As mentioned previously, I decided to enter the Melbourne Marathon this year. I ran the Run for the Kids and the Great Train Race (Puffing Billy) back in April, but hadn't done much running until about June when I thought I would actually give it a go. I tracked down some Marathon programs from the bro and settled on a 16 week program. My plan was to do as much of the program as possible alongside my bike riding, as I was committed to doing a couple of MTB Enduro's in July and August. I would train till the end of July, see how I was travelling, and then enter before the early bird entries closed. Apart from the few days before and after the July enduro, I pretty much stuck to plan, and completed usually 4 of the 5 running days per week, usually missing the speedwork session and officially entered on the 31st July.
August was travelling pretty much the same. The enduro was mid August, and I had a few days off before and after the enduro. With the last enduro out of the way, it was full steam ahead with the running. I had read and been told the long sunday runs were not too be missed. I was a bit worried about these as I would be doing distances I had never run before. I found I could get through these well aerobically, but I was starting to get some weird pain in my right foot.
I kept persisting with the long runs, mid week runs and pain, until a few days in a row of stepping out of bed to get a sharp pain through the base of my foot, it was time to see someone. The Physio said it was Plantar Fasciitis and it was good I had seen him this early. I was given a different type of calf stretch to do, self massage of my foot with a golf ball, and I had my foot taped. It was also recommended I get some insert orthotics to help with toe flexibilty and also look at getting a new pair of runners.
With all this, the pain was still there but I was getting through the runs. My next long run, my first 32k run, I got through most of it OK, but at around 28k, I felt this weird twinge in my foot. I immediately thought 'Thats not good', and moved onto running on the grass. I thought I should have stopped, but the softer grass seemed OK, so I kept going. My foot felt really unstable and was tingling, but it didn't impede me, so I continued. At around 1k left in my run, I felt another twinge. Again, I thought I should stop, but also, it didn't seem to affect me so I finished the run at 32ks. When I got home I iced my foot a few times.
The next week was a lighter week, which was timely as I didn't know how I would go after my first 32k run and foot issues. My inserts came this week, and I picked up a new pair of runners as well. I misunderstood the physio and did my next two weekend runs with the inserts in. They caused quite a bit of pain through the more pronounced arch area, but I managed to get through, the long run being 19k that weekend. I also kept my runs to gravel trails and edge of roads to give myself extra cushioning.
Once I pulled the inserts out and only used them for work shoes, I was back to the new runners on their own. The mid week runs were still painful to start with, then the pain progressively eased, I was never truely comfortable.
The next thing that started happening was a new pain in my left foot, and I thought my left foot was hitting the ground harder. I could hear a louder slap. OK, so I'm overcompensating now and throwing my gait totally out. This pain was so bad it took over from whatever I felt from my original bad right foot. I kept up the calf stretching and self foot massage, and tried to run as naturally as possible and to stop thinking about it so much. The pain continued. It was getting to a couple of weeks out from the big day when Jo ran with me one night. She noticed I was running differently, sort of dragging, nearly scuffing my feet. I was that out of whack from the gait altering foot injuries, that I was starting to do the Cliff Young shuffle. I then tried to run more upright with more spring in my step, and in doing so, immediately felt less pain in my left foot.
So during the last couple of weeks, in trying not to think about my gait, I still had to think about running upright with spring. As the weeks played out, I noticed I could get through without the same level of pain. I noticed my right foot was a lot better, but still felt like there was soft tissue pain, the left foot pain had also eased. Tapering during these two weeks would also have helped. It wasn't until the tuesday night before the marathon that I ran my regular 5.5k block that I noticed I actually had some strength in the legs, I punched up the short climbs with ease, and my new runners felt good. Maybe all this training has done something after all. I had been distracted by the injuries to even know how I was travelling. The motivation for the marathon had dived during the worst stages of the foot injury problem and all I wanted to do was get back out on the bike.
I still had some doubts as to how the foot would go over 42.2k, but I did have some fitness there, so it was a matter of wait and see.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Chase the Sun 3
There was a gap of nearly 2 months between Round 2 and 3 of the Chase the Sun MTB series, and in the heart of Winter, this was not optimal for a good preparation for round 3. Lots of excuses not to train, either too wet, too cold, too windy, too tired, all the excuses in the book. I also added a new excuse to the list 'training for the Melbourne Marathon'. I decided at the end of June that I would enter the Melbourne Marathon this year. After listening to some old marathon war stories from my uncle and my former junior footy coach, I felt left out! I wanted to create my own war story. This idea had been floating with me since November last year when the said war stories were being re-told, so I had done a couple of races earlier this year with the thought that they would be the start of a slow build up to October. I ran the Run for the Kids and the Great Train Race, and felt pretty good with how I went. I had the Run Melbourne half marathon in my sights next, but ditched it so I could watch Ez at her first dance competition. I did a couple of the Run Melbourne tuesday night training runs anyway, as I thought, when I do commit to this, I want to start with something in the legs. So at about the time Run Melbourne was run, I sourced some marathon training programs from the bro and worked out a plan. I started training with 16 weeks to go.
I worked out it is much easier to head out for a run than it is to ride. It didn't matter if it was raining either. Just throw the runners on, shorts and shirt, do the run and your back in 30mins! Well for the short runs anyway. Stretch well, and you're good to go for the next day.
I didn't not ride during that time though. One day on the weekly program said to cross train. So I used that option to the fullest. Even moving the program back a day so the cross training day fell on a sunday. I also did the odd MTB ride mid week, and the odd road ride, but overall, I didn't feel overly prepared for round 3 which was a 6hr Enduro.
In the week prior to the race, the overall series results were posted. I was coming 3rd in the Mens Solo category. Although happy to be in this place, I realized I should be trying to defend this position, and was thinking about all the lack of riding I had been doing. I did the right thing and backed off the running in the 3 days prior to the race, and sort of hoped that 6 hours riding will be similar to doing my weekend 'long' run with regard to my marathon prep.
Number 3 plate
The forecast was looking a bit shaky in the lead up to the race, but come race day, there had been enough wind to dry out the course, and it was in pretty good nick. The start was back at the Comm Games area, so it began with the usual prologue hot lap of about 1km before starting on the course. I tried to stay at the pointy end during the prologue, and this paid off as I had clear track, finding a nice position behind the guns, but ahead of the rest. I'm not sure why, but I maintained the high pace for the whole of lap 1, the HR was well over threshold and I ended up not drinking too much on this lap. This was not sustainable for 6 hours, so I settled into more of a reasonable pace from that point on and started drinking more. Although maintaining good fluid intake over the next few laps, I started to feel a bit shabby on the tough Cloverdale Track climb, and felt the signs of cramp! This was early in the race for cramp, but I maintained the fluids and had some gels and kept on going.
Around lap 4 or 5, I started on the sandwiches. This was the start of some more serious problems. I had half a sandwich in one hand while traveling over some rough terrain, when I went to eat it on some smoother track, I noticed I was just holding the crust of a corner. Not good! This happened 2 laps in a row. So by lap 6, I started creeping. I had a couple in my category pass me, but I had nothing to give. My gut was crook and that damn Cloverdale Track climb had me on the edge of cramping. I noticed the lead solo woman coming up from behind. This gave me some extra incentive to ride faster for a while, but eventually, she passed me as well. I stopped for a bit in transition, then started lap 7. This was pretty much the same as lap 6, riding with no pace, close to cramping again and not enjoying it at all. I decided I would call it a day.
As I was approaching transition, Erin was leaning over the barricade screaming 'Go Dad!'. Oh, this is not good. In transition I stepped off the bike and said to Jo, I've had enough. I felt like crap, back was aching, motivation gone. She tried to give me a banana to eat, but I didn't want it. Then Erin grabbed the banana and put it in my mouth. I took a bite. It was good! She forced me to have more. It was great. I loved that banana! 4 solo riders went through transition while I was standing there. I said to Jo, look, there's no point in going on, I just lost all those spots. Jo said I was coming 7th as of a couple of laps ago. I wasn't sure she was serious, but she said I should keep going. I decided I would do one more lap, then at least I would have ridden close to 6 hours and the result wouldn't be too bad.
So I set off on lap 8 after a few minutes pit stop, and tried to catch the guys that went through in front of me. Surprisingly, I had some zing back in the legs, and I felt good again! I caught and passed all the guys that passed me in transition, although 1 of them stayed with me over the climbs and down to transition again. I thought that I can't give this guy an easy spot, and as I was feeling better, I decided to do another lap. This lap would take the duration over 6 hours, so it was to be the last. The other guy stayed behind me for about 2 thirds of the lap, when I noticed another solo rider overtake him. This was just prior to the last time up the Games course climb. Although I did feel better, I wasn't exactly as fresh as lap one, and this new guy was slowly pegging me back on the climb. I just thought I needed to stay in front of him by the top and hopefully he doesn't descend so well. It was a matter of a few metres, but I just crested the climb in front of him. No time for a drink here, time to fly. Whether it was a bit of local knowledge or just determination at this point, I gapped him on the long straight section before the berms. At the berms I took it a bit more cautiously and he gained on me again, but by the bottom and over the boardwalks, I was still going OK. I got through the 2 rocky switchback climbs without error and started putting the power down leading into the final descent. My hardtail was bouncing all over the shop down here, but I made the final corner and started powering up to the finish. I finished in front of him by about 30 secs in the end and my race was done.
I ended up in 6th place. This was very pleasing considering I had called it a day a couple of laps earlier. The girls cheering me on and Jo's support in transition certainly helped me get a good result. I'm not sure where I stand in the series points now, but with a 6th place, I am probably close to the top 3 still due to a few different riders racing this round.
There's only 3 weeks till the last round. I will attempt to do a few more bike k's in this period so that I'm a bit better prepared.
Coming out of transition
Transition
Jo with food/drink
I worked out it is much easier to head out for a run than it is to ride. It didn't matter if it was raining either. Just throw the runners on, shorts and shirt, do the run and your back in 30mins! Well for the short runs anyway. Stretch well, and you're good to go for the next day.
I didn't not ride during that time though. One day on the weekly program said to cross train. So I used that option to the fullest. Even moving the program back a day so the cross training day fell on a sunday. I also did the odd MTB ride mid week, and the odd road ride, but overall, I didn't feel overly prepared for round 3 which was a 6hr Enduro.
In the week prior to the race, the overall series results were posted. I was coming 3rd in the Mens Solo category. Although happy to be in this place, I realized I should be trying to defend this position, and was thinking about all the lack of riding I had been doing. I did the right thing and backed off the running in the 3 days prior to the race, and sort of hoped that 6 hours riding will be similar to doing my weekend 'long' run with regard to my marathon prep.
Number 3 plate
The forecast was looking a bit shaky in the lead up to the race, but come race day, there had been enough wind to dry out the course, and it was in pretty good nick. The start was back at the Comm Games area, so it began with the usual prologue hot lap of about 1km before starting on the course. I tried to stay at the pointy end during the prologue, and this paid off as I had clear track, finding a nice position behind the guns, but ahead of the rest. I'm not sure why, but I maintained the high pace for the whole of lap 1, the HR was well over threshold and I ended up not drinking too much on this lap. This was not sustainable for 6 hours, so I settled into more of a reasonable pace from that point on and started drinking more. Although maintaining good fluid intake over the next few laps, I started to feel a bit shabby on the tough Cloverdale Track climb, and felt the signs of cramp! This was early in the race for cramp, but I maintained the fluids and had some gels and kept on going.
Around lap 4 or 5, I started on the sandwiches. This was the start of some more serious problems. I had half a sandwich in one hand while traveling over some rough terrain, when I went to eat it on some smoother track, I noticed I was just holding the crust of a corner. Not good! This happened 2 laps in a row. So by lap 6, I started creeping. I had a couple in my category pass me, but I had nothing to give. My gut was crook and that damn Cloverdale Track climb had me on the edge of cramping. I noticed the lead solo woman coming up from behind. This gave me some extra incentive to ride faster for a while, but eventually, she passed me as well. I stopped for a bit in transition, then started lap 7. This was pretty much the same as lap 6, riding with no pace, close to cramping again and not enjoying it at all. I decided I would call it a day.
As I was approaching transition, Erin was leaning over the barricade screaming 'Go Dad!'. Oh, this is not good. In transition I stepped off the bike and said to Jo, I've had enough. I felt like crap, back was aching, motivation gone. She tried to give me a banana to eat, but I didn't want it. Then Erin grabbed the banana and put it in my mouth. I took a bite. It was good! She forced me to have more. It was great. I loved that banana! 4 solo riders went through transition while I was standing there. I said to Jo, look, there's no point in going on, I just lost all those spots. Jo said I was coming 7th as of a couple of laps ago. I wasn't sure she was serious, but she said I should keep going. I decided I would do one more lap, then at least I would have ridden close to 6 hours and the result wouldn't be too bad.
So I set off on lap 8 after a few minutes pit stop, and tried to catch the guys that went through in front of me. Surprisingly, I had some zing back in the legs, and I felt good again! I caught and passed all the guys that passed me in transition, although 1 of them stayed with me over the climbs and down to transition again. I thought that I can't give this guy an easy spot, and as I was feeling better, I decided to do another lap. This lap would take the duration over 6 hours, so it was to be the last. The other guy stayed behind me for about 2 thirds of the lap, when I noticed another solo rider overtake him. This was just prior to the last time up the Games course climb. Although I did feel better, I wasn't exactly as fresh as lap one, and this new guy was slowly pegging me back on the climb. I just thought I needed to stay in front of him by the top and hopefully he doesn't descend so well. It was a matter of a few metres, but I just crested the climb in front of him. No time for a drink here, time to fly. Whether it was a bit of local knowledge or just determination at this point, I gapped him on the long straight section before the berms. At the berms I took it a bit more cautiously and he gained on me again, but by the bottom and over the boardwalks, I was still going OK. I got through the 2 rocky switchback climbs without error and started putting the power down leading into the final descent. My hardtail was bouncing all over the shop down here, but I made the final corner and started powering up to the finish. I finished in front of him by about 30 secs in the end and my race was done.
I ended up in 6th place. This was very pleasing considering I had called it a day a couple of laps earlier. The girls cheering me on and Jo's support in transition certainly helped me get a good result. I'm not sure where I stand in the series points now, but with a 6th place, I am probably close to the top 3 still due to a few different riders racing this round.
There's only 3 weeks till the last round. I will attempt to do a few more bike k's in this period so that I'm a bit better prepared.
Coming out of transition
Transition
Jo with food/drink
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Chase the Sun 2
Round 2 of Chase the Sun was a sensational day at Lysterfield. It was a little cold and foggy in the morning, but as the day went on, the fog cleared, the sun came out and conditions were prime!
This round was a sellout, which meant there was about 85 entries in the Mens Solo category. Even though I podium'd in round 1, I knew with more competition, I would need to reset my expectations. I aimed for a top 10.
The transition area was on the Lake side of the course around the Trailmix shop. We were directed to start below the dam wall on one of the access roads. This was a bit of a tricky start as it wasn't that easy to find a position near the front like at the Comm Games transition area. Once the gun went, we took off for a quick loop over and across the dam wall before hitting the first bit of single track. I tried to move up as many positions as possible here, while there was space. Once hitting the start of the course, it was a matter of being patient while heading up the first climb. In some ways it is good to be held back (from going too fast) while doing a solo, so I pace myself better, but I still like to have a clear track in front of me if I think the pace is a bit too slow, so I am looking to pass most of the time.
The course was mostly the reverse of the normal direction you would travel at Lysterfield, it had a few fire trail parts to link up different sections, and also a new section of trail I had never ridden on that was very tight and twisty. A friend of mine calls this section the 'Kitchen', because it is like trying to ride your bike around the kitchen! Overall, the reverse direction and new sections meant the course was interesting enough to not be too boring for the 5 hrs.
I had no idea where I was position wise for most of the day. I kept forgetting to ask at transition. I never passed any solo cat riders, and none passed me. It might seem it was a boring day, but I had my own fun chasing down riders ahead of me, or just racing other riders in team categories over different sections, and backing it off when I thought I better take it easy. The sun and fast trails made it enjoyable riding.
Towards the end of lap 7, 2 of the Van der Ploeg boys came flying past. They were in the Pro Pairs category. As the lead riders overall, I was expecting a swag of other guns to start streaming past. This didn't happen. At 4h55m into the race, 5 mins remaining, I went through transition to start my last lap. I found out at this point I was 7th. Although I was happy to be 7th, I still had no idea if I was close enough to anyone ahead, or if someone was close behind.
Shortly into the first part of the course, I noticed a solo number behind me. OK, no taking it easy on the last lap! I kept up my speed and tried to maintain smooth riding, trying to ride as I had most of the day. About a third of the way around, my right quad cramped badly, with no warning. I couldn't pedal. I had to stop and get off and stretch, but that was difficult as it seemed every muscle in my leg was cramping. While attempting to stretch, I was taking note of the numbers as they went past, none were solo numbers, although one went past with the number obscured.
I managed to get back on and started riding - tentatively. I downed most of the electrolyte drink I had left, even though it was too late. I was mainly concerned with any rises in the trail for the rest of the lap, and didn't want to get out of the saddle as I still had that feeling that I was about to cramp at any moment. The more I kept getting through different parts, the more I thought I was going to make it. I got up the steep rise about 3k's from the finish and knew I was going to make it then. Down through the kitchen and the last part of singletrack, and I was finished!
It was 5h 40min of riding for me. Unfortunately, I did end up losing a position on the last lap and finished 8th, but overall, I had come inside top 10, so I met my goal. It was certainly a memorable day with the winter sun out and great track conditions, so I am keen to enter the next round which is a 6Hr race in July.
Thanks to Jo and the girls for being my support for the day, without which, I wouldn't have had such a good ride. Special thanks to Ez as it was her birthday and she decided to incorporate a fun day at Lysterfield with her friends with helping her Dad as well.
This round was a sellout, which meant there was about 85 entries in the Mens Solo category. Even though I podium'd in round 1, I knew with more competition, I would need to reset my expectations. I aimed for a top 10.
The transition area was on the Lake side of the course around the Trailmix shop. We were directed to start below the dam wall on one of the access roads. This was a bit of a tricky start as it wasn't that easy to find a position near the front like at the Comm Games transition area. Once the gun went, we took off for a quick loop over and across the dam wall before hitting the first bit of single track. I tried to move up as many positions as possible here, while there was space. Once hitting the start of the course, it was a matter of being patient while heading up the first climb. In some ways it is good to be held back (from going too fast) while doing a solo, so I pace myself better, but I still like to have a clear track in front of me if I think the pace is a bit too slow, so I am looking to pass most of the time.
The course was mostly the reverse of the normal direction you would travel at Lysterfield, it had a few fire trail parts to link up different sections, and also a new section of trail I had never ridden on that was very tight and twisty. A friend of mine calls this section the 'Kitchen', because it is like trying to ride your bike around the kitchen! Overall, the reverse direction and new sections meant the course was interesting enough to not be too boring for the 5 hrs.
I had no idea where I was position wise for most of the day. I kept forgetting to ask at transition. I never passed any solo cat riders, and none passed me. It might seem it was a boring day, but I had my own fun chasing down riders ahead of me, or just racing other riders in team categories over different sections, and backing it off when I thought I better take it easy. The sun and fast trails made it enjoyable riding.
Towards the end of lap 7, 2 of the Van der Ploeg boys came flying past. They were in the Pro Pairs category. As the lead riders overall, I was expecting a swag of other guns to start streaming past. This didn't happen. At 4h55m into the race, 5 mins remaining, I went through transition to start my last lap. I found out at this point I was 7th. Although I was happy to be 7th, I still had no idea if I was close enough to anyone ahead, or if someone was close behind.
Shortly into the first part of the course, I noticed a solo number behind me. OK, no taking it easy on the last lap! I kept up my speed and tried to maintain smooth riding, trying to ride as I had most of the day. About a third of the way around, my right quad cramped badly, with no warning. I couldn't pedal. I had to stop and get off and stretch, but that was difficult as it seemed every muscle in my leg was cramping. While attempting to stretch, I was taking note of the numbers as they went past, none were solo numbers, although one went past with the number obscured.
I managed to get back on and started riding - tentatively. I downed most of the electrolyte drink I had left, even though it was too late. I was mainly concerned with any rises in the trail for the rest of the lap, and didn't want to get out of the saddle as I still had that feeling that I was about to cramp at any moment. The more I kept getting through different parts, the more I thought I was going to make it. I got up the steep rise about 3k's from the finish and knew I was going to make it then. Down through the kitchen and the last part of singletrack, and I was finished!
It was 5h 40min of riding for me. Unfortunately, I did end up losing a position on the last lap and finished 8th, but overall, I had come inside top 10, so I met my goal. It was certainly a memorable day with the winter sun out and great track conditions, so I am keen to enter the next round which is a 6Hr race in July.
Thanks to Jo and the girls for being my support for the day, without which, I wouldn't have had such a good ride. Special thanks to Ez as it was her birthday and she decided to incorporate a fun day at Lysterfield with her friends with helping her Dad as well.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Chase the Sun #1
The first of the 4 race Enduro series run by Full Gas Promotions at Lysterfield was held on Sunday. In the lead up to the race, the long range forecast got worse each day. The day before predicted strong winds (including BOM wind warnings), rain showers and possible hail and thunder. This was going to be interesting, especially 8 hours solo.
On the Thursday prior, Jo, Ian, Tim and I did a lap of the course. It was a pretty good layout, using most of the main trails but in the reverse direction, and linked up with some fire trail sections so you can eat and drink.
Sunday morning was cold, windy and cloudy, but it was dry. We just got into the car park 1 hour before the start which showed it was a great turnout, even though the forecast was bleak. I hadn't done a lot of k's in the lead up due to the BMC last sunday, I think it was 2 MTB rides and a 50k roll on the saturday, but I was hoping, good knowledge of the trails and some form? from the BMC would help me get through. For this enduro, I had all the drink and food ready to roll, so I was better prepared than at Mt Beauty.
The start was a mass start, with a prologue lap before hitting the main course. I went hard early to keep ahead of the slower riders, and because of that, found lap 1 to be quite clear of riders. The guns were up the front, out of the way, and I had a nice comfortable spot probably about 10-20 back. I probably kept the initial speed a bit too high considering I had a long day ahead, but I also wanted to stay ahead of any riders whether they were solo or not!
Lap 2 saw a couple of fresh riders from the teams categories charge past, but that was cool, I tried to settle into a tempo, and to keep improving on the lines I was taking to be as smooth as possible. Towards the end of each lap, the course loops right back on itself and you can see the riders behind. I noticed one was a solo rider. He became my challenge. I knew I wasn't going to catch the gun solo guys up front, however many there were, but I was going to keep this guy at bay. Lap 3 was similar, with the solo guy still not far behind.
At the start of lap 4, down the first descent, someone came flying up behind me. At this point there is a tree in the middle of the trail with a tack either side. Stupidly, because of the pressure from behind, I took the dodgy, rooty trail to the left and tried to bunny hop the roots, I thought the other guy could go right. I ended up landing the rear wheel on a root and instantly felt the tyre deflate, with rim running on the ground. So while changing the tube, I kept looking up at the numbers riding past to see how many places I was going backwards. There was plenty of team riders going past, then the solo guy went past who I had been keeping an eye on. Damn. But by the time I was up and running again, he was the only solo rider to pass me, so it wasn't too bad really.
I took most of the lap pretty cautiously, as the mini pump did the job, but it still felt a bit soft in the rear. In the pits I put the proper pressure in with the track pump. At this pause I noticed the wind seemed stronger. Ian was out on his first lap, and Jo was getting ready for her first lap. I took the opportunity to grab a sandwich, then started lap 5.
The rain started falling at this point so things started getting a bit sketchy, when I came past our pits, Ian was there trying to hold together the crumpled marquee. I found out later Jo and the marquee were nearly blown away by some big gusts and Jo had other people grab her so she didn't fly off! The marquee was bent in a useless shape and was no good. Ian said to keep going, not much could have been done about it now. So lap 6 started.
Some trails had mini streams flowing down the middle of them now, the flat corners were very slippery, and the speed had to be knocked back a few k's to get through unscathed. I was wet through and was wavering in my resolve to continue, but approaching the end of the lap, the rain had stopped (the wind was still crazy strong though) and I was ready to keep on going. I stopped at the pits to check on the shelter and Ian and Jo. They said the organisers have called the race complete at 5 hours, so I rolled down to transition to complete my lap.
The reason given to call the race was to look after the trails and for safety with the wind. Running an enduro on wet trails soon destroys them, and for the future of the series at Lysterfield, it was probably a wise decision to do that. Reports of some fallen limbs, also would have swayed their decision.
I had no idea where I was placed on the day, but after we packed up, we went to the presentations and I was surprised to find I was 3rd in the Male Solo category! Cool. I scored some new tyres ($180), some museli and a medallion.
Jo, Ian and Tim's team came 10th. Tim had to leave early, so he did the first 3 laps before Ian and Jo took over for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, because of the shortened race, they only got to do 1 lap each. The good thing about Ian and Jo's lap was that even though they rode in the worst of the conditions, they want to come back for more!
2009 Chase the Sun Series Results
On the Thursday prior, Jo, Ian, Tim and I did a lap of the course. It was a pretty good layout, using most of the main trails but in the reverse direction, and linked up with some fire trail sections so you can eat and drink.
Sunday morning was cold, windy and cloudy, but it was dry. We just got into the car park 1 hour before the start which showed it was a great turnout, even though the forecast was bleak. I hadn't done a lot of k's in the lead up due to the BMC last sunday, I think it was 2 MTB rides and a 50k roll on the saturday, but I was hoping, good knowledge of the trails and some form? from the BMC would help me get through. For this enduro, I had all the drink and food ready to roll, so I was better prepared than at Mt Beauty.
The start was a mass start, with a prologue lap before hitting the main course. I went hard early to keep ahead of the slower riders, and because of that, found lap 1 to be quite clear of riders. The guns were up the front, out of the way, and I had a nice comfortable spot probably about 10-20 back. I probably kept the initial speed a bit too high considering I had a long day ahead, but I also wanted to stay ahead of any riders whether they were solo or not!
Lap 2 saw a couple of fresh riders from the teams categories charge past, but that was cool, I tried to settle into a tempo, and to keep improving on the lines I was taking to be as smooth as possible. Towards the end of each lap, the course loops right back on itself and you can see the riders behind. I noticed one was a solo rider. He became my challenge. I knew I wasn't going to catch the gun solo guys up front, however many there were, but I was going to keep this guy at bay. Lap 3 was similar, with the solo guy still not far behind.
At the start of lap 4, down the first descent, someone came flying up behind me. At this point there is a tree in the middle of the trail with a tack either side. Stupidly, because of the pressure from behind, I took the dodgy, rooty trail to the left and tried to bunny hop the roots, I thought the other guy could go right. I ended up landing the rear wheel on a root and instantly felt the tyre deflate, with rim running on the ground. So while changing the tube, I kept looking up at the numbers riding past to see how many places I was going backwards. There was plenty of team riders going past, then the solo guy went past who I had been keeping an eye on. Damn. But by the time I was up and running again, he was the only solo rider to pass me, so it wasn't too bad really.
I took most of the lap pretty cautiously, as the mini pump did the job, but it still felt a bit soft in the rear. In the pits I put the proper pressure in with the track pump. At this pause I noticed the wind seemed stronger. Ian was out on his first lap, and Jo was getting ready for her first lap. I took the opportunity to grab a sandwich, then started lap 5.
The rain started falling at this point so things started getting a bit sketchy, when I came past our pits, Ian was there trying to hold together the crumpled marquee. I found out later Jo and the marquee were nearly blown away by some big gusts and Jo had other people grab her so she didn't fly off! The marquee was bent in a useless shape and was no good. Ian said to keep going, not much could have been done about it now. So lap 6 started.
Some trails had mini streams flowing down the middle of them now, the flat corners were very slippery, and the speed had to be knocked back a few k's to get through unscathed. I was wet through and was wavering in my resolve to continue, but approaching the end of the lap, the rain had stopped (the wind was still crazy strong though) and I was ready to keep on going. I stopped at the pits to check on the shelter and Ian and Jo. They said the organisers have called the race complete at 5 hours, so I rolled down to transition to complete my lap.
The reason given to call the race was to look after the trails and for safety with the wind. Running an enduro on wet trails soon destroys them, and for the future of the series at Lysterfield, it was probably a wise decision to do that. Reports of some fallen limbs, also would have swayed their decision.
I had no idea where I was placed on the day, but after we packed up, we went to the presentations and I was surprised to find I was 3rd in the Male Solo category! Cool. I scored some new tyres ($180), some museli and a medallion.
Jo, Ian and Tim's team came 10th. Tim had to leave early, so he did the first 3 laps before Ian and Jo took over for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, because of the shortened race, they only got to do 1 lap each. The good thing about Ian and Jo's lap was that even though they rode in the worst of the conditions, they want to come back for more!
2009 Chase the Sun Series Results
Friday, April 24, 2009
BMC Classic
The BMC Classic is a 100km MTB Marathon held on the cool trails of the Wombat State Forest near Woodend. This was the 2nd running of the event, and the friends that did it last year said the trails are not too technical, but there is a lot more singletrack than the Otway Odyssey. So with this in mind, I had a more relaxed approach in the lead up to the event and did no where near enough training. That said, I still attempted to prepare well for the race in the lead up, and tried to implement some changes to my race plan from lessons learnt in the Odyssey.
There is bugger all accommodation in Woodend, and the venue for the start/finish of the race 'Cammeray Waters' had long sold out of its cabins. Camping on site was an option, but I was looking for a good and warm nights sleep prior to the race, and with Jo and the kids in tow, we found a place in Lancefield 30mins drive from the course.
Although 30mins from the start, this still meant getting up at 5:15am, consuming half a tonne of Sustain cereal, packing bike, bags, sleepy kids and whatever else into the car to leave to get to the start by 6:30. The queue into the start was long and slow, and leaving the extra 10mins earlier, was a good idea. I was just ready to go by 7am, race start 7:05, but due to the backlog of people running late and caught in the queue, the start was delayed 30mins. After 30mins of shivering in the cold Macedon Ranges air, with only arm warmers on top of the standard summer kit, we took off at 7:35. I was about 5 rows back from the front, which meant a fair bit of getting around people once the race started. This was hard, heart rate going through the roof and cold everything, it wasn't ideal. We then hit the first bit of singletrack which was through the pine forest. This wasn't enjoyable at all, the trails here were quite narrow, very rooty, and the dust under the pines was very fine and slippery, but that was soon the least of my problems.
My lower back started aching badly, and the pain became nearly unbearable. I thought it must have been because I was riding with the Hydration Pack. This was only the second time I had ridden with it, but it just seemed to be crippling me. I kept riding through this hoping it would go away. The acute pain eventually did go, but I had lower back pain pretty much for most of the race from that point on.
During this first section of trail, as soon as I started shifting gears for some of the pinches, the gears were not shifting or they were trying to shift out of gear. WTF! I had just had it serviced, this can't be happening, not this early in the race! The mis-gearing was affecting my ability to stay on the wheel in front up the short climbs, once over the top, I would catch up again, but then it was a bit sketchy because of the terrain. I had to stop at one point when I had a total drive train lock up. Seeing bikes fly past this early and losing position was not ideal. Back on the bike and back riding again, I was unsettled and not riding very smoothly.
Shortly after, in my half panic state, I veered to the edge of the trail at one point, hit an unseen tree root, and launched myself over the bars, hitting my head in the process. Damn, I quickly jumped back on and kept going, noting only one rider passing me at this point, but plenty more coming up putting the pressure on as my confidence had dipped badly. I kept persisting.
With the gear shifts not working for me, I thought I would settle for a gear that was working OK and ride single speed for a while. This was loading up the quads on the climbs, but I wasn't losing position, and started enjoying the trails a bit more because I didn't have gears clattering around. By this point, one of the guys that had passed me earlier, was riding at a tempo that I was comfortable with, so I sat on him. I was quicker up the hills, but he was quicker on the descents, which suited me, as I could watch his lines and take the descents quicker than if I was on the front. Eventually a 3rd guy joined us and we settled into a bit of a rhythm together, chatting about the course and various things.
Eventually, after about 20ks into the race, I decided I would assess the gears a bit better, as the racing had settled somewhat, and I was at a comfortable pace. I realized I did have a climbing gear that would work, plus some other bigger gears for the flats - all good, mostly!
We all rode through the 32km drink station, I was conscious of drinking from my hydration pack as much as possible this race, and drinking from my bottle on the fire trails. I knew I didn't have to stop for drink at this point but also had to down a power bar to keep the fuel up.
It was great to leave the crappy pine forest section and ride on more normal bush trails. Most of the trails were quite good to ride, I was still a bit slow on some of the tricky descents, and extra cautious when approaching the professional photographers on course. Not the time to stuff up when the camera and flash are going off!
As the race went on, the 50km mark was passed and I was feeling a lot better than the first 30km. I still had some lower back soreness, but could see light at the end of the tunnel. At the 62km drink stop, I pulled over to get more electrolite drink in my bottle. Someone asked if I wanted chain lube, I didn't hesitate in answering yes to that. I scoffed down some watermelon and half a banana and was off again.
The lead guy in our trio took off and was well up the road, so then it was me and the other guy for a while. He also descended well, so I let him lead the way until he eventually noticed a slow leak and had to stop and change. From this point on I was on my Pat Malone and looking at the speedo to start counting off the k's in 10k increments. I popped a couple of gels during this period and tried to ride as efficiently as possible to maintain a decent speed and not blow up.
The 80km mark eventually came by. I stopped quickly for more electrolite drink and shoved a handful of jelly beans in my mouth. I wanted to keep going as I had recently past 3 or 4 people and didn't want to lose any more positions. Now with 20km to the end, I was pretty pumped and keen to chase down anyone else up the trail.
The 50km race used the last 20km of the 100km course so catching more people at this point was hard to do. The riders still completing the 50 were at the tail end of that race, (not very quick) so even though most people let you through pretty quickly, it's not as quick as an open trail. Shortly after, the 90k drink station came up, I was still feeling OK at this point so I kept going. Shortly after, I spotted the guy we were riding with earlier about half a k up a fire trail. This spurred me on even more, there was probably 5k to go at this point and I got to within about 10m of him when we hit more singletrack, and then more 50k race riders. He got away from me again, but soon it didn't matter, as the venue entrance came into sight.
I crossed the line in 5h 31min. This was 51st overall (of about 700 riders) and 14th in my age category. I was pretty happy with the result. I knew it could have been better without the hassles early in the race, but overall a good result.
Now I know what the trails look like, I should expect a better result next year.
There is bugger all accommodation in Woodend, and the venue for the start/finish of the race 'Cammeray Waters' had long sold out of its cabins. Camping on site was an option, but I was looking for a good and warm nights sleep prior to the race, and with Jo and the kids in tow, we found a place in Lancefield 30mins drive from the course.
Although 30mins from the start, this still meant getting up at 5:15am, consuming half a tonne of Sustain cereal, packing bike, bags, sleepy kids and whatever else into the car to leave to get to the start by 6:30. The queue into the start was long and slow, and leaving the extra 10mins earlier, was a good idea. I was just ready to go by 7am, race start 7:05, but due to the backlog of people running late and caught in the queue, the start was delayed 30mins. After 30mins of shivering in the cold Macedon Ranges air, with only arm warmers on top of the standard summer kit, we took off at 7:35. I was about 5 rows back from the front, which meant a fair bit of getting around people once the race started. This was hard, heart rate going through the roof and cold everything, it wasn't ideal. We then hit the first bit of singletrack which was through the pine forest. This wasn't enjoyable at all, the trails here were quite narrow, very rooty, and the dust under the pines was very fine and slippery, but that was soon the least of my problems.
My lower back started aching badly, and the pain became nearly unbearable. I thought it must have been because I was riding with the Hydration Pack. This was only the second time I had ridden with it, but it just seemed to be crippling me. I kept riding through this hoping it would go away. The acute pain eventually did go, but I had lower back pain pretty much for most of the race from that point on.
During this first section of trail, as soon as I started shifting gears for some of the pinches, the gears were not shifting or they were trying to shift out of gear. WTF! I had just had it serviced, this can't be happening, not this early in the race! The mis-gearing was affecting my ability to stay on the wheel in front up the short climbs, once over the top, I would catch up again, but then it was a bit sketchy because of the terrain. I had to stop at one point when I had a total drive train lock up. Seeing bikes fly past this early and losing position was not ideal. Back on the bike and back riding again, I was unsettled and not riding very smoothly.
Shortly after, in my half panic state, I veered to the edge of the trail at one point, hit an unseen tree root, and launched myself over the bars, hitting my head in the process. Damn, I quickly jumped back on and kept going, noting only one rider passing me at this point, but plenty more coming up putting the pressure on as my confidence had dipped badly. I kept persisting.
With the gear shifts not working for me, I thought I would settle for a gear that was working OK and ride single speed for a while. This was loading up the quads on the climbs, but I wasn't losing position, and started enjoying the trails a bit more because I didn't have gears clattering around. By this point, one of the guys that had passed me earlier, was riding at a tempo that I was comfortable with, so I sat on him. I was quicker up the hills, but he was quicker on the descents, which suited me, as I could watch his lines and take the descents quicker than if I was on the front. Eventually a 3rd guy joined us and we settled into a bit of a rhythm together, chatting about the course and various things.
Eventually, after about 20ks into the race, I decided I would assess the gears a bit better, as the racing had settled somewhat, and I was at a comfortable pace. I realized I did have a climbing gear that would work, plus some other bigger gears for the flats - all good, mostly!
We all rode through the 32km drink station, I was conscious of drinking from my hydration pack as much as possible this race, and drinking from my bottle on the fire trails. I knew I didn't have to stop for drink at this point but also had to down a power bar to keep the fuel up.
It was great to leave the crappy pine forest section and ride on more normal bush trails. Most of the trails were quite good to ride, I was still a bit slow on some of the tricky descents, and extra cautious when approaching the professional photographers on course. Not the time to stuff up when the camera and flash are going off!
As the race went on, the 50km mark was passed and I was feeling a lot better than the first 30km. I still had some lower back soreness, but could see light at the end of the tunnel. At the 62km drink stop, I pulled over to get more electrolite drink in my bottle. Someone asked if I wanted chain lube, I didn't hesitate in answering yes to that. I scoffed down some watermelon and half a banana and was off again.
The lead guy in our trio took off and was well up the road, so then it was me and the other guy for a while. He also descended well, so I let him lead the way until he eventually noticed a slow leak and had to stop and change. From this point on I was on my Pat Malone and looking at the speedo to start counting off the k's in 10k increments. I popped a couple of gels during this period and tried to ride as efficiently as possible to maintain a decent speed and not blow up.
The 80km mark eventually came by. I stopped quickly for more electrolite drink and shoved a handful of jelly beans in my mouth. I wanted to keep going as I had recently past 3 or 4 people and didn't want to lose any more positions. Now with 20km to the end, I was pretty pumped and keen to chase down anyone else up the trail.
The 50km race used the last 20km of the 100km course so catching more people at this point was hard to do. The riders still completing the 50 were at the tail end of that race, (not very quick) so even though most people let you through pretty quickly, it's not as quick as an open trail. Shortly after, the 90k drink station came up, I was still feeling OK at this point so I kept going. Shortly after, I spotted the guy we were riding with earlier about half a k up a fire trail. This spurred me on even more, there was probably 5k to go at this point and I got to within about 10m of him when we hit more singletrack, and then more 50k race riders. He got away from me again, but soon it didn't matter, as the venue entrance came into sight.
I crossed the line in 5h 31min. This was 51st overall (of about 700 riders) and 14th in my age category. I was pretty happy with the result. I knew it could have been better without the hassles early in the race, but overall a good result.
Now I know what the trails look like, I should expect a better result next year.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Mt Beauty 6hr Enduro (22/03/09)
I entered the Mt Beauty 6 Hr MTB Enduro as a solo entrant. This was my first enduro as a solo. I didn't prepare too specifically for this, but thought I would have enough base in the system to get through OK. After staying in Beechworth the night before at the Newtown Park Motel, Jo and I arrived pretty early at 'Big Hill' in Mt Beauty. I rode the first couple of k's of the course to see what it was like and thought it wasn't too bad.
Back at transition, the BOM radar was showing storms coming our way, this wasn't adding to my motivation, and when the rain started before the race start, I wasn't keen at all! But by the time the call went out to assemble for briefing, the rain had stopped and the weather wasn't too bad.
I had already decided to burn some bikkies at the start of the race to avoid the slower riders, so I started near the front and tried to stay there as the gun went. This wasn't too bad, but as always, once the trail starts heading upwards, there are people going backwards, and I had to be patient. I was sitting behind Andrew Olle for a bit on lap one and occaisonally had some issues cornering to the left and on one corner, came to a stop. Putting this down to a brain fade, I kept going so as to not shit the people coming up behind.
As we got to the highest part of the course, the track headed back down over some easy obstacles, before climbing back up again, this repeated a couple of times before the course starting heading back down to the start/finish. It was on this last downhill section that the guy in front of me crashed on a rocky descent. I was cautious after seeing this, but somehow followed his (bad) line off the course and crashed, landing hard on my hip. We both collected ourselves and our bits and pieces, and stood there waiting for a gap in the line of riders that were streaming past. We saw 2 more crashes in front of us. This was posing to be a section to watch. The rest of the course consisted of a basically downhill corners, berms and off camber trail. Descending on the MTB is not my strong point, and post crash, I was very cautious over this last part, letting quicker riders past.
Through transition, and onto lap 2. Lap 2 was interesting as the rain started to come down, in conjunction with lightning. Riding along behind another rider I was thinking, 'should we be riding with all this lightning going off above our heads'. The rider in front kept hammering along, so I did too. The rain was making some of the timber obstacles quite treacherous, so the pace was slower. I think the fall, the wet conditions, and still a tendency to have issues turning left on berms/bends was killing my motivation to continue. I had a step off/close call through the rocky descent I crashed on lap 1 as well. Back in the pits, I stepped off the bike and wondered what I was doing there. I was hurting from the crash, wishing it wasn't raining and looking for motivation to continue. Jo helped with that and I was off again.
The rain didn't last too long, and eventually the course started drying out, and I started feeling a bit more comfortable on the bike. I was getting used to the course now, overcoming this left turn issue, and letting go of the brakes a bit more on the descents. Eventually, after 3 hrs, the halfway mark, I pulled the pin. I certainly improved as the day went on, but the lap one crash and I think eventually, not drinking/eating enough to ride solo, meant I had had enough.
It was not all to no avail though. Watching some of the other solo riders and what they do with drinks/nutrition has given me ideas for future races, and I still raced 3 hrs on a MTB which is still a fairly good workout.
The Mt Beauty course is certainly not an easy enduro course, you are either climbing or descending, this means there is no real quiet parts to cruise for a bit to grab a drink/down a gel. One fire trail section about halfway was the best option, but this was a climb as well.
Well, with an early day, and a long drive home, it was good to be back before dark and we got to see the kids before they were down for the night. Thanks Syd and Katie/Ben for looking after them.
Back at transition, the BOM radar was showing storms coming our way, this wasn't adding to my motivation, and when the rain started before the race start, I wasn't keen at all! But by the time the call went out to assemble for briefing, the rain had stopped and the weather wasn't too bad.
I had already decided to burn some bikkies at the start of the race to avoid the slower riders, so I started near the front and tried to stay there as the gun went. This wasn't too bad, but as always, once the trail starts heading upwards, there are people going backwards, and I had to be patient. I was sitting behind Andrew Olle for a bit on lap one and occaisonally had some issues cornering to the left and on one corner, came to a stop. Putting this down to a brain fade, I kept going so as to not shit the people coming up behind.
As we got to the highest part of the course, the track headed back down over some easy obstacles, before climbing back up again, this repeated a couple of times before the course starting heading back down to the start/finish. It was on this last downhill section that the guy in front of me crashed on a rocky descent. I was cautious after seeing this, but somehow followed his (bad) line off the course and crashed, landing hard on my hip. We both collected ourselves and our bits and pieces, and stood there waiting for a gap in the line of riders that were streaming past. We saw 2 more crashes in front of us. This was posing to be a section to watch. The rest of the course consisted of a basically downhill corners, berms and off camber trail. Descending on the MTB is not my strong point, and post crash, I was very cautious over this last part, letting quicker riders past.
Through transition, and onto lap 2. Lap 2 was interesting as the rain started to come down, in conjunction with lightning. Riding along behind another rider I was thinking, 'should we be riding with all this lightning going off above our heads'. The rider in front kept hammering along, so I did too. The rain was making some of the timber obstacles quite treacherous, so the pace was slower. I think the fall, the wet conditions, and still a tendency to have issues turning left on berms/bends was killing my motivation to continue. I had a step off/close call through the rocky descent I crashed on lap 1 as well. Back in the pits, I stepped off the bike and wondered what I was doing there. I was hurting from the crash, wishing it wasn't raining and looking for motivation to continue. Jo helped with that and I was off again.
The rain didn't last too long, and eventually the course started drying out, and I started feeling a bit more comfortable on the bike. I was getting used to the course now, overcoming this left turn issue, and letting go of the brakes a bit more on the descents. Eventually, after 3 hrs, the halfway mark, I pulled the pin. I certainly improved as the day went on, but the lap one crash and I think eventually, not drinking/eating enough to ride solo, meant I had had enough.
It was not all to no avail though. Watching some of the other solo riders and what they do with drinks/nutrition has given me ideas for future races, and I still raced 3 hrs on a MTB which is still a fairly good workout.
The Mt Beauty course is certainly not an easy enduro course, you are either climbing or descending, this means there is no real quiet parts to cruise for a bit to grab a drink/down a gel. One fire trail section about halfway was the best option, but this was a climb as well.
Well, with an early day, and a long drive home, it was good to be back before dark and we got to see the kids before they were down for the night. Thanks Syd and Katie/Ben for looking after them.
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