Copthorne Hotel Off Road Half Marathon - Rotorua 5 March 2017

My first half marathon that was a substantial distance from home.  The first time I had slept somewhere other than in my bed the night before a run.  The first time I have ever run in Rotorua.  It really was a day of firsts!  Did it disappoint?  No it most certainly did not.  I had done all my training (bar a couple I missed for various reasons) and I honestly don't think I could have trained any differently for this event.  I had completed a number of trail runs leading up to this day and I have to say that running around and around Mt Lees just out of Feilding did help the legs with the ups, downs and dodging tree roots!

We arrived in Rotorua around 8.30 in the morning, found a park and then headed off to find out all the information I needed to know for the run and to also pick up my race pack.  So exciting - I got my first ever personalised bib.  This will be one to keep!

Then it was the dreading waiting time for the run to start.  We didn't start until 10am but I was able to meet the lovely Anne-Marie for the first time and we had a little catch up about our running and what it all meant for us.

I also had Belinda and her family there to support me and to cheer for me as I did set off.  It's amazing knowing people are there, calling your name and cheering you along!  The start of the race went with the gun going and everyone taking off.  Then in no time you are stopped again as the people bottle neck trying to get through the small area that leads you onto the tracks.  After that you are able to find your pace again and enjoy the views all around.  And what amazing views they were.

Like always I got about 2km in and wondered why I enter half marathons and would I make it to the end!  Those first 2km seemed to take forever but finally at almost the 3km mark I came across Kerry who had walked ahead to get some photos for me.  I was even able to manage a smile.

From here I carried on around the course, just wanting to run the whole of this first loop.  I discovered this was an achievement in itself as there was a bit of elevation.  Here are some photos of the trails and roads run.

You then approached the finish line and had all the spectators cheering you on as you reached a turn around point and started it all over again.  At this stage I had had drinks at the aid stations, Nuun from my drink bottles and only a small piece of licorice.  I didn't feel I needed to eat but in hindsight maybe I should have had more earlier.  Kerry had found a new spot and as I passed him for the second time I had completed around 13km of the 21.1km.  I will post a very honest photo of how I felt at this time.  I was hot, I was exhausted, I really didn't know how I was going to finish.  It wasn't a mental exhaustion, it was a physical one!

Kerry gave me some of his licorice twists at this stage and they were so good!  I enjoyed them so much.  And I kept on going.  From this stage on I did do a little running and walking.  I did what I needed to so that I could finish the run.  I loved all the trails through the forest, loved dodging the tree roots but I really didn't enjoy the roads that much at all.  They were hot and in the full sun.  After just over 2 1/2 hours I crossed that finish line and gosh was I glad to do that!  For me it was the most physically challenging half marathon I had ever run.  It was such an achievement for me.  I was able to catch up with Belinda and her family again which was great hearing how they had gone as well.

This was my 8th half marathon and I ran it to celebrate my 38th birthday.  I am so glad I set myself this challenge and as crazy as it sounds, I would like to go back and run it again in the future.  For now I am not quite sure what my next challenge will be but I still have some time to decide.

Everything is mumbo jumbo here

What an odd few weeks I have had.  My first 20k run in my training plan for Rotorua when well (if a bit so) but I was stoked and managed to make it to the 21.1k mark with only a couple of little walking breaks in there.  I would have loved to have run further but I had run out of my water, it was hot and I was starting to get thirsty.  So come the next weekend when I had another 20k booked in I thought I would be smart - take my pack which holds extra water.  That way I would be able to just sneak in a couple more km (maybe even run my longest run to date).  That run was a disaster.  1.5L of water was consumed.  There was a lot of walking.  So much chaffing.  And then I was left feeling too hot to cope and physically sick.  At the time it was so defeating and while I still feel sad about that run, I have learnt from it as well.  Training for the following week took a little bit of a back foot but by the Thursday I was ready to head out again and beat some hills.  Then this Saturday just gone I managed my 15k training run and was super proud.

I guess I am writing about the ups and downs because it has really made me think about my running.  I need to continue to be proud that I am out there and getting in the distances on the pavements.  Walking for a while is not the end of the world.  Neither is slower paces.  What it is still doing for me is building my strength, building my resiliency within myself, giving me my ME time.  Running is still my passion.  I don't need to get better times all the time,  I don't need to keep a sub 6min km!  I just need to get out there and enjoy myself.

And with that - less than two weeks before Rotorua!!!!!  I am so looking forward to the challenge, the scenery that I will see and travelling the furthest I have every traveled for an event before.

2016 in review

I've been a little bit slack at writing anything lately and because of that I am quite late at writing my review for 2016.  I know that right at the beginning of the year I had the goal of completing two half marathons.  I had decided on The Great Forest Event (Waitarere) and Wellington Half Marathon.  I met this goal and more.  First up was The Great Forest Event and the best thing about this was I had a training partner for the first time ever and this made all those long runs seem not so long.  It also met I was able to try out some new running areas and I did a number of trail runs in preparation for the event.  I loved it and was even able to find a little go right at the end and cross the finish line with a smile.

I guess part of the problem with such a good run at this event, I thought the same was going to happen when I ran Wellington.  This was not the case unfortunately.  I started off well but I just ran out of go in the last few kms.  The positive was that I finished and it was another half marathon completed.

I came away from Wellington with a few injuries and this put me on the back foot for a while.  I discovered I was wearing the wrong shoes and it was making the whole running experience painful.  Forward a few months, I was improving and a new event of the Manawatu was advertised.  The North Range Traverse and the Humdinger.  I settled for the Humdinger which was 11km but half of this was up hill.  I really enjoyed it and did so much better than I imagined.  Even better I was able to win a spot prize which was entry into Feilding Half Marathon!  That would mean completing 3 half marathons in one year!  And 7 half marathons in total.  After the recent events I decided on no time goal for Feilding but rather to just complete the whole course running (I had been walking in the previous events).  It ended up being my slowest time to date but I ran it all!  I finished the year having run over 1000km.  Such a huge achievement for me.  

Now a new year is upon me.  I have already registered for my first event for 2017 and will be heading to Rotorua in March to complete the Off Road Half Marathon there.  To say I am excited would be a bit of an understatement!  I'm not sure what else is on the cards for this year yet, but I promise to keep updating you all in here.

Until next time ...

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.