My quads are totally trashed... and I have a very much greater appreciation of how hard trail running can be. I don't think I really gave the hills or the terrain the respect it deserved, so the You Yangs taught me a lesson… the hard way. By the time I reached 30km I knew I was going to pay for doing no hills or off road running in my training. It’s a simple lesson really…
Lesson: don't underestimate the importance of preparing for the type of course you will be racing on. I know this... so why didn't I take my own advice? I guess it’s not quite as simple as it may seem. Having already run at an elite level, and now being retired, training has to fit in with other parts of my life… 3 children, a full time and hectic job and making sure that my running does not interfere (too much) with my wife’s training… she is hoping to run her first marathon next year.
Aside from the way the course totally smashed my legs up, the race went very well… My food and hydration plan seemed to work well... most importantly I was able to keep all I ate and drank down. I did feel nauseous a few times, but it did not last too long. I was drinking Gatorade, and probably drinking about 500ml an hour – I’m not sure exactly… I was drinking every 15min or so. I ate quarter of a sandwhich every 30mins (peanut butter or vegemite and honey) which seemed to work quite well. I have tried gels in past shorter races, and find the sports drink and gel combo too sickly.
The course was a combination of lovely groomed trails (I loved these and they suited my rhythm running), mountain bike trails (again, a really nice surface to run on, but the constant switch backs were demoralising) and then my nemesis – the steep and technical trails around Flinders Peak. It was the East and West loop I came to despise during the repeated ventures around the Peak. On the map the course looked like a confusing mess, and I was worried before the race that I would go off course, or take a wrong turn at some point… but it was so well marked and signed (hats off to the people who marked the course) that I had no problems, except when an official thought I was up to 50km, rather than 60km and nearly sent me the wrong way.
The organisation on the day was impressive, and Brett did everything to make sure that the experience of the runners was positive. The volunteers were amazing and always helpful. Whenever I needed a bottle filled, Sandra and Jackie were always straight onto it, and my refills were always quick stops and then I was off again. Thank you to all involved in helping make the event such a success.
So, as any runner will do after an event, I begin to ponder “what next?”… I am sure I will do another ultra… but I have no idea which one yet… I need to re-think the type of events and what I want to get out of running over the next few years. If I want to be competitive then I may need to focus on events like the Tan Ultra or perhaps road races.
I have put in a link to my Garmin download for anyone interested.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/115452202
Results:
1. Chris Wight 7:11
2. Nick Harrison 8:10
3. Wes Dose 8:31
More results:
http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=166391006769225&id=105895096152150#!/trailsplus
