Last week of the school holidays Mike and I ventured to the Blue Mountains to do a training run on the Six Foot Track. The plan was to run along the Black Range from the Deviation to the bottom of the Pluviometer and back to the Deviation. This was to give us a chance to work out a pacing plan for the race itself. We left home just before 5.00 am and arrived at the Deviation at around 7.30. The weather was predicted to get warm, in the high 30’s, but when we started the run it was glorious and cool and for the most part shaded as the sun was still low on the horizon. The Black Range still haunts me from last years’ race. I spent hours walking along it in agony from cramping legs that felt like they were possessed by an alien. Time moves slowly when you are in pain and relief is another 20 km away. This could explain why I felt so euphoric when finishing the race. Sheer relief that I could finally stop running and then the endorphins kick in and you don’t feel anything. Anyhow today was the day to conquer the Black Range. We covered the 10 km from the Deviation to the Pluviometer in a relatively quick time, as it was mostly a gradual downhill incline.
The condition of this section of the trail was superb. It was almost like running on a paved surface. My legs were feeling great and after a short stop at the top of the Pluviometer we took off again. I felt like I was flying downhill on the Pluviometer. I though Mike was behind me, but when I stopped to look, he was nowhere to be seen. So I waited fearing he might have had a fall. The trail in this section is very steep with lots of turns and the surface was very dry with lots of loose rubble. In a few minutes he came around a bend and signaled that he was OK, so I took off again. It only took another half a km before there was a reasonable gap between us again. I was so focused on foot placement and balancing the body right that it took only a momentary distraction before I found myself sliding downhill on my right shoulder and knee and my face hitting the ground and then bouncing back. I was in shock and could not move. My right knee was very painful and I thought I had broken a leg or smashed my face, concussed, so I waited for Mike to arrive to pick me up. Mike helped me to get up and I realised that maybe things were not so bad. Missing skin but I could still walk and maybe even run. But not wanting to jinx my good running health I decided to pull the pin on the training run and walk back to the car. Mike ran back to the car. 
So once again I found myself walking the Black Range. On the walk back I had a thousand flies feasting on my bloodied knees and shoulders and by this stage the sun was directly overhead and it was hot. My right hand was beginning to swell and by the time I got to the car the middle finger was twice the size and turning blue. 
Stopped at a medical clinic in Katoomba to get cleaned up and strapped. X-ray tomorrow for a possible broken finger. Hopefully my grated knees and shoulder don’t give me grief and I can get good nights sleep. The score so far Black Range 2: Elma 0, but I will be back.
3 comments:
Looks bad. You're obviously OK if you're typing this.
Cool, the red badge of courage.
After 2 years of trail running and many near misses I am surprised it has not happened before. The ego took the biggest hit. But it is healing nicely.
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