harbour capital 10k

I was dangerously close to skipping the 10k this morning...hit the snooze button 4-5 times, then finally decided I'd be really mad at myself if I missed it, and dragged myself out of bed for a quick hot shower to warm up and clear my head - allergies have been messing with me lately.

The race started at Westpac Stadium so I walked the ~3.5km down there, stopping at New World for some vitamin water on the way. It was drizzling and cold, and I had to keep reminding myself how good I always feel after a run. Thought I might be late, but fortunately spotted some others in the white and blue race tees, and figured as long as I wasn't too far behind them I'd be okay! I was in a bit of a rush with getting to bag storage and everything, but still made it. The full-on rain started and ended at the same time as the race, of course! Actually, I didn't really mind it - once you're wet, you're wet, so might as well have some puddles to jump in along the way.

I'd decided that, based on how I was feeling, I'd be happy just crossing the finish line having run jogged) the whole way...once I got going, though, I found someone with a good pace to follow, and was feeling pretty good at the turnaround point past Oriental Bay. The course ran along the water the whole way, which was a new experience for me - windy, but gorgeous! I was amused by the giant flouro 'CAUTION: ATHLETES' signs along the way.

On the way back, my pace-setter decided to walk, so I had to pick someone else, and ended up with a negative split - yay! I don't usually manage to do that. Still, didn't run it very hard. Around 8km or so, I saw Toby waving and taking pictures - unfortunately I ended up behind a pole in both of them! I finished strong, and was happy with the race goodie bag - the nice big dry towel was perfect for the weather, and I immediately ate the big Whittaker's Peanut Block (Wellington-made chocolate...the toasted coconut one's the best, but peanut's pretty good too!), had an apple and banana, and was still hungry enough to get a Baby Mac and a chicken snack wrap at the McDonald's by my house! I guess after 10km of running and 7km walking there and back I deserved it though :)

I warmed up with a long hot shower (sorry - I know there's an energy conservation push on at the moment, but all the rain today had to have done something for the hydrolake levels!), handed my old cell phone over to the TradeMe auction winner, showed my car to a potential buyer, and then parked in front of the TV for a few hours. Toby came over in the afternoon - he's been camping in his car in the Te Papa parking lot for the past few days and I know that can get old after a while!

Tomorrow's my first day at the Office of Treaty Settlements, over by Parliament. Since I haven't exactly been frequenting Courtnay Place (party central, just a few blocks from my apartment), it probably would have been a good idea to get a flat on the other side of town where all my work assignments have been...just have to remember walking is good :)