Yep, always busy.
Uni, work, life, running... not always in that order though.
So I managed to keep a more consistent training structure through the first part of the year, until Uni went back. Even then, it stayed fair constant; a reduction in number of runs perhaps, but at least consistent.
Which meant that going into 5 Peaks a week or so ago, I actually felt that I had reasonable fitness. With Hubert 100km the first week of May, I was not going in with a full taper, trying to run a super quick time or anything, but felt that I should be quite capable of a decent one, and having a solid 'last long run' type hit out. By the end of the day, the time I'd halfed expected hadn't eventuated, but with that said, it ended up being a tougher day than many were expecting, judging by the number of DNFs. I still snuck just inside the top third for the 58km and just under 8 hours, clocking a 80km+ week (big for me), so not a bad result at all.
 |
| 82.1km - only a mini taper into a bigger week. Certainly not 'race fresh'. |
https://www.strava.com/activities/2271055972
Unlike last years deluge - read Jess' report of it via the link - the weather was clear, sunny and 22C. On paper, perfect. However, it ended up feeling a bit warmer than that in the unclouded, open sections early on, and given the course is more heavily weighted to ascending in the front half, more than a few folks overcooked themselves. As alluded to earlier, a fair few ended up DNFing, probably due to that. I found it hard to eat for a decent chunk, and I honestly reckon it was the warm. Being a smaller frame, I find hard in the heat - I just don't have the surface area to cool off! Physiological fact!
Anyway, not eating meant not running, so more walking, but not a problem, I just needed to finish. Given that after about 2 and a half hours, you've really done everything you can from a physiological training perspective, the remaining time is all about the logistics and race craft type stuff; managing nutrition, managing pacing, is your gear working and so on. So in some ways, to have something to have to solve, was not a huge negative. My mind wanted to give up - I had my time in the doldrums - but managed to find ways to push through and sort that out. I managed to sort my nutrition out on the go to get back to eating and drinking enough. I elected to not bring the poles this year and yet still felt that I had stronger legs in the back half of the course, handling the descent off of Brown Hill and the wonderful steps to the tunnel in Belair, with far less worked over quads than 2018. I pulled up better the following days, too. So in many ways, good things.
Ah, but Change. The only guarantee in life.
Uni is on this year. Getting to class and doing assignments is one thing; juggling clients and their availability in placement, plus liaising with partners for Honours project - that just adds another level to the whole thing. So despite feeling that I've trained well enough to head up to the Flinders and get a finish in the Hubert, I can't justify the 3+ days that it will take me to do so; there is no point pretending that if I take the laptop I'll actually do work. I won't. I'll have a chat, drink a beer, look at the amazing sky up there with minimal light pollution. I'll enjoy it. Then get back to ADL Sunday arvo and be in a mad rush. Whilst I totally want to go, I have to admit defeat on this one and appreciate it just won't work.
And worse yet, so too with GSER this year. It falls just days before an exam, at the end of next semester. Again, I'll be spread to thin, and won't do justice to any or either. And further to that, I don't see how I could truly train for that in an appropriate manner from now until Nov. Which makes me wonder as to how I'd go - would I finish? And if I couldn't what kind of extra pressure am I putting on the volunteers for that race? That's not fair, for me to be stubborn and make others lives hard because of that. No, there are other ways and means to qualify for future editions of that race, which give me more time and probably better opportunity to do well, also.
So, no what? Well, back to the #backyardadventures. In fact, already had one. And planned another couple, with an equally daft adventure buddy of mine, so that should make them a bit more fun rather than totally solo death march type affairs. More to come on that and those...
Labels: 5 Peaks, adelaide hills, adelhills, backyardadventures, La Spo Vert Month, YUR, yurrebilla, yurrebilla trail
