- View from the lakefront in Wanaka 2. Two of my Flatmates and I at the finish line 3. Me pre-race start
Last weekend my flatmates and I packed up Glenda's car (so graciously on loan to me from the McConnons) and headed out to Wanaka, a larger town in Central Otago where many people in Dunedin have holiday homes. It's situated on this beautiful lake, flanked by mountains, and is known for being a great escape for skiing in the winter and the much warmer temps in the summer.
We set out early afternoon on Friday and despite a comedy of errors (me at the wheel, car sickness, trying to find dinner in the middle of nowhere, & faulty hostel phone numbers) we arrived in one piece. Race day on Saturday morning brought more stressful excitement (Um, where exactly is the start line?! and how exactly do we get back to the car??) but overall we couldn't have asked for more amazing weather or better race times! The race course itself wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, not the usual hills I deal with at all, though the roads were still open to traffic which made maneuvering tricky due to lack of shoulders along the roads. The last 500m was through grass, which wasn't my favorite, but with so little to go I didn't mind so much. This was my first competitive running race (unless we are counting the Krispy Kreme Challenge...and I'm not, haha) so I really had no idea how I would end up doing. I was a little nervous (not nearly as much as I was before my Macandrew Bay swim!) but by start time I felt really competitive and ready to put training to the test. I did notice I was putting a little more emphasis on where other people were instead of doing "my personal best," as my dad would say, so mid-way through I forgot about winning and more about how awesome it was to be running such a scenic course!
In the end, I ended up clocking in at 47 minutes 22 sec, which was cool, though I would have liked to do 45 minutes. I'd like to do some more 10k races and will definitely be seeking some out when I come home to NC. Ironically, a half marathon doesn't seem so far after doing 10k's haha. I think I am a long way from that...
I am officially done with work as of today (Friday)! I feel like I just started; to be this close to leaving is surreal. My coworker Annmarie made me a pumpkin pie from scratch and it was my pleasure to show everyone how Americans properly eat pumpkin pie--with ice cream of course! No one batted an eyelash at the fact it was 9am :) Most of the town is shutting down for Easter, and since I hadn't planned anything for the holiday, I'm hoping to do some planning, for my travels and when I'm home, and spend some quality time with the flatties. All good things must come to an end at some point I suppose, so although I feel sad to leave what has become familiar and fun, I really am ready to see what else is out there!
Hope y'all have a Happy Easter!
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