High points, low points, and the all important three points

Wow. I did it. I finished The North Face 100.

It's two weeks later and if I'm really honest about it - the relief of knowing I've accrued another three qualifying points for the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc is my most dominant emotion.

That's not to say I'm not proud of my achievement. It's The North Face 100. It doesn't tickle. It wasn't my first 100k event, but I didn't know whether I was capable of finishing. So there is plenty to be proud of.

And it's not to say that there wasn't any fun or fear during the 100ks. There was both of these things, in spades. So my race report is all about my high points and low points from TNF100.

My new running handbag

Not long before my first ultramarathon I took you on a tour of my running handbag.

A few days out from my The North Face 100, I've realised that an update is wildly overdue. I've upgraded my pack and bolstered its contents, mainly because of the mandatory equipment requirements of TNF100.

Let's take a look.

A journey song for TNF100

For someone who never trains with an iPod, music can be pretty important to me when I race.

I wrote a previous blog post about songs that remind me of Ironman. In fact I used to pick a theme song almost habitually when I started building my training up for an event. For my very first Ironman it was Opportunity by Pete Murray. I got through my long day at Ironman Western Australia with the defiance of The Pretender by The Foo Fighters.

These days, I pick a theme song only when it feels right. I've reinstated the tradition for The North Face 100.

Loop after loop after loop

Last weekend was the biggest running weekend I've ever compeleted - 82ks in two runs.

On Saturday I met up with a friend who dragged me halfway around the river loop before I headed for home a little slower.

On Sunday I started in the dark, and took in this view on a loop around Enoggera Reservoir at the Gap.

My doctor is awesome

The fact that I had to visit my doctor this week is not awesome and neither is the abundance of vitamins I've been taking for the last week.

My self prescribed cocktail of vitamin C, echinacea, garlic, horseradish, zinc.

I went to the doctor yesterday as a precaution. I've had a cold in the last week and with The North Face 100 only four weeks away, I wanted to be sure that it is just a cold, and there's no hidden infection, or worse, lurking about.

My doctor though, is awesome. I went in feeling like I was being high maintenance for presenting with barely a sore throat. I walked out feeling like an elite athlete.

Six months to six weeks. I still need help.

Late last year I enlisted the services of a personal trainer.

This was a confronting thing for me to do. I have the core strength of a dead fish and the coordination of a fence post. This was not going to be easy.

But this is why I hired a trainer. When was the last time you heard about a dead fish, or a fence post, or with someone of the attributes of these things, finishing mountainous 100 mile ultramarathons? The comparison is perhaps ridiculous, but the point is, I needed help.

A three-week-late update

Over a month ago I promised you an update in a week's time about making sure I limited eat week to just three weeks.

My inability to keep this promise doesn't bode well but I can report some progress on the eating and training front. 

You may also be curious to find out whether I earned a purple cycling jersey, or running shirt, or indeed, both.

The 130k quest for a purple Strava cycling jersey

Probably the less I say about this the better. The day was long, it was hot, and not surprisingly, I was not prepared for 130ks on the bike. 

For simplicity I chose to ride in familiar territory, with loops around Brighton, Sandgate and Scarborough, Boondall Wetlands, and the criterium track at Albert Bishop Park. 

It was boring as hell but I stuck to my goal and got a good day of endurance training in.

The 21.1k quest for a purple Strava running shirt

This is a much happier story. I did most of this run along Kedron Brook. About 8ks in I was greeted by the cycle escort for the walkers in the Weekend to end Women's cancer.

Hundreds of women, many in pink for breast cancer or purple for ovarian cancer, who were just over 5ks into their 30k walk, backing up from the same distance on the day before.



I had their company for maybe 5-6 ks and it gave me a lift for the middle portion of the run.

I was worried that the 8 or so remaining ks would feel flat and hard but it didn't; it felt good. And that felt good in turn.

The support crew were superheroes.

Eat three weeks? 

I can't hand on heart say that I've been perfect but all in all I've been much better with my diet and somewhat consistent with training. 

When I say 'somewhat consistent' I mean I've run 2-3 times a week and either cycled or a session on the wind trainer a couple of times a week. I have not ridden to work once a week like I said I would but have run to and from work a couple of times. (Not every week like I said I would.)

I've always known that I train better when I have a goal and I am the first to admit that I'm a little lost right now. Not for much longer though. As of last Wednesday I'm a confirmed entrant in The North Face 100.

It's weird though - the prospect of entering, and actually getting in, took a bit of wind out of my sails last week. I know, you would think it would put the fear of God into me and I'd be training the house down.

Well it has put the fear of God into me, but I have felt paralysed by the enormity of it all.

There is a lot to do. Sort out my mandatory equipment (and learn how to use some of it!), work seriously on my core strength, and mst importantly, develop my training program.

As these start falling into the place, my fear will drive me rather than hold me back.