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.