I’m fortunate to very rarely get ill. When I do it frustrates me immensely. The cold was mild not much more than a blocked nose yet it acted as a perfect excuse to do less than planned. I suppose it did interrupt my sleep a little, but it didn’t make me skip the swim session after going to see Avatar. Neither did the street magician I watched for twenty minutes (though he was good).

The first time I went to the pool after Epic it struck me how unfit I felt . I splashed my way through a lazy set of lengths without much plan. Actually completing any distance seemed an achievement in itself. I looked at other swimmers and was convinced they were in much better shape than me. Some of them were at least faster swimmers. I’ve ridden the length of the country and I’m the weakest person in the pool!

Biding my time seemed the best idea. No point rushing things. The potential to do more harm than good is always there. That same instinct that drives me to greater fitness can as easily push me to breaking point. I was carefully reminded of this on Saturday when I headed to the gym.

Wellington was putting on some of its best wind and rain so being outside didn’t appeal. Instead the plan was an easy run in the gym and some core work. For some reason I thought it would be the perfect time to break in my new racing flats. Twenty minutes on a treadmill and my calves and ankles were locking up. Not the gentle return to form I wanted. I smartened up for a moment and called my run short.

Epic Camp has left me heavy. Too heavy to put my tired legs through any kind of running on lightly cushioned shoes. It’s not unusual for campers to gain weight. The sheer abundance of food available and a metabolism working overtime are a lethal combination. As I’ve seen after races I’m particularly good at piling on the pounds. I’ve come away a little too round for my liking. Not the lean image of an athlete I have in my head.

On Sunday I headed out for my first ride since camp. I was inauspiciously dropped within the first 10km. I knew I’d be riding easy, but hadn’t expected to have to ride quite so easily. These weren’t the legs that got me from one end of the country to another.

Two hundred watts acted as a barrier if crossed muscles and tendons protested sharply. Attempts to put mind over matter were short lived. I accepted the kind of ride I was going to have and enjoyed the sights of the bay. My ego was boosted ever so slightly by casual riders out for leisurely trips along Oriental Parade. Then dashed when a heavy weight cyclist with stick legs cruised by me.

I skipped the roads for the pedestrianised docks. A rough plan had formed to have a coffee and perhaps some cake. It never fully manifested as I couldn’t pick a place that really appealed. My weakness and current body image issues combined to make me question the wisdom of cake anyway.

Instead I returned to the road and the route home. Shortly reaching the highway and ahead the cyclist with the stick legs. Without trying I soon caught him and passed. He sat in my draft as I pushed into the headwind. This wasn’t the hard pulls on the front I’d been doing at Christmas, but at least I was strong enough to give someone a tow.

I got home and reminded myself to be patient. Rushing recovery doesn’t really work. I’m sure I’ve made that mistake once or twice last year. Hard to say for sure, but large breaks after Ironman UK and Kona didn’t seem to do too much harm.

Then today. Exactly one week after camp finished and things are starting to turn round. I didn’t do as much as I might have liked. Then again I realise now what I’d like and what I can manage aren’t exactly the same. What I did felt good. It’s starting to feel like I’m an athlete again.

A longer session at the pool 4.5km in a little under ninety minutes. Then a lazy afternoon as I was overcome by a massive sense of fatigue. As I was starting to worry that for all the good of the swim I still wasn’t up to much I came round. Finally an easy thirty minutes of running. Everything felt good only a little tightness here or there. I started to feel like a runner again all be it a heavy one!

As the week progresses I’ll see how I go. Trying a little more each day, but never pushing myself too hard. I’m hoping that come the weekend I’ll really be starting to feel my former self. Then one final build, three weeks to get myself ready for Taupo. Or maybe four if I feel strong and don’t want to taper so much.

I have an image of the athlete I need to be in my head, I know how to get there and just need to bide my time.

I’m back in Wellington which after a weekend of foul weather has turned on the sunshine for me. I felt a slight inkling to go out on the bike on such a lovely day. After 15 days of riding it felt wrong not to be sitting on a saddle. Fortunately it’s still in the bag so there wasn’t really an option. Tomorrow maybe, but for now I went for a nice, easy swim.

My third time at Epic Camp is over. Once again I managed to complete the camp minimums and throw in a little bit extra for a few more points. I’m waiting to see if I did enough to retain sixth place once the KOM points are factored in. Whilst I enjoy getting a little involved in the points game the main point of camp is the training.

Before I left for Auckland I set myself some goals for the camp. I have to admit to mixed success with these. If I’m disappointed with any of them it’s how quickly I cracked on the nutrition side. I turned to sugars early in the camp and didn’t turn back! I think in the second week my eating habits were a little more controlled and structured, but still nothing like the paleo for athletes plan.

I can check off camp completion from the list without problem. I didn’t run every day though. I didn’t run on the easy day, nor on one other day when I might have. I did run a lot mind you, not to the level of some on the camp, but a reasonable amount considering everything else going on. I’ve handled much bigger running loads in the past, but considering how much running I’d done in the couple of weeks before the camp and all the other training I’m not too disappointed. It does mean I won’t be scoring highly in Gordo’s run game of course!

I swam a lot, missing one or two optional swims in the second week of camp. I was particularly pleased to actually get a 6K swim in and do a reasonable number of the swim sets this time. I finished with a good 7 or 8km more swimming than camp minimums at least. I also picked up run bonuses from doing one 25km run (on day one too) and a day with a couple of 10K runs in.

Did I test my limits though? The straight up answer is yes. I’ve never done training like that. I’ll admit I’m suffering a little from that feeling that perhaps I could have done more. Just like finishing a race and thinking how you could have gone faster. Perhaps I could, but what I did pushed me. I think if I take anything away it’s that I worked myself too hard on the North island and struggled more on the South.

The first eight days were comparable with previous eight day camps for me. I finished feeling a lot less fatigued or worn down. From then on though it became an increasing struggle to maintain the level of performance. It’s not to say I didn’t have some good riding on the South island I just had better riding on the North. In fact much of my South island riding would have made perfectly acceptable long training rides outside of camp.

It’s amazing to see how some people coped with the long camp. Particularly impressive were those who got stronger as the camp went on or who maintained their level of performance. In some cases this may have been down to more sensible pacing over the camp. In others it speaks of superb recovery. Something to work towards.

For those interested in the hours and kilometres my logs say I did this:

Slightly less hours than I anticipated for the distances involved. Still far more than I’ve ever done in a two week period. There was a lot of steady riding, but very little really easy riding. Similarly there were only a couple of days I’d say my run pace really suffered. Swimming didn’t vary that much over camp which is to say I was about as slow as normal!

If I look at my performance management chart a couple of points stick out. Firstly the overall affect of camp is an all new high for my CTL. Not really surprising the aim now is to recover without too much loss in that fitness. Secondly the rest day gave a nice break and recovery to my TSB. From that point on I didn’t sink too much lower. This also relates to the ‘easier’ nature of the South island. I said I didn’t ride as well and overall stress was lower. I spent a lot more time hiding myself in the packs.

It’s a big start to the year ahead. I’ve pushed up my swim, bike and run beyond last year’s figures already. My aim now is to build on this and work towards bettering on my 2009 performances. It’s going to take some focus and careful work from here on. Recover from camp above anything else.

I’ve some minor goals in the process. I aim to ride over 3,000km in January. I’m well on my way there and good active recovery will help for the next week. It’ll set me up to log more distance on the bike than last year. I’d like to hit 25,000km for a year. Similarly I’ll aim for higher figures for both swim and run. I just haven’t come up with targets for those yet! Maybe 800km swimming and 3000km of running. Don’t hold me to those yet.

Each time I’ve done Epic Camp I’ve gone in a little nervous as to how I’ll cope. My fitness has proved to be up to the test and I’ve managed to push a little and test myself. I come into camp a better athlete than before and I leave seeing how much more there is to do. Lee commented me over the final dinner how he could see the camps being addictive. They really are. I know I’ll be back in the future to test those limits again.

Rob Q, Lee and I set off as a group about 20 minutes ahead of the main pack. Once Lee got over some initial excitement on the first little hill of the day we stuck to the cruisey pace. The morning breeze was chilly and we’d left wrapped in layers. Less than an hour in they were already coming off. Things were looking good for the promised fine day.

Our pace was easy enough that a couple of riders caught us by the first aid station. This was definitely a easy day, but I was enjoying the ride and the chance to chat a bit. The clouds were starting to burn off and the scenery was spectacular once again. Even the daunting profile chart was proving to be misleading with the worst of the hills being quite manageable. My expectations after day 14 were for a much tougher day.

Wind is a big factor in New Zealand riding, it’s why I mention it so often. The camp had got lucky and there were strong Easterlies today. Once we were riding the bottom of the island the wind was on our back. We may have been cruising, but we weren’t going slow for sure. By lunch the whole camp was ahead of schedule.

After days of cold, gray skies it was nice to relax in the sun for our break. It was probably the most leisurely lunch of the whole camp. All together everyone excited to be within 60km of the finish. From this point on we’d be riding as a group. The plan was to reach the end of the island together.

Once again those tailwinds helped us make great time as we rode two abreast down the coastal roads. I chatted with Tara about the trip and plans for the year ahead and time flew by. Soon we were on Bluff road and the town was in sight. Unfortunately the road turned to give us a headwind, but I was sat in the bunch so it wasn’t so bad.

A small group of brave cyclist wanted to ride up Bluff Hill. Significantly steep to the point that elites in the tour of the Southlands suffer. I chose to wait at the bottom with the rest of the group. So close to finishing it was quite surreal to be relaxing in the sun. The riders returned with stories of their struggles and Douglas’s back flip. It sounded fun, but I knew my legs just weren’t up to it anymore – they were about ready to go on strike.

Regrouped we took the last two kilometres to the end of the road at a leisurely pace. There was the end of the road, the trip was over. It’s hard to describe the feelings pleasure at the achievement, a little disappointment it was over, relief too! That was it, the job was done. I can now say I’ve ridden the length of an entire country. I threw in a little swimming and running to add to the challenge too.

That wasn’t quite the end. A quick changeover into run kit and the majority of the group headed off on the running trails to run round the hill. That transformed into running over the hill at the far viewing point. Initial thoughts that it meant a shorter run were dispelled once I realise how steep the trail was. We climbed for ages. My calves were burning as we slowly ran our way to the top.

From the summit it was a very cautious run down the road a few of the guys had ridden up. It was as steep as they claimed. I was in no doubt I would have had to stop before the top if I’d tried. I think we all gained a lot of respect for those who did it after 15 days of riding.

At the bottom the van was waiting to shuttle us back to the hotel. I sat in the back thinking over the two weeks and all that I’d done. I’ve nothing profound to offer. Not now at least. It’s been an amazing experience, but I’ll save that for another time.

Finally some thanks. Thanks to John, Scott and Gordo for organising these camps. Particularly to John for all the work he does whilst still doing all the training. Massive thanks to Super Dave and the support crew. None of this would happend without their work. Of course, thanks to all the other Epic Campers for being great company and helping me get through. Hopefully I’ll be back on another camp in the future.

Once again it was an early start. Straight up and ready for the bike as the plan was to hold an Aquathon at Port Chalmers. You could sense the lack of enthusiasm for this over breakfast. Still my day bag had my wetsuit and run kit in ready for the event.

We rolled out at around 7:30 and the bunch rode very friendly for the first 50km. Nothing too hard at all even for my excessively tired legs. Somehow they keep going though there’s a lot more strain involved in keeping up the pace. At least in the group the time passed quickly and we were soon off the highway and onto more scenic coastal roads.

The views were once again spectacular and the terrain a little more lumpy. Climbing is really starting to take a little more out of me now. There was a KOM planned at a nasty little spike just before Dunedin. I’ve come to accept that I can’t do much in the KOM competition now so don’t worry about it. Despite that the lure of a little competition makes me push harder even if it’s for the final placings.

With a few of the guys riding ahead of the mandatory regroup at least I wasn’t quite last on points! It was a tough climb, but merely a preamble to what was to come. The reward for a climb is a nice fast descent. The roads were a little twisty for my taste and i took is easy till I met the group the other side.

Good news the aquathon was cancelled due to the cold. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed to see it go. We rolled friendly into Dunedin to visit the bike shop for a couple of repairs. It was also suggested I needed new shorts. Unfortunately most of the pairs I’ve brought with me have thinned to the point anyone on my wheel sees far more than they want. I’d managed to pick a particularly bad pair for today. The worst most people had ever seen!

Nick acted as the local guide through Dunedin and used it as an opportunity to show off a particularly vicious climb. It was out of the saddle grinding nearly the whole way. I started to wish I had a 27 on the back just for that little bit easier gearing. it proved I could still raise my heart rate though.

Lunch came a bit later in Brighton. A nice beach about 10K south of Dunedin. The climbing had really taken it’s toll on my legs and I made the decision then that I’d drop off the group. It didn’t more than a few kilometres of riding before I followed my plan. I teamed up with Lee for the remaining 60K with an aim of riding easy.

The final big climb of the day made that easier said than done. The road turned up once more and there was plenty of grinding to be done. It was a particularly cruel climb combining very steep sections which gave the impression of summiting the climb. Once you got there you’d find a small dip and then more ascent. I was wondering how many more I could take by the fifth of sixth time. Eventually it came to an end and a fantastic descent followed. Spectacular views over lakes and valleys. Lee and I agreed it looks a lot like the lakes back home.

The final section was along the highway once more. It seemed a little quieter round here than some of the past few days. We shared turns on the front. I wasn’t feeling that great so would secretly hope Lee would happily pull me along the remaining 40K! Halfway through that was a final drinks stop with some tasty flapjack on offer too. A bit of light refuelling and I perked up.

Just a few more hills remained between us and the motel. Mercifully they were no where near as steep as the previous ones. We kept a comfortable pace all the way to Balclutha. Arriving a little too late for it to be worth me heading to the pool. I’d not have time for a points swim and with all my swim and run done I was happy to call it a day.

One more day to go. 190km of riding with plenty more hills in the way. It’s going to be a tough one. No KOM to worry about and the final section will be ridden as a group. I’m sure the fact I’m so close to finishing will give me the motivation to get me through the day. After all that’s gone another 190km is nothing!

So 10K of running finishing at the pool in Geraldine. Unfortunately my swim bag hadn’t turned up so I had to swim in my shorts and borrow some goggles. Last night I’d contemplated doing a second 6K swim for the bonus points involved. This morning that plan was gone. I figured I was probably ahead enough on points to hold 6th place and a 6K swim would mean a minimal breakfast.

Four hundred metres medley is an Epic Camp tradition. Every one I’ve done has had it. For most of us it’s a comedy event there are few medley swimmers here. I swam out the 2.6K I needed to get a 3K swim once my IM was done. After watching a couple of rounds of the IM it was my go. It’s been a while since I’ve done much swimming other than front crawl. This was definitely about survival not performance!

Swim and run done it was just another 150K day on the bike to get through. I rolled with the A group today. Fortunately things were pretty friendly for the first 50K or so. Nobody pushed the pace too hard. Winds were good and we made excellent time. Once the aid station was gone it was a different story.

Petro went to the front and put the hammer down. He pulled us along at a hard pace for the next 20K. I was seriously reaching my limit and considering a tactical withdrawal from the bunch! At this point Steven went to the front and eased back the pace a little. I think everyone in the group breathed a sigh of relief.

Steven kept things going strongly, just slightly more manageable for me. With 30K till lunch I figured I should be able to stick in. The kilometres flew by and we reached the 100K lunch point in under 3 hours. Pretty good going. Not that I could claim much contribution to that, I’d sat in all day.

I wasn’t sure how things would go after lunch, but figured I’d stick with the train as best I could. As it was a combination of Steven and John pulled us through to Oamaru at a decent pace again. I was certainly feeling the effort especially after the break had let blood pool in my legs.

I figured after Oamaru I’d drop off and go at my own pace to the motel. It’d only be 30K so not too far to be left on your own. Despite those thoughts an overall easing of pace in the group kept me with them. I wasn’t having to work as hard as earlier in the day and I’d get to the end quicker. It was certainly a little bit harder than what I’d do left on my own, but manageable.

The last 30K down the coastal road made the ride. There was spectacular views down the beaches or over the fields. The terrain rolled with the odd little hill, but nothing too severe. Enough to tax my aching legs, but not to stop me. Time and distance passed quickly and we rolled into Waianakarua having average 33kph. Not too bad even if I’d spent all day sitting in.

Not having to run or swim once there was a nice feeling. Just relax, clean up and think how close I am to the end. There’s two tough days ahead. 180km of biking tomorrow with a KOM and an aquathon. I’m not sure anyone’s looking forward to that! It may involve a lot of athletes hobbling for 7K. There are plenty of tired legs out there and some very sore ones too.

I’d been warned the route was challenging and it didn’t disappoint. The first thirty minutes were spent running up trails into the hills. My calves and ankles ached like mad from the start and I was seriously questioning the wisdom of opting for this run.

When it eventually reached a single lane road I found my legs and picked up the pace. The views over Christchurch and the ocean were spectacular. Well worth the discomfort of running up there. The road winds round the hills before you return to the trails for a long descent back to the beach front. There’s just one last large hill in the way before you reach the start.

It’s tough going, taking me 1:45 to complete just over 18.5km. Then another 6 minutes to join Steven in tacking on a further 1.5km to reach 20K for an extra point. At least that last 1.5K could be done on the flat so didn’t kill the legs quite so much.

Everyone done we headed home for a quick breakfast before the 150km ride. Whilst the morning’s weather had been fine and sunny the forecast didn’t look good for the trip ahead. Already the temperature was dropping and the wind was picking up. By the time we rolled out of the motel it was obvious we were heading into some nasty conditions.

The route from Christchurch to Geraldine is essentially flat. This should have been the easiest ride of the camp. Instead we faced nasty headwinds and soon rain. The group stayed together with the ride neutralised till we passed New Zealand’s longest bridge at about 55K. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed to have the pace kept down.

In the nasty conditions we had one accident with Pete going down and knocking Nick off too. Nick was fine, but Pete had to visit the doctor once the ride was over. Hopefully it won’t prove too serious and he’ll have no trouble riding the rest of the country. With bad weather and increasingly tired athletes accidents are always a risk.

Once we were across the bridge and off the highway everyone was free to ride how they wanted. John and Dave C time trialled off the front of the bunch. The rest of us choose to work together until lunch. We established a neatly rotating pace line that helped everyone along. It made the time pass quickly in such miserable weather.

We arrived at lunch together all cold and wet. It was a remarkably quick affair, more time spent on adding layers of clothing than eating. Then back on the road to try and get warm again. I caught up with Dave L and as we were chatting Clas came by pulling a train. We tried to jump on, but neither of us had the power to do it.

Neither of us felt our best so we worked together taking short turns on the front to keep the pace up. Not my best effort by far mostly I just wanted to get to the next hotel. I was having fantasies about the hot shower I’d have when I got there! Just keeping things going and slowly making our way to Geraldine was the focus. I was counting down the Ks on my bike computer from about 40K out.

Once we arrived that was my day done. I heard some had gone to the pool, but it seemed a little late for me to try and fit that in too. So unfortunately it was my first day on camp without a swim for points. Also means I miss out on the bonus 3 points for swim, bike and run on the day. I’m fine for overall camp minimums, but it feels a little like I missed out.

I’ll aim to get a 6K swim in tomorrow to make up for it. They’ll be bonus points for that anyway and I can throw a run in too. We’ll also have the entertainment of the 400m IM at the pool. Always good for a laugh, very few of us are talented medley swimmers!

The morning swim group seems to be shrinking a little. We jogged down to the Kaikoura pool at a leisurely pace that felt far harder than it should. as the pool is open air and not that well heated everyone opted to swim in their wetsuits. Having only medley or fly sets left to do for swim points I opted to just cruise through 3km. I didn’t fancy my chances at fly in a wetsuit.

After yesterdays leisurely breakfast things felt much more rushed this morning. Lots to do and not enough time. I wolfed down the usual mix of eggs, toast and yoghurt and got all my bags ready. We rolled out of the holiday park around 9:30 and headed south towards the KOM of the day.

With a mandatory regroup before the climb there weren’t any attacks before we reached the mountains. Once we were at the bottom though people went for it. As with the day before my legs didn’t have enough in them to follow. I pushed as hard as I could to make up a few places on the first part of the climb. I then lost them on the descent before the main climb. My biggest weak point in descending is hairpins and three or four of them slowed me down.

I never regained that much ground on the main climb. I did manage to catch up with Dave L right near the top and put in a surge past him to beat him. He hadn’t realised that was the finish so hadn’t tried to defend his position. Given our overall placing in the field I don’t think either of us were that fussed. Frankly I was happy to have that bit over, hopefully things would be easier now.

After a short drinks stop the group set out quick and I never managed to get back on. Tara came storming past and I commented how it reminded me of the TT we’d done in the other direction last year. She was soon vanishing up the road whilst I struggled to keep working. With about 15km to go Jo caught me and encouraged me to work with her to catch Tara.

I was starting to lose it a bit mentally. My back was sore which was unusual and I was feeling a little sorry for myself. Jo helped get me back on top of things and we worked hard till we met Tara again. With only about 10km remained the three of us kept the pace up till the aid station. Jo offered me some Nurofen there which I happily accepted.

I made sure I got on the group out of the aid station. Not wanting to be on my own out there. The next 60km were a battle to stay on. I got blown out the back a couple of times but managed to work back on. In the last 30km or so I stuck to the group very well. Taking some real effort to keep in there. Just short of the lunch stop I started to feel light headed and eventually dropped off with only a couple of kilometres to go. At that point I didn’t care, I could get to lunch.

I was pretty glad for that break even if it was cold and wet. It didn’t last too long before the main group set off for a final 45km into Christchurch. The pace was supposed to be friendly to ensure people found there way into town. It was less friendly than expected and about 15km in I was off the back again. I resigned myself to making my own way in and settled into a steady ride.

A little while late I caught up with Petro and then the group as they’d stopped. Whilst most of them hammered off Dave L was going at a more reasonable pace. I settled in on his wheel and just stayed there until we got to the motel. I just didn’t feel up to more work on the front if the body was up for it the mind certainly wasn’t

Here I am back at the Camelot Motel with it’s unusual castle theme. Familiar from last years Epic Camp, though when I was here then I was still feeling fresh. I’m pretty tired now, the body is definitely suffering and it’s taking more of a push to keep going. I wondered what it would be like to go beyond the previous 8 days of camp, guess I’m learning. It’s tough and tiring and I’m not alone in feeling it.

Only four more days to get through though. I’ve got the minimums done for running and swimming so anything there now is extra. Just got to get myself to the end of this island in one piece.

The least desirable winds for the rest of this trip are Southerlies. I’ve checked the forecast and that’s what we’ve got till Invercargill. We all got a taster of Kiwi sea breezes today. The bike stage was only 125km, shorter than most of the days we’ve done. A KOM at the start to get people going and then a further 100km straight into the wind.

Before the biking began a group of us went to the pool in Blenheim to get a 3K swim in. Some went for the medley 3K set for a point. I wasn’t really feeling up for that and opted to swim easy, but throw in the 1K band set. If you’re not familiar it’s a straight 1K swim with the legs tied by a band so you can’t kick. It tests your body position and works your shoulders hard.

I’d been considering running first and swimming in the afternoon once we’d got to Kaikoura. Potentially I could get my second 6K swim in for bonus points. Turns out I was wise to swim first thing as the pool here is closed. an important lesson I’ve learnt from past camps is if there’s an opportunity to do some training take it just in case. Plans have a habit of going wrong and you could miss out on the minimums.

After the swim and breakfast we all rolled out of Blenheim together. We rode easy to the edge of town and then people made their moves for the KOM. This is when I discover my legs aren’t going to play today. I try to go with the jump, but can’t catch onto a wheel and am slipping back pretty quickly. Once on the hill I can’t make any ground. Ultimately I decide I’m not going to have a position in the KOM and just to get over the hill.

Once over the top it was mostly downhill all the way to a drinks stop at Seddon. Here I picked up Nick and Pete and pulled them along all the way to the aid station at 70km. The wind had really picked up and the going was tough. I was feeling pretty driven though. If I wasn’t able to climb or put in big spikes of power I’d certainly ride hard into a headwind.

The three of us pulled into the aid station just as the larger bunch ahead of us were ready to leave. Nick managed a quick turn around and got himself into that group. Both Pete and myself failed to catch the end of the bunch and were on our own.

I powered along for a couple of minutes not making any ground on them before I gave up easing the pace to let Lee and Rob Q catch up with me. I wanted company for another 60K of that wind. I hadn’t realised Pete was also behind or I’d have waited for him to join us.

Lee was clearly suffering a fair bit and Rob and I took turns on the front to pull us all home. Having the occasional break from the wind was a real relief. The coastline in the region is spectacular, but it wasn’t a day to appreciate the scenery. Whilst grinding into the wind I watched my bike computer log the distance and counted down the kilometres to go. Every 5K I got nearer to the end was a big relief.

Once it was 10K to go I was on the front and not planning to stop until I reached the Kaikoura. Not that I was pushing that hard by now. My legs were feeling the last 4 hours of work and my pace had definitely dropped. The pull of home was strong though and it wasn’t too long till Rob, Lee and I rolled into town.

Plans for a 25km run following the bike were long gone from my mind. The main aim was to get my basic 10K run in and to rest up ready for another big day tomorrow. Better to give things a break than over do it on the first day of the second week. There’s still a lot of distance to ride to the bottom of this island.

I thought I might fit a short run or swim in to keep the body moving, but I can’t build up the enthusiasm for it. I’m enjoying having so little to do for a day and trying to recharge myself for the final six days.

It’s been a big trip so far. Eight days of solid Epic Camp training puts me at a point I’ve only been a couple of times before. Normally I’d be about to take an easy week to recover from it too. This time I’m going to be pushing on for another six days of hard work. I’m digging a deeper hole than I’ve ever dug before.

One week in and the Performance Management Chart is looking like this (Epic Camp fortnight highlighted with cyan).

CTL around 165 and TSB around -110! Like I say, I’ve been that low two or three times, always at the end of Epic Camps and always followed with an easy week. How I’m going to hold up to six more days of similar intensity to the week that’s gone when I’m already that far gone is going to be interesting.

The short ride today felt okay, though the legs had stiffened up a little from sitting around on the ferry. a massage in a little while will hopefully help loosen things up and tomorrow I’ll get back into things.

I’m finding that my power is largely capped now. I’m able to ride a lot around the 70-75% intensity level, but going higher takes more effort both physically and mentally. I saw it on the climb in the Rimutakas yesterday, the body wasn’t willing to give that little bit more up the hill.

Given that I’m feeling surprisingly good really and still feel able to take on the challenge. I’m still making plans for getting in swim, bike and run every day. Hopefully getting a few more of the bonuses open to me. There’s one more 6K swim and one more 25K run bonus open to me. I’m almost there on camp minimums for swim and run, it’s all about those few extra points. I want back into the top 5!

Tomorrow’s ride is a comparatively short 125km. There should be a swim and a run of some sort. I may look into the longer run then if I feel up to it.

The pace wasn’t too hard for the first 66km into Featherston. I spent some time on the front again which was fun. I’m growing to enjoy sitting on the front of groups, just have to pick the right group or time to do so! The terrain was rolling and scenic and the building winds were obvious. We reached Featherston in a little over 2 hours so had made decent time.

A regrouping and chance to take on some food before we all headed off to take on the climb over the Rimutakas. Despite living in Wellington for a few weeks I’d yet to have ridden over them. Partly because it’s highway 2 that crosses the range and that’s not a fun road to ride. With a strong Westerly blowing our crossing was going to be particularly challenging.

A lot of the group were already ahead of me as I hit the road. Whilst the winds were going to make things tough for me Steven was clearly having a worse time. I passed him working on a dropped chain, unfortunately I could see it had nasty twists in it. The next time we saw him he was riding a small bike borrowed from one of the documentary crew. It ensured he got to ride the entire North island at the least.

My climb was pretty average. The road itself isn’t too difficult, but with the wind it became particularly tough. You’d turn a corner into strong headwinds. At it’s worst I stalled. Hitting an inclined corner in my lowest gear and then receiving a strong blast of wind to the face I went from about 8kph to zero. I only just managed to unclip my foot and get it on the ground before I toppled.

After that incident I was even more cautious for the rest of the ride. Fortunately nothing ever came quite as close to that again, but I never managed to climb at my best. I’m finding it hard to really ramp the power up now. I can spend long times working at reasonable percentages of my FTP, but attacking a hill is getting beyond me!

A cautious descent followed that climb, though the wind never proved as problematic on the other side. At the bottom we regrouped again and waited for the last few riders. As mentioned for once Steven was the last, looking comical on far too small a bike. As ever he was in remarkably good mood about things. Standing around had made us all cold so everyone was glad to get back on the road.

From there on in it was familiar roads. We avoided the main highway and followed Dave C through Upper and Lower Hutt passing within about 5km of where I’m staying. Finally turning down the highway and into Wellington itself. I think everyone was on a bit of a high to have ridden the whole of the North island. We’re over halfway there now.

No rest for Epic Campers though. After a break we ran to Freyburg Pool for a swim. The 2km there and back were allowed as our run point for the day. I was relieved to not have to run much more. The main aim was to complete a 6km swim. This is my third Epic Camp, but the first time I’d done a 6km swim for bonus points. Previously I’d put it off when the opportunity was there.

I’ve found it hard to motivate myself to swim for that long in a pool. This time I had an ally in the form of Dave C. We planned to do it as thirty 200s with around 20 seconds rest between each. I was aiming to keep things easy to ensure I got through. We worked by alternating lead every five or so.

About halfway through Dave decided I was going slightly too fast for us to work together and we got on with our remaining lengths ourselves. I started by switching to 400s and then a couple of 800s just to get the whole thing done. The last kilometre felt like hard work and I was starving!

After the swim I sat in the changing room munching on a bag of peanuts and raisins whilst I waited for Dave. I knew I’d hoarded that food for some reason. We dashed back to the hotel in time to relax before dinner. A massive buffet that went down very well. Particularly the desserts. Three full bowls for me, not very paleo diet I know.

It’s an easy day tomorrow. Points are neutralised so we actually take it easy and don’t go and train ourselves to death. That said I may opt for an easy 30 minute run just to keep the legs moving. I have to admit after eight solid days of training taking a day off feels like I’m breaking my rhythm. Despite that I am looking forward to relaxing a little bit more before the last six days of camp.