My support crew at Kona IM 2008 - just before the swim start.
TUESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2008
Today was the day when I partook of my final bike and run on New Zealand soil. The bike wasn’t exactly on the soil as it was suspended in the turbo trainer. As I biked along, my kids and I shared a family moment and watched the movie ‘Riddick’. Even though the film was pretty ‘riddi’-culous, I enjoyed the time with the kids. The 2hr session went well - I observed that I had ‘cycle-vibrated’ into the back of the sofa by a couple of centimeters, so I did actually go somewhere!
I also didn’t have the added hassle of trying to work the remotes for the DVD and TV screen. When my husband and I sit down to watch a movie we really struggle to work the DVD without the kids. It really is funny – both of us squinting at the remotes like myopic 100 year olds, going; “It’s this one!” “No press here!” “What are you doing that for?”, followed by the channels being changed or the DVD player going off or the sound going up/down.
Having sat still for the duration of the movie, the kids got typically idiotic the second it finished. As they did their fight-club-kicking-special-moves I said “Right that’s it – you’re accompanying me on my half hour, run so hop on your bikes or you’re not flying to Hawaii tomorrow!”
They emitted grumbles, moans and general miserableness, but despite the fact this was enforced school holiday exercise and it was spitting with rain they set off with me. The run was pleasant and we all enjoyed ourselves.
I actually saw it as a moving ‘parental type’ experience and as we reached the end of the run I said to them both – “When I am on my last 10k of the marathon run in Hawaii, I will think of this moment and I will imagine you boys cycling beside me. It will give me the strength and encouragement I might need to pass that finish line”
To which one replied “Will they have a spa pool and free shampoo in the hotel?” and the other added “It would be good if they had crazy golf and is Lego cheaper there?”
Today was the day when I partook of my final bike and run on New Zealand soil. The bike wasn’t exactly on the soil as it was suspended in the turbo trainer. As I biked along, my kids and I shared a family moment and watched the movie ‘Riddick’. Even though the film was pretty ‘riddi’-culous, I enjoyed the time with the kids. The 2hr session went well - I observed that I had ‘cycle-vibrated’ into the back of the sofa by a couple of centimeters, so I did actually go somewhere!
I also didn’t have the added hassle of trying to work the remotes for the DVD and TV screen. When my husband and I sit down to watch a movie we really struggle to work the DVD without the kids. It really is funny – both of us squinting at the remotes like myopic 100 year olds, going; “It’s this one!” “No press here!” “What are you doing that for?”, followed by the channels being changed or the DVD player going off or the sound going up/down.
Having sat still for the duration of the movie, the kids got typically idiotic the second it finished. As they did their fight-club-kicking-special-moves I said “Right that’s it – you’re accompanying me on my half hour, run so hop on your bikes or you’re not flying to Hawaii tomorrow!”
They emitted grumbles, moans and general miserableness, but despite the fact this was enforced school holiday exercise and it was spitting with rain they set off with me. The run was pleasant and we all enjoyed ourselves.
I actually saw it as a moving ‘parental type’ experience and as we reached the end of the run I said to them both – “When I am on my last 10k of the marathon run in Hawaii, I will think of this moment and I will imagine you boys cycling beside me. It will give me the strength and encouragement I might need to pass that finish line”
To which one replied “Will they have a spa pool and free shampoo in the hotel?” and the other added “It would be good if they had crazy golf and is Lego cheaper there?”