Tower Trail Run 56 km, Mount Gambier

I’m not a big fan of loops so it’s surprising I signed up for the Tower Trail Run 56 km ultra in Mount Gambier with four loops of 14 kilometres. In its favour I’ve never been to 'The Mount' as they call it and secondly I figured that the loops were sufficiently long that I would have forgotten what the loop was like by the time I started the next one, so it would all be nice and fresh for me.

Race day was cool and clear, in great contrast to the previous day when it had rained intermittently all day. I ran 17 kilometres in the morning on the rail trail that begins from Port Fairy, and while I enjoyed the pretty countryside I got extremely wet.

The race started right by my hotel, a bonus, and there were only 22 starters in the ultra. I was surprised to see what Mt Gambier was like: a normal town on a large plain, but then a steep slope to one side and an enormous drop off beyond the slope with two large lakes at the base, Blue Lake and Leg of Mutton Lake. It was actually quite weird but made a great setting for a trail run. 

Blue Lake

The loop was a mixture of trails deep in the forest filled calderas, sealed access roads to the lakes, a path around the outside of the Blue Lake, and a climb to the centenary tower which gave the race its name. So it was very varied, and it was also very hilly. I had seen the elevation profile on the race website and also studied the results for the 42 km race the previous year so I suspected the race might not be flat, but I was surprised to see how hilly a route they had concocted. It was quite obvious, standing above the lakes, that there would be a big descent down to them and a big ascent up to the tower, but the race route took in plenty more climbs than this. It was a tough course with very little that could be called flat. And lots of steps, both up and down. Lots of tree roots on the steep descents. All good fun.

It was a cloudy day, then the sun came out for a while and the Blue Lake looked blue. Then there was a splash of light rain and then the air was a perfect cool temperature for running.

The field spread out quickly but I played cat and mouse on the first and second loop with a trio of local runners. Nice for me, as I knew I wouldn’t get lost: one of the guys had marked out the course. I had thought I would have plenty of company on the run because of all the other distances taking place concurrently but in fact I rarely saw anyone from the other races. 

I actually found the loop thing pleasant. The first loop seemed very long. The steep descent into the forest near the start was muddy and slightly treacherous. The climb to the tower was not the final hill, as I had expected, but was followed by a worse hill. (On this first lap there was a child standing handing out lollies at the foot of this bonus hill.) The steps down from the tower were so shallow that I couldn’t run them individually, so I tried taking two at a time and then I tried running down the steep slope beside the steps (ok, I had several chances later on to perfect my technique). 

On the second loop I tried to recall what I would be seeing but I had forgotten quite a bit, although it seemed to pass more quickly. By the third loop I remembered almost the entire sequence and I was constantly thinking about what was coming next. I tried to conserve energy on that third loop but at the same time I knew the fourth loop would be less challenging as it would be the last. 

I split the fourth loop into two halves, up to the Blue Lake and after the lake; so in my mind I just had to get round the Blue Lake and I knew getting home would be a given. The marshal at the underpass where the Blue Lake circuit started said to me "Just get that Blue Lake out of the way" and that expressed my feelings exactly. But funnily, when I emerged from my circuit of the lake I almost started out on another lap as the exit point looked different to me; that was the only time I almost went the wrong way. About a kilometre before the finish two women standing at a junction asked how I was going and started walking with me (it was an uphill portion); one asked me what I was having for dinner, which I thought was a lovely and appropriate question, so I was able to ask for schnitzel recommendations.

At the end of each lap I received vociferous clapping at the start/finish area as I started out on a fresh loop. The marshals all along were wonderful, and the folk at the one aid station who were out there all day for a relatively small number of runners. In the end I finished second female and I was pleased with my time of 7 hours 29 minutes. My lap splits were fairly even. However, climbing onto the podium was a challenge. Stepping down was even worse.

Cleland 50, South Australia

The Cleland 50km was a bit of an unknown for me. The route map looked very complicated but the elevation chart wasn’t too daunting and I knew that last time I’d run there in the Cleland Conservation Park near Adelaide (when I did the Yurebilla Trail on my own in November 2016) it was freakishly warm, which would be unlikely this weekend. I felt very calm beforehand, looking forward a lot to the run. I had studied last year's results and added an hour for my finish time to the time of someone I knew who had run. The day before the race I drove into the park to check out the start line and parking. It was thick fog and that real cold damp feeling. 

Race morning the weather had improved. It was windy but I didn’t need tights to gloves. Everyone except me and two others (including the guy I knew) wore an ultra vest; I was slightly spooked about not wearing mine but I double checked on the frequency of the aid stations: very frequent. And you could send drop bags to the aid stations, so I sent on my head torch and a jacket because the website warned you could be out there after dark.

The course was indeed complicated and not always signed well. A couple of times I had to ask hikers if they had recently seen any runners, and twice I had to wait for runners behind me so I could be sure I was going the right way. But I didn’t actually go wrong, phew.

Most of the race was in the forest and sheltered from the wind. It was a mix of single track and fire trails. There were little red wildflowers. We did a nice stretch on hillside single track on Mount Osmond with excellent views over Adelaide. We climbed to several lookouts, including going over Mt Lofty twice. I thought it was all fine going, not too repetitive, not too hard. The field spread out and after the first hour I was running alone without seeing anyone else for long stretches at a time.

We returned to the start/finish area after 23 kilometres, where a solicitous first aider asked if I was drinking, eating and weeing ok. Yes to the first two, and I was very keen to wee but hadn’t seen anywhere sufficiently secluded!

Lap two was not only longer but harder. After a while we ran up to a lookout and on the way down some girls were muttering "I know what’s coming...". What was coming? I turned onto a reasonable downhill on a gravelly trail; but just before I turned off to run it I had spotted a runner in the distance going on straight uphill, so I asked someone (who happened to be standing at the turnoff) why I was being sent downhill and it emerged that I would be coming back this way later. So from then on I knew whatever I did I would be doing in reverse in due course. And it was worth knowing that.

We went down down down into a gully, followed the creek for a while and then started on what was going to be a very long and extremely steep uphill. It was mostly grassy and was tough going for a long time. There would be a bend, maybe a brief respite, and then more climbing. A few runners were hurtling downhill and I wasn’t sure I was looking forward to that either. We went back into the forest, and there I saw my friend chatting to an emu through a fence. I hadn’t seen him since the opening few kilometres and I was expecting to finish long after him, based on what I knew of his marathon times.

Eventually I got to the next aid station and continued into a loop. I think it was along here that I saw what looked like a furry rock just off the trail; some hikers were fumbling for their cameras so I guess it must have been a koala but I didn’t have time to stop. I got back to that aid station and had a cup of black coffee. It was delicious. I also collected my drop bag with my head torch; I didn’t know what time it was but I didn’t think it was getting dark any time soon. 

There were five kilometres to go and I was tired. The emu had been joined by lots of kangaroos. The steep downhill was really hard for me. It wasn’t slippery but it was so steep I felt out of control the whole way down. I just made myself keep running and I was relieved when it was over. The following climb back up the gravel trail was not as bad as I had expected (nothing could be bad after that awful descent) but the bit from the top to the finish line was agonisingly long. The trail undulated along and around every bend I wanted to see the finish line. I passed a woman and made it my goal to remain ahead of her. I was really running on empty by then.

Just before the finish I saw a kangaroo by the trail. Soon after I rounded another bend and the finish line was right there. The clock showed the time of day rather than elapsed time so it took me a while to work out how long I had been running. In fact I couldn’t work it out but I asked that woman whom I’d been keeping ahead of, who finished right after me. I had done 6 hours 49 minutes which was a lot faster than I had expected based on my review of last year's results. My friend finished five minutes later having run the same time as last year, give or take. The first aid lady was again very attentive, which was nice because usually nobody actually asks how you feel after a race.

I hung around for a bit then got in the car and drove to Hahndorf. What a contrast to the serenity of the bush! Sunday of a long weekend and the place was jam packed, people and cars everywhere. Nice scones, too.

Traralgon Marathon 2018

I had a lovely day at the Traralgon Marathon today, although I’m pretty tired now. It was a beautiful morning for running: about 5 degrees, foggy and still. I hadn’t done the new course on the rail trail and I wasn’t sure it would be all that exciting but it turned out that I liked it much more than the previous course.

I took the early start option for slow runners, 7am, mainly so I could get back to my hotel room for a shower before checking out, but also because you never know how things will turn out. There were about 20 of us who left early. I had decided I would try to start a bit faster than I usually do, of course not super fast, and see if I could hold onto it. Luckily my pacers of choice, Chris G and DS, were there. But Chris was running way too fast for me so I ran alone for the initial kms until DS caught up to me and then I vowed to stay with him. It was very pleasant running along, sometimes chatting and sometimes in silence. He was a tiny bit faster than me but I made myself stay with him; he took a few toilet breaks and I had an opportunity to slow a little until he caught up to me again.

It was perfect conditions. The first kms as we left Traralgon were not all that special but once we turned onto the rail trail we had bucolic scenery, cows, stillness. It was so good to be away from the road, and while the rail trail had long straight stretches there were also enough bends to prevent monotony. The fog was thick in places but the sun was clearly going to burst through at some point. My hands were cold and I didn’t take off my gloves until about 30 km.

At half way we passed Chris, and soon a couple more runners. The race leaders came roaring past not long after (having started an hour after us). I was feeling ok and able to plug on. I intended to push for as long as I could. We ticked off the kilometres (actually there were no race distance markers but the rail trail had a few signs showing the distance to Traralgon). After the 31 km aid station DS was suddenly not with me. I didn’t see him again until after he finished. Now it was up to me to keep up my very reasonable pace. Luckily I ran into the back of the half marathon and I could focus on trying to pass those runners; even though they weren’t in the same race it still helped to have targets.

Then I was back in the urban area and just a bit of parkland to cross to reach the finish. I couldn’t speed up much but I didn’t feel I had slowed either. I was pleased with my 4:10 finish. I was also delighted to find egg sandwiches among the finish line food: my favourite. I grabbed a plateful and went back to my room to shower. I came back to the race venue for the presentations, being fairly sure I would have won my age group. 

I wasn’t wrong - I was the only female in my age group and I got to stand atop the podium. I waved my arms like I’d won the whole race; it was a joke to me really, to make fun of being all alone there. My prize was a copy of the book about the Traralgon Marathon that was written for the fiftieth edition of the race last year, and I immediately looked for the 2004 results to see my third placing. I finished in 3:30 that year. A la recherche du temps perdu.

Local running on the coast path

It doesn’t always go according to plan!

Since I’ve got plenty of free time at the moment I decided that I would run from home to Mordialloc along the beach path, and I did that yesterday. It was great, and there was quite a bit of the coast path beyond Ricketts Point that I have not run for a long time so I had forgotten what it was like. I think they have even built a new surf club building down at Mordy. The path was a bit busier than I expected for a Monday, not just dog walkers but runners too. Between Black Rock and Ricketts Point you have to run by the road for a couple of kilometres and beyond Ricketts Point the path is quite discontinuous until you reach the nicer part at Beaumaris. The part I looked forward to the least was the long flat beachside kilometres through Mentone and Parkdale; that’s a great place to run but the timing of that section when it comes towards the end of a long run is difficult, as it’s so flat and seemingly endless.

I went to Main Street for breakfast (bacon and eggs in a Turkish sandwich) - I’m sure there are other cafes but I always go there - and then got the train/bus combination back home. It was just a touch under 20 kilometres of running.

I liked that run so much that I wanted to do something similar today but not quite as long because I have a marathon coming up this weekend and didn't want to overdo things. So I planned to run to Black Rock, do a short loop around a bush reserve and then go back to Black Rock for breakfast and get the bus/train home. It seemed a good plan.

I ran down the coast path to Black Rock, today detouring down to the beach by the Cerberus so I could get in a hill climb. The path was way quieter than yesterday. I had a nice tailwind most of the way. When I left home the weather was awful, really gusty wind and it had been/was going to rain. Yesterday I ran in tights and wrapped a sweatshirt around my waist; today I carried my tights and sweatshirt in my ultra vest to keep them dry in case of rain so I would be able to put on dry clothes when I stopped running and be comfortable for breakfast and the trip home. 

So when I got to Black Rock after 15.5 kilometres I put on my clothes (it hadn’t rained and the sun had been wanting to come out) and went to an extremely popular cafe for breakfast (scrambled eggs on toast); in fact it was so popular it was hard to squeeze inside.

After a very leisurely breakfast I ambled over to the bus stop, well actually I had to amble over to several bus stops before I found the right one, and unfortunately the bus had just gone; the half hourly, maybe hourly bus. So what does one do in this situation? One runs home. 

It was a novelty to run after eating eggs on toast and sitting down for well over an hour. At first I felt sluggish all over but then I just felt tired in the legs. I kept my tights on and that was a good move because I had a big headwind which was also cold. I know this is useful training for long ultras, both the eating while on a run and the long distance. But I took a short cut to get home sooner, making it 10 kilometres exactly. On the plus side I am 10 kilometres ahead of schedule for the week so I can take some easy days.

Surf Coast run

I had a great run along the Surf Coast Walk over two days. It's either 44 km or 46 km in total because the map is inconsistent, broken up into about twelve stages. The trail is in sight of the ocean almost all the way, sometimes right on the beach or just above it on cliffs, and often passing through low scrub. So it was very varied, with fire trails, single track, beach and walking tracks. It was more hilly than I expected and I had to cope from time to time with a strong headwind.

I did the trail over two days because it is not possible to get to the start at Point Impossible by public transport (of course!). So I ran from Torquay out to Point Impossible on Sunday, ran the first two sections of the trail back to Torquay (Point Danger) and stayed overnight, doing the bulk of the route (40 km) on Monday. It was a lucky decision because I would have copped some rain had I continued running on Sunday.

I had run from Torquay to Anglesea on this trail before, a long time ago, and done bits more recently. The part through Jan Juc and by Bells Beach is often by the beach and I saw lots of surfers but no actual surfing. The detour through the forest to Ironbarks picnic area was very pleasant, flat and quiet, lots of birds, and sheltered from the wind. Then I came out to Point Addis and after that I had a one kilometre beach to run into the full force of the wind. This made me alarmed about the later beach section that would be four times as long. From Point Addis I could see the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet (close to my destination) dimly in the distance.

I had decided to stop for coffee in Anglesea, mainly because I’ve never stopped for coffee in the middle of a run before. At that point the sun had come out and the cafe was a bit smelly (of food) so I had my coffee on a bench by the inlet. The weather was changeable all day, sometimes looking as though it were about to rain, then the clouds blowing away and the sun shining, and it wasn’t at all cold.

Not far from Anglesea, past Point Roadknight, I had the 4.5 km beach to run to Urqhart Bluff. At first I was going headfirst into the wind and I braved myself for a long trudge. But once I passed the rocks along the beach, a section I had to walk, the cliffs seemed to shelter me from the worst of the wind. That was a real blessing. I had also timed my arrival well since that beach would not be fun to run at high tide. As it was I could run close to the water on fairly firm sand. But it was still quite challenging and when I arrived at the far end I felt cooked. There followed a lovely few kilometres of single track, mostly winding downhill. Sunnymead Beach was deserted and pretty, and I’d never heard of it before.

After climbing again I got another view of Aireys lighthouse and this time it was so much nearer. I hadn’t realised how close I was to finishing. The last bit to Aireys passed quickly, including running up to the lighthouse and skirting the inlet, but I didn’t go into the main centre. I continued on to Fairhaven Beach and the finish, just two kilometres. It was an odd place to finish, as there is nothing there apart from a long beach, a surf club and a sign with a map of the trail. And also a bus stop so I could get back to Geelong.

I didn’t have to wait long for the bus, so I quickly changed into my warmer clothes (which I was very pleased to have brought with me despite having to carry them all day). And it was fun to be reacquainted with the charms of the cafe at Geelong train station.

My run from Wangaratta to Bright

Just to do something different I decided to run the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail from Wangaratta to Bright. It was a good way to be able to do a long run outside of Melbourne without having to go through the stresses of a race and without having to run on roads, plus the advantages of someone having worked out the route for me and, hopefully, put up signposts. I did it in three stages: from Wang station to Bowser on the edge of the town (about 10 km), from Bowser to Myrtleford (about 45 km), from Myrtleford to Bright (about 31 km). I carried minimal gear in my ultra vest: tights, fleece, spare running shirt, underwear, toothbrush, phone and charger, money and glasses, plus 1 1/2 litres of water and some gels and bars. The vest was full and my pockets were full. There was no rain on the forecast so I didn’t take a raincoat. I had the map of the trail on my phone. It turned out to be extremely well signed.

The train arrived in Wang after 3pm and I was pleased to immediately find signs for the rail trail. I followed the signs through town, crossed the river and found the trail start. The route through the outskirts of Wang was along a levee and around a caravan park and then alongside a road until I reached my motel for the night. I had anticipated that the motel would be in the middle of nowhere, so I was carrying some magazines to read and my breakfast croissants for the morning. 

The motel really was in the middle of nowhere, but right on the rail trail. I had to eat, and with no other alternative I got room delivery from Zambrero, and it was a slight problem because their minimum was so high that I had to get more stuff than I could possibly have wanted.

I set out at 8am the next morning. The rail trail was very nice, crossing farmland with lots of bush by the trail and lots of cows and horses. It seemed flat and there was no wind. It wasn’t especially cold. I had a long way to run so I broke the day into stages, basically thinking from railway station to station (although there aren’t stations there any more, just signs). The stations were generally 5 to 8 km apart. Some had toilets and shelters with seats, at others there was absolutely nothing. 

After 19 km I reached Everton which is a big junction on the trail. I chatted to a couple of bike riders - I had seen almost no bikes so far - and had a brief rest. After Everton the trail was closer to the road for a while and then returned to farmland. It was getting quite warm and parts of the trail were very exposed. I much preferred the parts that were away from the road.

The only noticeable climb came towards the last 10 km of the day, following a lovely stretch through forest, but it wasn’t hard. I had a steep few hundred metres then the trail crossed the road and went back into the bush for a long downhill. I wasn’t expecting this since I hadn’t realised that I had climbed much, but it was most welcome. Suddenly as I approached the final station site for the day, Gapsted, I was tired. But the rows of vines at the winery were pretty in the sunshine and there was music coming from the winery.

Past Gapsted the trail came out to parallel the road for the last few kilometres into Myrtleford. It seemed a long slog to end the run. Then the route took me along back streets through town and I picked one of the many bakeries to have a sit before finding my motel. I had a pie and a latte.

I hadn’t realised that Myrtleford was such a big place. I had a walk around the town, located the route start for tomorrow, had a rest and had dinner at the pub.

It was freezing cold when I set out at 8.15 after my breakfast of coffee and a kitkat. It was also foggy so I couldn’t see anything in the way of scenery. The trail was largely close to the road but the road was not very busy early on. I passed lots of cows, horses and llamas. The early kilometres passed comfortably and I think I managed the same sort of pace as yesterday. I wanted to have my first stop at halfway, Eurobin. There were kilometre markers all along and I happily ticked off the distance. I played a game of trying to run on the soft shoulder beside the trail but I always ended up running on the paved trail without realising I had moved back across. I saw more bikes today. According to the map the whole way today was a gradual uphill.

At Eurobin I had a sit, and a little chat with the Highway Patrol who stopped to use the facilities. They were surprised to hear what I was doing and commented that at least I wouldn’t overheat. I was surprised how long it stayed cold.

But by the time I reached Porepunkah, with only 6 km to go, the sun was out and I was warm. The transition seemed surprisingly sudden. I could see the mountains for the first time. I sat briefly by the river and then walked the part of the trail through the small town (which I had never visited before as the main road to Bright doesn’t come through the town). There were lots of people on bikes on the trail here.

The last part of the trail was alongside a back road into Bright. I crossed the river and looked forward to finishing. I'm sure there was an extra kilometre in there somewhere. Then I found myself all of a sudden in the centre of Bright; the place looked lovely in the sunshine and it was pleasantly warm. I wasn’t completely exhausted but I was satisfied to have finished my little adventure. I sat at a cafe in the street with a coffee before changing into warmer clothes and getting the bus back to Wang. Then I slept most of the bus ride.

O'Keefe Rail Trail Marathon

I had an interesting time at the O'Keefe Rail Trail Marathon yesterday. I went into it with lots of pains, all stemming from my hamstring 'clunk' problem that refuses to go away. I was afraid it was going to be a painful marathon since everything starts hurting on my long runs these days and I hadn’t gone beyond 21 kilometres since my last marathon in mid February. This was a long break between marathons for me.

I started out and as usual could not understand why the entire field ran away from me while I thought I was not running all that slowly. I felt I was running my usual training pace. By about 6 km  I had some pain in my hamstring, basically some tightening which I thought I had better ignore. At 10 km I decided to try my utmost to speed up; I thought I would try it and see what happened. Whether I conked out at 30 km or managed to keep going, at least I would know I had given it my best effort. Amazingly I managed to put on some speed and over the rest of the route I passed a number of runners, and I felt very positive.

By half way I was in real pain, all over the top half of both legs, but I was determined to carry on and just finish this thing as soon as I could. I remembered how I had found a burst of hidden reserves at the end of the Kyoto Marathon which I had not fully utilised due to running out of road, and I thought that this time I would try to finish with nothing left in the tank. I ploughed on and told myself to ignore the pain.

Around 35 kilometres I was exceedingly tired and all of a sudden I realised the pains had gone. How extraordinary! I guessed that my brain was putting out 'I’m tired' signals rather than 'I’m in pain' signals. I could hardly keep up any pace at all but I knew I had already done the bulk of the hard work. Some of the stretches were very straight and monotonous and it took lots of mind games to get through those. An awful lot of this race is steady uphill.

On the whole I liked the course more than last year. I noticed more of the scenery. But it was too hot for me and a lot of the route was very exposed. I poured cold water down my back and drank as much as I could, but they only provided water at the aid stations.

I ended up with a time I was happy with. I didn’t want to go too close to 5 hours and I beat my goal of sub 4.45 quite comfortably with 4.37. That was only 10 minutes slower than last year, and everyone was slower this year. Nobody passed me after the first 10 kilometres. I was very, very sore at the end and felt quite sick, but I had made it.