Hubert100 Ultra - my comeback tour

It has been said by so many that if you don't like starting over, then don't stop!  Well the last 4-5 weeks has been somewhat of a challenge to get myself back moving again after such a long period of pathetic excuses that kept me spiralling down into a black hole of self doubt, and fear of inability to compete driven by damaged self pride.  I'd love to say I had genuine reasons for how I let myself get so far off course, but I have none.

After injuring my back, twice, early last year playing cricket I was forced to a complete stop with running for nearly 3 months.  When I was finally able to get moving freely again my performance was clearly not where I'd liked it to be and somewhat affected me.  I wouldn't admit to it then but I was too ashamed to run.  Even my flat 5-10km runs were pathetic (in my eyes at the time), and going out on the trials with the social groups I'd find myself struggling along with the back of the packs.  So what's the most logical thing to do?  Give up.  Crawl into a hole and find excuses why you can't run today, or tomorrow, or join in on that invite for a social run next weekend.  All the while, keep consuming high energy foods that I'd become accustomed to while training at high levels meant my kg's were going up quicker than my training miles were.

Fast forward to August 2015, Yurrebilla time approaching fast.  The one race I'd promised myself in 2012 when completing it as my very first ultra marathon, that no matter what was going on in my life at the time, Yurrebilla will not be missed.  I gave myself around 6 weeks to at least do something to enable the body to drag itself through.  This should've been my wake up call to slingshot myself back into the game, but no.  I managed to fake it through for a 10hr something finish and then fall back into the abyss.

Continue to roll the tape until March 2016, and a total of 28.5kg's later and we finally have some lights come on.  WTF am I doing?  Why?  The Clare Half mara is on next weekend so I enter at that moment knowing it'll be the worst run in history but who cares.  No more excuses.  I turn up, I run the event (if you can call it running) and allow the poor result to resonate and expand my purpose for sorting myself out.

The Hubert100 Ultra has been something on the cards for the last few years and finally it has come together for an official start.  I'd camped and done some minor hiking through there and knew it's potential for making an ultra like no other.  3 distances on offer, 41km, 51km and 86km.  Not knowing the trail precisely but knowing what the terrain can be like, I opt for the 41km option with the mindset of soaking up all the reasons I used to love these events.  The people, the scenery, the challenge, the self resolve.

I deliberately plan to not plan........ No overthinking. No pulling the event down piece by piece to strategize how I will carry out the run.  Just turn up, enjoy the moment and use it to refill my purpose.

With a number of familiar faces and friends going along, the weekend had the makeup to be quite enjoyable.  I pick up Tania and Michael the day before and share the drive up to Wilpena Pound where 5 hours later we sort out our tents and gear while sharing quick hello's with the other runners as they filter through the camp grounds.  Just after sunset we all gather at the resort for the welcoming by a local Aboriginal with loads of historical connection and passion for the region; telling some intriguing stories of the dreamtime for St Mary's Peak and some of the region.  A quick dinner with Mark, Mel, Tania and Michael shortly after before we all get an early night leading into race morning.

An unusually late start of 9:30am meant a no pressure morning, free to take our time getting organised.  Driving out to the start was just as I'd remembered from ultra's.  A few laughs, and some event banter while taking in the sights that wonderful Flinders have to offer.  "How long have we driven?  Because I thought we were only running 41km and it feels we've gone a lot further than that from the finish line......"

A long, bumpy ride later, we come to the starting area of the 41km, share some happy snaps and loose typical chats amongst the others of "are you ready?' etc, and we're off.  A great way to start with just a taste of what's to come, we lead straight into a couple of small hills that offer some stunning views of our surrounds.  Before 1km is up, the phone is out and I'm up to 5-6 pics already.  as we come down from there we come to a long, very rocky and technical creek bed.  Now THIS IS TRAIL RUNNING!  This is what I've been missing.  The group, while starting to segregate, still has a number of people bunched together so the time flies through here sharing small talk and various random discussions.  It's always great value to have Michelle Hanlin around.  Love your energy and spirit out there Michelle.

Considering my lack of training and carrying a shit-ton (official measure of weight in this context) of weight, my legs and general energy levels seem to be holding quite comfortably.  A lot better than I'd expected.

At approximately 8km in, I hear the sounds of sudden pain and discomfort from Tania just behind me.  She's blown her knee out turning awkwardly across a boulder.  The risk was always going to be high for an existing injury on this run but with the comfortable start it looked as though she was going to get a little more life out if today, until now.  The pain is clearly intense and can barely move without the stabbing sensation.  With a mix of not giving up, stubbornness, and a touch of stupidity Tania predictably decides to continue at any cost.  It's at this point I make the clear decision that I will not leave her on her own out here.  Not in this state.  I seen an eagle on the way to the start could easily pick her up and carry her away...... ;) Whilst it continues to plague her all day, she completes the next 33km of outrageous terrain in an awe inspiring spirit.  That must've been a constant battle of demons and I admire the sheer determination. 

Moving through the rocky creek bed, we come out to a slightly undulating track that offers some relief from the mind on the constant lookout for rocks and trip hazards, to a smooth and easy going step for the next number of kms.  It is hear that we come across Brenton struggling immensely with dehydration and body heat issues.  Spending what may have been close to an hour with him, it is clear he needs help and he decides he cannot go further.  Whilst uncomfortable to leave him, we must move forward knowing the next aid station is around 5-6kms away and no phone reception to call for help.  I take off to source help but around 3km to go, a mountain biker comes cruising past and offers to advise the upcoming aid.  I rest a little from picking up the pace and find Tania catch me up shortly after. (We find out later that Brenton had sought medical help and was fine)

Coming out to a wide expanse, the true view of what was to come was staring us in the face.  The almighty St Mary's Peak!  What a gorgeous sight.  Kelly comes trotting up behind; and although I'd heard early on that she'd not had an ideal start, appeared to be looking pretty comfortable and in good spirits. A few gentle kms and a quick review of the maps to ensure we're headed the right way and we come to the checkpoint that marks the next phase of the adventure; the climb up!

Up until this point, and for over 3 weeks leading up to the event I'd been completely free from processed sugar.  Knowing what was to come, I stupidly thought I could do with the energy and downed some coke and lollies in prep for the daunting ascent.  What a silly move that proved to be shortly after.........  Slowly making the way up through the initial gentle climb was ok, but around 20 minutes later as it slowly begins to get steeper, I feel my belly begin to turn.  Nothing major, but certainly not comfortable as it had been all day.  I manage, but it has been clearly noted.

Coming clear of the tall trees and out to the vast scrub, the views begin to become some of the best for the day.  Yet only 1/3 of the elevation is underfoot, this is clearly going to be a wonder to behold.  We continue to follow the trail the best we can, relying heavily on the blue markers along the way.  However, trail markers are only as reliable as their placement........  It becomes apparent very soon that the trail is fading. It now disappears.  Within minutes of second guessing where we have gone wrong, we are greeted by others who have clearly made the same mistake, (and I discover post race that this was a common spot for many others).  We spend what must've been 20-30 minutes looking for the trail before finally coming back to where we had missed a turn, spotting the post around the corner rather than at the turn.  Great spot for a marker!

Finally back on track and moving freely, belly slightly on edge, and Tania trudging along like a soldier with what must've been like a dagger embedded into her knee, we share the final climb up St Mary's Peak to the saddle.  Wow! Just wow!  The steepest, most vertical 'trail' I've ever come across.  This was not trail running. This was rock climbing!  Whilst I was swearing enough to make a sailor sound like a saint on the way up the last 1km, I'll admit later that it was clearly worth every step.  This section showed a strength of Tania's who clearly found this much easier than I, who patiently waited as I dragged my sorry ass up.

Reaching the saddle with the sun still in the sky was a great result considering the position we were facing early on in the day.  A few more happy snaps and it's time for the looooong and rocky descent.  This becomes a fav sectiont for myself as I begin to recover and feel quite comfortable, however it is clearly the worst of the worst for Tania with a bad mix of downhill slope and technical landing making a bad situation worse on the knee.  Where so many would've pulled the pin hours before, this rock solid nutter keeps putting one foot in front of the other with nothing more than a murmur of pain here and there.  Big respect right here.

Around 6km's down and it begins to clear up, flatten out and becomes more manageable to get a solid rhythm going.  These next few km's become the smoothest, and best running of the day since before the rocky creek bed early on.  All up until the final 2-3 kms where Tania's knee decided enough was enough and will not make this finish an easy one.  Once again, would not give in and kept a regular run/walk pattern right through.

It become apparent through the last few kms as the light slipped from the sky and required a quick grab of the torch that this day was about over and the watch was going to land a little bit short of being a marathon distance of 42.2km.  That's not acceptable.  Finally, some lights off in the distance and as we approach, some noise grows stronger to the point of an awesome cheer once they see lights coming towards them.  It's done.  Finished.  I give Tania a quick 'well done' as I look at my watch to find it's come up short as predicted so I trot on through and past the finish line until a few minutes later it ticks over.  42.2km's, ok now I'm done!

What a day! What an adventure!  An event like no other and one to return to once better prepared to have a good solid go at.  Next year, IT'S ON!!!!

Big thanks to Ben at Yumigo for such an awesome concept that his hard work has finally brought to life.  Big thanks to Michael, Tania, Mark and Mel for a good time spent across the couple of days.

It's clear I've finally found my passion once more and loving the journey back to form......

Mt Lofty 2 Murray Bridge 'Just Coz' Ultra

Once again, the wonderful, crazy cat Karen and I had drummed up another 'little adventure', as we continue to prepare for the big run from Melbourne to Adelaide.  The final 60-70km stretch into Adelaide was always going to one to navigate as we cannot head in along the freeway.  As such, we decide a few weeks ago to do a reccy run through there to check it out.  Don't want any surprises at day 9 of a 7km+ run.......

Initially thinking it would be just us, with maybe a couple of others coming along since we know some other crazy nutbags around, we put it out there on Facebook that anyone is welcome.  Well......... message after message, pouring in from all over the place, we end up with 19 people kicking off (including 2 running slightly late, intending to make up ground)

Having only punched in a very loose 'google map' route with 'walking' option clicked, the starting comment of "alright, let's go.  Which way do we start" really set the day in motion for what was to come..............  I know it's east and I know of 2 marked trails along the way, including the Pioneer Womens Trail, which runs past this starting point only 1-2kms down the hill.  That's good enough for me.......... lol

Taking our first step about 15 minutes after we'd planned was quite good considering the social, unofficial aspect.  It's been raining through the night, but outlook promised a cool, but dry day ahead.  For once, the weather reports were correct.  Cool, dry, and 50/50 sun/cloud.  Perfect!!!

The Pioneer Womens Trail offers some nice single track for most of this portion, with lush greenery, conversing through some nice parks and skirting through some well known and loved country towns.  Perfect for Karen to stop in for a coffee......

Once we leave Harndorf it's onto the navigation component until we pick up the Lavender trail near the end of the run.  Which way will offer the most gravel roads, over the bitumen?  Thankfully, we have a local on board, Lee, who sticks his hand up and offers some backroad options to head through.  Done! 

The next 30-35km is loosely 40% bitumen, 60% gravel.  A few rolling hills but nothing worth noting for the big day.  Somehow through this section, the distance left to go, seems to continue stretching to the point where the initial 63km estimate is blowing out to somewhere in the low 70's.  Of course Karen and I are finding this quite amusing, while some others may have kept a few expletives to themselves...... LOL

Eventually we stroll into Monarto, where we pick up the Lavender Trail, knowing it'll be a welcomed change getting back onto some single track.  No-one warned us it was 3-4 km of soft sand to begin with.  Grrrrr.  Navigation through here is a bit of hit and miss with the trail signs mostly missing.  Unsure if we're actually still on the trail, we stumble across some mountain bikers who confirm we are, but advise of an unmarked turn.  Lucky because we surely would've gone straight ahead.

Taking the turn, we head 2km up another dirt road, but didn't care because it was surely better than the bloody sand.  Hitting the end of this dirt road we finally turn right into Rocky Gully; a technical single track with some great looking rock faces.  We also know it's down to single figures to get into town.  Great relief!

After some very enjoyable km's through the rocky trails, we come out to the perimeter of Murray Bridge, and 1km after that, we get our first glimpse of the river.  Of course, the camera phones come out...........

Another 3kms, we're done!  But of course, runners OCD kicks in, and have another 400m to go until the rounding off of the full KM..... OK, now we're done!

What a day........... 

What was amazing; the support we received from my good friend Greg, Jon, and Darryl who met us at every 5-10km along the route, to top us up with food and fluids. In addition, we had a few others popping in and out to offer additional help. Thankyou so much as there is no way we could've done this without you all.

I can not believe the amount of amazing people I know in the running community here.  On a whim, say 'yeah I'll come along' for a 60km+ social run for no other reason than 'Just Coz'

Post race: The Danger Zone......

Thought for tonight:

How many times have you been part way through an event saying to yourself "Why am I doing this?". "Never doing this again", just to find yourself in the same event the next year, getting to the same point thinking, 'hang on, I said I wasn't doing this again!" lol

If you're like me, and most others, this is like groundhog day with runners on.  Don't get me wrong, I friggin love running and the buzz from events just make things more electric.  But there's something about those moments during the low times that can have you questioning your mentality.....  Have you thinking all those 'well meaning' friends maybe right to have you committed to the local support group because "you're crazy".

However.......... no matter how low those lows may be, and no matter how you struggled through, there is always the age old Newtons' saying "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".  I believe this is true with distance running.  The lowest of lows in my past events have often had me coming out within 48hrs post race with the highest of highs.  I'm not going to bore everyone with nerdy talks on endorphins and blah blah.  All I'm going to say is we've all been there.......  The night of and up to the following 2 days is 'glory time' to reflect back on the day.  Even if you've had a shocker outcome, there's still something going on inside that makes you tick.

This is what I'm dubbing as "The Danger Zone"
By %, how many events do you think people sign up for whilst within the 48hr post event period?  If it's anything like me, it'd have to be somewhere in the 80% region.  I can't help myself.  My wife gets nervous when I go near a computer or smart phone within 2 days of an event.  She knows I'll be signing up all over the place.  I'm thinking it's not too long until my credit card is confiscated during this costly timeframe.  (note to self, write down my credit card details in advance)

But true to my nutbag character, my advice is, EMBRACE THE DANGER ZONE!!!! It's because of this that I've signed up for events that normally I should be thinking no way, just to find I had a blast, then hit the Danger Zone again.  And so the vicious cycle continues......

I don't know how to get off this rollercoaster, but hey, why would I want to?

Distance Running: Passion or Obsession?????

Vent time.........  I've just completed my second 48hr ultra marathon in 2 months, and am sick of the bombardment of negatively directed queries.  Especially along the context that I must have some sort of addiction to running......  (I'll point out firstly that none of this has come from close friends or family as those close to me, know me and my motives)

When it comes to your career, there's the common phrase "when you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life".  I believe this wholeheartedly.  I think that's also true when it comes to your fitness or lifestyle choices.  Too many times I see or hear of people who perceive their 'duty' to fitness or healthy life choices as a chore, or something they 'have to do'.......  WHY?  Why is it such a drag?  Maybe you're not doing it right.  Maybe you're not doing it for the right reason.  Or, maybe you've not found something you truly enjoy doing that ticks all the boxes for keeping your fitness in check.  But that's a whole other story....

Why is it always the un-informed always offer the most 'informed opinions'?
I know this is where I sit in terms of distance running.  If you're a long distance runner, I'm sure you've had all the same questions or concerns thrown at you that I have:

• didn't you run yesterday?
• isn't that bad for your knees?
• how do you run so much?  I get tired/bored after 10 minutes
• you ran a marathon? did you win?

The fact is, running is more closely aligned to our evolutionary development than most other common human activities in the 21st century so I find the naïve questioning almost insulting.  I know its generally not meant that way so it's easy enough to let it go.  By large proportions, I'd be comfortable to bet that more people watch television for one hour per day than people exercise for 1 hour per day.  Yet anyone who routinely exercises for 1 hour, every day without fail will be accused as being obsessive, addicted or somewhat controlled by their 'need' to do so.  However, how many people who sit in front of the idiot box for 1 hour a day are struck with the same arrow?  Few at best.

Am I obsessed?
It wasn't until recently when I was reviewing some of my Garmin data that I realised just how many long distance runs I've racked up in the last couple of years.  Why?  Because non were a chore.  I bet if I tried I could count how many times I've done weeding though..... lol

I started running around April 2012, with no particular intent or structure, just the fact that I wanted to maintain weight.  After a couple of months of settling into things, I soon came to realise how much I loved pushing the limits on distance, and moreso along the trails.  I remember back in the early days doing a fair bit of reading about all things running, such as how to train for your first half marathon, and how long should you allow to recover? etc.  I'm glad I decided to throw all this info in the bin and just go by my own studies in personal training and human movement.  + use 'fun' as my true guide to what I want to do and how I'm going to do it.

In quick summary, this has lead to the following runs since August 2012: (2 years, 2 months)

• 16 @ 45km to 179km
• 6 @ marathon distance
• 28 @ half marathon to marathon distance
• 376 activities in total @ an average of 12.35km per run

I genuinely had no idea that there were so many, however regret none of them.  Were any of these worthy of any accolades?  No, not by a long shot.  But, I've enjoyed every mile and have followed my passion for the reasons I choose.  Would some say it's too much for such a short period of time? Yep, many will, and many do.  Do it care?  F*%k no!

Some will no doubt see this as an 'obsession'.  I see it as doing something I love, guided solely by what makes me tick.  Furthermore, at no point do I let my choices in this area interfere with or create sacrifice in other important factors in my life; such as family, career, social life etc.  It is my belief that an action or activity crosses from 'passion' to 'obsession' when other facets of ones life are negatively distorted as a direct result.  ie, should your partner and kids feel neglected due to your repeated choices, and you know this, then continue down the same path anyway; maybe you need to consider what's most important.

I make no reservations to say that I love pushing the boundaries and get a real kick out of it.  But at no point, should it come at a cost.  At least not to other important facets of what makes up your existence.  It's about balance and understanding..........

So be obsessively passionate people.............

ULTRA MARATHON RUNNING: Run to compete or run to complete

Have you ever found yourself doing something, just to one day ask yourself "why am I doing this?"  I'm sure you have.  This is fairly simply explained, yet hard to avoid.  In basic terms, it's an internal battle we're constantly taking part in between what you personally want out of life VS social conditioning. Personally, I have my own clear understanding on what it is that I want out of life, and how I'd ideally wish to carry it out.  Yet, how is it I often find myself doing the exact opposite, until making a concerted effort to re-align myself?  By nature, humans are followers, yet consciously we wish to carry out our own agendas.  A clear conflict.

So where am I going with this ramble?  "C'mon Matt, I didn't come on here for a Dr Phil special".  This is my nerdy way of explaining that every single one of you have you're own agenda to why you run.  Why you started.  Why you've continued, or why you've come back to it if you've had a break.  While some people's verbal descriptions may sound similar to others, their own personal understanding and drive behind it all is somewhat personal and unique.

So what drives you to lace up?  Take a minute to think about it.  I challenge you to take a few minutes and write down and few lines........ Can you?  If it's something you haven't yet consciously taken time to think about, it may be slightly challenging.

Todays post isn't a personal development session so I'll move on.  Ultimately what I want to put out there is we need to align our activity with our purpose.  This is what I was referring to in the first paragraph.  I can't possibly list and provide commentary on all the possible options out there so I'm going to pick 2 common theme's that sit behind various motives I come across when discussing this topic with fellow runners.

1. The Thrillers: Those who are completely enthralled by pushing for every second and will go to huge lengths to grab a PB at their next race.
2. The Chillers: Those who care not (or very little) for their performance, but simply enjoy the social aspect or some personal time to relax. 

Do you run to Compete; or do you run to Complete? I'm sure you can immediately think of some running colleagues and begin to pigeon hole the majority of them into one of these.  And just to throw in a variable, sometimes the same person can have both of these on the cards, but at different times in their lives.  Maybe you personally have gone through stages between these.

I've been caught up across the 2 at the same time, which caused me considerable grief.  Going back to my earlier suggestion that we battle between internal motives VS what goes on around us, I've found myself on occasion blurring these together.  It's like mixing milk with vinegar. 

Personally, I run because I love the freedom and self fulfillment out on the trails.  A couple of hours up in the hills either alone or with others can always solve all of the worlds problems, (or at least until I get back in the car and grab my phone........)  Yep, I'm a 'Chiller'.  However, in almost all other aspects of my life I tend to be quite competitive by nature.  I'm sales and commercially driven and can be a little impulsive when I want to achieve something.  While I have no intention of chasing down a course record for TNF100, nor probably have the ability anyway....... lol, early last year I found myself almost hating putting the runners on.  Why?  I love running.  After a little while, it dawned on me that I had become so wound up in trying to become competitive, my whole focus in training had become about what my garmin displayed each mile, and the weekly reports I'd download to assess the improvements.  I'd let go of what truly interested and motivated me, and began to follow suit with others who were more results driven. 

In terms of Ultra Marathon running, even training to just complete can be an extremely intense process, coupled with huge investments in time and personal sacrifice. Training to compete however, takes somewhat more.  For many, this is their own form of joy.  Their drive to keep going.  And to those, I commend you.  It's always inspiring to watch or read a race report from the front runners on huge events; however I find it equally inspiring to see someone come out of nowhere, possibly pulling themselves out from some personal issues to work they way up and complete their first 100km event.  50km, 100km or more for some is an incredibly long way to push the body. Whether you come first or last in an ultra marathon, it's important to understand that you've completed an extraordinary task that puts you in a minute minority group that others cannot fathom how you did it. Let alone why!

From here on in, I make concerted efforts to refresh myself on WHY I do what I do.  Rarely do I carry out my LSR alone, purely because I know me.  After a few weeks, I'll end up losing focus on what's really important. 

So, my message today is:  Why do you run?  In years to come when you look back on your journey, what will give you the greatest satisfaction?  Once you know what this is, why would you do anything else?

Run well and happy trails........

FIRST ROGAINE: a trail runners 'playtime'

It's no secret that I favor the trails over hard surface running any day, in any condition.  That said, no matter how much you love something, there can come times where some variety can keep things interesting.

A few weeks ago a running friend, Sally, plants the seed about entering a Rogaine event coming up.  I'd heard of it before, but knew very little about it.  Rogaining, for those who know as much as I did a few weeks ago, is most easily described as ultra running mixed with orienteering.  This particular event had both a 6hr and 12hr event of which there were 50 secret checkpoints (called 'controls') spread across miles of countryside; each worth a variety of score points based on complexity, location and distance.  The concept here is, the team who can gather the most points by visiting the controls within the given timeframe wins.

 

After a couple posts and comments thrown around on Facebook, we had a team formed for the 12hr event and had committed to it.  OK, now what?  I don't even know what we need to do.  All I know is that I'll be spending 12 hours out in the bush with my running shoes on so I'm happy.  The 2 others in the team, Dione and Tania were equally novices to the concept as I.  So this can either be a complete disaster, or a whirlwind adventure......

Thankfully, Sally had planned a training night for beginners to gather some basic tips.  While I couldn't make the session, I was saved by Dione and Tania who did attend.  Based on the knowledge shared, we all did our best to equip ourselves with the required gear.  Even meeting a few days prior to go over our 'team plan' in some naïve attempt to look like we knew what we were doing on the day.

Of course it seems idiotic to enter the 12hr event, rather than the 6 when none of us had been exposed to the game before, but hey, what's an adventure without jumping in the deep end?

We agree to arrive around 8:30am to get set up, knowing that the course map identifying the control locations is given out 2 hours prior to the 11am start time, at 9.  This is the time to strategically map out your ideal route to take, maximizing the points you can gather in the set time.

We set ourselves down, put together 3 different plans allowing for variables we're yet to experience, and decide on one to start us off.

5, 4, 3 ,2, 1.... and we're off.  Knowing we have 12 hours ahead of us, we agree that we must take it as easy as possible from the outset.  Gently running the flats and downs, walking the ups, should ideally give us sufficient pace while conserving energy. 

A few minutes later, we come across our first control, #20.  Granted it was the closest and easiest to identify, it was great to get our first one ticked off.  We childishly hi-5 each other in celebration of our small yet exciting achievement.  OK, on to the next one.....

Well, here's our crash course in what rogaining is really about!  We get to the approximate location on the trail, knowing the control is located off the trail about 150m.  In thick, prickly, dense scrub.  Not a clear path in sight.  The only tip we're given is 'the spur'.  What the heck is a spur?  We spend around 20-30 minutes 'learning' what the hell a spur is, and more to the point, what to expect when looking for these controls.  At least it was worth a lot more points.

The next few controls come along fairly quickly, and thankfully without much hassle.  Awesome, we seem to be getting the hang of it.  Not to mention we are about an hour ahead of plan now.

Off we head towards the most valuable control on the course, #100.  A short time later, it becomes apparent that we've gone past the track leading down to the control, and in fact had headed completely out of the mapped area!!!!  Oops, thanks Matt for suggesting we follow the creek bed.....  At least it had some great views.  We turn back, and get back on course within 15 minutes, finding the control quite easily after clambering down one of the steepest descents I've seen.

A couple of hours later, after completing our first intended loop of controls and arriving back at base camp (called Hash House) we only missed out on 1 control we'd planned on.  Not to mention getting back about 2 hours before plan.  What an awesome day it's been so far.  Sure, our legs look like pin cushions from the shrubs but a fantastic time indeed.

We happily reward ourselves by resting for 45 minutes, sitting down to have a good meal.  Night time now; headlamps on, review the next circuit and off we go.

Night time navigation is something I've gotten used to with trail running, but heading off from the track into the bush was another story.  With no geographical points of reference to guide us, we begin to rely a bit more on the compass.  The last few hours during the day has prepped us well enough on the basics that we can focus more on 'not getting lost'.  Fortunately, this section treats us well.  Finding all intended controls without much of an issue at all. 

About 2 hours left, it's time to start heading back.  We'd deliberately left a couple of controls near camp as contingencies just in case we had time.  Awesome, we have time.  Cutting straight across to grab 1 of them took a few minutes navigating through a thick pine plantation forest, we head towards the our last one for the night to find the control had been stolen by local campers.  Oh well, it's been a whirlwind day in superb scenery with some extraordinary people.  Time to get back.

Arriving back at base with an hour left on the clock, the team equally agrees to call it a night and just relax.  We'd achieved more than we'd originally planned, so to sit back with a hot chocolate around the campfire was a perfect ending to an enlightening day.

During presentations we learn that the low expectations we had on ourselves, anticipating a dead last placing or close to, is countered by coming in 20th out of 33 teams.  Bonus!!!!!

I think I've found my 'cross training'.  There's so much to learn, and I will most definitely be back to take it all on board.

Big thanks to my team members Dione And Tania who made an unknown day such a wonderful experience.  Knowing how easy we took things, mixed with not knowing what the hell we were doing to begin with, I'm pretty sure next time around will be quite an improvement.

Until next time............

RACE REPORT - Yurrebilla 56km Ultra Marathon 2013

The Ultra Anniversary.............

Exactly 12 months ago I lined up under the historic Belair sign embarking on what was to be my first Ultra Marathon.  That day changed my life, thrusting me into the ultra world.

I learned a lot that day; not just about running, but about myself emotionally and spiritually.

Current form is questionable as the lead up training being heavily hampered by a new job taking a huge amount of time to get going, and also an ongoing issue with my belly going bad on me during all my long runs.

If I was going to make it today, the belly was going to have to play the game.  Some weeks ago, this single item stood out as a major red flag.  The issue with being under prepared with training wasn't a major concern as I did the same thing last year, but if the belly was going to act in the same way it has for the last 9 months, it would probably result in my first ever DNF.

So in the week before the race, I'm off to see Stephanie Gaskell at Nutrition Strategies, who is not only an elite ultra marathon runner in her own right, but a specialist nutritionist.  Who better qualified to attend to my problems.  Steph kindly offered to work with me on the bigger picture with the charity run to Melbourne in support of Crohns Disease as her business is so closely aligned.

An hour later, and a whole new outlook on nutrition planning (against all the rules I've been working with to date) I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on my pre event and on event fuel sources.

The day comes by quick.  I used to be so much more prepared but I've become a bit complacent lately.  I arrive just over an hour early, just in time to see one of my clients set off on her first trail ultra.  Having an almost identical preparation to myself last year I'm sure she's going to have a tough but successful day ahead.  "Good luck Grace" and she's off.

Now it's my turn, standing on that same spot, but now registered in the group A, I was feeling a little like an imposter when looking around at some of the faces and knowing their ability.  But too late now, I'm in and the slower group start waves are long gone.  "C'mon Matt, you've got this. You've done this one before so you know what you're up against"

I set my drop bags down and double check it's all laid out in the easiest format to 'grab and go'.  Shortly after, Wayne, a long term friend and another of my running clients, from Sydney arrives also for his first trail ultra.  Looking well prepared but anxious it's obvious his mind has been spinning for days.  Following Wayne's progress over recent months I'm convinced this is the only time I'll see him until the finish line.

"10 minutes until start" I overhear from a conversation nearby.  Wow, really? I thought we still had ages; as I double check against my watch...... So it is.

Fuel belt on, food, water, a quick pic with Wayne, watch is on, "HOOOOOOOOOOT" and off we go to the air horn.

"Right, here we go. Take it easy. There's a little bit of climbing to kick us of for a few km's then we go down."  Downhill will remain to be my strength.  "Conserve on the ups Matt"

I settle in to my watch rather than watching the crowd in front knowing this field are much stronger than I am.  If I get caught up in their 'wash' I'm in trouble.

30 minutes and I'm in to the first 5km drink stop.  "Ok, feeling comfortable. Let's pick up a little time on this downhill for a few km's before the 15km's of incline approaching."

Time to get some food in.... 20g carbs for now just to keep on top of things.  Must get up to 40g by the 1hr mark.

Whilst it's a bit of a climb, we are all well rewarded for our efforts with the stunning view of the entire city covered with nothing but blue skies.  This is why I run trails.  This right here is enough to take the mind away from the daunting miles yet to be covered.......

Before long, whilst allowing myself to soak up the amazing views of the Adelaide Hills I come into the first main checkpoint at approximately 21kms.  "Ok, 2:18, I'm way out on last years time and feeling good."  A little worked due to the heavy climb, but reasonably ok considering it's highest peak in South Australia.  A good friend of mine who's offered to support both Wayne and I for the day greets me there with my changeover bottles and my drop bag with the food for the next leg.  "Thanks Greg" and off I go.  I remembered spending about 3-4 minutes there last year so I was determined to keep each of these aid stops to under a minute.... 49 seconds and I'm out of there.....

A Few km's ahead I see the familiar bright red hair of Grace.  "Oh no, I shouldn't be seeing her this early in the race.  Something is wrong!"......... I slowly pull up next to her, to find her quite emotional and clearly in huge pain.  I offer what support and advice I can at such a time but shortly after I push on.  While I'd like to see her complete this tough task, I'm convinced here that today is not her day.  I find later that she forced out an amazing 10 more kilometres before pulling out.  I'm sure every one of those extra steps will be burned into her memory for life......... Well done Grace, we'll see you there next year.

From memory, there's a small amount of descent and climb just ahead before HORSNELLS GULLY.........  There's 3 sections of this race that I remember most from last year, and this is one of them.  A long steep descent, before the nasty climb back out.  "Time to rock the downhill so I've got some time to play with getting back out of here."  I pass a fair number through the technical, rocky single track thinking that today may result in my first real stack.  Thankfully I reach the bottom unscathed.....

The climb is as remembered.  However I manage a load better than I last attempted.  (I begin thanking Steph right here).  Something seems to be going the right way for a change.  Not to mention stopping to take a photo bomb of a wandering koala along the now wider track helped take the mind away from the near 45 degree incline.

I need to be out of Horsnells in under 4hours if I'm to have a shot at a sub 7hr time knowing the trek ahead.  Hitting the top at 3:56 gave me some relief, and more to the point that within seconds of reaching the top and it returning back down again I'm back into a solid rhythm.  This is great!!!!!  (I thank Steph yet again)

OK, so it's downhill now until the 38km aid station.  Let's get some time back.  Pace is good, belly is good, quads a little fatigued from pushing hard on the downs but they're manageable.  I stick with the fuelling plan and push on.

 

I come into the 38km checkpoint feeling exceptionally better than last year.  I have a distinct memory of 'struggletown' at this point last year, so to be running a steady pace right now is a huge uplift.  Sub 7 is definitely there. YES!!!!!!

Greg kindly greets me at the aid stop, helping me grab my food for this final leg, a quick swig of ginger beer to help keep the belly on the right level, and off I go with Greg telling me that Wayne is only 2 minutes ahead.  "Really?"  I thought he'd be at least 30 minutes ahead.  He must be struggling because he is clearly a stronger runner than I am.  I suspect he may be saving something for the end as I know he's studied these maps in depth.  This aid stop costs me 1 minute 4 seconds so that's ok.

Back into rhythm straight away but I know this section is about to get warm.  Last year in almost identical conditions, there was something about the climb along the western face of the mountain that seemed to make it feel 10 degrees hotter.  A few minutes and I come into the always entertaining 42km drink station, famous for outrageous costumes and Coca-Cola as the preferred beverage.  Not on the plan as I'd been convinced to follow the agenda to the letter, I'm almost forced to take on some coke as they're basically out of water.  "Oh no, this is not what I wanted to here coming into the hottest part of the race, and the next stop is 7kms away."  (That said, the mere fact that they have a drink stop here is amazing due to it's remote, UPHILL location, far from any car access, so thank you especially to these hardworking volunteers)

I decide to suck it up and put in what I can through Morialta.  I know this section well as I've run more than a dozen times.  "only 14kms to go.  I know if I push up this hill, I can afford to expel what energy I have knowing the long descent after is a strong point of mine.

Just as the top of Morialta becomes in reaching distance I see Wayne walking up one of the last descents.  I yell out from 50m behind o let him know of my presence.  We share a couple of words before he decides to push on up the hill taking his lead to around 100-150m before pulling back to a walk up the final climb.  I decide to reserve a little here given the last little incline is steep but short.  There's no point burning what I have on such a short hill when it may only gain me a few seconds.  Let's save that for the 6-7 km descent. 

We hit the top......... YES. I know from here I have only one more challenge..... The infamous BLACKHILL!!!!

Last year I decided to take it easy on this decline as a means of saving myself for the excruciating final climb, but this year I decide to work with my strength and punch out some low 5min km's.  (I know these aren't fast in real terms but at this stage on tired legs it's a solid struggle).  Again I think of how Steph's planning has clearly paid off.......  How is it that I can still run this pace when last year I had nothing?????

I run out of water about 2km away from the drink station.  I see a couple of emergency volunteers carrying their own personal water bottle and half hesitate to ask for a splash, but pride keeps me from doing so and I push on.

Greg....... what a sight for sore eyes.  I wasn't expecting to see him until the end.  I'm in and out, topped up and water soaked over the head in less than 40 seconds.  "Let's get this bastard outta the way"

Last year it took me nearly an hour to get from here to the finish, and I know I finish really hard and strong on the final descent last year so with 6:10 on the clock, I'd better work hard from here to secure a sub seven.......  Chanting "Sub 7....... Sub 7......Sub 7" and random points on the up.....

There's 3 parts to this sucker......... the never ending 30degree climb for a few kms, followed by a steep 45 degree mental tester, followed again by some further rolling hills that catch you out when you first think that you've got to the top.  I'm not sure what bit is worse, but in all they add up to one major hurt fest after 50kms in the legs.  "C'mon Matt, a few minutes of pain and then you're on the down"

The final 3kms is one of my favourite trails to run locally, and I always make habit of no matter how I'm feeling to just suck up everything I've got and let loose down a tight, winding single track.  It's a mix between knowing there's no more climbs, the finish is within crawling distance and the mere fact that it's an awesome section of the trail.  I hit the entrance to this track next to another runner, and I mumble as I pass by "OK, 3 to go, time to suck it up and let loose"

If there's anywhere I'm gonna stack it, it's here.  Legs like jelly, quads burning like I'd put deep heat in my undies, but no time to look at the watch due to the winding, tree lined descent.  "sub 7........ sub 7........"

I come to the familiar steep rocky section that until now thought it wasn't runnable.  Leaping from one boulder down to another looking 3-4 steps ahead I pass 2 runners murmuring something how I was crazy (which is a compliment in my eyes, lol) all the while thinking if I stack it here, there's no way I'd be avoiding a trip to the hospital.  Yes, I've rock-hopped down avoiding a broken ankle or worse.

Here's the final few hundred meters on the access road to the final line.  I hear the crowd which gives the buzz I need to burn to the end.  Pushing beyond the barriers, everything burning, I empty an already dry tank.  The bubbly character of Karen over the PA is reeling me in as I push through at low 3min pace (of which I knew it was a strong finish but didn't realise so strong until reviewing the Garmin), and there's Sadie to slide the hard earned medal over my dripping head. 6:50:47!!!!!!!!!! YEEEEHAAAAAA. I did it.  I can't believe it!!!!!

Greg immediately comes up, I'm sure saying something encouraging but to be honest I heard nothing.  There could've been a marching band there and I'd have no idea.  I found a clear spot, and flopped down flat on my back, while Greg kindly grabbed me some refreshments.

I get up a few minutes later to have Wayne cross the line on his first amazing adventure.  What a moment for him.  I can see he's hurting but deep down in awe of what he's just accomplished.  Well done Wayne, that moment will be with you for life!!!!!

Yurrebilla 2013 was everything I'd hoped it be, when only a few weeks ago I was dreading even taking off due to the recent issues.  This event is amazing on so many levels.  The terrain is terribly challenging with the volume of ascent and descent per kilometre in the higher range of difficulty compared to most ultra's, but the vibrant culture that has been instilled to this event over the years brings with it an experience that all runners need to be apart of at least once in their lives.

I'd like to thank Greg for his amazing support throughout the day, the organisers for their flawless coordination and to no end Stephanie Gaskell for not only getting me through this, but ensuring a huge PB at a time I half considered pulling out.

With this now behind me, and the confidence I can solve the belly issue, Yurrebilla 2014 will be a whole new game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RACE DAY TIPS FOR DISTANCE RUNNERS: What to do in the days leading up to the big day

You've done the hard work.......  You've consistently dragged yourself out of bed early in the freezing cold to commit to your training, or went out on those hot, humid days to not get off track.  So how do you make the most of the event and capitalise on your efforts?

Here's my top 10 must do's as race day closes in:

#10:  REGISTER EARLY:  Firstly, registering early commits you to the event, thus committing you to your training on a more specific basis.  Often the reason why people get off track with their training.  Secondly, you don't want the frustration of doing all the hard work, to find that there's been a sell out by the time you get online with your credit card in hand.

#9:  WEAR YOUR RACE GEAR:  It's no doubt common knowledge by most that you should 'bed' your shoes in to avoid blisters or other nasty uncomfortable surprises on race day so I'm not going to nag on this point.  What IS however often overlooked is your other gear.  It may come as a surprise that shoes are not the only thing you wear to a race, (well for the non-nudist folk anyway lol).  With that in mind, items such as your shirt, shorts, or socks can play havoc should you not test them out prior.  Your new fancy 'highly recommended' socks may have a seam that creates a point of friction, turning to blisters.  Your shirt may just happen to rub under the arm causing chaffing, etc etc.  You get the idea.

Work out what you intend to wear for the event, and wear this during some of your longer runs.

#8:  FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE COURSE:  There's not much point in running 50km's a week on flat bitumen, just to find that it's a hilly, technical single track trail run.  Or vice versa.  Ideally, if it's a local course, try to go out for a few sessions on the actual route to get familiar with the terrain, turns, or other conditions that may throw some interesting challenges at you on the day.  You have enough to contend with on the day let alone having random obstacles come up along the way.

Most well organised events will have on their website a course map and sometimes some course notes if it's fairly lengthy and/or challenging.  Be sure to check these out, and especially where you are able to park on the morning.  CBD events can sometimes see people missing the start of their race as they didn't consider parking restrictions or the sheer volume of entrants taking up what parking may have been there.



#7:  TAPER DOWN ACCORDING TO YOUR RACE & TRAINING:  Don't overtrain!!!!!  In fact, it's a widely accepted rule amongst distance runners that "it's better to be undertrained than overtrained at the starting line".  I find myself sounding a little hypocritical as I rite this point, sitting here majorly overtrained 2 days out of a marathon.  The purpose for this is because I was not actually training specifically for this event, but merely entering as I didn't want to miss it.

The length of tapering, and strategy behind it will vary depending on a few variables.  The event length, the amount of training miles your doing, and your personal recovery rate (which varies from one person to another).  By considering these items, one can strategize their way to their perfect taper plan.

#6:  PRACTICE WHAT YOU'LL EAT:  Don't make the stupid mistake that myself along with many others have made on race day by eating something on the morning or during an event that you haven't tested on training runs.  Just because you've eaten this particular item before and it hasn't caused any issues, that doesn't mean it's ok for you whilst running.  The tummy can become quite sensitive for some people (myself included) and can make an intended PB possibility turn to an utter mess of discomfort and misery should you not manage this item carefully.

Be sure to get into a routine of WHAT you eat, and WHEN you eat it in conjunction with your training runs.  Find what works best for you on your tempo runs as well as your long runs; as your race day will be somewhere between the conditions of these.

#5:  HYDRATE CORRECTLY:  The importance of good water levels in the body is often overlooked in terms of performance.  The fact is, water is vital for energy transfer through the bloodstream, so should you be under hydrated before and/or during the event, you will suffer.

Good hydration does not start on the morning of the race by downing 2 litre's of water.  For proper hydration the body needs 3-4 days to take in and stock up levels.

With all this in mind, it must be noted here not to OVER hydrate either.  Over hydrating, or Hyponatremia, occurs when the body is over-saturated with water creating an imbalance of vital electrolytes, with most importance on sodium levels. 

A good sign is (a tad bit graphic but needs to be said) your urine should be a real pale yellow colour for the 3 days leading up to the event.  (ideally at all times but that's not always manageable).  Should it be a bright yellow, you are under hydrated; whereas completely clear may be a sign of over hydrating.  Be sure to manage this item closely.

#4:  SLEEP:  The night before the big day can be a little unnerving.  So much so that insomnia is a common threat to a runners plans.  The good news here is studies have shown that the sleep you get 2 nights before the event plays a higher role than that of the night immediately before the event.  ie, If your race is to take place on a Sunday morning, be sure to get a good nights sleep on Friday night.  Should you struggle to get some shut eye on the Saturday night, it's not going to affect your performance as much as you may think.

The longer your event, the more important this aspect becomes.  Not necessarily for physical performance, but more so the mental side.  For example, if you've got a marathon or more on the cards, the mental endurance for these events is critical.  Be sure to consider this need and match the supply to the demand.

#3:  FUEL UP ACCORDING TO YOUR EVENT:  There is a heap of contradicting arguments out there as to whether 'carbo loading' is beneficial or detrimental to your performance.  Not having a PhD myself nor conducted detailed studies it would be inappropriate for me to say which is right or wrong on a broad scale.  However, what I can say is that energy levels become of vital importance when you intend to put in 100% on race day.  The longer and/or more intense the race, the more important this topic becomes.

It is my personal plan to fuel up well 48 hours out from the event, mainly because I do not intend carrying unnecessary weight in the gut that the big 'night before pasta party' can do to you.  Digestion takes time so don't think that because you ate that huge bowl of spaghetti the night before that it will of great benefit.

Limited fuelling could see you run flat before you finish, making those last few km's quite challenging indeed.

Overdoing this aspect can do you a disservice by adding extra weight, and also requiring the body to be utilising vital energy supplies to processing and digesting that food, rather than utilising this energy for your intended purpose:  Surging towards that finish line!!!!

Be sure to not only consider the energy itself, but also vital minerals and vitamins that the body will need throughout and after the event.  This item becomes more and more crucial the longer the event length.  Potassium, magnesium and sodium to name a few play a huge role in keeping the body functions and muscle contractions in order, and become depleted very quickly in marathon and ultra marathon runners.  Be sure to adequately stock up on these before and possibly during the event if conditions require it.

#2:  PRE PACK YOUR GEAR:  Don't leave it to the morning of the race to go finding that odd sock or locate where the kids have put your race bib.  These morning arte often an early rising as it is, let along having to deal with getting all this together as well.  You want you pre race routine to be as comfortable and easy going as possible.  Lay all your gear out in an easy to see, clear space and check that your typical breakfast supplies are in stock.

Allow yourself every opportunity to get the head into the right space rather than running around crazily looking for your gear all morning, and having to rush to the start line all hyped up.




#1:  GET UP EARLY:  Set 2 alarms, one being across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.  Firstly, if you're like me, it takes the mind and body a little while to fully get into action on those early mornings.  But more importantly why I get up earlier than needed for the race, is you need to have breakfast around 2 hours before start time.  This will give the gut plenty of time to digest the food properly, so this process is not having to occur while you're trying to push up that nasty climb.

Again, having all this time on your hands before the race allows you to just relax and enjoy the experience which is essentially the reason why we run isn't it????











With the above tips in mind, you're now ready to go about your race in best form.  You've trained well, and now you've prepared yourself in such a way to give you every opportunity towards a rewarding outcome.  Whether this is a podium, a PB or merely a memorable finish.

Plan ahead and you're sure to be rewarded!!!!!

TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST HALF MARATHON: The journey into distance running

The humble half marathon has in recent years outgrown all other event distances by far.  Many are labelling this event as the 'ideal race distance'.  Maybe it's because it's tagged with the age old 'Marathon' brand, but more reachable for the less crazy folk who don't wish to put in the training that the full version demands.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not suggesting this is easy.  In fact it will still offer quite a challenge if you're coming from the typical 5-10km running range.  21.1km is a fair distance by any standard, and to think that just anybody can get up and do it without obstacles would be naïve.

Firstly, I'd like to add that most people looking up this type of info are already into the running gig a bit (or more) and researching info for continual improvement.  Which is a great audience for this topic.  Should you be perusing through here coming from a ZERO running base, can I highly recommend to take this info in your stride (pun intended, lol), and look towards building up a base level of weekly mileage first and get through to at least running 8-10km's single runs comfortably.

So how do you make the leap up to the half?  In one word "strategically".......... Not the word you were expecting?  haha, I bet not.  Why do I say this rather than typical key words like "hard work, consistency, dedication," etc?  I say this because it is my personal belief that your success in finishing your first half marathon doesn't have anything to do with the race itself.  It's whether you get through your training successfully without injury.  If you find yourself arriving at the tapering stage of your training schedule, you're sure to finish on the day. (assuming you don't come down with a virus the day before, but that would be just bad luck!!!!)  Sadly, many people don't make it to this point.

You can work as hard as a mule, and be as committed as an Olympian, but unless you can 'think on your feet' as you fumble your way through your training you are at risk of becoming part of the growing statistics of people who don't even make it to the starting line..........  That's certainly not an ideal position to be in.

So what I'm saying here is, it's not HOW MUCH you train that gets you there, but HOW you train.  The 2 most important things you should invest in from the outset is:

1. Shoes:  Get professionally fitted and preferably, gait analysed.  Get this right early can save you big time down the track
2. Training Programme:  And by training programme, I mean a proper, personally designed programme based around YOU.  Where you're at now, what you can and can't commit to, and assessing ALL the variables that you as an individual throw into the mix.  I'm certainly not referring one of those online, 5 minute responses that spit out the 'ideal training programme' simply because you put in the event date and length that you're doing.

WHY HAVEN'T I LAID OUT YOUR 12 WEEK PLAN HERE?
Simple........ I don't know you, what your circumstances are, what your goals are, or any of the vital data that makes up the backbone of your programme.

There are a few aspects you need to consider going into a half that you don't normally get faced with on the 10-12km sessions.  Firstly, the time on feet is obviously double.  Not just for the event, but again in the training.  For a first half, you're looking at race times of somewhere between 1:50:00 & 2:30:00.  Where most people come unstuck in training is with injuries relating to soft tissue damage and/or joints between the feet to hips.  These are the areas of most concern for continuous, slow, quality development.  Sadly, I see way too often, posts and other random comments from people who have pulled up injured only weeks before their first big event.  There's a fine line you need to follow between taking it easy, and pushing the body hard enough to encourage development.  This line is easy to manage on 5k-12k training...... Not so easy to recognise with half marathons to marathons. 

PLAN IT OUT FIRST:
One bad decision in the outset of your journey, may determine your fate.  By this I mean, just because you are training, it doesn't mean this training is useful and/or helpful.  To validate your efforts, make sure you utilise the proven sciences of previous research and experience.  Get yourself a QUALITY TRAINING PROGRAMME. 

Next is to make sure that you make it work within your personal, social, educational and career commitments.  Training can take up a fair whack of your free time.  Do not go into this blind!!!! You need to assess and commit to set times that your training runs will take place.  Be sure to present this plan to your family, boss, or others that you are accountable to and express just how much this goal means to you.  It is important for these people to know what you are spending this time doing and more to the point, WHY!

GOAL No1:  FINISH:
Should this be your first half marathon, your first goal is to finish.  Ideally, you may set yourself a target of finishing without stopping.  Seriously, who cares what your time is???  Chances are, you won't remember what this time is in a few years, but you sure will remember that finish line!!!!  Go for that.  Times/pacing etc will become more of a focus as you continue to develop further after you finish this one.

You sure don't want to make your long term memory of this event a horrible, painful, recollection of how you cramped up, short of breath and struggling the whole way through.  Just chill out, soak up the atmosphere, learn from some of the experienced runners and have a blast.  Maybe even share the track with a friend and plan to stick it out together.

SIGN UP FOR YOUR NEXT RACE BEFORE YOU COMPLETE THIS ONE:
To help you keep your cool in this race and not run off as though it's the one and only you'll ever do, why not commit yourself to the next one first?  With this in your mind through the race, you're more likely to hold the right mindset, and follow the previous comments of taking it easy, and utilising the experience correctly.

Secondly, it'll help you keep your consistency moving beyond your race.  Sadly, some people lose a lot of their training efforts post race as they didn't have their sights set on anything else.  Then they decide a little later and have to start all over again.  "If you don't like starting over, don't stop."  Of course a well deserved rest and recovery period is required after a tough session, but you only need a few days to a week for most people.  Even during this time, it's generally useful to have some light activity after 48 hours to help loosen things up.  Leave it 2-3 weeks with nothing as you mull over what you've just achieved and you're heading back towards square one.

"If you don't like starting over, don't stop."

If the next half near you is too long away, sign up for anything else.  a 5k, 12k, whatever.  Get involved and stay on track!

ENJOY THE JOURNEY:
Completing your first half marathon is an awesome achievement.  Let's make it enjoyable at the same time.  It doesn't matter who you are or how much you love running.  Sometimes, the training can become a bit much.  So if you find this, don't worry, you're not alone.  The vital thing about training is it's consistency.  However, today you're just really not in the mood for your tough intervals session........  Obviously it's great if you can stick to your programme as much as possible but if sticking to it 100% is going to end up meaning that you pull out completely because it's becoming too much to the point where you're not enjoying yourself anymore and you're dreading the sight of your runners, maybe it's better you just go out for a nice, relaxing meditational jog.  It's not to plan, but it's far better than doing nothing!

Like I said to begin with, be strategic about how you go into your first half.  In fact, be strategic about running in general.  Running should not be easy, but it should not be a chore either.  Lace up, drink up, build up and get going..................... See you at the finish line!

Adelaide 24hr Ultra Marathon - 2013 (pre event training and preparation)

Lap running again.......... YAY! not......... On the 13th/14th July 2013 will be my first attempt at a 24hr Ultra. http://www.yumigo.com.au/adelaide_24/


It won't be completely new ground for me with having a 12hr behind me, as well as having trail ultra's of 16hr finishing times.  That said, I don't care who you are; 24hrs is a mighty challenge.  As the saying goes, "it doesn't get any easier, you just get faster"........  I think this is a good example here.

Assuming I keep moving through the 24hr period (my main goal), I estimate based on my current form and fatigue rate, I'll be looking at circa 160km's for the tally.  Anything above this would be great.  180km would be a dream right now but as I will not be tapering for this event, but more using it as a training tool, I have a feeling fatigue will pull me back short of this in the final hours.

To be blunt, within minutes of finishing my first 12hr 'lap running' event a few months ago, I swore I was not going to enter this 24hr.  But as ultra nutters go, of course I've come around and talked myself back into it.  The reason behind the immediate disinterest post the 12hr was that I mainly run ultra's because I have a love for the trails.  The scenery. The challenging and ever changing terrain.  Running circles certainly isn't high on my favourites list..........

So why am I doing it then?  Partly because you're not an Ultra Runner if you haven't done a 24hr event.  Partly because a lot of my close ultra runner friends are going to be there and I'd love to share this time with them.  And also partly because it'll be another testing ground in training up for the 750km adventure I'm doing 8 months later.

LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES:
"Feedback is the breakfast of champions;" and from my past Ultra's I've found a consistent and reliable bout of tummy upset from around the 6-8 hr mark.  That was until a 9hr session I did a couple of weeks ago where I steered clear of what I thought I'd finally identified as the main culprits.  The good news here was that I got through the entire night without even a hint of trouble or discomfort.

In my first 100km Ultra, I got to the 70-75km mark, and the tummy hit me big time.  Unable to consume a thing for a few hours made fuelling impossible.  In my next 100km I steered clear of what I thought was the issue, but to no avail.  Tummy set in at around the 75-80km point.  A month later during a 12hr, I only got to 4 hours and again it showed up.  Each time avoiding what I thought was causing it.

Given that this issue only shows up after some considerable time on the feet, it was near impossible for me to test it out during training therefore it wasn't until the events where I was able to get the 'trial and error' technique into action.

With a change of plan for this year, aiming at larger distances rather than faster times, I've been able to spend the time during training to get some big mile runs in; in turn allowing me test things out a lot more.  Long story short, I've been able to pin point what was causing the tummy upset!!!! Yay.  And to prove my suspicions as mentioned earlier, I went out on the 9 hr with my new fuelling plans and BINGO.  All good.  As it turns out, it was the Endura Hydrolyte drink and gels that were doing it.  Consuming only bananas, plain water, salt tabs, some chocolate brownies, and a few cherry ripe bars this got me through unscathed. Not to mention the odd ginger beer just in case. I must point out here that the only variable to the norm was that I was a support runner for this event so I was only running at a gentle, comfortable pace the majority of the time; so had the intensity been higher at my own level, could this have brought about the same problem?

With all this in mind, 9hrs is far different to that of 24 in terms of vitamins/minerals/nutrients levels in the body.  Therefore, I do think that the recent 9hr plan won't get me through the 24hr without something else.  What to do............  I'll be going natural the whole way. That part I'm sure of!!!! This will be my fuelling testing ground for the 750km.  Sodium, magnesium and potassium being at the top of my list of priorities here.   The carbohydrate issue will be the easy to maintain component, so as long as I can keep the tummy at bay, I think I'm there.

TRAINING:
Not being high on my priority list of events this year, I'm not specifically training for this event per se; but more so including it AS PART OF my training.  That noted, of course it is still a far larger single run than any of my typical training runs so there still has to be some level of build up prep and recovery period.  The main difference here will be that I won't be tapering for the event like I would should I have a bigger purpose or expectation.  Intentions are to complete a few more 6hr+ sessions in the coming 6 weeks, but more to the point, keeping my training miles up around the 400-500km's per month.

My current training schedule is following a pattern of 6/1.  Meaning 6 weeks of build up with 1 week active recovery.  This almost double to my old and typical training layout which is on a 3/1 basis.  Also within this 6 weeks, it's currently on 7 days one week, 6 days the next.  Meaning very little rest days.  Again, I add that the majority of the sessions (90%) are at easy, comfortable levels and some are relatively short sessions.  This specifically designed for my personal training goal and not typically advisable.  I'm monitoring this very closely!!!!

For those looking towards their first 24hr, the clear message here is to build the strength in the body.  Tendons and ligaments take time to build.  Far longer than muscle tissue so don't rush yourself into a 24hr.  Spend the time building the body up to 200km+, ideally 300km+ per month should you wish to push the entire way through a 24hr.  You may make it through with less, however your risk to injury would be extremely high if you did.  If your intentions are purely to see how you go, and go with a safe run/walk & even some rest break strategy, you may find your way through on a 150km/month base.  The tip with these events is to stay comfortable for as long as possible, stay fuelled and hydrated, then see what's left in the last stages.  Whilst I've stated I'm not a fan of these types of events, they provide a huge learning curve for you.  Not just in running, but in yourself.

JUST KEEP MOVING:
My highest priority for this event will be my moving time.  This will be the key to my success in this event.  When I look back on my Garmin data, I want to see at least 23.5hrs moving time, allowing 1/2hr across the entire event for things such as grabbing some food and changing shoes/socks etc should the need arise.  Anything less will be unacceptable.  Every minute stopped is effectively a dead minute.  Even if it's a short walk while I down some food, I must keep moving.

Coming into this event, I'm a little more confident than leading up to the 12hr, as I've put a lot more miles under the feet in recent months compared to back then.  Speed and strength work has not been a priority in my recent schedule, but long, consistent mileage has taken pole position.  This has it's advantages as well as it's disadvantages.  While it may seem as though it's 'specificity of training' it's also going to expose it's shortcomings in the final hours with fatigue, where strength training could've helped.  So why aren't I doing much hill repeats or other various strength work?  Risk of injury!!!!!  As I've decided I need to rack up the total mileage above recommended increase rates, I've looked to counter this risk by dropping these types of sessions in my routine.  This has got me through the last few months without a hiccup.  Going from 200km/month in December to 500km in April with no sign of strain, discomfort or excessive fatigue is good news for my overall plan.  (my disclaimer here is 'not to try this at home.'  This is way above recommended levels of increase but I've managed it through experience and other risk management strategies)

KEEPING ALERT:
Running laps for 24hrs straight is not what you'd call appealing.  Well, to me anyway.  In fact, I've created a pet hate for it from the couple of times I've done it.  I think I'd rather be doing my taxes....... With an event starting time in the morning, means the tough time mentally will be 12 hours later when the body is already fatigued, but now the body clock is telling me is night night time.......  I've done all nighters before, but not from starting in the morning.  Always starting late afternoon or early evening.  A great advantage (one of very few in lap running) is that I'll have my support crew close by at all times and being a local race I'll be surrounded by familiar faces whom I've shared the trails with before.  This stimulation will keep me going for the majority but I do believe I'm going to need something else.  I've got a few mantras that motivate me, but ultimately it'll be my goals that'll keep me moving.

HELPING OTHERS:
I read some time ago on another runners blog (I'm sorry I can't remember who) that said "one of the best ways to get a little kick in a tough stage of an event is to encourage another runner as you/they pass by".  I've made a concerted effort to make this a normal part of my time on the track, (and local regulars could probably confirm).  This definitely works.  There's something about being positive and supportive to another that simultaneously rewards the provider.  Try it out on your next race!

In addition, this event will be the first of it's type for a few of my recent clients who have recently decided to take up my training programmes to get fitter or improve their performance.  Some of which came from ZERO running.  I'm going to be massively proud as we go around seeing them in action and how far they've come from only a couple of months ago.  Some doing the 6hr, some the 12hr.  I can't wait to see them.  This will no doubt give me a buzz.

THE OUTLOOK:
With 2 months to go I still have a little time left to get a better judgement on how I'm going to go, but unlike the 12hr, I don't particularly have a distance goal as such so I'm not too concerned about that.  In fact, I'm more likely to be seen that day spending what energy I have helping some other runners who do have the targets.  Keeping them motivated and on target.  Maybe in 2014 I'll go for the distance goal but where I'm at and what I'm aiming at currently, I don't see that as the priority.

WHY?????

If I'm going to leave this with any tips, it's to always go into an event with a purpose.  Without purpose, there's no direction.  Your purpose may be to come first.  It may be to get your PR.  It may be just to finish.  Or it may be to get some experience.  Don't make the mistake of getting to the starting line without one; or you're likely to get part way through and question why your doing it.

What's the purpose behind your next event?