running

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Run Mahana 21.1km – 1 December 2013

Uhum, this was actually a wee bit of a stretch before the start.
Briefing at the Woollaston Estate parking area – the orange caps are the pace setters.
Gerry a few second before the start on a sunny day in Nelson.
On the 1.1km out and back section on the first lap, one could see the front runners. A rare sight for the back of the packers.
Gerry at one of three water tables. Some also had jelly sweets to keep the blood sugar levels intact.
A little helper picking up the used cups.
Always happy to see/be around olive trees!
Prices were up for grabs in the “Mohana” category for Movember.
A clown en route for a bit of entertainment.
More monkey business with just one km to go.
Gerry flying past the vineyard on his way to the finish.
Photo by Shuttersport. The two of us still up for a laugh and a bit of fun.
The famous sculpture at the entrance to the estate.
Lovely venue for the start and finish of the race.
Gerry and I with our Woollaston Sav’s courtesy of the farm.

When Gerry signed up for this event about two month ago, I could barely cover the 5km loop we’ve been using as training for about three weeks. Worst is, it’s mainly downhill! I certainly didn’t expect to run 21km two months later. But we kept at it, did our little training run almost every day and even started to add “long runs” on weekends to get us used to a bit more distance than 5km. Continue reading →

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Hit that perfect beat!

drum

Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Oh no, I got to keep on movin’
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
I’m running and I won’t touch ground
Oh no, I got to keep on movin’

Miniature music players have taken over. The ipod, and a mass of ipod-like devices, have become a ubiquitous part of running culture – clothing manufacturers are even styling running clothes so that your ultra-hip little music player fits nicely into some funky ‘i-pocket’. (Take a chance, take a chance, take-a take-a chance-chance!) As a result, running with music has never been more popular, and runners the world over have their personal customised playlists to keep them trotting along. (Beat boy! Beat boy! hit that perfect beat, boy!) Continue reading →

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Kahuterawa Classic (15.4km leg) – 16 November 2013

Participants arriving at the start of the race.
Mike Tennant, working towards completing 52 races in 52 weeks.
Some back of the pack shenanigans.
In high spirits, despite the challenging hills.
Running in such wonderful hill country makes the miles go by in a flash.
A great little single-track section in the middle of the run.
Running along the hills provide wonderful views of the valleys around Palmerston North.
The last main turn, towards a farm track leading back to the start.
What would a New Zealand country run be without a flock of sheep in the distance?
Hitting the farm track approaching the finish.
Almost there – running along the farm track just before the last long downhill towards the finish.

After a lay-off of ages (and I really mean AGES – it’s been 2 years since we last participated in a road race, and since then our training has been more off than on) we recently decided to make a concerted effort to get back on the road. And knowing ourselves, we realised this was not going to happen if we didn’t have something to train for. So we entered the Classic Hits Run Mahana Half Marathon, scheduled for 1 December.

To make it to a level of fitness that would more or less get us through a 21.1km race by the start of December, we set some intermediate ‘long run’ targets – a 10km run a few weeks ago, 12km the week after that, and then, as our first race in a long, long time, the 15.4km second leg of the Kahuterawa Classic, a marathon split over 3 legs and two days, hosted by our local running club, the Manawatu Striders. Continue reading →

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Pukeiti Puffer fun run (6-7km) – 1 April 2012

Gerry, me and Henriette – nervously ready for big things.
Numbered and ready for take-off!
Dark clouds looming just before the start.
And we were off!
Me and Henriette, still going strong early in the race.
Queu at the hanging bridge.
The marshal at the hanging bridge making sure no more than four people are simultaneously crossing.
Gerry, on the bridge.
A short sealed section at the turn-around point.
Too much energy!
Henriette on the way back across the bridge.
Roll-call at the finish, making sure that everybody made it safely back.

It’s been four months since we’ve done any running. I honestly don’t think the four 5km run-walk attempts to try and get us back on the road in February, counts for any level of fitness. I huff and puff pretty much like my mom’s bulldog just walking up the 50 metre little incline behind our house!

Continue reading →

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Kahuterawa Two Day Classic – 19 & 20 November 2011 (43.99km)

Taking shelter from the rain before the start of the 15.42km event.
A handful of participants getting ready for the start of the walking event, with some threatening rain clouds on the horizon.
The field of about 20 participants in the 15km walking event.
Compared to running, passing other participants in a walking event seems to take forever!
Not far now. Gerry on the final stretch towards the finish, with the sun also making a surprise appearance.
The start of the half marathon run. Still rainy and windy.
Alister explaining the course before setting us on our way.
Gerry making the most of the lovely rolling countryside.
One of our busier moments on the run – the Kahuterawa Road out-and-back gravel section on the way to Black Bridge.
The drink station at the Black Bridge turnaround – me in last position.
Gerry and Alister (who manned the water table) having a chat while we take a rest at the start of the Greens Road out-and-back section.
When going so slow as we did, there’s time for playing around with photo opportunities.
Wonderful lunch in the Dransfield’s Woolshed. This race must be the best value for money in all of New Zealand.
Alister handling the prize-giving in the woolshed.

It’s official – I have well and truly run myself unfit. I guess that is what happens if you just pile on the kilometers, plodding away at the same pace without doing any quality sessions. And as we all know – when you go longer, you get slower.

When we ran the 7km section of this event last year, we promised ourselves to do the full event this year. But things don’t always work out as we plan, does it?

Continue reading →