of Australian magpies, rides, runs and mud

Of Magpies:

Australian magpie defending its nest from a brown goshawk: Thanks to:

Wikipedia and noodlesnacks.com

The Australian magpie was introduced to New Zealand in the mid-1800s.   In the past 150 years, the magpie has displaced many native birds and is now classified an "invasive species."  In the early 1900's, when it was known as "the piping shrike,"  it became the official emblem of the Government of South Australia.  Indeed, the magpie is a common sports team mascot in both Australia and New Zealand.  With Spring comes "magpie season" when some of the breeding males become quite aggressive, especially toward bike riders.  There are web page instructions for walkers and bikers.  The first rule of WALKING during magpie season is to wear a helmet.

Of course, all of my knowledge of magpies came after my first encounter.  Last weekend, I planned to meet an amazing kiwi athlete, Vinnie, for a bike ride from Half Moon Bay to Maraetai where we would meet my friend, Kay, for lunch.

Kay and Vinnie at lunch

Vinnie is a 48 year old, mother of ten (?), seven-time ironwoman, breast cancer survivor who is training for IM Australia.  I tried to keep up with her, but mostly rode a meter or so behind her.  We were coming up one long hill when I saw a magpie swoop down on her, but there was no contact.  Unfortunately, he had a second chance with me slowly climbing the hill.  "Sitting duck", said the magpie when he saw me. "Yup, easy pickin's." He grabbed my cycling vest with his claws and perhaps his beak not once, not twice, but three times.  I was riding with cars on my right and could not do much more than continue my ascent.  I did try to keep him off me by waving my hand above my head, but I  later read that this antagonizes the males and makes them more likely to attack again. Great.  Cars were trying to help by honking, but all that did was surprise me.  After three attacks, I reached the top of the hill and luckily he gave up.  The ride was lovely despite the magpie.  After 50 miles of chasing Vinnie, I was ready for "tea" (evening meal) and bed.

(http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48606631, if you are interested in maps/details of the route)

Of mud:
The Waitakere Ranges lie west of Auckland and are famed for their rugged coastline, beautiful vistas, trails and surf.  I knew many folks did weekend trail runs in the "Waitaks" and decided I would give it a try.  Stethanie, my friend and fellow PA, wanted to try a trail run there as well.  I also wanted to see kauri trees, one of the most ancient trees in the world.  A coniferous tree, it grows to 50m and is one of the largest trees in NZ.  My idea: to run trails through the kauri bush in the Waitakere Ranges.  Perfect!  The morning proved grey, though still dry when we left Auckland.  After a 30 minute drive, we pulled off at the trailhead.  At the beginning of the "track" (meaning trail in kiwi), we found a milk crate with disinfectant and a scrub brush with instructions on cleaning footwear upon entering and leaving the forest to protect the kauri trees.

We dutifully cleaned our relatively clean sneakers.  A few meters further on, the track became quite muddy.  We soon learned the soil in the Waitaks contains a fair share of clay.   The rain that had held off, began to fall in earnest and the footing became increasingly slippery and treacherous.  The run slowed to a "tramp" (hike/walk).  Drenched, we conceded defeat and turned around.  I know I will return when the days become dryer in search of kauri trees and beautiful vistas.  Hopefully I will have better pictures than this:

attempting to clean my feet AFTER the "run"...Should have had a "before" shot.

After hot shower and dry clothes, Stethanie and I headed north.  My initial plan was to camp in Leigh near Matakana Saturday night.  We had decided that a night in a tent in torrential downpour was not ideal and we settled on a short drive through the wine country of Matakana, with lunch in Orewa.  

Heron's Flight vineyard

Orewa beach. Kiteboarders were out, but they are too small to see well in this photo

of races and runs:
The following week, I was describing my running misadventure to a fellow Middlemore employee and runner.  Janet is a member of the Glen Eden Harriers.  There are many harrier groups in Auckland, she noted.  Harrier clubs in NZ are groups of folks who do "bunch bush running."   As the Weds night and Saturday morning session don't start until November when the tracks are more passable, (should have talked to her before the weekend trail run ;)) she suggested Steth and I enter Arthur Lydiard marathon or Half Marathon the following weekend.  So we did.

Today I raced the half marathon in honor of track and field coach Arthur Lydiard on legendary routes where he trained and trained others. He was an advocate of an active lifestyle for everyone and introduced jogging to NZ in the 1960s.  He believed that if a man could run one lap of the track in under 60 seconds, then they should be able to do a mile in under 4 minutes, with adequate training.  Arthur was his own guinea pig.  He worked up to running 250miles/week (a marathon in the morning and a second in the evening!)  to learn what the body could endure. His training regimen included daily runs averaging 100miles/week.  He went on to coach many Olympians throughout the world, most notably the Fins in the 1972 Olympics where they took the gold in the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m.

I arrived at the start of the race to find that it is billed as the toughest road marathon and half marathon in NZ (but I think our Langley 1/2 has more challenging hills!).  The advice from the harriers: don't burn up on the hill.  It just goes on and on.  When you think you are at the top, you are really only half way there.  With that in mind, I took to the course conservatively.   When I did reach the top of the hill, I thought I was only half way!  It felt good when I finally figured out that I was done climbing!    It really was a lovely run.  Runners were treated to undulating hills, small communities with vistas of the coast from time to time. The easiest way to describe it: the first part is mostly up, and a little after half way, it is mostly down.
  
Stethanie rocked the course with 1:54:13. I was about 30 seconds shy of a PR, which is surprising, given my general laissez-faire attitude towards training these days.  The kiwi are a little more subtle in their age groups: Junior, Open, Masters, Vets, and Legends.  I was 8th female master, 38 OA woman.
(again, for those interested in maps etc: the garmin version of the run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49421310)

Janet  invited us to a pot luck breakfast after the race with the Glen Eden Harriers.  The harriers met at the finish line and toasted the run with about a tablespoon of whiskey from plastic shot glasses.  We cheered everyone across the finish line and walked back to John's house for a breakfast feast of scrambled eggs, baked tomatoes on toast, homemade muesli, curried pasta salad and smoked salmon.

Glen Eden Harriers (Janet on the right)

? and Stethanie (bandana woman)