NZ Adventure #Take12Trips

It had been 12 months since we'd been to NZ last and 18 months since we'd last been to Christchurch. This trip was going to include two very special things - my first ultra marathon and my big brother's wedding! 

As you can imagine I was very excited about boarding the plane! 

We flew into Christchurch for 4 days where we caught up with as many family and friends as we could. This included a sleepover with my Aunty and Uncle in Church Bay which is where I used to live back in the day. I loved hanging out with my family and it brought back great memories of my time there. I was pretty chuffed when I caught the Diamond Harbour Ferry across from Lyttelton and the driver remembered me from years ago! This is a fun trip to take if you're in Christchurch - you can bus out to Lyttelton which has great art/craft stores and funky cafes and bars and then catch the ferry across to Diamond Harbour to check out the cute wee cafe and bar over there or go for a short walk around the bay. 

Diamond Harbour Ferry in the Lyttelton Port

Christchurch hasn't changed much since we were there last unfortunately. There's still a lot of construction and a lot of the city is still yet to be rebuilt. One great thing we found though were shops and cafes that have been started up using big sea containers. I love the innovation of the business owners - it was fun dining alfresco for a coffee and being served from a sea container. 

Coffee in Christchurch

We also went out to a friend's farm (Scotty's old boss) while we were there for morning tea one day. It was so nice to see the farm again and our lovely friends that we hadn't seen since our wedding in 2011. It reminded me how much I love being on the farm and away from big city life. 

Our time in Christchurch also included a big family brunch, an Italian dinner with friends and two fantastic visits with my grandparents. The whole trip was very much about spending time and creating new memories with some of the most important people in our lives. 

From Christchurch we flew to Auckland where we picked up a hire car and met my beautiful Mumma and our friend Tom who had both flown over from Perth that day.

The four of us drove down to Rotorua which is where we were spending the next 5 nights. Rotorua is a fantastic tourist destination in the north island. There are beautiful lakes, waterfalls and forests to explore as well as lots of adventurous activities for all the thriller seekers out there. 

Because we were there for the race ( My First Ultra - Tarawera 73km ) most of our activities revolved around that, including an official welcome, race registration and briefing, and a Q & A panel for the elite athletes (Scotty, not me!). The rest of our time was spent looking around Rotorua, checking out the course for the race, playing disc golf and spending time with family and friends.

A must do in Rotorua is visiting Te Puia. We were lucky enough to get free entry and had the official race welcome on the marae there. 

Official race welcome

Te Puia geysers

Another must do in Rotorua is a visit to the Fat Dog Cafe. The food is amazing (huge servings) and the service is exceptional. We went there for lunch with about 15 others and there was a line out the door of people ordering food and drinks. Although it took a little while to place our orders the food came out about 10 minutes later! 

As you can see, the meals are huge!
This burger was basically the size of two normal burgers... And I ate it all!

After a week of race activities and the race on the Saturday, we drove back to Auckland on the Monday and flew down to Nelson. There's something about going on small propeller planes that I love! 

The next 3 days were spent with my big brother and his beautiful fiancé (now wife!) looking around their farm, hiking up to the Mt Arthur Hut, spending quality time and relaxing. 

Group photo on our hike up to the Mt Arthur Hut

Scotty trying to figure out how to convince me to move back to NZ...

Mumma and I on our hike stopping to enjoy a beautiful waterfall

It was so nice to be out on the farm and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. So nice in fact that Scotty kept collecting real estate brochures... One day!

On the Thursday the rest of the family arrived and we had a busy day of wedding prep before a fantastic night celebrating Amy's 'last night of freedom'! 

Amy's new in-laws all dressed up and ready to party 80's style

The next three days were spent up at Lake Rotoiti, a stunning part of New Zealand which is where the wedding was held. Lakes and mountains... what more could you ask for as the backdrop to the most important day of your life. 

On the Sunday afternoon we started making our journey home, stopping in Christchurch for the night before continuing on to Melbourne and then Perth early Monday morning. 

It was so nice to have spent some time in New Zealand again making amazing memories with family and friends. It definitely made us miss living there... But we'll be back to live once the time is right! 

For anyone that hasn't been to New Zealand or hasn't seen much of the beautiful country, I highly recommend going. There is so much to see and do! A fun way to see the country is by campervan - you can head off on a roadtrip, stop whenever you like, wherever you like! 

Or if you're short on time, decide which area you'd like to see most and spend as much time as you have exploring there! 

My #Take12Trips Challenge - April Edition will see me flying solo to Rarotonga for a week - keep an eye out at the end of April to see what I get up to! 

The one constant amongst the chaos - #Take12Trips

I've gone for something a bit different in February for my #Take12Trips Challenge. 

                                

The month flew by without me even realising. It certainly didn't help with the fact that there were only 28 days instead of the usual 30 or 31 to fit everything in. It was our first month back at work after 6 weeks off, we had lots of social commitments and catch ups with friends, and of course, the saga of the broken down car! 

Amongst all that, the one constant was my running. I knew that every Friday I'd receive my training program for the following week and I could plan out where and when I'd get the training done. 

One of those sessions was a long run on a Sunday - 3.5 hours to be exact. Scotty suggested going down to Mt Cooke and Mt Vincent to run on a section of the Bibbulmun Track that I hadn't seen before. 

I love getting to explore new places, and running is one of my favourite ways of seeing different parts of this amazing world we live in. 

The start of the run is only about an hour drive south of Perth - so close, yet it feels like it's a lifetime away from the city! 

It was a stunning morning, the weather was perfect and the sun was just starting to come up as we set off from the car. 

                          

Running through trees and along trails is so peaceful. All you can hear is the birds chirping and the rustling of the occasional lizard - well, you hope they are only lizards! 

                                

Climbing up over Mt Cooke was really something. I kept stopping along the way and looking out to the never ending bush. Moments like that make you realise how lucky you are to be alive, and just how small you are in the grand scheme of things. 

                         

The time flew by and I got to run along lots of different terrain - sometimes running through the bush, other times running down a slab rock face. And all the time feeling blessed to be exploring more of WA that I hadn't seen before. 

                         

For me, running on trails is such a great escape. There are no cars or cell phones, no people or noise - just you and your thoughts. And I love that I get the chance to think about life and make plans without the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

                         

Not all trips have to be big extravagant overseas adventures, they can be as big or as small as you like. And a great way to stay healthy and try something new is choosing an active 'trip'. Don't worry, you don't all have to head off for a 3.5 hour run, but there are some amazing trails around the world to explore - or kayaking or cycling might be more your thing. Whatever activities you like, try to incorporate one of those into your next trip! 

                         

Keep an eye out for the #Take12Trips March Edition which is all about family, friends and adventure in the beautiful country of New Zealand and will be up on the blog soon! 

My First Ultra - Tarawera 73km

How do you run for 10 hours...? 

That seems to be the first question people ask when they hear about my race. And when I take the time to stop and think about it, I really don't have an answer. The time it was taking really didn't come into it - I just knew that I had to keep running until I got to the finish line. And when I say running I mean trudging through the mud in the pouring rain and trying not to slip and hurt myself. 

Being the girlie runner that I am meant that I took things very slowly through the muddy sections, which became bigger and longer as more rain fell. One guy ran past me and said 'This is so much fun!' I suddenly thought, you're right! I felt like a kid on a rainy day splashing in the puddles and it put the biggest smile on my face. 

But let me back track for a bit as the mud was mainly in the last 17km...

After 5 weeks of training and a week of tapering it was time to race!

We spent Friday night getting everything ready for the race, making sure I had all the things I'd need to get through the day. We set our alarms for 4.30am and went off to bed. 

The alarm went off and I was instantly wide awake, excitement streaming through my veins. 

I had some muesli for breakfast and then knew that I could chill out for a bit before getting dressed. I was feeling relaxed which was great, I'm not sure why but I just didn't feel nervous. I knew I could finish the distance and I wasn't worried about my time so really I just had to go out there and have fun. 

We set off to the start line, picking up Aunty Avis and Uncle Ag on the way. There were hundreds of people at the start and everyone was in such good spirits. It had started to drizzle but the temperature was perfect. 

While we were standing there they made an announcement to say that the 65km long course was now going to be 69km! Yikes! Oh well, what's another 4km when you're already running that far. NB: It wasn't until much later in the race that I found out it was actually 73 or 74km... Wowsers, this was going to be a long day! 

After an official welcome, a song and a countdown from 10 to 1 we were off! It was a bit of an anticlimax at the start as everyone slowly made their way up the hill. I definitely learnt my lesson that I need to start closer to the front in races. As everyone bottle-necked up the stairs I came to a standstill. Feeling slightly frustrated I squeezed out around the side and ran up the side of the stairs - I would've been there all day if I hadn't. As it was it still took me just under 20 minutes to do the first 2km! 

After about 5km I reached two signs, one pointing to the 'short' course and one to the long course. I looked twice at the short course sign before quickly heading off in the direction of the long course, getting a high five from Tim Day as I ran past. 

I think my chosen outfit for the day caused quite a stir along the course... As I ran back through the start line after the first 12km loop a lady called out 'nice abs!' Thanks to whoever that was, it gave me such a boost. Later in the day as I was running down the never ending mountain into the Okataina checkpoint a girl coming towards me said 'Wow, you're a supermodel!' Once again, thanks! That made me smile and took my mind off the pain in my quads. 

Mum and Aunty Avis were waiting at the start line to quickly refill my water before I took off again. The plan had been to run with Uncle Ag for the first 10km or so, but we lost each other in the first km when I snuck past all the people walking up the stairs. 

Running around Blue Lake was beautiful and brought back nice memories of when Scotty and I had done a short run there the year before. I was feeling really good and had to make sure I didn't get too carried away with my pacing because there was still a really long way to go. 

It was so nice knowing that mum was going to be at every checkpoint waiting for me. Coming into the Blue Lake checkpoint she gave me everything I needed, refilled my water and off I went. Clearly I was far too focused as I didn't even notice all of the volunteers in their pyjamas and onesies!

It was only about 5km to the next checkpoint but I actually found that section quite tough. The trail went through the forest - there were lots of tree roots and the ground was very soft underfoot. It was beautiful, but it just meant taking things easy so that I didn't roll an ankle. 

As I was coming into the Okareka checkpoint there was a really exposed section around the lake and the wind was almost knocking me off my feet. Mum and Aunty Avis were jumping up and down waving frantically so that I would see them. It was nice to be able to give mum a quick smooch before running off down the trail at each checkpoint. 

A couple of km down the road was the Millar Road checkpoint. Support crew couldn't access this area but 'the Flintstones' were there to cheer everyone on. I decided to have a piece of watermelon and a couple of slices of orange because I was feeling a bit hungry. I've never eaten proper food on a run before so I didn't want to have too much. 

I knew that the next section is where I'd cross paths with Scotty. This took my mind off the race as I was trying to do the maths in my head to figure out when I'd see him. 

I spent the next few km running with other people and having a chat which was nice. I had a chuckle to myself as I was running along in hokas and one of the guys I was running with had a pair of vibrams on. As the top runners started coming back towards me I made a point of keeping track of how far behind Scotty was.

Next thing I knew Scotty was coming down the trail towards me, I was so excited to see him! We had a quick chat (and a quick kiss) and then he was off! 

It gave me a real boost getting to see him and all I could think about was what position he would finish in. Little did I know that he'd been having knee trouble which was slowing him down. 

The decent down into Okataina was brutal. Never before had I wanted a downhill to end as much as I did that day. My quads were screaming at me to stop and all I could think was that Scotty had warned me about that part of the race. I literally had to stop a couple of times so that I wasn't running downhill for a few seconds and my legs could get a rest. 

As I came into the Okataina checkpoint mum and Aunty Avis were standing in the pouring rain completely soaked (lucky we bought mum a brand new waterproof jacket the day before!) As soon as they saw me they were clapping and cheering. They said that I had to do an out and back around the lake to make up another 4km... Just when I thought I was halfway and could start heading to the finish line! 

The out and back was interesting. There were so many people going in both directions that I had to keep stepping to the side to let them past. There was a super excited guy at the turnaround point handing out hair ties to prove we'd gone the whole way - his enthusiasm was fantastic! 

Once I got back to Okataina I got to stop and have a bit of a chat with mum and Aunty Avis. They refilled my water and gave me more gels and endurolytes while I drank my strawberry milk (good source of protein!). I'd never had a milk drink during a run before so I was a bit nervous about how it would sit in my stomach. I know, I know, never try anything new on race day! Thankfully I was fine! 

One of the highlights of the race was when my watch clicked over to 50km. I couldn't believe it, I had just run 50km!! I was pretty emotional at seeing this and had to fight back the tears. 

The final section (approx 18km) was tough. I had been dreading the climb back out of Okataina but that was actually pretty easy. I hiked the whole thing and was feeling pretty good. It was nice to see Uncle Ag as he was coming down the hill - we stopped for a quick chat before continuing on. Unfortunately he was pulled from the race once he reached Okataina due to the time cut off. We decided later that it was probably a blessing in disguise once we saw the state of his toes! 

By now my watch had died - it only has an eight hour battery life. I was hoping it would last for the 60km but when I knew I was running 73km there was no chance it would last that long. 

It was hard running without a watch, I didn't know how far I'd gone or the pace I was doing. It also made it difficult to judge when I was due to take my gels and electrolytes. I just had to guess and hope that I got it right. By now my stomach was sick of taking them anyway so I probably took less than I had thought I would, but I still had a good amount of energy. 

Trudging through the mud was tough. And there was a lot of mud! I didn't want to slip and hurt myself so I took things really easy. My goal was to finish and I wasn't worried about how long it was going to take, I just wanted it to be fun. And slipping and hurting myself was not my idea of fun. 

It seemed like it was taking forever to get back to the Millar Road checkpoint, I had no idea how far away it was or how long I'd been running. People started passing me as I tiptoed through the mud. I moved to the side and cheered them on as they went past. 

Next thing I knew I was running around a bend and suddenly heard Scotty cheering for me. I was so happy to see him - after finishing his own race (in 5th place!!) he'd come back down the trail to meet me! 

We ran together to Millar Road which was only about 1km thank goodness. I was really hungry by this point so stopped and had some more orange and had a chat with the volunteers. They were rather wet looking Flintstones by this stage. 

We continued on down the road - it was a gradual downhill to the finish line. My legs had just about had enough but Scotty kept telling me to keep running. As I was running down the road I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. One of the photographers that was taking shots of people coming down the road said 'She's been smiling like that all day!' It was so nice to hear! 

Scotty said I'd soon be able to hear the PA system, and he was right. As I started to hear voices over the PA and people cheering I started to get choked up. I was so close. A few hundred metres and there was a left hand turn off the road and onto the grass, and straight down the finishing chute. 

Scotty cheered me on and then took off to stand with mum and Aunty Avis. I ran hard along the grass to the finish line, tears in my eyes and feeling an overwhelming sense of achievement. Mum, Aunty Avis and Scotty were screaming and clapping, and grinning from ear to ear. 

I'd done it, I'd just run 73km, I'd just finished my first ultramarathon! 

I couldn't have done it without the unconditional love and support of my amazing husband. He helps me train, keeps me focused and encourages me to pursue my dreams. Having him run the last 4km with me was the perfect way to finish the race. 

And what made it even more perfect was having my incredible mum there every step of the way and to see the look of happiness on her face at every checkpoint and even more so at the finish line. I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way!

A double dose of the '100 Happy Days' Challenge: Days 64 - 77

Two weeks have passed since my last post in the '100 Happy Days' Challenge due to some technical difficulties I had while we were away on holidays. And here we are at Grati-Tuesday again already.  

The past two weeks have been filled with family, friends and adventures - my perfect idea of a family holiday! 

Nothing is more important to me than my family and I feel blessed every time I get to share special moments with them. They are there through the good times and the bad, and it always brings a smile to my face when I think of all the amazing memories we've made together! 

Make the most of spending time with the people you love, they won't be around forever and you never know what's around the corner! 

Here's a look at some of the things that made me happy while we were away: 

Day 64 - 'We got to visit my lovely grandparents today. It's always so nice spending time with them. This photo was taken at our wedding in 2011.'
My grandparents are starting to get older (as grandparents tend to do) so it was great getting to have a couple of visits with them while we were in NZ. I miss seeing them all the time like I used to when I lived there.

Day 65 - 'This amazing girl has flown over early from WA to be my support crew for my first ultra on Saturday. I surprised her when she arrived with a brand new crew shirt.'
I'm so glad mum was there to see me race and be part of my first ultra, we will have those memories forever.

Day 66 - 'Today we drove around the course to show mum where the checkpoints will be on race day. This is the first one. Starting to get so excited now!'
We only had time to see half the checkpoints that day, and as it turned out, they were the only ones we needed to show mum once the course was changed due to the cyclone. 

Day 67 - 'Tomorrow I'm competing in my first ever ultra marathon! This is the advice my coach emailed through to me this afternoon! So excited to start running!'
My coach is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to working with him leading up to my next big race in June.

Day 68 - 'By far my happiest moment today - finishing my first ever ultra marathon (73km)!'
My biggest running achievement to date - I was on cloud nine.

Day 69 - 'One of the joys of being a runner... You get to eat giant burgers and not feel guilty about it!'
This was just one of the many huge meals I ate that day! Who am I to argue with my body if it feels hungry!

Day 70 - 'The last time we had dinner with my big bro and his beautiful fiance was in Perth about 18 months ago so this was definitely a highlight of my day! (Excuse the lines, the original pic wouldn't fit on insta!)'
We had the best time visiting Lewis and Amy on the farm and can't wait to be able to visit again!

Day 71 - 'Lewis and Amy took us for a walk around some of the farm today to show us the property - this is a shot of Lewis and mum taking it all in.'
Combining two of my favourite things - family and exercise!

Day 72 - 'There's nothing better than relaxing with my beautiful family after a busy day exploring.'
Being on the farm was so peaceful.

Day 73 - 'Watching Scotty with our niece just melts my heart.'
This guy is going to make the best dad some day!

Day 74 - 'The pre-wedding family dinner on Friday night was so much fun! This wee princess was pretty excited about her dessert.'
I love getting to spend time with my nieces, they are the cutest!

Day 75 - 'One of the happiest days of my life so far... Watching my big brother marry the girl of his dreams!'
It was such a perfect day!

Day 76 - 'Saying goodbye to family is always hard, but making plans for when we will see each other again always puts a smile on my face.'
Leaving NZ was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be!

Day 77 - 'It was so nice getting back to work today and having kids coming up and hugging me to say that they missed me.'
After travelling all day we were pretty tired and not really looking forward to work, but seeing how much the kids missed us made it all worth while. 

Tarawera Training - The Final Week

Well this week was very easy and didn't involve much running at all. And the running I did have to do was all done in NZ which meant it was nice and cool. 

Unfortunately this week has brought news of a cyclone that is due to hit Rotorua... on Saturday!! There's been a lot of hype on Facebook about what jackets people should wear and whether they need to change their road shoes for their trail shoes. I was already planning on wearing trail shoes so that didn't affect me, and my biggest concern about the rain was that I'd have to find a waterproof jacket to match my pink and purple theme for my race day outfit ;-) 

Luck was on my side and I found a super cute purple jacket in RnR in Christchurch. So, if the cyclone comes, I'm ready! I'm more concerned about my amazing Mumma getting wet while she crews for me. I've got an umbrella for her but that might not cut it if the weather gets really bad. But, it'll be what it'll be and a bit of rain won't dampen either of our spirits. She is super excited to be here and I couldn't be happier that she'll be there for my first ultra. 

But enough about that, back to my training/taper for the week. 

We arrived into Christchurch on Sunday morning at about 12.30am, got to bed at about 3am and then had to get up at 6.30am to go running. As you can imagine we were pretty tired. 

Scotty and I both had to do 90 minutes and we'd organised to go with Scotty's dad and his running group up to the Port Hills. We parked at one of the club member's houses and ran from there. It was a fantastic run along the outskirts of Christchurch and then up the Rapaki Track. The weather was nice and cool and we got great views of Christchurch, until the cloud came over and we couldn't see a thing! 

After the run we went into the garage of the house where we'd parked with the other club members and had a cup of tea/coffee and a biscuit. It was a fantastic way to end the run - such a great community feeling. 

The next day I had to do 45 minutes with 3 x 5 minute efforts. I was going to do my run in the morning out in Church Bay where I'd spent Sunday night with my aunty and uncle but decided to go once I got back to town. 

Scotty came with me and we ran from his parents' place in Burnside and did a few laps on the grass at Burnside Park. I felt really good and was holding a great pace for my 5 minute efforts - the perfect confidence boost! 

Wednesday was supposed to be an easy 30 minute run. I was going to go in Christchurch before we flew out but didn't end up having time (it might be due to the fact that we decided to go for coffee instead!). So, after flying to Auckland where we picked up my Mumma and our friend Tom and then driving to Rotorua we arrived in just enough time to head straight to the BBQ at Paul's house (the race director). So, no Wednesday run for me!

On Thursday I went for a short walk with my Mumma and Aunty Avis around Blue Lake while Scotty and Uncle Ag went for a jog. The trail is amazing around there and it got me very excited for race day. 

Later that afternoon we drove around to a few of the checkpoints to show Mumma and Aunty Avis where they'll be going on Saturday. It's all pretty straight forward and I'm sure they'll be fine. Seeing some of the hills we'll be climbing up and down made me slightly nervous, but mainly just excited! 

It's a tradition for Scotty and I to go for a run together the day before a big race, or any race for that matter. The only difference this time is that we are both racing! 

So on Friday morning we got up early before the Official Race Welcome and went for a 15 minute jog along the river. Running past the geysers made for an interesting experience and something you don't get to do every day. 

I'm feeling great and so excited to get to the start line tomorrow morning. It's going to be an incredible experience. I have no idea how I'm going to feel during the race and no idea what time I'll finish, but as long as I have fun that's all I'm worried about. 

Next time you hear from me I'll officially be an ultra runner! Wish me luck!!

NB: Since writing this post the course has now been changed to a 65km race due to the cyclone. I'll give you all more details in my race report, but for now it's off to bed. 

'100 Happy Days' Challenge: Days 57 - 63

This week's post is being written in Christchurch, NZ which means... we're on holidays!! And nothing makes me happier than being on holidays. We've spent the past few days catching up with as many friends and family as possible and have been loving every minute of it. 

We haven't been back to Christchurch in about 18 months - it's so nice to be here. 

Here's a few other things that have made me happy this week: 

Day 57 - 'I used to think the idea of having a milk drink after a run was a horrible idea... Now I love it! And I get to use the excuse that it's got protein in it, so it's good for me... right?'
Some healthy protein bliss balls would probably be the best option, but this is the easy version of getting protein in after a run.

Day 58 - 'My dress for my brother's wedding finally arrived!'
I ordered a dress online a few weeks ago and it only just arrived before we flew out, thank goodness!

Day 59 - 'Holidays start now!' I love holidays, especially ones that include friends, family, running and my big brother's wedding!!

Day 60 - 'We just had to fork out $2,500 when we picked up our car from the mechanics which was less than ideal, but then we got in the car and found a whole bunch of goodies that they'd left us as a thank you gift for using their services - totally made me smile! It really is the little things that people do that mean the most in life.'
A rather expensive gift, but it turned a frustrating moment into one that made me smile. 

Day 61 - 'Arriving in Christchurch! Can't believe it's been almost 18 months since we were here last.'
Our last visit to Christchurch was a very short trip for a funeral, so it's nice to be here for a happier occasion and to be able to catch up with so many friends and family.

Day 62 - 'Staying with my aunty and uncle for the night in Church Bay, NZ - brings back such great memories of when I used to live here. This was the view on our walk this afternoon.'
I used to take this view for granted when I lived here, it really is a stunning part of the world. 

Day 63 - 'Devouring this delicious pizza while catching up with some of my favourite Christchurch peeps.'
There's nothing better than catching up with friends over a nice meal.