Yesterday was a very very very long travel day. We had a bit of a hassle when trying to get our bikes on the plane but managed to slide them through without additional cost.

The flight to New Zealand was over 12 hours and our economy class accomodations were not exactly spacious or comfy. It did not help that our seatmates (who were also going to the IM because the guy in the couple was racing -- and were a part of our travel group) were newly dating and rather expressive about their desires for one another throughout the trip. That alone could have been ignored but sometimes the impromtu make-out sessions would extend an elbow, shoulder, other body part into my bubble. Ruth agreed to switch seats with me about 2/3 of the way through to prevent me from commiting a crime while overseas.

We got to meet some of the others in our Endurance Travel group and have decided that we will probably not attend many of the group activities as Ruth is my favorite training and travel partner. After a 4+ hour van ride from Aukland to Taupo, we were dropped off at our hotel and went through the very last bit of patience and brain power assembling our bikes. We opted to skip the group ride and instead support the local economy by doing some research into what would be our favorite NZ beer over dinner.

This morning we woke up after sleeping 10+ hours, walked across the street and went for a sunrise swim on part of the Ironman Course. It is just stunningly beautful here and the kindness and hospitality of the locals have already exceeded our expectatations. I am already trying to figure out how to retire here...

We also popped into Stretton's Accounting -- the firm who has "adopted" me through the Adopt and Ironman program and got a very friendly tour of their office. We are meeting them on Wednesday for a boat ride, fishing and "drinkipoos". We are very excited about that!

Right now it is drizzling so we may re-think our plan to ride part of the course today and opt instead for a run.
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It cleared up enough to convince us to go for a ride. I wanted to ride one loop of the Ironman course (1/2 the total) and we set out around 2:45 after a quick check from the group mechanic.

Aside from nearly getting smooshed because I was still trying to get the hang of riding on the left side of the road, it was a fun ride out and got a nice tailwind boost. We opted to turn around early because I was getting a little concerned about the ominous clouds and sweet tailwind. It was a good decision. On the way back, we got a taste of New Zealand drizzle, rain, heavy rain and downpour as well as headwinds and sidewinds. Oh and big scary trucks :)

It sure was a beautiful ride and I plan to very much enjoy the scenery of the route on Saturday.

32 Mile Ride @ 02:11:00

CORE
3 x 1 Min Plank