I entered the race with the goal of running it as a hard training session, to test out my nutrition and to gain more experience over the course in preparation for my next major challenge. I had a reasonably big week with some good quality runs so that I would be doing the Flinders Tour on tired legs.
Monday - 12.52km - 1hr 05mins 25secs - Recovery run, flat to undulating
Tuesday - 30.05km - 2hrs 39mins 42secs - Hill run, including Mt Archer
Wednesday (am) - 6.51km - 34mins 42secs - Recovery run, mainly flat
Wednesday (pm) - 11.10km - 57mins 49secs - Easy run, flat to undulating
Thursday - 30.30km - 2hrs 33mins - 48secs - Home to group run back to home
Friday - 10.05km - 51mins 56secs - Recovery run, flat to undulating
Saturday - Rest day - Travel to Cooroy / Noosa
Sunday - 51.3km - 4hrs 50mins 57secs
Weekly totals - 151.84km - 13hrs 34mins 22secs
I drove down on the Saturday morning and was lucky enough to stay with my good friend James and his wonderful family. They were kind enough to put me up for the two nights and their house is only about an hour from the start / finish at Beerburrum School.
I arrived at the school at about 6:15am in preparation for a 7:00am start. It was quite cool and I was reluctant to take off my jacket and trackpants. I was unsure of what clothing to wear because even though it was in single figures it was expected to get to 25 degrees. I decided on a short sleeve t-shirt (yellow - in honour of Cadel Evans) and shorts. Standing at the start I was cold but was slightly warmer than a couple of the young lads who were in shorts and shoes only, sans tops.
Race director Ian Javes started us off and within a few hundred metres we began the climb towards Mt Beerburrum. This is the second time I have climbed this hill in a race and since September I had forgotten how tough it was. Initially we were on wide fire track which is entirely runable but soon enough we hit the bitumen / concrete path that takes us to the summit. I managed to run until the first or second corner and started walking. The hill is not particularly long but it is very steep in parts. According to the Beerwah information page the summit is 276m above sea level and the steepness of the path is at about a 45-50% incline.
My legs were quite heavy to start, partly from the last two weeks of training but also from the brutal climb. I was settling into a nice comfortable rhythm and was running my own race. A few kilometres after passing the school we were running on some undulating terrain with lots of twists and turns and large gauges from previous rain and dirt bike activity. There were also lots of large puddles from recent rain that had not dried out. I went through the first 10km in about 57 minutes and felt quite comfortable. I was slowly catching a runner in front but there was nobody else in sight.
I eventually caught and ran with the runner in front of me, Laurie Laine, whom I have seen at the two other 50km races I have done. He also did the Gold Coast Marathon three weeks before, as well as doing the Gold Coast 100km road race in June (in an awesome 9hrs 15mins). Laurie was running at a good pace and we ran and talked together for a while. By this stage we were running on the very wide undulating fire tracks. These tracks are pretty easy to run on and are not very technical at all (which helps when you are tired I guess) but there are some very long stretches which some people find difficult, as you get to see how far you have to go. I didn't really mind, I was enjoying myself and I could see a few of the other runners ahead. Laurie and I were running a bit quicker than I wanted, which inevitably happens when two or more people run together. We both slowed a little and I gradually pulled ahead.
We were heading towards the school again where we would turn around and begin the second loop, this time in a reverse direction and without the climb up Mt Beerburrum. As I was nearing the end of the first loop I saw the 25km runners heading out on their single loop race and some of the slower 50km runners who had an hour head start. I also got to see the leading bunch of 50km runners on their second loop, they seemed to be running at a pretty quick pace and were easily a couple of kilometres ahead.
I passed a runner, Dan Bleakman, who writes articles for Ultra168 and was wearing some of the gear he had written reviews of. I had a brief chat and continued on to the turn-around. I was just behind the leading woman as I started my second loop and topped up my water bottle. My nutrition and hydration plan for the race was to drink water at 10 minutes, have some Hammer perpetuem at 20 minutes and alternate them every 10 minutes. To carry enough perpetuem I had to make a concentrated bottle to which I placed 5 hours worth into my four fuel belt bottles. My plan went well until about 40km or so. I had stuck to the timings well but I had forgotten to take my Hammer endurolyte capsules. These are electrolyte capsules that should be taken with water. I was supposed to take two every hour but forgot all about them. My calfs were cramping a little and I could feel the nerves or tendons tighten sometimes but it was manageable and didn't really affect me too much.
For the second loop I had slowed a bit and my stride was a little bit shorter and becoming more of a shuffle. I was starting to get quite tired but I concentrated on moving forward and was covering ground quite efficiently. I had passed the leading woman and a couple of other runners in both my race and the single loop 25km race. It was starting to get hot and I was drinking more water than I had for the first loop. I had my water in a 750ml hand held bottle and I sparingly used some on my head a few times in an effort to keep my temperature down.
From about 40km I was starting to struggle a bit. I was getting quite hot, my legs were getting tired and I had an urge to walk for a bit. I resisted the lure of walking and continued on but I was getting stitch and realised that I had overdone it with the perpetuem. I am convinced that this is the best fuel source for me on long distance runs but I need to sort out the concentration and strength of the mixture. Because I had made it so strong I only needed to have small sips. Throughout the run I was unsure if I had been consuming too much or not enough and at a few points I had convinced myself that I had not had enough and took a bit too much the next time. It was a good lesson to learn, I have tested it in race conditions and now know that I need to make a less powerful bottle and prepare another one if required, depending on the length of the run.
I went through the marathon point in 3 hours and 50 minutes which was much quicker than I expected. I had never done this course before and realised whilst running that it was not as difficult and had less climbs than the September course. I was passed by one runner and in turn passed someone else. We got to another climbing section and I got a walking break which was very welcome. It spurred me on for a bit and when the track evened out again I was running quite well. I felt good on the downhill and re-passed the runner who overtook me earlier. I was still enjoying myself as the course meandered its way through the forest. There are many fallen trees to go under and over and obstacles to dodge such as large puddles and rocky terrain.
As quickly as I felt good, I crashed again. The stitch got worse and my stomach felt too full and I didn't feel like eating. It was not as bad as how I felt at The North Face 100 and I could manage it a bit better. I was still thirsty from the heat but limited how much I drank as I was still feeling a bit full and uncomfortable. This feeling brought on a few walking breaks. I pushed my fingers into my side for a bit which felt better but had to walk for a bit more than I wanted. It was during one of these walking breaks, struggling once again with my stomach, that I started to question my desire to do this ultra stuff. Thankfully it was only a brief period of negative thinking. I had been passed by two runners and was finding the heat a bit difficult. However, wearing my Garmin GPS watch I knew what pace I was running and how far I had to go.
The last 4 or 5km had some difficult parts with some small climbs and undulations and were exposed to the sun. Dan Bleakman re-passed me and was looking quite comfortable. Even though I was going through a bad patch I was trying to stay positive and repress the negative thoughts. I passed more 25km runners and eventually I could see the school through the trees.
Initially I had mixed feelings after I had finished. I was pleased and a little surprised with the time and my place but I was annoyed that my nutrition and hydration plan had not overcome my stomach issues. On reflection, it was not such a problem. I have identified the issue of concentration and my stomach settled quickly after the race, which is in stark contrast to previous races. I walked over to the local shop and bought a large 500ml can of V as a reward and had a burger which is part of the free BBQ for all competitors. Normally I can't stomach anything for a few hours. Obviously my pace was a bit quicker than planned and for anything longer than 50km I would need to be slower and therefore my stomach absorption and emptying rates would be more efficient.
Overall I had a great race. I enjoyed myself, I learnt a few lessons and gained valuable race experience. I have now run in four Ultra Marathons with this being my third 50km trail race and achieved a 36 minute PB. My legs felt better afterwards than my previous ultra's and I even managed an 8km trail run the next morning with James and Troy.
The Glasshouse series of races that Ian and his team put on are really awesome events. The organisation and course marking are top quality, the value for money is excellent ($60 compared with $110 for Gold Coast Marathon), the people are relaxed and friendly and I have now got my second Ultra finishers mug for my collection. I have already entered the next Glasshouse race in September and am very much looking forward to running there again.
I would like to thank James and his family again for putting me up and looking after me during my stay. I'm very lucky to have such good friends. Stay tuned for my next post.
Keep running.
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