Yesterday morning as I was driving to Anglesea, I knew I was in for a beating. A midweek flu had left the body feeling like jelly. However, apart from fatigue, there were no injuries, so covering 50k on a trail still sounded like a good idea.
The weather was probably the best a runner could ask for. The organisation by Rapid Ascent was professional. Best of all, the trail was spectacular, second to none. I only did the 50k so was not across what the 100k runners experienced in their front half.
Running at a moderate pace until about a third of the way in, the body clearly had had enough. So it turned into a mental cat-and-mouse game. I ran a bit, walked a bit, trying to nurse the body into some sort of rhythm. I did not find any real rhythm to speak of, but managed to finish off the race nevertheless. A tough day at the office, probably my worst run in terms of time factoring in the terrain (~8 hours). But in reality, it was probably one of my best runs, as I found a way to get the job done when the body was weak, and bank another 50k for the week. This experience would be useful for future races.
I had known that a long trail run could fix many things. Now I knew that it could also cure a flu.
I got passed by lots of amazing trail runners at this event. Their level of athleticism, expressed through their running form and the brisk movement of feet after covering nearly 100k on a challenging trail, was admirable.
During the run, I was looking forward to seeing the wild orchids up and over the Anglesea Heath. Apparently there were nearly a hundred native varieties in this region alone. But it seemed that we were a few weeks too early.
The price to pay for having all of this good time by myself at #SurfCoastCentury was that I missed my son’s performance in the local orchestra. I had miscalculated the running and driving time.
At least, I still have Sunday to kiss and make up. And to wash the gear.
