Running Mt Stirling and Mt Buller

With a week off from work the first stop had to be the Victorian high country and the Mt Buller and Mt Stirling Alpine resorts. In Winter the resort is jam packed with Aussie skiers trying fit in as much time on the slopes as possible during the short lived snow season. Summer brings something new altogether. The two peaks are connected by amazing mountain bike and hiking trails, offering endless running possibilities and down time in a chilled out, near empty resort town. We spent our days running and biking, and then relaxing to a cup of coffee and 360 degree views of mountains disappearing beyond the horizon. 

We had marvelous weather and ended up staying longer than initially planned - it's just so damn beautiful . My first run was around Mt Stirling on the ~16km Summit Loop (see map of the trails here). The trail was initially a little overgrown, but soon connected on sections of fire trail and single track through beautiful snow gums and views out across the Australian Alps. It was great to run some bigger hills and then have the reward of a summit! The resort has  invested heavily in signage and free trail maps, so navigating is easy! The runs were also a good opportunity to test the comfort level of some new Salomon gear (Exo compression running shirts and shorts) - all I can say is that they are pretty damn awesome to run in. 

The start of the Summit Loop:

Emerging into the alpine and running amongst startling white Snow Gums:

Summer in the Australian Alps:

The summit of Mt Stirling (1749m):

Running across to Stanley's Bowl, Mt Stirling behind me:

The next run was on the Stonefly mountain bike trail starting at Howqua Gap. The trail is 6km of uphill (250m vertical ascent) on flowing single track taking you through Alpine Ash forests, across pristine stream  and into some pretty peaceful wilderness. The trail then loops around and heads back down for 4km. Because it is built for mountain biking it flows and allows runners to work on descending technique without too much fear factor involved. From there I connected on to trails to take me to the Mt Buller summit (1804m) to finish off a wonderful run.

Running up to the Mt Buller Summit:

Views out across the Australian Alps:

Evening sun across the summit:

Mountain layered upon mountain as the sun sinks:

Mt Buller ski slopes in summer:

The 2012 Two Bays Trail Run

My first race for 2012 came around quickly, and took me to the town of Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. The 56km Two Bays Trail Marathon would be a good opportunity to test where I was at in my fitness, and to get in a longer run pushed by a group of pretty awesome runners. In the womens field were some swift ladies, notably Kirstin Bull and Louise Sharp, the former part of the Australian team that raced at the Commonwealth Ultra Distance and Mountain Running championship in Wales. The challenge for me would be to run a fast, non-technical course that would force me to focus on speed and cadence, not my strengths!

The race was tough! I ran a fast 28km out to Cape Schank, most of the time in 3rd place until just before the turn around, at which point Louise Sharp passed me in fine form and looking solid. I remember thinking "this feels too good, it will catch up to me." The course itself included a mix of road, fire trail and single track (not too technical), allowing runners to really open up on the downhill. At certain points of the course beautiful views out to the water encouraged runners along.

During the second half of the race my pace slowed, I battled a few nasty stomach cramps (I think from using gels when I haven't trained with them) and had to rein in the negative wanderings of my mind to focus on my goals for this race. Before I knew it, 40km was done, then 50km (and a huge slog back up to Arthurs Seat) and then down to the finish line. I finished 7th female in 5:40. The race itself was fantastically organised: aid stations worthy of a heartfelt thanks, well signposted trails to help heat-befuddled runners, and volunteers who knew how to coax runners during their "why am I doing this to myself" meltdown.

Bushrangers Bay at 27km:

Powerhiking the last hill at the 50km mark:

The finish (obviously still something left in the tank):

Photographs thanks to: fstop5 Sports Photography