After about 10 km I caught up with Andrew Shelly who has established himself as a great ultra-distance walker. Andrew is preparing for the 24 hour race and planned to walk another 2 hours the following day so was not going hard out in this event. We walked together for around an hour and I took the opportunity to pick Andrew's brain about nutrition and pacing for the long events. My legs were starting to tighten from around half way but I remained relaxed and determined. Before long I passed two of the walkers I was tempted to go with in the first couple of km. I continued to pass plenty of walkers and realised that I was on target to meet my goal of going under 5 hours. It was great to cross the line in just under 4:58. I tried to get to a place where I could watch others finish but soon realised that I needed to sit down. I felt much better after drinking a lite or so of electrolyte so it seems I must have been pretty dehydrated at the finish. My 6th place on the day was upgraded to 5th after the first place getter was moved into the running section. I was happy with my 15 min PB.
Philip finished around 47 min later in 5:47. He made the mistake of starting near the back where he was unable to get up any speed for many km. He had a much faster second half and finished in pretty good shape.
The Garmin ran out of power a couple of km from the end. It showed a pretty steady heart rate but a definite drop in pace towards the end. I have entered the Wellington marathon which is a flat course whereas Rotorua is quite hilly. I'd expect a 5 - 10 min improvement but it will be dependent on the wind which can make a significant difference.
Rotorua Marathon
Thursday 1 May - 3 x 1 km @ 70%
I was well aware of the upcoming marathon so was pleased to get a bit of speed going without working too hard. This was a atisfying workout.3 x 1 km @ 70%
Wednesday 30 April - 8 km Fartlek
Breaking my wrist during preparation for the marathon meant I'd been short on speed work. I needed to put some effort into this session whilst keeping in mind the race was only a few days off.8 km Fartlek
Friday 25 April - Bridle Track and Crater Rim Walk
This was meant to be a 25 km walk at race pace. We were on holiday in Christchurch and the port hills were a good place to walk without worrying about traffic but race pace was never going to happen. Unfortunately my Garmin was low on power so we do not have any data. We walked up the bridle track to the summit of the port hills then had a look around the vistiors centre at the top of the gondola. We walked around to the summit and ate our picnic lunch with a great view over Lyttleton and Diamond Harbour. We then walked over the ridge to above Sumner then down to the beach and along the roads back to our car at the bottom of the bridle track. We would have done at least the required 25 km but at a slower pace. It was a very enjoyable way to spend ANZAC Day.Thursday 24 April - Orton Bradley Park - Banks Penninsular
We drove to Lyttleton. It's sobering to see the township struggling to recover from the annihilation of the earthquake. The volunteer at the i-site recommended a walk at Orton Bradley Park so we headed over there and choose the walk to the lookout. We got wet feet in a boggy spot at the bottom of the hill but were rewarded with a spectacular view at the lookout. We took an alternative route on the way back and lost our way a couple of times. It was getting dark when we got back to the car and the park gates had been shut but fortunately the padlock had not been pushed together. We walked less than 10 km in 3 hours but the terrain was tricky and not meant for speed.Orton Bradley Park
Wednesday 23 April - 8 km Training Walk
After 5 hours in the car the previous day driving from Upper Moutere to Christchurch were were keen to get out and stretch the legs. It was a fine, crisp morning so we went out before breakfast, leaving a good part of the day to look around the city then find a camping ground to put up our tent.8 km Training Walk
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