Born to Run
I took my dog to Te Henga (aka Bethells Beach) for a run on Sunday. We love it out there. The main beach stretches for just over a kilometer between spectacular cliffs pocked with caves - some of them very large. Beyond the stream at the north end, there is a low sand hill, after which you come to O'Neills beach, and another curving stretch of dark west-coast sand which eventually ends at a jagged headland. The whole stretch - starting at the carpark - can be negotiated in bare feet.
On Sunday, the tide was right out. We started at the stream, and jogged to the south end where a group of people were playing frisbee in the huge cathedral-like cave, sheltered from the intermittent wind-blown rain. I did some quick stretches, then jogged back to the north. The stream was brown and swollen from the recent rain, and knee-deep as it swept across the wide sand and out to the distant breakers. At the far side we jogged on, puffing over the sand dune and then scampering down to O'Niells beach. Clouds hurried past and mist hid the distant headlands. Patters of rain blew across the beach, but not enough to warrant the rain coat since I was warmed from the exercise. On we ran, until there was no more sand and craggy boulders covered the beach. I paused for a moment, then turned back for the carpark.
When I got back to the carpark, my GPS watch had recorded 6.9 km. It was no marathon, and it was mostly flat, but it occurred to me that I'd just done 45 minutes of steady jogging without feeling particularly exhausted. I always found running unreasonably difficult (although I have done quite a lot of walking and mountainbiking). In the past, I would have been pretty tired after one kilometer. However, I've been slowly increasing my running over the last couple of years, and it's certainly made a difference.
On Sunday, the tide was right out. We started at the stream, and jogged to the south end where a group of people were playing frisbee in the huge cathedral-like cave, sheltered from the intermittent wind-blown rain. I did some quick stretches, then jogged back to the north. The stream was brown and swollen from the recent rain, and knee-deep as it swept across the wide sand and out to the distant breakers. At the far side we jogged on, puffing over the sand dune and then scampering down to O'Niells beach. Clouds hurried past and mist hid the distant headlands. Patters of rain blew across the beach, but not enough to warrant the rain coat since I was warmed from the exercise. On we ran, until there was no more sand and craggy boulders covered the beach. I paused for a moment, then turned back for the carpark.
When I got back to the carpark, my GPS watch had recorded 6.9 km. It was no marathon, and it was mostly flat, but it occurred to me that I'd just done 45 minutes of steady jogging without feeling particularly exhausted. I always found running unreasonably difficult (although I have done quite a lot of walking and mountainbiking). In the past, I would have been pretty tired after one kilometer. However, I've been slowly increasing my running over the last couple of years, and it's certainly made a difference.