edenfx Runathon – Orewa Beach Half Marathon 12th April 2015
Sometimes in life, I wish I had stayed quiet and not mentioned my “good idea” for 2015.
So the start of this year I decided to learn to run and an earlier blog post documented the success at Round the Bays (Auckland), and yes a success means finishing the event (note I am careful not to say race….)
The running calendar means there is an opportunity for me to do an event every 6 weeks or so around New Zealand and so I am picking events in places I have never visited thus combining pain with pleasure.
The April run was a little different as it was a local and I tentatively mentioned to the edenfx team if they would all like to participate at various distances, no pressure but they would be sacked if they didn’t.
An overwhelming response was yes, and so the edenfx training programme began in February. Of course we are all differing ages and the less mature folks would nip out after work for a quick non stop 6k training run. As an oldie, I needed a trainer and a mean one at that to force me to be pavement pounding at 6am, which actually is a good thing as I have a particular walkity jog or jiggity walk type of running gait – best seen in the dark really.
The team have been in the gym, walking, running, cross training and generally having fun since February and so the day loomed. My only concern was one of the team had been whacked in the eye by a hockey ball a week or so earlier and had the most amazing shiner and delayed concussion! She decided to soldier on.. (Doctor said fit for running – health and safety and all that jazz).
Time to get ready
- Trainers ready – check
- Kit ready – check
- Bag packed – check
- iPod loaded check
- Hat and sunnies (and waterproof) packed – check…
No going back now…… The warm up with Jetts Fitness was fun but exhausting to start with and the opening 2km on the beach.. hmmm… makes for calves of steel.
So off we all tootled at various intervals depending on distance to be walked / run. It was a fantastic overcast day, just the right temperature and a brilliantly organised event by Laraine and Ed. People were smiling rather than grimacing and the course was well plotted. I had run ¾ of this course before but now I know why my trainer hadn’t taken me the whole way…. It was THE HILL. My star sign is Capricorn, (the goat), but even this did not help me climb this hill. The hill is near a retirement village and a good number of residents had come outside to cheer the participants on; I couldn’t resist, I thought if I have to run (well walk really) up this hill I need some motivation so I ran up to them and high fived the lot – we all had big grins and it took me huffing and puffing to the top of the hill and then bliss a downward stretch to walkity jog down.
A big sigh of relief when I saw the beach once more and the finish post was in sight, only to find out this is actually quite deceptive. Every time I looked up the finish line seemed just as far away, I am certain this is the longest beach stretch in NZ.
My iPod (in my less mature team members terms ) had some banging tunes on and so nothing to be lost by doing a 360 spin to ‘Hey Ya’ and trying not to knock anyone over to the finish line.
Of course my entire team had beaten me to the finish line, and I was so proud of them and Super Sarah the efficient EA extraordinaire came to meet me 200m off the finish to cheer me on and to make me run the last bit 🙂
Job done! Another 10.5k knocked off and $1800 raised for Breast Cancer.
In true edenfx HSE style, we had a medal ceremony as everyone was a winner followed by a well deserved brunch.
So thank you team eden for supporting me on this one, BIG thanks to Sarah Brydon, Marceece Pomare, Amanda Stringer, Suzanne Peden and Lynda Poole. Lynda, she of the concussion, is actually now our silent assassin as she did the 10.5km in 62minutes – well done!
Onto the next event for me now in Rotorua, 2nd May. If you would like to make a donation to Breast Cancer for the runathon, please donate via my online fundraising page https://nzbcf.everydayhero.com/nz/alisongill .
Ps – I will have to admit this now, my bank manager beat my time by 4 minutes and she was walking the 10.5k – I still reckon she hid in the bushes and doubled back when no one was looking !
Bye for now
Alison
