Stupidly I’ve been thinking “if I can run
42.2kms surely I can walk 100kms”, I really put that theory to the test on
Friday night where myself and my fellow Trailwalker Team mates pulled an all-nighter
and walked from Olinda to Warburton in the Dandenong’s a total of 48kms . With
backpacks stacked with supplies, spare socks, jumpers, long pants, gloves and
beannies in case it got cold, as well as gels, anti infalm tablets, band-aids
and more we loaded up on carbs at a local Olinda restaurant and then chucked
the laden backpacks on, adjusted our headlamps, checked our maps and headed off
into the moonrise (sun hadn’t quite set).
The first trail, as soon as it was becoming
dark, was a little gnarly, with tree roots and rocks and I was seriously
thinking “how the hell am I going to go 11 or so hours with this little lamp”
as my 50 year old eyes were struggling to see 5 metres in front of myself. Our
navigator was top class, firmly reading all instructions at each turn and
making sure we didn’t wander off track in any way (although we did get lost a
couple of times it wasn’t her fault the instructions left a lot to be desired in
one or two places). The first section of the trail was quite narrow so you
couldn’t walk 2 abreast, and our leader took control of a decent sized stick,
once she became sick of walking into cobwebs, to clear the way for the tail
enders. There were a number of fallen trees to clamber over and we could only
really imagine to remoteness and the beauty of the place as it was pretty
bloody dark.
Once we got to Mt Evelyn only to wander
around aimlessly for a while at the local sports ground trying to find a “bridge
to our right” and then eventually onto the Warburton trail things eased up a
bit. Even though the first 30 minutes of that trek was taken up by our
navigator debating the poor instructions to find the trail, at least we now
know our right from left and we are grateful to another team who were resting
in a car park who told us we were going the wrong way and most helpfully put us
back on track.
The Warburton Trail is easy for walking with
a gravel surface which is flat and wide enough to take all four of us abreast
if we’d have wanted it that way. It would be a great trail to run, and
something I may do one day. We generally split into pairs for the majority of
the trail, swapping around at intervals and chatting to keep ourselves on the
job at hand. We did have a few repair stops where socks and/or shoes were
changed, snakes consumed, bread rolls and bananas devoured and drinks of
various types guzzled. I did have a burning desire for a coffee about 3am and
may have to ask our ever helpful support crew to carry a thermos or two to keep
us caffeinated during the night.
Once we hit the 30km mark a few blister
injuries did kick in for my team mates (thankfully I was blister free – the legacy
of working that out during my marathon training) so the remaining 18kms was a
struggle for some. But full credit to all of them, they soldiered on under
duress to fulfil the planned 48km hike. Even though our support crew member,
who had risen at 4.40am, must have been laughing at the sight of us staggering
up the hill as sunrise beckoned, she was kind enough to hold back the laughter
until we all groaned about the pain, moaned as we tried to stretch, and
generally whined about the various ailments.
Recovery at home was not ideal with a
sleepless night not a wonderful mix with an 8 and 10 year old wanting their due
attention, and them being booked into a birthday party. But the duties required
added to my training and I am now mentally stronger for the effort (although
probably physically weaker).
The theory of do Radox baths actually work
was put to the test, and I don’t care if the whole salt bath theory is total
bunkum the bath I did have was the most enjoyable I’ve ever had, and that
include the ice cold bath I had after my marathon. There is probably nothing
better than a nice water based relaxation after an endurance activity and this
bath break was probably one of the highlights of my week (throw in the added
bonus of one kid being on the playstation3 and the other playing on the pc so
there was silence, I could well have thrown in a meditation session).
Other training has consisted of following the
Gold Coast Marathon Beginners Training plan and I’ve run each recommended run
for weeks six and seven, although skipping today’s planned long run as I think
a 48km walk equates to 17.5 km jog, and even if it actually doesn’t I’m not
really in any state to go running today. But plans are in place to hit the
running track with sprint training on Tuesday, and to ensure I’m in tip top
shape I spend 30 minutes the morning going through a full stretch routine, I
can’t be in that great a shape though as it did raise a sweat at one stage – I’m
blaming the 32 degrees Celsius temperatures and no amount of convincing will
make me change my mind – just the same as “it said left at the traffic lights”
is not a clear instruction.
