A New Day in the Life

Were you tired of all my posts about how wonderful New Zealand was? Well luckily for you, and sadly for me, we are home and settled back into "normal" life. However, now that I am a full time nursing student, my "normal" life is pretty different than it was a year ago. So here is a little glimpse into one of my days last week.

7 am: Wake Up
My alarm is actually set for 7:15, but Dixie decides it is time to get up. She climbs onto my chest and sneezes on my face until I pat her. We play in bed for a few minutes and I check my phone (despite swearing in New Zealand that I was going to be less attached to my phone once I got home)

7:00-7:30 Get dressed for running, brush my teeth, let the dogs out, feed the dogs, foam roll.
It is nice to have a few more minutes in the morning, so this isn't so rushed.

7:30-8:30 Run
Why is it still so cold? It is the end of March! But, my legs feel pretty good for only being a couple weeks post marathon.



8:30-9:00 Shower and Breakfast
Breakfast of the day is oatmeal with banana, peanut butter, apple butter, and chia seeds. While I eat I usually watch the Today Show.

9:00-9:15 Catch up on blogs and Facebook

9:15-11:00 Study
I pour myself and second cup of coffee and settle at the dining room table. I have a Pharmacology exam this week, so I spend about an hour reviewing my notes/flashcards and taking some practice quizzes. SO many drugs! Then, I do my nutrition reading for the week. I learned all about water soluble vitamins. This reminds me to go take my vitamin, which I forgot at breakfast.



11:00-12:00 Dog Walk and Chores
It is a nice day so we walk both dogs for half an hour and then I do some laundry and clean up the kitchen.

12:00-12:45 Lunch and Get Ready for Class
I toss some leftover roasted veggies and chicken on top of some spinach for lunch and have a grapefruit with it. Then, since I haven't been to class in a few weeks, it takes me a bit to round up all my stuff for class.

12:45-1:00 Drive to Class

1:00-4:00 Pathophysiology
We spend the first 30 minutes going over the homework and some questions before we take an exam. I finish my exam pretty quickly so I take a walk around campus to clear my mind and eat an apple and some almonds before returning for the last hour, which is a lecture on renal issues.

4:00-4:15 Drive Home

4:15-4:45 Dogs, Mail, Laundry
I take Sushi for a short walk, get the mail and sort the mail, and then hang up the laundry I washed earlier. I also lay out my gym clothes for the next morning and set the coffee maker.

4:45-5:45 Work on a blog post, Dinner 1
I am planning on going to yoga at 6, but I am starving so I warm up a bowl of Shrimp Gumbo to eat before I go. I eat it while I watch the news and work on a blog post.

6:00-7:15 Yoga
I meet my friend Breezy at yoga. It feels really good to loosen up physically after so much sitting and to clear my mind after my exam.

7:30-8:00 Dogs and Dinner 2
I get home and let the dogs out and feed them. Then I make an English Muffin with peanut butter and a bowl of peas for myself. Kind of a strange combo, but it is what I am in the mood for.

8:00-8:30 TV
I watch an episode of the Mindy Project and foam roll. Sushi always thinks I am on the floor to play with her,

8:30 Dogs and Bed Prep
I let the dogs out again and then put them to bed. Then, I brush my teeth, wash my face, etc. This always takes me forever at night for some reason.

9:00 Reading in Bed

9:30 Sleepy Time
I am an old lady and it is a rare night that I am awake past 10 pm!

1:00 Brief chat with the hubby
Rory gets home at 1 am and climbs into bed. I wake up and we chat for a bit before I fall back to sleep.

New Zealand: Bayley's Mountain to Surf Marathon

Okay friends, grab a snack and settle in, this is a long one!

Race morning started early, as I had asked to start with the walkers (because I wanted to beat the heat) and needed to be on the shuttle at 5:30. I got dressed while my wonderful hubby made me coffee and an English muffin with almond butter and honey. The cold I felt coming on earlier in the week never got worse, but it also never got better, so I had a bit of a sore throat and stuffy nose. However, I felt a million times better than last year in Tokyo! 

I got on the shuttle and was warmly greeted by the other runners. This definitely seemed to be a locals race, as everyone else knew each other and most of the people on my bus had done the race at least 15-20 times! It was nice to be doing a race in a country where there was no language barrier because I could chat with everyone. It seems that runners, no matter where they are from, are just nice people. 

I made a friend on the bus. At the start with Anne.

The race was small, about 200 people with only about 40 starting at 6:30, so the start was a breeze. After Tokyo last year, and 2 other big city marathons before that, it was a nice change to have no bathroom lines and be able to stand right on the starting line. With a loud gunshot, we set off at exactly 6:30.  As the name of the race "Mountain to the Surf" implies, we started at the gates of Egmont National Park, 480 meters up Mt. Taranaki. Unfortunately I couldn't admire the views because it was pitch dark. 

I was so glad I had my headlamp because I was running alone down a very steep hill. Even with it, I could hardly see, which was probably a blessing in disguise, because it slowed me down so I didn't trash my quads too early in the race.

It was light when the runners started down the mountain

Because I started with the walkers, I pretty much ran alone the entire time. It is probably the only time I will ever lead a marathon for more than half the race! Especially in the dark, I was worried about getting lost because I hadn't studied the route very carefully. Luckily there were marshals at every turn. I also had plenty of cows, sheep, goats, and even some emus and alpacas along the way for company. 

The first 3k were a fairly steep downhill and I tried to hold myself back. Then from 3-9k there were some fairly steep rolling hills. After that, the course leveled off again with more long gradual inclines and descents. Unfortunately, right around mile 18 we started hitting the hills again.The course was all paved roads, but the pavement in NZ is a much coarser texture than in the US. By halfway my feet and ankles were getting really tired from the uneven terrain. About half the course was on nice quiet country roads and I enjoyed the views of green farmland with the mountains in the distance. Unfortunately, the other half was on busy roads with very little shoulder. It was pretty scary when giant trucks went flying by and sprayed me with pebbles.

The first 10k went by really slowly, but then I started to get into a groove. I took a gel at mile 6 and then either 2 GU chomps or 2 oatmeal raisin bites every 30 minutes. I also was forcing myself to drink a lot of Nuun since I wasn't heat acclimated. Somehow I managed to loose the cap to my water bottle around mile 9 and didn't notice until I felt water splashing all over my back. I couldn't find the lid, so I chugged what was left in my bottle and then went without fluids until the halfway point. I recognized the race director on the side of the road at halfway and asked if there was a water bottle anywhere I could have. He ran into a van to look and then gave me his own personal one. It was so nice and I thanked him about a million times. 

It started to get tough around mile 16. My legs were starting to feel the steep downhills from the start and the headwind was relentless. At some points I could barely move forward. Plus at this point, the fastest runners (who started an hour later) were passing me. They never gave any indication that they were coming up behind, and some passed on the left and some on the right, so it always startled me. The last 6 miles my legs were pretty done, but I also always knew I could finish. It wasn't like last year where I seriously considered quitting many times. Around 23 miles I realized I could set a PR if I really pushed it, but I decided that wasn't my goal for this race. I didn't want to be a total disaster after the race like last year and I didn't want to ruin the next week of my honeymoon by not being able to move!

The hardest part in the last few miles was trying to remember which side of the road to run on when I turned corners! My tired mind just couldn't figure it out! At last I was turning the corner into a lovely seaside park and heading towards the finish.

It was very windy and I was very angry at the wind after 26.1 miles in it

For the first time, Rory managed to see me finish. Yeah for small races!

My Garmin gave me a time of 4:22:40. (my chip time got messed up, so I am going with my Garmin).

Another benefit of a small race is that I had my medal, water, found Rory, and was in a ice pool all in less than 5 minutes. There is really nothing better at the end of a marathon than sitting in an ice pool and eating watermelon!

Less than 30 minutes after I finished, the skies opened up (it had been cloudy and sprinkling occasionally during the race) and the wind got even worse. I am so glad I started early! 

Also people, travel by campervan is the way to go for runners. At the finish I immediately had access to all my stuff, a shower and a bed! 

All in all, it was a great little race and the people couldn't have been nicer. I feel like I got an authentic New Zealand running experience. Continent #6 is done!

New Zealand: Christchurch

After we said good-bye to our trusty campervan, Gertie, we spent the last 2.5 days of our trip in Christchurch. 

I hugged Gertie good-bye and even cried a little

Quite honestly we were both shocked when we first arrived in the city. We knew there had been a bad earthquake in 2011, but neither of us had realized quite how devastated the city was, or the extent to which the city is still rebuilding. The city center is really still just a giant hole, with only a few damaged buildings that have not been torn down yet still standing. 

There are some new buildings being built, but it still feels like walking through a war zone. At the very center is the crumbling Cathedral. 

The Anglican church decided that they couldn't afford the estimated $100+ million to repair it and so it was set to be demolished. However, citizens got an injunction to stop the demolition and now the damaged Cathedral stands waiting for it's fate to be determined.

 I really hope they can restore it. In the meantime, a controversial temporary Cathedral has been built, primarily out of cardboard. It certainly doesn't have the same majesty as the original in my opinion.

 On a walking tour, our guide took us by several other sites related to the earthquake. The first was the site of the CTV building, which collapsed killing more than 100 people. He read us a harrowing account written by a Japanese student about being trapped in the collapsed building before she was eventually rescued. We also saw a haunting memorial: 185 empty chairs in a field, one for each victim of the quake.

Despite the destruction and the massive task of rebuilding, the people of Christchurch are not giving up. They have been quite creative in creating temporary structures, using  shipping containers in every method possible. They've created an entire shopping area, the reSTART mall, out of them. They have also created funky parks and art installations. My favorite was the dance-o-mat, where you put in a 2 dollar coin and the lights and music come on for you to get your groove on.

the reSTART mall, made of shipping containers

An area where you would never guess there has been an earthquake is in the parks. Christchurch is known as the city of gardens and I can see why. We spent a long time wandering through the botanical gardens, marveling at the giant redwoods and roses among many other things. They also have a massive public park right in the middle of the city, where I ran every morning. I passed tons of other runners as cyclists as I enjoyed the dirt tracks that looped around ponds and through stands of trees.

Christchurch was a little more of a sober ending to our trip than we expected, but we are still glad to have experienced it. We can't wait to come back in 20 years and see the transformed city.

New Zealand: March 15 and 16

Sunday March 15

On Sunday and Monday we made our way up the East coast of the North Island. Sunday morning we stopped in Dunendin, which as the name implies, felt quite Scottish. It also seemed to be a young vibrant city, with lots of young people eating brunch and getting coffee. We swung by Cadbury World (because I can't say no to anything chocolate) and then sat at a cafe for a bit.



On our way out of the city we took a detour to Port Chalmers to try to arrange a horse trek. Unfortunately, they were busy for the day with sheep shearing. But we did get to learn quite a bit about sheep shearing and the sport of hunting (for a hare on horseback) from the very talkative farmer. We made a quick stop at a cheese factory and after sampling about 15 types of cheese, ending up getting a hunk of sage cheddar.


We stopped for a picnic at Shag Point and then walked on the beach. At one point we were walking and I said to Rory, "Is it me, or is that rock moving?" It wasn't a rock, it was a seal! A big Momma seal had hauled herself out of the water to sunbathe.

She was completely uninterested in us and snoozed away while we snapped some pictures. It was really neat to get to observe a seal in the wild at such a close distance.

Further up the coast we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders, these cool large, spherical boulders. They formed over a period of 4 million years and layers of sediment grew around a small pebble core.

Next we scoped out the tiny fishing village of Moeraki, where we enjoyed a Monteith's cider (our favorite New Zealand drink so far) out on a deck overlooking the harbor. Most of the harbors we have seen are still mostly full of working boats rather than pleasure boats. At night we stayed at Glencoe Reserve, a wooden site on the river. It was our quietest DOC site so far, with just 2 other campers!

Monday March 16

Monday we kept hearing north, stopping first in Oamaru. We had to bundle up before we explored the city, as fall arrived overnight and the shorts weren't cutting it. Oamaru was a very interesting mix of beautiful Victorian soapstone and steam-punk. Somehow they managed to co-exist harmoniously. It also had one of the coolest playgrounds I've ever seen.

We played on the playground, wandered the main street, and visited a cheese factory before we hit the road again. A bit further up the coast, we stopped in Timaru for lunch. It felt very historic, with old brick buildings built around a central port. After lunch we wandered around Caroline Bay, a beautiful park and beach.

Our favorite part was a huge bird cage filled with brightly colored birds native to Oceania.

Then we headed inland a bit to the tiny town of Geraldine, where we sampled even more cheese (3 cheese factories in 2 days in my kind of trip) along with fruit preserves. Then we headed out to Waihi Gorge, for our final night in the campervan. We wandered a bit, exploring the campsite, and were followed the whole time by a sheep. He wanted to be friends. Then, since it had started to rain, we cuddled up inside, made a hot dinner, and enjoyed our last night in the campervan, with the sound of the river behind us.

New Zealand March 13-14

Friday March 13

What a difference a day and a few hundred kilometers can make. Yesterday we were hiking in shorts and tanks and sweating. Today we hiked in pants and jackets and still were chilly! I went for a beautiful run this morning around the lake before we left. There were dark clouds hanging over the mountains, but as the sun rose they starting glowing pink and gold.

It was also sprinkling a bit and soon a huge rainbow formed.

After a chilly plunge into the lake after my run, we headed south from Queenstown towards Invercargill. The first half of the drive was through the Southern Alps and then we

emerged into flat prairie. We made a quick stop in Invercargill and then kept heading south as far as you can go to the little town of Bluff. This is where we needed to add a lot more layers. There is a vicious cold wind that reminds me of Antarctica, which makes sense because that is where this wind originates. We cheated a bit by driving to the top of Bluff Hill to admire the view out over Foveaux Straight. Then, we earned our afternoon treat by hiking down and out to Lookout Point, the farthest point south, and then hiking back up. It was wild on the point, with the wind almost blowing us over.

The ocean was white-capped and smashing against the rocks. We felt right at home!

Our next stop was out at Sterling Point, to see the famous sign with distances to all the major world cities.

We hiked around out there a bit, seeing the lighthouse and finding some beautiful shells on the beach. Bluff is also famous for their oysters, and lucky for us, it is oyster season! So for dinner we had a feast of oysters and chips (fries for you Americans.)

After dinner we went for a stroll down the main street. It is neat that all the towns here still have main streets. It feels like going back in time: a butcher shop, a fruit shop, a dairy, a pharmacy. 

Saturday March 14

I think today might have been my favorite day of the entire trip! It started with a beautiful sunrise run along the Land's End trail in Bluff. It looked as if the sun slid right out of the Pacific.

Then we headed to explore the Catlins, along the southern tip of the South Island. Our first stop was Waipapa Point, site of a lighthouse, a gorgeous beach, and most excitingly, potentially some sea life. It didn't disappoint! As soon as we pulled into the carpark we could see what looked like 2 sea lions way down on the beach. We sprinted down and sure enough 2 giant sea lions were basking in the sun.

We got as close as we dared (10 meters) and watched as the rolled over and waved their flippers in the air, threw sand on themselves, and even got up and playfully fought with each other.

As we were taking pictures of these, we heard commotion behind us and turned around to see another sea lion making his way down the path. We got out of his way because you don't want to stand between a sea lion and the sea. He decided right in the middle of the path would be a cozy nook for a nap.

Some people got a little too close and he let out a loud bark to tell them to back off. After we watched him for a bit we headed up the hill towards the lighthouse. As we walked, we heard sea-lionesque snorts coming from the grass way up on the top of the hill. It was a good 150 yards up from the beach, so we didn't think it was sea lions, but as we carefully climbed up through the grass, a sea lion head popped up out of the grass!

There were actually 2 of them way up there, enjoying the sun. After a bit they decided to head back towards the water and we watched them parade down to the water.

They can move when they want to! Once they reached the beach, they slid smoothly into the water and suddenly seemed like different animals. They were so sleek and quick in the ocean. What an amazing experience to get these animals in the wild!

Our next stop was Curio bay, home of a fossilized 180 million year old forest. The forest was petrified by silica rich lava and perfectly preserved in the bedrock.

All those lumps are petrified trees

We had a picnic lunch by Niagra Falls, a tiny waterfall named by a surveyor with a good sense of humor. Then we got to see a real waterfall- Purakaunui Falls. It was a lovely walk through rainforest to the 3 tiered waterfall.

Our final stop of the day was Nugget Point, which was an exciting drive along a narrow dirt road with steep drop-offs to the sea below. It was a rugged and wild landscape with many of the trees growing almost sideways. The ocean was Caribbean blue, but the wind certainly didn't feel tropical.

Then we bumped and rattled down 20k of dirt road to get our campsite in Purakauni Bay. It is a lovely remote site with a beach on one side and rolling fields with sheep on the other. We went for a walk on the beach, but I don't think we'll be swimming here. After a few minutes of wading, our feet ached from the cold! We got spoiled with all that warm water on the North Island!