Thanks to those of you who follow me religiously…I think there are 2 of you…for pointing out my typo error in the last few paragraphs of my previous entry. It was hilarious and embarrassing…now it reads correctly.
Saturday morning was an even earlier start with the alarm going off at 5am. I was at least a little more organised the night before and loaded up my pack and sorted out the things I needed to take for my run. All I had to do on rising was to get dressed and eat breakfast. I bypassed the coffee, deciding it were better that my bladder filled with electrolyte and water, especially as if I needed to go to the toilet it would be bush style during the hours of my run. I love my morning coffee, the only one of the day (and especially more so that I’ve cut back on my diet Coke consumption) but caffeine is a diuretic after all.
The mornings are definitely much darker and I briefly though about taking my headlamp, but this wasn’t necessary as by 6.20am when I hit the Bibbulmun it was light enough to see. My goal for the morning, other than to not fall over and break my ankle because I was running ALONE (tch tch!!), was to go for about 18kms or two hours, whichever came first. I was really deluding myself to think I would get to 18kms in two hours over this terrain, so when I hit one hour (the turnaround) I pushed on for another 10 minutes to actually get closer to 9kms so I would reach my total for the morning; especially as I’d gone too short yesterday while I was running asleep. I really enjoyed the run, but it was hard…it always seems hard. I haven’t been up there for about 6 weeks as I’ve been running at some different locations, but after this run I realise this is where I think I need to run…constantly! Well, at least every week. I have no idea of the terrain of the Death Race; the youTube videos I’ve seen are of more sedate sections and I think I have to be tougher than that.
I ran through different scenarios in my head over the run, trying to break the pace down in my head from a worst case to best case situation (which is hard to do when you’ve not seen the terrain!). I think if I can cover between 10-15km every two hours (average, obviously going faster on the easier sections)…then I might just make it. I averaged (with the hiking/running 8min/kms and the climbs were hard, even if they are short in comparison. I think this average could conceivably blow out to 10-12min/kms during the race, possibly longer. I’ve resolved that the first 45 minutes (5kms) of this particular run is the most challenging and will be the most effective in getting me ready for the race. I don’t really want to run only 5kms back and forth, but I will include repeated attacks on this section of the track. Saturday’s run took me further than I’ve ever gone on the trail to-date and after this first portion it becomes more undulating and easier. I will push on for another 5kms or so out along this trail to see if I come to some more climbs, but will also try to do a couple of repeats of this 5km section before heading out further on the easier portion of the trail. I ended up going just shy of 18kms in 2 hours and 20 mins. The most impressive number was burning over 1500 calories, or 6000+kiljoules, in that time. I ate while running with no problems, and did try to drink, but when I emptied my pack I’d only consumed a litre on the trail…not enough. I did drink to 750ml sports bottles in the car on the way home.
After the run I was lucky enough to get a massage again…this one from a friend of MGirl’s who is actually a physio student at uni and I think a little more aware of sports massage. I had to meet her, which was fine, as she is really busy too and the only time she could fit me in was while she was at MGirl’s state baseball training as she is the team physio for their trip away in one month. It was nice; I lay on my massage table in the shade off to the side of the baseball diamond and got to watch the girls train while I had to pretend CGal wasn’t hurting me. Do you know it is almost quite impossible to not tense your muscles when they are in pain!!
Saturday afternoon is a blur…I think it was spent doing domestics. It really does bother me that I can’t remember what I did with my time less than 48 hours ago…good old cognitive overload! Sunday morning I was intending to get up and go for a 30km ride at 6am, but with the neighbours over the back had a party and I was still awake at midnight. It was at that point that I moved the alarm forward to 7am and decided to write the ride off my list for Sunday.
Sunday was a busy, busy day with MGirl’s baseball GF game at 9.30am. She headed down earlier and CBoy and I walked down at about 8.15am. One benefit of living so close to Perth’s major baseball venue…walking distance. Unfortunately they lost, and don’t get me started on the fact that she sat on the bench for the whole game (like last week)…but that’s it - regular season baseball is done and dusted! We went home for MGirl to shower and CBoy to start his homework, and after lunch MGirl and I returned for another game our club was playing in a different division. We had 3 teams in grand finals over the weekend, only 1 team was victorious. At 5pm we headed off to the season launch for MGirl’s netball team. By 6.30pm we were back at the baseball with MGirl going back to the clubrooms for end of season celebrations, and I headed home for an early night!
This morning I was reliving my Saturday run all over again, with every step…ouch, ouch, ouch. I was glad Monday is now a day off and I’m looking forward to walking FD#1 while CBoy is at frisbee tonight. Run tomorrow…let’s hope the legs have freed up by then.
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