Nerang 50km trail run

On Sunday 3rd April 2011 I completed my second ultramarathon race, the Nerang 50km trail run in the Gold Coast Hinterland.

I drove from Rockhampton leaving before 7am on the Saturday morning and arrived at about 3pm that afternoon. I stayed at the closest place I could find, The Radison Resort, which was about a 10 minute drive away.

I unpacked and continued my race tradition of setting out all my race gear on the couch and went through a race visualization to ensure I had everything I would need.

I got up at about 4:30am and had a big bowl of cornflakes and some Gatorade before checking out and heading down to the race start.

I met up with some QPS colleagues (whom I hadn't met before) who were also doing the 50km as part of their build up for The North Face 100, which is six weeks later. We were all treating this as a bit of a test run with full packs containing our mandatory gear. My pack weighed in at about 5kg which is the same weight that I have been using for all of my hill and long runs.

There were over two hundred people at the race start. The race had two options, a single lap of 25km which could be run or walked and a two lap option open to runners only as there was a 3hr 45min cut-off to start the second lap.

I initially intended to run with the other lads but we all had different time goals so when I lined up with the masses I decided to run my own race. I positioned myself at about mid pack and away from the guns who were obviously going for fast times. There were a few others with big packs but the majority of runners had hand held or waistbelt waterbottles.

We were off. Within about 100m we came to a small fence crossing which needed to be climbed and caused a bit of a bottle-neck. Immediately after that we started climbing. It wasn't much of an incline but I was running relaxed and concentrated on taking my time and not trying to stay with the leaders. I was determined not to have the same race experience that I had with my first ultra.

The first kilometre took 7mins 01sec and people in front of me were already walking. The track was pretty good, nice and wide but it was very rocky meaning that foot placement was important and slowed everyone down. The scenery was great, the trees provided shade from the sun which was already beginning to feel quite warm. My mid-pack starting position meant that I was passing quite a few people who had overestimated their abilities. I was also playing yo-yo with others who walked on the undulating hills and then caught up to me on the short flat and downhill sections. I didn't pay much attention to anyone else and continued to run my own race and enjoying a fabulous run in the bush.

After walking up "heartbreak hill" which was an incredibly steep climb I took a wrong turn. So two ultras, two wrong turns. I was catching a couple of guys as we were walking up the hill and when I got to the top I turned left. I ran for about 250m before realising that I had gone the wrong way. I couldn't see them up ahead, there were no footprints and I ran into a spider-web which shouldn't be there if others were in front of me. I stopped and checked my course description and realised my error. I started runing back the opposite way and saw one of my colleagues who had just crested heartbreak hill. I told him not to go the way I had come and I carried on. In total I had run about 500m extra which was alot better than my 15mins at my first ultra.

I was running too quickly after my course correction and had to tell myself to slow down and not worry about the 3 or 4 minutes I had lost. I was re-passing people and had got back to my original position by the first aid station. The first aid station was at about the 12.5km mark and there is an out and back leg where I got to see the leaders of the 50km race. This out and back loop contains a short amount of road on a steepish decline. I was counting the 50km runners (identifiable by the green background on their race numbers) and was in about 15th position when I hit the turn-around. I was quite surprised at how many were ahead of me as there were only about 30 or so entered in the two-lap race.

After a quick refuel at the aid station I began the steep slog back up to the bush track. I had to walk alot of this part and tried to concentrate on on conserving energy and ensuring that I was sticking to my nutrition and hydration plan. I was feeling good and my competitive nature was starting to take hold. I was concentrating on catching the runners ahead of me as I saw them further up the track.

My feet were beginning to get sore and I was developing some blisters due to the rough rocks on the course. It didn't affect me much because I was having so much fun. I was loving every minute of it and would smile and say hi to all of the runners I caught. The majority of these runners were in the one lap race as the 50km runners were becoming quite spread out.

As we were heading down the hill with about 4km to go I came across the 50km leaders heading back out on their second lap. I couldn't believe how fast they were running and how far ahead they were. I continued to count the places and finished my first lap in 2hrs 35mins 27secs which put me in 12th place for the 50km runners and 28th out of 215 for the one lappers.

I was feeling a bit tired at this point but I made sure I refilled my 2L water bladder and took off on my second lap. I walked a lot of the hills that I ran on the first lap but kept up a good consistent pace and it was not long before I started catching other runners. Being a two lap course I was recognising a lot of the landmarks which made me feel quite comfortable with the course.

As I was climbing "heartbreak hill" for the second time I caught up to a runner that I had run with for my first ultra in the Glasshouse Mountains. I said hi as I passed him on the very steep climb. He said that he was finding it tough as he had done the 6ft track (45km) a week or two before. It was quite ironic as he was the runner who caught and passed me in my first ultra with about 5km to go. I made sure that I took the correct turn at the top and found the orange witch's hats indicating the course direction that I should have seen on the first lap.

It was quite lonely on the second lap but I had myself for company and was singing songs to myself in my head. At the detour for the turn around point I only saw a few of the other runners as the leaders had already completed the detour and were on their way to the finish. I got to the aid-station in 8th place with two other runners a few minutes ahead of me. I downed two cups of coke and opened my packet of chippies that I had in my bag. I was pretty tired at this point and walking all of the steeper climbs. I could only eat about half of the bag of chippies as my mouth was so dry.

It took about 5 or 6km to catch the next runner who was the second placed female. She was running really well and was steady the whole way. I would catch her on the flats and declines and she would pull away on the climbs as I walked. The walking strategy is quite strange and coming from road running and marathons in-particular, it was something that I was not used to. But it works. In a marathon or Ironman as soon as you begin walking you make it so much harder to run again and lose a lot of time. But in ultras, walking the climbs allowed me to catch my breath and it helped with stretching my legs which were beginning to feel quite tight. Although I lost a bit of time and distance to those who ran the climbs, my legs were in better shape due to the recovery that the walking breaks gave me and overall it allowed me to make up ground and pass them. I was quite strict though and would give myself little goals such as; run to that tree and then walk to the ridge, or walk until I relaxed my breathing before running again. The longest period of walking would have been less than 500m, any longer and I would have found it harder to start running again.

At about the 45km mark I was in 7th position and was starting to feel the effects of the run. Thankfully we had a bit of drizzle on the second lap which kept the temperature from getting too high but I was starting to hit the wall a little. I had been sticking to my drinking and eating schedule and at one point I saw the runner in 6th place further ahead. I didn't have much energy to spare so continued to run my own race and didn't push the pace to try and catch him. I had been passing walkers who were doing a one lap walk and at one point saw a group about 100m ahead of me. I'm not sure what happened but the next thing I knew I was falling. I hit the ground and rolled over onto my back and up to a hands and knees position before getting up and running on. I made a mental check and found that nothing was damaged. I was releived and slightly embarrased but lucky for me nobody had seen my tumble.

My hands were dirty with mud and as I ran I tried to clean them up. I was having a bit of a rough time with my energy levels and my legs were pretty tired. I was getting a bit of stitch and I could feel the tendons in my calves. I concentrated on my breathing and before I knew it I was on the final downhill and crossing the finish.

I finished the race in 5hrs 26mins 29secs in 7th place overall. I was very pleased with my run which I felt was more controlled than my first 50km race. Although I was tired and sore I was not too trashed. I stood around for a few minutes and talked to the guy in 6th who finished two and a half minutes ahead of me. He too was training for The North Face 100 and had a backpack on (although it looked much smaller and lighter than mine).

I then went for a bit of a cool down jog with my pack on to ensure that I had done the full 50km as my Garmin GPS watch was showing about 600m less. I felt pretty good on my cool down which was surprising and could have run on a bit further. My Garmin stats showed that I had burned approximately 3885 calories and the course had 2619 metres of ascent and 2545 metres of descent. I didn't use a heart rate monitor so didn't have a gauge of how hard I had been working but for the 50.05km I ran at an average of 6.33min/km. I consumed 7 Endure gels, half a packet of chippies, a bag of powerbar gel blasts, two cups of Endure electrolyte, two cups of coke, a few lollies and at least 4L of water. My stomach held up much better than previous long races but still got the stitch near the end and my stomach was starting to get a bit upset.

Overall I am very pleased with my run and it gave me a good indication of how my training has been progressing. For TNF100 my pace will be slower again which should help prevent stitch and stomach upset. I am definitely on track for a good race and am pleased to have worked out a good run / walk strategy that works for me and that I will be able to use in the Blue Mountains.

To tri or not to tri, that is the question.

I am a highly excitable person. I am known to jump in with both feet and start making plans before I have considered all the options and consequences.

So when one of my running mates, Marty, told me that he was looking at doing an Iron distance triathon, my mind started thinking........

I have done many triathlons of various distances including seven Ironman races. I have had some success racing for New Zealand at the World Long Distance Triathlon Championships in Sweden in 1999 and qualifying and racing in the 2000 Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. So the seed of doing another one was planted and started to grow.

Marty was planning on doing the Challenge Cairns at the beginning of June. The Challenge series is over the same distance as the Ironman but is under the Challenge brand so therefore cannot be called an Ironman. All irrelevant really as it is only a name and everyone has to go the same distance, the only difference being the location. The main issue I faced was that the Challenge Cairns race was three weeks after The North Face 100 which has been my focus for so long now. I briefly considered doing both races but common sense prevailed and I decided to skip Cairns.

Unfortunately the seed had sprouted and I was looking at other Ironman's or Challenge races that I could do. I couldn't afford to go to Europe or America and the New Zealand race in March 2011 had sold out many months before. I found that entry to the Western Australian Ironman was opening soon and that it was likely to sell out in hours. I had already spent quite a bit of money entering and getting myself ready for TNF100 but started to work out a plan for WA. I made some inquiries and did some calculations before going to Mel and outlining my latest idea. Poor Mel has to put up with my brainstorm ideas that I jump around and get excited about. She has had to put up with it for years. I entered my last Ironman nine weeks before the race on no training and very overweight, I managed to finish but it was a far from ideal situation. Only a few months ago I had gotten excited about a plan for us to fly to Boston to run in the Boston marathon. I guess she is used to it by now.

Not having been to Western Australia before the idea of having another family holiday in a new part of Australia was very appealing to both of us. Mel agreed and I started to work out a plan. Entries opened and I got my entry in within the first 45 mins. I was accepted and the race sold out in 4.5 hours. The race was set for December 2011 and we booked our accommodation, all that I needed to do now was start swimming and cycling again.

I decided that I would suppliment my TNF100 training with some swimming and cycling in the early stages and back off until after TNF100. I began reading my old tri books, buying a couple of tri magazines and surfing through all the websites. I was hooked on Ironman again. I started swimming and cycling again in early January.

My swimming came back pretty quick and before long I was swimming 2.5km straight sets twice a week and putting in quite respectable times. My stroke was back and I was feeling fit and strong in the water. My cycling was not as good, I have had a few herniated disc's in my back over the years and it didn't agree with cycling. I was building strength nicely without trying to break speed records and alternating sitting up with being down in the aero position. I built up to about 80km for my long ride and was riding up to about 250km a week. I had been cycling regularly between home and work since we arrived in Australia, in August 2009, but after every ride my back was so stiff that I would need to sit down for a few minutes before my back would relax and I could walk normally again. I was starting to wonder if could run off the bike and was beginning to doubt my decision to return to triathlons.

The weather was starting to heat up with the mercury hitting the mid to late 30's every day and not dropping below 25 degrees at night. I was managing to fit in all my training around work but it was becoming a bit of a stretch and I was not doing as much running as I should. I was also not spending as much time with Mel, Holly and Ethan as I normally do with running only and I was starting to become disenchanted with my tri training.

I had been tri training for about six weeks when I made the decision to pull out of the Western Australian Ironman. I was not enjoying my training, had been neglecting my TNF100 training and had lost my drive and desire to complete another Ironman. I talked it over with Mel and agreed that withdrawing was the best option. Not only was I not motivated to do the race anymore but financially it was going to be a huge committment. Flights from Rockhampton to Brisbane to Perth and return for all of us were going to be quite substantial. The accommodation in Busselton was high and we would also need accommodation in Perth on our way home plus a rental car for a week. Daily expenses added to an ever increasing list. The potential for a family trip was overshadowed by the sheer cost of the trip and with my committment waning we cancelled the trip. I lost quite a bit of money on my entry fee, only being refunded a small portion. We cancelled the accommodation and will receive a full refund.

At first I felt like a bit of a failure as I had wasted our money and failed to follow through with a committment I had made. The next morning I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and Mel and I knew that we had made the right decision.

I have had some time to reflect on my fleeting return to triathlon training and realised that that part of my life has run its course. I really enjoyed doing my triathlons and have had some amazing experiences, racing for New Zealand, visiting new countries and I loved it. I realised that I should celebrate what I have achieved but also acknowledge that I have moved on, that triathlons don't hold the same appeal that they once held. I don't need to look to the past to relive old glory, instead I should look to the future and be open to all the opportunities that are out there waiting for me. I am a runner now and am very much looking forward to The North Face 100 and the challenge and adventure of running 100km through the rugged Blue Mountains in New South Wales. Bring it on.

Ultramarathon training

After finishing my first ultra at the Glasshouse Mountains I had a couple of down weeks of reduced training and then got back into it (with a vengence). Not being very experienced in the ultra running genre I am taking my training cues from books, articles, blogs or websites. I am not running to a set schedule or program as such because I feel that they do not allow enough flexibility especially when working shift work. I have decided to run mainly by feel and take into account such variables as: work, sleep, nutrition, energy levels and other committments.

In the past I have been too much a slave to my own programes so that I am training when tired and not motivated. This can have a negative impact on my overall training and leads to a loss of performance and increases the stress and pressure I tend to place on myself. Previously when I have forced myself to run in these situations I have invariably had a poor session which has affected my mood and motivation and has led to weeks without training.

So I decided to do some experimenting. After a couple of weeks of rest and low volume I had three big weeks to test out my fitness and work out my optimal training volume or routine.

Week 1:
Monday am - 9.27km (to work) - 46mins 24secs - 5:00min/km avge
Monday pm - 9.31km (to home) - 48mins 11secs - 5:11min/km avge
Tuesday - 23.31km - 2hrs 00mins 32secs - 5:10min/km avge
Wednesday - 10.13km - 54mins 36secs - 5:23min/km avge
Thursday - 25.37km - 2hrs 25mins 55secs - 5:45min/km
Friday - 10.12km - 54mins 48secs - 5:25min/km
Saturday - 32.65km - 3hrs 00mins 10secs - 5:31min/km
Sunday - 15.50km - 1hr 19min 13ses - 5:07min/km

Total - 135.66km - 12hs 09mins 53secs

Week 2:
Monday am - 9.30km (to work) - 50mins 43secs - 5:27min/km avge
Monday pm - 9.34km (to home) - 49mins 44secs - 5:20min/km avge
Tuesday am - 9.26km (to work) - 52mins 09secs - 5:38min/km avge
Tuesday pm - 19.05km (to home + extra) 1hr 40mins 27secs - 5:16min/km avge
Wednesday - 12.05km - 1hr 04mins 40secs - 5:22min/km avge
Thursday - 22.10km - 2hrs 06mins 08secs - 5:42min/km avge
Friday - 12.35km - 1hr 03mins 58secs - 5:11min/km avge
Saturday - 38.05km - 3hrs 17mins 31secs - 5:11min/km avge
Sunday - 20.10km - 1hr 46mins 43secs - 5:19min/km avge

Total - 151.59km - 13hrs 21mins 50secs

Week 3:
Monday am - 12.25km - 1hr 05mins 37secs - 5:21min/km avge
Monday pm - 10.10km - 47mins 05secs - 4:40min/km avge
Tuesday - 28.10km 2hrs 24mins 25secs - 5:08min/km avge
Wednesday am - 11.20km - 58mins 47secs - 5:15min/km avge
Wednesday pm - 9.33km - 52mins 01sec - 5:35min/km avge
Thursday am - 21.50km - 1hr 47mins 54secs - 5:01min/km avge
Thursday pm - 9.31km - 47mins 41secs - 5:07min/km avge
Friday am - 9.27km - 49mins 22secs - 5:20min/km avge
Friday pm - 9.32km - 49mins 42secs - 5:20min/km avge
Saturday am - 9.28km - 50mins 45secs - 5:28min/km avge
Saturday pm - 13.05km - 1hr 07mins 57secs - 5:12min/km avge
Sunday am - 9.29km - 51min 36secs - 5:33min/km avge
Sunday pm - 30.25km - 2hrs 38mins 55secs - 5:15min/km avge

Total - 182.24km - 15hrs 51mins 52secs

The third week was officially my biggest week EVER in terms of time and distance run in a continuous seven day period. I was very proud of myself especially as I had shift work throughout this period and didn't take any time off work to get my runs in. That's not to say that I didn't have any challenges.

Going into this three week block I knew that I would have a couple of weeks of very little training afterwards. Mel was heading to NZ by herself for a bit of a holiday to catch up with family and friends and have a break from the kids. So knowing that I would have forced rest made it a bit easier. I could only run twice a week when Ethan was at kindy. I wasn't too worried about this enforced rest because The North Face 100, which was my big goal, was still 6 months away.

I used running to commute between home and work to get a lot of my running in. I had ordered and received my new Innov8 running backpack which was very light and great to run with and meant that I could put my gear for work in it. The pack is awesome and has a 2L bladder that sits around the waist area making it more comfortable. I needed to start running with the backpack to get used to running with weight on my back as the list of mandatory equipment for TNF100 is quite extensive.

I found the early morning runs to work quite difficult, my muscles were not warmed up, I was still sleepy and the weight in my backpack slowed me down quite a bit. Running twice a day was not a new feature for me, I had run double-ups many times before when training for marathons but never this many in a row, which by the end of the third week was starting to take a toll. A further challenge was that the temperature and extremely high humidity was having a major impact. Even running at 4am in the morning on my way to work I was sweating profusely and was finding it hard to keep hydrated. When running during the day to avoid the humidity I had to contend with warmer temperatures in the mid 20's to early 30's. Even then the humidity was still quite high and I was starting to feel drained.

It was in the third week that I had a scary experience that made me look at how much I was running, when I was running and how much sleep, food and fluid I was getting. I had run home on the Thursday night after work at about 9:45pm. I got home around 10:30pm had a shower and jumped into bed. I got up quite early the next morning and started my run to work. I left home at about 6:20am and was running with my headphones to help pass the time. It was quite warm and very humid. I had not had anything to eat or drink after the run home the night before and didn't have anything to eat in the morning. These factors combined with a lack of sleep and the music rapidly alternating in my ear-phones made me start to feel faint and light-headed. I slowed down and tried to concentrate on the road. I had only run about 4km but it was not looking good. I started to break into a cold sweat. I began weaving across the footpath. My vision was swimming. Every time I blinked I saw blackness. I approached an intersection. I saw a car coming from my left. I looked to my right. I woke up. I opened my eyes and I was in the middle of the road with the car stationary in front of me. Luckily the car had stopped at a red light as I was going across the crossing. I had no knowledge of how I had gotten from the footpath into the middle of the road. I was struck with a cold fever, sweat pouring from me, my head was spinning and my eyes were rapidly going from side to side as if I was watching a tennis match on fast forward. I felt as if I was going to vomit so I stoppped my watch, took out my ear-phones and walked to the other side of the road and safely onto the footpath. I was concerned because everything was spinning and this had never happened to me before. I spent a couple of minutes there pretending to stretch on the pretense that I was fine and nothing was out of the ordinary. I was embarrased and was concerned that someone would be looking at the crazy runner who looked as if he was drunk or had lost his mind. I know it was illogical but self-preservation must have been at the forefront of my mind at the time. I managed to get myself together and slowly jogged on. I slowed down quite significantly and not having the music in my ears seemed to help. I ran onto about 7km where I knew a tap was located and I had a big drink and had an energy gel. I started to feel better and ran on towards work.

I learned a lot from those three weeks of training. Among other things I learnt how much volume I could handle, what the effect of reduced sleep, and poor nutrition and hydration had on my running and general state of health but most of all I learnt that I could challenge myself and extend my boundaries and perceptions, remove my self-imposed limitations and know that I can achieve anything that I really set my mind to.

Training for ultramarathons I have changed my approach to training. I have slowed my pace quite significantly so that it is more about time on my feet than running a set course in a fast time. I still run quick every once in a while to work different systems but on the whole I try and stick to a comfortable pace which I like to think of as my ADP (All Day Pace). My ADP changes depending on the course and other variables. I am now running much more with my backpack which is getting heavier all the time as I purchase more of the mandatory equipement.

Experimentation is all part of the process and I will continue to try new concepts to see what works and what doesn't. I am looking at my training sessions and trying to be more specific so that each run has a purpose and that I'm not just putting junk miles on the clock for the sake of achievin a certain number for the day or week.