After a week of rest and trying to recover from my head / chest cold, I got 'back on the horse' and began training again.
I am more of a goal oriented person and strive to achieve specific targets that I set for myself instead of aimless running. Although I get a lot of enjoyment from running I also like the challenge of training for an upcoming race. To overcome my disappointment of The North Face 100 I looked around at what races were coming up.
I decided on racing the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in early July. I have never done this race but have wanted to for many years. The race is known as a fast and flat course and is often considered as the race to do if you want to get a PB. If I decided to enter the race I would only have 6 weeks of training to get ready. Most people would say that 6 weeks is not enough time to prepare, but I considered my recent ultra marathon training to be a great base to begin a specific marathon program.
So I entered and began my first week of training.
Monday - 10.12km - 52mins 11secs - 5:09mins/km - easy run
Tuesday - 22.55km - 1hr 43mins 25secs - 4:35mins/km - incl 18km tempo
Wednesday - 12.50km - 1hr 04mins 22secs - 5:09mins/km - recovery run
Thursday - 20.05km - 1hr 35mins 10secs - 4:45mins/km - with 6km at sub 4:10mins/km
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 35.05km - 2hrs 46mins 34secs - 4:45mins/km - long steady run
Sunday - 12.05km - 1hr 09secs - 5:00mins/km - group run
Week 1 totals - 112.31km - 9hrs 01mins 53secs - 4:49mins/km average pace
Saturday's run was quite tough, got up for work at 4:45am and had a busy shift. Ran solo starting at 2:09pm, was comfortable to start but a few hills and tired legs from my first week, with up tempo work, meant that it became increasingly harder to hold my steady pace.
I'm very happy with my first week back and enjoying the faster running. I still have a bit of a chesty cough which is more annoying than anything but it seems to be lessening which is good.
I decided to enter the 'Rocky River Run' half marathon which is in two weeks time. I'm really looking forward to the half as it will give me a good indication of how my fitness is and how I am coping with the speed work. I start night shift this week which will be an extra challenge, but I say BRING IT ON.
Keep running.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
The North Face 100 2011
On Saturday 14th May 2011 I stood on the start line of The North Face 100, a 100km trail run through the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. I had planned and trained for this race for a long time and stood there with the ambition of finishing the race and doing so in a time of under 14 hours, which would see me receive the coveted silver belt buckle.
The North Face 100 is well regarded as being a very tough course with some demanding sections set amongst some of Australia's most spectacular scenery. It was my first time at the race and never having been to the Blue Mountains before I had no firsthand knowledge of the course.
At 6:56am I took my first step on a journey which would see me set a number of new benchmarks including one that I had not considered. I set off in wave number 1 set aside for runners who were aiming to run sub 14 hours. This group included the defending champion, Andrew Lee and race favourite, Kilian Jornet, a 23 year old Spaniard who even at 23 is regarded by many as one of the world’s best ultra marathoners.
Immediately I reconsidered my race strategy as the leaders set a furious pace. I decided to forget about running with a specific group and concentrated on settling into a comfortable pace. Streams of runners flowed past me on the initial road section before we hit the first off-road area. The first trail section is about 900m long and is mainly non-technical single track, making it difficult to pass.
After another short section on the road we hit the proper trails. I ran at a good steady pace but one which I felt comfortable with. I knew that it was still early and I concentrated on drinking some water and had my first gel at about 49mins. Running through Federal Pass we descended some steep metal ladders and ran past and through some breathtaking scenery including a magnificent waterfall. A number of runners caught up and ran past me throughout this section and I tried to concentrate on my own pace and let them go. It felt like I was running a bit too fast than I wanted at times so I made a point of slowing to catch my breath.
Thankfully as we descended down the valley we were sheltered from the icy wind which was bitingly cold at the start. The starting temperature was about 2 or 3 degrees and with the wind-chill, below zero. I was running in shorts, long sleeve top, short sleeve top, running hat, gloves, and my backpack which weighed in at about 6kg. My nose would not stop running which was a combination of the cold and a sniffle I had developed just before the race. Thankfully my sniffle did not affect my breathing and it wasn't until the day after the race that it turned into a proper head/chest cold.
I enjoyed running through this section made up of predominately easy undulating trails after a long and sometimes steep descent. Unfortunately my enjoyment ended when I came to the Golden Stairs. At the bottom of the stairs I looked up and saw a long line of runners snaking their way up this extremely steep vertical challenge. Running at this point was completely gone from my mind as I struggled skywards, often using my hands on my knees to help propel myself up the stairs. After reviewing my Garmin GPS watch I found that during this climb it took me 15 minutes to complete just 1km.
After the climb and a short run on some undulating track I came to checkpoint 1 at about 2hrs 10mins into the race. Having never done the race I didn't know if this was too fast or not. I didn't stay for long at the checkpoint and ran on after filling my water bladder. There were a few runners ahead of me but I decided to run on my own instead of try to catch them and run at their pace. The weather was quite cold up on the ridgeline as we made our way to Narrow Neck and the Tarros Ladders. I continued my fluid and nutrition strategy as I had in training but it was much harder to eat than normal. I didn't know if that was because of the cold weather or for some other reason.
The Tarros Ladders are a series of ladders bolted to a vertical cliff face. For the event there are safety ropes set up on the outside to help guide runners down. I had seen these ladders in footage from last year’s race so it was not a surprise for me but I could imagine those with a fear of heights might find it particularly difficult.
The course was descending in a meandering fashion with a few technical areas thrown in to make the going quite slow. At about the 30km mark I was beginning to feel quite tired and my stomach made me feel nauseous. I was beginning to fall off my eating plan and whenever I had a drink of water I began to feel a little sick. Lots of runners came past in singles and groups and I was walking much more than I wanted. Initially I was walking on the hills for short periods but now I walked whenever the track went up.
I continued to lose time and places on the undulations towards checkpoint 2, at Dunphys Camp, and knew that I was doing it tough. I got to the 38km checkpoint in 4hrs 26mins which was still on sub 14hr pace. I knew that my stomach was beginning to shut down which has happened to me before during most of my Ironman triathlons. I'm not sure why this happens to me but I was very frustrated as I had practiced eating and drinking in training and had not had a problem. I filled up my water bladder, ate some lollies and began leg 3.
After a few kilometres of run / walking I came to another very steep section where I again had to use my hands to pull myself upwards. The hill kept going and going and although there were no stairs it was equally as challenging as the Golden Stairs. After the hill I made my way through some easy bush track until I came to the Ironpot Ridge detour. This involves a 1km each way out and back section including a narrow praecipe complete with safety warning tape. This detour gave me a chance to see a number of other runners ahead and behind me. Some looked really good and seemed to be making easy work of the course. Others looked like I felt including one guy who was power-chucking his stomach contents to the side of the walking track.
After the detour I ran a lot of the downhill section through to about 45km. I was predominately by myself and was trying to stay positive despite not drinking or eating anything since 38km. However the lack of food and water was taking its toll and I had to walk along a flat section of road where I should be running. This road is known as Megalong Valley Road and the name lived up to its billing. After a short flat stretch the road heads upwards. I was struggling to walk at a steady pace and was getting passed by lots of others walking up the hill. The road continued to snake upwards and although it was not as steep as some of the other climbs it seemed to go on forever. Misery loves company and I met another runner who had passed me at about 20km. He was not doing so well complaining of dizziness. I offered him some of my food, I was not going to be eating it, but he declined also citing stomach problems.
I thought I must have missed the 50km sign as it seemed to be taking forever to walk 5km, but it was just that I was moving so slowly. Kilometres 47, 48, 49 & 50 took me 12mins, 14mins, 11mins and 10 minutes respectively. It was at this point that I was beginning to ask myself if I could go on. My feet were aching badly and I had massive blisters on the instep of both feet from my trail shoes. I had nothing in my stomach and had hardly any energy, evidenced by the fact that I was walking downhill instead of running.
As I walked along I gave Mel a quick call. I'm so lucky to have a loving and supporting wife who has always stood by me through all of my crazy adventures. I told her about my stomach issues and that it was going to take me a lot longer than I had planned. I had given up the 14hr dream at about 30km and was focused solely on finishing. Mel was understanding as always and I finished the call by asking her to keep the phone by the bed as it was looking like I would be finishing closer to midnight or even into the early hours.
I've never had a DNF in any race and at this point I gave myself a bit of a mental upper-cut. I started running, it was more of a jog than running but I was moving forward. I had to finish the race, I couldn't give up, I had invested too much in the race, my family had invested too much in the race, I would get to the end even if I had to walk the rest of the way.
I ran until my stomach couldn't handle it anymore and then walked. I repeated this until I ran into checkpoint 3 at 54km. I got to CP3 in 7hrs 04mins which is the longest time I have ever spent on my feet in an event. I knew that I had to sort out my stomach issues so I sat down and opened up my checkpoint bag. I had packed a spare pair of shoes, which I changed to prevent further blisters, a packet of chippies and a bottle of Gatorade. In my training whenever I started feeling flat I would have these and always feel better. It worked this time as well. I managed to eat all the chippies and drink the whole bottle of drink. I sent message on Facebook while having my little picnic so that my family and friends would know how I was going. The checkpoint was awesome, there were heaps of supporters looking after their runners with little campsites set up and runners having a decent rest. I stayed for about 14 minutes in total and left at a trot feeling a bit better.
Unfortunately my renewed energy didn't last and although it was only 11km to the next checkpoint I had yet to face Nellies Glen. I was running on what is known as the Six Foot Track which is a nature reserve and is also part of the course for a 45km trail race. This part was not too challenging with wide well groomed track with a few easy undulations. I continued my earlier strategy of run / walking and eventually caught up to a couple of guys. They gave me a bit of a warning of what was to come but I was not prepared. Nellie’s Glen is a steep track which takes runners up towards the town of Katoomba again. It started off well with a steady incline which allowed me to stay with the others. Then the stairs started again. A lot of the scenery reminded me of the New Zealand bush with heavy green vegetation and water running down the track. The stairs were just as steep as the Golden Stairs that I had traversed some 40km ago. The distance I had covered, the difficulty of the terrain and amount of elevation gain to this point was beginning to take its toll on me. I had to stop on a couple of the steps to catch my breath and I let the others go on ahead without me. My understanding of Nellie’s Glen is that it is relatively short but it felt like I was on a never-ending stairway. Eventually the foliage began to get thinner and I could see blue sky up ahead. As I climbed the stairs and when I reached the top I tried to drink some water but it made me feel sick again.
Again I was walking by myself as I made it to checkpoint 3. CP3 is located at 65km and is situated in the Katoomba Aquatic Centre. As I entered the big sports hall I grabbed my checkpoint bag and sat down on a chair and changed my clothes. I arrived at the CP in 9hrs 05mins and it was starting to get dark and quite cold. I changed tops putting on a long sleeve thermal top and a new short sleeved t-shirt overtop that. I put on some compression socks and set up my lights and cold weather gear for the next leg. Although I was very fatigued and my stomach was still very upset I was still positive in my intent to finish. I called Mel and let her know how I was going and posted another update on Facebook. I had a bottle of coke in my checkpoint bag but could only have a couple of sips as it made my stomach revolt. I noticed that a lot of the other runners were putting on their warmer gear so I did the same, anticipating a lot of walking. On top of my changed clothes I wore my fleece top, beanie and reflectorised vest.
After spending 15mins I left on leg 5 which is the longest in the race at 24km. After leaving the warmth of the aquatic centre I noticed how cold it was outside. I set off with renewed purpose and was looking forward to seeing Mel, Holly and Ethan at Echo Point. We were staying at a villa at Echo Point and the course travels along the Three Sisters lookout area which is only a few hundred metres from the villa. Even though it was very cold and the wind was biting, I got a bit hot whilst running and had to stop again and take off the beanie and fleece.
At about the 70km mark I saw Mel, Holly and Ethan and I was immediately happy again. Although there were approximately 800 runners in the event I spent the majority by myself and had been suffering in silence feeling sorry for myself.
It was so great to see my family, I gave them all a hug and a kiss and walked with the kids for a few metres before tackling the next challenge, the Giant Staircase.
The Giant Staircase was very intimidating. It was starting to get dark as I began descending what felt like a thousand stairs. The staircase runs down behind the Three Sisters and is incredibly steep. In some parts there are two hand-rails and I ensured I had a good grip on both as I was worried about falling face first downwards. In some areas there was only one handrail or the rock-wall for support, I slowed right down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other until I made it back onto the trail again. When I made it to the bottom of the staircase I felt very relieved that I didn't have to run it in the dark.
As I ran through the Leura Forest I was feeling a bit better, I had managed to finish the bottle of coke and was running with a few other runners. I put on my headlamp and ran through a dark forest at night. I loved it. The North Face 100 is superbly organised and the course marking is second to none. In this section my headlamp would illuminate the reflective tape affixed to trees along the track. My headlamp would also light up the reflective vest on any runners in front of me meaning that I did not feel lost or frightened at any time.
I was running comfortably again and feeling positive about finishing sometime before midnight. I was running on the flat sections and enjoying myself again. After the long decent on the Giant Staircase and gradual decline through the forest I mistakenly thought that I was on the valley floor again. I realised how mistaken I was as I continued running downhill. It felt like I had run downhill for an hour when in fact it was only about 5km. My legs felt pretty good running but my stomach was starting to protest again. After a long downhill and a water crossing at the valley floor I began walking up another long steep hill. My energy was waning quickly and I was feeling extremely nauseous. I threw up just after the 75km mark and immediately felt better. I was on my hands and knees on the side of the track vomiting noisily, however the only thing I threw up was bile.
Hoping that this was the end of my stomach woes I continued jogging on a small flat section before what I thought would be the next uphill. I was wrong. I was on another downhill section. I was very confused. I knew that there was a long climb up the Kedumba Pass but couldn't remember if it was before or after the next checkpoint. In my dehydrated, tired and confused state of mind I thought that the feared climb was after checkpoint 5, when in fact I was on the Kedumba Pass at the time. As the track continued downwards I passed the 80km sign and threw my arms up in a little celebration. I had never gone further than 60km before and only had 20km to go. If only I knew what was to come, maybe I might not have been so pleased with myself.
I eventually reached another water crossing and began another steep climb. Feeling good after vomiting was short-lived and I was struggling badly on the climb. The Kedumba Valley Road is renowned for how tough it is. In total it is 11.5km long and although the gradient is not as steep as the staircases or Nellie’s Glen, its position in the race is what really defines the difficulty of this climb. I had been on my feet for over 11 hours and still had almost 20km to go.
The reality of what was still ahead of me hit home and it hit home hard. I was still very determined to finish, to earn the right to wear the t-shirt and achieve my goal but I was in a very bad place. The climb was relentless and under the weight of my pack I was struggling to walk in a straight line. Scores of other runners came past, most said a quick hello as they trudged further uphill, bent over carrying the burden of their backpacks and over 80km's in their legs. I could feel myself shutting down, I was not dizzy but my head felt a bit cloudy and my stomach felt as if it had a huge hole in it, and all my energy was escaping out through that hole leaving me with nothing.
I specifically remember locking my knees as I walked uphill and that I was more or less dragging my feet forward using my hips to keep my legs going. I was starting to sway side to side and was at a crawling pace when I realised that I was not going to make it. My head was still cloudy and I was struggling to stay upright so I sat down. I was worried about my physical condition and decided to call Mel again. Luckily I had some reception on my phone and got through. I told Mel that I didn't think I could make it, it felt like I was intoxicated and that I was slurring my words. I told her that I will walk to the next checkpoint and asked if she could meet me there. I hung up the phone and continued on up the climb.
I had taken no more than a dozen steps when I had to stop again, I couldn't go on any further. I had absolutely nothing left. I couldn't stand still in once place let alone walk so I sat down on a bank to the side of the track and admitted defeat. I was devastated. I had failed. It took me a few moments to appreciate where I was and that I was a long way from the next checkpoint. I sat on the bank for a while stunned and confused. My survival instinct had made me stop and now I had to deal with that decision. I started putting on all of my warm clothing including, my long johns, fleece, jacket and beanie. I got out my competitor instruction card and called the number provided. I gave the guy who answered my details including my approximate position. I had made it to just past the 83km mark with another 6km to go until checkpoint 5. He told me to get warm and that someone would be there to pick me up in about 15 minutes.
Now that I had stopped, I was feeling the cold in a big way and despite all my warm clothes I was still freezing. I got out my emergency space blanket and wrapped it around myself to try and keep warm. Lots of other runners came past and asked if I was okay and if I needed anything. I was embarrassed to say that I was being picked up making my decision all the more harder to deal with. I knew physically that I couldn't carry on but my mind was harder to convince. It had taken me a little over 12 hours to complete the 83kms which left me with about 14 hours to finish the last 17km. I know in my heart that I made the right decision and if I could have carried on I would have.
I got picked up and on our way to the checkpoint we picked up another runner just up the road. He couldn't go on either and said that he had finished seven other 100km races including this same race three previous times. I got checked out at the medical tent and Mel was there to pick me up and take me home. Mel was glad that I was okay and proud of me for making the tough call to stop when I did. She said that she was glad that she didn't have to pick me up from hospital like when I had to have an IV after my last Ironman. We drove back to the villa where my cousin Sara and her husband Justin were looking after Holly and Ethan. The kids were happy as they had been having a great time playing with Sara's kids Ashlee and Kaiden. I was still very cold and sat under a blanket trying to warm up.
After a rough sleep and a gradual return to eating and drinking I felt a little better. I had developed a head cold and had a cough. My legs were sore and stiff and it took me a while to walk anywhere. I had a few blisters on both feet including a couple of big ones on the instep of each foot. This was caused by my trail shoes which are slightly different to my road shoes.
After the race I threw away my hydration bladder. After the Nerang 50km I noticed a small hole from my fall which was causing the bladder to leak. I ordered a new one from the UK wiggle website as they do not sell the bladder here. I could not just buy any type as it is a particular design to specifically fit my backpack. Most bladders are vertical but this one is horizontal and sits around the waist at the bottom of the pack. Unfortunately the bladder didn't arrive in time and I couldn't find a replacement. I tried to patch it up as best I could. I used a blister patch to cover the whole on the outside, used some cement glue and tried to affix a bike tyre puncture patch. It was not a good idea and the patch didn't stick and I was worried about the glue leaching through the plastic of the bladder. I kept the patch in place and used a waterproof plaster to keep it there followed by some strapping tape. I was still worried about contamination so I placed another blister patch on the inside of the bladder over the hole. Good news was that it worked, I cleaned the bladder and filled it with water and it didn't leak. I'm not sure if the blister patch or cement glue contaminated the water at all and it tasted fresh. When I threw it out the patches were all still in place but the one on the inside was engorged having absorbed some water. Funnily enough when we got back home there was the new bladder, waiting at the front doorstep.
I managed to walk around quite a bit the next day which helped and spent the morning with Mel, Holly, Ethan, Sara, Justin, Ashlee and Kaiden which was great. I decided not to go to the prize-giving as I felt that it was only for finishers and I was feeling sorry for myself.
Since the race I have had quite a bit of time to reflect on my race, what went wrong, what went right and if I made the right decision to pull out when I did. I am so thankful for all of the support that I have received from my family and friends who have been amazing with their kind thoughts and messages. It took a lot of planning, preparation and training to get myself to the start line. It cost me a lot of money to enter the race, purchase the equipment and travel to the Blue Mountains to compete. I did not take these commitments lightly and did not pull out of the race because it got hard. I have taken a long hard look at myself and still respect the decision I made at the time. Life is a journey and not a destination and although I logged my first DNF I challenged myself and pushed myself further than I have ever done before. I ran / walked / climbed for just over 12 hours, and traversed 83km on foot in one day. The course is truly a monster, during the event I constantly found myself in awe of the spectacular scenery and was at times cursing the race director for designing such a difficult course, but if this was easy nobody would do it. It has been said that you learn more from your failures than your successes. With time I will be able to turn the lessons learnt from this experience into a positive and use it in whatever adventures are around the corner.
A big congratulations to all of those that finished the race, you have my respect for completing such a difficult physical and mental challenge. Well done to all my QPS colleagues who finished the race, I didn't get to see them out on the course but they stayed strong and managed to finish and receive a bronze belt buckle for a sub 20hr finish, great work guys.
What's next? I'm not sure. After the race I said that I am officially retired from running ultra marathons and I stand by that decision. Always struggling due to nutrition and stomach problems is not fun. A few people have said that I could go back next year but I don't think I want to. I have had a week off running and will get back into some easy running next week. I am thinking of running in the Rockhampton half marathon next month and maybe the Gold Coast Airport Marathon on the 3rd July. I love running and I will not give up after one bad day. It's all about perspective, where I am disappointed to pull out at 83km, for others that type of distance is beyond their wildest dreams. Some dream of running a marathon, some a 10k and for some being able to run around the block is a big goal. I had one bad day and yet still achieved so much. Keep running.
The North Face 100 is well regarded as being a very tough course with some demanding sections set amongst some of Australia's most spectacular scenery. It was my first time at the race and never having been to the Blue Mountains before I had no firsthand knowledge of the course.
At 6:56am I took my first step on a journey which would see me set a number of new benchmarks including one that I had not considered. I set off in wave number 1 set aside for runners who were aiming to run sub 14 hours. This group included the defending champion, Andrew Lee and race favourite, Kilian Jornet, a 23 year old Spaniard who even at 23 is regarded by many as one of the world’s best ultra marathoners.
Immediately I reconsidered my race strategy as the leaders set a furious pace. I decided to forget about running with a specific group and concentrated on settling into a comfortable pace. Streams of runners flowed past me on the initial road section before we hit the first off-road area. The first trail section is about 900m long and is mainly non-technical single track, making it difficult to pass.
After another short section on the road we hit the proper trails. I ran at a good steady pace but one which I felt comfortable with. I knew that it was still early and I concentrated on drinking some water and had my first gel at about 49mins. Running through Federal Pass we descended some steep metal ladders and ran past and through some breathtaking scenery including a magnificent waterfall. A number of runners caught up and ran past me throughout this section and I tried to concentrate on my own pace and let them go. It felt like I was running a bit too fast than I wanted at times so I made a point of slowing to catch my breath.
Thankfully as we descended down the valley we were sheltered from the icy wind which was bitingly cold at the start. The starting temperature was about 2 or 3 degrees and with the wind-chill, below zero. I was running in shorts, long sleeve top, short sleeve top, running hat, gloves, and my backpack which weighed in at about 6kg. My nose would not stop running which was a combination of the cold and a sniffle I had developed just before the race. Thankfully my sniffle did not affect my breathing and it wasn't until the day after the race that it turned into a proper head/chest cold.
I enjoyed running through this section made up of predominately easy undulating trails after a long and sometimes steep descent. Unfortunately my enjoyment ended when I came to the Golden Stairs. At the bottom of the stairs I looked up and saw a long line of runners snaking their way up this extremely steep vertical challenge. Running at this point was completely gone from my mind as I struggled skywards, often using my hands on my knees to help propel myself up the stairs. After reviewing my Garmin GPS watch I found that during this climb it took me 15 minutes to complete just 1km.
After the climb and a short run on some undulating track I came to checkpoint 1 at about 2hrs 10mins into the race. Having never done the race I didn't know if this was too fast or not. I didn't stay for long at the checkpoint and ran on after filling my water bladder. There were a few runners ahead of me but I decided to run on my own instead of try to catch them and run at their pace. The weather was quite cold up on the ridgeline as we made our way to Narrow Neck and the Tarros Ladders. I continued my fluid and nutrition strategy as I had in training but it was much harder to eat than normal. I didn't know if that was because of the cold weather or for some other reason.
The Tarros Ladders are a series of ladders bolted to a vertical cliff face. For the event there are safety ropes set up on the outside to help guide runners down. I had seen these ladders in footage from last year’s race so it was not a surprise for me but I could imagine those with a fear of heights might find it particularly difficult.
The course was descending in a meandering fashion with a few technical areas thrown in to make the going quite slow. At about the 30km mark I was beginning to feel quite tired and my stomach made me feel nauseous. I was beginning to fall off my eating plan and whenever I had a drink of water I began to feel a little sick. Lots of runners came past in singles and groups and I was walking much more than I wanted. Initially I was walking on the hills for short periods but now I walked whenever the track went up.
I continued to lose time and places on the undulations towards checkpoint 2, at Dunphys Camp, and knew that I was doing it tough. I got to the 38km checkpoint in 4hrs 26mins which was still on sub 14hr pace. I knew that my stomach was beginning to shut down which has happened to me before during most of my Ironman triathlons. I'm not sure why this happens to me but I was very frustrated as I had practiced eating and drinking in training and had not had a problem. I filled up my water bladder, ate some lollies and began leg 3.
After a few kilometres of run / walking I came to another very steep section where I again had to use my hands to pull myself upwards. The hill kept going and going and although there were no stairs it was equally as challenging as the Golden Stairs. After the hill I made my way through some easy bush track until I came to the Ironpot Ridge detour. This involves a 1km each way out and back section including a narrow praecipe complete with safety warning tape. This detour gave me a chance to see a number of other runners ahead and behind me. Some looked really good and seemed to be making easy work of the course. Others looked like I felt including one guy who was power-chucking his stomach contents to the side of the walking track.
After the detour I ran a lot of the downhill section through to about 45km. I was predominately by myself and was trying to stay positive despite not drinking or eating anything since 38km. However the lack of food and water was taking its toll and I had to walk along a flat section of road where I should be running. This road is known as Megalong Valley Road and the name lived up to its billing. After a short flat stretch the road heads upwards. I was struggling to walk at a steady pace and was getting passed by lots of others walking up the hill. The road continued to snake upwards and although it was not as steep as some of the other climbs it seemed to go on forever. Misery loves company and I met another runner who had passed me at about 20km. He was not doing so well complaining of dizziness. I offered him some of my food, I was not going to be eating it, but he declined also citing stomach problems.
I thought I must have missed the 50km sign as it seemed to be taking forever to walk 5km, but it was just that I was moving so slowly. Kilometres 47, 48, 49 & 50 took me 12mins, 14mins, 11mins and 10 minutes respectively. It was at this point that I was beginning to ask myself if I could go on. My feet were aching badly and I had massive blisters on the instep of both feet from my trail shoes. I had nothing in my stomach and had hardly any energy, evidenced by the fact that I was walking downhill instead of running.
As I walked along I gave Mel a quick call. I'm so lucky to have a loving and supporting wife who has always stood by me through all of my crazy adventures. I told her about my stomach issues and that it was going to take me a lot longer than I had planned. I had given up the 14hr dream at about 30km and was focused solely on finishing. Mel was understanding as always and I finished the call by asking her to keep the phone by the bed as it was looking like I would be finishing closer to midnight or even into the early hours.
I've never had a DNF in any race and at this point I gave myself a bit of a mental upper-cut. I started running, it was more of a jog than running but I was moving forward. I had to finish the race, I couldn't give up, I had invested too much in the race, my family had invested too much in the race, I would get to the end even if I had to walk the rest of the way.
I ran until my stomach couldn't handle it anymore and then walked. I repeated this until I ran into checkpoint 3 at 54km. I got to CP3 in 7hrs 04mins which is the longest time I have ever spent on my feet in an event. I knew that I had to sort out my stomach issues so I sat down and opened up my checkpoint bag. I had packed a spare pair of shoes, which I changed to prevent further blisters, a packet of chippies and a bottle of Gatorade. In my training whenever I started feeling flat I would have these and always feel better. It worked this time as well. I managed to eat all the chippies and drink the whole bottle of drink. I sent message on Facebook while having my little picnic so that my family and friends would know how I was going. The checkpoint was awesome, there were heaps of supporters looking after their runners with little campsites set up and runners having a decent rest. I stayed for about 14 minutes in total and left at a trot feeling a bit better.
Unfortunately my renewed energy didn't last and although it was only 11km to the next checkpoint I had yet to face Nellies Glen. I was running on what is known as the Six Foot Track which is a nature reserve and is also part of the course for a 45km trail race. This part was not too challenging with wide well groomed track with a few easy undulations. I continued my earlier strategy of run / walking and eventually caught up to a couple of guys. They gave me a bit of a warning of what was to come but I was not prepared. Nellie’s Glen is a steep track which takes runners up towards the town of Katoomba again. It started off well with a steady incline which allowed me to stay with the others. Then the stairs started again. A lot of the scenery reminded me of the New Zealand bush with heavy green vegetation and water running down the track. The stairs were just as steep as the Golden Stairs that I had traversed some 40km ago. The distance I had covered, the difficulty of the terrain and amount of elevation gain to this point was beginning to take its toll on me. I had to stop on a couple of the steps to catch my breath and I let the others go on ahead without me. My understanding of Nellie’s Glen is that it is relatively short but it felt like I was on a never-ending stairway. Eventually the foliage began to get thinner and I could see blue sky up ahead. As I climbed the stairs and when I reached the top I tried to drink some water but it made me feel sick again.
Again I was walking by myself as I made it to checkpoint 3. CP3 is located at 65km and is situated in the Katoomba Aquatic Centre. As I entered the big sports hall I grabbed my checkpoint bag and sat down on a chair and changed my clothes. I arrived at the CP in 9hrs 05mins and it was starting to get dark and quite cold. I changed tops putting on a long sleeve thermal top and a new short sleeved t-shirt overtop that. I put on some compression socks and set up my lights and cold weather gear for the next leg. Although I was very fatigued and my stomach was still very upset I was still positive in my intent to finish. I called Mel and let her know how I was going and posted another update on Facebook. I had a bottle of coke in my checkpoint bag but could only have a couple of sips as it made my stomach revolt. I noticed that a lot of the other runners were putting on their warmer gear so I did the same, anticipating a lot of walking. On top of my changed clothes I wore my fleece top, beanie and reflectorised vest.
After spending 15mins I left on leg 5 which is the longest in the race at 24km. After leaving the warmth of the aquatic centre I noticed how cold it was outside. I set off with renewed purpose and was looking forward to seeing Mel, Holly and Ethan at Echo Point. We were staying at a villa at Echo Point and the course travels along the Three Sisters lookout area which is only a few hundred metres from the villa. Even though it was very cold and the wind was biting, I got a bit hot whilst running and had to stop again and take off the beanie and fleece.
At about the 70km mark I saw Mel, Holly and Ethan and I was immediately happy again. Although there were approximately 800 runners in the event I spent the majority by myself and had been suffering in silence feeling sorry for myself.
It was so great to see my family, I gave them all a hug and a kiss and walked with the kids for a few metres before tackling the next challenge, the Giant Staircase.
The Giant Staircase was very intimidating. It was starting to get dark as I began descending what felt like a thousand stairs. The staircase runs down behind the Three Sisters and is incredibly steep. In some parts there are two hand-rails and I ensured I had a good grip on both as I was worried about falling face first downwards. In some areas there was only one handrail or the rock-wall for support, I slowed right down and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other until I made it back onto the trail again. When I made it to the bottom of the staircase I felt very relieved that I didn't have to run it in the dark.
As I ran through the Leura Forest I was feeling a bit better, I had managed to finish the bottle of coke and was running with a few other runners. I put on my headlamp and ran through a dark forest at night. I loved it. The North Face 100 is superbly organised and the course marking is second to none. In this section my headlamp would illuminate the reflective tape affixed to trees along the track. My headlamp would also light up the reflective vest on any runners in front of me meaning that I did not feel lost or frightened at any time.
I was running comfortably again and feeling positive about finishing sometime before midnight. I was running on the flat sections and enjoying myself again. After the long decent on the Giant Staircase and gradual decline through the forest I mistakenly thought that I was on the valley floor again. I realised how mistaken I was as I continued running downhill. It felt like I had run downhill for an hour when in fact it was only about 5km. My legs felt pretty good running but my stomach was starting to protest again. After a long downhill and a water crossing at the valley floor I began walking up another long steep hill. My energy was waning quickly and I was feeling extremely nauseous. I threw up just after the 75km mark and immediately felt better. I was on my hands and knees on the side of the track vomiting noisily, however the only thing I threw up was bile.
Hoping that this was the end of my stomach woes I continued jogging on a small flat section before what I thought would be the next uphill. I was wrong. I was on another downhill section. I was very confused. I knew that there was a long climb up the Kedumba Pass but couldn't remember if it was before or after the next checkpoint. In my dehydrated, tired and confused state of mind I thought that the feared climb was after checkpoint 5, when in fact I was on the Kedumba Pass at the time. As the track continued downwards I passed the 80km sign and threw my arms up in a little celebration. I had never gone further than 60km before and only had 20km to go. If only I knew what was to come, maybe I might not have been so pleased with myself.
I eventually reached another water crossing and began another steep climb. Feeling good after vomiting was short-lived and I was struggling badly on the climb. The Kedumba Valley Road is renowned for how tough it is. In total it is 11.5km long and although the gradient is not as steep as the staircases or Nellie’s Glen, its position in the race is what really defines the difficulty of this climb. I had been on my feet for over 11 hours and still had almost 20km to go.
The reality of what was still ahead of me hit home and it hit home hard. I was still very determined to finish, to earn the right to wear the t-shirt and achieve my goal but I was in a very bad place. The climb was relentless and under the weight of my pack I was struggling to walk in a straight line. Scores of other runners came past, most said a quick hello as they trudged further uphill, bent over carrying the burden of their backpacks and over 80km's in their legs. I could feel myself shutting down, I was not dizzy but my head felt a bit cloudy and my stomach felt as if it had a huge hole in it, and all my energy was escaping out through that hole leaving me with nothing.
I specifically remember locking my knees as I walked uphill and that I was more or less dragging my feet forward using my hips to keep my legs going. I was starting to sway side to side and was at a crawling pace when I realised that I was not going to make it. My head was still cloudy and I was struggling to stay upright so I sat down. I was worried about my physical condition and decided to call Mel again. Luckily I had some reception on my phone and got through. I told Mel that I didn't think I could make it, it felt like I was intoxicated and that I was slurring my words. I told her that I will walk to the next checkpoint and asked if she could meet me there. I hung up the phone and continued on up the climb.
I had taken no more than a dozen steps when I had to stop again, I couldn't go on any further. I had absolutely nothing left. I couldn't stand still in once place let alone walk so I sat down on a bank to the side of the track and admitted defeat. I was devastated. I had failed. It took me a few moments to appreciate where I was and that I was a long way from the next checkpoint. I sat on the bank for a while stunned and confused. My survival instinct had made me stop and now I had to deal with that decision. I started putting on all of my warm clothing including, my long johns, fleece, jacket and beanie. I got out my competitor instruction card and called the number provided. I gave the guy who answered my details including my approximate position. I had made it to just past the 83km mark with another 6km to go until checkpoint 5. He told me to get warm and that someone would be there to pick me up in about 15 minutes.
Now that I had stopped, I was feeling the cold in a big way and despite all my warm clothes I was still freezing. I got out my emergency space blanket and wrapped it around myself to try and keep warm. Lots of other runners came past and asked if I was okay and if I needed anything. I was embarrassed to say that I was being picked up making my decision all the more harder to deal with. I knew physically that I couldn't carry on but my mind was harder to convince. It had taken me a little over 12 hours to complete the 83kms which left me with about 14 hours to finish the last 17km. I know in my heart that I made the right decision and if I could have carried on I would have.
I got picked up and on our way to the checkpoint we picked up another runner just up the road. He couldn't go on either and said that he had finished seven other 100km races including this same race three previous times. I got checked out at the medical tent and Mel was there to pick me up and take me home. Mel was glad that I was okay and proud of me for making the tough call to stop when I did. She said that she was glad that she didn't have to pick me up from hospital like when I had to have an IV after my last Ironman. We drove back to the villa where my cousin Sara and her husband Justin were looking after Holly and Ethan. The kids were happy as they had been having a great time playing with Sara's kids Ashlee and Kaiden. I was still very cold and sat under a blanket trying to warm up.
After a rough sleep and a gradual return to eating and drinking I felt a little better. I had developed a head cold and had a cough. My legs were sore and stiff and it took me a while to walk anywhere. I had a few blisters on both feet including a couple of big ones on the instep of each foot. This was caused by my trail shoes which are slightly different to my road shoes.
After the race I threw away my hydration bladder. After the Nerang 50km I noticed a small hole from my fall which was causing the bladder to leak. I ordered a new one from the UK wiggle website as they do not sell the bladder here. I could not just buy any type as it is a particular design to specifically fit my backpack. Most bladders are vertical but this one is horizontal and sits around the waist at the bottom of the pack. Unfortunately the bladder didn't arrive in time and I couldn't find a replacement. I tried to patch it up as best I could. I used a blister patch to cover the whole on the outside, used some cement glue and tried to affix a bike tyre puncture patch. It was not a good idea and the patch didn't stick and I was worried about the glue leaching through the plastic of the bladder. I kept the patch in place and used a waterproof plaster to keep it there followed by some strapping tape. I was still worried about contamination so I placed another blister patch on the inside of the bladder over the hole. Good news was that it worked, I cleaned the bladder and filled it with water and it didn't leak. I'm not sure if the blister patch or cement glue contaminated the water at all and it tasted fresh. When I threw it out the patches were all still in place but the one on the inside was engorged having absorbed some water. Funnily enough when we got back home there was the new bladder, waiting at the front doorstep.
I managed to walk around quite a bit the next day which helped and spent the morning with Mel, Holly, Ethan, Sara, Justin, Ashlee and Kaiden which was great. I decided not to go to the prize-giving as I felt that it was only for finishers and I was feeling sorry for myself.
Since the race I have had quite a bit of time to reflect on my race, what went wrong, what went right and if I made the right decision to pull out when I did. I am so thankful for all of the support that I have received from my family and friends who have been amazing with their kind thoughts and messages. It took a lot of planning, preparation and training to get myself to the start line. It cost me a lot of money to enter the race, purchase the equipment and travel to the Blue Mountains to compete. I did not take these commitments lightly and did not pull out of the race because it got hard. I have taken a long hard look at myself and still respect the decision I made at the time. Life is a journey and not a destination and although I logged my first DNF I challenged myself and pushed myself further than I have ever done before. I ran / walked / climbed for just over 12 hours, and traversed 83km on foot in one day. The course is truly a monster, during the event I constantly found myself in awe of the spectacular scenery and was at times cursing the race director for designing such a difficult course, but if this was easy nobody would do it. It has been said that you learn more from your failures than your successes. With time I will be able to turn the lessons learnt from this experience into a positive and use it in whatever adventures are around the corner.
A big congratulations to all of those that finished the race, you have my respect for completing such a difficult physical and mental challenge. Well done to all my QPS colleagues who finished the race, I didn't get to see them out on the course but they stayed strong and managed to finish and receive a bronze belt buckle for a sub 20hr finish, great work guys.
What's next? I'm not sure. After the race I said that I am officially retired from running ultra marathons and I stand by that decision. Always struggling due to nutrition and stomach problems is not fun. A few people have said that I could go back next year but I don't think I want to. I have had a week off running and will get back into some easy running next week. I am thinking of running in the Rockhampton half marathon next month and maybe the Gold Coast Airport Marathon on the 3rd July. I love running and I will not give up after one bad day. It's all about perspective, where I am disappointed to pull out at 83km, for others that type of distance is beyond their wildest dreams. Some dream of running a marathon, some a 10k and for some being able to run around the block is a big goal. I had one bad day and yet still achieved so much. Keep running.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
2011 TNF100 Preview
Well this time next week I will be running in The North Face 100 through the majestic Blue Mountains in New South Wales. I am very excited and have been looking forward to doing this event for well over a year.
Today I ran a comfortable 25.25km in 2hrs 06mins 55secs. I ran with my ususal Rockhampton Road Runners Saturday run group. This running group has been a big part of my preparation for TNF100. They meet every Saturday morning at 5am and every Sunday afternoon at about 5pm. The runs are all predominately on the road but it is great to run with a good group of people. On the Saturday morning I usually run from home and do anywhere between 45mins to 2hrs before meeting with them. We then run anywhere up to 35km as a group and I run home or add on some extra depending on what my goal for the day is.
Thanks to running with this group I have been able to knock out many 35km, 45km and even a 55km and 60km road run in preparation for next week. The group has lots of people with varying abilities and so there is always someone to run with, even when feeling flat or when feeling fast. A big thanks to Michael who orgainises the runs every week and to all the other runners who keep me company, but a special mention should go to Geoff who at 59 years young has been a mainstay at my side and has helped push me along when I am struggling. Geoff is training for the Great Ocean Road 45km run the day after TNF100. From all the training we have done together I'm sure he will do very well.
I have had quite a long build up for this race with a peak week of 182km but I have made sure that I had quite a few down weeks or weeks off to help recover and prevent burn-out. Initially I struggled with all the mileage in the heat and humidity through the Rocky spring and summer but with the weather cooling down a bit and tapering off my training I am feeling really fit, strong and healthy.
In the beginning when I was getting used to running with a full backpack my pace was quite slow. I did this on purpose to ensure that I could complete my longer training runs and get used to running with weight for extended periods of time. I believe that running with the pack has made me stronger and more efficient as I can now cover the same ground in a quicker time. Although I am not looking at speed for this race, I want to cover the course in an efficient manner all whilst conserving energy on the tough climbs.
Unfortunately living in Rockhampton there are not many decent hills for training and even less trails for off-road running. I have completed most of my hill sessions on Mt Archer which has a high point of a little over 600m elevation. Generally I would run about 5.5km from home before hitting the bottom of the big climb. The climb using the road is about 5km and is quite steep but entirely runnable. Running with a heavy backpack on has made it much more difficult and most of run hill sessions included some walking periods. These runs would total about 25km but would take me up to about 2hrs 45mins due to the terrain and gain in elevation (up to about 1300m of climbing).
The only real off-road training I have done is in the middle of my hill sessions when I run over the other side of the hill into the forest trails. The trails are very overgrown and rocky making it quite difficult going but good preparation. I have run up the trail from the bottom a couple of times on what is known as the 'Turkey', but I generally avoid it. The trail is very overgrown, narrow and poorly maintained. I have nearly been charged by a wild horse, had a wild boar in the bush beside me and come across numerous large spiders. The spiders were the last straw for me last year. I ran into one spiderweb just missing a large Golden Orb Weaver
and almost ran into another the size of my fist at face height. Despite these issues I really enjoy running on trails and believe that the two trail ultras I have done should hold me in good stead.
The last four weeks of my training have been a bit disorganised but I am feeling quite fresh so it has all worked out well. I ran the Nerang 50km on the 3rd April, ran 35km the next Saturday before completing my longest run four weeks before race day. On the 16th April I ran about 20km before meeting the Rocky Road Runners and finishing up with about 3km on my own. I ran the 60.10km on the road around the Rockhampton Streets in a total time of 5hrs 24mins 08secs with an average time of 5:24min/km, burning 4841 calories and an elevation gain of 1267 metres. I followed that run with a 20km run the next day giving me my biggest weekend total of 80km. The next weekend I was working so had an easy week followed by a 104km week including a 35km run on the Saturday two weeks out. This week has included lots of rest days with 19.3km on Wednesday, 11.7km on Thursday and 25.25km today.
During my build-up I have not had any major injuries and have only had to deal with the usual niggles and a sometimes tight right ITB putting some pressure on my knee. I've kept up my stretching and been able to run through all these minor issues to now feel that I am ready to tackle this awesome challenge.
I have put together a list and checked all of my gear and equipment for the race. I had a bit of a scare when I discovered a hole in my 2L hydration bladder. I think this must have happened when I took a fall in the Nerang ultra but only noticed it about a week ago. Unfortunately the Inov8 brand is not available in Australia so I ordered online through the UK website Wiggle.Com who I have bought a lot of my gear from. Fingers crossed that the bladder arrives in time but if not I will not panic and have a couple of other options.
Mel, Holly and Ethan are all very excited about the trip as well. We will drive from Rockhampton to Brisbane on Wednesday and make a quick side-trip to visit our new puppy who is now 4 weeks old. We fly from Brisbane to Sydney on Thursday and will get a rental car and drive up to Katoomba after a quick detour via the city to show the kids.
We have been checking the weather very keenly and it is looking like it will be sunny but cold. After some recent heavy rain the course has been very muddy with another endurance event using some of the course a week ago. Thankfully there has been little rain since and with continued good weather the track should be in a runnable condition. The temperatures have been very cool with highs up to 15 degrees during the day and down to 2 degrees at night. This is a bit of a shock for us as we have acclimatised from Wellington's cold weather to Queensland's warmer weather which has lows of 15d and highs of 27d in Rocky at the moment.
They have introduced a new feature for the race this year with self-seeded wave starts. I am going to start in wave number 1 which is for people who have run a Sub14 hour TNF100(silver belt buckle)previously. There are four waves which depart in 2 minute intervals to prevent congestion on the course in the early stages which are run on narrow single track. My main goal is to FINISH but I am aiming at a Sub14 hour race to receive the coveted 'Silver Belt Buckle'. If I have a great race and everything goes to plan I hope to finish in about 12-12.5hrs which should see me finish around 7-7:30pm at night. Starting in wave 1 I will be in the company of some very good runners which will help me run a good pace but as I have learned from my two previous ultra's I need to run at my own pace.
I'm ready to begin this exciting event and believe that I am in the perfect condition both physically and mentally to have a great debut race.
Regardless of what happens on the day all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other for 100,000 metres.
Stay tuned.
Today I ran a comfortable 25.25km in 2hrs 06mins 55secs. I ran with my ususal Rockhampton Road Runners Saturday run group. This running group has been a big part of my preparation for TNF100. They meet every Saturday morning at 5am and every Sunday afternoon at about 5pm. The runs are all predominately on the road but it is great to run with a good group of people. On the Saturday morning I usually run from home and do anywhere between 45mins to 2hrs before meeting with them. We then run anywhere up to 35km as a group and I run home or add on some extra depending on what my goal for the day is.
Thanks to running with this group I have been able to knock out many 35km, 45km and even a 55km and 60km road run in preparation for next week. The group has lots of people with varying abilities and so there is always someone to run with, even when feeling flat or when feeling fast. A big thanks to Michael who orgainises the runs every week and to all the other runners who keep me company, but a special mention should go to Geoff who at 59 years young has been a mainstay at my side and has helped push me along when I am struggling. Geoff is training for the Great Ocean Road 45km run the day after TNF100. From all the training we have done together I'm sure he will do very well.
I have had quite a long build up for this race with a peak week of 182km but I have made sure that I had quite a few down weeks or weeks off to help recover and prevent burn-out. Initially I struggled with all the mileage in the heat and humidity through the Rocky spring and summer but with the weather cooling down a bit and tapering off my training I am feeling really fit, strong and healthy.
In the beginning when I was getting used to running with a full backpack my pace was quite slow. I did this on purpose to ensure that I could complete my longer training runs and get used to running with weight for extended periods of time. I believe that running with the pack has made me stronger and more efficient as I can now cover the same ground in a quicker time. Although I am not looking at speed for this race, I want to cover the course in an efficient manner all whilst conserving energy on the tough climbs.
Unfortunately living in Rockhampton there are not many decent hills for training and even less trails for off-road running. I have completed most of my hill sessions on Mt Archer which has a high point of a little over 600m elevation. Generally I would run about 5.5km from home before hitting the bottom of the big climb. The climb using the road is about 5km and is quite steep but entirely runnable. Running with a heavy backpack on has made it much more difficult and most of run hill sessions included some walking periods. These runs would total about 25km but would take me up to about 2hrs 45mins due to the terrain and gain in elevation (up to about 1300m of climbing).
The only real off-road training I have done is in the middle of my hill sessions when I run over the other side of the hill into the forest trails. The trails are very overgrown and rocky making it quite difficult going but good preparation. I have run up the trail from the bottom a couple of times on what is known as the 'Turkey', but I generally avoid it. The trail is very overgrown, narrow and poorly maintained. I have nearly been charged by a wild horse, had a wild boar in the bush beside me and come across numerous large spiders. The spiders were the last straw for me last year. I ran into one spiderweb just missing a large Golden Orb Weaver
The last four weeks of my training have been a bit disorganised but I am feeling quite fresh so it has all worked out well. I ran the Nerang 50km on the 3rd April, ran 35km the next Saturday before completing my longest run four weeks before race day. On the 16th April I ran about 20km before meeting the Rocky Road Runners and finishing up with about 3km on my own. I ran the 60.10km on the road around the Rockhampton Streets in a total time of 5hrs 24mins 08secs with an average time of 5:24min/km, burning 4841 calories and an elevation gain of 1267 metres. I followed that run with a 20km run the next day giving me my biggest weekend total of 80km. The next weekend I was working so had an easy week followed by a 104km week including a 35km run on the Saturday two weeks out. This week has included lots of rest days with 19.3km on Wednesday, 11.7km on Thursday and 25.25km today.
During my build-up I have not had any major injuries and have only had to deal with the usual niggles and a sometimes tight right ITB putting some pressure on my knee. I've kept up my stretching and been able to run through all these minor issues to now feel that I am ready to tackle this awesome challenge.
I have put together a list and checked all of my gear and equipment for the race. I had a bit of a scare when I discovered a hole in my 2L hydration bladder. I think this must have happened when I took a fall in the Nerang ultra but only noticed it about a week ago. Unfortunately the Inov8 brand is not available in Australia so I ordered online through the UK website Wiggle.Com who I have bought a lot of my gear from. Fingers crossed that the bladder arrives in time but if not I will not panic and have a couple of other options.
Mel, Holly and Ethan are all very excited about the trip as well. We will drive from Rockhampton to Brisbane on Wednesday and make a quick side-trip to visit our new puppy who is now 4 weeks old. We fly from Brisbane to Sydney on Thursday and will get a rental car and drive up to Katoomba after a quick detour via the city to show the kids.
We have been checking the weather very keenly and it is looking like it will be sunny but cold. After some recent heavy rain the course has been very muddy with another endurance event using some of the course a week ago. Thankfully there has been little rain since and with continued good weather the track should be in a runnable condition. The temperatures have been very cool with highs up to 15 degrees during the day and down to 2 degrees at night. This is a bit of a shock for us as we have acclimatised from Wellington's cold weather to Queensland's warmer weather which has lows of 15d and highs of 27d in Rocky at the moment.
They have introduced a new feature for the race this year with self-seeded wave starts. I am going to start in wave number 1 which is for people who have run a Sub14 hour TNF100(silver belt buckle)previously. There are four waves which depart in 2 minute intervals to prevent congestion on the course in the early stages which are run on narrow single track. My main goal is to FINISH but I am aiming at a Sub14 hour race to receive the coveted 'Silver Belt Buckle'. If I have a great race and everything goes to plan I hope to finish in about 12-12.5hrs which should see me finish around 7-7:30pm at night. Starting in wave 1 I will be in the company of some very good runners which will help me run a good pace but as I have learned from my two previous ultra's I need to run at my own pace.
I'm ready to begin this exciting event and believe that I am in the perfect condition both physically and mentally to have a great debut race.
Regardless of what happens on the day all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other for 100,000 metres.
Stay tuned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)