Things I learnt in 2010 #3

That being injured sucks. I already knew that having a running injury sucks on account of getting injured after my half marathon in 2008, but in 2010 not only did my running injury flare up again but I had back troubles as well. Ug. While I appreciate that in the scheme of injuries mine were relatively minor and that others have it much worse, I still spent much of the winter feeling very frustrated at being unable to bike, run or sit still for longer than an hour. I'm working with weights to try to ensure neither injury returns, and here's hoping that 2011 is the year of no back pain and running more than 5km without getting too sore.

Finishing my half in 2008. Little did I know then that two weeks later I'd hurt my feet so badly I'd still be nursing random injuries over two years later.

Great walks indeed

According to the Department of Conservation website, New Zealand has nine great walks. During a spate of communing with nature between 2005 - 2006, Tane and I joined Bonnie, Sarah C and a bunch of others to do two of them; the stunning Tongariro crossing day trip, and the three day Waikaremoana walk. As these walks pre-date both this blog and either of us owning a digital camera, I haven't blogged about them yet. I have recently acquired a (somewhat grainy) scanner as well as retrieved my photos from storage though so here I go. Yay!

Getting out some warmer clothes during the Tongariro crossing

The Tongariro crossing was excellent and I totally recommend it for a good day out. It took us about 8 hours, seemed to go through multiple climates, and had us constantly stopping to either put on or take off a layer. I loved it though, and after the aptly-named "The Devil's Staircase" part of the walk, the hot pools in nearby Tokaanu were very much appreciated afterwards.

Lake Waikaremoana

The Lake Waikaremoana walk the following Easter was also fabulous. Three days of walking, not showering, using long-drops and getting blisters the size of a bottle top are not every one's cup of tea. We both really enjoyed it though - the scenery was glorious and being in the bush very calming. If I did it again I think I'd take four days rather than three for more lazing around time, but it was still a great few days.

Given it's been four years since our last great walk I am looking forward to doing at least one more this summer. The only challenge though is deciding which, so if you have any recommendations about the other 7 I am very interested!

Lauren's half marathon

Here's some more pics of Lauren's epic run around Hyde Park and central London. While she was breaking through the pain barrier to the gentle sounds of Rammstein and Muse, I did the good husband thing - sat in the sun with a paper, took photos and cheered.

Before. Not sure where Lauren finished in relation to Mr Cow Head ...

... but Mr Badger Head had the edge on her.

Hyde Park in its autumn glory.

Check out Lauren's blisters. Yum!

21 km and still standing (just)

Today I completed my first half-marathon. It was a lovely scenic run through one of the prettiest parts of London, passing Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Temple, Trafalgar Square, and most importantly, my work. Even later in the run when I felt like I had found myself in some cruel alternative reality where time stands still and all you can do is run, I was able to appreciate the loveliness of Hyde Park in autumn.

A do run run run ...

The Half was put on by the Royal Parks Foundation and had something like 12,000 participants ,which was fabulous - lots of participants means lots of supporters, and lots of supporters means a massive crowd that I was too ashamed to walk in front of, so I was able to push that little bit harder. I put more than what I had into crossing the finish line and as soon as I did my body totally gave up and Tane claims I was staggering like a drunkard. In fact, I was approached by this kind official who wanted to make sure I was OK.

Him: Are you OK? You don't look OK.
Me: Water!
Him: Do you need to sit down?
Me: Water!

In spite of that, the blood blisters on my toes and the feeling that I will never walk like a normal person again, I loved it. A few of us are enrolled in a second half marathon in Bath next March, and I am looking forward to beating my time and crossing the finish line looking like someone that has finished a crate day rather than run 21 km!

Peas, trees and a portable BBQ

Last weekend, London had the first day of summer. It was glorious, and the only bad part about the first day of summer was deciding which dust-covered-ignored-for-about-a-year t-shirt to wear. It was so glorious, we decided to spend the day with Megan and Clint in the woods of Wendover in near bye Buckinghamshire.

In the course of a long walk through the woods, a few things of note happened. First, we got lost.
Second, Tane found a massive field of peas.
And lastly, the Australians introduced us to the joys of a £1.50 portable BBQ.
Despite the fact that it looked like the £1.50 it was worth, it did the job. Afterwards we were happily filled with both sausages and the promises of many BBQs over the summer to come. Bliss.

P.S. the weather has gone yuck again but we live in hope that we have not already seen the best day England has to offer this summer!

Trail running - who knew?

Last weekend, Tane and I joined two Aussies that like beer, two Englishmen that like tea and Stephen who likes both for a long weekend roadtrip to the Lake District. Our motivation for going was a 15 km trail run around Hawkshead, a small English village that looked like something right out of an Enid Blyton book. We hired a cottage, a 7 seat car that could fit a bike as well as our combined body weight in junk food and a cooler of beer, and off we went.

The trail run was one of those things that felt like a great idea back in January when Sarah first told me about it, and that we all signed up to assuming that we would spend the next three months training hard. Trail runs are, as the name suggests, runs through the bush, up and down hills, and over lots of gravel and mud. Naturally, though, none of us did any training, unless you count the odd walk through Hyde Park and lots of exercising my mouth by talking about my intentions to go running.

At about the 5km mark, photo courtesy of a photographer who sold me this picture afterward.

I was surprised to find that the trail run is one of the most satisfying things I have done in a long long time. The up hill parts killed me and I was sure that the downhill parts would result in a broken bone, but in the run was still awesome. The scenery was fabulous, and I don't think I have ever smiled so much while being so tired and sore. I was especially happy that my white sneakers are now a dingy shade of brown, proof to the world that I have actually used them. :)

Afterwards with James and Richard

Tane, alas, was too sick to participate, but he and the English boys had a nice run up a steep hill just for the sake of it a couple of days later.

Down they come ..

The weekend was fabulous, and I will add more photos later when I manage to get copies from some of the others. In the meantime, though, I will be searching for more trail runs to do later this year - assuming of course that the current wooden-plank feeling in my legs goes away and I am ever able to walk properly again!

Megan and some rural England

Run of DOOM minus four weeks

The half-marathon is in four weeks time. Unfortunately, my “training” over the past two weeks has consisted of little more than carrying around my running gear and talking loudly about the runs that I might hypothetically do. Until yesterday, over the last two weeks I had eaten a greater number of chocolate bars than I had run kilometres, which would have been great if I was training for a chocolate-eating competition.

Yesterday, though, Tane dropped me off at Scorching Bay and said he wouldn’t return with the car until I had gone for a decent run. That was the push I needed to change my running to chocolate eating ratio. By the time he rolled back to get me I had struggled around the 12 km Miramar Peninsular, the farthest I have ever run. Yay! The Chocolate Fish café at the end has never had a more grateful customer. Pity I was so shagged during most of the run that my eyes were fixed on the white line on the side of the road rather than the stunning scenery.

Today, I feel like someone has replaced my limbs with cardboard planks. The more I run, the more certain I am that I have the natural running ability of a cardboard box filled with custard pies. I am enjoying it though, especially learning how to do something that has intimidated me ever since the wobbliness of puberty set in.

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Just a note: despite my "training", I doubt I will ever attempt a chocolate eating competition. I was in a banana eating competition when I was 13 and never want to experience an eating competition of any sort ever again.

A do run run run

There are three types of people in his world. The first type are made for running. If they were an animal, they would be something of the sprinting across the Savannah to feast on a Wildebeest variety. These are the people that get a placing in school cross country runs, and do not hesitate to pull on some Lycra that looks tight enough to cut off circulation to their vital regions and go for a jog. The second type are physically incapable of running, perhaps on account of having no legs. The third type, though, are those that find running a real chore. Perhaps it’s because they are too wobbly, or just too uncoordinated. These are the people that came last in the school cross country, and go running in baggy T-shirts that came free at a university orientation years ago. If this third group were an animal, they would be the Wildebeest.

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I sit very easily within the Wildebeest camp. Running is such an effort, I used to like to think that I was allergic on account of the fact that it made me sweat and puff. Treadmills scared me because I was sure that it was only a matter of time before they hurtled me into the air. Running outside was even scarier as people could actually see me there. Shudder.

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Earlier this year, I decided that I was sick of feeling like a spaz every time I tried to run and decided to lose the Wildebeest demons. The only way to truly motivate me to learn how to run, though, was to set an exercise goal that would scare me into running - hence my current training for a half marathon at the end of June.

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I am so scared at the idea of running 21 km I have been motivated to go running more times in the last three weeks than in the last three years. I am constantly sore, and even got blisters on the soles of my feet. I'm pretty determined though, and luckily have Tane to egg me on and run effortlessly beside me as I pant and wheeze. I've got to say, it feels pretty good to learn how to do something I've never been able to do before. And if, while doing it, it feels like the earth has been replaced by burning hot coals and the whole experience makes me want to crouch in the foetal position and suck my thumb, I just won't do it again.

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And I knew that I had to post my half-marathon intentions on the blog because then I couldn't back out for wussy reasons :)

5 reasons I love Easter

1. Chocolate eggs and hot crossed buns

Need I say more? Except that the new Cadbury Pineapple Lump eggs get an honorable mention this year. Mmmmmm.

2. Sweet, sweet mooching

I love Easter because it is four whole days to relax right when you need it. Every year I forget it's coming, and get that moment of sheer joy the Monday beforehand when I remember that it's only a four day week. Bliss. It is also a public holiday without the drama of Christmas, and without any obligation to go anywhere. Except, of course, the supermarket to stock up on buns and eggs. This Easter has been especially fabulous for sweet sweet mooching, and I feel thoroughly relaxed and happy.

3. Easter always makes me think of Italy

Nowadays, I hardly ever think about when I lived in Italy. Easter always reminds me, though, of being a cold, culture shocked foreigner living in Pietragalla back in 1998. While living there I decided it sounded like fun to partake in the Easter procession and eagerly volunteered. I hadn't realised, though, that this meant getting up at 4am to wrap up in my brown jumper covered in sheep and joining a small group of locals to walk around the village, behind a cross, singing carols about how much it sucked to be Mary the Mother of Jesus when Jesus was crucified. Every Easter I think about this ritual which no doubt continues to be practiced there.

4. It's a chance to do stuff that I've been meaning to do for ages

I have done so much this weekend that I've been meaning to do for ages. I have finished In Cold Blood (which was excellent), caught up on sleep, and even cleaned the kitchen. Momentous.

The highlight of the long weekend, though, was Tane and I doing a walk we had been meaning to do for ages - the walk to Pencarrow Head. Pencarrow is at the Eastern mouth of the Wellington Harbour, and getting there was a lovely 4 1/2 hour meander on a beautiful day. As always, the scenery was stunning, and it was very satisfying seeing Wellington from a different angle. The highlight, though, was reaching and having lunch at the lighthouse. As Tane put it while we were sitting, reading above the harbour: "It's a good life."

We also took a moment to reflect on what the lighthouse would have looked like back in 2001 when someone* apparently painted it like Mr Blobby. Interesting.

5. It's a chance to do something challenging

Last Easter, I pushed my physical boundaries walking around Waikaremoana. This Easter I pushed my physical boundaries too. With the help of my three sisters, I broke a personal record - five hours of shopping at Queensgate Mall. I think that I will need to start a strict training regime if I am ever to attempt that again.

*not naming names

Swimming, Running, Biking and Beer (Lauren)

Yesterday, I completed a triathlon. Yay!

Although I've done triathlons before, yesterday's was by far the hardest. I admit that I may only think that it was the hardest because it was only yesterday and the pain is so very very fresh. The first one that Mum and I did together in Palmy in early '04 was hard work, as was the one we did in Wellington last year that had such bad weather the swim was cancelled. The one yesterday was especially challenging though as the bike was hillier than usual, and the run longer. I signed up a few months ago, assuming that I would kill my lazy demons and train really really hard. Unfortunately, my "training" generally consisted of carrying around my gym bag but rarely actually using it.

Me, almost finished ...

During the swim, it occurred to me that I was doing a better impression of the Kursk than a dolphin. During the hilly bike ride, I cursed the hills with all my might. And during the run, I wondered if anyone would notice me having a sleep in the grass. It was all worth it though when I ran, exhausted, under the "finish" sign.

Yay!

I did the triathlon with Louise after convincing her that they were great. Tane and Richard (Louise's boyfriend) enjoyed themselves as well, especially once they discovered the on site bar. They did a great job of both supporting us and fitting in going the bar while we were out biking. I suspect that they took this photo to taunt us.

The supportive boyfriends, supporting us ... and the bar

Today it feels like someone has replaced my legs with planks of wood. My mid-section is so sore I wonder if someone came and jumped on my stomach in the middle of the night. There is something extremely exhilarating though about pushing your limits, and competing in an event designed to empower women. I am already looking forward to next time. And Mum, I intend to nag you until you sign up for the next one with me!

Wellington Anniversary Weekend Pics (Lauren)

I love Wellington Anniversary weekend. It is a three day weekend right when you are getting sick of work again after the Christmas break, and as it's not nationwide I usually forget about it until a little bit beforehand so it comes as nice surprise. I like it so much, I don't even care that I have no idea whatsoever what the anniversary is actually supposed to be of.

This Anniversary weekend, Tane and I did the Eastern Walkway. The walkway took a couple of hours, and goes along the hills overlooking the Wellington Harbour. It was great - fantastic views of the Harbour, seeing lots of sunbathing skinks, and walking a windy hilly path called "Branda's Pass" that Tane thought should belong in the Lord of the Rings. I think he was even a little disapointed that we did not get ambushed by bandits, as he thought the name would suggest.

The highlight of the day, though, was the Ataturk Memorial at the beginning of the walk.

The Ataturk Memorial is a pretty impressive memorial commermorating Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. At the memorial you can find lots of quotes about how highly Ataturk thought of the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli. Also, a plaque that reads:

"Beneath this star is placed a container of soil from Anzac cove, Gallipoli, Turkey"

Before going to the memorial, I had no idea that you could visit Turkish soil without leaving Wellington. The wind was a constant reminder however that we were not, alas, in Turkey. Not that I have been to Turkey (yet), but am sure that the wind doesn't blow so hard I feel like my hair is going to poke out my eyes.

Tane and the South Coast on a typical sneaky Wellington day. It looks great, but that's because you can't see the wind!

Something else that deserves a mention from this weekend was James Moir's 30th. The theme was the ghetto, and his backyard was transformed into da hood with a beat up old cop car (1970s style), a retro dance floor, and a wall for spray painting.

Tane, dressed as a ghetto pimp,tests out his tagging skills.

I learnt at that party, however, that I will never have a career as a ghetto ho. The spray painting was much too hard, and my "Lauren Was Here" looked more like a paintball had hit than actual words. If it wasn't for being able to wear my 80s jacket, it would have been a sad day indeed.

The moment I realised I would never be a ghetto ho. That jacket, though, even makes Tane look like he has an hourglass figure.

Me with James. I know it's not a good photo, but it seemed wrong not to publish a pic of James in his gold sweat suit.

Other highlights of the weekend were board games with Sarah and Grisham, sleeping in three days in a row, shopping with Philippa and Erin at Queensgate Mall, and bonding with my cat Max. Isn't he cute?

Max after Stephen had a play with photoshop.

Oh, and my other highlight: writing my blog while procrastinating from doing both housework and my Teaching English course. Sigh.