u/Accomplished-Fun215

I've done a couple slow half marathons (PR: 2:30) and a ton of hiking, and I've signed up to do the Queenstown Marathon in New Zealand in early November.

This race has 450 meters of elevation gain and is 70% dirt roads, but it's still a road race.

I'm currently base building to get back into the same shape I was in when I ran my half, using a Runna training plan. I have been doing a lot of my running on relatively flat mountain bike trails, but I'm wanting to incorporate more of the proper mountains around here, probably in a power hike up, run down pattern.

Winter is coming up here, and I want to XC ski regularly. I'm not sure how to fit that in with running either.

I used to have quite a self harm habit (don't worry, this is many years ago) and was in therapy for it. I remember my therapist telling me about the mammalian diving reflex that you get when you dunk your face in cold water activating the nervous system. He suggested filling a bowl of ice water and dunking my face into it as an alternative to self harm. I never tried that solution, and I basically just quit self harm around that time for other reasons.

Recently I moved to New Zealand and have been doing a lot of hiking here. It seems to be the default thing here to hop into every body of water you come across no matter how cold, and after a few weeks here I started doing it myself.

Initially it just seemed like cold water, but as the seasons have changed and the water got colder, I've been noticing an intense nervous system experience when I dunk my face. It does seem to come with a sense of calm afterwards, but maybe that's from the beautiful mountains.

Today I did a Nordic style sauna session where I hopped between a sauna and jumping in a lake for an hour and it felt awesome.

There's some lesson in how American therapy pares down this experience of jumping in an alpine lake down to dunking your face in a bowl of ice water in the kitchen.

I haven't cycled in many years, though I did enjoy a hybrid bike I owned in high school. I've recently moved to the south island of New Zealand, and there are networks of paved and gravel cycle paths that connect most of the places I go regularly. I'm usually someone who walks rather than always driving, but it's about 5-10k from where I live to most places I need to go.

I want to attach some kind of storage to the bike for groceries etc, and I'm a bit bikepacking-curious after meeting a lot of people who are doing the Tour Araroa. I'd also like to do some beginner mountain biking trails, but I don't want to send it down something crazy.

I wouldn't be cycling on roads as much and it'll be probably 50-50 gravel paths vs paved.

I'm short (5'2/158cm), need something that's available here without too much hassle, and I'm fairly budget conscious and want something on the cheaper end - $2,000 - $3,000 NZD ideally. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of a used market for these here.

Edit: Just saw some more points in the sidebar

• I know how to ride a bike, but that's about it
• $2,000 -3,000 NZD. I would consider second hand, but haven't found anything yet
• Short commuting, cross training for running, possibly bikepacking
• 10k or so into town and back a few times a week, with a longer ride once a week as cross training for marathon training. I may also bikepack in the future.
• Mostly paved cycle paths and relatively flat gravel paths, possibly some hillier trails. No traffic. Not too rainy, rarely much below freezing.
• Wanaka, NZ
• 5'2/158cm, 150 lbs/68kg, less fit than all the fitness freaks in Wanaka, but I go on 50 mile hikes on a regular basis and jog 5k multiple times a week. I've decided to run a marathon in November, so I should be getting fitter by following my training plan.