The day started off with Michelle Healy, Glenn Hendry, John Sellars and I driving over to CP8 for the start (56k).
We trotted off down the hill to begin 8a and along the single track. John set a pace that wasn’t particularly quick but took us both away from Glenn and Michelle. It wasn’t long before I was thinking it was too quick for me and I knew something was up. As we got to the more technical part of the section, I had to let him go.
I was starting to struggle a bit uncomfortable, not sure if it was heat, humidity or whatever but something wasn’t right (not sure what it was like for everyone else but I couldn’t get on with it). I hadn’t even got through the first 10k yet ... this wasn’t going to be pretty.
As I was approaching the top of the climb back to CP8, I heard a couple of voices behind me chattering away about the latest odds for the footy and new it was Glenn and Michelle. They couldn’t have sounded more chirpy if they’d been singing ‘I love to go a’ wandering’!! I got back to CP8, gathered my thoughts and a few other things before 8b and set off up the hill with Glenn and Michelle. Well, not so much with them as hanging around behind them ... further and further behind them.
I’d convinced myself that I needed to just get through this as conservatively as I could and look to settle down from CP8 back to CP7. After all, it was relatively easy running through that section and I might be able to settle in. No such luck. I was uncomfortable with everything. Laces not right, Camelbak bouncing around everywhere (whatever I did with it), etc., etc. This was obviously going to be a learning experience and I would just have to get on with it.
As I left CP7, I reassessed my likely splits determined what I needed to do to get home.
I could ditch the irritating Camelbak at CP6. It was doing my head in and I had left a fuel belt there. Also, I had stupidly forgotten to take the GU out of my drop bag earlier, so at least I could pick that up and get enough on board to give myself a preverbal shot. I would be well over halfway by then and though Beerwah would be straight after it I was quite looking forward to it as a few of us had run this section a couple of weeks ago in the dark. There was nothing really nasty to get through on the way there so CP6 had now become my Mecca.
As I was running up to CP6 Whippet passed me and that was inspiration in itself as he was in a pretty poor state when I passed him earlier on 8a. I got a change of socks and a few nibbles, picked up my sachets and was on my way.
The relief running out of 6 was immense. My time had blown out anyway but I was conscious of the need to get to CP5 by about 6:00 pm as I had left my light there (anticipating a much better time of course) but so no problems on the horizon. I was actually running a lot more than I was walking and I felt a lot more comfortable with less baggage. It might have had something to do with the couple of sachets of GU I got down me!
I really enjoyed the Beerwah section in the light – you have to love the scenery before you dive into the woods – and even the climb out was good. I caught up with Ray (James?) not far from the bottom of the climb out. He took off ahead of me to CP5. I got there just on 6:00 as he was leaving so I had a quick refill, picked up my light and I caught back up with him just before the lookout. I figured even though it was 11k to go it would be good for both of us to have a bit of company down the mountain.
Ray helped me down the mountain and maintained enough impetus to keep me moving. We had a bit of a two way street going when I realised where we were (having crossed the sealed road heading toward Tibrogargan) and though we walked a lot through the bush we were moving pretty well.
We got to CP1a at about 7:00 (still can’t believe I’d been out there for 7.5 hours) and both had to make a phone call – mobiles, where would we be without them?! – Ray was a bit longer on his and I needed to keep moving. It was only 4k but I had momentum and I didn’t want to lose it. So I said my ‘see you later’s’ and off I went.
We all know what the run through there was like - over your ankles in water for the most part, but by know it was of no consequence. It must have been nightmare for you guys going on to do the 100m and trying to avoid the blisters (ask Susannah H!), but I didn’t care. Not a lot to Hamburger Hill when you only have to travel it the once and you know you’re around the corner from home!
Coming to the finish, I got an inkling of how some of you guys can push yourselves for the longer ones. I felt pretty reasonable toward the end. I wasn’t running well, but I was sort of covering the ground at a reasonable pace (last 4k in about 26 minutes which was ridiculously fast compared to some of my earlier pace). Having said that I was more than pleased to get back!
I came in a bit over 8 hours (hoping for 6.5 to 7) but John’s winning time put that into better perspective.
Ray was running the 100m. I haven’t seen his name in the results so I guess he might have pulled up. If you read this mate, many thanks.
Lessons learned:
- You can’t expect to run 50k without paying a price when you haven’t even done the 30k training properly - duh!
- Sour snakes taste even worse when they’ve been in the back pocket of your cycling shirt for half an hour!
As ever, support was amazing. Too many names to mention
Until next time
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