15 km Training Walk

Today was the Christmas lunch for the Scottish walkers. The arrangement was to meet at 9:00 am for a walk and to head to David Lonsdale's place for a barbeque after 11:00 am. I knew there would only be time for 15 km and my idea of arriving in time to do 5 km prior to meeting up with the others was not likely to happen. Sure enough, Philip and I only just managed to get to the starting point in Island Bay at 9:00 am. Five of us headed round to the back of the airport whilst a larger group headed in the opposite direction for a short walk followed by a long coffee stop at a cafe called 'The Bach'.

There was a strong cool southerly wind blowing which was largely helpful on the way out and slowed us down on the way back. I managed to catch my foot on some flax and trip over but fortunately only slightly grazed my hands. I managed an average pace of 7:23 which was not bad.

At David's some of the walking prizes were presented to those who missed the Scottish Athletics prize giving in November. I got the silver medal for the club walking championship for the third year - watch out Robyn - I'm aiming for the gold medal next season. I also got the trophy for the club 'All-rounder' competition in the winter. There were 12 races in this competition and the best 9 results were counted. Two other awards were a surprise - a gold medal for the club half marathon champs. I knew I won the Wellington Half Marathon but I didn't know the club awarded a medal for this event. I also got a trophy for contribution to walking for the past season, apparently because I entered all the races held over the season. I like to support the club as much as possible and it is nice to have this recognised.

15 km Training Walk

Saturday 17 December - Scottish Night of Miles

This is an annual event with the $10 per family entry fee going to the Mary Potter Hospice. Philip and I arrived just before 3:00 pm to help with registration and any other chores needed. The one mile walk was scheduled for 7:00 pm. It was cold and windy so I knew a good warm up was needed. It was great to see Quentin arrive to race and to see some young runners decide to give the walk a go. This race was a handicap on our club calendar. I usually do badly in such events - one previously good result can mean you get impossible handicaps forever more. I enjoy races with young Stuart and Andrew entered since they are faster than me but close enough for me to strive to catch them up. I came close to passing Andrew on the last lap but he narrowly held me out. I was please with my time of 9:11 for the mile. In the hurry to get to the track I forgot to take my Garmin.

I decided to also enter the handicap spiral race as a walker. Kevin and I started at the same time as 80+ runner Michael Browne. We completed one lap before the first runner started and were on about lap 5 when the last runner started. In this race competitors start in lane 8 and move over to the next lane each time they pass the start/finish lane. Most runners passed me in the last few laps but I did manage to finish ahead of a few people to finish the 3.4 km in 20:17. I felt good during that walk and not at all hampered by the previous race.