OCTOBER 2014. TSTITSIKAMMA TRAIL; MEIRINGSPOORT 21K; PARKRUN; ALLY ATHLETICS; ALLY WATER POLO

TIGERS -- ACHILLES RELAY TEAM; LINDSEY; ROBIN AND GRAHAM ENJOY THE VIEW ACROSS THE BAY. 

OCTOBER 2014. TSTITSIKAMMA TRAIL; MEIRINGSPOORT 21K; PARKRUN; ALLY ATHLETICS; ALLY WATER POLO


October 2014
Tsitsikamma hiking trail with the Church Confirmation Group
Ally starts with Athletics Training
School holidays
Meiringspoort half marathon
Start of Nippers season
Life Guard retest award.
Achilles Relay


Friday 3rd
Morning run on the beach front. I have traveled this week and have not been able to run since Saturday. After the run I drop Ally at school, Collect John and Bradley, and meet the Hiking Group at the church. The next three days are at the Tsitsikamma on a two night hike. We stay over at the Keurbos and Heuningbos huts.

Monday morning; I am stiff and sore from the hike but manage a run down Mount Road and up at Collegiate with Adrienne and Helouise. This afternoon I take Ally to NMMU athletics track where she meets Coach Andrew Kock. First a brief warm up and stretching and then Andrew takes her for a couple of sprints. Ally is fast. I drop Ally off at her friend Kelly where she has a sleep over.
We receive an email to say that Ally has been chosen for the Eastern Province U19B Waterpolo team. This team has a tournament in JHB in December.

Tuesday afternoon; Ally and I do some short hill sprints in Mill Park. Ally is so much faster than myself as I run half way up the hill, she starts and sprints past me.

FRIDAY 10TH is Meiringspoort weekend. We meet up with Nicky's family in Oudtshoorn -- Kleinplaas; on Friday evening. Saturday morning is the run and we return home on Sunday morning

Pearson have their prize giving then on Friday morning is the Matric Valedictory and Prefects induction at Pearson. Friday evening is the Matric farewell dance at a venue in KaggaKamma road where Ally does waitering duty.

The following Weekend; Saturday 18th, I have a busy time with a 17k morning run with the group. Then I am parkrun director and we have a record number of runners at about 450. It is a beautiful morning in PE. After this I go off to Summies where we do a clubhouse clean up. This takes me to about 2pm and I an exhausted.
Sunday morning 19th; I have to do a Retest to qualify as a lifeguard for another year. I am doing this partly because I love being at the beach and the whole Summerstrand club. But also partly to back Ally up with her duties as she does not want to commit to Sundays until after Exams and the year end Water Polo Tournament. Ally has taken part in the Year End Polo Tournament for a number of years as a first team player. This year she will be representing EP in the second team.

The Lifeguard test consists of a Run/swim/run which must be done in 10 minutes. I am way behind the youngsters from the start. I make up a bit going out in the swim for the first bit as I charge into the water. But then I get left behind again and kind of lose my way a bit as I look for Alex who is on a board but not at the buoy. The surf is huge and I battle a bit. This is basically my first swim of the season and it is little wonder that I start to tire on the way back. Brian Saunders is in the water with me and encouraging me on. I make it back to shore and then do the second run and make the cut of with 25 seconds to spare.

We then do Torpedo Buoy Rescue both as a lifeguard as well as a patient. Finally the last bit of the test is the CPR section. I go first, make a few mistakes but in the end all seven of us make it through the test: Jason; Natalie; Warren; Luke and Maurice.
After the test we have our open day of Nippers training. We have around 60 Nippers and are delighted with the quantity and quality of the group. But after all of this over the past two days I am really tired and suffer during the following week with sore legs and knees.

Wednesday 22nd; Barbara; Lene and I go to an Octoberfest Extravaganza of music. Some really fun and old music. We meet up with Cronje and Claudine; Gary and Joy; Suzanne; Colin and Tessa (Channon); Gordon; Paul and Carol;

NICKY BOUGHT A KIA. HER FIRST LONG TRIP WAS TO OUDTSHOORN FOR MEIRINGSPOORT HALF MARATHON. 

NICKY WITH CHRISTIAN; AARON; MIA AND ZARA -- LOVING THEIR NEW CAR

THE GROUP OF HIKERS -- THIS WAS A CONFIRMATION GROUP LED BY JUSTIN WOOLS. 8 x BOYS WITH DADS ON THE HIKE.

TSITSIKAMMA HIKING TRAIL. ON DAY TWO BETWEEN KEURBOS AND HEUNING BOS HUTS -- CROSSING THE STREAM. 

LENE JOINED BARBARA AND MYSELF AT THE OCTOBERFEST MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA. THIS WAS A TRIBUTE TO THE OLDIES. MORE GREY HAIR AND MORE DANCING ON THE TABLE THAN YOU WOULD EXPECT AT THE OCTOBERFEST. 

THE HALF MARATHON AT MEIRINGSPOORT. STARTS AT THE PRINCE ALBERT SIDE OF THE POORT; CROSSING THE STREAM 21 TIMES AND THEN FINISHING AT DERUST. THIS IS A SPECIAL EVENT WHICH WE HAVE DONE A NUMBER OF TIMES. MY FIRST TIME TO RUN THIS EVENT WITH NICKY. 

MEIRINGSPOORT IS A PARTICULARLY COLOURFUL RUN WITH THE CONTRASTING ROCK FACES ON EITHER SIDE.

Ally has begun to train at the University track. She has a coach Andrew Kock; who gives her some sprint training. Tarryn Koen, an ex Nipper, Summies lifeguard and ex Pearson girl is also training in this group.

Saturday morning 25th. Achilles relay. This annual event is one of the Achilles highlights. I run the first leg and manage a 5min a kay time for my leg. I am fortunate to start first so have no steep hills and have the coolest part of the day. Today there is a slight East wind behind me which all factors play in my favour.
Our team has a great time together and the event is a huge success.

PETER RUNNING THE ACHILLES ANNUAL RELAY FIRST LEG. THE PRESSURE IS ON FROM BEHIND AS THE REST OF THE 10 TEAMS ARE GOING TO BE PUSHING TO WIN.

THE NEWTON PARK SWIMMING POOL IS OPEN AND I HAVE MY FIRST TWO SWIMS OF THE SEASON OF 1000M AND 1200M. 

I AM FINALLY CERTIFIED TO BE A NIPPERS EXAMINER. I APPLIED ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND MARCELLE MUST HAVE SUBMITTED THE APPLICATION LATE IN 2013. THE CERTIFICATE IS DATED DECEMBER 2013 AND POSTED TO ME IN AUGUST 2014 AND I RECEIVED THE CERTIFICATE IN OCTOBER 2014. 

We are back at Nippers training. The first session was very successful with around 70 boys and girls. \the sea was huge and we could not do much swimming.. The second session we had a gale force east wind and again cut the session short. On this occasion I see Dave Rayner who gives me my certificate which allows me to be a Nippers Examiner.

The Newton Park pool is back in operation after over a year of being closed due to the Tiles coming loose. I sign up for 30 swims which costs R250 or about R8 per swim. Thursday 30th I have my first swim and then on Friday my second. I start off with 20 laps or 1000meters and then the second swim is 24laps or 1200m.

Friday 31st October is Halloween night in Mill Park. I am not sure how it has come about that Halloween has come to Port Elizabeth but I suppose that is the power of Television.
So Daniel invites a friend and Jess goes off with her friend. We walk up and down the streets begging for sweets. The way a "friendly" house is identified is where the family has balloons or some other child friendly sign to say -- yes it is okay to beg here.
Fortunately I was wise enough to buy a few packets of sweets but even two large packets were not nearly enough for the number of Sweet Crazed children running up and around the streets.

The streets are full of children and parents walking up and down -- colourful and with fancy dress and masks. Parents with beers and glasses of wine. This brings life to our suburb and I think that I should add to this in 2015 by including a bit of a street braai. Maybe Boerrie Rolls and Hotdog Rolls next year.

PETER AND JOHN ON THE TSITSI KAMMA HIKING TRAIL