First off road run !

Well today I completed my first off-road run !

It didn't go too badly, it went pretty OK actually, I ran with Bruce who has convinced me to do this damn race. Bruce is less of a runner than me but is a tramper, and knows the bush and how to move in it well. He is also built like a whippet and isn't carrying the extra 5kgs like me, plus he had proper shoes !

We ran/walked up the Karamatura Valley Track, round Bob Gordon loop and up to the top of Mt Donald Maclean (358m) we then ran/walked back down the Fletcher track back to the car, around 10kms in distance and probably 500 vertical metres. We walked the steep bits and pretty much ran the rest - it was hard going at times. I have never been good at hills, either running or riding so I am really going to have to focus on climbing for the next few months.

I had an old pair of road running shoes on and can definately say that off-road running is a hell of a lot harder than road running. There is a lot more leg work - lifting over logs, moving from side to side on the trails to miss roots, rocks and bogs. I really had to concentrate on where my feet were going to land.

Much the same as mountain biking is way tougher than road riding.

It took us just under 2 hours which sounds slow and probably was !!! but it was within our expectations.

It was tough and I am still feeling it 6 hours later.

Before the next run in 2 weeks I aim to buy some decent shoes.