Ruapehu playtime, 4Paws Half-Marathon & the downhill run to the election

I had put writing about the Ruapehu trip on hold with feeling the need to write about the “cost savings” that included Enabling Good Lives contingency. Since then I have seen a press release where:

“The Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced.”
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-confirms-additional-support-enabling-good-lives?fbclid=IwAR0bf0aiT8EB0F0jfzJWDnyyWgaoA2bThVCNjXwRMZ6TvuXDapYrrWLctaU

I am not really sure what the true size of the contingency was, but the maths doesn’t add up, it makes my head hurt, and to be honest, I haven’t got the time or energy for something like an Official Information Act request. The “details” at the bottom of the above press release have promise. I really hope that other regional leadership groups are supported better by Whaikaha than MidCentral was by the Ministry of Health. I will talk in my next blog about some of the “crunch points” that I see potentially happening, hopefully, Whaiakaha will have taken on some of the learning from the “unintended consequences” we came across in MidCentral. I guess I am disappointed that the contingency was taken because it will once again slow down much-needed change because of “resource” issues and that $52 million could have provided some of that resourcing.

Mount Ruapehu in the background, framed either side by pine trees, the foreground is a carpark. Next to the left pine tree is a large carrot sculpture
Oakune Carrot stop

So to more enjoyable topics for now!

June 7 and 8 saw a group of 26 disabled people aged 18 – 35 with a wide diversity of access needs jump on a bus and head to Ruapehu. I love working with the MidCentral Enabling Good Lives Young Adults And Youth (YAAY) for many, their first time being in the snow. It once again reminded me that so many people don’t get to experience the outdoor places of New Zealand, not necessarily because of an impairment, but because although the outdoors exists for “free”, accessing it is not always so easy. It could be financial reasons; we all know petrol isn’t cheap, neither is much of the equipment. I consider it an honour to introduce people to the outdoors, even more so when their access has been denied due to perceived perceptions of what disabled people can achieve, and then the risk aversion that occurs more and more within our current society. If people don’t experience risk (hopefully safely) how are they to learn and grow?

A group of 4 people wearing winter clothing standing in front of a large, corrugated iron gumboot lying with its toes towards the ground. At the toes of the boot is another person wearing winter clothing leaning on the boot. All the people look happy ans some are raising their arms in celebration
YAAY; its a roadtrip!

I will never forget hearing Celia Lashile talking about young men and her experience of working in the Corrections system; “Do you want your young men to learn about decision making by choosing their breakfast or a superpowered car that they can wrap around a power-pole within minutes?”. I am not equating disabled people to young men at risk or in Corrections, but it is the same concept, for so long disabled people have been “protected” from risk and making decisions that involve low-level risk that many disabled people don’t know how to make good decisions in risky situations. People may see the outdoors as a “high-risk” environment, but the more I work with disabled people in the outdoors, the more I realise that actually in some ways they are easier to work with in this setting because they often understand their limitations, comfort zones and boundaries far better than some non-disabled. We had Deaf, Visually Impaired, wobbly walkers, a wheelchair user, those with various “processing disorders” and other learning disabilities on this trip. We had one minor meltdown over the entire weekend, so I am not sure why people worry so much about disabled people getting out there and enjoying the outdoors.

A young man wearing blue snow pants, a red jacket, black scarf, sunglasses, black gloves and a grey beanie with a pompom. In the back ground is another man wearing an army jacket, cap with black beanie, glasses and black snow pants, he has a snowball in hand and a white cane folded and attached to his jacket
Experiencing snow for the first time.

I often will smile when people hear what sorts of things I get up to with my adaptive adventures, mostly because I can see them trying to process what I am saying, while trying not to react to their own risk aversion to the situation. Often there is a conversation about me being “brave”…. someone please explain???? I am doing exactly the same risk management processes as any other outdoor instructor or event manager, I just have a little more in there around meeting people’s access needs and how to adapt certain things. Although the YAAY leaders had notified Whakapapa that they had a group with various access needs coming and booked in for sledding; this was obviously not passed onto Ski Patrol and the operators of the day. Ski Patrol wanted to ensure people’s safety which I get; I had a chat to them as Health & Safety Manager for the trip and they had no problem with people sleddding, with a couple of adaptions. Adaptions are my thing, so yeah no problem; those with Visual Impairment and lower limb function loss needed to be sledding with a buddy to either; 1) tell them when to put heels out to slow down and stop, or 2) put their heels out and be the brake for those with lower limb function issues. Ski Patrol was a bit confused on how to get our wheelchair user to the start of the sledding; me being me…”Hey, what’s the skin on your butt like?”, their response was “yeah good”, so I asked the Ski Patrol to just bring a sled over and transfered them straight into the sled; problem solved. If the wheelchair user said that they had skin issues on their butt I would have their prescribed seating cushion off their wheelchair as the transfer was done. I was monitoring everyone for signs that they were getting cold, and sent a couple of people to the cafe to warm-up, some found it challenging with their sensory processing being off the charts with the bright white light, all the people and noise, over the entire weekend we only had one meltdown. It was over ill-fitting hire snow-pants, which was resolved quickly and everyone quickly got back to throwing snowballs and making snow angels.

a group of people playing in snow, one person is lying in the snow with their arms spread, others are scooping snow, and generally milling around
Snow ball fight and snow angels

One learning from this trip for me is that if you wear an orange high-vis vest on the mountain, random members of the public will assume that you are mountain staff and will come to you asking all the usual weird random questions that occur on a beginner’s slope. I have since gone out and got a custom made AntnzVentures purple high-vis vest for future work.

A purple High Visibility Vest with reflective strips and AntnzVentures logo
Surely people can’t mix me up with mountain staff with this??

I attended a two-day workshop on “Creating Narratives for Change” with Te Ohaakii a Hine – National Network Ending Sexual Voilence Together (TOAHNNEST) looking at what some of the myths around Sexual Violence are, what message would we rather see, and what messaging do we need in order to change the myth, and move from awareness of sexual voilence to understanding the drivers and the responses needed to break the cycles of voilence many New Zealanders face. One of the main barriers to reducing sexual violence towards disabled people is not being part of the conversation and non-disabled not understanding the nuances of disability and how that can impact bodily autonomy and how our current systems are not set up to address some of the horrific harm that occcurs towards to disabled people and their families/whanau. Everybody has some connection to a disabled person (even if they don’t want to acknowledge it); it is up to all of us to take responsibility to end this type of abuse, not just the “disability sectors”? responsibility. Disabled People are at least 25% of the population, I feel a huge weight at times to bring the communities voice forward and try to move people from being aware to understanding some of the issues (and how they contribute to those issues) that occur within the intersection of disability and violence.

Then I had a wee visit to Wellington to attend Jan Logie’s valedictory speech. An absolutely lovely speech…. interrupted by Raven soring, and despite the nudges with a toe she didn’t really wake up until everyone stood as we sung waiata tautoko. I am still a little bemused that the security guy wanted to look through the treats pouch, and I apologise if anyone’s belongings smelled slightly of venison afterwards.

Antnz, ADNZ Raven and Wendy walking on a track with grass edges. Antnz is smiling, doing the international sign language for "I love you", wearing a blue shirt and is smiling. Wendy is wearing Achilles yellow and has her arms up in celebration and smiling. Raven is wearing blue jacket and yellow bandana and has her tongue out licking her lips
Representing Assistance Dogs NZ and Achilles NZ!

Before I knew it I was on the count-down to my first half-marathon, 4Paws Marathon in Christchurch. I was off to be Ambassador for Assitance Dogs New Zealand. 4Paws is a person and dog event, and a real grass-roots event, where the organisers believe exercise is medicine, and what better way to exercise than with your best friend. It was celebrating it’s 5th year this year, and each year it donates proceeds to different charities, and this year it was supporting Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust. I figured seeing as I am training, what better way to go and celebrate what Assistance Dogs can help people achieve than go and do a half-marathon.

A picture of Antnz and ADNZ Raven. Antnz is wearing running tights and shorts, a blue t-shit, purple cap and a wide belt. Raven is wearing her blue working harness and a yellow bandana. Antnz is smiling and pulling a thumbs up at the camera. In the background is a man wearing a beanie and puffy jacket, taking in to a microphone. To the right of him are several people and a dog.
#LetsGo ready to get going off the back of the half marathon!

Wendy who was my Achilles guide for my 10K in May, had agreed to join me as a guide for this mission. I can feel a little worried about getting jostled with just human events, and with the added dogs I am glad I had an extra pair of eyes. It was good to head out to Bottle Lake Forrest a little early and catch up with Jules and the team from FurtherFaster. I have been getting gear from them for several years, and over the years we have gotten to know each other, despite the distance. It was pretty chilly so I don’t blame them for wearing onesies at the start of the day!! Although as Jules pointed out, they weren’t very practical for the portaloos.

Antnz, ADNZ Raven and 2 members of the FurtherFaster team. Antnz is wearing a jacket and her running tights and is doing the international sign language of I Love You. Jules, to the right of Antnz is wearing a Pink Panther Onsie pulling a thumbs up and holding a coffee cup. To the right of Jules is Hanna (?) wearing a Santa onsies and pulling thumbs up!
FurtherFaster know how to have some fun at events! Apparently they were warm for the chilly start!

4Paws had loads of distances from the 2.4km Rascal Run for the kids, right through to the full marathon distance. The smallest dog on the Rascal Run was a tiny chihuahua and the largest a Leonburger which was almost as large the child that was running next to it. I was a little worried I must admit, I had only just got to walking close to the 20km for my Saturday walks, I knew I was probably going to be ok, but I was a bit hesitant as I had adjusted my training program forward slightly to fit 4Paws. I know some people have been concerned about me pushing Raven too far or too fast. I have done all my training with Raven, and yes at times I push her, but I also give her time off hauling my butt, I have shortened training sessions or stopped if I think something is up with her. I pay attention to her gait, her breathing and all the little body language cues I have learnt over the years I have had with her, that is how I picked up something wasn’t quite right when she was starting to get blisters by her dew claws from her boots, I called a taxi and got a ride home that day. Raven gets regular vet checks and we have progressively worked towards all our events.

A close up of ADNZ Raven, a black Labrador. she is walking, focused on the camera and her ears slightly raised. She is wearing her blue harness and a yellow bandana
Have you got my good side?

The half marathon was was on the more popular events, and we started off the back, walking, it just wasn’t worth trying to get near the front with so many dogs (& their people maybe?) so totally totally hyped to get going, it would have been asking for trouble! We left the start/finish chute and hung a left onto one of the forestry roads, and past a few of the dogs who had taken off as they needed toilet stops. At this point Raven was so excited and kind of hauling her ass, and therefore my ass, because she wanted to catch up with all the dogs and go for a pack run. We then hung a left into the pine forest.

As the rest of the pack passed us again and got out of eye-sight Raven chilled a bit and got on with the job. Having done other bush walks with her she is either on her short, momentum lead, an off-leash heel with her bags on so being in a forest where the tracks were harder to see she didn’t really want to “go long” on my long, momentum hand-free set up. When she could see a definite track, she was good quite happy to “go long”. At least when she wasn’t being distracted by Murphy, a border collie that was walking the 16km event that was free-running (when allowed) she was good, and even when Murph decided to roll in the dead goat, she managed to resist and carry on giving me a bit of momentum heading out towards the beach. I was even more thankful she didn’t follow Muph launching himself into the swamp, just after the wet dog sign.

Antnz walking away from camera on narrow path in grass. To the right of Antnz is a sign that reads "Nothing in the world is friendlier than a wet dog"
Murphy took this sign as an indicator to jump in the swamp!

We hit the 11km aid station, I ditched my base layer, Raven had a big drink, and we both made the most of the opportunity to pee. Then we hit the beach, headed south towards the New Brighton Pier. It was just after the tide had gone out which meant it was nice and packed to walk on. Being a public beach and a lovely day there were loads of people and dogs out enjoying the beach, including a paraglider buzzing overhead. At home of the River walkway, Raven has been charged several times, so she was starting to get a bit twitchy around off-leash dogs, so we have practising her focusing on me and making eye contact when she sees off-leash dogs. She was doing so well at this that it was pointless at times trying to have her on her long momentum line because she kept stopping to make eye contact and get rewarded for it, on the shorter handle at least I can just kind of feed her a treat but keep moving. Oh boy did she work it, I was starting to run low on treats by the time we hit the turn-around. It was during this stretch of the event that I was really thankful to have Wendy with me, she was able to keep a heads up for any off-leash dogs that I hadn’t noticed, or dogs that had passed but decided to double back for sniffs, and when she saw them coming she was just able to get between the dog and us, and usually by then the owner would usually call off their dogs. I was feeling pretty good heading onto the beach, but that pier looked an awfully long way away.

Antnz and Raven are mid-frame, walking away from the camera along a beach. Antnz is wearing black tights, blue tshirt, purple cap and yellow small backpack. Raven is in her blue work harness walking, forwards and wagging her tail.In the back ground is a pier in the distance, to the right of the pier you can see a pink flag.
The beach section seemed never ending!

We got up closer to the pier and somewhere by the golf course we did a turn-a-round and headed into the sand-dunes. The sand dunes were a slog, it was soft and on the up and downs, despite having boards on chains to serve as something like steps, it felt like three steps forward and two steps backwards at times. I found this section brutal, I definitely was having doubts about keeping my tights on, but I didn’t want to cut my legs up on the dune grasses on the way through, but it was hot, a clear spring day and the dunes seemed never-ending. The treats bag was almost out by this stage, so I shot out a text to Hannah from Assistance Dogs NZ for an emergency treat stash for when we arrived at the finish line! It was a sweet relief to loop past the aid station at 17km, even if I was wondering if the 21km may have been a little ambitious. “Oh well, I’m here now, I’ve travelled too far and dragged Wendy along not to finish”, I got some water into my bottle, made sure Raven drank and peed, used the portaloo and we were on our way again. I managed to shoot out a quick text to Hannah from ADNZ “emergency treats at the finish line please” before my phone battery ran flat.

After the slog in the sand dunes, the foot-path on the side of the road was quite nice, and it actually had traction, and I gave Raven a bit of plodding wander rest for a while it was then I started noticing the shooting pins and needles in my toes. It was almost a relief to be back on softer pine needles when we swung back into the forest. I’m not sure if it was during sand dunes or the footpath section that my gait decided to forget how it was supposed to work. Whoever puts out the cheeky 4 Paws signs has a sick sense of humour, and I was feeling like the hydrant as we passed the “Some days you’re the dog; some days you’re the hydrant” sign. I just had to keep focused on moving one foot, and then the other. We passed the overly cheery “Good work! Exercise is medicine ladies, well done!” guy on the mountain bike. Now I’m getting shooting pains with every heel strike, and my gait isn’t getting any better, just have to focus on just keeping the toes on my good foot up and keep moving, the finish isn’t too far away. Whoever does the 4Paws signs has a good sense of humour, placed in just the right places to bring a smile and to forget my tingling feet for a moment.

I was not exactly thinking “Yay, I feel great!” in the last kilometre, I was having “What the hell was I thinking?!?” thoughts when we rounded a couple of corners and out onto the last stretch of forestry road into the finish chute! I’m not sure if I was more relieved or happy to be coming into the finish line. As I came in to the finish chute, I saw that Jules and the FurtherFaster team had stuck around to cheer me in; thanks crew that meant a lot, I know you had the prizegiving to get to! Hannah and newly trained Baxter were there, ready with a handful of treats for Raven. I got past the finish line, got our medals, and my brain went “Oh I’m finished”, and my legs went “OK if we’re done, we’re out” and my knees promptly buckled. Someone put a water bowl down for Raven, and we all had a bit of a “WOW, we made it!” moment and took some photos. Someone helped me up, and we headed towards the free ice-cream & doggo ice-cream, while Wendy retrieved my crutches from the car.

We sat for awhile and took in the sun, had a bite to eat and a chat with people. We had chats about both Assistance Dogs and Achilles., both of which I will talk more about in my next blog! Then it was time to head to the airport, have a shower and jump on a plane home! We got home tired, but satisfied with the achievement, and looking forward to the next challenge; The Auckland Habour Bridge.

Wendy on the right in Achilles yellow with her sunglasses on the cap on her head, she is wear a medal on a blue ribbon around her neck and has one arm around Antnz. Antnz is smiling with her arm up in celebration, also wearing a medal on a blue ribbon. Raven is sitting looking at the camera. There is a water bowl on the ground next to Antnz' feet.
We did it! Stoked!

Next blog: NZ 23 Election, Achillies, Assitance Dogs NZ and the Auckland Habour Bridge!

Kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa
Strive for your goals by being strong and resilient like a hammerhead shark

Roberston’s vote-grabbing spending cuts perpetuate systems that enable abuse towards disabled people and their families.

I know you were expecting a blog about taking a group of young people up to Whakapapa, but, in the week leading up to the house rising Grant Roberston pulled a stunt, that once again shows that disabled people, 25% of the population are not worth putting the money and effort into.

I don’t usually write while I am really angry, but this time I am making an exception. With that in mind, everything expressed in this blog is my opinion and not that of any of the organisations or groups that I work with. This blog may not have the refinement you’re used to as I have written it pretty quickly. I’ve tried to keep it reasonably short and sweet; feel free to share!

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Conference Shenanigans

The end of May rolled around way too quickly. I felt like I finished my 10km in pretty good shape, but my body decided that I had pushed it and picked up a cold. I’d spent a lot of time trialling nutrition, hydration and recovery methods, before, during and after training. My legs and muscles didn’t feel too bad before the cold kicked in. Maybe the pace I set was a bit much with how easily I seemed to pick up that cold!

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Less wobbly than I was but I still get some wobbles on!

February got off to a bit of a wobbly start, after a pretty consistent couple of months I had a rehab reassessment. I wanted to take a snapshot of where I am at, with my undiagnosed heart blip taken into account, I needed some more certainty about how to train safely yet still be able to meet training targets. Now, before people panic, Ora Kinetics started in cardiac rehab and I’m probably better monitored there than most cardiac patients are monitored by their GP.

 A selfie with Antnz on left, wearing a blue t-shirt, sunglasses and black cap. On right is ADNZ Raven looking beyond the camera, wither her mouth open panting

In my usual fashion, I tried to up the intensity across the board instead of phasing things in. For the first 2 weeks, I just upped everything, instead of thinking a little more and staggering the intensity increases. So here I am in week 3 of Feb, feeling wrecked, and trying not to be too hard on myself for not quite hitting all my training targets over the last couple of weeks. I had a slip and almost fall which upset things a little, I’m trying not to get too grumpy about having to just roll with things at times. My first big goal of the year was to complete the 10km event at the Manawatu Striders Marathon and Half Marathon, the rest will be revealed in time.

As usual, there is plenty of work on, and being an election year means some work is being accelerated. Some work seems like it is a perpetual holding pattern waiting for budgets, policy changes, or waiting on “machinery of government” before the next phase of work can begin. I have found this beyond frustrating. Enabling Good Lives is about shifting power to disabled people and their families and we are consistently being held up by a government that was telling us they wanted a new system that worked for us. It’s almost a year since Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People was launched, yet not a lot has changed for disabled people in their day-to-day lives. Yes we are getting some more communications from Whaikaha, and I have no doubt that many of the people working there have the best of intentions; but as a whole, we are sick of hearing that “we just have to assess and plan a few things”… At least tell us what those things are, what the challenges are, what you are doing to meet those challenges and how we as a community can support the work. If the government wants the disability community to actively engage, then Whaikaha, at minimum needs to work in a way that works for disabled people, Deaf, their families and their allies. Which is hard if you have to play in someone else’s sandbox, instead of being able to build the sandbox from the start. We were told we were going to get a new type of Ministry, at this stage, Whaikaha is operating as any other ministry, and people who were excited by a new start and a new opportunity for change, are getting disheartened and wondering why they are bothering to put the effort in when we are getting no substantive change on the ground for disabled people.

A selfie of Antnz standing in front of a corrugated iron whare (shelter). Antnz is smiling at the camera and wearing NATO blue cap with orange writing and a teal jscket. Tgr door frame of tge whare has blue and red carvings, with a carved figurehead above the door at the apex of the roof
Ticked off my “first night” on Te Araroa

The Royal Commission Inquiry into Historic Abuse in Care has been extended, which means so has some of my work. As the work on Te Aorerekura: National Strategy to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence continues, so does my involvement to ensure that disabled people and their families have their voices heard in a true co-design process. I have the privilege of being able to bring these voices to the processes; this strategy is the primary mainstream mechanism that can help keep disabled people and their families/whanau violence-free. This is a nuanced area, that needs more voices; so I will be writing more on this in subsequent blogs.

I recognised that I needed to make sure that I keep a decent work/life balance considering the nature of much of the work that I do. I knew I had to make sure that I kept the balance this year, and I miss being in the bush, teaching bushcraft and I missed doing what was my “true calling” instead of being indoors, having “robust” conversations. I reached out to Outdoor Training to say “Hey if you need a camp Aunty, feel free to give me a call.” Well, the next thing I know I am filling in paperwork (I’ll send the last stuff in now that I have remembered to get it done Heather?!?) and I have ended up instructing or shadowing Duke of Edinburgh students 3 weekends out of the last few months!

I’ve enjoyed the time I have spent out there, and although rusty teaching a couple of “old school” navigation techniques it’s great to be out there teaching these things again. As much as I love taking the adaptive crew out and about, getting back to this type of work is good for my mental health. It’s also good to see that Duke of Ed is more inclusive than it used to be, one of the young people I worked with has Cystic Fibrosis, this would have been unthinkable 10 – 15 years ago.

3 young women sit on the ground with their backpacks, one young woman is reaching into her pack. In the left foreground is an Aarn pack and a set of red, dog-sized saddle-bags
Packs off, waiting for a ride home

As usual, ADNZ Raven can’t be left out of the story, sometimes our Assistance Dogs forget that they are supposed to be assisting and will just dog. She has done a couple of personal trips out the backcountry but not with a full pack, while I was also “working”. She was an absolute superstar over the weekend we shadowed a Bronze Duke of Ed group. We were oh-so-close to the pick-up point I learnt that her packs make really good buoyancy aids for her as well. How the hell did she know I had 2 weeks early bought dry bags for the gear in her packs? On Saturday about 1 km away from the shelter we had walked past a gross-looking pond, and I did a quick, “Would you use this as a water source?”, none of us wanted to drink from it. If it is appropriate, I will work Raven off-leash with her packs on, particularly if I am using walking poles or crutches; she forgets she is twice the width as usual, that I have those stick things, and then add a leash, whatever comic is in your head right now is probably accurate and it sometimes ends up with me on the ground. At least she is trained to pick me up! We were passing the gross pond on the way to the gate pick-up and Raven was in a lovely off-leash heel, she dropped out of my peripheral vision. I turned saying “Raven NO”, but it was too late, she was in the air, headed into the gross pond. The girls, 5m or so ahead of us said they heard the splash before I got to the N in Raven”. So there she was, with her packs floating next to her, looking very pleased with herself. I was relieved that we got to the pick-up point with a bit of time to spare so she could dry off a bit before we got into someone’s car!

A wet looking black Labrador wearing bright red saddle bags.
Oh Raven, so glad I got dry bags for your gear! We were so close to home!!!

So there has been a lot of Enabling Good Lives work, some Outdoor Training NZ work and lots and lots of training towards the 10 km in the last few months. Sometimes I have gotten the balance right, sometimes I haven’t, but here I am just over a week after actually completing the 10 km walk. Leading up to the event I was pretty consistent, not always, but I kept at it, kept putting one foot in front of the other. There are definitely days when I don’t want to get off my butt and train or stretch, but I keep reminding myself of the bigger goals. A friend of mine and her guide dog have recently moved into the neighbourhood and she is also training at Ora Kinetics and wanted to join in on the 10km so it’s been cool to have a training buddy.

I linked in the Achilles International, NZ a few weeks out before the event, I had heard of them before and seen on Facebook that our local chapter was becoming more active. I wanted to see what support they could provide me on the day of the event, as I was a little anxious about being jostled by other competitors and falling over. I was a little cheeky (surprise! lol) and asked Manawatu Striders for water bowls at the drinks stations for Raven and Devon, a friend’s guide dog. Shout-out to Striders for the ice cream containers, they were perfect! Wendy was my guide on the day and oh boy, I was thankful for her when the 5km runners caught up with us! They were coming from behind and going either side, Wendy did a great job of trying to get them all to go around the right-hand side of us so Raven didn’t get trampled.

A group of people wearing bright yellow Achilles t-shirts, some with the word "Guide" on them. Antnz is crouching at the front with ADNZ Raven. Guide Dog Devon sits next to Raven. One woman in the front row has a below the knee prosthetic
Team Achilles Manawatu, pre-race


The athlete in me came out at some stage of the last few months as we have led up to the 10km. I had been training the distance, we had done a bit of duration work, we had walked the course a couple of times, and I had spent weeks trying to dial in the best nutrition, hydration, and recovery routine. There was nothing left but to put it all into action on “race day”. The week leading up to race day the nerves kicked in despite knowing I had mostly put the best effort I could in. During one of our course walks we had done 2 hrs 35 mins, so I was going to be happy with a 2hrs 20 mins, I was going to be stoked with a 2hrs 15 mins on race day.

4 women in bright yellow stand in pair with 2 black Labradors
Achilles Manawatu Dog Squad, pre-race. Shell, Jenny, Guide Dog Devon, Wendy, Antnz and Assistance Dog Raven

Race day came, and Jenny and I got ourselves and the dogs up to the start/finish area & Event HQ, we found the Achilles crew, who had a gazebo where we could gather, leave some gear and cheer our teammates in (if we were there). We had 8 athletes in total and our guides so it was cool to be able to see others push their limits and smash their goals, and be able to hang out and talk about our individual races. Thanks to Natt & Pete from Enabling Good Lives MidCentral Leadership Group for turning up in support and cracking out a 10km yourselves!

So how did I go??????

The biggest mistake I could make on race day was going out too hard and not having enough in the tank to make it to the end. We gathered at the back of the pack to reduce the risk of being jostled by the pack heading into the starting gate bottleneck. I’d been a bit nervous the whole week leading up to this, and the butterflies were definitely there as the countdown was on. I’d asked Wendy to pace me for a 2hr 15min finish. The gun went off, and we waited as the main bunch head off ahead of us, I hit the button on my watch as I crossed the start line and we were off. On our course practice walks the roads were all open, so for the first 400m or so I had to convince Raven that it was OK to be walking in the middle of the road. I was a little worried that we were racing down the hill a wee bit fast and slowed a little, but there is something to be said about having people ahead of you that drives you forward. Jenny and Devon, Natt and Pete, dropped to the side to let Devon have a pee, and I kept on going.

Antnz wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and black cap, black tights and grey shorts, with ADNZ Raven. ADNZ Raven is wearing her blue harness and there is tension on her short lead. To the left of Antnz is Wendy, also in a yellow t-shirt, blue cap and a running skirt,
That was a quick walk down the hill.
Antnz and Wendy discussing how quickly we made it down the hill
That was a quicker-than-expected pace down the hill!

I hit the flat, looked at my watch and I was doing a 10min kilometre, “Shit, that is not sustainable” I thought, so I slowed slightly, knowing that I had a long way to go. Then the 5km runners started blasting past, which surprised me at first because I didn’t hear them coming, Wendy did a great job of waving most of them around to the right of me, so they didn’t trample Raven; a couple of them had to adjust their pace quickly when they realised a dog was in the way when they went left around me. I looked at my watch and was still setting a pretty good pace, and well under 2hr 15 min pace. Wow, how am I managing this?? I felt good, up over the He Ara Kotahi bridge, hang a left.

Antnz on the right with ADNZ Raven, Wendy on the left. Raven is to the right of Antnz, with her tongue slightly out and her ears flapping. Antnz is pulling a peace sign at the camera. They are walking over a bridge
He Ara Kotahi bridge. Making good times & feeling good!

I think Raven and I jumped at the same time as a couple of small dogs below the bridge, that we had not seen, decided that Raven was the biggest threat in the known world and we all needed to know about it. What was cool on this stretch was seeing those that had done the turn-around and headed to the Fitzhebert Bridge, a few high fives & knuckle bumps with other competitors and a good opportunity to yell “Go Achilles” and “Gimps Not Wimps” to my teammates!

Antnz and ADNZ Raven are walking slightly ahead of Wendy, they are walking on the right hand sight of the picture, and pathway. Behind them on the left of the path and picture you can see other runner and walkers backs, including a bright yellow Achilles t-shirt
#GoAchilles #GimpsNortWimps

We hit the up and back, I know Raven needed a pee break in there somewhere, and then I needed one as we passed the He Ara Kotahi drinks station. Raven definitely needed a drink at that point, shout out to Striders for the bowls, and the volunteers at the stations for making sure she had a drink. We were still making a really good time, and I was still feeling good, so we hit Fitz Bridge about an hour before I had expected. Raven and I were starting to feel the pace, but I still had some gas in the tank.

We hit the Bledisloe Park drinks station, Raven again definitely wanted a drink, I still had some in my water bladder, and didn’t want too much in my actual bladder so got moving once Raven had stopped having a massive drink. We hit the 1km to go sign, “Shit I still have 14 mins to get my butt up this hill and I will crack 2 hrs” I thought. So I put my head up and tried to chase 85 yr old John, on his walking stick, up the hill, I had been playing a bit of cat and mouse (although he probably didn’t know it) with him the whole way around the course and he had slipped past me when I had a pee break. I was just starting to gain some ground on him on the last couple of straights, and unfortunately, the uneven surface toppled John on the last corner. I said to Wendy “shit John’s gone over, don’t worry about me”, she took off to check on John, and as I passed them I told Wendy I’d send a medic as soon as I could.

So my last stretch into the finish line, I was moving my tired and sore legs as fast as I could towards the finish and the medics. Some people were sitting on a car boot watching people come down the last stretch, I gasped, “You’ll go quicker than me, go get a medic, John’s gone over on the last corner”, the young guy got up and sprinted about 200m towards the finish and medic, who then picked up his pack and made his way towards the final corner. As I crossed the finish line, I managed to get a slight fist pump in before I just wanted to sit down, NOW! With the overall pace I had set, we were both done; Raven just wanted a big drink, half looked at Pete’s food, then she curled up with Devon, the guide dog, and they got on with napping. I think we were both grateful that the Achilles gazebo was reasonably close to the finish line!

A picture of Antnz and Raven just after they crossed the finish line.
I just wanted a seat after smashing my goal, Raven was ready for a sleep!

As I crossed the finish line, I noticed that Jenny and Devon were chilling at the Achilles Gazebo, my first thought was “I don’t remember them passing me”, unfortunately Jenny wasn’t feeling the best at the 7km mark and decided to withdraw and make her way with the officials back to the Achilles Gazebo. Jenny is ok, and is determined to get the 10km knocked out next year.

A group of people sitting in a sports hall, there are some people sitting in seats, and most of the floor. There is a clump of people in bright yellow Achilles t-shirts smiling, there are 2 black dogs sitting in the middle of the yellow t-shirts.
Chilling as a team at Prize-Giving

The next thing I knew we were headed into June and “conference season” started. For me that meant 1 presentation and a panel at 2 different conferences in 3 weeks! As I write, I am one conference down, with one to go, my next blog will be some reflections about my walk, what conferences I attended and some thoughts.

Jenny on the left and Antnz on the right are sitting on seats, between them crouching is Shell and Wendy our Guides. Everyone is smiling. Antnz and Wendy are wearing medals. Guide Dog Devon and ADNZ Raven are lying in front of them.
Achilles Manawatu Dog Squad after the race.

Make the time to pursue your dreams whanau!

Whāia e koe te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei
Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain

Antnz




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September Stumbled Along…

This year we started September in Level 4 Covid19 lockdown, which means keep your butt at home unless you are going out for essential items, medical treatment or for a short period of activities in the area local (walking distance) to your home. No “fast food”, no going to the gym, no gatherings, online school, work from home if you are not an essential worker, no funerals or tangihanga (funeral directors still operate but no gatherings), keep to your bubble, physical distancing and masks if out. My region moved down to Level 3 at mid-night of the 31st of August, which a “softer” lockdown; work from home, no seated dining, limited movement (stay local), gatherings of no more than 10 for funerals or tangihanga, weddings, church, non-contact customer pick-up or delivery, stay local. This was just in time for my birthday, after a couple of weeks without being able to have any form of take-aways I was craving Chinese food, so we made use of delivery food. My birthday was spent watching the Paralympics, not checking emails, eating junk food, Chinese food for dinner and cheesecake for dessert.

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Mid-Year months of Madness!

June kicked off with a hiss and a roar! I kicked the month off with another “Intro to Enabling Good Lives (EGL)” down in Wellington with Imagine Better for District Health Board (DHB) staff. We had a good cross-section of Children’s Hospital staff; including, OTs, physios, nurses, and a paediatrician. We also had a handful of social workers, OTs, physios, Allied Health Aids and a couple of Team Leads. The day after I was off to the Mid-Central Leadership Group meeting. By the time I had travelled to Wellington, delivered a training, driven home and a full-day meeting, I was beat.

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May as well make the most of it?!?!?

All of a sudden we’re almost halfway through the year, and this month hasn’t exactly gone to plan. In the end, despite a horrific head cold that had me laid out for a week, May hasn’t been too bad; just a little different than anticipated. Once again I remind myself that “life is indeed an adventure” if we look at it from an etymological (background of words) basis. Webster’s dictionary defines risk as:

1a: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks. //a book recounting his many bold adventures b: the encountering of risks. //the spirit of adventure. 2: an exciting or remarkable experience. //an adventure in exotic dining they were looking for adventure. 3: an enterprise involving financial risk. //she wanted to pay off her debts before embarking on any new financial adventures.

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And the year is Marching on…

March kicked off with a visit to the local court to see ADNZ Raven’s support crew many of the courthouse staff all chip in towards Raven’s fundraising effort. The place was a bit chaotic due to a change in Covid19 Alert Levels. I don’t think Raven fully appreciates what “Social Distancing” means! Thank you so much for your continued support of Raven and Assistance Dogs NZ Trust.

ADNZ Raven wearing her blue harness. She standing getting a lower back scratch from a woman sitting down in an office setting. A sticker saying "Thank You" obscures the woman's face
Don’t let the judge catch you not social distancing Raven!!
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Just like that it’s 2021, where did 2020 go??

2020 seems to have flown by, I know that it’s been a year none of us will forget. Globally Covid has been a bit of a shit-show; I am thankful and grateful to be in New Zealand and the decisions our leadership has made. On a personal level was a year of re-examining what is important to me and prioritizing, a year of accessing the medical and disability services and support that would have been beneficial over the last two decades. I guess like many, it’s been a year of uncertainty, confusion and a rapidly changing “normal”.

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