Keeping a Promise

It has been awhile but the video I promised you all.

South Island Trip Part I

International Press

I was going to sit here and type about how I found Tecmo Super Bowl for NES online but I found something way more awesome than that. Let me share it with you.

Huntly Half Warms UpMonday 12 May, 2008

With less than a week to go, the heat is on for runners taking part in the famous Huntly Half Marathon. May 18th will see Hakanoa Domain in Huntly become a swarming crowd of runners and walkers as they prepare to join the 45,000 people who have completed the Huntly Half Marathon over the last 27 years.

Entries for the 28th Retravision Huntly Half Marathon and the accompanying Solid Energy 10k are coming in steadily, and race organiser Graham Dudfield says numbers so far are looking similar to last year. He expects a rush of entries before the race, and on race day. Online entries are open until Tuesday 13th May, and late entries are open until up to half an hour before the event.

The Huntly Half started in 1981 and has a strong reputation among athletes, attracting runners such as John Walker, Dick Quax, Allison Roe, and many more. Favourites in the elite section this year will include Iain MacDonald and Kyle MacDonald from Tauranga and Paul Crowhurst (Pakuranga), who all have the potential for a sub-70 minute finish. Michael Petrina from the USA has run some fast track times but will be attempting his first half marathon. In the women's race, Australia's Hanny Allston will be the one to watch after her recent win in the Rotorua Marathon. Over $30,000 worth of merit and spot prizes will be presented on the day, and all participants have a chance to win.

It's rumoured that Bill and Ben from TV3's Pulp Sport programme may make an appearance in the half marathon, so any spectators who have witnessed past antics from the pair will be watching with interest.

The race is strongly supported by both the Huntly and Hamilton communities, giving the event a personal touch which is traditionally appreciated by competitors. Running club Hamilton City Hawks have had a long-term involvement in the Huntly Half. The Retravision Huntly Half Marathon caters for all levels of entrant, and Hamilton City Hawks take pride in presenting an event which looks after the needs of all runners and walkers. A carnival atmosphere prevails at the finish area in the Lake Hakanoa Domain, with performers and food/drink stalls. Race H.Q. is at Huntly Thistle soccer club rooms.

To enter, visit the Cool Running before Tuesday 13th, or enter early on race day – May 18th.

email dawntuffery@gmail.com or call 0274947999. Race Director Graham Dudfield:

Thats right I made international press. What can I say it is pretty cool and I am pretty honored to be mentioned in the same paragraph as John Walker. I was pretty excited when I found that quick little article.

M.D.W. II = Mother's Day Weekend Part II

Mother's Day

I hope that all you Mothers out there had a great day. My Mothers Day was fun filled. No I am not a mother.

The plan was to have it at the Joy Household. It was to be a pot luck afternoon tea. Afternoon tea can be described as either a late lunch or a really early dinner. Its like what Brunch is for breakfast and lunch. At the Petrina Household we call afternoon tea, Linner, or Dunch. It has been debated what it should be. Today we have a new term that can be used and thats what I will do.

Afternoon Tea

For afternoon tea Leo and I were encharge of salad and some sort of dessert, Bart and Cindy were making sushi and Nat was going to make shepards pie. The feast was turning at beautifully, Leo also decided she was going to make chocolate raisin bread as part of dessert. She baked the bread the day before and it was ready for the next day. We also decided to go with a Lemon Souffle. We made that the morning of the Potluck Afternoon Tea. Bart and Cindy had made many different types of sushi all with fun and exciting fillings. Nat's shepards pie was really good. It had mince, carrotts, mushrooms, peas in it with potato crust and melted cheese on top of that.

Everyone started to arrive around 1230. Once all accounted for Mr. Joy had a special suprise for us all to take part in.

Sheep Hearding

A little of 18 months ago 5 of the Joy's sheep had escaped. All by himself Mr. Joy set out to get them back into the Joy paddock. He was able to get three of the five to get back in, but two eluded him. For the next year and a half he and Mrs. Joy would set out to try and find the other two. One day not too long ago Mr. Joy spotted them in a neighboring paddock that was located behind the Joys Paddock. He was determined to get them back, so he decided that at the next family fet together we all were going to go out beyond the paddock and get back them two sheep.

For those of you who are not aware, sheep are easily freightened and will run and hide in obscure places and not come out. Another this is they will almost always run away from you. So for a single individual to round up two sheep in a paddock that is over 10 acres big is a very difficult task. The help of several other individuals will help make the task much easier. And when I say much easier I mean still difficult but not as difficult as before with one individual. You catch my drift?

So the six of us, Bart, Cindy, Nat, Mr. Joy, Leo and I, set off for the back of the paddock around 1330. We arrived to the paddock and devised the game plan. It was to sneak behind the sheep and freighten them to run towards the open in the gate. Once through the opening in the gate we then had to get them to go through the opening into the Joy Paddock. Our first attempt at surround the sheep failed, as they ran right up the middle of our half circle and down into the bush. We then had to try and surround them in the bush and force them up the hill and out the gate. This task should be a lot harder but for some reason we get a nice arch around them and scare them up out of the bush, up to the fence, along the fence and out the gate. Next getting them to walk through the gate of the Joy Paddock. This took time but was easy as pie. Just had to take a long road to get behind them and force them the other way.

Along the way we did stumble upon a large BULL. I was tempted to play slap the Bull on the ass. Like they do in Wild Hogs, but we all decided to quickly and descreetly exit the Bull's domain.

We got up behind the Sheep forced them the opposite way and into the Joy Paddock. Just in time too, it started to rain and we hopped into the Joy Paddock ran right through it to get to the house for our afternoon tea.

Afternoon Tea

It was well deserved meal for all. After 18 months of trying the sheep were finally back to where they belong. The pie, sushi and salad were all very tasty. For you that are wondering I had a cottage cheese sushi, salad with plum dressing and a rather large piece of shepards pie. All so very good. Following right after tea was the dessert and for that we had Souffle, chocolate candy, ice cream and snow. Mrs. Joy made snow last second because she wanted some. Snow it like a souffle but contains gelatin that makes it firm. All the desserts were fantastic. We got through the whole meal and now it was time to clean. Bart and Cindy scattered home, Mr. & Mrs. Joy left to see Nanny and Nat ran upstairs to the computer. So that left Leo and I on dishes. O well just have to do my part to chip in.

I know I know What about the bread? Leo and I realized that on the car ride back to our flat. So yesterday I picked some of it up to have as a dessert in the apartment. The beard is perfect when toasted with a little smear of butter. It melts in your mouth so sweet and delicious.

I am sorry that I dont have any photos. I have been slacking in that department lately. Dont worry I will have some photos to share with everyone shortly.

Updates

Gas is up to $1.93 at some stations and $1.88 at others. So that means gas is between $7.05-$7.24 per gallon of gas. So you guys can complain about your $3.something, but just remember that someone you know has to pay over $7 for gas. OUCH... I know... and Yes my pocket has a few holes in it...

On a similar note the New Zealand Herald has discontinued the section in there Entertainment Paper that gave me all the movie and dvd ratings for the week. Which is a bummer. So now all I have to share with you is the Top 15 Music Singles. I feel like I am letting you down. So I am thinking hard of a way to make the section of Whats Hott in NZ. Hip and Cool again. So for now I will post the Music and a video clip. Remeber it is still Kiwi Music Month.

Top 20 Music Singles

1LOVE IN THIS CLUB / USHER FEAT. YOUNG JEEZY
2 LOLLIPOP / LIL WAYNE
3 NO AIR / JORDIN SPARKS FEAT. CHRIS BROWN
4 SEXY CAN I / RAY J FEAT. YUNG BERG
5 BETTER IN TIME / LEONA LEWIS
6 4 MINUTES / MADONNA FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
7 SHAWTY GET LOOSE / LIL MAMA FEAT. CHRIS BROWN & T-PAIN
8 TOUCH MY BODY / MARIAH CAREY
9 WHAT IS IT / BABY BASH FEAT. SEAN KINGSTON
10 AMERICAN BOY / ESTELLE FEAT. KANYE WEST
11 LOW / FLO RIDA FEAT. T-PAIN
12 MERCY / DUFFY
13 LOVE LIKE THIS / NATASHA BEDINGFIELD
14 FEELS LIKE MAGIC / HORSEMEN FAMILY
15 KILLA / CHERISH FEAT. YUNG JOC
16 ONE DAY / OPSHOP
17 ALWAYS ON MY MIND / TIKI
18 BLEEDING LOVE / LEONA LEWIS
19 LEAVIN' / JESSE MCCARTNEY
20 PARTY PEOPLE / NELLY & FERGIE

And for some reason Kiwi Music does not dominate the charts. So I will have to post a video not on the list but is racking up a lot of air time on the radio and on the music television.

Business Time - Flight of the Conchords

"The next thing you know I'm wearing absolutely nothing,

Except for my socks, And you know when I'm down to my socks what time it is,

It's business time

It's business

It's business time,

When I'm down to my socks it's time for business

That's why they're called business socks"

Mother's Day Weekend

So it has been a long and busy weekend. With that being said here are my notes of what happened this weekend. I will go into more depth of each in continuing blog posts.

• New Flat
• Mother's Day
• Sheep Hearding
• Tecmo Super Bowl

It doesnt seem like that much but in it was.

A New Flat

Leo and I have been looking for a new place for a few weeks now. We have gone a looked at many apartments and flats. Nothing seemed to do the trick for us. We stunbled upon this one bedroom, one bathroom, open living space. No matter where you look you will not find the perfect flat. There will be something wrong, so this Takapuna flat is near perfect for us.

It will cut down Leo's commute by 50% and cuts mine from 25k to 7k. Also it means that we will not have to commute to go for a run. In Dairy Flat there are no street lights, and no shoulder to run along let alone a sidewalk. In Takapuna there are sidewalks and plenty of street lights. It is also within running distance of all the places that we used to drive to to go for our runs. We can run out to the coast and run along the cliffs. Hit the beach and run along the sand. We can hit some of the local parks and do some quick loops. All in all the flat is pretty handy.

It is located on Northcote Road in Takapuna. It is seconds from the motorway and across the street from the bus station. It is a minutes drive into Takapuna City and within walking distance of three supermarkets. The Flat is located in the back of the property off from the main house and surrounded by other flats and homes. One would think the noise level is loud but that is not the case, the motorway is pretty quit at night and we are sheltered by all the other flats and homes.

Pictures will come once we are set up. However I will give a brief description of the place. You walk in the front door and you have the open kitchen to the right and straight infront of you in the open living room. In the left corner of the kitchen is the entrance to the bedroom and to the right of that is the entrance to the bathroom and toilet. Within the bedroom the closet is to the left and it is a big inwall closet with a sliding curtain. The closet contains a rod that spans the whole width of it and has shelves on top of the rod and all along the right hand side of the closet. Within the bathroom you have the shower straight infront of you, the sink to the right of that. The toilet has a seperate door and is to the right of the sink. There is also a area to put a washer machine for clothes to the right of the toilet door. The living room has two sliding doors that open up to our little backyard. We have room for a garden, and we have a shed and we also have a clothes line to hang our washed clothes if we get a washer machine.

Over the last two days we have been slowing moving our stuff from Dairy Flat to Takapuna. We do not have a big suv or a van to put everything in, so it is going one trip at a time. Which is fine little by little. As we get settled and arrange the flat I will take some photos to share with you. Maybe it will be featured on an episode of cribs or something?

With that I leave you to ponder about what lies ahead for this week in my blog section.

Mother's Day?

Sheep Hearding?

Tecmo Super Bowl?

I am Back...

They took away without telling me and they gave it back without telling me. Those google people are up to some funny business I tell you. Well I will have a new post soon.

Happy Mothers Day to All ... Mothers!

Have A Good Weekend...

Kiwi Music Month

May 1st kicked off Kiwi Music Month in New Zealand. Since this is my first Whats Hott in New Zealand blog since this began, I will dedicate this entry to the music world. However I do not want it to go un-noted that the New Zealand Herald had some technical difficulties and could not provide me with the movie and dvd ratings for the week. I have the television ratings and if you want to know the top 5 shows then please inquire.

Kiwi Month

New Zealand Music Month began in 2001. Each May, New Zealand music is showcased on radio and television and in live performances.

New Zealand Music Month aims to boost the visibility and success of New Zealand music. It was developed to support the New Zealand music industry by creating a commercially successful platform for local performers. In 2000 airtime for New Zealand music on commercial radio stations made up around 10% of programming. By 2005 this figure had increased to nearly 23%. The amount of New Zealand music sold increased from 5.45% of the total market in 2000 to over 10% by 2004.
They celebrate New Zealand Music Month with 31 reasons to love Kiwi Music. There is a different story for each day in May about the people, songs and issues that are part of New Zealand's musical heritage. These are a selection of random notes, not a definitive history of New Zealand music. If they provoke any memories or ideas, please feel free to get in touch and add to the collection

Please skim though the following. I am not asking you to read and research each one, but maybe something will catch your Eye.

31 Reasons to Love Kiwi Music

We randomly selected 31 New Zealand music stories, one for each day of New Zealand Music Month.
Each story links to a page with further information. They are in no particular order.

New Zealand's national anthems
New Zealand Music Month would not be complete without looking at a song that we have sung (often badly) for over 130 years. It is our national anthem, ‘God defend New Zealand’, or, in te reo Maori, 'Aotearoa'. More...

'Blue smoke'
In 1949 a disc featuring the song ‘Blue smoke’, written by Ruru Karaitiana and released on the TANZA label, became the first record wholly produced in New Zealand from composition to pressing. More...

Split Enz
In 1980 Split Enz put New Zealand music firmly on the international map with their breakthrough fifth album True colours. Theirs is a classic story of Kiwi battlers achieving through hard work and sacrifice. More...

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Sixty-one years old in 2008, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra travels over 40,000 kilometres a year to bring the best of the orchestral repertoire to New Zealanders from Kerikeri to Invercargill. More...

Sandy Edmonds, groovy baby
She was our first pop superstar of the TV age – a 1960s Kiwi Paris Hilton. Sandy Edmonds was the swinging, groovy face of youth on pop show C’Mon, even though her musical contribution is barely remembered. More...

No depression in New Zealand
Blam Blam Blam's 'There is no depression in New Zealand' was particularly meaningful for many in 1981, and some adopted it as an unofficial national anthem. It was also commercially successful and went gold a month after its release. More...

Loxene Golden Disc Awards
The Loxene Golden Disc Awards were the forerunner of today’s New Zealand Music Awards. The awards were designed to ‘create public awareness of the wealth and quality of New Zealand pop music talent’. More...

Kiwi klassics
Kiwi Records was a saviour of New Zealand composers. The label, started by publisher A.H. & A.W. Reed in 1957, was one of the few local outlets for recording classical music, assisting the careers of some of our most well-known classical musicians. More...

Devil's music – Timberjack
In 1971 Timberjack's song ‘Come to the Sabbat’ shocked many with its chorus of ‘Come, come, come to the Sabbat/ Come to the Sabbat – Satan's there.’ This wasn't the typical Loxene Golden Disc Award nominee. More...

'How bizarre'
‘One-hit wonder’, ‘rags to riches and then back to rags again’ – call it what you will, but the fact remains that the infectious 1995 hit ‘How bizarre’ by OMC is the biggest-selling New Zealand record of all time. More...

Kiwi Records
What could be a more apt record label for New Zealand music than Kiwi Records? This company began producing records in 1957, and its catalogue includes everything from Maori songs to the sounds of Antarctica. More...

Club culture
Today the music scene in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, is dominated by electronic music and DJ culture. This dance-floor revolution is a relatively recent phenomenon, having begun in the early 1980s. More...

'My old man's an All Black'
Gerry Merito wrote ‘My old man’s an All Black’ as a bitter-sweet parody of ‘My old man's a dustman’. His song used humour to comment on the decision of the 1960 All Blacks to tour South Africa without Maori players. More...

Riot 111 – subversive radicals
As a protest against Television New Zealand (TVNZ) refusing to play their music, Riot 111 staged a raucous concert outside the company's Avalon studios while punk supporters hoisted the A for Anarchy banner on the flagpole. More...

Dave Dobbyn and 'Loyal'
Although some say it is a song spoiled by overexposure, in 2006 an online survey of 3000 people chose Dave Dobbyn's 'Loyal' as New Zealand's greatest song ever.More...

Railway songs
Few New Zealand folk songs are as iconic as Peter Cape’s ‘Taumarunui (on the main trunk line)’, a tale of unrequited love between ‘an ordinary joker’ and a ‘sheila’ who works behind the counter at the town’s famous railway refreshment room More...

Shihad
Arriving in Los Angeles in early September 2001, the group Shihad found itself caught up in the fallout from the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The name Shihad sounded too much like jihad for American tastes – no one was going to say Shihad on the radio. More...

Queen Street riot, 1984
‘Tears, terror at the concert that made history’ was one of the newspaper headlines the day following the Queen Street riot of December 1984. All hell broke loose after a free concert at Aotea Square was stopped early. More...

New Zealand's first millon-selling song?
‘Now is the hour’ highlights the blending of Maori and European traditions in a song that could be embraced by both communities. It became a huge hit for some major stars, including Gracie Fields and Bing Crosbie. More...

The birth of Kiwi rock 'n' roll
In 1957 Johnny Cooper – 'the Maori cowboy' – recorded New Zealand's first rock 'n' roll hit, ‘Pie cart rock ’n’ roll’. His inspiration was the Wanganui pie cart where a meal of pea, pie and pud was always on hand . More...

Kiri Te Kanawa
Although her fame mostly came from performing music that was not New Zealand made, Kiri Te Kanawa also gained international exposure singing traditional and contemporary Maori songs. More...

Fat Freddy's Drop
In May 2005 the Wellington band Fat Freddy’s Drop burst onto the national scene with the release of their first studio album Based on a true story. The album went gold on its first day. More...

Suburban Reptiles – Kiwi punk
In a report on the Suburban Reptiles first concert, New Zealand Truth claimed that the festival the group was playing at was spoiled by ‘these hooligans’, and the article referred to spitting and abusive audiences. More...

Nature's best
‘Nature’, written by Wayne Mason for his band Fourmyula in 1969, reached number one on the charts in January 1970 and became a hit again in 1992 when it was recorded by New Zealand band The Mutton Birds. More...

'Join together'
The 1974 Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch was an odd coupling of 1970s cosmic harmony and cut-throat competition. The song that caught the mood of this Woodstock in tracksuits was Steve Allen’s hummable, even uplifting, anthem ‘Join together’. More...

'French letter'
Herbs 1982 hit 'French letter' came to express the country's anti-nuclear stance. It spent 11 weeks on the charts, peaking at number 15. The title itself was considered too risqué for radio and was released under the alternative ‘Letter to the French’. More...

The Wanganui Elvis
Johnny Devlin was New Zealand’s answer to Elvis Presley. His first performance at the Jive Centre electrified the fans. Young women and girls screamed hysterically as he sang and moved across the stage, all hip-wriggling, groin-grinding Presley style. More...

The birth and death of ... Goblin Mix
The birth and death of ..., by short-lived Auckland band Goblin Mix, was one of the great New Zealand albums of the mid-1980s. But today the band is probably best remembered as an ancestor of The 3Ds, the Dunedin group led by former Goblin Mix guitarist David Mitchell. More...

Songs of the sea
Ahoy there! Sea shanties, work songs sung on board sailing ships, were a feature of seafaring life in the 19th century. Although most shanties were of British or American origin, some had a distinctly New Zealand flavour. More...

'Poi E'
Written by Dalvanius Prime and Ngoi Pewhairangi, 'Poi E' was a massive hit for the Patea Maori Club in 1984, although it had actually been released a year earlier. Some have called it New Zealand's first hip-hop hit. More...

'She's a mod'
No New Zealand song captures the joy, dizziness and sheer optimism of the 1960s youth experience better than the Ray Columbus and the Invaders’ three-time hit 'She’s a mod'. More...

Still More?

To Make it a little more personal I will list how I get exposure to Kiwi Music everyday.

91ZM pronounced: Ninty-One Zed Em

91.8 More FM pronounced: Ninty-One Point Eight More FM

The Rock pronounced: The Rock

The Edge FM pronounced: The Edge FM

and there is also the Music Television channels. Yes there is MTv but that is on Satellite, which we dont have. So we settle for the cable versions which actually play music!

C4

JuiceTV

JuiceTV is where I get the Top 15 singles from. This week I will give you the Top 20 and highlight the Kiwi acts that are in the Top 20.

1 LOVE IN THIS CLUB / USHER FEAT. YOUNG JEEZY
2 4 MINUTES / MADONNA FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
3 THAT'S WHAT YOU GET / PARAMORE
4 NO AIR / JORDIN SPARKS FEAT. CHRIS BROWN
5 SAY YOU'LL STAY / LUKE THOMPSON
6 ONE BY ONE / THE BLACK SEEDS
7 ONE WILL HEAR THE OTHER / SHIHAD
8 LOVE SONG / SARA BAREILLES
9 LUCKY / GOLDENHORSE
10 ONE DAY / OPSHOP
11 THE NIGHT / GOODNIGHT NURSE
12 DAMAGED / DANITY KANE
13 PARTY PEOPLE / NELLY & FERGIE
14 GIVEN UP / LINKIN PARK
15 WHAT IS IT / BABY BASH FEAT. SEAN KINGSTON
16 BREAK THE ICE / PIECE OF SHIT BRITNEY SPEARS
17 ALWAYS WHERE I NEED TO BE / THE KOOKS
18 BETTER IN TIME / LEONA LEWIS
19 DREAM CATCH ME / NEWTON FAULKNER
20 I'M YOURS / JASON MRAZ

New Zealand Music is on the rise and alot of it is very good. I hope that you take the time out to read up about some of the artists and search for some of their music online. Youtube.com is a great site to find many songs to listen to.

So with that being said I will concluded with the inclusion of a New Zealand Music Video.

I Eat Long Runs for Breakfast and Mile Repeats for Lunch...

So my training has been going pretty well... I think... I am happy with the work I have been putting in. The only thing I wish I could get in are double runs but that involves me getting up at 515am and I am not about to do that. So until I work on my schedule a bit I will be doing singles for a while. Other than that minor detail I feel great, I am running relaxed and smooth and I am looking forward to May 18th, Huntly Half Marathon. So enough BS here is my Rlog for the last two weeks with a run highlighted.

Monday April 21st: 8 miles and 6xstrides
Tuesday April 22nd: Fartlek 10x2min w/1 min. Rain and heavy wind. First two were sketchy but got in a rythem for the rest. Kept solid pace during the 1min rest. (11)
Wednesday April 23rd: 9 miles real heavy throughout the whole run.
Thursday April 24th: 9 miles really hilly run from the Joy's. Heavy at the start of the run but felt better as the run went on.
Firday April 25th: 8 miles, another rainy day, up early for ANZAC Day, a very long day.
Saturday April 26th: 8 miles windy and rainy.
Sunday April 27th: Race simulation run. 2 mile warm up 7 miles at goal race pace and 4 mile cool down. Ran all miles within seconds of eachother, and averaged 532 pace for the 7 miles. And you guessed it Heavy Rain and Wind! (13)
Week Total 65 miles

Monday April 28th: 9 miles sore at the start of the run, but got better as the run went along.
Tuesday April 29th: 14 miles, Auckland Domain, hilly took it nice and easy.
Wednesday April 30th: 10 miles, 6 miles into the run i did 9x 30 seconds w/ 1 min rest. Then just ran out the remainder of the run. Trying to stick to a workout every third or fourth day. This loosened the legs up.
Thursday May 1st: 8 miles w/ 4xstrides feeling really good.
Firday May 2nd: 4x2miles w/ 4 min rest. 3 mile warm up and 3 mile cool down. On the Orewa Loop. 10:36, 10:26, 10:19, 10:19, on the second two mile of the third rep is when I started to feel some discomfort and at the start of the fourth was the only one that I felt heavy at. All in all a great workout, feel real good and am looking forward to the race in two weeks.
Saturday May 3rd: Easy 8 miles felt real heavy at the start of run then the last 10 minutes the legs started to come to life.
Sunday May 4th: 14 miles Okura Trails felt good and it got better as the run went along.
Week Total 78 miles

For those that are counting I ran 296 miles for the month of april, just under 10 miles per day, this month the goal is averaging over 10 miles a day. So far off to a good start. O and for the highlighted run.

It is my 9 mile loop from the Joy's

It starts off heading downhill down Burne Road towrds Horseshoe Bush Road. You hang a left on HSB Rd and continue on that towards SH-17. This part of the run is rolling hills thorugh the scenic country side of Dairy Flat. You reach SH-17 about 4 miles into the run. You hang another left and head towards Kahikatea Rd. Turn Left onto that road and head for Austin Rd. Austin Rd is 6 miles into the run. The fun is just beginning. The first thing you encounter on Austin Rd. is a hill that is pratically vertical and is over 300 meters long. It sucks... then you continue along Austin Rd over some rolling hills until you arrive back at HSB Rd. You turn Right towards Burne Rd, then Left and you start your 1k climb back uphill towards the Joy House. It is a challenging but fun and scenic run through Dairy Flat. I dont do it much because it is so hilly but I will admit that it is a nice run.

I will take this time out to talk running. I want to say that I am impressed with the way you boys ran at the Long Island Half Marathon. It made me proud to be running for the team. I am a little disappointed that Hopkins lost to Diaz by ONE SECOND, Come on Hopkins your sweet beard didnt get the lean? All jokes aside great job.

A note to Kev Beach, a little birdie not named Q, told me that you are still talking trash about how you own me at Madden, that fact is true but the other fact is that I let you win because it was your house. No just kidding I dont let anyone just win they have to earn it. I see you are running well, but you lost to Dejan. Come on!

And for all those that are curious the Kim Smith 10k is a huge deal here. It is all over the news, on every radio station. She is the headline sport story of the day. As a performance of that magnitude should be. I must say that Shalene's run was good, but I can almost guarantee that she is not getting the publicity that Kim Smith is getting. Kim took 45 seconds off her previous NZ National Record with that run. Great run by both ladies!