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!

Marathon Training Nutrition Experiment

I've used all kinds of different nutrition products over the years. When I first started running I used nothing- no water, no fuel. It worked for a half marathon, but as I found myself bonking during training for my first full marathon, I realized that I needed to eat.

I started with the Jelly Belly Sport Beans but soon realized it was way too much work to eat all those individual beans. Plus they tasted way too sweet by the second or third package on a run.

I love the Espresso Flavor!

I stuck with GU gels for my next couple marathons and liked the flavors and the convenience, but started to burn out on the texture. Plus I had to take all of it at once, so I felt like I got a big burst of energy and then crashed quickly. I tried taking half and putting the rest back in my pack, but I always ended up with a sticky mess!



Next up was Hammer Perpetuem which I tried to see if a product with protein would help keep my energy levels higher. That did not last long because I found it too chalky and it hurt my stomach.

For my last marathon I tried GU chomps next because I wanted a product that I could take every 15-20 minutes instead of once an hour. The blocks worked well for that, but they froze in the winter, and like the gels, I got tired of the texture after awhile.

Stuff of miracles folks. Seriously.

Through all of this I stuck with plain old water. Occasionally I'd try a few sips of a sports drink, but they always hurt my stomach.

All of these product (except the Perpetuem) worked for me, but I never felt like my fueling was ideal. So in training this winter, I've been doing an experiment.



First, I tried using Nuun instead of plain water. This stuff is AMAZING! It doesn't bother my stomach at all, has a mild, but tasty, flavor and I feel so much better hydrated. My fingers don't swell up nearly as much, my sweat isn't as salty, and I don't feel that insatiable thirst I used to feel at the end my run. In addition to adding Nuun, I've just upped my fluid intake in general. I used to only take 6 oz for runs 13 miles and under and 12 oz for anything over that. Now I carry a 16 oz bottle and have my husband come meet me midway with a second bottle for runs over 16 miles.

I want ALL the fuel!

Secondly, I've started using multiple fuel sources during a single run. This solves the issue of taste or texture fatigue and I feel like it overall keeps my energy levels higher because each gives me something a little different. Overall that was my dissatisfaction with all the fueling options I've tried. I liked them at first, but as I consumed 3-4 of them in a single long run, I got tired of them and I felt like they weren't providing well-rounded energy. Mixing them up seems to work a lot better!

I also include some kind of "real food" (i.e. not gels or chomps). I save this for the last half of the run when I am starting to feel hungry and want something more solid. I've used Fig Newtons, these wheat figgy bars from Nature Box, and Cliff Bars. I spread it out so I'm having a bit every 15 minutes or so.

What other fuels have you tried and loved that I should add to my mix? Do you tend to stick with a single type of fuel or do you also mix it up? What is your favorite flavor GU?