Writing something not related to a running event is always challenging. In saying that the past week in Queenstown, New Zealand has been far from lazing about and just doing a bit of site seeing. I have fully learned to appreciate any runners capabilities who live there. You can put your running shoes on and no matter which way you head off you find yourself tackling hills and the body quickly rebels knowing it is on new training turf. I soon found many trails that challenged me both physically and mentally. The diversity of terrain is truly amazing and I quickly found myself lost on adventurous trails leading to wherever they took me. Hours seemed short and the kilometers and elevations of my adventures soon became unaccountable. I was quickly amazed how my body adapted to the conditions I put it under. My biggest demon was running many hours solo. Not seeing anyone for hours and mentally had to let the serenity of being amongst nature that was unbelievably beautiful take over and remove any unwilling thoughts. By Friday I had adjusted to this and found myself pounding up the trails, now acclimatized not just to the cooler weather but to the terrain underfoot. Either my legs had just gave up fighting with me or they quickly adjusted to the consistency of the variable terrain and elevation. They certainly did not argue with my final run on the Friday.

Monday was tough. I hurt, my quads screamed at me and I had no idea what I was in for. On reaching the top of Ben Lomond Peak was breathtaking.  The crisp air, the silence and not a breath of wind was spectacular. I just stood there looking around, not thinking of anything else but how far I had come up and how high my legs had taken me. I have no words other than photos that thankfully another adventurer having his lunch must have noticed my amazement and offered to take a photo on my phone. (He didn’t speak English but I handed over my iphone quickly to grasp the moment :-)).

Tuesday I awoke, body feeling the after effects from the previous day, but I was eager to find another trail. Feeling a bit sorry for my legs I headed around the lake on the Queenstown trail and Frankton track and followed the Kawarau River. In truth I actually did not really know where I ended up but I kept my promise to my legs and kept to a minimal elevation. Lucky I didn’t promise any distance.:-). Nothing like a short marathon for a days outing.

Wednesday was huge and spectacular. The plan was to run the Routeburn Track but on heading in I soon found a more challenging trail. The Rockburn Track that certainly tested my technical running skills. My backpack loaded for all weather conditions and nutrition knowing I could end up anywhere. I ran, walked and climbed throughout the day. The ground was moist and challenging with the added elevation. I sat at times to recover looking up thinking “How amazing is this”. Silence other than the constant sound of water running near by and purer untouched beauty. After finally reaching the tree line I stepped out onto the flats and was totally astonished at what I saw. I was amongst the clouds literally. I now had ski posts to follow and a 360 degree view of nothing but stunning scenery. While I soaked up what was around me, I kept watch on a slowly moving dark cloud soon to hit the ground I was on.

I could see ahead the poles directed me to a drop down into a valley. I knew I needed to be there before the cloud reached where I was currently. So quickly I headed towards the valley entrance and found it was going to be a fun ride down but a tough return. With a meeting time frame back were I started I thought best do an out and back rather than attempt going onto another trail. The descent into the valley was extreme but worth it. I found a stream down near the entrance out to the lake and took off my pack and rested. Time for some refueling and thoughts on my long return back. I knew from the climb down meant a tough return. It definitely did live up to my expectations. It tested my fitness level to climb back up to the flat and keep watch on my return meeting time. It totally took my breath away with only 40mins back to where I had predicated the cloud to drop, I found accurate. Where I ran across the flat only the hour before now become a challenging hike through slush. The moisture fallen on the ground had made it wetlands. Every step was unpredictable and deceiving of the depth it put my foot under. They skies were clearer but after several minutes I was looking forward to hitting the downhill valley return towards the Routeburn track. At the first river crossing washing my shoes from mud was relieving. The water so crystal clear and tasted so fresh. I was now busting to get back to my meeting point to see husband, Phil and show my photo’s of where I had just been. I powered down the trail, promising my quads I would give them a nice oil bath that evening.:-). I must admit I pushed out hard to meet my time frame. With 3 minutes to spare I crossed the swaying bridge to a smiling awaiting husband. With an awesome day to remember.

Thursday once again I kept my promise to my body with a light run/walk around the lower trails. Having the opportunity to get some running pictures while Phil was taking photos of the waterfalls. Finally I got a jumping photo that still looks like more training is required.:-).

Friday, by now I had only a couple of trails that I wanted to cover and more confident in my ability in taking on some serious elevation. The legs were alive again and I was determined to have a nice steady but hard gradual run up the skyline track. Followed by ending the week with a scenic run around the Fernhill loop. It was a sad moment running out of the path of falling leaves but my week had come to an end. Rain was predicted for the weekend with many locals welcoming the cooler wet weather to bring on the snow season.

Flying out was with mixed feelings. I was ready for home but in my head I was thinking, of the experience and training on the New Zealand trails could easily become addictive. Even after 5 days I feel stronger and ready to hit my home turf for some serious training leading up to the Gold Coast 100. Along with being the Ambassador for the CTC Rocky River Run 2016, I have plenty of excitement to head home to and looking forward to being part of making this event bigger and better than ever.

Love My Running :-).