Hares & Hounds

Well, it happened, I did it and it was good. But not without some lessons.

A full account below for anyone who's interested. On we go!

At the beginning of 2008 I had some pretty big plans, for me at any rate the Hares & Hounds race was to be just the beginning. Unfortunately, some six weeks prior I had turned an ankle pretty badly and although I’d managed to get some training in it wasn’t what I had in mind and I was lucky to be there at the start. I went reasonably well and though it was a struggle at times I had a slow but steady event culminating in a six hour and thirty one minute which, above all else, saw me in one piece.

Fast forward to January 11th, 2009 and it was a different story. I’d achieved everything I’d set out to achieve in 2008 and then some. I was fit and strong and though training hadn’t been exactly ‘full on’ I felt I could be competitive.
I had a race plan that would bring me home in 5:13 with plenty of scope to pick up time and felt good. I’d even gone to the Glen Hendry school of ultra running and had printed my pace and splits on a small laminated card which I’d conveniently forgotten.

I had planned to tag along with Susannah Harvey-Jamieson and take it from there. Running down the hill from Woodford pool I got talking to Deb Nichol, who tore up the 50km course last September, and before I knew it I was already on my own in front of Susannah and behind a few front runners before I’d even made it to the trail head at the bottom of the hill. So much for best laid plans!
Anyway, off I went and set about my business. Aside of the few who had taken off ahead, there was another guy who I caught up with after about 2 km who, by the sound of his breathing, had obviously gone out to quick. I also noticed that he had barely any light emanating from his headlamp. Anyway, I settled some 20 metres behind him (I didn’t want to give him the light and this have him pick his pace up) and by CP7 there were another two runners who had passed me and tucked in on his shoulder. This suited me well and so it continued all the way to CP6. I believed Susannah and Nic Moloney among others were some 50 metres behind me and seemed to be pacing off me as I was pretty constant. This was evident as the three in front of me kept pulling away and coming back to me in a lather. Just before coming out onto the fire road toward CP6, the two runners who had passed went on ahead and left the guy with no light. I came alongside him and ran with him a while and suggested he shared my light to CP6 which was only about 2km away (having already offered him batteries). He suddenly pulled up and chose that moment to put his own spare batteries in. Go figure. I left him and made my way up to CP6 where I dumped my lamp and collected a visor and left after topping up my drink and downing and iced coffee.

From CP6 the terrain changes a little and first up is a steep and bumpy downhill of about 300m followed by an incline of the same length and severity. I walked the second half of the incline with nothing to gain by running it and was caught at the top by Nic Moloney. We started running together from the tope and up the next short but steep incline before turning down the hill toward Mt Beerwah in all its glory. It was an overcast morning and it wasn’t lit by the rising sun as it usually is but it was spectacular nevertheless. Nic commented exactly along the lines I was thinking. Unlike the September course, we turned right at the foot of this hill and along a series of up’s and down’s that lead to the Woodford-Beerburrum Rd. On the first of these inclines, Kelvin Marshall caught up with us and we proceeded along this section together at a fair pace (faster than any of us wanted but wouldn’t admit to) until we caught the runners in 3-5 place. We’d already commented to each other how we usually ended up running alone in these events and how unusually pleasant it was to find ourselves in this group of three, but now we were six which is almost unheard of in these event. We probably ran together for about a hundred metres before the momentum dropped and I think both Kelvin and Nic must have thought something similar and we went on ahead.

I don’t mind telling you that this was dangerous ground for me as even though the pace was comfortable and I was enjoying myself it was faster than I’d ever run any stretch at this distance ... and I mean, ever. As we ran toward the lookout, Nic commented that it felt good to catch and pass the other group but qualified it by adding that he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep up the pace. I mumbled something in agreement more to myself than anything else.

Either way, we continued down the hill and on to CP4a. I stopped to fill a bottle and while Nic was obviously taking care of more and maybe regrouping a bit Kelvin was already taking off. I made a quick decision to go off with him having decided that I was going to pay for the earlier pace either way so I might as well make the most of the good conditions and see how quickly I could get into Beerburrum.

We took off along the undulating trail for about 700 metres before turning into the bush. Other than a brief ten metre uphill stretch we ran all the way to Beerburrum maintaining the same pace. I’d intended to ease up from here and though Kelvin made a comment suggesting I was pulling away from him I doubted it. Either it wasn’t the case or it was indicative of how much too hard I was pushing. I’d arrived at the checkpoint at about 2:16, some twenty minutes ahead of my long forgotten race schedule. Even though I knew I was about to hurt, I felt satisfied that there was no way I was going to blow a sub five hour finish with 2:45 to do it in. What a dick head!

I left CP2 with Kelvin about 100 metres ahead but couldn’t close the gap. We run through the bush around the new section used in the 100 miler in September. Nic caught me as we got back out onto the trail and soon went on. From there it was downhill all the way. I still had sub five in my head but my body was telling me something completely different. Carrying on along Caves Rd, the inevitable happened and I got my ‘Rogering’! Yes, at about the point where Messrs. Healy, Hendry and Rasi caught me last year, Roger Guard and (I believe) John Taylor passed me.

It was a soliloquy of ultra running from there on. It was hot, hard and uncomfortable. On the plus side, I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t struggling to keep going, there was no mental battle of wits underway, it was the simple fact that I had gone out way too fast and bonked. I determined that the way things were going I was unlikely to get the five hour finish I felt I was capable of at the start (expected even), but I was going to dig in, manage the rest of my race and make sure I came in under 5:30 which would give me a 1 hour plus PB over the course (being more or less the same as last year).

I passed through the ever supportive CP4a (for my sins I forget the names of the people there though I do know them and have met them several times), making full use of the water to cool down and loading up with Endura and taking a few grapes along the way. I ran all the way to the foot off the hill to the lookout and walked hard up there after running the first 100 metres or so. Keith McKay and Peter Geraghty were some way back but visible and I made it my next goal to ensure they didn’t catch me before CP6. These guys were in the group of three we passed on the way from CP6 and though they were going to get their satisfaction at some point, I was going to make them wait ... at least a little while!

Past the tower and along the fire trail before turning off to the right and along the undulating stretch before turning sharply up ‘that’ hill. I’d stayed in front of my pursuers and I knew now that with this climb, a sharp descent followed by an equally sharp climb before the ½km or so to CP6. Mission accomplished though Keith was breathing down my neck coming up that last hill, I could feel it ... from 100 metres!

I got to CP6 and my surrogate parents, Ann and Jo Raftery, at a shade under marathon distance in about 4:02 ... I was pretty pleased with that, it wasn’t going to spur me on any but it was pretty decent for me. The crew had looked after my drop bag well. I had an iced coffee and a PowerAde that had been kept out of the sun and my iceblocks had done their job. I downed the iced milk coffee and was about to do the same to the PowerAde when Joe said, “you’re not going to drink that on top of the milk are you?” with a look on his face that suggested he was about to lose his own waffles. I replied with a smile, “It works for me Joe.” But I wasn’t convinced and I barely touched it.

What could I change? Shoes! I had a comfortable pair of road shoes in the bag as a precaution for the relatively new Teva’s I was wearing. My feet were ok but I’ve often found that a change, any change, makes a difference. I did and as it turned out it didn’t! Nic was there having slowed down somewhat himself, Keith and Peter had already been and gone and he asked was I ready to go. I said I was going to change my shoes and I’d catch him up. I meant it ... honest. Having done so, I filled my bottle and took off down the hill.

This section is rarely used but had been included this year, as it had last year, due to the condition of the track behind CP6. It’s a good stretch because you get to see those within range ahead of you and those behind along the straight after the hill from CP6. I could see Nic not too far ahead and maybe Peter Mack someway behind. At this stage of a race like this in this part of the field, there aren’t too many people making ground. There were a few still behind me (Susannah, Martin Schot, Adrian Pearce and maybe Rod Ladyman) but I’d seen no sign of them). I decided to forget them and concentrate on catching Nic. He obviously wasn’t having the best of days himself and there’s not much better company to have in the circumstances.

Coming up the last hill before passing the powerlines entry on the left, I looked back and saw the familiar figure of Susannah catching me up. I was walking to the top of the hill and it was inevitable that she caught me as I’ve never seen anyone with the ability to continue uphill in the same way the rest of us plod on along the flat.

“I wondered when you’d show up!” I said.
“I’ve been putting it off for a while as I was wondering whose sexy legs I was looking at!” she said. Well, it was something like that anyway and I’m sticking to it!

I trotted off down the hill behind her and caught up with Nic just as he turned off the road into the bush and just after Susannah passed him too. I bet she made the same comment about his legs too ... Jezebel!

Nic and I ran together and walked together for a few km. He got ahead of me for a while I caught up again just as we arrived at CP7 and the Active Stride van, ably manned by Glenn who’d been there for about five hours by now and still had a couple to go. We exchanged pleasantries and partook of his wares, mainly Coke for me. 5 km and a bit to go, only a couple of hounds past and looking to be home comfortably in under 5:30. I can’t say I was motivated to do much else. Nic and I ran for a while and I thing it may have been the first time I felt like walking but either way, I just needed to and, without a word, I left him to it. I kicked myself afterward because I had though that if I took a rest, I could reel him in over the last couple of km. I got him to about 200 metres (I swear he was looking back inviting me to join him at one point) but whenever I made any ground, I couldn’t sustain it.

Finally I reached the holy grail of the Woodford events – the turn into the short trail through the bush that leads to Petersen Rd – and was home. Running up the slope to the pool, which is a long 500 metres that doesn’t look it at the time, I had the usual feeling of wanting to run well and look like it was a breeze. I also had the usual hugely supportive group of people hanging around at the finish simply to welcome finishers in.

Finishing in 5:22 I was about thirty seconds behind Nic and it was a massive PB over the course and also was by far my best performance at a Glasshouse 50km event. I was immensely satisfied but at the same time a little cross with myself for abandoning my original race plan. It didn’t take long to realise that I had proved something to myself in the first half and even more in the second. I made up around 35 minutes over each half so it was a fantastic result for me.
As usual, it goes without saying that the support was immense and venue was perfect. My wife Stacey and our son Rhys joined us at the pool and I spent plenty of time mingling with lots of runners who are always good to catch up with, many from some distance.

Great start to the year.