Ending 2016 and beginning 2017

It seems there is going to be no resting up and taking a break from the running training over the Christmas, New Year period this year!  I have entered by first event for 2017.  On Sunday March 5 I am going to run the Rotorua off-road half marathon for the first time!  Am I a little nervous - YES.  It will  be the furthest I have traveled for an event ever and I have heard it is not the easiest of courses.  For one, it is a double loop event which I have done before and there are a number of hills.  Am I up for the challenge - YES.  The first months training plan is already written up and I am sticking to it.  Hopefully I will have some achievements and joys to share in here along the way.

Feilding Half Marathon

Even though Feilding is my home town, I have never run the half marathon that has been held here for the past 20 years.  It is an out and back course and follows the same route as the full marathon.

 Most of the run is on country roads and because I had done a practice run a few weeks ago that covered part of the course, I was prepared for the long, straight roads that I would be facing.  In some ways this certainly did help me mentally.  This half marathon though was a new experience for me in that it was a very small field of runners and they were fast!  I had gone into this half marathon with no time goal in mind for me.  I needed to do this as time has been a big factor for me so often this year and then the disappointment sets in.  Instead, today was all about just getting out there and running the half marathon and that I did.  It was my slowest half marathon to date but I'm okay about that.  I spent a large part running on my own and at times there was no one is sight either.  I guess that is what happens when there is a small field.  I got first in my age group but then again I was the only one in my age group.

Right, back to the race.  It started at Timona park and the first little bit was running along the grass and out to the road.  While I had been nervous about starting, once that gun went off I just went into concentration mode.  I was even able to give a wave to one of my support people!

I just kept going at a pace I was comfortable at and a pace I felt I would be able to maintain for the majority of the race.  Around the 2km mark was a curve in the road that was not the nicest and hard on the knees and ankles so I took this easy and then got back into it.  The first aid station approached around 3km and I was feeling good so didn't stop.  It was drizzling at this stage and I was enjoying the moisture on me.   By the next aid station, I needed some water as I knew there were a few uphills to come.  Then another not nice curve to run and a couple of lumps in the road before the turn around point came into view.  I was still feeling quite good at this stage and still running.  After turning, I had a gel just to help my energy levels.  The aid station approached again and I was feeling hot so downed two waters and kept running.  Then I started counting down the kms to go.  In some ways, I could not believe I was on the countdown already.  By the time I go back to the turning point for the 5km run I knew in my mind I could keep going and run all the way to the end.  Back in town, the mind got a bit of a work out but suddenly I was turning back onto the last street and the finish line was in sight.  And wow, I had a cheerleader cheering me on!  This spurred me on and Belinda running beside me for those last few hundred metres made me run even faster!

I used that last bit of power and energy in my legs to sprint it out to the end!  And standing at the end was my running buddy Kate supporting me as well!

For me, it was one of the most special finishes.  I had done it.  It was half marathon number 7 completed.  Such an achievement.  A great catch up with friends and a time to celebrate.

The Countdown

So the countdown is onto half marathon number 7 for me.  In less than two weeks it will all be done and dusted.  I have been feeling pretty good about it up until now, even thinking a few weeks back that I might end up having to walk this one.  It seems now that I should be running it and possibly even manage to run the full 21.1km.  See my training has improved over the past few weeks.  I even managed to run a 15km run over this weekend and felt good about it.  I will be happy with whatever I do get when I run it as it is all for the experience and I haven't had the best lead up.  The thing is though, there are people out there that have so much faith in me and my running.  They seem to think that maybe this will be the one to give me that personal best, maybe even that one to beat the clock.  This is currently messing with my head a little.  I know that I will not get anywhere near a personal best.  My training is proof of this.  I guess I just have to get out there on the day and give it my best and apologise to those that had the faith that I'm just not quite at that stage at the moment.

Sledge Track

I have been reading so many people talking about the Sledge Track and the great trail running experience through there.  Today I had the opportunity to try it out for myself.  Forgetting that we had had so much rain previously didn't fully prepare me for just how muddy it was going to be.  Believe me, I'm not scared of a little mud, just scared of falling flat on my face or worse still, rolling back down a hill again!  Believe it or not, I stayed on my feet the whole time.  It wasn't easy to but I managed it.  And all the mud, sweat and pounding heart was all made worthwhile with the views I got to see.  So many waterfalls

Little river crossings

And lots and lots of steps and mud!

Almost two hours out on the track.  I knew I had given my legs and body a great work out and I'm sure it worked just as hard if I had run the 15km I had planned for this weekend.  I'm happy to have taken this opportunity and I really want to go back and give it another go!  I will finish off with the stats from today.

The Humdinger!

Well, this event certainly lived up to it's name!  Probably one of the hardest events I have ever taken part in.  But still a very enjoyable experience.  The course started on a uphill and stayed this way for quite some time. Although there was a bit of a down hill just after the 2k mark and it was then up and up until the turn around point at 5.5km.  I managed to run the first 800m and then decided a walk/run would be the way to go.  In the end, I walked most of the uphill as I could walk faster than I could run!  Gosh the lollies and drink at the aid station where so what I needed and they gave me the go to start the run back down.  And the views!  Well these made the run even more enjoyable.  I just loved it.  Will I go back and do it again?  Yes, but next year I want to do the full 25km and run right across the top of the range.  Here are a few photos from the fun yesterday!

The elevation!  Shows just how steep it was.

The view!

Looking down at the Manawatu River

All finished and a new medal

Hitting the trails

So running has been a bit of a struggle lately.  A struggle to find the motivation, a struggle because I can't get my pace back to where it use to be.  A struggle because life is really busy.  BUT today I did something about it all.  I headed back to the Manawatu Gorge and hit the track again!

For me it is not an easy track and I don't think it ever will be but it is so different.  And I only ever run it when I have someone to run it with.  Today I headed out with a friend I have never run with before and we had agreed we would just take it easy.  And we did.  We walked some hills, stopped for a couple of photo opportunities and took in the scenery around us.  We needed to take it easy too as there has been so much rain lately that the track was soggy, muddy and slippery in places.  You can just see the Manawatu River behind me in this picture and just how swollen and brown it is!

We also took a one extra detour and checked out the windmills.  I couldn't believe just how close to them we were!

Today really showed me just how much I love being with nature and enjoying that fresh air.  Yes it was cold but it was also enjoyable.  The streams had a little more water in them than last time I ran the track but they were still so clear (like nature should be).

Just over 1hour 30 minutes after entering the track we came out the other end.  I was proud of what I had achieved.  I knew I had run and my body could feel it but I felt so different within myself to how I had been feeling recently.  It was just the run I needed and this last photo I think says it all.

Spur of the Moment

In a spur of the moment, I made the decision and entered the Hall Block Humdinger!  It's an 11km off road event.  Actually it is the end of the big North Range Traverse that I am planning on running next year (Here is the link to it).  I wasn't going to enter but a friend is walking the distance and I keep on seeing people talking about it so thought I would give it a go too.  I'm really excited!  Now to train for the next 39 days to get strong for it.

Developing my plan

So as I said after the Wellington half marathon - I plan to work on building up my strength.  Why is this so important and what am I going to do to achieve this?

First - I plan on running my first full marathon in 2018.  In May of that year to be exact because I have chosen Rotorua to be the one and only marathon that I will run in my life,  Why Rotorua?  Because I have a friend who has run it every year for the past few years and I always get a sense of jealously when I see her photos from the event and I love reading about the amazing run that it is.  I also have another friend who lives not far from there and who will run with me for the distance of the marathon and help me through those tough times.  Going to Rotorua to run has been on my bucket list for a little while now so why not make it really count!  Plus if I run it in 2018 then I can say I have completed a full marathon before I hit that ripe old age of 40.  Yes, that gives me well over 18 months to work towards this goal but there is a reason for giving myself a long build in.  It doesn't mean I will give up on my goal sometime next year and say it is all too hard.  It means I can put some steps in to make it a more enjoyable experience.

I know that Rotorua has hills in it.  I know that a marathon involves finding that slower pace and just keeping on going.  I know that I really need to build some strength and this is the reasoning behind the two events I have chosen to partake in next year.

My first event will be heading back to Waitarere to complete the Great Forest Run half marathon.  I have really enjoyed this event in the past two years and it does work your body.

My second event will be one I just learnt about this year - a 25km course that starts on the Pahiatua Track and runs through to the Manawatu Gorge.  Looking at it, it does look hard BUT that is what I need.  I need a run where I am not focused on time.  It will be a run that will make me stronger and make my legs work hard.  Yes I will be on them for quite some time but this is what running a full marathon will be like.

I know I have not met my sub 2 hour goal for a half marathon but this is going down on the bucket list.  For now, I want to look at challenging my body a little more in different ways.  I'm going to have to brave running some trails on my own.  But guess what, I am going to have fun while I am doing it all!

Stepping back to look forward

One thing that I didn't look back at and reflect on after the run on Sunday was my positives from the run.  I think I was a little guttered and wound up in the negatives from my run that I did look at the good.  So what are these goods?

*  This was half marathon number 6.  Why is this such a big deal - well I only started 'running' back in 2013!  This was the year I completed my first 10km, my first 15km and then went on to run my first half marathon in the December.  It is also my second half marathon for this year.  The other one was just back in April when I ran an off road half.
*  This year I managed to stay ahead of the pacer for a lot longer - last year I was past with around 9-10km to go.  This year, I stayed ahead of the pacer until around 5km to go!  This shows I did some strong running to begin with.
*  I had a goal of getting a photo of me smiling while running.  Yes, my husband has got photos like this for me before but always earlier in the race.  This year, it got them again BUT the professionals also got a photo of me smiling!  WIN.  As some friends also pointed out to me, there was an air shot of me - yep, I was running that strong at the time that both feet left the ground.
*  Lastly, I have proven to myself that I have it in me to keep on going and complete the 21km race.  The going got tough and I did want to give up a couple of times but I didn't.  I was strong and I did it.

So I am ready to move forward now and will leave you with this quote I love:

Wellington Half Marathon - Take Two

For probably the first time ever I slept the night before this half marathon.  My alarm even managed to wake me up rather than me laying there waiting for it to go off.  4;15 on a Sunday morning is a mighty earlier start but I wanted to go back to Wellington and I really wanted to better that time I had got the previous year.  A quick shower, then a banana and blueberry smoothie and we were ready to hit the road.  By the time we got to Otaki, I was ready for my latte.  6.15 in the morning, coffee in hand and a smile on my face.  I was ready for this day!

And while I am at it - check out those nails!  They were painted to match my running outfit for the day - green, black and silver.  Here's my outfit all laid out and ready the night before:

From Otaki, we continued the drive into Wellington and arrived with plenty of time to spare.  I went and collected my race number, and started to get myself all ready for the race.  While waiting, I received a text wishing me all the best and encouraging me to relax in the last hour leading up to the race.  The time went quite quickly and before I knew it, it was time to line up and head off.  I had thought about heading out with a pace group this time to see if I could meet that 2hr goal but decided I was going to give it one last shot on my own.  I started off with planning on running slower than my last half marathon at the beginning and this was the case.  Looking back at my splits, I kept a fairly consistent pace over those first 9km.  My husband had walked ahead to around the 3.5km mark to try and get some photos for me.  I'm so glad he did as he was unable to get finishing photos of me this year.  Decided I had better give him the thumbs up as I was feeling great at this stage and heading along well.

Even the wind had been fairly nice to me so far along, but coming up to that 10km mark and then the turn around point, the head wind came in, I slowed and it felt tough.  At the turn around point, I was still running strong and still on a good target to be back at the stadium in time to reach my goal.  I headed past the point where I remembered the pace group passing me this year and thinking they must be coming up behind me again soon but they weren't.  Heading back along the bays, I got patches of calm and patches of wind.  I had taken my beanie off long before now due to over heating but my hair was really annoying me.  I need to look into something else to sort my hair out for races like this one.  From the 14km mark I did start to slow.  With 5km to go I was still on target of my goal but then got past by the pace group.  In my head I couldn't get down as I still had a way to go so kept the positive thoughts and I was still running and I could better that time from last year!  I even managed to push through everything and up my pace again for a couple of km but then I feel apart a little.  My legs stopped, I walk, I ran again, I kept positive talking.  Then my goal of beating last year disappeared from in front of me too.  That last km of this race is really hard.  You feel like you should be at the end but you aren't.  And then there is the ramp back into the stadium to contend with.  I had been determined to run up that ramp this year but I had used everything out of me.  I walked it, then ran with everything left in me to that finish line.  I crossed it 2hr, 4min and 27sec after I crossed it the first time.  The race was over.  To say I wasn't guttered would be lying.  I had wanted to run better than I did today but I still needed to be proud of what I had achieved.  And I think the smile does show that pride (along with the pain!).

For the sixth time since December 2013 I had run a half marathon.  I think that as a mother of two that should be something to be proud of.  But I also know that I still have some work to do.  I know that I can make myself a stronger and more confident runner.  And that now, is my goal for the coming while.  No more races for now.  No running for this week.  And then I will look at building myself back up again.

The Month of May

What a month May was!  It was a month of taking a self imposed break for a week, a month of really looking at why I run and where I want to head.  I took part in my first Mother's Day Run and a very fast 5km.  It was also the first month this year when I didn't make it to my goal of running 100km in a month.  I got to 98km!!!  A little gutting not to have got those last 2km done but hey, that's just what happens sometimes.  I knew I was going to be close but not close enough so I made sure the last run was one that counted.  Why it wasn't a personal best or anything, I ran my heart out and got one of my best paces in a while.

Now for June and the month of my Wellington Half Marathon.  The blog will probably be quiet until after then so all take care.

The importance of listening to your body!

Following on from putting things into perspective for myself, this week I have also learnt about the importance of listening to my body.  So many times I have been warned about making sure I do not have a burn out and to make sure I get that rest I need.  This week I started with the goal in mind of just completing three 6km runs with no pressure on myself.  Well so far I have only completed one of those runs and it will be the only one I do achieve.  Why - because I need to listen to my body.  It is tired.  Like really, really tired!  It's had a feeling it hasn't had for a while.  I know I need to listen to it now.  I still have 5 weeks until Wellington and I am better off to give myself the rest it needs now than to keep on pushing through and going to Wellington very ill prepared and unwell.  To anyone else out there finding they just aren't thinking straight, things aren't working like they normally would or you are just really feeling overwhelmed - take a break.  It just might be the very thing you need!

Putting things into perspective

I think that sometimes I just need to put things into perspective again.  I need to go back to why I run and the enjoyment I get out of running.  See I have this half marathon coming up in just over a month.  People have been supporting me along on this journey and I keep hearing how well I am going in my running and just how well I am likely to go in this event.  For this reason I seem to have this time stuck in my head and totally focused on this.  It means I keep on thinking I'm not doing well enough in my training, I'm not going to meet this goal.  I need to turn this all around and think - look how far I have come, look at how I can get out and run, look at what I do!  This is me:

I'm hot, I'm sweaty, I have just completed a 6k run.  No music, no worrying about the time and finishing in the dark!  I need to remember the enjoyment I get from running and all the positives it is doing for me!

I decided all that time back to make that decision to try!  I have accomplished so much and I will continue to.  Running is a journey.  It hits speed bumps, it hits breaks in the road BUT ... it is a journey that I can take.

Mother's Day!

What a mother's day I have had this year!  I managed to get myself a new pair of new runners and I think everyone who runs knows just what it is like to get some new shoes!!!  Check them out:

 I also took part in a Mother's Day 5k Fun Run/Walk.  It was organised by Jennian Homes and held over in Palmerston North.  It ended up that this was going to be the only run I would get in this weekend so I decided I would give it my all.  The new shoes would have to wait for another day to get tried out as I wasn't too sure just what the running conditions would be like for today but I did know that it started at a park so thought best not to cover the new shoes in mud just yet.  I have to say I did give it my all.  I ran my heart (and lungs) out.  The run was measured at 5km.  I measured it at just under (4.85km) but what I do know is I haven't run that distance in that sort of time before.  A personal best I managed:

I had fun - that's a big part of the day, I got an awesome new shirt for running it and I proved that I can push myself.  Until next time (but here's a photo from not long after I finished showing off that shirt!)

April in Review

Four months into the year and the fourth month I have managed to clock up 100km over the month.  Yes, running a half marathon at the beginning of the month certainly helped, but it also meant a week of not much running after that as well.

So my positives for this month:

*  Running The Great Forrest Events run and coming away with an awesome time for this

*  Starting my training for my next half marathon

My sad moments from this month:

*  Having to run long runs on my own again - its hard!!

*  A small pain after my half marathon resulting in more of a break than I wanted

Where to????

To keep on running.  I have registered for a 5km fun run in May which will be a fun time.

The Great Forest Event!

This time last year I was settling the nerves before embarking on my first ever off road half marathon.  Today I am resting up and recovering from running it yesterday.  So what was it like second time around?  Here's my report (as best as I can remember that it!!)
We arrived at Waitarere rather early!  Just after 7.30 but in a way that was great because we got a park very close to the registration tent so could leave things in the car while getting all our numbers, etc.  Then there was that nervous waiting and nervous visits to the toilet again - just in case.  Finally at 8.45 we were all called in for a race briefing before heading out to the start line.  Kate (my running buddy) and I headed off together and made sure we got a photo of ourselves before heading out on this run.  Here we are looking all fresh face, full of excitement and ready to go.

We wished each other good luck and see you at the finish line and got ourselves into position.  Early in the month I had set some goals in the back of my mind for today but as the event grew closer and everything got busier I decided to take some pressure off myself and not have a goal in mind for today.  I decided I would just set myself at a comfortable pace, listen to my body (I went music free this year) and just see how I went.  By the second km in I realised my pace was very quick for me and tried to slow it down a little.  I was feeling good and by the fourth km I think I was probably at a lot better pace of just over 5.30min/km.  I had my Nuun in my drink bottles and drunk a little as I needed too.  I also had water at the first aid station just over 3km in as felt a little thirsty.  I was just in my own little running zone, people passed me, I passed some people.  I was comfortable.  I was enjoying watching the km signs counting up as a passed them and before I know it I was at the 11km mark and knew that in my head I could start counting down soon.  Something happened at the 12km mark though.  I felt a bit of a struggle and had a moment of 'Why am I doing this?, I'm not designed for this, I can't make it to the end today!' but by the time I reached 14km I had gained what I can only describe as a second wind!  I felt really positive again and felt like I could do anything.  Looking back at my splits my times really got up in that second half (there was one nasty slope just after the 10km mark!) but maybe this was also me settling into where I was comfortable.  I visited two aid stations in that second half of the run, the last one at around the 18km mark where I was starting to feel it.  And I think this was when I hit the brick wall.  I tried everything in my brain - all the positive 'you can do it', 'you have got this' ' this is for ......' but in the end nothing worked.  Suddenly my feet stopped moving.  I wasn't going to give up though.  I was going to finished this event whatever it took.  Over that last 3km I probably stopped and walked half a dozen times.  This was also when I had a lot of people from the 10km event charging past.  I tried to ignore them and just concentrate on me and getting myself to the end.  By the time I had 2km to go I could see the tops of the tent by the finish line but they still looked so far away.  I was so thirsty as well but had run out of Nuun in my drink bottles by now so just had to deal with it.  I had another runner pass me as I stopped to walk and she encouraged me that it wasn't far to go now and that I had it.  This started me running again.  The 1km to go sign came and I wanted to run all the way to the finish line (didn't happen but the walking spell was very short).  Then the final corner and the uphill slope before coming down to the race way.  There was music there and people cheering you on.  Somehow I managed to find a little extra in the tank and gave it my all to get to that finish line.  My splits show I even managed to get a bit of pace on for those last 200m!!  Wow, I had done it, I had crossed the finish line (and managed to hit stop on my watch).  This is when I realised just how much I had put into my race.  My legs where shaking and as they handed me a drink and some fruit I had to steady myself (Luckily my husband was there and I grabbed his arm).  I decided I had better go sit down.  I walked myself over to a chair but I was shaking so much I struggled to sit and one of the event support crew was there and she helped me into the chair and told me just to sit there and take a little time.  She got me some water and I just sat.  I don't know how long I sat for but I was up and back at the finish line in time to see Kate cross over as well.  We had done it.  Now it was time to collect our medals and pose in the photo frame.

My official time came in at 2:04:26.  A whole 5:24 off last years time!  Am I proud - yes I am.  Did I give it my all - I think I can say I did.  Do I want to do it again - I think so.  Did I learn from this run - yes.  I learnt I need to believe in myself.  I learnt that walking doesn't slow you down too much.  I learnt that times get tough during a race, outside influences can play a part but deep down inside you find a way to get through it all.  Thank you to everyone who helped to make today the success it was for me.

The Month of March

Really - where has this time gone!  And what a month it has been.  I feel I have achieved so much over this past month in terms of my running.

*   At the beginning of the month I decided to swap one of my mid week runs for a core strength workout.  I have done these workouts at least once a week for the month and while I'm not sure how much they have benefit they have been I can say I did it.
*   I also aimed to run at least 100km again over the month and was lucky enough to clock up 121km.  This is outstanding given I was running twice during the week and then one longer run on the weekend.  And that longer weekend run was usually about time and not about the distance!
*  I also took part in my first ever park run.  It was called the Feilding 5's and ran for 5 Thursday nights with the option of running one 2.5km loop or completing it twice to reach 5km.  I was very nervous about doing this by myself but rocked on up the first night (my birthday present to myself) and really enjoyed the challenge it gave me.  It was mostly running on grass and I never realised just how hard that could be.  I completed 4 of the 5 nights and while I had hoped for a personal best on the last night I was surprised that we ended up running the circuit in the opposite direction which was hard mentally and left me with my slowest run of them all.
*  I ran trails!  And they were hard trails!!  First up was the Manawatu Gorge track from Ashhurst through to the Balance end.  That was hard going and I really wanted to give up at times but of course once you start there is no backing out.  Then there was two hours of trail running around Palmerston North with Kate.  This once again challenged me but I needed to remember all the good it was doing me.  And I can proudly say that even falling over 7km into this run (resulting in some nasty swearing) I did get up and carry on until we had covered the trails we planned.
*  Our 20km run!  Well I have written all about this before and head back a couple of blogs and you can read all about it.
*  I've also had some very surprising and fast paces over this past month.  Those certainly help to boost your confidence from time to time.
*  I think most importantly I have achieved all of this while still spending quality time with my family and working full time.  At times I don't know how I achieved it all but somehow I managed.

Now for April and my second time running the Great Forest Event at Waitarere.  This time next week I will be making sure my gear is all sorted out, drinks sorted, and quality dinner in my belly (well not quite at this exact time as I will be just rapping up my Kindergarten disco!!).  The things I do for my fun!!

Taper Time

Believe it or not I have reached taper time for my 1/2 marathon already.  I the past I have really been looking forward to reaching this time and cutting back on the kilometers because the journey has always felt so long.  This time around it feels different though. I really do think that having a running partner has helped me this time.  The long runs haven't felt so long (yes, running for 2 hours didn't feel like 2 hours honestly!!).  I have also had the opportunity to add a lot more variety into my runs.  The days of running the same blocks week in and week out have gone because in the past increased distances just meant running the same roads in a circuit.  My runs this time have taken me on trails, country roads and then still a bit of what I am use to.  I some ways, I really like to think that this different training has made me a stronger runner for my up coming event.  Waitarere, you are only two weeks way!  Yes my mind is wandering a bit but I know I can tackle you again this year, I know I can run the distance.  Just a few little short runs for the next two weeks and 10km to plod out at the weekend and I will be as ready as ever for you!

THE 20KM RUN!

So this weekend we had planned for a 20km run.  Back and forth the discussion went around this run and by Sunday morning the plan was to run for 2 hours and hopefully (just hopefully) we might get close to the 20km.  We had decided a 2 hour run was a good long training run.  Because we needed more time, we decided we needed to be out running by 7.30 - a little earlier than we had been use to but really we couldn't have asked for a better morning!

The sun was rising, the temperature a little chilly but it didn't take us long to warm up.  Knowing I had a running buddy to head out with me, I decided to tackle some of the country roads around Feilding.  I had run them before but not for about 3 years.  I heard my watch 'beep' over the first 4km and while we weren't worried about pace I did have a sneaky look and saw we were keeping a pretty steady pace of just over 6min/km.  I also found that this time around, the roads didn't seem as difficult to run and I was really enjoying myself!  10km in and we were heading back into town.  Our pace had stayed very constant.  It seemed though that there was still some steam left in our legs and our pace quicken.  It also seemed that we were both pushing ourselves and each other along to just keep on going.  The kilometers just seemed to keep on coming and time was looking good.  All of a sudden it was like "We are can make 20km, lets keep going!" and we did.  To add to that, we did that 20km in under 2 hours!!

Gosh, it looks a long way when you look at it like that, and I guess 20km is a long way BUT... I'm so proud of how the run when.  I'm so proud we stuck at it, we pushed ourselves along.  We owned the run and I still had a smile at the end.

Park Run Take Two

So Thursday night means the opportunity to take part in the local park run.  I didn't really know if I wanted to run it last night either.  I think it all comes down to those nerves really.  Just like not wanting to do it the first week either because what if I'm last, what if I can't run it (even though I know I can run 5km), what if there are too many people for me, where do I put my keys!!!  All silly little things.  BUT ....  luckily I have this friend.  She encouraged me to run it last week, she suggested I go back and run it again last night.  And I'm glad I did.  I battled the wind last night and I still managed to knock 30 seconds off last weeks time!

I'm so, so thankful for friends.  Friends who are also runners.  Friends who give me that little push when I need it.  Thank you so much!

Manawatu Gorge Track

What a way to celebrate birthdays!  My running buddy Kate celebrated her birthday earlier in February and I celebrated mine just last week so over the weekend we headed out to celebrate.  And how exactly did we do this?  By running the Manawatu Gorge Track.  I remember from walking the Loop last year that there are a lot of steps at the beginning but I don't think I was fully aware of just how much uphill there is for the first 3km!  I struggled.  Walking up the hills felt like the best thing to do to conserve some energy and I really think this did play off with being able to 'fly' through some of the other parts later in the run.  Now while time isn't really an issue we had kind of set ourselves a mini goal of completing it in 1.5hours.  We did it!  Here's just some of the fun we had on Saturday:

I really think this does show just how much fun we had.  I will never say it wasn't hard.  I also won't say that at times I didn't wish I could just give up and be at the end without having to run it at all.  I won't say it wasn't one of the hardest 10km I have done before.  But I will say, I am proud I did it and yes I will go back and do it again.  And just so you can see what I mean about the hills etc and why I walked some, here is the graph showing the elevation of the run:

Till next time :)

A New Month

It's March already!!  I just heard the other week that here in Feilding they are putting on a Feilding Fives Park run for the month of March.  The first one just happened to fall on my birthday as well so thought - well what better present to give myself than run my first ever park run.  I rocked on down last night, registered for it and headed off for my run.  Firstly, running on grass is HARD.  Secondly, Timona Park has lots of hilly bits!!  But I did it.  And I'm stoked with how I did considering the conditions out there.  Here's the photo proof of my run from last night:

Roll on next Thursday when I can do it all again!