Trailsplus Brimbank Park Urban Trail
Run
Brimbank 50km – March 19th
2017
I started slowly (deliberately) and could see Carmen and Serena ahead of me. I wasn’t tempted to catch up. My plan was to sit between 5:20-5:30min pace and maintain. That plan lasted for about 5min until I reached the first hill! Obviously I hadn’t looked at the course and I underestimated the hills. I don’t mind some hills but combined with the heat, I started calculating a new A-goal of 5 hours. The aim of this event was a 50km training run (not a race). The first few splits were; 5:16, 5:51 (50m elevation), 5:26, 5:57 (40m elevation) and 5:09min per km. The ups were short and sharp, followed by short and sharp downs. I plodded uphill comfortably and overtook other runners. Serena walked the hills but would catch me on the flats and downhill. I came through the start/finish area (after 8km) and felt relaxed and comfortable. I was enjoying the undulations, terrain and scenery. The course had bitumen, dirt trails and stairs. And I love running in new places. I continued running along the first 21km loop and was greeted by more hills. I ran, plodded and Cliffy-shuffled to the top. Once on flat ground, I had a drink. The weather was warm but OK. I began sipping from my water bottles early on. I filled two bottles with water and two bottles with electrolytes.
After two hours (22km), I was hot and tired. My pace decreased slightly (5:35min). My head was confused; sometimes I felt OK and other times I felt like stopping completely. I know it sounds silly but I felt lazy. My legs were protesting for no particular reason. I had no pain (except for a slight achilles niggle). I had no excuse. At the halfway mark (24-25km), I made a conscious decision to walk. There was no reason except I didn’t feel like running anymore. I had no drive… no grit! What was going on? Again, my mind started playing tricks on me… I’m not recovered from gastro, I should’ve downgraded to 21km. Maybe I’m hormonal? I drank more hydralyte and stopped for oranges at an aid station (I was hoping for some brain power).
Brimbank 50km – March 19th 2017
Welcome and thank you for supporting the 4th running of the Brimbank Park Running Festival. Our goal at trailsplus is to provide a safe, friendly encouraging opportunity for people to connect with trail running and enjoy the outdoors and our local parks, trails and mountains. Participants have several options to choose something that suits their level of fitness. Ranging from 2km, 5km 10km 21.1km, 42.2km or 50km Event. Since 2007 Brett and trailsplus events have been supporting Canteen, the organisation for young people living with Cancer. We have raised well over $40,000 for charities since 2007. The 50km course Starts below the café and consists of an 8km loop followed by the 21km course twice. It consists of bitumen, dirt trail, some stairs and hills. It is not technical. The course loops back on itself however the scenery is varied (for more detailed notes, see the trailsplus website).
Why do I like Trailsplus events –
I have participated in a few Trailsplus events before including You Yangs, The Tan, Surfcoast Hellrun and Marysville (Brett Saxon is the RD). I always love their events, regardless of my result. The events are smaller than some others, volunteers are helpful and friendly, and the vibe is inclusive and encouraging. And all events raise money for Canteen. They encompass everything I love about running; enjoyment, no pressure, camaraderie and running for a greater cause. Brett has a loyal following of volunteers and I love that he knows almost all participants by name.
Pre-race –
So far 2017 has been big and busy! I ran Two Bays 56km in January and Wangaratta marathon in February. With GOR 60km scheduled for May, I had a gap to fill. And a need to run longer than a marathon (training run) in preparation for GOR. My sister-in-law (Carmen) and I were comparing race calendars and agreed we both needed 50km sometime before May. Carmen (being crazier than me… yes that is possible) had committed to the mammoth task of Ultraman in May… http://ultramanoz.com.au
We looked at a few interstate options as Carmen lives on the Sunshine Coast but eventually settled on Brimbank. Carmen could fly to Melbourne (visit family, friends and her partner) and run 50km with me! And my hubby (Brad… also Carmen’s brother) signed up for the half marathon. I was really excited! About a week before the big race, we got hit (by a sledgehammer) with a nasty gastro bug. I was very sick (won’t go into details)! I was concerned about having enough time to recover but there was nothing I could do. I drank loads of electrolytes, tried to eat well (but I struggled to eat protein) and rested as often as possible (when you have two kids to manage). By the time race day came around, I felt good. Good enough to run 50km? Time would tell…
The day before, Carmen arrived and we discussed our goals and strategies. We both said we’d be happy with less than 5 hours. At Wangaratta marathon, my average pace was 5:12min per km… I knew there were a few hills at Brimbank therefore I estimated I could maintain 5:40-5:45min per km (4hrs 45min). That was my A-goal and anything less than 5 hours was my B-goal. I expected Carmen would run a little quicker than me but the prospect of standing on the podium next to her was… so exciting! However, I like to keep my feet on the ground and head out of the clouds. Once we finished discussing our predictions, I organised my gear including shorts, singlet, calf compressions (for nagging peroneals/achilles pain), Injinji socks and Brooks Glycerin. I decided to wear my Nathan 4-bottle belt because the forecast was 32-degrees… I repeat… we would be running 50km in 32-degree heat (and still no commonsense prevailed). I also packed 4 gels and my iPod.
Race day –
Our alarm sounded at 5:15am. I had a reasonable sleep and crawled out of bed with slightly more motivation than usual. I ate my granola, asked Brad to tape my calf/achilles and got dressed. Brad, Carmen and I were on the road by 6am. About an hour later (and a couple of pit-stops), we arrived at Brimbank Park and the Brownstone Café. The park was widespread with rolling hills and panoramic views. We made our way inside to collect our bibs. There were about 20 people in the 50km distance (and only 4 females including Carmen and my friend Serena). The vision of standing on the podium with my awesome sister-in-law and friend materialised in my mind again… But nerves kicked in. Someone told me the fourth female competitor had run Comrades (my dream ultra)http://www.comrades.com which brought me back down to earth. Back to being the underdog, just the way I like it.
Time flew as we chatted to familiar faces and prepared ourselves for the task ahead. The race briefing worried me a little; I was concerned I would get lost (wouldn’t be the first time). The course consisted of an 8km loop (that returned to the start area), and two 21km loops. There was one section of the course we ran through four times and each time was different; first time we went straight, second time we turned left, third time straight, fourth time left… I vowed to concentrate and ask marshals for confirmation at every turn. Soon after, the countdown started and we were off!
I started slowly (deliberately) and could see Carmen and Serena ahead of me. I wasn’t tempted to catch up. My plan was to sit between 5:20-5:30min pace and maintain. That plan lasted for about 5min until I reached the first hill! Obviously I hadn’t looked at the course and I underestimated the hills. I don’t mind some hills but combined with the heat, I started calculating a new A-goal of 5 hours. The aim of this event was a 50km training run (not a race). The first few splits were; 5:16, 5:51 (50m elevation), 5:26, 5:57 (40m elevation) and 5:09min per km. The ups were short and sharp, followed by short and sharp downs. I plodded uphill comfortably and overtook other runners. Serena walked the hills but would catch me on the flats and downhill. I came through the start/finish area (after 8km) and felt relaxed and comfortable. I was enjoying the undulations, terrain and scenery. The course had bitumen, dirt trails and stairs. And I love running in new places. I continued running along the first 21km loop and was greeted by more hills. I ran, plodded and Cliffy-shuffled to the top. Once on flat ground, I had a drink. The weather was warm but OK. I began sipping from my water bottles early on. I filled two bottles with water and two bottles with electrolytes.
After an hour (11km), I had my first gel. I was happy with my pace (5:30min). I knew Brad (some friends and runners I coach) were about to start the 21km. I sent everyone good running vibes in my mind. At the 15km mark, I plodded uphill again. I vaguely remember stopping at an aid station and refilling my water bottles. I decided to use hydralyte every time. I continued running and took energy from seeing fellow runners on the out and back sections. But when I clocked over 90min (17-18km), something changed. Suddenly, I was tired. It was 9:30am and already felt warmer. I don’t mind heat and often tell runners I coach they need to learn to love the heat… sunshine, vitamin D, people out and about, scenery… love it! But my mind started playing tricks on me… maybe I’m not recovered from gastro properly, maybe the heat will be too much for this long… maybe… what if?
After two hours (22km), I was hot and tired. My pace decreased slightly (5:35min). My head was confused; sometimes I felt OK and other times I felt like stopping completely. I know it sounds silly but I felt lazy. My legs were protesting for no particular reason. I had no pain (except for a slight achilles niggle). I had no excuse. At the halfway mark (24-25km), I made a conscious decision to walk. There was no reason except I didn’t feel like running anymore. I had no drive… no grit! What was going on? Again, my mind started playing tricks on me… I’m not recovered from gastro, I should’ve downgraded to 21km. Maybe I’m hormonal? I drank more hydralyte and stopped for oranges at an aid station (I was hoping for some brain power).
After three hours (31-32km), my speed (or lack of) continued on a downward trajectory (5:40min pace). I walked up another hill and bumped into Brad. I stopped to untangle my headphones. He offered me his headphones because he only had 2km to go, but I refused (I wanted to stand there and untangle them… I didn’t want to run). Brad said he felt cooked (he doesn’t like running in the heat). He was 20min slower than predicted. I don’t think we offered each other much comfort, we just complained about being hot and bothered. Even though my self-talk was not good, I didn’t realise what I was doing. Part of me believed it was too hot to run after recovering from gastro, and part of me didn’t care. I couldn’t appreciate how much my mental state was ruling my decision to walk. Sure it was hot and yes I had been unwell. But I could’ve continued running. My heart rate was not high, nothing hurt, I wasn’t injured… It was my headspace preventing me from pushing through. And honestly… that is not typical for me!
I listened to some music on my iPod. I tried to appreciate my surroundings and the gift of running. I stopped at aid stations and chatted to volunteers. They were great; offering to refill water bottles and empathising with the heat. It helped a little knowing other runners were struggling physically and mentally with the heat too. Apparently, some runners withdrew and some were rescued on course. The temperature reached 34-degrees and there was nowhere to hide. Brimbank Park is open and vast, and there is no shade. I continued drinking copious amounts of hydralyte until I started to feel sick. At some point I took a second gel (I only had 2 gels in total).
From 30km onwards, I ran/walked every kilometre. There are some events you expect to walk sections i.e. Two Bays or Marysville. I have no issue with walking on a technical trail. Two Oceans, which is a road event, I planned to walk the first 200m of every kilometre on the uphill section. Although Brimbank has some hills (600m elevation), I did not plan walking. I find it tough once I break my running rhythm; walking through an aid station or uphill occasionally is OK but this was more than that. I reached my marathon point (42.2km), around 4hrs 20min… (6:10min pace). About 45-46km, there was a slow steady climb, which I walked the whole way (9:55min pace). I chatted to a fellow runner about the heat and other events. It was a welcome distraction. I began plodding again around 47km and could feel sharp pain on my right side in my abdomen. It felt like a stitch (who gets a stitch at 47km? I thought maybe my kidneys were struggling…) I backed off to walking pace until I reached the final aid station. I refilled bottles and ate more oranges. Then I noticed another female runner approaching the aid station. I had passed marathon runners on course but she looked like… no way! This female runner was the fourth 50km runner. And there was no way she was overtaking me with 2km to go!
After 5 hours (48km), I ran my first full kilometre in 5:09min! Knowing that I might lose my third place on the podium was enough motivation to run again. I had to run and not look back! I ran as fast as my body would allow, for the last 2km. I finally finished in 5hrs 12min (6:14min pace). As soon as I crossed the line, I sat down under some shade. I felt sick and overheated from running the last section. I was done. Carmen finished 1st place in 4:49, followed by Serena and I snuck in 3rdplace in 5:12. Fourth finished 1min behind me! I was really proud and happy.
Post-race –
After I stopped feeling like I was going to spontaneously combust (from overheating), I felt fine. I was dehydrated despite my best efforts to drink hydralyte regularly and I was tired. We stayed for presentations and basked in our moment of glory. For the next two days, I was really tired. But again nothing hurt! I began reflecting on the race and my mental space. I’m very grateful I finished third, however I am disappointed with my lack of determination. As mentioned, I didn’t realise how much my self-talk affected my race. My attitude negatively affected my experience before any physical limitations kicked in. I can’t believe I listened to my own negative self-talk and allowed it to continue. The other interesting factor was my lack of nutrition. I had 2 gels over 5 hours (some oranges and stacks of hydralyte). Maybe my brain just turned to mush because I didn't fuel properly?
Lessons -
1. Never underestimate the power of the mind
2. Never assume you are immune to negative self-talk
3. Never give up!
4. Consider the importance of nutrition during long events?
*Everyone has a bad day, run or race. I have experienced many down days and difficult runs. But I am relentless. My self-talk is positive, even when I don’t believe it. I tell myself I have mental strength, I can do this, I’m stronger than I think and faster than I realise… and all the other mantras and clichés out there. I don’t want to make excuses for this run. I guess nobody is immune to doubt creeping in. Next time, I will draw on my strengths and I will use my powers for good and not evil!
Race feedback and will there be a next time -
The event was… HOT! Nobody can control the weather so for the sake of this report, I will ignore it. I enjoyed the course; I liked the 8km loop followed by two 21km loops. I had to concentrate to ensure I didn’t get lost but that made it more interesting. I liked running through the start/finish area, and out/back sections because there was encouragement by fellow runners and spectators. The terrain was varied and hills were challenging (but not unrunnable). The RD and vollies were friendly and helpful. I’m not sure how I feel about this next statement but… I think I need to run it again to prove to myself I can do better! See you in 2018 :)
