Bruce Day after a slack time over the last week.  Since my last post when I did a push with Bruce Day at Staveley last Wednesday nothing has been happening, not even an erg rowing session.

Surprisingly my life has been getting in way of my training.  Thursday last week Jo Stevens (Trumper) old work colleague now living in Scotland was in town and some of my fellow "lifer" work colleagues from the council had a meal out with Jo and her family at the new Japanese restaurant.  The next evening Denise and I were off to an art and photography viewing at St Margarets College with Kate O'Neill one of the feature artists and photographers. The next morning we were off to Wellington, I was up at 3:30am. We were off to the Opera, but prior to this we had breakfast with Hugh, Donna & Amy at a cafe on the south coast.  We then checked into the hotel on Cuba Street, very central.  From here we went shopping and then eventually went for a swim at the hotel lap pool....some exercise.  Prior to the opera we have a meal at Stephen's favourite restaurant - Estana Malaysia.  After a great meal we head to the opera house and take our seats two rows back from the orchestra pit...wheelchair seats always the best in the house.  The opera was awesome, Simon O'Neill (Ashburton boy) is brilliant as Cavaradossi and the passion and drama of the opera is appreciated by all our companions who include Nigel and Amanda Ingram who join Denise, Stephen, Judie and I.  After a long day I sink in the hotel bed gratefully although the France vs All Black World Cup 1/4 final looms the next morning.  Stephen picks up Denise and I and we enjoy both the All Black victory and a tasty breakfast from Stephen.  More shopping on Sunday morning and arvo and then back home Monday morning.

Other excuses for the following week include Kate's leavers diner on Monday and then sports massage on Tuesday and rest required afterwards.

The push today was not great, I felt sluggish and lacking energy. The stats from todays push;

 

Distance: 23.4km   Time:   1 hour 40 min (ish, GPS not set correctly)

More taper training required over the next few days!!

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School Holidays Family Time, Peak to Pub & Lots More.....

I looked at starting this blog almost 3 weeks ago during the Peak to Pub weekend but got side tracked and have been either too slack or just too busy to get it done. I restarted this post with only 2 weeks before we leave for New York and my training starting to taper. As indicated in the last post it was school holiday time with Harry and Kate in Ashburton and initially Thomas was on the West Coast helping out on Marcus's farm. Thomas though would soon be heading back from the Coast to take part in the Peak to Pub. 

The Peak to Pub is a multi sports event which is a lttle different. There is no long swim legs or kayaking, instead you start off barrelling down Mt Hutt on skis or snowboard after doing a run through the snow at the top of the mountain. You then travel down the ski field road on your mountain bike to the main cross roads with Route 72 and run the rest of the way to the Blue Pub in Methven. This year one of the teams entered was the "3 O'NEILLS", Harry O'Neill was our skier, Thomas anchored our team and was the runner and I was competing in the Mt Bike leg with my offroad handbike. The most important part of the team was the support crew; Kate team manager and Denise driver and catering.

The day for the race was great with bright sunshine and mild temperatures. We did have a bit of a hiccup on the way up with road closed due to congestion at base building and the carpark full.  This meant when we eventually got to the base buildings we needed to drop our gear off and then get our car back down to the lower carpark at the Rakaia Saddle. Harry with a history of ski racing for Waihi School was well primed with his streamlined haircut (he chose not to wear a helmet) and he did not disappoint being the 3rd down the mountain in the teams event. From here I took over and I unfortunately did not keep up Harry's good pace.  I cranked the handbike as quickly as I could and had the power assist helping me but the competition on 2 wheels flew past me.  The handbike certainly bounced around alot and was difficult to control on the corners, especially the off camber corners designed to stop ski bunnies driving off the road. I eventually made it to the cross roads and past the bid onto Thomas who was about the last team runner waiting to go. I followed Thomas doing the run down the road section on the handbike and saw in dive into the Rangitata Diversion Race, a very cold 8m swim. We all then meet at the Blue Pub and Thomas did a very good 10km + run in 46 minutes. No prizes were run but much fun was had!

Three O'Neills Team - Peak to Pub

Following the Peak to Pub I did 3 rowing machine sessions followed by another push at Staveley with Thomas. We again climbed the hill up to the Skating Rink and set a new record of 55km/hr down the hill. When back at the store we headed up Route72, this involved generally a steady climb with some steeper pinches to test you. We got past the old Alford Forest store and the Moas and eventually turned around near the one way bridges. It was then pretty much all downhill back to the store followed by another short hill and then coffee. To finish the week off on Saturday Denise and the boys went skiing and I did a really good 37km push with Brent Kircher. It was another good day and we headed out the usual way but this time completed the circuit back to Mitcham Road.

Thursday: 1 hr 53 mins  27km
Saturday: 2 hr 34mins 37.4km

The next week we had Hugh and Donna down who were following Amy and the Wellington Girls East netball team in the National Secondary Competition. I was keen to go out for push with Hugh but it was windy as hell so I did not manage any training until a row on Wednesday followed by a push on Friday with Thomas. This was only made possible after withdrawing from a regional fire exercise at Raincliff in South Canterbury. This also allowed me to complete my last long duration marathon training last weekend. The weekend pushes did not go that smoothly. I headed out on Saturday with Denise intending to do about 35km on the usual route but after doing about 12km I got my first flat tyre. After Denise couldn't find anybody at home at the closest house a passing motorist stopped and we used her mobile to call Thomas to rescue us. With a couple of new tubes and the bike repaired we headed out again on Sunday. Thomas went with me this time and it was warm, proabably in the mid 20's so I wore shorts and only my skins top. After having rowed in the morning I still hoped to do about 30km. With heat however I reviewed this to 26km.

Friday: 1hr 41mins  24.5km

Saturday: 55min 12.1km

Sunday: 1hr 45min  26km

Heat Goes On...Shorts Go On!

I am now entering the taper period of my training. This means I reduced the length of training sessions but make them more intense. I started this taper period by joining the college rowers at a group erg (rowing machine) session. This had me completing a pretty intense 40 minutes, longest erg session since my accident. On Wednesday this this week I did another trip to Staveley with Bruce Day. Another hill session but a shorter but vigorous push of 19km. I feel quite fresh after this and enjoy a coffee and famous sausage roll at the Staveley Store.

Bruce Day with me at Staveley

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Heading Out East and Close Call

With a rather average weather forecast for the next few days I was keen to go for good push yesterday. I managed to to get Bruce Welch to escort me again.  The weather must have been good as Bruce had his shorts on and we did have mild temperatures, sun and only a gentle NE breeze. We head out just after 4pm and I decided to try a different route, heading for the countryside NE of Ashburton.  We started the push by heading through the Domain and past quite a few people who looked at me with puzzled expressions. From out of the Domain we crossed SH1 which slowed progress, from there we headed through the Ashburton east and out into the country side.

The first rural road we travelled along was Wakanui Rd that heads towards the coast. This road and previous urban streets all have a downhill gradient and by the time we turned onto Cochranes Road we had dropped about 30m of altitude. This helped the average speed for this segment. Cochranes Road had us generally climbing again but the road undulated with ups and downs, this seems like similar terrain as New York. I continued pushing as hard as I could and we eventually get to Fairfield Rd that leads to Fairton and we are starting to head home. Rather than getting onto the State Highway we turn onto Company Rd which gives me a little downhill and the pace climbs a bit. As normal Bruce was letting me know when cars were coming behind us and a few cars must have been leaving the Talleys vege processing plant which we had just past. One of these cars however took us both by surprise and decided to UNDERTAKE us which freaked both of us out!!

After this little shock we head into the new NE Industrial Area which had a beautifully smooth hotmixed road surface but we are climbing again. We then head down Bremners Rd towards the cemetery and back into town.  We cross the highway without any drama and then wind our way through the urban streets and back to home. This ended being a really good push with new territory covered with different terrain.

Push Stats: Distance 23.4km  Time: 1hr 38min  Speed:14.3 km/hr

Two days later and with Harry in residents for the school holidays we head out on the same course out east. I aim to try and beat my time, I have a good start but don't manage to maintain the pace and we end up with almost identical stats. Harry also undertakes some filming of the push with my phone, video attached.

Push Stats: Distance 23.3km Time: 1hr 38min  Speed 14.2km/hr

Another Hard Day in the Chair - Plus Record Distance!

There are only 41 days before I am lining up for the start line of the New York marathon and I am really starting to get excited.  This event is going to be huge for me & Denise; our first full marathon in a wheelchair and it is going to be in the most famous marathon in the world.  Our excitement was definitely helped after watching "The Road to the Finish".

After having a rather big day out on Wednesday my cross training on the rowing machine was waved on Thursday and Friday. Come Saturday and I decided the training push would go further than previous sessions. The day was cool with a brisk SW wind but reasonably sunny. Again I was lucky enough to have Denise escort me on this training session. She was well rugged and equipped with the latest post-quake fashion garment, the hi-viz vest!

Denise Loves Hi-viz

I made pretty good progress travel out along my usual course with a tail wind helping progress. This wind became most noteable when we reach Winchmore School Road which is at the end of the out and back course. For this pushed we went the full length of this 6km road which meant the total session would be 40km. The hard work started at the turn around with the SW wind straight into my face. The 6km of hard work battling the head wind really made me fatigued making the remaining trip home hard work.

Distance: 40.1km  Time: 3hr 1min  Speed: 13.3km/hr

I now realistically only have 4 weekends of training remaining, I really need to push things along now!!

Back to Staveley - Traffic Jam....No Bull!!

Following last weeks busy training schedule there is a need to kick on and continue the momentum. After the 21km push on Monday I "jumped" on the rowing machine Tuesday evening and rattle through 6116m in 30 minutes, a new best distance. Today I meet up with Alison again at Staveley at midday, she was heading north for parent interviews at Rangi Ruru. It was a very mild spring day with a hint of northwest although the wind was swirling around under the hill at Staveley. We headed up the hill again and it definitely didn't get easier than last week with the lungs and the arms tested. The trip down the hill was again quick with another record speed recorded, 48km/hr.

About to start - Mild day at Staveley

We then head down the Ashburton Staveley Road, as we head down the road I seemed to be getting faster and faster. This unfortunately wasn't the result of a power surge from me but a tail wind. We keep head down the road and Alison and I both said that the going was far too easy and I would pay the price. On the way down the road we ran into a traffic jam in the form of a herd of heffers heading up the road, more animal poo to dodge. The heffers weren't too keen on my orange flag and ended being driven back down the road and back into paddock they had come from. The farmer was very accommodating.

Traffic Problems - Ashburton Staveley Road

We headed all the way to the Forks Road intersection, about 12km from Staveley, and then turn back into the northwest wind. It was only then that I realised how solid the wind was. It ended up being a long slow slog home, heading up wind and up hill.  When I finally crawled up to the Staveley Store I was absolutely spent.

Clocking Up The Miles

The week just finished has been productive for my marathon training with pushes and indoor rowing. The week started with a 30min row and 6040m clocked up. Monday was a rest day followed by a shorter push on Tuesday afternoon. Bruce Welch accompanied me and I aimed to do this session at a quicker pace. 

Distance: 16km, Duration: 1hr 5min, Avg Speed: 14.8km

Wednesday I headed back to the hills and meet up with Alison Batchelor at the Staveley Store. The day was superb; snow on the mountains, mild temperatures and gentle breeze. From the store we headed straight to Flynns Road (road to skating rink), this road climbs steadily towards the hills and is a similar grade to the Verrazona Narrows Bridge. The climb was not a constant grade though and had a series of steep pinches, these saw me crawling up the hill at speeds down to 5km/hr. The trip back down was different with speeds up to 45km/hr. After this hill climb we headed out to the some flatter roads to clock up the kms. When we got back to the store I had only complete 27km so Alison cracked the wip to make sure I did at least 30km so we head up another sealed road with more climbing, this ended up being a really good hard session. Triumph comes through adversity! We ended the session with coffee and cake at the store in the sunshine.

Distance: 30.5km, Duration: 2 hrs 23 min, Vertical Distance Climbed: 150m

At the Staveley Store

Training continued through the back end of the week with another 30 minute session on the rowing machine. Staveley must have tired me out as I only travelled 6037m, 3m less than Sunday! Another rest day on Friday with my brother Stephen in town. Stephen quickly found his way to my fridge and sank a nice cold beer, this was a testing experience for me as I am going alcohol free for the month of September. 

Stephen headed away after a particularly nice breakfast of croissants cooked by our resident Artisan baker Harry O'Neill who came down on the Friday bus. After breakfast Denise headed to the pool and a Body Balance class at the new Ashburton sports complex. Harry and I then prepared for Henry who was coming around to do the finishing touches to the deck. After getting Henry underway Harry and I headed out for a training push. The day was kind with a gentle NE breeze and the sun shining. We headed out on the usual course and made reasonable time although the breeze did slow the trip out. We endured for a long session and managed to break the 2 hour 30 minute mark!

Training sessions can become rather tedious for my companions who are no amused by the breathe taking views of the Southern Alps covered with snow. Harry looked to solve this boredom by taking a book with him. Harry managed to finish the book while riding with me without incident.

Distance: 36.1km, Duration: 2hrs 32min, Avg Speed: 14.2km/hr

This post has taken sometime to publish, hence I have completed another training session. Tonight, Monday night, I completed another push again along the usual course. Bruce Welch accompanied me again and we completed a half marathon. The body was a bit washed out even with a rest day on Sunday, I ground it out though and we completed the distance eventually.

Distance: 21.7km, Duration: 1 hrs 32 min, Avg Speed: 14km/hr

Safety - By The Book, Harry O'Neill

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Pushing Hard and Building Project Nears End

Yesterday (Saturday) ended up being quite a big day with a long push and helping with the build of the raised garden next to the deck. Henry arrived around 9am and as he started work on the raised garden Denise and I set out for a training push. We took off on the usual route (out and back course) and the weather was reasonably mild with a gentle NW wind. This wind seemed to build and made the push up Mitcham Road quite tough. Most of the push out ended up being fairly hard work with an average speed of only about 13km/hr. The trip back home was generally easier especially the run back down Mitcham Road with with speeds around 20 km/hr achieved quite easily. The trip home did get alot harder though as the wind seemed to swing around towards the west and increased in intensity, this made Hepburns Road a tough battle in to a head wind.

By the time the push was over the statistics for the training was;

Distance: 33km, Duration: 2 hrs 21 min, Avg Speed: 14km/hr

Following my push I had a lunch and a shower and then pitched into helping Henry with raised garden. Henry was busy cutting and jig sawing the hardwood planks together, no easy task. I started screwing the fastners, there must be over 300 screws required for this project and they all needed pre-drilling.  The almost finished result though looks great.

Raised Garden Box - Wrapped Around Deck & Ramp

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RAFFLE TICKETS - ON SALE NOW!!

While I have been doing a little bit of work training my Rural Fire mates have been busy organising a raffle to help raise funds for the trip. After plenty of hassling, begging and borrowing over 30 different prizes where donated. Tickets as of this week went on sale. Tickets can be found with most rural fire fighters in Mid Canterbury, at the Council, ACL, Sparrows Menswear and a few other locations that I can't remember.

Many thanks to all that helped with the raffle...especially Pitty.

Indoor Rowing & Sheep Poo

Modified Indoor Rower

With the weather not behaving over the last few weeks and a need to engage in exercise that will open my shoulders out I have got the indoor rower organised with my special seat. This external rotation will help with my shoulder problems according to the medical professions. To date I have completed 3 x 20 minute sessions and I really get the lungs working and also plenty of sweat!

Heavy Traffic on Boundary Road

Wednesdays midweek session this week was with Bruce Day, fresh from casino's of Las Vegas and the beaches of Hawaii.  We went across the river to Tinwald and did a push out towards Boundary Road that heads towards Hinds running parallel with the State Highway.  The elevation of this push started with a decent which meant we made good progress at the start.  As we progressed both of us were enjoying the lack of traffic, but then we rounded a bend and were faced with a woolly traffic jam - big mob of sheep being moved down the road.  I don't think this will happen in New York.  I quickly knifed my way through the flock and we kept going. Today I was aiming for another 2 hour plus session so I turned around after just after reaching 15km. This out and back push ended up being quite tough with the return journey taking 15 minutes more than the trip out. No pain..no gain!  The novelty of travelling through a mob of sheep also meant the chair got a reasonable quantity of sheep poo slapped over it. 

Stats from this Push; 

Time: 2hr 14min  Distance: 30.5km

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Hills & Longest Push

This week I have only completed 2 pushes after resting from the big push last Sunday, no training was possible on Thursday and Friday with trips to Christchurch required. Wednesday however did present an opportunity for something different with a push around the roads up hill from Methven.  My search had started to find somewhere to match what I face at the start of the marathon - Verrazano Narrows Bridge which has 50 metres of climbing over just 1300 metres.

The push was on some of the roads between Methven and the Rakaia Gorge.  Very kindly Alison Batchelor volunteered to ride with me and we started on Rakaia River Road with about 50 metres of climbing. This was quite tough, especially a very steep pitch at the end of the climb. We then wizzed down Mt Hutt Station Road that has quite grade and reached a record speed, 36 km/hr. With 120 metres lost in the decent the remainder of session had me climbing back the 80 metres we were below from the start. This was a tough tough session. The total distance covered was on 21.8km, but felt like a lot more!

Moving on to this weekend more work continued on the raised garden with Henry having two labourers at his disposal - Thomas and Harry. With this worked out and Kate in residence also I grab her for a push at lunchtime.  We headed out on the usually course to Hepburns and Mitcham Roads and the onto Winchmore Dromore Rd and beyond to Winchmore School Rd another quiet sealed Mid Canterbury road. When I hit the 15km mark I turned around in the next driveway and headed home.  A good portion of the trip home had slight downslopes which made  progress relatively quick, but as I got closer to home things definitely got tougher and my pace slowed. I got home having completed 30km in just over 2 hours, I am determined to do as many more trips of this length as possible!!

Pushing towards Two Hours and Gear Failure!!

Last weekend was busy at home with work continuing on the raised garden between the deck and the new ramp.  This work is being done by Henry Hogg with Harry and myself labouring on the less technical stuff.  This building work soaked up the whole of Saturday. The next day we were down to Timaru with a trailer to pick up some of Denise's household items.  With great efficiency this was completed by early afternoon giving us a chance for a training push.


The last push I completed on Thursday was pretty tough, my pain levels were high and I ended up thinking "can I really do this thing??" My feelings on this latest push were totally different. I was aiming to get close to two hours in the chair.  It was a perfect day; clear, light breeze and mild temperatures. The push went really well, I did have to make some steering adjustments along the way but this did not take long and I ended up pushing for almost 27km and about 110 minutes in the saddle.  The one rather large hiccup happened just as I cruised into my driveway and I went to apply the brake to stop the handle bars broke off!! Photo of the damage is below.  Very lucky this happened when I got home rather than 13km up road! 

Broken Handle Bar

Also attached to this post is a video of part of my latest training push, enjoy the music!!

Knuckling Down to More Training and a glimpse of the Big Apple

With the trip to Marlborough and Wellington past it was time to crack on with more training. Last week not wanting to over do it I went out for a couple of training sessions.  These sessions went well, both went for about 80 minutes. The first session Bruce Welch accompanied me and conditions were good with no rain or wind. Alison Batchelor accompanied me on next push which started with a brisk head wind and with a relatively quick trip home. The weekend went pear shape with building going on, a visit from the hand bike supplier trying to sort out issues with the power assist and then duties at work, this meant no training!!

Also during the weekend we went to "Trainwreck" the new movie out which put a new twist on the RomCom genre. The movie was set in New York which added interest for both Denise and myself. This week I have managed another 80 minute push with Don Geddes and a record session planned with Alison on Thursday after travelling 22.5km. I need to work out some steering issues with the racing chair, off to the bike shop!!


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FOREST AND RURAL FIRE ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

Since my last bog I have been out for 2 more training pushes only! The last push in the weekend was with Harry escorting me in my hand bike. This all went well with another push up Hepburns Road and then up Mitcham Road, total distance was 20.4km. The only problem was on the return the battery in the hand bike gave out. Without the battery Harry could not keep up with me!! After waiting for Harry to catch up I suggested turning the battery on and off. This managed to spark the power assist back into life and we were all go again.

Jock Little and the raffle money

This week I managed to get a new tire on the front wheel of the racing chair, this is a relief as the old tyre looked like it would give way at anytime. No training during the last week but the fundraising got a boost at the Forest and Rural Fire Association of New Zealand. Jock Little of PSL (fire equipment supplier) donated $500 worth of prizes for a raffle. This raffle raised $950, a huge thank you to PSL, Jock Little, the rural fire boys from Ashburton for selling tickets and to all the delegates that bought tickets. On top of this Veronica Clifford (fire researcher) donated her spot prize to the NY Marathon fundraiser, this paramedic kit is worth about $500!!!  Thanks Veronica.

Training Restart & Fund Raising

With a week of taking things easy after my steriod injection training RESTART was initiated yesterday. Firstly I received a visit from my physio Anna Tilman who gave me some guidance on how I should rehab my shoulder. This includes undertaking regular exercises to strengthen the shoulder and a series of stretches to complete prior and following exercise and training sessions. Exercise sessions should be possible at home as well as at the gym. Anna also recommended that I should continue my rowing.

Last night following my visit from my physio I heading out in the racing chair. My escort for this session was my work colleague Geoff Rhodes. Geoff is a keen cyclist and came well equiped. This proved very handy as he had a good set of lights and due to our late departure we did not get home after training until after 6pm - it was pretty dark! Thanks Geoff, I look forward to your company on future training pushes.

Geoff Rhodes

Today I started my serious drive for fundraising towards CATWALK TRUST.  Already I have some donations but today I started my visit to local businesses to see if they would contribute. Along with my efforts my Rural Fire mates are also going to run a raffle to raise money.  So if YOU can help please track down a rural fire fighter and buy a ticket or donated directly to my website;

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Shoulder, Stunned & Steroids

Following the couple of pushes I had since our return from Australia the SHOULDER really started to niggle, no problems I thought as I have an appointment with my sports masseuse later that week. Friday's appointment ended up being my shortest ever. Jenny asked how my shoulder was following resting up in Oz. I was up front and told her it was worse than ever, short pause, then she said 'I think you have a muscle tear'. OK no worries I think, we will fix it. Then Jenny STUNS me when she says 'There is no way you are going to New York with a muscle tear'.  OH MY GOD!!! Next step was to check Jenny's diagnosis,  trip to the GP and an ultrasound.  With my trip to the GP not possible until Monday morning I have rather a glum weekend.

Come Monday morning I head to my doctor who has a different and better diagnosis,  an 'Impingement Injury' which is treatable by muscle strengthening and a shot of STEROIDS. Yee ha....I'll join Lance Armstrong and his drug cheating mates if I can get to the New York Marathon!  More good news is that I can get an appointment that afternoon following a scheduled trip to Burwood. At the ultrasound they confirm it is not a tear, they also do about a half dozen xrays to really check it out. The next morning my GP rings and confirms that it looks like an impingement injury and 'would you like an ultrasound guided STEROID injection?' You beat if it helps the healing process. 

A few days afterwards I am catching up with Mike Brown to check out his powered hand cycle and the trailer he tows with it. The trip is very fruitful as I get some great ideas for a trailer my new hand bike which was delivered a few days before. As you would expect I also grill Mike about his experience with the New York Maraton in 2014. Along with some info about the course including a heads up about how tough the bridges are to climb he also agrees with my GP's diagnosis for my shoulder telling me about another common symptom of having numb hands in bed. Also he reckons I need to get my masseuse to work on my peks. Picture of my new handbike below, good for some x-training.

This procedure was completed today, see picture below. I now need to go easy for about 10 days and then I can start building into my training again!!

Holiday....What Holiday??

The trip to Aus was thoroughly enjoyed although those 6 days disappeared rather quickly. No significant training happened while away with the exception of pushing around marbled shopping malls and some pushing along seaside paths on the Sunshine Coast and at Byron Bay. On arriving home we were duped into thinking winter back in NZ had finished, with a warm nor-wester in Christchurch it was 12 degrees at 1am....the same temperature as Coolangatta 4 hours earlier. But winter definitely came back with some vengance in a few days.

Since our return I have managed to get out for another couple of pushes including one with Michael O'Neill (Qld) tagging along. These couple of pushes included trialing a Sony Action Cam. I purchased this while in Oz to take in the sites of New York and record the event. The first trial I attached the camera to my helmet which did not work so well...lots of tarmac but not many sites. The second trial we mounted the camera on the chair which worked ok, see the results below.....well maybe not - it looks like my mirco SD card has failed :-(

Denise, Me, Neiko and Libby