barefoot running and other stuff

Restart 2012

2012-01-15T01:54:00.002+11:00

It's been nearly year since I blogged. It's been over a year since I ran properly. I've started both again, and hope to continue for a long time to come.

2011 was not a great year. It saw yet another move from one state to another, anxious times with kids, jobs, and a multitude of other things. I broke my toe early in the year, and really it took about 9 months to heal... which was painful! Towards the end of the year I became very sick and ended up in hospital with pneuomonia.

Still though I managed a couple of races (or attempts at them anyway). The Kokoda Challenge 96k on the Gold Coast was a highlight for me. Undertrained and overworked, but loving every minute of the time spent with 3 mates (Deb, one of my best friends; Claire, an old friend from years ago; and Scott, my little brother and long suffering male member of the team).

Doubting our ability to finish with a full team due a variety of factors, I was soundly proven wrong when we all crossed the finish line together in a bit over 24hrs! It was a shining moment in a year of blah.

After this event, I did zero running, compared to the minimal amount I did before it. I was working 60-70hours a week,days and nights, and frankly was just too tired to care. By the time December rolled around, I was keen to get moving again, mostly to get myself back to state of happiness I used to enjoy.

I was asked to help crew for a friend who was running the Coast to Kosi race in mid December. This is a 240km road race, from the ocean shores in New South Wales, to the top of the highest moutain in Australia. Since I will never enter this event, I was excited to help someone else make the journey. Wonderful!

The only other race I attempted this year (apart from 10km at Glasshouse... just for fun) was TNF 100k in May. I failed horribly. This was the 4th year for the event, and so far I had 3 finishes from 3 races. I was very proud of that, but 2011 saw me break the streak.

Lessons were learned... such as 'working all week, with no sleep, then driving 1000km to a race, bunking in with 5 people in a small room, and attempting to run 100k in some of the toughest conditions around is possibly asking too much'.

For those who are still reading (thanks) as this post is mostly to remind me about the bad times, as well as the good ones. And to remember that though things are sometimes tough, if you hang in there, it gets better.

Well I hung on, and now 2012 is already better. I've decided to run to work and back (12.5k each way) as my training. I still struggle to find the time to run, so adding a little to my 'work day' seems more feasible than coming home and then going out again. So far, so good.....

My brother is once again motivating me to move, checking on me each day to make sure I'm running enough and not getting slack :)

So here's to 2012. A year of renewing my passion for many things, but firstly for running.

Hellfire Pass

2011-04-25T20:57:00.004+10:00

Wow, Kokoda Trail 2011 is going to be amazing!

A nice long trail run out on the Kokoda Challenge Trail in the Gold Coast Hinterland with the 4 team members and an extra. We started at 3.30am to get in a few hours of night training.

I had worked a full day shift, then a full night shift, then a drive and now a long run. We had planned for 40k and I was already tired!

Night running is the best, my favourite bit of any event. We started at Check point 8, following the road up a hill before heading off into the bush, right up the side of a huge hill. A couple of our group were learning how to use their headlamps and after a few stops to make sure everyone could see.... carrying spare batteries is a lesson best learned here :)

The trails were spectacular, lots of single technical stuff and some open fire trail thrown in. We quickly came to Syd Duncan Park (CP10) and a most gorgeous sunrise. After only a short stop here we moved on. It was already cold... how freezing will this point be in July??

Up the road a bit and then a sign "Hellfire Pass" and the steepest downhill I've seen for a long time! Not wrongly signed... What a great trail.

The last section was the worst. I got so tired I was ready to nap on the track, but a sneaky double espresso in a can (latest find in my arsenal of legitimate trail snacks) and I was ready for the last section!

We had a lot of fun, learned a bit about ourselves and trail running. Looking forward to TNF100 in just a few weeks time.

Running on Empty - But Feeling Great

2011-04-03T03:00:00.006+10:00

Well it's 3am on Sunday morning. I have worked 4 days shifts and 5 night shifts since Monday. I am officially shattered. I've also run 4 times this week. Twice doing hill repeats and the other times just around the local streets. I'm due to meet a friend at 7am for another run. I hope that this can all balance out somehow, as squeezing running in between shifts of work makes for tired, slow running (more slow than normal) Pleased to say though, that all this activity has seen the kg's dropping off me. I should be able to hit TNF 100k the lightest I've been in about 4 years, making for easier movement all round. Being active is what makes me happy. Although I'm rushing from place to place, I get more done this way. The house is clean, the kids are sorted, I'm running more, and working twice as much. Even started getting dinner cooked early so I can go to the boys footy practises. And why am I telling you all this? No idea. Sometimes this page is just for me to spill some thoughts that I can look back on in later times and remember the path I've taken and what happened along the way. I'm happy again, which has been a long time coming. I feel settled and content in myself. My children are happy at a good school, and I have sufficient work to keep us all fed and clothed. I'm running with 4 different people, who keep me motivated and upbeat. Strength training has been added to routine for great results. My family is close by, and I'm running with my wonderful little brother again. Life is Good. Selah.

North Face for the Fourth Time

2011-03-20T01:07:00.005+11:00

My favourite race is coming up soon. 8 weeks away.

The North Face 100k in the Blue Mountains, Australia.

I'm excited and terrified. I'm not ready, with a busted foot, and a head space that can barely deal with the day to day things, let alone decent training.

I've only been doing long walks, but enjoying them. I've taken my friend out on a few. She's training for the Kokoda challenge on the Gold Coast in July. She wants me to join her team. I think I will.

Last weekend was 40k on the Kokoda track, walking time just over 9hours. So at that rate I should be able to finish TNF100 in the 28hrs allowed.

I have finished all 3 other TNF100's and want to keep going and try to always do this race, every year... so even if I have to walk all of it, I'll be there.

My favourite event. Can't wait!

SHOES!

2011-03-20T00:32:00.002+11:00

Yes, shoes. I am wearing shoes.

It all started when I went out for my first decent trail run in Queensland after moving back here just before Christmas.

My long suffering brother is getting me back into it after a long break. It was Australia Day and we celebrated by going for a run 'in the bush'. Vibrams at the ready, as usual.

I was tired and tripped a few times during our relatively short trot. Looking back, I was so tired I shouldn't have run. But after a few stumbles, I managed to hook my little toe on a tree root while falling sideways into the mud. The pain was immediate and intense. I got up and tried to keep moving without much success. Limping the 2k back to the car was all that happened. I slipped once in a puddle of mud and felt the pain shoot me again!

At the car, I eventually took my VFF off, scared at what I'd find. My little toe was sticking out at an awkward angle, obvioulsy not good.... I cried, not from pain, but worried I'd need to find a doctor who'd hurt it more (Funny now). I decided on my usual course of action. Ignore it and hope it will get better on its own.

Scott helpfully told me it was probably dislocated and to pull it back into line. Yeah... not gonna happen bro. I drove home and spent the rest of the day lying down with as many painkillers as I could take. I decided after a few days that it was the metatarsal that had been damaged, rather than my toe.

That was 8 weeks ago. I can almost bend my toe now. It's only swollen after standing all day, or walking. Running has been cancelled since then. Shame really, as TNF100k is only 8 weeks away now. Oh well, it'll be a long walk.

But this post is about shoes. My toe was too swollen for VFF, and I needed to keep moving, so I purchased a pair of Merrel Trail Gloves. They were wide enough in the toe box for my ? broken metatarsal, and I could limp along in them without fear of catching my toe again and doing more damage.

Turns out they are pretty good shoes. I did an initial 13k in them on rough terrain, and with no extra damage to my foot, declared them perfect! Since then I've done a few long walks in them (18k, 12k) and found them to be hard on my achilles and heels, but otherwise great.

Last weekend I did 40k with 2400m of climb/drop in the Merrells, through water, mud, rocks, road, dirt... everything. They protected my still tender foot, while still being a good 'barefoot' option.

Bring on The North Face 100k I say.... where 'RunBare' will be wearing shoes :)

Kokoda.... the Ultimate

2010-09-26T20:28:00.003+10:00

Well its been a long while since I blogged.

My motivation has been at an all time low.

After The North Face 100 in May, I stopped running. Totally. I stepped out for a 5k run at the Canberra Bush Capital, and walked City 2 Surf in August (my 8th in a row) with a friend.

I began working again, at first just a couple of days a week, but it has quickly become a 5-6day a week job and I am working physcially hard, which has been good for my body and soul.

I have begun running again this week. Although only 3 times... 5k, 4.5k and 5k... it felt so good!

My goals for 2011 have already been set and after a long bout of sitting, I'm off again.

Next year I would like to break 20hours at TNF to finally get a buckle and the big goal...

The Kokoda Track Race in August. In Papua New Guinea, the place of my childhood. A long held dream of mine to complete this mammoth track. The race has not been run for a few years now, due to problems with logistics etc. But next year, its back!

96k, mud, heat, 6000m of elevation gain, mud, dozens of raging rivers to cross, mud, 39 hours to finish, climbing hand over hand up huge hills... did I mention mud??

I can't wait! My 2 younger brothers are coming with me to run the race, and my parents are going to walk it, starting about 5 days before us to meet us at the end. From Owers Corner to Popondetta, across the Owen Stanley Range, this race is not your standard ultra, so I'm pretty excited.

I spent the first 12 years of my life in PNG, and I have never yet returned. I still speak the local lingo and can't wait to get back there and take in the sights, sounds and smells of my childhood.

Everyone I talk to tells me it's ridiculous to even try. I don't do well running in heat (but I do ok walking strongly), I'm slow (but I'm consistent and persistent), and only a couple of other non PNG national women have ever tried it, one of them taking abouy 55hours to finish (well I intend to make it 3, and maybe the quickest to date)

For me I see it as a coming together of my worlds... my childhood, my family, and my love of running trails.

Closer to the Buckle

2010-05-28T22:11:00.003+10:00

Well it was 2 weeks ago I was lying in a bunk bed in Leura, sleeplessly waiting for the alarm to go off. I never sleep well the night before a big race. Particularly if I'm really hoping for a good result. Which is very counterproductive, but that's another story.

It's North Face 100 time! The third running of this race, and my third start. I'm not sure why I love this race so much... it could be the stunning scenery, the fact that to get to the end is so hard, the friends, the tonnes of gear... who knows, but I love it.

5am, and I figured 'Bugger it, everyone can get up now'. So I woke up my 3 room mates with my muttering and shuffling around with food and gear. Bart, from my old running club in Sydney, who will run another blinder today. Brett, my neighbour from Wodonga, who last year watched me run a few 100ker's and thought he'd like to have a go. And Scott. My little bro, who is graciously running with me again today/tonight/tomorrow. The brother and sister Freaky Footwear Act :)

Breakfast, joking, repacking, water, more breakfast, and we're set. All formalities out of the way, we stand on the start line, not at all cold. I took off my thermal and jacket since it was about 6 degrees. Much warmer than Canberra. Scott was cold... Queensland boy :)

We set off, with Sonia and Scott just in front of me. Last year Sonia met me at Check Point4 with some pasta and help to warm me up. This year she's tackling the 54k. She is seriously the best dressed runner out there :) Looking gorgeous! Anyhow after a few km on the road, we headed into the first bush section. There was a huge bottleneck here, and we waited in line for abut 15-20 minutes to get moving. Which just became a slow conga line down to the water. I love the downhill technical sections, but we just walked down.

Once it opened out a bit, we got moving. The first section went by quickly, and the stairs up to Check Point 1 were as brutal as I remember. Scott talked me up the steps, waiting patiently for me when I needed to rest. At the top I grabbed some food, and kept moving. Up the steep concrete path.... how did I forget this bit??? Yuk!

Soon the path opened up to some gorgeous firetrail, with spectacular views and sunny skies. Down to Tarros Ladders which had NO wait at all this year. I am dead scared of the ladders, but scurry down them each time, knowing it will be over in only a couple of minutes.

There are so many parts to this race that I enjoy. The steep downhill where your legs are screaming for rest, the steep uphills and steps where your lungs are screaming to burst... the little creek crossings.... but my favourite bit is Iron Pot Ridge. It's on private land so no one can train here. In fact, you can't go out here except in this race. There is no trail. You have to climb a horribly steep hill and pick your way through nasty sharp rocky outcrops, on hands and knees if you're a chicken like me. Then some scrubby bush to the turn around and one of the most amazing views I've ever seen. The whole valley laid out before you... I long for this point in the race every time. And so quickly it's gone.

Check Point 2 was going quickly, and we moved on, Scott calling out times and paces to me to keep me going. I found this really helpful. He judged the pace needed to keep at about 20 hour time, and I just had to follow. He had started to cramp at only 20k, so was hurting in his own run, and here he is, keeping me going.

CP3 is the first for crew, so we got some hot food and a change of gear, headlamps and snacks to head off with. Some nice flat running for a while before heading up Nellies Glen. Brett caught us here and overtook us. I struggle up steps, I just hate them. I don't mind a hill, but not steps. Not a good race if you hate steps... Once at the top, we trotted off again, though I was starting to feel tired by now. We pulled into the checkpoint, got some hot food again, and headed off with Brett into the night.

This is the part of the race I usually find quite enjoyable. Down the Giant Staircase and then 10k of mostly downhill running. This time I was tired. Just weary. I wanted to rest. But we kept on moving and hit the 3 water crossings before the long uphill of Kedumba. Here is was that I wished I had rememberd to put No-Doze in my pack. I just wanted to sleep. My vision was being partially blocked out, so I felt like was looking through binoculars. My brain convinced me that it would be a good idea to stop, get all my gear out, put it on, wrap myself in the space blanket and have a little rest. Just for half an hour or so... Really you'll feel better if you do. So I shared this cunning plan with Scott, who sensibly yelled 'NO! That's crazy! Keep moving'.

Half way up we encountered the SES guys, and I begged for caffiene, but to no avail. Their tent looked inviting and warm and my brain again told me to stop and have a rest. But no, push on. This was the lowest point for me. I desperately wanted to sleep so told Scott I wanted to quit at the next check point. He told me in no uncertain terms that there was NO way I was quitting. He did not come all this way to DNF. There would running, walking, and crawling, if required, but no DNF. I warmed to this idea, particularly after CP5 and some food. And several No Doze.

Leaving here with only 11k to go you can be lulled into believing that it all be over soon. Folly! Utter folly! The road is easy to move on and move we did. Faster and faster... till we going about 7km/hour at times :) But mostly about 6k/hour ;) The sandy tracks give way to rough rocky single file technical trail. My favourite kind. We moved even faster, overtaking many people during this section. At one stage we picked up Ray (eagle from CoolRunning) and he tacked on with us. I was very feeling very emotional at this point, with my long suffering brother in front, and a dear friend (and someone I ran with in my first ultra) behind me. Ray matched my steps, running when I ran, walking when I did. What a great place to be!

Down the steps into the valley and Lillians Bridge. Why did Lillian put her silly bridge all the way down here?? I'll never know, but at least after last year I knew we had 2km to go to the finish. By now the extra pace I'd put on meant I was feeling quite sick, and every time I stopped to catch my breath, I felt I would be ill. So I stopped stopping. Each step hurt, but no stopping. No talking, just moving.

We came out onto the grass and launched into my speech about how much I valued Scott's company, about how much he meant to me and how grateful I was to him for staying with me. And of course how much I love him.... We managed a slow trot here, and out of the dark came Brett, who had waited for us to arrive so we could all cross the finish together. How blessed I am!

22.22.18 And a very nice PB for me. We didn't make 20 hours, so for the third year in a row I go home without a buckle. But I am proud of what I did. The last section tested me beyond my normal level of running, and I kept going. I moved faster than the previous 2 sections, and managed to hold it all together to the end. We sat around eating and drinking, wrapped in blankets, trading stories of the trail.

I love this sport. This stupid, crazy, maddening, obsessive, ridiculous excuse for a hobby. Anything would be easier. But this is where I find joy. The friends, the hills, the tiredness, the pain, the tears, the laughter.

It sounds so cliched, but I come alive here.

Four More Sleeps!

2010-05-11T22:46:00.002+10:00

I have never been this nervous. I have no idea why. My stomach is churning, I can't concentrate, I just want it to be Saturday. Why do I like to run 100k races??

Then I'll be wishing it was last week, as the mountains try to destroy my legs and the cold night sets in.

It will be fun. It will be painful. It will be memorable.

It will be my third Blue Mountains North Face 100k in a row :)

My Mind.... My Nemesis

2010-04-26T21:30:00.002+10:00

I have a problem when I run. It's my head. Well my mind, thoughts and thinking processes to be exact. They sabotage me. When I train, I'm strong and brilliant. I can run for ages, without a care, (or shoes), I can tackle anything. I visualize myself finishing exciting runs, feeling pleased with myself and making my family and friends proud of me.

Then it comes to the event. Niggling doubts creep in at the start line. 'I haven't trained enough... what if I'm last?... Or worse, don't finish?... I don't really deserve to be here... I'm not fast enough, strong enough, disciplined enough, I'm only a girl, I'm too old, I don't even have proper shoes'

I push them all aside and smile, joke and laugh with everyone else. What an adventure we're all going on here, off to the known and unknown in ourselves and surrounding countryside. I look around me and see people who look like me, bright and enthusiastic, sure of themselves and their abilities.

Truly I have none of that. Within the first 2-3km I'm already fighting my own head. I wasn't raised to have self doubt like this. My parents taught me that I could do ANYTHING I wanted. We are not a 'sit back and take it' kind of family. We go out and get it, whatever 'it' is. One difference remains though, and that is this.

As a small child, and even not so small a child, I was no good at sport. I mean hopeless, uncoordinated, slow, clumsy and illshaped for any type of sport. And those few negative comments from unthinking people grew into a general air of 'Oh well, you can't be good at everything' sense about me. I was a straight A's student, so who could really expect me to be good at sport too? Truthfully, I would love to have been at least average at one sport. But I listened to the wise older voices telling me not to bother.

Not until I had my fourth child, and was craving some kind of alone time, did I venture into the world of physical activity. The gym, on advice of my brother, who cared for my kids while I went to the gym when from time to time, was were I began. I started walking on the treadmill and then running. Eventually I went outside and ran in a real event. A whole 4km! I finished, and was elated. As if I had won. But then the negative voices spoke again. “you didn't win” “you were too slow” “you can't be good at sport” ......

I have run for several years now, with this nagging in my head. I SAY I run for myself, but I want others to be proud of me. I want to be proud of myself too. Six Foot Track 2010 has bought this all to a head. I have to find a way to silence the inner critic I have allowed to grow to gigantic proportions. So large, that a panic attack was the only way my head could stop my body from moving forward to another mediocre performance. Another DNF. Another failure.

Olympic material I'm not, but a half decent ultra marathon, recreational runner I can be. And as long as running stupidly long distances makes me happy, then that's what I intend to do. To be my best. Not someone else's best. And not a second grade version of own abilities, but MY best.

This journey has become about more than just the run, I'm running to discover me, whoever that is.

Friends of Lindy 50k

2010-04-13T22:34:00.002+10:00

Each year in April, Canberra has a spectacular running weekend festival. 5K, 10k, kids marathon, marathon and ultra. Each year.... until the year I move to Canberra. Then there is a political debate, general stuff up, and no event.

(Please note that there is now an alternative date for the marathon etc... 1/2 May. But for the purposes of this story, the original April event is no longer)

This is annoying to me, but devastating to others. Some have made travel plans, handed over money, booked tickets and planned family holidays around this. Someone suggested we run it anyway, as a Fat Ass run, as a protest, and as an alternative.

Though many different ideas are thrown around, in the end there is a small band of about 25 runners who commit to this. One of them is Lindy K. Lindy was once a formidable marathon runner. In times that make my head spin, she won races, competed at a high level, and generally loved her sport.

Lindy was struck with Parkinsons Disease during her running life, and this, along with her whole world, changed. If someone had a reason to be bitter about being robbed, it was she. But instead of becoming angry, she adjusted her focus, and now walks. A long way. And at a decent pace too.

Lindy had decided this was to be 'her' ulta goal. The 50k at Canberra, coinciding with World Parkinsons Day, would be a chance to raise money and awareness. Again, when the event collapsed around her, she moved her focus and the “Friends of Lindy 50k” was born.

Early in the predawn on 11th April, a few hardy (and cold) souls started off around the Lake in central Canberra. I sepnt a little time with Lindy and her sister Heather during the first part of the race, listening to their stories and gaining so much insight from them both.

After about 17k, I woke my sleeping girls from our parked car (my children have to keep strange hours in bizarre places to accomodate my obsessions), and we went across the lake to run in the Womens and Girls 5k Fun Run. For Alana is was a race to test our her training. She did so well, coming 53rd out of 1100 women. For Sara, it was one of a few runs each week to keep her hand in for school cross country season. For me, it was another 5k closer to 50k for the day.

I must have looked a sight, jogging around like a lunatic before the start, and again after the finish, while the presentations were on! However, by the time we rejoined the crew back at the Fat Ass, I was up to about 30k. I met Lindy again and found out that I was now a fair few km behind her due to the proceedings at the fun run.

My goal was to catch her and Heather, so as to finish with them. I took my shoes off (relief) and proceeded to run a good number of km, catching up quickly. Alana joined me for my plod, and by the conclusion, had run 21k of her own! What an effort.

The last 20k just rolled by, and I walked the last ½ lap with Lindy, Heather and several others, to see her over the line for her 50k. What a great achievement. I'm inspired beyond words. So excited I decided to go back and finish off with another runner who was doing 60k... Arnie.

Across the day, I did 54k, in not too bad a time, and had a blast. A community of people came together to see something take place.... something that will stand in our minds for a long time to come. I feel honoured to have been a part of this, and I trust Lindy goes on to see many more goals reached in her life.

Missing in Action

2010-03-26T10:13:00.002+11:00

Or should that be:

Missing: due to inaction.

It's been a long hard 6 months. I haven't blogged anything about running, as I failed in my attempt at the GOW 100. When I don't finish, my enthusiasm goes downhill fast. I am an overthinker, in every part of my life, and very harsh on myself when it doesn't go to plan.

GOW100 was fantastic in so many ways, and in the next few days, I'll write up a proper post for it. I did nothing after that, and I mean NOTHING for about 6 weeks. My hips were sore, so I set about finding out why. One good physio later... and a revelation about my horrendous lack of core strength, coupled with hyperflexibility, I'm well on the way to sorting that issue out for good.

November saw the weekend of the 4 peaks race. There is no way I could miss that.... too special. So I took my 2 girls and we walked to the top of Feathertop and back down on day 2 (about 20k). Huge effort on their part... I was so proud. Then on day 4 the whole family did Mt Buffalo. My little guy Eric was amazing. I promised him that if he did the climb in under 3 hours, I'd take him on the 6 Foot Track in January. He made it :)

I did one other race in December... the Razorback. It was a week before we moved out, and I just wanted to go to get away from all the stress of packing and sorting things out.

On no training, it was foolish, so I opted for the 22k Razorback ridge route. It helped that no one else was doing it (all doing longer routes), so I could hide from the fitness of others, as well as claiming a victory and first across the line :) Frankly, it hurt. I carried supplies in for the longer course runners, to help out. 3kg of oranges, 6lt of water and 3kg of lollies... only 1km, but it was a very long kilometre! Having enjoyed my last run in the Victorian Alps it was off to Queensland for a month before moving to Canberra.

Canberra is wonderful! Running all the time, enjoying the company of other runners, and the kids are so happy here.

Hares and Hounds 2010

2010-01-15T20:21:00.000+11:00

On holidays in Brisbane with my family, as we do every Christmas, and I've been coerced into a race. I'm not fit, or even moderately in a good frame of mind regarding running, but surely I can just do about 10k of a relay race?? Yeah why not?

I love the concept of this race. In the wee hours, a group of runners (Hares) take off as fast as they can go. They are running 50k through the trails of the Glasshouse Mountains, and a couple of hours later, the Hounds take off in pursuit. Either as solo runners, or in teams of 2 or 4, they attempt to chase down and catch the tiring hares.

I joined the Bayside Runners and Walkers, who were entering 2 teams. Scott and I join 2 other virgin trail runners to make a team. These 2 guys are seriously fast runners. Damn, I'm the weakest link again! Scott decides in his wisdom to send me off first at 5.00am to avoid me being in the QLD sun at midday (which would kill me). It's dark and cool and a whole group of us head off into the trails.

I love this place. The sounds, the smells, the sun rising, the excited chatter of runners. Within a short time (about 3km) I'm alone at the back. Comfortable with the navigation, I plod along slowly, glad to be out and about. I feel bad about putting my team at the back right from the start, but without me they don't have a team :)

I run up the hill to meet them at the first change over point, and Scott takes off into the bush, running like a man possessed, shirtless and in funny shoes. I love my brother!

We all drive to the next change over point, and swap runners again. At the last change over point, we have made up a fair amount of ground on other teams, passing some, and matching others. Thanks boys.... good effort! Our team comes in at 5th overall, not a bad result.

Finishing at the pool, a nice BBQ, chat and general relaxing time ensue, during which Scott and I are interviewed by a local writer who is fascinated with our 'shoes'. Sometimes it's nice to be different, other times I just want to hang out and not have to explain to everyone why I chose to run in slippers.

Next year, I'd like to do this again, but I'd like to do it well, trained, and actually ready to race.

Conquering Mountains

2009-12-04T14:17:00.003+11:00

Sometimes, school is less important than life. Less important than family, adventure and the great outdoors. Certainly less important than a mountain, or climbing that mountain.... especially when it's Victorias highest peak.... Mt Bogong.

So the kids had a day off and we climbed Mt Bogong. Now if I had been a sensible parent, I would have researched all the routes up said mountain, and chosen the easiest, shortest one. Ahhhh hindsight is a marvellous thing.

We went up the Staircase Spur (certainly the hardest way up) from the carpark. 10K up, and then 10k down. Eric is only just 9, Trent is 10 and the girls are a little older ;) What great kids I have that they were totally up for this adventure, physically and mentally.

We started out about 9am, packs sorted, jackets, food, water and assorted first aid bits and pieces.
The trip itself was uneventful in terms of problems. We enjoyed each others company, checked out the scenery, ate, sat, climbed and had fun for about 8km.

Then we were stuffed. Tired, sore and getting chilly. We could see the top, but it never came! At one stage we had stopped and sitting at the memorial to fallen climbers. I suggested this could be our 'top' and we could leave. But our conversation turned to the fact that we would not be able to talk about climbing Victoria's highest peak. We would have to lie, or say that we gave up.

Neither of those were an option, so we pushed on to the top. Straight up, ignoring the trail, we got to the cairn! The boys promptly climbed to the top of the rock pile, full of energy again. They collected more rocks to add to the huge monument. We ate again (must carry more food next time...) and then began our descent. Eric did ask if I could just get the car and pick them up, as he was tired. To his credit he didnt get upset when I told him he had to go all the way down now.

After about 7.5 hours we reached our car, a little tired, still great friends and totally in love with life. I will treasure this memory forever. To be able to do something that I love, with my kids, in our great country, extraordinary.

I love you guys xxx And yes, you do have to go to school tomorrow.

Glass House 100k

2009-09-17T14:10:00.007+10:00

My best 100k so far. I say that, since I reckon I can do better. Lots better. If only I trained more, harder, better, got faster and wore the right shoes.....

I decided to take my whole family with me this time, as the run is in Queensland, a good chance to visit the grandparents and cousins.

Last year, my brother Scott had decided to start doing a little running, after helping me out at TNF100k. He was hooked in about a month, and now, 9 months after starting running, he was lining up for his first 100k with me. What a buzz for me to get to do this with him. We've always gotten along well, but lately we are finding lots in common, and a real love for bush trail running.

We arrived in Queensland a few days before, and spent some time hanging out with family, and talking tactics. The basic idea was to go out slow, then get slower and lastly, go as slow as possible and still get home in under 18 hours. Prior to this, my best finish was 22.57. We calculated a very precise and complicated pacing schedule, which I thought would last about 40k before the wheels fell off, but hey, outwardly I was optimistic.

Driving up to the the Glass House Mtns was exciting, the nervous tension/sick feeling in my stomach growing with each km. I was really worried that I would ruin Scott's race, that he would need to leave me broken at a checkpoint somewhere. But I put it all aside, and prepared for the onslaught of heaps of family/friends coming up. In all there were 12 of us, for 2 racing! My mum, Marty, my girls (helping to crew), the 2 boys, Deb (crew), Scott's 2 girls, and Sue (to help with the kids).

We went out for the pre race tour and lunch, so nice to catch up with old friends and meet some new folks. I was a bit freaked out with all the places we drove to, I was going to rely on Scott, who seemed to know exactly where we were all the time.

Back to pack some gear (I was seriously underprepared here) and some food, and go to the briefing and dinner. It was midnight before I got to bed, and was up again at 4am. I felt rested, scared, and ready to go.

Standing in the predawn light chatting, waiting for the gun to go, when I realised it had started. Just an 'off you go' or somthing similar. We jogged off to our adventure. A 10k loop back to the start before a trip up a big hill. We made good time here, moving quite well and chatting to other runners. I noticed a niggle in my right hip, but it wasnt too bad, so I kept moving.

This pretty much summed up the whole race... a little niggle or hassle here and there, but we kept moving. Our CP stops were fast, our crew brilliant, always ready to do anything we needed. Scott maintained a perfect pace, all I had to do was keep up with him. The heat started to bother me, and since I don't sweat, I started to get the familiar sick feeling of heating up internally. 3 solutions came to hand.... I took off the injinji socks I was wearing, cooling my feet, Scott gave me his straw hat, which covered my head, shoulders and back, and I grabbed a towel soaked in ice water and put it over my head and shoulders. I managed to keep moving through the powerlines (2 falls here) and the 8 loop without too much discomfort.

Having promised Scott that when the sun went away, I'd be able to run again, we made up good time in the section out to CP7, where we saw seris and eagle, buzz light year, brick and a couple of others. What a huge thrill for me to see people like this in a run. I know they were 10 in front of us, hey..... only 10k!! This spurred me on to move a bit faster. We had made it 3/4 through the race in daylight, an excellent pace for us.

There was one section during the night that annoyed me, with lots of up and down, but I think I was just getting tired by then and slightly emotional thinking about the time we were closing in on. Around here we were joined by Lynda, who stayed with us to the end of the race. She was targeting 20 hours and ran with us until we reached the school near the finish line.
Scott seemed to get faster and faster, more excited with each km. He never complained, or hated anything. He said AT LEAST once each km "How much fun is this?" and "I love this" or "When's the next one?" His enthusiasm was boundless and very infectious.

We crossed the line, arm in arm, toe to toe, in 17.50. Elated, tired and wondering if we should have pushed a bit harder! What a day. Finished before midnight, with a 5hr 7 min PB. I wanted the whole world to know how good I felt.

My brother Scott:
I'm so proud of him. He's come from a place so far removed from the discipline of ultra running. I know he won't mind me saying that even a few years ago, he was travelling on a downhill path to nowhere. He is now a strong, determined man who has set himself firmly in the right direction. To be out there with him, as he achieved something he never thought possible, was a defining moment for me. Actually he smashed it, with plenty left in the tank. So we are going to do the GOW 100k together in 3 weeks. Love ya bro x

The North Face 100k 2009 Edition

2009-05-19T13:46:00.002+10:00

I headed up on Friday 11th May. My plane left at 6.30am and I was already nervous. I had so much gear and as always, too much food.

Arriving at Sydney on time, and stepping onto a train, I realised I was far too early to meet Craig who was going to drive me up to the Blue Mountains, so I hung around the train station ..... eating. A theme for the weekend really :) Eating that is, not train stations.

Last year I talked Craig into running, and he must have liked it, since he was back this year to run again. He is much faster than me, so I would be on my own this time, no running partner. We did the usual drop bag 'comparison' and the usual 'oh no... i forgot that!' along with a bit of 'crap, 100k is a long way'.

Everything packed and we headed up to the Katoomba. Arriving at the Leura Gardens resort where a few of us were to stay, by early afternoon. Checking in was the first adventure. This 'resort' has been in press a fair bit lately, for alleged poor service and inferior room standards. Although exaggerated, the reports were right! Eventually, and with much difficulty we got a couple of rooms for the 4 of us. Two more friends (one runner and Craig's crew) arrived shortly after.

A short trip to the Fairmont and time to check in. By this stage the wind was blowing a gale and I was beginning to worry about the rain and cold. Last year I ended up nearly freezing and didn't want to do that again. Those thoughts were put away with the long rego queues and even longer gear check queues. All was in order and so with a tshirt, hat, timing chip, and bib; dinner seemed the next logical step.

I had the pleasure of dining with Justin (osmo on Coolrunning) and Sonia (Fred) and her husband John. Fabulous vegetarian thai meal and a nice glass of wine..... which could easily have become 3 or 4 in Sonias company :) Thanks guys, it was a wonderful evening out.

I have never learned the art of packing a drop bag and then leaving it ALONE. At 10pm, I was repacking what I'd already done twice, worrying about what I had put in each one, with the wind becoming increasingly strong outside. Vic, who was staying with us, is such a calm, reassuring person. I must drive him nuts. He quietly packs his gear, never fussing or worrying, while I jump around changing my mind 100 times a minute. Maybe when I've done as many ultras as him, I'll get that calm badge too.

This time was to be different though, I was running alone and I had no crew. Sonia and John had offered to help me out, but that was only to be if Justin was finished and they could race back to see me. All these thoughts rushed through my head as I went to sleep. Along with the usual thoughts of wondering why I was here, if I was up to the challenge, how my legs would hold up, etc.

A few hours sleep and I awoke to howling wind. More gear changes, breakfast and out to the start line. Bags dropped, pre race announcements done and we were off. I start at the back and finish at the back. I quickly saw a good friend Nick, who also wears Five Fingers. I felt a huge wave of relief to not be the only one this time. Nick told me as we plodded along together that he was injured and would possibly not make the whole distance. We ran together for a few kms before he took off.

From this point until about 70k I was on my own. Although people passed me (and even on rare occasions, I passed others) I was alone. I liked it as first, enjoying the scenery and thinking through my run. The section out to the CP1 was as I remember it, so the constant up and down was not a shock, and the stairs seemed easier this time. I had a drink and toilet stop at CP1 and kept on moving along the ridge. The wind up here was so strong it made moving forward difficult at times.

The next milestone was Tarros Ladders. A long queue (37 minutes for me from stopping to reaching the bottom) saw me get very very cold. I hit a flat spot mentally after this, but just kept on plodding forward. Around this point my left leg came good. I had come into the run with a very tight hammy/calf/hip. Not sure why, but it hurt at lot up to here, then strangely got better.

The trip to CP2 was uneventful, with a call from my mum, who worries about me when I do these things.... it's all good mum. Quickly in and out of here, and then to the Iron Pot Mt and Ridge. I love this bit, the views and the climb and the untracked route. It's so pretty.

I was hoping to get to CP3 before dark, but didn't quite make it. I was a bit disappointed by this, and must have shown it on my face, with a couple of SES folks asking if I was ok. Some fried rice at CP3, a headlamp, extra tights and I was off. I love the nights on trails, headlamp on, listening to the bush sounds.

I had a magic run up to Nellies Glen and even the steps up this year seemed so much easier. I came across some SES guys going down Nellies and they called out to me "are you a hypothermic exhuasted runner?" To which I replied, "No, but I am a grumpy tired mother". We talked for a bit, but I had not come across the person they were after, so I plodded on.

About this time I contacted Sonia, who it turned out was near CP4, so my spirit was bouyed by the thought that I would see a familiar face. The oval was almost being blown away, so the North Face guys let us use their tent to sit in to eat and change. Sonia and John had bought me some pasta YUMMMMM and I was sorely tempted to join John in a beer or 3. Sonia helped me sort out a few extra layers and went way beyond the call of duty helping me warm up my feet WITH HER HANDS. You're a gem Fred!!

To stay here and chat would have been heaven, but onwards and upwards.. or down those steps actually. 900 odd steps to the bottom I've been told but chose not to count them tonight. It was here that something strange happened. I suddenly became overwhelmed with tiredness. It hit me like a wall and I could not stop it. My eyes kept closing and I yawned constantly. Struggled down the bottom and reached the trail. Sitting down on the trail, I put my head on my knees and dozed off. Only for a minute or two (I think) but I tried to get up and stumbled a few feet forward, wondering how I would finish the last 30k. I know this section well, and know that there is no phone coverage for a long time. Being near the back of the pack, I had no idea if anyone was behind me, and if I got into trouble, how long I'd be alone. In hindsight, I think that I was just sick of my own company and my brain was trying to shut me down!

I walked down the track, up the track, all the time trying to wake myself up. I finally decided to go back to CP4 and pull out. I felt unsure enough that failure seemed better than damage or disaster. After about 100m of feeling depressed about my decision, I came across my rescuers :)

2 cheery young guys, both with walking poles came toward me, asking if I was ok. I said no, and that I was on my way out. They wisely suggested that climbing back UP the 900 steps was a totally daft idea and that I should stick with them,at least to the next check point.

I had a drink, some sugar, and started to follow them. These two guys (Mark and William) saved my run. They joked, laughed, sang, told stories and generally enjoyed their way through the next 20 odd km. Without them I would've been a certain DNF.

We went quickly down to the valley floor, crossing the rivers and then climbing back up Kedumba. My brain was playing tricks on me, seeing all kinds of silly nonsense, which is strangely enjoyable. I was very cold by the time I reached CP5 and was overwhelmed to see Craig and Jez who had come out to help me. Craig had finished in a fabulous time of 19.15 and showed me the bronze buckle he'd earned. Jez helped me get a few extra layers on, and again helped me sort out some sox and dry VFF's.

Only 11k to go. How hard can that be? A bit of flat, a small dip, a bridge and then home. Or so said the CP volunteer. A bit of flat... yes. And the sun came up. Renewed spirit and light to see by is sensational. The ensuing STEPS down down down to the valley again were not. At first I was happy again, in my element on some nice trail, but the enthusiasm ran out so fast. We reached Lillian's Bridge and cursed whoever thought that this was a good idea in the last 5k of this run. But at least the end was in sight. Literally, just at the top of that massive hill, up there.... oh Dear God, how will we get up there??

Slowly is the answer. After 26 hours and 4 mins, I finally crossed the finish line. I even managed a jog for the last 100m. 6 hours after I wanted, but still finished. I thanked and hugged the 2 guys who had dragged me the last 30km when I was done for. Second last over the line, but with so many people who had pulled out, I placed 229 out of 333 starters. Also, I will lay claim to still being the only person to have completed this course in Vibram Five Fingers. Twice now.

Tim and Andy and Kathy said a quick hello/goodbye, it was so nice to see some friends at that point. Tim later told me I looked totally wrecked at the end. I went inside and chatted to Paul E and a few others before Vic took me back to the hotel to have a shower.

The awards ceremony was excellent, with Alina in fine form as always. This year Dean Karnazes had come out from the US to run and was signing books for anyone who wanted.

Several years ago, I read his book when I first started running and was inspired to try longer distances. So it was a huge buzz for me to meet him and tell him that. He was gracious and spoke to me as if he was happy to meet me, not the other way around!

So, my goals are achieved. I turn 40 next Saturday, and decided that I wanted to be as fit, strong and healthy as possible for this milestone, and that I wanted to run 100k as close to my birthday as I could. 100k, mostly on my own, in Vibram Five Fingers, on a beautiful trail in my home country. And to meet the person who helped inspire that desire in me.... pretty damn good.

Can't wait for next year.....

Canberra Marathon 2009 Australian Masters Championship

2009-04-15T23:40:00.000+10:00

I have just noticed that I never added anything to my blog about the Canberra 09 Marathon.

I must be insane! Perhaps this is already well documented... so maybe I was just forgetful.

The marathon itself was nothing to write home about really, but the after party was :)

I drove to Canberra on Saturday morning, with my girls, who were going to join the CoolRunning Cheer Squad the next day. We lunched with friends, and stayed in a cute little backpackers room near the start line. The expo was fun, and I copped a bit of ribbing for my unusal 'Personal Drinks' which are allowed in this race. I've been using coconut water as my sports drink, and the only way I can buy it is in 300ml tetra packs. So for each drink, I had a small plastic bag of lollies to go with it. A bit of sticky tape... and voila! Instant refreshment by me .... they looked ridiculous if I do say so myself.

Up early and off to the start, feeling relaxed but nervous (how do I manage those 2 things at once?) Lined up and off we went. The weather was kinder this year, and the km rolled by, volunteers wonderful as usual, other runners working hard, my girls cheering their lungs out.... a normal days running.

The end was as typical. Me, a couple of hardy spectators, and a finish line. This year I even got a medal, which was nice.

I showered and went along to the after party and prize giving. All the first/second and third prizes had been done at the race, this was for the extra categories. Such as the Masters runners. I found out last year that this marathon was the Australian Masters Championship. Like as in.... AUSTRALIAN championships!

So I entered, in the 35-39 Female Age Group. I ran for Masters Victoria, and much to my extreme delight I was third! The stunned silence from my friends when they announced my name (and thankfully NOT my finishing time) was priceless.

I know that this medal came to me because 3 people were entered in this age group BUT...

I bothered to enter, I trained, I ran, I finished, and I placed 3rd.

The medal still makes me smile. Not too many people I know have Australian Championship Athletics medals. I was not voted 'most likely to succeed at sport' in school. In fact, I was probably voted 'most likely to never even know what sport IS'!

Anything is possible my friends, with a bit of research, a bit of work, and sometimes being in the right place at the right time.

I came, I saw, I bombed out

2009-03-27T11:14:00.000+11:00

Six Foot last year was such a highlight for me.

This year it was a low point.

I did more kms in training, I did more hills, I did everything right.

I was very nervous on the drive up. I've never had m whole family there at the finish line waiting for me. That did my head in. I was so worried about not finishing, I wonder if I produced a self fulfilling prophecy.

Or it could be that I stepped off the track to let a faster runner pass, and caught my foot on tree root. I went forward at such an awkward angle, feeling all the tendons and ligaments wrench.

No matter, keep on pushing, my girls are waiting for me at the Deviation and I want to show them I can do this run.

It was quickly apparent that it wasn't going to happen. The 7 hour pacer caught and passed me at Mini Mini. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

Action (the SWEEP) soon caught up to me too, and as we were going up the Pluvi he graciously asked for my timing chip to retire me from the race. Being a stubborn pain in the arse, I made him take it off me.

He took some time to give me some very wise words. Not all days work out. Sometimes bad stuff happens. You only lose if you give up. Come back stronger and faster next year.

I got on the 'sad truck' and it was indeed very sad. Lots of broken people, deflated, rejected and sorry for themselves. Driving back into Caves House was horrible. I felt I had let people down - my family, my friends, running buddies, even total strangers.

It's not like I was going to win. Just finish.

Next year.....

Stars

2009-02-21T17:27:00.002+11:00

I was out last night at a friends birthday celebration. As tradition would dictate in this part of the world, it was spent at the local 'club' with copious of food and alcohol, and lots of sitting around chatting.

There is nothing wrong with eating, drinking and enjoying each others company. In fact it's what keeps us going.. friends, family and good times.

I enjoyed myself, but chose not to overindulge. People worry when you don't keep on drinking or eating, but stop after a small amount. "What's wrong, are you unwell?" "Aren't you having a good time?" Not at all, I just have other goals in mind.

We were driven home by the 'free booze bus'. It was only a short trip, I've run much further at night, on many occasions.

I looked outside at the stars, and marvelled at how beautiful they were. The bushland was still and peaceful looking, compared to the noisy chatter inside the bus. The night sky was inviting.

I found myself wishing I was outside running along a trail, not couped up in a bus. I realised that every time I see the stars, the bush, a trail, it speaks to me of adventure and challenge. Excitement about where I was going to run next week was already building up inside me.

No matter my ability or place in life, this is the thing that sparks passion inside me. To be out in nature, experiencing everything it has to offer. With like minded people, pushing ourselves to the limit.

This is living.

Some Days...

2009-02-20T17:14:00.004+11:00

Today I went out for a 20k run. I didn't get very far. After about 3k I was tired.

In fact so tired, it felt like I was in a constant uphill battle. Sadly it mostly a flat course.

I tried to take my mind off the sluggishness by wondering exactly how I'd describe how I felt. 'Running through custard' came to mind. The thought amused me for a while, about 2 minutes actually, then it was just hard again.

I managed to push through about 10k before falling back through my front door.

An old song popped into my head while I was out there, so I changed the lyrics a bit...

"Some days are diamonds, some days are like running through custard"

Barefoot Trails

2009-02-12T22:05:00.001+11:00

13km today. 10k on trails, dirt, rocks, gravel and sticks.

Then I did 3k on the roads to see how I felt.

My feet hurt a bit.

It was both stupid and fun.

I might do that again soon :)

THIS is why I run

2009-02-06T22:51:00.001+11:00

"My feet felt light and skimmed over the ground. The earth moved under me.

Different surfaces, different sensations. Long dew filled grass, harshgravel, smooth footpath, dry grass, hot road.

Like a book of braille,reading the earth's stories. Feeling its joy, feeling its pain.

Back home my feet are black from the journey.

Dirty happy black feet.

I feel connected with the ground underneath me."

Tim Turner 2009
A barefoot runner

Not willing to give up

2009-01-29T22:36:00.003+11:00

I was daydreaming at the end of a long run today, as I often do, and came across something that stood out to me.

A tree.

It had been cut down, obviously it got in the way, or was not the 'right' type of tree for that area, or any other number of reasons.

But despite this, and despite the horribly dry and dusty surrounds, it has sprouted.

Not just a couple of little green leaves, but whole branches, growing strong out of a cut off trunk.

I love seeing examples of never giving up. It reminds me to keep running.

Huons Hill Wodonga

2009-01-21T20:25:00.002+11:00

I don't know who Huon was, but they named a big hill after him/her in Wodonga. I look at it every time I step out my front door, and I've been wanting to run up it since we moved here.

I mentioned this yesterday and Alana (my 12 year old) suggested we 'go tomorrow'. Ok, so now I couldn't back out.

'It does look quite a long way Alana, are you sure you want to go?' (Mum wants to sleep in)

'It will probably be very hot, you'd have to carry a camelbak' (Mum is worried she'll show her up)

'There might be snakes' (Mum is genuinely worried about snakes)

So when I woke her at 5.30, she jumped up and got ready.

We parked on the dirt road, not really knowing exactly how far it would be, and ran 3k before hitting the hill. Not realising there was a TRAIL up the hill, we went on the road. This was another 4k to the top and it was rather steep.

A quick rest and a couple of photos at the top, when Alana spotted a gate in the fenceline. Investigation showed it was a trail, so we decided to follow it wherever it went. Turns out it was to the same place we started up hill... only 2k shorter and much more interesting to run on.

We also found this same trail went down to the river we had been swimming at... we'll follow that another day. Continued on our way back to the car, but by this stage it was really hot, so we took it easy.

Very proud of my girl, who did 12k all up today, and never once complained about it being too far, or too hot, or too steep. She is great company on a run :)

Top of the World (Almost)

2009-01-13T22:14:00.006+11:00

In the past I've stated that 'this run' or 'that run' is the hardest I've ever encountered. I have a new contender....

Bogong to Hotham.

For me it wasn't even all the way to Hotham, I only made it to 35k, finishing at Langsfords Gap. The full distance is 64k. My hat is off the guys and girls who finished the whole thing.

This race is in my back yard (at least this year's back yard) so I sent off an entry, thinking I'd probably not even be accepted to enter.

I found out a week before the race that I had indeed scored a spot, thankfully my brother had me out running trails every other day over December.

I drove down the evening before to register and attend the briefing.

"Look out for snakes, fill up with water at this stream, if you get lost, this is the number to call..." Freaking out mildly by this stage.

I caught up with some friends from Sydney, who all further helped to fuel my fears by telling me just how hard this run really is. Thanks guys xx

After everyone had gone to their respective motels/tents, I sat on the balcony of the pub, under the shadow of the second highest peak in Australia, contemplating what the hell I was doing here. It got me thinking.

I wondered if I came to these races simply as a social outlet. But I arrive at the last minute, am on my own within 200m of the race starting, am usually alone for the full distance, finish when most others have long since been and gone, and then drive home almost immediately after. No, I really love running trails.

I may not be very good at it, certainly I'm the slowest out there, but I revel in the challenge. It's so far removed from my everyday life of kids and housework. To be alone in the Australian wilderness, map in hand, winding my way through trails.... seeing the wildlife, chatting to other bushwalkers as we pass, there is nothing better.

Even the hard times, when it all seems folly. When I know I won't make a cut, when I feel like a fraud for even turning up, knowing the winner has finished and I'm only half way there. These times are still memorable. It's a cliche, but the hard times make you stronger.

Back to the race. I picked Tim up at 4.30 on the way to the start line and I think I babbled incessantly for the 10min drive, I was so nervous. Rain, damn rain... it's going to be cold. Or steamy when the sun rises... who can tell?

We lined up in the dark, on a stretch of dirt trail, waiting the starters order to 'go'. A few commented on my choice of footwear, questioning my sanity and sense. It's not my feet I'm worried about frankly!

The runners take off and I quickly fall into last place. I have never seen the course, so pick my way along in the dark, making sure I don't take a wrong turn. By the time I start up Staircase Spur, the light is filtering through the trees. I have never seen the elevation profile for this run, so have no idea what is ahead. In hindsite this is a good thing.

I know now. 1400m of constant climbing up the side of a mountain. Everyone who started at either 5.30 or 6.15am passed me somewhere on the climb to the top. It rained all the way and the top of the mountain was clouded in. It was cold, very cold, and I was tired already. Only 9km in and I'm ready to quit. I seriously considered turning around at this point, my thinking being that I didn't want people waiting for ages for me to finish. What do I do? Push on and possibly make a long day even longer for those assisting, or turn around and head back, to face the realisation that I didn't give it a good shot.

The decision was to go to Cleve Cole Hut, not far way and reassess. By the time I reached here I was in good spirits and back to jogging again. A quick chat about my 'feet' with the checkpoint folk, some bikkies and off down the path.

I loved the downhill section to Big River. The tough trail, bush and overgrown areas all bring back childhood memories. Reaching the river, I walked through, my feet glad of the cold water.

It had become apparent by this stage that my KSO's (Keep Stuff Out) had become LSI's (Let Stuff In). The stitching was undone and rocks were lodging themselves in the cracks. No matter, it takes my mind off the pain in my quads.

At the river I looked up, dismayed at the seemingly endless mountain rising up before me. All my new found bravado was gone. Back to trudging. Even slower than the first climb, as the heat of the sun was now burning my back. I made deals with myself here... just to the next bit of shade, then I can wait for the sweepers.

The sweepers never came, and I made it to the top and Ropers Hut site. I had some food and fluid here (coconut water... the best drink on earth) and immediately picked up. I resumed a slow jog as the course meandered across the plains, ski pole after ski pole passing by me.

I came across a group of walkers who formed a guard of honour for me, a nice bit of light relief after a long day. I chatted briefly with them before heading off toward the aquaduct.

I often become emotional near the end of a long run, relieved that I have made it and thankful that I have been given the opportunity to participate. Today was no exception.

There was a small handful of people who stood to give me a cheer and applause as I crossed the 'line'. While their thoughtfulness meant the world to me, I would have done it if there was no one there to see me. This truly is spectacular country, and we are blessed to be able to share it.

My goal for the day was to stay in front of the sweepers for as long as possible. They finished 15 minutes behind me :) Next year I'd like to get closer to the cut off. I don't think I could finish the full distance, but you never know.

Purple

2009-01-13T20:49:00.003+11:00

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR PURPLE

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Taken from the book

When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple

Edited by Sandra Martz

Fats Festive Fat Ass 08

2009-01-04T21:21:00.000+11:00

There is nothing quite like the enthusiasm of a new runner.

I told Scott that there was Fat Ass run on while I was in Brisbane. 58k up and down Mt Nebo. He was keen. I told him perhaps we should not do QUITE the full 58k, since I'm about as fit as wounded asthmatic hippo.

We settled on doing 21k, much further than I thought sensible, given his first time at either this distance or this type of terrain.

The day before, I introduced Scott to the joy of buying gear as we hunted down a camelback. It should be explained that Scott doesn't wear shoes to run, either on road or trails. So he zip tied his shoes to back of the camelback, 'just in case'.

I imagine we looked the most riduculous pair at the start. Me in Five Fingers and Scott barefoot. I caught up with some wonderful friends at the start, including Lorna, who was up from Sydney.

We started off slowly, knowing that the first half would be basically a climb, and the return trip mostly downhill. The weather was cool and drizzly and the scenery gorgeous. We chatted as we ran, counting off the km until we reached 11k, Scotts longest run thus far.

I had forgotten how exciting it is to reach new territory in a run. Each km after that he got more excited, realising by the time we returned he would have finished a half marathon distance.

It took us slightly over 3 hours to get back to car, Scott took off for a sprint for the last 500m.

Boundless optimism and new found wonder rubs off. I'm ready for 2009 and some new goals.

Thanks mate :)

Running with Scott

2009-01-02T21:03:00.003+11:00

Back in May this year, I did TNF 100k. My brother and his wife came to look after my kids while I ran. Scott (my brother) wanted to know everything about the race. I left him a map, which he followed every step of my run, texting me encouragement and jokes along the way.

He was so excited by the whole thing, that he started running. Just a couple of km every other day, telling me he'd not do more than 4k/day at most, ever.

I recall a phone call from him recently, telling me he'd finished a 10k run, he was so excited!! Hooked, and loving it :) He asked whether he could pace/crew me at a race someday. I suggested Glasshouse in September 09.

Arrviving in Brisbane on 19 December for a holiday with my family, I was greeted by Scott with the question "When are we going running?"

So the next day we set out early (4am) to run up on Tamborine Mountain, the oldest national park in Queensland. It was spectacular. Old rainforest, waterfalls, bush turkeys, wallabies, wombats, and more than a few leeches! Scott was amazed to hear that this was the type of running some prefer. He decided right then trail running was what he'd been looking for.

We covered about 6k that morning, but it wasn't enough. Scott found another trail and we did another 3k before heading home. We went on to explore other parts of Brisbane... Mt Cootha, Mt Cotton, Daisy Hill Forest, Mt Nebo and more sections of Tamborine.

By the end of my trip, Scott had decided he would like to do the GlassHouse 50k in May and is now training his butt off. He shares my passion for barefoot running, and we spent some quality time comparing feet!!

Can't wait to do a 100k run with him soon......

It's been a long few weeks....

2008-12-10T20:53:00.001+11:00

We are now officially Victorian dwellers.

After a mad scramble to pack up the house and finish off my work contract after GNW, the trucks arrived in late November to take our belongings south.

It was very sad to leave a place I've grown to love, and the people I've come to call my friends. I know that there are new friends to be made, but it doesn't make the leaving easier.

Arriving in Wodonga to the largest house I've ever lived in (almost too big in fact) I was struck by the landscape. Dry and hilly, very very hilly. A short drive south and you can be climbing the countries tallest mountains. Our street is situated at the base of a hill, so good running training there. Just 2km away is another much larger hill, so I will not be short of places to explore.

Getting things set up took time, hence my slackness in posting/blogging for so long.

I went for a run soon after arriving, only to find I was on the verge of a chest infection, and the run tipped me over. 10 days of drugs later, I tentatively did a couple of short runs.

We are off to Queensland for Christmas for almost a month shortly, so I hope I'm able to get back into some sort of ryhthm with running again while there.

Inspiration

2008-11-17T18:34:00.002+11:00

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and who comes short again and again and again.

There is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do deeds, who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause.

Who at best knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither defeat or victory.

Roosevelt.

Out, But not Down

2008-11-11T17:15:00.002+11:00

Friday afternoon 7th November, with enough gear to clothe half of the entered runners and enough food to feed a small army, we set off for Teralba in Warners Bay. I get very nervous driving to the start of a long race….. Did I pack the headlamp, compass, maps, camelback, the list goes on. It turns out I had.

Craig and I joined Vic, Bart and Kristy at the motel. Advertised as a 4 bed room, it was big enough for 2 of us, so we all squeezed in and had the worst nights sleep ever! Alarm was set for 4am, but really we didn’t need it. The ritual last minute checking of drop bags for the checkpoints, filling of camelbacks and application of tonnes of bodyglide, bushman’s repellant and plaster to prevent blisters quickly burned up the next hour.

The start area saw about 80 nervous faces milling around and the instructions from the Race Director were given. Before long we were off, with about 7k on the road to start with before heading up the side of a cliff (perhaps I exaggerate slightly, but only slightly) on trails. Kristy and Bart were to run together, Vic after them, and me taking up my traditional position right at the back of the pack. Craig had very kindly offered to be support crew for the race, and carried our multitude of supplies in his car from checkpoint to checkpoint.I started out ok, running for a fair bit of the first section, which is 28k long. I managed to somehow damage my hip flexor early in the climbing, which made the hills painful to negotiate. And this whole section was HILLS!

I got to CP1 with only 8 minutes to spare, with 6 hours allowed for the lunacy that is section 1. I had kind of decided to toss the race in, until one of the volunteers said "No one has EVER pulled out at CP1". So at 11.59 I grabbed my camelback and a vegemite sandwich from Craig and headed off for the next section, 24k of less hilly terrain. I was only walking/shuffling by this point so just enjoyed the scenery. I ran this whole bit on my own, pretty much as I had done the last, and had a wonderful afternoon.I had to pull out at CP2 as I was a few minutes over the cut-off time, but I was pleased to have made it half way on my first attempt of this monster course. I was feeling great except for my hip, so next year should be good. Despite being unceremoniously tossed off the course, it was still the fastest I had covered this distance, so there is hope for me yet ;)

I then joined Craig crewing for the others and before long we had a call from Bart saying Kristy required assistance. After several hours of driving up and down the same road trying to find the turn off for CheckPoint 3, we arrived, completely out of petrol, cold and ever so slightly annoyed with the lack of adequate road signage. Our first step was to organize some (permission given by the owner) petrol siphoning. Disaster avoided, we then saw Bart and Kristy arrive, followed shortly by Vic, who was the only one of us left on the trail. He had a very quick stop and departed for the last Check Point.

After 21.15 Vic arrived at the finish, looking so fresh and cheery that it belied what he has just achieved. The hardest 100k trail race around. We then all piled back into Craigs car and took the scenic, longer, windier route back, via every small community in the whole area. Finally arriving at a motel in Wyong, which thankfully, this time, had plenty of room for us all. A few hours sleep and then up to pack and drive home.

Lessons learned:
* GNW really is as hard as everyone says!
* I can read maps and find my way around without any trouble.
* I quite enjoy running alone in the bush.
* Magpies still attack in November.
* Cows scare me.
* Good crew (thanks Craig) is invaluable.
* Even though I didn't make the full distance, this is still the most fun you can have standing up!

Less than 2 weeks to GNW

2008-10-27T21:08:00.002+11:00

Well it's now starting to get scary! 100km run coming up all too soon.

Less than 2 weeks to go and today was sooo hot. I decided to see how my body would stand up to a couple of hours in the midday sun, running.

If I'd known it was 34 degrees I might have thought differently. But I didn't :) I ran for 2 hours and felt good most of the way. I didn't overheat too badly, but by the end of it the soles of my feet were quite tender.

Running on warm bitumen is one thing, but by the end of today's trip my feet were very very sore. I must have looked like a right idiot out there. No permanent damage done, and they'll just be a bit tougher when the chips are down next month.

I've managed to sort out some shoes for the Great North 100 as well. Five fingers KSO's with injinji's will be the plan. I feel like a bit of a fraud wearing shoes and socks and calling myself a barefoot runner, but hey, it's the only way to get to the end. I'll have to live with the shame ;)

Happenings

2008-10-19T21:29:00.002+11:00

I haven't had much to say here, due to a busy work/home life that has prevented me from doing a lot.

We were always due to move at the end of this year, with Marty already away since January of this year. The plan was to go to Wodonga, but the army decided at the last minute that it might be Canberra. They then changed this about 10 times in 2 weeks, making for a very stressful time for us all.

Finally they settled on Wodonga in Victoria, but well have to move again in 12 months to Canberra!! My time has been spent sorting out the 4 kids to move schools and finding a house. House - tick. Schools - tick. Netball club - tick. Footy club - tick. Tennis - tick.

And the important things...... I found a great Athletics club (who we've already had a run with) and have started looking at trail runs in the Victorian Alpine area. I will need to work very very hard to get fit enough, but I'll have nothing else to do :)

A friend very kindly gave me their racing bike (it's done 7 ironmans) and I'm learning to ride it. Turns out its harder than it looks. And shoes are definately the go!! With a large indoor pool at my disposal and lots of time on my hands, I might end up doing a small tri next year, though nothing will ever be as good as trail running.

On the running front, I did the 9k Bridge Run with my girls in September, which was a wonderful day, albeit a little warm. We then cheered on the marathoners, from the first runner to the very last. It was very emotional to see people of all ages/shapes and abilities struggling or cruising to the line. I'm glad to have seen it from the other side of the tape.

I ran today as well in the SMC half marathon. I found it tough going, trying out the new KSO's. They rubbed my feet badly, and within 2km, I had several areas of no skin. Injinjis are the go with these I think.

I ended up barefoot, which is not great on this course, with so much broken glass and large rocks. Trying to be safe and run in the gutter, I managed to kick my big toe and split the toenail. OWWW. This resulted in a limping walk home for me. Not quite a personal worst time for 21k, but very close!

Next big run in the Great North 100k in 3 weeks. It's going to be interesting......

Trailwalker 08

2008-09-02T13:45:00.003+10:00

My 3rd 100k trail run, and 7th ultra in a year.

This year saw us doing the reverse of last years trail. So all the really hard sections at the start, and the easy stuff at the end. Funny though, how after 80k, even the easy stuff seems difficult.

We had the late start of 10am, which sees so much daylight burned before you even start, that you feel a bit 'behind' before you even leave the start area. With 2 teams from Westies, we arrived bright and early and checked in quickly to gain a good starting spot.

The first 3 sections were great. Though tricky terrain and lots of climbs and drops, all 8 handled it well. It is harder keeping 8 people together on the trail, when all are of varying levels in fitness and experience. There were 3 veterans (6th trailwalker), a couple of second timers and the rest first time walkers.

After the night section, it became apparent that one team member could no longer continue. His knees were shot to pieces and he was in a great deal of pain. He recultantly decided to drop at this point. Part of me was jealous as he took off his shoes and put on ugg boots and warmer clothes, sitting down to breakfast.

At this point I became very very cold and memories of The North Face hypothermia crept back into my mind. I quickly got out all the layers I could find, and ate some extra food, though I didn't feel like it. A couple of cups of hot coffee helped as well. Leaving this checkpoint, I ran some sections, just to warm up and get the blood flowing.

Once I was sweating and cursing all the extra layers I had to carry, I resumed walking and waited for the rest of the crew to catch up.

The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful, working our way from checkpoint to checkpoint, answering everyones questions about my strange choice of footwear. So many people were worried about me, thinking I couldn't continue in slippers. I assured them all I thought I'd make it ok.

We realised at CP7 that we were going to see the start of another night, so did a battery swap for the headlamp and grabbed the thermals again to head off. CP8 actually came around before the night set in, so we had picked up a little speed over this section.

Pulling out of the last checkpoint was a relief. Only 12k to go, with 7k in the bush and the rest on the road. By this stage I was longing for the bitumen, so I could take the vibrams off and 'rest' my bare feet on something. My feet had had enough of being closed in. We had been walking for close to 34 hours by now.

I cried when the road appeared. I ripped my vibrams off and rubbed my feet on the ground. Nothing has ever felt better, except perhaps, about half an hour later when we ran beside the beach. At least everyone else ran beside it, I ran straight down to the surf. The icy salt water and cold sand were heaven to my aching feet. The last 7k or so was barefoot. By the end of the race, my feet were feeling about 70% better.

I recall Kevin Tiller once saying in his blog about running barefoot at night with no headlamp. I gave it a go on the last leg of the course. I was just too damn lazy to get the lamp out. Surfaces ranged from bitumen, concrete, sand, dirt, rocks, trail, wooden steps, grass and even some steel grating at the end. Light varied from street light to pitch dark. I didn't step on anything nasty, or stub my toes. It's interesting how the 'sixth sense' takes over, and I enjoyed this little bit of silliness at the end.

Makes me wonder whether I could actually do a race like this completely barefoot. I'd love to try one day.

Wisdom of the Learned

2008-08-15T13:46:00.003+10:00

run, run, run. Get you miles up bit by bit. Do as much as you can without injury.

Some ultra runners can live of 45km a week others like 200km+.

I like the idea of an apprenticeship and you start with a nice easy race like the 6 foot and then move to a 60km and then a 100km and then the 100 mile.

Just going for the GNW or even worse the C2K as your first ultra takes a special breed of madman.

The beauty of running and ultra running is it takes time to learn what works for you.

There is no book on what works for you you just get out there and try it.

Some days it all works and other days you are sitting in blue vomit.

Some days you are in love with the world and other days crow's steal your food.

I love that we can part of something so great with nothing more then the desire to be there.

But the first step is getting out the door everyday and running mile after mile.

And being a little crazy does not hurt.

(Tim Turner 2008)

Sixth City to Surf

2008-08-11T21:33:00.004+10:00

Although I really only count myself as a new runner (about 18months) I have turned up for this event 6 years in a row now.

I love it! 70,000 people all lined up on the city streets, ready to do the 14km dash to Bondi Beach. As a run, it's hard to find your rythm, you have to constantly dodge people, and you don't get a finish line photo of yourself... there's usually at least 20 people in the shot. But the atmosphere is spectacular, and the views of the streets packed with runners as you wind your way east is nothing short of amazing!

The characters make up this event. People dress up in all kinds of weird costumes, and bands come out on to the streets to entertain the crowds. There are no quiet boring bits to this race. Spectators line the course, having parties and bbq's out on the balconies of apartments or front lawns. Little kids all waiting for you to give them a 'high five' as you run past.

I started in the second group start with my daughter and good friend Jo. This meant we had a 5 minute wait after the first gun sounded sending the elite runners off, before we set out. I went out at a pace I knew was too fast for me (under 6min/km) but managed to hold this for the first few km. I had NO hope of keeping up with my daughter.... she sped off and I never saw her again until after the finish!

The hills came and went and I enjoyed not having to drag myself up them. All the long distance trail running has paid off. I had a bit of trouble about 10-11k, as the bitumen is very rough and rutted and my feet started to hurt a fair bit. But, it is my choice to run without shoes, so 'suck it up and run' I say.

Coming down the last hill and around the corner into Bondi was fantastic. Usually I am spent by this point, so to up the pace a little and cruise home in about 93 minutes was very exciting for me. I had never thought I would break 100minutes for this race, or do it without extreme pain. I now think that I could probably go closer to 80 minutes.... bring on next year!

"I'm with stupid"

Cities M7 Marathon 08

2008-07-28T20:24:00.005+10:00

This time last year, I was nervously awaiting my first marathon on this very course.....

WOW! It was cold! Below freezing at the start, with a nice layer of frost everywhere. The portable gas heaters that everyone crowded around were wonderful. It was funny to see a bunch of 'underdressed for the cold' people, standing huddled in the dark under some heaters, reluctant to move to the start line til the last second.

With only 137 starters, this race thins out quickly for me, and within 1km, I was running alone. I began to question my sanity even then. 42.2k is a long way on your own. I hate to DNF though and would rather be last than pull out when I know I can finish.

I spent about 10k trying to run with good 'form'. Lately I have noticed how much I lean forward when I run, possibly due to watching the ground to make sure I don't step on/in anything sharp or nasty. I tried to stay upright, chin up, arms swinging parallel and lifting my heels. I was told to imagine riding a unicycle while running... which worked remarkably well.

At 11km with no company in sight, I pulled out the ipod, figuring it might pass a bit of time. Just then Steve, the original Barefoot, tapped me on the shoulder and said hi. I was surprised to see him, figuring he would be in front of me. He had missed the start and was cruising through the field as he ran. He opted, graciously, to run with me for a while.

I have never run with another person in a marathon race for more than a few kms, so this was fun. He stayed with me, chatting and encouraging me along with bits of advice until 21.1k. He said (and rightly so) that it was hard to do the entire race completely alone. Just quietly, it also made me move faster than I would have alone. After he left, I was happy to keep plodding knowing I was half way there already.

The next 14k were uneventful, though I slowed a bit. I worried about the cut off a few times, but recalculating in my head figured I'd still make it. Once again form became an issue, with my left hip and knee starting to hurt quite a lot. Still it wasn't bad enough to stop, though I don't think my limping gait was helping me much! The day never seemed to warm up either and my feet were cold for the whole race. I think I didn't even feel my toes until about 25k. I only did half of this race barefoot, the other half in Five Fingers.

At about 35k something switched on in my head. I don't even know what. Perhaps it was that there was only 7k left. Maybe it was the caffiene laced gel I sucked down. I may have even found the inner 'agro' that I need to bring out much earlier in long runs. Whatever it was, I picked the pace up and began to overtake the stragglers. Each person passed spurred me on. I really enjoyed this part of the run and was even slightly disappointed when I was near the end with no left to chase. That sounds very egocentric, even as I type it now, but it was a new feeling for me.

Again I broke no records today. It was my 6th marathon in 12 months. Possibly too many for this body so soon. But what a ride!! I'm loving the long distances, pushing myself, learning as I go. Already looking forward to the next one.....

Get up outta the dirt

2008-07-25T23:38:00.004+10:00

Hip hop music is not usually my first choice in music, but this song by Brisbane band "Butterfingers" has brilliant lyrics. What we make of our lives is our choice.

There’s never been a better time than right now
To get up outta the dirt
There’s never been a better time than right now
To get up outta the dirt
......
If you sniffle ‘cause your life’s difficult, that’s typical
What you get, what you give
Karma is reciprocal
......
I got a couple of bones to pick
It's your life, don't whine, take ownership
Get up, stand up, throw your hands up
While high check your mind back for propaganda
We’re there to slander
Truth to candour and it’s good for the goose as it is for the gander
Every gamut of the planet reaps what it sows
So forget about your hair and forget about your clothes
Same goes for your woes for the moment is priceless
Puberty blues becomes midlife crisis
......
This isn’t an attack or a lack of compassion
But you gotta get yourself back in the action
Tap into your passion and follow it up
Either that or let the madness swallow you up
How full is your cup, half-full or half empty?
You’re the envy of plenty, tread gently
Apathy is deadly and if you got seeds of doubt
That need to sprout, you need to weed them out
I read about people with real cares
And feel for those getting killed in Zaire
Children die there from extreme poverty
In perspective my problems don’t bother me
Think positive, forget about the negative
There’s never been a better time to get your shit together,
It’s bad etiquette to bitch and moan
With your nice clean clothes and your mobile phone
If you can’t see your feet ‘cause you over-eat
And that’s your biggest problem then your life is sweet
Not sleepin’ on the street then you probably got it good
Get up, put your head up, if you can then you should
......
Stand up straight!
Don't take no shit!
Hands on your shoulders, shoulders on your hips
It's time for a change!
So make it swift!
You're only getting older with the lifeline that you live
......
There's never been a better time than right now
To get up outta the dirt

A spot of Poetry

2008-07-21T16:40:00.003+10:00

See the girl in silly shoes

She thinks she will cruise

Plodding slowly in the race

She is such a disgrace

Running is a serious thing

Do it fast get some bling

Asic shoes are the go

Or brooks if you're slow

So tell that silly girl

To give shoes a whirl

Barefoot running does not knit

No shoes makes you a twit

tim 2008

King of the Mountain

2008-07-13T22:52:00.001+10:00

Well I'm not the King.... surprise surprise :)

Today was humbling. I set out in good spirits and average physical state to conquer Mt Scanzi and sample the famed rum at the top of the climb.

Had the run been 16k long, I would have finished strongly with a big smile and had time to sample the scones and tea provided by the good folk down Cambewarra way.

Sadly for me, this race is 32k long, and the mountain bit kicks in around 22k. I hurt. Going up always takes its toll, but running down the other side should be a snap.

Today, even going down was hard. Not injured, but just tired and sore. Perhaps it was the marathon last weekend? Or the fall the weekend before? Lack of solid training? Perhaps all of these and more. Whatever it was, I had to walk most of the last 10k.

Finishing last and in a very slow time in front of people I have come to respect, admire and call my friends, wasn't easy. At this time I think I may have mentioned something along the lines of 'never running again as long as I live'. I now withdraw this ridiculous statement ;)

Perhaps next year I'll finish a little closer to the King.

Gold Coast Marathon 08

2008-07-11T00:06:00.008+10:00

It is completely crazy to run this race. I am not in good physical condition, and I'm not trained to do it. But I'm going anyway :) I'm stubborn and sometimes a bit foolhardy.

We flew up to the Gold Coast and stayed with my parents for a couple of days, hanging out, sleeping, eating and generally being lazy. On the Saturday I set out in the very stormy weather to register for the marathon at the expo. I know, last minute...

It was pouring, and the whole area was a wash out! But the organisation of the event was second to none, and in no time I had a bib and a timing chip, not to mention a big dent in the credit card. A few Westies chatted to us, and I lined up for an autograph or 2 from Lee Troop.

Before going to the expo, I realised how seriously underprepared I was. I had no velcro to attach the chip to my ankle....trip to my aunty who saved me with her trusty sewing box. No lollies, though I had a couple of gels. I bought some poptop kids drinks and taped some gels and lollies in a bag to the bottle, leaving 3 at the personal drinks area. I hate carrying gels in a race.

That night saw me get no sleep, mum and I sat up talking for hours. 1am and I crawled into bed. The alarm went off at 4.30... who on earth set that??? It took me a few minutes to realise I did, and I had to get up and run 42km!

Dave (UndercoverBrother from CR) picked me up at 5.30 and drove me to the start line. Arriving in perfect time to drop a bag off, and head to the start.

I changed my mind about 30 times when it came to shoes/no shoes. I'm kicking myself now, but I wore vibram five fingers for the first couple of km. The ground was so wet, and rain was still threatening and I thought I wouldn't make it barefoot. Stupid really, of course I would have.

After about 2km, the shoes came off and I carried them a further 24k before dropping them off to friend.

The large number of competitors meant I was never alone in this race. What a great feeling. I chatted to so many people as I plodded along. My hip started to hurt, as did my knee (fall from last weekend) after about 1km, so I was in for a long day.

I met and chatted to a Japanese tv star, complete with film crew and entourage. A fellow who was doing a walk/run technique hoping to break 6 hours... I reckon he would have broken 5! A man who had just completed Ironman Japan and was walking, having a coffee and cake.... he said he was tired, and besides he liked coffee and cake. We talked about 100mile races, I hope to see him at one soon.

I had what I call an 'Anton' moment while running. At about 32km, my body suddenly stopped hurting and I felt my stride was perfect. The motion of my feet and arms was smooth and effortless. I sped up, though my breathing was not laboured. I passed about 40 runners in the next couple of km and felt invincible. It was like running on clouds.

I came crashing down at 35k when I slowed to collect my drink/gel/lollies. They were nowhere to be seen. Damn and bugger! My last gel was at 25k, and still another 7k to go. Oh well, nothing like a bit of a challenge to toughen up the soul.

My favourite 'meeting' of the day was an older gentleman who wore a shirt with 'Port Moresby Road Runners' on it. I speak the local New Guinean lingo, having grown up there, and he was trotting along with a young PNG guy at his side. I came up beside them and said hello, asking how he was, all in pidgin. The shock on the PNG mans face was priceless. We spoke a few sentences and I trotted off up a small rise. It occured to me later that it would have been very strange for him to see me, a very blonde non-indigenous girl, running in bare feet, greet him in his native language.

This was quite near the end of the run, and at this point, the struggle to compete with the 7.5km walkers became the focus. Though we had a separate lane to run it, we were mostly running off the course on the footpath to avoid having to duck and weave, as groups of people 4-5 abreast took up the road.

Rounding the corner for home was wonderful, I really was tired, but still very happy. I wondered to myself if I could keep on going.... perhaps even for another 120k? I reckon I could have done at least a few more km today.

Today I was slow. 5.29.26. But I had fun. Lots of fun. I did 40k barefoot, my longest barefoot run to date. Next time I'll ignore the voice that tells me I need shoes to start off with. Next time I'll put an extra gel in my pocket.

But next time, I'll enjoy it as least as much as I did this one.

Spring

2008-07-03T23:49:00.000+10:00

Winter is over, spring is here. I have struggled to move lately. My body has been tired and my soul has been weary too.

I posted last month about the seasons we go through, and wondered if winter would ever end.

Many races over many many months were like my Summer.... I had boundless energy and nothing seemed impossible.

The North Face 100 in May was a race I had worked hard towards and I had done my best.... Autumn for my running life and I reaped a good reward.

Life has thrown me some big challenges in the last few weeks, and I have found it hard to cope. My winter. So I have rested, physically and mentally.

Once I was rested, I realised I needed to MOVE on to Spring, regardless of the cold dark feelings of winter still in my bones. To not move is to risk spending a lifetime in Winter, and becoming comfortable there.

Woodford 2 Glenbrook - 2 years in a row!

2008-06-30T21:22:00.001+10:00

I wasn't going to do this race. I was going to pike. But someone asked me what kind of 'streak' it was to only do it once. So I put in a last second entry and turned up, underprepared and tired.

The start was gorgeous. A sunny day, fabulous organisation and good friends to while away the time with while waiting for the start. I met some new people and chatted to old friends.

It was warm enough to run in a singlet and shorts right from the start and I wore my VFF flows again, as they have served me well lately. My trusty handheld waterbottle, with a gel and couple of lollies, and I was good to go. Trotted along nicely for about 1km before my first mishap....

I managed to drop my gel. Right in the centre of the road. I considered leaving it, but I know that this course has only water for competitors and I don't go well for 3 odd hours on water only.

Waiting for the entire field to run by before I could go to collect it was frustrating, but thankfully, no one stepped on it.

I had to put in a decent downhill 'sprint' to catch up to where I was previously and ran for quite a while with Carmen, who was looking strong. Carmen ran ahead at one point, and I didn't see her again, she was good on the hills.

Today seemed to be the day for kicking my toes. Normally I don't do this often, as I've learned to be more careful when only wearing a thin piece of rubber on my feet. Today I was hopeless! I must have kicked rocks twice every km! This is extremely painful and means I'm not paying attention. Hindsight tells me I was just too tired for those shoes on that course on that day.

However, I began chatting with a local who was doing her first trail run and we were talking kids, work and running when suddenly a large rock jumped up out of the trail and bit me hard. I stumbled, hoping to right myself, but alas.... I went down hard.

My left knee smashed into the rocks, as did my right hand. It hurt enough to shock me and I couldn't get up. The lady I was running eventually ran on, after I assured her I'd be ok with a little sit down. I sat for a while, inspected the damage and let out a little whimper when I thought of the Gold Coast marathon in a weeks time. Not to mention the rip in my favourite tights!

Another runner stopped shortly after and offered to help me up, for which I was grateful. I started walking, realising that the notion of negative split, even in this downhill race, was out of the question.

I walked to the next aid station, where I put a bit of water on my hand and cleaned up a little and resumed jogging. I managed to catch up to quite a few people for a few km, but then the stiffness set in and I went back to walk/jog for the last 5-6km.

Crossing the line at the end was disappointing. Last year I ran 2.55 and this year though I could do about 2.45. My finish time was 3.10. I went to the first aid tent and got my knee and hand seen to before hobbling out to get a coffee.

The end of the day was lovely, sharing lunch with a good friend and some new faces, before heading home to the kids.

Not a great day for running, but a great day to just tough it out and finish what I started.

Some Bling

2008-06-30T21:07:00.002+10:00

Saturday night was the Sydney Marathon Clinic presentation dinner. I took all the kids along for the ride and they enjoyed the night. The food was terrific and the MC Mike O'Mara kept the night rolling along with his funny stories and jokes.

I had a blast. For the first time ever, I actually picked up some awards. I have always been the 'slow, unco kid' who didn't get picked for anything. Tonight I got picked for a couple of things :)

First in my age group (30-39) for the Long Series runs. Second overall in the Long Series handicap competition. I also received a nice medallion for running my first marathon, and another for running my first ultra marathon. And the coveted prize..... the "I did the flamin' lot" tshirt.

It was worth the work, the effort and the getting up early to run long races when I wanted to quit.

I should point out too that both my daughters did very well.

Alana was 2nd in her age group (under 15's) for the 5km run series and also 2nd overall for the handicap competition for that distance. Sara (who is only 13) scored a 1st place trophy in her age group (under 20's) for the 10k series. She also holds the race record for this distance for junior female runners.

Seasons

2008-06-16T23:23:00.001+10:00

The whole universe revolves around seasons. Animals and plants follow the cycles of life. Your body knows that everything has its time and place.

The spirit has its seasons too. Spring for rebirth, Summer for exploration and growth, Autumn for harvesting, and Winter for introspection and rest.

Live in the season today.

The Journey

2008-06-13T12:15:00.004+10:00

A student goes to a sensei to learn Running Barefoot.

She asks, "Sensei, how long will it take for me to master Running Barefoot?"

The sensei replies "It will take 5 years."

The student counters "What if I work twice as hard?"

"Then it will take 10 years", The sensei says, "because your focus is on the end, not on the process of learning."

The Whole Flamin' Lot

2008-05-26T23:00:00.005+10:00

Well I did it!!

Sydney Marathon Clinic runs 9 months of the year from September - May. Each month there is a 5k, 10k and long run, ranging from 21-30k. If you are silly enough to turn up and run every long race you are awarded a gorgeous t'shirt that proudly proclaims 'I did the whole flamin lot'.

Last year I decided to run the long series and yesterday was my last long run (25k). I hurt, with the 100k race from last weekend still fresh in my memory, not to mention legs and feet. Lots of these long runs were days after other MUCH longer runs! Eg; Six Foot Track, Hellgate Gorge, The North Face 100k, Great North Walk 75k. When I chose this goal, I had no idea I'd be doing all those other runs :)

Still I'm a stubborn old girl, so I did them all anyway.

Run, just Run

2008-05-26T22:56:00.002+10:00

This quote was sent to me this week by a friend. It sums up exactly how I feel at the moment.

The fine print: Run, eat, sleep. Cross-train. Run, eat, sleep. Cross-train. Do a marathon. Do an ultramarathon. Run a 50K race, then just run another 50K. Climb some hills. Think about running. Run while you're thinking. Eat good stuff. Take a class in running. Get a friend to start running. Make them pace you. Pay them by the mile if you have to. Tell everyone you meet you have this intense desire to run 100 miles. Watch them faint in disbelief. Convert a golfer; there are more places to run than to play golf. Running is better than walking, even jogging is better than walking. Heck, running is even better than sex. There's a time to walk, but there's also a time to run. Sex can always wait until after an ultra. Get obsessed, stay obsessed. If you get angry, go run. If you feel tired, go run. When you have a good day, celebrate with a long run. Feeling bad? An ultra will help. If you screw someone (not sex, folks) punish yourself with a really long run after inserting a medium sized pebble into your shoe. Remember these things when you have doubts during any ultra: It will never always get worse. God will never give you more than you can handle. Of course, the down side of that is, God expects you to handle some really intense pain, perhaps followed by death. If you don't believe in an afterlife, remember that death deadens the pain, just like ibuprofen. If you believe in an afterlife, who really cares when you die? You might as well be running when you do.

First Hundred

2008-05-21T09:31:00.004+10:00

The North Face 100km 17-18 May 2008. Blue Mountains NSW. Inaugral Event.

I have started this post about 10 times. I don't know where to start. I'm elated and drained at the same time....

I drove up with friends on the Friday about lunch time to the Blue Mountains. Found the backpacker accommodation we would be using, then set off for a leisurely stroll with Andy and Craig. We managed to wander around for a couple of hours, checking out Echo Point and enjoying a fabulous hot chocolate at a cafe nearby. We collected some supplies on the way back to the hostel and then headed off for the registration.

The checkin was well organised, t-shirts (in my size!!) maps, a full gear check, then a huge dinner with like minded crazies. All of us chatting about the impending run, what we had in our drop bags, how nervous we were etc.

We were back at the hostel nice and early to do a last minute fuss over what gear what going in our bags for checkpoint 3 and 5, the only two points we could collect extra food and gear. If only I had known that I would barely even touch the stuff.... oh well, I was fully prepared for anything.

I didn't sleep at all that night. The other 3 in my room were out in seconds and I lay there wide awake, begging sleep to come. I don't know why, but it never did. Thankfully I can operate for days on no sleep, so I didn't worry too much. Perhaps I was just fearful that I had taken on more than I was capable of handling.

Finally at 5am, it was time to get ready for the biggest adventure of my life. Breakfast, 3 layers of clothes, camelbak, garmin... check, check, check... then off to the start line. It was so cold, my feet were frozen within 5 minutes. My choice to do the race with Vibram Five Fingers new shoe called the 'Flow" was starting to worry me already. After a bit of pre-race banter and instructions we were off. Straight up a hill! Albeit a small hill, but this was to set the tone for the entire race. I felt slack walking already, but I know there's such a long way to go.

The first 15km were a total surprise. On the map it looked like gentle undulations, but was so much more than that! By the time I climbed the Golden Staircase at the end to reach CheckPoint 1, I'd already used 3 hours of the 30 hour time limit. Managed to hit my head on an overhanging rock just before the top, almost knocking me out cold.

The fire trail to Check Point 2 was much eaiser going, with breathtaking views of the Blue Mountains. How lucky we are to be running here. Down Tarros Ladder with all the ropes to keep us in check, and then an easy run to the Check Point. I grabbed a bun and some drink, my plan being to never spend more than a couple of minutes at any stop. The out and back section on Ironpot Ridge was amazing. My feet were hurting a little with the constantly rocky terrain, but I felt good as I ran along with Craig.
We both moved very well along to Check Point 3, at by this point I began to overtake people, a new concept in running for me! At one stage I even passed a relay team runner, who looked spent, though he was stopping at the 52k point. Running down the hill into CP3, I felt terrific, like I could take on the world and had gotten here in under 10 hours, which was my goal.

I stopped too long at this CP, but changed into warmer gear and sorted out my headlight, before eating some fried rice and having a cup of hot tea. Shortly after heading out, Craig and I passed more runners, bouying our spirits and pace. I love running at night on trails. The mesmerising beam of light, the sounds of the bush, the need to be constantly alert... I feel so alive.

We ran strongly to the bottom of Nellies Glen at the 60k mark, where I told Craig to go for it. He runs up hills so strongly, even the stairs. I knew there were over 400 wet, slippery stone steps to go up so set my brain on 'trudge' mode and set to it. Frankly I struggled. I don't mind hills, up or down, but stairs are not my favourite. I try to get to the edges as much as possible, to relieve the pressure, but I noted at this point that my right calf was really starting to ache, almost like a cramp high up towards the back of my knee.

Thankfully the top came, and it was a nice easy run/walk to the CP4 at Echo Point. By this stage the cold became unbearable. It was seeping into my bones, or so it felt, and I had been unable to find my gloves. I borrowed some gloves from a friend and we set off down the 900 stairs.

Reaching the bottom began the lost descent into the valley. I decided to run as much of this as I could, knowing a huge climb awaited me on the other side. Having never run at night before on my own, it was interesting. My new headlamp was awesome! (thanks Dad xx) I experienced a little of what I've heard others talk about, seeing things in the bush, strange shapes and figures and animals that aren't really there. All good fun. I continued to pass people in the section which was a boost again to my confidence. Reaching the valley floor and crossing the river I knew the hardest section was about to begin.

Craig and I had agreed that I would forge ahead on the downhills and he would catch me on the ups. He caught me about 3/4 of the way up and he pushed on to CP5. By the time I got here, I was too cold. My appetite had gone and was replaced with nausea. In hindsight I should have kept eating regardless, but didn't realise the full process of a bit of mild hypothermia. Lesson learned.... I didn't eat for the last 30k or so of the race, which was far too long.
We left the CP together, and slowly plodded up the road. I found this part of the course very hard. The winds had picked up, and the temperature plummeted. When checking the weather the next day, with wind chill factor and gusts of up to 60k/hour, it felt like -7 degrees!! Earlier in the day Craig had mentioned how cool it would be if it snowed. He got his wish. About 4am, up on a ridge somewhere near Wentworth Falls, it snowed! Only for about 10 minutes and never enough to land and build up, but snow that you could see swirling in the headlamp ray and catch on your gloves. It was fun, but FREAKING cold!!

The last 14k of the course dragged in the cold. Once we reached the sign that said 95k, knowing it was mostly road from this point, our spirits were bouyed again, knowing we'd go under 24hours. Both of us had garmins, so were doing a bit of guesswork about our finishing times. Reaching the resort and then having to head back off into the Golf Course was a bitter pill to swallow, but the finishing line bought great rewards for the detour. It was like running in and being a winner. Flags and banners and a finish area, a few very hardy spectators and the race directors there to cheer us in at 5.57am. 22.57 for the full 100km!

I thought I'd cry when I finished, I usually do. I didn't this time. I was tired, spent, and more than a little cold. I crawled inside and begged for blankets. Craig on the other hand looked terrific and as if he could keep going!

This is the hardest thing I've done so far. To finish under 24 hours was awesome! 4500m of climb, across 100k of hard terrain, steps, mountains, ladders, rivers, more steps, rocky trails, wide open areas, more steps.... This is magic! I can't wait to do it again next year. I'll be aiming for sub 20 hours and the nice silver buckle :) I feel like I'm edging closer to calling myself an ultrarunner.

P.S. I did the whole 100k in Vibram Flows. They are nothing short of brilliant. No rocks got in, no blisters or pain. They kept my feet as warm as can be hoped for in such harsh conditions. These 'shoes' rock! I guess it shows that any trails can be done in Five Fingers, just go and do it.

Nail Can Hill Victoria

2008-05-06T22:22:00.003+10:00

There's nothing quite like a 6 hour drive on Saturday evening with 4 kids in the back, to get to the start of an 11.5k bush fire trail run!

OK, so we were headed to Albury for the weekend anyway and this looked like a nice way to spend a bit of time on the Sunday morning.

It was cold cold cold at the start and standing around in the chicken feet didn't do anything to warm me up. Gloves, long shirts and buffs were the order of the day. Both my girls, Sara and Alana came with me for the run and we met a couple of local Cool Runners while waiting for the start.

A large hill took up the first 5k of the course (hence the name of the run) and the girls and I ran/walked this section. At this point, both girls waved me on to run, saying they'd catch me up later.

The rest of the run was a lovely downhill section on graded fire trails. It was a good chance to test out the five fingers and see how well they gripped the road/rocks on a faster descent. All fine, no mishaps and not once even felt they were going to slip.

I finished in around 80mins, a nice easy pace that I could happily have continued on with for many more km.

I do feel slightly more confident about The North Face 100k in 10 days time. My body has been tired and sore, so I've rested a lot and not done the usual daily runs, opting for only about 3 a week. I worry that I'll lose a lot of fitness doing this, but I really had no choice. I'm feeling good again, and looking forward to the challenge coming up.

Sydney Marathon Clinic April

2008-04-27T19:39:00.002+10:00

Today was the 8th race at Sydney Marathon Clinic for the season and the 8th I've finished :) Just one more to go to gain the coveted 'whole lot' series t-shirt. This was a goal I set myself in the middle of 2007, after completing the 5k series last year. Another Half Marathon, while not the fastest time I've ever done, not the slowest either and certainly done under the most pressure physically.

I'm tired. Actually that's an understatement. I've done 4 big runs in 2 weeks. This time last year I would have needed 2-3 weeks to recover from even one of those runs. In fact, three of those I would not have been able to complete.

My body has been pushed and hasn't broken. I have no injuries and I'm gearing up for a go at a 100k race. That challenge is in 3 weeks and I'm so excited! I'm going to take this time to rest and recover, so I can face the race strong and ready.

Bring on the long mountain trail run!

The North Face 100 Training Run

2008-04-26T21:02:00.005+10:00

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better......

Another early morning gathering of runners, again in the rain and fog of the Blue Mountains. The buglar played the last post, a fitting start to an ANZAC day run. After a minutes silence, we split into different groups to cover various sections of The North Face 100 run.

Our small group (Craig, Belinda, Lynda and myself) decided to do the last 40k of the course . We knew this would done at night and we wanted to see the terrain during the day. The rain didn't last very long, but the ground was extremely slippery. We followed Rod down about 500 stairs (at a guess) and by the time we reached the base my legs were shaking badly. I hate heights and I hate stairs. This course will be a challenge!

There was some navigating required and between us we managed to find our way through almost everything. Only once did we do an unecessary loop when faced with the option of 4 different paths at once!

I had a test run with the new VFF Flows today. Perfect conditions to try them out. It was cold, rainy and very very wet. There was water all over the trail, thick mud and slippery conditions. We also ran in sand and on rocks at some points. These 'shoes' are the best I've worn yet. My feet were 100% protected with not even a grain of sand getting in! The mud stayed out and the neoprene uppers kept my feet quite warm, even when wet. These shoes get 2 thumbs up from me.

The views we were rewarded with towards the end of the run were simply incredible. Wentworth Falls, The Undercliff Walk, Kedumba Walls.... this gorgeous part of the world is virtually in my backyard, and yet I'd never seen it.

After about 32k, I began to tire badly. This was my 3rd long run in 13 days. (50k Canberra, 50k Hellgate and now today). I told the others to carry on to finish the 40k and I would walk back to car through the streets of Katoomba and meet them there. They all graciously decided to stay with me and we walked back what turned out to be about 8k anyway! To top it all off, the streets were up and down huge hills ;)

After a simply delicious hot chocolate and brownie at the cafe, I drove home, satisfied with yet another day running in the great Aussie bush.

Ninja Chicken Feet

2008-04-24T22:29:00.002+10:00

Well I now have the lastest version of the Vibram Five Fingers. These are called "Flows" or "Ninja Chicken Feet" for fun :)

This model is made of neoprene (like a wetsuit) so much suited to the cold/wet conditions of the winter mountain trails. Can't wait to take them for a spin on Friday in the Blue Mountains.

N.B. Any and all credit for the clever name "ninja chicken feet" is hereby credited to Tim. At no point was I witty enough to come up with such a cool name :)

Hellgate Gorge Fat Ass

2008-04-20T22:15:00.010+10:00

A handful of brave or perhaps foolhardy souls lined up at the Deviation on the Six Foot Track for a crack at Hellgate. A 'somewhat difficult' trail run through some of the most beautiful countryside this planet has to offer. The rain did little to dampen our spirits, and possibly made the pace for the first few km just that little bit faster.

Down into Jenolan Caves, then through the caves area as the rain cleared was very enjoyable. It's here that Craig, one of our party, turned around and headed back up to the Deviation. Across a pretty stream and into a charming field, then the person I was following said 'up there' and pointed up a steep bush section of a mountain. After I realised it wasn't a joke, off we went. There was no trail, just slowly picking my way up, trying not to slide back down. The views were awesome!

This lead out on to a fire trail, which we followed, before running on the road for while, then back on to another fire trail. After many kms had passed and it had become evident that we may have chosen an alternate route, I recall saying "I don't mind how much futher we've run, as long as we don't have to go back up THAT hill". Famous last words!!

We saw another runner at the water drop and double checked with him as to our whereabouts. He kept us company for a short while before shooting off into the distance, with our message of possibly being slightly longer than planned.

Time was made up for our detour as we picked up the pace a little in the section leading down into the Gorge. Apart from the 6 or 7 times I fell over down the slippery slopes... (I really need to get used to this shoe wearing concept), this was welcome relief from the uphills. Stopped once to remove a leech from inside my sock, who had sucked enough of my blood to nearly choke itself.

The view from the bottom of the gorge was frighteningly spectacular. I felt I was seeing something very special, seldom witnessed in this couch loving, relaxation seeking world.

Then came the understanding of why this place was named Hellgate. I think I could count about 15 times I wished to die on that climb back up. By now the 50k of last weekend and the extra kms earlier in the run were starting to bite me badly. My running partner encouraged me up that mountain, step by step at times. To see the gate at the top was magic.

But not quite as magical as seeing headlights in the distance on the Black Range Road and finding out it was a rescuer in the form of Gareth. My brain was set to finish the distance off if necessary, but my body was much keener on the ride.

Upon reaching the end and realising we had covered 50k in about 10 hours I felt quite satisfied. There are some experiences money can't buy. Many of these can be found running the trails. Knowing that there are others willing to drive 2-3 hours to stand in the rain for a photo before embarking on a 6-10 hour run. Seeing scenery that takes your breath away, realising only a relative few have also been here. Finding that extra bit inside yourself that you weren't sure was there, when the hill seems to go on endlessly upward. Feeling at one with the world when your body is at odds with its own pain.....

I did feel sorry for the people on the train who shared a carriage with me on my trip back down to Sydney. By this time of night most were youngsters dressed up and off for a night on the town in Sydney and here was I, filthy dirty, blood filled shoe, with my bags of gear beside me, dressed like a reject from a Paddy Pallin store, ravenously stuffing down vegemite sadwiches. Ahhh good times.

I can't wait to do it all again!

Five for the price of One

2008-04-16T15:42:00.004+10:00

Canberra Marathon - April 2008, perhaps one of the most interesting days I've ever had running.

I met some great people at the pre race pick up/registration afternoon and watched a few friends compete in the 5k and 10k races. Then it was off to a slightly cramped motel room with all 6 of us eventually finding a spot to sleep. Well to lie awake and wonder why on earth I was doing this run.

I lay there with the familiar thoughts going through my head
"I'm not really a runner, who do I keep showing up at this things?"
"I will once again, be at the back of the pack and feel like I haven't trained hard enough"
"What if I find that I can't actually do this race in Five Fingers and look like a fool?"

I'm still struggling to let go of the person who never participated in any sport for fear of looking foolish. I have glimpses of what I'd like to see myself as, but mostly my brain trips me up. With this in mind I decided I would finish the 50k no matter what, if only to further put behind me the mental image of a girl who always gave up.

I arrived very early at the event, in fact before much activity had begun. I find this helps me start the day more relaxed. I like to watch the goings-on before a race. The organisers frantically adjusting things at the last minute, nervous competitors going through pre-race rituals, supporters fussing over family and friends.

Waiting in the hall before the start, chatting to others, it became apparent that today would be wet and cold. Rain started to fall and the decision to start in Five Fingers was easy to make. I can't run on bitumen in the rain with bare feet. It hurts.

And cold it was, freezing really. The drizzle went on for quite a while and I don't think I was ever quite dry during the whole race. The first couple of hours ticked by nicely, and I felt comfortable. I kept telling myself not to rush as people ran past me... I was here for 50k. At 25k I worried for a bit that I would not get there, but realised I'd set a new PB for this distance by about 6 minutes (2.48), which gave a much needed boost. Again at 30k another PB, this time by 15 minutes (3.27).

I had taken my 5 Fingers off at 28k, as the soles of my feet were desperate to feel the ground, and the seams of the shoes were starting to cut my into my feet. I carried the shoes for the rest of the way to the marathon finish, which must have looked rather ridiculous.

Although I had wanted to go under 5 hours for the marathon, I didn't quite make it. 5.07.54 for 42.2k today. Still it was another PB by 12 minutes this time. Tim and Lorna cheered me through the line and I plodded on to finish the last 7.8k.

I started walking, as the will to push on had basically dried up. After a quick drink and a couple of lollies I found some new energy and started running, albeit slowly, down the path.

After posting another PB at 45k (5.33) a most unsual thing happened. The black skies opened up and huge rain drops began to fall. These quickly turned into little hailstones, then larger hailstones. I laughed out loud, thinking no one would believe me that I'd run in the hail... but it didn't stop. It got heavier and harder and more difficult to run in. People sheltered under bridges and building awnings, but I stubbornly carried on. Running on ice pellets while being hit with yet more ice pellets is strangely difficult to do!

I actually passed one person in this last stretch of the race, which to me was a victory... especially as he called to me "You're way too fast for me today!"

The hail eventually stopped and I ran through the finish line for a second time, sore and sorry but satisfied. 6.18.31 was my time and I'll take that as my 5th PB for the day.

The race organiser checked to see if all was ok, as I was barefoot, and once assured I was, he delivered the slightly disappointing news that they had run out of medals for finishers. I'll wait patiently for that at some point in the future....

As always I learned a lot about life and myself while running today. There are so many people out there, all with their own goals and ambitions for the day. Those who are out to win, in blistering times that make my head spin, others going for that elusive PB. Some out to conquer fear, others to tick another item off their 'bucket list'. New runners, old runners, parents, grandparents, husbands and wives... I watched others around me as I ran and realised all our experiences are the 'most important' of the day.

There are 1041 'finishers' stories from this day and I was one of them.

Six Foot Track Video

2008-04-10T14:26:00.003+10:00

Will's video of the 2008 Six Foot Track......Enjoy!

"http://

6 Foot Track Marathon 2008
Uploaded by Voutch

Revelations

2008-04-01T22:37:00.003+11:00

I came to some conclusions yesterday. I did some hill training and felt so good, I ran a bit more. Then I just was done. This meant that for the month of March, I'd run 247k. I wanted it to be 250k up till that point.

But I realised I'm a runner, I'll go again tomorrow, and the next day and the next. 3k extra to make up 250/300k for the month won't change my chance of lining up at a 100mile race later this year. And trying to impress others with a 'huge' total won't make me any better, or heighten my enjoyment of running. It's about the happiness, simplicity, satisfaction in your emotional life :)

Only Six Foot Track and one other trail run was in 5Fingers, so 192k barefoot this month. I also realised last night, that I have not worn shoes (except 5F's) to run at all this year. 544k, with 175k in slippers :) all the rest totally barefoot.

We have wide strong feet for a reason. They are meant to CARRY us, walking or running. Shoes can be pretty, but I don't think they help our bodies work better. I feel stronger now, and more in control of my running.

And if it makes me stronger, why go back to the weaker way? I'm still being asked when I'll go back to running in shoes. never...

When I finish a run, people always ask how my feet are. Even a long run, they only ask about my feet. My feet are great, strong, no pain, brilliant. My muscles hurt though, and I'm tired... the same as everyone else. But not injured.

If my whole body felt as good as my feet, I'd never stop running.

A Moment in Time

2008-03-19T09:31:00.001+11:00

Something strange happened today.

I ran 8km barefoot on the road/footpath/grass. Just ran around my local streets. I've never done that the day after a long race. I usually walk or rest.

I had some kind of realisation about why we choose to push our bodies daily, even when we're tired. Not a logical 'write it down' kind of thing, but something in my head understood it. An inner awareness of my whole body, every muscle, tendon, blood vessel. I have never felt more alive. It felt like when I finished the 6 foot. It was weird, but really exciting.

I didn't want to stop running. The words that you wrote on your blog a while ago kept going over in my head 'I'm a runner'.

Backing up with SMC

2008-03-17T10:43:00.003+11:00

This was never going to be easy. A 30km run at Sydney Marathon Clinic a week after the Six Foot Track. But if I want to run ultras and finish in the cut off times, I have to keep pushing.

I felt quite good until about 15km, when frankly I ran out of gas. Nothing hurt. My joints and muscles felt great, but I was just tired. Notions of laying down on the road and having a nap kept popping into my head (I'm sure I've seen someone do that somewhere??)

It was about this point that my good friend and often running mate starting keeping me company. He encouraged me/growled at me/told me to stop being slack/ encouraged me again, right through to the end. Thanks so much. He had also done the 6Foot Track the weekend before, so we chatted about this while running.

I find the looped courses so hard mentally. I hate running past the finishing line 2 or 3 times and knowing its not the end. Still it's a good challenge.

I wore the Five Fingers again for this one. By the end I longed to have my feet back on the gound, feeling the little rocks and the grass, the change in surface every so often. I miss barefoot when I need to wear shoes.

A Day to Remember

2008-03-12T21:32:00.011+11:00

Warning... warning... long wordy emotional post ahead...

The Six Foot Track.

For years I've read about it. The toughest off road marathon in Australia. Not to be taken lightly, and with an entry criteria that many would struggle to make. Myself included. So I relegated this run to the 'dream' section of my world. I'd listen to any story about it and wish that one day I could be part of such a fabulous event.

Goal One: Gain a Place in the run

With the notion of running a 4 hour marathon to enter completely out of the question, I tried a different run to gain entry. Fitzory Falls Marathon in October last year. I've heard this referred to as a 'mini 6 Foot'. After about 40k and with the cut off time slipping away, my running buddy asked me how badly I wanted to do the 6 Foot in March 08. I told him in no uncertain terms that I didn't care if I never did it!! Fatigue talking. I didn't make the cut that day, but I was damn close. After a whole lot more events and with my times getting better I decided to put an entry form in a see if I would be accepted to run. I left it to the last minute to enter for fear of being rejected. But that wasn't to be... they let me in! One goal down, 4 to go.

Goal Two: Get to the start line

It sounds silly but to train enough to get to the start line the risk of injury becomes greater. As it is with any race, but this one meant so much to me. Fast forward to Saturday 8/3/08 at 6.30am and here I am, standing with other runners in the cold, talking tactics for the race. Mine consisted of starting at the front of the 4th wave (my allocation), running fast down to the River (I go ok down tricky hills) and put some time in the bank for the long uphills. My mantra for the run was to be "Forward Momentum ". Hmmm everyone else had more complicated ones, but I was so nervous I would have choked on a more tricky scenario.

While waiting for the start, the race director, Kevin Tiller did a quick interview with me about my unusual choice of footwear for the race. Vibram Five Fingers are now my first choice and today would be no different. Kevin shook his head at me, asking if I knew how rocky and harsh the course was. I assured him I did, but really I was slightly terrified. What if I stuffed up? What if I look like a fool, limping in at the end because of my choice? Too late now, trust your training.

Goal Three: Don't get swept off the course

This race has a pacer for each wave for the 7 hour cut off and after those a sweeper, whose job it is to clear the course of those who are too slow/injured/tired to finish within a reasonable time. I decided to never look back and with luck and good management, never lay eyes on either of them.

The gun goes and we're off. Adrenaline surged and I took off down Nellies Glen. I found myself in a good position, running right at my chosen speed, not having to pass others or let anyone pass me. I found myself very emotional even at this stage, realising I had made it to a point I had once thought impossible.

I ran strongly to Cox's River, passing people who I knew would soon pass me going uphill. I stumbled once and slightly twisted my ankle, but it didn't hurt too much. Into the river, which was freezing and a bit above waist deep for me. Very refreshing though. I looked at my watch. 1hr55 to this point and 15.5k into the race. I was happy with this time, but knew I could not afford to waste time.

The climb up Mini Mini and Pluvi was the section I feared most. Knowing I would have to walk most of it, I set about walking as fast and strongly as possible. Despite the terrain and steep slopes, I LOVE this course. Every step is a joy, every twist and turn in the road is exciting. The runners, the firies manning the aid stations, the supporters made me glad to be alive and experiencing this.

I got to the top of Pluvi in 3hr53. I was secretly thrilled with that, as I had figured it would take all of 4hr10. I jumped on the mat and declared to no one in particular "I haven't been swept off yet!".

I felt invincible, for about 10 minutes, when the realisation sunk in that there was 19km to go and 3 hours to get there. I decided to try to get to 40k by the 6 hour mark, leaving me only 5k to cover in the last hour. My strategy was to run when at all possible and if I had to walk, to make sure it FAST. No dawdling, no stopping, no feeling sorry for myself.

For years I have given up at some point in every race I enter. It hurts... slow down.. you can try harder next time... you have a sore leg... you're tired... no one will think less of you if you don't make it. I have always given in. I have always regretted it. Enough of that thinking. Today would be different.

Someone ran along side me and said "I don't think I can do this anymore" and I said (mostly to myself) "We didn't come this far to go home without a medal". I never saw her again, she took off like a shot! I found a part of me I didn't know existed. I ran, walked, ran, walked and with each km, the time factor was more on my side!! I got excited when at 35k I realised I had over 90minutes to finish. I can walk that in!

Then the final test for me... cramps. Not the odd little niggling cramp, but the "OH HELP ME, my legs are stiff and won't move" cramps. Once again, I surprised even myself by calmly stretching out the cramp and resuming a jog. This happened around every 500m or so. But by jogging in between the cramps, I kept time on my side.

Crossing the road with about 7k to go, I saw some people I knew. What a boost! I ran past as they shouted words of encouragment. I knew now that only a catastrophe would stop me. I teared up again, realising how much this meant to me. Then I berated myself for being soft and girly, telling myself I still had to actually finish.

Goal Four: Getting to the end in under 7 hours

I recall looking at my watch with 5k to go and seeing the accumulated time of 6:05. 55 mins to do 5ks WOOHOO!!! I can do that. I started to get excited and even the constant cramping didn't bother me. Part of me wanted to push hard for a better time, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. I think I spent most of the last few km crying and laughing, lucky there was no one around. I even passed 3 people on the last stretch, they looked spent.

Once I got to the cobblestones, I stopped to take off my shoes. I want to run in barefoot, I want to be the 'silly girl who runs with no shoes' and I want to show that somtimes you don't have to conform to succeed. I want my girls, who are waiting at the finish line, to see that you CAN do whatever you set your heart on. I want the friends who have supported me and encouraged me to see that I now believe in myself.

I ran down those paths with more joy than I have ever felt, I was bursting! Rounding the final corner and hearing the announcer call my name was amazing. Cheering, high fives, the odd bewildered look. I put my arms in the air and let the world know how thrilled I was to be alive at that moment. I saw people who I consider to be my heroes in the running community cheering me and I stored every milisecond of it in my mind.

Goal Five: The coveted Medal

Through the finish gate in 6:50. My friend Joanne was handing out medals and I fell into her congratulatory hug and sobbed. The emotion of years of failing was let go, I had achieved what was for me, the impossible. In my world, I'd won the race, not just scraped in. My legs turned to jelly and I felt dizzy. My girls were yelling, Tim ran over and hugged me, a huge grin on his face! Vic, Craig, Maurice, Luis and others congratulated me. All people I respect and admire for so many reasons, were genuinely happy for me.

It was a moment in time that will live with me forever. The pain and pleasure was for me like the birth of my children. A tremendous joy borne out of a physically painful and mentally challenging experience.

Thoughts of the last 12 months....

2008-02-25T23:25:00.004+11:00

Firstly I must thank Tim for suggesting I write down my story thus far.

I started to write down some ideas and ended up with this novel….. skip bits as required. It was great for me to see how far I’d come.

In 2006, I decided I wanted to do a marathon before I was 40, but my feet and legs were always injured. I thought it would be impossible. I started reading about the body/food/health and stumbled over a barefoot running site (barefooted). All that I read said that it was ok for some runners, but not for overpronators. I was a severe overpronator with hyper flexible joints.. not a good candidate. So I figured ‘what the heck, I’ll give it a go’. Nothing else was working.

Before I started barefoot, I read about foot strike (heel/toe/midfoot) and tested myself out. Chronic heel striker… painful when barefoot. So the first thing I did was to change my style. I did this for the first couple of weeks while walking barefoot. I practiced putting my foot down properly every step I took.. I felt like a total idiot and it was very very slow. I watched how much I rolled in and how this hurt. I realised my ankles and feet were weak as water. So I learned to walk at 38.

I started mid January 2007. I just took my shoes off and walked for about 5km.. Fast walking, on the grass, bitumen, concrete etc. My feet hurt like crazy. The soles of my feet were tender and my arches ached. So I went out the next day and did it again. Just walking. I did that for about a week, going between 5-10k a day. Then on the second week I added in some gentle grass runs at the end of the walk. Only about 2-3km. After this distance I noticed I was reverting to rolling in and hell striking, meaning it hurt and slowed me down. It took a long while to retrain my brain to do it properly. Once I found I was getting lazy, I would stop and walk for a bit, then resume running. I was doing something every day barefoot and I made sure I went everywhere, except work, barefoot.

By the third week I was doing 5k every 3 or 4 days barefoot. Bitumen seemed easier than concrete. I stuck mostly to grass still though. I'd just run beside the footpaths on the grass.

At this stage I still wore shoes (Frees) when I raced at my club as it was cross country, and I was worried people would laugh at me. Turned out I was right about that. The shoes seemed hot and heavy even at this early stage. At club I was only racing 3.4km handicap race. I went from 22minutes down to 17 mins in a few months.

Each time I finished I’d soak my feet in water and bath stuff for about ½ hour, pick out the glass, splinters, prickles etc and then put nurofen gel on ANYTHING that hurt. I massaged my feet every day and calves as much as I could. I did this for about a month, until my feet got hard and didn’t need it anymore. I also stretched religiously. Calves, Achilles and arches. I would do it about 10 times a day. I should do it more now, but I’m lazy. Actually squatting on the ground and resting, gently, on your heels is a great stretch for the whole calf/achilles/arch. Lean your elbows on your knees and push forward gently to get a massive achilles/calf stretch. Not socially acceptable, but very comfortable.
One thing I noticed was that my calves were like rocks. When I first started I was a bit disappointed as I thought I’d traded one lot of injuries for another lot. After about 3-4 weeks my calves were so tight I was in a lot of pain. I went to a good remedial massage therapist and told her my story. She was amused, but not discouraging. She gave me the massage from hell but told me my muscles were well hydrated and certainly not damaged from the unusual activity. My physio backed this up when I also went to see her, just to make sure I was getting good advice.

Another problem is toes. My second toe on each foot felt like it was broken. This happened after the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon. The first joint of each toe was swollen and painful. I kept running. It seemed to get better with time, though they hurt to bend for about 3 months. I think it is just your feet getting used to working again. Those joints are where the first pressure of each foot strike is borne. I think I was landing too far forward as well, so I have adjusted to a more mid foot strike. Even now this is where I will hurt, if at all. It doesn’t last long these days, just an overnight type thing.

Feet swelling. Here’s a pretty one. I first noticed this doing Woodford to Glenbrook trail run in Vibram Five Fingers. My feet had no idea about rocks and this was 25k of rocks. My feet were bruised, swollen and in pain. I sat with ice packs under my feet and used nurofen gel. It took about 3 days for them to be normal again. This has also subsided with time, and now I don’t get too much swelling. Great North Walk 100's was about 24hrs of swelling, but not much pain.

I asked Max (a fellow barefooter) about both these issues (‘broken’ toes and swelling). He confirmed that he experienced both of them, but that they got better as your feet got stronger. So I carried on.

But I digress….. back to the other bit….

At this stage (about 6 weeks into barefoot) I had a 24 week beginner program leading into the marathon on July 30, so I did 95% of it barefoot.

It was an ‘easy week, then hard week’ program. So eg: 25, 40, 28, 45, 30, 50 etc. Those are k/week, 5 days a week running. My longest run during that program was 35k but I had to do it in Frees, as it was just too cold for barefoot.

My first goal was Sydney Morning Herald Half in May, which fit into my program. Previous years I had run only 2 halves, one took me 2hr45, the other 2hr38. Both of those hurt so much that I cried running at times. Hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, tendon pain. I ran the SMH in 2h08 (30 min PB), barefoot, with NO pain. I cried at the end I was so happy.

Wearing shoes, I could barely ever run under 7min/km. 10k times were about 70-75. 5k was 31mins if I flogged myself and didn’t walk for 3 days after. I know a lot of people will say it was fitness, but I know it was pain. I had tried to do programs before, but I couldn’t do more than 10k without needing a week off after. 4 City to surfs, all around 100mins… always painful.

Last year I did 5k in 26mins, 10k in 58, 21k in 2.08 and marathon (never mind the time) all barefoot.

Last year I did the C2S again, but time was the same, as I ran with my girls. It didn’t hurt though. The marathon (July) I did the first 12k in vibrams, then switched to bare feet. I run faster with no shoes, though I admit I’m never FAST.
I once suffered a recurrence of the old tendonitis injury, about 10 days out from the marathon. Rest rest rest, ice, massage, nurofen and it was good in 4-5 days. I feel it twinge from time to time, so I take extra care with foot placement.

Going up lots of hills, eg 6 Foot, GNW means your calves take a beating. Your heel has to reach so much further to touch the ground, due to no heel support. I try to stretch extra during those type of runs.

2007 saw me do 2 marathons, a stack of HM’s, 10km races, Trailwalker, GNW, Fat ass runs etc. Before this I could only do the City 2 Surf and one HM each year, then I needed 2 months injury recovery. I used to go to physio 2 times a week and get taped up before any 10k + runs. Now I go to say hi to her and tell her where I ran last. I still pop in for a massage if I’m doing a few huge weeks in a row.

Another bonus to barefoot: no blisters. Long events where your feet are wet mean blisters, but the skin on my feet is too hard to blister. It just peels off… gross but not painful. On trailwalker I just scraped some skin off, put my Frees back on and kept moving. I got one blister in the last 4 hours, between my toes, when I decided (stupidly) to wear some socks. No room to move my toes and my feet got all hot.

I won’t go back to wearing shoes for running or walking. I will wear something in the bush to stop sticks and stones breaking the skin and also because night is dangerous without something on your feet. Vibrams will do me I think. They are so versatile. Today I just stepped on the heel bit and ran with ‘slippers’. Rocks and dirt got in a bit, but I only stopped twice to pick a rock out. They felt so good I might do that every time! Also I had to grip with toes going up really steep sections, but that just meant better traction and less chance of tripping.

I will not worry about all the naysayers who tell me my feet and legs and hips and back will be ruined by not wearing shoes. 12 months uninjured is good enough proof for me. I’m convinced I’m doing my body a favour by leaving the shoes behind. The most I’ll come at is Frees if absolutely required. I’m also prepared to not get upset when people laugh at me, call me a freak or tell me I’m just plain wrong.

I agree, nod and go running.

Six Foot Track Walk 08

2008-02-12T14:35:00.000+11:00

After years of reading and hearing about it, I decided to do it the easy way! 2 days on the track, camping in the middle at Alum River. The running club we belong to takes a group out each year on Australia Day long weekend.

Both my girls (11 and 13) had worked hard and run harder to prove their ability to slog it out for 45k over 2 days, and I was thrilled they wanted to come. They had 2 friends with them, so a group of 4 younguns formed for the weekend.

Happy that the kids were walking safely with others, I ran from the start to Alum River, then back to meet the kids and run into camp with them. This gave me a total of 30km for the first day on the track. I had intended to run the second day as well, but opted to walk the whole way with my girls. I'm glad I did, it was a great experience to share with them and something we'll talk about for years.

I went out on a limb on this occasion and wore the Vibram Five Fingers on the track. It was wet, slippery, rocky, harsh trail, with lots of river and creek crossings. The vibrams did well, and my feet were fine after 30k, though it was COLD putting the wet rubber shoes on my bare feet in the early hours of Sunday morning! By about 15km on the second day, I'd had enough of shoes, so wore thongs for the remaining sections. This leaves me undecided about the 6foot race in March.... Free's or Vibram's?? And will I make the cutoff for the race??

This weekend was one of the most enjoyable times I've spent in many years. Having my daughters out there with me, talking as we walked, seeing the incredible sights in this magnificent part of Australia...doesn't get any better than this.

Otford 2 Bundeena 07

2007-12-04T16:17:00.000+11:00

It has already occurred to me from the title of my post, that I think I might be running trails for a few years. I am still on a high, though I'm sore and have now got a killer dose of the flu.

The morning started at 5, when I was picked up by a good friend and often running buddy, Maurice. We drove to Sutherland station and caught the train down to Otford with some like-minded crazy folk.

The walk out from the station to the start line scared me! I was puffing up the hill wondering if I had made a serious mistake. (Funny, but it wouldn't be the first time).

The start area was crowded! Apparently over 90 people started, huge for a Fat Ass run. The first few km were slow walking mostly on uphill trails, as the faster runners made their way through. I get so excited at the start of a trail run, the smell of the bush air, and the dirt tracks reminds me of being a kid.

Plodded along happily for most of the run, the vibram sprints working like a charm, until I kicked a rock with my big toe. That hurt... be more careful. About 5 minutes later, same toe, different rock. OWWWW PLEASE be more careful. Apart from my laziness in not lifting my feet, I really loved the whole run in the vibrams. The run included dirt, rocks, grass flats, gravel, metal grating, sand, surf and road surfaces; all of which were fantastic. I ran through the water and surf at every chance, keeping my feet cool the whole time.

There were some steep uphill climbs and lovely downhill stretches, and I realised by the end that I am getting fitter. I still have a long way to go, but I think I might be able to do a whole lot more longer bush runs now that I have the shoe thing worked out.

Came across a couple of snakes out there today, it's been a while since I've seen such a huge black snake, but it sure made me run faster for a couple of km, with a massive adrenaline surge! I managed to step on a small green snake too (sorry) sunning itself on the path. I think my 'shoes' are so soft that I don't make the usual amount of noise to frighten them off the path... not sure but it sounds ok for now.

The end was wonderful, a nice cheer from all those finished and a chat with some friends, while waiting for the ferry to take us home.

I've learned some things today. Firstly I can go for a long run without needing to eat. I had a couple of lollies (3 snakes) over a 4.5 hour run and felt great. I wasn't hungry at the end and I got the fluids right too. Maybe, just maybe I can do some 100k runs next year ....

SMC November

2007-11-19T14:55:00.000+11:00

It's almost CR SMC these days! I love going out here each month to catch up with everyone. I wish I could run faster, so I could chat to more people at the end.

Saw Belinda, Horrie and Tim before the start, as well as Johny Dark, Space Cowboy and others. Intoduced myself to Whippet gal at the start line, after double checking to make sure it was indeed her!

Caught up with Spud and sailaway briefly before the gun went off. There seemed to be so many in the half today, which is great for the series. It did mean however, more people to beat me to the line!! Caught up briefly with Blue Dog during and after the race. He was taking some photos out on the course, and as luck would have it, snapped me staggering up a hill. Shame I wasn't looking my usual 'magazine model' self ;)

Every second person passing me/lapping me seemed to be someone I know, which was great. What a fabulous community this is.

I came an inglorious last today. I started off ok, but by 10km I was feeling pretty shocking. The 75k from last weekend was biting me on the arse, unlike others who seem to be able to do this type of thing constantly! I guess I'll improve with time. Space Cowboy caught up with me before 2km, and very kindly ran/walked with me to the end. You are indeed a gracious person and a good friend.

By about 12/13k my knees began to protest the notion of holding me upright. I guess it was all the downhill pounding last weekend, but I'm not good at knowing when to throw the towel in, so carried on. Even when the SES guys offered me a lift with about 1km to go.... they don't understand about DNF I guess.

Finished feeling a bit less than brilliant, I don't think the sports drink agrees with me, but after some watermelon all returned to normal.

Both my girls ran today with Alana in the 5k and Sara in the 10k, having done 10k last weekend at Fishers Ghost. I am so proud of both of them. Sara is taking to the challenge of the longer races with enthusiasm and drive (and she tells me she wasn't last today hehehe) so she beat me. Two of the other competitors 'ran her' to the finish line when she was tiring, which was really awesome, she appreciated it a lot.

Awesome Race - Awesome People!

2007-11-12T17:16:00.000+11:00

Nov 10-11 2007

What an incredible weekend! I have met some of the most talented and insane people you could ever hope to come across. People who run 100km, or 100miles and can still walk afterwards. Some of the most humble and unassuming athletes this country has to offer.

Tim asked me a while ago if I'd like to pace for him for the last 75km of the 100mile GNW. I've been reading about these type of runs for years, so I jumped at the opportunity. Scared that I wouldn't be able to keep up, let alone be a help to him, I trained more than ever and still I have so far to go.

I decided to go with the tried and tested old Nike Frees for this run, which proved perfect. I have no injuries and no blisters. If these shoes ever wear out, I'm in big trouble! Today I have totally trashed quads, but the rest of me is fine, meaning I must be getting fitter as the months roll by.

I waited at Yarramalong for a few hours as the finishers for the 100k race came in and the runners in the 100mile race came and went. It was amazing to watch... people who looked like they'd taken a walk in the park and others who looked like a truck had hit them.

Around 12ish Tim came in with Andrew (Whippet Man) and an American guy named Phil. They had a quick stop to refuel and we were off. It was great walking out into the dark, hearing the stories of the last 100km, knowing another 75k lay ahead. I admit to being slightly relieved when we walked for a while, as the first bit was mighty steep. The rest of it was a piece of cake...

Actually it was remarkably tough for the whole course. Tim was having trouble with his feet but just kept on going and going and going. Phil had some asthma issues, but managed it well. I got to know these 3 guys so well in the next 16 hours, all tremendous athletes and great guys.

We met up with a number of other Cool Runners and ended up with Ray (Eagle) as part of the group for most of the latter stages. So it was the 4 bald men and 1 blonde chick. We ran, walked, ran, walked ran some more. It was a much faster pace than I had anticipated and began to worry a little that I would slow them down. I decided that if I was lagging behind I'd pull out at one of the checkpoints, but I managed to stay with them til the end.

I loved the technical downhill runs and the uphills, but I struggle mostly on the flats where the pace was a little fast for my ability. Nothing like the notion of being lost in the bush on your own to make you see how far you can really push your body!!

We covered 75k in 15.56, much faster than I expected, but everyone in our group finished well. In August we did 100km in 35 hours, so this was a blinding pace for me! This race was trailwalker on steroids! Pain became a new friend after 60odd km, when my shin started to cramp going dowhill and my hip ached going uphill. But to complain in front of 4 men who had done 100k more than me would have been rude and pathetic. I realised at one stage that my longest run to date had been 42k, so this set a new benchmark for me.

It is a truly awe inspiring moment watching the runners cross the line after 175km... I cried. Next year I want it to be me crossing that line. I thought a lot about the finish today, and I cried a bit more (or was that when I tried to bend my legs???) For me this race crosses over from the physical and mental to a place where it touches your soul.

At this point I must thank Tim. Thank you for inviting me along, for believing that I could do it, and for the fabulous sense of humour you shared along the way. I have been reading for years about Tim and others doing Fat Ass runs and ultra runs and I have wanted to just meet them for so long. To run with Tim on the GNW has been the highlight of my running 'life' so far. To have run with Whippet Man and eagle as well.... priceless.

Watch this space same time next year to see if there is a longer post about my own attempt at this craziness......

Fitzroy Falls Oct 07

2007-10-14T19:29:00.000+10:00

What a great day. I know I say that every time, but I love being able to get out and run for a few hours. Another marathon post about a marathon, so be warned......

Got a lift to the start line with a guy from Westies who has run over 80 marathons/ultras and heard some amazing stories on the trip down at 5am. We managed to get a 7am start (well Vic did, and helped me out there as well).

Decided on using the Nike Frees for today, as the Vibrams rub my heel badly after about 10-15k. About 10 or so started at 7am, and it was very very cool! In fact I had earache for the first few km due to the cold breeze. The start had me full of confidence for a 5.30 finish and an automatic qualifier for Six Foot 2008.

This kept up for about the first 15km when my back started to hurt a lot. I was concerned about hydration as I'd not felt that type of pain before. Then my hips began to hurt, as did my knees. This was more familiar territory now....Vic then summed it up "Are you sure it's not those shoes? You're not used to running in them". Bugger!! My whole 'line' was thrown out but on the trail I couldn't have run without something on my feet. I took them off for a couple of km, which eased up the back pain for a while, but then they had to go back on

At about 35k I felt that the 5.30 time was going to be a bit of problem, but Vic remained confident. He had run with me the whole way, and pushed me along patiently. I owe him a lot, as he gave up his chance at a good race time to stay with me. Walked the uphills and ran/shuffled the downs and flats. The 5.30 time went past at about 41km, and I admit to crying just a little. So close and yet so far.

I decided then that I might as well go as hard as I could, and get as close as possible to the magic mark. 5.37 it was. Disappointed but at the same time elated. Without Vic I wouldn't have done that well and it is only my second marathon.

Next task is to find SOMETHING I can run trails in Today my muscles feel good but my joints are shot. Haven't had that type of pain since before I took my shoes off about 12 months ago. I wondered why Trailwalker was ok in the Frees, but I think that was because it was mainly walking, not running. Still I know that all will be fine again in 48 hours or so.

So many CR's out on the trail and at the finish line, it was great to catch up with them and meet some new people. Hey PrinceOpera/???.... WELL DONE!! I knew you could do it. Now to train for Six Foot.

So cool to finally meet you Tim. Nice medal for the 5year club too. See you next month at some other crazy run!!

My strange coincidence for the day... 2nd marathon... second time handed Bib # 62! My last thought for this day. It occured to me as I staggered across the finish line.... where are the Falls????

Trailwalker August 07

2007-08-31T19:37:00.000+10:00

NOT BAREFOOT!! (though parts of it I was tempted)

This would rate as the most incredible thing I've done. Truly spectacular bushland, tough trails, rain, mud... Doesn't get any better than this.

Our running club (Western District Joggers and Harriers) had 2 teams entered, and we mostly stayed together as we were sharing a support crew. Starting out I must admit I was mildly terrified, having never tried my body over this type of distance or terrain.

The first few checkpoints went by without much fuss, and we managed to avoid most of the rain. Our crew were awesome, having everything ready for us as we came into each rest stop. Hot food, doughnuts, drinks, lollies... fill up and move on.

The last 3 sections of the course were incredibly tough, with thousands of rock stairs and seemingly endless uphill sections. One of my team members summed it up profoundly with his theory of relativity "For every up, there is a down, and then another up".

The night walking/running was fun, and time seemed to fly by. Having the company of and odd bits of conversation with team members made for an enjoyable couple of days.

Having been running for so long barefoot prior to this event, I managed to avoid any blisters, as the skin on my feet was just too hard. I'm grateful for it now, though it wasn't planned. I wore Nike Frees for the whole trail, and ditched the socks after about half way, as I felt they were starting to squeeze my toes up too much.

Bring on 2008, I just can't wait to do it all again! The most fun I've had, the most challenging physically and mentally and the most rewarding experience. Twelve months ago, even a 10km left me hurting and tired, and now to finish this in good spirits was just a huge thrill for me.

First marathon July 07

2007-08-02T20:00:00.000+10:00

Wow, what a day! I thought I'd wait a couple of day before writing about how I feel, so the high would wear off. It hasn't so far, so here's the whole story, mostly for my benefit...

It was freezing at the start, gloves long shirts and woolly hats a-plenty. My feet were frozen before I started, even though I had the Vibrams on. Fell into a good rythm at a comfortable pace right from the start, determined not to try to keep up with everyone else, but to do my own thing. With only 130 odd runners, this meant I was soon running pretty much on my own, with only a handful of runners behind me.

It stayed this way for most of the run, which is how I imagined it. Having said that, it was a very lonely marathon to do as a first timer. My wonderful family and friends drove up the motorway to meet me a certain points along the way and other friends from running club popped up here and there to cheer me on, which was a welcome break from the quietness of my own thoughts.

I felt great and ran well up to about 31km, when the stomach/abdominal cramps started. My body playing tricks on me because I was so nervous before the start that my usual 'routine' for such things just wouldnt happen!! I walked/hobbled to the nearest portaloo, which resulted in a huge 'weight off my mind' and a return to comfortable running, albeit at a much reduced pace. I found I just couldn't up the pace at this point.

My knee then became a bit dodgy and hurt on and off through to the end. I ditched the Vibrams at around 12km when the ground became warm enough for barefeet. This saw a much faster pace, as I finally felt like I was running properly. It also helped to amuse the volunteers at the drink stations... "Did you get mugged out there lady?"... "Did you forget your shoes this morning?" .... "Are you insane??"..... "You'll be sorry at the other end".

It was a huge thrill for me to be in the same run as the original Sydney barefoot runner, "barefoot" himself, Steve Mifsud. He inspired me to try running this way, and to have a like minded person out there was a boost for my confidence.

I finished in 5.19.xx, which in some ways was a slight disappointment, as I thought I was capable of about 4.45, but I have decades to improve on that time. More importantly, it was fun.

In all, it was easy to see where I can improve for next time. The last 8-10k were hard work, but still not horrible or overwhelming, so that was a huge positive. I wanted to finish enjoying it, and wanting to do another. Tick both of those.

So many people encouraged me when I set out to achieve this, and I'm grateful to the running community in general for supporting the slower amongst us... its such a buzz to run with the top guys and girls. Bring on the next one I say!

I'm doing City to surf and Trailwalker next month. The first will a slow barefoot run with both daughters in tow, and the second... NOT barefoot (my team isn't keen on that idea) and no kids. Then if I pull up ok from that, I'll be mighty tempted to have a go at the Sydney marathon in September. Am I crazy?

New to Blogging

2007-06-03T14:54:00.000+10:00

Well here goes.... I've read lots of blogs and I'm inspired! Both in terms of everyones stories and also to track my own progress via this medium. I'm starting this a bit late, as my first marathon rolls around in about 2.5 weeks!!

I plan to run the Cities M7 and finish without crawling. This has been a huge feat for me, as the last few years have seen me not be able to compete in more than a half marathon a year due to constant injury. Running in pain is demoralising (no secret there) but this year has been amazing!!

I joined 2 clubs, Western District Joggers and Harriers and Bankstown Sports and have had nothing but encouragement from all involved at these places. Last year, when thinking about a marathon, I decided to do some reading about the injuries I had and how to deal with them. This lead to me to some research on barefoot running. Nothing else was working (motion control shoes, orthotics and taping constantly by the physio) so I kicked my shoes off and gave it a shot.

More research and hours of testing, with the result being a total change in my running style and no pain! The feeling of running without anything between my feet and ground is great, so I choose now, wherever possible to run without shoes.

I have run 85% of my training km's for the marathon completely barefoot, though a few runs have been in the newly acquired Vibram Fivefingers. Awesome footwear for the trails or these cold mornings.

So far this year I've completed the SMC Series 5km, SMH Half, Woodford to Glenbrook, NSW Cross Country and Road race series as a member of Bankstown club, and the 3.4km handicap series at WDJH. Also did my very first Fat Ass run in Heathcote (I wore shoes for that one)I wasn't sure I'd get this far and feel this good, so although it's not the true beginning, it seemed like a good time to start this record of what I do.

Forgive my long winded first attempt here, but it's been good to put these thoughts in black and white. I feel a bit more like a real runner now .