The North Face 100

On Saturday I had the much anticipated pleasure of lining up at The North Face 100 with 333 other runners. This challenging course takes in some of the most beautiful trails and views within the Blue Mountains World Heritage Park and surrounds. As I was to find I think it also included every set of stairs in the area.

In the minutes before the event starting I caught up with a few friends and familiar faces that I have come to know over the last couple of years and I was looking forward to possibly running with one or two throughout the race.

Just after 7:00am at the conclusion of the race briefing we moved up to the start area and I found myself a few back from the front just behind Dean Karnazes. I thought that was pretty cool and I hoped that I may get a picture running with DK to share with the family.

The race started out at a solid pace at the front and I immediately felt flat and lethargic but I was hoping that would pass quickly. We were led around the golf course and I slotted in comfortably a few steps behind DK.

Following the group we hit the climb out of the Resort and I started to move a bit more freely but I couldn’t believe how weak my legs felt. Tackling the first of the steps I was beginning to entertain thoughts that this was indeed not going to be my day and I was going to have to prepare myself for a long day out. I did however notice that I was moving a lot quicker on the flats and descents on the way to CP1 than the other runners around me. I believed that was my saving grace and I started to push the pace a little harder through those sections. Losing a little time to walking the steep climbs was where I would allow myself to get a little recovery and prepare myself to pick it up at the next opportunity.

While I have never really imagined quitting during an event I did contemplate it and I started running through a list of plausible excuses that I had been subconsciously working on over the previous weeks during a couple of bouts of sickness one after the other and other personal events which disrupted my planned long runs and high volume weekends (maybe a blessing in hindsight). But of course letting myself down would not be as bad as how I would feel facing my wife and children knowing that I didn’t gut it out and make it through this challenge before me.

So much stuff happens inside your head during long events when much of your time is spent alone and this day was no exception. I started formulating plans and playing games to get me through to the end but the one thing that stuck with me was my need to keep up with my nutrition and hydration strategy which I formulated a few days prior based around what had worked for me at 12FT the previous year and the simple strategy Ben employed in his stunning victory at Six Foot a few months earlier.

The climb up the Golden Stairs to CP1 was grueling and I was happy to put an end to it and get up there alive. I downed a few cups of sports drink, grabbed a handful of jelly lollies and headed off. I was surrounded by only a few runners and I thought it was likely that I was sitting in around 20th position (the results later had me in 14th). I climbed the first steep section while slowly eating the lollies hoping that the energy would somehow make it into my legs. It didn’t but I felt neither good or bad and I was happy to just keep slogging away while I could see that I was reeling in a couple of runners up ahead on the track. I was happy to maintain the effort and I was starting to think that I might just get through to the end. Waiting for Jo Blake to get off the ladder at Tarros I started climbing down a little carelessly and my foot slipped on the rung sending my shin smashing into the steel. I almost screamed out with pain but strangely it felt good and the adrenaline was exactly what I needed to kick me into gear. Stepping off the ladder and calling “all clear” I took off and found myself in the zone running quickly along the singletrack. I moved past Jo shortly after and before CP2 I had caught and passed at least another five runners.

The trail down to Dunphys proved a little frightening as the Mizuno race flats that I picked up on Mother’s Day gave little traction on the steep descent. Note to self: I need to find a good light racing trail shoe with a mildly aggressive tread.
Enough can be said for having the support of people you know out on the course cheering you on and when I came into Dunphys to see Ben and Berro (both members of the Blue Mts Marathon Clinic) I was stoked to hear that I was in tenth place and that the few runners just ahead were close and not looking as fresh as I was looking. A quick refill and couple of pieces of banana and I was off.

I chatted with Prince Donges heading out of CP2 on our way to Ironpot finding out that he was another local Blue Mountains runner before moving ahead at the start of the long steep climb up the ridge. At the top I caught up to another runner and I followed him through to the turn around. On the return I was able to pick it up and run quite quickly through this technical section and following my new race plan I fanged it on the way down to the creek. At the creek and for the remainder of the course through the private property I hit another low point but quickly emerged from that at the start of the long climb up the road. I walked nearly all of this section except for the areas where it flattened out a little on the curves and as I crested the hill my legs started feeling nice and springy and I was able to turn over my legs without what felt like any appreciable effort. I reined in another two runners heading down Megalong Road getting high fives from Long Arms and Ben heading into CP3 at which stage ST told me I was in 5th or 6th position. I still couldn’t believe it.

A quick stop and a mandatory gear check and I was on my way. Running out of the checkpoint full of smiles, energy and on a high... that was until I rounded the corner and out of site where all of a sudden I hit an unexpected slump. I couldn’t believe it. I took in a big drink and started running and within a few minutes the feeling passed and I was happy to start running on familiar track (the Six Foot). After two successful attempts running the 12 Foot Track I was happy to find that my legs were good at this stage. That was until I jumped off the ladder crossing the fence to find that the instant my foot hit the ground my left quad seized into the worst cramp I have ever experienced. No warning beforehand either and I didn’t know what to do as my leg was locked and I wasn’t sure how to stretch it out. I started massaging it and I took two S-Caps in a hope that the cramp would pass and about five minutes later I was able to start walking again and then running.

By the time I hit the stairs both my quads were cramping up but I was able to use my arms on my quads to limit the strain and keep the cramps at bay. As always the climb up Nellies is tough and turning right on the track at the top I expected to be able to start running again with some relief that it was behind me but I was mistaken. Probably the least enjoyable section of the race for me and emerging onto the asphalt on the outskirts of Katoomba I have never been so happy.

I felt good again knowing that I was only moments away from CP4 and I would make first contact with my support crew Simon. Running into the checkpoint to see Sean and his partner Mel also lifted my spirits as they were obviously stoked on my performance. I was currently in fifth place and I was told there were a couple of runners not long ahead so with the help of Simon and Sean I ate some more banana and my bladder refilled, downed some coke and gatorade and the aid station volunteer handed me a couple of gels which I was relying on to get me through to the final checkpoint.

I sprung out of the checkpoint feeling absolutely magic – my legs felt springy and I felt like I was just starting out on what was promising to be a great run. I found myself picking it up even more when about a kilometre down the track I realised when I went to grab some scheduled fuel that I had left the gels on the table. Shit... no fuel except for the diluted 1.5 litres of sports drink and the few snakes I had in a plastic bag contained inside my pack. I did have two sports bars (mandatory gear) but I couldn’t bring myself to eat them. With 23 kilometres, at least 2 ½ hours and some significant climbing in front of me I was concerned how it would play out but I wasn’t about to back off while I was still feeling good.

I got down the giant stairs uneventfully and was excited to be running along sublime point as I couldn’t find this track during earlier course recon. I was powering along on the flats and downhill sections and I quickly caught and passed the fourth place runner. It started to toughen up through here as my energy levels starting falling and I started playing a game in my head trying to work out when the next marker would be. I kept hoping it would say 80km thinking that I had passed the 75km marker without noticing but when I came to the next marker to find that it read 75km I was shattered... but only for a brief moment. I shook the feeling aside and set myself the task of getting to Jamison Creek and the start of the climb up Kedumba which I was sadistically looking forward to all day. I slowly reeled in third place runner Clarke and after a brief chat I told him that I would try and start running where I could and said my goodbyes and good lucks. He hung with me nearly the whole climb up till I got to the park gate and I managed to put a bit more effort into it knowing that the hospital was only a few short kilometres away. Spurred on with dehydration and a need to get some fuel in I managed to put a couple of minutes on Clarke heading into the final checkpoint.

It was great to see Simon there along with Ben and Berro (they must have logged some kilometres in the car out there on Saturday) and after a quick refuel (water bottles only) and some more banana I headed off for what I thought would be a relatively easy 11km to the finish. I had already called my wife heading up Kedumba to let her know that I was running well and would probably finish a little over an hour (OK I was a little wrong) and she was already excited as she had been watching the live results and saw that I was running in fifth place at the last checkpoint. She was even more excited when I told her that I had passed two runners over the last 10km to move into third.

I was feeling great heading up along Tableland Road and down Hordern onto the trails but with the fading light my pace slowed. I pulled out the headlamp I had borrowed from Mister G to find that the batteries which I thought were new weren’t and quickly either the light faded or my eyes blurred (I wasn’t sure at the time which). With a few minutes between myself and fourth place behind me I decided to take it as easy as possible while still moving as quickly as needed to avoid rolling my ankle or worse through this section.

The last five kilometres dragged on and when I finally came up out of Lillians Bridge and started circumnavigating the golf course I realised I was almost there. Or so it seemed. The trail around the golf course went on and on and finally when I got to the point when I felt like I was running away from the finish it finally turned and started heading uphill. Seeing the glowing sticks were indeed a relief and I was thankful that a volunteer pointed my in the right direction to the finish line.

Finish: 11:39:22 - 3rd place (out of 333)

Sharing the finish with my wife and kids there was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was also great to have a few friends which made the finish feel like it had been put on just for me. A cherished moment!

Watching the other runners come in shortly behind and sharing their race experience with as they got warm and enjoyed some drink and food also made the event more special than any other event I have participated in.

Congratulations to the phenomenal performances of the ever humble Andrew Lee and Tim Cochrane – you guys are legends. I also want to take my hat off to and give my congratulations to Clark McClymont and Doug Grubert two of the nicest people I have met during an event of this magnitude.

Congratulations to everyone who endured at The North Face 100. I hope to see you all next year!

race report and a new course record...

Race Report (the long version) - go and grab a cuppa before sitting down to read...

When I started running in 2004 I discovered an online running community and was in awe of people that would run these crazy fatass events (generally long trail self-supported running events). There was one event that really stood out for me. The people that I would see on the finishers list year after year and get to know a little about in their race reports gave them in my eyes a certain legendary status.

Who knew that two years ago when I responded to a message from one of the famed ultrarunners looking for someone to run with on the trails around home could it lead to so much? I have to someone to blame for getting me into this. During a somewhat innocent hill session at Kedumba in preparation for the Western States 2007 assault he mentioned that he was thinking about organising a "Rebel" 12 Foot for himself and other WS participants who were all heading over. Even though I had never run longer than 45km (earlier that year) I thought that I would maybe give it a go. Well that was last year where I amazed myself and finished in 11:10 (6th fastest time). It also got me thinking that a sub 11 hour time was possible but when it came around to run the official 12FT in August I was injured and unable to run. I would have to wait another 12 months before I would get another chance.

This year 2008 has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. The year started with some health issues which resulted in me not being able to compete at 6FT this year as I had surgery scheduled eight days prior to the start. Thankfully the surgery went much better than expected and I was able to resume running a couple of weeks later. I have to say a big thank you to my wonderful wife and friends who helped me though this stage of my life.

After running a 100km event in May this year my running hit a bit of low point as I struggled with motivation to start getting back into it and picking up the volume. I was eagerly reading everything I could absorb about running and training but when it came time to lacing up the shoes and getting out there I was finding too many excuses to leave it for another day. But things started coming around and I found myself entered in a local marathon. I made up a rough schedule to follow with the thoughts of running my first sub 3 hour. While the training didn't all work out as planned I found myself getting much quicker during my sessions but I couldn't get excited about getting in my long runs. With two long runs completed in the three weeks prior to the marathon I managed to achieve my sub 3 hour goal. But my body paid a penalty.

The two weeks between the marathon and 12FT was a lesson in terms of recovery and running. It took nearly a week of rest before I could start running again and in the second week I found it mentally hard to run slower than the marathon pace I had recently set. I don't think runs quicker than marathon pace for up to an hour were a good thing during a taper but I was finding myself quickly bored while running over the same routes that I regularly use in training. By the time Wednesday came I was worried that my legs would not recover enough to get me to the starting line. Thursday night I considered not running and I even told my wife that this was going to be my last ultra event for a long time.

Friday night before the event I was ready to pull out but I had offered to drive my mate up and he was meeting me at my house in the morning. I was thinking damn I'll have to run now!

After a short, sound sleep I got up early and ate my bowl of oatmeal made with rice milk, berries and dates and followed that up with a glass of apple juice, a banana and a strong cup of coffee. Mty friend arrived on time and we headed up to the start getting there nice and early which allowed us time to organise the last of our gear and catch up with the other runners. I was surprised after two days of rest how good I was feeling and it made me think that I would be able to run close to the goal I had messaged a friend the night before.

After the obligatory photo the race started right on time and we were under way. I was feeling relaxed and was running behind one of the faster runners thinking I would try and stick to him as long as I could (which I didn't expect to be very long). The track was quite wet and 300m from the start my foot slipped out from under me and I came down hard on the rocks. The pain was intense and I was immediately thinking that was it I'm heading back to the car. Runners around me offered to stop to make sure that I was alright but I didn't want to ruin anyone's run by having them wait for me. So I told them to go on. I was feeling crushed and a little emotional at how quickly my race had changed. I started running again and fell in behind just trying to take it easy down the stairs. Every step hurt and all my thoughts were of dropping out. I was thinking that I could at least get to the river and I will then see how it goes from there. This thinking started getting me angry with myself and when there was a bit of room on the trail I decided that I would start running and see if I could catch up to some of the runners ahead. I was mainly thinking that I might be able to catch up with spud and run some of the way with him.

While it hurt to run it felt great being out there again enjoying the day and trail with some other runners. I opened up my stride a little and it felt like I was running with a limp but I was making progress and before the bridge I had caught up with spud. The running between the road and the river was sensational single track at its finest and I was moving fast.

Together spud and I reached the River in 1:24 and we managed to get across without getting our feet wet. I was worried about how I would fare on the climb up to summit as my hill training was limited to a single session during my marathon preparation and I had only been on the trails once since my 100km in May. I was thinking that I would try and run with Spud as long as I could and when I went on ahead of him I fully expected that he would catch me on my next walk break. It didn't turn out that way and as I had made an arrangement with myself that I would take two of my four nurofens at the top that is what drove me on.

It felt like a real struggle on the hills reaching the top in 2:46 but luckily I felt no worse. I was running along the Range with not a lot of speed but I was still running which was a good sign. Moving along it was with some shock that I saw Tim moving up ahead and I could clearly see that he was shuffling and not having a good day. For me it was good to have his company and we ran, shuffled and walked our way to the Cabins. I was struggling a little through here but I told myself that I would be able to have a good walk break and something to eat when I reached the Caves. So with that thought I started pushing a little more and didn't realise that Tim was no longer there. When I turned around I couldn't see him and I while I thought of waiting I wanted to keep moving to closer towards the finish as I could get.

As usual the run down to the Caves felt long and steep and I was trying as hard as I could to take it easy to avoid killing my quads with the impact as I still had a long way to go. I reached the caves in 4:39 and was amused when I was running down the road towards the tap to fill up my camelbak to see someone taking pictures of me. It was great to meet Kevin Cassidy who had just made it out there to report for one of the running mags. After a brief discussion and a little difficulty turning the tap handle I filled the bladder up about three quarts and said my farewells to start the arduous climb back up.

I actually enjoy the climb from the caves as it allows me time to enjoy my surroundings and eat and drink a little more than usual. Also the pressure of running is removed for some time. I consumed a powerbar, a packet of salt and vinegar chips and washed it all down with a good swig of water. The climb out was long and uneventful and it was great when people starting passing me on the way down to the caves. I passed Tim while he was walking down to the caves and he was not looking good.

About 15 minutes later spud passed me and we exchanged encouraging words and a little after that the slow flow of other runners began passing by. By this time I think I had nearly completed most of the hard climbing and I was about ready to start running again. It's always a fun game to play with oneself trying to guess who the next runner that comes into view will be and today was no different. I expected to see some runners further along than they were and there were some that looked like the were having good days and were further along than I expected. The encouragement from a passing runner is a much welcomed reprieve from the endless hours of time spent alone on the trails.

Running from the Cabins to the campground became a bit of a blur for me and I found that I fully entered the zone where just running along is about all that I notice. I passed a few runners but the time and distance was moving along and before I knew where I was I was running down the Range. The sound of rain falling snapped me out of my trance but then I realised I wasn't getting wet and upon closer inspection I could see tiny balls of ice bouncing off me. Wow it was sleeting. I was thinking that I hoped it would snow.

By the time I had reached the summit before the long downhill back to the river it was about 2pm (6:58) and I realised that I had forgotten to fill up my bladder at the campground. With the cold weather I wasn't drinking much but I knew I was dehydrating and I needed the fluid to be able to take in my main source of calories - energy gels. I was worried being seven hours into the run with no food or water but I spent the next hour running down to the river feeling the best I had all day.

Arriving at the campground at the River I made my way straight to the tank and filled my bladder and started taking in some food, another Powerbar. Everything from my waist down was tight and feeling like it was on the verge of cramping up so I decided to wade straight through the river and see if that would bring my legs back to life.

It was now 8:06 into the run and with the coldness of the water, the food in my stomach and the drink picking me up I had a good run from the river along the single track to the Road and I was even beginning to entertain thoughts of a low 10 hour finishing time. Well those thoughts were quickly diminished when my legs starting seizing up and I was finding it harder and harder to lift up my feet. Thankfully by the time I reached the stairs (in about 9:36?) I still had plenty of light as I wouldn't have liked to have navigated my way up there in the state that I was falling into. I was now forced to use my hands on my thighs to push myself up each step and I was quickly forgetting about finishing in 10 hours and more interested in reaching the top so that I didn't have to take another step. I wanted it to be over and done with. By the time I had reached the car park it had taken me a full 46 minutes to get up those damn stairs and with Kevin and Brick egging me on to break the course record I found myself running again to the finish and the tree. I hit the stopwatch and looked at the time. 10:23!!!!!

Yahoo.... a new course record!

Here is a list of my nutrition for the 90km/10 hours or running:
* 15 Energy Gels (assorted brands and flavours)
* 2 Powerbars
* 2 Muesli bars
* 1 packet Salt and Vinegar chips
* 1 Turkish Delight (small)
* 3 litres of water
* 1 litre of Coke
* 600ml of Gatorade
* 10 Succeed caps

Looking at the list now it doesn't appear to be a lot of food considering how much energy I was likely to have burnt. Someones garmin GPS recorded 57+ miles with over 13,000 feet of elevation gain.

the marathon update

i haven't posted for a few days but will get around to it on monday.

i just finished the marathon and am stoked to report a new pr of 2:57:10. i had a good run but died a little towards the end but it wasn't the result of nutrition, more a result of carrying a little too much training fatigue going into it. i started feeling deep fatigue (almost pain) in my quads at around the 9 mile mark and new that i hadn't rested enough in my taper. perhaps the couple of long runs a few weeks out were the main culprit. this is something i will address before my next race.

i'm also happy to report that after a big post-run glycogen replacement feed of oatmeal and lots of fruit (watermelon, bananas, raisins, blueberries, strawberries) i am back onto the program. i am starting to think i will keep going beyond the 30 day challenge and see how i can refine things. i don't think i need to consume the daily carbohydrate eating frenzy that is typical of the endurance athletes diet. perhaps a single post-exercise carb feed and a few carbs during the activity is all that is needed to top the tanks off.

see you monday!