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Mid year review!


Yes, yes, I know. We’re a bit past the middle of the year. But I’ve had a busy couple of weeks with events and I haven’t done my tax return yet, so it’s close enough!

I had a bit of a look at my ‘2016 goals’ blog post this week. I thought it would be as good a time as any to review what I had hoped to achieve this year, and see how I’m tracking! If you want to see the original post, you can read it here:
https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/12/27/looking-ahead-to-2016/

Interestingly, I had said my No. 1 goal was to complete UTA100. Maybe that was a chronological No. 1, because I’m pretty sure my No. 1 goal was to qualify for Boston 2017! Anyway, I’m happy to say I did get through UTA and am now the proud owner of a bronze belt buckle. And the author of possibly the longest blog post in history!
Next on the list was a BQ, or Boston Qualifier. Another tick!
The 100k track championships was also on the list. I hoped to go sub 10 hours. In hindsight that was extremely ambitious (although it’s good to set the bar high!) but I did get through it well under cutoff and was fortunate enough to be the first female in this event – while my time was a little slower than I’d hoped, first place was certainly well beyond what I would have expected! 
Redemption at Clare was on my mind at the start of the year, after a poor showing last year. Despite a poorly timed hard hill session 3 days prior, I managed to pull out a Clare PB and well and truly erase the memories of 2015.
So what’s left? A sub 50 minute City-Bay and a sub 20 minute 5k – both of which seem reasonably achievable but at the moment seem so far away. I’m sure the speed training I’m doing now will help! 
A triathlon. Now I’ve qualified for Boston, the money I had been putting towards a bike (kind of a necessity for a tri) is now going towards my Boston trip fund. So, while I am still determined to get a bike and complete a tri in the near future, it’s not really a priority right now!
Nutrition – I think I have that pretty much sorted. After a period last year where I became borderline obsessive about what I was putting into my body, I realised that I was at the top of a very slippery slope and said NO MORE! I train, therefore I eat. Sometimes a lot! Sometimes not the most nutritious food but that’s the joy of distance running. Eating ALL OF THE FOOD! 

The daily planking is going well! I’d forgotten I’d put that in my blog but so far I haven’t missed a day this year! All it means is getting up 5 minutes earlier – big deal!

New goals!

1) Run Adelaide Marathon as close to 3:40 as possible and get Beck a Boston qualifier too!
2) Yurrebilla 56k sub 7 hours at a minimum – hopefully closer to 6:30.

3) Heysen 105k under 14 hours.

4) Complete all SA parkruns by the end of the year. At the time of writing there are 10 parkruns in SA (with another to be launched at the end of this month) and I have done 7. With new events popping up all over the place, that is easier said than done! This past weekend I went to the launch of SA’s 10th parkrun in Renmark, a Riverland town I had never had the pleasure of visiting before, and despite a chilly subzero start, I really enjoyed it and wished I’d had more time to spend in the region. Also there was a guy by the name of Brendan who seems to spend every second weekend on the road visiting different parkruns. He is expecting to have done 100 different parkruns by the end of this year! Extraordinary!

Along with my City-Bay and 5k time goals, that should keep me out of trouble for the rest of the year!!

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Race report – Adelaide 6/12/24 hour


This past weekend I followed up my Gold Coast marathon in the only way I know how – with a 6 hour trot around a 2.2km loop…
I did this event for the first time last year and if you’re interested you can read about it here: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/47/
Just in case you don’t want to read that, here is a brief synopsis of what the event is all about.
There are 3 events – 6, 12 and 24 hours. The idea is to cover as much distance as possible in the allocated time.
During the week, I ran on Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday was a bit rough but by Thursday the legs were feeling pretty good!
The race being on a Saturday rather than the usual race day of Sunday, I opted to do my shopping at the Central Market on Friday night rather than Saturday. As I often do when I go to the market on a Friday night, I had dinner at the food court – an AWESOME vegan place called Pure Vegetarian. Plenty of carbs in there – noodles and pumpkin, along with some eggplant and chickpeas. 
I was in bed reasonably early – I set my alarm for 4:15am so I could get to the start line at the Uni Loop super early – the plan being to get a spot as close to the start line as possible. I hadn’t organised a table or a spot in a tent, and I didn’t have any crew (not many 6 hour runners use crew) so my car was going to be my base camp. That way, if it rained (and the forecast for the morning was clear, but we all know the Bureau can get it wrong!) all my stuff would stay dry, and I’d have a place to sit undercover if needed!
Gear-wise, I would be better prepared than last year. For a start, GLOVES! It had been pretty chilly in the mornings and Saturday would be no exception. I went for ‘layer upon layer’.
The bottom half was the favourite Skins/lulu skirt combination and calf sleeves and socks rather than compression socks (I had a very iffy toenail from Gold Coast, which my awesome running friend and podiatrist Nat had very kindly patched up for me, and I thought the extra pressure from compression socks would be a bad idea) – I’d opted for black socks rather than white as I was fully expecting blood by the end of 6 hours! I’d also gone with trail shoes rather than roadies as the trail shoes are a bit bigger and therefore would give me more toe room.
On the top I started with a long sleeved running top, vest, arm warmers and a zip up long sleeved top. Also a buff to keep my ears warm. On top of all that I had a hoodie and track pants. And, of course, gloves!
Food-wise I went pretty simple. 2 white bread sandwiches. A new flavour combination – peanut butter and chocolate spread – like a Snickers! I also packed some nut bars, almonds and Lifesavers. Hydration would be Gatorade – I had a 500ml handheld bottle and also a big cooler bottle with 1.5 litres.
On Saturday I was up, breakfasted, dressed and out the door around 4:50. At the last minute I had thrown a singlet in my bag along with a T-shirt. I’d run all of last year’s event in long sleeves but it had been a cold, wet, miserable day. This time, the morning promised to be chilly but there was no rain forecast until the evening. 

I got to the start location about 5:05 and got a prime parking spot, just near the food tent. The race started at 6am and I’d already collected my bibs and timing chip (I totally just wrote ‘chiming tip!’) so I had plenty of time to get myself organised. I was seriously considering running the first few laps in my trackpants and hoodie! I had all the gear I might need, located in the front seat of my car. My bag of sandwiches was open, and my singlet conveniently located on the seat so I could quickly grab it if needed. I also had my iPod and headphones on the seat, in case I needed them later. I hadn’t used them last year simply because it had been raining and I didn’t want to get water in them! I was pretty confident I could get through 6 hours without music but it didn’t hurt to have it there just in case.
Unlike last year, I was there in plenty of time for a pre-race portaloo stop (pre-race is ALWAYS the best time to use a portaloo – they get increasingly unpleasant as the day goes on!) and then all I had to do was wait for the briefing and the 6am start!
And we were away!
We started in the dark – I reckon it was probably about an hour before the sun came out.
Within the first lap I was passed by fellow 6 hour runners Sarah (a well known ultra and trail runner and a great competitor – her partner Robbie was also there, awaiting the start of the 24 hour) and Samantha who I didn’t know but who also looked to be a big threat. Plus another girl called Tia who I didn’t know, from the 12 hour event which started at the same time. 
Last year I went in expecting nothing and was surprised to finish 2nd. This year I was hopeful of another podium finish but in the first lap I thought that was unlikely so I focused on my other goal of a 6 hour PB. I couldn’t remember exactly what distance I’d done last year but it was 60-point-something. So I’d aim for 61 just to be sure. I thought I’d count laps rather than rely on the distance my watch showed. 28 laps would do it.
After a couple of laps I took off my first layer, the zip-up top, and grabbed a sandwich from my car. I’d opted to lock my car – I had contemplated leaving it unlocked, but given that I’d worn gloves, my hands were functional enough to operate a key!
One hour in, I’d completed nearly 5 laps or 11km. It was a good start but that was with no walk breaks – walk breaks would be needed throughout the 6 hours, if only to get some food in. Eating real food as opposed to gels, you do need to walk in order to eat. I didn’t go in with a ‘walk/run’ strategy as I hadn’t needed it last year. I would run as much as I could and ideally only walk if I was eating. If I was doing 12 or 24 hours I would certainly be adopting a walk/run right from the start.
There was a computer screen with live results just past the start/finish line but I didn’t end up stopping to look at it at all – I didn’t want to lose momentum or get psyched out by seeing what other people were doing. As long as I kept count of my laps I didn’t need any more information.
Among the runners were many familiar faces and some new ones. A lot of people had come from interstate which goes to show what a highly regarded event this is!
In the 12 hour was Wayne, back again after being the event ambassador last year. He was on fire – I lost count of the number of times he lapped me! There was Luke, well known for running in sandals! I asked him if he had cold feet – he said no, and he still had all his toenails! Might be something in that… 
Rebecca I had met during the track 100k earlier in the year. She was aiming for 100k in the 12 hours after having finished second and missing out on the 100 last year. This was a training run for her. I asked, what is a 100k run a training run FOR? Oh, just a 100 miler next weekend! Also in the 12 hour was Matt, who along with Race Director Ben was the brains behind the trial 6/12 hour trail loop run I’d done a month or so back. He was also training a young guy called Tyler, only 15 years old, who is a real up-and-comer and was doing the 6 hour. Other familiar faces in the 12 were Toby, whose partner Bridget was doing the 6, Kath, who had done the 24 before but never the 12, and Anna, who I’d met last year at the same event. Early on I met Emma who was going for 100km and who had run last year through the night with Lee, the eventual winner.
The 6 hour had 60 listed starters, the most popular of the 3 distances on offer. Not surprising really – 6 hours is really doable and a good chance to do a first marathon or 50k.
I knew a lot of the 6 hour runners but a few need to be mentioned – Debbie and Karen got the ‘best dressed’ award for their matching tutus and Debbie was even wearing a blue wig for the whole 6 hours! Carolyn, who I didn’t actually meet until after the 6 hours was over, had only been running for a few months! Remarkable! The always quiet and reserved Michelle was there, modelling the new Yurrebilla T-shirt, along with her daughter Emma. The usual suspects from last year included Chris and Shannon who I would see frequently throughout the morning!
It wasn’t long before the gloves came off. Soon the buff was replaced by hat and sunnies as the sun actually made an appearance! Heading east in the back half of the loop, I was very grateful for the sunnies, as the sun was a bit blinding! Bit of a contrast from last year!
9:00 marked the halfway point and the first turnaround (turnarounds happen every 3 hours to break up the monotony!). I reached 14 laps right on 9:00 – I was halfway to my goal and right on track. 9:00 also marked the time when my friend Leanne arrived with the pre-arranged coffee (my coffee deliverer from last year, James, had abandoned me this year to go on a trail run!) which once again was MASSIVELY appreciated! I walked with Leanne as I drank my coffee and then she was off to have brekky with James and the rest of the trail running crew.
Amazingly, at some point in the morning, I actually decided it was too warm for the long sleeves! I was very glad I’d thrown the singlet in – the next time I passed my base camp (aka my car) I did a quick wardrobe change, leaving the arm warmers on just in case it got cooler again. It was a bit of a procedure which started probably 500m from the car – first I removed my Garmin, being careful not to accidentally stop it, then my arm warmers, and I had my key in my hand, ready. I got to the car and quickly changed the long sleeved top for the singlet, grabbed a sandwich and kept moving. Over the next few hundred metres I put my arm warmers back on and then my watch. In the process I realised my watch had stopped – disaster! I quickly started it again and checked my watch on my other wrist which displayed the time. It seems the watch had only been stopped for a minute or less – crisis averted!

Around this time the 24 hour runners started assembling for the 10am start. There were a few veterans, notably Barry and Karen. There was Marc, having a second crack at it after having to pull out due to injury last year. There were also a LOT of first timers! Rula was ably supported by Hoa and Bev. Tania, Katie and Laura were all also doing 24 hours for the first time.
I had my energy supplement not long after the 24 hour runners started. Not surprisingly, I passed a lot of them on the first few laps – they had a LONG way to go – while being regularly lapped by the likes of Wayne and Tia.
My pace was sitting comfortably around 5:46. 6:00 pace would put me at 60km, so even factoring in the inaccuracy of the GPS, I was well on track for a PB.
I reached the 5 hour mark. One hour to go! According to my watch I was on just under 51km which was on target. I was around the other side of the Uni Loop from the start/finish area. I set myself a goal – 5 laps, or 11km, in the last hour. That was ambitious (average pace 5 min 27 per kilometre) but achievable, and kept me focused for the last hour.
As per last year, my pace increased significantly over the last 5km or so. I managed to pull out a 5:13 right near the end! With about 15 minutes to go. I passed the start/finish line. Each runner was given a personalised sandbag with a flag sticking out of it. My average lap time was 12:44 (although I didn’t know that at the time) and I was confident I could get around one more time before time ran out. The sandbag was awkward to carry so I didn’t want to pick it up until I was sure it was my last lap.
I made it around in plenty of time, grabbed my sandbag on the run, and pushed it to the finish. I was looking at my watch – I knew I was about a minute out, and not long after that, there was the siren to signify the end of the 6 hours! I dropped my sandbag and made my way back to the start. Some smart person pointed out that we could walk straight across the grass rather than all the way back around! This was when I met Carolyn who had just completed a marathon after only a few months of running! My legs were so stiff after I stopped running, it was incredible!
After a slice of vegan pizza I quickly went back to the car to get some warm clothes on, take off my shoes and put my comfy sandals on (SUCH a relief!) and await the presentation. I was told I’d done 28 full laps, plus the part lap which was yet to be measured. So it was definitely a PB, I was stoked with that!
The medals were presented to the females by distance covered (lowest to highest) and then to the males in the same order. As names and distances were read out, I thought, I could be a chance here! I hadn’t looked at the computer screen because I hadn’t really contemplated a placing, but once 4th place had been announced and I hadn’t heard my name, I knew I was on the podium! 3rd place went to Sarah on 57.668km and then 2nd was Samantha on 58.155. Next, I was blown away to be announced as the first female on 62.199km and rewarded with a sweet trophy and bottle of Fox Creek Vixen (sparkling red, my favourite!). There was also a perpetual trophy which would have both the male and female winners names engraved on it. The male winner, Paul, had done an amazing 74.274km! I was 5th overall out of the 6 hour entrants (out of 58 starters, 34 females). Needless to say, I was pleased!
After treating myself to a vegan pasty and donut from the nearby Bakery On O’Connell, I went home for a shower and to get my compression tights on – ahhhhh! 
As I got organised to head back down to the Uni Loop for the end of the 12 hour, I got a missed call from Race Director Ben. I quickly called him back and he told me there had been a mixup with the results. Immediately I knew what he was going to say. In the event briefing it was stated that 12 hour runners were eligible for placing in the 6 hour event. Tia from the 12 hour had lapped me 3 times so of course she had covered more distance in the 6 hours! I had seen that in the briefing but assumed I must have read it wrong, it didn’t really seem fair! I was relegated to 2nd, still a podium finish, and Ben said I could keep my wine. I told him (possibly a bit tongue-in-cheek!) “I’ll bring back the trophy but you were never getting that wine back!”

So I made my way back to the Uni Loop, trophy in hand to return to Ben, to see the end of the 12 hour. I was expecting to see Tia fly by multiple times but surprisingly didn’t see her at all.
Just after the finish, and before the presentations, Channel 7 news were doing a live weather cross. Ben had got Michelle to organise some people to be ‘pretend runners’ to run small loops past Tim, the weather guy. I was one of the ‘pretend runners’ – most of them were volunteers and supporters – I think Michelle and I were the only ones who had participated in the actual event! Luckily I keep ’emergency running kit’ in my car so I threw on my old running shoes and shorts over my compression tights and socks. A few people said they saw us on the news – pretty cool! (By the 4th ‘lap’ the Channel 7 guy said that was enough. My legs said the same thing!)
The presentations for the 12 hour followed soon after. I was surprised to find out that Tia had finished second (no disrespect to the actual winner) – then found out she had pulled out after 100k in less than 9 hours and wasn’t there for the presentation! D’oh, I should have kept the trophy! (Just kidding!) The winner was Rebecca who had done 104km and was a very deserving winner! Third was Emma who had just missed out on cracking the 100km milestone. In the men’s 12 hour Wayne was a clear winner and Toby was 3rd, amusingly taking home the ‘3rd female’ trophy!
I stopped off at a nearby convenience store to buy a couple of loaves of bread after they had run out at the food tent, and was tempted to order myself an Indian takeaway but decided to have homemade curry from my freezer. Curry, wine, chocolate was my recovery meal!
Sunday morning I went to see the finish of the 24 hour. The eventual winner, Nicole, was looking strong and still running which was remarkable (most people were walking by now). Barry was in second place overall (first male) and on track for a PB. It was great to see such amazing performances – Nicole ended up breaking the course record and Barry got his PB. They were both worthy winners! Most of the 24 hour runners  were looking a little worse for wear at the presentation!
In preparation for this event I re-read last year’s blog. I am very happy with how my run went and I managed to avoid making the same mistakes as last year. I said last year that I would like to do the 24 hour ‘one day’. Without Gold Coast the week before, next year could have been the year for it. But now, unfinished business and all, I am determined to give the 6 hour another crack. If I can come into it fresh, unlike the last 2 years, I’m confident I can get another PB, and who knows, maybe I might even go one better than this year!
I was talking to Sarah and Robbie on Sunday morning (Robbie had pulled the pin due to injury but not before completing 100k for the first time – remarkable given that for a lot of it he was wearing what looked a lot like full scuba gear!)  and Sarah had said she had struggled with the loop concept -she has the endurance but feels she is much better suited to trails. Which got me thinking. I love road running, trail and even track. But maybe loops are my ‘thing’! I’ve done 2 6 hour races now and finished second both times, and got first female in a 100k loop race. Weirdly enough, I seem to enjoy the monotony! 

Well done to everyone who participated this year and ESPECIALLY to all the volunteers and of course Ben for making it all happen! See you again next year!

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Race report – 2016 Gold Coast Marathon


So – the race I’ve been working towards all year (except for a few little ‘side projects’ like UTA100 and the Australian Masters Athletics Championships) has finally happened!
Let’s backtrack a little, shall we, with a bit of a run-down (pun intended) of the lead-up to the race.
My training in the last week was very low-key. Before flying out on Thursday I had a good solid tempo run on Tuesday morning. Normally Thursday is tempo day but beside the fact I was flying out that morning, it was WAY too close to race day to be pushing too hard. Thursday’s seem to work well for me to do tempo runs – far enough away from the previous long run for the fatigue and soreness to be gone, and far enough from the following long run to give me a few good days’ recovery. 
On Tuesday I needed a km or so to warm up – I was still feeling the effects of Sunday’s runs/race and the hamstring was a bit niggly. No cause for alarm! I didn’t set a goal pace but in the end I ran slightly faster than I planned to run on Sunday.
My usual routine involves Body Pump classes on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Monday’s class fell by the wayside because I had been out late the night before, seeing one of Australia’s best live bands The Living End and trying to avoid getting my feet stomped on in the ‘moshpit’ (broken toes would probably not make for a good marathon experience!) and then I thought to myself, what do I possibly have to gain by doing a Pump class 4 days out from a marathon? Surely a sleep-in would be a better option? For once, sleep won out!
Packing was a quick and easy affair. I’d done enough interstate races by now (this was my 6th race outside of South Australia, including one overseas marathon) to have the ‘packing list’ down to a fine art. 
My race kit was nothing new – my pink SARRC top (representing the club with which I’d done most of my training runs) and black or black and white lulu skirt (I hadn’t decided which yet so I took both). I’d gone with my relatively new 2XU compression socks (remembering I’d need to do some pre-taping to prevent toe blisters) and also my rainbow arm warmers, in case of a cool morning (I hadn’t needed them last year but it was looking like being a bit cooler this time around). I’d also opted to go for my handheld bottle again, with Gatorade, so I wouldn’t need to stop. As a backup I would also take a ziplock bag with more powder in it, in case I ran out mid-race and needed to mix up some more. As needed I would also drink water from the drink stations – in previous years the cups had been paper, with which it is a lot easier to execute the ‘drink on the run’ technique than it is with plastic cups.
I was staying with a group of runners from the Adelaide Harriers, another Adelaide running club, noted for its fast runners! I had met quite a few of them through parkrun – those red singlets almost always feature in the top 3! I had toyed with the idea of joining their team for the marathon but their colours are red and white, and, well, frankly, that would have forced me to re-think my entire outfit! Plus red is not my colour! So I was welcome to stay with them but on race day I would be rocking the SARRC pink!
I had originally booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Surfers Paradise but left it too late to find people to share with. After putting the call out on Facebook, Julie, one of the main organisers of the Harriers team, had put me in contact with Sinead, who was looking for someone to share a Broadbeach apartment with her and her mum Gerry. It would save me considerable money which I could then spend at the expo which was easy walking distance from the apartment. Win-win!

I re-read my race report from the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon, just to refresh my memory of the race itself and see if there were any mistakes I made (relating to the race) that I needed to avoid this time around! If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it here: 

https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/race-report-gold-coast-marathon/

I arrived in Coolangatta on Thursday morning, met by my friend Vanessa and had a nice relaxing day catching up with her and her family, and spent the night at her place. It was nice to have a day free of running and run chat!
Friday morning Vanessa dropped me off at the Meriton at Broadbeach where I met my flatmates for the next 3 days, Sinead and Gerry. They were about to head off for a bike ride and I went for a short 8km trot along the coast to Surfers Paradise and back, just to make sure everything still worked (fortunately, it did!) followed by a little walk on the beach and paddle in the sea (when in Rome, and all that!)
After my run I did a quick shop before grabbing some lunch and heading to the expo/bib collection. I’d allowed myself plenty of time to get through the expo but it didn’t seem as big as last year, and there really wasn’t a whole lot that I needed, so I got out of there relatively unscathed having purchased 2 tops and some gel flasks and spent the grand total of $25! I then went for a wander back down to Surfers to check out Cavill Mall (I still think Rundle Mall in my hometown of Adelaide is the best pedestrianised shopping street that I’ve been to) and bought a couple more things from an outlet shop. All in all, I was pretty happy with the restraint I showed!
Friday night was a ‘carb-loading’ dinner at an Italian place in Surfers (I’d contacted them prior to ensure they could provide a vegan option for me) with the rest of the Harriers crew – a good chance to meet those I hadn’t met before and catch up with some familiar faces! 
After dinner I made my way to the Arts Centre to see fellow marathoner Mickey D headline the comedy show there. I caught up with him briefly after the gig, he was going to run the first half in 2 hours and aim for a huge negative split which would put him around the 3:45 mark. He said if he did pass me, he would be absolutely flooring it!

Saturday morning I had planned to get up at 5:15 for a 5:45 rendezvous in the lobby to go and watch the start of the 10k race. Due to bad planning I had neglected to put my alarm clock onto Queensland time. I quickly realised when I got up that it was actually 5:45 and I had missed the boat. I threw some clothes on and legged it downstairs, almost getting on the tram the others were on, and thanking my lucky stars that this happened on Saturday and NOT Sunday! I didn’t actually catch up with the group until after all the Harriers athletes had finished but I did get to see Sarah right near the finish line – a regular first female at parkrun! She had done a PB along with Adrian who I had seen fly past, finishing 14th in just over 30 minutes!
After a coffee I headed back to the apartment for breakfast and a shower before meeting Annie (who was up from Adelaide to see her daughter run her first marathon) for a little retail therapy at Harbour Town. I didn’t spend much money (I was mistakenly informed that there was a lululemon outlet there, which undoubtedly contributed to the lower-than-expected spending!) but notably the table number we were given when we ordered our lunch was 42 – I was sure that HAD to be an omen!
On return to the apartment I got all my gear ready and organised to meet up with school friend Christy, now living in Brisbane and doing her first marathon, for a pizza dinner! Sinead and Gerry had gone out for their pre-race meal and I put my feet up and watched the election coverage – fun times!
We went to a local place, Sage, for dinner. Christy and I both had the mushroom pizza, hers with cheese and mine without. I told her it was my tradition and maybe it would become hers too! I also had a cider which is part of the tradition.

After returning to the apartment I watched a bit more riveting election coverage and with no result likely I hit the hay.
I got up about 4:45 – I have this raceday prep down to a fine art. I had brought my cereal with me but unfortunately there wasn’t a big enough bowl in the apartment so I had to use a baking dish! I got dressed, checked I had everything I needed (energy drink, Gatorade, drop bag, nearly forgot the sunnies!) and headed out at 5:40 to get the tram to Southport. It was a bit cool so I had decided to go with my arm warmers as well as a hoodie I would leave at the start line. One extra addition was a temporary tattoo given to me by Gary, who had run Boston this year. It would be some inspiration for me, to remember what this was all about. I put it on my right wrist – I wouldn’t see it under the arm warmers but I would know it was there.
Christy got on the tram at Surfers and when we arrived I walked with her to her running club’s tent which was on the main road just before runners turned the corner into the finishing line. After a quick selfie we wished each other all the best and I headed back to finish getting ready. 
First I left my bag at the baggage drop, then went for a quick warmup of about 1km. It was hard to find a place to warm up – I did see a lot of people running laps around the pool at the aquatic centre – so I just did laps around the carpark which was conveniently located next to a set of portaloos! While waiting in line I saw one of the pacers (fortunately not mine) pop his balloon while closing the door! Around half an hour before the start I downed my energy drink and then availed myself of the free sunscreen and it was time to go to the start line!
I found the 3 hours 40 zone and positioned myself there. I was wearing a personalised pace band with the goal time of 3:39:59. It had splits of 1km, 5km and then every 5km to 40km. Previously I had used pace bands I had made myself which had every single kilometre split, but that was when I used to try to gradually increase the pace. This time, the plan was to run even splits – I would stay with the pacer until 30k and if I felt good at that point I would go on ahead.
I saw a familiar face – Chris, who was running his 7th marathon in 7 days as part of the Bravehearts 777 -remarkable! 2 in 6 weeks is hard enough! He was going to try to stick with the 4:45 pacers so he started well behind me.
Robert de Castella gave a stirring motivational speech (goosebumps!) followed by the national anthem and we were away! It took a little while to cross the line and I started my watch as I crossed the timing mat. It was on!
There were 2 3:40 pacers, both sporting white balloons. One of them would run 3:40 gun time and the other would be going for 3:40 net time (ie a bit slower, as it takes most runners a minute at least to get across the line). I only needed 3:40 net time so I decided to stick with the net pacer initially.
Within the first few kilometres Mick came up behind me – we wished each other well and he dropped back (I think maybe I was pacing him, even though I didn’t know it at the time! Certainly I would be easy to pick out, with my fluoro pink top, rainbow striped sleeves and lavender compression socks!
5:12 was the magic number – 5:12 per kilometre would get me my sub 3:40 time and a Boston qualifier. My first few kilometres were a bit faster than that, but at the 5k split I was spot on 5:12 pace (not really surprising considering I was running with the pacer!) and at 10k I was still on track.
At 6k I saw Justin and Sarah who had done the 10k the day before – Justin had told me they’d be at that marker so it was pretty easy to spot them. I gave Sarah a high five (Justin was on the other side of the road) and carried on! Speaking of high fives, regular readers may recall I have a thing whereby I have to high five at least one kid to earn my race bling. I had already high fived a bunch of them even before I got to Sarah! 
It was not long after the 10k mark that we started to see the elite runners coming back the other way, along with a few of the wheelchair athletes, all preceded and followed by motorbikes. The elite runners were amazing – we cheered them on as we crossed paths, not that they needed it! I later worked out they were at around the 21k mark as we approached 11! Behind the elites I started to see a few distinctive red and white Harriers singlets – I didn’t know all of them but Bryn, Michael and Piete all looked to be running well.
It was at this point too that I started to pick up the pace and left the net pacer behind – maybe I got a bit excited and inspired by the elite runners! I did my third 5k in 5:02.
Around 15k was the first turnaround point – we would then run north back PAST the start and a bit further before turning around again for the last 6k or so.
This was where I started to see the people behind me. I looked out for Chris with the 4:45 bus but didn’t see him. Christy was expecting to be around 4:30 but I missed out on seeing that group. Mick was not far behind me. I was sure he would pass me eventually!
The next 5k was fastish too, 5:04. Not long after this was the halfway point (again I missed my opportunity to crack out the Bon Jovi!) and my time was 1:48:10, well ahead of the 1:49:33 I needed for my sub 3:40.
The gun pacer was in front of me the whole time and I thought I’d just stay with him until 30k. However that plan fell by the wayside when I looked around just after 22k and he was behind me! “Oh well” I thought, “let’s wing it!” I knew it was highly unlikely I would get close to the 3:30 pacer, and worst case scenario, if I slowed down, he would pass me and I could follow him once more.
My 5k split from 20-25 was 5:03 so I had remained fairly consistent since leaving the net pacer. I ran past Justin and Sarah again around 24k. At 24k I had my energy supplement – it takes about 30 minutes to kick in and I wanted it kicking in at around 30k. At the pace I was running it would be just after 30k which was ideal as this was where we would be approaching the finish line first time around.
Even though it couldn’t have kicked in yet, my 25-30k split was my fastest, 4:59! Around the 30k mark I heard my name and it was Julie and a few of the other Harriers – a lot of them had done the half marathon. It was great to see them! Not long after that I saw Annie who gave me a high five. 
I think it was the 28k mark or thereabouts that I started drinking water. Up until then I had bypassed all the drink stations and had the occasional sip of Gatorade. It didn’t seem that hot but I think I was a bit dehydrated as I hadn’t drunk very much water on Saturday. So from 28k on I grabbed a cup at each of the water stops. Once again they had paper cups which made it easy to drink and run!
Then we hit the hardest part of the course – the 6k stretch to the last turnaround, where the crowds were a little sparser. I slowed down a little here – my 30-35k split was 5:07. Still WELL under where I needed to be. I knew (barring disaster) that sub 3:40 was in the bag, and a PB was also likely. It was around 35k that my hamstring started to give me some trouble – I had brought along some Voltaren just in case (hoping I wouldn’t need it because I know it’s bad!) but by 35k it was too late because I would be just about finished by the time it kicked in.
I think it was around 37k that we hit the final turnaround. It was just before this that Mick passed me for the last time – I tried to keep him in sight but he was a man on a mission! 
I think it got a little easier after this, although I did slow down significantly. But then again, so did everyone! There were a lot of people walking, limping even. Once again I managed to get through without walking or stopping but I was tempted to walk at times – I could have afforded to, given I was well ahead of schedule, but it would be too hard to get my rhythm back. My average pace for 35-40k was 5:11.
At 38k I decided to start singing. I broke into ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ much to the bewilderment of those around me! Weirdly I think it gave me a boost – I managed to pass quite a few people while singing! I think they were probably just giving me a wide berth!
At 39k I tried ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’ but I didn’t get far before we got to a spot where there was a radio blasting so I was quickly drowned out. Coincidence? I think maybe not! ‘Thunderstruck’ came on the radio and I tried to sing but couldn’t make it work.
Finally, at 40k I cracked out the old classic, ‘The Climb’ – that was a bit of a challenge too and when I got to the line ‘ain’t about how fast I get there’ I quickly realised this was NOT the song for this occasion – it was TOTALLY about how fast I got there!
I saw Annie again around this point and she called out something about Boston. Yep, Boston. THAT was what this was all about!
Kilometres 41 and 42 were 5:28 and 5:25 respectively – a significant drop in pace but again not many people don’t drop by this point. I had my head down a lot of the time from 37k onwards, but I had to look up frequently as someone could have stopped to a walk right in front of me! I did actually miss a few of the kilometre markers due to having my head down! 
Then came the beautiful moment as I turned off the road towards the finish. I was so pumped by then, I was high fiving EVERYONE, cheering, screaming, whatever! There was the magic ‘250m to go’ sign! I think I sprinted the last 250! SUCH a great feeling crossing that line! My watch showed 3:36:03 – a massive PB and 9 minutes under my Boston qualifying time. (I later found out my official time was 3:35:59 – even better!)
I got through the finish chute, grabbed a bottle of water, walked through the misting tent and sat down to text my mum and tell the rest of the world via social media. A guy called Simon, who had spent some time in Adelaide, offered to take a pic for me as I was struggling to take a selfie and get my SARRC top in shot! He asked me if I’d like another one as I got photobombed by a fellow Adelaide runner called Narelle, but I loved that photo! I took a few pics for him and his partner Kate who recognised me from parkrun, and also for Narelle and her partner James. 
I was getting messages from Sylvia, my Gold Coast based friend who I’d met in Adelaide earlier in the year and see briefly at UTA, asking where I was. I assumed she’d run the marathon but it turned out she’d just come down to see me! She’d called out to me on the course towards the end but of course I was in the zone and didn’t hear her!
After catching up with Sylvia and trying to talk her into coming to Adelaide to run Yurrebilla this year, I went to get my drop bag and head for the water. It wasn’t a beach as such although there was sand, and it seemed to be the place of choice to cool off post-run. It was my third year doing Gold Coast (I did the half in 2014 and the full last year) and this had become a tradition. This time I had come prepared with my new super cushiony sandals to put on after I got out – those compression socks were NOT going back on!

I had the food I had brought with me, along with the mandatory post-race Coke and then waited for Christy (getting sidetracked by getting a selfie with Steve Moneghetti!) – I was following her online but somehow managed to miss seeing her finish on the big screen. As soon as I realised she was finished I legged it to the archway where all the runners come through after they’ve finished. I soon spotted her with her young son who had run the last little bit with her! I congratulated her, got another selfie and then made my way back to the apartment.
Sinead and Gerry were on their way out to hit the shops – Sinead had gone under her goal time of 1:21 with the help of Adrian who, after his speedy 10k the previous day, backed it up to pace her in the half!
I had a quick spa, letting the jets massage my quads, hamstrings and feet, then an AMAZING shower before heading to the Kurrawa surf club to meet the rest of the Harriers who were there watching the footy and having a few celebratory/commiseratory beverages! Bryn had done his calf with about 6k to go and limped home but still in what I would call a pretty amazing time! Michael had also had a bad day but again still did a good time. A lot of the runners had done the half and there were some impressive times there too! 
After a few bevvies I walked to the nearby Indian restaurant where Vanessa and family were meeting me. I had a veg vindaloo – I asked for medium but it was still pretty hot! 
I then made the trek (maybe 2 blocks, if that!) back to the apartment to start packing and chill for a bit! It was too early to go to bed but I did put my compression tights on before watching a bit of Sunday night TV.
Monday morning I woke up stupid early – after brekky all that was left to do was a nice leisurely walk and finish packing (ugh!) before heading to the airport (double ugh!)
All in all it has been a pretty brilliant weekend – amazing weather, awesome people and a perfect race! I don’t think I will be back next year (although, I might come and do the half!) but it is definitely a great event which I would recommend to anyone – there really is something for everyone here! 
Big thanks to the Adelaide Harriers for letting a SARRC person crash their party!
Now it’s back to reality… 

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Confidence builder!


So, it’s now less than a week to go until the race of my life (so far!) – the Gold Coast Marathon!
1 week before a marathon I have previously done around 20km. 1 week before my first marathon in 2014, I did a VERY SLOW 20k around London – getting lost at one point and running around in circles, and of course stopping FREQUENTLY for photos. 1 week before Barossa 2015 I ran a lovely albeit hilly 20k in Katoomba, following part of what was then The North Face 100 (now Ultra-Trail Australia 100) course. 1 week before my last marathon (Gold Coast 2015, almost a year ago now) I ran 21.1km with my running group, pleasingly under 2 hours (last year I used a sub-2 hour half marathon as a gauge for a good run).
This year is a little different. Unlike the last 2 years, the SARRC Parklands Loop run is on the last weekend in June rather than the first weekend in July. In the last 2 years I have missed this event due to being on the Gold Coast (yeah, cue the tiny violin, sucks to be me, etc) but this year the timing was perfect – I could run it as my last long run before the marathon!
This event has 3 distances, 5km, 10km and 25km. It is run on a 5km loop, meaning that the 5km is 1 loop, 10km is 2 loops and 25km is (yep, you guessed it) 5 loops. I had originally planned to do the 25km given that it was closest to the 20k I was planning to run, however was talked out of it. I don’t tend to be able to ‘take it easy’ in a race, even if for me it is a training run. If I am wearing a bib, there is no ‘taking it easy’! Therefore I decided to enter the 10k instead, and run an easy 10 afterwards to make it up to 20km.
I’m not really comfortable with the 10k distance. 5k I can do in my sleep and have done it (not in my sleep) well over 100 times. Probably closer to 150. Half marathons I am reasonably comfortable with. 10k races, I think I’d only done 5 before this weekend. 4 Dolphin Runs (every February – along the coast, which can be challenging if you encounter a headwind!) and one 10000m race during the Australian Masters Athletics Championships this year (25 laps of the track). My 10k PB was 44:47, but I wasn’t too concerned about PBs this weekend – it was more about a good solid hit-out before the big day next weekend.
The day before, I changed my plans. I decided that the best thing to do was to run to the race, do the race and run home. There would be a big gap between each of the 3 runs, so it wouldn’t be a solid 20k, but I had done enough long continuous runs to know that I was well and truly capable of running 42.2k nonstop. 
The race was held at Victoria Park, a former racecourse and now home to the annual Clipsal 500 V8 car race. (I had done one race here previously, the Hot Lap Fun Run, back in March, at which I was fortunate enough to get onto the podium – and it was an actual podium too, the same one that the drivers use!) It was about 4.5km from home so that made for a nice warmup.
I got there about half an hour before the start and the 25k race was already in progress. The 10k race started at a very civilised 9:15am. I was VERY glad I had been talked out of the 25! 
I saw a few familiar faces – Simon, whose next 2 big races are the 12k City-Bay and the 100 miler next year in the Flinders Ranges (quite a versatile athlete you could say!), Liam, who had just finished night shift and come straight from work, Tina, who was doing the 5k after a big night the previous night, and Jenny, who always seems to be just that little bit ahead of me in every race. Jenny said she wasn’t sure how she would go but I didn’t really hold any hopes of beating her! I also met Nadene, who also has beaten me in every event so far this year (I think) and said she enjoyed reading my blog. She was running at Gold Coast too but ‘only’ the half. She was probably taking it easy in this race but would undoubtedly still outclass me!
There was light drizzle as we approached Go Time but it wasn’t too cold which was nice. Besides, the warmup run had served me well so I was pretty warm anyway, and I hadn’t had ANY hamstring niggles along the way!
Soon enough we were assembled on the start line. It was a small field which was nice – a bit of a contrast from parkrun and other events I have run this year! I started probably midway through the pack – I didn’t want to be dragged out too fast. But I was anyway!
My first km was 4:05 – WAY too fast and not sustainable (although it was MARGINALLY downhill.) By that stage I had already overtaken a few people and I wasn’t sure what position I was in, I knew Jenny and Nadene were both ahead of me but I wasn’t sure who else. 
My next km was a much more reasonable 4:24. I settled into a rhythm and tried not to force the pace too much. I overtook the occasional 25k runner after that but don’t recall being passed by too many 10k runners (it was easy to distinguish the different distances by the colour of their bibs). I made sure I gave the 25k runners encouragement as I passed them – I couldn’t say “You’re nearly there!” because that would have been a BIG LIE, but it would have been a hard slog for some of them in particular!
The course was mostly on bitumen path and some dirt track. There had been a fair bit of rain earlier in the week but not much over the previous few days so there were just a few puddles to get around, but other than that the surface was pretty easy to run on.
It was an interesting course, quite loopy but essentially flat (my Strava recorded 40m elevation over 10km which is next to nothing). 
After a slower 3rd km (marginally uphill) I was back to 4:24 for the 4th and slightly faster in the 5th, completing my first loop in 22:05 – a time I probably would have been happy with in the 5k! (And which would have got me second place as it turned out!)
I knew exactly what was ahead of me – there would be no surprises in the second half – just the same loop again! (Again I was EXTREMELY glad I hadn’t done the 5 laps – that would have done my head in!) 
I overtook a few more 25km runners/walkers and also the occasional 5k competitor. Every female that was ahead of me was a potential threat to me in the 10k until proven otherwise (unfortunately I had to overtake them before I could see their bib colour!) – it appears that none of them were actually in the 10k. I could generally tell by their pace – if they were running slower than me, they were probably not a 10k runner because if they were slower, how could they be ahead of me?
Anyway, I still didn’t know what position I was in so I just went for it in the last few kilometres. I wasn’t looking at my watch by this stage – I felt my pace was right and I didn’t need to look at it to see how much further I had to go – there were markers every kilometre and it didn’t take a maths genius to know that when I saw 4km on the second lap, that meant I had 1km to go.
That was one loooong kilometre! 
Towards the end, when I was approaching the finish line, there was a girl just ahead of me. Was she in the 10k? And if so, was she on her last lap? The answer to both questions was “I don’t know, but I am going to have to pass her anyway”. So just before we crossed the line, I snuck past her, crossed the line and stopped my watch. I didn’t notice if she stopped or went for another lap, or even what colour bib she was wearing, but it appears that she was NOT finishing the 10k. As it turned out my nearest competitor was over 2 minutes behind me – I could have taken it easier!
But where’s the fun in that? As it turned out, I ran an official time of 43:59, a 48 second PB! (I had run one faster 10k – as part of the 12k City-Bay last year. That SO doesn’t count, but try telling Strava that!) Oh, and a sneaky negative split too, my second lap was 21:54. And, more remarkably, I was 4th female out of 44 (12th overall out of 85), narrowly missing a podium finish! Jenny was second in 43:27 and Nadene third in 43:43. The winner, Belinda, who I didn’t know, smashed out an incredible 40:46! 
In the men’s 10k, Liam finished first with what I believe was a PB and Simon second also with a PB. It was a great day for PBs! Despite the early rain it had turned out to be a nice cool morning with even a bit of sunshine!
After the race I stayed for coffee, chat and the lucky prize draw/presentations, then ran home again to complete the cumulative 20k.
It was a great confidence-builder for Gold Coast and I feel like I am SO ready to take it on!
Next week’s blog will be my Gold Coast race report – expect it to be a little late (I’ll probably write it on the plane home) and somewhat lengthy!

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20 things I’ve learned about running!


This week, for something a little different, I thought I’d share a few words of ‘wisdom’.

1) Pacing is so important. Too many times I have gone out too fast and paid for it in the end. It happened on my long run this weekend just gone. It CANNOT happen at Gold Coast in 2 weeks! Start (relatively) slow, finish fast. Start (too) fast, finish DYING!

2) You have to pick the right people to run with. If you want to get faster, run with people who are faster than you. 
3) Doing long runs alone is actually OK! It really shows you what you are capable of – and if you’re going to be running a marathon essentially on your own, it’s good practice getting used to your own company!
4) Speed training really works! It hurts, but it works! I wish I’d started sooner but I have got in 4 weekly sessions. I did 4 x 1000m twice, 3 weeks apart. My average pace improved by 6 seconds per km. And hopefully that’s only just the beginning!
5) Doing long runs on Saturday rather than Sunday is great, and I don’t have to sacrifice my parkrun to do it! Consider parkrun a warmup, then get out there and do the long run, and get a bonus recovery day! Plus, in winter, you don’t have to deal with the chilly arse o’clock starts!
6) It is impossible to go for a long run on a weekend in Adelaide without seeing at least one person you know!
7) Sorry to the anti-sugar people but a post-run Coke is the absolute BEST!
8) If you can’t run, volunteer. It is SO much fun! Even more fun if you dress up! I volunteered at a trail race this weekend – running it would have been a recipe for disaster and I was more than happy to see everyone’s faces (smiling or otherwise) at the finish line!
9) I am a little dubious about the effect of compression garments on performance, but I am a recent convert to using them for recovery. After a long run or race I sleep in them – it definitely helps!
10) Other than setting your own pace, another advantage of solo long runs is that you can pick your own route. Lately I have been favouring the coast – not only is it pretty, but you can run continuously without those pesky traffic stops that ruin your rhythm. It gives me great confidence to know I can run 36-38km nonstop – up until 2 weeks ago I had never done that outside of an actual marathon!
11) Finishing a long run at the beach is the BEST. If it’s warm enough a post-run recovery dip is only a few steps away – just make sure you keep a pair of thongs (jandals or flip flops if you’re not from Australia!) and a towel in your car!
12) One downside of coastal runs is the possibility of a headwind. Conversely, you might get a tailwind and that makes you feel amazing! (Frequently, on an out-and-back run, you get a bit of both.)
13) Even if you’re in Dyingsville, you can ALWAYS find a few extra legs when you can see or hear the finish line. I experienced this in the last km of UTA100 while ascending the 951 steps. I experienced it again on my last long run – I had gone out a bit too fast and paid for it at the end, but the sight of the surf club and the thought of that icy cold Coke gave me the boost I needed!

14) Long runs make you hungry for DAYS afterwards! Eat ALL OF THE FOOD!
15) I find it feels easier, towards the end of a long run or a race, to think about how much further I have to go in terms of time rather than distance. For example, even 4km sometimes can feel like it will take an eternity. At 5 min/km pace, I can tell myself “I’ll be knocking back a Coke within 20 minutes” and somehow that is MUCH less daunting!
16) High fiving kids on the sidelines during a race gives you a huge boost. I don’t feel like I’ve earned my race bling if I haven’t high fived at least one kid!
17) While I loved playing soccer for 5 seasons, the year I decided to put my boots on ice indefinitely was the year my running really started to improve. I loved the social side of team sport but I’ve found that running is just as, if not more social! 
18) Further to #17, the post-run ritual of coffee is a lot healthier than the post-soccer ritual of a few cheeky ciders! 
19) If you hang out with runners for long enough you will end up doing things you never thought you would! Like marathons and ultramarathons! And you’ll hear about all these other events that you just have to do – who said running was a cheap sport? THEY LIED!
20) The running community is just awesome. That includes people I’ve met through road running, trail running and parkrun, as well as people I’ve connected with via social media (some of whom I have met in person, and others I hope to meet in future) and via this very blog. People are so supportive of each other – even running friends who are legit elite athletes always have time to support the ‘little guys’. It is an incredible community to be part of!

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TAPER TIME!


Last year I wrote a blog about the pros and cons of running with a group versus running alone. I won’t rehash it here, but if you want to read it, here is the link: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/lion-or-tiger/

Last year I did most of my long runs either with a group or with one other person. At the time I preferred that, and the thought of running 30+ kilometres on my own was horrifying to me! There were a few exceptions where I had good solo runs but I would always choose the group option where possible.

When I first joined the SARRC morning groups, I often would end up running on my own – I was very much a ‘mid-packer’ and it took me a while to find my niche. Then, I would be running with others and focusing more on the conversation than the running. For me, it was really a social gathering which happened to involve running! Regular running buddies Leanne and Doug commented that I seemed to be running ‘within myself’ and could potentially be pushing myself a lot harder!
Fast forward to 2016. As I have said many times before, my training this year has been all over the place, with 100k ultra training combined with fast marathon training (when I could fit it in around all the events I wanted to do!). In 3 weeks we will find out if trying to do too much at once was a massive mistake, but I am quietly confident that I will make it work!
Because my main marathon (Gold Coast) falls slap bang in the middle of the two major SA marathons (Barossa and Adelaide), the Sunday group long run distances have never been quite right for me. Therefore, I would have had to extend or shorten the group run to fit what I needed, and thus be running at least a big chunk of the run on my own. Also, I often would have events or other commitments on Sundays, making it difficult to fit the long run in anyway.
So, after UTA, with 6 weeks to go before the marathon, I did a solo 30k out and back along the coast on a Saturday afternoon, and loved it! I only managed to run 10k before I needed to take a walk break, and I did take frequent walk breaks after that, but I still managed to do it at a faster pace than I had been doing for my long runs in previous years. Besides, when doing group long runs, we were constantly stopping for traffic or for someone to get some water, so I was unconcerned by my apparent inability to run 30k nonstop.
Last weekend in a trail loop event I managed to run 38km in difficult conditions without stopping or walking. This weekend just gone, I did my last long (solo) run before the taper – 36km at 5:25/km – SIGNIFICANTLY faster than any of my previous long runs! (Strava said I did my 3rd fastest 30k – the only faster ones would have been during my 2 marathons last year).
So, why now do I seem to be running faster? Well I can’t answer that question with 100% certainty but I think running on my own has actually helped! Because I’m running at my own pace and not someone else’s, I can push myself closer to my limits. It makes sense to train on my own at least some of the time too, because in the Gold Coast marathon I will be running on my own (albeit with roughly 6000 of my closest friends!).
Even in the morning groups I have tended to be running on my own again. I try to stick with some of the faster runners (or at least keep them in sight) and save most of my socialising for the post-run coffee (which often goes for longer than the run itself!). An additional advantage of that, when I can keep up with the fast guys (usually when they’re injured, tapering or recovering, but still…), I can pick their brains for advice to help me in my running!
So now, it’s TAPER TIME! 
That means firstly I reduce the distance of my long run to make sure I am fresh for the marathon. It also means taking it a little easier in my other runs (although I’d like to continue doing one fast run a week just to make sure I can still run fastish!) and gradually reducing my number of runs per week. 
On Sunday, the day after my last long run, I did a nice easy 5k run and I actually think it helped my recovery. (Previously I have done my long runs on a Sunday and NEVER run on a Monday.) Since UTA, I have also started sleeping in my compression tights after my long run and I think that makes a BIG difference.
3 weeks to go – BRING IT ON!

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Race report – Barossa Marathon Festival


Barossa Marathon 2015 was my second marathon (a year to the day after my first), a new PB and the subject of my very first blog post. 

A year later (give or take a few days) it was back to where it all began, this time to run the half marathon.
There could hardly have been a bigger contrast between the two events.
Last year, it was the culmination of 16 weeks’ hard work which was rewarded with a PB. 6 weeks later, I managed to scrape home at Gold Coast for another PB. This year I was definitely racing the half, but the big picture was the Gold Coast marathon in 5 weeks and a Boston qualifying time, therefore it was not just a race but also a marathon training run. (A repeat of last year’s Barossa or Gold Coast time will qualify me for Boston next year)
The bigger story here was that this was Beck’s Boston qualifying race. I ummed and ahhed over the last few months about giving the marathon a crack, in the hope that I might be able to get my BQ time and then be able to relax and enjoy Gold Coast. But I knew that was unrealistic, especially 2 weeks after UTA100. So I had entered the half, partly just to be a part of which last year had been a very enjoyable event, and partly to make sure I could still run long and fast. 
Given that the marathon started at 7 and I had organised to go with Beck, it was an early start. I was up at 4:30 and we hit the road at 5. My race didn’t start until 7:45 which would mean I could have a very relaxed start once we arrived at Tanunda. We were aiming to get there around 6:00. As it gets very cold in the Barossa, I decided to pack my race gear and wear warm street clothes to the start. 
I had had most of my gear organised before going out to a comedy gig the night before. I was in bed by 10:30 so I got close to 6 hours sleep.
Beck was happy to drive up there but I would drive back. That was fair enough, remembering how I had to drive myself home from the marathon last year (I do not recommend it!) We took Beck’s car, being an SUV. I didn’t like her chances of getting out of my little Corolla after the marathon and the drive home!
You know how you never try something new in a race? Well I did several things differently this time.
Firstly, I started speed training on Friday morning. It’s something I have been meaning to do for some time but it never quite fitted in. Then UTA got closer and I focused more on that. Once I had recovered adequately from UTA I was out of excuses. A fast marathon needs speed training. The session this week was 4 x 1km reps. I was not as fast as I had thought I would be, but remarkably consistent which was a good start. And I pulled up OK on Saturday. 
Next, I ran parkrun on Saturday. I ran by myself and I somehow managed to avoid getting carried away like I normally do even when I’m trying to take it ‘easy’. Interestingly I ran almost exactly the same time I had run the week before when I was actually trying to run as fast as I could!
That afternoon I went to a BodyBalance class for the first time in probably a year. For the uninitiated, BodyBalance is a hybrid of yoga/Pilates/Tai Chi. It can be quite challenging and I have been known to be quite sore after, especially if I haven’t done it in a while.
I decided to wear my new 2XU compression socks, which I had only worn once before for a morning run (around 10km). I want to run Gold Coast in them so this was a perfect o to road test them in a longer, faster run. I put tape around my arches to prevent blisters (which I do in every race longer than 20km. I think it’s just superstition now but with new socks I was taking no chances).
Other than this I went with the outfit I plan to wear for Gold Coast – SARRC pink top and lulu skirt with Skins underneath. Given the cold start, arm warmers were also a necessity!
The drive up was uneventful except for a few erroneous road closures delaying our arrival at Faith Lutheran College until about 6:15. Still plenty of time for Beck and ample time for me. 
It was chilly, so while Beck got herself ready I went into the warm room where bib collection and bag drop were happening, and helped hand out race bibs. As 7am approached I braved the chill outside and went to watch Beck and the rest of the marathoners start the 42.2km journey. Beck was running with Jim, another regular running buddy over the last few years who had had a bad run at Boston and was hoping for a better run here at Barossa. Also in the marathon were regular Thursday running buddies John and Liam who looked to be in great form, and ultramarathon legend Andrew whose wife was enjoying the novelty of watching him in a race which would be over in just a few hours rather than taking the whole day!
They were off! After they were out of sight I quickly went back inside to the warmth and started to get myself ready. I didn’t have any sunscreen on me and I didn’t realise at the time that the first aid tent had some, but being a chilly overcast morning, and given that I wasn’t going to be out there all that long, I decided it probably wasn’t necessary. I did wear a hat as always and not long before our start, the sun came out which reminded me to get my sunnies out of the car!
I needed a warmup. My hamstring does not like a cold start so I now have to warm up for every race. Probably not the real big ultras (because I can use the first few kms as a warmup) but when I’m going for a fast time, I know a warmup is now mandatory. I ran about 800m before the hammy started to feel normal and then turned around and ran back. It was a surprisingly fast warmup! Was that an omen? I didn’t know!
I saw many familiar faces at the start, among them Nat, who was hoping for a sub 2 hour half and who had not done a race since August last year; Kate, who I had started several races with and was going for a PB; and Alison and Kay, who were pacing 1:50 and 2 hours respectively. Kay had run most of the first half of Barossa Marathon with me last year.
I was hoping for somewhere between 1:40 and 1:45, and Kate was aiming for just under 1:45 so we decided to start together. I had convinced myself that time didn’t really matter to me. 
Of the 9 halves I had raced before (I have also paced 2 but I’m not counting those), 6 of them had been sub 1:45 including the last 4. My Masters PB of 1:37:54 is so far beyond anything else I’ve ever done that I tend to discount it. I find it hard to believe that I actually did that time and harder to imagine I could ever get close to it again!
We started solidly but not spectacularly. In the first km Alison caught up with us. A rushed start meant that her watch didn’t start until about 300m in, throwing out her pacing calculations. Kate offered to swap watches with her and they almost did swap but then Alison said “No, you’re going to do a PB today!” We then moved on ahead as we needed to stay well ahead of Alison to get our goal times.
Our first 5km (according to Strava, where I am getting all my figures from) was 24:50, average pace 4:58 per km. 4:59 pace would sneak us in just under 1:45. Kate was a bit concerned we were going a bit too slowly but I assured her that if we started conservatively we would have the capacity to take it up a notch at the end.
Our next 5km was a very similar pace – marginally faster at 24:46 or 4:57. A solid first 10km, 49:36, average pace 4:58. Right on target.
I had had my energy drink as per usual, about 30 minutes prior to the start. I had forgotten whether I normally had my caffeine supplement before or halfway through a half marathon. I had decided halfway was the way to go. 10km was close enough to halfway so I took it and estimated that at current pace it would probably kick in at around 16km. This was the point at which I’d hit the wall at Greenbelt 4 weeks earlier, so it would be an ideal stage to get a boost!
My only other fuel was Gatorade in a hand bottle. I had about 500ml and estimate I only had about half or less during the race. 

Sometime in the first 10km we first saw the frontrunners in the marathon. A little later we saw some more marathoners who didn’t look like they were in the lead pack, and then we saw Paul, the 3:45 pacer. We hoped that Beck and Jim were in the pack in between the frontrunners and the pacer. Beck was going for around 3:40. She would need at least 3:42 to be confident of getting into Boston. Unfortunately we did see her and Jim, a little way behind the 3:45 ‘bus’ – things looked like they weren’t going to plan! 
Just ahead of the ‘bus’ was regular Friday and Saturday running buddy Peter, running his first marathon. He was looking strong. 
Kate and I reached 13km still on pace at 4:57. It was here that we parted ways with around 8km to go. My legs seemed to want to go faster and Kate told me it was time for us to split! I wished her well and started to pick up the pace a little.
The great thing about Barossa which I’m sure I mentioned last year, is that with the multiple out-and-backs you get to see so many of the runners! Like last year, people were commenting that I seemed to know everyone, cheering them on as we crossed paths. Well, I did know a lot of them but towards the end I was just calling out names on bibs, and many of the people I didn’t actually know. I hope it helped!
I saw Beck and Jim again one more time and they were still well behind the bus. I suspected that Beck was not going to get her BQ time and hoped she and Jim would still enjoy the rest of their run! 
I saw the frontrunners one more time too, including John who was sitting pretty in the top 5 and Andrew was also up there!
16km came. I first had flashbacks to Greenbelt and the mythical ‘wall’, but this time I decided to punch my way through it. The caffeine had kicked in and I suddenly had this amazing burst of energy. The last 5km were honestly a blur. I remember seeing my friend Tracie taking photos a few km from the end (I had seen her on the way out but too late to pose for her!) and also occasional running buddy and Instagram legend Chantel like a ninja in the bushes with her camera! 
After splitting with Kate, I did not look at my watch at all except when it vibrated to indicate another kilometre had passed. I only looked at my kilometre splits but not my overall time. Kilometre 17 was surprisingly fast at 4:22 (as it turned out, my fastest km).
On the several out and back sections I had seen regular running buddy Maxine, quite a way ahead of me. Each time she seemed to be maintaining her lead over me. I doubted I’d catch her. But then with only a few kilometres to go, I came up behind her, ran with her briefly and kept going. She was running AWESOMELY but she said she was nearly spent.
With around 1km to go I could start to hear the finish line. I remembered the finish last year and all the familiar smiling faces and people cheering for me. Unfortunately I also ran into packs of walkers, walking 3 or 4 abreast, meaning I had to go around them – not exactly what you want after running 20k! 
I reached the road leading around to the finish. I remembered to smile, knowing that David would be there with his camera, having taken some of my favourite photos from last year’s Barossa. (He told me afterwards that he was calling out to me, but I didn’t hear. I was so in the zone by then!)
I remember seeing Chantal, who along with husband Neil had run the 10k. I don’t remember much else!
I rounded the corner and hit the finishing chute. I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, got my medal from Naomi, and had a look at my time. 1:41:53 – far beyond what I had expected! That Masters anomaly aside, it was a new PB!
I had done my last 8km (since leaving Kate) at 4:35 pace and my last 5km in 22:43 or 4:32 pace. My overall pace was 4:49.

After taking all that in for a few minutes, I saw Kate finish. She got her PB! It was great to have played a small part in that story! Max ended up finishing only 10 seconds behind me and was understandably also very happy! 
I got cold really quickly when I stopped. I couldn’t bring myself to get completely changed so I put on a long sleeved top and Beck’s hoodie which I would give her when she finished. I noticed a few small issues – a hot spot under one of my toes that was probably the beginnings of a blister – served me right for trying new socks, but all in all I was happy with the socks. I also chafed a bit under one arm which was surprising considering I had run Clare half and also my Masters PB half in exactly the same top with no issues.
I got to see the first few marathoners finish. John finished 5th in 2:50 – a massive PB! Andrew also cracked the top 10 and a sub-3 hour time. 
Nat and Dave both broke 2 hours for the half. Nat later found out her official time was just over 2 hours but everyone knows Strava time is what counts. (My official time was actually 8 seconds faster at 1:41:45!)

I then went to get the all-important post-race coffee and then wine! (When in Rome…) and then see the rest of our friends finish their marathons.

I saw Mark finish, followed by Peter, who had done remarkably well in his first marathon considering his longest long run had been 27km! I missed seeing Liam finish but he had done a PB of just under 3:25.

We saw the 3:45 bus go by without Beck and Jim, and around the same time we saw Kath who had entered with not much training and had done amazingly well, along with Tina who had only entered on Wednesday and was treating it as a training run. A marathon as a training run? I couldn’t even contemplate that!
The cheering got really loud when Arwen approached – she broke the 4 hour barrier and had her own personal cheer squad! Even though her partner Vince later noticed that her marathon medal ribbon said ‘HALF MARATHON’ like mine! Oops!
Finally, not long behind Arwen we saw Beck and Jim. They had broken 4 hours but were both understandably disappointed that they had not achieved their goal times. I quickly ran around to the finish line to see them finish and (reluctantly) give Beck her hoodie. While she recovered I went to the car to get my warm jacket and her warm jacket and track pants. I put on both the jackets and went into the bathroom. People had told me my lips were blue but I was shocked when I saw my reflection – they were a lovely shade of purple!
We hung around for a while before heading back home. It was a funny drive home as I had never driven a BMW before and wasn’t used to the European indicators and windscreen wipers! I lost count of the number of times I put the wipers on or indicated the wrong way! Anyway, we made it home in one piece and a few hours later after a shower and quick lunch I picked Beck up again and we headed to the pub for the traditional post marathon drinks. Beck had had a chat to husband Steve who was already planning Beck’s next marathon, Adelaide in 11 weeks, with a longer taper. Steve was not willing to give up on the Boston dream and by the time we all headed off after drinks, the Adelaide plan was well and truly taking shape!
I was super impressed with Beck’s reaction to her race. I think I would have been a basket case! I do know now though, that if Gold Coast in 5 weeks doesn’t go according to plan, I will have a second chance at Adelaide and now I will have a buddy to run it with!

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Juggling!

In last week’s epic post (I promise this one won’t be as long – it was an epic post for an epic race!) I said that I hadn’t trained enough for UTA. Plain and simple. 
Now I am 6 weeks out from a road marathon in which I hope to qualify for Boston 2017. I don’t think I’ve trained enough for that either.
In between juggling training for UTA and Gold Coast, I would do silly things like sign up for the Australian Masters Athletics Championships (track running, not exactly ideal training for either big event) and the Clipsal Hot Lap, a 3km fun run on the Clipsal 500 track (in fairness I did podium at that one so I can sort of justify it – the trophy is pretty sweet).
So this week, last Sunday being 7 weeks to Gold Coast, I wasn’t really able to take the few weeks break that was recommended by veterans of The North Face/UTA 100. 
I had previously put my hand up to volunteer at this weekend’s Sturt Gorge trail race, knowing that I would not be in peak form to run it. Sort of to prevent me from being tempted. And looking at the photos from the event, I kind of would have liked to do it, but I know it would have been a struggle. Karen and I had fun on the drink station despite some people not quite understanding what ‘no cups’ means (for those wondering, it means “Please bring your own refillable cup/bottle/bladder so we can help save the environment by not using hundreds of disposable cups” not “Please feel free to drink directly out of the water casks”). Wendy, one of the people who had recommended a few weeks’ break, did the run – as so often happens in running, it’s a case of “Do as I say, not as I do”
I walked on Tuesday and Wednesday (the post-race fatigue hit me suddenly and with force just as I arrived at work on Tuesday – mental note, take Tuesday off next time! And yes I am aware I just said “next time”!
I ran for the first time on Thursday and despite my legs feeling really heavy at the start, I had a great run and by the end felt almost normal!
I went out on Friday and that was my first hill run since UTA. Karen and I took it relatively easy although we did run all the way up Heatherbank Terrace without stopping (it is a fairly steep, long hill).
On Saturday I went out to parkrun as usual, I was planning on doing around 25 minutes but that was actually a bit ambitious. I shouldn’t have really set myself a time goal – less than a week post UTA I should have been happy just to be running relatively comfortably!
Given that Sunday morning was to be taken up with the trail race and immediately after that I was heading to a Yurrebilla launch BBQ, I decided after parkrun to head down the coast for a long run. I decided to do 30k along the coast – 15k out and 15 back. My start/finish point was at a kiosk where I could get a post-run Coke. The turnaround was conveniently next to the Henley Surf Lifesaving Club where I could top up my water bottles (I happened to have some spare Gatorade powder on me – that was perfect because I find it easier to drink Gatorade than water on a run. So I was able to mix up some more Gatorade which got me through to the end.
I started OK, running the first 10k nonstop. I then started taking short walk breaks regularly (never more than 100m at a time) – on normal long runs there are always drink stops and road crossings so I’d never do a long run nonstop except in a race. I was pleased to have gotten through it and felt like I was back in marathon mode.
This coming week I have decided to add in a speed session to replace my Friday hill run. It makes perfect sense when you think that my goal race now is a fast marathon.
I definitely think that by juggling different types of running and events, I have really made it hard for myself! That’s why, for the next 6 weeks, all my runs will be focused on my ultimate goal of qualifying for Boston. That means no more trail running for the next 6 weeks. After that you’d be hard pressed to keep me away from the trails!

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Race Report – UTA 100


Ultra-Trail Australia. Where to begin?
I arrived in Sydney on Thursday around lunchtime and made my way to Katoomba via train from the airport. I had packed all my essential race gear in my hand luggage but fortunately my checked baggage made it to Sydney too. I had been looking out at the airport and on the plane for other UTA travellers but hadn’t seen any likely looking people but then at the carousel I heard someone call out my name. It was Mick, who had sadly had to pull out of UTA but had already booked his flights and a few comedy gigs in Sydney. He had been on my flight but we hadn’t seen each other. We wished each other well for our weekend ventures and went our separate ways.
My first “what the hell am I doing here?” moment came on the train to Katoomba when I got my first glimpse of the Blue Mountains. It suddenly hit me, what a huge undertaking this was! I quickly got over that though, and enjoyed the scenery for the remainder of the trip.
By the time I got to Katoomba, dropped my bags off at the hostel and did a quick grocery shop, it was getting towards dinner time. It was too late to go to the event expo/check in by then, so that would have to wait until Friday. Being the “only vegan in the village” none of the food the others were having was any good for me, so I think I had a peanut butter sandwich on white bread. Mmmm, nutritious!
We were staying in a house which was part of a hostel. I had stayed there the previous year. Wendy and Dej, veterans of 2 and 4 North Face 100’s respectively (the former name for UTA 100) had been staying there for several years before that. It was an ideal location, just 500m from the railway station, within easy walking distance of the main street, and also walking distance to Scenic World, the centerpiece of the UTA festival. It was also great to have a house to ourselves where we could spread out, do all our pre-race rituals and not have to annoy any non-runners who just wouldn’t have understood why we had to be so messy!
Also there was Karen, a frequent flyer on this blog, and a fellow UTA virgin. One more runner, Jonathan, was to arrive the following day. Jonathan and Dej were allocated the downstairs bedroom and us 3 ladies all got a room upstairs to ourselves.
On Friday I had planned to go for a light leg-loosener jog with my race vest on. I’d had to unpack it for travel so I wanted to make sure it was packed so it would be comfortable for the race. There was a laundry list of mandatory gear we had to carry throughout, which was essentially designed to save our lives if we got into trouble and had to wait for a while to get rescued. There were 2 items, a fleece top and waterproof pants, which we would be advised later that day if we would have to carry (this was dependent on weather – with a forecast of 20 degrees and sunshine, it looked highly likely that we would NOT have to carry them, and could instead leave them in a later drop bag.
Karen and I firstly decided to go for a stroll down to see the Three Sisters. Another brief “what are we doing?” moment happened when we saw the sign at Echo Point that signified that this was the 60km mark of the 100km race. We wondered how we would feel by the time we got here the next day!
After the obligatory selfie in front of the iconic Three Sisters rock formation, we decided to wander a bit further along the race route. After a quick toilet stop (mentally noting that this would be a good place for a pit stop during the race – anything to avoid those damn portaloos!) we went past the Visitor Centre and noticed a few cool sculptures along the path. No way would we have noticed these during the run! I saw my first echidna (OK it was a sculpture) and there was also a lyrebird, some lizards and some Christmas beetles high up on a rock – you really had to be looking to notice them! Then we hit the Giant Stairway – another “WTF?” moment – after going down a few steps we decided “sod that, let’s save that for tomorrow!”
After a nice coffee we headed back to the house, I set about packing my race vest and drop bags and Karen went to meet Jonathan at the station.
I’d already planned my drop bags so it was just a matter of ticking off all the items. I’d cooked a couple of sweet potatoes the night before and mashed them with some salt. That was my version of energy gels and it had worked for me in the past. Karen had somewhat unkindly likened the mash in a ziploc bag to the contents of a colostomy bag!
My race fuel consisted of: sports drink (in powdered form), sweet potato mash (in squeezy flasks), nut bars, Lifesavers, almonds, nut butter sandwiches and peanut butter. Dej was horrified that I was eating peanut butter – he hates the stuff! That’s pretty rich coming from a guy that likes to drink beetroot juice on a run! I packed some of each in my drop bags and my vest. As the first drop bag was not until Checkpoint 3 (45km in), I had to pack a bit of extra sustenance in my vest for the first leg.
Other than fuel, I also packed sunscreen for CP3 and CP4 (I expected it would be dark or getting close to it by CP5 so sunscreen there was unnecessary), insect repellent at CP4, and some clothing changes. I had a clean top and arm socks at CP3 and CP5, spare shoes and running skirt at CP4, and clean socks at all the checkpoints. We had to take our checkpoint drop bags to the expo by Friday night.
The competitor briefing which we’d received several weeks earlier had suggested Coles or Woolies cooler bags as good drop bags. I already had them from Heysen, but this being a much larger event, I had decided to try to personalise my bags to make them easier to spot. At Heysen I had attached bright yellow tags, but at UTA they had recommended not to do that, as the tags could become detached in transit. So I had written my name, race number and checkpoint number on each bag, and attached a bright pink ribbon (double knotted) to each handle.
I wanted to go to the expo a bit earlier and I wasn’t ready with my drop bags so I wandered down at about 2:30, fully laden race vest on. It was only about a 3km walk to the expo. Well it would have been, had I not relied on Apple Maps for directions. I should have known better – Apple Maps has steered me wrong several times before! Over an hour later I finally got to Scenic World only to find that the expo was actually at KCC (Katoomba Christian something) which fortunately was just across the road. On the plus side I had walked for over an hour with my pack and it felt very comfortable.
I didn’t have much time at the expo – my circuitous route to get there had left me with less time than I had planned, so I said a quick hello in passing to Sputnik at the iomerino stand and then made my way to Fox Creek Wines to get a souvenir UTA 100 bottle of wine and meet the La Sportiva team including Mick Keyte who is an SA runner who also happens to be my good friend Sam’s brother-in-law, and Beth Cardelli who is a multiple winner of this event.
I completed my check-in quickly (another brief “WTF?” moment when I saw my race bib with my name on it) and headed back to the house to finish packing my drop bags. I checked the event Facebook page for advice about the fleece and waterproof pants, and happily informed the rest of the crew that we could leave both items in our CP5 drop bags. It would then depend what time we left CP5, whether or not we’d have to carry either of those items. The 5 of us then took the complimentary shuttle bus back to KCC to put our drop bags on the trucks, carefully making sure we put the right bag on the right truck! This was it – no turning back now!
I was the only one out of our group who attended the ‘compulsory’ race briefing. I saw a few familiar faces there – Alex, who had run this event last year and who I had also run with a few times in the lead-up to Heysen 105 last year, and Kim, who was with a group of runners who had done the Big Red Run (a desert stage race) last year and had decided to have a reunion of sorts here at UTA.
I was glad I went – it started with a traditional (and very entertaining) welcome. Then there was the ‘safety guy’ who gave us two key messages – don’t overhydrate (never an issue for me) and don’t take drugs (especially anti-inflammatories but even paracetamol). Finally the Race Director Tom Landon-Smith gave another entertaining address to complete proceedings. I quickly legged it to the bus – it was about 7:15pm by now and I hadn’t had time to eat dinner beforehand and really wanted an early night.
After waiting a little while for the bus (not surprisingly, most of the 1000-strong crowd from the briefing wanted to get on a bus!) I got back to the house just before 8. I had asked Karen (when she had left the expo earlier) to put on some pasta for me and it was just about ready as I walked in the door – perfect! I dumped it in a large microwave bowl (none of the ‘normal’ sized bowls were anywhere near big enough for an ultramarathoner appetite!), threw in some bottled pasta sauce and a bit of spinach and pretty much inhaled it! A glass of red wine and some dark chocolate topped off the meal nicely.
There wasn’t much left to do – my finish line drop bag was packed (mostly warm clothes as well as my fluffy slippers which would be a welcome relief to get into!) and my race vest was ready to go. I went to bed around 9:30ish, with my alarm set for 4:30. My alarm was on my old phone, which had no SIM card in it and had not automatically updated the time when we’d changed time zones – so it was still on SA time, half an hour behind! Lucky I’d checked it!
On Saturday morning we were all up early. Dej was in the first (fastest) start group and he was also going to get there early for a warmup with his coach, Brendan Davies. Warming up for a 100km ultra – hardly seemed necessary in my opinion but Dej is a veteran of this event and is the owner of a coveted silver belt buckle (sub-14 hour finisher) so I presumed he knew what he was doing!
After my usual breaky (muesli, Weetbix, chia and almond milk with a glass of OJ), I had one moment of minor panic when I was getting dressed and couldn’t find my running undies. SURELY I couldn’t have forgotten to pack them? I hadn’t packed any other running undies as I hadn’t planned to run other than this one race. I was debating with myself, do I wear non-running undies or do I go commando under my compression shorts? I had opted for commando and then turned around and saw my undies there on the bed – phew! Never try anything new on race day – especially when it’s a 100km race!
I did try something new though. My race kit consisted of my Yurrebilla race singlet and buff from last year (why not do a bit of promotion for a fantastic SA race out on the trails?), and none of my striped arm socks matched that top, so I’d bought new ones which had never been used before. I also wore cycling gloves, a recommendation from Wendy, because there was a bit of rock climbing involved and it would save my hands. Wendy’s suggestion was to wear them throughout. Other than this it was a pretty stock standard kit for me – compression shorts and calf sleeves, trail shoes, black socks and my favourite lululemon running skirt with side zip pocket and a few waistband pockets which are useful for having snacks at hand
I had a few moments to kill after I was ready and I thought I might as well go – Jonathan was in the group before me and had left not long ago. Better to be early than late, although if I was late for my start group I could always start in a later group which was nice. Wendy and Karen were a few groups behind me so they left the house a bit later.
On the bus I put on my sunscreen – it seemed odd to be doing it in the dark but it was going to be a warm day – I wasn’t taking any chances!
At Scenic World I dropped off my finish line drop bag and made a quick pit stop before watching the first start group set off. I met Sonja and Mike, two Adelaide runners who I’d met on a trail run early in the year and had been following on Strava. Before I knew it, Start Group 2 had gone and my group was being called! This really WAS it! Another Adelaide runner, Anna, called out to me. I hadn’t realised she was iny start group. Only days earlier she had been trying to downgrade to the 50km race as she’d had a lot of health issues and did not feel she was prepared for the 100km. Having not been able to arrange a swap, here she was! We wished each other all the best and we were away!
The first 4km was an out and back, on road, around Scenic World. It was a nice way to ease into it and there were a lot of people there cheering us on. Among them was Lucy Bartholomew, a well known ultra runner who I had met a few weeks earlier at a Q & A night. She has run Yurrebilla a few times. She was supporting her dad on this occasion and I recognised her and called out. I don’t know if she recognised me personally but she did call out “Yurrebilla!”
I ran with Hoa for a while, another Adelaide runner who had run the event the previous year. She was planning to run with Bev who was in group 4, one behind us. Bev was hoping to catch up with us. Hoa informed me that Anna was already well in front of us. That would be right, I thought, not even sure if she can make the distance and she’s going to have a smashing run anyway! We saw the first start group running back as we were running out – I spotted Dej and wished him all the best (as if he needed it!)
Hoa quickly picked up the pace and that was the last I saw of her!
Early on, we met the Furber Steps. I was a bit familiar with these steps. We would become reacquainted with them at around the 99km mark when we would have to go up them. All 951 of them. Fortunately, at this early stage, we were descending!
At around 6.5km, I don’t know what I tripped over, but I fell. I grazed my right knee and elbow, and probably would have grazed my right hand too if not for the gloves. There was a bit of blood but nothing too serious. I bounced up and kept going. I could get first aid at CP1 which was less than 5km away. I had fallen over at Heysen 105 too, again seemingly tripping on nothing, but that was at the 38km mark. I think probably I am cautious in the more technical sections but probably a bit blasé in the ‘easier’ bits. Plus, we were in the freaking Blue Mountains – it was hard not to be distracted by the incredible scenery!
In this section too, I saw the only instance of bad blood (no pun intended!) between runners. Etiquette states that if a faster runner behind you wants to get past, you let them. Behind me, on a technical rocky section, someone was trying to pass another runner. The runner in front took exception to this, saying it was not the time or place, there was a long way to go, and there was a wider fire track up ahead which would be ideal for overtaking. The runner behind got a bit shitty about this and while there were no raised voices, it was a little tense. I was thinking, come on guys, can’t we all just get along? The guy behind did end up passing, and I later let him pass me without a word. I can see both guys’ points of view but it really left a bit of a sour taste when trail runners and ultramarathoners in general are noted for their great camaraderie!
A little after this I was joined by a runner called Alex from NSW. He had previously run the event in 16 hours and that was the time I was (naïvely) hoping to do, so I was pleased to stick with him and chat for a while. He went on ahead just before CP1 and we wished each other all the best in case our paths didn’t cross again.
Somewhere along here we encountered the Golden Stairs, our first tough ascent for the day. I have to admit I have no recollection of this – others complained about these stairs after the event, but I just had no memory of them. It must have been that all those seemingly endless ascents and descents blurred into one!
I reached the first checkpoint at Narrow Neck (11.4km) in 1 hour 34 minutes. I put on some more sunscreen and topped up my water and sports drink (I also had a bladder with 1 litre of water in it – I hoped not to have to use this, as the bladder would be a pain in the arse to get out, refill and put back in.) I didn’t need anything else so early in the race, so I was about to get going when someone asked me if I needed first aid. Oh that’s right. My elbow and knee! Fortunately I had forgotten about them in the last 5km since I had fallen! I made my way to the first aid tent where the first aid officer insisted I sit down (I was reluctant as I thought it would be too hard to get going again). Paul Rogers of Fox Creek Wines was also at the first aid tent helping out – it was great to see a familiar face, since most of the people I knew who were in town, were actually competing in the race! My wounds were assessed as non-life-threatening, and cleaned up with a bit of saline. I was given a warm glass of concrete and sent on my way.
The next little section, Narrow Neck, was familiar. I had run this section last year as part of a training run – it was a week out from the Barossa Marathon and I had done my long 20km run on the Friday. Wendy had suggested this might be a good place to do my run. Last year it was so peaceful and a pleasure to run, getting away from the chaos for a while. This year, it wasn’t quite so peaceful (what with all the other runners around) but no less pleasant. It was gently undulating, wide fire track. This was going to be a piece of cake! (Except it wasn’t, and I knew that!)
Not far out of CP1 there was a sign indicating a photographer was ahead. The girl next to me had picked up a sturdy stick along the way which she was using to help her along. (I saw a lot of people do this. Also many people with trekking poles. At many times I wished I had poles or at least a stick!) As soon as she realised there was a photographer ahead, she quickly disposed of the stick – she didn’t want a photo of her using a stick, especially not at this early stage!
I smiled and waved at the photographer. I was tempted to try jumping – jump shots can look awesome and there was Buckley’s chance of my being able to pull off a jump shot in the later stages, however the last time I attempted this i nearly strangled myself with my buff so I opted for a smile and wave instead!
Around this time I was caught by another Adelaide runner, Ryley. I had briefly met him while I was helping out at a checkpoint during the Coastal Challenge ultramarathon back in Adelaide. He has a very distinctive beard so is hard to miss! We ran together briefly but he was in start group 5 (he started 20 minutes behind me) and was clearly running faster than me, so we weren’t together for long. That was pretty much the story of the day, you’d run with someone for 5 or 10 minutes, have a bit of a chat, get each other’s life story, and then one person would go on ahead. It was nice. THIS was the camaraderie I had been expecting!
At the 22km mark we came to Tarros Ladders. There was a slight delay here as only 8 people can be on the ladders at one time. There is an alternative route which is slightly longer and bypasses the ladders. Runners are sometimes rerouted via the bypass when the ladders are busy. When I arrived, I was told that the time to get down via the ladders and the bypass would be about the same, so I went with the ladders. The girl ahead of me on the ladders said when she had last done this descent, the ladders weren’t there and she had to use spikes in the rocks to descend. I thought that was a little harsh – I later found out that it wasn’t during the race that she did it, it was just a training run! (The extension ladders that we climbed down are installed specifically for the event and are not there at other times).
The ladders were kind of fun! I was glad I was going down and not up!
I ended up running with the girl who had been ahead of me on the ladders. Her name was Belinda and she was from the local area. We ran together for a while, then I got ahead for a bit and she caught up. Her husband was running too, in start group 1. I asked her if she was hoping to catch up to him and she sort of laughed and said no, he was fast. He had done the Western States (a hardcore ultra in the US which is really hard to get into) and had also run the Boston Marathon. We chatted about Boston for a while, Boston qualification being one of my main goals for this year. She said the atmosphere was amazing, and crowds lined the streets from start to finish. I thought that would have been nice here (but highly impractical given the environment!) – the crowds at Scenic World on the first little out and back section had really given me a boost!
Checkpoint 2 was at Dunphy’s Camp at 31.6km, accessed by climbing over a stile. More bloody stairs! I reached Dunphy’s in just under 4 hours 15 minutes. I had lost Belinda at this stage. First order of business was to top up my bottles. There was a Scottish guy at the drink station saying “Water here and sports drink over there” (or words to that effect. While filling my bottles I asked him if he got sick of saying that, over and over and over again. (I had volunteered at a drink station before. I DID get sick of it after a while!) He said no, but if I got sick of hearing it, that meant I’d been there too long! Fair point! Next on the agenda, while there was no queue at the portaloos, was a toilet stop – silly me decided to take my race vest in with me instead of leaving it on the ground outside like the sensible people did. I accidentally knocked the end of the hose of my bladder (ie the bit you put in your mouth) on the back of the door – ewww!
After that I went over to where the food was, had a handful of potato crisps, sat down on the ground and got myself organised for the next section, a little over 14km away. I wiped my hands with a baby wipe and then with another I wiped over the drinky bit on my hose. I’d rather the taste of baby wipe than the taste of portaloo! Besides, the bladder was for emergency use only! I got out half a sandwich, and while still eating it, set off for the next leg.
Not far out of the checkpoint I saw a familiar Big Red Run T-shirt. It was Ruby, who I had met at the briefing. This was her first 100km trail ultra – she had entered one previously that had turned into a track ultra because of flooding making the trail impossible to run. Happily, there were no such issues in the Blue Mountains! We ran together for a short while before she powered on ahead. I could see her distinctive red calf compression sleeves ahead for a while and then she was gone!
I soon came to an interesting part of the course, Ironpot Mountain and Ironpot Ridge. This was a roughly 500m in total, out and back section along a fairly narrow, rocky track. As I commenced the ‘out’, I heard a voice calling my name. It was Anna, who had just finished the ‘back’, so was around 500m ahead of me. I continued on, passing the 35km marker and the musicians at the top. We could hear the didgeridoo music and the sticks (I’m not sure if they have a special name) from a little way away and it was great to see and hear them on the ridge. David, who had done the traditional welcome at the briefing the night before, was there encouraging and high fiving the runners as we went through. It was a real lift for the spirits!
Not long after this we hit the aptly named Megalong Valley Road – it was LOOOONG! This is a dirt road, so we had to be on the lookout for traffic. This was where my buff first came in useful, as I could pull it over my nose and mouth when cars went past, so I didn’t have to inhale the dust.
It wasn’t just cars though, there was the occasional crazy bike rider as well! One such crazy bike rider looked oddly familiar – it was Rob, who you may remember from such blog posts as last year’s City2Surf. He’d come down from Sydney to cheer on a number of people he knew in the race. I gave him a high five as he passed me and carried on my merry way!
Somewhere along here I picked up an English guy called Mark who was from Perth. He was struggling, having rolled his ankle, and was intending to pull out at Checkpoint 3. He had walking poles in a drop bag but that was at Checkpoint 5 and he was unlikely to make it that far. (One of the benefits of having a support person is that they can have all your stuff available at checkpoints 3, 4 and 5, so you don’t have to plan ahead what you think you will need at each checkpoint.) Even if he had had the poles he probably would not have made it to the end. He jokingly said that if he pulled out, he might volunteer at the first aid tent at CP3, being a paramedic!
We walked/jogged (mostly walked) and chatted for a while, and then when we came to a point where I felt like picking up the pace for a bit (getting close to the checkpoint) he told me to go on ahead – he had decided he was definitely going to pull out, but would be able to make it to the checkpoint OK. Just before this we had seen a guy with poles on the side of the road, looking like he was in a bit of trouble. We asked if he was OK, and he said his hip and knee were giving him hell and he was going to pull out at CP3. After making sure he would be able to make it to the checkpoint, we had moved on. Not long after that we saw him slowly making his way to Checkpoint 3.
After I left Mark, I jogged for a while and I saw a familiar back in front of me. It was Anna again! She was really struggling and was planning to pull the pin at CP3 where her husband Michael was waiting for her. I asked her if she wanted some company and she said yes, so we walked together up to CP3 at Six Foot Track (46km). If she was going to pull out here,she wasn’t going to end the journey alone! We had been going for 6 hours 40 minutes at this stage. 
On arrival at CP3 we were subjected to a gear check – we had to show our waterproof jackets and head torches. Michael was there with Coke (OMG I was SO excited to have some Coke!) and some boiled salted potatoes which he kindly shared with me. I had met him several times before doing events with Anna, as we were around the same pace so I’d often see him at checkpoints waiting for her and he was always happy to help me out. I left them there to go and get my drop bag – at this point Anna was talking about trying to walk to CP4 (‘only’ 11.3km away) and then reassessing from there. I wished her all the best in case I didn’t see her again.
I went to the drop bag tent – on the way there I saw Ryley sitting on a chair looking like he was sitting by a pool at a tropical resort! At the tent I got my bag and sat down. I had gotten over my ‘fear’ of sitting down at checkpoints, realising that it was a necessity (for me at least, maybe not for the elites) in an event such as this. After reapplying my sunscreen and getting out the food I wanted for the next leg, I changed my top. I didn’t really feel I needed to change yet, but my next clean top was not until CP5 (78km – another 32km away) and I didn’t want to take the risk of chafing (which has happened to me in the past in ultras when I’ve worn one top for too long) and I didn’t want to carry the clean top. I kept the same arm socks on though, I really liked the colours on these ones! I filled up my bottles again on the way out and couldn’t resist grabbing another handful of chips and a couple of glasses of Coke. All in all I was there for 17 minutes (runners were timed at a number of points along the course and at some of the checkpoints we were timed on the way in and the way out).
The best thing about the next section was the halfway point! I was on my own at this stage (well there were others around me but I wasn’t specifically running with anyone) and we were on a track called the Six Foot Track. I knew the 50km marker had to be coming soon. My Garmin wasn’t showing an accurate distance, it was somewhere between 500m and 1km under the proper distance. That would be REALLY annoying at the finish line if it only read 99km!
Finally – yes – there it was! The halfway point! I forgot to sing Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ as I had done last year at Yurrebilla, but I did take a beaming selfie next to the sign. 7.5 hours down and I had reached the halfway mark. I knew, though, that the back half would be MUCH tougher.
For a while I ran with a girl called Danielle. I can’t remember where she was from – I have a feeling it was the Gold Coast. She, like me, was a relatively new runner, having only been running for about 3 years. She told me that she’d previously been a heavy smoker and drinker, so this was quite a dramatic change in her life! She also told me that I should definitely do the Six Foot Track marathon, an iconic event in this same area which I have heard a lot of people rave about. Another one for the bucket list!
Another girl I ran with briefly was called Kaz. We were in a small group at that stage, and Kaz was saying she wanted to sing ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers but didn’t want to do it as a solo. So naturally I helped her out! And the people around is joined in! I would have liked to keep the karaoke party going for a bit longer but Kaz was a bit too quick for me so she was gone! I hope she found another singing buddy!
A bit further up the road, I came to the notorious stairway out of Nellies Glen. Definitely not the Stairway To Heaven. Stairway From Hell, maybe! The number of stairs is unclear (I certainly wasn’t counting them) but I later Googled and it is widely estimated that there are around 500 stairs. Now, normally when you climb a lot of stairs (and up until UTA I never had any problems with stairs), you get some respite with a landing every 15-16 stairs. Here, there were no landings, so it was a constant climb. It was, for me, the hardest part of the course. I definitely wished I had walking poles here! (Wendy later told me that she’d seen a whole pile of sticks at the top of the stairs that people had used to help them up. Pity there wasn’t a nice person to take them down to the bottom for the next lot of climbers!) I think from memory there were a few rails here and there (and wherever there were rails, I would use them to full advantage) but really, it was just a nasty, nasty section. To give some idea, it took over an hour for me to get from 50km to 55km. It was a hard slog! Somewhere along that climb I heard a voice call my name. It was Marc, a fellow Adelaide runner who had started in group 6 – he was making good time! He soon passed me and stayed ahead of me for the rest of the day.
Approaching CP4 I saw a girl standing by a tree. It was Sonja from Adelaide who I’d seen at the start. Turned out she had torn her Achilles only 6 weeks ago and was actually happy to have gotten this far in the event! After making sure she was OK to make it to the next checkpoint, I pressed on.
At 57km we were back in Katoomba again and into CP4 in the Katoomba Aquatic Centre. This was a weird checkpoint as it was indoors. So we’d go from some pretty spectacular trails, to a gym in the middle of the town! I was mildly surprised to see Michael there, and even more surprised to hear that Anna had got there ahead of me! She hadn’t passed me in the last leg, so we worked out that she must have left CP3 before me and stayed in front. I had some more Coke and potato thanks to Michael, and sat down on the floor and removed a pesky rock from my shoe that had been annoying me for some time. I reapplied my sunscreen for the last time and topped up my drinks again. Again I was there for 17 minutes and Anna set off about 5 minutes ahead of me, I said I’d catch up. She said she’d only be walking. I didn’t bother with a toilet stop here becauee only 3km away was Echo Point and the nice public toilets Karen and I had seen the previous day. I thought I saw Marc on his way out as I was sitting on the floor but couldn’t be arsed getting up at that stage to talk to him! I also saw Ryley again sitting on a chair looking quite chilled. He was still doing OK.
Not long after this I was running along a path leading up to Echo Point when I could hear cheering and music. I said to the guy next to me, “Is that the finish line?” He said something like “I wish! We’re only at 60km!” But it was the finish line – the first of the runners were starting to come through and we still had another 40km to go. What kind of sadist makes people go so close to the finish line that they can hear it, with almost half the race still to go? 
I saw Michael again at Echo Point – support crews were not allowed here but it is a big tourist area so they couldn’t stop people from coming along to watch and cheer. And it was nice. Not only those who had come to watch the runners, but also the random tourists who happened to be there, all gave us a great reception. I saw Anna, she was still ahead of me at this stage. My plan to use the nice toilets was thwarted when I saw the queue out the door. Queue? I was in a race! Screw that! Plus I didn’t really need to go that badly. The tourists on the path were very courteous, they would always get out of the runners’ way. The Giant Stairway was a perfect example of this, it is a very narrow and steep descent and tourists, seeing us coming down, would stand aside and let us through. I actually quite liked this bit. Especially with the handrails to hold onto, I was able to go down there at a reasonable pace! 
Near the bottom I encountered a guy on his phone. Turned out his support crew had broken his bladder and were out at one of the outdoor shops buying a new one! So, I guess there’s a good advertisement for NOT having a support crew! I asked him if he was OK for water, I still had my emergency 1 litre in my bladder and said he could fill his bottles from that if he needed to. I thought a broken bladder definitely constituted an emergency! He said no thanks, he’d be fine to get to the next water point which was only about 7-8km away.
Not long after this we were in a beautiful forest. It was a bit dark down there and I was contemplating getting out my head torch. It was around this time that I finally caught up with Anna. It was probably about 5pm by then and we were starting to see some amazing colours in the sky. We stopped to take some photos at a waterfall (I can’t remember which one!) and I said to Anna, “How beautiful is this?” Anna said that was so Aussie, making a statement like that in the form of a question! I’d never actually noticed that before but we do do that a lot, don’t we? I said to her, you’ll know you’re a proper Aussie when you start saying “Yeah, nah”! She said that they have a similar expression in her native South Africa so I guess we’re not all that different!
We decided it was definitely time to don the head torches. I took off my cap and carried it, and pulled my buff up over my head as a headband, so my torch wouldn’t rub on my head.
Around this time a guy ran past us, singing. It was Ryley again! He had left CP4 after me and the extended break had obviously done him good because he seemed to be in great spirits and running well!
A guy running near us said “This looks like a golf course!” That was good news, because that meant we were near the Fairmont Resort in Leura which was the 69km water point. Here there were only basic supplies (chips, lollies and water) and no support crews were allowed, so no Coke and spuds! On the way into the Fairmont we passed some apartments, some people cheered us on through an open window. I called out, “Do you have wine?” The girl said “We’ve got bubbly!” As tempting as that was, it was probably not the best hydration strategy so we politely declined her offer! (I don’t think Anna was remotely tempted!) 
After the volunteers helped us to fill our bottles, we were told it was time to put on our hi-viz vests and then we set off. (The hi-viz vests were actually great, despite making it really annoying to get anything out of the race vest, because you could really easily see when there were other runners.)
It was ‘only’ about another 9km to the final major checkpoint, Checkpoint 5. (I say ‘only’ because 9km in this context can be a bloody long way!)
Anna was slightly ahead of me because, after having put on my hi-viz, I remembered that I wanted to put my sunnies and cap in my race vest.
After repacking my vest and putting my hi-viz back on, I quickly caught up, but I didn’t recognise her for a moment because I’d forgotten she’d put her thermal top on. I had opted not to put any warm clothes on at this stage. I still had my arm socks on and was finding it really helpful to be able to roll the sleeves down and up as needed. As we descended it would often get a bit cooler so I’d roll them up to my shoulders, and then as we went back up I’d get warm again so I’d roll them down to below my elbows. My cycling gloves, although fingerless, kept my hands warmish. I had calf sleeves on so my legs were reasonably warm. Plus, it wasn’t actually that cold.
It was slow going to the next checkpoint. From the timing point just before the Fairmont, to CP5, was approximately 10km and it took us exactly 2 hours to get there. Anna was struggling especially on the uphills and we needed to stop frequently for a breather. There was little or no running by this stage! We heard a waterfall and Anna speculated that it might be Wentworth Falls. It probably was, given that CP5 was in the town of Wentworth Falls, but given that it was pitch black by now, we couldn’t see it! I thought back to the 60km mark, when it was still daylight, and thought about how awesome it would be to be able to run the whole race in daylight!
We did manage to run a bit in the bitumen section leading up to CP5. A runner passed us, calling out to me. It was Sylvia, a Gold Coast runner who I had met on a trail run back in January when she’d been visiting Adelaide with her husband for the cycling Tour Down Under. She was still going strong.
The entrance to CP5 was something else! If ever there was a rock star reception, this was it! We could hear the music pumping as we approached and the gathered crowd roared as we entered. For one fleeting moment I thought this actually WAS the finish line!
There was Michael again, and also some unexpected familiar faces! My friend Sam, after having come from Sydney and cheered on his brother-in-law Mick (who by now had long since finished) all day, had been following my progress and had come to cheer me on at CP5! Also there was occasional Thursday morning running buddy Toni who was there cheering on Marc (who had already been through) and Di, who wasn’t far behind us. It was great to see some familiar faces among the crowd!
I went to do my thing with my drop bag including a wardrobe change (fresh top and sleeves) and then one last loo stop, during which Michael filled my drink bottles. I had forgotten to get my last ziploc bag of Gatorade powder out of my drop bag, and I wasn’t going back now, so my Gatorade for the last leg was somewhat diluted! (When unpacking my vest after the race, I found an extra bag in one of the pockets of my vest!)
We were told at this checkpoint that not only did we not have to carry our fleece or waterproof pants, we also didnt have to wear our hi-viz vests anymore (but we still had to carry them). Double win! 
I grabbed a couple of cups of Coke as we exited the checkpoint for the last 22km. Just past the checkpoint was a guy having a spew. There was a lot of that out there. At one stage we were playing ‘dodge the spew’ as we made our way along the trail!
The next 12km was a hard slog. We were ticking off the kilometres as best we could with both our Garmins being inaccurate (and when we asked other runners what distance their watches were showing, theirs were often different again!) and hanging out for the markers that came every 5km (each one was met with a minor celebration!)
90km was a big barrier. Anna was worried that she was taking a big risk with her health continuing on, and was really keen to get checked out by the first aid crew at the final stop, an emergency aid station at around 91km. She really wanted to finish, especially having got so far, but wanted some peace of mind that it was safe to do so. After what seemed like an eternity, we saw the 90km marker and one long kilometre later we reached the last aid station. 9km to go. While the first aid guys checked Anna, I sent a quick text to a few people to let them know that we were at 91km and were going to finish but might be a while. Anna was given the all clear to continue, but was told that if she needed to pull out later, the last timing point at 94km (at the delightfully named ‘Sewerage Treatment Works’) was the Point Of No Return. From there on, there was no way for crews to get a car in to pick her up. If she went beyond there, she had to finish.
We were told we had to put our hi-viz back on. I had thought it was weird that they’d told us we didn’t have to wear it after CP5. Especially since there were cars on the dirt roads/tracks we were running on.

We reached the last timing point just before 11:30pm (16 hours 50 minutes in). We were going to the finish. And we were going to get a belt buckle (for finishing under 20 hours) – only 6km to go!
Then there was mud! Or, given the name of the timing point, probably sewerage! EWWWW! We had to squelch our way through it and by the time we got through our shoes were caked in it. Mud. Let’s call it mud. Anna was wearing gaiters which I had decided was something I needed for my next ultra. They are good for keeping rocks and sand out. As it turned out, not particularly useful for mud!
The next 5km was reasonably pleasant. I wasn’t confident running on the narrow trails because even with my head torch I couldn’t see that well, and I definitely did NOT want to trip and fall again! I used my handheld backup light as well as my head torch and that seemed to give better illumination, but even so I was mostly walking. We met a guy called Jack who was from Adelaide originally but now based in Cairns with the military. He had had a fractured fibula a number of years ago and as a result his ankle mobility was a bit limited. What a coincidence that he happened to be running with 2 physiotherapists! We chatted about his injury and the likelihood of improvement in ankle mobility, and also later he sought our advice on recovery (in particular, when to get a massage). Anna offered to give him a free massage in return for him carrying her up the upcoming Furber Steps. For some reason, he didn’t take her up on that offer!
We soon reached the point where earlier in the day (when it was still light), we had passed the 50km runners going the other way as they approached the finish. Now, FINALLY, we were nearly there!
After a few other sets of stairs that we thought were the start of the Furber Steps, we saw the joy-inducing sign that said ‘1km to go’. OK, it was pretty much 1km of stairs, but it was so close we could taste it! We could hear the festivities at the finish line!
It was just under 18 hours when we reached the bottom of the steps. Slowly, and with frequent rests, we made our way up the steps. I did break into song at one point. Appropriately, I thought, it was ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus. Anna was not impressed!
About halfway up the stairs my Garmin died. It had been warning me that the battery was low for a while, but I thought I’d wing it, and I couldn’t be arsed getting my portable charger out of my pack. It wouldn’t have read 100km anyway so did I really want to put it on Strava?
Slowly but surely we plodded up the stairs, using the rails as needed and for seemingly the millionth time for the day, I made a stupid joke about there needing to be an escalator. (In fairness each time I made the joke it was to a different person!)

A volunteer said ‘just a couple more flights and you’re there!’ I thanked him for being the first person today who was not a LIAR! (‘You’re nearly there’ is the biggest lie in distance running. But this guy was telling the truth!)
We got to the top of the steps. Wendy had advised Karen and me before the race, to turn off our head torches as we approached the finish, as the light would affect the quality of the finish line photo. Anna took off her torch, checked with me that she didn’t have a head torch shaped dent in her forehead, and I put the torch into her pack. I turned off my torch and let it drop round my neck, and with my buff on, head torch dent was not a concern for me. We rounded the corner and there it was!
THE FINISH LINE!
WE WERE THERE!
WE HAD DONE IT!
Anna grabbed my hand and we ran across the finish line. Triumphant. Together. It was a really special moment. I’d never crossed a finish line with someone else before and it was a perfect end to what was a very tough but satisfying day. We were each given a coveted bronze belt buckle and a souvenir finisher towel.
WHAT A DAY!
It wasn’t over yet. Anna and I finished just before 1am, in 18 hours 22 minutes. Dej was there to see us finish, after having finished quite a few hours earlier (he had had time to go back to the house for a shower and all!) After grabbing my drop bag, my first priority was getting out of my stinky muddy shoes and socks and slipping into my ugg boots – ahhh! Dej and I went up to the Runners’ Lounge where we met SA trail running legend Terry Cleary (whose day hadn’t gone to plan) and his mate Dave from Darwin who had had a great first 100km race. Terry bought me a wine (thanks Terry!) and after a quick wardrobe change and scavenging all the food that was left from my drop bags and my race vest, I had some delicious hot chips – sooo good! (I stopped short of eating peanut butter from the container, knowing Dej’s aversion! That would have to wait till we got back to the house!)
We saw Kim, who had unfortunately had to pull out at 70km due to blisters. When Terry gave her a lift back to her accommodation, Dej and I went to have a nap on the beanbags while waiting for Wendy and Karen to finish. Dej set his alarm for 1 hour and despite the music still pumping outside and the finish line announcer still going (I have NO idea how she still had any voice left!) we managed to catch a few z’s before heading outside to see Wendy finish. 
It was so great to be able to watch her cross the line, I’d missed seeing her finish last year and after health issues since late last year, she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to run the event until quite recently. Dej took Wendy inside to get warm and I waited outside for Karen and another Adelaide runner, Jen. Jen’s husband Stirling had had to pull out after a fall before CP3 and was there at the finish line. Jen had seen the sunrise last year, taking around 24 hours to complete the course. This time she took about 2 hours off that time (powering across the finish line!) and was stoked to receive a medal. Last year, because she missed the 20 hour cutoff for a belt buckle, she had walked away empty handed – thankfully the organisers had seen fit to award medals to all runners over 20 hours this year. Not far behind Jen was Karen, who also finished strongly and announced ‘NEVER AGAIN!’ (Wendy had said the same, but she had also said that last year!) We had all made it!
We stayed in the Runners Lounge for a while to allow Karen, Jen and Wendy to get changed and get some food and drink. We got to meet Race Director Tom Landon-Smith. I told him “No offence, great event but I won’t be doing it again!” Tom’s response was, “I wouldn’t run it!”
Eventually we got a taxi back to the house, seeing the beautiful sunrise as we went. After eating a whole bunch more food, showering and somehow getting my compression tights on, I finally went to bed around 7:30am. An hour or so later I was up again to go to the presentation – one of our SA runners, Howard, had won his age group.
The presentations overlapped with the last of the 100km runners finishing. Those runners got the best reception of all! Among them was Alf, a 74 year old man who had also been one of the last finishers last year. Early in the race, I had run with last year’s sweeper who had told me he’d run the last 20km with Alf, pushing him towards the end to give him an hour to get up the Furber Steps and make cutoff. He did the stairs in 40 minutes. This year he did the stairs in 33 minutes and made cutoff by 13 minutes. I wonder if he’ll be back for more next year? 

Sam came back from Sydney to take me for a celebratory lunch, and later that night the 5 of us from the house went for the traditional post-race dinner at the local Thai place just up the hill with Terry, Dave and another Darwin friend Robbie. I find spicy food really helps my recovery! Despite being incredibly tired from sleep deprivation and just overall fatigue, I could have listened to Terry, Karen, Dej and Wendy exchanging trail running stories all night!

On Monday morning, Jonathan having left for an early flight, Dej, Wendy, Karen and I got up early to walk to Echo Point to watch the stunning sunrise. We all wore our UTA T-shirts and there were a few others down there wearing them too, so we exchanged stories with them while marvelling at the view.

It was a perfect way to end an epic weekend!
So, after having said “Never again” after the race, I may be wavering a bit. Maybe I will do the 100 again. I can see myself doing the 50km, and a lot of the other Adelaide runners have also said they’d do the 50 but not the 100 again. I won’t do the 100 again on the training I’ve done. I will need to focus on UTA and not try to do everything. Having said that, I’m really happy with how I went, and can’t really see any way (other than training properly) I could have done better.
UTA is not for the faint hearted. But it is an amazing experience in a stunning location with awesome people. If you’re up for a serious challenge, I can highly recommend it!
Now it’s time for recovery and eating everything in sight -then back into marathon training mode!

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The Road To UTA100

Probably the most positive thing I can say about last year’s experience at The North Face 100 in the Blue Mountains (now rebranded as ‘Ultra-Trail Australia 100’ or from now on in this post, ‘UTA100’) is that watching people run it, inspired my entry into this year’s event.
As it turns out, I am not a good spectator/supporter – I need to be involved! That in turn was my inspiration to run the Heysen 105 last year, an event I really enjoyed and will run again. The intention at the time was to do a 100k closer to home first, to make sure I could last the distance. And I did!

Even before Heysen 2015, the entries for UTA100 2016 opened. The 1300 entries sold out in under 48 hours. OK, being so far out from the event, there are always going to be drop-outs and hence opportunities for others. But I didn’t want to take any chances so I was ready on the computer and my phone the second entries opened. A few anxious moments (during which I was chatting on Messenger with my mate Mick who was also trying to get his entry in) later, and a meeting with a work colleague postponed (she was very understanding) we were both in!

On that day or the next, Wendy messaged us about accommodation. Apparently it books out very quickly so she advised us to get in right away. Wendy quickly booked the house we had stayed in last year (actually a self-contained house within a hostel near the centre of Katoomba) and not long after that I managed to snag some cheap flights.

The stats are pretty daunting. The 100km race has an elevation gain of 4300m and roughly 7000 stairs (possibly more. I’d rather not know.)

So I managed to get through Heysen (if you’re interested, you can read all about it: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/10/25/race-report-heysen-105/

I ticked a few boxes that day:

-Running largely alone for long stretches – tick.
-Supplying all my own gear/food – tick.
-Planning and organising drop bags for the checkpoints – tick.
-Running in the dark and not getting lost – tick.
-Getting through a 100k trail ultra in one piece and finishing strongly – double tick.
-Not losing my car key on the trail – oh well, nobody’s perfect! (Fortunately I will NOT be needing to take a car key to UTA100. I am down to my last one!)

Of course, the elevation of Heysen is nothing compared to UTA100. But, it was a good start and I was confident I had what it took to complete UTA100.

The training I did for this race was not quite what I had planned when I entered. I had all these grand plans. I had planned to do a reccy trip to Katoomba prior to the race itself, but time (and money) got away from me. Never mind, Adelaide has a lot of fantastic trails and hills, so there was no shortage of suitable training grounds.

My biggest problem was that I was unable to commit to training purely for UTA. I still have my ‘A’ goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Training for a fast marathon while also training for a challenging ultra is tricky, but I could not afford to focus too much on UTA, because after UTA it’s only about 7 weeks till the Gold Coast Marathon. (I think. If it’s less than that, I don’t want to know!)

Another problem I have is that I am a sucker for a race! So when I should have been doing a long trail run, I would instead run a 3k hot lap race around the Clipsal 500 track. Or even more ridiculous, a 1500m race at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships. (In fairness, I did get podium finishes at both of those events)

So, I’d do my usual 5 runs per week most weeks, with one of those (usually Thursday) being a fastish tempo run, and if I wasn’t Run Director, I would also try to run a fast parkrun. If there was a trail event on the weekend I would run that. In the last 3 weeks I would run Tuesdays and Fridays with my race vest (complete with all the mandatory gear to try to at least partly simulate the race day experience) and sometimes those runs would be hilly.

A couple of times I went up to Morialta with my backpack and did stair reps at the Giants Cave – 10 x 140 steps.

Another time I decided to go and check out ‘Il Bastardo’ hill at Brownhill Creek. 2 reps of that hill 3 days before a half marathon killed my quads. I planned to make that a weekly event up until UTA, but I never got around to going back.

Strava was a bit of a killer. I got to see what a lot of my fellow UTA athletes were doing for training. If I thought my training was a bit inadequate before, seeing what the likes of Karina, Alex and Simon were doing confirmed it!

So basically, to sum it all up, in under a week I will be going into one of the toughest ultramarathons in Australia grossly unprepared. And I can’t wait!

I plan to run it on my own. Well, on my own with 1299 other people. I’m in wave 3 of 7. Wave 1 is for the fastest runners – the idea being that the fast people then don’t have to worry about overtaking the slower runners on what can often be narrow track. So, it’s the opposite of Yurrebilla, where the slower runners set off first to give them extra time to complete the course before cutoff time). I’m not aware of anyone else I know in my start wave, but that suits me fine. I’ve been chatting with Karen about it. Neither of us want to be committed to running with someone else. Either holding them back, or being held back. We prefer to run our own race. We’ll no doubt meet new people along the way who we’ll run with for a while, but we won’t be tied down. We will run when we can, walk when we have to, and most importantly, enjoy the
ride!

I have all my mandatory gear. I am half packed. I know what I’ll be wearing on the day and I know what food I need to buy when I get to Katoomba. OK I may not have done the training I should have, but at least I have my outfit and food sorted. So, the important stuff is taken care of!

Next week’s blog will be all about UTA100. You might want to put aside a bit of time for that one. Much like the race itself, I have a feeling it’s going to be a bit of an epic!