Race Recap: Round The Bays

Race Website: Round the Bays

I last did this race in 2012 and I did it in 1:20:58.  It's a big event, very popular with individuals, groups and particularly workplaces.  Lots of people were wearing t shirts with their company slogan on it and at the finish area companies hire out marquees and put on food for their participating colleagues.  We had decided last minute to enter this event since we had done well during the Albany Lakes series and this race is all flat along the water front we thought we could do good times.

Official Stats:

Distance: 8.4 km
Time: 56:26
Pace: 06:43 min/km

Pre-Race

We had to pick up our race packs and then we decided to grab some lunch in town.  We went to the crab shack and had salads and beer and it was so nice I could have stayed there all day just drinking beer in the sun.

On The Course

The start area had been colour coded depending on how fast you intended to go.  Kane had a blue runners bib and I had a red joggers bib so we hung out together for as long as we could and then had to split into our respective zones.  The coloured zones were a great idea in theory but perhaps other people didn't understand them because they were largely ignored and there were lots of blues, reds, and purples (walkers) up in Kanes section and by the time I made it to the start line there was a large family all walking across the start line together.  It took me a good 1.5km or so of dodging all the walkers and pushchairs before I finally had a little bit of space.  I probably ran 10km in total with all the weaving I did!

There was lots of entertainment on the course, water stations were spraying water into the crowd and there was a candy bar part way along the course too.  I high-fived 4 ladies on stilts.

Overall though I just enjoyed listening to my own music shutting out the audible stimulation and being carried along in a wave people being both a part and apart.

The finish line was upon me before I knew it.  It took me by surprise, I thought it was further away and I was skipping through my playlist to find a good song to finish on.  I didn't even get to the chorus!  I crossed the line and trying to fire up my app to stop timing but my hands were so sweaty I couldn't get it to recognise my finger print so I had to type in my password with shaky sweaty fingers.  It worked on the third attempt.

Post Race

I got my water, found Kane, got a beer and we swapped race stories.  Our results were immediately available to us via the Round the Bays app which was pretty awesome.  We then walked the same route back to get back to the car and then we went straight to McDonalds for one of their Create Your Taste vege burgers that's become our Sunday post run treat.

I was really happy with my time and I got a new pb for the 5k as well.  I feel like I'm really making progress!

Race Recap: Albany Lakes Series Race 3 Grand Finale

Race Website: Albany Lakes Series Website

This was the final race in the series and my second go at the 10k.  For the grand finale, the course would normally change so that we could run through the QBE stadium and the mall but due to weather forecasts predicting a storm and the heavy rain the day before, this was changed to the regular course.  I'm glad that on race morning everything was nice and dry and we did not have any rain at all.  The grassy areas around were still wet in patches but by the time prize giving came around at 10.30 am this had dried up too and we were able to sit and relax on the grass.

Official Stats:

Distance: 10 km
Time: 1:10:41
Pace: 07:04 min/km

Pre-Race

I had a dinner event on the Friday and drank way waaaay too much champagne and spent most of Saturday morning and early afternoon feeling sorry for myself.  Later in the afternoon I was ready to start hydrating and I also managed to eat some instant noodles and then later a rather delicious pasta bake.

We were running very late in the morning so didn't have time for breakfast but I wanted to try a mix of fruit juice and water instead of plain water so see if that would help in the second part of the race.

On The Course

0 - 5 km

We made it to the start area as the gun went off and we hurriedly tried to pin our race numbers on ourselves and make our way past all the waiting walkers who start 3 minutes later.  I was almost at the start line as the gun went off for the walkers and I gently ran through them trying to find a little space for myself.  I still had a lot of adrenaline from rushing around being late and started off perhaps a little too fast but I settled into a good pace by 2.5k and maintained that pace for the rest of the race.

 

// Anthea, Me, Kelly, Kane: Post race with our medals

5 - 10 km

There were far fewer people around in the second half of the race and I was trucking along at a really steady pace.  I had started to struggle at this point in race 2 but I was feeling really good this time around.  The last 2.5k is steadily up an incline and at no point did I feel the need the walk, in fact, I started overtaking several people who were walking.  I'm not sure if it was due to my fruit juice and water mix or the week of training inbetween or even the hangover effects but I was feeling good and it was a marked difference from the race before.  I'll keep training and I'll try the fruit juice and water mix again but I'm less keen to try the hangover again!!

 

Post Race

I was really proud of myself for running the whole distance and not suffering like last time and I was really happy to have shaved 39 seconds off my time.  Part of me is disappointed though because I was feeling so good and ran such a steady race that maybe I should have pushed a little harder in places and I would have got an even better time.  Ultimately I think it all comes down to race experience; I'm building a list of what works and what doesn't, but I'm also learning about how things feel, when to push and when to conserve.

The prize giving was quite extensive with winners in all race categories receiving an award and also people who have taken part in 5 series receiving a race legend award and of course there were the spot prizes of mall vouchers, restaurant vouchers, running shoes, a BBQ and a big TV.

// My finishers medal

What's Next

I've really enjoyed this series and I'm hoping to do it again next year.  As for my next race, I think I'm going to enter the Round the Bays 8.4km this weekend.  I'm becoming a race junkie!

Also in the series:
Albany Lakes Race 1
Albany Lakes Race 2

 

 

Race Recap: Albany Lakes Series Race 2

Race Website: Albany Lakes Series Website

I wore my bright pink tights, love heart sunglasses and ran a 10k for Valentines Day.  It was also my friends birthday and she did the 5k then we met up with others for a well deserved brunch.

Official Stats:

Distance: 10 km
Time: 1:11:20
Pace: 07:08 min/km

Pre-Race

Saturday night was spent hanging out with a good bunch of people.  We had a barbeque and then watched a movie so it was quite social but chilled.  Due to it being a barbeque, Kane and I had vegetable skewers and a salad for dinner followed by watermelon and a muffin.  It was very tasty but I don't think it was quite enough for racing the next day.

I was being careful to make sure I stayed hydrated, but I need to also watch the fuel intake for the next race.

On The Course

0 - 5 km

The first half of the course was pretty steady.  I felt really good and I was surprised at how quickly the first 5k went by.  I was deliberately taking my time because I knew I had another 5k to go, but I ended up doing this 5k 20 seconds faster than the 5k race 3 weeks ago - oops!

//Image of Kane from Running Events Facebook Page

5 - 10 km

I can't think of another race where I've had to do laps before so I think this is my time.  It didn't actually feel too terrible to run away from the finish line as I was mentally prepared for this.  However right on queue my sun glasses - which were love heart shaped glasses for Valentines day - started to fog up and I had little pools of sweat gathering around the points.  I gave them a quick wipe and considered taking them off but decided just to go with it.

Then as I climbed up a small incline away from the finish line I started to feel quite fatigued.  I struggled to get my breathing under control but then it was a nice long flattish downhill and I was able to gather myself.

The struggle truly began at the 7k point and I really really wanted to walk.  My legs felt tired and tight, my lower back started to hurt and my body just wanted to hunch over, breathing was difficult to control.  Alex (from Moxiee Running who I've blogged about before) was running the second half with me and he would not let me walk, not even for a second.  He kept me distracted, gave me good pointers about when to take on water and helped me get my breathing back under control when I needed to but there was no way he was letting me walk.  Walking is the enemy apparently.

Somehow I managed to keep going and get up the hill towards the end that seemed easy 4km ago and then it was a nice downhill and long flat to the end and I managed to get a tiny bit of power and speed back.  However, I made a mistake with how much I had left in me and gave a burst of speed that lasted about 10 seconds and then I felt like I was going to throw up and I still had 400 metres to go :(

I struggled on and managed to look smooth going down the finishing straight.

//Image of me from Running Events Facebook Page

Post Race

The last 2 km of the race felt so difficult and I felt so sore through my back and legs that I was really surprised at the finish how quickly I felt absolutely fine.  I felt like I could manage a few more k's!  Even the following day I didn't feel any soreness at all.

It was my friends birthday brunch and she had gone to cleaned up prior to the prize giving but I needed some time to stop sweating before getting cleaned up and then we went and had some good food and conversation which was a great way to finish up the morning.

What's Next

The third and final race of the series is another 10k with a slightly different route where we run inside the QBE stadium and through the Westfield shopping mall and that's in 2 weeks time.  I'm hoping to improve on my time, but more importantly I want to get the fuelling and race strategy right.

Also in the series: Albany Lakes Race 1

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Valentines Day?

Race Recap: Albany Lakes Series Race 1

Race Website: Albany Lakes Series Website

The first race of the Albany Lakes series was on Sunday and I had chosen to do the 5k option for this one, with the next 2 being 10ks.

Official Stats:

Distance: 5 km
Time: 0:33:39
Pace: 06:44 min/km

Pre-Race

I'd had a really off week with not getting quite enough sleep from Wednesday, and then I skipped my Friday run because my muscles were still store from either Monday yoga or the running session on Tuesday (or maybe both), which has never happened before.  So I really didn't know what to expect going into the race.  Pre race dinner was leftover macaroni with poblano and queso sauce so still keeping the pasta tradition alive, but race morning was already too hot for coffee so lots of water was drank and we didn't bother with any breakfast.

On The Course

0 - 1 km

It was a fairly crowded start, I thought I'd seeded myself well, but it was such a mixed ability crowd that I might have been the only one who gave this a consideration.  It took a minute or so to get to the start line after the horn sounded and I started my Nike app as I crossed the timing mats but for some reason it was not playing my music, so for the first 300 metres or so I was jogging slowly as I tried to get it working properly.  And as soon as I had got music going Alex, my running coach from Moxiee Running appeared next to me!

I had music in one ear and encouragement from Alex in the other and it was a bit of down hill so we were able to get to a nice pace.

1 - 2 km

We were happily trucking along and Alex makes me talk to distract me from the running that's happening.  He asked me about Scotland when a lady with a Glasgow accent joined in.  I love this about races.

2 - 3 km

Alex whispers that we are passing people and I see that we are indeed passing plenty of people and I feel pretty good about how I'm running.  We passed the water station that signalled the half way point and I was feeling good and Alex reckoned we'd be finished in about 16 minutes and I thought he was kidding.

3 - 4 km

It started to feel a little tough here.  There was a long incline and the heat was ramping up with no shade and at the 4km marker I was about done.  If I'd been running on my own I would definitely have walked here and there were plenty of people doing just that on this hill, but I had Alex and he continued to encourage me on and to focus on my breathing.

4 - 5 km

I was delighted to make it to the top of what felt like a giant hill to me and get my breath back a little.  Then it was a quick down hill and flat 250m to the finish line.  I did manage to up my speed a little to finish and I stopped my app.

Post Race

I was really hot and needed to find shade.  It was only a bit later that I looked at my app and realised that I had run my best time in a decade, but my app hadn't recorded the full 5k so I don't get it shown on my apps pb stats boo :(  Last year I raced a 2.5km at this same pace and I was exhausted at the finish line, I'm so pleased to have done the same pace for twice the distance.

Kane finished in 27:21 and was happy.  The other two ladies in our party finished looking happy and then we went to find cool drinks and shade. 

The start and finish line was right outside the mall, and in the final race of the series we get to run through the mall - so I'm looking forward to the air conditioned part! We got some food and drinks at a café there and then headed down to the prize giving.  The prizes are pretty good; several restaurant and mall vouchers, a few pairs of Brookes shoes, a Barbeque, and a big TV.  Nothing for us this time but there's still 2 more chances.

What's Next

The next race in the series for me is a 10k, which is the same course but 2 laps.  I've never had to do laps before so I think this might be mentally tough and I'm already dreading that little hill that I'm going to have to do twice next time!  It's also crazy hot by 8am, my app says 18degC but other websites say it was closer to 25degC and with the humidity well, it just felt very hot!  Preparations for the next one, which is on Valentines Day, will include lots of fluids in the run up, during and after the race, plenty of sun block and a sporty hat.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything active?

 

Auckland Traverse 12k

Race Website: Traverse 12k Event Info

On Sunday 1st November I ran the Auckland Traverse 12k, which was the event that the Run Walk series had been leading to.



Official Stats:

Distance: 12 km
Time: 1:39:30
Pace: 08:17 min/km

Pre-Race

The day before was fairly low key and I'd almost forgot it was Hallowe'en.  We don't get many trick-or-treaters where we live and even though I had bought decorations, I totally forgot to decorate and hadn't bought any lollies so it was just as well no kids came around.

We did have a nice pasta dinner of spaghetti and vege sausages in a spicy tomato sauce.

In the morning we were up early to watch the Rugby Wold Cup final between New Zealand and our neighbours Australia.  It was quite exciting lots of stand out moments and an emotional win for NZ as lots of these players are retiring now.

Once the game was finished it was time to head into town.  The race starts and ends at different locations so we parked in town and then our friend Carmy, who was also racing the 12k, drove us to the start area.

We all waited in a nice big grassy area for a while before it was time to put our drop bags in the cages and head down to the start line.  I wished Kane luck and he headed further up the crowd while Carmy and I stayed to the back of the runners but in front of the walkers we had a little while to chat and get our tech sorted out before the gun went off and then it was an easy walk to the start line before we could start running.

 

On The Course

I already wasn't feeling my best so had devised a race strategy that I would be happy with, which was running for 3 minutes and walking for 2 minutes. 

 

The first 2km went by really quickly to reach Akoranga bus station which was where the race started last year (when it was the Quarter Marathon, 10.55km) most of the rest of the course was very familiar to me having raced on it last year.

 

Around the 5km mark was where I reached the bridge.  The bridge is an evil steep hill.  I tried to keep with my run 3 walk 2 but started to struggle with it towards the top of the hill.  I saw Alex Asher of Moxiee Running going in the opposite direction giving encouragement along the way.  There are cut off times for participants in the marathon, half marathon and 12k to make it over the bridge otherwise the sweeper bus, known as the loser cruiser, will have to take you across to the other side and Alex was making sure his clients beat the bus!

 

I did a couple of run 2 walk 3 on the bridge so I made up for it on the way down by running for 8 minutes.  Then there is another long uphill stretch with a short steep downhill.  I had done around 8km at this point and could tell that I had reached the edge of my training.  It was also really hot and sunny now and there was no shade as we ran by the marina.  I had been sweating lots, drinking a lot of water and had clicked over the hour so I found myself worrying I was going to die of hyponatremia.

 

The course pleasantly deviated from last years around the Wynyard Quarter and the last 2 km was around this well populated area before heading along the straight towards Victoria Park and the finish line.  I must have gone too easy on myself out there because I had loads left in the tank for a sprint finish, I should have kicked it up a notch a kilometre or two earlier.

 

Kane got me at the finish line and we headed to meet Kelly, who had been doing the half, at her fund raising tent where we got egg rolls and lollies.

 

Post Race

Once Carmy arrived we all headed back to my office where some of us showered and changed and then we drove Kelly home and Carmy to her car.  Kane and I headed out for the Scandinavian Christmas Market.

 

The market was extremely popular and we picked up some goodies. 

 

I got lots of cute tree ornaments, a little tray and a Yule Goat.  We also got some other grocery items, pepparkakor and a chocolate yule log cake.

 

We got home about 4.30 where I made us some dinner and then we spent the rest of the evening relaxing.  It was a really great day.

 

There is a German Christmas market at the end of the month too!  Do you have festive markets near you?

Ekiden Rotorua Weekend

As is fast becoming our annual tradition, last weekend we headed off to Rotorua for a spring break and to run the Ekiden relay race!

 

The last time we were in Rotorua was earlier this year with Kane's parents, the blog post about that is here: Rotorua Summer Getaway 

What is Ekiden?

 

Ekiden Rotorua is a relay race held on the 42.2km marathon course and is split into 6 legs of varying distance: 1: 7.5km, 2: 7.88km, 3: 7.93km, 4: 8.27km, 5: 4.74km, 6: 5.88km.  Some have hills, some are mostly flat.  Instead of passing a baton, the current runner wears a sash and passes this on to the next runner.

 

Race Website: Ekiden Rotorua

 

How we got started

 

In 2013 my friends mother had roped her and another friend of mine to be part of their walking team for the Ekiden relay race and even though the weather was just awful that year, they really loved it and wanted to put together their own team for the following year.  

 

I was part of their team in 2014 and it was such a fun weekend.  We raved about so much afterwards that more friends wanted to take part so this year we had 2 teams! 

 

Ekiden Rotorua is also the self proclaimed world fancy dress championship so we like to take part and dress up, this year we were heroes and villians.

 

(1) Our 2 teams all together at the start
(2) Team 1 at the finish (3) Team 2 at the finish

Pre-Race

Kane and I headed down to Rotorua from Auckland on the Friday night, which was about a 4 hour drive.  Most of the others had taken the day off work to head down earlier in the day and some of group had travelled up from Wellington.

We arrived at 9pm and checked in.  A short while later the last 3 of troupe arrived and we gathered in one of the rooms to collected our chips, bib and race freebies which, this year, was a t shirt and a gym towel.

Kane and I hadn't had the chance to eat dinner but had brought some food with us, so we headed back to our room to make pasta and sauce and relax after our drive.

Race Day

We woke up feeling well rested and had coffee and some toast with cheese for breakfast.  We put on our running costumes and made some adjustments.  We both went as Fantastic Four members, me as Susan Storm (the Invisible Girl) and Kane as Reed Richards (he preferred to be referred to as Mr Fantastic).

We met with the others and made some last minute team changes as some people needed to switch distances and others needed to switch teams.

Once we were all sorted we headed out to make the race briefing at 8.30am.  The race walkers had already started at 8am and the route went past our motel so we got to see some fun costumes on our drive to the start.


(1) The Start Line (2) Glenn and Tania our first 2 runners
(3) Kelly passing the sash to me with Glynn hot on her tail! (4) At the end waiting for the prize giving

Our teams first runners, Glenn and Tania took off and my group jumped in to my car to head to the first change over point, while some of the others headed off to get coffee and breakfast.  We spotted Glenn first and cheered and waved and then a little further up we spotted Tania looking strong and cheered and waved her on too.

We got to the first change over point and hung around waiting for them to come in.  Tania was first and handed over the sash to Charlie.  A short while later Glenn came in and handed the sash to Kane.  Speedy Kane took off and managed to run over all those hills even faster than last weekends race!

The rest of the race was spent hopping from one change over point to the next, stopping to beep the horn, wave and cheer at our runners.  The only break was when it was my turn to run.  I put on my headphones and zoned out for an hour.

Soon it was time to make our way to the finish line where we would meet our last runner and then all run up to the finish line together.  Charlie and Tania, from the other team, had their car break down so Glenn and Kelly of our team had finished with the first team in order to collect their medals and then go to help them.  Charlie needed to stay with her car so Kelly brought Tania back so that she could cross the finish line with our team.  Kelly ended up crossing the finish line with both teams and that's why she's in both team finish photos, but at least she was able to collect Charlie's medal for her.  And roadside assistance sorted out Charlie's car so it was all good in the end.


(1) Change over point 1 group shot (2) Finishers medal
(3) Glynn doing a gangnam style dance? (4) Catherine cruising in to the change over point

Post Race

Prize giving finished at about 4pm and we were starving so we made a bee line to pizza hut which we could see across the park and then headed back to our motel to enjoy our pizzas.  Then we went into pool. 

The pool is the number 1 reason we come to this motel.  It's heated to around 37degC from the geothermal activity that Rotorua is famous for and there are also two indoor mineral pools.

This year some of us brought pool noodles to just float around with and it was perfect!



Last years pool photo as we didn't take one this year!

After hanging out in the pool for ages, we then got cleaned up and hung out in one of the rooms and enjoyed some wine and MTV classics.

The following morning we checked out and then headed for a group breakfast before going our separate ways again.  A most enjoyable weekend!  We're already in discussions for next years costumes :D

My Official Stats:

Leg: 4
Distance: 8.27 km
Time: 1:02:51
Pace: 07:36 min/km

I did better than last year by 4 minutes but I got really bad cramp last year.  I think I need to do more hill training!

 

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 5 - Barry Curtis Park

Race Website: Run Walk Website

The final race in the RunWalk Series was an 8k on Sunday at Barry Curtis Park.  This means that it is now 4 weeks until the Auckland Marathon which I am doing the 12k.

Official Stats:

Distance: 8 km
Time: 0:59:18
Pace: 07:25 min/km

Pre-Race

My schedule was thrown off balance on Saturday and the ripple effect is still happening on Tuesday.  A large late lunch and a long nap resulted in no dinner on Saturday night - no pre-race pasta meal ritual!  And also a rather odd and short sleep.  Neither of us were ready to wake up on Sunday, it was a struggle and we left it to the last minute.  Breakfast was a banana in the car on the way to race.  Not an ideal fuelling strategy.

On The Course

0 - 3 km

Often at the start of races I walk for the first few minutes to warm up and let the crowd disperse a little but there seemed to be less of us in this last race of the series and I just started running as I reached the blue mats.  My plan was to run 10 minutes, walk 10 minutes, repeat.  But I was tired and I was moving really slowly that when 10 minutes had gone by (which felt like forever) I decided I'd just keep going for another 10.




// Image from Facebook - Kane starting the race towards the front of the pack

As you can see from the map, the course is kind of weird for the first 3 and a bit kilometres and it goes in loops and is undulating.  So you can see the other runners going in different directions up or down hills and it has the effect of making you feel like you're in a cartoon trying to catch Bugs Bunny or something!



 

By around the 3km I hadn't stopped for a walk break and decided just to keep running to see if I could.  I imagined what it would be like to run for all 8km without stopping, how awesome an achievement that would be.  Up until this point I had only been able to run 20 minutes before having to stop for a walk break so I was keen to push it a little further.

 

3 - 5 km

 

Just after 3 km we came out of the park and onto the road which was a very slight incline and then at 4km was the water station.  I had a little hand held water bottle so I didn't need to stop and I've learned that powerade doesn't really agree with me during runs so I kept going.

 

// Image from Facebook - Me starting the race towards the back of the pack

 

Another thing that was different in this race compared to the others was that there wasn't anyone really near me.  In most of the other races there have been people going about my pace that have overtaken me when I was walking and then I'd overtake them again and this would repeat through the race, but at the water station I over took the girl in the pink top that had been ahead of me the whole time and she was the last person I'd see for a good while.

 

5 - 7 km



A little after the 5k mark the course leaves the streets and goes back on to a path which is all up hill until it reaches the main road again.  My hill strategy was to shorten my stride and pump my arms to try and keep as much life in my legs as possible because I really wanted to keep running it felt hard here and I started to think about Lisa of Lisa's Yarns who was running a marathon and had planned to dedicate each mile to a person and pray for them.  Lisa herself has rheumatoid arthritis and thought her running days were over but here she is, running marathons!  Yes my pace was slow - gosh, it was slow for the whole race, but I kept on running because I could and I am so grateful for that.

When I had got back onto the main road again this was just a long, straight, flat kilometre or so and I was stoked that I had been running constantly.  I remembered the first time I had ever run 8km - it was on the treadmill at the gym and it had taken me 1 hour - my goal at that time was to run for 1 hour and I was so happy that I did it, I really needed to prove to myself that it was possible for me to run for one hour.

7 - 8 km

The last kilometre started with turning off the main road and down hill through grass back into the park paths.  Then it winds back and up hill and then it does a loop around to the finish.  I gave a little push on the finish straight and I finished just under the hour, so happy that I ran all the way!  I was a teeny tiny bit disappointed that I finished 16 seconds slower than last year but really that would have been the cherry on top because I couldn't be disappointed with having run for almost an hour.  I felt like I had been given a gift of running mojo.

 

 

Comparison with Last Year

2015	2014
0:59:18	0:59:02

Post Race

My legs felt totally weird once I crossed the finished line and tried to walk!  I had to walk around the field for a few minutes before they felt close to normal again and then I enjoyed a heavily diluted powerade and a banana.

Kane told me he had struggled a bit but that he came 5th!  Go Kane!

That was the last race in this series that is the official series leading up to the Auckland Marathon and the 12k and Half Marathon distances.  I still have work to do but I'm need of some recovery time!



// Images from Facebook - Pre and post race shots

Also in this series:

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 4 - Highbrook
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 3 - Devonport
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 2 - Alexandra Park

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert

 

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 7 - Hunua Ranges

Race Website: Blackmores XTERRA Race 7 - Hunua Ranges

The last race of this trail series fell on Sunday and it was a brilliant event to finish on.  I'm so glad that I did this series and I'm planning on signing up for next year.  I think I'll do a separate post to talk about my first experience with trail running and what I've learned and sum up this series, but first on to the race report.

Official Stats:

Distance: 6.2km
Time:  0:53:34
Elevation: 74m

Pre-Race

We had, what has become our tradition, of a pasta meal for dinner the night before, but also we had tickets to see the opera Tosca which resulted in a later-than-usual bed time.  Thankfully these trail races have a much more social start time of 10.30am but usually require about 1 hours drive to get to the event base.

We woke at a good time, but too much dithering around meant that there wasn't enough time to make porridge, so breakfast was a fruity English muffin and a glass of orange juice.  Coffee was consumed in the car on the way to race.

We arrived a little later than I would have preferred as the race briefing had already started and I had to pay a visit to the port-a-loo while Kane went and picked up our race bibs and chips.  The briefing announcer was telling us that there was things that look like green weetbix on the course that is ".. poisonous to mammals, YOU are a mammal". 

New Zealand's native species are mostly birds (and they're often ground nesting birds) and we have no natural predators, certain things have been introduced either on purpose or by accident so sometimes these poisons are used in an effort to reduce introduced species in order to protect the native wildlife that are put at risk.  I really hate that this happens and I hope that they can come up with a better way.  But we made a mental note to make sure our clothes and shoes were kept away from our cats when we got home.

On the Course

So before we knew it we were off and on our way.  We had no time to check out the course map, elevation chart, or even to find out what the distance was!  Yes, not very well prepared at all.  All we knew was that someone who was doing one of the longer distances had said that it was really tough, so we were expecting the worst.

0 - 3 km

Caught in the pack, we started off running but this is not a good strategy for me if I haven't had a chance to warm up and the long sit in the car to get here meant I could use a little walking to get the joints and muscles to wake up so we eased into a walk and let all the runners pass us.  We kept striding it out for a few minutes until we heard the hooter go off for the walkers to start and then we started jogging. 

It was a long, wide and mostly flat gravel road that we ran along until we reached the water station, which was at 2.9 km.  We heard it said in the race briefing that there was an aid station at 2. something km, but we didn't know how far we had come.

\\ Image from Blackmores Xterra Trail Run/Walk Series Facebook Page

3 - 5 km

We had made a good steady pace for the first 3km but after the water station we turned off the gravel road and onto the trails.  The path was a narrow single track and was very undulating and twisty. 

One of my favourite parts was where you could either wade through the water or walk a bouncy narrow plank across to the other side.  Plenty of people plunged right into the freezing cold water, I chose the plank which still dipped into the water but my feet didn't get too wet.  A few people who chose the plank fell into the water anyway :S

Our course had merged with at least one of the other courses so there were lots of calls of "on your right" as the faster runners negotiated around people on the narrow trail.  We, an a good few others around us would run for a while and then take a walk break so we were constantly passing and being passed by the same people too.  I had a lot of fun on this trail and tried to run most of the up hills and take it easier on the downs.

\\ Image from Blackmores Xterra Trail Run/Walk Series Facebook Page

5 - 6.2 km

At around 5k we popped back out onto the road we had ran along in the beginning; the wide, flat gravel road.  So far this race hadn't been as tough as I expected and it felt quite short too, so I was half expecting some kind of cruel hill at the end like at the first event.  However, no such thing happened and we had a nice easy stretch to the finish line.  This is the first (and only) race of this series that we've finished in under an hour!  This was probably why it felt short to us, and I'm hoping that it's also a result of getting fitter.



Post Race

We grabbed some water and some energy drink and joined the beer and sausage queue.  An onion sandwich and tasty Speight's was had before we made our way back to the car and then home.



The weather had been very pleasant, with it being warm in the sun but cool in shade, perfect really.  On the way home it started to rain, and really heavy at times so I think we lucked out there!

Although I didn't see any poison, as soon as we got home all our kit got thrown in the washing machine just in case.  And then after a shower I spent the whole afternoon playing a computer game before it was time to make dinner - a day well spent!

Other races in the series:

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 1 - Shakespear Regional Park

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 2 - Riverhead Forest
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 3 - Totara Park
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 4 - Waiuku Forest
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 5 - Waharau Regional Park

 

 

 

 

 

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 4 - Highbrook

Race Website: Run Walk Website

The fourth and penultimate race in the RunWalk series which was held on Sunday was the 7k event held at Highbrook business park.  I quite like this course because, being a business park rather that a residential area, its really quiet.  I imagine that through the week the place is bustling with people but on Sunday mornings there is hardly anyone around.



Official Stats:

Distance: 7 km
Time: 0:49:19
Pace: 07:02 min/km

Pre-Race

Keeping with the pre-race pasta dinner tradition, we had a nice pasta bake for dinner that had a little spicy zing to it and then we watched the Evil Dead followed by My Name is Bruce - but we only managed about half of the latter before I fell asleep on the sofa.

I had a good sleep and got up made us porridge and coffee for breakfast.  Kane didn't sleep very well, but he assured me it wasn't because of the movie, it was his bruised and swollen ankle that was disrupting his sleep.

His ankle got kicked at indoor soccer, but it was able to bear weight and he was able to walk ok but he was having his doubts about running the race. 

On The Course

0 - 3 km

Kane decided he was going to run the race, but take it easy and if his ankle felt sore then he would just stop.  He went further up towards the start line and I placed myself further back in the race crowd and waited for the gun to go off.

I kicked off my playlist and quickly settled into in a nice jogging pace.  The pavements were narrow, just enough for 2 people, but the crowd dissipated over the first 1.5 kilometre and by the 3km mark I had the same few people around me.

This first part has the best scenery of the race as you head out towards parklands and then you run next to open spaces.

3 - 6 km

My training runs are usually about 4km long, and at the 4km mark I could feel like I was done.  The consistency of my pace was waning but I still had 3kms to go!

And at this point the scenery was warehouses and offices so I decided to try and have a little fun with my pace.  I probably confused the people running near me as I would sprint off for about 20 seconds and then slow to a jog and then walk for about 20 seconds before sprinting off again. 



// Kane having a good race

6 -7 km

My pace had settled back down to a jog and I remembered the finish from last year so I kept it steady until I saw the corner, then I started to pick it up and as I rounded the corner I opened it up as much as I could to finish strong and more importantly, beat my time from last year :)

Comparison with Last Year

2015	2014
0:49:19	0:50:42

 

Post Race

I was fairly pleased with how it went in the end.  Kane was happy with his race too, he took it a little easier but he had no trouble from his ankle at all that was until he accidently kicked the kerb as we went to sit on a bench - ouch!



// Happy finishers

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, and I finally made the French onion soup I've been wanting to make for a little while.  Today, which is the day after, my quads are feeling a little tight.  I have hot yoga and then I'll do some foam rolling later.

The next race, which is an 8k will be the last in this series leading up to the 12k in November.  I also have the last trail race this week and then Ekiden next month.

Also in this series:

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 3 - Devonport
Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 2 - Alexandra Park

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 3 - Devonport

Race Website: Run Walk Website

The third race in the RunWalk series which was held on Sunday was the 6k event.  This was at Ngataringa Sports Park and naval sports facilities.

Official Stats:

Distance: 6 km
Time: 0:43:57
Pace: 07:19 min/km

Pre-Race

Dinner the night before was spaghetti with quorn Swedish meatballs in an arrabiata sauce (which is my favourite sauce!)  And we watched national lampoons Vacation. 

Kane and I had both seen movie posters for Vacation but we didn't get that it was anything to do with the old Chevy Chase movie until we were looking through the cinema website and saw a different poster with the main character wearing a Wally World t-shirt.  At first we were dismissive of it as we thought it was a remake but after watching the trailer we realised that the main character is Rusty, the son from the original movie.  Anyway, this prompted us to watch the original movie again.

After the movie it was off to bed but even though it was a good sleep, it was a hard to get up in the morning.  I had to step over the cat who was sleeping on the floor and he buried his face further into his paws when I opened the curtains.  I was pretty envious of him right then.


Azzy sleeping on my books

I had already laid out my stuff the night before so it was easy getting ready and then I made breakfast, but by the time it was ready we really should have been leaving the house.  We ate quickly and grabbed our bags and headed out.

I was feeling rushed now and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to listen to Eastbound & Down from the movie Smokey and the Bandit.  (If I get a speeding ticket then my defence will be the song made me do it!)

We got to the race start with about 15 minutes to spare and I then spent that time in the queue for the toilets.  I got back to the start line seconds before the gun went off.

 

Auckland Harbour Bridge
 

On The Course

0-1km

I had been running for aaaages and my app hadn't told me I had passed the 1km mark yet so I had to look to see if it was set properly.  I was both horrified and disappointed that I had only been running for less than 5 minutes and had gone 0.65km!! 

However, it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the way the light came through the trees and I saw a pukeko doing his thing amongst some marshlands.  Too much rushing meant that I just couldn't settle myself though.

1-2km

Once out of the park there's a left turn and a very steep and narrow uphill in a residential area.  I walked this as did mostly everyone else around me.  There was only room for 2 abreast on the path anyway but then it turns again and we could run on the road and into another park.

2-3km

I quite liked running through this park but then on the downhill out of the park was a lot of loose gravel and I was a little nervous running through it, but it was ok, I just look a bit crazy running over dodgy ground.  Once out onto Lake Road, this was a long incline but there was a water station just before the 3k mark.

3-4km

I still couldn't quite settle my mind and as a result I just couldn't get into a good rhythm.  I really struggled to keep running for any length of time however it was a little before the 4k mark that I spied my friend Jude who was running the 12k distance (2 laps of the same course).

4-5km

At 4k I passed Jude and then it was nice downhill section back into the park.  I wasn't sure how I was going compared to last year and I wanted to beat last years time so I tried to concentrate a little better.

5-6km

My app told me my time and pace at 5k and I realised that I could beat last years time with a little more effort.  There were cones placed along the last 1km so I used them to run fast, jog, walk the last section to the finish.

At the end I saw Kane pointing and directing me but it was confusing.  Me and the lady behind me tried to follow his directions and we slowed down and went the wrong way then had to correct ourselves.  I was pretty mad at the lost time.  Kane has now been instructed that if he wants to do something, he stands at the finish and cheers like everyone else.

In the end I was 14 seconds faster than last year.


Me, Jude and Carmy post race

Comparison with Last Year

2015	2014
0:43:57	0:44:11

Post Race

We waited for the others to finish and for our friend Kelly to come to the park.  Kelly had a sinus infection so Jude had taken her place in the race.  We had a bit of a catch-up and headed back to our cars.  The rest of the afternoon was uneventful with me making lunches for the week and having a nap and Kane mowing the lawn and having a nap.

It was far from a perfect race and I can see that I've got a lot of work to do.  The weather has got to the point where I can ditch the long sleeved top and wear t shirts now.  However the weather for each race has been exactly the same as last year so if it continues the next race is going to be extremely wet and windy!

Also in this series:

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 2 - Alexandra Park

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 5 - Waharau Regional Park

Race Website: Blackmores XTERRA Race 5 - Waharau Regional Park

Official Stats:

Distance: 5.4 km (I measured 5.83 km)
Time: 1:14:20
Elevation: 250m

Pre-Race

I was dreading this one all week.  It was listed as a tough, technical course with a 4/5 toughness factor.

It was forcasted for heavy rain over the weekend too and I didn't fancy another mud bath like the Riverhead race, so I had already planned my excuses to bow out of this one.

We still went through our night before rituals of having a pasta dinner and Kane made an excellent wine, cream and mushroom sauce with spaghetti.

In the morning we woke to the sound of rain and I was ready to spend the morning wrapped in a nice warm quilt, however the rain promptly stopped and the sunny skies evaporated my excuses.

I made us some porridge and coffee for breakfast and then we set off .

We arrived with a few minutes to spare and we grabbed our series numbers from the box - there were heaps of numbers left and I think most people decided to give this one a miss.  I checked the elevation profile again and wished I had too.

On the Course

We pinned on our numbers and attached our timing chips and before we knew it we were off.

0 - 1 km  We started running and it was long low incline and perfectly manageable but too quickly it got a bit steep and most of us just started walking at this point.

1 - 3 km We got a little bit of a downhill that we too advantage of and ran a little but then it got very steep very quickly and then it was just straight up.  I had a great idea, Kane thought I was delirious, but I still think donkey first aid transport (Donk-bulance) could be the next big thing.

I cannot express how hard I found this horrible hill and every time I thought I had reached the top, there was a turn and it carried on up some more.  I thought I was in an Escher painting or something.

3 - 5 km My calves got a reprieve from climbing, but the downhill was just as steep and it was time for my quads to suffer.  On two downhill sections it was a little muddy and a bit slippy but not too much trouble.  We then got onto a nice narrow trail and we were able to run through the trees for a short while before having to go down stairs.



5 - Finish I was conserving energy for a hill that I was expecting towards the end, but the loop came out after the hill and we had a nice downhill run to the finish line.  I had plenty left in the tank so managed a sprint finish to the end!

Post Race

The finish area was a complete mud bath!  I nearly lost a shoe while removing my chip and race number!  We got our Speight's and watched some children diving into the mud and throwing mud at each other.  I was going to get a massage but the wait was going to be too long so picked up our bag from the gear tent, which had gotten muddy in there (Kane was not impressed) and headed for the car.  I learned my lesson after Riverhead and had towels, jandals and a change of clothes in a bag, just in case I needed them!

At the time I wasn't sure if I was glad to have done this race because the uphill was quite torturous!  But now I am glad that I did it, because in comparing my time to others that we've finished close with in other races I can see that I was quite a bit slower and I think its because I psyched myself out and built it up to be a scarier beast than it really was.  I finished the race with plenty left in tank which means that I could have given more on the way back instead of conserving energy for a hill that never came!

Other races in the series:

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 1 - Shakespear Regional Park

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 2 - Riverhead Forest
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 3 - Totara Park
Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 4 - Waiuku Forest

 

 

 

 

 

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 2 - Alexandra Park

Race Website: Run Walk Website

The second race in the RunWalk series was held on Sunday and it was the 5k event.  This was at Alexandra Park which is home to Auckland's harness racing.

Official Stats:

Distance: 5 km
Time: 0:39:21
Pace: 07:52 min/km

Pre-Race

I made pasta salad with avocado, surimi with seafood sauce, lime juice and a bit of paprika and cayenne.  It was really good but I forgot to take a picture of it, oh well I'll just have to make it again :)

It was raining when we woke up and we weren't sure what the weather was going to do.  Kane opted for shorts, long sleeved Helly Hanson t-shirt and the supplied race t-shirt whereas I decided on tights, short sleeved t-shirt and a rain jacket.

The event time had changed to be an hour earlier and we arrived about 15 minutes before hand so we weren't waiting around in the cold for too long.

On The Course

0 - 1km

The first kilometre took us along the grass and then across the horse track and out of the park, then we turned and headed through the back car park and then out onto the street.

1 - 3km

We were out onto the quiet streets and I was trotting along a slow but steady speed.  My graph shows that I picked up a bit of speed before the 2.5k mark and I can't recall speeding up but I think it was a downhill and I just tried to keep very steady.  At around the 3k mark there was an uphill and I had to walk a few steps but also there was an amazingly bright, perfectly formed rainbow and I felt really happy to see such a sight.

3 - 5km

Between 3 and 4km was where I got cramp last year and this year I felt a tightness and freaked a little but thankfully it didn't come to anything.  Maybe it was just my mind placing tricks on me, but I've been stretching like crazy since this race!  I was happy when I saw that I had finished the loop and was on the last kilometre but it ended up really dragging.  Once we had ran back through the carpark we were onto the horse track again and this time we ran around it to the finish.  Again, my "sprint" finish could use a little work haha.

Comparison with Last Year

2015	2014
0:39:21	0:36:26

Post Race

The course was a little different this year due to some building works going on and I measured the course to be a little long and so did Kane.  All 3 of us who did this race last year ended up slower this year too.  This is a little disappointing considering how well we did on the first race of the series.  But I can't be too disappointed because I know that I just haven't been doing as much work as I did last year and this is the kick in butt I need, and I've now got just under 3 weeks until the 6k!

 

Also in this series:

Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert