A Wild Goose 100km Run

 

 

 

 Avon Valley

 

How do you start a race report when you did not quite make it? The Wild Goose run in the Avon Valley was on the 26 June 2021 . It is a running festival over 3days but I had signed up for the 100 km run which was on Saturday morning starting at 6am. It seems I might have been first to sign as my BIB was 1001.

This journey has its roots to really several DNFs in 2017 and 2019 at UTA 100 . I had finished UTA twice and I was trying for a third in 2017 when a rain altered course and a twisted knee made it so easy to pull the plug at the Aquatic Centre in Katoomba about 58km into the run .I think in hindsight it was the easy option. I had a year off running Ultras , did Ironman WA in 2018 and then in 2019 mounted another assault on the course .Trained hard and felt very confident.Too confident and died on the run with the heat and drinking far too little and running out of fluids at the 35 km mark. Stopped at the 46 km mark . It was after UTA that the alternative was to run Goose in June of 2019. Went into this race with no understanding or appreciation of how tough it was for really different reasons . The first time I did it I did not even have the gpx course on my Garmin ,just followed the trail . I did not make it pass 35km before I pulled the pin.Everything hurt and I had a cold and just did not want to run anymore. Remember Shaun had just got his ute and picked  few of us at the Aid Station and drove back in the bumpy access road back to the village. That year I was aiming for Feral but as we know that was called off because of the heat .I did run WTF 50miler as prep and had some highs and lows but made it . Interestingly I met Rob Donkersloot for the first time whilst tapering for Feral in late October 2019  .Rob was running north of Hillary's for the Sumba run. I knew who he was as I had just joined AURA .I chatted with him about Feral. A year later he is coaching me.

Covid in 2020 meant no racing and my Feral from 2019 was rolled into November 2020. I actually went into that race with no training .Eye roll from RD Jon ? Emma who was RD for Goose this year actually did Feral 2020 100 miler and was with me for the first few kms before I was left alone with the sweeper for a really slow jog walk to Sullivans Rock where I realized you do need to train  .I know after 14 years of endurance events I should have known better . I was just a little optimistic. Had to Uber back to the Discovery Centre.

It was after that experience and also looking to support a runner at Delirious I decided I really needed to work on my mental preparation in addition to everything else. That started the journey with Rob with the first goal the Goose 100km .

I started training in November and I would say the preparation went very well . I had no injuries a bit of plantar issues with the right heel but it did not stop me running. My main training runs on the weekend was at John Forest and Bickley .Pretty similar run track as Goose. I had the one trip out to Avon where we did end up bush bashing. The parrot bush really did cause lots of cuts and really did itch for a few days after the run

What set me up for Goose was the preparation and the start of the mental preparation. The meditation was new and I found it hard at the start .Mind was wandering everywhere and I just had to accept that would happen but to bring it back to the meditation.

The first test of the practice was going to be Goose although I was able to sustain quite long periods of meditation on the long runs even though it was with hits and just keeping at it as thoughts strayed away. 

As the race got closer I did set up my plan and downloaded the gpx course but a new gpx map meant a new download but that as the race unfolded was not properly downloaded by me.  I had the course on Gaia but again did not really know how to work it . I mistakenly thought the course had significantly less elevation only 2000m rather then the 3700 in the initial gpx. Big mistake as I had not got the whole course downloaded.

In the end I thought I was well prepared .With the benefit of Hindsight I was really under prepared. 

With nutrition I had a look at the aid stations and figured I could managed my intake just on what was available .Fortunately Rob suggested having drop bags so I had a wider choice. My vest setup and bottles were also difficult to take out and put back into the vest which was really an issue in these 100km runs. (not so much short runs )

I had also found my camping experience the first time with my small tent and mat not really sufficient so I booked the glamping option. This was better but the mattress being an inflatable .That turned out to make for a difficult night as I could not get comfortable in bed and so did not sleep the night before the race . 

That is the precursor to the race .The preparation I thought was ideal but coming into it in hindsight many mistakes were made in the nitty gritty parts like knowing the course , knowing the elevation , working on pacing and times .What to eat each hour and fluid intake.What I did correctly was the reminders to drink and eat on Garmin .