Rotorua marathon race recap...

Me crossing the finish line - YAY!

Well people, I did it! I 'conquered the lake' as the people from the Rotorua marathon said. Such a great achievement, and the best part is that I actually CUT OFF HALF AN HOUR from my previous marathon time... STOKED!

Here I am crossing the finish line - I totally sped up for the last 200 meters to beat the chick behind me who my Uncle and husband were calling the 'ab chick' - moral of this story - your mean abs won't win you a marathon! (although I will still try to get them!)

I have to be honest, after my first marathon I thought I should be on the TV programme 'I shouldn't be alive' because I actually thought I was going to die at the end (or even before it). But this race I thoroughly LOVED and I felt I ran really well - bonus! I fuelled well and had plenty of energy to boost over the finish line too - what more could you want? Eat my dust abs girl... muahaha! Overall it was the perfect day for it - good conditions, good temperature, only a small head wind for about 4-5 kms in the last 10kms and I had the best supporters crew! (Photos of them to come but in the meantime here is one of my cousin cycling along side me for a few hundred meters).

 

Now here's a bit of a run down of the rest of the trip...

At the hot mudpools and geysers - being totally touristy and nerdy!

Husband jumping in for a self-shot pic - a must in tourist land!

Just had to put this one in of Tim looking like he should be on the catwalk - *proud wife*

Always the rebel!

A spot of mini golf with Tim, Uncle and Grandad - the boys giving Grandad some unwanted tips.

Mini golf cheese

Here's a low down of some of the race...

At the start line a little nervous and cheesy

Still in the pack around the 5km mark

The tin man

Look at that scenery! Lake Rotorua

My best supporter and the gel sachets I used - there will be a post on these to come

Trying to be cool as I approach the last 200m - looks like I'm walking but I promise I was running!

And that's all folks - second marathon done and dusted. Watch this space to see what the next adventure will entail.

Anyone keen to join me in an event or even in some training? I would love to run with you and even help you to achieve your goals!

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - Romans 8:37

Ciao for now,

Runner Girl.

True Grit...

I am currently staying with my Uncle and Aunty and two cousins in Rotorua - the city of Saturday's marathon. My Uncle asked me this morning as I was strapping on my running shoes to head out for my last light run before the race: 'What makes you want to just run a marathon?'

'Well', I said, 'great question'. But what is the answer to that I then thought? I told him my story of how I got into running, but then he was still like 'But why a marathon, what is wrong with you girl?'... Haha. I love how whenever you tell someone you are going to run a marathon (that's not a runner or sport-minded) they automatically assume there's something wrong with you.

So I thought about it and here is what I came up with:

Perhaps it is craziness that made me first decide to run a marathon. Or maybe I thought I had something to prove to the world (or just myself, I honestly don't think 'the world' actually cares what I do). But to actually go out and do it takes what I like to call True Grit! AKA determination.

This definition of determination is as so:

Definition of determination

In terms of running a marathon, my true grit/determination is defined as:

• Getting up out of bed on a Saturday morning (which to everyone else is sleep in day) at 5.30am and hitting the road by 6 (so I can be back by the time everyone is up from their sleep-ins - lucky so and sos!) and running for several hours. 
• The sore feet, joints, muscles and whole body from the enduring training
• The 'Can't stay out too late tonight as I have to get up for a long run in the morning' attitude
• It's putting your running first 
• It's putting down that cupcake the size of your head
• It's having your apple crumble and ice cream without the crumble or the ice cream 
• It's carrying snacks all the time like a mother with a mini van load of children. 
• It's constantly thinking about how your next move is going to impact on your training and running...
• It's saving up or sacrificing other things to pay for the race you've entered, new running shoes, sports supplements, clothing, massages, physio, etc. etc.
• ALL totally worth it!

That is grit, to say the least. But... Here's the catch:

Crossing that finish line knowing you had true grit and determination to get you there without dying is one of THE BEST feelings in the world.  AND... It's addictive, which is where the need to run a second marathon (and possibly more after this one) comes from.

So there you have it people - the short version to answer my Uncle's question is craziness or mild insanity followed by true grit and determination. Viola!


Although I say that I have true determination and grit, I also have God helping me too. This is what the Bible has to say...

Zechariah 4:6b -
'Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit', says the Lord.

So if all else fails God's word never does!

Stay cool kids,

RunnerGirl.

Marathon countdown: 2 more sleeps!