Last year was meant to be my H&H debut but a sciatic muscle strain meant that I had to pull out in the last minute.
Volunteering to photograph the race was my next option and I was glad to contribute back in this way.
Last year’s weather was perfect for photography – overcast with some showers – it was perfect for running as well.
This year the weather was not so kind.
When I woke at 2am in the back of my car I was already sweating. It was warm and the storm that had moved past earlier had meant the humidty measure remained quite high.
The game plan was to run the first half at 6m/km pace and then finish the second half on 5:30 pace.
It was good to see Donal and Peter whome i had met at last year’s Glass House 100km. We caught up a bit, chatted nervously about strategies (which we all agreed was to start slow and save our energy for the final bit) and took our starting position towards the middle back of the small crowd that had gathered for the 3:30am start.
Bruce checked his watch and said ‘on you marks, get set, go!’ And off we ran into the night.
The start was pretty uneventful. I kept checking my pace and slowing down when I felt myself speeding up. All you could see was the glow of headlights ahead and that slowly but surely spread thin.
I felt firmly positioned in mid pack with some 20 runners ahead. Continually checking my watch and slowing down. We had been running for about an hour when I caught up to Marcus who I’m sure I’d met briefly at last year’s Mt Mee Marathon. We ran together for a km, exchanged a few words about saving our legs for later and then I slowly pulled away.
The sun rise was a welcome sight or at least I thought it was at the time. It was good to put away the head torch and look around for once rather than constantly at the space before my feet.
I passed a few more people but not enough to feel like I had moved up in position significantly.
Approaching the 25km mark I started to wonder where the turn around point was or where the race leaders were.
Sure enough, Kieren, the front runner appeared round the corner and let me know the turn around was at roughly 27.8km… hang on a sec! Does that mean we were going to go 55kms??? Ahh well its not like last years GH100k was actually 100km either! 104.5 to be precise. I think that’s the GH trail series trademark promise right there! đŸ™‚
As I set foot on the bitumen that was the final hill before the turn around – I just had to start to walk. The heat was intensifying and I needed to save myself a little more!
By the turn around I figured I must have been in 15th place and everyone was looking pretty good. It was time to jack up my pace a little and bring it home!
I was running low 5min ks. By the next checkpoint i had passed by 4 runners that were clearly struggling with the heat. 3 more at the subsequent one… I was now in 8th and feeling great.
But then a few kms and my energy started to drop. The heat was getting a bit much. At the 40km I took a sip from my reservoir and no water came … just that unfriendly gurgle when only a few drops remain in the tubing.
I still had some some sweet tailwind syrup in my front flasks… but that was no water replacement and probably quite dangerous to rely on. I had to force myself to try to keep running but being on the verge of nausea obviously needed to get some water quick!
4kms later I found the next checkpoint. Refueled and iced up. Never wanting to make that mistake again!!
The final 11kms were almost a death march. The sun was unbearable and a lot of the trail was out in the open.
That was when a runner that looked twice my age ran past me. He dissappeared as suddenly as his footsteps had broken the silence of my rhythm. I was amazed by his resilience to the conditions. His seaming ease of movement accentuated the difficulty of mine.
I determined to continue to push forward – even if that meant walking with a concentrated purpose.
Eventually I came upon the golfcourse that was invisible earlier that morning. Rounded the bend and crested the last hill.
The final km lay ahead and as always happens – the pain began to dissipate, the mind relaxes and I slowly fell into a trot – shortly therafter crossing the finish line for my 9th position finish and a bag full of lessons learned.
I learned…
That strategy really does fall out the window when you get smacked in the face.
That pacing can really work, but other factors like weather and hydration play a hugd role to a successful race.
That I’m not as strong as i thought and experience can only be earnt not envisioned.
That appearance can be deceiving and confidence in training and self belief is key.
That i still have a long way to go in my training for the Buffalo Stampede Grand Slam.
