Nearly a zen moment.

Headed down to the Ironbark Forest to start the trail marking for my
Fat Ass run on Sunday. Not sure why I'm bothering to mark it out. It
seems like I could be running it on my own. Well me and the whippets. I
don't mind though. It's given me extra excuses to get down there and go
for a run on my favourite track. I just hope it doesn't rain too much
between now and Sunday.
Parked above Southside on the road after marking the track in and out
of Bells Beach and across Southside carpark. I had my Mule on with the
new bottle holders that I wanted to try out and was carrying a bag of
flour in my hand. About 100 m into the bush and I tripped and had a
really heavy fall. Luckily the bag didn't burst or I would've been
covered in flour. I blame Tim. It was just after he had been
complaining about the possibility of falling while wearing Skins and
here I was in my linebreaks eating dirt, literally. I opened the wound
on my hand from my fall on Tuesday. Twice in one week. I never fall. I
trip occasionally but I can count all the falls I've ever had on one
hand. I reckon it's because of my sore toe. I am not pushing off
properly and that foot is not lifting as high. After recovering from
that I was out for just under 2 hours marking the major track
intersections. Ran to Point Addis and back, easy pace. I popped the
shuffle on close to finishing with only the trip down to the Jarosite
mine left. I flew down there and just cruised up the long climb out.
About halfway up I stopped and looked around. I love this place. I had
one of those epiphany-like moments where you realise just how good it
is to be out there. I think that is as close as I get to the infamous
Spud-zen-moment.
Only 7 weeks until GH. I am getting really psyched out by all the hype
on CR. Everyone seems to be full of confidence while I am struggling
just to get out the door. I have adjusted my goals to meet my
limitations but am still worried how my toe will stand up to nearly 30
hours of pounding. Not to mention my ankle that aches just thinking
about it. Perhaps I should just do the 100km? I'll give it some
thought. Maybe I should just crew? I'll see how I go at 12'. Only 4
weeks away. That will be the real test. I'm really looking forward to
12', despite the injury woes and limited prep.

59 Sleeps 'till GH100

Man, I'm running out of time. I read somewhere recently a quote by
Deeks that you learn more from your bad runs than you do from your good
runs. There is so much truth to this. My only good run this year was
the Prom 100 where I finished the 80 km loop really strongly and if I
hadn't missed a turn on the last 20 km loop would have finished the 100
in a good time and in good form. Contrast that with my 100 on the
track/road at GC100 which was a disaster, and I have subsequently
reassessed my approach and plan to get me to GH100 in condition to
finish. The main hassle is recovering from my toe problem. That aside,
the GC100 taught me I need a more consistent mileage and not just rely
on the odd ultra. I have fleshed out a plan to get some fitness back
but there is precious little time and I will walk a fine line between
fitness and injury. With this in mind I have put my old road bike on
the rollers and climb on occasionally in lieu of a run. I will still
aim for the minimum 3 runs a week, including the longer weekend one. I
haven't got back onto the stairs yet. But with the bike and at least 2
weight sessions a week I hope I can get there. As I like to say: you
can bluff your way through a 100 km but 100 miles will find you out.
Just look at the DNF list for any 100 miler. I guess that's why I
didn't really feel like an ultra runner until I had finished GH. Gotta
love that shirt!
I am back running but still not pain free. But when am I ever totally
pain free these days? And it feels good to actually go for a run. The
focus in the next few weeks will be to get my long run up enough to get
me through 12'. Times will be irrelevant. In fact I will be running GH
very conservatively. Bugger the 24hr sirens. I have seen too many
shipwrecks chasing that one. No, I am now in build up mode for next
year.

1 Sleep 'Till the Big One

Tomorrow is d-day for trail runners who have made the pilgrimage to the
Sierra Nevadas. I can only imagine the nerves I would be experiencing
had I made it there this year. The excitement of the build up would be
somewhat overwhelming. I can't wait to see the little blips make their
way across the map on the webcast. I might watch the dvd again tonight
as preparation and to help relate to the names on the map. I up-loaded
a pic of the silver buckle as my CR avatar. Thoroughly pretentious but
who cares. It reminds me every time I post that the next 12 months are
all about getting an entry, getting fit, and staying healthy. What the
hell. That's what it's been about for the last 12 months but I let the
brains trust talk me into prolonging the agony for another year. But as
John said half the fun is in the voyage to the starting line. With
plenty of ultras lined up between now and then I know I'm going to
enjoy the journey. If I can stay uninjured.

Had hoped to get out for a couple of hours of easy trail today. Took
the dogs for a run first to test the toe. Managed about 3 km on rough
grass wearing my old Tevas that have a stiff shank in the midsole but
ended in tears. So I took the coach's advice and dusted off the old
cannondale for a 1 1/2 hour ride. Did the Cementies hill twice then out
to the falls then up the road to Mount Pellier. Man am I unfit and my
legs weak. Bloody near killed me. Not to mention a few hairy incidents
on the loose gravel down hills. Must switch from the slicks back to mtb
treads. I'm going to put the old road bike onto the rollers in the gym.
I can cope with a tready when I'm injured but it has to be bad to get
on the rollers. 7 weeks to 12'. Getting bad. But then I'd limp 12'
rather than miss it. Keep Ken company. Might even persuade Kevin to
limp along at the back. That way when the rat appears I've only got to
out pace him....

Go John.

Big Toe Blues

Well, actually reds. It is still red. I haven't sort professional
help, as usual relying on my on inept diagnostics and some distant
curb-side consultations but I'm leaning towards gout! Crap. I really
don't want it to be gout but that would explain the incredible pain
and the duration of it. Also the onset several days after the run
rather than immediately. And the failure to respond to my usual home
remedies for soft-tissue injuries. Damn. I can at least walk now.
That's a start. Forget running. Maybe I might revisit mountain biking?
I like going downhill fast. It is interesting seeing the different
comments that this blogs elicits. From genuine empathy to harsh
criticism. Hmmm. Who's idea was this blog anyhow? I read recently in a
totally unreliable, unscientific article that you lose 10% of you
fitness after 1 week of not training. 20% after 2 weeks. Like I had
that much to lose! In retrospect that might explain my lack of
performance at GC100. If this were true I should have no fitness at
all by now. Well maybe it is. How fit do you need to play lawn bowls,
I wonder?

On a totally different topic I noticed that a legend of WS is retiring
this weekend: <fontfamily><param>Arial</param>Tim Twietmeyer recently
announced that his 25th running of the Western States 100 (WS100) this
June will be his last.

</fontfamily>

WS2006 vs World Cup

As the world watches the soccer World Cup unfold there are 400 odd
ultra runners making their way to the start line at Squaw Valley.
Sitting on the plane to the GC100 last week I couldn't help thinking I
should have been heading there myself. I had all the plans in place and
completing GH100 2005 gave me the necessary qualifier and confidence.
As I sit here with my aching toe elevated watching soccer in the early
hours of the morning I can only imagine the nervousness being
experienced by those counting down the last 6 sleeps until their race
begins. I won't be watching the world cup next weekend. The webcast of
the runner's progress will have all my attention.

GC100

Crap. Never, never, never running that race again. Had probably my
worst ultra ever, competing with Maroondah Dam in Feb 2006 but worse
because it was twice as long and not on a trail. You know you are in
for a bad day when you feel crap 30 km into a 100 km race. I have to do
more training and take these things a little more seriously if I want
to avoid such ugly experiences. And to add insult to injury I have
ended up with an acutely inflamed IP joint in my big toe. This wasn't a
problem on the day. Tiredness. Tight ITBs/glutes and lifting toenails
didn't help. Poor food options. Bad early pacing. Which is ironic as I
went out with Roger Guard who I planned on sticking with because of his
great pacing ability. At the end of the first lap he pronounced that he
had gone out too fast. Bugger. We eased off and ran together on and off
for a few laps. He went on to still score a sub 10. I ran one lap with
Vivian who also protested that we were going too fast so I dropped
behind her to break the pace. She then left me for dead and finished
around 9 1/2. Went through the marathon under 4 hrs and 50 km under 5
hrs. Lack of fruit on the check points became a problem. If I had of
known I would have bought some the night before (late flight in). My
sister and kids arrived around midday with some sandwiches but I was
already off food. I switched to coke and my mp3 player much earlier
than usual but I figured I had nothing to lose as I felt terrible and
needed all reserves. Probably did the last 50 km on coke, juice and
water only. Ran a lap with Hermie before my pace fell right off. Vegie
Girl appeared track side and provided some much needed OJ. I was only
seeing runners as they passed me. I eventually had a little rest
trackside. I think I was actually curled up in the foetal position and
could have gone to sleep. I never really thought about a DNF but
seriously vowed to never return, using somewhat more flowery language.
Dave appeared as I was starting the 3rd last lap and joined me,
eventually completing 2 impromptu laps. This helped keep the pace up to
ensure a buffer for the 12 hour cut-off. Veg came out for the last lap
and dragged me around. I was down to a shuffle on the dark track and
kept wanting to reach up and switch on my headlamp, which of course I
didn't have. I lifted for the last lap of the track but was thoroughly
spent. I had nearly 1/2 an hour up my sleeve but the concept of missing
the cut was a strong motivator. A week later and I still cant walk. I
have a WS2007 qualifier but may have buggered up my training for GH100
in september. Have seriously considered just quitting ultras. If my toe
doesn't improve I might not have any choice.

The Real Deal WS 2006

There are only 16 sleeps until WS 2006. There is still 50 cm of snow on
the high trail. It could be really tough going. There are runners still
looking for pacers. Ho, hum. I'll be watching the progress from my
couch.

3 days out from the GC100. Haven't had much of a lead up. Ran an easy
5km today with the puppies. A few niggles but that is standard. Once
you toe that line any pre-existing injuries don't count. Guaranteed
there'll be a few after. That concrete path is an absolute killer.
Plan: try and run fairly even splits and not get sucked along too
early. With no Fat Bloke, to tell stories and the entourage of Spud,
Run67 and G it won't be such a social occasion. I'll look for a more
sensible pace and see if I can bring it home stronger than last year.

Fat Ass going Soft aka Lard Ass

What's with this having water bags at Poor Mans Comrades? Why can't
people carry a bottle and fill it up when they see a tap, in true Fat
Ass style. No aid my arse. And why use up your crew credits on a
straight forward run like this. That would be like having crew at the
GC100. No way. Save them for something tough like GNW when you really
need someone out there. I hope they don't leave their empty bags on the
road. I had to pick up used Leppin wrappers on the trail at the Prom
recently. Not happy Jan. These runs are not fun runs. The spirit of
Fatass is as far removed from sanitised little water sachets as Bogong
is from the Blue Mountains. There'll be people running PMC in gorilla
suits soon.

No run today. Too tired. Weekly total of about 5km. Don't want to
overtrain. Upper body weights only. OMG I'm blogging.

Blog Silliness

There seems to be this compulsion to write blogs. I'm yet to be
convinced of the justification of such egotistical practices. Spend a
day with sick and dying people and do you really need the
self-indulgence that this form of expression demands? But on the other
hand perhaps it is the ideal forum to vent your spleen, climb up on
your soap box, or just ruminate at your leisure. Hmmmm.

WS2006 is approaching rapidly. I will be glued to the web master thingy
and immersing myself in the race from afar. I hope John gets his
buckle. Such a huge effort and commitment. I envy him being there but
look forward to my own opportunity.

Only 18 sleeps until WS2006.

Fat Ass Mania

What's going on? There are Fat Ass runs coming out of someones fat ass.
The calendar is full. No more. I can't cope.

Lots of sleeps left. I'm too tired to count.........

Gee look only 392 sleeps

Guess we're down to 392 sleeps now! I better start training.

393 sleeps

Only 393 days until WS2007, but who's counting?

Oh, and for the lucky buggers (aka as those not silly enough to wait
another year) running WS2006, it's only 29 sleeps!

Whose idea was this?

WS07

this blog is about one man's obsession with running the Western States in 2007