Journeys: Italy and the Ultra Trail Lavaredo

A week after The North Face 100km I packed my bags again for overseas. I first travelled to the Czech Republic to catch up with friends and enjoy some running in the Krkonose Mountains. Being in Europe right now has some advantages - summer weather, lots of walking trails around for running and training, and the opportunity to race in some dream events. Being in the Czech has also meant drinking beer instead of water, succumbing to some amazing (but healthy) cakes, and trying to find a vegetarian meal amongst the goulash.

View down one of the ski hills into the town of Harrachov (gateway into the Krkonose Mountains):

On Wednesday evening I traveled from Prague to Venice, and then onward to Cortina by bus. Being here is incredible. Seeing the white, jagged peaks of the Dolomites is eerie, like seeing a dream materialise in front of you. I feel so uplifted. The town of Cortina is relaxed, and doesn't quite have the glamour and snow-sex-appeal that Chamonix had. I am just happy to be camped out in a little tent, to have these giants around me, and to look forward to running with a crowd of like-minded people tomorrow night in the Ultra Trail Lavaredo. 

The race is very much about self-sufficiency in a mountainous, alpine environment. The mandatory gear list is minimal, a "you choose what you think you might need" attitude which I like. The aid stations are spaced about +/-15km apart, and sometimes supply only water, meaning that nutrition planning is essential. I will be relying on the aid stations for the most part, as I have no support crew and don't want to carry the weight of food for the whole race (there is one drop-bag location at 48km). I am planning to run conservatively at the beginning, using my Suunto Ambit to monitor my HR (I have a specific threshold I will by trying to stay under). It has been a while since I have been running in BIG mountain country, and can't wait for the sunrise on Saturday morning and to be amongst it all.

My little tent, mountains peaking out just behind:

The glacial blue waters of the Torrente Boite, the peaks of the Fiames in the distance:

Trail marker for tomorrow's race:

The town of Cortina, behind the Fiames:

The starting line for the 2012 Ultra Trail Lavaredo:

Cortina town centre:

Journeys: The beginning

"Your toughness is made up of equal parts: persistence and experience. You don't so much as outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

The beginning - The 2012 North Face 100km

Although this race might have been the final destination for many - the end of a season of hard training, focus and preparation, I have come to view this race as my beginning. 

Prelude

The lead up to arguably the biggest race on the Australian calendar was overwhelming! I had been away from Australia for almost 2 years, and was really looking forward to running with old friends in terrain that felt like home. I thought I had been training well, and had felt strong on some of the longer runs out on the race course. I was planning every detail like I had never done before - nutrition spreadsheets, logistics maps for my crew (amazing friend Nicola, and wonder-mum Greta), and a pace chart to work out exactly where I wanted to be and when. Although this race didn't play to all my strengths (the long stretches of fire trails are where I hurt and really need to focus on my cadence and rhythm), I was determined to go for it and to see where my training had brought me before the start of my racing season. 

It never crossed my mind that I would not finish. 

It was great to attend the race as part of the Salomon Australia team, and to meet international athlete Ryan Sandes. The buzz around Leura was electric, and it was hard not to get mentally waylaid by all the media hype surrounding this epic event. My heart would race every time I thought about the start line, and although I tried to embrace the adrenaline and pre-race nerves surging through my body, I think one of the lessons I have learnt is to be less focused on what everyone else is doing/Twittering/Facebooking, and to concentrate on why I am running and racing, something I have never had to deal with before! Dan Bleakman summed it up nicely on the Ultra168 race report by saying that: "Running is as simple as putting one leg in front of another and appreciating what you have around you. Goals achieved or not, it's only running."

The Race

I think I have learnt more from the 4 hours and 36km of running that I did in this race, than from many of the training runs that I had in the lead up.  

Last minute gear checks at the Fairmont Resort, about 15 minutes till the start (photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

My start was fast, furious and I immediately focused on where the other runners were and on maintaining my placing, and completely ignored my body and my heart. The adrenaline was telling me "faster, faster," while my mind was telling me "hmmm, your heart rate is unsustainably high, maybe you should slow down, relax and settle into the race." To this the adrenaline replied "SHUT UP MIND, GO FASTER!" David Eadie once remarked to a friend that "at the start of the race, if you think you're going too fast, you're definitely going too fast. If you think you're going the right speed, you're going too fast. If you think you're going way too slow, your pace is about right." 

So, my first lesson from the race is to never ignore my heart.

At an early stage of the race, running through Leura, still smiling and catching up with Sam Robinson from Suunto who was out cheering for us (photo courtesy of Oli Wilson):

By 18km, I could feel my digestion not working optimally. It's pretty obvious that my body was sending all available blood to my muscles rather than to help with digesting, a result of burning the candle at both ends (my dad loves this phrase). The result was bloating, as all the nutrition I was taking in just sat in my tummy instead of providing energy to my muscles. Instead of powering up the notorious Golden Staircase as I normally would, I crawled up at snail pace. During this climb my HR peaked 182bpm, which I think says it all.
My second lesson from the race is to always plan for the worst. If I was already feeling bad at 18km, I should have taken time to stop, rest for a few minutes, try a different nutrition strategy.

At the top of the Golden Staircase, the photo capturing just how hard I was working at this stage (photo courtesy of Lyndon Marceau):

The next 18km were so tough. By now I had completely used all energy, and had replaced it with nothing. My pace slowed, I had stomach cramping and I felt nauseated. I really wanted to stop. The 8km to the next checkpoint were awful as I was vomiting at this stage, a result of all that nutrition just not digesting. I couldn't stop thinking about how early on in the race it was. When I got in to the next checkpoint I went straight to the first aid station. In my mind I had finished. And so I had. After another small vomit, I decided to finish there. Now, I wish I hadn't. I recently read "to get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping." (Chinese Proverb).
My third lesson here was to KEEP GOING. I know this, I know that after the worst slump, things can always turn around. Walking is a good start, and invariably jogging will soon follow. One of my Salomon team mates told me this as I was lying in the first aid station, told me to at least walk to the next aid station, but in that moment the idea of walking shamed me. I forgot why I was running and the personal challenges that undertaking the hardest of journeys brings.

So, this is the beginning. I can move forward into my next races with these three, hard-earned lessons behind me. I don't wish this kind of race experience on anyone, but if you can learn from what went wrong then it is these kinds of setbacks that build experience and allow you to persist when the going really gets rough.

Relax, breathe, and enjoy The North Face 100km

"When I get on the line, I realize that the issue is 90 percent settled. My recent training, whether I am over or under or at my peak, the state of my health cannot be helped. These factors are out of my hands. They are behind me. I need no longer worry about them. I have to remember only two things; one, not to do anything stupid and two, not to quit." - Dr George Sheehan in This Running Life.

5 days before the 2012 The North Face 100km Race and the usual pre-race antics are going on inside my head. Amidst the nerves and excitement it's easy to forget how much fun running is (mostly because I am not running due to tapering), and what a pleasure it is to share the experience with so many amazing characters. I try to remember the training I have done, the long runs completed with friends as well as alone. I try not to doubt my mind and body, and to remember all the ups and downs we have conquered in previous races.  Most importantly, I try to stay focused on my goal: to run my own race, to run strong, and to be the best that I can be on the day. I think the quote above from Dr George Sheehan is pretty spot on too, and that is what I will be focusing on when I stand on the starting line! 

In past years I have mostly raced with friends but without support. This year I feel like I am so supported: by friends who will be racing alongside, in front, and behind me; my Salomon team-mates (Mick Donges, Andrew Vize and Matt Cooper as well as Naima and Sam); and by my amazing crew (my mother and my friend Nicola visiting from Canada).

The race itself is going to be epic. The terrain is fantastic - rugged, runable in some areas, technical and challenging in others. There is rolling, playful, single track trail, scrambling required over rocks, undulations, big climbs, cascades and waterfalls, rainforest, slender eucalypt trees, sandstone, and...views!!! Oh how us trail runners love those awe-inspiring views that stop us in our tracks and make us go "Yes. This is why I woke up at 5am to go running!" The last couple of weeks I have had a blast training in the Blue Mountains on the course, as well as playing host to Nicola and showing her some of the local trails:

Campfire at Old Ford Reserve during a true "training camp" in the Blue Mountains:

Morning light across the Three Sisters and Mt Solitary during a early morning run:

Nicola hugging a huge Red Gum on my last long run (while pre-sweeping for the Wild Endurance event):

Taros Ladder. I never knew rope-tying could be so sexy:

Some sexy rock alongside Narrowneck:

Endorphins make you do funny things:

So, here we go. Relax, breathe, enjoy the run and see you on the other side of the finish line! If you are like me and love to get a little crazy before a race, this song might be for you:

Greetings from Monte Bianco

A package arrived for me last week, filled with memories from racing in last year's Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Inside the envelope was a letter, written in Italian and addressed to "Gentile Margaretha," and 6 black and white photos, developed from film. In an instant I was transported back to the rugged peaks of the Alps, the happy countryside I encountered while passing through Italy, and the generous support and encouragement the volunteers gave to the competitors.

The letter and photos was from a man called Arnaldo, who had volunteered at the aid station located at the Bonatti refuge (hut), about 90km from Chamonix. Passing through this station was a blur, but I remember getting a honey sandwich from him. He took my photo (I suspect because I was an Australian woman), and said that if I gave him my address he would send it to me. I didn't give it much further thought, left the checkpoint and kept racing. 

Now, almost a year later, his package has arrived and with it a reminder of the extended community of people I have met all over the world through trail running. People who love the mountains, people who love supporting the pursuit of a challenge, and people who just want to give. I am also reminded of how important the volunteers are in any event, and how their enthusiasm and kindness can create a unique atmosphere that will stay with a runner long beyond the finish line. 

Rifugio Bonatti (Bonatti Refuge):

Runners entering the checkpoint. Arnaldo has labelled the peaks, including Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc:

Arnaldo:

The checkpoint:

The leader's of the race passing through the checkpoint, including Killian Jornet in the centre:

Dawn from the Traveler's Range, Tasmania

With winter making it's presence known in the Tasmanian mountains, the days getting colder and light more precious, my last day as a guide on the Overland Track arrived. The decision had been made the night before to climb up to the top of the Traveler's Range, a ridge of mountains presiding over deep valleys and unexplored wilderness. We woke at 4am, and glancing out the window for a weather forecast, I glimpsed open sky and a shooting star. Perfect conditions for a dawn hike up to the summit. 

We followed the track back up to Ducane Gap, our headtorches illuminating ancient rainforest. In the saddle between the Traveler's Range and the Ducane Range we found the barely-used trail that would lead us up. On the summit the wind was fierce, the cold as crisp as the light starting to emerge on the horizon. We nestled in amongst the large dolerite boulders and waited for the sun. 

L-R: The Acropolis and Mt Geryon:

Thanks to Ross Bird for the beautiful photography.

Mt Solitary Race cancellation: The silver lining

The elusive Mt Solitary (Photo sourced from here)

Sometimes nature just doesn't play along. The last week it has rained. And rained. And finally, with 2 days to go before the start of the Mt Solitary Race, the organizers had to postpone the event. Disappointed trail runners power-hiked the streets of Katoomba, lamenting the loss of a weekend of competition and camraderie.

I was fortunate enough to connect with other race-less runners over the weekend, turning the loss of an event into 2 days of training instead. It was great to maximise the sunshine, mild weather and the company of some fabulous runners to get in some solid runs on the course of the upcoming The North Face 100km. It was also great to meet Andrew Vize, one of my Team Salomon Australia members and a true gentleman of the trails. 

Admiring the view of the Three Sisters (Photo-Marcus Warner):

Last walk through the Tasmanian Wilderness

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life." - John Muir

The summit of Mt Ossa:

View towards Mt Pelion East:

Prehistoric-looking mushroom:

Mt Geryon in the afternoon sun:

Nothofagus Gunii (deciduous beech) starting to turn with the approach of winter:

Rainbow over Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain:

Barn Bluff:

View towards the Pelion mountains:

Velvety mushrooms:

Mt Ossa summit:

Crazy mould digesting a mushroom: