My Next Adventure

This blog originally was meant to have a cool Inov8 video showing running over iced up rocks, snowed under trails and mountains fit for skiing rather than running. But upon reflection my next big adventure is not Snow Trail in September, it's the lead up to the event, all the training and preparation that needs to occur in order to perform at the level that I expect.

The level I have been falling well short of lately.

Yep my feelings towards September are that of excitement, eagerness and intrigue. I am super keen to take part in a snow race and it being at Falls Creek in the Aussie Alps is freaking rad. But I am also keen if not keener to put to bed the endless flow of ups and downs I have been suffering since 2014. 

I won't go back too far, looking more at the last little while but I figure if I'm going to run well again and get that buzz, we all know that feeling of a PB or a solid race, then I have to be completely frank and honest with myself, holding nothing back in review.

1) I took things for granted: my commitment hasn't been perfect. Don't get me wrong I train hard, sacrifice and so on but excellence requires total commitment, it requires total belief and it requires immersing yourself in the moment to achieve what is desired.

2) I became too focused on the events rather than the training required to do them: in short I wanted the cake without baking it first. Yes events are fun, the expo's, friends, celebrations, etc. but it's in the preparation where the real character is developed. I have the mind for this now and while my results are a ways off what I'd like I have also eliminated the DNF from my results sheet of late. I have been working on the mental aspect of my training and with more time and energy expended in preparation before the event the I would hope finishes will turn into solid results.

3) The fundamentals were being glossed over: I need to get back to basics. My running is getting back towards the simple philosophy of developing overall efficiency. Nothing beats time on feet and I probably spent a little too much time worrying about strength work, sacrificing running. I am still including strength in my program but my focus is improving my running for now and the max deadlift is being benched for the time being.

4) My schedule was a mess: routine is key to success. Due to circumstances in work and life in general that were not always within my control, I too easily adjusted things here and there, doing this run today not tomorrow or shaving 10min so I could squeeze it in after lunch. This approach to training will get me through races, but it won't give me the competitive edge on race day. I always tell my athletes to believe in the process, it's time for me to have patience and faith that the consistency of sticking with a training program will return results. I have seen this with my clients and now its my turn to put this into practice to get back to my best.

My year so far has been a great learning curve and I feel that looking towards the back end of 2016 I can implement the required changes to be running more consistently. I don't want a good performance followed by a bad one, I want a steady flow of solid running and from that I will move into races performing well, knowing what to expect of my body. I have been very unpredictable in my big events thus far in 2016, both Buffalo and UTA had good moments that were derailed by clear conditioning issues leading to substandard performances. I expect better of myself than this but I got what I deserved and now it's time to act rather than let things continue to flow along.

I need to be more hungry, motivated, determined, focused and competitive with my myself. It's time to have a break from racing, focus on quality training and get things right, not for anyone else but for myself. I need to be true to myself and with a winter of training ahead it is time to get excited about just running again.

Below is a photo journey of my last few months.

Buffalo Stampede 2016 - The Skymarathon money shot by Steve Harris.
I'd love to feel great racing up the big walk one day.

STS Manly Dam - things were looking far better....

than at Knapsack a few weeks later!

Orange Volcanic Mtn Challenge 2016 - another performance well off my best
but it's always good to get on the trails around Mt Canobolas again and
 as usual I wasn't disappointed.

Bathurst Half Marathon 2016 - my slowest half since Mudgee in 2012 but a rad shot
showing the joy of getting a high five from dad. I was just as happy post high five too.

Buffalo Stampede - finishing on Mt Buffalo was made a bit sweeter by having my family there
to share the moment. I struggled getting up the mountain but the gallery loop was a race highlight.

Ultra Trail Australia 2016 - another not so good result but
a finish and rad weekend away in the mountains.
Photo Bomb Credit - Kerry Suter.

Lithgow King of the Mountain 2016 - 3 wins on the trot, although a win my performance was sub-standard after
coming back from injury just 9 days earlier. As you can see the Force is Strong in my Boys.

2015 - Getting Real About the Year I Had

Knsapsack 3hr - Driven and focused.

Picture this: A running kit set out ready for a runner that more often than not would have to pack it into a bag for a shorter lunchtime run at work or away in the drawer because the morning session was missed all together. Or a foot that was so painful for the first 15min of every day, that it was feared before bed at night and on top of this hopping out of the car and simply applying force to stand up was a challenge.

Perhaps though, the planned and carefully executed first four months of the year that had led me to the best running shape I’ve been in would have indicated that the first two sentences would have related to someone else, not me! But they didn’t, it was the battle I was facing for the vast majority of 2015 and at times I was keeping these feelings very close to my chest.

Numbers, goals, races and trends were the focus. I was over analysing my stats tracking forward to race specific goals for the year and according to these figures I was on for a good year. That didn’t happen and a combination of injury, illness, over reaching, stress management, over planning and a lack of accountability eventually took it’s toll and my year went opposite to the plan. DNFs, DNSs, missing PBs by massive amounts, a decreased training load, failed sessions and a drop in motivation/commitment was becoming the norm as well as a loss in the desire to race.

I struggled throughout the back end of the year with injury, that was no secret but I kept my feelings towards my running internal, fearing for some reason that if I spoke about it would be reality, that maybe if I ignored the feelings they’d go away. They did not.

Bathrust Half - celebrating numbers rather
than my actual performance

Throughout the year my coaching role at UP Coaching had expanded and I had been coaching client’s on a weekly basis in 2015. Brendan has been very supportive of me in this role and while I haven’t made as many training days or session’s as I’d like, my clients have been working well in their individual programs. I had a good year coaching, learning a great deal, and successfully assisting clients achieving goals while building my programming theory to suit a variety of runners from all walks of life. Coaching is and will continue to be a part of my running journey and at UP Coaching I believe I can continue to assist my clients as I am constantly reviewing my coaching principles and beliefs aiming to continue to grow as a coach.

Of late I have slowly but surely became more driven to run for fun as opposed to Strava, result sheets or training logs. The need for big numbers started to replace the need for key sessions and runs to either build me physically or satisfy me emotionally and spiritually. I refocused my thoughts to why I run and dropped the desire to have the highest log, fastest average pace or most climb in a week, that all is bullshit anyway.

Hounslow - the starting point for my refocus late in the year.

Numbers don’t resonate much with me anymore, they have their role to play but they do not dictate my running like they did. I am trying to be more intrinsic with my running and drive from within rather than from an external force. I do not want to look for praise or attention with my running, I simply want the desire to drive myself to the performance I am capable of and be satisfied with that. I want my running to be a positive outlet and constructive aspect of my life, fulfilling me by feeding my competitive nature as well as my natural instinct to explore.

TVT at Kosci NP - Favourite run
of the year.

Recently I have read books rather than journals, ran in places rather than races and put less thought into my running than over the last 18 months. wards the end of the year I had a chat with Brendan about my position as a coach and athlete. We had a good talk about the need for me to have someone looking over my running and I felt the need to separate my running and coaching to ensure both were reaching their potential and he was supportive of my feelings. I have been working with Dave, Ben and Tiger at RunCrew since late November and the focus is now 6 Foot, no thoughts required just run each session and rest then recover for the next, a perfect formula. I now have the accountability and placed the responsibility of my programming with someone else for the year ahead and I feel great about it in so many ways.

I was lucky to be supported by many great people in 2016, most importantly Kel my wife (who has had her own battles on top of putting up with mine), my boys Charley and Beau and our families. Without the support of these people I would have completely melted myself by the end of the year. I am also part of a genuine and for the most part honest community of people, runners who run for fun and enjoyment, competition and achievement and come from all different backgrounds each adding their own individualism to the mix. I also should mention Blair here as throughout the year when we had planned to train together he kept me honest and consistent  which is what I lacked from April on, he had a great year himself and deserved every result he achieved.

Colour Run Fun

Inov-8 Australia/Barefootinc. Hammer Nutrition, Mountain Sports and Sydney Trail Series have all been very supportive of me throughout 2015. I am fortunate the gear I use and races I compete in are willing to support me and I remain grateful for what they do for me as an ambassador of their product. I try to remain authentic and partial when looking at races and gear and will only ever present my view not someone else’s.

I look forward to another adventure filled year in 2016. Already we are 11 days down and I have been thinking long and hard about this blog, since very early in December in fact. I have started, stopped, rewritten, avoided writing and procrastinated in the process, ironic it seems as that’s what my running had done since April. I am clear of mind, realistic, full of belief and newly motivated for the next 12 months of my life and the balance of family, work and running.

I know this because my house is tidy, my kit are not staying laid out in the morning and the front door step has a little collection of Inov-8 kicks building up each week.

STS Kamay - trying but not succeeding but still happy. 

Snow drifts and clear trails at Winburndale Reserve
east of Bathurst.

Nambucca Heads - running for fun!

Mt Towac - summiting mid-race.

Hassans Walls - taking time out.

Product Review - Endurolytes Fizz

With Summer approaching it’s time to rethink those hydration and nutrition strategies as with the increase in heat and humidity the risk of a poor races or training sessions is greater. I am going to overview my thoughts on a Hammer Nutrition product that I use as a part of my training and racing. And yes, I am a Hammer Nutrition sponsored runner.

Endurolytes Fizz is a product that I use regularly in my training and racing, especially in the hotter summer months or when I race in unfamiliar weather conditions. I find the Fizz is faster acting than the Endurolytes Capsules and during sessions longer than an hour I will often take some water with a Fizz added. The aim is to remain hydrated while balancing my electrolyte levels, using simply water does not allow this and the risk of hydration related complications rises.

Each tablet contains a full spectrum of electrolytes that you lose during exercise thus ensuring not only are you hydrating correctly (and avoiding dehydration) but also allowing your electrolyte balance to remain normal. This maximizes the uptake of energy from the stomach (osmosis) and can assist with prevention or management of cramps, therefore improved performance.

I generally use Fizz as my main fluid source in events/sessions up to 3 hours and in addition to this will consume Fizz on heavy training days in my water. I will make sure that I have some available to ensure when consuming any energy (like a gel) my body is capable of utilizing those kilojoules while being under stress. As your body is diverting blood away from the stomach and to the muscles it is key to making sure it is efficient at breaking down the small amount of energy it needs while running. I feel Fizz assists with this process and I try to practice this in my training to not have any issues in my racing.

Normally I will go with either Grape or Lemon-Lime flavor and I have used the Grapefruit and Mango flavours as well. I will normally use one tablet to 300ml of water and often vary my flavours depending on my energy sources. In races like Sydney Trail Series I will rely on 350ml Fizz and a Gel for the 90 – 100min race at Manly and find the additional humidity (I’m from Bathurst!!!) doesn’t affect me as much if I’m hydrating properly.

Reflections of a Broken Stampeder

Kel had just finished - super proud of her!!!

Buffalo Stampede 2015

Where to start…

When so much has been invested in something we all believe that the fairytale will happen and the ending will be perfect. Unfortunately the script that was written over the weekend down at Bright for the Buffalo Stampede Skyrunning Oceania Championships was different to the one I had been envisaging in my mind. With time past over the last few days to reflect it’s quite ironic that even though it most certainly didn’t provide me with my performance based goals I would not change a thing. And that everything happens for reason.

I was in great shape for this event and had undertaken a calculated preparation that was entirely focused upon the specific aspects of the brutal and challenging 75.5km Skyrunning course that Sean Greenhill has created. I had began building in November and this training evolved to the point where my numbers all indicated I was ready to race come April 11, and that is what I intended to do. I knew the course having done it before and after attending and coaching at Skycamp, furthering this knowledge with another trip to Bright in January to get some more course time under the belt.

Buckland Aid with Mark Lee

At this point I was well aware of the new Skyrunning Series for ANZ and was really hoping for a good performance in the April race. I also knew it was going to be tough going as both the course and the competitive field would ultimately lead to fast times and more risk being taken.

As I approached April I was carefully planning my preparation in training, setting goals and mentally readying myself for the event. I was also coaching Kel towards her Sky 26er event and we were starting to get knowledge of what medicial issue was causing her so much trouble and it looked as though things were on the improve. March had been a positive month with only a small mishap in training so all was on path for both Kel and I and we were looking forward to the Stampede.

Summing the ultra course up isn't easy, it is a beast from start to end. There are seven climbs, some utterly daunting and the others are brutal offering steep climbs and quad thrashing descents. The trail surface is mixed from hard packed firetrail, smooth flowing fire trail, downhill MTB single track and super technical rocky single track, with the variance in my opinion providing the great challenge for runners to prepare for. The climbs/descents all appear easier on paper and need to be respected or they will bite and the last 15km is close to the toughest of any race anywhere.

Descending of Clearspot at 67km is the hardest 2km I
have ever done - both times!

There was also great progress for both the Buffalo Stampede and Skyrunning in Australia in the lead up to April. The event had three races across Friday, Saturday and Sunday with entries being higher than last year, there were even some lunatics that thought it appropriate to attempt the Grand Slam – 26er, Ultra and Marathon! Skyrunning ANZ had attracted some quality runners from both home and abroad to compete in all events as well as establishing an Oceania Series across Australia and New Zealand. Runners from NZ, Europe, South Africa, the UK and Nepal all coming credentialed with many successful races across the globe. But for me it was Martin Dent that stood out. He is an Olympic and Commonwealth Marathon runner with a brilliant career highlighted with many victories and a superfast marathon pb! He now seems to be embracing new challenges and like the rest of us is learning his way towards the finishline at a Skyrace.

Wheels fallen off - time to reset.

We arrived in Bright on Thurday and by the time Friday had arrived, so had the realisation for Kel that she was about to undertake her longest run to date in sense of time on feet. The 26er was now 32.7km with 2050m +d and km for km rivaled the Ultra in terms of difficulty. She set off and I went up to the first road junction to cheer her along, Mark Lee was there as well and we offered encouragement to all the runners who had just completed their first major climb and descent of the day. Kel went through in great spirits and on track and this left me feeling content she would nail this little beast good and proper. I decided to go back to the junction to watch her come off Apex and head toward the final climb and descent to Bright. She came through looking so strong and smiled as she left the dusty flowing single track and hit the fire trail up the short but shockingly steep final hill that greeted runners at 29km. I then rushed back to the park to watch her finish and complete the 26er course and her first skyrace, I was so proud of her!

Running with a purpose all was going well...
and then I went across the bridge at Eurobin.

The atmosphere was surreal at Bright, there was a new energy injected into the event with the 26er. Bright is a special place, the Buffalo Stampede a special event and the Australian trail community is benefiting from events like this. The weekend provided memories, experiences and challenges for all and I'm hard pressed to think of any other sport that allows this to occur at every level for everyone involved.

Reflecting on my race has been difficult and this has been rewritten a few times. I am disappointed with my time as it's way outside my goal of sub 10 but I am also proud to have finished results aside. I have no real answers other than I missed the mark by a long way, no excuses either, what happened simply happened and I must learn from it if I expect to improve. I will be back for this race and while I know it's a bloody tough gig I'll be expecting if I prepare well to get that sub 10.

The last stretch into the finish

From Eurobin onwards I had to battle and was never comfortable in any way. My quads were cramping, thoughts were negative and I had over done my nutrition. I knew I needed to reset at the Chalet, I was desperate for that climb to be over but it was going on forever. At that point I just needed to suck it up and get to the top, there was no other option.

Mentally I feel this run has been vital. I probably was a bit soft and in the past melted when the heat got turned up. It was easier to stop, 8hrs + of pain could have ended at 4.5hrs in but quitting wasn't an option. I have put way too much into the race, my family had given up too much and I had to finish what I had started even though my race was not turning out the way I had wanted.

Finish line 11:11:5X not the result I wanted
but I finished.

I will spend time looking over my race but for me in the end it was a win. I was certainly chewed up and spat out by the course and my race made for a long day out, the second longest time I have run for in fact. But I won’t dwell and think of what if or what could have been, there is no point and whom would I be kidding anyway. I was at points where I wanted to be and I definitely nailed sections the way I set out to but there was the other side of the coin and this shows work is still required. I didn’t pull out and I was flexible with my plan, these along side a massive mental test are the positives I’ll be taking from the race into the future. Will I have another problem? Maybe, probably, who knows? But I think I am more equipped to manage it having run the race I did.

Off and racing!!!

One thing I know is that without Kel in my corner crewing for me it would have been very different. No matter what thoughts I had before each checkpoint from the Chalet to Bright I was assured of having someone who knew what I wanted and had done in training. She was tough but made choices that were beneficial and needed at the time and I'm indebted to her for this. They say sometimes tough love is needed and that is true, but having a crew who know what your limits are and will not let you give up easy is just as essential as training, especially when things hit the fan.

It was amazing outside of my own selfish feelings to see people I care about succeed too. Brendan's 2nd in the 26er, Kel finishing in such a positive manner and my training buddy Blair Hurst taking 4hr 50min off his ultra time from last year running 10:30 and finishing in the top 20, all being great highlights. Sometimes I get too caught up in my own running and need to look around a bit more as it's just a running race and everyone is doing the same thing ultimately.

Clarkey had some quotes from the weekend that stood out for him and he had the quote that stood out for me, “Numbers mean nothing in training, it is what happens in the race that counts”. So true, and by the way he ran awesome and was rewarded with a massive pb. Now it is time to move forwards and onto the TNF50 in May. I have 5 weeks to rest, recover and prepare for this event and I’ll be doing all I can to ensure I make the start line healthy, fresh and ready to go.

Blair "Hursty" Hurst - 10:30 and a massive PB 

Photo Credits

Kel Gibson

Ben Van Steel

Brendan Davies

Gear/Nutrition

Hammer Nutrition

Inov 8 Waist Down

Hammer Clothing Waist Up

Ultraspire Packs

Time Piece Suunto Amibt Sport 3 (lasted 10:47 just over expected full mode battery life)

Big thanks must go to my supporters;

Hammer Nutrition
Barefootinc/Inov-8 Australia

Mountain Sports

Sydney Trail Series