🥔The Bonus Fritter 22/11

WAI THE WAI2K & RIVERHEAD RUNDREAD

Welcome to ‘The Bonus Fritter’.

The “I only paid for one potato fritter, but I got 3” edition of the Trail Running NZ newsletter.

Here’s what’s come out of the deep fryer this week:

🙈Bradley’s Ramble

👟Shoe Review Stu:Asics Trabuco 11

🏃Riverhead Rundread?

❓5 Watts

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Bradley’s Rambles

WTF have I got myself into?
Tomorrow, I’m running in the WAI2K 100km.
No big deal, I write about ultra running every week.
It’s just … this time, I’m the one having to do the running😝.

Reading and writing about all the awesome races around NZ, especially the Backyards with the crazy long distances, has made me laxidasical about how long 100km actually is.

100 x 1KM, 50 x 2KM, 10 x 10KM, 5 x 20KM I can’t quite decide which sounds more pallatable.

When I stop to think about it, I’ve only run 100km three times before.
Tarawera 2019, WAI2K 2020, and I ran 117km in a DNF at Tarawera Miler 2023.

When I put it like that, the butterflies make a little more sense.

It’s my big “A” race of the year. Like everyone else, I’m sure, my lead-up hasn’t been perfect. I had a great start and middle, but the last 6 weeks have unraveled faster than toilet paper in the hands of my 2-year-old son.
I won’t bore you with all the sandbag details, but it has made me examine why I will still take my place on the start line.

Cos I Said I Would’

This is the main reason.
Every part of my weak rational mind is saying,
“you don’t need to run this race”, “you’ve got nothing to prove”.

Since starting this newsletter, I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve consistently pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I’ve stuck to it. I’ve kept my word.

If I break it now, it affects everything else.
Suddenly, the newsletter comes out on Wednesday, a few weeks in a row.
Then it’s every 2nd week. Then it’s just when I can be bothered. Nek Minnet, I’m covering CrossFit competitions😫.

Everything affects everything.

I said I was running this race. So that’s what I’m going to do. The result is irrelevant.

I Don’t Know What’s Around The Corner

Midlife crisis alert.

Next week, on the 27th, it will be 3 years since my beautiful Mum passed away after a big fight with cancer. She had an aggressive brain tumor, which would see her have emergency surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy up here in Wellington.

In a weird way, this disease condensed all of the remaining time I was ever going to spend with my mum into a matter of months. Upon completing her treatment, she collapsed on one of the first days she was back home in Nelson.

I will always remember that call from Dad. I flew down to say goodbye, but Mum had other things planned. Against all odds, my mum would wake the following day and get stronger as each day passed, defying all the doctors ’ best estimates.

She would eventually return home, and we all got a chance to spend a few more months with Mum. Mum loved to walk. However, she was robbed of her movement. This is ingrained in my mind. What she would have given for one last walk along Tahuna Beach. It’s cliche, but you don’t treasure something until it’s gone.

What I’m getting at is you never know what will happen next. This might be my last chance to line up in a 100km race.

These reasons are enough for me to set foot on the start line regardless of the result. I’m prepared to hitch back crammed in a hatchback from the first aid station 9km in, an Uber to Brewtown from Rivendell, or by some outside chance, I cross that finish line after 100km. Either way, I’ll hold my head high that I gave myself a chance. I did what I said I would. And Mum would be proud that I gave it a crack.