'Tis the Season

Sales flyers announce the rapidly approaching holidays, the streets are decorated with garland and wreaths, miniature Christmas trees adore the halls of the shopping mall...and it just feels so odd. It would seem my brain has been programmed to reconcile chilly temperatures and snow with Christmas, twenty-seven degrees and flip-flops do not compute. Oddest of all, the image of Santa Claus remains the same, full red suit with hat and boots. Shouldn't he be in a speedo? I'm certainly glad he isn't, but it would make more sense.

Coast to Coast

Since arriving in Auckland, I've been harassing my husband to undertake the Coast to Coast Walkway. This 16 kilometer urban hike begins overlooking the Waitemata Harbour and the Pacific Ocean, traverses ancient volcanoes and beautiful parks, to finish at the Manukau Harbour and Tasman Sea. As this past Saturday dawned with blue skies, my Aunt Anne & Uncle Larry committed to the trek so we hopped the bus down to the CBD (Central Business District). Dave & Mikaela were seated in the prime bus seats, as the rest of us shuffled further back. Shortly after we pulled away from the curb, I noticed Dave struggling to force Mikaela to stand. It would seem the excitement of the bus had caused her to poop her pants, and Dave was trying desperately to stop her from squishing it :-)

Once disembarking, we made one quick stop at the public toilets, before collecting our map and heading out. The Waitemata Harbour was sparkling as we left it behind and worked our way across downtown to the University of Auckland Campus; it was here that I realized the provided map was vague at best. Where exactly are these arrows I was supposed to see en route? And why are most of the streets on the map unnamed? Oh well, my cohorts soldiered on without question as I wondered if I was leading us astray. Perhaps Dave sensed my hesitation, or perhaps he truly was thinking of Mikaela's patience, but he took the opportunity to veer homeward as we crossed the Auckland Domain.

Anne, Larry & I continued onward and upward, approaching our first true volcanic climb - Maungawhau - or Mt. Eden for those of us unable to pronounce Maori names. It was on this climb, that I truly lost the trail and wandered aimlessly. Were we really supposed to end up in a cow pasture? In retrospect, yes. The only other way to reach the top is via the road, a good tramp through cow country is definitely preferable. Although I had previously climbed Mt. Eden with Dave & Mikaela, the warm sunshine and lack of a small child made it even more enjoyable. There was ample time to truly appreciate the view; both Harbours are visible and there are no less than seven volcanoes towering over their surrounding areas.

A few more missed turns and extended routes, and we arrived at Cornwall Park, the entryway to Maungakiekie - or One Tree Hill. With mature trees and wide open fields, stone fences and sheep grazing on the hillside, you can almost picture the affluent families of yesterday picnicking on the grounds, parasols in hand. Given our earlier trek through the cow pasture, I shouldn't have been surprised to find us soon making our way through the sheep pasture. I believe I still have proof of that on the bottom on my sneaker. Again, we were rewarded with beautiful views and as a bonus the sense of accomplishment was starting to bubble to the surface; the SkyTower in the distance represented our starting point while we could see the Manukau Harbour only a short distance away. In less than six hours, we'd ridden a bus, changed a poopy pants, and walked literally across the city - what a fabulous day.

Barely Adequate +

Last year, shortly after I returned to full-time employment, my husband informed me that I was a barely adequate mother. Apparently, by his standards, any mother who returns to work is barely adequate. It is the stay at home moms, like my sister Natalie and my girlfriend Carmen, who are great moms. It should also be noted that Dave told me last week it was his birthright to not cook supper, as the male he should come home to a warm home cooked meal every night. He's full of such crazy ideas, but I digress. With the move to New Zealand, Dave suggested I could be upgraded to a good mom. Yet, it was his humble opinion that since I was still working part-time, the elusive great mom label was still unattainable. Almost three months into this adventure, I can honestly say...we'll see about that :-)

Auckland Half-Marathon

Prior to leaving Canada, I boasted to my running buddies that I would be doing the Auckland Half-Marathon. Therefore, I was disappointed to discover that registration was full before I even landed on kiwi soil! With this news, I admit, I let my training begin to slide...sure, I still ran. I even still ran my long slow distances, but speed intervals - who needs them? Hill repeats? Nope, only Teresa could ever motivate me to do those. And yet three weeks ago, in a moment of insanity, I purchased a registration off TradeMe (the New Zealand version of eBay). I knew there would be no personal bests on race day, but I felt it wasn't everyday you get to run across the Auckland Harbour Bridge!

Race day started at 4:18 am today; although my alarm was set to go off two mintues later, it was the sound of Mikaela heaving that woke me up. As any good mother, I stripped off her soiled cloths and bedding and promptly threw her in bed with her father so I could focus on me. I quickly ate, dressed, and crept out of the house. The overnight rain had all but stopped, I made my way through the remaining misty darkness to catch the ferry. The ride across the harbour was a bumpy one complete with several parking attempts, but I soon disembarked at Devonport on the North Shore of Auckland. Tourism propoganda claims Devonport is scenic, but I'm afraid I didn't give it much of a look; my focus was securing my spot in the port-a-loo line-up. In retrospect, I should have atleast watched the sunrise over the harbour as I waited. There's always next time...

At 6:22 am, I joined the runners at the start. As with every race, there was a nervous energy in the air; People shuffling, adjusting iPods, and fixing their gear just right as we awaited the gun. At exactly 6:30 am, 7500 race participants commenced the 2008 edition of the Auckland Half-Marathon & Marathon. It would appear Auckland's characters were out in form, I saw the local Borat, Dorothy & the Wizard of Oz crew, plus Luke Skywalker and his nemesis Darth Vader. In fact, the image of a practically naked man with Sorry Mum written across his bottom is most likely permanently burned into my brain.

Part of the mental game of every race is the identification of people you can catch and reeling them in, at 3k I chose this little wisp of a woman. Through the rolling hills of the next several kilometers, I had her in my sights and then she was gone. When that happens, you always hope you overtook them without noticing, but deep down you know they are most likely pulling away from you. Perhaps she got away while I was taking in the scenery, it was no Bermuda, but Auckland has its moments ;-) At 16k, I relocated my target and reeled her in. As I caught her, I explained that I'd been chasing her for over and hour and asked if she'd pull away again so I'd need to chase her down again. She graciously declined my offer but ran along with me for a couple kilometers and then sent me on my way. Somehow what little wind was in my sails seemed to desert me only a kilometer or so down the road. I stopped to walk. Within thirty seconds, I felt the push on my back and 'Come-on'. She had rejoined me and escorted me until the paths for the Half & Full Marathons diverged. I am extremely thankful for her intervention and words of encouragement. I crossed the line with a personal worst of 2:18:40. Am I disappointed? Nope. It was the toughest run of my life, no Teresa, no Dave, just me and 7499 other people I'd never met.