"Hi honey it's me (sob), can you come and pick me up..."

It was a beautiful morning, I had been to yoga and felt rejuvenated, and I set out for my run - 7km along the waterfront to the Judge's Bay overbridge and 7km back home again.

It was about the 6km mark that my iliotibial band started to irritate.  This was new.  I stopped and massaged it with my hand held drink bottle and that helped a bit so I continued on.
For another 50m.
When the same thing happened again.
I know I should have turned back there and then but I was in running-injury-denial and had to make it to the stupid overbridge for very important reasons only my ego knows about.

I got there, turned around and walked most of the way back to downtown, fighting tears privately under the brim of my cap, getting passed by lots of blue-bangled Powerade runners with iliotibial bands that functioned normally, and finally when walking became a painful hobble I made the phone call above to my husband.

So if you saw a poor runner looking like her hopes and dreams were dashed waiting on a seat outside the Ferry Building today - well, that was me.

***

So - that was written on Sunday night soon after it happened, but by the next day I was over feeling sorry for myself.  I'm going to beat this thing.  I've been resting, icing and elevating, and it is already feeling a lot better.  Yesterday I almost forgot about it until I went to climb some stairs, and today I walked the 10 minutes home, so it is vastly improved.  Plus it has been so icy cold I'm secretly glad I didn't have to go running!

I've been doing a bit of online reading - and there is a lot of conflicting information:
     ? to ice - or not to ice (I did for the initial inflammation)
     ? to foam roll and stretch - or to not foam roll/stretch (I'm too scared to try!)
I'm just going to wait until Friday when I visit the physio.  I imagine he'll give me exercises and stretching to do, and I'll do whatever it takes.  After all I have a half marathon to train for in November!

"It is not what happens to you, 
it is how you deal with it that matters"

Have you ever had problems with your iliotibial band?  Tell me all about it because I'm kind of interested in them at the moment!
Have you ever had running-injury-denial?  I can't believe how strong the will to go on was - when I 100% knew I shouldn't!

A New Running Watch!

The last few weeks I've been running blind, since my Nike+ GPS SportWatch stopped functioning after running in the rain.  It was still under guarantee so I returned it to Rebel Sport where I purchased it from, and I have to say the staff were really great throughout the whole process.  They returned it to Nike, who didn't fix it but offered a replacement or refund.

I considered using the refund to invest in a more sophisticated watch, but decided to replace the SportWatch.   It does most of the things I need it too, and as a relatively new runner I'm going to wait until my body proves it can run a half marathon before I consider upgrading!

So - here it is:

I chose the blue version which doesn't have the footpod but I never used that anyway.  And being slightly cheaper than my first watch (which was on sale), it gave me a tiny refund which I subbed for a GU Espresso Love.

In the new watch a few features have been refined - the wrist band is more supple, the buckle is less bulky, and the buttons are textured and beep when pressed.  It even beeps when the GPS signal connects, which is great because a few times I've forgotten to click start until I am well in to my run!

Could you do without your running watch?  I have to say I am really glad to have it back.
Do you purposely choose not to wear it on some runs?  I quite enjoyed my long runs without it, but I really missed my stats and the maps!

Race Report: Blackmores Xterra Auckland Trail Series #1

Otherwise Known As:

The Hardest Run In My Life...

In the weekend we drove to Shakespear Regional Park about an hour north of the city, where the first race in the Blackmores Xterra Auckland Trail Series was being held. I entered on the day so I hope that still means I can be part of the series, as you accumulate points over the six races to determine your eventual placing, and I'd love to do all the rest.  This year I am concentrating on the Mid Course runs which vary from 10-14km, and this one was 10.7km long.

Event Base Camp

Halfway through this run I was cursing Total Sport, the event company that organises it. Grinding my way up yet another hill, and looking across the stream of runners in the distance ascending and descending many more hills to come, and I seriously thought of taking down the "I love Total Sport" in my blog side bar and replacing it with "I loathe Total Sport". But funny thing, the moment I crossed the finish line I wondered why I ever thought such ridiculous thing, and now I can't wait for the next event in Riverhead Forest.  Apparently it's muddy.....

These races take you to amazing places that just make you want to jump in the air, and they always leave me on a runner's high for a few days afterwards.

At the giant hill halfway through the course, I looked up to see my family taking a photo of me walking up the hill.

Well, yeah - doesn't every runner want a photo of themselves walking to show off to friends and family?!  I didn't feel so bad when I saw this photo of the leading men walking too!

There really was no other way up that hill.  At one stage I pulled to the side for a quick breather, and a guy behind me doing the long course said "C'mon, let's do it!", I replied "OK, no stopping!" and carried on climbing.  His encouragement gave us all a burst of energy.  

C'mon, let's do it - it's my new mantra.

I'm making this part of the post really long and drawn out - like the hill itself...

Thankfully there was a drink station at the top.  The rest of the course continued undulating along the ridge to the end of the peninsula where there were fantastic views.

I came a gutser twice.  First my foot slipped out from under me on a muddy downhill and I earned a sexy slick of mud up my right side.   That fall was kinda fun.  The second fall kinda wasn't.   Descending the wooden steps to the beach, I slipped on a U-turn and fell on the 'non-slip' netting.  I'm so glad the netting was plastic and not wire!  And big thanks to all the ladies behind me who checked I was alright - trail runners are awesome!

The final stretch was along the beach, and I admit to taking a quick walk break halfway along.  Then you run up, over the small sand dune, and down to the finish.

For the first time ever, I raised my hands in victory at the finish - I was so relieved to be done!  The photographer didn't quite capture it, but you can see my relief in the race photos.

I finished in 1:14:03, 30th out of 61 in my age group. I'm the classic mid-packer!

Oh, and after the race, in the long queue for a Jimmy's organic sausage and Speight's, I got talking and both the runners ahead of me slipped on the same hairpin bend on the steps!  Although I had the best injuries:

My shoes performed well - I didn't notice them at all so I suppose that means a pass.  I know I fell a couple of times, but one was in a really muddy spot, and the other - well, I knew that foot plant was risky in the microsecond before I took it...

So that's my 4th trail race this year in Jill's 13 in 2013 challenge - only 9 more to go so I better hurry up.

Happy running!

The New Trail Shoes That I Forgot To Tell You About...

In March I bought my first pair of trail shoes, and I haven't mentioned them yet because I wasn't sure about them and I wanted to give them some time.  They are Salomon XR Crossmax 1 shoes, part of their Door to Trail range.

Although I love running trails, I also run pavement, and I was also looking for something to alternate with my Adidas Supernova Glide 5s, so I thought these would be a good compromise.

They have a rather cool quick-lace system - you pull up the laces to tighten, then slide the toggle to secure, then stuff the ends into the stretch mesh pocket at the upper edge of the tongue - quick and no laces to trip on!

Athough they are super comfortable, my first run in them felt much harder, and that seems to be the general trend.  They feel light, they're streamlined, they're really well built and tough, but compared to my slipper-like Supernova's they feel less agile, a bit clunky and inflexible.  Of course that can be a good thing on rocky trails to prevent bruising your feet!

Hey rock, don't you mess with  me!

I forced myself to wear them on my short easy runs once or twice a week, and I find after a few weeks I am enjoying them more.  They are a totally different feel to my Supernovas, but it can be good to vary shoes to strengthen your connective tissues in different ways.  Maybe now my aging muscles and tendons are adapting to the change, my Salomon's feel easier to run in!

Another thing I have noticed is that they are less permeable than my Supernova's.  When it was warm and humid my socks became damp, so blisters may be a concern in the heat.  But on the other hand they repelled rain well during a downpour, so they might be a wet weather winter shoe for me.

The reviews for this shoe are very positive.  I have read a review that these are better on trails than pavement, and to be honest no shoe is going to do both 100%.  I have to admit that so far I have only run around town in these, on pavement and a few short local tracks and parks.  I haven't given them a good trail outing yet - as you can see they are still relatively clean!  I hope to give them a good workout tomorrow up on the Whangaparoa Peninsula, in the first of the Blackmore's Xterra Off-Road Series.

I'll let you know how they go!

Have you ever bought running shoes that don't quite work?
Have you ever returned shoes for that reason?  I was tempted, but it just didn't feel right!
Do you have a trail shoe? Tell me about it!

I Think I'm A Yoga Convert...

Around the beginning of the year I jotted down a few things I wanted to do regarding running, and one of them was to try Yoga.  I'd read so many other runners saying how it had really helped them with flexibility and things and I wanted to give it a go too.

Until this week the only action I had taken on this front was getting some magazines out of the library ...

... bookmarking a few sites/blog posts that took my fancy ... and getting a bit tangled up as I tried to do a pigeon pose for the first time!

On Sunday I jumped in the deep end and wandered along to Lululemon in Ponsonby for one of their complimentary sessions.  The usual clothes stands were pushed to the side and the floor was covered with the multiple hues of yoga mats, which were filling fast.  I found a spot where I made sure I could see the instructor because that was going to be very necessary.

Amanda from the Yoga Sanctuary was taking the class, and I thought she was pretty amazing - fun personality, really clear instructions, and encouraging to all levels.  I've never done yoga before and managed just fine - although it helped that the woman next to me knew what she was doing, as I could glance across at her when I was in upside down positions like the downward dog where I couldn't actually see Amanda!  We did lots of downward dogs!  Also child poses, pigeon poses, warrior poses and those are merely the ones that I remember the names of.

Before I knew it the hour was over, and we were gathering up the mats.  I headed home feeling a bit younger.  Most of my life I've been quite flexible but in latter years I know I've really stiffened up.  After a single yoga session I felt that my spine and pelvis had been reawoken and I instantly felt more agile.

not quite this agile though!

My glutes felt a little shattered, but guess who's going back next weekend?!

Have you ever done yoga?  How has it helped you and your running?

PS - a big thanks to Lululemon and Amanda from the Yoga Sanctuary!

Come, Run With Me To The Fairy Falls...

The Fairy Falls lie nestled in the Waitakere Ranges half an hour's drive from central Auckland (off Scenic Drive somewhere between Swanson and Waiatarua), and are about half an hour's walk into the bush.  We went there last week:

Get me on a bush track and I just want to run!  I couldn't resist running ahead with the phone and taking some "dizzying footage" of the moment.  Wanna come run with me down through some NZ native rainforest to the Fairy Falls?

I am sure those hikers wondered what crazy was running through the bush filming - it's tricky looking at the screen and the ground!  In that video I stop at the top of the falls, then there are a ton of stairs to descend to halfway:

the upper falls

The falls are multi-tiered and halfway down a bridge crosses over them, then you can continue descending right to the base of the lower falls - that's in this clip:

It's a great little hike to squeeze into a morning or afternoon  - only 4 km there and back.  But for every downward step to the falls there is an equivalent upward step back to the car, and I have to admit my quads felt a little tired on my real run later that day!

My Running Watch Died, And Now I'm Lost

I went for my run on Wednesday night and it rained and rained, and I got wet.  So did my Nike+ SportWatch.  I uploaded my run and everything was normal.

Thursday am - went for a bush walk and the watch was operating normally, but it did have moisture inside the screen which cannot be a good thing.

Thursday pm - went for a run and SportWatch was not showing my pace, but it did record the first 25 mins of my run before indicating low battery, even though I had tried recharging it.  After uploading, Nike+ reckons I had an average pace of --, burned 0 calories, and ran 0.0 km for 25 mins!

The screen went blank shortly after, and charging it overnight has done nothing.  I think it is dead :(

I rechecked the water resistance of the watch, which is 5 ATM, or 50m.  According to this site 30mWR should withstand getting caught in rain, and 50mWR should withstand swimming in shallow water:

I've never used my watch for anything other than running or bush walking, so I'm a bit disappointed it leaked the first time it was exposed to rain.  Maybe mine has a faulty seal or something.  I will probably try to return it as it is still under guarantee, but it is 8 months old and they might try and insist that I went scuba diving in it.

But you know what the worst thing is?  I'm totally lost when I'm running.  Nothing to do with GPS - I mean the distance, time and pace type of lost.  I know I checked my watch often to rein myself in at the beginning of my easy runs, but I didn't realise it was that often!  The biggest problem will be tempo runs and speedwork where I am useless at running consistently at a faster pace. And running my next race is going to be complete guesswork, how am I going to know if I start out too fast?  I like the security of numbers, and I really miss my watch!

Has your running watch ever failed on you?
Shall I just take my phone every time I run?  I did try that tonight, not a great experience.
Is this my cue to invest in a better model?

The Off-Road Skills Session I Forgot To Tell You About

A few weekends ago I took part in an off-road skills training session that I haven't told you about yet!  I didn't take any photos on the day - and a blog post needs photos, no?  So when I was running in the same location the other day I snapped a few shots to have a breather speak alongside my words.

The skills session was organised by TotalSport, the company that produces most of the running events that I enter.  A group of us met in the Auckland Domain one Sunday morning and spent an hour and a half running around it's trails, first learning, and then practising trail running techniques under the guidance of running coach Claire Smith.

We covered things like running posture, cadence, leg action, arm action, balance, and avoiding obstacles - something I found particularly interesting after my trip over a tree root during the Tussock Traverse!  Claire showed us the secret to running quickly and safely over bumpy surfaces like these:

 - without tripping!

There were loads of other tips to be had, the sort of details that don't usually get a mention in books.  This alone is a great reason to turn up.  One thing we didn't focus on was uphills and downhills, but this is covered in an additional 1.5 hour session - I plan on doing that next!

Have you ever participated in a running skills session?  How did it go?

My New Training Paces Are Fast!

The result of my 1 mile time trial this week means I have adjusted my training paces accordingly, and they are about 20 seconds faster than before - which is quite a jump when you have to run them!

my paces are in kilometres, not miles!

This week I had an 8km steady "only just conversational" run scheduled, and I wondered I would manage to run that far at 5:45 - 6:00 pace.  As it turns out I ran a hilly route and my pace was all over the place - from 5:30 to 7:00 - and averaged 6:16.  Next time I will try it on flatter terrain!  My long run on Sunday went a little better and was just within my target pace.

Keep in mind that when I say fast, that means fast for me!  My mile time of 7:45 was repeated 26.2 times over by Skinny Runner who averaged 7:42 in the Boston Marathon.  This really puts into perspective how fast some of you run - I can't imagine running 26 miles at that speed!

Nevertheless, I managed to break another record of mine on my steady run - my fastest 5k is now 30:40.  As usual Nike+ does not let these things go unnoticed:

And to put things into perspective again, Kimberley Smith's winning 5km time at Boston this week was 15:16 - more than twice as fast!  She's amazing.

A Peace Mile

My training plan had a 1 mile time trial scheduled for today.  Well yesterday actually, but I put it off because it was raining when I got home from work, and I thought I'd do it today because I had the day free.  (That was yesterday, as I'm now publishing a day later!)

I ran slow for the 2.5km along to the Domain, where there is a measured mile course - the Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile:

When I read the sign, I thought how appropriate to be running this mile promoting world peace, the day after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Although world peace isn't going to be achieved with a simple mile run, indirectly it helps.  Running contributes to a healthy, balanced mind, and a healthy balanced mind does not plant bombs in public.  Maybe if everyone was a runner...

Anyway, I achieved peace with myself when I ran my fastest mile!  I did it in 7:45 mins, an improvement of 29 seconds from my last time trial in December.  My fastest kilometre is now 4:44, an improvement of 21 seconds.

This means I need to adjust my training paces and run a bit faster!  I'm glad I have the go-ahead to speed up as my old training paces were starting to feel easier.  And running faster should be more bearable now the summer humidity is gone and autumn is here:

Do you run time trials?
Do you train at certain paces?  (I'm using the McMillan Calculator for mine)
Do you have dirty running shoes too?!  (My R shoe was stained by a muddy orange puddle on the Tussock Traverse.  I overtook 3 girls running around it by taking a shortcut right through it, hehe!)

My #BestRun

Today I'm linking up with Miss Zippy who shares the story of her recent #bestrun on holiday in Austin, and she is kindly inviting others to link up and share their stories on her blog too.

Even if you have only been running for 18 months like myself, it can be hard to decide on a single best run.  But last weekend's long run is one that stands out for several reasons for me.

• I climbed 3 of the volcanoes that are dotted around Auckland city, and the awesome views at the top of each was well worth the climb.
• It was my longest run ever, in both distance and time - I ran (and walked some of those uphills!) over 15 km in 2 hours. 
• I had been feeling a bit down for a couple of weeks prior, and this run made me happy once again!  The challenge and rewards of each climb, the freedom of exploring new routes, and blissfully running at my forever pace, was all it took to come alive again.  The jelly beans may have helped too.

For pictures and more, click here to visit this post that I wrote shortly afterwards while still on my runner's high. And pop on over to Miss Zippy's for more Best Run stories - or even better share your own!
Thanks Miss Zippy!

My First Half

It's official - I have just entered my first half marathon!

Entries went on sale at midnight for the adidas Auckland Marathon, so the first thing I did this morning was log on and enter.  The half marathon is limited to 7500 and usually sells out within a few days, so I wasn't taking any chances!

I know it says on screen "Congratulations on entering the 2013 adidas Auckland Marathon", but I did double-check (as it was so early) and I have entered the half marathon as intended!

I'm quite excited!  My first thoughts are that I must take care of myself and not get injured.  I think that is the only thing that will get in my way.  So I promise I'm going to be more diligent about stretching and strengthening - i.e, start a regular routine rather than the haphazard way I have been doing it so far.

So I'm in!
Are you running in the event too?  What distance?
Do you remember the first time you ran a half marathon - how did it go?

Three Volcanoes Run

Today I had an awesome long run - I summitted three volcanoes!

Auckland CBD from Mt Eden summit

First I ran up Mt Eden which is one of my regular routes, but it is only 7km return from my house so it isn't a long one.  There is a long spiral road that gradually ascends the mountain so you can get a real consistent pace going up.  I usually come down via one of the trails that wind their way down through the grassy tree-lined slopes.

Always at the top I play tourist and stop to take in the 360* view, and lately I've found myself thinking about knocking another volcano or two off.  It must have been the runner's high you get after a climb, because today I did!  I headed east toward two of the volcanoes in the photo below.

Mt Hobson on the left, and Mt St John on the right (the small tree covered mount, not the one in the far centre which is miles off!)

I weaved my way through Epsom streets to Mt St John Ave, where I asked another runner how to access the top.  I'm glad I did because I wouldn't have found it otherwise!  At the end of Belvedere Street lies these steep pitted old steps:

... which gradually taper off to a gate, with a rewarding view of the crater - and look, a crater rim track waiting just for people like us!

I loved running along this little track - even though Mt St John isn't that high, the views are awesome.  A kind lady at the top offered to take my photo with the crater in the background, and you can just see the gate at my elbow:

There were views back to Mt Eden where I had come from, great views of One Tree Hill, and Mt Hobson loomed so close that I decided I had to run up there too!

Mt Eden from Mt St John

Mt Hobson from Mt St John

Although it looked close, I had to practically circumnavigate Mt Hobson to find an access track!  I finally found one off Remuera Road, and guess what - it went up:

and up:

and up:

and up:

You get that many photos because that's about how many times I stopped to walk!

Puffing proof I made it to the trig station at the top!

I zig-zagged down a grassy slope among quite a few cows (and cowpats!) towards Remuera Road and Newmarket, where I realised that I could actually add another volcano to the day's tally if I ran through the Domain.  So of course I did:

It would be cheating to claim I ascended this fourth volcano too, as the elevation of the crater rim is only a few metres! But it is still technically a volcano, and I snapped this pic down in the crater which is currently a cricket ground.

I carried a small water bottle on this run hoping to refill it at some water fountains along the way, but found none!  Luckily I had tucked $5 into my skirt before I left, so at the Domain I bought some lovely ice cold water from a cafe and ran home with new found energy along the city streets.  I had been running for over 2 hours, my longest run ever, but I had been taking it easy and was amazed how good I felt towards the end - I definitely could have gone further.  One day I will!

Running Doldrums

Lately I've been in the running doldrums - life has been a bit hectic and it can be hard to find the energy to lace up.

I didn't run for four whole days one week.  Plus I've skipped or downgraded a few runs in the last 2-3 weeks.  Feeling tired, tense and agitated, I would pace the house thinking how I really should go for run, but also thinking how many other things were more important to do.  When I did run, I felt weak, lethargic, and that my arms and legs were out of sync.  My body was not in the mood.

Anyway, this week I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Dominion Road underpass, on my Mt Eden running route

I'm back to working part time, and the night classes I teach are almost complete for this term.  It is amazing how some extra time makes life feel more in control!  I'm sleeping better, and I've had a couple of great runs where I felt faster and stronger. Plus, I'm really looking forward to my long run on Sunday.

(Fast Forward - it is Sunday night and I have had an awesome long run that I can't wait to tell you about - tomorrow!)

Does LIFE get in the way of your running sometimes?