Race Report: Manx Mountain Marathon

I can’t believe that this is my first blog post since November of last year, so much has happened since then! The biggest of which is heading over to the UK for a university exchange semester which I’ll write about after the incredible 6 months is over. As for now though it’s time for another race report on my first race for this year, as well as a little bit on an island that I fell in love with. If you only want to read about the island, skip ahead!

The Race

I suppose I probably should begin with the circumstances surrounding why I wasn’t able to finish to finish the race. 1.5 weeks before the race I went out on a training run to practice going downhill, as the Manx Mountain Marathon (MMM) has some seriously steep downhill sections. The idea of that training run was to give me a bit of a confidence boost heading into the race, unfortunately I placed my foot wrong and for the second time since the Blackall 50 last year, I sprained my left ankle. As soon as I did it I knew it was bad, but not as bad as last time. As soon as I hobbled the 3km back to my room I did the RICE principle and hoped for the best. 3 days post-sprain I was able to ride a bike, 5 days post-sprain I was able to walk without limping, 7 days post-sprain I went on a reccie run with another Aussie, Troy (my first proper run since injury) on a part of the course (thanks Troy for taking me out there!) On the road sections my ankle was fine but as soon as we went onto the fells (hills) doubts started entering my mind as to whether I would be able to finish the race. We went over South Barrule which didn’t have a defined trail going up it and the trail going back down on the other side was quite rocky. Even with taking it really slow and easy, by the time we finished my ankle was in pain. Yeah, not good considering the race was in 3 days time.

(This was typical of the heather that we had to run across)

So, for the next 48 hours I tried to not walk on it more than necessary, then the afternoon prior to race morning I went for an hour-long hike to see a bit more of the island and to see how my ankle was doing. On the flat and on the climbs the ankle was fine, but on the downhills it hurt a bit. It was better than a couple days earlier but not as good as I hoped. After I got back I strapped up my ankle as tight as possible, got my gear ready (including poles to help with stability on descents), went to bed early and wished that when I woke up at the stupidly early time of 5:30 everything would be all good and I’d have a great race.

Before I dive into what happened during my race I want to describe the course and what fell running is compared to trail running back home. The similarities between the two is that they’re both off-road running and go up and down hills. However, during trail running events you have to follow a specific course which are often marked with flags and arrows etc. but with this fell race there wasn’t a specific course per se, just 12 hills that you needed to go to (check out the link here if you want to see the course and if you want extra context to the hill names)

The course was about 50km in length and featured around 2500 m in climbing

You had to go to each hill in a specific order but how you went up and down and between them was up to each individual runner. Sometimes there was a trail, other times there was just open heather but 98% of the course isn’t marked, so either you’re a local who’s reccied the course and knows exactly where you’re going, you’re a runner who’s following someone else and hopes they know where they’re going, or you’re navigating using a map and compass. 

When you get to the top of each major hill you have to punch a hole in this so the race organisers know you didn't cut the course

Apart from going over South Barrule, hiking to the top of Beinn Y Phott when it was a really clear day and being able to almost see the entire course, driving along the road following the southern part of the course and discussing the race route with Jan who’s done the race many times previously, I didn’t really have a clue as to where I was going. Apart from the Alpine Challenge (which had pretty much all the critical turning points marked anyway) all the races I’ve done previously required no navigation at all. You just follow the flags. Luckily, I knew how to use a map and compass, but with close to 100 runners starting my main plan was to follow the person in front of me and hoped they knew where they were going.

Anyways, race morning rolled around and we went to the start line at Ramsey on the North East part of the island and it was cold! The weather forecast said it felt like 0 Celsius with the wind chill, and this was at sea level, it would be colder once we got up on the hills. I had to make a choice on what to wear as I hadn’t ever raced in temperatures this cold before. Do I rug up as warm as possible or wear less banking on the fact that during the race I would warm up? In the end I kind of compromised, I decided on shorts and a merino baselayer top with my waterproof jacket, gloves and a buff. We also had to carry waterproof pants so I figured if I got really cold I could stop and put those on if necessary.

One of the key foundations of fell running I think after reading a book called, “Feet in the Clouds” and talking to a few fell runners is its sense community/grass roots and disregard for pomp and I reckon the start really showed this. There was no big inflatable arch that everyone ran through, no starters gun or even a megaphone but instead just a person wearing a high-vis vest counting down from 3 and blowing a whistle, and we were off! The first 1.5km were on road and I knew that the small road sections were going to be the only places I could push hard without fear of going over on my ankle, so my first km was fast and I was even able to keep up with the leaders! As soon as we went got onto the trails it was time to go up and up and up. Unfortunately, while the first part of the climb was on a well-defined path in the cover of trees, it was super rocky so pretty much from the word go I had to slow to a crawl. The good news is that my ankle wasn’t hurting yet. Yay! Shortly after the rocky section and about 3km’s in we were well and truly above the tree line and in full exposure of the elements. There was still a well-defined single track to follow up the first hill but it was stupidly wet and muddy, and my Akashas seriously struggled to get any grip. However, because it was less rocky I was able to go a little faster and even managed to over-take a couple people by the time I reached the top of North Barrule! The conditions once I reached the top though, were brutal. Cloud blanketed everything making it impossible to see more than 30 metres ahead of you and the wind was so strong that it was threatening to blow the poles I was using off the mountain top. I think the weather forecast said that it was blowing about 50km/h or close to it. Anyways, it was nuts and I certainly hadn’t experienced anything like it. The only good news was that it was on our backs, which according to local runners doesn’t happen very often, usually the wind blows as a headwind. Once we reached the top it was then time to follow a ridgeline and descend for the next 5km until we reached a road before the next climb. During this section I fell over twice as my shoes didn’t have enough grip on the muddy trail we were following. Each time I fell my confidence took a bit of a hit, making me go a bit slower. And while I didn’t fall over because of my ankle in this instance, it seemed to make it flair up and from this point onwards my ankle started to hurt, however it wasn’t bad and I was able to ignore it.

The face you make when you're concentrating on not falling over

Once we reached the road it was time to climb up the highest mountain on the island, Snaefell and the cloud was really, really bad. I could barely see the two hands in front of my face when I reached the summit. Once I dropped back down the other side and through the cloud I saw something really cool; runners everywhere. There was one main path (which I took) to go down but there is no obligation to take it and I saw runners all over the place taking what they thought was the quickest way down. I’ve never seen that before, in a race in Australia this would be impossible due to the large vegetation lining the hill side and there would be one trail that everyone would have to follow as its part of the course. On the side of this hill there was only low-lying heather blocking a runner’s path, which to a seasoned fell-runner is child’s play to go over. As for me? Well, not so much. At around km 15 we had to go down Carraghan, which was the steepest descent so far in the race and according to Strava had a gradient of 30%. And there was no trail to follow, the only way down was to go over heather. Slippery, ankle-breaking, heather. You see, the heather covered the entire ground so it covered up little holes and divots, and of course the plant itself is uneven so every time I put my foot down it landed on a different angle. Not good when you have an ankle that’s injured. I slowed right down to a slow walk and it wasn’t fun concentrating to the best of my abilities just so I didn’t sprain my ankle again. From the top to the bottom I lost count how many times my ankle slightly rolled over, and they all added up. The only thing that saved me from massively rolling my ankle were my poles and the strapping, but it still wasn’t enough. By the time I got to the flat my ankle was seriously hurting and I think it was at this point that I made up my mind that I wouldn’t get to the finish. However, I wasn’t ready to quit yet, I knew I had another big climb ahead of me and I was hoping for that my ankle might get a little better by the time I reached the top. But deep down I didn’t think it would as I knew the climb was going to be through heather and not on a trail. I was lucky that by this point another runner had joined me because I had no clue where the summit of Colden was. It’s hard to describe but in front of me was this giant hill with thigh height heather covering it and if I didn’t go the correct way up I would miss the flag with the dibber and go off course. Following the runner (who did know where he was going) I eventually made it to the top and for me it was the toughest climb yet. Partially because of my ankle, and partially because every step I took I had to lift my legs stupidly high so I could go over the heather. After reaching the top of Colden it was time to face the full force of the wind again and follow a path along a ridgeline to Slieau Ruy, where we, yet again, had to go back down the side of a hill when there wasn’t a trail to follow, just a couple flags that were put down so we could find our way to a gate. What was even better was that the route down went through spiky gorse as well as over heather. So here I was in shorts, timidly making my down so I didn’t sprain my ankle and also getting cut up at the same time. Am I complaining and does this make me sound like a pampered princess, rather than a toughened outdoorsmen? Yes. It was not fun. I only wish I could’ve run down the hill like all the people that passed me. Instead, I took every step like there was a landmine underneath me, slow and cautious and it frustrated the absolute akjgadjbnsfb. Grrrr! Even writing about 3 days later I can’t put into words how shit it was. I’m a runner goddamn it! I don’t want to walk down a hill. I know when doing an ultra you hit times when your mind and body gives up and you’re meant to push through it but on this occasion, I gave up. I wasn’t having fun, I wasn’t able to enjoy the stunning views over the rolling hills, my ankle hurt, I was scratched up from the gorse. And I was only half-way. I. Was. Done. However, I think I could’ve maybe, potentially pushed through that as I knew that the most scenic part of the course when we run by cliffs on the oceanside was coming up, but with a trip to the Lakes District 4 days after the race I didn’t want to risk doing any more damage to my ankle. So, at the Greeba marshal-point at the 25^th km, 3 hours 35 mins later, I officially dropped out.

At this point in time it was only 11.30am, so I went from being runner to supporter and went around the rest of the course with Gordy, who was crewing for his wife. It was amazing being able to see everyone doing their best and it was great being able to cheer people on from the sidelines!

As this was my first fell race I definitely learned a few things. 

1. Poles don’t help. While they did allow me to go downhill without spraining my ankle, the hills are too short (longest climb was 5km) to be of any major help. And they get in the way when trying to a grab a small plastic hole punch at the top of the hill.
2. If it’s cold at the start it’s even colder when you’re 600 metres in the air exposed to the elements. Next time I won’t wear shorts.
3. And on the topic of being cold, it turns out it’s really hard to drink 500mL an hour so I could consume 250 calories an hour of sports drink. Next time I’ll make it so it’s more concentrated.
4. DON’T DO A TRAINING RUN WHERE THE RISK OF INJURY IS HIGH WITHIN 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO A MAJOR RACE!

 As with all races there are many thank-you’s that need to be said. Thank-you to the race organisers for putting on a superb race, the marshals who stood out in the brutal conditions manning the checkpoints and the other volunteers, without you these races wouldn’t happen, thanks Gordy for offering up a spare seat in your car so I could follow you around and be a supporter and the biggest thank-you of all to Jan and Chris for allowing me to stay with you while I was on the Island!

The Isle of Man and why you need to go

The people.

They’re some of the nicest and most hospitable going around! A few weeks before the race I put a Facebook post in the Manx Fell Runners group (if you’re from Australia you call yourself Australian, if you’re from the Isle of Man you call yourself Manx) asking if anyone had a spare bed or couch I could sleep on for the race and Chris and Jan offered to put me up for 5 days, which was amazing! Jan had run the course 4 times prior to this year and gave me as much advice as I could’ve wanted to do the course to the best of my abilities, and they gave me some great ideas on what to see and do on the island, along with so much more. As before-mentioned I also went around the course with Gordy, who I hadn’t met before arriving into the checkpoint and along with offering me a spare seat he also offered me some food which, to a hungry runner, was the best thing in the world! It was also super easy to strike up a conversation with random strangers, which I did multiple times throughout my stay.

The outdoors

If you like the outdoors in any-way then the Isle of Man is the place for you. Hiking (or running) along stunning hills and jaw-dropping coastline? ✅ Mountain biking? ✅  Road cycling? ✅ Driving really fast on mountain roads that have no speed limit (I mean the island does host the TT every year) ✅  Scuba diving? ✅ Name me an activity that involves being outside and I can almost guarantee you it can be done on the Isle of Man.

Amazing views of the hills

And the ocean

History

The Isle of Man has bucket loads of it. From vintage steam trains along the coast, horse drawn trams along Douglas harbour, the oldest continuous parliament on the planet (and the first place to give women the vote), hundred-year-old electric trams going up the hill side, medieval castles and smuggling, the Isle of Man has a super interesting past that is begging to be explored.

Food and drink

The island has multiple breweries, a gin distillery, produces its own honey, milk and cream, along with high quality meats. So if you like high quality, locally produced, delicious food and drink the Isle of Man is for you!

The Trail Running Novice

Race Report: The Alpine Challenge 60km

Sweeping Alpine Views

For those who have been following along, you would’ve read that after I rolled my ankle at the Blackall 50km, I went and saw a doctor and got told that I didn’t do any serious damage to my ankle. He was kind of right, a couple days after I wrote that race report I went and saw a physio and was told that I did a severe grade II sprain to my anterior talofibular ligament which would put me on the sidelines between 4-6 weeks. The day after I saw the physio I went into work (at The Trail Co) and saw my boss (who is a running coach) and he has had a very similar injury to mine. He told me to drop out of the Alpine Challenge as soon as possible so I didn’t have the mental anguish of ‘do I, don’t I’. Me, being a runner, meant I ignored his completely reasonable advice. So, for the 12 days after Blackall I was on crutches, unable to do any sort of aerobic activity at all. For the next 11 days after that the only aerobic activity I could do was ride a bike, but as this was during my uni exam period I didn’t do much of that either. In my last physio appointment before I left Brisbane (a week before the Alpine Challenge) I was given the all clear to run in the race. I had to strap up my ankle but I had full movement again. The one thing was physio was a bit concerned about though, was my fitness. Which was a valid point. In the 5 weeks leading up to the Alpine Challenge I rode a total of 150km (which, if you’re a cyclist, you’ll realise isn’t much) and I ran a total of 37km. 6 of those km’s were the only ones on a trail, which I did 3 days before the race and I realised how much fitness I had lost. So, there were two major concerns leading into this race. The biggest one was my ankle, while the physio had said it would fine to run on, he also said that it was still weak and very susceptible to being sprained again. The other one was fitness. I would be running at altitude, climbing over 2000 meters and I would be getting a distance record. Would I be able to finish?

The course profile

So much gear!

The start line

This meant when the race stared on Saturday morning, I went out conservatively. The race began in the centre of Falls Creek before heading down to Howmans Gap on winding single track. The first 5km’s were stunning, it was so green and lush and very easy to run along. I had to hold myself back though, I wasn’t prepared to roll my ankle within the first 5 kays! After a very short uphill at Howmans Gap, it was back to running downhill again for the next 3.5km’s along non-technical fire trail. Again, another place I could’ve ran a lot faster down, but I wasn’t willing to risk it. At the bottom of the hill was first time I had to consult my map as there was a t-intersection that wasn’t marked. It was a decision to either go left or right, but as there was another runner who was with me (doing the 36km) we used our collective brain power and made the correct choice to go right.

The Alpine Challenge is tough in a few ways. One way is the altitude, for the most part the course is above 1,200 metres, the climbs are also difficult, but you also must use your brain as the course is sparsely marked, as I found out, I had to use my map and course notes a few times.

My plan leading into the race. 7 hours was ambitious and I wouldn't have been able to get it this year. But with full fitness I believe going under 6 hours is definitely do-able.

What goes down must go up, and after 10km’s of taking it cruisy was the toughest part of the 60km course, an 8km 900 metre (ish) climb to the top of Spion Kopje. This is where one of my last purchases at The Trail Co came in handy, poles. I had never used poles in a race before this one, but I figured that if they’re good enough for the Europeans, they’re good enough for me! And I’ll be honest, they were a god-send. I wasn’t moving up the hill any faster than if I didn’t have them, but I was using way less energy. It meant that once I got to the top I was able to run again, kind of. I really had lost a lot of fitness due to my injury and the best I could manage was a really long interval-style running. Run for 900m, walk for 100m, repeat. I managed to keep this up and pass a couple of 36km runners until the first checkpoint, Warby Corner. From there it was only 9km’s until the next checkpoint at Langfords Gap, which took in sweeping Alpine Views, rolling, wide 4WD tracks and what should’ve been really fun, technical downhill single track, which I had to walk down because of my ankle. During this section the 36km runners turned off and I wouldn’t see anybody else until I got to the checkpoint. When I got into Langfords Gap I was feeling really good, I was a little bit behind schedule, but my nutrition was on-point and I was feeling really strong. I knew that between Langfords Gap and the next checkpoint was going to be exposed (from reading other people’s race reports, I had never been in this area prior to race day) and it was the middle of the day by this point, so I took on as much water as possible. This was also the point I put in my headphones in, being out in an exposed area when you can’t see anybody can be demoralising, so I hoped that my music would get rid of any negative thoughts. For me, the section between Langfords Gap and Pole 333 was my favourite. The views were second to none and the trail was really easy to run along (by this point in time I had reduced my intervals to run 300m, walk 200m, repeat). I honestly don’t think I can impress just how pretty the views were and I really wish I had taken a photo, it was stunning, but hot. It was probably about 30 degrees by this stage, but my heat training that I did for Blackall kept me in a good frame of mind. I was also really grateful for the cool alpine breeze and the couple streams that I came across, where I got on my hands and knees to stick my head into the water to cool myself down. It was also during this section that I came across another 60km runner, the first one I had seen all race! She was moving pretty slowly though and soon enough I was back by myself.

There's still snow up there!

One variety of the numerous types of wildflowers that I saw

Coming into the Checkpoint number 3, Pole 333, I was feeling a bit warm, but on the whole pretty good considering I had already covered 47km’s. At this checkpoint I was told two things to my fatigued brain. Number one was that I was in 5^th place overall, but I was the first male through. This, for me, was entirely unexpected. I didn’t come into this race expecting to win. And number two; “follow this trail and take a right past the cars”. The trail leading to the cars was downhill and after being told I was winning (my gender) I flew as fast as I could down it until I saw the cars. I also saw a large wooden pole with a bit of orange tape on, which I though marked the course. So, I went right past the cars until I got to Tawonga Huts. Now I’ll admit, there were a few different trails, leading in different directions from the huts and I should’ve checked my map to see which trail to take, I then would’ve seen that I should not be at Tawonga Huts, turned around and maybe would’ve only lost about 10 minutes. But at this point in time I had been on my feet for 6.5 hours and I definitely wasn’t thinking straight. I just saw a trail that had a rock at the beginning of it, it just so happened that the rock had orange tape wrapped around it. I thought I was going in the correct direction. When I got to kilometre 53 and I hadn’t seen a checkpoint I knew something was wrong. This was the point I finally got out my map and realised that I had seriously fucked up. I was out of mobile phone signal so I couldn’t call someone to come and pick me up, the only way was to go back the way I came. Which I did. I eventually made it back to the cars and realised what the person at the checkpoint had said, “take a right… past the cars”. Oops. By this point in time I was out of food (I still had lots of water thankfully, the wrong trail I took had flowing streams to drink from) and low on self-esteem. But my mind completely gave up when my watch hit 60km and I still hadn’t reached Pretty Valley Pondage, which I was meant to have reached by the 53^rd kilometre. After my mind gave up, so too did my body. Everything became a struggle, but I wasn’t willing to stop. At Pretty Valley I had some watermelon (the best watermelon in the world at that point in time) and some lollies, which got me up to the top of Mt McKay and back down to the finish line in a time of 9 hours, 36 minutes and 57 seconds. I got a new distance record, going from 56km (Two Bays) and a new ‘time on feet’ record going from 6 hours 15 minutes to over 9.5 hours. 

Done!

Now that I’ve had time to reflect on this race I can say that going the wrong way still stings. It added on over 2 hours to my finishing time and I missed out on standing on top of the podium (after finishing behind 4 very strong women runners) but I can also say that I don’t care. I didn’t enter this race to win it, I entered this race to be in my favourite landscape, the mountains, and to tick a box. Hopefully this time tomorrow I’ll be finding out I’ll be living in England for a university exchange semester next year, and by completing this race and doing the Brisbane Trail Marathon, I now have the experience to compete in some iconic British mountain races, like ‘3 Peaks’. I also feel like this race is the culmination of everything I’ve learned over the past two years. I learned how to hurt in Blackall, I learned how to keep going even after things didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to in Two Bays, I learned how to climb at 4 Peaks last year, I learned how to get my fueling strategy right in the Brisbane Trail Marathon, I learned how to run fast on single track in Rapid Ascent’s trail series last year and I learned how to be humble at the multitude of races where I expected to do well in, but didn’t. And at every single trail race I’ve run and every single person I’ve met due to running, I’ve also learned that nature is amazing and people who run in it are awesome.

Thanks to mum who came up with me to Falls Creek and for volunteering at the race, you’re just as much a part of the trail community as I am. Thanks as well to Paul and the rest of the Running Wild team, along with the rest of the volunteers, it was an amazing event!
Thanks also to the entire Brisbane crew who’ve welcomed me with open arms, but a particular mention to Tim and Laura, my amazing bosses at The Trail Co. I never would’ve imagined working at a store selling gear and coffee for a sport I love, when I didn’t even know trail running existed 24 months earlier. The rest of The Trail Co staff are amazing too! 😉 You should definitely go there (in store or online) for all your trail needs!

So, fingers crossed I get to head over to the U.K on an exchange semester from January through to July next year and I get to experience European trail running. If I get to go, great! My first race next year will be the Manx Mountain Marathon on the Isle of Man, but if I don’t get to go, oh well, I suppose. But everything I do over the next few years will be leading towards my dream race, The Hardrock 100.

Until next time, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Trail Running Novice.

Being your own coach

The fact that you are reading this article probably means that you’re interested in coaching yourself, rather than have someone coach you. I feel like my first question for you would be, why? A (good) coach has the experience and skills necessary to tailor-make a training plan specific to your goals. He or she will be able to look at your previous experience and then be able to write up and coach you to your goal using key running workouts, rather than the generic stuff I’ll be describing below. It also takes out the hassle of trying to design your own training plan, each time I write up my own it usually takes close to half a day to get things sorted out. So, my advice? Go get yourself a running coach. However, you may be a person who loves having absolute flexibility in what you do each day, you don’t want someone prescribing your exercise for you, or you may like being 100% involved in your own processes and you don’t want someone else interfering. The main reason I coach myself at the moment (apart from being a broke uni student and being unable to afford it ;) is I want to make mistakes now, with myself, before I finish my degree and before taking on a mantle of being a coach for other people. I’ve already made a few mistakes in writing up training programs for myself, so take that as a warning. If you’ve never written a training program up for yourself before, be prepared for a few goals to be missed (going back to my first point, go get yourself an experienced coach!) But if you’ve made it this far and you really want to coach yourself, below is the barebones that every coach uses as their basis for their program, along with a few interesting papers (which are listed at the bottom if you wish to read them yourself) I’ve read relating to running. Before I begin I would like to give a warning, please consult with a health professional to make sure that you don’t do any harm to yourself when starting a new exercise program.

The underpinning of all exercise prescription is the principle known as FITT (or FITD). Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type, which is how the rest of the article will be set out. Also, I’ll be using the phrase ‘aerobic fitness’ frequently for the rest of the article; this refers to getting the energy to run by using oxygen to break down fats and carbs in your muscle cells. This is a complex process which heavily involves the use of your heart and lungs (and a lot of other things). As soon an exercise has been going on for longer than 5 minutes continuously (ultra-running, a 5km road race, Le Tour De France etc.) you’re using aerobic systems to get energy.

Frequency

It pretty much says it in the name, it refers to how much of an activity you do. In terms of running, we usually talk about how much you do in a week. To gain aerobic fitness, at the very bare minimum, you need to run three times a week. To improve your performance, you need to be running at least 5 times per week. Top athletes will often be doing upwards of 10 sessions per week by doing double days, running in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Double days are beyond the scope of this article but they’re useful in specific circumstances and have been shown to improve aerobic fitness markers¹ beyond only running once per day. Be wary of injury if you’re doing this though.

Intensity

According to Exercise and Sport Science Australia there are 5 different levels of aerobic intensity, based on percentage of max heart rate (to get an estimate of your max heart use the formula 220-your age. For example, I’m 20 therefore my estimated max heart rate is 200.)

·       Recovery: 65-75% max HR

·       Extensive recovery: 75-80% max HR

·       Intensive endurance: 80-85% max HR

·       Threshold training: 85-92% max HR

·       Interval training: 92-100% max HR

Due to intensity being based on HR rather than just how you feel, I recommend wearing a HR monitor for all your training sessions. I unfortunately can’t recommend how to structure your training program to incorporate those different sessions. That’s up to you. Or you can get a coach and he or she will sort it all out for you.

Type

This refers to what ‘type’ of physical activity you do. Another way to describe it is specificity. Obviously for running the best way to get fit for running, is to run, rather than do another aerobic activity like cycling. Running can be in the form of intervals (3x1000m with 4 minutes of rest in between each repetition, for e.g.) or continuous (going for a 2 hour long run). The trick is getting a balance between these two core types of training and this balance depends on what you’re training for. The best way to get this balance right? You guessed, a running coach! But what also becomes interesting is the concept of cross-training. Can you do other types of training to make you a better runner? And current research says yes^2,3! But it’s tricky, the other type of training I’m talking about is strength training and one article² states that no gains can be made if the load between running and strength is incorrect due to a phenomenon known as the ‘interference effect’. Under the guidance of a strength and conditioning coach, recreational runners who followed a program that was designed for them had increases in peak running speed and increases in the strength of knee extensors (quadriceps) compared to a group which did no strength training³. Another paper focused on elite long-distance runners and they found that over a 40 week period, doing 2 strength sessions a week in a pre-season period and then once a week once the racing season had started improved running economy and VO₂ max compared to the group of elite runners that didn’t do any strength training⁴. And here’s another interesting thing I found relating specifically to trail running. ‘Core’ training is all the rage these day. It seems you can’t be a trail-runner without doing some sort of core training. Well, it turns out it’s actually beneficial for performance. In a study which involved ultra-runners who were part of the Italian national team found that athletes which did a combination of core training, strength training and explosive/plyometric training on alternate days decreased their cost of running⁵. I.e. They increased their efficiency, compared to the ultra-runners who didn’t do any core/strength training. I suppose the take-home message is: do strength but in a certain way that doesn’t increase your injury risk or waste your time. Again, it’s beyond the scope of this article to explain different strength exercises to you, I mean Runner’s World online has about 1000 different articles as to what strength training you should do. But if you get a good coach, then he or she should be able to recommend to you what types of strength you should do and how to fit it into your training schedule.

Time

This refers to how long you need to be exercising for. In order to improve aerobic fitness, at a minimum, each session you do needs to be at least 20 minutes. Of course, if you plan on running an ultra, you’ll be doing a few runs which last waayy longer than 20 minutes but it all depends on your goal. A coach will be able to guide you in the right direction.

Pheww, done! I hope I’ve impressed upon you how many factors are involved in writing up a training program. It’s fucking hard, man! I’ve messed up with myself more than a few times, but each time I do, I learn and I try not to make the same mistake again. I also hope I’ve shown why having a good coach which understands exercise prescription is an invaluable tool. It’s a lot of work writing up a training program which suits your needs and goals, and also a reason why my Exercise and Sport Science degree lasts 4 years. There is a lot to know to be an expert in this field. And I think I’ll end with the most invaluable article I’ve found, a reason to be lazy. I don’t know about you, but I hate stretching. I always thought it was a waste of time, and it turns out, it is (for long-distance runners)⁶! A systematic review of current literature (the highest form of scientific evidence there is) has found that static stretching immediately prior to a run decreases running efficiency. The review has also found that the majority of elite long distance runners are less flexible than their recreational counterparts, which aids the elites with hip stability. Also, there has yet to be a study which proves that stretching helps to decrease muscle soreness or indeed chronic injury levels. The authors of the review concluded that they couldn’t find any significant advantage of stretching for endurance runners. So there 😛

The TRN (and a 1st year Exercise and Sport Science student)

1: Yeo, W. K., Paton, C. D., Garnham, A. P., Burke, L. M., Carey, A. L., & Hawley, J. A. (2008). Skeletal muscle adaptation and performance responses to once a day versus twice every second day endurance training regimens. Journal of Applied Physiology, 105(5), 1462-1470. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.90882.2008
2: Hickson, R. (1980). Interference of strength development by simultaneously training for strength and endurance. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 45(2), 255-263. doi:10.1007/BF00421333
3: Taipale, S. R., Mikkola, J. J., Salo, J. T., Hokka, J. L., Vesterinen, J. V., Kraemer, J. W., . . . Häkkinen, J. K. (2014). Mixed Maximal and Explosive Strength Training in Recreational Endurance Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(3), 689-699. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182a16d73 

4:Beattie, P. K., Carson, C. B., Lyons, C. M., Rossiter, C. A., & Kenny, C. I. (2017). The Effect of Strength Training on Performance Indicators in Distance Runners. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(1), 9-23. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001464

5: Giovanelli, N., Taboga, P., Rejc, E., & Lazzer, S. (2017). Effects of strength, explosive and plyometric training on energy cost of running in ultra-endurance athletes. Eur. J. Sport Sci., 17(7), 805-813. doi:10.1080/17461391.2017.1305454

6: Baxter, C., Mc Naughton, L. R., Sparks, A., Norton, L., & Bentley, D. (2017). Impact of stretching on the performance and injury risk of long-distance runners. Research in Sports Medicine, 25(1), 78-90. doi:10.1080/15438627.2016.1258640

Race Report: Blackall 50

The Blackall 50

I suppose this story begins the Thursday night before the race, after I got home from Oktoberfest in Fortitude Valley, when the message came through that due to the amount of rain the Mapleton area has received over the past couple weeks, the course would be changed to avoid the areas that have been flooded. This meant for me doing the 50km, the big climb up The Bluff got removed and instead a section around a dam was included, which was a lot flatter. When I found out this news I’ll admit I was a little annoyed, I like to think of myself as a pretty good climber and my former race plan prior to this news was to push really hard up the climb and to try my best on the flatter sections. With news that that the total elevation would be less I knew I would struggle to complete my, perhaps unrealistic, goal of winning the race.

I made a new race plan based off the times of last year, which was the same course as this year, and if I ran that goal time that I set myself, based on last year, I would win. Easy right?

Now that I've ran this course, I can safely say that the race plan is way off. 4.20 is easily achievable, however I would do some sections faster and other sections slower.

And with that I showed up to the start-line at 7am on Saturday morning, when it started to rain. Which didn’t stop for the entire day. The conditions were the polar opposite for what I trained for. Instead of hot and dry, it was cool and wet, which I was grateful for. I was really struggling in the heat during the build-up to this race.

Anyways, the gun went off and the next 3ish km’s were on the road. During this time I realised that I had no chance at winning. 1 person lead from the gun, never to be seen again (he ended up winning it in 4 hours 1 minute, the person who got second came through in 4 hours 9 minutes). However, I was still hopeful of a podium as I was in touch with the top 5 by the time we left the road and onto sweet single track for the next 5km’s, in the Mapleton National Park. During this time I lost a few positions as the single track section was fairly flat and I wasn’t willing to push myself so early on in the race. This meant when I went through the first checkpoint 9km in I had dropped back to 11^th. I was feeling really good at this point and I knew that a large downhill section was coming up (based off the course profile, I had never been on the course prior to the day), and this was a section I would hopefully make up a bit of time. And for the first part, I did! The trail was a fire access road, that was bit muddy and slippery due to the rain, but not that technical. I was able to pick up around 4 positions until the 14km mark. I had just started the steepest descent (24% according to Strava) and there were a few rocks on the trail, as there had been for a few of the previous downhills. I suppose I just wasn’t concentrating hard enough or I was unlucky but when I put my left foot down I stepped on a rock and rolled it. As soon as I did it, I knew it wasn’t something that would go away after a few km’s. It hurt like hell! And it couldn’t have happened in a worst sport. I was 5km away from the previous checkpoint and 6km away from the next one. I’m grateful to the runners who passed me who offered their help, but they couldn’t do anything but inform the next checkpoint, which Troy did, so thanks Troy! 

The next km and a bit were agony. Every downhill and flat section were painful beyond words. It was brutal, I can’t remember ever being in so much pain during a run. But the climbs were ok, I could almost run up them without the pain being too great. And by the 17^th km the pain had reduced enough for me to run on it almost normally. But the next approx. 35km were the hardest I’ve ever done. I’ve been asked why I didn’t drop out at checkpoint 5, 20km’s into the race and after thinking about it a lot, I can narrow it down to 3 main reasons. 

1. The fact I could run on it at all 2km’s after I rolled it suggested to me that I hadn’t done any serious damage to my ankle. If I had I’m sure my body would’ve let me know. 
2. There was no way I was going to quit after training since July for this race. I had put to much time and effort into this to drop out less than halfway through. There was no way I was going to have a DNF at the GC marathon, followed by another DNF at Blackall. No way. 
3. Mental grit/toughness/fortitude, whatever you want to call it. If I want to do 100 mile races in the near future that are going to take over 24 hours to complete, I need to have experience of being in the ‘hurt-locker’. Because after talking to people who have done that distance, it’s going to hurt. I want to know what it’s like to hurt, to keep on going even when my body is telling me to me quit. Prior to this race, I haven’t experienced my body wanting to give up. I do now.

Once I had passed checkpoint 5 I’ll admit I wasn’t a huge fan of the course. We had to do a loop that was relatively flat, wet, muddy, along a fire road and the only thing to look at was trees. I went through a routine of running when my ankle didn’t hurt too bad, walk when it did. Repeat. One good thing to come out of the rolled ankle was the ability to talk to other racers. As I was walking a fair bit it meant that I wasn’t ‘puffed’ and I could strike up an enjoyable conversation with people that I never met before. People like Gav, who I found out was sweeping the 100km course later that night after completing the 50km. Crazy! (And he even managed a top 10 finish!) 

The Dam Loop

Once the loop was complete, it was time for a moderate climb (that would have been all runnable if not for my ankle) up a different road than the one we came down before going through checkpoint 4 and back along the same single track and down the bitumen road to the finish line, where I crossed in a time of 4.45.27, coming in 13^th overall. And very, very happy I finished! I've finished races where I’ve placed better and raced better, but that feeling of accomplishment I got when I crossed the line when my body wanted me to quit, second-to-none. It’s hard to describe in words what I felt, but if people ask me why I run ultra’s. It’s partially due to feeling I got when I crossed that line.

To finish the race you have to ring the bell. I love that Run Queensland has included this!

Before starting this race I had the intention of never doing it again. Mostly because it doesn’t play to my strengths. Ankle notwithstanding, it took me 4 hours 17 minutes to complete the Brisbane Trail Marathon which featured 2000m worth of climbing/descending, when I was taking it easy and doing it as a training race. In comparison it took me 4 hours 13 minutes to hit 42km's during this race (about 1000m of climbing). I like climbing steep stuff and I like running downhill on steep stuff (this race is the first time I’ve rolled an ankle running downhill). Blackall is known as a fast, runnable course. Not my forte as I’m not particularly speedy. However, with my race not going the way I wanted it too, I’ll be back. I’m not sure when, but I’ll be back, and I’ll be doing the 100km.

As always there are a ton of thank-you’s and acknowledgments I wish to make. The first one is to Felix and May. As I don’t own a car I would’ve had difficulty getting out to the race if you didn’t take me out there and back. Thanks so much! And well done once again on completing the 100km in abysmal conditions. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out over the weekend, without you guys these races wouldn’t happen. And well done to anyone who was out on the course past 1pm, the weather went from being bearable to disgusting. So much respect. There is also a runner named David, who I didn’t meet until late at night after I had finished. He was 60 and he got 3^rd in the 50km, against racers who were half his age. You’re an inspiration, when I’m an old dude I want to be as fit, fast and humble as you! And lastly, thanks to the Run Queensland organisers. This was my first event with them and considering the logistical nightmare it must’ve been to change the course two days before the race due to rain, the race was really well organised. It was a great race to be a part of.

After seeing a doctor, I’ve been told that I shouldn’t have done any serious damage to my ankle. Which is good news as I’ll be doing my next ultra in about a month’s time in Victoria’s Alps, a 60km featuring a lot more climbing, I’m really looking forward to it! Until then, it’s all about the rest and recovery!

The TRN