5 Peaks Trail Race - Whitemud :)

 A couple of weeks ago I did my second trail race of the year - the 5 Peaks Enduro event, this time at Whitemud. The course was once again around 14km, and I had an absolute blast!

The race came just two weeks after the marathon, and with still having a little fatigue in my legs, I didn't want to go crazy and race things flat out. The organisers had warned us that some of the trails we would be going on were some of the toughest in the river valley, so I knew I would be crawling up those hills and likely losing a fair few places in the process!

The first mile or two was pretty flat, and I certainly felt the benefits of my marathon training as I seemed to make light work of the terrain and moved steadily through the field. But when the single track started, as suspected I slid backwards, and people started to pass me once again. I was still doing pretty well on the hills and didn't really walk any of them but my pace really was a shuffle. The downhills felt good, although I wasn't feeling as confident as normal with all the tree roots - I guess road running really does turn you into a whimp!

For some reason I thought the course was two loops again, but as we approached the junction where we had just headed out on course, we were directed in teh opposite direction and I figured it must be one loop which suited me just fine. I kept things going steadily, but then I noticed that I had once again started to gain on people, simply because this section of course had once again flattened out. I took full advantage of the flats, and used my speed to overtake a couple of ladies that I knew were also in my age group category. I was feeling really strong, so I thought I'd just go with it and see where I ended up.

Of course, a mile or so later, the climbs started once again, and this time they really were relentless. Up and down we went, snaking in between the trees and dodging tree roots again, and yet now I was feeling more confident and far more competitive, and was getting a little more reckless on those downhills!

A small group of runners had been just behind me, but I somehow opened up a gap, and as the gap grew, so did my confidence, and I was starting to push things far more than I had planned. The course was really tough, but I was absolutely loving it, and it made me realise just how much I had missed my trail running this year. In all fairness, that was why I purchased a season pass for the 5 Peaks this year - I wanted to do some trail running, and these would be perfect as good tempo runs as well as enabling me to remain a part of the trail running community.

I had no idea what position I was in teh race, butI had a feeling that I was doing far better than my last race at Terwillegar, and was likely up there with the top ladies. I wanted to finish strong, so I kept on pushing hard. I could hear the finish line music, but every time the trail headed downwards, it would then head up again, leading us away from where I thought the finish line would be.

This seemed to go on forever and my legs were now starting to feel those climbs. I was convinced that the other ladies would come speeding past me any time soon, but I couldn't see anybody chasing me down. I finally came to a huge downhill and really did seize the opportunity to pick up the pace, and finally as I turned the corner, the finish line was ahead.

I finished in around 1 hour 17 minutes, and this time I was 6th lady and 2nd in my age group - I was very happy, and I was feeling fantastic! Sadly I couldn't hang around for the presentation so missed out on my medal but I'm pretty sure I can collect it next time.

Next time will be at Goldbar in July, and I'm already looking forward to it :)

Just another loopy day!

It's been a week now since I completed the Survivorfest 24 hour event, and I have to say that recovery from the event is going much better than I anticipated. The race itself was never really in my plans for this year, but then a case of FOMO back in March saw me registering, the plan being to use it as a training run for my forthcoming backyard ultra, and hopefully a confidence building if I could hit the 100 miles.

Unlike previous attempts at 24 hour events, my longest training runs had peaked at just 35km - long enough to help me have a decent run at the Red Deer Marathon, but not really enough if I hoped to get to the 100 miles in that 24 hours. On that basis, I had no idea how the day would pan out, and my only plan was to keep on running for as long as possible and have fun along the way - if I got bored or my heart wasn't in it before the the 24 hours had elapsed, then I was ok about stopping. There really was no pressure nor expectation - I'd even opted to do the "track and trail" route this time rather than spending the entire time on the track - that really did remove any pressure, especially in terms of chasing records or national team selection.

In hindsight, I will admit that my race definitely went better than I expected. My husband has been working away in Korea for the past month, so for the first 12 hours, I was self- crewing - this kind of worked well in some respects as I was able to eat and drink when I felt like as opposed to being made to eat by my crew, but in other respects, it made me forget the simple things like using sunscreen when things heated up, and making sure I was taking on salt more frequently. It also meant I didn't have the cool bag that I would normally use - too much faffing around getting drinks in and out - so everything of course warmed up as the day progressed, and drinking warm water and warm Tailwind was somewhat disgusting. Meanwhile, the lack of sunscreen meant I got burnt to a cinder in the midday sun, whilst the lack of salt caused me to get a little dizzy,  and it was only then that I realised I hadn't eaten enough salty foods!

But setting those things aside, the day went really well. I likely started a little too quickly as I got chatting to friends, but thankfully I was feeling good and the pace still felt easy and manageable. I hadn't really set myself any targets to get me through the race - normally I would say I'd aim to hit 50k in a certain time, or 100k or whatever - but this time, it was more about asking myself whether I had sufficient time to hit the 100 miles, even if I had to walk.

As it happened, I went through 50k in around 4 hours 40, and I hit 50 miles at around 8 hours 40, which meant I had TONS of time to hit my overall goal. 

I'd been refuelling really well and had had no puking sessions at all, and as I pushed on to the 100k mark, I was feeling really good. I hadn't used the aid station provided by the organisers, so shortly after hitting the 50 miles, I really fancied something cold and refreshing, so I took a few chunks of watermelon from them. I walked for a short while whilst savouring the coolness of it, but then as I started to run a few minutes later, the old familar nausea started, and yep, I threw up. It was so fricking frustrating! I really thought I was going to make it to nightfall before I starting throwing up my guts, but clearly my body had other ideas. I was also hoping it would be closer to the track where I could at least find a bin to get rid of my insides, but unfortunately it came whilst out on the course, and I was retching on the grass verge just across the road from people's houses. I felt embarrassed and ashamed, but thankfully other than a couple of kindly marshalls, nobody saw me and I was able to get moving again.

Photo credit Kevin Cheung

As with all my other races, from then onwards, I was struggling to eat and drink and it was back to the nibbling and sipping just to get something inside of me. The good news is that my friend Julie had agreed to crew me from around 6pm onwards, and she was able to bring some chilled drinks with her, and also cool down cans of coke and other things for me to drink. I was able to eat some solids again, but my calorie intake was coming predominantly from drinks. Up until then, I had done well and had actually eaten cheese sandwiches, a couple of boiled eggs, a 7 Summit Snacks bar, bananas, I had been drinking cokes and smoothies, and all seemed to be ok. 

Photo credit Kevin Cheung

I think I went through 100km in around 10 and a half hours, and having done the calculations in my head, I knew that even if I walked for the next 61km, and so long as I kept at the average walking pace of 20 minute miles, I could hit and indeed exceed 100 miles! My legs were feeling really good, mentally I was in a good place, and I was actually having lots of fun - probably more fun than at any other timed event I have done!

Julie did a great job of looking after me and keeping me fuelled, and when I had cravings for a strong cup of tea at around 10pm or something, she reached out to friends who kindly came out to the track on their Saturday night, to bring me a cup of tea and some Tim Bits. The tea hit the spot, and I had a sudden surge of energy that kept me going through the night. My other friend Pawel also came out in the middle of night, bringing me more tea and some fries to munch on. Being salty, they tasted fantastic, and I was starting to feel those hunger pangs again despite still being wary of taking on too much solid food.

Photo credit Kevin Cheung

At some point, I lost track of time and it became more about counting down the laps to the 100 miles. The night time was cold and as I was mostly walking by now, I had to layer up to keep warm. I felt so sorry for Julie who was still trying to look after me, and yet I'm sure she must have been cold, even though she was sitting there snuggled up under her blanket.

Living in the northern hemisphere means that the nights are short here in the summer months. Darkness came around 11.30pm, but by 3am, the sky was already starting to get light again as the sun started to rise. At that point - with around 5 hours still to go, I only had 8 miles to do before I hit the 100 miles. I knew I could do it, and I was so, so happy! Given that I had plenty of time, I decided to have a lie down in the tent for a half hour or so. I had been feeling a little dizzy again and my tummy was gurgling away  - I knew that a bit of a lie down would allow things to settle and then I could just crack on and get things done. This also gave Julie the chance to get warmed up in her car, so I had a very light doze, waking up just before 5am and getting back to moving again.

The sun has risen, and only a few miles to go! PC Julie

The sunrise was spectacular and I only wish I had a camera to capture the vibrant colours as the sun finally peaked its head over the horizon. It was still quite cool, but as that golden ball got higher in the sky, it made a huge difference and I was starting to warm up.

I continued to shuffle forwards, and after 22 hours and 38 minutes, I hit just over 101 miles or around 163km. I was still feeling really good all things considered, but I had nothing to prove by completing the full 24 hours, so I called it a day and was very, very happy with my result.

Survivorfest really is a fantastic event, and I am so glad that I went back again this time. Was it easier doing the track and trail? In hindsight, no, it was probably harder as there were a couple of inclines that you really feel as the race progressed, plus there was some negotiating curbs and speedbumps in the middle of night, when the legs are tired and the eyes are bleary! But that's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I loved every single minute, and I think I smiled for pretty much the entire time.

Timed events also bring the competitors and crews together - the support out there is amazing, and everybody is so willing to chip in and help each other out. It feels like family, and even though I always say never again, there is just something about these events that lures me back.

I'm really happy with how things went, even though I probably walked far more than I ever have before. But the fact that I still hit the 100 miles and was able to dig deep and keep things going makes me happy and far more confident going in to the backyard ultra in a few weeks time. If anything hindered my race this time, it was the lack of miles leading into it, it was the heat, and it was the lack of salt. I think I did everything else right, and I am hoping that I can do just as well at the end of July. I'm hopeful that Andy will be back home by then, and I know for sure that he's the other half of my team that will help me achieve my goals next month.

For now though, I have to recover from last weekend, but also keep things ticking over to make sure I am ready for my next race. I've had a couple of good runs this weekend, and I'm surprised at how good the legs feel. Hopefully with a good massage and a few longer runs over the next couple of weeks, I'll put in a good enough performance that will help me to gain selection to Team Canada.