Training Log Archive: Anvil

Back in action.
Taping sites for next weeks O-Cup. A few games of thorns, but pretty nice for most of it. Hammer has set an excellent course with challenging box choices for all handicaps.
Foot held up quite well, I could still feel it every now and then but never got worse than a 2 out of 10. If it doesn't degenerate tonight I'll be an smt tomorrow.

C • We would welcome you back. 3

Since AP is giving me the 'get started with your training' sass, here's the foot update. Improved a lot over the weekend with almost no activity, aided my a minor virus-ey thing. Flared up a little on Tuesday night, but seems to have settled down again.
Very erratic, in can be limping painful one minute, then 5 mins later nothing. Usually standing or walking on hard surfaces makes it worse, but I can run on snow covered golf courses :). Solution, run more in the snow.

Update on the foot, since people have been asking :)
Has slowly improved from day to day, generally just a dull ache while walking - being on my feet for a few hours every night since hasn't been the best recovery.
Last night at ARK I stood awkwardly on it and was plagued with acute pain for a few seconds... then, it felt really good. Weird.
So, resting the next few days totally should do the trick, maybe I'll make it to the first O-Cup race.

Event: World's Toughest Mudder 2013
 

Worlds Toughest Mudder
Not really a lot to say about this race. I followed my plan exactly and these first 7 laps went perfectly. Never felt fatigued , just plugged away at it and the kms just melted away.

Just so I've got a reference for food next time. I pitted after every lap and made sure I got calories into me:
Every lap: Salt tabs, handful of salted nuts and water
Every 2nd lap: Slice of pizza
Every 3rd lap: High calorie shake drink thing

If I'd got to it, I planned to stop and eat something more substantial (the night before carb loading leftovers) at the 12 hour mark. I think if I do it next time I'd split it and do one at 8 and one at 16 hrs.

What also went well was just my general attitude. I remember last year after about 4 hours when it started to get cold, all I could think of was how many hours to go and I got really negative.
I guess with that experience and WT under my belt, I was never conscious of the time - when I eventually pulled the plug at 3am I was shocked by how early in the morning it was - it felt like it had only been dark a few hours!

And then the less fun part. Not exactly sure what when wrong, but I've nailed it down to:
1. Pavement - roughly 1.5 miles of the 5 mile loop is on pavement. In low profile trail running shoes this may not have been ideal, as it's a surface I stay away from as much as possible
2. Sizing - I wore Smartwool socks under Goretex socks (which worked amazingly - feet were dry the whole race as I duct taped around the opening of the goretex). The fit was a little tight for my shoes. If I'd been smarter and tried this combination on before the race I would have realised a new pair of shoes would have been necessary.
3. Training - Yep, I subscribed to the 'Boundless SUP in Hawaii' method of training. I don't know when in the past 3 months I would have had time to do a 35 mile run in race gear to find out injury possibilities however :)

Either way, I stuck it out for 15 more miles to get the coveted 50 Mile Brown Bib (gives free race entry for next year).

Without the injury I really feel I could have gone a lot longer, it seemed like everyone around me was really starting to slow down after 6 hours and I was knocking out 1:10 - 1:15 laps pretty evenly (lap 6 was a little longer due to changing into my wet suit). Going into this race I'd decided I wouldn't do it again in 2014, but now I kinda feel like I gotta take another stab at it!

C • Congrats! 17

OK, so I have one goal for WTM 2013
Go the full 24 hours

I will be starting excessively slowly. I expect to be at the back of the pack after the first lap.
I will not be going anaerobic early, if my HR starts to get high after an obstacle, I will walk until it recovers.

Few changes this year:
5 Mile course instead of 10 Miles.
Much less water on the course, 'height' and climbing obstacles (woot).

I think the organisers want a lot more people out there throughout the night and don't want people in danger of falling as they get fatigued. Suits me fine.

Key laps to look out for are 10 (50 Miles), free entry to a 2014 TM & 15 (75 Miles), free 2014 TM season pass - essentially your money back.

WT taught me a lot this year, both with regards to nutrition and keeping on going when cold, wet and miserable.

You can track me here:
http://toughmudder.com/wtm2013-timing/#/results:&A...

My number is #1868 (currently they are still populated with last years times!). Also be on the lookout for Eric Batty, regular Raid winning team member (unsure of his number), he's out to win it.

C • Have fun 1

C • Progress 12

'I got to Chedoke to early to set up for ARK and there's still people on the golf course, so I'd better kills some time' run. Every year, same pattern.
I enjoy this loop though, I only do it at this time of year - so it's a nice tradition.
Killer views over Hamilton as the sun set on blue skies.

C • Legal? 3

C • Good Luck 8

ARK set up + some running through the night. Feeling pretty flat lately, I think the last couple of months are catching up with me.
A fast game of manhunter with red group at the end of the night definitely lifted the spirits

Quick in and out in Lions Valley to collect a few vulnerable controls from yesterday

C • Thanks 6

ARK set up + running with ARK Attack
Holy Australian blizzard, rain, sleet and snow at ARK tonight! No angels in Niagara!

Event: Salomon Raid the Hammer
 

I was worried that this years Raid wasn't going to be long enough or have enough hills.
I'm not worried about that anymore. Days worth of putting out stands, flags and SI. Thanks to Serge for the help.

Checking a few moved CP locations for RtH. Area still looking epic as ever.
Absolutely no truth to the rumour I nearly sent the maps to the printer without any north lines on them....

C • North lines are for wieners. 2

Last 2 nights worth of doing core with ARK. Simon Says Plank Off is definitely giving me a good workout.

Don't normally feel the need to log ARK set up as real training, but after getting caught in bad traffic on the way to KW, this was a mad dash to get everything ready in time.
Thankfully, Tiny showed up punctual as usual and helped get the ARK Attack stuff out.

This right here. This is why we run.
Running the trails of Tyandanga checking the O-Cup network. Absolutely as perfect an Autumn day as you can get. Crisp, hovering around 5 (both time and temperature). The sun was low in the sky, all the leaves were a bright yellow and not a cloud in the sky, so the forest was lit up with an amazing golden glow.
Constantly awestruck.

C • I know what you mean 6

Putting out stands for RtH. Count 50%
Discovered some new trails which I'd somehow never come across in the past 2 times in this area, so had to do some course planning on the fly as one totally destroyed the route choice of one leg.
Works out well, it does make one leg slightly less interesting, but removes the bingo nature of another leg where if people picked one route they'd have to contend with an evil grove of Hawthorns. (Way more extreme than last years 'game of thorns')

C • Bender, you payin' attentio... 5

Weeks worth of core.

Flagging first part of the full raid. Made sure the road run section wasn't too demanding. 400 whole metres.