Gerald Taylor

Well, Day 1 after signing into this, and Pega and I went off to Huka Lodge - yes, thats right, THE Huka Lodge...we won a raffle about a month ago, and it was the best $5 I have ever spent!!
Being wined and dined by outrageously friendly people has it's disadvantages - you could easily get used to the supurb food and alcohol.

Suffice to say, training of any sort was out of the question, even though we were in amongst some of the best off-road running territory anywhere in the world. We decided to ease back into "real life" by spending Saturday night in Whitianga - bummer, had to cook breakfast for ourselves!!

Anyway, back into it today. Jogged the 4km to work this morning, and will extend this out on the way home tonight. Seeya out on the roads and tracks!! GT

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-02 10:45:25

Okay, well underway with the training side of things now. I'm out and about this weekend with a bit of running - taking a group of 1st time will-be-marathoners out for their first 21.1k run along the Auckland waterfront on Saturday morning, should be fun. I'm just the waterhorse, and I'll ride along on my (t)rusty mountain bike and try to meet them at 5k intervals for refreshments. Hoping to get out with Mr John Jones to Whitford on Sunday, late morning. I see Mr Jones is doing Day3 of 7in7...49k of hills!!

I've always enjoyed running with John, he has this uncanny ability to talk incessantly, even as we wind our way up a nasty hill (which for me decelerates into a walk), and doesn't seem to mind as I pant out the occasional "uh huh", or "yup" in reply to his banter...!! Now he is a true machine of running - jump onto his page if you're feeling like those coins in your pocket need to go somewhere special!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-05 10:32:40

A couple of discoveries today on the Waterfront 21k run this morning - 1) chafing occurs easier when you get a wet butt from your camelbak, and 2) those knobbly things on the sidewalk in front of intersection crossings are damn slippery!! I think all up today I ended up with more injuries (including a bruised backside and ego) than I normally get from a regular trail run...
Good work today from my will-be-marathoners today in appalling conditions. Great to get together afterwards for a massive breakfast with about a gallon of hot coffee in St Helliers too!!

Back to the trails tomorrow, hoping to be able to keep up with John Jones and his young fulla Kevi. Out to Whitford Forest to see if we can get a sneak-peak of a small portion of what the Xterra run next Sunday will be all about...!! Knowing those Total Sport boys, it will be mischief and madness rolled into one!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-07 21:29:28

Back to the bush today, good to be back in the dirt, that's for sure...checking out some of the trails that will likely be in use next weekend for Xterra at Whitford. Good to see the trails in use by the odd mountain biker, but strange to see about 40 guys in camo gear, toting plastic pallet firing machine guns...hmmm...different strokes for different folks I guess!! The Whitford Archery Club was also out in force. We thought that if it came down to it, our money would be on the archers...

John was (of course) in sublime form; yapping up the hills as I dragged my sorry butt up behind him. Kevi, a runner for the future methinks, also proved that the mud and rain was no problem at all - great, someone else to make me feel like a lumbering mammoth, whimpering and sweating up the hills...

Finished with another meal at another Cafe - Whitford Cafe, which used to be the family home of someone I went to school with - Jenny Priest - years ago. Gonna have to stop these big meals after the big runs!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-08 17:32:46

Sunday marks the 5th Xterra run for the 6.5 run series - I say 6.5, as there is the mater of a 10-11km night run at Shakespear park the evening before the last one there in 3 weeks time. Whitford I like to think of as my stomping ground, because if I'm going offroad, it's generally there I'll be heading unless its a professionally organised run - I live about 10-15k from Whitford in good ol' South Auckland.

So you'd think I'd be in my element there this weekend wouln't you? Well, I've just twinged a muscle in my back while working in the office...bloody hell, I'm getting soft...so Sunday might be an interesting one. The run there last weekend also showed that we can expect a lot of mud to contend with. I note we'll have some real rain between now and Sunday as well, so that will make it interesting.

I se Mr Aaron Carter has signed up for a couple of the runs in the 7in7....good to se Carts getting involved!! I'm not promising anything, but if I can spare the time after my Day 1, and if I'm allowed, I'll try to go for Day 2 as well...

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-13 10:28:29

Woah, Whitford was a goodie - plenty of mud out there. Didn't get to catch up with Mal Law, I think I'm a bit slower than him...

Talked to a few guys who were convinced they "got lost" as 22k should never take them over 3 hours!! Ha - welcome to off roadies!!

Not too much in the way of injury, looking good for a top start in Wanaka!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-08-16 12:25:30

Been a while since I blogged, better get back into it!! Pega and I spent a week in Samoa with our 2 boys. Went for a few swims (nice) a few runs (not so nice, blimmin' hot over there, who'd have thunk it?), and one chicken hunt up the side of a mountain jungle (yes, I'm serious).

Living with the locals in Lalomanu which is still recovering fron the lethal tsunami of a year ago, I decided to go the whole hog and go hunting for dinner with Tafia, older brother to our 2 boys. This 15 year old is amazing. I was struggling up the mountain which would make anything I've done in off road events look easy, sweat pouring out of everywhere possible, and Tafia was sprinting in his jandals, sometimes taking these off to get a better grip, carrying a machete and a couple of stones to kill dinner with. Man, that was the best workout I've had in a long time...

Long story short, we didn't get the chicken, the only one around had a brood of chicks, and we realised it would be a bit nasty to knock her off!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-10-05 18:16:28

Been back in NZ a couple of weeks now. Managed to contract an infection from a coral-cut on my hand over in Samoa...had a flu-like thing for a while now...

Took the Will-be-Marathoners out for their final prep event on Saturday; a 30km run from Pakuranga, Panmure, Mt Wellington, Ellerslie, Onehunga, East Tamaki and back to Pakuranga. Sick as a dog, should have told them to follow the trail of snot and phlegm I was leaving...Got about 20km into it and started getting lightheaded. What was that the medics always say about training with a fever?? Last 5k was run/walk. Felt surprisingly good that afternoon, but looks like I'm a slow learner...!!

2 weeks to go till these guys do their 1st Marathon, they'll be sweet with the prep work they've done. I'm the official 4hr Pace Team Leader for the Auckland Marathon - ha - I better get a watch!!

Just ordered me a tight fit 7-in-7 team shirt. Man, better cut out the carbs if I'm gonna wear that!! Should have asked for one with built-in abs!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-10-18 15:50:22

Hey there LaVerne, yep, looks like you're the only one...Man, struggling to get people to cough up too!! I need to see if I can get a bit more dosh out of people...

Yeah, sad story, but forgiveness can be good for the soul. Good on him. Quick plug for LaVerne - her first published book comes out on Monday - whats it called again LaVerne?? Yes I will buy one, can't promise to read it - there's something about reading your younger sister's books containing graphic sexual content I don't think I can handle!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-10-28 15:56:24

Okay, did the Auckland Marathon yesterday...man, what a nightmare...I had my cousin and her kids staying over as they (Jonty and Amberlie) were doing the full and half respectively. I went to great pains to get these guys all organised with numbers pinned onto the shirts, shoes and socks ready to go, the ferry ticket laid out, and breakfast all organised. Set the alarm for 3.30am. Problem was, I set it for MONDAY!!

5.30am, Jonty said "uncle, its 5.30!" Dammit!! Couldn't believe it!! I was 4hr pace setter, and I would be the idiot who made these 2 kids late as well!! Race start was 40mins from the time I was woken. I whipped my clothes on, socks and shoes, grabbed a bunch of bananas, grabbed the kids and begged my poor, long-suffering wife to come with me. We hurtled along the motorway, noticing we weren't the only late ones...and somehow, some way, we got to the Devonport with 3.5mins to start time...(time for a reallllllyy quick toilet stop), grabbed my 4hr sign so people knew who to follow, and the gun goes off!!!

Have never ever been so ill-prepped for a run. And consequently, I have never been in so much pain after one!!! I made it to the finish line with 2 seconds to spare; a perfectly timed pace run (even if I do say myself!!) but man, what a mission!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-01 17:24:59

Woohoo!! looks like the money is starting to get up there for the sponsorship at last!!

For a while there I thought I was going to have to cough up the balance to get me to the mandatory $400, thank goodness for kind-hearted souls!!

Training picking up again after the marathon over a week ago now. Funnily enough, I now work at Big Ben pies. Coincidentally my favourate food is...pies. I have been here 7 days, and I have not eaten a single one. I'm scared if I do, the floodgates will open and I'll tun into the Staypuff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. I did taste a new type of cheese sauce today, but that was a smidgeon, so IT DOESN"T COUNT OKAY??!!

Anyway, off to do some stair training now, keep the cash coming in guys, thanks!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-09 17:03:37

Mmmmmm....pies....I'm working late, I haven't eaten enuff proper food today...I could really go a Bacon, Steak n' Cheese right now. Even saying it is cool. But no, the new shirt I'll be getting from Icebreaker to wear for the run is more skintight than bodypaint by the look of it!!

Did those stairs yesterday. Mate. They were harder than I thought. I'm doing some on-the-side training with Cousin-in-law Eti Televave, and we went to Totara Park as my bro-in-law Tony said there were some good stairs there. Mate, (by now you'll realise "mate" is an acceptable replacement for "f@#k") that nearly finished me off going up and down those Mutha-fathers, I can tell you that!! Anyone looking for some good hill work, the west side of the bushland has these monstrosities, go for your life!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-10 18:59:58

Played in the Auckland Corporate games for my wife's Air NZ indoor netball competition on Saturday. We played 6 straight games, thats 3 hours of indoor netball!! Most of the others in the cometition also played 6 straight games of touch rugby the next day...oh, to be young again!!

Interestingly, my legs were fine. I was a little worried my knees wouldn't take the hammering but they seemed to come out okay. It seems to be upper body that fared the brunt of the strain - middle back muscles, shoulders...

Anyway, we were the "b"-team for Air NZ, and we came out with a silver medal. The 1st spot went to the other Air NZ team, who made us look stupid on court...!! I forgot how tiring that game is.

Well onto the home stretch for the run down south. Really cannot wait to get out there and start pounding the gravel...!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-15 11:11:04

Yay!!! Today I reached my $1000 target!! I seriously wasn't sure if I could, but great to have some people power from my sister LaVerne, my will-be and sure-are-Marathoners, and some understanding people at work as well. Thank you all for your donations, I'll try not to let you down!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-17 09:09:58

Man, big thanks to Essendon Tuitupou and his team of trainers from the Faith City 7 week challenge!! On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings, these boys will make you work like a dog in different traiinng sessions held at the Alan Brewster gymnasium in Old Papatoetoe. Wednesday is a mixture of short-sharp sprint events, plus a lot of pressups, burpies, and other strength exercises. Friday starts with boxing, mingled with the upper and core body exercises thrown in for good measure. Saturday (which I haven't made it to this time round, week 3 already!!) is generally a mid-distance run, which could be up One Tree Hill, or along St Helliers Bay. Either way, you're generally carrying medicine balls for a bit of a laugh...

As one of the very few European boys at the training sessions, I'm usually slower at the sprints (typical white boy, without the benefit of polynesian short-twitch muscle fibre), weaker and slower with the pressup and carrying-your-buddy exercises, and hiding behind the pads when its my turn to let a Swinging Samoan hammer away in the boxing sessions.

The weekday sessions are only an hour long (6am - 7am), the weekend session is a bit longer. Girls train at the same venue on Tuesday and Thursday, so we all meet on Saturday mornings for a combined session.

If you're looking for a brilliant workout, with proven results from people who know what they're doing, have a look at this link and sign up for the next one. Trust me - it is by far and away the best value of its type you will ever find, and the comraderie is massive!!
www.faithcitychurch.net/Churchlife/HealthandFitness/tabid/70/default.aspx

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-19 10:17:59

Hey probably not the best place to drop a note to someone, but Ryan, hope you have recovered from todays run out at Totara. The website I was talking about is www.totalsport.co.nz for those off road runs and rides...they are really good mate, so give it a look!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-21 00:14:34

Whoa!! Just had a look at the money donated to date, and it is teetering on the brink of $100k...blimmin amazing I tell you!! I'm always blown away when I see what people power can do.

Well and truly counting down to Day 1. Have to soften up on the running and biking this week. Hoping for glorious weather for the day, and of course for the entire 7 days for Mal and everyone else. Tried my event shirt on for a short jog last night, and it looks okay...I wonder if I can hold my gut in for the entire 42km??

Here's hoping for a great event!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-23 06:47:56

Okay, last entry before I catch the plane out towards Wanaka tomorrow afternoon. A big THANK YOU to all the people who have sponsored me, I'm so stoked you saw fit to part with your hard-earned cash to give to the Leukaemia fund...

On Tuesday next week, I will post an update of the run itself. By that stage, Mal will have started Day 3 of the 7!! Madness!!

Thanks again everyone, really appreciate your support!!

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-11-25 18:02:28

Ta.Daaaahhhh!!! Race report below!! Cheers everyone for your support and generosity, Mal Law has managed to raise over $250,000 for the cause in 24 months!!

Race Report, Twin Lakes Marathon, Wanaka, New Zealand

About 18 months ago I heard about a crazy man called Mal Law who was running the 7 Great Walks of New Zealand in 7 consecutive days. He called this feat the 7in7, and the aim was to raise $50,000 for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation. He surpassed this by over 50% last year. When Mal sent out an invite for other crazy people to join him on the 2010 edition, I jumped at the chance to be a part of one of the days, and also help raise money for the LBF. Everyone in New Zealand and Austalia knows someone who has suffered from cancer of some sort. I just thought that by doing an event and raising money on the way, I could help a little bit at least.

The 7in7’s goal this year is to raise $150,000 for the cause. As I write this, Mal is running Day 3 of his intrepid journey, and this target has almost been reached. I set myself a personal target to raise $1,000, and I’m really pleased to report that thanks to friends, family and colleagues, I have been able to raise over $1,200.

Race Day
I chose to run in Day 1, the Twin Lakes Marathon. This was a trail run around Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, ending in a picturesque spot called Glendhu Bay. It was a regular length marathon, 42.2km, however I wasn’t entirely prepared for the terrain, and not at all prepared for the heat or lack of shade. The race started at 8am at Scotts Beach located on the lake at Hawea. The temperature was already nearing 30?C, and I realised I was in for a long, hot day.

We traversed along an irrigation canal away from the lake for about 12km to the first of 3 aid stations. So far, so good. The swing-bridge section was a little hard on the knees, but it was worth it to stock up on bananas and sports fluid. Following the Hawea river to Wanaka lake, I made the halfway point in 2hrs 15min, relatively happy given the extra baggage and terrain I had to deal with. About 5kms from here, the heat had reached about 35?C, and I was going through my water supply swiftly. I found myself increasingly running/walking, and at this point Marc Ellis, former All Black and one of the celebrities doing the half marathon, went past me at a rate of knots.

By the time I got to the 3rd aid station, I was struggling, and this was where the real hills and heat got to their worst. Fortunately, it was also the most scenic part of the event which takes your mind off the silly stuff you’re actually doing. I heard some international runners I passed complaining that they didn’t have enough room in their cameras for all the scenery!!

The finish line was a welcome relief, and I completed in just over 5hrs 20mins. Sure, it was a struggle out there, but its nothing compared to what the patients afflicted with Leukaemia and other blood cancers as well as their families have to go through on a daily basis. I’d like to thank all of those friends, family and colleagues who donated so generously for the cause. The money raised by the 7in7 Challenge, every cent of it, goes directly into helping patients and families living with leukaemia. Your support is hugely appreciated, thanks!! If you want to contribute to this clause, please feel free to view my fundraising page: http://www.7in7fundraising.org.nz/view_event_profile/204

• Gerald Taylor
• 2010-12-10 16:36:49