Training Log Archive: jonny crickmore

High winds and heavy rain. Well that is a nice start to 2017. Quick run along the river.
Heading to south island today and a ferry across rough waters followed by camping does not sound ideal with the current weather. Good job my expectations of camping are based on the OMM so I have low standards.

C • Perhaps 1

Had an alarm for 7 to do parkrun at 8. Woke up at 6:50 turned off alarm as not to wake Laura then fell back asleep. Had a dream about being at parkrun then woke up at 7:30 went oh shit I'm not at parkrun. Quick change and out the door 5min later and at the start with 5min to go feeling a bit groggy.
Tempo parkrun in 16:40. Just followed a guy for first 2.5 then led him until 4k then he dropped off.
Over to Hutt Rec where there is a really nice grass track to do 6x400 (90). Was quite slippy so moved to lane 9 after the first rep to do less bends.
Then stumbled home with some shaky quads to eat and drink as was very hungry dehydrated.
Good morning of training

35min running 20min playing in the playground. Good to be back running with Laura

Long run from Laura's. Anti-clockwise round Belmont dress circle then up and down some mountain bike tracks before investigating more of the bush track.

Was very hot out and I didn't take anything with me. Struggling a little but generally feeling fairly good. Took it all quite easy though.

3x10min on gravel track on river bank. Feeling a bit naff but got it done.

Easy run from Laura's. Another connecting bush tracks and roads. Got to the top and was a lovely long road downhill in which my feet got very very hot.

Sprint round Massey Uni. Went fairly hard. Was a very nice university campus. Felt like being on home terrain.

Short course along the strip. Nice strip of runnable sand dunes. Very enjoyable.

4 hour round of golf. My first 3 drives ever were incredible. Then it went downhill. Luckily I was so bad I managed to clear the highway instead of hitting the cars.

2 short middle courses on Scotts Ferry. Nice little sand dune area. Was doing pretty good until Laura decided to be controls and she didn't know where she was.

Adventure on Tongariro.
Started up the main tourist track which was heaving so was constantly saying excuse me thank you for the first 40min. Then turned off the main track and joined a few less people going up Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom to LOTR fans). This was just really loose scree and it was hard to move up along with a shout every 5min as a big rock comes falling down from above. This resulted in what I believe to be my slowest km in a run (31min). Amazing at the top with a crater and warm underfoot as it is an active volcano.
Someone asked me at the top how long it took me to run up. I thought I recognised them and after a couple of questions to check my theory was correct. It was Gernot Kerschbaumer. What are the odds. They were just walking the crossing so after a quick chat I did a lap of the crater and went down the other side of the hill so had it all to myself. What followed was a long incredible scree descent. So much fun. Had to stop at the bottom to empty my shoes.
Then back on the main track for a bit before heading around a lake up a steep climb and to the moon (this rocky plateau without anybody else in sight).The running become next to impossible now and was just clambering through jagged volcanic rock and slowly made it up Tongariro.
Laura had told me of this nice path off the top but I was in cloud at this point so missed the track and just had to slide/scramble slowly down and hit some cliffs I had to try and find a way around. Finally down to the track and was full of running so flew back down the main track which was next to empty by this point.

A totally new experience. The volcanic terrain is just like nothing I have ever seen before. No wonder hundreds of people do the crossing everyday.