Saturday Night Out

We went out as a family on Saturday night. We went out as a family on Saturday night to hide water bottles on the course that I was going to run Sunday morning. Now that doesn't sound like a fun evening but I really enjoyed it. And so did Laura. She got right into it and got herself equippped with a torch and a pen and paper to write down details of where the bottles were being hidden. Adam wasn't so keen and had to be persuaded to go so that Jo could go as well. He sat in the back with his arms folded for most of the journey but became more interested once we started getting out and secretly hiding bottles in bushes. He said on the way home that the evening had been 'average'. Not bad for someone who went out with the strop. Laura wrote little notes to help me find the bottles. "Just past the sign over the little brigde" was one of her helpful little clues.

It was a late night out for all of us. We didn't get home to way past 8pm. We took the long way home to go through Tauranga and look at all the 'young and beautiful people' (Jo's words) along the Strand sipping their drinks outside the numerous bars along there. Only about 10 years to go till we get both kids married off and we move into a tiny bungalow to prevent them coming back. 10 years and then we will join them on the Strand of a Saturday night. Obviously not outside the bars where the young and beautiful hang out but outside the less trendy ones. Or inside listening to the bands. Sure the 10 years will fly by. Maybe they'll get married early.

So ... with bottles planted and route planned I set out at 7am this morning to run to the Mount. It is something I have wanted to do since we moved here. Thought it was about 10k but turns out its 15. Takes no time in the car because the roads are so empty most of the time but on foot it takes a bit longer. I made the first water bottle after just over an hour and it made me smile when I remembered us planting it the previous night. Laura with her torch and trying to hide it in the bush without looking too suspicious to the drivers going past. It looked well hidden last night but this morning in the daylight the yellow sports drink glowed from inside the bush. Could spot it a mile off. Must hide them better next time. I had left the seal on the bottles so that if someone had injected it with poison overnight I would have known or more likely if it had been attacked by rats I would have known. Neither had happened .... I don't think so anyway. Seals were still on and bottles were intact. The boost of the energy drink and the good vibes of remembering the previous night spurrd me on and I went from a slow plod to a slightly less slow plod. Still a plod though. No good pushing it too early. 20k to go. After a few more K I was at Pilot Bay where the triathlon starts. The water was like glass. Why couldn't it have been like that for any of the triathlons I did. I was very tempted to jump in and cool down but I resisted. I plodded on admiring the view of the Mount until I rounded the corner to Main beach. It was a fantastic sight and I was just so happy to have got that far. A small ambition realised. There were very few people in the sea but loads running along the boardwalk. I wondered if I looked as bad as some of those did. I saw a few coming off the Mount. My run next week might, only might, include a loop of the Mount to put the distance up to 34k with some inclines. Not sure yet. See how I feel this week. To make 15k I had to run about half a k along the main beach boardwalk and this went too quickly. I almost wished I could have run a few more k along it to take in the views a bit more and the atmosphere of so many people out exercising. But after a few minutes I had to turn around a retrace my steps. The Mount, Pilot Bay and the beatiful views were too soon behind me and I was too quickly into the industrial area running alongside the chemical plant and the oil refineries that for some reason I've never posted about in a blog before. There was only about 5 k of this and then I hit the next bottle exchange. Again I could see the bottle from a little way off and Laura's directions were spot on but my problem was actually bending down and getting it. Well getting down was OK but it took a lot of effort and pain to straighten my legs to get up and get going again. I'm definitely not going to stop running if I can help it in the marathon. It takes too much to get going again. My plan is to plod on at the same pace for the whole marathon. Whether I'm able to stick to it is another matter.

The rest of the run was bearable. Last week it felt like someone else was controlling my legs for the last few k but this time they were OK. I was even able to 'sprint' (yeah right) for the last half k. Probably wasn't the best thing to do but it felt good to have some gas left in my legs after 30k. Gives me hope that I can get the 42.2k distance.

On todays time, albeit on a flat course, my time for the full marathon would be 4hrs 50 which I would take now, no question. The problem with the Rotorua marathon is that it is hilly after about 20k for about 10k. I haven't really done any hill training because of the three weeks I lost because of the calf injury but I'm hoping that the upcoming few weeks training plus the taper will compensate for the effect of the hilsl and I can complete it in under 5 hours. My first target is obviously to finish but I really don't want a time of 5 hrs something. It was like the triathlon where I didn't want a 7 hrs something time. To get a 7hrs and 23 seconds was very very annoying. I will try everything to not let it happen in the marathon. 5 hours 23 seconds would be even worse I think. Saying that I don't want too fast a time because I want to beat it next year. A 4:59 would be good so I can come back next year and knock 10mins or so off of it.

The goal distance for a km marathon training plan is usually 30k so I have hit that but a mile plan usually goes to 20 miles which is 32k so I still feel I have a few more k to go to be ready for the race. I have 4 weeks left. A long run next weekend and then probably a 3 week taper to be fresh for the race. Can't wait. Can't wait for the race and I can't wait to go out next Saturday night to plant more bottles with the family. Maybe we'll stop off at the Strand on the way back and mingle with the young and beautiful people. 10 years is too long to wait.