The Whole Flamin' Lot

Well I did it!!

Sydney Marathon Clinic runs 9 months of the year from September - May. Each month there is a 5k, 10k and long run, ranging from 21-30k. If you are silly enough to turn up and run every long race you are awarded a gorgeous t'shirt that proudly proclaims 'I did the whole flamin lot'.

Last year I decided to run the long series and yesterday was my last long run (25k). I hurt, with the 100k race from last weekend still fresh in my memory, not to mention legs and feet. Lots of these long runs were days after other MUCH longer runs! Eg; Six Foot Track, Hellgate Gorge, The North Face 100k, Great North Walk 75k. When I chose this goal, I had no idea I'd be doing all those other runs :)

Still I'm a stubborn old girl, so I did them all anyway.

Run, just Run

This quote was sent to me this week by a friend. It sums up exactly how I feel at the moment.

The fine print: Run, eat, sleep. Cross-train. Run, eat, sleep. Cross-train. Do a marathon. Do an ultramarathon. Run a 50K race, then just run another 50K. Climb some hills. Think about running. Run while you're thinking. Eat good stuff. Take a class in running. Get a friend to start running. Make them pace you. Pay them by the mile if you have to. Tell everyone you meet you have this intense desire to run 100 miles. Watch them faint in disbelief. Convert a golfer; there are more places to run than to play golf. Running is better than walking, even jogging is better than walking. Heck, running is even better than sex. There's a time to walk, but there's also a time to run. Sex can always wait until after an ultra. Get obsessed, stay obsessed. If you get angry, go run. If you feel tired, go run. When you have a good day, celebrate with a long run. Feeling bad? An ultra will help. If you screw someone (not sex, folks) punish yourself with a really long run after inserting a medium sized pebble into your shoe. Remember these things when you have doubts during any ultra: It will never always get worse. God will never give you more than you can handle. Of course, the down side of that is, God expects you to handle some really intense pain, perhaps followed by death. If you don't believe in an afterlife, remember that death deadens the pain, just like ibuprofen. If you believe in an afterlife, who really cares when you die? You might as well be running when you do.

First Hundred

The North Face 100km 17-18 May 2008. Blue Mountains NSW. Inaugral Event.

I have started this post about 10 times. I don't know where to start. I'm elated and drained at the same time....

I drove up with friends on the Friday about lunch time to the Blue Mountains. Found the backpacker accommodation we would be using, then set off for a leisurely stroll with Andy and Craig. We managed to wander around for a couple of hours, checking out Echo Point and enjoying a fabulous hot chocolate at a cafe nearby. We collected some supplies on the way back to the hostel and then headed off for the registration.

The checkin was well organised, t-shirts (in my size!!) maps, a full gear check, then a huge dinner with like minded crazies. All of us chatting about the impending run, what we had in our drop bags, how nervous we were etc.

We were back at the hostel nice and early to do a last minute fuss over what gear what going in our bags for checkpoint 3 and 5, the only two points we could collect extra food and gear. If only I had known that I would barely even touch the stuff.... oh well, I was fully prepared for anything.

I didn't sleep at all that night. The other 3 in my room were out in seconds and I lay there wide awake, begging sleep to come. I don't know why, but it never did. Thankfully I can operate for days on no sleep, so I didn't worry too much. Perhaps I was just fearful that I had taken on more than I was capable of handling.

Finally at 5am, it was time to get ready for the biggest adventure of my life. Breakfast, 3 layers of clothes, camelbak, garmin... check, check, check... then off to the start line. It was so cold, my feet were frozen within 5 minutes. My choice to do the race with Vibram Five Fingers new shoe called the 'Flow" was starting to worry me already. After a bit of pre-race banter and instructions we were off. Straight up a hill! Albeit a small hill, but this was to set the tone for the entire race. I felt slack walking already, but I know there's such a long way to go.

The first 15km were a total surprise. On the map it looked like gentle undulations, but was so much more than that! By the time I climbed the Golden Staircase at the end to reach CheckPoint 1, I'd already used 3 hours of the 30 hour time limit. Managed to hit my head on an overhanging rock just before the top, almost knocking me out cold.

The fire trail to Check Point 2 was much eaiser going, with breathtaking views of the Blue Mountains. How lucky we are to be running here. Down Tarros Ladder with all the ropes to keep us in check, and then an easy run to the Check Point. I grabbed a bun and some drink, my plan being to never spend more than a couple of minutes at any stop. The out and back section on Ironpot Ridge was amazing. My feet were hurting a little with the constantly rocky terrain, but I felt good as I ran along with Craig.
We both moved very well along to Check Point 3, at by this point I began to overtake people, a new concept in running for me! At one stage I even passed a relay team runner, who looked spent, though he was stopping at the 52k point. Running down the hill into CP3, I felt terrific, like I could take on the world and had gotten here in under 10 hours, which was my goal.

I stopped too long at this CP, but changed into warmer gear and sorted out my headlight, before eating some fried rice and having a cup of hot tea. Shortly after heading out, Craig and I passed more runners, bouying our spirits and pace. I love running at night on trails. The mesmerising beam of light, the sounds of the bush, the need to be constantly alert... I feel so alive.

We ran strongly to the bottom of Nellies Glen at the 60k mark, where I told Craig to go for it. He runs up hills so strongly, even the stairs. I knew there were over 400 wet, slippery stone steps to go up so set my brain on 'trudge' mode and set to it. Frankly I struggled. I don't mind hills, up or down, but stairs are not my favourite. I try to get to the edges as much as possible, to relieve the pressure, but I noted at this point that my right calf was really starting to ache, almost like a cramp high up towards the back of my knee.

Thankfully the top came, and it was a nice easy run/walk to the CP4 at Echo Point. By this stage the cold became unbearable. It was seeping into my bones, or so it felt, and I had been unable to find my gloves. I borrowed some gloves from a friend and we set off down the 900 stairs.

Reaching the bottom began the lost descent into the valley. I decided to run as much of this as I could, knowing a huge climb awaited me on the other side. Having never run at night before on my own, it was interesting. My new headlamp was awesome! (thanks Dad xx) I experienced a little of what I've heard others talk about, seeing things in the bush, strange shapes and figures and animals that aren't really there. All good fun. I continued to pass people in the section which was a boost again to my confidence. Reaching the valley floor and crossing the river I knew the hardest section was about to begin.

Craig and I had agreed that I would forge ahead on the downhills and he would catch me on the ups. He caught me about 3/4 of the way up and he pushed on to CP5. By the time I got here, I was too cold. My appetite had gone and was replaced with nausea. In hindsight I should have kept eating regardless, but didn't realise the full process of a bit of mild hypothermia. Lesson learned.... I didn't eat for the last 30k or so of the race, which was far too long.
We left the CP together, and slowly plodded up the road. I found this part of the course very hard. The winds had picked up, and the temperature plummeted. When checking the weather the next day, with wind chill factor and gusts of up to 60k/hour, it felt like -7 degrees!! Earlier in the day Craig had mentioned how cool it would be if it snowed. He got his wish. About 4am, up on a ridge somewhere near Wentworth Falls, it snowed! Only for about 10 minutes and never enough to land and build up, but snow that you could see swirling in the headlamp ray and catch on your gloves. It was fun, but FREAKING cold!!

The last 14k of the course dragged in the cold. Once we reached the sign that said 95k, knowing it was mostly road from this point, our spirits were bouyed again, knowing we'd go under 24hours. Both of us had garmins, so were doing a bit of guesswork about our finishing times. Reaching the resort and then having to head back off into the Golf Course was a bitter pill to swallow, but the finishing line bought great rewards for the detour. It was like running in and being a winner. Flags and banners and a finish area, a few very hardy spectators and the race directors there to cheer us in at 5.57am. 22.57 for the full 100km!

I thought I'd cry when I finished, I usually do. I didn't this time. I was tired, spent, and more than a little cold. I crawled inside and begged for blankets. Craig on the other hand looked terrific and as if he could keep going!

This is the hardest thing I've done so far. To finish under 24 hours was awesome! 4500m of climb, across 100k of hard terrain, steps, mountains, ladders, rivers, more steps, rocky trails, wide open areas, more steps.... This is magic! I can't wait to do it again next year. I'll be aiming for sub 20 hours and the nice silver buckle :) I feel like I'm edging closer to calling myself an ultrarunner.

P.S. I did the whole 100k in Vibram Flows. They are nothing short of brilliant. No rocks got in, no blisters or pain. They kept my feet as warm as can be hoped for in such harsh conditions. These 'shoes' rock! I guess it shows that any trails can be done in Five Fingers, just go and do it.

Nail Can Hill Victoria

There's nothing quite like a 6 hour drive on Saturday evening with 4 kids in the back, to get to the start of an 11.5k bush fire trail run!

OK, so we were headed to Albury for the weekend anyway and this looked like a nice way to spend a bit of time on the Sunday morning.

It was cold cold cold at the start and standing around in the chicken feet didn't do anything to warm me up. Gloves, long shirts and buffs were the order of the day. Both my girls, Sara and Alana came with me for the run and we met a couple of local Cool Runners while waiting for the start.

A large hill took up the first 5k of the course (hence the name of the run) and the girls and I ran/walked this section. At this point, both girls waved me on to run, saying they'd catch me up later.

The rest of the run was a lovely downhill section on graded fire trails. It was a good chance to test out the five fingers and see how well they gripped the road/rocks on a faster descent. All fine, no mishaps and not once even felt they were going to slip.

I finished in around 80mins, a nice easy pace that I could happily have continued on with for many more km.

I do feel slightly more confident about The North Face 100k in 10 days time. My body has been tired and sore, so I've rested a lot and not done the usual daily runs, opting for only about 3 a week. I worry that I'll lose a lot of fitness doing this, but I really had no choice. I'm feeling good again, and looking forward to the challenge coming up.