2014 is flying by….

I have just realised how long we haven't wrote on this blog. So what's happened since the start of this year? Well firstly we took a road trip to Te anua where we were lucky enough to be greeted with some lovely weather . Don't get me wrong we have had some good sunshine but on the whole it has been the wettest summer this area has seen in a while still better than the average British summer that we are use to!

Whilst in Te Anua we managed to cram a lot into our short time there. Once we had checked into our accommodation we put on our running shoes and decided to run from the town out to the start of the Kepler track which is one of the iconic great walks that this beautiful area has to offer. Once we got to the start of the track we decided to run up to Luxmore which is the highest point of the route so lots of climbing. The Kepler area was beautiful and a great running terrain. I think we both preferred it to Routeburn too! 
Enjoying views from the top!
Once you finished what felt like the never ending climbing you were greeted with beautiful views which is quite rewarding as most of the time your climbing your in Forrest so the view is blocked by the trees. We stopped to take a couple of pictures before descending quickly down what we had just climbed which I really enjoyed. Once we got back to town it was time for shower and refuel before having an earliest night as the next morning we had booked a trip out first thing to the glow worm caves that are also in the Te Anua area.
Water inside the caves..


The next morning we woke up to an overcast day so not as great as the first but it was a lot better than rain, so no complaining on our behalf. To access the glow worm caves requires you to board a boat to cross the lake . This I was quite anxious about as I suffer from motion sickness but luckily there was no wind and because we were on a catermeran there wasn't too much rocking movement and I ended quite enjoying the journey and not feeling ill! Once we arrived at where the caves are located and docked. We were split into groups and each group was assigned their own guide. We were then given an explanation of the caves and what we would be doing when inside, this is where we were also informed we weren't allowed to take any photos whilst inside as it harms the glow worms. A shame but all was not lost as we found out later...
Glow Worms! 


Once inside the caves it wasn't long before we came across our first glow worms which was pretty awesome. After negotiating ourselves for a short while we then came across water where we then got into small wooden boats this is where the main show was about to unfold it was really peaceful and looking up in the cave was like looking up at a the sky on a very starry night. We both really enjoyed the experience. Once you have done the circuit on the water you then make your way back through the cave the way you came . When we got back to the waiting point we were then informed that we could buy pictures of the cave and worms which were taken by a professional photograph when the caves were closed for refurbishment. We jumped at the chance as it was really reasonable price and it was great that we could have pictures to show and look back on of the whole experience!
Exploring local trails/mountains
 

After our jaunt out to Te Anua we stayed around Queenstown and explored the surrounding areas around us, as we knew that Tarawera was fast approaching . We found a lovely trail around the shot over area heading towards cornet peak on one of our days off which was a great little find .

March arrived a lot quicker than anticipated and it was soon time for our trip up to the north and a small little matter of an ultra to run! We decided to fly up to Auckland and catch a bus to Rotarua from there (a lot cheaper than going directly to Rotarua ). We first left the house without our passports luckily we only had just left the house and hadn't even got to the end of the road before Paul realised our mishap, phew that was a close one. Nothing really to report of the flight up as I mainly slept! But something we did notice was that they were very laid back here regarding what's allowed in your hand luggage for example on the way out we saw the security inform passengers to put their lighters In their pockets rather than their bags and on the way back I asked if they could get rid of my deodorant as I had forgotten I still had it to be informed it had a lid so it could go in my bag. I genuinely can't remember when you could do that in the UK etc, so quite the novelty!
Race start! Paul in the middle with headlamp on.

From here on in this is going to be my account of the race as Paul has already given his race report via his running blog. 

Here is the link for anyone who hasn't already read it and would like to.

http://paul-wathan.blogspot.co.nz 

So after arriving in Auckland we stayed the night in the city before making our way to Rotarua in the week building up to the event there was rumours that a cyclone was going to hit the area during our race. When we arrived the weather wasn't too bad and there was a strong smell of sulphur. For anyone that doesn't already know Rotarua has lots of natural hot pools in the area hence the smell. We checked Into the hostel we were staying and made our way out to the race expo where we had to register and pick up our numbers etc and for the first time for the both of us we had to be weighed. We saw a few of the elite runners such as frosty and ruby muir walking around which was pretty cool. I was starting to realise that something was happening but my mind and body hadn't quite registered that it was the ultra quite yet.
Enjoying the race!


We left registration to go and get some food and then make our way back to our room for the night. That evening there was an official announcement from the race organiser Cyclone Luis had hit New Zealand and more importantly had already reached the area of where our 100km race was due to have finished , so therefore for safety reasons the race had to be altered and was now going to be a 65k race and a different route to the original one. I was instantly gutted as I had psyched myself up for the 100km and the original race route looked like it was going to suit my strengths. So now I was going to have to go into a complete and utter new mind set but I was grateful that it was still going to be an ultra distance after the one in Canada being completely cancelled on me.


 

So after a Rocky nights sleep ( which is completely normal for us prior to big events) the alarm went off around 4am. We had breakfast before putting our race kits on and made our way to the starting area , this is where the nerves really kicked in for me many toilets stops later and it was time to make our way to the start line where we were informed that the race distance had changed once again and now we were doing a 7 0 km, I gave Paul a hug and wished each other luck. We parted ways to different areas on the starting area mainly i was somewhere in the crowd behind him! So head torch on and gps found on my watch ready to press start the competitors were than faced with a group of Maui men doing the haka I could see a glimpse of it through the runners shoulders that were in front of me and may of or may not of had to go on my tiptoes... After this one of the competitors sung a song that she had written for the event and it was the official countdown 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and we are off eek!
Paul deep in thought.. 



So what can I tell you of my experience ,it was a rollercoaster! I some how managed to pause my watch during the race in the early stages. I obviously continued it as soon as I realised what I had done but this meant I didn't know the actual true distance I had covered and how long I had truly been moving for so it became complete guessing work for me. It was a great friendly atmosphere with everyone encouraging each other this included the elites. I got to see Paul during the race so we were able to know how each other was doing which was a great boost for me (Even got a hug and a kiss from him!). I actually smiled for a photo whilst running, huge deal for me a rare find . The cyclone caught up with us and made for some very interesting conditions to have deal with especially in the later stages lets just say think of already covering an ultra distance and then being faced with a brutal x country for roughly a half marathon distance to still complete one word for you from my quads is ouch!
Finished!!!! 11 hours and 3 minutes.
 My pace was completely up and down I didn't know it was possible to hit the wall and recover so many times but guess what I completed it! This one had an extra special meaning for me as the day I left for the event I found out my Nain had peacefully passed away from a long battle of bad health and I really wanted to finish and dedicate it to her. I hope she would be proud. So to sum up my experience of an ultra is very similar to life full of highs and lows .

So now it's time to get ready for TNF 100 in Australia which is only eight weeks away, until next time , follow your dreams.
Done and dusted till next time..

Thanks for reading 
Gem & Paul x