Running closer to the starting line

This past week has been an eventful one for me athletically. On Saturday, I had my first real rugby game. It wasn't exactly close (67-5 us winning), but it was experience none-the-less. The real highlight was my training run on Sunday.

After being defeated at 13 miles last week, 18 miles seemed like a mighty beast of a run. The course consisted of a flat stretch of land between Westpac Stadium and an unmarked area on the highway three miles apart.

Easy, except for the fact that you have to do this six times. After going to the local running shop to get some high energy GU, all that was left to do was run.

So that I did.

As a wise poet once said "On and on and on, everybody's rushing..." describes perfectly the feeling that went on. I started significantly faster than I wanted to, but I felt good about it. I just kept on running.

Now, I shall spare you two and a half hours, the pain was present but overcome by the stiffness in my muscles. This stiffness actually started while I was still running! All-in-all I had overcome my defeat last week and added 5 miles to it. The starting line is now painfully close and with that a new continent waiting for me.

There is another training run waiting for me tomorrow and I feel unstoppable!

Cross Country–Muddy Country

Today the Scots College cross country team took a trip to Karori park (a local track about 20 minutes away from school) for a 10k, five-man relay. Upon arrival the weather was ominous. The clouds were peeking out from behind the hills like glaciers through a mountain valley. Initially it was cloudy and the track was muddy but, like clockwork, the rain came before the race.

I was the first runner in my five-man team. The crowd was alive and chattering, but not really paying attention to the race. The over 16 (age) category went first, given a one minute head start. As I walked up to the starting line, I was a little nervous and already soaking wet. The crowd was so loud I couldn't even hear the starting call. Having a ten second disadvantage, the run was already starting poorly.

The track went on the inside of a paved path at first, through the main drainage path of the feild to aquire maximum muddyness. As we rounded the first corner about 700m into the race, sveral people wiped out and landed on their stomachs. It sounded a bit like thunder, though only five people slipped.

After another few hundred metres, we crossed a stream and into the sight of the steepest hill I have ever seen in my life. Luckily, we did not have to tackle it head on; we cut across the face of it. The hill was about a 75 degree slope and two people slid down, 20 metres into the brush, having to climb back up the face to avoid disqualification.

After this, we ran up a monotonous alpine trail, about 30 degree incline, hurdling logs and ascending in a serpentine fashion. Then, came the fun part. We galloped down the mountain, reaching top speeds, gaining the momentum we needed to run past the oblivious crowd and to touch the second runner.

The whole ordeal left me very muddy but luckily the rain helped wash me up.

Horribly windy run

 

Yesterday (Mother's Day) my father and I headed out for a 16 mile training run. It was miserable. We underestimated the force of the wind and 16 miles seemed like 100. Sadly, I only made it 13 miles.  Hopefully there will not be wind on race day!