A Day at the Beach....

Well after virtually no road-running in the last few years I am really starting to clock up the road miles during this challenge and the next cab off the rank was the Whangamata Run Walk Festival which features the Whangamata Half Marathon.

This was race one of a Double Header with Hunua the next day... so the plan was to take it easy... you know what they say about plans...

Lainy and I had some wonderful sponsorship and were able to stay the night before the race at the Palm Pacific Motel. Right in the centre of town it is a great place to stay and lovely rooms.

The day didn't start well when I discovered that I had not put any running shorts into the bag... fortunately the local sports shop were one of the sponsors and I managed to buy some on sale before the start... the other runners and spectators are not ready for the sight of me running in just compression skins!

Well I didn't totally ignore the plan, I went out at a pretty cruisy pace and had some company for a few km's... I met Caroline Auld on the start line and while chatting she said she was hoping to break 2 hours in her first half. In the high 1:50's seemed like a good plan to me and so I said we could run together and I would get her there.

This worked great for a few km's around the streets with me telling her to slow down a few times... until we completed the first loop back to near the start and started the 'country leg' of the race, down over the old bridge and Caroline decided that I was going to slow and zoomed off to record a very creditable time of 1:51.

This left me alone... and as I tend to do in that situation, I sped up a bit, then slowed myself down... then sped up. Running alone in a race it is hard to make yourself run slowly.

The race itself was nice, for a road run, it had an out and back section and out and backs are never my favourite. But at least this one was mainly uphill on the way out... which gives you something to look forward to.

Then back into town, past the marina, down the street behind the main shops, past the cottage where I spent several summers when Kate was a toddler, and round the streets in a big loop back to the start.

I probably pushed a bit harder than I should towards the end, but that's just the way I am built, the competitive juices bring it out in me.

In the end I finished with an 'in-between' time of 1:53 for 3rd in my age group and 96th overall out of 296. Lainy was there at the finish catching all the action as she does so well. A great day for Jenni Hoogeveen who smashed her PB to finish 2nd lady overall and 1st in age with 1:35.

Lovely day, excellent weather and another run in the books for 52 in 52... now into the car and on to another race... the next day!