SUNDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2008
Nineteen years ago today I got married.
Thirteen years ago today my son was born.
“What did I do?” I hear you ask.
“Have the day off, relax, and drink a bottle of bubbles?”
The answer is yes…sort of!
We had negotiated with our son to celebrate his birthday on Friday, which left us free to relax today. (It was just great when he was younger – we kept his birth date vague, and we shifted each year so that we were at liberty to celebrate our Anniversary on any day that suited us!) This year then, for our anniversary, we had one lovely overnighter booked in Raglan (at the exorbitant cost of two pork pies and two Cornish pasties from the Hamilton Farmers Market). There was one catch though – I had to run there!
As I had literally run out of steam the day before, I had been dreading a 3 minute run, let alone anything as long as 3hrs, which was the number that graced my schedule – sitting there like a tomb stone, in black and white! All morning I had played mind games with myself – will I or won’t I? sort of stuff. I’d been telling myself that Ange won’t know if I miss one session (Hi Ange!), will he? I’d think to myself; it won’t make that much difference will it? To do it or miss it is a really horrid dilemma and I consol myself with the thought that there are people all over the world who are training for Kona and are going through the same angst. At this stage it just gets incredibly tough.
With no chance for second thoughts, no phone reception, and no real choice, my husband unceremoniously chucked me out of the Land Rover at Ohautira Rd, just west of Waingaro Springs and said “See ya later!”
I took a deep breath and then did a mental check - hat, sunscreen (WOW!), ipod, fuelbelt (filled with water, energy gels), running shoes, legs that work and a brain that is keen to run! I was doing rather well until I got to those last two…..but mustering myself, I put one foot in front of the other and set off, listening to the rolling stones.
What a stunning run! When I arrived at Raglan, I was buoyant and high on endorphins! Ohautira Road is slightly undulating (for me that is - hills are very relative to fitness I know!), and at the peaks of the hills there are lovely views of Raglan Harbour, there are streams, heaps of bird life, native trees (plus a fair bit of yellow gorse). There are cows, sheep, goats, horses, minimal traffic and even people to look at. 3 hours passed by in a flash and I really, really enjoyed it – halleluiah!
The highlight was passing a guy in the middle of nowhere, who was leaning on a tin fence, drinking a mug of tea. He asked what I was doing. I loved his eye popping grin when I replied I was “Running to Raglan!”
Nineteen years ago today I got married.
Thirteen years ago today my son was born.
“What did I do?” I hear you ask.
“Have the day off, relax, and drink a bottle of bubbles?”
The answer is yes…sort of!
We had negotiated with our son to celebrate his birthday on Friday, which left us free to relax today. (It was just great when he was younger – we kept his birth date vague, and we shifted each year so that we were at liberty to celebrate our Anniversary on any day that suited us!) This year then, for our anniversary, we had one lovely overnighter booked in Raglan (at the exorbitant cost of two pork pies and two Cornish pasties from the Hamilton Farmers Market). There was one catch though – I had to run there!
As I had literally run out of steam the day before, I had been dreading a 3 minute run, let alone anything as long as 3hrs, which was the number that graced my schedule – sitting there like a tomb stone, in black and white! All morning I had played mind games with myself – will I or won’t I? sort of stuff. I’d been telling myself that Ange won’t know if I miss one session (Hi Ange!), will he? I’d think to myself; it won’t make that much difference will it? To do it or miss it is a really horrid dilemma and I consol myself with the thought that there are people all over the world who are training for Kona and are going through the same angst. At this stage it just gets incredibly tough.
With no chance for second thoughts, no phone reception, and no real choice, my husband unceremoniously chucked me out of the Land Rover at Ohautira Rd, just west of Waingaro Springs and said “See ya later!”
I took a deep breath and then did a mental check - hat, sunscreen (WOW!), ipod, fuelbelt (filled with water, energy gels), running shoes, legs that work and a brain that is keen to run! I was doing rather well until I got to those last two…..but mustering myself, I put one foot in front of the other and set off, listening to the rolling stones.
What a stunning run! When I arrived at Raglan, I was buoyant and high on endorphins! Ohautira Road is slightly undulating (for me that is - hills are very relative to fitness I know!), and at the peaks of the hills there are lovely views of Raglan Harbour, there are streams, heaps of bird life, native trees (plus a fair bit of yellow gorse). There are cows, sheep, goats, horses, minimal traffic and even people to look at. 3 hours passed by in a flash and I really, really enjoyed it – halleluiah!
The highlight was passing a guy in the middle of nowhere, who was leaning on a tin fence, drinking a mug of tea. He asked what I was doing. I loved his eye popping grin when I replied I was “Running to Raglan!”