Rundles Revenge

Sunday morning saw my first trail race of the year - it was also the first time I had gone to a race entirely on my own - no Andy, no Wilson or Brandy, no friends and not even any familiar faces that I could put a name to. It was also a 50km ultra which meant I had to be self-supporting in terms of monitoring my fluid intake and nutrition for the duration of the race.

I'd heard lots of positive comments about Rundles Revenge and with it being organised by the same folks as the TransRockies Run and the now defunct Kananaskis Triple, I had been contemplating entering the 50km since just after Christmas. I knew it was likely to become one of my favourite races if I decided to do it, but then when I won 2 free entries in IMPACT Magazine's "30 Day Race Entry Giveaway" competition I guess the decision to register was made for me and I found myself signing up for the 50km.

The day didn't start too well. It had been exceptionally hot in Calgary in recent days and I hadn't been sleeping at night due to the heat, so a 4.30am alarm wake up call didn't really go down too well after just 4 or 5 hours kip. The race took place at the Canmore Nordic Centre which was a 90 minute drive from home, it started at 8am, and I had to account for the usual 20 minute bathroom queue that seems to exist whether you're racing 100 miles or 100 metres! Add to that the fact that I was unable to take Wilson and Brandy with me today so they needed a walk before I headed off, plus Andy wasn't here to drive me so I could sleep in the car, I thought I'd given myself sufficient time to get there.

I have never seen so much construction work on a Sunday morning at 6am - road closures on the major routes and diversions onto roads I didn't even know existed put an extra 15 minutes on my journey time, and then because I'd been trying to stay hydrated in preparation for the race, I was absolutely bursting for the loo but the bathrooms at the service station on route were out of order! Time for a quick visit in a nearby bush where I'm sure anybody seeing my bare behind would have been even more frightened than seeing an actual bear behind!

Thankfully I arrived at the Nordic Centre with 20 minutes to spare and just in time for the briefing on wildlife safety and the compulsory gear check which simply involved making sure you had your can of bear spray to hand.

I'd been checking the weather all week and I knew that today was going to be hot with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees. Although it was a lapped course with aid stations every 6km or so, I was well aware that if I ended up having to walk, that 6k would be tough without any water. I also tend to use just gels in a 50k race, taking them every 5-10km, so I had opted to carry a Camelbak to make sure I had constant access to water and also the gels if and when I needed them.

The race started bang on time and a mass of around 150 or so runners set off at a fair old pace. Rundles Revenge offers a number of distances but with everybody setting off altogether, you have no idea who is doing what. With me doing the 50km, my plan was to just take things easy and pace myself as I knew that with things heating up as the morning progressed, I would no doubt start to suffer not only from the heat but also from the general fatigue of racing.

Photo thanks to TransRockies Rundles Revenge
Start of the 2015 race on a beautiful but hot Sunday morning

The first 3 or 4km of the race is pretty much all up hill and I was determined not to start walking until I really had to - besides, I've been doing far more hill work and trail runs recently and I was feeling strong. It started off on quite a wide trail but then as we entered the trees, the trail narrowed and became far more technical with tree roots and rocks making things a little more challenging. A section of switchbacks saw some people already starting to walk and I was somewhat surprised at how many folks I was starting to pass - I was barely out of breath and the legs were feeling good despite the early climbs.

Picture thanks to Transrockies Rundles Revenge
Start of the Rundles Revenge Run on a gorgeous Sunday morning in Canmore

I knew that once I reached the top of this section, things got easier as the trail became more undulating with lots of downhill, before the final long, drawn out climb commenced at around 8 or 9km which took us back towards the end of each lap.

I had no idea what position I was in the ladies race and I knew that I probably wouldn't have an inkling until I'd started my 3rd lap - by then the field would have thinned out and and anybody ahead of me would either be doing the 50km or I would be lapping the slower runners that were doing the shorter distances.

The first lap passed without incident - no bears, no falls, no complaints about the heat - it was just lots of fun and I was feeling good as I passed the timing mat in around about 72 minutes.

Now I knew what to expect, I found myself getting into race mode, picking up the pace whenever I saw another runner ahead or when the terrain allowed it. I was still pacing myself quite well and was still running up the hills on the second lap, but I had started to notice that things were warming up and it was causing me to sweat more profusely. I was glad I had the extra water in my backpack, but the backpack was starting to irritate me and I knew that I would be ready to throw it in a bush before too long.

As the trail started to wind itself back downhill, I found that I was running really well and knocking out some pretty fast km splits even though I hadn't really got a target pace in mind. I was absolutely loving the run - the twisting and turning through the trees, the silence of nature around me with the occasional sound of flowing water, the birds singing in the trees, the scuttle of squirrels running up and down the tree trunks, and the sight of the surrounding mountains whenever we reached a clearing and we could safely look up without the risk of tripping over a rock or a tree root.

Due to the recent prolonged dry weather, I was finding the trails extremely dusty which was drying out my throat. I tried to release the tube to my water supply to stop me wheezing and coughing every so often, but as I did so, I tripped on a rock and almost ended up flat on my face in the nearby bushes. Thankfully I balanced myself just in time, although my right glute took a battering in the process. I recovered well enough though and managed to keep going and as I approached the final long climb that signalled I was almost at the end of lap 2, I put my head down and pushed forward.

This time it felt much harder, but I still refused to walk and I was thinking back to the runs I've done recently with my friend Joanna. We've done some really steep climbs of late that were far longer, harder and steeper than this, so I found myself repeating "longer and steeper with Joanna, this is easy in comparison". It worked - I overtook a couple more runners including a lady and although I was starting to tire, I was still feeling pretty damn good. I spoke to lady to find out what distance she was doing and thankfully she was doing the 25km, but even though I couldn't recall that many ladies still being ahead of me at this point, I sensed that I wasn't actually leading the 50k and that whoever was must be having a bloody good run in this heat!

My lap time for lap 2 was 1 hour 16 mins - slightly slower than the first lap but not too drastic, and I was still on target for my goal finishing time of around 5 - 5.15.

By now, rightly or wrongly, I decided to ditch the Camelbak. I had drank most of the water already and with the aid stations having such a good supply of drinks, I opted to reduce the weight I was carrying and just take my mandatory can of bear spray and a couple of gels to keep me going. I figured that I could last 6km without a drink so long as I made sure to drink plenty at the aid stations,

Lap 3 was even slower and yet I was still overtaking people that were doing the 50km. I still couldn't see any ladies ahead of me, but I still sensed that I was not leading. I'm always amazed at how perceptive we can be when racing. I never consciously count those ahead of me, and yet somehow I always seem to know approximately what position I'm in. I still felt like there was somebody to chase, and so I was still running pretty much all the hills and pushing hard on the downhills. My determination to catch whoever was ahead of me cost me yet another fall - thankfully no damage, but it's hard to get going again when you're so hot and feeling tired. And it was hot! Even in the shade of the trees and the shelter of the wind, it was so still and quiet and not a breath of air - it was almost suffocating - and the dry dusty trails were still playing havoc with my chest. In the latter stages of the third lap, I was beginning to crave ice cold water and yes, I was starting to get extremely thirsty and wishing I had my Camelbak!

The end of lap 3 couldn't come soon enough and having just passed 4 guys that were clearly struggling due to the course and the heat, mentally I was feeling fantastic and brimming with confidence, although physically my body was having a hard time coping with the stress I was putting on it.

I consumed 2 cups of water, 2 of coke and 2 of energy drink prior to starting my final lap, and took a gel for good measure. I was surprised I wasn't throwing up with such a wonderful concoction of nastiness, but I guess over the years my stomach has got used to the crap I throw into it when I race ultras.

I knew this final lap was going to be tough. My last lap was 1 hour 23 mins and I knew I didn't have the energy to go much quicker. But then about 800m after the start of the final lap where the trail turns back on itself as it heads up the hill, I saw the leading lady. I don't know how I knew it was her - maybe it was the look of panic on her face, the way she tried to speed up as she saw me a mere 2 or 3 minutes behind her, the double take she did as if to say "really?!" To be fair, she looked to be moving well - or at least far better than I felt I looked - but then I recalled how many times I've been told I'm "looking strong" in a race when inside my body is crying in agony whilst I grit my teeth and force my brain to tell my body to get a move on and stop being a wimp.

I tried to speed up, I really did but by now I couldn't give much more than what I was already giving. I shuffled along the trail when I'm convinced walking would have been faster, but I was trying to avoid walking, especially when the hills were runnable if I just put in the effort. But as I hit the switchbacks on the climb, I suddenly had a sharp pain in my leg as if somebody had just pierced me with a hot needle. Something had stung or bitten me and I had no idea what it was, but it was so painful that it just stopped me in my tracks as I cried out in pain. As I pulled up my shorts, I could see a big, red, lumpy spot developing as my leg started to throb and burn, forcing me to walk whilst I waited for the pain to subside. I dabbed some spit on the red blob and although I'm sure it didn't really do anything, after about 10 minutes the burning sensation started to fade, and I found I could start running properly again.

The next few kilometres flew by as I was thinking all manner of things about insect bites - what if it was poisonous and here's me running in this heat, blood pumping around my body and causing infection or whatever to spread through my body? What if it was one of those flesh eating things,?What if this, what if that? I'm not bothered by bugs of any kind in normal circumstances, but I was hot tired and thirsty and my brain really was going into overdrive with all the crazy thoughts!

Undoubtedly I had now lost sight of the leading lady, and I reached the final aid station with relief, throwing down yet more coke, energy drink and water. Having my cap dipped in ice cold water felt fantastic and certainly helped to cool me down somewhat, but within 20 minutes it was bone dry again and I was starting to drip with sweat whilst I could feel the salt drying out my skin on my back, shoulders and around my face.

The downhills by now were starting to take their toll on the old legs - some were quite steep and required control to stay upright - and with tired legs, I was being far more cautious over the sections that were covered with rocks or tree roots. I couldn't muster enough energy to run all the way up the final hill but I certainly tried, and as the trail started to flatten out, I attempted one last surge to take me into the finish. It was then that I started to feel my legs cramping - 2km to go and my body decides now to tell me that I need more bloody salt! The first and last time I ever had cramp in a race was at the Lost Soul 100km - I was in hysterics when trying to climb up a very small hill that took us away from the river, but everytime I lifted my leg an inch off the ground, my legs would seize and I'd howl in laughter and pain at the same time. Today wasn't as bad as that - at least not yet - and all I could think was that if another lady is just behind me, I'd be gutted to lose out now with just 2km to go.

Thankfully the cramp didn't get any worse - sure, I could feel the tightness and numbness in my quads, but I forced myself to run through it, slapping the cramping area and talking to myself to keep my legs going.

Finally I was approaching the last couple of hundred metres and I was so happy to be done, crossing the line in 5 hours 28 mins - 6 minutes behind the winning lady in the end. I'm not to complain though - I was happy with my run and really pleased with the effort - I can certainly feel the difference when running hills thanks to all those recent runs with Joanna. 

Looking back at the lap splits, I actually ran my last 2 laps faster than the winning lady but not fast enough to catch her. Her first lap of 67 mins to my 72 had already given her a 5 minute advantage but fair play to her for keeping going in some pretty tough conditions.

Purely for recovery  honest!

Would I do Rundles Revenge again? Most definitely yes! I loved the course, the atmosphere was fantastic and the organisation was amazing. I won a Salomon Camelbak as a prize - maybe I should take the hint and not be so eager to dump the extra weight next time eh?!

So what is "next time"? Next time will be the TransRockies Run and next time will see Andy and my dogs there with me. I'm very excited although I know I have some pretty tough training weeks coming up, but I'm ready for it and can't wait to get out to the mountains again over the next month or so as I complete my final prep for my next major event of the year.

In the meantime though, all I need to say is happy trails and happy running to each and every one of you - and thank you for sticking with me :-)

New Girly pink trail shoes post race -
not so girly now eh??!!