“The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other finds an excuse.” Sir John Marks Templeton

It's now a little over a week since the Great Ocean Walk 100km and I've now had time to think about the day I had on the beautiful trails of the Victorian coast and what unfolded.

The race kicked off in beautifully mild conditions at 6:30am when we were greeted with a fantastic sunrise as we made our way along the flat walking track from Apollo Bay to Marengo. The plan as always was to go out at a conservative but comfortable pace and let the day unfold before me. There were a bunch of really keen runners up front going pretty fast including Stu Gibson and Blake Hose who were from what I had gathered going to be the main competition for the day. I was more than happy watching them up ahead and was enjoying the warmth of the early morning sun.

The first leg from Apollo Bay to the Blanket Bay Checkpoint was relatively undulating, a few climbs here and there and also a couple of sections running along the soft sandy beaches which was nice to mix up the terrain. After about 8km I had caught up to youngster Blake Hose and Damian Smith who I had actually run the first 15km or so at the Glasshouse 100km with last September. For the next little while we chatted and made our way through some nice single track and ducked under and around the fallen trees that were taking over parts of the trail. About 4km from the checkpoint it started flattening out and became more downhill where Damian and Blake started pushing a quicker pace of around 4min k's which I felt was a touch quick with more than 80km to go so I eased off leading into the aid station. After a quick bottle change I ended up exiting the aid station before both of the guys and made my way along some more awesome single track.

A couple of km later Blake caught me up and we were running along one behind the other for around about 10km. The single track through here was mind blowing! Narrow, windy and in parts technical - we were having a blast. There was a really soft sandy section at around about the 32km mark. It only went on for approx. 1.5km but by the time I had made my way onto some firmer terrain I knew something was up. Initially I thought it was just one of the many aches and groans I have learned through ultrarunning that come and go for no apparent reason. So my initial response to the pain was that it was only going to be temporary and soon I would have the spring back in my step and would be on my way again. A few km later I still had the pain and it had gotten worse. The more flexion I gave my knee the worse it got, the more load I put through it upon landing the worse it got. I was left thinking that only 10 minutes ago I was smiling and happy about how the race was unfolding. Stu was around 5-10mins ahead going fast and hard, and Blake had pulled away from me and was putting on a bit of a break which meant I was able to do what I love best and just cruise along at my pace, nice and quiet through the bush. Although it was around here that the race for me had ended and it was now just about finishing.

Coming into the 41km aid station at Aire River, I had spent the last 20 minutes or so contemplating pulling out. The only positives I could find out of my new 'situation' was that going uphill wasn't quite as painful as everything else. As I came in Liz must have known something was up when she asked if I was ok. Generally in a 100km race runners would aim to feel pretty awesome through 40km as there is still a hell of a long way to go. My reply was short as I grabbed some more water and food before making my way out of the aid station. I figured that if I stopped the chances of a DNF were much higher.

I knew that leaving Aire River I only had around 14km or so to get to Johanna Beach which from there was the toughest and hilliest part of the course through to the 80km checkpoint at The Gables. My plan was to battle my way through to Johanna Beach, take some time to recoup there and then set off on the hills from there. To say the next 14km were tough is a ridiculous understatement. Combining the pain with the frustration that everything else on my body seemed to feel fine was tough. Everything was wanting to race except for my knee. My jogging into the 40km aid had now turned into a ridiculous ultra shuffle/walk/limp. It got progressively worse through to Johanna Beach at 55km. The last km into the checkpoint along Johanna Beach was brutal, I felt pretty useless as anything more than a slow walk was really painful on the soft sand.

I'll keep this short and say that from Johanna Beach (55km) through to The Gables (80km) was absolutely brutal. Emotions were high as I was coming to terms with the fact that I was going to likely have to pull from the race. Now my knee was excruciatingly painful, steep downhills were being performed backwards and the only time I was able to shuffle seemed to be on certain inclines where my knee briefly went from excruciating pain to slightly less excruciating pain for about 20-30secs. I was trying to understand how the rest of my body was feeling strong and good to go but my knee was hampering any decent forward progress. During this section, eventual 2nd place Damian, 3rd place Dan Beard and lead woman Jo Brischetto had passed me looking pretty good.

Coming into the 80km checkpoint I had the best km I'd had since before the 32km mark. As I shuffled/jogged my way up the hill a good friend Andre made comment that it was nice seeing me running again and that I was the only runner in the top 4 to run that whole hill. I've since found out this might not have been 100% correct but it helped in convincing me to finish so it worked, Cheers Andre ;)

It was funny how 1km of slightly less demoralising running put me in a better headspace coming into the aid station. After spending the last 25km urging my body along telling it that it would all stop at the 80km mark. I had gone back and forward, finish or DNF...DNF or finish. The whole time I thought about how I felt after the Tarawera 100km where I did DNF and how bad that felt and still feels. I started doing the math in my head and worked out I only had to cover approx 3.5km an hour to make the 18hour cutoff. For those that know me well know I'm not a huge fan of walking at the best of times, but I had come to grips and was ok with the fact I was going to have to walk this one in. After some ice and massage treatment from the race doctor at the aid station and a few mouths full of coke I got up quickly as the 2nd woman Janet Ng from Hong Kong had left. I figured if I could maybe hang onto her for even 1km then it was 1 less I had to do on my own.

The next 7 or 8km were easily the best km's I'd had since early on in the day. Still ridiculously slow for me but they had slightly more shuffling than walking and even some sub 10min km's so I was trying to take the positives from that. I'd managed to catch up to and pass Jo who was also having a really tough day on the trails and she did incredibly well to finish, super strong and showed great courage. A couple of km later the coke, massage and ice wore off - damn it. I knew it wasn't going to last forever but was ambitiously thinking if I could get to 95km or so that'd be great! Around 89km Janet passed me again on a dead flat gravel road section doing about 5:30min km's. I hung on for about 12 metres and then realised I wasn't kidding anybody. Back to my shuffle-limp which I had become slightly more efficient at over the last 55km or so.

Some of the short and steep descents over the final few km were brutal. My knee as it had done for the past 7hrs felt as though someone was stabbing me in the side of it. The scenery over the final section was incredible like the rest of the course. Coming up over a rise and seeing the 12 Apostles was surreal. Even amongst the pain and frustration they were truly amazing.

I crossed the line in 11:35:48 for 4th male and 5th overall behind Janet who ran an amazing 11:23! I pretty much stumbled my way over the line where my knee finally buckled beneath me. I was done, no more pain and I could finally switch off. Mentally this race was my toughest assignment yet. Somehow convincing myself numerous times that it was a good idea to push through the pain and finish the race, I'm still not sure how I did.

Post race things haven't been too bad. An appointment with my sports doctor and physio have revealed that it was literally a combination of bad luck and timing. Because of tapering before the race my glutes and ITB tightened up and switched off and combining that with the soft sandy running it was basically asking too much biomechanically of my body. The reason it was so painful was because there are so many nerves etc in the knee joint which basically starts to settle down as soon as you stop. That's also the reason why the body feels so good now, because I was hampered by my knee my other muscle groups were only able to work to a certain threshold. It's nice to know I haven't done any major damage and it is now just a case of strengthening my glutes and core muscles to relieve the load on my ITB's.

Looking forward I feel that my experience here has only made me stronger. I now know I have been to a really dark place and come out on top which I can use for my next race. It has almost given me confidence leading into 2014 where I am likely going to be attempting my first 100 miler, because that distance is a whole new challenge physically and even more so mentally.

Finally, congratulations to Blake for winning the race in his first 100km, keep an eye on this guy! And also Damian and Dan for rounding out the podium. Congratulations to Janet for a cracking run and Katherine and Jo on the women's side of the podium. Also congrats to everyone who finished a tough 100km course. Thanks to Andy and Brett for putting on an awesome race and all of the amazing supporters and volunteers for helping make this race happen. Thanks to my support crew Isaac you were awesome and also to Nick and Lisa for coming down to support as well. Not wanting to let you all down was a big motivator for pushing through the pain :)

As always I cannot say enough thank yous to Liz. Amidst all the dark moments I only had to think of her to bring out a smile. As tough as this whole experience was I knew that seeing her at the aid stations was going to give me a boost, or at least a kick up the backside to hurry me along ;) Already looking forward to our next race together.

Thanks to my sponsors Hoka One One, RaceReady, Ryders Eyewear and Peak Podiatry. I am very thankful for your continued support of me following my passion.

Until next time...

Some images courtesy of Patchanida Pongsubkarun, thankyou so much for capturing some of my race.

Crossing the creek before the Blanket Bay aid station

Approaching the Blanket Bay aid station

Staying dry before the Blanket Bay aid station

Happy times early on, obviously not realising what the sand was doing to me

Approaching Aire River aid station (41km) the beginning of the end

Feeling the pinch

Likely the moment where Andre had told me the good news ;)

Stoked to finish, rest time now!

Broken but not beaten

The amazing scenery approaching the Aire River aid station

Pre race crew photo

Trying to do a patch up job to get a few more km's out of my knee

Explaining the magic!

Hoka One One running shoes have definitely turned a few heads over the last couple of years with many runners giving them a go and loving them and many sitting on the fence feeling rather sceptical about the "over sized" shoes. 

From my own personal experience, like Andy DuBois, the man behind the article, I tried them once and have never looked back. They offer so many benefits for me and my running and I couldn't be happier with my running shoes.

So for those of you who already love the Hokas and those sitting on the fence, take a couple of minutes to read this well articulated article which addresses some key talking points behind the Hokas from a scientific point of view in easily understood terms. He also bullet points the pro's and the con's which summarises the talking points well.

If anyone has any questions or queries about the shoes feel free to drop me a message in the comments below or drop me a line on Facebook or Twitter.

Check out the article here: http://www.mile27.com.au/hoka/

Scotty

They might look a bit goofy but the shoes speak for themselves ;)

Mr Incredible and an incredible week

It's been a little quiet on here the past couple of months. In short, after a great race at the Hoka One One Kep Ultra 100k in June I then ended up having just under 8 weeks off. In the end this was due to an incorrect diagnosis from a doctor I was seeing, so it was pretty frustrating that this was the reason I wasn't out there on the trails.

Fast forward three weeks and I now had a Perth City to Surf Marathon entry in my mailbox which I was pretty excited about. The three weeks back since my break had progressed really well. Weekly visits to my wonderful physio Ali and sports massage therapist Nathan ensured that I kept things under control as my mileage was building up again. The great thing about my physio is that she understands the game I am in and that generic rebuild programs aren't really suitable or relevant for me. Its great having confidence in people who do their absolute best at getting you back out on the trails.

So it was the Monday before the Perth City to Surf and I had somehow stumbled across an entry for the full marathon, I have wanted to do the City to Surf Marathon since moving to Perth, but the chance never really presented itself. On one hand I was really excited about finally being able to do it, and on the other hand, in all honesty, I was paranoid and scared that something was going to flare up again.

I think having such a long period of time off really plays on your mind and gives a feeling of uncertainty about how each run is going to pan out. I knew that the three weeks had gone well and I really had nothing to stress about but the thought of being back on the sidelines really scared me. At times during the rebuild from the time off I thought about whether I really wanted to be racing again and whether it was worth it. I was scared that through racing I would end up with more injuries. I knew at the time, and even more so now, that those were purely thoughts based on my emotional feelings at the time and I definitely didn't want to stop racing.

I know from previous experiences that once I'm on that start line it's all go. There's no such thing as not racing a race. I like to think I could run a race as a training run but know that wouldn't happen... I'm too competitive. So from that came the idea to run the marathon in costume. What better way to ensure it actually was a training run. My goal for the race was purely to treat it as a long training run and have some fun. So Liz and I headed off to the costume store to check out a few costume options. The guy at the store was really keen on the idea and couldn't have been more helpful. We narrowed it down to Fred Flinstone, Ironman and Mr Incredible. We decided on Mr Incredible as we all thought that was a pretty cool outfit. Sunday morning was an early start as the race started at 6am so we had to be up and getting ready by 4:45am.

To say that I got some pretty funny looks and massive smiles is a huge understatement. The response from people on the start line was absolutely awesome, I was pretty surprised that friends still recognised me as Mr Incredible. The starter's gun fired and we were off. I started off in the second row of runners ensuring I wasn't in the way of the flying Kenyans and Big Kev. About 100m down the road I decided to make my way up to the front alongside BK and Trailblazer and in front of the mighty Kenyan runners.

We weren't in front for long but I think it ensured Mr Incredible was going to get on tv which I thought would look pretty funny. As I slowed down and settled into a comfortable pace I had quite a few runners fly past me, a few of which gave encouraging words saying to make sure I made it to the finish line. Everyone was so supportive, I kind of wish I had a better story as to why I was dressed up other than I thought it would be pretty funny and a reason to slow me down and avoid injury.

I went through the first half in 1:25:42 which felt really comfortable. I didn't have a target pace for this race, I was more just wanting to make sure I stayed well below my threshold and not do anything silly. After hearing from friends that the second half is where the hills were, I was pretty keen to stay with the pace I was running as long as it stayed easy.

Crossing back through the start line I got huge cheers with people clapping and taking photos, I've never had so much attention in a race before which was pretty cool. As we started getting into the hilly sections I found myself picking off runners one by one as we were moving along the course. I made sure I eased up on the hills and kept things cruisy. A lot of runners had gone out pretty hard and were now suffering because of this. I think I passed around 13 people in the second half of the race including four people in the final 5km. The looks I got from the guys at the start who had said to make sure I made the finish line were priceless. It must have looked pretty funny seeing Mr Incredible running along at a touch over 4min km pace ;) I crossed the line in 2:51:14 for 19th place overall and first superhero. Running up the finishing chute was a really cool experience. Hearing people yelling out "go Mr Incredible" was absolutely classic. I must admit that before the race I wasn't sure how people would take me running along in costume, but after the amount of people and especially the kids I made smile it was definitely a good choice. High fiving kids and drink station volunteers out on the course just added to the experience for me. I have honestly never had so much fun in a race before!

After I crossed the line I had the Channel 9 tv crew come over to me asking if they could ask a few questions which was pretty funny. It was all pretty chaotic at the finish line so hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much. The Perth City to Surf for me could not have been a better experience that I will remember for the rest of my life, it was everything I expected and more. I will definitely be back in 2014 for round two. The past week since City to Surf has been nothing short of fantastic! I almost feel like a new runner these days. I am really learning from past experiences and using that knowledge for the future. I think this is partly because I am scared of not being able to run, I am making a constant effort to make good decisions as far as my training goes and my rest and recovery.

Finish line, all done!

Coming up the finishing chute

Enjoying the hills through Kings Park

It was really beautiful running alongside the Swan River with no cars on the road

Running through UWA

Monday after the City to Surf Marathon involved my now traditional swim and spa recovery session which has been hugely beneficial for me. Tuesday was a nice 10km run with Liz and Kate which has now become a regular event, I especially look forward to this run (possibly the coffee and muffin afterwards is a drawcard). Wednesday was a 20km tempo run at Bold Park. I have been really enjoying running up here the last few weeks. It's a 20km circuit with over 500m vertical gain so a great place to train and also a good gauge of how training is progressing. Thursday was a massage with Nathan followed by a 10km run along the coast and a coffee and smoothie with our nieces Amitty and Piper. A new feature I've added into my week is pilates on Friday morning. I'm really starting to feel the benefits of the sessions and looking forward to seeing it continue to progress. Friday was where the fun for the weekend started. I planned on doing about 100km over the 3 day weekend starting with 20km out at Lesmurdie Falls N.P at night. I love night time running and it was great to be out there again. James ended up joining me for 10km which was nice for some company. Saturday morning was another early start as the plan was to meet James and Tom down south on the Bibbulmun Track near Mt Cooke. It's pretty much the hilliest part of WA near Perth so makes sense to utilise this awesome area. We ran 50km in a series of out and backs from where the car was parked. It was a really windy day but we got quite lucky with the weather as there wasn't much rain. The main focus of the weekend training was to ensure I woke up on Sunday morning feeling like I wasn't completely drained and on tired legs. I woke up on Sunday at 6am ready to throw my alarm clock at the wall as I felt like I needed more sleep. Then as I was laying there I thought about a line from a new book I had just started reading the night before from legendary ultra/trail/mountain runner Kilian Jornet saying something about not having your face on the sheets. I jumped out of bed all motivated and excited about hitting the trails again. The run started a little slow as I think I was still waking up but I soon got into the swing of things. It was 31km with some nice hills from Kalamunda to Mundaring Weir and back. It was one of those runs you do when you just can't stop smiling and loving being in the bush. Moments like these are why I run trails. It was just me, the birds and a few kangaroos bouncing around. It was so silent and peaceful that I stopped and walked for a moment. I was looking up into the trees hearing the birds sing and thinking how good this was. I would have taken a self portrait but I don't think the iPhone has a wide angle lens to get my oversized smile in. I hope to have many more moments like these during other runs. So, things have been going tremendously well and I feel I am progressing well towards the Great Ocean Walk 100km in October. The weekly totals were: Distance: 138.9km; Vert: 4880m gain; Hours: 12hr 42min.

Me and Tom running off the top of Mt Cooke, it was as slippery as ice.

Tom and James climbing back up Mt Cooke

Nice singletrack along the ridgeline

Me running back up Mt Cooke

Tom and James working hard getting up Mt Vincent

Panorama on the top of Mt Vincent

Nice running through the forest section

Pretty windy so needed the hat backwards ;)

Ryders Eyewear Ambassador

I am really happy and privileged to now be a part of the Ryders Eyewear team as a Ryders Eyewear Ambassador. I came across Ryders sunglasses over a year ago now after being told from a good running mate of mine that they were a really good product. I had previously spent hundreds of dollars and a lot of time trying to find some good sunglasses to hit the trails with, but always came up short for one reason or another. It's pretty safe to say as soon as I got my first pair I was hooked. They fit and feel great, and there is no bounce at all when charging down steep technical downhills, another reason they are perfect for what I'm needing on the trails.

There is a fantastic range to choose from as far as frames and lenses go so they pretty much cater for whatever you are looking for in a pair of sunglasses. From golf to running, they have you covered. The quality different lens options is a massive positive, especially living in Perth where summers are always bright, and also being able to protect my eyes from dust etc throughout other seasons. I couldn't be happier with the Ryders sunglasses and am proud to be a part of the team.

Tasmania in photographs

Some images from our recent trip to Tasmania. It was a truly awesome trip, we had an absolute blast exploring some of the amazing parts of Tassie! Looking forward to returning someday soon!

See the link for photo's :) - Tasmania 2013

Liffey Falls, Tasmania

A Kiwi, an Aussie and an Irishman head out for a run

A Kiwi, an Aussie and an Irishman head out for a run. During the 35km run in 36deg heat they had time to chat a bit... 

About an hour down the trail... Kiwi: "I might have a gel in a minute bro" Aussie: "Cool mate, I might have one too" Meanwhile the Irishman in the meantime has pulled out a hardboiled egg and a bag of salt and vinegar crisps and is chugging them back whilst on the run.... "Back home I normally have a pack of Tim Tams with me in me rucksack lads, but tis a bit warm in Perth for that carry on"

I've never laughed so hard on the trails than when my good mate Thomas pulled out a smorgasbord of treats on our first run together. I thought now this guy is hardcore!! 

Your chance to win 2 pairs of the sweet new Hoka One One's about to hit Australian coastlines in September!!  

All details on the pic, can be as simple as 500 words or less, or a quick 3min video telling a sweet, crazy or downright nasty running story 

Anything goes... GET ONTO IT!!!

Reflection

“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory” – Vince Lombardi (Football Coach)

I think the more I run and the more I understand my body, the better I am at accepting that sometimes things just happen for a reason. Sometimes those reasons might seem so blurred in what is normally such a clear pathway for me. It’s as simple as putting on some shoes, finding a trail and immersing yourself in the beauty that surrounds it, simple right?

If only trail and ultra running could be that simple and have that lack of complexity that we all wish it could. I mean that’s what draws a lot of people to running in the first place; it is just you and the trail. No thousand-dollar bike, no kayak carriers, and no fumes coming out the back end…well only sometimes!

I have found the last few weeks that I have learnt so much about myself through not being able to get out on the trails and having way too much time to think about what I’d rather be doing. It’s not like it’s the first time I have ever had a lay off period from running so nothing too ground breaking to share. Although this time around I have found that although still not perfect, I feel like I am able to deal with injury much better and with more understanding. Things weren’t like this last year when I would beat myself up over and over again because of not being able to run and I would find myself in a really unhappy place.

I’m not sure if a switch flicked or whether it’s been the constant support from Liz through these tougher times for me. Probably the combination of a few things. I’m definitely not claiming to be the most passionate, dedicated and die hard runner going around but these layoffs seem to really throw things off track for me as many others must find as well.

I have found a few different ways to take my mind off things including getting my camera out after a bit of a quiet patch with taking photos and also doing some swimming and bike riding. I have been reminding myself that there is much more to life than just running.

I think in times like these when you have a bit more time to think it is important to not lose sight of the things that make you happy. Sure running is a massive component in my life and I hope to do this for years to come but there have to be other things stimulating you outside of running. Before now I found it hard not to dwell on the fact I couldn’t run and would always rush back into things too soon.

For now I am quite content on seeing how things pan out, accepting things for what they are and making the best out of every situation that comes my way. If that means finding other interesting ways to get the heart rate up then I'm cool with that.

I’m really keen on getting in the pool as much as possible as it’s something that as an adult I have really come to enjoy, despite getting overtaken by 60 year old ladies J I know they must be thinking “oh that poor young chap” but secretly stoked to be overtaking a bloke in his mid 20’s.

So the next few weeks are to involve plenty of rest, reading and other forms of getting some cardio in. Throw in some stretching and strengthening and I’ll be back on the trails soon.

Until then…

Taking some time to slow down and enjoy some reading again :)