The final stage in my 20 week challenge was an ascent of Rapaki Track.
Last done almost 20 weeks ago, with dog in tow, we managed the somewhat unbelievable time of 30minutes exact. On that occasion the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the dog pulled me up half the hill and I dragged him up the other half. We were overtaken by joggers, runners, cyclists and my heart rate was scarily high for the entire thing. It's just a hill right?
I've never been great at hills. Be it on foot or on a bike, lugging my weight up a hill has always been a tough mission. This was one of my challenges, to increase my cardio to make this sort of thing easier, and maybe even enjoyable.
Saturday dawned with grey skies, chilly temperatures and a sense of excitement. There were three of us heading up that hill - myself, Tracey and Amanda who was only just recovering from a strain and had just days before stepped on a nail, so was in perfect condition for a hill walk. We wandered up to the start point of the track, the top of Rodgers Track, and looked up into the gloom that was our destination. I'm not sure if it's easier to do a challenge where you can't see the finish line or not. Most of my MTB races have been long and on unknown territory, this is short and well known to me, the the low clouds, damp air and chill add another dimension to the endeavour.
With watches synchronised, we head off. My plan was a simple one - jog and walk. I know I couldn't do the entire hill at a jog, but I could probably do half of it. It's about 3km long and I know my shins blow out at under 4km of soft, flat ground. I'm a realist, I know I can beat my power-walk of last time if I jog any of it, but I don't want to have my shins explode before I get to the top, especially when I have to walk down again as well. I set off at a jog, not a sprint or a run, just a jog. There's a cyclist ahead of me spinning up the hill much like I do. I'm plodding away, watching my heart rate go up, trying to control my breathing, and all the while reminiscing about when I first started riding up this hill - walkers would overtake me! Then I realise that I'm catching the cyclist. Yes, a target!
I maintain a steady jog for a few minutes, catching the back wheel of the cyclist, then stop and walk for a bit. There's a plan here you see... I don't want to overtake the cyclist as I don't want them to know I'm there and using them. If I overtake them, they'll go faster, or stop, and that's no use to me. So I walk, catch my breath, lower my heart rate and think about my legs for a bit. On Friday I did my fitness test in the morning, then a PT session in the park at lunchtime which was a punishment session - txt challenges had been sent and not obeyed and the entire crew were to suffer, and suffer we did. The 20 minutes session on Friday seemed to take an hour and my legs and butt were aching. This bloody hill wasn't helping either!
I considered my legs. My calves were aching but my shins were fine. Physically I seemed to be doing OK. Admittedly I was less than a quarter of the way up the hill, but spirits were high. A slurp of water then back into a jog to catch that bike again.
After a few minutes I had their back wheel and slowed to a walk again. I was quietly smug about this. I had caught them twice now. But, as we were nearly at the top of the first hill before the flat section, I was pretty sure I'd be left well behind. Even an extremely slow cyclist can ride faster than I can jog when we're both on the flat! So I wandered until the flat started, then jogged to the gate in the middle of the track. A mental halfway point - you can see the finish line clearly from here, you can see the huge hill too. I check my watch and it's just slipped over 10 minutes. I dare to hope I can do this in 20 minutes. With that unrealistic goal set, I plod onwards.
On the flat section I break between walking and jogging. Rather than clock watch, I count my breaths. I jog for 60 breaths, walk for 30. I know I'm failing, my calves are getting tighter and tighter, but no real pain as such. My heart rate hasn't soared, maintaining 160-170. My challenge is mostly mental and controlling my breathing. As I start up the final hill section I feel defeat descend on me. This is my body trying to convince my brain to take a rest. It's not sore, but is all out of energy. With no ability to produce insulin, I can't get the sugars from my blood to my muscles, and they are running on empty right now. Push on, push on. It's a mental game, but trying to convince your legs to jog when you just want to sit down is a tough one, and I'm only just over half way! I check my watch, there's no way I'm going to make it in 20 minutes, so I plan to make it under 25 minutes, a more realistic goal.
As I ascend the final hill, the clouds lower, the visibility drops even further, and lethargy stops any jogging for a majority of the hill. I manage two short bursts, but instead focus on maintaining a fast walking pace. And then I'm at the last 'corner' which I know is about 400m from the top gate. I burst into a jog for about 15 seconds, then back to a walk, then when the gate comes into view, start jogging again, focussed on the gate and nothing else. I touch that metal bastard and check the time - 24:18.
The next few minutes are spend cooling down, which is not hard when it's this cold and damp and the southerly is blowing over the hill behind you. I monitor my heart rate which drops towards normal again and await Tracey and Amanda. Due to the gloom, I can barely see 100m down the track, so sit and wait and wish I had a hot coffee. The do emerge from the mist moments later, another victim of the hill touches the gate and swears blindly.
We chill on the hill, and before we freeze on the summit, we descend and chat and say hi to the hundreds of people who are restricted to using this one track in the bad weather. The rest of the weekend is spent indoors, hiding from the wet and cold, watching bad telly programs and moaning about my sore legs and butt.
What's next? Well, Tracey has done an awesome job of getting me fit and active, but there is still some work to be done. I will continue doing the 20 minutes group PT sessions in the park as they are just awesome, and I'll get back on my bike and have some wet and muddy fun too. In just over a week (7th July) is the awards night. Typically, I'm unsure if I'll win either of my categories, but there is hope. I'll be going along and supporting those who do win tho, it's pretty bloody inspirational listening to the winners on the podium - ordinary people, extraordinary results. Highly recommended. I'll report back, maybe with a trophy in hand?
