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.
No comments:
Post a Comment