Christmas training or lack thereof
The Oxfam Trailwalker is coming to Taranaki in 2021. Reporter Christina Persico is entering for the first time with her team, Ladies and the Tramp, and documents the journey to the big day.
If you’ve hit the Christmas-New Year wall, take heart. I have hit several walls – a nasty cold the week before Christmas, working all Christmas week, and then the almostbut-not-quite two-week period between Christmas Eve and whenever the public holidays run out after New Year’s Day.
In New Zealand, we’re all on the beach, with friends and family, eating leftovers sandwiches, watching cricket and eating too many chocolates.
I’m one of about 1000 Kiwis in training for the Oxfam Trailwalker, New Zealand’s largest team endurance event, in which teams of four tackle either 100 kilometres or 50km within time limits.
The event is taking place in New Plymouth in March, but looking at my Garmin app, I did – gasp – very few training walks in December.
However, since talking to Fiona Ross of Rampage Fitness, I feel all is not lost.
‘‘The first thing I would say is just do something,’’ she said.
Don’t listen to your inner critic, she advises – do what you can, especially if you’re tired or if you’re a woman approaching your monthly go-slow.
It could be just whatever you can fit in your half-hour lunch break.
‘‘It’s finding ways to bring in movement.’’
The beginner’s training guide for my distance – 50km in 18 hours – suggests we’re in the building-a-base phase, the goal of which is 16km in four hours.
Given I’ve done 10km in just under two hours, and since talking to Fiona have completed a 5km mostly off-road, that’s calmed me down somewhat.
With 10 weeks to event day, I am ‘‘absolutely not’’ beyond hope, Ross says. She suggests finding a friend to do a weekly big tramp with, and include things you enjoy.
So, more walking after work and maybe long walks on all days off from now on. I comfort myself that it’s better to go in undercooked rather than overcooked.