Race report: Salomon Trail Series, Plenty Gorge, 11.7km

It's been pretty quiet on the Into the White front since my last post. And that's because there's not been much to report. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I sustained a slight tear to my hamstring in the closing stages of the Studley Park Salomon trail race and since then I've spent four weeks getting back to race fitness (or so I thought).

Week one was zero running and plenty of compression and ice. Week two was easy, short, flat running. Week three was getting back to normal, adding in a little bit of speed (e.g. 5x500m intervals) and week four (this week) was normal training.

As this was my first week back to normal, pain-free running, I tried to replicate my normal weekly schedule, dropping just the one 9km moderate lunchtime run. That meant 5x1000m intervals Tuesday, 9km tempo Wednesday and a 26km long run into work on Friday morning, plus today's race.

Somewhat of a concern was the long run on Friday, the second half of which was a real battle. Maybe I should have taken this week a bit easier, but what's done is done. In any event, the bigger concern was what had been missing over the past month: hills of almost any description (Anderson Street on the Tan doesn't count). Not really knowing how hilly the course was today left me slightly nervous at the start line.

After getting to the race with about 20 minutes to spare, I dropped off my bag, had a small warm up jog and got to the start area where I bumped into a couple of Dandy Trail Runners, Lachie and Cameron. Soon, we were away, and as usual, I had gone out pretty hard, trying to make sure I had a good position before the track narrowed and made passing difficult.

The first 4km went past pretty quickly, in 18:30 which included a couple of big downhills. The hills actually weren't hurting me going up but I quickly realised I didn't have much to give on the downhills once I got up them. Just before 5k, a new experience: a river crossing. In we plunged, up to our knees and then with waterlogged shoes there was a steep embankment to navigate which slowed me to a walk for a few meters before pushing on (squelch, squelch).

At 6km there was the longest hill on the course, 500m at an average 10% gradient. Until now I'd been having a bit of a battle with a girl in a yellow singlet, her running partner/coach and another guy in a red top. I'd had the better of them on the uphills and they'd had the better of me on the downhills. I saw them up ahead and told myself I could reel them in if I ran to the top at a good pace. I managed to do this, but shortly after, yep, there they went, past me on the descent.

I managed to catch back up to them on some tricky single track and we were all struggling a bit to find places to pass the slower long course runners. Moreover, I knew I was Into the Red (very different to The White), and coming up to the 8km mark, I was thinking "just another 4km to go, a lap of the Tan, you can.........." TRIP, FALL, <Superman pose>, CRASH, ROLL, STOP (just short of a big rock). The guys immediately behind me asked if I was ok, one of who was Lachie who looked really strong. I told them to keep going, got back up and continued on.

But that fall was my Waterloo. I had a sense of resignation as I watched yellow singlet, red top, Lachie and a few of the other strong medium course runners slowly (and then not so slowly) gapping me. It wasn't the fall per se. I think my legs, which to be truthful had already found a chink in my mind's armour, finally had an opportunity to ram home their message that it would be them setting the pace. If it didn't happen at there at the 8km mark, I'm pretty sure it would have happened somewhere soon thereafter - I simply wasn't running as well as the others and there was no way I was catching up to them.

There was a fairly undulating section between the 8km mark and the second river crossing at 10km and I was pushing as hard as I could but the only people I was passing were the slower long coursers (although I wasn't getting passed by anyone, either). Through the river again, and I had to navigate a steep, slippery embankment which I found really difficult and had to use my hands to drag myself up. I was forced into walking the steepest bit of the bank again and at this point, to be honest, I was counting down the meters, but remembering that the finish was at the end of a steep hill (yay).

The last Salomon race measured short (I had 10.66km v. an advertised distance of 10.8), of course this one measured long. At 11.7k, when the race really should have been ending, that last steep hill began. I caught sight of yellow singlet but she was much further up the hill than me and what's more, it was again steep enough to slow me to a walk for a few meters (it was 350m at 12%) and yellow singlet was gone.

I battled my way up the hill and across the line and I've got to say, I was absolutely spent. The course was much harder than I had anticipated and it had cleaned me up. My hand was also hurting from my fall and later when I washed off the mud, I had the beginnings of a pretty nasty bruise on the base of my palm. I finished in 1:03:32 (I measured 12.1km) which I later found out was good enough for 15th of 397 runners, and 13th of 184 male runners. My first top 20! And jeez, it felt like I'd earned it.

It was nice to catch up with a few of the Dandy Trail Runners afterwards (including Lachie who finished about a minute ahead of me for 13th, Andrea [8th overall in the long course women's classification!), Peter [who only warmed up with 5km to go on the long course], Travis and Cameron). The general consensus was it was a tough, though enjoyable course.

As bad as I felt, I had to agree with the second part - it was an enjoyable course. Very demanding, but there was a little bit of everything - steep hills, long hills, single track, grass, technical rocky descents, river crossings, the works. I was quite surprised to see later on my Garmin that there was only 257m of elevation gain - it felt like a lot more.

And I guess that means it's time to get my arse back into the Dandenongs and smash some hills in training!

Race report: Salomon Trail Series, Studley Park, 10.8km

On Sunday 30 June I lined up with 430-odd other people for the medium distance (10.8km) course in Race 1 of the Salomon Trail Series in Studley Park, Kew. This is the first of a four race series, of which I plan to do three (Studley Park, Plenty Gorge and Silvan Reservoir, leaving Anglesea as the last leg which I probably won't travel to).

My good friend Liggo had already reconnoitered the course for me over the past couple of weeks and via a series of detailed calculations had forecast a time of 48:17 for me. Having never seen the course before, I guess that was my only yardstick!

Based on Liggo's warning of lots of singletrack in the second half of the race, I decided to go out hard at the start where it was easier to pass. The first 3km, which was mostly on road, footpath or crushed rock, was over in about 12:25.

Knowing I had banked a bit of time, from here I settled into a pretty good rhythm. The kms ticked over pretty quickly, usually averaging ~4:35 pace, despite the increasingly crowded singletrack. However, the runners that I were passing were very aware, and happy to make room to my calls of 'passing'. Some even slowed down and moved over before I even got to them. A lot of respect out there on the trail, it must be said.

I was having a bit of a quasi-battle with a few runners around my pace, finding that I was faster going up the hills, but usually not as good on the downhills and about even on the flat. Then with ~3.5km to go, I managed to edge them up one of the 'big' hills on the course (once you've been running with the Dandy Trail Runners, 'big hill' takes on a whole new meaning - comparatively these we're nothing but little pinches). Then I pulled off a passing maneuver on the singletrack which I think earned me a 'huge chunk of time' because we subsequently entered a section that was very difficult to pass on, but I was in the clear. In hindsight, however, it was a pretty suicidal move and I'm just glad I didn't end up in the Yarra with a broken leg.

I was feeling pretty good with a couple of km to go, pushing very hard but able to maintain my pace. However, there was still one last chance to stuff things up. With just over a km to go, having re-joined the trail from the road, my left foot landed on a rock and slid way forward, then bit into the ground. My torso snapped so far forward with my momentum that my chest hit my left knee. I must have groaned out pretty loudly because three people in front I me turned around to ask if I was ok. Thankfully I was - my hamstring was a little sore but I was just happy it hadn't snapped in half. The true test re: injury would come the next day.

After the customary sprint finish to the line, I saw I crossed in 47:38, averaging 4:28/km (take that, Liggo!). I don't remember being overtaken by anyone in the second half of the race that I didn't subsequently pass back. I later found out my time was good enough for 25th out of 463 runners, and 20th out of 201 males. Top 10%, very happy!

On a final note, it was good to catch up with a few of the Dandy Trail Runners (DTR) after the race who had competed in either the mid distance or long course (15k) option. Those training runs in the hills certainly seem to be paying off. I later heard some of the DTR group had won or placed in their category. Great work.

On a final, final, note, being asked to fork over more than $30 for a few photos taken on the course by the 'official' photographers really reinforces the great work done by people like Erwin from dandyrunner.com.au and Steve from fstop5.com at other trail events, taking terrific pictures and providing them free of charge. Anyway, the below is a (grainy) screen shot of me somewhere out on course.

Copyright: supersportimages.com.au

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Update: unfortunately the hamstring wasn't ok at all. As I suspected, it started to hurt a little more once it cooled down and the diagnosis is a Grade '1+' tear. The road to recovery will take 2-3 weeks, so should be ok for the next Salomon race.