September 2014 – 5 months from race date I decide
to enter Bedrock50. It’s described as an ultra distance run close to
Christchurch New Zealand. The 52km scenic route in the very popular Wharfedale
& blowhard tracks. Passing through the stunning Lees Valley. I was excited
about this race as i have wanted to enter for awhile. After signing up, Valerie
from The Runningskirt Shop set up a “Bedrock50” group for us girls with
training plans, support & tips to help us out as for most this was to be
our first ultra.
The training didn’t go as planned, some weeks i
managed 1 or 2 runs as life just got in the way. (Working full time &
having 2 kids under 4).
I entered the Physiomed Womens Duathlon in January
& The Oxford Odyssey a 20km mountain run (similar course to the bedrock).
This was to keep me going
Waking 5am on a Saturday isn’t too bad when you
normally wake at 6 every morning. I’d chucked all my gear together the day
before in a mad rush. The morning was a bit fresh however i knew it was going
to get warmer. The other half & kiddies came to the registration &
start line to see me off.
The start line was very different to any other
race. Most seemed very relaxed. There were a few guys lying down on the grass
peacefully. Others were standing around chatting. Everyone looked fit &
prepared for what the day would bring.
We walked as a group of roughly 100 to the start
line & with a countdown before 8.30 we were off.
The first 6km took us from coopers creek to the
start of the Wharfedale track. It was a slowish climb due to the amount of
people & it being single track. It was good in terms of not running too
fast at the start. I tried to walk most inclines to save myself from strife
later on. The wasps were out in full force but not as bad as the last time i
went up there a few weeks before.
Heading on the Whafedale track i was running with a
guy Named Scott. We chatted for awhile which made the time go faster. During
this time the beeping of my bike garmin in my bag was driving me crazy (thanks
autopause) I stopped to turn this feature off & in turn lost Scott &
never caught him up.
2 hours had passed & i thought about the
possiblity of running for the next 7 hours or so without anyone around. So i
got out my phone then decided it would be a good idea if i recorded myself
every hour. Feeling completely stupid talking to my phone the first 2 times it
was passed the time well. (There is a link at the bottom of the page to the video i made)
Between the 2 hour mark & the 6 hour mark the
terrain was either flat or a slight downhill. However i didn’t run on the flat
like in intended too. The few river crossings before the first aid station made
for a nice cool down.
Just over 4 hours in i’d hit the 26km mark this was
the furthest i had ever ran in a training run. I really didn’t know what to
expect my legs to feel like. The temperature was pretty hot by this point. Long
gravel road with the sun beaming down, no shade or trees near the road.
The first aid station popped up after 29km, with
the music from the flintstones & 2 fun, happy people dressed up in
character. I looked at the food spread out for us, had decided to have a cup of
coke with a corn chip. Didn't hang around for long, no filling up on water
& carried on.
The long gravel
road continued into a much longer gravel section. I walked & jogged a few
other ladies. Luisa was one of them. (We had met in a mutual running group on
facebook, this was the first time i’d got to talk to her in person) I think she
sung 3 times during the time we were walking as a group “What have you done
today to make you feel proud” That line stuck with me throughout the race. I
smiled on the inside. A few times i had bumble bees buzzing around my head this
actually encouraged me to run when i would have rather just walked.
An hour & 15 mins later we arrived at a fence
covered with balloons & streamers, I jokingly said to Eleanor who i had
been with during the last hour i hope thats the aid station around the corner
otherwise i’ll run over there & rip those bloody balloons down.
Luckily it was aid station number 2 & the last
one after 35km .We filled up our hydration packs (well not us by the aid staion
angels did). Mine had run empty about 2km before the aid station so in turned
it chaffed my back (even though i had rubbed coconut oil on it before i got
dressed). The lovely people there wiped the sweat off my back for me & put
strapping tape on, I felt instant relief. Did a few squats, another 2 cups of
coke, 1 slice of watermelon & more corn chips we were finally on our way.
I stayed with Eleanor for at least another hour.
Then it was the hill everyone had talked about being “puke hill” It has an
elevation of 604m in 3.7km. I expected it to be really hard. Well i guess it
would be if you had run the entire course before this point. My goal was to
finish this race & get up this hill! I surprised myself & was passing
people going up there. Training obviously paid off.
This hill took just under an hour and a half to get
up. It was really really hot, the sweat was dripping of my face. I stopped a
few times to check on people that had stopped making sure they were ok. Nearing
the top i did some more squats. Why do they feel so good after being on your
feet for hours? The descent was pretty lonely. I could see a guy up ahead when
i started running. However i eased off after the side of my foot started aching
(still don’t know what it was). Trying to walk fast while navigating the
technical terrain wasn't easy. Round about this time my Garmin watch had run
out of battery (its only got 8 hours), So i didn't know what the time was nor
the distance to go. I caught up to another guy who had done the run before
& informed me how much longer there was to go. Yay we were closer than i
thought
I decided to stick with him running down the hill
to keep a pace going. We chatted during this time (gosh i find it interesting
the people who do these races). Looking down the hill in the distance we could see
the finish line. There were people watching & even some athletes sticking
around watching us finish.(even though they had finished 3 hours ago) A rush of
emotion engulfed me but i held it back & made a sprint to the finish
knowing i’d done this & i had finished an ultramarathon! Lisa the race
director gave me a huge hug & a goodie bag. What a race/adventure such an
amazing experience!
Here’s my intake throughout the run-
I ate every half hour which worked perfectly for
me. I went with what i felt like so it wasn’t in this particular order.
9 High Five
gels
Le snak
Half a peanut butter sandwich
High five energy bar
1 banana
Hand full of pretzels
Roughly 5 – 6 litres of water
Aid stations – 3 cups of coke, 1 slice watermelon. Hand
full of corn chips.
Valerie took this picture of Eleanor & I with my two munchkins at the start
