When you're all in it together...

I knew I was going to do the next organised trail run no matter what obstacle may have been put before me. I just loved the last one!

And I'd been inspired by the 6/12/24 hour runners the day before...
They'd been running for most of Saturday and some where continuing on into the night and following morning.
How could I not do a little 21kms trail run?

So I had all my clothes ready. Got dressed and when I opened the back door to get my shoes, realised it was raining heavily.
I must admit, I did think about cancelling for half a second there... but I was dressed and my mind was set on it so off I went.

I was the second one there. Always anxious to start! With the amount of rain that was falling, I wasn't sure too many more would show up but I was wrong...
Slowly they started coming from all over the city...
Think we were about 12 or so... only three women.
We all laughed about how mad we were but there was never a question that we weren't going to do it.

So with our sanity clearly not functioning, we set off! I kept up with the front group for about 2-3kms but at about that time I, along with two other guys started falling short of the front pack.. As I had no clue of the trail we were going to do, I pushed myself to keep up.  I may have pleaded "don't leave me" but maybe not.. I'm sure I didn't actually say it out loud!

I may have even made a girlie "ew" sound or two as my shoes squelched into slippery, sloshy mud. I was wet through to my socks within the first kms... we were completely drenched!
And yet, with all of that, it was still fun!
And I think it was because we were all in it together!

If you look at the garmin map you'll notice that the first part was quite uphill! And we were just getting up to a high point when I looked to the right of me and saw a big kangaroo!!! We stopped to admire it for a while (just me and the two other guys as we were completely alone at that point) then were off again...

About midway  through our run we caught up with front pack runners... well actually, they caught up with us as they'd taken a wrong turn and had to double back. They were with us for a few minutes then quickly took off again...
We didn't see them until the end.

Like most runs, I really started to enjoy it from the midway point. At that time I could just relax and enjoy my surroundings even though it was still raining heavily.

We had to cross the freeway over the bridge a few times and I heard a beep or two as we were going over. I'm sure the beep was saying "What the hell are you guys doing????"
Only another trail runner would understand...

And yet what a great feeling when we finished!! We'd done it and it really HAD been fun!!!

And I can't wait for the next rail run!

Trail Running...

Ok it's no secret that I get obsessed... and my latest obsession seems to be trail running.

I just can't get enough of it!

This morning I did a trail run with a few other trail running nuts.. stole this photo that was taken of the group. Can you see my bushy pony tail?




I met most of these guys for the first time this morning. We were a little quiet, not knowing each other, but that soon changed by the time we'd finished.
I find the group so encouraging and friendly. And the difference with going with the group is that I won't stop if I get tired.. can't let anyone see me stop! So it pushes me further and I really felt like I pushed myself up those hills this morning and loved it! Can't wait to do it again! So nice to have sore quads!

Another photo I stole from another runner...I was still near the front here... Actually I did ok and would have finished sooner if the group I was running with didn't take a slightly longer scenic route. We weren't quite sure where to go but we did know the destination so we just followed the signs and knew we'd eventually get there...

So that's two trail runs in two days... how will my treadmill ever compete with that??
Not a chance!

Today's run courtesy of Garmin

I think I found heaven...

Honestly, I just can't describe how I feel when I run in Morialta.
Maybe it's just that it's still relatively new...
Maybe it's the fact that I've been going first thing in the morning...
Whatever ever it is, it's almost a spiritual experience to be runnning through that place.




Yesterday morning Nick and I got there before 7.30 and off we went... we went further than last time, not even realising the kms we were building up.

The fog was so thick and intense! Everything around was was so still. It felt like we were in some prehistoric time.
It even felt like our conversation was polluting the sereness of it all.

He's still working up to a run and I must admit, I found it hard to just hang back and walk, although from time to time I would run on ahead (Especially up the hills!) and then come back down to where he was and go up again...


We had sort of planned to go to Nortin Summit but we reached the road and walked a little way... not knowing how far we had to go on road before we met up with the trial again... And it was foggy and he was nervous of running so close to the roads edge in the hills in those conditions so....
We turned back...


We'd gone 13.3kms when we got back to his car and I decided to run back to his place from there... Did another 7kms for a nice 20.3kms this moning. And honest to god it doesn't even feel like I've done anything...


I hope the feeling I have as I run through there never goes away....

Sea to Summnit

I don't know where to start when it comes to today.

Today I ran the George Driscoll Sea to Summit trail. It was supposed to be 32kms but my garmin and another runner who finished with me, both showed it to be 33 1/2kms... and at the end, that extra kilometre and a half really made a difference!

I was just beside myself with excitment.
I got there pretty early but didn't know anyone so just walked around to try to keep warm. It was a cold morning!
One of the buses was late coming from the finishing line so we had to wait a little bit and by then, there were people I knew around so it wasn't so bad.
Of course, I was filled with self doubt!
Firstly that I could complete the course, and secondly that I wouldn't get lost!!! The getting lost factor was probably a bigger issue....

I lost my running partner right at the start but didn't feel so bad as at that stage, there were other people around so I felt confident I wouldn't get lost... as the group thinned though, it became a little more of an issue but still it wasn't too bad until I stepped wrong over a creek and injured my knee.
I almost cried.
I knew I was going to finish one way or another, but the thought of the next 20kms running in the pain I was in was almost too much to bare! I kept looking at my garmin wishing it to clock over faster...

Then it happened... there was no one to the front of me, no one to the rear of me and I came to a point where I had no clue where to go...

So I waited for the next runner... His name was Dave and he was just amazing... running along at my hobbling pace to be sure I wouldn't get lost.
I should have known already, but he told me what markers to look for and I felt a little more confident so I told him to run on ahead (didn't want to slow him down) but he said he'd stay with me to Belair and he did! How nice was he!!

Did ok on my own... at one point I had to ask a guy who was doing some gardening in his front yard if there had been a group of runners come by, because I wasn't sure if I was going the right way and he said "Yes there have been tons of runners coming by"
I really wasn't THAT far back I thought... There were tons behind me too!

So I kept going until I got to another spot where I couldn't see any markers... This was about 8kms from the end... I doubled back as I was scared I'd missed a turn off... about 500mtrs later I saw a girl and a guy coming and ran with them.. They were familiar with the course and were fantastic company for those last hills back to the finish line.

Can't express how much I enjoyed today... Everything about it... well, apart from the injury!

And after I got home and showered I realised I have a monster bruise on my right leg just behind the knee... Not sure if that came from when I stepped wrong or from something else!

And I just love this running community. Everyone is just so supportive! what a great bunch of people to be associated with

Now, when's the next run???

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

So yesterday, I was still on a high from my trail run the previous day... and as I'm lying in bed contemplating my life and such, I remembered that the Sea to Summit trail run was occurring in a weeks times...
For some reason, I started toying with the idea of entering...

A few minutes later I was on facebook asking if I was stupid to even consider this (Where else would you go for support) and after a few of my running friends ecnouraged me, I entered!

Don't know if I'm crazy or just really love trail loving a lot! LOL

So there you are... Next Sunday I'll be out there with the lot of them and I hope that I will NOT get lost!

Breathless Beauty

What a fantastic morning!

Last night my brother and I had organised to do a trail run up at Morialta Falls. He's only getting back into running but those trails are so beautiful anyhow I jumped at the chance.

We got there fairly early.. about 7.30am.

It was hard going for him and a few times I left him to run up ahead, then ran back to him just to keep warm.

It was just so exhilirating!

My brother got warmed up after about 30 mins and started to really enjoy it also, picking out trails we could go to make it last just that bit longer...

Had a funny (although not at the time) incident when we were going downhill. My brother was just turning to tell me to be careful as it was really slippery and... you guessed it, I fell straight down on the end of my backbone! Must have looked so funny!
Had a few bumps and scrapes and a bit of an ache in my back but I ran it out and it was fine.

The scenery was gorgous and I saw part of Morialta that I'd never been to before.

I really can't wait to do it again!

I was so pumped when we finished (only did about 9kms there) that I ran another 6kms when we got back to his place.

And nothing else I do today is going to compare to that!

Have to get rid of my timidity...

Ok so I've been going through a pretty good running period lately but I still can't get past my 12kms a day.
Adittedly, I haven't really tried to go for more than that, but only because I don't want to fail.

So my plan was to feel strong with my 12.
And I'm there now...

So it's really time to move on and start incorporating some long runs.

The problem is, I'm scared to! I keep tentatively scheduling a long run in, but when the time comes, I don't go for it citing one excuse or another.

Tomorrow I was hoping for a longish run... 18kms at least... but now they're forecasting wind and rain so there's an easy out for me....
I haven't decided but I don't think I'm going to be going out in those conditions so I'll probably jsut do my regular 12 again which is better than not doing it, but i'm not really pushing myself.

Total kms for May: 162kms