Month: March 2016

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Taihape half marathon

Date: 19 March
Distance: 21.1 (21.5km with our GPS)
Time: 2:19.07
Previous: 2015

At the start on a beautiful sunny morning in the country.
Jogging up the first hill that you encounter shortly after the start.
Running along the rolling hills is pure bliss.
Crossing a gorge before heading down a dirt road.
Some shelter from the trees keeping us from overheating.
High-5! Pete on his way back from the out-and-back stretch.
A jolly waterpoint at the turn of the out-and-back bit.
The volunteer water girl even offered to take our photo.
Interesting tree formations on the horizon as we jogged along the country roads.
Drinking in the beauty of the surroundings does wonders to keep your energy levels up.
Reaching the section of road comprising the out-and-back 10km event, things got increasingly social.
From about the 16 to 20km points you face a slow and steady uphill.
Firefighters doing the 10km as training for the Sky Tower challenge.
Over the last few kilometres we passed many 10km walkers.
Gerry trying his luck passing close to the whomping willow!
The finish in sight on the last long downhill.

As we drove up from Palmy for this event, I was counting my lucky stars that the weather was really good. Warm. Yet again. At last year’s event, the temperature was a bit cooler but still great. This year was just perfect for me, but I suspect at 20 degrees Celsius it was a bit on the hot side for most other participants. Continue reading →

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The 5-in-5-in-5 Challenge

Many running books I’ve read talk about being passionate about running. How you can only be a dedicated, committed runner if you love running. And while I do love the idea of running and everything it represents, and without fail feel better after a run than before it, I must admit that I often have difficulty getting myself ready and out the door for a run. Once I’m out there, it’s great, but beforehand I often simply don’t feel up to it, and would much rather be doing something else. Continue reading →

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Skyline Track – Khandallah, Wellington

Date: 5 March
Distance: 7.4km
Time: 1:17

We were making our way up the hill towards the left.
Wellington already seems far below, while the wind was howling on the ridges.
At the top of Mt Kaukau with stunning 360 degree views.
And just as steep as the uphills were, so are the downhills.
A whole network of trails are scattered around the suburbs of Wellington.
Sheltered from the wind in the bush.
Beautiful scenery and lovely terrain for a run.
Back to a walk up another hill in Khandallah.
As seen from our accommodation: the tower on the horizon is where we passed the highest point.

On a work trip to Wellington on the weekend, we were hoping to fit in a semi-long-run of about 15km between work commitments. Our overnight accommodation was in Khandallah and we thought it a good idea to explore the area. Little did I know that a run in this suburb would involve a rather decent hill training session! Continue reading →