2013 - It's a wrap

2013 Review

To those that are wondering why a yearly review in November, my season ended at Carcoar and I have been on a recovery fortnight the past week and a half.  I started my training for this year of racing around the end of November last year when I began working with Brendan Davies as my coach. We worked on my program, setting achievable training base goals and began working towards 6 Foot Track, TNF 50 and the Kanangra 50 Trail Ultra as my A races for the year.  Since then I have been supported and encouraged by my family and friends, both old and new, and by Kellie my amazing wife.

My training has become very serious, there is no other way of describing it, I have taken it on with my everything I have. I honestly think I have only missed one session for no reason and trained smartly throughout my first year of competitive running.  I train with purpose and direction and in the coming year my plan is heading towards my big goals for the season, this time my training program will be more specific and periodised to maximize results.  I will continue to put hours in each week while I love running, it gives me solace, security, an outlet and most importantly enjoyment.

My training goals are outlined best in my phases throughout the program;

·      Build Phase – develop aerobic endurance, get my long run longer and more comfortable.

·      Sharpening Phase – establish lactic tolerance and anaerobic condition, begin racing quicker and increasing intensity in certain session (track work!).

·      Competing/Peaking Phase – race well, perform to my ability, achieve my goals and learn.  Enjoy this time as this is what the hard work has lead to, big races.

So with that in mind my big races for next year are;

            Jan – Knapsack 6hr Solo Lap Race

            March – 6 Foot Track

            April – Buffalo Stampede Sky Ultra & Mt Solitary Ultra

            May – The North Face 100

            June – Glow Worm Tunnel Marathon & Mystery Mountain

            Oct – Kanangra 50 Trail Ultra

            Nov – Carcoar Cup

I will turn towards the road a little more in the later part of the year aiming for a 2:4X marathon.  I think a practice attempt at Mudgee and then a crack at Western Sydney is the likely scenario at this stage, although Stromlo is penciled in for October as well.

Looking back now my year has been busy, thanks to my family, mum and dad and Kel’s folks in particular, as they have supported us with the kids on our weekend trips to races.  Kel and I have done a lot together this year, more than any other year in our marriage and I have so much admiration and love for her and this time is so important to me.  I have had races with Kel and times when she has supported me, I always know she will be there for me and I hope to be able to do the same for her.

My schedule has been full and I have performed well, only having a couple of disappointing races, I have top 10 results in every race but two and finished on the podium on many occasions.  I have set a few pb times, run a 100km race and cracked the 3hr mark in the marathon, these were all goals for the year and I’m happy to have achieved them.

I have raced some of the best runners in country, guys like Tony “Fats” Fatorini, , Vlad Shatrov, Mitch Dean, Alex Matthews et al.  I have also been able to get to know Brendan, Ewan Horsbourgh, Mark Lee, Jo Brischetto and Andy Lee well through either racing or training with them.  All these runners are superb athletes and I am far better for running around them, in particular Brendan Davies, who as my coach has been monumental in my development.  He puts far more into the sport than people know and he will go down as one the best ultra runners in Australia’s history.  I’m so grateful and am looking forward to seeing him launch UP Coaching in 2014, a venture which I will be supporting and can not recommend more highly.

Not only has Brendan been a massive help but Sean Greenhill and Mel Parry at Mountain Sports have backed me all year.  I have been made an ambassador and part of the Mountain Sports Team at Buffalo in April.  They have offered advice and support and both Kel and I value their friendship greatly.  We have been lucky enough to see a new member of their family arrive with Abigail been born not to long ago, I’m sure she’ll be a great little friend to our boys Charley and Beau and a smiley little face at STS events.  I look forward to continuing to be associated with Mountain Sports in the future, hey maybe in the next year I can win a Mountain Sports event!

So where to from here, this hills I’m thinking.  I’ll be running longer and up and down more hills this Summer.  I aim to get the k’s in with the elevation this time around, perhaps an area I shied away from a bit this year.  I’ll spend time on the trails, mainly around Hassans Walls, with the trips to the mountains, both the Blue and Snowy thrown in, as well as the roads around home and up at Mt Panorama, all with the focus on becoming a strong runner and a decent mountain ultra trail runner.  A few things I know for sure, it’s going to be hard work and take loads of dedication, I’ll have Kel with me all the way, I will continue to enjoy the new community I have been embraced in and I’m going to have fun.

I am now a part of NSWIB and the beer bet for 6 Foot and the NSWIB will be my nominated club at races from now on.  It’s perfect for me, I love a beer when I get the opportunity and the institute has a ready supply at races, perfect!  Seriously though, it will be a bit of fun and good to be part of the rivalry V BMMC and add to the atmosphere at races.

So “onwards on upwards” to quote the coach.  Look out 2014 because I’m coming with clear goals and an extra 12 months under my belt.  Happy training and stay safe.  I maybe running at the STS on Sunday, depending on how I go at my mates wedding the night before, if I do it'll be the 6.5km I'm thinking.

Yearly Summary Report for WesGibson981

Count:	434 Activities
Distance:	5,087.75 km
Time:	409:27:02 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	93,933 m
Calories:	341,881 C
Avg Speed:	12.5 km/h
Avg HR:	137 bpm
Avg Distance:	11.72 km
Avg Time:	56:36 h:m:s
Avg Elevation Gain:	219 m
Weekly Average	118km
Weekly Time	9.5hr
Weekly Elevation	2186m

Carcoar 2013

Kanangra 2012

         

Missing the Mark

 Carcoar Cup 60km Ultra

With Brendan who has been coaching me
throughout the year.

Sunday marked my last race for the season, my last ultra for the year and my second longest race ever.  I competed in the Carcoar Cup 60km Ultra with goal of running well and finishing the season off with a good performance.  I had goals in both time and positioning, unfortunately they were not met, maybe I had been a little over ambitious or perhaps nieve of the course in the lead up and I probably got found out a little at times.  Anyway I came in 6th overall in a time of 5:17:34, clocking up 59.12km @ 5.19 pace, it was an experience and I walked (painfully) away happy and better for the run.

Brendan and Nadine travelled over on the Saturday afternoon and we had a nice meal at Duggans.  It is always good to catch up with these guys and the night was enjoyable.  Brendan was toying with which race he was to run and was going to make a decision on the day.  It was an early rise at 4.30am and a short trip over to Carcoar from home, we arrived around 6.15am to get our bibs and get ready.  Brendan had decided to run the Ultra in what was a small but quite strong field.  Kel was now becoming nervous, as was I about running the 60km, a challenging distance that we both were not familiar or comfortable with running yet.

Start Line

During the final prep the time went very quickly and the start was upon us, I lined up with Kel and waited for the gun to go.  We were off on our 60km journey to Neville and back via the undulating dirt roads around Carcoar.  I won't go into a blow by blow wrap of the race in this one, I ran a bit with Ewan until I couldn't match it with him and for about 15k with Gary Mullins, from then on it was me then the half runners, then the marathon runners.   I ran well for 3hrs, then during hour 4 my performance fell away, but I was able to tough it out and got moving ok for the last 10km to the finish.  There was no miracle, just a hard slog to the end, I was fading and was using the mental strength I had gained from Canberra to get me through. Brendan ran home in 4:02:xx, a surreal performance, I can not fathom that pace on that course for that long, he is a super athlete achieving amazing results.

Off and running.

The best way to sum up the race was in positive and negative points;

Positive

• I finished around the same time as at Kanangra in 2012, only this race was 10km longer and tougher.
• I held my own and battled through tough times well.
• My nutrition was spot on.
• My use of mental strategies was effective and I got through the bad periods without negative thought or self doubt.
• I ran to plan, only hiking up the bigger hills, it was at times slower running than originally planned but I followed my strategy well.

Negative

Notice the course was marked uniquely.

• I slowly declined after 2hr45min, this ultimately lead to me not running under 5hrs.
• My legs were sore early, I noticed pain and had to use mental strategies to get through this when I should been focusing on running fast.
• I haven't trained as well as I could for this event, I've been injured and had been trying to minimise my load some what.
• I am not in form, next year around this time of year I aim to be but realistically that second peak may take a year to two to achieve.
• I got sunburnt, something I hate doing and rarely happens, I need to think harder about this factor beforehand.

Carcoar Cup

• The course was great, very enjoyable and scenic.  It was mainly on typical country dirt roads with about 35% on tar roads, mostly we were exposed and it did get hot, windy, rainy and cloudy, all seasons in a day!
• It was more undulating than I expected and I really found this aspect tough.  It had 2 climbs and a few good hills but only 950m of elevation gain so it was fairly flat and runable, I just missed the mark on the flatter sections during the second half of the run.
• A great atmosphere and well organised event.  The prizes are great, good cash up for grabs but really the pottery pieces handed out are spectacular and will become iconic (Angela Bateup is well on her way to collecting a set of 6!).

Most of all I learnt a great deal from the experience, I'm a long way from where I want to be but a long way from where I was 12 months ago.  I will be using the next couple of weeks to rest up and recharge a bit then my focus will switch to preparation for 2014 and the many goals I have set out for the year.

Kellie also lined up for the Ultra. She had only made the decision to run on Friday after being sidelined with an injury which left her unable to run in the two weeks leading up to Carcoar. She battled it out until the 42km Marathon mark where she had to call it a day. She was content with this, feeling happy just to have been able to run at all on the day when it had looked doubtful in the week leading up to the race and also to get another Marathon distance under her belt.  While I know she is disappointed with the race I'm certain 2014 will be a big year for her.  We are working on a plan to get her ready to roll in her big races at 6 Foot, Buffalo Skymarathon and TNF50km, where I'm sure she'll do great.  This time last year Kel was generally running 5km runs and her longest run was the Edgell Jog, so it's safe to say that with more time and experience her results are only going to continue to grow.

So now it is break time and time to enjoy a few weekends before the hard work starts again!

Kanangra 2013 - Cancelled

On Friday at 10am we were informed of the inevitable news that the Kanangra 50 Trail Ultra had been cancelled for 2013.  While this was very disappointing personally, the issues affecting NSW and in particular the Greater Blue Mountain's communities from Lithgow to Yellowrock were far more important and offer much concern.

Not only is the area a beautiful part of Australia, an area I love training in, it is also the community in which I teach and I have many close friends that reside there.  I know of several people deeply affected by the fires, losing their homes or that of family members and those who have been partially relocated with no end in sight for now.  The terror in the eyes of those living close to the fire at Lithgow in particular will remain with me for a long time.  The feeling on Thursday was that of shock, with a massive ploom of smoke filling the sky above Lithgow.  On Friday is was calm and eerie with a red sky and thick smoke lingering across town stretching all the way to Bathurst.

I can only hope that this week brings better news and respite for the RFS battling to control these fires but I am not confident with high temperatures predicted early in the week.  I don't know what my arrival at work will bring tomorrow but I know that our school community will support the victims of the fires in any way, the same as those throughout other communities in the mountains.  

There will be more races and even though my whole year has been aiming towards Kanangra I am not too disappointed.  I will now throw my all at the Carcoar Cup 60km in 2 weeks aiming to run a fast competitive ultra, as I had planned for the weekend.  I know the running community is strong and will help in anyway possible, below are a few links to help if you can:

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=40405

https://www.facebook.com/sendinglovetothemountains

Mountain Sports Kanangra 50km

Kanangra 2013

Next Saturday I will be running out in the Kanangra-Boyd National Park in the MountainSports Kanangra 50km Trail Ultra.  This will be my second attempt at this race, having competed in 2012 coming in 8th with a time of 5hr 15min in what was my first ultra.  I remember the race with both positive and negative memories and I am looking forward to tackling the trails once again.

It was on the drive home from Kanangra in 2012 that I began to question my suitability to ultra running.  I had ran the first 30km very well, moving up into the top few and I felt that if I had finished the way I started I'd be up on the podium.  It wasn't to be however, I really started to struggle in the 10km stretch between 30-40km and the last 10km (which actually measured out to 14km) was just plain unenjoyable. I was in a sea on negative thoughts and most definitely was neither prepared both mentally or physically to manage the stress that running an ultra produces.  I did however struggle on to finish and managed to get some enjoyment out of the last couple of km's - the relief of crossing the finish line was indescribable, I think I said to Kel that I would never do a race like this again at that point. I still plan not to.  

Since that moment a lot has changed in my life, both personally and physically.  

2012 - 74kg starting to struggle

- I have become a fairly relentless trainer, only missing one planned training session in 12 months and this has given me a greater base of fitness and the discipline required in ultras, it also helps when the bad times start as I can back that the work has been done and I'll pull through.  

- I have dropped down to around 67kg, roughly 5kg lighter than this time last year, my aim is to be around 66kg come race day.

- I have a coach, Brendan Davies, and we have been able to work together to develop me as an athlete and I have gained so much valuable advice from Brendan since starting with him in November.

- I have become more controlled on the usual vices in life, I drink rarely and when I do it is in moderation and I eat very well managing a diet aimed at fuelling and repairing my body from the rigours of training.

- I have raced, a heap.  This year I have competed in around 15 races of which 3 have been ultras.  This has given me many learning experiences that will come in handy when the competition begins.

- I have done well and also fell down at times, each time I have looked at why and tried to build my body to ensure it doesn't happen again.  Whether it was going out too hard or not training specifically enough I have learnt from each race or major training run and have been flexible enough to incorporate necessary adjustments it into my plan.

Elevation Profile

I'm confident with my plan for Kanangra and know I have done the work for the plan to come off.  The past few weeks I have been knocking out 100km plus weeks with big elevation, with my energy levels high and fatigue low.  I have recovered well from Canberra and have really been focusing on the task at hand from a few days after I got home.  I know the distance is within my race zone and I believe the course will suit my style of running, it has a few climbs, but nothing major and a fair amount of downhill.  The course is all firetrail and my plan is to run sub 4hrs aiming for 45 minute splits each 10km for the first 40km, allowing for a fade in the last 10km.  I am going into this one ready both physically and mentally and have a thoughtfully planned taper program underway to ensure I'm busting at the start line.

It is also a major milestone for my wife Kellie.  It will be her first ultra and she has been working so hard at preparing herself for this one all year.  She recently ran strongly in the Mudgee Marathon and Glenbrook 35km and from these performances should be in line to do quite well at Kanangra.  I'm lucky enough to have a partner that shares the same interests as I do and I will be super proud when she crosses the line achieving her goal.  

Big thanks to Sean and Mel at MountainSports for their ongoing support of me as an ambassador and good luck to all involved, safe tapering and I'll see you at Jensons Farm on the Friday evening.

Dark times atop of Black Mountain!

Sri Chinmoy Canberra Centenary 100km Trail Run

5.40pm on Saturday 21^st September 2013 I crossed the line after running 100km in the Sri Chinmoy Canberra Centenary 100km Trail Run.  That moment is one I will always remember and take with me into the future.  In 11 hours 39 minutes and 42 seconds I experienced highs, lows and personal battles that I had not previously experienced in any way whilst competing in any sport.  Ultimately while my performance fell away at stages I walked away satisfied and proud of my first ever 100km race. 

Gear Check.

Rewind! - Kellie and I arrived in Canberra armed with a GPS and the race directors briefing notes where we started our recon of the checkpoints in preparation for the following day.  It became apparent at this point that the summits were going to be relentless throughout the 100km as the mountains dwarfed their surrounds.  From here we made our way to Kellie’s cousin Mat and his wife Claire’s house who kindly hosted us for the weekend.  I then went over to the registration dinner in Dickson and the reality of what was ahead of me was really starting to sink in.  That night I began to show the usual nervous behaviour but managed to get a good 6 hours sleep. 

When we arrived at Lake Burleigh Griffin I checked in and readied myself for the start at 6am.  Some last minute chatter with other runners, novelty photos and embrace with Kel was followed by race briefing and a low key start.  We were off on my first 100km journey!

Start to CP1 (23.7km)

The first leg was largely uneventful.  I began running with Paul Cuthbert, which was great because he knew where he was going and I didn’t.  We were shortly after joined by Tom and Damo at the base of Red Hill, the first of the 3 climbs within that stage.  Throughout we exchanged positions and I ran very conservatively to my plan.  As we approached Mt Taylor I was climbing strongly and feeling good.  On the decent towards CP1 I again ran carefully on the steep fire trail saving my legs for the last 30km. I arrived at CP1 in the lead group and met Kel for a very fast bottle changeover and off I went.

CP1-CP2 (30.4km)

Paul and I approaching Parliament House about 2km in.

At the start of this leg, Paul, Tom and I had put some time into Damo and we were running quite well up to the next climb Mt Arawang.  We all climbed together, however, on the descent Tom managed to gain a small lead.  During the next 10km we ran toward Mt Stromlo within close proximity of each other.  It was about this point that I had a brief moment where I dropped my pace and Paul and Tom managed to get away from me.  I ran into Stromlo park up Mt Stromlo to the Observatory feeling good. 

Shortly after CP1.

At this point my watch showed 50km which I had covered in 4 hours 42 minutes.  It was from this moment I began to struggle to run, it was as though my brain had lost connection with my legs.  I wasn’t overly sore or hurting but unable to manage to run and was reduced to walk on parts of the trail that I felt were runnable.  The 3km into the Arboretum were slow and painful, when I reached CP2 I felt very much as though I may not be able to finish the race.  The time at CP2 was much longer and I used the moment to try and compose my thoughts which were becoming more and more negative.  Kellie was concerned but we decided that I should push on taking it easy and walking where I needed to.

                                    

CP2-CP3 (23.5km)

Approaching CP2 - Bad times ahead!

Walking was what I did, about 9km in fact, taking approximately 1 hour 50 mins to get to the summit of Black Mountain.  During that time I had been in conversation with Kel on the phone and I was having some serious self doubts about whether I would continue from the next aid station at Black Mountain where Kel was to meet me.  I had expected to have bad times, what I did not expect was that they would last the best part of 2 hours, in which I only covered around 12km.  I was really struggling to run and walking quite aimlessly when Dave and Andrew came past, they slowed down to see how I was doing. I decided to run with them in an effort to get started again, this lasted about 600m.  As they ran away they yelled at me “make it to Dickson” the next checkpoint.  

As I climbed Black Mountain I had given up, I called Kel to tell her that I would be withdrawing at the next aid station and I let Phil Essam who was marshaling know that I was withdrawing and he contacted the Race Director to advise of my withdrawal.  I then casually walked along the beautiful single track that meandered around the mountain towards the next aid station.  It was here I met Kel and the battle began!  The next 45 minutes involved lots of stubbornness, self doubt, positive reinforcement and discussion about the decision I had made.  

One of the many phone calls to Kel
 I was mentally broken.

At that point I had been doing the numbers and knew that it would take me another 7 hours at that pace.  I seriously doubted that I could get running again.  During this time Kel was joined by Sean and Mel and another runner’s wife Rebekah and as a team they began to try and get me back in the race.  Kellie had been talking to me for about 20 minutes about how she felt I would regret withdrawing and knew that I could go on.  Rebekah came over and assisted Kellie at this point and they both said physically I could continue and that I just needed to get over the mental barrier.  They went and got their cars which were full of supplies shortly after Sean and Mel turned up.  It was at this point when Sean said that if I was to withdraw from this race that in my next 100km race when the bad times began they would be even harder to overcome.  This advice combined with Kellie’s belief in my physical ability and her understanding of me as a person began to eliminate the dark thoughts that clouded my mind at the top of Black Mountain.  It was also around this point that I went to undo my shoelaces, but I stopped and within 5 minutes was kitted back up, had re-entered to race, had my legs rubbed down with Voltaren and was asked by Kellie to give her 5km to the next drink station.  I replied if I am going to start running again you might as well meet me at Dickson which was about another 14km on.  

I gave Kel who now had a huge smile on her face a kiss, then stepped out and nearly got run over by a car almost giving her and Rebekah a heart attack!  As I made my way off Black Mountain I was running freely and felt great, I started overtaking other runners and by the next aid station I was moving freely again.  From that point my mental state was reflective of all the positive things that my crew had said and done at the top of that Bloody mountain!  The plan began to be followed again, running the flats, hiking the steep ups and running the downhills, holding consistent and steady splits across to Checkpoint 3.

CP3 a much better stop.

CP3 – Finish (23.5km)

Approaching CP3, feeling good.

I approached this checkpoint, tired, but no more tired than I had expected, it was my mind that had returned.  At that aid station it was business as usual, Kel had my things together and we briefly chatted.  Kel, Sean and Mel encouraged me to keep it up.  I started on the approach to Mt Madjura and Mt Ainsley knowing that I had run about 10km of the same trail earlier in the year.  I was running the way I had planned and upon reaching the base of Mt Madjura I began hiking purposefully, passing many but only being overtaken by a few of the relay runners.  At the top of Mt Madjura, the highest point of the day, I knew I would finish and was confident that I would do so strongly.  I ran the descents well and was rattling off the km’s overtaking tiring runners who were reduced to the same state that I had been in 30km earlier.  

On my way down
 to the finish.

Summitting the last
Mountain after 95km.

At the base of Mt Ainsley I knew that after 1 more climb it would be a downhill run to the finish.  On the climb up Mt Ainsley I was able to run significant parts of the steep ascent, giving big bursts followed by shorter walking breaks in the last 700m before the summit.  At the summit I was greeted by an excited and massively supportive crew who I challenged to a race to the finish.  This race was briefly disrupted by the idiot who had removed the course markings, causing me to take the wrong trail for 150m or so.  On the steep and stair filled downhill off the last mountain, I was running as though I had stolen something!  The majority of the course markings had been removed which would prove to be very difficult for the runners coming through at night.  It is disappointing that people feel that they need to interfere for no apparent reason.  As this descent was quite steep, I was being very careful, however as it flattened out towards the War Memorial I began to run quicker enjoying the soft grass underfoot that led towards Lake Burleigh Griffin.  

During this time I reflected on what had occurred and was satisfied that whilst I had had a bad period in the middle of the race, I had mostly run according to plan and was about to achieve my goal of completing a 100km run.  When I got onto the path that led towards the finish I noticed 2 runners in front of me, the competitor inside me urged me to pass them, I did so completing that last 5km in 25 minutes.  As I turned up the steep bank, yes, an uphill finish! I noticed I wasn’t the only one bolting towards the finish as it turns out Kellie and I had a tie in our race from Mt Ainsley to the finish, she unfortunately had to park about 1km from the finish line and bolt whilst carrying all my gear to the end.  Nonetheless she made it to the end and so did I, that moment where I hugged Kellie is one I will remember for the rest of my life.  While I was immensely relieved to cross the finish I was also indebted to those I had shared that moment with.  

A great moment!

With my wife and
best bud - Kel

If it wasn’t for Kellie who has always supported me and was my rock on the day, Sean and Mel of MountainSports who have been supporting me sincerely since the start of the year and our new friend Rebekah Markey I still would have been on top of Black Mountain all dressed up with nowhere to run.

I had finished 100km in 11 hours 39 minutes coming in 8th male home.

In 100km I had experienced a lot but in the short time since the race I have also realised a lot.  I know I have a long way to go, my mind can be both strong and weak (of which is my choice), that running 100km is hard but rewarding, that ‘racing’ 100km will be even harder, that I have an amazing wife who will support me no matter how crazy my idea seems to be, that I have gained true friends in Sean and Mel and that with people like Rebekah in trail running, it will continue to be the best sport I have been involved in.

A relieved finisher!

I would like to thank Hammer Nutrition for providing me with the opportunity to run my first 100km race.  Hammer Nutrition are very supportive of trail running and very generous when it comes to supporting both runners and events alike.  I would love to have the opportunity to work with Hammer again and will continue to use their products as long as I keep on running.  With this in mind my focus now turns to my recovery and preparation for the Kanangra 50km Trail Ultra on the 19^th October.  This event was my first ever Ultra in 2012 and has been my main motivation throughout 2013.  And after Saturday I will be using my newly acquired experience to ensure that I perform well there.  My goal is sub 4 hours for the 50km, a big ask but a question I am willing to ask of myself.

Gear - Inov8 Trailroc 245, Garmin 110 and 610, Hammer Race Ready Singlet and Shorts, Hammer Headsweats Visor, Nathan 4 Bottle Belt and Dual SpiBelt.

Nutrition - Hammer Perpetuem Caffe Latte 6 to 7 Scoops, 3 Espresso Gels, 2 Montana Huckle Berry Gels, 1/2 a scoop of Heed at each CP and loads of Endurolytes. I also had some pasta and Coke when I was at the Black Mountain Aid Station. I have had plenty of Recoverite in the days since.

The organisors of the event should be proud of their efforts, it was well marked, the aid stations stocked and manned well and the support on the course very uplifting, making it an enjoyed and fun day.

A special mention must go to my coach and friend, Brendan Davies, who has been a major part in getting me to where I am today.