Photo Timeline

Bathurst Half - Right before the hammy gave out.

Ready to go - Bathurst Half

Early days @ STS St Ives

Crossing the line with Charley, getting
the win too!

Buffalo - Approaching Clear Spot

Buffalo - Mackies Corner

Buffalo - Buckland Valley 

Buffalo - Race Start

Buffalo - All smiles! 

Buffalo - Away we go...

Buffalo - Up the Big Walk

STS @ Kamay - Striding out with Kel, the plan to run with her went after 150m with the hammy feeling ok.

STS Kamay- Running on the cliffs, Botany was an awesome course, so different from the others! I can't wait to October to get back there.



What next......

The North 100 2014 - Saturday 17th May

Finally a WIN!!!

Lithgow King of the Mountain: My First Win

Saturday was my first run in the local mountain run, the King of the Mountain at Lithgow.  It is a time-honoured event that has been re-entered into the Lithgow Show schedule for the past 5 or so years after an annual running throughout the middle of last century. Listed as 4.2km (but in reality more like 3km) out and back running up Scotsman Hill and back down again, incorporating a loop of the showground, this is a real leg burner!

So I turned up to the show with Kel and the boys and we had a bit of time to take in the rides, wood chopping, lawn mower races and so on.  The race started at 4.30pm and there were some ominous clouds looming on the horizon and a small crowd of runners began assembling. I could see a few that may have been a threat, last years winner who ran 5hrs at Six Foot and a lean and fast looking chap with an accent, yep there is always one!

With Charley and Beau shortly
after the win.

So we mustered in the middle of the showground ready to go.  We were given some rough directions and ready, set, go - we were away.  I led off from the start taking the lead onto the path that led out from the showground, at this point I was closely followed by another runner and we were weaving through the crowd at a fair clip.  We left the showground and I caught my first glimpse of the other runner, it was the lean looking guy from Europe and we ran side by side down the path towards the footbridge and the base of the hill.

I entered the hill just in front.  On the ascent we moved away from the field quickly.  After around 300m of climbing he passed me, this wasn’t a major issue as there was a large portion of the hill to climb.  The track was very steep (between 30-45% gradient) and washed out in sections, it was quite technical and I was paying attention to the terrain as I planned to attack this section on the return.  He had only moved 5-10 metres away from me and when we reached the beginning of the firetrail I was happy to remain in close contact with him.

Happy fellas!

We began running freely again but it was becoming more apparent with each step we took we had gone too far.  We exchanged some conversation and decided to push on hoping the marshal who we were told would turn us around would come into sight soon.  After the trig point and 2.2km we finally met him, he turned us around and told us we had gone too far!  We had all but given up on the result, surely the local runners would have turned at the normal point!

They didn’t… after around 300m we came back into the rest of the field.  A quick look and it was back on again!

He quickly accelerated on the downhill section of firetrail, gaining around 20-30 metres in no time at all.  I had to work hard to catch up and when we hit the steep single-track head he slowed with caution allowing me to move up behind him.  I knew I had to move here or he would take me apart on the flat, it was becoming more obvious this guy could run (I was thinking track).  After 45 sec or so there was a small fork in the trail around a big hole and it was here that I made my move.

I charged to the left and turned the power on passing him in a safe and sporting manner, there is nothing worse than someone pushing past on a steep and dangerous descent.  Once past I pinned back my ears and opened up allowing gravity to do its job, I basically fell off the hill, smashing the downhill that at times was 45% in gradient! I knew I had pulled away as I couldn’t hear him anymore and I kept pushing down as quickly as possible aiming at setting up the win.

The shield is awarded!

When I came off the hill it was about a km to go and all flat.  I pushed along the path back into the showground feeling as though I had done enough on the drop for the win.  After entering the trotting track I took a quick look back and he wasn’t in sight, but the announcement said he was!?  I looked again and he was there!!! His white shirt had blended into the track and he was flying.  I had to kick and kick hard, the last 500m hurt like nothing else (just what I wanted a 400m rep after a threshold hill climb). When I turned back onto the grass I had maintained my 150m gap and he appeared to concede that he wouldn’t catch me, but I still kept the hammer down.

I crossed the line in 1^st place and knackered.  It took 21:37 and we ended up running 4.5km with 200m of climbing. I calculated we ran over by around 1.6km or around 7-8min extra putting us in at around 14min and that is still 2min off the record, which I’ll be back for a shot at next year.  I was happy with the race, it went to plan, I ran the way I wanted to and got an almighty battle along the way, which was great.  I enjoyed the challenge and it was nice to get a win up, hopefully there will be more to come.

It turns out that the European guy was Finnish, his name is Jossi Utrianien and he was traveling through town and heard about the race and decided to have a run with his wife, she also came in second.  He was a nice guy who said he wasn’t running seriously anymore just a daily run to keep fit.  Well after looking into his career it turns out not only is he a great runner but super humble as well.  No mention of his marathon pb of 2:13, no mention of his 2002 City to Surf victory and not a whisper of running 69^th at the London Olympics in the marathon!  Wow, what a runner, no wonder he made so much ground up on the flat, I am lucky the track ended when it did!  He asked about my running and my Buffalo Stampede singlet but all in all he just seemed to enjoy the race and that was pretty awesome.  It is good to see elites just mingle and run no matter their achievements or results, find a sport that has that.

King of the Mountain Podium -
Matt Trouce(3rd), myself(1st) and Jossi Utrianien(2nd)

So that is that, I won a race officially, finally.  It was as much rewarding to win as it was to see where I am at ahead of Buffalo, my Skyrunning debut in the Ultra race, 75.5km with 4500m of up and down!  I can’t wait, partly to test myself against the course and the best runners in Australia and New Zealand and partly because the mountain ultra trail community will be together celebrating our first Skyrun event.

Gear and Stuff

Shoes – Inov8 X-Talon 190; these made all the difference in my view, light and fast and grip like nothing else.

Gel – One Hammer Banana Gel just before kick off, felt good throughout.

Clothes – Hammer Visor and shorts and the trusty Buffalo Stampede training singlet!

Watch – Taped up Garmin Forerunner 610, I’m gonna need one that runs longer at Buffalo. 

Media stuff here http://www.lithgowmercury.com.au/story/2171473/new-king-of-the-mount-crowned/?cs=1590

Post 6 Foot 2014

6 Foot Track Marathon 2014

NSWIB team photo.

Yesterday was my 2^nd outing in Australia’s biggest and most prestigious trail marathon the 6 Foot Track Marathon.  In 2014 I felt I was ready on many different levels that I had not been in 2013.  I had experienced it all before, the atmosphere, the build up, the track, the ups and downs and this had given me an idea of how I would stack up based on my training and form leading into the event.  I had set a goal of 3:55-59, originally I was thinking low 3:50’s even sub 3:50 but I needed to change that based on where my fitness was at, I am a believer in setting tough yet achievable goals, rather than hopes or dreams.

Just before the start, plenty of quick guys there!

And we are off and away, careful does it this year for me.

I had a plan, not to stress or worry, I didn’t even do a race plan, no elevation review, course notes or mental prep, just turn up on race day run to how I felt and how I wanted to perform.  I have rules in long races over 30km, don’t race until the end, run to my ability, finish and back myself in tough times as they will pass.  This was applied in 6 Foot by taking it easy down to river, building into the climbs and pushing on when I felt good in the closing stages.  I tried not to race early, letting people go and avoiding the serious race mindset by trying to chat to those around me and taking in the race, as the views and trails are awesome and the support on the course is excellent.

The trip to the top of Pluvio was uneventful.  I ran within myself, I did lead with my right leg too much and had to nurse it a little as some pain developed in the hip, but mostly I was trying to be sociable and enjoy the run.  I hit the river in 70 and the King of the Mountain split was 68 so I was doing well and feeling strong.  I only walked maybe 500-700m all up on the climb and this was fairly quick as I have been training my hike in prep for The Buffalo Stampede next month. I was happy that I didn’t post an 8min km split all run!

When I hit the timing mat at Pluvio I was 2:18 into the run with 19km to go, I knew a 1:42 would see me into goal time, I also knew how tough I had done it at this point last year.  I ran off strongly early on the “Black Range”, then I slowed and had a moment, this passed and I was feeling ok coming into the Deviation.  From here I went away from the guys I had been running around on the Range, Chris Turnbull had got out of sight just after Pluvio but I was now bringing him back and when I hit the road crossing I was ready get going.

Megalong Rd - feeling good enjoying the run.

It was here that I saw my bright orange X-Talon 190’s flash in front of my face! Yes I was horizontal about a metre in the air about to come crashing down on the slippery wooden bridge I foolishly had just tried to run across.  Ouch, I got up and had a laugh and took off after Chris once again.  I closed in on Chris and passed him with a sense that I was going to be able to bomb into the Caves in around 3:58/9.  I just felt good so I let loose with about 5km to run, I opened my stride up and lent into the descent coming into the final few turns at 100 mile and hour.

The finish, PB and 26th.

When I could see the finish I knew I had my “A” goal and really enjoyed the moment.  I hit the line in 3:56:14, 26^th male home and 27^th overall.  I was greeted by Kel, who had missed this year due to injury.  It was a rewarding feeling to finish off a race as planned and a real confidence (and hopefully fitness) boost before Buffalo in April.

The time was a nice reward.

The atmosphere at the end is amazing, all the runners get a mighty cheer on their journey to the finish and it was great to share stories and times with all those around.  The NSWIB crew had a top day out, both men’s and women’s wins, all team prizes and a podium to boot.  There were pb’s everywhere and it was great to see good mate Mark Lee run an elite level 3:37. As it turned out I came second in the Platinum Beer Bet Group, Kyle Hendry ran a super quick 3:59 to smash his 4:10 handicap and previous pb by a mile.  Other runs that stood out were Amadaus Gladback in 3:41, Paul Twohill who ran 4:20, Alex Matthews who after a typicl slow start ran home so so fast in 3:28 for 3rd and obviously Dave winning in 3:25, not bad for a bloke who only decided to run mid last week!

Post race with Mark Lee, he ran 3:37!

Anyway it is now 4 weeks and counting till the big one.  I am going to have a big 10 days from Tuesday and then it will be taper time.  I am nervously awaiting this one, but my confidence is high that my plan to peak will come off over the April/May period, only time will tell.

Gear/Nutrition

- Inov8 X-Talon 190 Orange

- Hammer Nutrition Race Ready Singlet

- NSWIB Headsweats Visor

- Ultra Aspire Spry Pack- best thing I did all day, organised and hydrated the entire race, as well as good practice with a pack for Buffalo/TNF.  I was also first home with a pack ;)

- Garmin Forerunner 610

- Hammer Nutrition - Gels: 2.5 espresso in flask and 2 raspberry packets (rubbish stored in pocket of spry) Endrolytes 1 x 40min for first 2.5hrs and then 1 x 20min afterwards (to avoid cramp)

- Water between 900 - 1200ml for the race plus 2/3 cups of coke.

- Recoverite after, then a beer or two!

- Race Splits 

Finish        River        Pluvio     Black Range

3:56:14

1:10:13

1:08:06

1:37:55

Buffalo Stampede SkyCamp 2014

Group Photo

I was fortunate enough to be involved in another training camp on the weekend of the 17-19, this camp was being hosted by Mountain Sports in preparation for the Buffalo Stampede being held in Bright on April 5 and 6.  The trails were being toasted by a heat wave and the 28 campers were eagerly awaiting working with Brendan Davies and Hanny Allston over three days on the newly sanctioned Sky Running course from Bright to Mt Buffalo and back.

 

Firstly I will warn you, this will be a longish blog, I have so many angles to look from on this one, why I was there, whom we were with, the course, my expectations/goals, Sky Running and Bright.  So I will start with Sky Running and go from there.

Sky Running

Officially, Sky running is any race that meets set criteria, criteria is based on length and vertical gain as well as terrain.  Essentially a race must gain a large amount of ascent within a set distance and the gain is massive.  A vertical km race, which is the accumulated climbing time on selected steeper sections of the course must achieve 1000m of elevation within 5km, so it’s tough going.  As well as massive climbs, the race must be on trail, go up a mountain and have something unique about it. This is something that until now has not been held in Australia.

Mt Buffalo

Climbing Mystic

I have watched many clips on YouTube from Europe and America.  I can’t wait to see a few from home start to pop up, I will be heading back to the net for study time on techniques and styles when running the steep and technical trails similar to those overseas.

To me it is finding technical and beautiful trails, massive hills and linking them together in the craziest and most challenging manner possible.  There were times I was cursing Race Director, Sean Greenhill, over the 3 days, possibly the most was when I had a threshold effort up Clearspot Hill, 2.1km and 600m up in around 26min with a continual gradient of around 30%.  But it’s more than a challenging course, it is the ambiance of a town, the nature of the bush, the aura of a race, it’s just got that something and the Buffalo Stampede in Bright to me has it.

Mt Bogong

Sky Camp

I was at camp as part of Team Mountain Sports, along with Mark Lee, and we were there to check out the course, plan, prepare tactics and push each other on the trails.  Mark is a more experienced runner than me, only by a year though, and is quick, bloody quick.  I rate him very highly as a runner and as a bloke and Mark is going to set some trails ablaze this year.  As a team we are aiming to do well in the Team Event at Buffalo and with Jo Brischetto and Ingrid Donald on board as well I feel we be quite strong.

A top of Buffalo

Kel a top of Buffalo

I was so keen to learn, absorb, run, enjoy and climb at camp, this was my motto in my training log, my goals for the week.  I was so happy to have Kel with me and for her to be back running again.  I knew she was going to benefit from the weekend and it was good to immerse ourselves in this beautiful little town.  Places like the Ovens River, the Velo Café and the Brewery were regular hangouts for us over the 4 days we were there.

The camp was modified and manipulated to fit in with heat wave that was sweeping the Southeast of Australia.  We ran at night and early in the morning to beat the heat and tackled the toughest of tough trails that I have ever run on (more on the course soon).  We were given amazing and expert info on training, diet, nutrition, programing, racing, night running and gear from Brendan and Hanny, both in seminars and on the run.  Most importantly we were waited on by Mel Parry and Sean Greenhill, the excellent preparation of food, provision of transport, aid stations, encouragement, and wisdom were just a few things they provided campers with.

Another switch back on Mt Buffalo 

From camp I feel all campers would have went home more confident, knowledgeable, eager and excited about the Stampede in April.  Yes slightly intimidated but massively informed, it was a bit like getting the answers to a test, except these answers can only be achieved with consistent, dedicated and specific training.  I hope everyone can remain committed in the buildup to the race so they all take their place at start line able to use the advantage from being on course.

Switch back on Buffalo

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with everyone at camp.  So many people were there, all for their own reasons but with the same goal, that is what makes running so unique, some run to win and some run to finish, but both will celebrate their victories the same.  I enjoyed meeting new people, reaffirming past friendships and developing a network of fresh Sky Runners.

Buffalo Stampede Course

It is epic!  Marathon – 42km with 3000m of elevation gain.  Ultra Marathon 75km with 5000m of elevation gain and loss!

Partway up Clearspot

Seriously there are two major hills in the first 15km of the 35km journey to Mt Buffalo.  “Mystic” is massive, up 500m in a short space of time from Bright then down a descent that is so steep and loose.  A gentle 2km between the Mystic descent and the start of “Clearspot” allows you to very quickly settle yourself into the next up and down which is in my opinion far steeper and tougher than Mystic and is in fact the toughest climb of the race  If your in the marathon, well done it only gets better from here, if your in the ultra you have to do this in reverse after 60km!  I think it is slightly easier going in reverse but after 60km and over 3000m of climbing and descending in my legs I might have another view come April.

Clearspot to Buffalo

Close to the Chalet looking back track

The next section is relatively runnable track from “Buckland” to “Eurobin” via Keatings Ridge.  Sean Greenhill described it as “3/4 pluvio” so it will be reasonably tough and if you’re struggling it will be very tough indeed.  The ascent of Buffalo via “The Big Walk” is 10k long gaining 1000m of gain, all on single track that changes as you rise up the mountain.  It starts steep, a little like the decent into Jenolan on the 6 Foot Track, then it flattens out and becomes a little winding through beautiful woods that line the middle belt of the mountain.

After a quick crossing of the road you begin to hit the exposed rock sections that can be seen from afar on Buffalo, switching back and forth over technical rocky terrain.  The trail begins to head towards the “Chalet” and becomes more sheltered for a 1km or so, once at the Chalet the loop section begins.  A small out to Lake Catani, involving a stair filled descent and ascent (think Leura Cascades in length) followed by a loop that is quite technical and highlighted by the pass through “Chalwell Galleries”.  You then retrace your steps back to the Chalet for the long journey back to Bright or the short sprint to the Chalet depending on what event your in.

Seminar time

On the return trip back to Bright the decent into Eurobin is long and could be quick and potentially quad busting!  The section after Eurobin to Buckland may be easy on the way out and may feel as though it got longer on the way back, especially as we will all know what lays ahead. The last 15km will be make or break at the pointing end, with massive time gained or lost if people can’t run/hike or descend effectively.  For those aiming to finish it will be an adventure, they will take so much from this section if they do.  I remember in a post I wrote on the TNF50 about the Sublime Climb where I said if you don’t have a good reason for running then this section may break you, well this is 10 times worse.

Looking back towards the finish

The course is what it is, the profile shows it’s severity and Sean Greenhill has outdone himself on this one. There are a few spots where jaws will drop, people will question themselves and these sections will be balanced by the beauty of the environment, the glorious single track, switch backs on Mt Buffalo and the atmosphere of the race.  I love the course and the challenge it sets me, I just love it!

Goals/Expectations

I took them all - tested and Talons
are my pick come race day

I want to train well in the lead up.  I will be aiming to replicate the course in my training, specific preparation to a plan will be key.  I know a few locations that have similarities (but on a much smaller scale), in my opinion, places like Hassans Walls, Mt York, Mt Canobolas will make great training grounds.  I will use these areas to assist with my preparation so when race day arrives I will be ready to do my best at this point in my career.

I have no goal time, it is too hard to tell.  I just want to run up well and back down well, walking away satisfied with my performance and happy that it reflected my training.  Obviously if I do well then that will be a bonus.  Ultimately I want a strong team showing, I want my team to do well, and I will be doing my best to help achieve this.

Bright on dusk from Mystic

I also want to see Kel prepare well and run strongly in the marathon.  I know she has the ability and I really want to be apart of her Buffalo Stampede buildup and race.  I think she is heading in the right direction after her injury and know she is going to build in momentum in the coming months ready to peak on race day.

With Kel before the night run

I don’t think I will push the pointy end, I will be towards the front but not like an STS event or local race.  This is the real deal and with the best of Australia and overseas just testing myself against these athletes will be an eye opener that’s for sure. 

I will finish off by giving a bit of time to Bright.  A town surrounded by mountains in Victoria, which has a great atmosphere and laid-back attitude.  Highlighted by nature and its beauty with hangouts that are warm and welcoming.  It is truly a special little place as mentioned by Sean and Mel, and I will back many times in the future.

At the brewery - made it there a few times.