Off road adventure

At the weekend I decided to really challenge myself. I was in Rotorua so I decided to go and run a section of the Tarawera  Ultra route. I was dropping four people off at the Falls carpark  so they could do the 40k to the finish so it seemed like a good idea to run from the Falls carpark to the Outlet.

This is a pleasant track that passes by the Tarawera Falls and is very nicely maintained. It's a popular walking route so I saw plenty of people along the way. 

It is 5.1k from the car park to the Outlet, where there is a popular swimming hole and a campground, complete with compost toilet - pooey!

Of course once I got there I had to get back so it meant turning around and running back.

I didn't run up steep Hills or down the steep stairs but I managed the rest. It is sheltered by the trees so was really pleasant on a hot day.

There and back took me 1h47 and I had a wee look around at the Outlet. I was very pleased and it certainly built up my confidence. It may have been fairly tame trails but it was trail all the same so I was thrilled to have wrestled something else back from MS. The other benefit of running trail is that you need the right pair of shoes. More shoes yay ! I got a very bright pair of city to trail type shoes. They had the added benefit that if I fell in the river people should notice me floating by.

That was another great experience to make me appreciate being alive.