Adventures of Puff n Puffin

Have you ever been there?

2010-06-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the centre."

(Kurt Vonnegut)

My TNF 100 (kilometres) race report

2010-05-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

Warning concepts portrayed in this story may not be comprehensible to some readers.

"Running through paradise, hurting like hell and having the time of my life". Is how I would describe the TNF 100 in the Blue Mountains.

But let's start at the beginning. We, that is my wife, my two kids (9 and 11) and I arrived in Katoomba on Friday morning from Brisbane. We stayed in a cabin at the Katoomba Falls caravan park, which is perfectly located right beside check point 4.

To loosen up, I did a couple of short walks with the family, before we registered for the race at the Fairmont Resort.

The combination of the race anticipation and the spectacular country that we would run through had me chomping at the bit. I opted for a large spaghetti dinner with my awesome support crew, rather than the carb loading at the resort.

On race day I had a double portion of oats for breakfast and we headed off to the start. The race briefing was good, especially the "Welcome to Country" from the local aborigine.

I planned to start from the back and let the main crowd race off and try to settle into my steady rhythm (although all I felt like doing is run). This seemed to work well until we hit the first single track and there was a bit of a wait. This is how it was going to be for quite some time. Every time we hit some steps we would all stop. I couldn't settle into a good pace and started to get a bit frustrated. If I would have known what laid ahead, I wouldn't have worried and just relaxed.

By the time I got to checkpoint one I was about 20 minutes behind my anticipated time and I had my first taste of the thousands of steps to come. I now realised that my training was way off the mark and I was well under trained. Ah well, the mind would just have to take over to get me there. Because I am doing this as part of the Queensland Cancer Council Cancer Free Challenge (in memory of a friend that passed away due to cancer) and I was sponsored by a lot of people I was determined to finish this race even if I had to crawl (I didn't realise then how close to that I would come).

The checkpoints throughout the whole event were perfect, with lots of food, drinks and superb volunteers. I drank about 4 cups of Endura, grabbed two large muesli cookies and was off again, eating on the way.

The scenery was just awesome and running through it was uplifting, I literally felt like being in a higher place.

I got to the ladder, which was a perfect set up and I only had to wait for three minutes (perfect time to eat some more). I started to feel the constant incline and decline but was still going strong by the time I got to check point two. I had some more Endura, wolfed down a coffee and grabbed a gel and muesli cookie. I once again was about 20 minutes slower than anticipated.

In hindsight I think this is where I started my biggest mistake of not forcing enough food down.
At about 40 km I the cramps began and used my Cramp Stop spray for the first time, which worked wonders (to start off with anyway).

By now I was well aware that I under estimated the course that is referred to as the hardest 100 km trail run in the world.

In a matter of 30 minutes I managed to get three rocks (on separate occasions) in my shoes. It was getting extremely difficult to clean out my shoes due to cramps and the Cramp Stop was starting to lose its effect.

With my rock problems behind me, I settled into a nice pace and got to check point three, where my support crew took care of me. The kids had made up banners and all three fussed about me. It was a real moral booster. I ate some chips (for the salt), coffee (for my addiction), lots of Endura, a banana and a fruit bun. But in hindsight not enough.

By now it was well and truly dark and I was gaining some speed towards check point four, where I knew my super crew was waiting.

At check point four I plonked down in my chair and started munching away on some pasta (provided by my totally cool wife). I tried to drink as much Endura as possible, but my stomach didn't want anything. My super kids kept me warm with blankets and wiped my face down with a cold face washer. Life came back into the old bones and I was ready to move on as soon as I would change my wet shirt and jumper. As I took off my gear I went into convulsions (probably a combination between exhaustion and the cold). I managed to get my dry cloths on and only my teeth were left chattering. I was still in good spirit as I knew that my sub 20 hour goal was still achievable.

A little further I was wondering why my sunglasses were fogging up, only to remember that it was, first of all night time and secondly, I didn't were sunglasses during the whole event. I was glad that this was sorted out, and had to smile because the guy yelling at the hill was not the only one going bonkers.

After 18 hours and 42 minutes the feeling of achievement was overwhelming and although I was nearly broken, I never felt better in my life than crossing that finish line.

My family managed to get me back into the warmth of the resort, where I nearly was sick again but after a little while I managed to eat a couple of sausages.

I consider this run (stumble) one of the greatest events. All the competitors were the most supportive and sportsman like that is rare now days. The best example is of the two winners and the group of last people crossing the finish line together. There were no losers that day, only winners. Even the people that had to pull out had the guts to attempt something special.

The organisers and volunteers are just amazing. Thank you to all the sponsors as well, as they make events like this possible.

But most of all I want to say thanks to my family that supported me through all the months of training and at the event. Your concerned looks about me made me realise how much we mean to each other.
I believe that the support crews are the unsung heroes of these events, they never have the satisfaction of finishing, they have to put up with us sweaty, smelly and somewhat incoherent competitors and they always smile and encourage us. So have a drink on all the support crews and as ACDC would say “We salute you!”.

Overall the TNF 100 gave me a sense of achievement that I haven't felt in a long time and has left me a changed person. It has opened up my mind to things that were always there but I never saw. Things in life that I considered problems suddenly seem trivial.
For anyone who ever thought about it. Just do it!!!

The final preparation run

2010-05-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished my final preparation run. It was just a leisurely 15 km road run. I can't believe that it is nearly there. With six days to go I feel ready to rock n roll. I maybe didn't train as hard as I should have, but taking into account the balance of family, work and training I didn't do too bad. I just want to say a big thanks to my family who have supported me all the way and put up with my ramblings and training that ate into our family time. I really appreciate it as well as the support that I know I will get from them during the race.
Everything is ready (my pack with 3 litres of water and mandatory gear is 5.1 kg) and my tendinitis in my foot is not too bad. Like my daughter would say HUP (Harden Up Princess).
So all the best to everyone else doing the race or any other race.

Yippy

2010-05-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

I once had a little buddy who was a best mate.

His kind is shunned by society but I don't know why.

He was gentle and loving by nature and caring out of sight.

He was jolly, never demanding and thankful for the smallest pat or hug.

He would give you assurance and love of the purest kind.

He did not have possessions nor greed and was grateful for just being, right to the end.

Although he was little he left a big hole and I learnt a lot of lessons from a creature so small.

I'll miss you my friend Yippy.

Last long run before the race

2010-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

I went for a 64km test run yesterday. It all went pretty good although it was a flat course I learnt a bit more on how to tackle the TNF100. It took me about 7 hours and 40 minutes. My tendinitis in my foot held up OK although my legs got a good pounding on the concrete and bitumen. I think the trick is to go out slow and don't be pressured into too fast a pace by other competitors and the excitement. Although I was not 100% with my time yesterday I still had energy left to keep on going.
Another thing I worked out is what sort of food I am going to carry. I have decided on a mix of sweet energy bars and salty/savoury snacks such as pretzels. For drinking I will just carry water and have energy drinks at the checkpoints. At the manned checkpoints I will fill up with coffee and coke.
So now I am in training wrap up mode with some medium length runs this week and next and then just some small workouts in the last week.
I have all my equipment now and can fit it quite easily in my M.U.L.E., which has a 10 litre carrying capacity + 3 litres of water.

The misconception that cyclists should pay registration

2010-04-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

Every now and then (becoming more frequent) there are articles in the local papers that argue for cyclists having to pay registration in order to use the roads. There is a huge misconception that the vehicle registration actually funds the roads in Brisbane. I am amazed that whenever these claims are made that politicians don't set the record straight. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when our Lord Mayor wrote the following in the Bmag that is distributed locally:

“...Some people think cyclists should have to pay rego if they want to use the roads. That is a bit of a furphy because car registration is paid to the State Government and there are less than 300kms of state funded roads in Brisbane, mostly major highways. The remainder of the 6000kms of Brisbane roads are funded by Brisbane City Council, which means that they are funded by people paying rates, rather than taxes. That means cyclists are entitled to user our roads, particularly the ratepayers. I personally think there is room for everyone on the roads and with a few manners and a bit of respect we can all co-exist...”

(Ref: BMag 13 April 2010: Campbell Newmann)

I believe that motorists have to be made aware of the benefits of cycling, not just for the cyclist, but also for the motorists. Fact sheets like the CPF information sheet “Bicycles belong on the road” should be distributed as part of an education campaign.

Unfortunately there is a big divide between cyclists and motorists in Australia compared to other countries. I am not saying that motorists are the only ones at fault as there are many cyclists who do the wrong thing as well. But it is important that we all recognise the advantages of cycling and that we all become more tolerant of each other. Like Campbell Newman I also think that if we respect each other we can both exist on the roads.

Over one hurdle, here comes the next!!

2010-04-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

On Monday our family went for a bush walk along a section of the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk. I decided to give my foot a good workout by running back along the trail to pick up the car. The trail consisted of a lot of steps and gave my foot a good workout. It held up fine and I was over the moon.

The aim was to get up early on Tuesday and go for a 3 hour run. But this was not to be. Both Kerrie and I didn't catch much sleep as we both came down with a throat infection. I am starting to get very frustrated as now is the time that I really need to be training. I took it easy for the day and this morning my throat seems a bit better with mainly the ear aches left.

I am trying to get some more rest today and get back into it tomorrow. I am sure that I will get there eventually.

On I go

2010-04-02T15:14:00.001-07:00

I have decided that I have waited enough to make my foot get better. I need to do training. It either will heal itself and all is OK or it will get worse and then I am just forced to rest and wing the race.

I went for a short 5km trial run yesterday and the pain started to set in after about 3 minutes, but it is manageable I did some stretches during the run as advised by my physio this seemed to loosen things up a bit. This morning I increased my run to 10km and although the pain was there right from the start, it did not get worse. Once again I did my stretches during the run. My time on the 10km was pretty good and I am happy to not have lost too much fitness. I then spent one hour on the exercise bike with no pain at all. I am still icing my foot twice a day doing exercises and stretches. So hopefully it will clear up soon.

Still no good

2010-04-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would test out my foot today. I started with a walk and then a gentle jog, but after about 5 minutes it started flaring up again. I did a U turn walked home and started the ice treatment. I am getting a bit frustrated now, because this should be the peak time of my training. I am probably going to rest my foot over Easter now and do some training on the bike.

Mountain Designs Adventure Race

2010-03-29T02:47:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Kerrie and I competed in the Mountain Design adventure race in the Noosa hinterland. It consisted of canoeing, mountain biking and trail running. The event was great, with lots of mud.

We did pretty good, finishing at the 6 hour mark. Kerrie just kept on going like a real trooper. The only downside was that Kerry ripped her legs during a battle with some Lantana (the bleeding stopped not too long after) and had problems with my foot again. After the race Kerrie cleaned and dresses her cuts, which were stinging quite a bit.

I did some more research and decided that my foot problems are inflamed tendons, which I caused when I had my shoe done up too tight (over a week ago). This is a major problem for the TNF, which is now less than 7 weeks away. I have decided to bite the bullet and not run until the soreness is gone in my foot. Instead I am going to keep on training on the bike, gym, and exercise bike, keep up the ice treatment and use anti inflammatory tablets to get back to normal as soon as possible. Not too worry, this is all part of the fun.

TNF training update

2010-03-23T01:47:00.000-07:00

My training was coming along well with about 80km running per week, plus one hill training session, 100km bike riding and the occasional home gym session per week. Until last Saturday when I developed some pain on the top of my foot during a short 12km run. At the time I attributed it to over tight shoe laces, but it got progressively worse on my Sunday hill training. My Monday bike stint didn't give me any problems and I totally forgot about it until I left for my longer run this morning. It really flared up and I struggled to finish. I decided to have a two day rest with some ice treatment, especially because my wife and I are participating in the Mountain Design ARA adventure race this coming Sunday. Hopefully it will have cleared up by then.

Otherwise all is going to plan and I nearly got all my gear together. My main items are my trusty CamelBak M.U.L.E, which has nearly become an extension of me over the last few months, and my NB 769's, which I find more comfortable than any trail shoe that I have tried. But these are just my preferences and I am often told that I am weird (I like weird).

I won't start up my spread sheet again because I just don't seem to find the time. Saying that, I have reached what I consider my ideal weight and my food intake is well adjusted to my training (including the compulsory beer).

Some of my training runs:
44 km to work
32 km to work
24 km to work
24 km round trip

Join the Cancer Free Challenge!

2010-02-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Join the Cancer Free Challenge!

I friend of mine has recently passed away after a battle with cancer. Russell was diagnosed with cancer in August 2009 and passed away on 26 February 2010. Russell's and his families struggle and grieve has heightened my awareness of cancer and how merciless it is. Because of this I am trying to make a small positive thing come out of all the grieve by starting on the Cancer Free Challenge.

I am aiming to raise $6000 through donations, events such as Clip for Cancer (18 April), sponsorships e.g. The North Face 100 and selling chocolates.

Please help me make a difference by donating on my website or through me personally.

On the way to TNF 100 2010

2009-10-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

26/11/2009 After nearly one month of training I hit a hurdle

Due to work commitments I won't have the time to train for 2 weeks. This is a bit of a setback, but I hope to make up for it after I am back. Training so far went pretty much to plan and I am actually getting some fitness back with a couple of longer runs last week. I haven't lost any weight, but this is probably due to my bad beer habit that keeps me sane due to my work worries. The plan is to get down to below 85kg by New Year.

I will suspend monitoring in the spread sheet until I am back on line.

31/10/2009 Today is the start of my journey towards TNF 100 in 2010

The event date is 15 May 2010, this leaves me 7.5 months to get ready.

You can go to The North Face website and find out more about the event.
My aim is to complete it in under 17 hours. To do this I have to lose about 7 kg and of course work up my distance training. You can follow my stats on my spreadsheet .

Gold Coast Kokoda Challenge 2009

2009-09-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I was asked by a parent from my children's school 4 weeks prior to the event to fill in for someone in the Kokoda challenge.

The Kokoda challenge is a foot race over 96km of steep trails in the Gold Coast hinterland. It is meant to represent the hardship that the Australian soldiers endured in Papua New Guinea in WW2. Teams are made up of 4 people and they have to finish the course together in order to get a place. The idea is to work together and experience the mateship that the soldiers developed for each other.

I was a bit worried because my level of fitness was not the best and I was suffering from a cold that I could not shake. I started up training and my cold was getting worse so it was a toss up between getting fit and getting well. With only one week to go I decided to stop training and get over my cold.

On the day I felt good but not confident that I was fit enough. I was worried that I would hold up my team mates.

My team consisted of Stewart, Tim, Ben and myself. We went out pretty fast at the start and soon left the bitumen and headed into the hills. The first hills we took a good speed and I thought that the others must be very fit and I would have to put in lots keep up. After a few more ups and downs Ben and Stewart started getting cramps and used some Cramp Stop (great stuff for instant relieve of cramps). Tim was still going strong, but Ben was struggling a bit with his toe that he broke a few days ago.

The first manned check point was a quick stop and we left towards Pollies Kitchen. We were told that the hill after Pollies Kitchen was the hardest of the race and we have had a practice run of it about 2 weeks ago. But I am sure that the hills that we found on the way towards Pollies Kitchen were harder. Ben started not to feel his toe anymore, which was good, but he started to struggle with blisters and a chaffed back side. Stewart was starting to suffer a bit as well. Tim was still going strong and I was having a bit of knee problems.

From Pollies Kitchen onwards Stewart started going downhill a bit and when we came to the next manned checkpoint I thought that he won't make it for much longer. We had something to eat and I had a nice cup of coffee. Our support crew (Barry, Leslie and Alex) were great and had everything ready for us. Yet I missed my usual support crew of Puffin and kids greatly.

During the next stage I saw the biggest recovery I ever saw in a person. Stewart just suddenly picked up and was powering on with new found strength. I was feeling good too apart from my knee, which I fixed with a couple of Panadol. Ben was gettin worse and Tim started to get big blisters.

At the next checkpoint I thought Ben would pull out, but he did not give up. He is a pretty tough bugger. We got through midnight alright and went down a big decline which did my knee not much good. Pop, here go another couple of Panadol (actually 3).

The next manned stop saw a surpise withdrawl of Tim. His blisters were bad and I think he was pretty buggerd. Ben kept on going, but he was in pain and moving very slowly. Another 4 km in he couldn't go on. Stewart and I tried to carry him, but that did not work to well. We had to organise a 4WD to pick him up. I ran to the next checkpoint and enjoyed the run. I was feeling great. Even the knee didn't give me much trouble anymore. The ambulance picked up Ben (great effort Ben) and Stewart and I kept on going for the last 14 km. We made good time and ran the last few hundred meters to finish in just under 25 hours.

I am still amazed at the determination that the whole team showed and thoroughly loved the event.

Next year my wife and a couple of other friend are going to do it with me and we are planning on beating the 25 hours with a full team to finish.

Why I like endurance events

2009-08-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

Quite often I am asked why I like endurance events, here is my shot at answering this question.

It is a mixture of several things, such as the ability to forget about all your worries for the duration of the event, the realization and enjoyment of basic pleasures like sleep, warmth and food, the mate ship with other crazy people, but most of all the satisfaction of achieving something that you thought you were not capable of achieving,

As soon as you start an event the adrenalin just pumps through your body and all you want to do is race. Everything else is insignificant and you don't think about anything but the event. You don't worry about a thing, not even the task ahead because at the start the adrenalin makes everything seem possible. Eventually the adrenalin wears off and the pain starts to set in, yet you don't worry because all you want to do is beat the task ahead. It becomes personal and you feel an elevation that is hard to explain when you conquer that hill or other obstacle that was thrown your way. As you pound away the miles your body and mind goes into "the zone", a bit like a higher consciousness. You become one with your environment and the pain goes away, it is nearly as if you are floating. It is a high that you cannot achieve with any drug.

After 12 hours of racing in the cold you realize that a lot of things that we think are basic needs in our life become insignificant. You tend not to think about that play station or big four wheel drive, but all you want is the real basics, you would give anything for some hours of sleep, warmth and food. I love this realization as it puts my life back into perspective. When I finish the event and I warm up, have a good feed and wake up from a long sleep I am 100% satisfied and don't need any material pleasures.

Over time I tend to loose or diminish my believe in human society. I often think that we are caught up in a world that only revolves around our selfs. It is all about "me" and a lot of people don't care about anybody else. But when it comes to endurance racing, everybody may be in it for different reasons, but none of them are selfish. The biggest example is my family. When they support me they are only thinking about looking after me. They never complain. I cannot explain the feeling when I get to a checkpoint, I am really struggling, and I get cheered on by my kids and looked after by my wife. I not only regain energy for the event, but I also regain faith in people. My favorite events are the ones that I do as a team with my wife, we both know that we can depend 110% on each other and we tackle each challenge knowing that we are doing it with our best friend. But it is not only people that are close to me. Nearly all people in these events would forgo their ambitions to help out anyone on the course. The mate ship in these events is normally only read about from days gone past. After each event I am proud to be human again.

I guess my greatest motivation is the sense of achievement that comes with completing an endurance event. As a computer analyst I never experience a great sense of achievement. All achievements are mental, and never feel as good as a combination of mental and physical achievement. I am a great believer that if you have a healthy body you should be thankful and use it. There are a lot of people out there that don't have that privilege and would give anything for that chance. Short before an event I normally have some doubts creep in. Can I do it? Am I ready? Should I have trained more? But once I am off I know that I can do better than the target that I set myself. A friend of mine once told me that endurance events are 80% mental and 20% physical, and when I finish better than expected I feel mentally and physically on top of the world. I feel that I can achieve anything.

An endurance event may leave you in a tremendous amount of pain, you might not be able to move for days after, but it is the most beautiful and uplifting experience that you can imagine.

Rogaine cancelled but the next challenge is here

2009-07-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately the 8 hr rogaine was cancelled, but I have been asked to take a spot in the Kokoda Challenge. I was asked 4 weeks prior to the event, and I had little training since the GH 50 because of my shin splint.

I started training, but soon came down with a cold. I tried to get over my cold, that caused me severe ear pain, and still do some training. Because of this I have not trained as much as I would have liked, and I still have ear aches one week prior to the event. I have decided to rest the last week to get over my cold.

I have gained about 4 kg since the GH 50 but I still feel pretty fit and am looking forward to the Kododa Challenge.

SEQ 8 hr rogaine setback

2009-06-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

After my 50 km trail run I took 1 week of running and made the mistake of starting back up again with a 20 km run. I took it easy and it felt good, but as soon as I finished I found that I had an enormously painful shin. The pain is directly in the front of the shin and I could hardly walk. I knew that I got myself a shin splint.
I didn't bother reading up about it and the next day I tried to loosen things up with a session on a cross trainer. Not good. I should have done my research as my shin had gotten even worse. After reading about it I treated it with ice and gave it as much rest as possible.

It took about 1.5 weeks for the pain to go away, but it is still tender. I decided to rest it for another few days before I am going to start up light exercise again.

I now have 1 month left to get ready for the rogaine.

SEQ 8 hour championships rogaine

2009-05-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Puff n Puffin's next big event is the 8 hour rogaine. If you don't know what a rogaine is go to the Queensland Rogaine Association website.

Kerrie and I will enter in the veterans and hope and we are starting to prepare for it now. After finishing the 50km trail run, I had one weeks rest but started up again with a 20km nice and easy flat run.

Kerrie is still pretty fit, but her twisted ankle (from November last year) is still giving her a bit of trouble. But when strapped up it is not too bad. Hopefully it will get better with more exercise until the event which is on the 4th of July.

Glasshouse 50km race results

2009-05-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Name	Age	Place	M/F	Time
PAGE, Michael	34	1	M	04:33:41 AM
McKAY, Keith	48	2	M	04:58:26 AM
MARSHALL, Kelvin	44	3	M	05:02:44 AM
CULPITT, Ross	53	4	M	05:12:15 AM
PRYTZ, Arnstein	49	5	M	05:15:30 AM
TAYLOR, John	52	6	M	05:30:26 AM
BLACK, Nicholas	25	7	M	05:37:32 AM
PENDLEBURY, Craig	34	8	M	05:41:25 AM
CUNNINGHAM, Nick	37	9	M	05:41:26 AM
BELL, Tamyka	28	11	F	05:44:53 AM
GAGEL, Alex	41	12	M	05:46:18 AM
DUNN, Lloyd	35	13	M	05:52:05 AM
DAVIES, Peter	55	14	M	05:55:42 AM
EWING, Paul	49	15	M	05:55:43 AM
COOPER, Grant	34	16	M	05:59:45 AM
STORER, Ben	35	17	M	06:00:28 AM
DAVOREN, Peter	36	18	M	06:13:10 AM
MAHONY, Shaun	35	19	m	06:13:11 AM
FENTON, Brec	36	20	M	06:13:11 AM
WILLIS, Campbell	33	21	M	06:13:12 AM
HORTON, Shane	37	22	M	06:14:34 AM
HENDRY, Glen	34	23	M	06:23:28 AM
HEALY, Michelle	35	24	F	06:41:05 AM
SWAIN, Elizabeth	40	25	F	06:45:22 AM
CAMERON, Grant	39	10	M	06:59:11 AM
SELLARS, John	61	26	M	07:03:40 AM
HENDRY, Craig	34	27	M	07:05:16 AM
JENSEN, Scott	36	28	M	07:14:33 AM
SADDINGTON, Trevor	34	29	M	07:30:13 AM
TOGHER, Rohan	42	30	M	07:42:57 AM
KENNEDY, Michael	27	31	M	07:46:05 AM
ROWLAND, Claire	36	32	F	07:47:18 AM
BUTLER-HENDERSON, Eli	43	33	F	07:47:19 AM
BROWN, Craig	38	34	M	07:47:20 AM
McLEOD, Norman	27	35	M	08:02:19 AM
PERIAHO, Eero	54	36	M	08:04:18 AM
GORMAN, Craig	42	37	M	09:19:04 AM
CASSELL, Dominic	31	38	M	09:20:25 AM
SHAKESPEARE, Rob	46	39	M	09:20:34 AM
GRANTLEY, Lachlan	32	40	M	09:40:26 AM
ROSENGREN, Peter	45	41	M	09:40:28 AM
ROSENGREN, Michelle	43	42	F	09:40:29 AM
WEBBER, Nicole	31	43	F	09:40:31 AM

Glasshouse 50km race wrap up

2009-05-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

First of all I just want to say that my family are champions, my wife and kids got up at 2:00 and supported me all day long. I couldn't have achieved this without them.

Well, here is the story.
We got up at 2:00 and were left for Woodford at 2:40, where we arrived at 4:00. This was great timing as we could just see the 4:00 start and we had plenty of time to get ready. I had my noodles with sugar for breakfast, a couple of cups of coffee for good measure, got weighed in and I was bursting with excitement. Glen was already there when we arrived. Glen is a great bloke who has already done ultras for a long time. He gave me some great advice and wished me good luck (I started to think that I will need it).

This is what I was in for:

Total elevation: total gain 1551 meters
Total distance: 51.5km

Start to checkpoint 6 distance 12.6km

The 5:00 start was perfect; my camelbak weighed in at about 3kg with two litres of water, GPS, some band aids, gels and mobile phone. I used a head torch for the first hour. We set off in a group of about 12, but soon there was a split and I pushed myself to go slow, although I felt like sprinting (that soon changed). The track was good and pretty flat and I arrived at checkpoint 6 in good time and feeling great. My spirits were high, especially when seeing my crew. Kerrie looked after me and gave me some apple muffins for the way, that she and the master prepared the day before.

Checkpoint 6 to checkpoint 8 distance 10.0km

As I left little Tash ran with me for a short time, which I thought was great. The apple muffins did the trick. I knew that this section contained the infamous power line section, but I thought that this was just hype. OMG was I wrong. The power line section is about 5km long, up and down like a seismogram and so rugged that you have troubles walking it. But it was great fun to navigate this ankle twisting, thigh crushing section. Once I got through it I felt on top of the world. I still felt great when I arrived at checkpoint 8. After I was weighed, I had some coke and enduro. All the people at this race are great. They are so friendly (organisers and runners), everybody says hello and cheers each other on.

Checkpoint 8 to checkpoint 8 via 8a distance 10.8km

This was a good section with a nice flat section along a rail trail. At the end of it I was starting to feel it a bit with a pretty steep uphill.

Checkpoint 8 to checkpoint 8 via 8b distance 5.0km

This section was the killer. On the downhill all my body hurt like hell and it kept on going down and down. This was not good. What goes down must come up!!! And it did. The up was so steep that I was forced to walk most of it. I was yearning for the power line. It seemed like it was never ending, after each turn it just kept on going. When I finally made it to the top, my legs where on fire. Little Tash was up the hill waiting for me and that made all the difference. Master Luke and Kerrie gave me a big welcome, I guzzled more enduro and coke and had some food and Kerrie gave me a cramping tablet (she just knows what I need).

Checkpoint 8 to checkpoint 7 distances 8km

I set off and for the first time I found the going extremely hard. The trail was now flat, but I was cramping up and was forced to walk for a bit. I started to alternate between running and walking, but found that I was cramping more on the walk, so I hooked in behind a 30km runner and just pushed myself to keep up with him. This got me going again, but unfortunately he started to walk, so I just kept on pushing and continued running. I knew that if I stopped that would be the end. This seemed like the longest 8km that I have ever run.

Checkpoint 7 to finish distance 5.1km

At this checkpoint I just grabbed a cup of enduro and kept going. I don't know whether I caught up with a couple or they caught up with me. It was all just a blur. They were doing the 30km and encouraged me a lot. I was actually starting to feel better again and when I saw my family at the finish line I can't explain the feeling that I had. It was one of the best feelings in my life.

I am still on a high while I am writing this, and it is nearly 24 hours later. Thank you to my family, the organisers and other contestants. This was one of my most memorable days.

I will post results as they come along.

Well done to everybody, especially the 80km racers.

Glasshouse 50 - Trail running event May 2009

2009-03-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

This year I decided that I would compete in a marathon. But when I accidentally read in a running magazine about the 100 km North Face race, I was hooked. All I wanted to do is enter that race. After some days, reasoning from my wife and some research, I realized that this aim was unrealistic. I did not have enough time to train for 100km (besides that it would probably kill me), and I also couldn't work out the logistics of getting there (NSW), taking the kids out of school and taking time off work.

A friend of mine came to the rescue when he told me about the Glasshouse Mountain Trail runs. This was much better. The Glasshouse 50 offers three distances, 80 km (i.e. 50 miles, this is what the Glasshouse 50 refers to), 50 km and 30 km. I believe the the 80 km is out of my reach, but the 50 km would be a great challenge. When I started training I had 3 months to go. I believe that this is fairly short for an event like this. But then again, my aim is to just finish and have fun.
I am a complete novice at this and am only used to Mountain Bike endurance events, but life is boring without challenges.

The race is on the 17 May and I am ramping up training now.

I have done some 25 km runs and am just sorting out blisters from my cheap socks and rashes from my shorts.

At the moment I aim to run at least 60 km a week, ride my bike for about 150 km and do some weights training as well. I also wish to loose a few kilos, as I don't want to carry anything I don't need to.

Any one interested in mine and my families other activities, check out the web site of www.puffnpuffin.com.

Here is my training during the last 5 weeks:

07/04/09 22km street/trail run. Approx 14km road and 8km trail.

08/04/09 13km street run.

09/04/09 rest day

10/04/09 150 x sit ups 75 x push ups, 30 min weight training and 19km street run.

11/04/09 10km street run.

12/04/09 Easter Sunday, another rest day.

13/04/09 50km bike ride half on gravel road

14/04/09 10km trail run 40km bike ride on gravel road

15/04/09 13km trail run 20km bike ride on gravel road

16/04/09 30km bike ride on gravel road

17/04/09 1 hour trail hill sprints 35 km bike ride

18/04/09 15km street running

19/04/09 rest day

20/04/09 2 x 25km bike ride

21/04/09 25km bike ride

22/04/09 25km street run and 25km bike ride

23/04/09 25km bike ride

24/04/09 25km street run and 25km bike ride

25 and 26/04/09 rest days

27/04/09 25km street run

28/04/09 2 x 25km bike ride

29/04/09 6km street run

30/04/09 6km street run

01/05/09 12km street run

I decided to spend some money on trail running shoes. I wasn't too happy to spend a lot of money on shoes, but I thought it would make the whole experience more pleasurably painful. I ended up getting The North Face Ultra 104 GTX shoes. I never had that expensive shoes before, but they fit like a glove.

02/05/09 15km street run

This was my first run with my new shoes. I am very impressed. Although they are a bit harder, which is normal for trail shoes, they feel fantastic. I didn't take them off all day.

03/05/09 17km (10km street run 7km trail run)

First time on a trail with my new shoes. They feel good, but have a little pressure on the outside of the big toe. I will need to wear them in over the next two weeks.

04/05/09 rest day

05/05/09 2 x 25km bike ride

06/05/09 25km street run

07/05/09 25km bike ride

08/05/09 13km street run 25km bike ride

09/05/09 9km street run

10/05/09 rest day

11/05/09 2 x 25km bike ride

12/05/09 6km street run

13/05/09 to 16/05/09 rest days