Mud, mud... glorious mud.

Running has become a pretty big part of my journey back to a fitter, lighter me. I’ve always said that I’ve hated running with a passion and whilst I’ve done the odd running event in the past, training regularly has always been a struggle. Maybe it’s the monotony of pounding the streets, or the aching muscles afterwards… I don’t know. This time around though I’ve eased myself into it, progressively ramping up distances and intensity and I’m enjoying it.

The other big contributor to the enjoyment factor has been trail running. I get a buzz from running off-road. There’s something infinitely more rewarding about being in the bush away from the traffic, running along trails that constantly twist and turn. There’s very little of the monotonous rhythm of road-running and you need to be engaged with your body, conscious that a misjudged footfall could send you over a rock or tree root and face first into the dirt at any moment.

So when I came across Xterra Wellington I was hooked and immediately signed up for the whole four race series.

Xterra Wellington round 1: Mad Makara

 

Wellington had been blessed with an extraordinary summer this year. There was month after month of glorious sunshine and little to no rain. However the end of daylight savings also signaled an abrupt end to the good weather. The first event I did, the Porirua Grand Traverse a couple of weeks ago, came with a biting cold southerly and patchy drizzle. 

The second event was round one of Xterra, held last Sunday on the fantastic trails of the Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park. It rained all day the day before, it rained all night too and by the time I lined up for the start there was no sign of the deluge easing. What this also meant was that the trails, that a week earlier would have been a great hard-pack surface to run on, were today covered by the slickest layer of clay mud imaginable.

For my first Xterra event I was only game enough to try out the short course option which turned out to be a smidgin under 8km. Basically the course climbed relentlessly for the first 5ks and then had a steeper descent back to the finish. There was no respite from the slick mud, other than on a couple of short pieces of four wheel drive track that also happened to be the steepest pitches of the climb! 

Being predominantly single track, there were few opportunities to pass other runners which had me feeling that I could go faster than the pace that was being set for much of the climb.  But I also wasn't really game enough to expend the energy required to push past the half dozen or so ahead of me to get clear track, least I blew up spectacularly and looked like a fool. Any thoughts of making up for lost time by striding out on the descent were dashed thanks to the mud. The downhill section was a constant battle to balance speed with staying on my feet.

I wasn’t out to set any records for pace anyway so am happy with my decision to just settle into the rhythm of the group and complete the course, without having a heart attack or ending up on my arse . 

Nevertheless after a spirited sprint over the last couple of hundred metres, I had to fight hard not to throw-up after crossing the finish line! I’ll put that down to running on an empty stomach.

Xterra round 1 - Makara Peak MTB Park    (photo: Mark Lynch)

I was pretty stoked too for my good friend Jess who finished strongly a few seconds ahead of me. She took on the event together with a work colleague and had no real idea of what to expect. I have a sneaking suspicion that this won’t be the only Xterra event she has a go at.

I’m a bit of a gear freak and my sporting interests are a great way to indulge my addiction for buying gadgets. One of these is my Garmin Forerunner 910XT multisport GPS watch. Used properly it’s a fantastic training tool that delivers a plethora of performance, health and scheduling metrics through Garmin Connect’s online portal. I’ll do a proper review of it at some point in the future. Right now though, its player feature is a great way to relive events such as this and to indulge my analytical side. 

http://connect.garmin.com/player/300736558

This was just my first taste of Xterra but I’m impressed with how well organised an event the Welllington team put together. I’m really looking forward to round two on 12 May in the Catchpool Valley part of Rimutaka Forest Park… and possibly a step up in distance from the short course to medium and a run of about 12km. 

 Gotta keep on training!!