October 2011
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Crashed & burned
Auckland Marathon smashed me up.
I started faster than was necessary, knew I was doing it and didn’t slow down. In pain from 21km then cramp took my legs out at 32km and I was forced to walk the last 10km. Finish time of 4hrs 14min was what I deserved.
Amongst the most painful races I’ve done. Sign me up for next year!
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Butterflies
2nd attempt at Auckland Marathon tomorrow.
With 6 months notice you’d think I’d have prepared a bit better than I have. Alas, its just been a busy year and running, even orienteering, has taken a back seat to other things. Consequently I’m not really in any better shape than when I toed the line last year. Maybe worse shape, in fact.
It goes without saying that I want/need to...
August 2011
1 post
June 2011
6 posts
Shaun writes up his double Hillary Trail run →
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Watchrunnyknows:
Shalane Flanagan and her upper body stride analysis. As distance runners, we can learn a lot from this video. Just think - if Shalane has issues as a Olympian, then you know we can all benefit too!
I’ve not seen much discussion of these upper body factors, so I found this very interesting.
It's not a double down ITS THE DOUBLE DONE
runningbeast:
The team are back all finished times to follow soon
Amazing.
Hillary Trail x 2 in mid-winter, psycho weather with huge random gusts and intense downpours, tracks muddy and cut up… theres no stopping Shaun when he’s on a mission.
Good on you Shaun - respect.
runningbeast: THE HILLARY TRAIL DOUBLE – Shaun... →
runningbeast:
On Saturday I’m going to run the Hillary trail…twice! From the southern end of the Waitakere Ranges to Muriwai and back. It’s around 155km long with 6,300m climb, and I’m doing it just for kicks!
The Hillary Trail connects a network of existing regional park tracks through the Waitakere…
May 2011
2 posts
Back in 5
Minutes, days, months? Not sure yet. Whenever I get my tumblr mojo back.
Thanks for reading. Run often.
Nick.
April 2011
5 posts
3 tags
1 tag
Running technique (miscellaneous) →
Heaps of good videos :)
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Running technique (miscellaneous) →
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Running technique (miscellaneous) →
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March 2011
4 posts
Cool video of last years Motatapu Sport Adventure... →
runningbeast:
Cool video of last years Motatapu Sport Adventure Run - can’t wait for this Saturday!
Awesome country. That run just went on my list.
The Future of Shoes →
And this one.
Minimally →
Wish I’d written this article.
February 2011
5 posts
3 tags
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Shoe Review: Salomon SpeedCross 2
I bought a pair of Salomon SpeedCross 2 to wear in the World Rogaining Champs in November 2010. I haven’t trashed them yet, but I’ve decided to review them regardless after reading a Jonathan Wyatt review of the next generation of SpeedCross - with spikes. If Wyatt says they’re good, I’m listening.
24 hours is a long time on your feet, so I was looking for a light shoe...
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What causes 'Runners High'? →
Thanks Mike A
A marathon a day for, holey moley! →
Thanks Arthur.
Watchphynix719:
Q&A with Scott Jurek, Anton Krupicka, Dave Mackey and Geoff Roes. Discussing training, inspiration, and future plans. It is long, but a very interesting video.
January 2011
6 posts
1 tag
I'm trying to suss out Goal #4 for Feets of...
I’d like to get back to the intrinsic motivations I enjoyed doing #1 - the Hillary Trail - as opposed to the race-based challenges #2 and #3. There was something in #1 about wanting to run as self-expression which I never really explored; I’d like to pick up that thread. Hmmm, there are some cool races coming up though:
Sprint the Bay- a 3 day Sprint Orienteering competition in...
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More Hillary Trail runners
Turns out Dan Roberts and a few others also ran the full Hillary Trail with Ties and HRBR. Dan was in the opening ceremony running group, this time last year. He also ran the trail in the middle of winter with a group involved with the 7in7 Challenge. He might have the record for most completed Hillary Trail runs?? I heard from Dan today - here’s an abridged version of his email:...
'You're crazy.' That's what an elite runner told... →
Interesting to hear from someone who hasn’t had a good experience in Five Fingers… I imagine that will continue as long as people think its the shoes can save them.
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Ties ran the Hillary Trail today!
So I got a text this evening from my buddy Ties telling me he’d just run the Hillary Trail today. As in, the full 70km monster:
The Huia Road Bush Runners were tackling the iconic trail as a relay, providing support stops at the beaches with their van (endearingly called “The Clubhouse”). So, Ties wakes up this morning and decides he feels OK so he might as well join them to...
December 2010
6 posts
NYT: How to Push Past the Pain, as the Champions... →
Pleasant surprise to find an awesome Kiwi runner at the top of this NYT article. Thanks.
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"Phenomenon yet to crest" →
outgear:
via gearjunkie.com
This article is excerpted from ZERO DROP, a new blog about barefoot and minimalist running by journalist and author Bill Katovsky. The text comes from Katovsky’s “A-Z Guide to Minimalist and Barefoot Running Shoes.”
The barefoot and minimalist running shoe…
This industry-change is getting really interesting.
You may want to short-cut to the original article.
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November 2010
12 posts
Discrimination sensation; Is prejudice rife in... →
So we’ve got this healthy specimen on the left, commentating on a local fun run:
Dissing this 95kg guy:
For being too “big” to be a real runner. Even though he won the race, kind of (the real winner collapsed and was taken to hospital - hope s/he is OK). And it made the newspaper which did a fine job of making it sound tremendously dramatic.
But seriously. If you run,...
Risk vs Fear →
I can’t remember where I found this link, but I’m sure I noted it down from someone else’s tumblr or twitter… propers to you, whoever you are.
It bubbled to the surface tonight and I liked it, again. It expresses nicely a thought that I was fumbling over recently - why do we fear a physical challenge? OK, so its not a water-tight, one-size-fits-all policy (eg: apply with...
More on World Rogaining Champs 2010
We blew it before the race even started. We gambled on gear, and left some cold/wet weather gear out of our packs in an effort to reduce weight.
We’ve been outdoors in New Zealand often enough to know better. These islands in the South Pacific Ocean are notorious for changeable weather, and we *always* pack gear for cold/wet weather just in case. I don’t know why we changed our...
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Hindsight hurts
The big thing with rogaining is planning your route. How many checkpoints can you visit within 24 hours? Which checkpoints will give you most points? How do you collect the most points for the least distance travelled, and avoiding unnecessary climb? Which areas of the map are best avoided at night? Which area gives you the best run home with options to miss checkpoints if you’re short on...
Epic.
World Rogaining Champs was epic. Robb and I are wrecked, hobbling and happy. #3 is squared away.
Bags packed
I fly down to the South Island tomorrow evening, and my bags are already packed. Robb flies in on Friday. I’ll collect him and we’ll head up to Cheviot, where the race is based. We’re staying at this charming establishment and I’m already looking forward to a good nights sleep.
World 24hr Rogaining Championships 2010 will kick off at 12pm on Saturday. It’ll be a...
4 days to race day
And I’m getting the butterflies.
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Rotorua rules
Whakarewarewa Forest is awesome. The MTB trails are mint and heaps of the forest off-trail is passable on foot. There are decent hills, a couple of lakes… and the map is good. All good territory for rogaining. I’m super-grateful that the MTBers were willing to share their forest with us! Rotorua rules.
Orienteering Bay of Plenty put on a tricky course for the Great Forest Rogaine. It...
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Big hit out
Goal #3 is almost upon me. World Rogaining Champs are on 20 November 2010. This weekend I’m entered in the Great Forest Rogaine in Rotorua, New Zealand. 8 hours of foot racing in Whakarewarewa Forest, the MTB mecca. It will be my last, slash only, big hit out before the champs.
And… I’m loving this online map service which I came across this week (the reasons for owning an...
Which got me thinking...
“Your body responds to training”
Its a powerfully motivating realisation. I mean, we’ve all heard it a million times, but when you assimilate it into your understanding of yourself, it unlocks the mental boundaries you set around what you can achieve.
I’ve got something deep to say (omg so deep), but I can’t get it out in a sensible fashion. So, I’m going to...
October 2010
7 posts
3 tags
So I can finally say I've done it.
Despite having run the Hillary Trail, I’d never run a “proper” marathon. A friend’s entry to the Auckland Half-Marathon kinda fell into my lap last week, so I bit the bullet upgraded to the full mythical distance.
I enjoyed it immensely, especially the view from the Harbour Bridge (a rare treat for the pedestrian because the bridge is currently vehicle only), and the last...
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Start in 10 hours
Auckland Marathon on 2 days notice? OK, why not?