Triathlon

I have a new resolution. I AM going to complete a triathlon. There are plenty to choose from in Auckland so i'm going to work towards one at the end of April, which is a 4km run , 12km bike ride and 400m swim. There are a few hurdles in my way, a) i do not have a bike or a helmet b) i am deathly afraid of swimming in the sea, c) i only have either a maternity swimming costume ot a see through swimming costume (faded through years of use, not see through in a wierd way!) and d) i'm not very good at running. Not TOO much standing in my way then, ha ha ha!! It's something i've wanted to do for a while and i know i can do it, i've got to stop procrastinating and actually get off my bum and do it.

So i've chosen something that's a good cause as well to try and spur me on, the Sun Latte triathlon raises money for Breast Cancer, which is a very very good cause and i'll hit you all up for sponsorship later on ;)

So, the obstacles. I think Anne and Des have a bike i can use, so that's that problem solved. Fear of the sea - hmmmmm, not so easy but i might just train so i can swim the distance required and just deal with it on the day. I shall have to buy a swimming costume and a helmet i think. And i lie, i can run, i used to be good at cross country when i was younger, alright, albeit 10 years younger (!) but i see no reason why i can't be good again. I got really sleepy today - it's been a Bank Holiday so it's been a sleepy old day - and was lying on the bed feeling gross, so i thought i'd get up and go out for a run and just start right now with the training. So i went for a run round the block which is at least a kilometre and didn't stop and admittedly i thought i was going to vomit from over-exertion when i got back, but i felt pretty proud of myself!

All i need are some decent running shorts i think; i feel so self-conscious running around in little shorts. Incidentally, little shorts are called "stubbies" over here. rahter random i know, but it always gives me a chuckle, it sounds so Australian! I cin jist imaaagin Kaaaarl in his little stubbies mite, stindin raaand the baaarbi! (Incidentally, it took me a while to figure out the accent difference between the aussies and the kiwis , there is a dfference - Aussies would say "fiiiish ind chiiips" for example, whereas a kiwi would say "fush und chups". And i of course speak the Queens English and speak properly.)

And while i'm on the subject of Fush and Chups (sorry, just thought of a random bugbear i have about NZ), this country does not do them justice. When we first got to NZ, i remember one particular evening feeling especially teary and homesick, and adrian took us all down to the beach for fush und chups, the thought of which cheered me up immensely. So i asked for a battered sausage and chups and waited a bit more cheerfully on the beach for my dunner :) Adrian came back and handed me a long paper bag, out of which was sticking an ice lolly stick. Inside, was a frankfurter on a stick, dipped very sparingly in batter and then put in a bag FULL of ketchup. I am not a ketchup lover at all, and needless to say the offending sausage made me cry even harder! And oh, god forbid you ask for vinegar on your chups! I did in a shop last year on holiday and the guy looked at me as if i had asked him to put ice cream on top of my chups. Then he said he'd see if he had any out the back and came back brandishing a very old bottle of white vinegar. Can you imagine the outcry in england if there wasn't vinegar on the counter??

Anyway, i see what's happened here. All this talk of training and getting healthy has made my mind think of unhealthy food! I need you guys to keep me on track with my training and send me nasty emails if i'm slacking - i really want to do this!

Leah read her first word yesterday - i was so proud :) And in the same sitting also finally cracked "f"and "l" sounds, so she's doing really well. I'm off to watch Desperate Housewives now for the second series is starting tonight, so blowing you all a big kiss X