Running A Half Marathon

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't updated this in a very long time. I have been fairly busy with life and work and training! 

I started running in September because a friend and I are doing a 9 month get the body we want challenge.  I made myself a deal that I wanted to run 12km comfortably by December 1st I would purchase Fleetwood Mac tickets for their December show.  A week after my first run I managed to run 11k. After this I signed up for a few 10k races and before I knew it I was eyeing up the Auckland Marathon half with my friends. I let it slip to my manager that I would like to run the half marathon with my girl friends and she told me that she was buying my ticket as a staff reward...I then panicked and told her I also liked massages if she would rather!  That was a no go so I started taking running a bit more seriously. I only had 4 weeks to train for a 21.1km race that started on the North Shore in Devonport, over the harbor bridge and around the via duct to finish in the central business district park.

On Sunday morning I woke up at 2:00am because fireworks were being let off and that was the start to my race day.  At 4:30 I got up, made a smoothie of cashew nuts, chia seeds and banana and got ready to run. My friends, Cassy, MJ, Emily and I caught the 10 minute ferry at 5:15am to Devonport and were ready to start our race at 7:00am.  The race took us around the water front and through residential areas of Devonport and Takapuna then spit us out on the motorway for a 4k run along the water to the looming bridge.  The bridge was 14k from the start point and 7k to the finish line. It is 1km up a 33% incline and down 1km at the same incline. This marathon is the only time you are able to run across the bridge hence why its so special.  I took a picture of myself and the run from the top (included) and then powered down the other side to finish. At the top, my Nike Run app told me I was at 15km and I had 40 minutes to run the 6k to the finish line. I was elated at that point because I knew i was going to be able to run 6k in 40min. Then I hit the wall.  There is this ever looming "wall" athletes speak of and until you hit it you don't understand it. I was tired at 18k and told myself I had 20 minutes left to run, I can handle running 20 minutes to finish strong. At 19km I crashed into the wall hard.  I was slowing down and clocking a kilometer at about 6:40 which was 20 seconds slower then my average race pace. With only 2km to go I was still going to be running about 15min which seemed like hell. I was running through the tank farm at Silo Park which is a gas plant so it smelt like propane and was not the prettiest area of the city I've run through. I started to tell myself that I only had to take 100 more steps. So then I started counting…1….i can do it….2….i can do it….3……i can do it….. I did this until 64 and then I saw my team doing their cheer squad and they pulled me through to the finish line. It gave me enough to think about for the last 800 meters to cross the finish line.  As soon as I crossed the line I shut down. My muscles felt like they turned to stone and my mind went blank. Thank goodness there were people sitting there telling me what to do otherwise I would have been a statue just hanging out! 

I met up with the other girls who ran it with me and we enjoy a cronut which is a gross amount of calories and pure sugar but so worth it! I didn't dare sit down because I didn't think I would get back up! We went for some breakfast after that, had a shower and went to bed! I have never been so exhausted in all my life! It was pretty incredible and I still can't believe that after only 8 weeks of running I smashed out a half marathon!! 

Now of course it's looking forward to what is next.  I have signed up for a 13km trail race on Nov 23, O Rock Obstacle Course in Feb and Tough Mudder in May.  My big goal is to do a trail marathon in Wanaka in March.  It will be 42.2km of mountain running which will be incredible! It is a pretty tight training schedule but why not! If I can go from zero to 21k in 2 months I can go from 21k to 42k in 5 months! 

Chillin in Auckland

Thank you everyone who made the journey down to see me. It means more to me then you could imagine. I am truly spoiled to have family and friends like you. Love love love :)

I made it to Boulder, Colorado fine and the wedding was one of the most beautiful occasions I have been to. Although Madison the bride had nothing on how stunning you looked on graduation. My time in Boulder was fast and possibly even more of a whirl wind then home was. I got on the plan and shot straight back to Auckland faster then I realised I was accomplishing some major goals! Looking back now though it feels pretty good ☺

I am now back into kiwi life and making the most of what we have here. The weather has been terribly cold and rainy with a few hours of sunshine amongst it to remind us summer will be here again. Work is going good - busier then ever as I am managing the store this month.

Coming home was the cure I needed and I have hit these foreign shores with new life in me. I am incredibly happy that I got to see as many people as I did and feel absolutely packed with love and support. Thank you again for taking the time to see me and until next summer when I am home again an enjoying every ounce of summer our beautiful BC has to offer.

Health and love
xx

Samoa

I'm turning 25 today as you are possibly reading this (no intention behind this for more birthday wishes!).  I spoke to my manager last Monday and said I needed to get away and have some personal time. With the way work was going and how I was feeling very uninspired with my life I decided I needed to see a different country and push my comfort zone a little wider. I was terrified to travel alone and was not particularly excited about it either. I despised the idea of getting away which surprised me a lot. How could I travel to so many places and for such a long time but now I can't even hop to a pacific island because I'm terrified about everything.With that being felt, I booked my ticket and accommodation in Samoa for 5 days. Monday night I booked my ticket and Thursday morning I was on the plane. It was the last minute comfort zone shattering I needed.

After a 4 hour flight and a +1 hour time change, I landed in Samoa at 2:00 pm. The heat and humidity hit me as soon as I stepped off the plane and it put an immediate smile on my face that couldn't be wiped off. I cleared customs and found a taxi driver by the name of Nu who agreed to drive me to my accommodation that was on the south-east side of the island, a 2 hour drive away! I felt as though all the weight was melted off my shoulders as we drove for an hour along the coast with huge pieces of volcanic stone, pristine blue water, white sand beaches, and palm trees. We then turned off and took the cross island road over the mountains, overlooking the vast island covered in coconut trees and vegetation, past the lake and hydro dam (imagine my excitement), and down to the best slice of heaven I've ever seen. The landscape is so manicured and so cared for the only place it reminded me of was Switzerland. The Samoan people genuinely care about their lives and enjoy every ounce of it.

I got to my resort, Taufua Beach Fales (Toe-fu-ah Beach Fa-lays), and it was so beautiful. There was 8 open Fales and 8 closed Fales on the beach with a main deck and kitchen/bar. There was another bunch of closed Fales up the mountain for those who wanted some more privacy. The atmosphere was all family based with the parents owning the place and the kids, cousins, nephews and nieces all working and hanging out there. On the deck there were tables and for breakfast and dinner they were all pushed together so we ate all together. The food was amazing and so nice that the 2 meals were included in accommodation. I stayed in an open Fale with the most beautiful view and experience. These are pictures I took lying on my bed. There was a mosquito net around my mattress and a tarp I could roll down/up if necessary.

My first day I laid on the beach. Thinking that I had tan lines from the summer still I though one application of SPF 30 sunscreen would be suffice. Well...that turned out to be wrong! I burnt my bum so damn badly I had to elevate myself and drift in and out of pain all night! When the tide was out you could walk for almost 3km down the beach and it was so peaceful and private - it was magic I tell ya! I couldn't get over the palm trees, shiva eyes and crystal clear water. I met some lovely people who were returning guests and we bonded over my previous pacific island travelling and decided to do a island trip the next day.

After breakfast, which was provided, we drove 2 villages away and stopped on the side of the road to catch a boat to another island. It's name was close to Nemo which reminded me of Lombok and Gili Meno so I had a particular soft spot for this little island. On the boat ride over we spotted 2 turtles and lots of fish. When we got to the island we took a Fale and grabbed some masks to see if we could spot more turtles. As it turned out I dropped my camera the day before and then decided that even if it was cracked I should probably go swimming with it cause hey...it's water proof. Well...that was a mistake! The snorkeling wasn't that great because there was a tsunami in 2009 and it wiped out the whole south east side of the island. We settled in for some lunch of fresh fish and pumpkin and the owner told us of her experience of the tsunami. I thought I could imagine and sympathise with survivors after being in Thailand but what these people went through was absolutely tragic. At the time, her husband was on the main land in Apia and she was on the island with her 5yr old son and 17 people on a school trip. She said she felt the earth quake, looked out and couldn't see a ripple in the bay to the main land. She turned on the radio and listened to see if something was wrong. She said she was watching the fishermen in the bay as the radio announcer said that he was leaving because there is a tsunami coming for the coast. She grabbed her son and got the group up the mountain as fast as possible. She had 10 minutes before the wave struck the small island destroying everything her and her family worked so hard for. She as unable to see the beach because of the tree coverage from up the mountain and when people began to appear on the coast across the bay she moved everyone back down to the beach. There was nothing left. 

On the third day I went to the To Sua Trench. It is a natural cave/hole in the ground with a underwater cave to the ocean. I managed to borrow a mask from another group there and dive through the cave to get into the open ocean. It was a 5 meter swim which isn't far but when you are underwater and there is no possible escape for 5 meters - it gets your blood pumping! It was amazing and the views of the rough ocean, ragged cliffs and lava fields were breath taking. Again the gardens and landscaping were impressive for being a south pacific country.

On the fourth day I  left Lalomanu Beach  and headed back to Apia with Lenny, my taxi driver. I went to the sliding rocks which are smooth-ish rocks formed from lava flow and water running over them. The algae on them makes them slippery and able to slip down them like natural slides. Well...the bruise on my bum right now is a testament to how much they just aren't smooth!  After that, Lenny picked me up and I went to the local craft fair, the local market and then we picked up his family and went to the doctors, hospital and then out for dinner. I just tagged along with them all day until we stopped at the turtle pond and then dropped me off at the airport.

It was an incredible trip and I can't believe it is over! 

Just Keep Swimming

Well March wasn't my best month. My moto literally was "just keep swimming" which is what I metaphorically did. It was such a whirl wind and crazy one that it was over before I knew it.

I moved out of my flat on the 11th of March. I had a place to move into when at last minute it fell through. I started work in Britomart on the 12th so I had no time to consider what had happened I just needed a bed. I weighed my priorities and work came first. Because I was moving to a new location I needed to ensure I was fully able to support my new team as well as be able to fully take on my new responsibilities. My friend, Kat, was a lifesaver and I shared a bed with her for almost 3 weeks. As it turned out Kats flat mate was movin out at the end of March and Kat pulled a few strings and I got to move into the empty bedroom. We painted and I got life mostly sorted and now I'm happy in my new room. My new flatmates are a chef, a builder and a social worker. They are all very nice and we rarely see each other.

Work is going good now. The store is looking good and is preforming on a new higher level which is amazing to be part of. I'm in the process of getting sponsored by lulu which is amazing but unfortunately I haven't been able to take the time to fully realise how incredible it is to be picked out of so many people to stay on behalf of this company. I'm waiting on my diploma and police report to come through and until then I am a fairly nervous as my current visa expires on the 17th of May. Fingers crossed it will all come in time!

This weekend Kat and I went to Raglan which is a small beach town much like Tofino. It was beautiful and so incredible to get away. We slept in a house truck (an extended camper- have to have room for the surf boards) and spent the day on the beach! It was so nice to get away and to be in a place that reminded me a little bit of home.

With everything that has been going on for me and in the world lately I miss everyone more then ever and I hope you are all well. I am hoping to get away for a few days to an island down here. Just to relax and let life slow down for a few days. I think it will be good for all parts of me!

I love you and hope that you are enjoying the spring weather you're hopefully getting.