Recovery Mode ... yet Again!

In my last post about the Cradle Valley Trail run I mentioned the difficulty I had had with my recovery from breaking a rib or two on the Gone Nuts 50k run. Well, I did recover and I slowly began to get back closer to my best parkrun times. But then it was time to farewell Tassie's shores as Val and I headed off into the wilds of the Mainland for our extended tour as parkrun tourists; visiting our PIM padres; and meeting with the folk in little country churches.

I was getting some better times in the various parkruns we visited, the highlight of which must surely have been my first place at Yeldulknie Weir Trail parkrun. We also had enjoyable runs at Timboon and Mildura Weir in Victoria, Yeldulknie Weir Trail in SA and Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Moora (the last three also giving me the Age Grade first place finish), Claisebrook Cove and Shipwreck in WA before I endured a hamstring strain at Champion Lakes, just after the 3k mark, when I was heading for another sub 25:00 time. In retrospect I'm putting it down to running late in getting there and not having an adequate warm up on a cold morning, but I can't be sure. I saw a physio the following Monday who diagnosed a Grade 1 strain as I had been able to jog/walk/hobble to the finish. I was banned from running for the next three weeks; I had exercises to complete three times per day; and after three weeks I could begin to jog again. That meant the Collie River Trail parkrun was a "walk in the park" where Val beat me home by a good ten minutes, though the following Saturday at Albany's Mt Clarence with its hills was a much faster walk, which we did together. At Manjimup I volunteered as Tailwalker and the following Monday I was able to start jogging again so that the next week at Geographe Bay parkrun I ran in a time of just over 30 minutes, which was very pleasing. We had a week where there was no parkrun within cooee but the following week saw us in Geraldton for the launch of their Marina parkrun, where I surprised myself by running their flat course in 25:57 while trying to make sure that I didn't overstretch myself.

Before we left home, I went to see Ben Brockman and he gave me two training programmes - a general one and one that I could pick up if I was able to find any longer races to participate in while we are travelling. I've now gone back to the very beginning of the general programme to start all over again. Today I had a 60:00 run but what a day for it. I started on the Foreshore Track that is used by Marina parkrun after I had a drink at the water station, expecting to find more of them along the pathway. The hot and dry blustery wind buffeted me from the beginning as I started in 27^o and expected to find a few water spots along the way, but there weren't any at all. I turned at 30:00, which was just over 5k, and made my way back - but the sun's intensity was stinging my arms even though I had used sunscreen before I stated. There was little shade along the pathway, and by now I was beginning to run fractionally slower in the shade and picking up pace in the sun. But by about the 8k mark I was beginning to feel the effects of a lack of fluids, and was yearning for the next water station. When I found it I drank, used my gel, drank some more and set off but I couldn't quite get my rhythm going and slowed down a bit and when I finished it was 31^o. However, I did manage 9.93 k for the 60:00 and was very pleased with that time.

I'm hoping that when we get to our next parkrun in two weeks' time that I will have improved even more.

In the meantime, happy walking/jogging/running to all my friends far and wide who enjoy a bit of exercise.

Cradle Valley Trail Run 2019

Friday, 29^th March, 2019:

For someone who has always prided himself on his rock hopping agility my two falls at Gone Nuts not only dented my confidence but also set me back. Having been diagnosed with a broken rib meant that I had to curtail my preparation for this year’s Cradle Valley Trail Run. For the first two weeks all I was able to do was walk. For the third week I did some short, slow jogs as part of my walks. All this time, however, I was taking two Panadol and two ibuprofen every night for pain relief. Unfortunately, these painkillers only took the edge off the pain as I struggled to sleep and woke up frequently. This last week, however, I had three runs (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) and didn’t take any painkillers to help me sleep. Even though, for most of those nights, I went to sleep quickly I didn’t stay asleep for long and this pattern continued with broken nights. And I can feel the effects of not running as my asthma begins to kick in again and I wonder how I will go tomorrow.

Saturday, 30^th March, 2019:

Last night was a disaster. It was almost impossible to sleep as I tossed and turned with a lot of pain. I dozed off a couple of times and finally the alarm went at 4.30 am so we could get to the registration desk by around 6.00 am and then catch a bus to the Dove Lake carpark, where the race was due to start. We picked up a fellow competitor as she walked out of the campsite heading for the Visitor Centre, which is where she thought the registration was to take place. Fortunately, Val suggested that we stop and ask if she needed a lift.

Because we are still on daylight saving, the proposed starting time had to be delayed by around 15-20 minutes until it was light enough for us to run the early part of the course safely. I had previously made the decision to start near the tail of the field because of my lack of preparation; my uncertainty as to how I would handle the distance, when my longest run since Gone Nuts had been 8.5k; and at what point I might begin to struggle. It wasn’t long before I discovered that starting near the rear of the field was not a very wise decision because I almost immediately wanted to run at a faster pace than those in front of me without being held in check by them. As we left the carpark in a clockwise direction the track (be it gravel, boardwalk or a rough combination of roots and rocks) is very narrow and not conducive to overtaking. Even though I sat behind a largish group I did manage to squeeze past a couple of runners here and there. The first kilometre ticked over at a slower rate than I wanted and I knew that I couldn’t do too much about it. By around the second kilometre I had managed to catch Darlene, my guardian angel from Gone Nuts. As I drew up behind her she called out, “Is that you, Steve?” She could hear my laboured breathing, which is always a dead giveaway to those in front of me whom I can catch. As Darlene wanted to take a photo she kindly let me through. We were in that extremely narrow section of track that snaked its way along the edge of the lake and through thick vegetation. It was quite dark under this cover, so it was good that the starting time had been delayed. Being dark I had to be extra careful with my footing over the rough terrain. Even so, I did have a few little trips and stumbles, but nothing serious that led to my having a fall. Apart from where I was putting my feet I wasn’t taking too much notice of the beauty around me. But, with every breath I took, a shot of pain stabbed my chest from the worst of the damage from the break I had suffered four weeks ago. At least the jarring from landing or going down steps didn’t seem to have any noticeable effect. As we turned around the bottom of the lake I was able to pass more people but this ceased once we entered the ever beautiful Ballroom Forest. Soon after that we reached the steep steps on the western side of Dove Lake. Because my lungs don’t like steep hills (or even gentle inclines for that matter) I can’t get enough oxygen and my legs become leaden with lactic acid build up, which forces me to slow down so that many of those I had just overtaken now went passed me. That meant just one thing! I had to wait for further opportunities to pass them again. I managed to do that for some of them at the boatshed but then we ran beside Lake Lilla where it wasn’t possible, for that part of the track becomes more technically difficult as it is basically rocks and today, following yesterday’s heavy rain, there was water on the track—water, that wet stuff that dampens the enthusiasm of your feet as they look for dry spots to land on. But now that they were wet I wasn’t so careful about avoiding puddles. The rocks became slippery meaning they slowed me down. It was at this point that I began to reminisce about how I have always prided myself on my rock hopping agility but I navigated them gingerly this time, even if there were a couple of momentary slips before my ever reliable trail shoes gripped the rocks and held me firm. It was on the rough section after Lake Lilla where, last year, I hit my head on low-hanging branches. With my multifocal glasses I have to keep looking down at the ground, especially in this type of terrain, to avoid coming to grief and maybe having a speedier trip to heaven than Val would appreciate. Anyway, this year I avoided those nasty trees with their tentacle-like branches wanting to reach out and hit my head as I approached them. The bushes at ground level likewise tried their best to trip me up but they also failed. It was enjoyable running along this rough and challenging section of the trail. I wondered how fast the leaders had run over this type of terrain, but I had to refrain from such thoughts because I needed to keep focused on what was in front of me and take my time—and yet I was both trying to keep an eye on those in front of me and trying to catch them.

In some ways it was such a welcome relief to get to the 7k mark because the rest of the run was nothing but boardwalk—that makes for faster running (it took me about 55 minutes for the first 7k and only 45 minutes for the second 7k) but, while the differing scenery is still great to behold, this section of the trail isn’t quite as challenging to run. Around this time the sun was beginning to rise above the clouds while to the west dark clouds were rolling down the mountain peaks. The misty rain started so I re-zipped the spray jacket I had been lent to try and keep dry and warm. I had already become over-heated even though the temperature was only a bit above zero. I had my pure wool merino long sleeved top from Kathmandu with my Gone Nuts running shirt over the top of it (I chose this bright red shirt in case I got lost in the snow that had been forecast earlier in the week). Thus I was kept as warm as toast—well, as warm as overheated toast could be if you can overheat toast without burning it. And talking about burning, my poor old thighs (which are now an old 70) were beginning to feel as if they were burning from the effort. My lack of preparation was beginning to tell. I didn’t know how I could finish. My left shoe felt as if it was becoming loose but I didn’t want to stop and tighten it because that would cost me valuable time. I know that that could be dangerous if I tripped on a loose lace—but, fortunately, the lace hadn’t come undone on this occasion and so I ran on, trusting that it would stay as it was. The misty rain that had swept down from the mountains didn’t last long so I was able to un-zip the jacket and run on. Now that we were on boardwalk I forced myself to pick up the pace in spite of protesting thighs (and when I briefly checked my pace it was around 5:45/k) and all the while I kept looking ahead for bunnies, though I’m not sure if those runners in front of me would like it if they knew I was referring to them as bunnies, whom I could try to catch and pass. Having others in front of me is always an incentive to keep pushing on. Don’t let others catch you and go as hard as possible to try and pass those who are already in front, is my motto/incentive as long as I can keep it up. I pushed on as best as I could all the while trying to maintain a fast pace, even though I faltered once I hit the inclines (at times I wonder whether my struggling up hill is all a mental attitude or whether, as I like to believe, it is because of my lungs). It was over the bridge; up the incline to Snake Hill; and then down the steep steps. As the track flattened out a bit I heard that old familiar call of “Way to go, Old Man”, but I couldn’t see Val at first. Then I spied her behind trees with her camera capturing spirited runners as they pushed their way to the finish line—and some of these runners had bounded up three steps at a time! I think the photos of me tackling those steps almost make me look like a decrepit old man!

During the last kilometre or so I was pleased with the fact that for years I have run down stairs and steps a couple at a time. Even though I didn’t have the advantage of handrails to loosely hold onto today I basically kept this up, though a bit slower than I normally would. And it enabled me to get closer to a couple of people in front of me. Disaster almost struck when I glanced down at my watch to see how far I had gone and what I had left. There was a step down that almost brought me to grief because I had become more focussed on the remaining distance than where I was to put my feet. I was so fortunate that I saw it just in the nick of time, even though it did cause me to falter as I run down it.

Anyway, to stop this blog from running away with itself, I reached the end of the run in a time of 1:39:57, which was 25 seconds slower than last year. But last year I didn’t have as many people to pass in the earlier stages and this year not only had I lost four weeks of valuable preparation but I was also running with those poor old ribs that didn’t take too kindly to deep breathing. In spite of the stabbing pain with each breath I persevered and reached the end. So I was pleased with today’s run and would love to do it again when I am in better condition.

But once I had crossed the line it was time to turn around and jog back along the track to pick up (not literally, I hasten to add) my friend Darlene to run home with her. However, because my hamstrings were starting to seize up I was unable to keep up with her in the final stretch and so couldn’t see her finish.

Sunday, 31^st March, 2019:

In spite of the fact that I was so uncomfortable last night with sore hips and sore thighs and that I struggled to drive home this afternoon because my left upper hamstring hurt as I sat in the seat, it was definitely a fun run, and I would do it again next year if we were around. It will be a while before I will be able to get back to Bruny, Derby, Gone Nuts or Cradle Valley runs and until then I will content myself with parkrun events, unless something just happens to be taking place as we are travelling the Mainland.

From Derby to Gone Nuts 50k

Monday, 25^th February, 2019:

We hadn’t been home for too long before it was time for Monday Mates. We arrived early so I went for a short warm up and felt surprisingly good following Saturday’s half marathon at Derby. Even though I started reasonably slowly it wasn’t long before I was running strongly without any forced effort. In fact, I finished the first split in 5:33 and then ran with Debbie Riley for the rest of the run, finishing off with a 5:15 final split. I was amazed at how freely I could run and maintain that pace for 40 minutes. But I had better not do any more runs like that until after Gone Nuts, which is just over 4 days away now.

Wednesday, 27^th February, 2019:

It was RunClub tonight and I knew it had to be an easy run in preparation for Saturday. I started off near the back of the pack and slowly passed a number of others until I drew alongside Debbie Warren and we ran together for the whole way—at least until the last couple of hundred metres when I stopped to walk with Val and Darlene. I have another easy run tomorrow and then a walk on Friday. As long as I am sensible for these next two days and then take it out easily at the start for the 5 kms along the roads before entering Rocky Cape NP and then ascending the steep hills I should be all right.

Thursday, 28^th February, 2019:

I’ve just been looking at last year’s results and I ran the 25k in 3:50:40. I do believe, however, that I am in a bit better condition than this time last year and so I have set myself the goal of running the 50k in a time of 8 hours. I want to start at the very end of the field and take off slowly, reeling people in where it is possible. If I don’t achieve this aim then it will not overly concern me. I want to run it; enjoy it; and finish it well. Time will tell. I did the 51k along the Turquoise Walk in WA in 6:24:08—though, admittedly, it was much flatter than Gone Nuts. My problem with the Turquoise Walk run was I ran too hard at the beginning and gave myself a marathon PB—and I definitely won’t be considering anything like that on Saturday. So I will run my own race, which, hopefully, will mean catching other runners, staying with them for a while to encourage them and then push on a bit harder. Will it work out like that? I don’t know, but I will give it my best shot and see if I have anything left after I cross the line to run back and bring friends home.

Saturday, 2^nd March, 2019:

Last night was not a good sleeping night. I tossed and turned and just couldn’t get comfortable with the pain in my right side from what I suspect is a cracked rib. At least the pain has subsided from what it was originally, so it shouldn’t cause me any concern during today’s run.

The alarm went off at 4.00 am so I could have a hearty breakfast and the mandatory mugs of tea to get me going. In hindsight, I think I had too much Nutri-Grain as it left me feeling heavy on the stomach. After breakfast it was time to get dressed and get my Salomon vest packed with the compulsory gear that I needed to carry. At least, with the hot conditions expected today, the organisers told us at the briefing last night that we don’t need thermals, a weather proof jacket, etc.

We milled around at the start for a pre-race briefing and, as the timing person was delayed, I was able to avail myself of the toilet. When everything was ready we moved to the start line, having been warned of the possibility of a milk tanker on the road at that time of morning. True to my pre-race intention I stayed at the very back of the field when we set off, though I slowly began to reel people in even though I was running at just under 7:00/k. That would keep me on target. I couldn’t see any of our people—admittedly it was dark though I didn’t use my headlamp as there was enough light from those around me and dawn was drawing near. After about 3k I drew up alongside Zayne and Danika Braid, on an incline that was steeper than I imagined it would be on the road, and then slowly moved in front of them, thinking that that was the last I would see them until the conclusion of the race. It wasn’t long before this old man and his bladder knew that a stop was necessary, so, making sure there were no females in sight, I was able to stop at the side of the road. It was lovely to be able to draw beside a few people on the road and briefly spend some time chatting with them. At the end of the road section of our run there was my wonderful Val waiting for me. I was able to hand over my headlamp and a very sticky gel wrapper before taking on the Inland Track that skirted around Cathedral Hill, crossed over Postman’s Pass and skirted Saddleback Hill. This afforded us magnificent views in all directions, but to appreciate the views one had to stop because the track became more difficult. In places, rocks had been laid on the track to stop the erosion from countless feet tramping along it. In other places it was still sandy and beginning to form ruts. And still we went up! I would have missed the sun rising over the water if others had not stopped for photos as I had my head down carefully watching where I put my feet. One of the big disadvantages of multifocal lenses is that I can either look down or look up—but not both at the same time. When I ran Dove Lake last year I twice hit my head on low hanging branches while I was looking down at the track and where to put my feet. At least there were no overhanging branches to worry about here—at least in this stage. Because I had deliberately started so slowly it was amazing watching ant-like people on the track way ahead of me as they ground their way up the 278 metre steep incline, the highest point on our run and only 8 kms into it. At one spot the gradient was around 30%. All around us it was spiky grasses and low scrub. I was amazed to see Zayne and Danika walking/jogging up the track to overtake me. What an incredible effort they were putting in. I was able to follow behind them for a few kilometres as the track began to meander through large bushes. Danika offered to let me pass but I was content to stay behind them and have some company for a while. In hindsight, which would be such a wonderful thing to have, I should have taken up her offer. When I had completed 10 km and it was time for another gel I slowed down to get it out, open it and begin to consume it. This meant that they had disappeared from sight when the totally unexpected happened. Up to this point I had been relatively secure with my footing and even on those occasions when I had a bit of a trip on a rock or root I was able to steady myself. I have always prided myself on being steady on my feet and how I can so easily rock-hop. How the mighty have fallen!!!! Yes, you guessed it. I was running on the narrow, deeply rutted section of track that meant my left foot continually caught on the side of the track or on the little bushes beside it. Well, this time there was no steadying myself. With the gel in one hand and a plastic bag for the wrapper in the other I tripped on something with my left foot. I stumbled for a few paces trying to right myself—but it was downhill and I gained momentum (not the ideal place to do so) until I could no longer maintain my balance and over I went. I sort of rolled as I went, landing heavily on my left shoulder in prickly bushes. Half to myself but half aloud I said, “Where are you, girls?” I knew that Darlene and Lisa weren’t too far behind me while Zayne and Danika were out of sight off in the distance. I slowly rolled myself onto my right side and got myself up. Scratches on my left knee and some soreness behind the left shoulder blade were immediately obvious so I tried to keep going. But it was slow and painful. I tried to move my shoulder to relieve the soreness only to find that it was worse in my rib cage so I wondered whether I had cracked/broken a rib. Every step sent a stabbing pain through my chest. My left hip was sore. My left knee didn’t like landing. There was nothing for it but to press on. It wasn’t long before Darlene and Lisa caught me and they knew something was wrong. They became my guardian angels, continually checking on me; offering to slow down and get me home. What wonderful friends they are. We soon began to run on a wider track, the Anniversary Bay Circuit, when the unthinkable happened. It was Groundhog Day for sure as I again stumbled and fell in exactly the same way as I did 3-4 kilometres earlier. But this time I couldn’t get myself up. I tried to roll onto my left side but the pain in my chest prevented me. I was, however, slowly able to roll onto my right side and onto my knees. But I couldn’t get up any further. Lisa needed to take my hand and get me up. I was able to keep going even though it wasn’t so easy. Still I thought I was in pretty good shape. How wonderful it was to reach Sisters Beach where Val was waiting for me to get what I needed and to take copious photos. She is such an important part of my life and so supportive, even to the point of yelling out encouraging words like, “Go, Old Man!” When I told Val about my falls she questioned me about pulling out, but I told her I was okay to continue. Darlene and Lisa took longer to restock than I did so, knowing that I was slower than they were, I told them that I would push on so I didn’t stiffen up. It wouldn’t be long, I knew, before they caught me. They certainly did catch me after a short time along the Irby Boulevarde, at the end of which we crossed a wooden footbridge over Sisters Creek, where they just had to pose for a photo shoot opportunity. We paused briefly at the aid station for a drink, a bag of lollies and half a jam sandwich before continuing our journey together along the flatish East Boulevarde where Ray Yaxley caught us and we spent a short time running with him before he moved on ahead at a faster rate. But it didn’t remain flat for long as we began another steep incline up Postman’s Track. I simply can’t remember a great deal about this section. I know that it was hard. I know the girls kept checking on me. I know I kept dropping behind them, but somehow managed to catch up with them on the less steep sections. How good they were to me, those angels of mercy. When it came to steps I was reduced to having to lead with my right foot as my left wouldn’t bear my weight in trying to get up them. So it was slow. It wasn’t long before the half way mark had been reached, but we still weren’t into Boat Harbor. There was a very steep descent down a track that was easy to slip on. But we managed it. Another steep incline faced us as we were forced to take the high tide route up and over and down a ridge instead of clambering over rocks. What a relief to reach Boat Harbor. Val told me, having spoken with Ben and Kristin, that it was her call on whether I should continue or not. As that wasn’t in my plans I must have sounded convincing enough for her to not put her foot down. I took a long break, filling one of my Hydroflasks with cold Coke, to which I’m rapidly becoming addicted in long runs.

Again I set off before the girls as I slowly made my way along the beach and then over the rocks. When I decided to take my first sips of Coke I did so before releasing the build up of fizz and it almost blew my false teeth out of my mouth, such was the pressure. By the time I reached the beginning of the next hill ascent the two girls had caught me. We were now traversing private farm land and how thankful we are to the landowners for allowing us to use their properties for this event. But as I climbed the pathway up, up, up it was a slow, hands on hips walk, dragging the chain, getting behind the girls. The heat seemed to be getting to Darlene whereas Lisa seemed as fresh as a daisy. We continued to traverse paddocks; running around dams and outbuildings—even through farmhouse backyards thanks to the owners’ generosity. At the unmanned water station I drank a whole bottle of Gatorade; took a couple of bite-sized Snickers; and soaked my cap in the icy water. I sat in a chair to have this and then struggled to get out of it and get going again. It was sad to see a number of drink bottles discarded by earlier runners. Admittedly a couple were placed beside track markers but at least one was just carelessly tossed aside. We pushed on until we arrived at Tollymore Road where Val was waiting for me and Greg was there for Darlene and Lisa. Val told me Greg had something for me, and she produced some Panadol that I was to take. I left the girls again so I could have a bit of a head start before they caught up again, but … it didn’t eventuate. From that moment on it was as if I was flying. I could now run, albeit slowly, up the hills. The pain in my chest hadn’t gone away but something had happened. I delighted in telling people that the Panadol was actually Speed that now made me run faster and freer. I hope that I didn’t offend anyone by that, but Greg’s kindness made a big difference to my being able to finish the race the way I did. The first of the team 101ers raced past me shortly after I had crossed Tollymore Road, hotly pursued by Bryan Tuit. Bryan caught me as I was clambering over a low fence using the ladders placed there for our convenience. I didn’t realise it was Bryan as I suggested to him that he could easily hurdle the fence. The tide had changed—not the physical tide but my whole approach to the remainder of the run. I kept looking back for the girls but I had lost them. Even though I was slowly beginning to feel like a bit of a heel for dropping them I decided to push on with the thought of maybe, if I was up to it, going back to meet them after I had finished. Now my goal was to run down as many of those in front of me as possible. Slowly I caught up with some of the walkers in the 25k event, and then there were some of the 50k runners. Mostly I slowed down to walk/run beside them for a distance, trying to encourage them in what they were doing. Before I knew what had happened I was at the Table Cape Lighthouse where I had another long break for refuelling. While I was there the first female 101 team runner (third overall at that stage) ran through. WOW! A couple of jam sandwiches; some lollies and some Coke and I was ready to set off again. But that comfortable chair was a dangerous option as I struggled to get out of it. It was difficult to start running again, but I could almost smell the finish line—it was that close! By the time I had run the Table Cape Walking Tack to the Table Cape Lookout I had caught Zayne and Danika. What a marvellous effort they had made—especially Zayne who, I believe, had never run more than 10k before. I take my hat off to him! What an encouragement it must have been for Danika to have her husband run the whole way with her. After a short distance along Table Cape Road it was into another property. In one of the ensuing properties between here and the finish line the grass had been mown for our convenience but it was clumpy and so I had to carefully watch were I placed my feet—especially on the downhill sections. Once or twice I had to stop at a marker to try and find the next one. But I didn’t go wrong and take a wrong turn … fortunately. I was enjoying it more and more. Even though Greg’s tablets hadn’t taken the pain in my chest away I was still able to continue. It hurt going down the declines and I grimaced as I landed or breathed deeply. I next saw Val at the beginning of the Inglis River Walkway. Greg was there too and he handed me an ice-cold Coke, which I quickly drank. But a desire had been forming in my mind. I was no longer content to try and catch those in front of me in either the 25k or 50k events. I now wanted to try and get to the finish before anyone else in the 101 teams caught me. I even imagined myself in a desperate sprint to the finish line with one of them—what the mind can do, or should that be what a vain mind can imagine the body of an aging 70-year-old can accomplish? Apart from slowing to walk with those I caught up to for a quick chat I ran on and on. As I neared the end of the course Debbie Riley and Terri Webb were there with the specific goal of running me home. That was so unexpected. It was so thoughtful of them to encourage me in that way. I just couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do that for me. Even now, a day later, just thinking of what they did brings tears to my eyes. Even though I was grimacing in pain with each step I was able to bring it home at around 5:45/k pace for that final sprint. I was amazed at the amount of applause I received as I ran down that final crooked straight and over the line. Here we are at an event, each trying to do our best against fellow competitors and yet people look out for each other and cheer each other on. There’s no trying to crush the opposition or grind them into the ground. After a few hugs and congratulations from that wonderful group who stayed behind to wait for me I knew I had to turn around for my girls. They had supported me throughout the difficult stages of the run. They lovingly cared for me. They slowed themselves down for me when I struggled. And I just wanted to help them achieve their goal. So I jogged back along the course, responding to comments like “You’re going the wrong way” or “Haven’t you had enough?” How wonderful it was to see Darlene and Lisa, still about 2.3 kilometres from home. We stayed together until the final run down the path as Debbie and her son Lachie came out to meet them and I found that I had nothing left in me to keep up with them.

It was suggested that I go to the Medical Tent for a check. Jacinta, the doctor on duty checked me out and told me that I should go the Burnie Hospital for an X-ray. Poor Val. She was already so exhausted and hadn’t eaten or drunk enough and now she had to drive me from Wynyard to Burnie. I presented Jacinta’s letter to the receptionist who told me that she had run two years earlier. Mel, the attending doctor, told me that she would have run today if she wasn’t on duty. So there were some understanding and sympathetic people taking care of me. When the X-rays were examined they didn’t show a break (apparently this type of break doesn’t always show up) even though both Jacinta and now Mel both said that I had all the classic symptoms of a broken rib. The X-ray, however, did affirm that there was no lung damage, which could cause complications with pneumonia and lung collapse. We dropped back into the Medical Tent to let Jacinta know the situation and thank her again. We stayed at the finish talking to a few people and waiting for a friend to come—but he was too far away so we thought we had better head back to Rocky Cape. After my good result following the X-rays I was back to driving, tired as I was, to help Val who was exhausted. We did, however, stop along the highway at Inglis River as runners were coming over the footbridge. One of them just happened to be our friend, who was delighted that someone had been waiting for him.

Back at the van I had an Endone tablet that not only put me to sleep but gave me the best sleep I had had in days.

I could not have done what I did today without the wonderful love and support of Val; without my two guardian angels who cared for me during the difficult stages after my fall; and for all those other runners and supporters who gave me encouragement. Even though I vowed that I would never again tackle Gone Nuts 50k I’m already finding that I want to give it another go. And while the 101k has an appeal to it I doubt that I would ever be able to run that at my age.

When I pulled in to Rocky Cape Roadhouse for diesel and a coffee I mentioned that we had camped at the tavern for a couple of nights so I could do the 50k run. As soon as I mentioned, in response to a question, how I had fallen and broken a rib the fellow behind the other counter knew all about me and that my wife had taken the photos. He had run the 50k as well. Small world or concerned wife?

From Bruny Ultra to Derby Half

Thursday, 13^th December, 2018:

It’s been a week and a half since the Bruny Island ultra marathon and I have felt as if I have been recovering well. For a few days after the event I jogged/ran the steps and along the beach at The Neck to check my recovery process and was pleased with how I could run the steps faster and faster each succeeding day. My effort at Geeveston parkrun the following Saturday wasn’t my best as I gradually faded over the course. I did, however, run a few younger people home and encouraged them to sprint, though I couldn’t keep up with them. I’ve had a couple of runs since then and today I received an updated running plan which Ben has put together for me to incorporate Derby, Gone Nuts and Dove Lake, all within 5 weeks of each other. After he questioned me about my recovery from Bruny and the training in the weeks before he suggested that I could run the half marathon at Derby, but not to treat it as a race in light of the Gone Nuts 50k the following Saturday. And he does want me to do more training on trails in preparation for those events. So today I jogged to the pool and did a couple of easy paced circuits on the sawdust tracks.

Friday, 14^th December:

Today I made a fantastic discovery. Val and I decided to drive out to Warrawee Reserve at Latrobe so she could walk and I could run the old road into the picnic area that had been destroyed by the floods over two years ago. But what a change has taken place since we were there last time. The old picnic area remains non-existent but there is a mountain bike trail complex that is being constructed—not only at Warrawee but also at Railton (due in May 2019) and they will be joined together and then with construction around Kimberly starting in May 2019. After running Shale Road and back I decided to take the walking track that led me through the old Tramway cutting and onto various trails. I had the time of my life but was concerned that Val might be getting concerned as I was taking longer to get back than I had planned. In trying to take a short cut back to the carpark I actually ended up running further than planned. I’m going to enjoy these tracks as part of my preparation for Derby. I just hope that Railton is open before we head to the Mainland.

Thursday, 20^th December:

In my desire to progress faster around Australia I have been following Ben’s plan but sometimes adding a bit to it here and there—maybe that should be a big bit here and there. And having so enjoyed the Wild Mersey trails I went out again on Monday (my normal long run day) and then yesterday with Danika. In hindsight, three runs over those trials in less than a week might have been a bit too much in these early stages of fully recovering from Bruny. I have a bit of ankle, leg and hip soreness but because I am only such a short distance behind one of our great young runners in our virtual journey across the Northern Territory to Tennant Creek I am maybe just adding a bit too much to my scheduled runs. But catching those in front is what encourages and inspires me to keep going in the attempt to overtake them. Anyway, I’ve thought about keepng my Monday long runs to the courses around Devonport that I normally use and make my Wild Mersey trails on a Wednesday before RunClub. I’ve also set myself the goal of trying to run every Tasmanian parkrun (which has been achieved) before our trip to the Mainland AND volunteering at each of them as well as having a Freedom Run at each venue. That gives me only five months to get all this done. At the moment I still have eight Freedom Runs and eleven volunteer positions to complete.

Saturday, 1^st January, 2019:

I’ve continued to battle soreness in various parts of my legs, but it just seems that rest is the only guaranteed response. But if I take too much time off and don’t keep up my schedule then I won’t be ready for Derby, Gone Nuts or Cradle—and there isn’t that much time left to get myself ready. With the death of my much-loved mother-in-law in Victoria my schedule of long runs has been further affected over the Christmas-New Year period and I’m struggling to know whether to ignore those times I have missed a run or to try and catch up—but the Catch 22 situation is that I could overload myself and cause further soreness by trying to catch up. Since Bruny I’ve noticed a loss of speed but I seem to be picking it up a bit at the moment in parkruns. I want to keep them all less than 25 minutes if possible. It didn’t quite work out that way today with the NYD Double as Bairnsdale was 24:57 but Lakes Entrance was 25:02, but I did commence Lakes Entrance quite slowly (getting caught in a traffic jam for the first few hundred metres). My goal, then, was those in front of me—could I catch them? I slowly reeled in quite a number of them and was pleasantly surprised by my time. When I combined the two parkruns to make 10k the total time was staggering in that it was over 3:30 faster than my best effort at the 10k distance. Gotta be happy with that, even if I can’t maintain the pace for a full 10k.

Monday, January 14^th:

The last couple of weeks have been a mixed bag. At times I’ve felt flat and then I have put in some good times—and today was one of those days for the Strava segment “Get out of the Pool”, which is from Devonport Aquatic Centre and up Steele Street. I equalled my PB for that segment so I might be getting some speed back after Bruny. In talking to a couple of people at Monday Mates I mentioned my lack of speed and one of them said that it would take a good six weeks to recover from Bruny, which is where I am now. So I’ll see how I go over the next few weeks in the lead up to both Derby and Gone Nuts.

Wednesday, January 16^th:

I certainly didn’t feel like going out to run the Wild Mersey trails today. It’s been hot and I’m not one who is too keen on snakes when running so I opted for the old “The Need for Hills” standby. After uploading to Strava I discovered that I had a PB on three hill segments so I’m confident that I might be starting to return to my best running, though I shall wait until I have a couple of runs at parkrun. I was still able to cover about 6.6 km at RunClub after the hills, so that was pleasing.

Thursday, January 17^th:

A couple of weeks ago I found myself thinking that I couldn’t care if I never ran again. Well, I certainly didn’t feel like that today. I decided on running three laps of the College Loop and it felt as if I was floating along. Initially, I wanted to run fast and set a course PB but opted out of that at the start of the run because of last night’s strong effort on the hills. It wasn’t until my second attempt at running up Surrey Street that I began to feel the strain from last night and I started to question the wisdom of three 3k laps. But once I had reached the top and settled into a comfortable stride that thought vanished from my mind. Surprisingly, the third run up Surrey Street didn’t feel as bad as the previous one. It was only when my watch vibrated at 8 km that I looked at my times and found that I was travelling quite well so I quickened my pace for the final run home and ended up running a 3:20 course PB. What was amazing was that I hadn’t even been trying to run fast and yet my attempts at the “Surrey Climb” segment were my second and third fastest ever (out of 23 efforts). I’m now looking forward to this year’s events with eager anticipation.

Monday, January 28^th:

Today was such a different story, though. I’ve had a few strong runs since my last entry with good times. But perhaps it all caught up with me for today’s long run. I was scheduled to run for 3 hours so deliberately started off at a slow pace. Within a few kilometres the pace had quickened to around 6:15/k, so I slowed it down a bit. By the time I had reached the halfway mark I was beginning to tire and as I turned I felt the full force of a strong wind that certainly didn’t help me at all. I began to walk in places and my running dropped off dramatically to a jog—but I kept on until I decided to cut the session short. Painfully I made my way up Steele Street and finally made it home in 2½ hours for just over 20 kms. Hopefully today’s running performance was affected by the last few days rather than anything else. If it’s more that I’m getting older and finding that my recovery is taking longer, then I could be in trouble for Gone Nuts only one week after Derby. I found myself thinking that maybe I should just limit myself to parkrun and forget about anything longer. While we’re travelling on the Mainland in 4 months time I don’t think that I will find many events, other than parkrun, to enter. So maybe that could be a good thing—but then I will miss the longer events. We’ll just have to wait and see how I handle next Monday’s 3½ hour planned run.

Monday, 4^th February:

After last Monday’s difficulty in completing my long run I was determined that today’s effort would be more successful, especially as it was for 3½ hours. However, from the outset I decided that I would make it just 30 kms rather than the specified time. With two bottles of Staminade and a handful of jelly babies—having already had breakfast and my mugs of tea—I set off up the hill to the beginning of the bike track. It had to be a slow start and the first kilometre ticked over at 7:19 but my mind was already working overtime. I was thinking of the 30 km course along the track out to Spreyton and what I would have to do to set a PB over that distance—thinking that my best was maybe around 3:30 (that was roughly the time for my first run out there whereas my best time was actually 3:17:25). That’s definitely not the approach to take if I want to complete today’s run in good shape at the end. By the time I had reach 2.5 km I was again beginning to think that the days of long runs were over. My legs felt heavy and I didn’t know how far I would be able to get today. But my pace, now that I had been running downhill and on the flat, had quickened yet again without my being too conscious of it and I was now running at 6:10-6:15/k pace. After 4 km my times quickened even further and from there until around 20 km it was around or under 6:00/k, which was way too fast. I was tiring; my legs were hurting—I wonder why? But I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to give up this time, no matter how much it hurt. With a couple of exceptions my pace dropped to 6:30/k or slower, with the last few kilometres a real struggle and my final kilometre being 8:52. I had been questioning my ‘mental toughness’ to actually continue at my earlier pace, for my mind did wander quite often. Throughout the run I had frequently used my Staminade and chewed on a few jelly babies, though I obviously hadn’t had enough to get me through the run in good shape—so maybe I should have thrown a few gels in as well. My brother-in-law, Bruce, has given me some good advice on how much I need to take in the way of fluids, gels and jelly babies—now I just need to follow it. But I did complete the run and even had a 1:50 PB from March 2014—the last time I successfully completed that run. At least I know that I can cover the distance for Derby, but there were no hills to speak of that I had to climb today.

Friday, 8^th February:

Because we were travelling to Hobart taking three grandchildren back to Franklin after their evacuation because of the fires I missed yesterday’s 10 km run. Thus I combined yesterday’s run with today’s 6 km and opted to run the Clarence Foreshore Trail and then over the Tasman Bridge and a bit of the Intercity Bicycle Track. I ended up doing 18.35 km and had a fabulous run, averaging 6:10/k over a combination of rough track, bitumen, concrete and the steel plating over the bridge. Even with what I had already run during the week and with a hard physio session on Wednesday I was really pleased with my effort as I didn’t realise how fast I was going at times. I did give some thought to Derby and how I have to run more slowly so I neither crash out like I did two years ago or ruin my chances for Gone Nuts. They are getting awfully close but at least I am feeling more confident than I did a couple of weeks ago.

Sunday, 10^th February:

With a family birthday lunch at Port Huon tomorrow and then our travelling back to Devonport I took up Val’s suggestion of having my long run today rather than trying to squeeze it in tomorrow or postponing it until Tuesday. That meant I had had no rest day prior to my 4 hour run—especially necessary following my numerous Strava achievements and course PB’s over the previous six days. So I set out along the inaptly named—inaptly named for serious trail runners—Clarence Foreshore Trail. It did have some trail-like conditions at the Geilston Bay end and a bit of gravel as part of the Bellerive parkrun course, but most of it was concrete or bitumen. I was looking at running around 6.30/k and had the intention of walking the hills in preparation for Derby and Gone Nuts. Apart from 500 ml of water all I carried were two protein bars which I would take at the 1½ and 3 hour marks. Not sufficient at all, but this was a last minute decision to run. I was a bit slower than my planned time, but this was just a training run and it felt hot. Kunanyi/Mt Wellington was covered in clouds that seemed to be releasing rain and all around were lovely clouds but I was running in sunshine—not what I wanted at 2.30 pm. I plodded on and slowed to a longish walk while I ate the first of my protein bars. My return on the out and back route was a bit more difficult. Not only did I slow but the wind came up—the clouds were coming over but the wind made it all that more difficult for me as my legs began to tire. My pace dropped and I started to walk more than just the hills. A lady jogger in her senior years, still probably younger than I am, ran passed. I tried to keep up but I found that I could do so only momentarily. The upshot was that I ran for 4:24:15 and covered 33.62 km. However, last Monday I did 30.05 km in 3:15:34, so today’s extra 3.57 km took me an extra 68 minutes. In light of my activities and times over the previous six days and today’s wind I’m not overly disappointed. But I did find myself again questioning my mental toughness (as people call it) to push on when the going gets tough and the legs begin to ache.

Friday, 15^th February:

Well, tomorrow was supposed to be the day when I put in a harder effort at parkrun but, as they were short of volunteers, I’m now the photographer. As a result I decided, after an easy Friday Fresh jogging/walking with Val, to have a hard run on the track starting from the pool. I was still feeling uncomfortable with the pain in the right side of my ribcage (I’m wondering if I cracked a rib or two when crawling into the tunnel of the caravan to empty it out so I could weigh everything). It’s been hard to sleep and I found at RunClub that it was a bit of a stabbing pain when running downhill and breathing. Anyway, I went for an easy warm up run to get there and then took off for 4k—being 2k out and then back. I actually felt no pain at all while running flat out—at least to the 1k mark whereupon I slowed down for a bit before taking off again. It was a pleasing run at pace and I took 1:32 off that course record from way back in February 2009. That’s my last hard run before Derby so, with the tapering during the week, I’m hoping to be ready for tomorrow week’s run.

Saturday, 16^th February:

I didn’t sleep well at all last night because of the pain. I finally got some sleep when I used three pillows to be half sitting up. Late this afternoon I went out for a run but immediately I started my slow warm up I knew that I was in a bit of trouble. It hurt to both breathe and jog. Anyway, I kept on and managed 7 km and it did become easier as the pain gradually eased over the course of the run and I was able to increase my speed to the point where I averaged 7:33/k. From that point on I was so much better for most of the night and relatively free from pain, though it is still very sore to touch. Dr. Google tells me that, for broken ribs, it takes around 6 weeks for full healing to take place and that one should refrain from sport. If I did that then I would not be able to participate in Derby, Gone Nuts or Dove Lake. So I’m taking my chances that nothing serious has happened and running, even if it remains sore for these next two runs.

Monday, 25^th February:

What a great weekend it’s been. On Friday, Val and I spent time walking around Derby Lake; down to the old Town Hall to register for my run; to the pizza place for lunch and then to our respective spots for marshalling duty for the Dash for Cash. That clocked up some 14k, which was a lot more than I expected. That night my pain was quite a bit and, like the previous night, I didn’t sleep very well at all. To make matters worse both hips were quite sore. None of which was great preparation for Saturday’s run. It was only when the alarm went at 6.00 am that I groggily jumped out of bed to eat a large bowl of cereal with a banana on top and have three mugs of tea. But it left me feeling a bit sluggish. Anyway, we drove down to the starting area giving ourselves plenty of time to park the car as close as possible to where Val would be marshalling and taking photos. That way she could access things that she wanted. We watched the marathon runners take off and then waited and chatted until it was our turn for a briefing before we moved to the start for our event. How would I go, especially with sore hips and hammies? In line with my instructions to make this a run and not a race I kept closer to the rear of the field. Darlene joined me as she wanted an easy run before next Saturday as well. I was finding myself feeling a bit queasy from breakfast and was wondering how I would get through the run. If Darlene hadn’t been there to keep encouraging me and checking on how I was I might have taken off too fast at the beginning or slowed right down in the early stages. It wasn’t long before she was in front of me and, at times, the invisible cord between us was broken and I had to apply extra effort to catch her again. Still Darlene kept on checking how I was and even offered to slow down if that would help me. She was truly wonderful in her care for me. A number of people who started slower than we had began to overtake us. After a short while Kelly and Tess joined us and we ran together from there on in. What wonderful company I had. We jogged along the stone wall; walked the hills; and admired the scenery we passed through. The lake sparkled. Its reflections were so beautiful. It was getting on to 9 km and still we hadn’t reached the first of the aid stations. But then it appeared and we helped ourselves to a few things to sustain us. I was still sticking to my plan of having a gel at every 5 km and nibbling some jelly babies every now and then. I was only carrying 1 litre of made up Powerade and, as the first one was close to being finished, I topped that bottle up with water. Yes, it was diluted but I needed the fluid. When we approached the 15 km point I was about to have another gel but, being at the second of the aid stations, I decided to not take it, topping up instead on a few things that they had on offer. It meant emptying my bottle and filling it with Coke that, when I commenced running again, soon lost most of its fizz. At around 17 km I upped my pace, knowing that I was almost home. I noticed that Kelly started to come with me, but she opted to stay with the others as they had been running together for most of the race. I was surprised at how well I could still run and soon passed a number of those who were in front of me. Up the last switch backs and I could see Derby ever so clearly. I was almost home and still I was able to improve my pace to a low of 7:17/k, with my last split at 6:28/k. I’d run my race with great encouragement from Darlene, Kelly and Tess, but still my morning wasn’t over. I turned around and ran back 450 metres to find the girls and run home with them. Quite emotional. But where was Gosso? We had been expecting him for some time, but he still hadn’t finished. So it was back down the track—much more slowly this time. But he was nowhere to be found, so I turned around and went back to Val. After he did appear and we watched him successfully complete his marathon I drove back to the van for a shower and change. My day was over, or so I thought, so I left my watch there and went to pick up pizzas for those who were still hanging around. Time passed slowly, especially for one anxious husband whose wife hadn’t appeared. Still we waited until there was only one thing left to do. I jogged/walked back along the trail, checking with those who were still on their way as to the lady in question. After over three quarters of an hour I found her and the sweep happily making their way to the finish. So we walked and jogged and chatted and laughed the whole way back. At least I had my phone and so kept Val (and, through her, the race organiser and the anxious husband up to date on where we were) until they could see us. That night Val and I again took up marshalling duties (Val also had her camera) for the night run. Volunteering, which also means cheering on the competitors, is such great fun, and I would recommend more people to participate in this way. Sadly, we won’t be able to participate next year as we will be on the Mainland.