North Range Traverse 2018

So this was the event last year that took me to my longest run I had done - 25km and run over the top of the Tararua Ranges.  Due to running my marathon back in May, I wasn't going to run it this year BUT a week and 2 days before it, I discovered I had won a free entry into the distance of my choice.  My initial thought was to run the 12.5 Humdinger like I had run back in 2016.  After about an hour of thinking this, I had this crazy thought of why not make the most of winning an entry and do the Traverse again.  This was a crazy thought because I had only run a handful of runs in double digits since May and the longest of these had been 12km.  Oh well, once I had entered there was no looking back and changing my mind.  Bring on Saturday 25 August 2018. Race day. I started my day with my tradition of coffee to wake me up and hopefully set me up. I think my travel mug sums it up quite nicely.

 I caught the bus to the start with the wonderful Michelle (xrl8n) and then we caught up with Kel who I had run it with the year before.  It was very cold at the start and waiting around the 20 odd minutes was hard!

9am came and we were off. I decided to just go at my pace. I could see Kel just ahead of me and Michelle further in the distance. I hoped I will keep that sight of Kel for most of the run but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It wasn’t long and I pretty much felt like I was running on my own. The first couple of km is gravel and on an incline. I just kept telling myself just one foot in front of the other. I just needed to keep on moving forward. There was a bit of cloud and fog around as well. Quite pretty. 

After that first section of gravel road came the four wheel drive section. The rain had made many ruts in the track which I tried to dodge as best as possible. Then came the mud and water. While trying to avoid some of the water, I sank into the mud which was heavy. After that, I did a combo of going through the water and dodging it.   The deepest it got was just below my knee. Lucky for me, my feet didn’t stay cold for long even though they were really wet and it put it down to the great merino socks I had on. After about 9km I was trying to dodge one of those puddles, you know, taking the edge where it wasn’t so deep!  Well, I lost my footing and down I went. Pain in my knee and one side a lot wetter than I had planned. I thought it couldn’t be too bad but then I spotted the holes in the tights and a little trickle of blood. I wanted to cry because it hurt. I wanted to stop but instead, I just carried on (and sent a quick text message to a friend as sharing the load sometimes helps!!)

I was glad to leave the four wheel drive section and get back onto the gravel.  I tried to just focus on the beauty of the surroundings around me and it really was beautiful!  The sound of the windmills is quite mesmerising.  And you are running quite close to some of those big ones.

This was the hill that never ended!! Those pine tree you can see. They are still a part of this climb. And after already covering 19km my legs were totally feeling it. This was a hill I will honestly say I have walked both years. Knowing there is an aid station at the top kind of helps a bit but what helps more is knowing you start heading back downhill again after this. I didn’t even try the yummy baking at this aid station this year as by this stage I was feeling a little sick and I didn’t want to make matters worse. 

With about 5kms to go, you can see the finish line down the bottom of the hill. It’s a bit mean really because there is still quite some way to go!  I just watched out for the marks counting me down and was so glad to see that 1km to go!  No stopping for smiling selfies this year! I just wanted to get to the end. 

Running through the mud and slippery grass at Ferry Reserve marked the end of my second North Range Traverse and another amazing handmade medal to add to my collection. I was sore, tired and ready to see my family again. Just under 3:30 and I was done.   

How did I honestly feel at the end of the run this year?  I felt crushed.  I knew that my lack of training had affected me a lot.  I felt sorer than after running a marathon.  But I guess deep down there is a little bit of pride as well but I still need that to surface a little more.  I do know though that I need to keep on getting out there and giving things a go.

Rotorua Marathon - 5 May 2018

For the past 4 months, I have been training for my first ever full marathon.  I had decided after running 9 half marathons, a 25km event over the Tararua Ranges and a couple of other organised events that I needed to tick a full marathon off my bucket list.  I also wanted to make sure I achieved this goal before I hit the big 40!  I decided Rotorua would be where I would accept this challenge and with it being in May I had to do it this year.  As a family, we headed off to Rotorua on Friday to pick up my race pack and number and then we headed off to Cambridge for the night.  All the way there I had felt a mixture of nerves and excitement.  I really didn't know what the next day would bring.  Somehow I went to sleep quite quickly on Friday night and it was the alarm that woke me the next morning telling me it was now 5.30 and time to get moving.  By 6am we were on the road heading to Rotorua.  I ate some porridge on the way and then stopped for a nice strong coffee to get the body a little more awake.

Master 6 in the back kept on asking when the sun was going to rise and just before getting to Rotorua we were all blessed with this amazing sight!

We arrived at Rotorua with plenty of time to spare and still, the nerves had not really kicked in.  This in itself was a bit of a worry!  I did a toilet pit stop, headed outside to see the start line and said goodbye to my support crew.  They had decided not to see the start of the marathon as with so many people there it would have been hard to spot me and that way they could head off to see me out on the run.  Just having them there and knowing they would be watching out for me later meant so much to me.

I watched the half marathon participates head off and then before I knew it, it was time for me to line up and head off as well.  I had had a lot of people tell me not to head out too quickly and I was determined not too.  I positioned myself right down the back and as the pacemakers started to put themselves into the line, I discovered I was standing near those planning on a 5:30 finish time.  Great I thought, a good pace for me.  It was almost a walk across the start line because of all the people and then the feet managed to move a little faster.  For the first 2km I stuck with this pace but I really did feel it was a little slow for me and I struggled a little with it so I joined the 5:15 pacemakers.  For the next 3km I plodded along with them and they were a really fun and enthusiastic.  Once again, I felt I just wanted to go a little faster so I decided just to run along at my pace but made sure I did not push myself at all!  By 10km I had climbed the first hill with ease and really enjoyed hearing the bagpipes when I got to the top of it.  Then I headed down again and at around 14km there was my family waiting for me and telling me I was still smiling too much!  

It was not long after seeing them that I got my first glimpses of the lake and what a stunning view it was.  As the kms clocked up, I was still feeling great.  The chaffing had started but at that stage, it was mainly on my lower back and I could tolerate it.  By 20km the hills were back again and I was still running.  I remembered getting to 22km and thinking this is the point I always hit a wall on training runs but I didn't.  The legs and the feet just kept on going.  I chatted with a couple of people as we encouraged each other along.  Then the going did start to get tough.  By 27km I was feeling it.  I also knew my family was waiting for me at the 30km mark so I wanted to get there but the hill in front of me didn't want me to get there.  This was when I decided I needed to do some walking.  And I did walk up that hill.  I think that was probably a very sensible idea.  I also had some serious chaffing by then and it was hurting.  Problem was, I couldn't do anything about it and just had to suck it up.  It was knowing I would see my family again that kept me going.  And there they were.  I wanted to stop and talk with them.  I even managed a smile for the camera but I was hurting.  

Another runner encouraged me to keep on moving forward and not stop so that is what I did.  Back onto one of the busier roads I headed and I just kept on trying to move forward.  By this stage the 5:15 pacemakers had passed me and I knew that I would not catch them again but I also knew I was doing so much better time wise than I had in my long training runs.  My legs were really starting to hurt at this stage and my thighs and butt kept on cramping.  While I had no blisters on my feet to worry about, my feet were hurting and felt heavy and hot.  It was around the 32km mark, just before an aid station where there were a couple of supporters standing on the side of the road.  As I ran past them, I discovered one was Ann (I had met her through running groups on Facebook) and she gave me a BIG hug and told me I was doing great.  What a boost to have.  From this stage on, I just had to keep on finding ways to motivate myself along.  Once again, other runners were great at encouraging me to keep on going and it really does show that as we all support one another, it does get a little easier.  There were times when I was all on my own and these were the times I did it for those that couldn't, those that had supported me along the journey and even just the self-talk of "I have got this, I am strong" helped me along.  And yes, lots of this was said out loud.  By 37km, I was still ahead of the 5:30 pacemakers and I couldn't see them behind me either.  This did give me some hope as well.  I started to work out what sort of paces I needed to keep to get myself over the line to meet my goal.  And believe it or not, I did send a couple of text messages and read some from my husband who knew my goal and was giving me some encouragement that I could do it.  I also decided at this point that I wanted to run the end of this marathon and I can proudly say that I did run that last 3km.  I crossed that line in 5:23:26! 

 I was in shock.  I had done it.  I had run 42.2km.  Yes, I had blood on my clothes, I was sore, I was tired but I was finished.  The tears just flowed!  Such pride in myself for what I had achieved.  I later found out that many of my friends had also watched me cross that finish line thanks to a live feed of the finish line.  Later reading their comments and the support they had been giving me the whole way around the lake was just mind-blowing.  I have spent the last couple of days now in a little shock of what I achieved on Saturday.  I don't have plans to ever run another marathon but I do plan to keep on running.  I did enjoy myself even though I struggled at times and even though it was a long way and a long time I didn't mind it.  Someone once told me it takes someone special to run a marathon - I guess I can now class myself as someone special ...

The Month of April

What a month this has been.  I know there are still two days to go but I don't have a lot of running planned for these next two days so thought I was safe to start reflecting on it already.

This month I signed up for the Greatest Virtual Run and rather than just setting myself a distance to complete over a weekend, I decided to do one of the bigger distances that I could cover over the whole month.  My choice - 150km.  Well with 2 days of the month left, I am currently sitting at 185km!  The above photo was taken on the day that I made it to 150km and also the last 3hr training run before Rotorua Marathon!  (And by the way, I still don't know how most people manage to jump SO high when taking these photos!!!!!!)

So as the month comes to a close, I have completed one challenge and the next one is only a few days away!! Am I ready for Rotorua? NO. Will I ever be ready? I don’t think so. I guess I just need to wait and see what next weekend brings now!

Goals

So after spending the weekend with friends and talking about my upcoming marathon I thought I better start biting down my goals. This all cane about because I was asked how long I thought it might take me. When I first signed up for my marathon I had that dream that I could run a sub 5 hour time. As my training has gone on I have realised that this is probably quite close to impossible. My husband in the nicest way possible and with no negative comments is telling me my time will probably be between 5 1/2 hours and 6 hours. He is basing this on my currently training runs. Me? I’m still holding a glimmer of hope that I will at least come in at under 5 1/2 hours. I guess only time will tell and in another 33 days I will know what the outcome is. Until then I can only keep on training and watch the amazing training of others in absolute awe!

The longest run!!

Today's planned run was to run for 4 hours.  I didn't really know what sort of distance I would manage to cover over that time, all I knew was that I wanted to achieve being on my feet for a long time.  The foot had still been a bit touchy this week and some will argue I should still be resting it but in all honesty, I feel like I am running out of time to get these runs in.  I set out around 7am as the sun was trying to get up and shine.  I decided I would just go up and down streets and see where I ended up.  I was guttered when around the 11km mark I accidentally knocked my watch and 'finished' the run.  I guess I just needed to restart it again and keep on trucking.  I will not lie, it was not easy.  It was even harder to hear my own mother say it looked like I was struggling when she went past me with about 2km to go.  BUT ... I have always known it will not be an easy achievement!  I am so proud and still in a lot of shock at what I did achieve today.  Just over 31km and just under 4 hours!  The longest I have ever run in distance and time and the longest it will be before May 5 and that first marathon.  And I have discovered podcasts thanks to a great friend and am finding they are helping A LOT with these long runs!  Until next time

Fear

I currently have this fear.  Many would probably say it is an irrational fear but it is very real and very alive for me.  It has mostly stemmed from how I have felt getting home after my last two long runs and I experienced it also two years ago when I ran The Great Forest Run for the last time.  It is that feeling of wobbling on your feet, not being able to move any further forward, feeling so hot that you want to vomit and as a last resort, that feeling that you are going to pass out.  I experienced it quite badly after running 26km on Saturday.  This was my longest run to date and one where I was glad I walked in my gate when it did and I sat down as soon as I could.  I had refuelled during the run, had plenty to drink but I just felt like shit basically (excuse my language).  And it took a good hour to feel normal again.  I really made me worried.  Worried about how I am going to get through this marathon.  And this is a real shame because out running on Saturday I felt good mentally, I kept on putting one foot in front of the other.  I finally felt like I could achieve this marathon because of the support of everyone else that will be out there on the day.  And then it hit just as I was arriving home.  I don't want to be one of those people who doesn't make it to the finish line because their body won't let them carry on.  I don't want to collapse as I cross the line either!  I am really very scared about this side of it.  I will be trying again this coming weekend and somehow I need to find a way to put this fear to bed for now!

Fake it until you make it

So for a while now I have been working under the ‘fake it until you make it’ quote. So far while doing this I have achieved quite a bit. But ... now I am left wondering if I have still just been faking it all along???? As you know I’m training for my first marathon and I know you can’t fake those in any way. You can fake any of the training for it either. So while I had been doing reasonably well with my training up until a few weeks ago I’m struggling now. And I’m not even into the hard stuff yet. My body just doesn’t want to co operate with runs. My legs drag me down, I have walked so much more than I should have. I’ve injured myself along the way. Am I just trying to fake that I can achieve this a little too much?? My mind keeps throwing little thoughts all over the place and I really am questioning if can do this ...

The snag in the road

So I headed on out for my 2hr 15min run on Saturday. I was feeling pretty determined and I felt pretty good other than a little pain under my left heel. I got to the 15k mark where I had had to stop and walk for a little the week before and thought m, hey I have got this, I can just keep on going. For the next 3km I just kept on telling myself I could do it. By 18k my foot was hurting. I stopped and walked two lampposts and then set about running again. That’s if you could even really call in a run. It was more of a hobble. I completed my time I had set myself and also covered 20km but I still couldn’t figure out why my foot hurt. Well by the early hours of Sunday more I was struggling to put pressure on it when I got out of bed. I was guttered and just kept on thinking I can’t get an injure. Since then I have been doing plenty of rolling, lots of massage, arnica and essential oils to try and help. This morning I plodded in my little walk to work, still feeling the pain. It is easing but certainly not right. I will keep on with what I am doing but keep arguing with myself in my head as to how long to wait until I run again. I’m not missing this weekends long run!! You know this is just a snag in my journey to Rotorua but I’m not at all happy about it!

Week Two

I am quite pleased with what I have achieved this week.  I started Monday with a 7.2km run then completed a 10km one the following day.  Wednesday was my rest day and then Thursday just didn't quite work out for a run.  I did make sure I got out for just over 6k on Friday though before heading off to work.  I was all set up to head out for my long run on Saturday but had a slight wardrobe malfunction 1km in and ended up coming home.  This left Sunday as the last day to complete my training for the week.  Even as I headed out just after 7.30 in the morning it was hot and humid but I was determined I was going to complete the run and get the hills in.  My legs felt very heavy but somehow I managed to run the first set of hills I had in mind (including the hill that often makes me walk).  Unfortunately I did walk a few of the hills in the second set but I still did them.  By the time I had finished the planned hills I was so close to home that it would have been easy to just head straight there.  BUT, I still had a good 10 minutes I was suppose to be running for and I really wanted to clock up another kilometre.  I did just that.  Another 14k banked and 39.4k all up for the week.  And I am now so close to 100k already for the year!  It was a very slow run today but that doesn't matter.  What matters is that I kept on going and I have completed my training for the week.  This coming week, I plan to run during the week very similar times to this week but come the weekend, I need to stay out there for a full 2hrs.  I know that I can do this and I will.

Progress so far

So how am I going with meeting my goal for this year?  Well, I think I am going okay at the moment!  So far I have tested out the new Lindos Steps in Palmerston North.  These are a great challenge for getting the legs and chest burning.  Just one set has 222 steps one way.  I spent 30 minutes doing loops of them with Kate and certainly felt it.

Coming back up the stairs.  The pain was real!!

The view is certainly worth it all but unfortunately I was taking so much care trying not to fall down them that I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked too.  I then missed my first long run last weekend but decided that I would complete it on Monday morning and still do my complete week of training.  This resulted in me running over 44km this week.  I have been focusing on the time I am on my feet for at the moment rather than the km I am running each time which means I might not be covering as big a distances all the time as I should be (or might have done in the past) as I am a little slower at the moment but I am getting out there and that is the main thing.  This weekend, a friend was up from Wellington and asked if I would join her for the Palmerston North Parkrun on Saturday morning.  I was certainly keen to find out what Parkrun was all about but I also knew I had a 1hr 20min run planned for the day.  How to do both? Get up early, head over to Palmerston North and run for 50 minutes on my own before joining the Parkrun group and running that 5km.  It actually ended up meaning I got the best of both worlds and had some company for the end of my run.

All ready for the Parkrun after already running by myself

I feel proud of what I achieved this week.  It certainly took some sheer determination at times to keep myself going but I did it.  I am already starting to plan this coming week with a 40 minute run, 60 minute run, a smaller 30-35 minute run and then come next Saturday 1 hour 40 minutes and I am going to make sure there are hills for that run.  I'm going to have to get the legs use to hills if I am going to achieve Rotorua!  

Well that is all from me for now.  Until next time ...

Goodbye to 2017 and hello to 2018

Well I’m not entirely sure where 2017 went!! I certainly did have some achievements though. Back in March was the Rotorua Off-Road Half Marathon, then May brought the Manawatu Striders Half Marathon and finally in August the North Range Traverse - my longest event to date. It also was the year I decided that 2018 needed to be the year to complete a marathon! I am all signed up to go to Rotorua this May and run around the lake. The next few months are going to be dedicated to getting ready for this. I certainly have moments of ‘wow, what was I thinking!!’ Along with ‘hey, you need a challenge and you can do this.’  Be prepared for some blogs as I increase my distances and battle my way through the mental toughness I will be presented with. I just need to remember that every run I get out there for is developing me, building my fitness and taking me one step closer to my goal!