Probationary Running

Return to running has been a trial. While the knee is holding up just fine I am still having trouble staying upright.

Coal and Candle Creek in the rain - December 31, 2011

Returned to running trails on December 14th completing the Equaliser course in reasonable time - confidence boost and all was good. And then my fear was realised I fell  twice - Saturday December 17th while doing the Coast Trek and Sunday December 18th on the Striders Christmas run around the Bay. Fell exactly the same way except Sunday was on the road - I though I was safe on pavement!  Tore small muscles in my forearm and skinned the previously injured knee -  WTF is going on?  Saw an optometrist to review my contact prescription - I insisted on returning to the script I had last year, before I started falling over. Time will tell if this is a part of the solution or if I am just becoming clumsy.   But I am not giving up -  finished off the year with my longest run since The North Face race - a 20km road run out to Cottage Point through Ku-ring-gai National Park on December 31.  Not looking back to where my fitness was this time last year - just happy to be able to share the pleasure of a run and a chat with friends.  I am back running and life is good.

Memory and Pain

Memory of pain is hard to erase. I am following a modified Pfitzinger program for returning from injury.  Past week I did 5 walk/run sessions and have gradually increased the duration and frequency on each run leg. Longest running session was a 6 by 1km run with a 1km walk in between. On Monday and Tuesday I did 2 by 2km run with a 1km walk in between. 

Sculptures by the Sea - healthy skeletal condyles

But by Tuesday night I began to feel a slight niggle in the knee. Is it real or is a memory of the pain? I have seen too many  images of my  injured knee to not be aware of the impact that running is having.  As a result I can’t tell if the pain is real or imaginary.

Tuesday was the first time since May that I have run in the predawn hours. Although the run was short it was so wonderful to be out and running at my favourite time of day. Working up a sweat and watching the sunrise = bliss.   

Time to Fly

Tuesday November 1, 2011
Five months since I stopped running and I have finally emerged from the depths of the worst depression I have ever suffered. Not being able to run really sucks.

After the initial fracture diagnosis, I spent 6 weeks on crutches,  managing to get out for a few ocean swims and regular sessions on the stationary bike. But within days of coming off the crutches I developed a second  fracture,  this time in the medial femoral condyle. This was totally unexpected.  The sports doctor thought it was due to the long period of non-weight bearing combined with low bone density which is a result of having had chemotherapy 12 years ago.  I saw an endocrinologist for consultation on treatment of the necrotic bone in the knee and  bone density. She, along with my GP advised me to give up any idea of returning to running - ever.  My feelings of being an utter and complete failure deepened the depression I was already suffering. I cried often and would burst into spontaneous bouts of crying every time I passed a runner in the street or Hammer headed off for a run.

In early September I had a biphosphonate infusion which works by killing off osteoblasts, the cells responsible for removing bone tissue. The most painful two weeks followed the treatment where I had terrible bone ache and could not walk, sleep or sit.  I was determined that if I got though this pain it will have been worthwhile only IF I could return to running. The sports doctor I saw way back in July said it was OK to gradually return to activity as long as there is no pain. I clung onto this and  over the past 4 weeks I have been gradually increasing my walking distance and have recently started incorporating running into the walking by 1k walk/1km run for about 12k.

The high hamstring tear is still painful and the insertional achilles pain I had after the Six Foot Track has reappeared as I increased the walking distance. I tried walking in my  collection of  running shoes (Nike Free 3's,  Brooks Glycerine, Brooks Adrenaline, Brooks Cascadia, Adidas AdiZero and Newtons) and none seem to make a difference. So what do you do if  changing shoes makes no difference - well in desperation  you invest in another pair - of course!

Great cushioning which I think will help with the knee. I have been out in them 3 times and so far no achilles pain. And if in the end they do not work, at least I think they make my bum look smaller ;-).  It is time to fly.

They shoot horses, don't they?

Sunday June 5, 2011 (:-| )
I dreamt last night that the last few weeks did not relly happen and I would wake up this morning and go out for my usual Sunday morning long run. Last Fridays visit to the doctor did not produce good news.
The fracture of the lateral femoral condyle has developed a complication referred to as SONK - spontenous osteonecrosis of the knee. An area of the knee bone is dead. Oops this was not part of the plan. What to do now. Doctor recommneded no weight bearing for the next month (i.e. crutches), strong anti-inflammatories to  reduce the bone marrow swelling and then a follow up scan in 3 months time.
Prognosis for this disease varies from good to awful. Depending on the area of dead bone - it may reverse itself or it may continue to expand leading to osteoarthitis and crumbling of the bone. It is ironic really as I have never had any running related problems with my knees.So at best my running life is on hold for 3 months or at worst running is over for good.
If I were a horse I would have been shot and put out of my mysery.   Trying to stay positive and keeping it in perspective, only one of my wheels is broken but the motor is still good. I will be staying focussed on finding a use for my vestigial arms by taking up swimmining and paddling.

Winter is Here

Wednesday June 1, 2011 ( :-< )

First day of winter and I am feeling decreasingly excellent. 

I tried running last week, at the encouragement of sports doctor and the physio,  as according to both, the hamstring tendon tear should not restrict me from running.   So last Thursday, I nervously trotted off and about 5 minutes into the run the knee pain was just as bad as during the TNF race, 10 days ago.  Figuring it was just neural patterning ( i.e.expecting pain and registering it even when it is not really there) I persisted for another 50 minutes before finally limping home in tears.  Back to the osteopath, the sports doc and then the physio. The osteo suggested it may be a meniscus tear, the doctor thought maybe bursa so suggested options of either  Ultrasound with cortisone injection or MRI and the physio thinks overactive hamstrings which could be addressed by taping and then running again.  I decided to take the physios advice, but waited a few days for the knee pain to disappear. I was encouraged by Hammers fine recent form. Last Saturday, he ran another 10k PB at the Striders 10k at North Head - a blistering 42.45 and fifth in his age group.  

First Day of Winter and the Weather is Fine

So Wednesday,  first day of winter, the rain had stopped and what better way to celebrate then hitting the road. But a few minutes into the run, the knee pain started again. This time I did not persist but walked home and booked in for an MRI of the left knee in the afternoon. 

The MRI news is not good - turns out I have been trying to run on a fractured knee. Who would have guessed? A subchondral femoral condyle fracture with swelling of the bone marrow in the tibia and femur. Most likely sustained from the trauma of the fall on the night run a month ago.   I am  back to see the sports doctor on Friday for a full prognosis and treatment. The best bit of news though is that - it is not an overuse injury.  So the learning continues. 

Lessons Learnt

 Sunday May 22, 2011 (Gardening :-)
After recovering from the disappointment of the DNF at TNF 2011, I decided to get on top of the problem as quickly as possible. Last week I had two visits to a sports doctor, and MRI scan of the hip and a visit to the physio. Diagnosis is - anterior rotation and upslip of the left side of pelvis, most likely from the fall, resulting in an overextension of the hamstring tendon causing partial thickness tearing and also bruising of the hip and knee bursa. And I thought a bit of sticky tape would hold it together over a 100km. Naive or stupid or both? The Kinesio taping also most likely cause a change in the hamstring muscle activation patterns putting stress on the knee and complete hamstring overload.  
This is the same tendon tearing I had in late 2009, which I dont think really healed despite the PRP (platelet rich plasma) injection.  Since 2009, I have been dealing with the cause of the hamstring tendon overload and up untill the fall have been managing to hold it at bay. So from here I am having sacroiliac joint adjustment and stabilisation work with the physio to be followed with eccentric loading excersises over the next 3 months to stengthen the hamstring tendons. Accompanied by shockwave therapy to the tendon insertion and also giving the nitric oxide patches a try. And I still have the achillies issue to get on top of but I dont want to overload the physio ;-).
The best bit though is that I can start running as soon as I can perform a one leg bridging pose without pain.  In the meantime I am confined to gardening!
And the lesson learnt - dont try anything on race day that you have not tried in training (i.e Kinesio taping) and try not fall over in training. If you do fall over, go to a body mechanic immediately.  Seems so simple in hindsight.

DNF at TNF 100

Saturday May 14, 2011 (The North Face 100k Race)
I often encourage people to write about their races as we can also learn something from the experience, regardless of the outcome. And as the title suggests for me The North Face 100k race, held in the Blue  Mountains on Saturday May 14th, 2011 was not the result I imagined, although rereading the post before the race, perhaps I should have expected it. I guess no one really sets out to race thinking they would not finish. So what happened?

Hammer and I arrived at registration in Leura about 6.30pm on Friday.  Registration was a bit crowded and lots of nervous energy as people lined up to get their number, then lined up again to get the gear checked, then lined up again to get the race T-shirt.  All done we headed out and I saw the Kinesio taping stand – they were offering to tape up any runner with a niggling injury or area of concern. Beauty I thought, just what I needed. A bandaid for my dodgy hamstring. So off I went and few minutes later had the physio working her fingers along the hamstring group and then applying the tape over the glutes, down the two sides of the hamstring to just near the outside of the knee. It felt great so I was set. Back to the house we were sharing with 3 others running tomorrow, we had a lovely dinner and lots of excitement building over the coming day.

Woke at 4.30 race day after a great night sleep, got dressed and breakfast of small bowl of brown rice followed by coffee and I was ready to go. Temperature was 2 degrees when we arrived at Fairmont at 5.30am for the morning race briefing.  The welcome to country ceremony was very moving with the sound of the didgeridoo echoing in the hall. I tried to capture that sound in my imagination so I could replay it in my mind as I headed down the beautiful river valleys later in the day. For the first time in my life, I think I began to understand the link between the haunting sound of that instrument and the beauty of the vast open spaces we were about to enter.

That over we were ushered out to the start line. I lined up at the back of wave 2 with a few people I had been training with over the past few months and before too long we were off. Glorious rays of the sun just breaking over the tops of the tree tops reflecting the lovely colour of  autumn  leaves.

No time to linger but time to run. As on other distance runs I knew it would take me at least 10 ks to settle into a rhythm so I just focused on staying relaxed and chatting to the people around me.  We soon left the streets of Leura and headed down the first section of single track before emerging onto the streets again. It was on the second stretch of road less than 5ks into the race, running on a slight downhill that I noticed my left knee was feeling painful. There was strange tension pulling on the knee from the back and it hurt to put weight on it. It felt like it could not support my bodyweight. So what did I do, I took Voltaren and waited for it to get better. Knowing that the Voltaren for emergencies only I was not happy with the fact that the emergency had arisen so early. I rationalised that I had run a 10k road run the previous Wednesday and while the knee was a little bit niggly on the downhills this was whole new sensation. Suddenly it dawned on me – the Kinesio tape. Uhh…ah.. – this could be the cause and if only I could whip this off then all would be well. Running through the bush with my hand down my pants trying to scrape the tape off my glutes, down the hammy to just below the knee, was not a good look. I did not care, if this was the cause then surely it can be easily fixed. And after removing the tape it felt better for a little while. However by the time we reached the slippery stairs of the Leura Cascades the pain on the descents was worse with jarring pain each time I stepped on my left leg.  I kept waiving through runners behind me not wanting to hold anybody up and pretty soon it was a steady procession of runners moving past me. Funny how the pain in the right achilles which a few weeks ago I thought may be a problem, receded into the recesses of the brain which as overwhelmed with a new problem.  So I took a Panadol and kept moving on. It was not too long after that that I realised that this was not going to go away, I was having trouble on the downhill rock scramble, stuff I have done many times before with relative ease – it was just not me. So slowly accepting that my race was over 15ks in I burst into tears and continued to cry all the way to CP 1 at Narrowneck, where I pulled out.  Hammer came and picked me up as well as two others who pulled out here: an Irish guy from Melbourne and a runner from Canberra. Disappointed about my first ever DNF, confused about what actually went wrong and puffy from crying I went back to the house, had a shower and tried to salvage something from the day. We drove out to CP 3 at Megalong Rd and for a few hours cheered on the runners that were coming through then drove to the finish and waited for the lead runners to come in.  I got to see the Catalan sensation Killian Jornet win the race in 9hrs 19min looking very much like the pro runner that he is. 

By this time my legs were frozen from standing around, we went back inside the Fairmont Resort, who generously turned their hotel over to the race, and sat in the bar had a wine and enjoyed the beautiful colours of the setting sun over the trees surrounding golf course – thinking of all the runners heading out towards Jamison Valley and the long night they still have ahead of them.

So while my first goal was not achieved - I did not finish - we did make the  start of the SMH Half Marathon the next day where Hammer ran a blistering 97 minutes – a time he has not run for well over 10 years. So very happy that he is running so well and for me it is time to head back to the doctor to try and figure out what happened.  And in a later post maybe a few words on what I learnt from the experience. 

Let it Begin

Friday May 13, 2011 (1 day to TNF)

This is the post I wrote a day before the TNF race but was unable to upload before leaving for the race as the site was undergoing maintenance. So here it is is just for my own benefit to be able to look back and maybe learn something from the experience. Race report to follow.

Winter has arrived in Sydney. This week has been so cold that it is hard to get out in the morning. But the 3 week taper is over having run 60k in week 1, then 30k last week and this week 10k. I have completed around 600km in training in the 9 weeks since the Six Foot Track Marathon and the race is on tomorrow.  This week has been a bit nerve wrecking - I think I should be feeling better then I do considering the reduction in intensity and duration of running. This week running at a modest 6min/km felt very laboured and everything still hurts, achilles and my old friend the high hamstring insertion on the left (which I think I may have reinjured). I am feeling mighty nervous about my body actually holding together on Saturday. Two weeks ago I fell during a night training run and hurt my left knee and top of the femur ended up badly bruised. I did not think much of it at the time but since then I feel like I have started to unravel. But I have done too much work to date to pull out so will see how I fare on the day. It promises to be a cold, cold day in the mountains. So I better not dilly dally too much or I may freeze. If all else fails, with the some of the safety gear I will have to carry, I will be able to start a fire and wait to be rescued. Time will tell.

While waiting to see an osteopath on Monday this week, I wandered past the historic Manly cemetery. So many guardian angels looking over the dead. Even in the brilliant afternoon sunshine the place looked very forlorn and melancholy; abandoned and vandalized memorials of what must have been someone’s loved ones. It made me sad and I did wonder about how my brief presence on this planet will be remembered or marked.  I will be in need of a special guardian angel looking over me tomorrow as I fear the training alone will not be enough.

My first goal is to finish and if possible in time for Hammer to make it to the start the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon on Sunday at 6.45am.  

Jamison Valley

Sunday April 24, 2011 (135 km - 4 weeks to TNF)

Easter is a time of rebirth and renewal which in the northern hemisphere heralds the beginning of spring. For us it heralds the start of autumn, lots of rain and the  arrival of cool weather. Easter week was the last big week of training before the start of the taper for The North Face 100k in 3 weeks. I am a little bit more confident that I will be at the start line after finishing my biggest mileage week and coupled with some improvement in the achilles towards the end of the week.

Mt Solitary - we were heading down into the misted in valley.

Last Tuesday Hammer and I headed back to the Mountains to complete the back end of the TNF course. Starting at the Fairmont Resort in Leura we followed the course to Leura Falls and from there headed south into the Jamison Valley via the old Katoomba treatment plant site, over Leura and Jamison Creeks then up Kedumba Road and then back to the finish at Fairmont. Brutal, long climb from Jamison Creek to the old Queen Victoria Hospital site which in the TNF race will be at 80kms. Hammer swore he would never, ever consider an event like the TNF,  he was not having a good day. I felt bad for dragging him along but we were rewarded with glorious weather, sunny with great views of Mt Solitary from many vantage points. Once we got to the hospital site the last 10km of the course just goes on and on. I had expected the last 20k to be hard regardless but this course is dastardly in the second half. I can see that in the event it will be an absolute challenge of will, as it will be cold and dark.  A total of around 38kms which took us 7hrs 40 min to complete. Achilles pain was unbearable for the last 5hours of the run - but we walked the hills anyway so not sure it slowed us down all that much.  Icing and Voltaren gel seem to settle the worst of the pain. 

The following day, Wednesday I ran 11kms on the St Ives course, to see if taping the foot and inserting orthotics made any difference.  A pain free 65 min jog. Yippeee.
Thursday was another long run, approx 45 kms on the Trailwalker course from Brooklyn to Bobbin Head. Ran with Sharon, who is also doing TNF and Andre joined us for the first leg to Cowan. Another glorious warm day. An absolute highlight of this run was reaching Jerusalem Bay in the early morning mist and stillness. 

Morning stillness at Jerusalem Bay

Two cruisers lay at anchor  in the protected waters - it looked so peaceful. But we did not have  much time to linger lots of ground still to cover.  We finished the run in 7hrs40min and largely pain free thanks to the taping and orthotics. A great confidence boost after Tuesdays slow and very painful run in the mountains.  And just in time for the Easter weekend, the rain arrived. I finished the week with a 20km local Church Point run  taking in lots of hills. And more hills on the 20km Bobbin Head Revisited STaR on Sunday. Legs felt tired and lethargic both days. Now it is time for renewal and recovery during the 3 week taper.   

Megalong Valley

Sunday April 17, 2011 (83 km - 5 weeks to TNF)

How lovely to get away from the suburbs and spend a few nights in the wilds of the Blue Mountains. Hammer and I planned four nights camping at Dunphys Camp in the Megalong Valley with a few days of trail running to get familiar with the TNF 100k course. Glorious weather when we arrived late Thursday and only two  other tents at the campground. We set up a camp and enjoyed the sunset in the peace and quite of the valley with a majestic moon shining over the ridge to the north of the campground.

View north from Dunphys campground

Friday was another fantastic day with a very cold morning followed by glorious sunny weather for the most part before the clouds started to build later in the day.  Late Friday evening we were awakened in our tent by noise of hordes of school kids setting up camp. It was well after 11pm before they settled down and it finally got quite again. Then the drizzle started which turned into solid rain just before dawn. We woke to find our tent surrounded by the new arrivals - the suburbs have followed us. The rain was getting heavier and the Jamison Valley where we planned to run on Saturday was covered in heavy fog. We decided to cut our camping trip short and return home on Saturday. 

Rain and mist at Leura on Saturday

We managed one great training run on Friday starting from Dunphys camp along Megalong Rd, up the Six Foot Track, Nellies Glen and across to Narrowneck, down Taros Ladder across Mt Debert to Medlow Gap then back to Dunphys Camp. A total of 42 km which we did in just over 7hrs – lots of walking and a very slow descent off Narrowneck. Descending Taros Ladder still leaves me a dry mouth, sweaty palms and jelly legs. But there was no going back so I had to face the fear and do it anyway.    

Almost at the end of Narrowneck.

In order to get on top of the Achilles pain in my right foot, I dropped speed and hills this week and ran 3 times for a total of 83km: 12km on Wednesday, 42km on Friday and 29km on Sunday. Fridays long trail run was painful towards the end – every step on the right heel felt like a fire cracker going off. Icing and Voltaren gel  settled most of the pain on Saturday and I was able to get out on Sunday for a  29km around Church Point with only minimal pain in the heel towards the end of the run. The main difference being the surface I ran on, a change in running shoes, fewer hills and less time on my feet.  

Sunshine on My Shoulder

Sunday April 10, 2011 (80 km - 6 weeks to TNF)
The light of the sun rays glistened off my sweaty shoulder as I was finishing the last of the hill repeats on Friday and it reminded me of why I love to run  -  it makes me happy. The morning was glorious - the quite, the crispy air and the brilliant sunrise over the ocean made me feel grateful for the priviledge of being fit, healthy and alive.

Bobbin Head Marina in the early morning mist

The North Face 100k race is fast approaching and I have another two weeks to get a few more distance runs in before I start the taper. This week I ran a total of 80ks including a hilly 11k on Wednesday, a 2*2k interval on Thursday,  15*200m hill repeats on Friday, 30k in 4hrs45 min on the Great North Walk trail on Saturday and 20k in 2hr10min on the Striders STaR on Sunday.  The Harbourside Hike is a fantastic run around the harbour front of Sydney's lower north shore. Lots of hills from start to finish which did not seem so bad in Sundays brilliant sunshine and the cool air temperature. Perfect running conditions.

Sunshine reflected off the Hawkesbury sandstone on the Great North Walk trail.

Right achilles is still very painful after each run so a few days rest,  icing and stretching will hopefully settle the pain.  Spent the rest of Sunday watching the ITU World Championship Triathalon in the city. Amazing to see the speed of the bike leg as the competitors descended down Macquarie St towards the Opera House. We left just as the clouds descended and the rain, which was predicted for earlier in the day, finally arrived.

Autumn is Here

Sunday April 3, 2011 (70 km - 7 weeks to  TNF)
My running mojo is still AWOL but I keep plugging away waiting for it to return. It just means that running at the moment brings me little joy, but I know I will get over it. Daylight saving finished on the weekend  and my lack of enthusiasms could just be the normal feeling at the end of summer as we descent into autumn.  

  

This is 7 weeks out from The North Face 100k, I ran a total of 70km over 4 days including  a hilly 10k  on Wednesday, 10 k including 4*1k intervals on Thursday, 25km over 4 hours on the Great North Walk Trail on Saturday and 25km in 2hrs 30min on the Lap of the Lake STaR on Sunday.  

I finished the trail run on Saturday feeling lethargic, lightheaded and nauseous - everything hurt. I could not contemplate eating anything for some time after I stopped. 

Sunrise on Bobbin Head Track

I recovered well enough to run an easy 25k on Sunday. A  glorious trot in my backyard finishing with a lovely breakfast by the beach.   

Glorious autumn sunrise

I do not ever want to take for granted the fact that I can run, as I know how easily it can disappear.  My calves are paying me back for pushing through cramps on the 6 Foot Track. Tightness in the calves I think is causing achilles pain in my right foot after every run. So time to get back to regular routine of stretching and hope it does not develop any further.

All Around Blues

Sunday March 27, 2011 (65 km - 8 weeks to  TNF)
Two weeks after Six Foot Track and my mood matches the weather. Overcast grey skies and torrential rain reflects my overall blues and lack of motivation about the upcoming run. It is making me question if I am really committed to the goal of running The North Face 100k in 8 weeks time.

I read somewhere that each training session contributes 1% to your overall fitness. So in the interest of maintaining and not loosing the fitness I have achieved to date I still managed to get out for a few runs this week. I ran on Tuesday (10k -tempo), Wednesday (9k-hills), Thursday (7k -intervals) and 14ks on the trails around Lindfield on Saturday and 25k on the great North Walk STaR run on Sunday. A weeks total of 65ks and the pace feels like it is coming back as the tiredness leaves my legs. But I just don't feel excited by the upcoming event. Each sunrise that I witness, I am hoping that the blues will lift with the return of  sunny skies. 

Grey Skies Descend

Sunday March 20, 2011 (Recovery Week)

Calves felt battered after Saturdays race but surprisingly it hurts to walk but not to run.  Hammer & I had a leisurely breakfast at Leura on Sunday after the race, then browsed the local stores before heading home to beat the weekend traffic into town.

 
Light massage on Monday, rest day Tuesday and I got out for an easy hour run on the streets of St Ives on Wednesday,  an hour long beachside run on Friday and on Saturday. I had a scheduled 2 hour  on Sunday, but a late night on Saturday and torrential rain on Sunday morning convinced me that maybe I needed to recover more - so no run on Sunday!

A weeks total of  three hours easy running. I am aiming at doing a  reverse taper before picking up the training volume for The North Face 100k race in 9 weeks time.

Six Foot Track Marathon 2011 - Grey Skies

Race Report - Saturday March12, 2011

The grey skies were a portent.   Thunder and lightening followed by a downpour, greeted our arrival in Katoomba on Friday night for race bib pick at the Carrington Hotel.  For me this year’s race will be memorable for a number of reasons.  Running and especially trail running for me is associated with celebration of life, living, health and the beauty of the natural landscape. Katoomba township, where we were staying for the weekend, felt like the opposite of all of that. Grungy and low at heel with a slight nervous edge to the people I observed while queuing in the local supermarket. Apart from the Carrington Hotel there is little beauty in this town. This perception was reinforced when we learned on race morning that a friend had been assaulted at his accommodation while waking to go and volunteer at the race.   This news further darkened my thoughts about this ugly blot of a town and yet it is surrounded by a natural wonderland that is the Blue Mountains National Park. 

So it is with these thoughts in my mind that I approached the race start area near the Explorers’ Tree. It was warm and humid, surprising for the mountains which are usually a little bit crisper in the early morning.  I approached this race as four stages with the thought that the completion of each stage would give me a mental boost. 

Stage 1: Start to Coxs River (Split 15.5k)

After a bit of nervous chatter with other runners it was time to line up and soon the starter’s gun was fired. It was 7am and the early wave was off, just as it was getting light. The light pretty soon disappeared as we started to head down Nellies Glen. It was wet and slippery from last night’s rain so I took it extra slow. This was not a problem, as the runners behind and in front of me were happy with our progress. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs and the trail opened I ran for a few kilometers with Kerrie from Canberra. 

We kept speeding up distracted by chatting and getting ahead of one runner who was not happy to talk – at all. I realised that I was being distracted from my set pace so by the time we reached Megalong Road I let Kerrie go at her pace and I settle into my own rhythm down to the river.  

 I had one runner behind me and it was just as well as I soon reached what appeared to be the end of the trail – a fence with a locked gate blocked the path. I could not work out how to get around until Liz, the runner behind me – shouted out – just open the gate. Duhhh-silly me, and this was early in the race, my brain was just not fully engaged.   I let Liz go off down the road as she said she was good on the downhill’s. I was soon on my own again and was struck by how silent the surroundings were. All I could hear was the woosh of the air against my ears as I moved over the track.  Soon I could also hear the flow of the Cox’s river to my right and I knew that stage 1 of the race will soon be ticked and the dreaded ascent of Mini Mini and the Pluviometer hills was to begin. I reached the river right on my target 1hr37min, 6 minutes faster than last year. Pretty pleased with that considering that I was slower getting down Nellies Glen compared to last year. 

Stage 2: Cox’s River to the Pluviometer (Split 10.5k - Distance 26k)

Once I crossed the river I could see some of the early wave starters ahead of me. I knew that for me the first climb of Mini Mini is more difficult than the Pluviometer so I just put my head down and focused on getting it done. Here the sound of the bellbirds was a great distraction from what was ahead and I was anticipating that the race leaders could start passing soon. Conditions were hot right from the start and with the humidity made the climbing harder than I had expected. Others must have been feeling the heat as well because I was soon within reach of two early wave runners ahead of me. The decent down to Alum Creek was muddy and surprisingly still no wave 1 runners coming through. On the first switch back up to Pluvi I looked back down behind me expecting to see the race leaders. My feet were threatening to start cramping and I had what I called my Mini-Mini cramping moments when I first started walking up Mini Mini.  I focused on walking with a purpose keeping my body upright trying to get breathing and striding into a smooth rhythm. Halfway up Pluvi the first wave 1 runner came through, Andrew Lee the ultimate race winner. He called out words of encouragement in reply to my cheers. After what seemed like a long gap the next 2 runners came through about half a kilometre apart. Surprised, as last year I was passed along Alum Creek by the male race leaders. I reached the top of Pluvi in a split time of 1.34 (3hrs11min), 3 minutes quicker than last year.

Stage 3: Pluviometer to Deviation (Split 8.7k – Distance 34.7k)

The dreaded Black Range –what did it have install for me today.  I started to run and whooo hoooo ….no cramping. I could run at relatively controlled pace that I knew I could sustain until the next milestone – the pine forest. I kept telling myself that it will appear before too long. Along here I was passed by a very happy looking, smooth striding lead female, Ana Frost who went on to win the race. It was a boost to have a few runners come by along the range – although everyone seemed to be wrapped up in their own world and few were making any acknowledgement of others.  The breeze along the Black Range was certainly a welcome relief from the sun on the previous section. Not sure where my head was along most of the Black Range but it definitely was not with me along the course as I seem to have little recall of much along here except how fabulous it was to suddenly see the pine trees an realise that soon it would be a sharp turn to the left and then heading home, even though there is still 10ks to go. I also knew that there were a few ugly uphill sections still to be overcome before we crossed Caves Road and headed home. I reached the Deviation in exactly 1hr from the top of Pluvi 3 minutes quicker than last year for this section. Total time 4hrs11min, all up 12 minutes up on last years time.

Stage 4: Deviation to the Finish (Split 10.3k – Distance 45k)

After leaving the deviation I had no trouble running along this section towards the road crossing. I let go of watching time and pace and just focused on staying relaxed. I did not feel that my energy was lagging just excited to have reached this stage feeling relatively good and looking forward to reaching the next milestone the Caves Road crossing. I was being passed sporadically by Wave 1 runners. The front of the race was noticeably spread out compared to last year. I reached the road crossing at 38k in total time of 4hrs35min, 13 minutes quicker than last year.  I was so happy to be on the home stretch now that I could feel myself picking up pace but had to reminded myself that anything could still happen and to save anything I may have left till after Binda cabins and the sweet 4k downhill stretch to the finish line. All was going well till the Garmin died at 5hrs just after I reached the Cabins – same as on the Bogong run. Tried not to get too annoyed, there was nothing I could do about it now.  Cramps were not too far away all along the early part of the downhill run but it was in the final 2k - the ball bearing underfoot stage – that calves and feet completely seized up bringing me to the ground in agony. I forced myself to get up – I had done all this work and I was not about to let my calves ruin the sweet finish. I tried to relax and breathe deep into my legs – seem to sort of work.  I tried different angles to the foot landings to take the load off the calves and some seem to work.   Pretty soon I heard the cow bells and finally reached the sealed section of the final descent to the finish. I let out a loud wooo… hooo… and gunned it down this section.  I did not care about my calves – I made it. No idea of the time as I crossed the finish line on twisted feet inside my shoes. It was only when I turned back after crossing the finish line and I saw the time that I realised that I met the challenge. 

After the Race

Seeing how spread out the leaders of the race were,  I knew that Al was not likely to catch me before the finish. He crossed the finish line in  4hrs47min and then it was a nervous wait to see what Hammer, the dark horse would do having started one hour and 35minutes after me. I was having a shower when the skies opened and I thought of the runners still out there thinking it may actually be a benefit – to cool things down a bit. Al ended up running back out on the trail to call and let us know when he saw Hammer approaching. And before too long Hammer was on the stairs down to the finishing chute, looking lean and comfortable as he crossed the finish line in an amazing 22 minute PB.  

I was so chuffed for him to have finally run an even race where he did not blow up and slow down at the end. That in itself was his biggest achievement on the day.  I keep the bragging rights for another year but boy was I pleased for the great race that Hammer ran.  Who knows… next year? Oops I did say this would be my last 6FT, uhmm… better rethink that.  

The Six Foot Challenge Is On

Last year I ran the Six Foot Track Marathon in a time of 5.38, Hammer ran 5.48 and our friend Al finished in 4.38 in 2009, having missing out on getting an entry last year. So this year he has issued a prediction and a challenge.  Predicted finishing times are Hammer 5.40, for me 5.20 and Al in 4.15. As I will have an hour and five minute start on Al the challenge for me is not be overtaken by him till the finish line. But Hammer will start an hour an thirty minutes after me, hence the dark horse. It will be a nervous last week before the race. But .....       

Cool Running

Striders North Head 10k - Saturday March 5, 2011

Five days into autumn and the sweltering heat of last months 10k race at Homebush is a dim memory. This morning was cold with overcast skies and a blustery southerly wind hitting the exposed sections of the North Head course. Hammer and I arrived 25 minutes before the start to find the car park was almost full and it looked like a record number of runners for a Striders 10k event. Very busy around the registrations area, with lots of runners milling about and warming up on the road. My plan for the race today was stick to a pace of between 4.40 -4.50 min/k and not get caught up racing anyone else just stick to the Garmin splits and maintain an even pace.  The race start was a little bit congested and I found I was weaving around runners for almost the first kilometre.   Once we were on our way out to the first lap out to the arch on Darley Rd, it opened up a little and I could settle into my own rhythm.  I was fairly comfortable running at 4.40 pace but became a little bit concerned that I may not be able to maintain this pace, so I consciously eased off a little. Went through 5k at 23.30 so an average pace of 4.42 and the second 5k split was 23.42min at an average pace of 4.44 min/k.. Race plan was achieved and it was also one of the few times I did not dread going out on the second lap. Felt comfortable all the way through.  Very happy with the time and a 19sec PB. Hammer ran a blistering 43.36, the quickest 10k he has run in over 2 years. Ohhh… he may be a dark horse on Six Foot Track, now I am nervous. It could cost me year long bragging rights.  

It is the last week of the taper before the Six Foot Track race next week. I ran a total of 48km including a 3k time trial on Tuesday and 12 short sprints on Thursday, 10 k race today and an easy 14k tomorrow. Another glorious calm sunrise on Narrabeen Lake during my local run this week.  

It’s Getting Close Now

Equaliser Trail Race 

Taper Week 2: Sunday February 27, 2011

This race always signals the beginning of Six Foot Training taper and increasing nervousness about the fast approaching race day. I was not going to run this event as I was scheduled to run 2hrs easy. But since Hammer was running it I thought I would do about 20 minutes before and then just set out with the race and take it easy around the track. The plan sort of worked out. Ran a 15 minute warm up and then as the race started, set off at a leisurely chatty pace with the back of the pack runners. About 3ks into the run I found that I was increasing the pace and as we got to the hill climb out to Acron Oval I started overtaking a few people and then I decided that maybe I should try to go a bit harder.  So maybe race after all? Well that lasted till we ducked back onto the trail at about 5k where I decided that I was not going to race after all and runners came by me overtaking on the downhill section. At the last creek crossing before the final 2k climb I had lost focus, I just wanted the run to be over. I picked up pace and was soon overtaking the runners that streamed past me on the preceding downhill to the creek.  So now it was race again. Finished in an OK time of 1hr 23min, not sure if I was pleased, relieved or disappointed. In the end it was a mixture of all three and it was only after talking to a friend later in the day that it made sense. He said something like ‘that if you race- you do it to the best of your ability at the time – otherwise what’s the point. I have run sections of this course at least 20 times over the past 3 months and I realise that I had plenty of opportunities for the social training runs and I was disappointed that I did not give it my best shot at race time or else had run my training run elsewhere. Leave the social runs with others for training runs and when you race, you focus on the race. A lesson learnt - have a plan with what you want to achieve with each run and then stick to it.

The second week of the taper I ran a total of 51k including a hill session (15*150m at 80%) and a 2*2k interval session (8.53 & 8.42). The pain in my chest from the broken rib is slowly getting better and the hand is almost fully healed. Saw the most amazing sunrise at Manly Beach on my was to run the intervals through the week. It was so beautiful I wanted to drown in it. 

Where Has This Summer Gone

Monday February 20, 2011 

Taper Week 1 (Only 3 weeks to Six Foot Track Marathon)

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, I was dreading the prospect of being savaged by the Black Range having struggled to regain fitness and not really confident I could actually finish the Six Foot Track Marathon. This year has been quite the reverse. I have had the best preparation yet. I am following a structured 12 week program which has given me much more consistency in running. But with confidence in training comes a rise in expectations on race day. For me this is somewhat tempered by the nature of the program which has  focused on tempo and interval running, in addition to the long runs, and not so much focus on hills.   So it will be interesting to see how this translates to a result on race day. It is part of the lure of training and racing - to see how it all fits together and then tweaking it for next time.

It has been a challenge to run in the heat and humidity this summer. With five days to go before summer ends, my summer mileage totals 770km,  running no more than five times per week.  Hammer and I started quite a few of the long weekend runs at 5am  to avoid the sun – even if there was no avoiding the heat with temperatures in the high 20’s even at 5am.  I did not think there was anything strange with waking at 3.30am to go for a long run until a friend laughed when we told him why we couldn't come to dinner on Saturday night.

An outstanding run in January was being pushed over by the Pymble Pushover STaR. I got lost, bonked badly and finished in a PW of 4hours for 32km – lightheaded and dizzy. In January I also started to ride my new bike (a beautiful Scott Contessa), getting used to different gearing and cleats. I fell on my second ride bruising my right hip badly and aggravating the ‘never quite gone away’ hamstring tendon strain. But I continued to run. Consistency in training has been my mantra. This was followed by two further falls while running the Narrabeen Trail run on Saturday 12th Feb and then the Equaliser on Sat 19^th Feb, resulting in a fractured rib one week and dislocated bones in my hand, the following week. With three falls in four weeks, I think I have repaid any debts to the cosmic karma and it is time for the klutz in me to take a back seat.

Last Sundays Hornsby Hurricane STaR lived up to its legendary status delivering its brutal best, temperature at 29 degrees at the 6am start and it just got warmer as the sun came out. Running wounded with grazed knees and bandaged hand, I was slow through the tricky bush sections along Cowan Creek, enjoyed the always lovely decent into Apple Tree Bay and from there stayed on Mt Kurringai Road running in silent suffering with small group of guys barely hanging in to the end. Finished 27km in 3hrs10 and very pleased to stop. Now it is time to heal, enjoy the taper and get excited about the big dance on the 12^th March. 

Bogong to Hotham - The Rooftop Run

Sunday January 9, 2011 (Race - 35km)

Breathtaking is a fitting description of my experience of running the 35km section of the Bogong to Hotham Rooftop Run held in the Victorian Alpine Nation Park on Sunday January 9, 2011. Buoyed by recent completion of the Kepler Challenge, I decided to enter the 64km Bogong to Hotham event. While many races bill themselves as the toughest, the B2H has long held a reputation for defeating many a talented runner. But a week before the race sense prevailed and I had decided to withdraw from the 64kim event and do the 35km option. The B2H is on 9 weeks out from my target race, the Six Foot Track. I did not want to loose a couple of weeks recovering from a run I did not know that I could actually finish. The race has tough to meet cutoffs of 5:30 at 35km or 6:30 if you elect to start early. The plan was to race the 35km and see if I could meet the cutoff and then consider coming back next year to attempt the full distance. Hammer had entered the full 64km distance hoping to make the cutoff after a disappointing result in the heat last year.

Hammer and I stayed at the Mt View Motel in Towonga. This year it was a less than restful experience. We had a large contingent of motor bike riders as near neighbours enjoying a social Saturday night. Their chatter kept us awake till well after midnight. The alarm went off at 3:45, so with only three and half hours sleep we got up and quietly got about our own the pre-race rituals.  

The early start was scheduled for 5:15 and after a breakfast of yogurt, muesli, boiled egg and a cup of coffee we got to the start at 4.45. It was still dark and I was debating about whether to start with a torch but the decision was made by the organisers to delay the start till 5:30.

And just as dawn was breaking we were sent on our way. I gingerly picked my way over the loose rocky terrain on the flattish first two kilometres before the climb up Mt Bogong started. As always on these longer runs I felt clumsy and bloated and uncomfortable but knew that once I settled into the rhythm of movement the feeling would pass. But today that did not happen.

I started the climb up Mt Bogong, a 1400m ascent over seven kilometres in a relatively good position but right from the beginning the climbing felt really laboured. Much more than it ought to considering the terrain. I maintained my position in the line snaking up the mountain for about three kilometres before waving a group of runners behind me to pass. They passed and one very graciously said I was doing well and to push on. But the dark voices in my head offered a much friendlier suggestion of turning around and heading back to the car park. Who was I kidding, I was not a runner, today I was a clumsy pretender. Compared to how well I felt on a comparable climb up Mt Luxmore in the Kepler run, I knew that today was not going to be my day for a good run. But deep inside, despite the chatter going on in my head, I knew that I had to push through the easy way out and see what emerged on the other side. I continued to climb allowing anyone close behind me to pass and pretty soon I reached the treeline. The flower covered alpine meadow and the view down towards the valley was truly breathtaking. I dared on look up for too long as I did not want to see how far it was still to the summit of Mt Bogong. I was still not moving as well as I thought I should have been but had accepted that it was not going to be a good run for me. Hammer had passed me on the start of the climb and I did not expect to see him until the finish. The view from above the treeline was spectacular with mountain ridges visible in all directions.

The valley, spread out below us could be glimpsed through the stands of dead snow gums which stood as grey ghosts of their former selves having been burnt in the recent bushfires. I reached the summit of Mt Bogong in 2hours flat and being buffeted by strong crosswinds headed of along the ridge towards Cleve Cole Hut checkpoint. I found this section difficult to run as the trail was fairly narrow and difficult to get good footing. I reached Cleve Cole Hut and after topping up my water and chatting briefly to the two blokes at the CP got going, excited now as I had not seen the next section of the course before. The trail was still undulating with short rises and a gradual descents towards Madison Hut. I was now running by myself and for a moment had wondered if I was off course so I stopped and waited till I saw a runner behind me. I was confused as I had expected the trail to start dropping.

But soon after reaching Maddison Hut CP the trail did start to sharply descend. I had one runner behind me and was startled by what I though was an out of control runner hurtling down the mountain behind us. I soon realised that it was the lead runner from the later start. He moved so swiftly on the descent that his feet did not appear to touch the ground. He reminded me of a leaping gazelle trying to outrun a pack of hungry lions. I was relieved that the climb of Mt Bogong was behind me but the descent off the mountain down to Big River was not easy, it was steep and very slippery. I had two near misses on this section - tripping on a tree branch which flicked, tearing skin off my left calf sending me flying downhill. I was saved from falling by bumping into a big gum tree. Phew that was close. But soon after I stepped on a rock which gave way, twisting my ankle and hitting me on the ankle bone which sent searing pain up my leg. Boy, my day was not about to get better, I thought. I hobbled for a little while and applying my running mantra of "acknowledge the pain but then let it go" soon was distracted by the chasing pack of lions gunning for a podium finish. Down to the river I was passed by the next eight male runners from the later start. I got to the river and was surprised to find Hammer was just ahead of me. Crossing the river was beautiful and cooling on the legs - it would have been nice to stop here and just lol about watching the runners go through. Hammer and I left the River together and he was just ahead of me. But what to do here - I did not want to run so close behind him as it would distract me from focusing on the run. Refreshed from my dunking in the river I emerged as a different person and I soon passed Hammer and several others on the brutal four kilometer climb along Duane Spur. I felt encouraged by two things here. Firstly I knew it had to come to an end I just had to keep moving forward and secondly one of the guys I passed complimented me on how well I was doing on this climb. This gave me a boost and this time almost breathless from exertion I laboured on as huge gobs of sweat dropped off my face. I don't remember much of the landscape surrounding this section. Each time I looked up it just kept rising so I tried to narrow my focus to only a few feet ahead. Finally the trail started to level off and after ascending 800m over 4km I let out a wooo hoo. Just pleased there was some respite from the continual uphill slog. Halfway up the climb out from the river I was passed by the lead female runner from the later start. Uplifted by the leveling off of the climb I ran anything that looked runnable and walked anything that looked remotely like an uphill and soon reached Ropers Hut CP. It had a great campsite protected by trees and probably nice views in clear weather. I chatted for a moment with the lovely volunteers at this CP and after thanking them was on my way feeling stronger and knowing that I was on the home stretch, only 12km to go.

Leaving the cover of trees and following the snow poles, it was exposed and significantly cooler with a dense mist limiting the view ahead. As the trail still continued to climb towards Warbys Corner I applied a run two poles, walk one pole method of moving forward and was soon overtaking runners ahead of me. It was too cold to walk and I did not want to stop and put on my goretex jacket.

Before reaching Warbys my watch (Garmin 405) stopped working - 5 hours of battery life after being fully charged the night before and being used without a heart rate monitor. Bugger, I was so annoyed. But never mind I pushed on reaching Warbys, refilling my water and being told I was well within the cutoff and to take care of the legs on the way down to Langfords - only eight kilometers to go. This last section was where I finally got switched on to my running mode and I passed a few runners who went by me on the climb up Mt Bogong. The last eight kilometers was also quite surreal.  Running through dense mist reminded me of poor visibility diving where you keep descending knowing that something will appear in front of you just not sure what or when. I reached Langford Gap, 35km in 6hrs 18min and 12 minutes inside the cutoff. It was windswept and cold at Langfords while I stood around waiting for Hammer to come in hoping he would make the cut and go on. He came in 6hrs 47minutes and was disappointed to miss the cut by 17 minutes.

Our friend Al went on do the full 64km in his ultra debut, finishing in a fantastic time of 9:56. What a monster run to chose as your first ultra. But I guess if you were ever only going to do one ultra might as well make it one that really counts, a technical trail over brutal terrain that would challenge a mountain goat. And set in a breathtakingly beautiful part of the Australian high alpine country.

I am pleased to have completed the 35 kilometre section and having no niggles ran again the next day. Back on track, training for the Six Foot Track 45km race in the Blue Mountains, in nine weeks time. A big thanks to our support crew Ed, who carried our supplies and put up with smelly runners in the car on the drive back from Langfords Gap and of course the race organisers who do it purely for the love of running.

End of 2010

Sunday December 12, 2010 (Recovery Week - 48km running/11km walk)

After the Kepler Challenge I did not run for 3 days. My quads were sore especially on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday I got out on the Equaliser trail for a slow 12km in 1:20 having to walk the last hill to the oval.  On Thursday I walked 11km on the Sphinx Track admiring the stands of gums shedding their bark in huge sheets.

On Friday Hammer & I ran 1km hill repeats for a total distance of 8km. Saturday was a bush group run on the Cascade trail finishing 11km in 1:23. Last long run on the week was the Striders Christmas run on the roads around the bay at Haberfield. My legs were still feeling heavy and not fully recovered, finished 18km in 1:50.  

Buoyed by my enjoyment of mountain running in the Kepler Challenge I  entered the Bogong to Hotham 64 km race being held on the 9th January 2011 in the Victorian Alpine National Park. This week entries also opened for the Six Foot Track Marathon being held on 13 March 2011 in the Blue Mountains and I managed to secure an entry.

Sunday December 19, 2010 (Trail/Road -79km)

Ran five days this week feeling tired during the Wednesday Equaliser 12km trail run and Thursdays   7km recovery run. On Friday ran 3x1km hill repeats on Equaliser trails still feeling tired. On Saturday I ran the Otford to Bundeena 28km coastal run finishing 28km in 3hrs45min. Ran most of the way with Dave and Nigel. Hammer got lost and ended up doing an extra hour. On Sunday my running planets aligned and I had a terrific 24km road run during the Ten Bridges STaR finishing in 2hrs25min. Not sure where that came from considering the tiredness I have been feeling after Kepler.

Sunday December 26, 2010 (Trail/Road -45km)

Managed to run three days this week: Wednesday trail - 12km, Thursday - 12km local road run and  21km trail run on Friday before driving north to Port Macquarie for family Christmas celebrations.

Sunday January 1, 2010 (Trail 12km - Road 73km)

First week of my 12 week Six Foot Training Program and first interval training session in 18months. Training plan combined with a few social runs added up to a big week of running. Did 8*2min intervals (avg 4.06  min/km pace). Celebrated the start of a breakdown free New Year by an early morning 10km run with Hammer to Bungan Beach on Saturday. On Sunday we ran Turriemetta to Manly and return, a total of 28km in 3hrs. Running mostly pain free, I feel like my running is coming together.