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!