Hey everyone. Wow, I forget to check into the NZ thread for a few days and you both start posting! Congrats on your Taupo time Millie. That's around the time I did last year. I was hoping for closer to six hours this year ....

As for recovery, it's taking longer than I would like. Ironically it's not the brain surgery itself that's causing me grief, it's my neck. It's so spasmed up that it's actually pulsing! I decided today that enough was enough, so went on a short run - my first in around two months. Phew do I need to rebuild my leg strength! Tomorrow I'm hoping to run/walk a local 10k fun run.

Your experience of the race matches my friends' reports. I was quite relieved the weather wasn't as bad as reports indicated it might be. It was a horrid day here in Wellington. Seems some had trouble with the cold, others were fine.

Like you Millie I remember overtaking everyone on the hills last year, but I was being overtaken on the downhill. I'd been really working on my technique before the operation to try to prevent that happening again.

It was stunning here today so there were heaps of cyclists out around the Bays. I was suffering serious pangs of envy. Time to get my road bike out again this week I think!