I continued my migration towards speed this morning with another “sprint” session. Last week I ran 3 x 200 metres, averaging 42 seconds. Today I ran 4 x 200 metres, averaging  39 seconds. I do a slow 100 metre jog in between each “sprint”. I’ve put the word “sprint” in inverted commas because 39 seconds for 200 metres can hardly be considered a real sprint. But, at a pace of 3:15 per km, it felt pretty quick to me, albeit at just one-fifth of a kilometre per “sprint”.

All up I ran 464 km during January, which is a good start to my running regime leading into the Anzac Ultra in April. I’m really looking forward to that 145 km challenge.

Kevin Carr has been suffering acute fatigue this past week, a hangover from his flu the week before. He has still managed 40 – 50 km most days, which is a great effort. He needs to run about 4,080 km in 67 days if he is to set a new world record.

On This Day

Feb 2, 2012

Distance today = 52.38 km; Total distance = 1673.54 km; Location = Taotaoroa, NZ –  37 54.871′ S, 175 37.519′ E; Start time = 0904, Finish time = 1645

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/146517772

Sorry for  the hiccough with the web site. Hopefully things will be back to normal from now. I published yesterday’s blog but it is only just now visible. Please read it first if you haven’t already.

Following on from the previous instalment, we had a great BBQ last night with members of the Tauranga Boys College cross country team, including some of the parents. It was great to chat and answer questions, and the hospitality was unprecedented. We then stayed the night with Scott and Kirsty, which was greatly appreciated.

This morning we then returned to the school, and I ran a few laps of the playing fields with the boys (distance not counted in my total), before some photographs with the press. It was all a very pleasant experience, and hopefully I have been able to impart a few pieces of wisdom to the boys as they start their training regime for the upcoming cross country season.

From there it was straight to the point where I stopped yesterday for today’s start. The first 20 km was all uphill to the Kaimai Pass (I kept thinking ‘Kyber Pass’, one of the great examples of rhyming slang ), where I had a nice view down into the Waikato Valley.

After a hair-raising descent, it was across the valley floor to my finish point for the day on Taotaoroa Road.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s run into Hamilton, as I’ll be meeting up with Roger “Chook” Evans and members of his running club, who will be accompanying me over the final kilometres. It will be great to have some company again on the run.

Just finally, I read with amusement last year the blog of Nick Hayes and his mates.  They ran from Melbourne to Sydney, competing for the title of who could find the most coins along the way. When running highways it’s amazing how many coins one finds. Well, how about this one Nick – did you ever find a Tongan coin on the road? I guess it might be common in Tonga, but it’s a first for me.

Feb 2, 2013

Distance today = 47.36 km; Total distance = 15,889.96 km; Location = Trujillo, Spain – 39 27.489′ N, 05 52.651′ W; Start time = 1050, Finish time = 1805

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/268725786

It was a very late start to the run today, as we needed to buy Spanish SIM cards for our phones.We had to wait until the shops opened at 10 am, and it then took nearly an hour, but – mission accomplished.

Mobile phones while travelling in Europe are a bit of a pain. Every country has a different system, and once you cross a border, you start paying the exorbitant roaming costs. There is theoretically a way around this, but I am yet to be convinced, having tried a couple of the options. You can buy a single SIM that will allow you to make phone calls in any country, but it’s fraught with catches. I won’t go into the details here, but I can advise on one company to stay as far away from as you can – Exxacta! We bought SIMs from this company, having been told the data costs were 30 cents per MB. Long story short – it turned out the true cost was $20 per MB. They brushed this off with a simple “Sorry, our employee must have told you the wrong price” Duh!!! They didn’t offer our money back, though. Anyhow, we now have basic SIMs that work in Spain. If you ever decide on a multi-country option, I advise you to do your research very well – there are all sorts of hidden traps.

Back to the running. It was a slightly short day, and I’m glad it was, given the late start. I ran all the way on the one road, the N-521, from Caceres to Trujillo (pronounced True-heeyo, the same as the former Telstra CEO – Paul Geason and Jimbo Simpson should appreciate that one). It was a great road to run on – an old highway that has been made redundant by a new freeway. It reminded me a lot of the old highway between Breadalbane and Gunning in NSW. I doubt I was passed by more than twenty cars all day, often running in the centre of the road.

That said, it wasn’t the most interesting in terms of scenery. But the towns, at the beginning and end, made up for what was lacking in interest in between them. Caceres is a must for any visitor to the region, with its history and architecture going back to the Roman times. Trujillo is also worth a look. I am writing this while looking out at the old town, over the balcony of our hotel room. There are certainly worse views to be had!!!