I did it !
On Sunday, 6 May, I successfully completed the Nelson Half Marathon. For some images follow the “Photos” link.
It was a great day for a run, dry and warm but with enough cloud cover to not be too hot! The course made use of the cycle-ways that connect Nelson and Richmond and consisted of two 10.55 km laps, so 90% of the run was away from traffic! Much of the run was in the park setting of the Railway Reserve, and the remaining sections along the Coastal Track, so the views were great…and I did remember to look at the views!
While the first 3 km and the last 3 km were the hardest, I managed to keep a steady pace and finished in 2:17:55 – beating my goal of 2:30:00 and the incentive one sponsor set for me of 2:20:00! It feels like such an amazing achievement to have finished, but even better was that I enjoyed the experience and was able to turn it into a way to raise money for a good cause! I highly recommend it!
I have to say a great big thank you to all of you who sponsored me, and for all of the kind words and motivational emails! The account will still be available for transfer of donations until the end of May before being sent to the “Whale and Dolphin Adoption Project” in conjunction with a donation from “Echoes in the Blue”.
Again many thanks for all of your support, and I wish you all the best!
P.S. The pain, while bad on Monday, has definitely subsided so I’ll be back to cycling into work on Wednesday…and am actually thinking I may try another half marathon sometime in the future…several months down the track I think!
If you are interested in more information on the book, Echoes in the Blue, please visit the website and sign the petition to help stop whaling. Also, for more information on the work that the Whale and Dolphin Adoption Project funds, visit their website.