Training Log Archive: markg

I'm sore, everywhere.

Event: Moose Mountain Trail Races
 

29km Moose Mountain trail run organised by Jen Silverthorn. 7th place overall and 2nd in M20-29. Course goes from West Bragg Ck parking area up to the top of Moose Mountain (2,437m), funnily enough, and back. It was a gorgeous day, a little nippy early on but just warm enough later, blue skies, great trails ... perfect! For more details, see Meridian's trog.

This sounded like a really fun race so when Meridian entered I decided to have a shot too. This was beyond anything of I've done before, my previous longest run was 21km and the previous greatest amount of climb in a single run was about 500m. I figured I would just take it easy and see how I coped with it.

I started in the middle of the pack which was moving a little slow, so I made my way through and started picking people off. I was moving okay here, doing sub 5:00/km on the flat according to my polar, but I felt rotten and I think it was nerves about such a big run. After a couple of km I forgot about it and settled in to overhauling the runners in front.

The first real climbing began after about 4km and I followed my plan and started walking. I was determined not to let it become a stroll though and accelerated whenever it flattened out slightly and when we crested the ridge at about 9km, I had overtaken 3 people. I then slowly overtook the 2nd place women along the ridge and before the final climb had come up behind the eventual 6th place finisher. My climbing legs were nearly done so I settled in to alternating run and walk but was losing ground, notably to one super-steady guy who didn't walk once but kept up this interminably slow jog and left me and a bunch of others in his dust. I didn't care too much about losing time, figured my time would come on the way down.

The turn around was in a little saddle, it was followed by a couple of short uphills and then several kms of steep, rocky downhill. I launched myself down and by the time I reached the bottom of this descent just below the tree-line, I'd overtaken 4 people and was only 20m behind the steady guy. I paid for the descent though, discovering my quads were now ruined and they'd lost most of their coordination - I nearly fell on my face!

Managed to keep it together, my coordination came back but my pace was nothing special and had to walk on anything resembling a hill. The steep switchbacks down the hill were a real challenge, kept thinking my quads would fail but I got through only losing 50m to Steady Guy.

On the fire trail again, I started to reel Steady Guy in and got him on one of the last real downhill stretches. I was really suffering by this stage, my quads, hip flexors and glutes all stiff and fatigued. About a km from the finish, I heard a huffing and puffing and 6th place came charging through looking really strong. I couldn't match him and walked a couple of short stretches even while overtaking someone else doing the same!

Finally, when the finish line came into sight I got some resolve back and finished strongly (got to look good in your finish photo ;).

So in the end, a good result, a tough race but a really fun one too and I'm glad I did it. Kicks the arse of any road race.

C • MM29 3

Short session: short warm up on the rowing machine, some core, lunges, balance, and leg press.

Running home.

Quickly built up to a tempo speed (just under 4:00/km) and it felt good. A totally different run to yesterday.

Did a few slow hills and a couple of downhill strides, concentrating on posture and spring off the ground.

Warm down

Lunchtime run to Elbow Rv and along. Felt good to be out in the sun initially but I soon felt tired and hungry. A fair bit of walking, stretching, bludging ensued. Must eat more ...