"The answers to the big questions in running are the same as the answers to the big questions in life. Just do the best you can with what you've got" - Dr George Sheehan
Angelena started standing up when she was about 10 months, we thought to ourselves "hmmm, think she will be walking before she turn one". We waited, and waited... And finally, she now walk the walk after turning one... Here's what she has been up to since she started walking...
It is a whole new ball game now, she is getting quicker each day... With a turn of the head, she is gone in a flash... We have to up our game to match hers!!! Fun times ahead...
What a race! Ricky Lightfoot from Team
Salomon smashed the course by completing in 8:38:07. Well ahead of runner up
Jimmy Tee, who finished in 10:44:50. According to the race results, the
completion rate was 80% and lucky for me, I was among those who had completed
the race.
In comparison to the winner, I took
almost twice as long (well, that's why he is an elite and I’m not) with a
finishing time of 15:50:33. This is 4hrs ahead of the race cut-off and 2hrs
ahead of my target. I wouldn't have been able to achieve this without Collin
(my not so little brother). He stuck by my side all the way, pushing me with
motivation speeches and constantly shoving drinks and food down my throat to
ensure that I keep up with the required nutrition... I cannot ask for a better
race partner... Thank you my brother...
Right, here are my highs and lows (quite
a few of them) from my race... And yes, given that it was a
100km race, you bet this is gonna be long…
Friday 12-Oct. Race day...
Angelena, Lena and I arrived the night
before and only settled to sleep well past midnight... The 3 of us woke up
pretty early in the morning. I think our bodies were still in Melbourne time
zone, which is 3 hours ahead of Singapore... Good thing the race start time is 11pm...
Hope to catch a nap in the afternoon...
During the unpacking of my luggage, I
realised that I had forgotten the water bladder for my hydration bag. This was
despite me checking my gears twice before I sealed my luggage... Yeh, I know,
what an idiot right... Lucky for me, Collin has some spare gears and I have
decided to use his stuff for the race...
Collin and I went over to Superman's (aka
Koon Wei) place to get our gels and stuff for the race... We were joined by
Archer shortly after... Few race strategy discussions later, Collin and I left
and headed off to have lunch, a bit of necessity shopping and hair cut (a few
grams lighter over 100km can make a lot of difference... errr... maybe...)
A 2hour nap, dinner and shower later, we
geared up and headed off to the race start, MacRitchie Reservoir Park...
Superman, me, Collin and Archer
Arrived around 10pm... Met up with
Superman and Archer... Headed towards the 100km participants’ tent (also
functioned as a drop bag station as the course is 2 x 50km loop) to weigh our
gears and drop off our supplies for second half.
Being locals, Superman, Archer and Collin
were busy saying hi and hellos to every other person before the race... It was
really nice to see the warm and friendly atmosphere among the participants...
The gun went off at 11pm and we were
off!!! Few minutes later and then there were 3… Being a faster runner, Superman
took off as expected and left the 3 of us behind… We started at a comfortable
pace and I actually felt alright… Had a quick pit stop at the Ranger Station
(6km) and drank up… I could really feel the familiar SG humidity welcoming me
back with open arms…
Over the next 20km, I felt really short
of breath and was constantly thirsty… Kept telling Collin and Archer that I
need an oxygen tank… I also couldn’t stop myself from gulping more than what I should
be drinking from the Check Points (CPs)… Was taking 4-5 cups of water and
100plus at each CP and paid the price for it… Stitches came on every freaking
time after that and I had to walk it off before being able to continue running…
We reached Lorong Asrama CP at 24km… We
were to do a 9km loop in this area and back to the CP. This area brought back lots
of “fond” memories from my National Service days as this used to be my
“playground”… Never in a million years would I have thought of going back here
for a race of this kind… Glad to be out of Lorong Asrama in 1hr and headed back
to the start…
And then there were 2, Archer decided to
run his own race and left us to go ahead… At about 35km along the Gangsa Track,
we saw a light coming our way… Thought to ourselves, no freaking way any runners
will be on to 70km plus… How wrong were we, it was indeed race leader, Ricky Lightfoot
passing us by… Un-freaking-believable!!! This man is a machine!!!
Our target is to at least complete half
the race before sunrise. I knew I would struggle as soon as the sun comes out…
The strategy was to power walk all uphills and run flats and downhills… We were
actually pushing a bit quicker on our pace in order to meet this goal… Archer:
“What happened to taking it easy for the first 50km?” Sorry Archer, we were
comfortable with the pace and just kept going… And then there were two… We lost
Archer around the 35km mark…
The sky was still dark and before we know
it, Collin and I reached the half way point under 7hrs. This is a full hour
ahead of our target!!! Yeh!!! We just hope that the extra push in pace do not
come back and bite us in the next half…
Archer very comfy at the back...
It was great to see Jun at the tent, who
was the support crew/wife for Superman… Jun had also prepared ice cold coffee, coke,
pies and apple cider vinegar for us… Thanks heaps Jun (and Superman)!!! A
little boost goes a long long way… The aunties and uncle in the tent was super friendly
and helpful… They kept pushing water and food to us. Auntie: “come, eat, eat…
come, drink, drink…” Shortly after, Archer came in… He was still complaining
about us pushing the pace…
We were ready to rock and roll within
15mins when suddenly Collin needed to hit the loo… He reckoned that it was the
chestnuts (as recommended by Superman as an alternate race fuel) that he took… Hmmm…
I think Superman plotted this “chestnut trap” so that he would not get
overtaken by Collin :P It was actually good that I can have the extra rest… I
think I needed it… Took out my shoes to clear the small sand/rocks and realised
that my one of the toes on my left foot was turning black… Not a good sign with
50km to go…
All in all, we stopped for about 30mins to regroup and get ready
for the next 50km… We urged Archer to continue with us but he needed more rest
and have no interest in our supposedly crazy pace… Bid goodbye to Archer, Jun,
the aunties and uncle and got back on the road…
The second 50km was a bit of blur for me,
literally… The sun slowly came up not long after and somehow my body/mind was telling
me that it was time to close my eyes and sleep… The heat was getting to me… I
was fighting hard to keep my eyes open and legs moving…
At the Dairy Farm CP (65km), we headed to
the toilet to freshen up… The CP was quite crowded as we have now been joined by
the 50km event runners that started at 6:45am… It became very apparent that I was
suffering from fatigue and possibly dehydration when I saw the flush button moving
in the toilet when I was going about my business… I was losing it… dunked my
head under the running water to cool off and regroup… Told Collin about it and
he immediately pulled out an electrolyte tablet for me… Took half and save the
other half for later… Also took some bananas, GU gels and chomps from the CP
and continued on…
I was not looking forward to Lorong
Asrama… The tracks are wide and out in the open sun… Really struggled with the
heat… Blisters caused by the tiny rocks under my feet also didn’t help… This
time round it took us 1 and a half hour as our pace was slower and we took a
bit longer at the CP to regroup…
After we left the CP, dark clouds began
to form and we can feel a gentle breeze… A lot of you may have experienced the
so call second wind… And that was what we got… Not sure if it was because of
the banana we took, the changing weather, or the sheer thought that the
toughest part was over and we were on home stretch… Maybe all of the above…
Shortly after the Zhenghua CP, my left
calf called it quits… It felt as if I have pulled it and every time I want to
run it out, it hurts… I was devastated, so much for having second wind… We were
only 12km to the Finish… I was not happy, cursing and swearing in all the
languages I have ever known… Told Collin to go on without me, but he graciously
declined and said: “we will finish this race together”. These words provided me
with a new surge of energy and got me to focus on the positive… If I cannot
run, I will walk to the finish…
We took 2 hours to finish this last
stretch and crossed the finishing line with a time of 15:50:33… Couldn’t
believe it, I had completed my first 100km race…
Race
Summary
Weather – Hot and humid and no rain… I
cannot remember when I last perspired that much… Managing the heat was a challenge
to me… I would have lost it to the elements if it was not for Collin’s constant
drink and eat reminders…
Course – Wide variety of terrains and
tracks from loose rocks to overgrown tree roots and lots of rolling hills…
Check Points (Aid Stations) – One word,
GREAT. Ample supply of water and 100plus at all CPs and GU gels, chomps and bananas
on selected ones… Volunteers were very friendly
and helpful… Thanks guys!!!
Lessons learnt
·Check your gears 3 times as twice is not enough
(as proven by me)
·Listen to the “old birds” (Archer and Collin)
and lean from their past 100km race experiences
·Holding form is important regardless of going
uphill or downhill, need to strengthen core to improve
·Get to know our own body more so that we can
manage the appropriate hydration and nutrition requirements
·Consumed food in the form of gels, chomps, energy
bars, bananas, bak kua etc at least every 45mins… Also had anti fatigue pills between
1 to 2 hours.
·Hydration plan went out of the window as soon as
the race started. Had either drank too much, or not enough. Need to work on fuels
and drinks discipline.
·2 black toe nails on the right and 1 on the
left. Need to wear shoes and socks appropriately to prevent this
One of my goals this year is to complete a
marathon under 5hours. Not only did I achieve this goal, I smashed it by
22minutes!!! There is a short clip at the end of this page that I have compiled
with pictures and videos that that I took along the way… For those who prefer
the details, here is how everything unfolds...
Sunday 16-Sep:
Woke up 5am... Do the usual pre-race routine...
Breakfast = 2 slices of bread with jam and coffee, plus a glass of water with
chia seeds... Sunscreen, Vaseline and a toilet break later, I was ready by
6am... Ample time to get to the start line...
Weather check - 15 degrees, sunny with top of 20
degrees. Should be able to handle the temperature and decided not to put on
extra layers…
Gear check - Visor,
sunnies, race bib pinned to top, water belt with camera and phone, gels and a
bottle of Gatorade... Something new I did this year, thanks to the advice from
my ironman colleague, Mick. My water belt can hold 3 x 170ml bottles. I
squeezed a gel into each of the bottle and top it up with water… According to
Mick, this is more palatable to the mouth and will be absorbed by the body
easier… All set and off I went in my full racing gear…
Distance from our hotel in Ultimo to Central
station is about 1km... Good warm up for me...Got to Central station and followed other racers to the platform that
takes us to Milsons Point...The train
went underground and surfaced near the Harbour Bridge... We can see the half
marathon racers running on the bridge towards the city... Great sight and made
me super pumped!
Train arrived at Milsons Point station and I
followed the crowd towards Bradfield Park… Took some pictures and queued for
the toilet to lose some “weight”… Good thing I was there early, I have to wait
7mins before my turn to use the toilet…
There were 3 start groups
to choose from... A for elites and the fast runners, B for the sub 4:30hrs
runners, and C for all others... Needless to say, I chose to start in group
C... Spotted some
pacers in the A & B group... They have a small flag at the back of their water
belt with the specific timing printed on a flag... They ranged from 3hrs to
4:30hrs... Managed to squeeze myself to the front of C group... Caught a
glimpse of the elites and the groups A & B runners... 15mins to go, time to
pop a gel...
First 10km:
7:30am - The race was
flagged off by none other but the legendary Rob deCastella... elites and Group
A runners were off… Followed by Group B runners… Finally, about 3mins after the gun time, Group C go go go!!!
As usual, the first
km was slow with everyone trying to jostle for space... I used this as my warm
up and held back my pace a bit to wait for the crowd to thin... I started very cautiously...
I was just gonna run at a comfortable pace and not worry about the timing...
Kept telling myself not to go “Too Hard Too Fast”...
I was happily
snapping pictures and about 1.5km into the race, we reached the Sydney Harbour
Bridge... I was so looking forward to this... The structure was magnificent and
the view from the bridge is just awesome... Felt good coming off the bridge... Decided to
pick up my pace a bit...
Around the 3.5km, I spotted
the 4:30hrs pacers... Couldn’t believe my eyes... Questions began to flow... How
can I be that fast? Am I going to fast? Should I stay with them? Should I
overtake them? Hmmm... Followed them for a bit while I weigh up my options...
Finally, decided to follow my own pace and went ahead of them... (By the way,
among the pacers was Jane Trumper, who was running her 100th
marathon... Kudos with respect...)
The next few km took
us past the State Library, Parliament House and Art Gallery towards the Royal
Botanical Garden... Headed back up Mrs Macquarie Road back to the Art
Gallery... I have set my Garmin FR610 to beep every 50mins as a reminder for me
to take my gel... The alert came around 8.5km... Downed the 1st of 3
pre-mixed bottles... Hmmm... It went down quick and smooth... Cool... I like
it!!!
I was passing through
Hyde Park around the 10km... Time check, 1hr... My goodness, I have done the
first 10km in 6min/km pace... To be honest, I was a bit shock as my easy pace
is about 6:30min/km... Was I going too fast? Anyway, gotta get on to the rest
of the race and hope the pace can last...
11to
20km:
The climb up Oxford
Street was slow and it felt long... Maybe because we can see the stretch of
road we need to climb from the bottom... After the climb, we turned off to
Flinders Street and went pass the eastern side of the SCG and headed back
towards the start of Anzac Parade...
While running along
Anzac Parade, we cheered on the leading pack of runners coming back on the
opposite side... This was around the 15km mark, but being on the other side
means that they would have done at least 28km... Oh well, that is why they are
elites and I am not...
Turned into
Centennial Park and did some half loops and u-turns here and there... took my 2nd
bottled gel around the 16km mark...
21 to 30km:
Reached the half way
point (21km), which was still in Centennial Park... 2hrs and 7mins... Hmmm, that is great!!! Looked behind... no
sign of the 4:30hrs pacers... Fantastic, pressed on... Just then, I received a text from Lena saying
that they (Angelena and Lena) will be heading to the finish in an hour’s
time... Send her a picture showing the 22km mark and told her to take her
time...
Also exchanged a few
texts with my “support group” and received few words of encouragement and
inspirations... It helped to push me forward... Felt great, legs still have
more to give... Fantastic...
By 2:30hrs (my
gel alert...), I was out of Centennial Park and back on Anzac Parade again...
Took the 3rd and last bottled gel around the 25km mark... Before the
30km mark, we were back at the top of Oxford Street and looking down on the
slope brought a smile to my face... Finally, a chance for gravity to do the
work...
Received another text
from Lena, they are on the train heading towards Circular Quay... No pressure,
told her I still have 10km and it should take me about an hour (ok, ok, I was a
bit ambitious about the timing)...
31km to Finish:
So far, I have been
very happy with my pace and with each u-turn, I keep looking back for the
4:30hrs pacers and I did not see them... Great feeling to know that I am ahead
of the time I was trying to achieved...
Passed Hyde Park
again and this time travelled along Phillip Street... Coming down on Phillip
Street, you can actually catch a glimpse of Circular Quay... This was when my
mind started to play tricks on me... It made me think that I was near the finish
and that I can afford to slack off my pace a bit... I felt so cheated when I
have to turn left way from the finish line... Then it daunt on me that I still
have at least another hour on my feet before the finish...
And at 32km, I hit
the wall... My mind kept telling my body to give up... Also, as I was well
ahead of the 5hrs target, I can actually afford to walk to the finish rather
than pushing myself... This thought stayed with me for the next km... Then my
610 beeped around The Rocks, reminding me of my gel intake... This time,
straight from the packet with a 2 x caffeine GU... This reminder was a wake up
call... Reminded me that I can still put in effort to achieve a good time...
All in all, it took me 2km to get over the wall and continued with my race...
The next few km took
us on Hickson Road and Sussex Street, just off Darling Harbour... By this time,
I was feeling pissed off as I could see runners heading back to the finish
while I still have some distance to cover and the u-turn was nowhere in
sight... My mind was once again playing tricks on me...
I have all these
negative thoughts in me and what made it worst was that I realised that I have
now reached Harris Street in Ultimo... Bloody hell, that is near my hotel!!!
Then the penny dropped, I realised that I am still far from finish... I
continued forward but my pace has dropped... The only thing that spurred me on
was that I was still ahead of the 4:30hrs pacers...
Then came the second wall...
I broke down around the 37km mark when I saw the incline back onto the Western
Distributor... F@#* it... I am going to walk to the finish... “Ding Ding”... I
received a text from Lena, saying that they have arrived at the finish line and
are waiting for me... Replied to her that I am 5km to finish and it may take me
40mins... This was the push and motivation I needed... I now want to finish the
race strong and see my lovely wife and daughter at the finish sooner than
later...
Also, knowing that I
am now heading towards and not away from the finish helped tremendously... I
was pushing hard and with 3km to go, the 4:30hrs pacers passed me... I tried
to stay with them but somehow I couldn't .. I took too much water at the last
aid station and my stomach was not feeling well... Was cursing my stupidity...
Reached the 40km mark
at 4:13hrs... can I complete the next 2 km in 17mins to do a sub 4:30hrs finish? Texted Lena and told her I am only 2km away... She replied to say that
she has secured a front row just after the finish... Run Gary, Run!!!
Last 2km was a blur...
The only thing on my mind was to see my lovely ladies at the finish...Before I
knew it, I crossed the finish line after gun time in 4hrs31min, but my official
time was 4:28hrs... Fist pumped in the air and went over to my ladies for a
hug... Not only was I happy to see them, I was stoked that I managed to achieve
a sub 4:30hrs finish... Smashed it!!!
Race Summary:
For the record, Yuki
Kawauchi and Mitsuko Hirose, both from Japan (that’s right, not a Kenyan or Ethiopian...)
won the man’s and woman’s race respectively. And yes, Lena was giving it to me,
making me well aware that I have lost to Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
by about 4minutes...
Despite my lost to Tony
Abbott, I really enjoyed the race... This was my first "proper" marathon where I
actually started the race without any injury...
Weather – Perfect...
it was 16 degrees when I started and about 20 degrees when I finished... There
was a windy patch around Circular Quay, but overall, it was not too bad...
Course – Quite a few
U-turns... good for spectators and also in a way good for me... Allow me to
check how far I am in front or behind the pacers... There were some hills and
the last one killed me...
Crowd – Very lively
and encouraging, especially around the city and Circular Quay...
Volunteers – Warm,
friendly and very enthusiastic. Especially the ones at the aid stations... they
are ever so willing to feed you with water and gels...
Will I do it again?
Maybe... Sydney will always have a spot in my heart given that I achieved my PB
there... Here's the clip I promised...
All in all, this trip
has been very eventful for us... It was Angelena’s first flight and it kinda
gave us a preview of what to expect for our October trip to Singapore...
It was lovely to be
able to catch up with a few Sydneysiders before race day... Especially Andrew (whom
I have known since our secondary school days) and Therma … Good luck with the
studies and hope to catch up soon... Also thanks to Jerry and May for sharing with
us their favourite Japanese joint… We really enjoyed the food and the
company...
Next up, TNF100 in
Singapore... Can’t wait... It will be fun (I think)...
Shared a momentous milestone with Angel... Uploaded my run
with Angel onto Garmin Connect after Saturday morning's run and saw that my mileage
for the year is over 1,000km this year!!! Yeh!!! One of my goals is to be able
to clock 1,000km this
year... And I did it with 3 months to spare... Super stoked!!!
Saturday 8-Sep-12 Woke up at 6am... Both my
ladies (Angelena and Lena) were still sleeping... Decided to bring my other
lady, Angel, for a quick run around the block to start off the day before we
head off to Wonthaggi for the weekend...
As soon as I picked up her
collar, her ears lifted and she instantly knew that she is in for a good
time... Told her that she need to work
hard for her breakfast this morning... She has to do a 5km run with me.... Her
constant tail wagging being the sign of acknowledgement...
Strapped on my water belt,
filled a bottle (not for me...) and off we went...
As usual, Angel cannot control
her excitement and started out fast and hard for the first km... I just
maintained my pace and kept her in my sight all the time...
Have not ran with Angel for a
long time and thought that she might have lost some pace... Well well well, how
wrong was I... After she settled down after the first km, she just took it easy
and followed my pace... At times, I felt that she was giving me the "hurry
up"...
4km done... Since she was
doing just fine, decided to push her to do sub 6min pace for the last km...
What a trooper!!! She rose to the challenge and kept me in check all the way...
Typical Friday conversation
at work around the pantry area...
Me: "So anything planned
for the weekend?"
The replies from colleagues
range from "catching up with friends; going to the movies; getting
smashed on Friday/Saturday night..." to "just a quiet one".
"What about you
Gaz?"
Me: "Not much, spending
time with Angelena on Saturday and then will be doing a 52km race on
Sunday at You Yangs ("YY")..."
Stunted faces, followed by
"Fifty what? Are you kidding me? Are you crazy/nuts/out of your mind?
Good luck I guess..."
And yes, given that it was a
52km race, this race report will be longer than usual...
Sunday, 22-Jul:
Finally, a race closer to
home... I only need 35mins of drive time compared to the last 2 races.
Alarm went off at 5am and I
go about doing my pre-race routine... Cup of coffee, 2 slices of toast
with peanut butter... Then took a mandatory dump to lighten the weight
before gearing up...
Had been carb loading a bit
the last few days and I actually gained 1.5kg, which I will lose during
the race (I hope)...
My hydration pack can hold
1.5l. From past race experience, with the well placed Aid Stations
("AS"), I hardly consume the whole lot and carried the extra
weight home. This time, I only fill it up with 750ml of Gatorade. If I run
out of water before an AS, I just have to beg for water from other
runners... See, I do have a backup plan...
Will be using GU instead of
Endura gels... Will also be trying Winners energy bar instead of
Powerbars... Hopefully my stomach can handle the change...
My food for the race...
Also have been training in
MT110 since its arrival last month... Hopefully I have clock enough
mileage (58km up to this race) to break it in... Yes, I do track the
mileage of my shoes...
Down a cup of water mixed
with 1tbs of Chia seeds, kissed goodbye to my ladies and headed off at
6am...
Reached YY around 6:40am...
Plenty of time for me to register and hit the toilet one last time... It
was still dark and cold... decided to put on my sleeve warmers and
gloves... I can always take them off after...
Caught some familiar faces at
the start line and started chatting with one of them, Neil... He is in his
60s and he ran ultra and MTB regularly... Oh, he kicked my butt in race 1
(30km), finishing at least 30mins ahead of me... No revenge for me at race
2 as he did the 50km while I stick to 30km... This time round both of us
are doing
the 52km...
Trails+ You Yangs course map
Running trails should
be straight forward right? Well, not quite... YY is a
bit different because we are running in a smaller course... There are
certain parts of the course that we be running both inbound and outbound... And
if all goes well, we should pass the main AS, which is also the Start/Finish
area, at 15km, 30km and lastly at 52km... Hence a map
will definitely be handy... Sounds complicated? Maybe... I will
be referencing places on the map quite a bit, so if you can follow the map, it
will make more sense to you...
2 more minutes to start...
First 15km
After a quick briefing from Brett (Race
Director), we all formed up at the Start line and wait for the countdown...
Popped a gel and wiggle my way to the start... The race was delayed by 15mins,
which is good for us as more light began to come through... 7:30am, and we are off!!! Neil and me continued chatting until the
first AS at around 2.5km... He decided to take a drink while I continue
and started the descend on Saddleback Track...
Downhill from Saddleback Track... Sun still rising...
Went pass a few runners, one
of which is Dave: "Let gravity do the work huh!"... Oh yes, I was
actually doing quite good pace... maybe too fast for my liking but what the
heck, will worry about that later... Dave caught up to me when we were on the
flat... We chatted and shared some stories... Felt really good and
didn't realised that I was doing 6mins pace... Too fast for my liking... But
with good company, I will worry about the pace later...
Have set my Garmin 610 on
50mins alert... This is to remind me to take some food/gel to maintain my
energy before they get completely depleted... Popped a gel, removed my
gloves and arm warmers around 8.5km and make the climb back up to the
Turntable... Dave dropped his pace at the climb while I power on...
Passed the Turntable AS, had
a quick drink and headed north to West Walk...
Will be seeing these steps a few times during the race...
Not long after, Dave overtook
me... This stretch was slow and as there are a lot of boulders and rocks to go
over... Then he overtook... Although this stretch was only about 2km, it took
me approximately 30mins...
Shortly after, arrived at
Rockwell Junction AS.. Time check, 1hr 24mins... had a quick drink and
continued... 2km of downhill and another 1km of uphill later, arrived back at
Turntable AS... first 15km completed... decided to have an energy bar instead
of a gel... first time trying the Winners bar... it was surprisingly good and I
love it!!! Will be stocking it up for next race...
15km to 30km
This time round, we head towards East Walk in
a counter-clockwise direction and looped back to Turntable AS around West Walk
... This round trip is about 4km and it took me about 40mins... I overtook Dave
while he was trying to shake off his cramp...
Below are some pics I took along either the
East or West Track... Cannot really remember weather it was the East or West Walk when I took them...
View from East/West Track?
View from East/West Track?
View from East/West Track?
View from East/West Track?
Arrived back to Turntable at
19km and this time round, headed east towards Big Rock... I then hit the single
trails among the trees from 22km... The next AS is Kurrajong and it should
be at the 24km mark... Though I am sure I am heading towards the right direction,
not seeing any runners in front or behind me start to make me worry...
especially when my 610 is showing 25km... I decided to wave down a MTBiker and
ask for confirmation of directions... Big load off my shoulders when he
confirmed that I was on the right track... Phew...
Thanks goodness not long
after, I arrived at the AS... To my surprise, Dave who was behind me is already
there!!! WTF? He was wearing the Garmin 910XT and we compared
distance... I had done an additional 500m on my way here... Now that explains
why he was there before me... Not ideal, but not the end of the world...
The volunteer at the AS mentioned that there are other
runners that took wrong route and have to cover more than 1km... I guess I
should be thanking my lucky stars...
Dave headed off while I pack
my mouth with fruit cake... Saw Coke (as in the drink) on the table and decided
to not over indulge myself this early... Hopefully there will still be some
left when I come pass later... Popped another gel and press on...
The next few kms are of gradual
incline... not steep enough to walk, and yet not flat enough to run flat out...
hate it... very hard to concentrate my stride with the constant "should I
run or should I walk" playing in my mind...
YY is a very popular hangout
among MTB enthusiasts... We have been briefed to give way to MTBikers
along the course, which I have been doing... Then came 2 ladies in their
MTBs climbing up the trails... I can hear them chatting from about 10m behind
me... Thought to myself, good time for me to rest a bit and let them pass...
Jumped to the side and stretched... Said hi and let them pass me... I then
followed behind them... With the way they are paddling, I am sure
that they are using the lowest gear available... For some reason or
another, they started to slow down and I thought to myself, maybe I can
overtake them... And I did!!! Yeh!!! Overtaking MTB on a MTB trail... Now that
was the highlight of my race...
While running the interesting
zig-zag trail, looking up, I can see Dave heading towards the left, and then to
the right... we were quite close but because of the zig-zag, I was actually
about 200m behind him... Not long after, a petite lady passed me... She looked
strong... Her stride was powerful and quick for her size... I later learned
that she had turned up 1hour late and there she was, not only has she caught
up, but she has also overtook us... Oh well, I just need to concentrate on my
own race...
Passed the Rockwell AS at
28km... 2km more and I'll be back to Turntable AS...My left
ITB suddenly became very tight and I think that caused some pain on my
left hip... I thought to myself "no freaking way, don't tell me it is
Great Ocean Road all over again!!!"... At the back of my mind, I knew
I had better prepared this year than last year, fingers crossed that this
strain will go away with some stretches and not cause me to DNF...
Desperate time leads to
desperate measures... just before I reach the Turntable AS, I popped 2 panadols
with a hope that they can last me through to the end... Made it to 30km...
Decided to hang around the AS a bit longer... Removed my right shoe to
clear the tiny rocks, stretched my ITB, cleared my rubbish, ate some fruit
cake, down some electrolyte... Time check, 3hrs 42mins... took a deep
breadth and headed off...
30km to Finish
If you have been following the map, you now
have to navigate with the one on the right... The left map is
only up to 30km...
Cockatoos.. I swear they were laughing at me...
Next 4km was a clockwise loop
from West Walk to East Walk... We then head towards the Saddleback Track... At
this time, I was joined by another 3 runners... Around the 36km mark, we saw a
few runners including Dave 50m ahead... They stopped for a while at the cross
junction and decide to go straight...
When we reached the junction, we can see
why... The sign was not as clear as the others... We pulled out our maps and
compared, wondered, discussed, guessed which way to go... As I saw Dave heading
straight, I decided to head straight... But another runner decided to hold his
ground and said we should head up the hill... We spent at least 3mins debating which way to go... Now, it is
funny how the human mind works... Going straight is downhill while going left
is uphill... My mind somehow wants me to take the easy way, which is
downhill...
Popped a gel and headed
straight... ran for less than 100m... saw Dave and another runner heading back
towards us... He was pretty sure that they had gone the wrong way and said the
right way is left, which is up the hill... Oh well, if I went off course, at
least I have a few runners to accompany me... And up the hill we went...
So happy to see Rockwell AS
after the climb... phew... the additional 4mins spent figuring which way to go
was well worth it...
We headed in the opposite
direction this time down the zig-zag... Wanted to run faster, but my left leg
has other idea... For the next 10km, I was constantly stopping for
stretches... I popped another gel and had my energy bar... Where I
could, I ran, if not at least power walk... This continued all the way until
the Kurrajong AS (46.5km)...
Made it to the AS and scanned
my eyes over the table for the coke... Yes, there was still 1 cup left... Down
the coke... ahhh... coke never tasted so good... Quick chat with the volunteers
and confirmed that this was it, last 6km to finish! Time check, 6hrs 12mins...
Hmmm... maybe can do a sub 7hrs finish... Come on!!!
Picture courtesy of Dandyrunner.com
Saw the guy from
DandyRunner.com... Was in pain and not able to lift my facial muscles for a
smile... Me: "So glad to see you mate... Does it mean I am near the
finish?" DandyRunner: "You are almost there mate... Keep it
up..."
As much as I would like to
finish strong, my left leg is just not cooperating... Just have to take it easy
and do an easy 8min pace to the finish...
Big Rock...
Made the climb to Big Rock...
By this time, the weather is beautiful and that explains why there was so many
families picnicking around this area... Not far now... 2km
more of climb and I am home...
Made it across the Finish
line... 7hours, 8minutes and 31seconds... Saw Dave and we congratulated each
other... He had finished 3min ahead of me... Finally some warm food... Sausage
sizzle time!!!
Race Summary
Course:Compared
to the last 2 Trailsplus races, YY is a "walk in the park" for
the more experienced participants... Simply because the course is
"flatter"... According to my 610, the maximum elevation gain/loss was
about 230m... Not as high as Mt Macedon or Maroondah Dam... While running
along the MTB trails, although we have to give way to the bikes, I
actually enjoyed running along the MTB trails...
Although we do carry a map,
we rely heavily on the course markings... The markings are good 90% of the
time... The rest of the 10% is reliant on your instinct, an or other
runners' experience... That is probably why my 610 showed me that I did
53km instead if 52km...
YY is a beautiful place and I
will definitely head up there more often since it is so close to home...
Weather:Prefect!!!
Can't ask for more... A little chilly (10 degrees) at the start, which is
expected at 7:30am in the morning... No wind and lots of shades from the
trees...
Aid Stations:As
always, food galore at the main AS... Fruit cakes, chips, jelly beans,
GUs, electrolyte, cola, water... Friendly volunteers... What more can you
ask for...
My final thoughts...
- Stoked that I completed my
first ultra trail!!! Yeh!!! Even happier when I managed to finish before
my 610 battery (estimated to last 7-8hours on GPS mode) die off... Saved memessing
around with my portable charger... Yeh!!! Yeh!!!
- MT110 definitely provide
more protection than MT10 and I am glad that it works well for me...
- Started off to fast, need
to slow down... But what to do? It was good to chat with others who are
going through the same pain...
Finisher's medal
Next race, 50km around the
Tan in 2 weeks time... Yup, it is gonna drive me bananas as you all know
how much I "love" to do loops... Until then, more foam rolling
and stretches...
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