10km out and back - atawhai

Well after such a disaster walk yesterday I was not really expecting anything to flash from the 10km this morning.

I had decided to get up early and do this at 8am but thanks to my darling daughter sitting up until 2am chatting to her boyfriend in Cairns on Skype, Cell & land phone....."sighs"..... I didnt get much sleep and so dragged myself out of bed at 9am. I figured that with no breakfast or much to drink it would just be a nice wander and I would be happy if I got the same times Stephen and I have been getting.

Something that arrived yesterday in the post was a pre xmas gift from Shane. He had brought me a power band - the ones with the hologram and you wear on your wrist. He had heard me talking about them and so he looked into them. He also saw that many people called them a sham etc but some people found benefit in wearing them. So I was still keen to try one and he found one on Ebay for a good price. So I started wearing it yesterday.

So I got up and drove down to the Atawhai walkway, tucked my key into my laces and started out. I was feeling pretty good surprisingly and just sat on a pace I felt comfortable at. I am trying hard to not look at my GPS watch all the time and to learn to feel what pace I am doing. So I decided I wouldnt look at my watch until I turned at the 5km mark. The nice thing about doing this walkway in the morning is for 3 & 4 km the sun has not come up over the hill so its nice and shaded, so I was feeling pretty good, not too breathless. I was not pushing hard but was just walking at a good pace. I was most surprised when I looked at the 5km mark 30:17.......YES!!! I was rapt. I turned and started back, by now my shade was gone and it was full sun the whole way back. Plus lots of cars out now with people heading to town and the market so I had to slow for all the road crossings.....I was hoping to finish my walk in under 61mins.....I would have been super pleased with that. I heard my watch churp for the 9km and thought why not push for the last km. I was tired now but just picked it up a little bit. I finished my 10km walk in 60:35.............WICKED!!!!

and now as I type this my sneezing has started again.....lol....and my nose has started to pour...............grrrrrr

10km out and back - atawhai