Marathon, DONE.

NB: This took me this long to get done as so SO shattered this week!

Well, I did it! I completed the Dual Marathon in 5:01:55. With it being a cross country race my goal was to do it in under 5 hours but I am so happy with my time because the terrain and hills were A LOT harder than I had imagined...

My race was on Saturday and would start at 8:30am so on the Friday after work, I travelled up to Auckland with my sister Tracy, Keegan and my gorgeous wee niece Ava. For my Race Day Eve dinner I made chicken pasta (yes, of course pasta!) while everyone else enjoyed Burger Fuel - was well jel! Was in bed for 9pm with my alarm set for 4:45am as we had to catch the ferry in Auckland at 6am.

We got to the ferry on time and set off. I distracted myself by taking pictures of the Auckland skyline with all its lights - yes, it was pitch black still! Arriving at the island in the dark was awesome, there were marshalls stood at different points with head lamps on to show you where to walk. With an hour and a half until my race, I sat back and enjoyed some porridge I'd brought over in a thermos.

RACE TIME!

Come race time I was ready to go and actually not really feeling nervous. I just wanted to get it done.

At the very beginning of the race there is a hill.... a big hill. Tracy, Keegan, and Ava went to its halfway ready to cheer me on.

I had decided the night before that I wouldn't begin the race with my iPod, and at the race briefing we were also advised that we would share parts of the tracks with mountain bikers so figured I was best not to use it there too! In the end I didn't use it at all which a few months ago I never imagined I could do even for a small run.

Me to the left running up the first hill.

With all of us at the start line, the horn went and we were off! There isn't any dramatic beginning in a marathon, slow and steady it was. Especially with that big hill looking down on us!

The start of the race was countryside and gorgeous views of the volcano and the Auckland skyline in the background. I was surprised by the fact that the hills were very constant, if I wasn't going up, I was going downhill. We soon met up with the mountain bikers and I had to go over a fence to get on the track. They were coming down the hill so fast that I couldn't take the normal route. Now this was my favourite part of the run (and actually it was all uphill!!). We ran on the right hand side with the bikers coming up next to us chugging up the hill. One man tooted a funny horn on his bike and cheered us on. On the left side there were bikers racing down the hill - you don't dare get in their way. It was such a distraction and it was through the bush but on a nice gravel road so loved it!

Then I came to a green arrow (indicating marathoners' path) and a marshall who pointed to the PROPER bush. At this point I was running alone and this is where I realised this was a real cross-country marathon. In the bush there were tree roots, rough ground, and rocks everywhere. In some parts I had to climb up a few tree roots to get up the hill, and I nearly got lost. They directed you through the bush with white ribbons tied to tree branches. I came to one area and started to run to the right, and just as I turned, in the corner of my eye, I noticed the ribbon indicating to turn left, lucky!!

I struggled through this part and even more so when I came to two young boys who directed me up a whole stack of stairs! I ran out of water and was not sure when the next aid station was. This was what took over my thoughts for the next half hour. I tried to have a snake sweet but that just made me feel sickly without the water! Finally, at the bottom of a hill (that you basically just slide down), I came to an aid station. Here a boy filled up my bottles for me while I guzzled some water!

I set off again and this time with two men who had stopped at the aid station before me. I would spend the next hour and a half running between them both. And I was happy with this for the first hour because they kept up the pace.

 

Runners on the Lava Fields

 We ran through more bush for quite some time before coming to the lava fields. Now these were fine when they were either side of you and a nice pathway in the middle. But that did not last long. After the 20km aid station we ran round the side of Rangitoto Island and through bush with lava rocks beneath us - so very difficult to run on and eventually agony for my ankles!

The three of us had become like a wee team, the man in front kept me from spraining my ankle because I watched where he stepped and when I saw his ankle twist, or a rock move under him I avoided that rock! For this part of the run (approx 1 hour) you are only concentrating on where you are stepping, nothing else. And so I was lucky that the man in front yelled, "Duck!" when a branch would've otherwise knocked me out! There were a few times that I heard the man behind me trip over, but then I heard a proper fall and turned to find him on the ground. When I asked if he was okay, he just replied, 'Yup' and got up and carried on. I have to say I was quite relieved because a rule in this race was that if you found someone hurt you had to stay with them and another person run for help... I don't think I could've managed running on those rocks more!!

During these rocks you just keep thinking that around the corner the rocks would stop, but they don't. In fact the man behind me summed it up at one point saying, 'Are these bloody rocks ever going to end?!' Prior to the race start I had hoped to finish the marathon in 5 hours (the course average over the years was 5:02:00). At his point I told myself I would be happy finishing at 6 hours.

The rocks ended. At an aid station, phew! Here I got some much needed sunscreen. I left the aid station with the men still there, and me covered in white sunscreen - it soon soaked in. I was now back to running by myself and was happy for it (the man in front of me had started to slow down, overly cautious of the rocks after a few near ankle twists). The rocks were now gone and I was back to gravel, oh glorious gravel! My ankles at this point were furious with me and so I hoped I would not see any more lava fields.

I soon ran from Rangitoto Island to Motutapu Island where I know had only countryside - and A LOT of hills. It was from here that the crying probably started. Every time I came to the top of the hill, I would see a downhill followed by another hill. And the ground on the downhills were so hard from the drought that it killed me just as much as the uphills. The pain and tiredness I felt at this point was like nothing I had felt before. I become a blubbering mess. I tried very hard to focus on every step rather than the upcoming 'horribleness', but this was near impossible when you could see the next big hill.

It got worse. I then ran out of water again. Every time I came to a marshall I asked if the next aid station was close and it seemed every time they told me, 'Sorry, a few more hills yet.' So every time I passed them by, the tears would continue.

In my head, I couldn't help thinking, 'I will never ever do this again, why the hell did I sign up for this!!'

Until finally I came down a hill to find three young girls with pom poms cheering me on! There they were at the aid station offering me water, sports drinks, sweets, bananas, suncreen.... I filled up my water bottles, guzzled a cup of water, then set off.

Up until this point, I had been eating mini Mars bars, and jelly snake sweets every half hour to keep my energy levels even. Normally on my training runs I would feel better after having them but it just didn't seem to work here. As I came to the 30km aid station I grabbed a banana and munched on that but it didn't seem to help either. After 30km it is all downhill in a small bush area, and the tears were still going on. It wasn't until I got to the bottom of this bush and came to a flat area that the tears stopped. This flat part of the race was AMAZING. It must've been at least 10 minutes worth of flat, and also where I saw my support team.

My cousin Tayla (who had been training with me) and my uncle Graham were doing the half marathon on the island. So also with Keegan, Tracy, and Ava were my Aunty Sandra, and cousins Zoe and Jacob. Zoe was on look out at this point (they had been waiting awhile as not realising how hard the course was, we all thought I'd be there sooner!). Zoe ran with me until I came to everyone else where I grabbed a Coke from Jacob (that they had flattened earlier) while Keegan told me to drink it all. Before the race, Keegan had suggested I got Coke and I had but I was a little bit apprehensive about drinking it. But since Keegan had got me this far with my training I decided to trust him and I drank it. Well...

After passing them and drinking that Coke, the whole marathon changed for me. I had been struggling up until this point. The wee flat part of the run was done and I was soon chugging up the next hill fast. And I kept going fast. It was as if that Coke had refreshed my entire body and I felt so determined to do that last 10km using every last part of my energy. At the next aid station I grabbed some watermelon which I then followed up with more jelly snakes and another Mars bar. I was going to push my self to the limit now.

As refreshed as I felt this part of the run did drag on a lot. I think it was more the fact that I thought that the hills would soon stop and they never did. And then as I came to every top of a hill I thought I would see the finish over it, but I didn't. Instead I saw another hill.

As I went through one paddock, I ran past a boy who had his head down in a seat playing on his phone. I didn't think much of it, but did wonder what the point was of him sitting there. Well I soon found out. Some men starting yelling to me, and then the boy. The boy was meant to have told me to turn at that point. I had gone where the mountain bikers go. So I ran back and gave him the very best evil eyes I could, and kept going.

Ahhh... that final downhill was AWESOME. It was right before the finish line and I ran down it so fast, like a proper sprint. You wouldn't think I could sprint at this point but to be honest, I was sprinting because I didn't have the strength in my legs to stop myself!

Graham and Jacob were at the bottom of the hill waiting on Tayla to finish so they were able to cheer me on. As I ran along the final straight to the finish I couldn't see anyone else anywhere. I ran over the finish line and had done it! And ohhhhh man did I feel amazing because I could stop and Sandra appeared cheering! I sort of glided to the side and had a wee sit down on the ground before she helped me back up and gave me a hug. She was super impressed how fast I had done the last 10km and told me Tracy and Keegan weren't there yet because they thought I would be at least another half hour! So unfortunately they missed it, but I have to say I am quite happy that the reason was because I was fast!! Hehe..

Now I could barely move and my ankles were excruciating. I sat down and Zoe brought me drinks and watermelon. She was at my side for the next hour looking after me, and letting me lean on her when I needed to!

My uncle Graham completed the half marathon in 2 hours (crazy good considering the terrain!) and my 14 year old cousin Tayla completed the half marathon in 3 hours. And if I'm being honest, while I was running part of the run I did worry that she wouldn't be able to complete it. So very impressed! Congrats!!

Shortly after prizegiving we went for a swim in the harbour... it felt amazing having no pressure on my legs and the coolness of the water calmed my muscles! After that swim, I even managed to play a little frisbee!!

We caught a ferry at 5:30pm and went to an Italian restaurant in Auckland where I had the most delicious and well deserved pizza, and the most delicious and very, very well deserved glass of Merlot. Nom Nom.

 

Rangitoto Island: CONQUERED.

Other highlights:

• On the ferry I met a man who was running the marathon for charity... the weekend before he had run in the LA Marathon and before that Antarctica! He was also running on the North Pole and in Jordan. During the week he worked back in his home Qatar. Crazy!
• Passing some mountain bikers up a hill who were walking their bikes - when one of them saw me he laughed, 'Well, this is very embarrassing!'
• The strange things a marathon does to your body... despite all the water I drank I didn't go toilet at all during the race and not until over an hour after the race.
• The morning after the marathon, Tracy made me penguin shaped waffles with maple syrup, yum!

Oh, and I do think I will do another marathon. In fact, I am certain of it. Next time it will be a road marathon so I can test my speed for sure. This is not the end of my marathons, I think I may be addicted!
 

THANK YOUS!!

Okay, so I only got to that start and finish line because of sooooooo many people and really can't mention everyone but you all know who you are!! Whether it was the encouragement on Facebook, sponsoring my run, being a running buddy, feeding me up on good ol' grub, looking after me on the day, or so many other things... you all helped SO SO much! There was no way I was letting any of you down.

And a special thank you to my coach Keegan, who lets face it, without your coaching I never would've got to that finish line. I did one of the hardest marathons in New Zealand as my first one, and somehow I got to the finish. I did think you were crazy sometimes... actually, a lot of times. Especially, when you wanted me to do training I thought I couldn't (and then found out I could). I was apprehensive at first with your suggestions but in the end, trusting your advice got me there, so thank you. And to anyone who is even thinking about doing the ultimate in endurance training - an ironman - do look at Keegan's website www.vo2coach.com and get in contact with him. Or enquire for any form of training. He can train anyone, anywhere in the world and will see you accomplish things you thought impossible!

2 More Sleeps Til 42.2km!!

Have been ill all week with a wee flu but that won't stop me finishing this marathon!! Is two more sleeps away. I leave for Auckland tomorrow and will be catching a ferry to the islands at 6am on Saturday - my race begins at 8:30am.

I keep telling everyone that the only way I won't finish is if I end up in an ambulance - so I will finish. It's on an island, there won't be ambulances!! Hehe..  I am so excited now, I just want to get it done so I can join that marathon club! Months of training, and one race will prove the work I have put in. Bring it on!

Right, bed time.

Caught in the bushes, & a bull on the loose

After a miserable week of missed runs due to illness, my long run on Sunday was never a matter of would I complete it, but rather, a matter of how much it would hurt.

I would not only do the Sanatorium Loop in Cambridge, but I would run from Keegan (my coach) and Tracy's house - so an extra approx 8-9km. In total around 37km of the ruthless hills, & a few other occurrences....

After a big bowl of Wheetbix, and saying goodbye to Keegan & Ava (who was having her own bowl of Wheetbix for brekky), I set off at 6:30am in the dark. As I ran through the suburbs of Cambridge my run nearly ended in the first ten minutes with a face plant. An uneven footpath saw me fly in the air. Fortunately, my left foot was quick to steady myself - face plant avoided, now I'm awake. And so it starts...

Within the first hour I come to the worst part of the run, the 3-4km of steep, windy, uphill road. The last time I did this run a fortnight prior, I'd had to walk a big chunk of this part. I was determined to run the whole thing today and right now, I have no idea how I did it. But wow, after it was done I felt good & soon forgot that pain! And on to the next.

I ran on and while enjoying the easier hills up and down, a bug flew in between my sunglasses and eye (the sun had just risen at this point). Trying to get rid of it, I whacked my glasses and they snapped. Uh oh. Hours of running with sunshine, blue sky, and no sunglasses? A few months ago it would have been my worst nightmare - today it wouldn't stop me.

Two hours had gone, I was feeling good. Two mini Moro Bars eaten, & lots of water consumed. Now my bladder was full & I needed to find a bush. Currently, we have been declared a drought zone with no rain in sight. Bushes or long grass were not easy to find. Once twenty minutes had passed with no luck, I realised I hadn't seen any cars and only animals for a long time. So, with this in mind, I found a bush that covered me from one side, but not the other. You know where this is going right?

Within seconds a car came over the hill (Of course!). I had no time to cover myself and simply grabbed flattened grass up to try and cover myself - I was like a possum in the middle of the road, caught by a car. Mortified.

Oh and it gets better. Firstly, not only did I now not have the urge to go, but I noticed the bush I was in was a prickly one! I had prickles throughout my fingers but thankfully none in any sensitive places (lets look on the bright side!). The prickles were actually a good distraction during the run, by the end I didn't have any left. Could've been worse eh? I set off again now, and actually properly giggling to myself. And more so when a few minutes later a group of three cyclists rode past saying good morning. Yup, definitely could've been worse!

Now I was well into my run, and three mini Moro bars down, I enjoyed a few kms of peace with no disturbances. Until I met the bull. 

The road I was running on was skinny and could only fit one car with a sharp drop to one side and then a bank on the other. The escapee bull was next to the bank munching away on some grass. I was charged by a bull and had to jump a fence when I was younger, so I do have a small fear of bulls. Knowing I couldn't let him stop me I grabbed one of my small water bottles and opened its top. To me at this point, I was armed and ready. As I got closer and went to pass him (me as close as possible to the cliff side) he turned from his grass and looked at me. Ahhhhhh..... freaking on the inside I didn't let it show, and kept running, holding out my water bottle as if he might think it was a samurai sword. He watched me. I kept running. He chomped on his grass a little more, than turned away, no longer interested. And that was that. Big drama for this poor escapee bull.

So yes, I am still running....

When I reached the end of the loop and had just the 30 minute run on flat suburb roads, you'd think it would be easy. I actually cannot describe how much I hurt at this point. Every body part had been competing for the pain limelight during my run, but at this point I hurt everywhere. Mentally I was drained. After hours of running this 30 minutes felt like days, and it took all my strength to hold in tears as I kept going. As I ran down Tracy and Keegan's road I let out the tears. I walked into their house crying, and managed, 'That was really hard.' Then turned to Keegan to ask, 'Why would you let me do that?!' And I can actually say at that point I was mad with him!

I soon felt good and proud but very, very sore. Apparently I looked like an old lady for the rest of the day, hunched over and struggling to walk. After a smoothie I fell asleep on the sofa even with my toddler niece, Ava, running about... Or as Keegan put it on his Facebook status, I'd, 'passed out on the couch'.

When I woke I felt ill from hunger and pigged out - that's the fun part!! Later that afternoon I spent nearly an hour in the Cambridge pools walking up and down the lengths with Ava in tow. Chilling out in Cambridge was the perfect way to end a difficult start to the day. 

I ran approximately 37km of hills in 4 hours and 12 minutes. Now the pain is just a memory, and instead I feel only amazed and proud. I must be nuts!!!!

Medical Kit. Check.

Part of my Medical Kit

Ahhhh... another thing I can tick off my very big To Do List.

I now have my medical kit for my Nepal adventure and well, if you happen to want heart surgery in the Himalayas I will probably have the stuff to do it - my pack is massive!!! Okay, maybe a slight exaggeration but there is a lot, and A LOT to remember about them all. I have a small book that has diagrams to follow with any symptoms, so I can figure out what antibiotics or medication is necessary. It also includes syringes and needles - just in case I'm in a slightly dodgy medical centre!

I got the kit today when at the doctors to get my last vaccinations. I could not recommend Welcome Bay Medical Clinic enough. I have now been there many times for many jabs and they are lovely - & incredibly knowledgeable.

And now as I write this blog entry I am an hour into not eating so I can take an oral vaccine. No food/water/etc for two hours prior and 1 hour post vaccine (Okay, not that long maybe haha). I am now trying to distract myself because all I can think about is food! Typical eh?! I can actually remember when I was little and doing the sponsored 40 hour famine (World Vision fundraiser). No eating for 40 hours except particular sweets & water. Halfway through the famine I was sat in the lounge when Mum walked in and exclaimed, 'What are you doing?!' I was sat on the sofa munching away on biscuits having completely forgotten about my famine! Best make sure I don't accidentally do that tonight.....

3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run. Happy to be a spectator!

Wow, what a busy & crazy weekend of highs, lows & Tim Tams!

I spent the last weekend in Taupo to see Keegan race in the Taupo Ironman. I stayed in a house of 4 adults (Myself, Mum, Aunty Sandra, Uncle Graham) and 7 children (3 x younger siblings, 3 x cousins, 1 x neice) - so a lot of noise & a lot of fun. Of course, one of the hardest things about a weekend away, is fitting in training. This weekend it was illness that saw me miss my very first training day.

We arrived in Taupo on Friday evening and the second we arrived I put my shoes on and ran out the door. I wanted it done so I could enjoy the evening with everyone... and sample some of the wine Mum had stocked the fridge with. The next day the Ironman would take place so I planned to wake early and get my day's run in while the others watched Keegan start the Ironman. 

Saturday Morning 6:15am: Woke with a knife lodged in my throat (not literally).

Planned Run: Postponed.


As the sun rises the Pro athletes are already in the
lake beginning on the their Ironman swim.

Not wanting to agitate my throat I decided to join the others down by the lake and see Keegan start the Ironman & run later. We arrived just as the Pro athletes set off. Graham got us some necessary coffees while we waited for Keegan to transition to the bike. The sunrise was gorgeous and the lake very peaceful despite the large crowds. Keegan's number one support crew Tracy and Ava (wife & daughter) cheered Keegan on as he raced past the crowd towards his bike.

One car load including Tracy headed off to see Keegan bike, while myself in the other car load headed home for some breakfast and rest. NB: It takes the Pro athletes 8-9 hours to complete the Ironman so taking breaks is a must for me spectators (no break for the athletes though!!!)

Keegan's #1 Fans

12:30pm: We are all down near the transition from bike to run waiting for Keegan. Can actually not believe that for the past 6 hours these athletes have been pushing their bodies to their limits. Getting up before sunrise was hard enough for me!!

Once Keegan races past (they now go & run a full marathon!) we walk along the lake to find shade, and our spot for the next few hours. Keegan ran past us many times while we chilled out by the lake. The Ironman really is an awesome day out. You have all the excitement of the race & its inspiring participants, and you also have the gorgeous setting of Taupo with lots to do between cheering duties.

I have seen Keegan race twice in Copenhagen so Taupo was my third. In all races, Keegan never breaks a smile. I think I may have to make it my mission to make hime smile during a race. You can cheer and cheer but he doesn't blink! Must be 'in the zone'.

Keegan running past.

With some very sore feet, Keegan came 7th on Saturday finishing in 8:50:22, congrats!! How you can push your body like that I do not know. My marathon is a walk in the park in comparison.

Speaking of marathons, when we got home at around 5pm that day, I realised I would be missing a run. I was shattered and my throat still aching. When Keegan was around that evening I could barely look at him I was so ashamed of missing it. Fancy missing a tiny 1 hour run the same day your coach comes 7th in an Ironman! Eeeek.....

Well... I was going to make up for the day off.

The next morning I set off for my long Sunday run at 6:15am in the dark. Running around the lake was gorgeous, and I think I must've said goodmorning to 40 other runners during the run, everyone was so friendly.

Now I don't know if it was the guilt from not running the previous day, or inspiration from the Ironman (or perhaps the Moro Bars!), but after 3 hours running I knew I could keep going. And so I did.

I ran past Keegan & Tracy's hotel on the lake front and they waved out and gave me the thumbs up. Five minutes later a car load of my cousins and siblings drove past with them tooting and waving. A little extra motivation.

So I kept running.

As I reached 3:30 I passed another runner I'd passed many times during my run. I must've looked terrible because he could see I was struggling. He cheered me on telling me to keep going as he past by. Kindness of strangers, eh?

So I kept at it.

I ran 4 hours and 37.4km (23.32 miles). Ahhh.... easy peasy ;-P

My run was rewarded a few hours later with a glass of red wine and nachos at a restaurant on the lake front, BLISS!!

Unfortunately, weekends must end and this morning it was back to work. My throat is still killing me so maxing out on lozengers, tea with Tim Tams, and Goody Gum Drop ice cream. Nom nom.