The first few months of 2022 were looking like they were going to be really busy. Vince and I had at least one race scheduled (sometimes two races) every weekend from late January until the end of March. This was because we had been in a lockdown for the final few months of 2021. However, covid had other plans and half of our races were cancelled or postponed so we ended up only racing every second weekend.
I predicted that 2022 was going to be busy
My first swim podium.
January- The first race of the year was a swimming race called ‘Swim the Shore’ it was a 3.8k swim from Narrow Neck Beach to Takapuna Beach in Auckland’s North Shore. It had been postponed from December in 2021. I swam really well and was about five minutes faster than the year before and to my surprise I got second in my age group. I had never podiumed in a swimming race before so I was really excited. We had a second race for the weekend the next day. The 2021 Auckland Half Marathon had also been postponed from late October until January.
Auckland Half Marathon: Vince and I were pacers for the two hour half. The two hour half (in my opinion) is the ‘rock star’ time of the half marathon. It's the time that a lot of runners want to slip in under. It was Vince’s first time doing the Auckland Half Marathon and running over the Auckland Harbour Bridge (I think it was my 8th time)- it was my fifth time as a pacer. In previous years both Vince and I had done the 5k at the Auckland Marathon. This year it was cancelled.
I'm absolutely stuffed here after a stormy 3.2k swim.
In mid February we did the Bean Rock Swim. Normally it is a 3.2k swim around Bean Rock in Auckland Harbour- however, the weather was really stormy so it was changed to a lap course within Mission Bay. I nearly pulled out because of the conditions but stuck at it and finished with 4th place. The next day was the first of the Auckland Half Marathon series runs at Coatesville. My aim for the series of five runs was to do under 1:50 for them. Coatesville is a very hilly course and the storm from the day before had not let up. Winds at the top of the hill were so strong that it was blowing my legs into each other as I run. I was really pleased with how well I ran and got a 1:50 :) and 4th again in my age group.
Final few hundred metres at Coatesville Half Marathon
The rest of the Auckland Half Marathon series fell every second weekend. There were a few highlights. I broke 1:50 at Devonport Half (which had been moved from September) and was another hilly course- the course had been changed to a two lap course which meant twice up North Head! I also ran one of my fastest half marathon times at the Omaha Half Marathon- Vince was going to run the first 17k with me and then run faster for the last few ks. I planned on staying with him for as long as I could. In the end we ran the whole thing together.
Devonport Half marathon
One race that was cancelled was Round the Lake Cycle. It is a 162k cycle race around Lake Taupo. Vince was entered in the full lap and I was going to do the half. We decided to go and do it anyway and had two other friends who were also doing the full lap. I met the boys at the start of the half lap and cycled the rest of the way with them. It was really fun and I ended up cycling over 90k.
Up one of the hills with the boys.
Strava map.
Taupo Marathon was entered as a training run for Tauranga 50k. I had done it in 2021 just before going into our long lockdown. Last year I finished in just over four hours so my aim was to break the four hour mark this year. I managed to just scrap in at 3:59. I was running really well and readjusted my goal to 3:50, but then the ‘wheels’ fell off. At 25k my stomach started to feel a bit off so I did a bathroom stop. After that I kept running but at a slower pace.
Taupo Marathon
I was really nervous about the Tauranga 50k race which fell a week before our wedding. I didn’t feel like I was fully prepared even though I had done all the training. The night before a friend said “just enjoy it” and don’t worry about a time. I decided to take her advice. I split the run in my head into 5k chunks which seemed more manageable. I ran consistently and wanted to complete the full marathon (42k) in under four hours then hold on for as long as I could for the remaining 8k (and walk if I needed to). I managed to do the 42k in around 3:57 and was feeling really good. I loved the last few kilometres because I was still feeling strong and was passing lots of runners (there was a marathon on at the same time). I even managed a final surge at the finish line and completed the 50k in a time of 4:37 which was 50 minutes faster than the 50k I did in 2021. I finished 6th female overall and 2nd in my age group.
In the final few k of my 50k
After our wedding in September we had a second smaller wedding in Melbourne for Vince’s family. The day after our Melbourne ‘wedding’ Vince and I ran the Melbourne half marathon. It was my 61st half marathon and my first as Kirsty Sesto. It took us 7 minutes to get across the start line, there were tens of thousands of runners and if I am honest it was a little nerve wracking being around so many people at once without a mask. The high number of runners meant we had to run in and out among other people and it was about 9k or so until we could run freely. All the weaving meant we ended up running 22k in total. I was a bit worried about running a half marathon so soon after a 50k (2 weeks) but it was fine and we ran a sub 1:50.
I'm pretty lucky that Vince is easy going and would wear this t-shirt for me. I stopped myself from putting 'Just Married' on our backs!
After getting back from our honeymoon in Fiji we had two good friends running the Taupo 100k ultra and we were going to pace them for the final 24k. Vince and I left our car at the finish line and ran to the meeting point for the pacers (not all 24k- we could take a short cut so it was a 14k run). I didn’t expect we would be running that much of the 24k since Melissa and Craig would have already done 76k. However, they were amazing and we ran a lot of it. It was really inspiring to see them running so strong and less than a week later I signed myself up for the 2023 race!!! AHHHHH! I had previously been put off by the amount of training I thought would be required. Melissa and Craig had a coach and their training maxed out at a 35k run (but they would do back to back long runs) so the training seems far more achievable than I had thought.
At the end of October there was the second Auckland marathon for the year. Vince and I paced the two hour half again and finished in 1:59:32. It was a terrible day that poured with rain. We were so wet and cold by the finish that we decided to go home rather than stay and race the 5k.
Each year I try and do a half ironman. We were entered in the Taupo 70.3 that was originally meant to be in March but due to covid was postponed until December. We had entered the Melbourne 70.3 in November 2021 that we couldn’t do because the borders were closed. It was moved until March 2022 but Vince and I didn’t think we would be able to get over there so we transferred into Taupo’s march race. So more than a year after we were meant to have done the race we were finally at the start line. I had a goal of 3:10 on the bike which I got. My run did not go well but I think it was because I was recovering from covid (we caught it four weeks before the half ironman).
On the bike at a Sprint Triathlon in Mission Bay
In between these bigger races there were some smaller half marathons, a few sprint triathlons, my first park run, some more swims (another podium in the 2k Swim the Bridge) and my first aquabike. I entered the aquabike the day before because I had fomo with Vince doing the triathlon but I didn't want to do the run (my legs were stuffed from running five half marathons in the space of two months). To my great surprise I won the aquabike! First female overall.
After the aquabike.
Personal life- it was a very busy year personally and professionally. I finished my Masters in Education by doing the last three papers and was really pleased to get an A average. I got a promotion at work. My boss left for a new school and I stepped into his position as the Head of the Psychology Department. It is the biggest Psychology department at a New Zealand secondary school (we have 7 teachers). I am doing this as well as working as a Dean- so it is a big workload but luckily I work with some really awesome people and have been able to make it work.
Ash Barty Perpetua Sesto
We added another cat to our family. Late in 2021 we had to say goodbye to Tim Tam at the grand old age of 19. In March we adopted another tortoiseshell girl called Ash. She is a bundle of energy and I might be biased but she is so very cute. We still have Rusty as well, and he is a very good 'older brother' to Ash.
In matching orange with Rusty.
Vince and I got married in late September just before our 6th anniversary. Our wedding was a small low-key affair with family and close friends. It was a great day that far exceeded my expectations. We also did a second wedding in Melbourne a week later (for Vince’s family). When we were planning the wedding the borders were open between Australia and New Zealand but travelers from Australia still needed to isolate for a week so we decided that if we had a second wedding in Australia it would only be Vince and I needing to isolate rather than all his family. In the end the borders were completely open. Our Australian wedding was a simple lunch where Vince and I repeated our vows. Another awesome day (I really love his family!). We then had four wonderful days in Fiji for our honeymoon. I haven’t been to Fiji before but I loved the country. It was weird being on holiday and not having any races. We did a few runs and some swims.
I got to marry my best friend :)
Our honeymoon in Fiji.
What has 2023 got in store for us? As you know I have signed up for my first 100k ultra. I have also entered two full marathons and in less than two weeks I am doing another half ironman- my fourth one at Tauranga and my seventh overall. I am sure that there will be many other races in there and lots of training done too.
Team Sesto