“This all started with my ego signing up to the 3 Bridges Marathon. Work sponsored the event and no one went past the point of 10km, so me being me, I ran the half with zero training. I couldn’t walk for three days after.
But this started the fire. I signed up for every event close to me and started running around the city bridges daily. I still remember saying to someone at work that I was super proud of running 2km non stop.
Running turned into an outlet for stress and gave me time to think. Races were a great way to show progression… and medals are cool. It was all about completing rather than competing. This changed when a week out from Tarawera 50km, my partner at the time said I should probably do the 102km as a joke. And after finishing the 102km I started to realize my stubbornness was stronger than my legs. An outlet from stress started becoming an obsession and my drive was to go better and faster at every event.
Fast-forward to a couple of months ago and after 12 weeks of “actual” training (where I started running hills for the first time), I’m standing at the front of runners at the Tarawera 100 miler. I feel that I might have a mental issue, and I’m sure a lot of runners would agree, where I have no concept of time or distance when racing. It’s just a long day and I’m too stubborn to give up. Under 2 years into running and I’m side by side with some of the greatest runners, at one of the best events in New Zealand, wondering how I got to this point. And after 21 hours of trails, my pacers push me through it all for a 9th place finish on my first crack.
Then driving home after the race all I’m thinking is how to run it faster, have better transitions and how I’m going to win it next year. Running just turned into an obsession.
Now I just have to start taking this a bit more seriously, and see where I can go.”
James @james_blande
(Whanganui)
Photo taken in The Catlins
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