Charlene Smart: Hills and Commitment

Today my new running friend Pauline (who is also coached by Richard) and I showed we were totally committed to our marathon training by not only running in the Port Hills, but running in the Port Hills while it was snowing!

We set out from the Sign of the Kiwi just after 9am, it was cold but no rain or snow – we thought we had done pretty well in getting a nice day to do our hill run. The further we got along the Summit Road the more the weather turned, it started with what I though was a few drops of hail – nope it was snowing!

Now, I am one of those people that really love running in the rain, I know weird, this was literally the coolest run I have done in ages – not only because I had some company but because it was snowing. There was a point where the snow felt like it has pin pricking our faces, this is the point we decided to turn around and head back – we decided that we were totally committed to the training that we would endure this sort of weather just for a run!

It was actually really lovely running back to our cars, the road looked nothing like it did when we set out an hour earlier, was pretty cool.

We has such a great time chatting as we ran but also completing these vital runs for both of our marathon’s. Pauline’s marathon is a month before mine so it was nice to be able to chat and pick her brains on things like nutrition, the Queenstown course (as the one I am doing was her first marathon) and a few other things that us runners sometimes have issues with.

Till next time….can’t promise there will be as pretty photos as today!

Pauline and I at the half way point, it was so bad Pauline couldn’t keep her eyes open!