| 20 August 2008
Well - time for a recap. As you can see below the lead up to the Tough Guy and Gal Challenge was very very wet - in fact we were contemplating getting a swimming cap and goggles because it was likely to more of a swim than a run! However come Saturday morning the sun burst through the clouds and it ended up being a beautiful day. Richard and I made our way to Lakes Ranch - along with my lovely wife Amy (also competing in the race) and our Rotorua store manager Dee. We had a great stall setup - letting everyone know about what great products we have at Wild South.
After a slightly nervous wait we lined up at the start line and got ready to go (I went first with the 12 km group - and Richard and Amy shortly followed doing the 6 km course). In typical Tough Guy fashion we started with a nice steep hill before winding our way down into the first lot of mud and water!
The course progressively got tougher (funny that!), with more hills, a number of fences to jump over - the waist deep muddy swamp and then barbed wire and cargo nets. Then it was up a ridiculously steep hill, and then into the beautiful native bush. With a frenetic pace held by the leaders the field quickly spreadout. 3/4 around the first lap we encountered more obstacles - included tyres and more mud! After racing around the first lap in just over 30 minutes, I thought that I should take the second lap a little slower to enjoy the scenery (plus I was more than a little bit tired at this stage!)
Richard and Amy made their way around with over 1000 other competitors in the 6 km event - both doing extremely well to finish in style. I managed a respectable 5th place in the 12 km event - it looks like all that training in the snow in the Port Hills paid off!
Thanks to Murray and the Team at Event Promotions for a wonderful day - Wild South are extremely proud to be a part of such a well run event.
  
Pictures of the event are up on our website (using the Blog Menu and click on "Tough Guy and Gal Pictures")
14 August 2008
Well we are finally up here in Rotorua - after a quick visit to our Bethlehem and Taupo stores. We have been greeted with some perfect tough guy and gal weather (i.e. torrential down-pours!).
The rain "eases" as we head into Taupo...
We are looking forward to a great day tomorrow - with a bit of "Pre-Event" activities right in the heart of Rotorua (at City Focus). Between 11 am and 1 pm we will be having the More FM crew down, running a few "TOUGH" events - such as an obstacle course, tug-of-war, and the "Ice Challenge". At 12.15 pm we are even holding a fashion show, so come and checkout the great products from Wild South!
Richard and I are about to head out on the darkened streets of Rotorua for a quiet jog - if you see two lads struggling along Fenton Street at 7 pm at night, give us a toot! Only 1 1/2 days to go...
12 August 2008
Only 4 days to go - and the Wild South boys are really gearing up to take on the north! We thought that we would spend the weekend doing some tough training - and what a perfect weekend for it! We thought we wouldn't be soft and play in the mud - but really tough it out in the freezing cold. Snow, hail and rain pelted us as we marched our way up in the Port Hills.
A touch of blue sky visible through the snow - beautiful view from the trig station!
With a negative 2 degree windchill - we were taking toughness to the next level. And - it was great to see we weren't the only mad buggers out there in the elements!
The Harry Ell Track - looking well worked over by many hardy souls!
Richard and I will be up in Rotorua on Thursday - and we hope to see many of you at our fun day on Friday. From 11.30 am to 1 pm - we will be hold a series of fun activities to get people in the "Tough Guy and Gal" spirit. Listen to More FM in Rotorua for more details - and we will see you there!
8 August 2008
Well - this time next week we will be in Rotorua beginning our preparations for the Tough Guy Challenge. We are definitely looking forward to getting up there and laying down the challenge to all our North Island customers (to have a whole lot of fun!).
In preparation for the event we will be holding a fun day on Friday 15th - in the City Focus area in the centre of Rotorua. This will include a fashion show of our latest products, as well as a few "Tough Guy and Girl Events" to get the everyone in the mood for the following day.
There will be a few more up-dates over the next couple of days - so keep an eye out!
4 August 2008
Well a tough weekend training for both of us - I managed to get up the Port Hills, and scurry up the Valley Track to the top of Mt Vernon. With an inch of water running down the track as I ran, I definitely felt that this was good training (thankfully we had a beautiful Saturday with blazing sunshine!). I'm glad I got up the Hills - because Hagley Park was absolutely swamped! I can't say I have ever seen that much water in the park.
Richard also managed to scramble out for a run - tough going I'm told, but fitness is improving! Only 2 weeks to go!! I hope that everyone has managed to get out and do their training - even in this horrible weather. Let's hope things improved over the next couple of weeks!!!
A Water-logged Hagley Park - puddles everywhere (makes for wet/muddy running!)
24 July 2008
I just received this in an e-mail from one of our staff members in Queenstown (he's English).
“They do the Tough Guy Event in England in January. It is mental. If this one is similar then I hope you know what you’re in for!!
(e.g. The leaders have to break the ice on the water obstacles it is so cold, and many people fail to finish and end up with pneumonia for a few days, etc.) “
I'm looking forward to this....
23 July 2008
Morning Runs – Is it too early to go out for a run if the moon is up??
Hagley Park in the mornings is a hive of activity – runners, walkers, and dog owners all making their way around the paths that encircle this wonderful park in the middle of Christchurch. Rain, Hail, Snow or sunshine – there always appears to be someone out braving the elements, and taking on Hagley Park. For me – it is the perfect training ground for the Tough Guy Challenge (though I don’t know about crawling through mud just at this stage).
21 July 2008
The training has been going well (albeit a little tough!) Unfortunately the camera has been out-of-action for the last week or so - hopefully we will get some new pictures up soon to show you how we are going.
Less than a month to the event!!
14 July 2008
The weekend training went well - with both of us managing to get out and stretch the legs. I had a great time running up in Nelson, there are some excellent running tracks up there, as well as some pretty tough Hills - I'm glad I had my Wild South Bamboo Charcoal running top to keep me cool - as I was sweltering after my run!
I have been asked a couple of times about training programmes - so have posted a beginners programme below. It is for people that are just getting into running, and want a general idea of what to do leading up to an event. I hope it helps!
| 6 Week Training Plan |
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| Week |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
S |
| 1 |
Rest |
3km |
Rest |
3km |
Rest |
3km |
Rest |
| 2 |
Rest |
4km |
Rest |
4km |
Rest |
4km |
Rest |
| 3 |
Rest |
5km |
Rest |
5km |
Rest |
4km |
3km |
| 4 |
Rest |
5.5km |
Rest |
5.5km |
Rest |
5km |
3km |
| 5 |
Rest |
6.5km |
3km |
5.5km |
Rest |
5.5km |
3km |
| Taper |
Rest |
6.5km |
3km |
Rest |
3km |
Rest |
5km Race |
10 July 2008
Well we decided we needed a little help! To try and get us fit enough to even complete the event, we have roped in a couple of people to help us out. Firstly there is Mike Riley (North Canterbury running coach - who just happens to be the accountant here at Wild South!) - who will provide us with a training guide to make the most of what little time we have left. We have also managed to secure the services of Glenn Stewart - a Nelson based Strength and Conditioning Trainer, who will make sure that our bodies are strong enough to withstand our punishing fitness regime! (and also to provide nutritional advice). Backed with this expertise, hopefully we won't embarrass ourselves!
7 July 2008
Training has now started in earnest for both of us! Congrats to Richard, for his first run yesterday! I'm sure the body will be a bit sore, but it's great to see him take those first steps. Look out Rotorua - here we come!!
5 July 2008
I thought it would be a great chance to have a bit of fun in the snow - and so went for a jog in the Port Hills (Christchurch). What an amazing experience - running in foot deep snow was great fun (albeit a little wet). It was also good to see that I wasn't the only Cantabrian out and about - with plenty of foot-steps amongst the fresh snow!
Port Hills - View from the Top of "SugarLoaf"
Back down the Hill - Beautiful fresh snow provided a unique challenge!
4 July 2008
No time like the present to start training - even if it is pouring with rain and only 4 degrees outside. Hagley Park (centre of Christchurch) is a great training ground - shame about the weather! Well if the All Blacks can play in it - we can run in it!!
3 July 2008
Well a bet is a bet. We were talking about events that we could sponsor, and the "Tough Guy and Girl Challenge" looked to be a perfect event to get involved with. We thought it would be a great way to get involved with the Rotorua community, and have a bit of fun while we are at it. After a bit of light hearted discussion I (Paul)challenged Richard (Our Retail Operations Manager) to have a go at the event. Unfortuantely he agreed - and so here we are 6 weeks out and with not much training under our belt!
We will keep you up-to-date with how we go - and the challenges we face as we try to get in shape to compete in the great event that is the "Tough Guy and Girl Challenge".
2 July 2008
It is just over 6 weeks until the first installment of the Tough Guy and Gal Challenge - to be held on the 16th August, just outside of Rotorua. The event is so popular this year they are holding a second running of the event the week after (23rd August).
Wild South is a proud sponsor of this event, and for a bit of fun we have decided to track the "progress" of our own want-to-be tough Guy's - Richard (our Operations Manager) and Paul (our Marketing Manager). They bravely volunteered to take part in this great event - and they will track their training progress over the next few weeks.
Good luck guys!
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