Month: July 2017

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Hilder, honey and a half marathon

Date: 9 July 2017
Distance: 21.1km
Time: 2:17.26
Previous: 2014, 2015

Catching up with some fellow club mates.
This is giving me deja vu.
After the cyclists were gone, the small field of slow runners and fast walkers lined up at the start.
Time for a selfie :-).
Walking up the steep hills.
Just follow the signs and you will not get lost.
I don’t think NZ can take any more rain. Everything is soaking wet, with mud everywhere. Huge slips have caused road closures, some of which might be permanent.
Gerry taking a trip to the Kowhai loo.
Oh deer.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Patterson. Cheers!
A long downhill in the valley.
This bridge is about at the halfway point.
Gerry doing a speed session to catch up with me again after his pee stop.
What looks like strong wind blowing me over, was actually an attempt by me to make a Killian Jornet jump. But, alas, my feet wouldn’t go where I wanted them to.
Some ruins in the countryside which I haven’t noticed before (or have forgotten about).
Only the final kilometre through town. A very long kilometre at that!
Prize-giving about to begin.
This is the team behind this lovely event – Sport Hawke’s Bay.

 

The first time we did the Norsewood to Takapau half marathon, it was with family, who at the time lived in New Zealand. I will never forget the box filled with pots of honey that was handed out as spot prizes. Two out of the four of us received a pot of honey. When prize-giving rolled around the following year, I was audibly disappointed for not getting honey again, at which point the Hilders gifted us theirs. Last year the event was first postponed and later cancelled altogether, because of inclement weather, so definitely no pots of honey to be had. Continue reading →

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Stride for Syria

Date: 2 July 2017
Distance: 7.6km (+4km)
Time: 47:31 (30:00)

Setting up.
This is Manawatu.
Our beautiful river walkway.
Palmerston North Girls High School handling registration.
Palmerston North Boys High did all the talking and even had a band playing. How cool is that!
Participants getting ready.
Cool World Vision wrist bands were handed out to participants.
Unfortunately only a small field for this event.
Going round the bend – a very familiar part of the Super 7s event.
A few puddles to jump, if you can.
Gerry turning at the far end of Waitoetoe Park.
PNBHS manning the aid station – great job!
A nice off-road section.
Downstream from the bridge, the Bridle Track received a new layer of grit shortly before the Palmy marathon.

A week out from our half marathon, we had to fit in a last “cutback long-run” and decided to throw the Palmerston North Boys High School and Palmerston North Girls High School’s event into the mix.

The Stride for Syria intended to raise funds for the Syrian Refugee Crisis. It is labeled as “the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our time” after six years of ongoing fighting and conflict in Syria. According to the brochure that was handed out at the event, 470 000 people have been killed, and more than 4.8 million have fled the country, while 6.1 million have been displaced. That is nearly three times the population of New Zealand that is either dead, misplaced or having to flee for their lives. Continue reading →

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5 things no one tells you, bla-bla-bla …

Is it just me, or is everything your read these days on running forums and in running magazines, a number crunching game? For instance: “6 things you need to do right now”, “I did squats for 14 days and here’s what happened”, “do these 3 exercises right now”, “4 stretches that will fix all your problems”, “these 7 health foods aren’t so healthy”, “31 runner friendly recipes”, etc. You can almost not find an article that doesn’t contain a headline similar to these. But, I’m getting off topic.

getting_older_s.jpg

This post really is just a message I wish someone had banged into my head 20 years ago. And despite knowing what I know now, I still find it difficult to practice what I preach, but here goes nonetheless. Even if I fail miserably and have to say to myself 20 years from now, “I told you so!”. Continue reading →