A fun run
February 17th, 2013 at 12:23 pm by David FarrarAlong with around 14,000 others I took part in the AMI Round the Bays fun run this morning. Normally I like Wellington to be hot and sunny but was glad it was overcast today.
I took part last year, but could only walk it. That was still a lot of fun. Also great to help raise money for the Malaghan Institute for cancer research.
My aim this year was to run all 7 kms of it, without needing any walking breaks. I was semi-confident I could do it because I had run more than 7 kms on the treadmill in the gym. But there were four difference which meant I was only feeling 60/40 about being able to run it.
- The treadmill runs had 1 minute walk intervals every 12 minutes, and I had never actually done 7 kms without a break before. The longest previously with no break was 25 minutes.
- I jog on the treadmill at 9 km/hr but tend to jog slightly faster than that outdoors, which isn’t always a good thing as it means the heart rate can get too high too quick.
- Roads are tougher to run on than treadmills
- There is no sun or wind inside
My official goal was to do it in under 60 minutes. I was hoping secretly to do it in under 50 minutes. I was more than happy to get to the finish line in 38 minutes 55 seconds (according to my iPhone app). The pace was just over 10 km/hr which I honestly did not think I could do. Somewhat surprisingly also, each half km my pace was slightly faster than the previous.
Also of interest or amusement is that a bit of a meme going around Wellington in the last few weeks has been that David Shearer no longer has to worry when David Cunliffe shaves his beard off, but instead when Grant Robertson shaves off a few kilos!
By coincidence I saw Grant taking part in the Round the Bays today 
February 17th, 2013 at 12:42 pm
The faster speed is from the adrenalin boost you get in an event. Well done!
Try Runmeter for iPhone. It’s the best running app I’ve found.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Yeah you always race faster than you train you get a lift from the fun and novelty of it all. This needs to be fought hard in a marathon or you blow up and end up a weeping cramped wreck on the side of the road. Or so I have heard
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Been there done that!
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 1:17 pm
congratulations , before you know it you are lining up for a Fletchers and then you know you’ve gone insane
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
AMI is that the company taxpayers have given nearly $1 billion to, because of their shonky reinsurance policy?
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Well done dude. Well done.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Good on you, DPF! Well done!
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Good stuff DPF.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Fantastic effort. I’ve been following your progress here and on Facebook and your improvement is outstanding, and very fast.
I’ve also suffered from the adrenaline rush in a half-marathon – I didn’t end up in a wreck on the side of the road like I would have in a full marathon, but had a thoroughly miserable second half of the race. With this sort of progress I think you could aim for the Wellington Half-marathon in late June.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Well done. Your tramping has probably help with your endurance.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
“I think you could aim for the Wellington Half-marathon in late June.”
Only with enough training. You would want to have run at least 15 to 18 prior to the half-marathon. I do not think I have every pulled out of one but have had to walk painfully for the km.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 2:31 pm
Yes, I meant there is enough time to get enough training in to complete it, if DPF fancies it that is.
My worst race was in Christchurch a few years back, I went out at 1:30 pace instead of listening to my body and with about 7km left I realised I was in big trouble. Managed to make it in 1:33 but I had to go to some dark places to finish it.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Did you hold Grants hand or did Grant hold Yours?
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 4:29 pm
DPF – You should also take heart from the Southerly wind direction that was in place at the time.
The last 3 1/2 kms would have been a straight head-wind.
You could aim for 36:00 in a Northerly.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 5:33 pm
Great result DPF. Like “Zapper” your “followers” have watched with admiration as you ‘progress’.
Vote:Keep it up – you never know what might be around the corner!?
February 17th, 2013 at 6:15 pm
>Roads are tougher to run on than treadmills
Indeed.
Vote:Well done.
February 17th, 2013 at 8:19 pm
The Taupo half marathon would be a great one to aim for if your going to go at a goal.
Vote:It was my first half, NZs biggest at around 3K entrabts I think
Early August. Typically clashes with my birthday and All Blacks tests!
February 17th, 2013 at 8:27 pm
“Normally I like Wellington to be hot and sunny”
Yes, the four days a year when it is like that are fantastic.
Vote:February 17th, 2013 at 8:51 pm
In the old days we would use a watch to tell how long we had been running – what’s with “finish line in 38 minutes 55 seconds (according to my iPhone app)”
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 12:21 am
For the next race challenge Whale, if you win he is no longer allowed to hassle your dress sense, travel and arts blog or parking ability.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 4:47 am
38’55″ = 10.79km/h average speed. 5’33″ per km.
That’s ok!!
If your pace quickened with more distance then you could’ve gone out faster at the start. By the time you finally pulled the trigger knowing there’s nothing to hold back for at the end you might’ve been up to 12km/h pace or 12-13.
I started off thinking how pathetic not being able to run 7kms in a row and then I remembered that when I started running 10kms per day I allowed myself to walk whenever as long as I kept the total time under 60 minutes each day. And I did often walk during the last 2.5kms when I started covering 10kms per day.
And then I got to a point where I could run 10kms without walking ever. And I’ve got 20kms to do this morning seeing as I missed 10kms yesterday. Shit.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 4:51 am
That’s the old chestnut joke about Wellington but in fact there’s been heaps and heaps and heaps of hot sunny days over the last two months. And noticeably less wind.
One of the aspects of running that I like is that it keeps me in tune with what the weather actually does. If there are lots of nice days in a row…. I experience every one of them.
Vote:February 18th, 2013 at 7:30 am
check this out:
20km run between 5-7am this morning: time… 1:46’46″ = 11.23km/h
At my 7km mark = 37’27″. 10km mark 53’22″.
It’s cool running more than 10km because when an hour comes up… that’s easy… I’ve run 11.3kms… so.. 11.3km/h!!
It helps to have motivation to finish too. I was holding onto a mother of a bowel movement.
I’m fascinated by how much water the body uses while running. Pre-run weight = 83.6kg. Post-run = 82.6kg. Post bowel movement = 81.7kg. Whoa….
Vote: