Race Report: RunWalk Series Race 1 - Unitec Mt Albert

On Sunday the first race in the Run Walk Series that leads up to the Auckland Marathon (and other distances) was held.  I've entered the 1 lap series that leads up to the 12k event.

I did the same series last year and I'm hoping to show improvement over last years effort.

Race Website: Run Walk Website

Official Stats:

Distance: 2.5 km
Time: 0:16:48
Pace: 06:43 min/km

Personal Bests for 1km and 1 mile!

Pre-Race

We had our usual pasta dinner the night before that's been a pre-race ritual for years now and headed off to bed at a reasonable time.  I did have an invite to the movies, but I knew that I wouldn't have been in the best form if I'd had a late night.

As it was, we were a bit rushed in the morning getting out the door, so breakfast was shredded wheat for me and muesli for Kane instead of our usual porridge or toast and beans.

It was a really cold morning and we noticed frost on the ground as we drove to the event.  There was hardly anyone around when we arrived and we got our race numbers, chips, and series t shirts easily - no queues!

Kane was wearing a long sleeve and a short sleeve shirt and decided to switch out his short sleeve for the series T shirt which looked really cool.  I stuck to what has become a race uniform of my long sleeved Lululemon shirt and tights but wore my running gloves as well.

On The Course

I jogged and marched a little in the queue warming up and waiting for the start gun and when it went off I started running straight away.  I had placed myself towards the back of the line since I'm quite slow but I was mildly frustrated with the people further up the queue who were walking and I had to negotiate running around them.

0 - 1km
Even though there were some small hills, I totally powered through this first 1km.  I may have started off too fast but it's a short race and I needed to get through the walkers.

1 - 2km

I was so happy when my app told me I had done just over 1 mile in 10 minutes, it's been a looooong time since I last ran 10 minute miles!  I felt like I was on target to beat my time for last year.

Kane

Not long into the 'there and back' part of the course I saw Kane heading in the other direction and gave him a wave, and then just passed the turn around point I waved to my friend Kelly (she's doing the 2 lap version this year) and then just before 2km I spied my friend Carmy but she was too focused on the task in hand to see me.

2 - 2.5km

I was already feeling slow when the course turned and headed up a hill.  I gave it my best and pumped my arms and got me up the hill, but then I felt like I had overexerted and felt sick.  I walked a couple of steps on the flat but I didn't want to waste my hard work so forced myself into a jog, thankfully there was a gentle downhill where I got myself feeling normal again and then it was the long gentle uphill all the way to the finish.



Possibly the most unflattering picture of me

I'm certain most people wouldn't have noticed my "sprint" finish, but I put what little I had left into pushing it over the finish line.  I tried to stop my app, but couldn't with gloves on and it took a little longer than it should have to get the glove off!

Comparison with Last Year

2015	2014
0:16:48	0:19:16

Post Race

Kane was already long over the finish line by the time I came in.  He had done it in 11:50 which was 14s faster than his time last year but he didn't get the first place that he did last year.  Carmy did better than last year too with an amazing 3:29 shaved off her time.  Kelly had upped the ante this year by opting for the 2 lap version and achieved a PB for her 5k.

We all headed off to a café for coffee and cake to celebrate!

TGIF!

It's Friday!

The high of my week was getting stuff done.  I'm not entirely sure what I achieved, but I really feel like I achieved something!

The low of my week was chickening out of going to a Pilates class I haven't been to before.  Maybe next week I'll feel braver.

A book I'm reading is Mort(e) by Robert Repino

For my workouts, I completed 1 hot yoga class and 2 treadmill runs.

The best money I spent was on a Guinness at the pub quiz on Tuesday - it's been a while and really hit the spot.

My plans this weekend include the first road race of the www.runwalk.co.nz series (2.5km) and I'm still undecided whether I should go to yoga or the farmers market.  The farmers market might have mulled wine now...

Happy weekend everyone!

Birthday Vacation Part 1 - The Lost Spring

It was Kane's birthday a couple of weeks ago and it'll be my turn in little under 2 months.  We decided a few years ago to try to take a trip somewhere to celebrate instead of buying presents.  What happens though is that we feel too guilty to not buy gifts so we still end up giving something and we go on a little mini vacation somewhere.

Since Kane had a week between finishing up at his old company and starting a new job we thought we would take the week away in Queenstown, but with crazy weather, oversubscribed flights and an influx of tourists for the winter festival we decided not to go.  Instead we went to Whitianga.

Whitianga is a lovely seaside town that's a very popular destination in the summer and was just perfect for a quiet winter break.  We stayed at the Beachside Resort apartments and our unit was lovely, spacious, clean and comfy.

//Image from Beachside Resort

Kane tried out the spa bath that was in the ensuite and really loved it and I tried out the supplied toiletries and really liked them.  I was sad that we didn't get a chance to try out the pool as it looked really nice and I had even brought my pool noodle with me.

I couldn't be too sad about missing pool time as I had spent a whole day in the water at the Lost Spring.  This was the highlight and the purpose of our trip and it was really handy that our complex has a shortcut and secret gate to the Lost Spring :)



//Image from The Lost Spring

The pools are geothermally heated to different temperatures and there were several different pools and areas to chill out.



//Image from The Lost Spring

There was a poolside bar but also there was a staff member who came round occasionally to take food and drinks orders or to bring you a glass of water and generally check if there was anything you need.  So friendly and helpful!  We ordered some food and cocktails and had them whilst still basking in the warm waters!


//Image from The Lost Spring

Although they had some soft unobtrusive island music playing, during the daylight hours we were treated to bird song and watched the fantails flit around.  Once it got dark, parts of the pools colourfully lit up as did the cave and the waterfall, the walkways and bridge had some soft lighting to carefully navigate by.  But the lighting was at the right level as not to take away from the spectacular natural light show of the stars and moon.

We lay in a comfy spot in a hot pool and just gazed up for ages, then we took a swim to a darker spot and got an even better view of the milky way.

I overheard a couple of ladies who had arrived as it was getting dark and it seems that they regularly visit the springs after work and I thought how wonderful that must be!

We loved every minute of the Lost Spring and Whitianga.  We'll certainly be going back again and probably in late summer so we can swim in the sea :)

In part 2, I'll tell you about our trip to Cathedral Cove.

Couch to 5k: Week 7

I am stuck on week 7 but I actually feel pretty good about it.  I only have 4 more runs to go before I can complete this couch to 5k program.

In case you missed them, here's the rest of the series:

• Couch to 5k: Week 6 again
• Couch to 5k: Week 6
• Couch to 5k: Week 5
• Couch to 5k: Injury and Progress Update
• Couch to 5k: Physio
• Couch to 5k: Week 4
• Couch to 5k: Week 3
• Couch to 5k: Week 2
• Couch to 5k: Week 1
• Couch to 5k: The Start

Week 7

This what the plan looks like for week 7:

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Warm Up: Walk 5 min	Warm Up: Walk 5 min	Warm Up: Walk 5 min
Run: 20 min	Run: 20 min	Run: 25 min
Cool Down: Walk 5 min	Cool Down: Walk 5 min	Cool Down: Walk 5 min
Total time: 30 min	Total time: 30 min	Total time: 35 min

So far I have been able to complete day 1 and 2 of running for 20 minutes non stop and I'm really pleased with that.  I think of this as being the foundation to running, once you can run for 20 minutes then you can really start to build on all sorts of things.

At the end of this week is my first race in the Unitec Run Series that leads up to Auckland Marathon (or in my case, the 12k).  This race is a 2.5k road race with some hills and I'm still unsure whether my goal should be to try and beat last years time or try to run it all, both are good and challenging goals.

Only 4 more of these scheduled runs to go before I can complete the couch to 5k program and I'm pretty happy about that.  Sure, its taken me much longer than the 8 weeks but I'm really pleased that I've stuck with it and haven't given up.  I'm looking forward to achieving this goal!

TGIF!

Woohoo I made it to Friday!

The high of my week was - it's a tie between a really great yoga class on Monday or my second 20 minute non-stop run on Tuesday.

The low of my week was not being very organised with lunches and having to buy lunch everyday.

Its hard to believe that avocado futomaki and seaweed futomaki with wasabi could ever be a low!

A book I'm reading is going to be one of the 3 books I just checked out from the library - probably Mort(e) about a sentient warrior housecat in the battle between humans and ants.

For my workouts, I completed 1 trail race, 1 treadmill run and 1 yoga class.

The best money I spent was on a birthday gift for my sister *Happy Birthday Elizabeth*

My plans this weekend include ice skating, watching ice hockey, helping take out a kitchen from the senior citizens hall, yoga, a run and hopefully season 3 of Friday Night Lights.

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 3 - Totara Park

Race Website: Blackmores XTERRA Race 3 - Totara Park

Official Stats:

Distance: 6.5km (I measured 7.47km)
Elevation: 138m
Time: 1:10:22

Pre-Race

I had been on holiday the week before this race and hadn't done any running - shame on me - however this meant that I went into this race feeling fresh.

I love that these races start at 10.30am and this one was the least driving distance away so I stayed in bed maybe a bit longer than I should have.  Breakfast ended up being toast instead of the usual porridge and I felt like I could have used something a bit more substantial later on during the race.

On the Course

The first kilometre was flat and since we had not long had a nice brisk 5 minute walk from the car park we decided to just start running with the crowd.  It was a mixture of path and wooded trail and there was a bottle neck at one set of stairs

//images from Total Sport Xterra Trail Run Series - Auckland Facebook

1 - 2 km was an uphill section that I mostly walked but we were on a dirt and gravel road and I was super grateful that there was no mud like last time.

2 - 3 km was a mixture of flat and gentle up uphill sections.  We were told there would be a water station at 2.5km and we felt like there should have been one here but there wasn't.  This made us think that we hadn't even done 2.5k yet and we started to doubt that we had been going as long as we felt we had!

3 - 4 km was a lovely long downhill stretch but it was a super narrow single track and you had to watch your footing very carefully.  It was a bit difficult to pass people here but we managed to pass quite a few.

4 - 5 km this was where there water station was!

5 - 6 km there was a bonus water station here too.  This was the start of a loop so we saw people coming in the opposite direction and they had the uphill bit, we went off to the left but all the way round I knew that the evil hill was coming!  We were in a wooded trail and there were lots of stairs going up.

//Image from Google

6 - 7 km was still in the wooded area but it was more flat and then there were more stairs but this time going down.  And then it was the evil hill which wasn't that bad in the end.

7 - 7.47 km it started of with a bit of a downhill and then there was a steepish uphill section but we knew we were close to the finish and there were a couple of people in front of us that we wanted to pass so I dug deep and found some energy from somewhere and made a good finish.

 

Post Race

I forgot to turn off my app straight away so my time is a bit out and I was sad that there were no One Square Meals this time as I really could have used one.  However, I did get my onions on bread and a Speight's Mid Ale so I was happy.

After last time I had brought a full change of clothes but thankfully I didn't need them :)

Other in the series:

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 1 - Shakespear Regional Park

Race Report: Blackmores XTERRA Race 2 - Riverhead Forest

June: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

Wow, June has felt like quite a short month.

Meals

Lots of hearty winter meals in June and because I've been making more of an effort with my cooking, I've been finding ways to make the most of leftovers too.

1) I finally found a jar of sauce for pasta bake where you don't need to cook the pasta first, you just add dry pasta, the jar of sauce, a jar of water and then bake.  After a while you add the cheese, bake a little more and it's done - really delicious too!

2) And because I was clearly in a cheese mood and had a cauliflower to use up I made some cauliflower cheese with some roast veg.

3) Vegetarian Quorn mince with mashed potatoes and veg.

4) Vegan roast beef with vegetarian Yorkshire pudding and lots of veges before I covered it all in gravy!

I don't want to waste any veges so now I just roast them all up in one batch and save them in the fridge to heat up for the next meal.

1) Homemade vegetarian steak pie using leftover stew

2) Vegan stew made with TVP chunks

3) Grilled heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, rocket, cajun salmon, garlic and basil ciabatta and some potato wedges - I was worried it wasn't going to be a substantial meal and I ended up making too much food!

4) A giant Yorkshire pudding filled with mushrooms in a vegan pepper sauce with mashed potatoes and veges.

1) Our midwinter Christmas meal of vegan turkey, roast veges, mixed veges, brussel srpouts and roast and boiled potatoes.  This picture was taken before I went crazy with the cranberry sauce and gravy.

2) After Eights mint chocolates I had been saving for months for this occasion!

3) The steak pie I made using the leftover stew.  It looks great but it was difficult to get out of the pie tin and then I had to divide it between us.  I think I might purchase some individual pie dishes for the future.

4) Leftover mince on toast for lunch - this is a common kiwi lunch.

1) Sherry and cranberry nut medley - a perfect accompaniment to any TV show!

2) Kanes homemade egg muffin - better than a McDonalds one :)

3) Starbucks Christmas blend coffee - again something I've had in the cupboard for about two months just waiting for the right time!  Its everything I hoped it would be :)

4) Something new I found in the supermarket - its a tea concentrate that you just add hot water to.  I got the lemon, ginger and honey one to try and its a perfect winter blend.  I'm tempted to add some whisky to it :)

One thing I like about doing this monthly recap of meals is that by taking photos of my plate I get to see just how much food I eat at one sitting.  Portion control is a challenge.  I'm starting to learn to put a more reasonable amount of food on plate with the option of going back for more if I'm still hungry and usually this means I have more leftovers to make into other meals.

Miles: 26.5km

Despite not having a very high mileage month, my running has been going very well.  I did two trail races this month (one was a mud bath the other was dry and had the best long downhill stretch) and in my training I can now run for 20 minutes non stop.  I am so happy to have achieved this as I see it as a real milestone.  I have the first race of series I did last year on the 12th July.  It's 2.5km and last year I had to take walk breaks - this year I want to run it all and hopefully improve on my time too.

Books

I haven't been much of reader for several years now so I set myself a Goodreads challenge to read 12 books this year (aiming for one book a month) and I'm so surprised that I've completed this challenge in only 6 months.

I finished reading Double Knit Murders by Maggie Sefton which are two murder mysteries in one volume.  I love the silly puns in the titles - the first book is Knit One Kill Two, and the second one is Needled to Death.  They are light entertaining reads akin to an episode of Murder, She Wrote.

I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of all the yarn in the shop and the creations that main character and her knitting friends very making.  The main character is new to knitting and at the end of the books there are knitting patterns for what the main character was making and also a recipe for something that was eaten in the book.  Such a fun genre of book!

//from Goodreads

The other book I read this month was A Viking Moon by TM Rowe.  I read this because I know the author and saw it was available at the library.  It's the authors first book, a self published childrens book and as such it reads a lot like a first draft.  There were spelling and grammar mistakes but it was also the use of language that was just a little off, a little amateurish.  Having read Lois Lowrys books last month, the difference in the quality of writing was quite marked.  The story is a time travel historical adventure and I think it could be really good with a little reworking and an Editor.

//from Goodreads

Looks

I've looked through my phone photos and its all of food, sports games and our mini vacation.  I didn't even buy anything new this month.  I have however started on a new skin care regime. 

I'm finally getting a good bedtime routine in place where I thoroughly cleanse my face with Simple moisturising foaming face wash, I brush with Colgate optic white, then twice a week I apply Skinfood mud mask and then after that's washed off I follow up with Neutrogena night moisturiser.  I'm not sure if there is any difference in my skin but I certainly feel like I'm taking better care of myself.

What was your favourite Meal, Workout, Book or Look for June?