The classic (cycling) race on April 16th went well though it was quite a different experience for me to ride mostly on my own throughout most of the final relay leg of the 160km race around the Manawatu country roads.
Team Saddle Bags made a effort - we had a proper team meeting 2 weeks ago and everything... sorting out the logistics of getting ourselves and our bikes to the transition points at the right time. But there was a major flaw to our plan - we underestimated ourselves. And at the last minute, we had to scramble when we realised there was a hole in our plan. Or maybe someone just decided to do something else completely.
In any case, being the last rider, I got to my transition point 20minutes after the last rider had arrived, so the minute I got my bike off the car rack, I was off. Ten minutes into my ride, it started raining.... and it did not stop once throughout my entire ride.
We were clearly in the back of the pack. I passed 4 riders very early on just outside of Colyton, but was completely on my own until the finish. And so I arrived in town completely soaked, no other riders around me, and a few marshalls braving the rain awaiting the final stragglers. An appropriate end to a very lonely ride...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Weekend event at Waitarere Beach
The Great Forest 2011 event sponsored by Brooks was held at Waitarere Beach just outside of Foxton/Levin on Saturday, Apr 2nd. Claiming to be NZ’s premier off road running and walking event, there was a variety of options available, from 5km to a full marathon. This year attracted a crowd of around 2000 runners and walkers.
I set off towards Foxton Beach from Palmy just after 8am. It was slightly chilly but it was a clear day without a cloud in sight, and so as the sun rose behind me, the day promised to get a lot hotter! I got there in plenty of time to pick up my race pack (which was pretty much just my race number and timing chip). There were already food stalls and a coffee barista operating out of the back of a specially fitted car boot/trunk. It was a pretty festive carnival-like atmosphere, complete with a big top which housed Registration.
The event centre(big top) was just at the edge of the Matariki Forest, and the run would take us through a mixed terrain through the forest, mostly hard packed gravel and clay, some loose sandy bits, a stretch of soft pine needles, with a short sprint finish through a grassy patch. I opted for the 10km run, and caught up with a couple of friends who had been my teammates in the round-lake-Taupo relay run. I knew Bernie was going to be slightly faster than me, and so I tried to hang onto her from the very start for as long as I could. By the 6km mark, I was surprised to find myself still keeping pace. It started to become a mental game, and I clung on (by my finger nails, I think). The last 2km was painful – we were out of the forest by then and the sun was blistering. I finished 18 seconds behind Bernie, and set my own personal best which I was quite happy about.
It was a brilliant day for running – no wind, though a bit hot by mid morning. The course was excellent – scenic, but you had to watch your step with loose bits of gravel and uneven surfaces. Not too hard for a clutz like me to fall flat on my face, which fortunately didn’t happen though it nearly did. The toilet facilities were also excellent – no port-a-loos, instead there were a couple of trailers with proper clean flush toilets. Always a good thing, as I don’t do port-a-loos.
Overall, it was a very good day for all of us. I hope to be back next year!
I set off towards Foxton Beach from Palmy just after 8am. It was slightly chilly but it was a clear day without a cloud in sight, and so as the sun rose behind me, the day promised to get a lot hotter! I got there in plenty of time to pick up my race pack (which was pretty much just my race number and timing chip). There were already food stalls and a coffee barista operating out of the back of a specially fitted car boot/trunk. It was a pretty festive carnival-like atmosphere, complete with a big top which housed Registration.
The event centre(big top) was just at the edge of the Matariki Forest, and the run would take us through a mixed terrain through the forest, mostly hard packed gravel and clay, some loose sandy bits, a stretch of soft pine needles, with a short sprint finish through a grassy patch. I opted for the 10km run, and caught up with a couple of friends who had been my teammates in the round-lake-Taupo relay run. I knew Bernie was going to be slightly faster than me, and so I tried to hang onto her from the very start for as long as I could. By the 6km mark, I was surprised to find myself still keeping pace. It started to become a mental game, and I clung on (by my finger nails, I think). The last 2km was painful – we were out of the forest by then and the sun was blistering. I finished 18 seconds behind Bernie, and set my own personal best which I was quite happy about.
It was a brilliant day for running – no wind, though a bit hot by mid morning. The course was excellent – scenic, but you had to watch your step with loose bits of gravel and uneven surfaces. Not too hard for a clutz like me to fall flat on my face, which fortunately didn’t happen though it nearly did. The toilet facilities were also excellent – no port-a-loos, instead there were a couple of trailers with proper clean flush toilets. Always a good thing, as I don’t do port-a-loos.
Overall, it was a very good day for all of us. I hope to be back next year!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Athletics track events: M Games
The weather over the weekend couldn’t have been better for a camping-type weekend. Even though there was a hitch with the borrowed tent (i.e: I didn’t know what went where and how it all worked...) So I had to play damsel in distress. My knight in shining armour had a wooden leg, but he was a very nice guy and together we managed to get the tent up. That was a relief!
Friday evening the first event was the 1500m. I wasn’t sure how it would go. I hadn’t timed myself for that distance in a long time and I was a bit nervous about the competition and the pace. But it worked out OK when I finished with the Gold. Later on, I collected the Bronze for the 200m.
Just after winning the 1500m (Gold)
Saturday morning’s event was the 400m. By then I had gotten to know a few of the other competitors and between events would hang out chatting and watching the other races with them. The 400m was a tough race but managed to grab the Silver. I was pretty happy with that as it was a close one and I almost dropped that spot at the end.
I left the stadium around lunchtime and wandered around Wanganui’s main street where I was quite tickled by the fact that some things have not changed since I lived there back in 1998/1999. Some of the shops were exactly as I remembered – or some with minor changes. There were differences too, of course, but everything looked like it had been spruced up a bit more.
After lunch, I was back into the serious business of my next event in the afternoon. The 100m was fast and furious. I came off the blocks fast (which surprised me) and was off to a good start but lost some ground around the 40 or 50m mark when my heel started to hurt. I barely clung on to finish with the Silver. The pain became increasingly worse, so I went to the Games Village to see a physio. He said I tore something in my foot. I forgot what exactly. Well, I can’t pronounce it anyway. He did an ultrasound on my foot, then strapped it up and told me to rest it.
Overnight, I agonised over my last event – the 800m on Sunday. Should I pull out? Should I run anyway? Would I aggravate the injury if I ran? Would I always regret it if I pulled out?
Sunday morning, I got up early to dismantle the tent. The foot was no better, but I headed to the stadium anyway. Once there, I realised I was never going to pull out before I even started. So I found myself on the start line for the 800m. Within the first 300m, I knew I was not going to be able to keep up and dropped off the pace and had to be content with holding second. I finished with the Silver and though I was disappointed at what could have been a Gold, I was happy I started and finished the race.
So 3 days, 5 events, 1 Gold, 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze medals (+ an injured foot).
Overall it was a great weekend, met some really cool people and I had a blast!
My weekend haul
Friday evening the first event was the 1500m. I wasn’t sure how it would go. I hadn’t timed myself for that distance in a long time and I was a bit nervous about the competition and the pace. But it worked out OK when I finished with the Gold. Later on, I collected the Bronze for the 200m.
Saturday morning’s event was the 400m. By then I had gotten to know a few of the other competitors and between events would hang out chatting and watching the other races with them. The 400m was a tough race but managed to grab the Silver. I was pretty happy with that as it was a close one and I almost dropped that spot at the end.
I left the stadium around lunchtime and wandered around Wanganui’s main street where I was quite tickled by the fact that some things have not changed since I lived there back in 1998/1999. Some of the shops were exactly as I remembered – or some with minor changes. There were differences too, of course, but everything looked like it had been spruced up a bit more.
After lunch, I was back into the serious business of my next event in the afternoon. The 100m was fast and furious. I came off the blocks fast (which surprised me) and was off to a good start but lost some ground around the 40 or 50m mark when my heel started to hurt. I barely clung on to finish with the Silver. The pain became increasingly worse, so I went to the Games Village to see a physio. He said I tore something in my foot. I forgot what exactly. Well, I can’t pronounce it anyway. He did an ultrasound on my foot, then strapped it up and told me to rest it.
Overnight, I agonised over my last event – the 800m on Sunday. Should I pull out? Should I run anyway? Would I aggravate the injury if I ran? Would I always regret it if I pulled out?
Sunday morning, I got up early to dismantle the tent. The foot was no better, but I headed to the stadium anyway. Once there, I realised I was never going to pull out before I even started. So I found myself on the start line for the 800m. Within the first 300m, I knew I was not going to be able to keep up and dropped off the pace and had to be content with holding second. I finished with the Silver and though I was disappointed at what could have been a Gold, I was happy I started and finished the race.
So 3 days, 5 events, 1 Gold, 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze medals (+ an injured foot).
Overall it was a great weekend, met some really cool people and I had a blast!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Masters Games Duathlon
I got up early this morning (too early!) to prepare for the race and make the 75km drive over to Wanganui. It was a rainy and dreary morning, though when I left it was only raining lightly and I was hopeful that it would be dry over in Wanganui.
There wasn't much traffic on the road that early in the morning, but as I drove towards Wanganui, the clouds became greyer and greyer and it wasn't just raining at some spots, it was pouring cats and dogs.
Fortunately it was only lightly drizzling when I got into town and made my way over to the start point. I was one of the early arrivals. The briefing was supposed to start at 8am, and I wanted to make sure I made it. It turned out I shouldn't have worried about it - the briefing didn't start till 8.45am, 15mins before we were due to start.
I did meet a couple of women from Auckland, though, which was nice. We chatted the time away and made me forget my nerves for a bit!
When we started it was drizzling, so got a bit wet, but it dried up quite quickly. The first 5km run leg headed back towards town with a turn around at Kowhai Park. It was a 2.5km loop which we had to do twice. A part of it was on a soft shellrock track (easier on my knees!) and the other part was on road.
The 30km bike leg was also a double loop, each loop was 15km. It was fairly flat, which was good!
The final 5km run leg was a repeat of the first leg. Getting off the bike and trying to run was tough. The double loop did my head in a bit. And everything was definately hurting. I just tried to keep moving.
Not sure what my time was, but I brought home the gold medal! I haven't won any medals since high school!
There wasn't much traffic on the road that early in the morning, but as I drove towards Wanganui, the clouds became greyer and greyer and it wasn't just raining at some spots, it was pouring cats and dogs.
Fortunately it was only lightly drizzling when I got into town and made my way over to the start point. I was one of the early arrivals. The briefing was supposed to start at 8am, and I wanted to make sure I made it. It turned out I shouldn't have worried about it - the briefing didn't start till 8.45am, 15mins before we were due to start.
I did meet a couple of women from Auckland, though, which was nice. We chatted the time away and made me forget my nerves for a bit!
When we started it was drizzling, so got a bit wet, but it dried up quite quickly. The first 5km run leg headed back towards town with a turn around at Kowhai Park. It was a 2.5km loop which we had to do twice. A part of it was on a soft shellrock track (easier on my knees!) and the other part was on road.
The 30km bike leg was also a double loop, each loop was 15km. It was fairly flat, which was good!
The final 5km run leg was a repeat of the first leg. Getting off the bike and trying to run was tough. The double loop did my head in a bit. And everything was definately hurting. I just tried to keep moving.
Not sure what my time was, but I brought home the gold medal! I haven't won any medals since high school!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Three for three
My third event in 3 weeks was the Wanganui (3 Bridges) half marathon on Saturday (Dec 11th).
I was worried about the heat, but it turned out to be an overcast day with a slight wind. The start finish line was at the Boat Club. Other race options were 5km, 10km, and the full marathon (walk and run). The half marathon was a 2 lap loop around the 3 bridges - Dublin, City/Victoria and Cobham. I took the first lap slow, but started to surge after the first lap. I was feeling pretty good around the 12-14km mark. For the final 2km, I was already moving, so even though it started to hurt, I kept pushing through till the finish.
The plan was to do slightly better than my Taupo time, but it ended up exactly the same - 2 hours 5mins. It felt like a really good run, so I was a little disappointed with the time. But I suppose it's pretty good considering the longest training run I've done since my last half was a 70min run. I need to train smarter, I think. And more speedwork obviously needed.
It started to spit just as I was finishing my first lap, but it never got too heavy until we were all sitting on the grass at the finish waiting for prize giving. It drizzled and I got pretty cold sitting there waiting without a jacket. Turns out I should have just gone home. I think everyone who was there won a spot prize except me :(
I was worried about the heat, but it turned out to be an overcast day with a slight wind. The start finish line was at the Boat Club. Other race options were 5km, 10km, and the full marathon (walk and run). The half marathon was a 2 lap loop around the 3 bridges - Dublin, City/Victoria and Cobham. I took the first lap slow, but started to surge after the first lap. I was feeling pretty good around the 12-14km mark. For the final 2km, I was already moving, so even though it started to hurt, I kept pushing through till the finish.
The plan was to do slightly better than my Taupo time, but it ended up exactly the same - 2 hours 5mins. It felt like a really good run, so I was a little disappointed with the time. But I suppose it's pretty good considering the longest training run I've done since my last half was a 70min run. I need to train smarter, I think. And more speedwork obviously needed.
It started to spit just as I was finishing my first lap, but it never got too heavy until we were all sitting on the grass at the finish waiting for prize giving. It drizzled and I got pretty cold sitting there waiting without a jacket. Turns out I should have just gone home. I think everyone who was there won a spot prize except me :(
Monday, December 6, 2010
Two events in one week
Taupo Cycle Challenge (Nov 27th, 2010)
We did this as a team of 4, with me completing the 4th and final leg. The route was a lot of fun, with a few long downhill. There were the uphill parts too of course. Hatape Hill was a heartbreaker. Because it was so hot, many people got off their bikes to walk it. The temperature on the day soared to 32degrees. I was very tempted to stop as well (several times), but hung in there barely and somehow by a miracle got over it.
The rest of the route into Taupo main center was great, particularly at the finish line.
Our team time was 7:26:12 with my individual time at 1:57:20
Old West Road Race (Dec 3rd 2010)
This 10.6k run is an informal run between Massey and AgResearch staff. It was a hot day on Friday, but managed to finish in 61:53 (unofficial time for now), beating my last year's time of 65:35.
We did this as a team of 4, with me completing the 4th and final leg. The route was a lot of fun, with a few long downhill. There were the uphill parts too of course. Hatape Hill was a heartbreaker. Because it was so hot, many people got off their bikes to walk it. The temperature on the day soared to 32degrees. I was very tempted to stop as well (several times), but hung in there barely and somehow by a miracle got over it.
The rest of the route into Taupo main center was great, particularly at the finish line.
Our team time was 7:26:12 with my individual time at 1:57:20
Old West Road Race (Dec 3rd 2010)
This 10.6k run is an informal run between Massey and AgResearch staff. It was a hot day on Friday, but managed to finish in 61:53 (unofficial time for now), beating my last year's time of 65:35.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Off road at Kinloch
My first off road half marathon.... and I am hooked.
The Mizuno off road half marathon event was held in Kinloch, about 20km from Taupo. Kinloch is a gorgeous little get-away place with many beautiful holiday homes in the area.
The course was over an undulating terrain with two fairly gentle but long climbs and a large part of it was over the W2K mountain bike track. I was rather surprised to be feeling quite good in the first half of the race after the initial steady climb. Despite wiping out once quite early in the race, I picked myself up (with the aid of a couple people behind me) and kept going.
My calf muscles started to protest somewhere in the middle part of the race but I adjusted my running and ignored it the best I could. There were a few amazing views at the top when we finally got there - looking over at the lake, which was a good distraction from the pain.
The final 4km was pretty rough but I worked through it and turning the last corner and seeing the finish line was the best thing ever. I finished in 2:30:27, and just about gulped down a bucketful of GU drinks and water, and stuffed a chocolate fish which they were handing out, into my mouth.
It would have been good to carry some water with me. I had thought I would be OK without water for a half event in such cool weather, but that probably contributed to the calf cramps. It wasn't until we were walking back to the bach when I fell onto the side of the road - with severe calf cramps in both legs. It felt better after stretching it out, but it's pretty sore even two days after the event.
So, will I do an off road event again? Hell yes.
(Event on Sept 4th 2010)
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