Tarawera Training Camp: 2 days, 60 odd kms, 50 great people

Last weekend I did something I've never done before - went along to a running camp. To be honest I never would have considered going if I hadn't been offered the opportunity by the brilliant team at the Collective Dairy Co who are supporting my Tarawera effort. And I am so glad they did!

Mal Law and the crew from Running Wild NZ ran this weekend and got the mix just right.

The Okataina Outdoor Education Centre
(from runningwildnz.co.nz)

Meeting up with a couple of other Wellington-based runners, we converged on Lake Okataina Outdoor Centre with people from Auckland, the Bay of Plenty, Palmerston North and from as far as Westport. The vibe was totally relaxed, easy-going, welcoming and inclusive - the champions runners and those of us with a more leisurely pace were equally at ease.

There was also a mix of those who had run the event before, newbies, and those not doing the Ultra but along for a great weekend out.

The setting? In a word: brilliant. Go there!

5 finger cast

The programme was relaxed - a talk from Kerry Suter on Friday night, then on Saturday, a 36 or 18km run on the Tarawera Ultra Course. This was a good chance to check the course. The first few kms are up and down through the Redwood Forest. A few people have told me that they've ended up walking the first kilometre or so as the track hits stairs and narrows quite quickly. I can see how that would be a good thing - the first couple of hills are a good warm up. The track around Blue Lake is fantastic, and on to Lake Okataina. We had a water station there, manned by a guy with one Vibram 5 finger shoe, and one plaster cast. Sometimes the trail bites back.

The rest was on the Western Okataina Walkway, a gorgeous trail with a series of long, moderate climbs and slight descents for some rest. It was unnecessarily hard for me (see "Beginner's Bonk"), but lovely nonetheless.

Want inspiration? Tune in to Mal Law. His talk about the amazing, crazy, frankly torturous sounding South Coast Trail. Any pain, fatigue, despair or can't-believe-I-paid-to-do-thisness on the Tarawera day just won't cut it. I'm determined to remember Mal's efforts to put it into perspective. And to satisfy myself that, compared to some runners, I'm still sane.

Sunday was great - easy pace, beautiful track, fantastic company and just a lot of fun. I'm soooo looking forward to this section on the day. Topped it all off with a swim in the river, ginger beer, half a muesli bar I found at the bottom of my pack. Perfect. We didn't stop in to the aid stations on the way back. Something tells me that not knowing what's after the 60km mark might be a good thing. Plod on, honey.

Tarawera Falls - end of day two.

Now it's taper time. And eating time. And settling the nerves time. And looking forward to the post-race recovery time. I'm as ready as I'll ever be!

A beginner's bonk

I've been very fortunate in the time that I've been running never to have bonked, in that classic all-out blow-out of dehydration-induced misery. On Saturday morning, I set off on a 36 km run, these days a good sized but not unusual weekend run. These are the rules I broke:

from nolimitsendurance.com

Rule 1: Don't go out too hard

I went out too hard. It was a great morning, and being out with a great group, there was a kind a collective "Let's go!" And we went. I slogged along quite happily for quite a while.  I got tired early on but I didn't ease off. I was having too much fun!

Rule 2: Make sure you drink enough

I didn't drink enough. I know this because I still had at least 1.25 litres left after 2 hours. Opps.

Rule 3: Fuel properly

I didn't fuel properly. I only ate half a muesli bar and some gel shots before I started feeling too sick to eat. Yup - the trifecta.

By the time I got to the 20km mark, I was doing it harder than I should have been. The track was gorgeous but I couldn't quite make the most of it. And from there it went downhill into cramp, which I'm very lucky to not normally have; nausea, cold sweats and general lack of anything in the tank. No little people coming out from behind the trees but they probably weren't far away!

 Luckily I was with someone else also in a rough patch, but who knew what to do, and was getting himself better. He offered me an electrolyte tablet, which I refused. Ten minutes later he insisted (think getting a kid to swallow an aspirin), and kept me company and patiently got me through. I must have looked like the walking dead - during the times when I was actually walking. Oh yes, running pretty!

By the time I got to the end of the trail I was feeling much better, but it took a couple of hours to feel semi-normal. The next morning I felt like I'd been out on the tiles the night before, which in a bodily sense I had. And it was just as self-inflicted as any nasty hangover. Just less expensive and at least no-one got photos on Facebook.

Kind of embarrassing, kind a stupid, but something I'm pleased I did that day, and not on race day. No longer a bonking virgin - I've ticked that off and hopefully, learned my lessons well.

An 80km weekend. Enough already!

It's done: the Big Weekend comprising one 7 hour run of Saturday, and a further 4 on Sunday.
It was a massive plus. Good weather, great company, a decent number of kilometres covered, and all without injury or incident. Even the food stayed down - oh, and only one small blister!

I feel more confident now, especially recovering well from these two outings. In fact the days off are now the hardest bits - and that's all mental, definitely not physical!

A short run-down...

Typical Akatarawa Forest trails
(from  www.envirohistorynz.com) 

Saturday: the Akatarawa Effort - approx 50km

Today began at 5am with rude alarm waking. Even the dog wasn't keen to get up! Shane and I began our run from Whareroa Farm, near Paekakariki about 40 minutes out of Wellington. We headed up to Cameron Mill Road, and then into the forest across to Hydro Saddle via Hydro Road and through Norm's Crossing to Toi Toi Road. There's a great map here for anyone interested.

At the 3 hour-ish mark, we looked at the road running steeply down in front of us, at the topo map showing that it rose just as steeply on the other side, and decided that the best training would be to turn around and extend the run at the other end. We made it back to the Mill Road, then followed it all the way to Maungakotukutuku Road, a loop back to the car and then, with 40 minutes to go, a loop around QE II Park. We finished (by design) at an ice-cream kiosk. Well earned, I say!

I felt good when I got home, thanks to sandwiches and tea in the car (thanks family!) and didn't sleep that afternoon, but ate up a storm. Because that wasn't enough - fuelling up for tomorrow.

Sunday: Makara, Skyline, and a wobble on home (30 km)

Another 5am start, more unimpressed looks from the dog. Today's running buddy was Malcolm who, with Shane, is running the 100km Tarawera race. They have both done the 85 km and are generous with their advice. It's all much appreciated!

We headed for a Tour de Makara - we are very lucky to have this so close to home. After a couple of hours on those tracks we headed for the Skyline Walkway, then doubled back into Otari Wilton's Bush to finish off. Four hours, 30 km, only 2km of which were on tarmac. Sunshine, a coffee to finish off, and then the satisfaction of knowing the job was done.

Next steps - I've had an easy week, and don't have a lot on the programme for this weekend. Next week ramps up, culminating in the Tarawera Training Camp next weekend. It'll be great to finally see the course - I hope we get on well!

View from the top of the Skyline Walkway.
We didn't get up here on the Sunday, but it's always worth the effort! Photo by Butch Borlase