The Top Ten of 2013 Part 2

The conclusion of my top ten of the Year of the Snake. Without further ado, I'll continue the countdown at number 5.

5: Pacing Duty and the Reading Half Marathon

Throughout the year, and I hope for many years to come, I've found myself assisting a lot of runners wanting to meet a particular goal when it comes to running and racing, whether it's a certain time or a big personal best. From parkrun, to the longer 10k and the more challenging half marathon. And I'm glad to say that almost all the runners I've helped have met their targets. But, in reality there's nothing special about my help; all that's needed is a runner who has trained hard and who is willing to respond under challenging situations quickly and decisively. And also, me being able to run that goal time without too much trouble on my part!

It's also redefined my definition of success. Success isn't always a podium finish, or a big contract, or a massive marathon PB; it's also being faithful with your gifts and finding a way to use them to serve others.

Some great success stories are: little Alexander Calutas running a parkrun PB on his 6th birthday, Anthony Collins setting a 10k PB whilst nearly throwing up his breakfast (sausages do not make an ideal pre-race meal!) and my training mate, Nelesh Kotecha, who I've paced to both massive 10k and half marathon PBs this year.

Little Alexander Calutas runs a big Woodley parkrun PB on his 6th birthday, March 2013.

Wondering what's taking Anthony so long (51:42) at the Shinfield 10k, May 2013.

Nelesh Kotecha runs a big 10k PB (46:27) at the Woodley 10k, May 2013.

But the one success story that I'm extremely proud of is my first pacing stint of 2013. Meet my friend, Kerri French. That's Kerri on the left.

Kerri French, before her Reading Half Marathon debut.

This was Kerri’s first ever half marathon. Six months before her half marathon she had never run more than a 5k, and 12 months before that she was a smoker who never ran any distance. Over those six months, and up to now, I’ve been amazed to see how much she has progressed as a runner, through dogged hard work, consistency and unwavering self belief.

I met up with Kerri at mile 7 of the course and from there it was my job to make sure that Kerri’s first half marathon experience went according to plan. But most importantly, I wanted to push Kerri even harder than she had ever run before. And if things were right, we’d come flying into Madejski Stadium with our knees driving, arms pumping and two twenty-something on the finish clock!

Since I was forced to take it easy due to injury, I ran with my iPhone so I could get stories from the runners and friends I knew at the front of the field. But, out there on the course, I found myself in a different story. A story that takes place each year at the Reading Half Marathon, where first-timers like Kerri attempt seemingly insurmountable challenges and succeed against the odds, even surpassing their own expectations.

There was definitely magic out there on the streets of Reading. On that cold, wet and rainy day I was fortunate enough to capture some of that magic. And now, I share some of that magic with you.

One of the best race finishes, ever!

4: Associate of the Year

The Orion Health Associate of the Year Award is the people's choice award and is the opportunity to nominate anyone in the UK/I EMEA Orion Team who you feel has had an outstanding year not only in achievements but who has lived the values, inspired the team and been a true ambassador for the company and team. The individuals with the most votes will then be assessed by the Senior Leadership to determine our winner!

This was the first year that this award was given out regionally. When I read that description in order to cast my vote, I knew I wouldn't be receiving that award, or any of the other awards that were available. I probably counted 4 or 5 others that were in contention for that top prize.

The nominations for all awards were read out at our All-Hands meeting, on the same day as our Christmas Party.

All-Hands meeting at the Hilton in London Paddington.

To be honest, I wasn't listening to the nominations being read out, but to hear my name being called out as the eventual recipient of Associate of the Year was a complete and total shock to me.

Complete shock after I was announced as the winner.

Receiving the award from Richard Bulmer, VP Professional Services, EMEA.

After it had all sunk in, my first reaction was to do the double thumbs!

Clearly I hang around David Lewis too much, and my colleagues think so too!

In reflection, 2013 has been a very challenging year at work. Not just for me, but for the entire team and the company. The overarching theme in all the presentations at the all-hands meeting was capacity - that we need more capacity within the team to meet project demands. This year, it's affected the amount of training I can afford to put into my running and working long hours have been a regular activity, sometimes all-nighters from midnight to 6 a.m.

We can all relate to Dilbert in many ways.

Next year, I'm hoping that my new position as a team lead, responsible for on-boarding, mentoring and managing the graduate and junior members of the team, will allow me to focus more on capacity development and team building, as opposed to meeting customer demands and project manager expectations. And if I can get away from fighting big fires, which I seem to find myself getting into more and more, then that would be a good thing too!

Oh, and in a bid to increase capacity, did I tell you we're hiring too? Check out our vacancies online, and tell them I sent you!

3: Qualifying for Boston, this time for real

When I ran my qualifying time at Chicago over a year ago, I thought it would be more than enough to qualify for Boston. It was easily enough to get into the 2013 race, which I decided not to run to focus specifically on London. But, as it turned out, getting into the 2014 race proved to be a lot less clear-cut for everyone who ran qualifying times. 

The biggest running story of the year was by far the most tragic. The face of road racing was probably forever changed when two bombs were set off near the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, killing three and injuring more than 200. Although it was later revealed that the bombers chose the race out of convenience rather than specifically targeting road races, runners took the attacks personally. Many redoubled their dedication to training and racing. Entry into Boston, one year after the attacks, just got a whole lot harder. Suddenly my qualifying time from Chicago looked very paltry.

Remembering the victims of Boston.

Boston's entry is based on merit rather than public ballot. Moreover, the rolling admission process meant that runners who qualified by 20 minutes or more were given first entry. If spaces still remain, the next wave of qualifiers can apply. Since I qualified by 1 minute 50 seconds, that put me in the very last group of qualifiers waiting to apply. There were still spaces remaining when I submitted my entry; it was just a case of whether those 1 minute 50 seconds were enough before the field became full. 

It was probably the longest 2 and a half weeks of 2013. And when the announcement from the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) came out that the cutoff was 1 minute 38 seconds faster than the qualifying standard for your category, a wave of emotion rushed up over me, built up from the past 4 years of wanting to qualify for this one event.  

The best letter I could ever receive.

Because of increased demand, the Boston Marathon made a one-time expansion of its field, from 27,000 to 36,000, for 2014’s race, scheduled for April 21. Had the B.A.A. not made this gracious gesture, I would definitely be staying at home on Easter Monday. Reflecting back on my qualifying race, I'm glad that I made the brave decision to leave the 3:05 pacing group after 3 miles and go out on my own, and thankful that I kept pushing in those grim final miles, still having the presence of mind that a faster time will result a better chance of qualification. 

I posted this analysis before but I've redone the analysis based on actual qualification time instead of expected goal time, to see how those 12 seconds, over the course of 26.2 miles, turned out to be so crucial for me.

Splits from the Chicago Marathon, October 2012, based on actual qualification time of 3:03:22 for my category.

2: Team Lara take on the Thames

Who is Team Lara? Where did the name come from? The name has been spreading around social media like wildfire, to get people together to remember a little girl named Lara Lewis. 

In August, 2012, 5 year old Lara Lewis was swept out to sea by a freak wave off the coast of Portugal. Her grandfather tried to save her, however, both tragically lost their lives. It made national news in the UK.

Lara Lewis

When I later learned that Lara was in fact the niece of my good mate David Lewis, of Reading parkrun fame, my heart sank for him. I remember at the time he was leading the Reading parkrun points table and I was helping him to see out 2-3 more parkruns in the season to assure him of top spot. Understandably, David missed a few parkruns, relinquishing top spot, as he grieved over the loss of his niece. 

Follow the acorn for the Thames Path.

A month later, in the St George & Dragon pub after the local O2O 10k race, myself, David and a couple of others got talking about the idea of him running the length of the Thames in memory of Lara. The initial discussions were kept low-key as David sorted out the logistics and the charity that he wanted to run for, but it went off the rails before it started - David injured his ankle and the Thames flooded itself over the winter. The idea was put on hold indefinitely until David and the Thames got healthy again.

To the Thames Barrier, we go.

Call it fate or good planning, but everything started moving fast again in August 2013 when the official announcement came out that David would take on this challenge almost a year since the tragedy. It was definitely the best time to hold it, with beautiful weather and the holiday season making it easier for supporters to join David on his epic quest of awesome. 

An army of supporters on Day 3.

When taking on big, audacious, challenges you need all the help you can get and I offered to be David's "wingman" for most of his journey. The idea of using Twitter to tweet David's progress in real time and rally everyone behind David's cause was a last minute consideration by me, but it worked so well! Inspired by the name Team New Zealand, a world class sailing team and household name back in New Zealand after their victories in the America's Cup, our very own Team Lara was born!

More supporters forming a guard of honour at Reading parkrun on Day 4.

Highlights included, well, everything really. The entire 7 days, 5 of which I was assisting David, was an adventure that I am truly privileged to be a part of. The support from family, friends and strangers was nothing short of overwhelming. David raised over £2,500 for his chosen Charity, the Special Care Baby Unit, who helped Lara grow into the most beautiful, intelligent and fun loving magical young girl you could wish for.

Team Lara at the end of Day 5.

Day 6, Team Lara's most difficult day.

In closing, it couldn't have gone any better for David and Team Lara. Especially on Day 7 where we ran into a group from Richmond parkrun (my 100 parkrun shirt stands out!) and the surprise finish with so many friends and supporters at the finish line waiting patiently to surprise and congratulate David.

David and the runners of Richmond parkrun.

At the finish with the next generation.

After it was all over, I spent time over the next 4 months to produce these series of movies. Using my iPhone out there along the course, I set out to capture what I thought would be a very long run down the Thames. I got so much more.

1: Extending my OE/Getting Indefinite Leave to Remain

Rounding off the list, getting indefinite leave to remain in the UK has to be the most significant decision I've made this year. I never thought that I would consider living here permanently but as time progressed, particularly in the 2nd half of my time here, I thought "why not?". It wasn't taken lightly as I still have strong ties back in New Zealand but, all things considered, it was the right decision.

Auckland Harbour Bridge, April 2008.

I've heard many horror stories in the media of people/couples/families wanting to get indefinite leave to remain, and failing. While I considered my case to be relatively straightforward (single, working, NZ citizen, clean record) I still prepared myself, reluctantly, for the possibility of returning back to NZ if the whole residency process didn't work out. But, thanks to the UK Home Office and many months of meticulous planning over the requirements of such important life-changing processes, my residency application was approved, in person, in 45 minutes. It cost over 1,400 quid, but there's no need to fork out money for visa extension upon visa extension; I've now basically secured a future in the UK.  

Kennet Canal, Reading, July 2008.

People in both the UK and NZ have asked why I chose the UK over NZ. It's a good question and one that I sometimes struggle to find a coherent answer to. Factors such as weather, money, cost of living, lifestyle, job opportunities, etc, must come into a person's decision making process on immigration, right? Yes, it does but I think, for me, the reasons I decided to stay longer than I thought I would extend much deeper into that, almost down to an individual level as opposed to "following an existing trend". 

The Long Walk, Windsor, May 2009.

I'm not going to outline all my individual reasons here, but I can say that living in the UK has opened up a lot more doors and afforded more opportunities. That's pretty much the way of the world since NZ is isolated geographically and has a population of 4.2 million people. 

Snow statues on Karl Johans gate, Oslo, February 2011.

On top of Kingdom Centre, Riyadh, March 2012.

Do the Mobot! Finishing the Chicago Marathon and qualifying for the Boston Marathon, Chicago, October 2012.

Regardless of where you choose to settle, as a young person I believe the more exposure we get regarding different nations, cultures, ways of life, etc, we get a broadened perspective, more experience, more confidence. That's what I believe I've gained from my time here. And perhaps down the line, I may even come to truly realise how lucky I am to be a New Zealander, or British, or both!

Jumping over a snowman at Woodley parkrun, Woodley, January 2013.

Yep I totally agree Aaron. In my early 30's I headed to the UK "just for 2 years" and ended up spending over 6 years there + lots of travelling. Absolutely loved it and got a huge amount out of it in terms of broadened perspective, experience, confidence, great friends from very diverse backgrounds, (money!) etc. It was really hard to leave but... now that I'm back in NZ I'm amazed I managed to stay away for so long. Additional benefit of the OE (for some people anyway!): making you realise how lucky you are to be

Throughout my time here, I've been mistaken as American, Canadian, Australian and South African, and frankly I don't mind, just as long as they later recognise that I'm actually a Kiwi. So, here's a little clip to explain how remarkably different New Zealanders sound from the rest of the world. Though I have noticed nowadays that I sound a little more English in the way that I speak, both in accent and usage of words.

Billy T. James, the best Kiwi comedian, ever!

Thanks to everyone in the UK, especially the good folks in Reading, who have made this "West Aucklander" feel at home, and everyone else who have assisted and supported me in getting to this stage. You know who you are!

The two ACs, Reading, August 2013.

Epilogue

This concludes my Top Ten of 2013. The only downer was that I got injured and the pursuit of any running goal was relegated to another year. But, in thinking of it another way, I also got a lot out of this year. Like the snake, I learned to be more patient with my running and also managed to back myself to seize opportunities when it presented itself. Would I have helped David Lewis on his adventure if I didn't get injured? Probably not in the capacity that I did. Would I have paced Kerri French to her half marathon PB if I was fully fit? Again, most likely no. And if my year of running went the way I wanted it go, would I have been in consideration for Associate of the Year? Definitely not!

With the new year about to be ushered in, I am hoping that I can build on the foundation I've set this year. I'm nearly back to full fitness with my running and I don't have to worry about the length of time I can stay in the UK anymore. Missing out on a good London Marathon time was tough on me, but if I stay healthy throughout the new year I believe I can redeem myself there.

I hope that the new year will bring more unforgettable experiences, less nasty surprises, good health (after all we are getting older) and, of course, a faster marathon time! What were your highlights? Equally, what did you struggle with? Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I want to close with the following quote from Chrissie Wellington, four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. Seize every opportunity you have, embrace every experience. Make a mark, for all the right reasons. Hopefully, I did that in 2013.