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The Preperation
To prepare for 6 foot i didn't really do a lot of high mileage weeks. In fact i didn't do any at all. All i did was a fair bit of walking and abotu 5 30km runs soem with a 6kg pack on for a bit more fun. Though it seemed enough before hand as the race drew closer i was worried. Never having raced more then a half marathon and lieing both about my ages (i was 17) and a marathon PB (which became 3:41 at some tasmanian marathon) I was deeply worried.
The race day
The race day started badly. Mr Dennett a teacher at my high school who i was planning to run with and was giving me a lift there arrived at my house at 4:45am. I unfortunately had not stured. My alarm had nto gone off and he knocked increasingly louder until my mum woke and woke me. Not the best start to the morning but i was atleast up and going. We drove in the dark to katoomba to a firestation were bus's shuttled us to the start line. Eager to get to the start the bus trip annoyed me. Once there it all hit me. The "what am i doing thoughts" started and i puked on the spot. I got my race number eventually and when i examined it i noticed that my name that was printed on the bottom of the number was on a sticker over another name. I wondered if this person had had the the thoughts i ws experiencign earlier and given away his number to someone with greater stupidity like me! Anyway the race eventually started and we were on our way. The gun went and we were away.. kind of abotu 10 seconds after the start i stepped forward, then a slow walk. We wlaked of down a narrow trail. Many runners took the slow movement as an oppurtunity to take a toilet break. It was a curious site. Hundreds of runners pooring down a narrow trail with a seemingly similar number of people disappearing into the bush's. Eventually the trail widened out into a 4 wheel drive trail. The peopel spread out. Instantly everyone quickened soem huffin and puffing sprinted forward trying to make up for lost time. I staired in amazement as these people sprinted off, i couldn't believe there stupidity. Anyway i settled down into an easy pace. Annoyingly though there was a few fences that had to be negotiated. They had like woden steps to go over them but as only one person could go over these at a time some grew impatient. One man grew so impatient with the huge line (of about 2 people) waiting to go over the fence that he tried to slip between the barbed wire. This was the wrong move and he got stuck. He got quite stuck really with both his shorts and singlet snagged on the wire and he couldn't stand up. Me and Mr Dennett helped him out and i think in the end on our side. This time he took the little steps over the fence. Not much happened in the first 16 kilometres or so to the river. We just cruised along but i gre concerned when we hadn't got to the river and the cut off grew closer. We made it fairly easily about 15 minutes or so but still i didn't like the "close shave". I had looked forward to crossing the river because it was a real river crossing, no bridge. There is a bridge to cross that i had walked when i walked the track. But crossing the river this way seemed much more enjoyable. I was disappointed to see the river was low. It was still fun but once on th other side i wished i had taken of my shoes. They filled up with water aswell as sand which was mch more annoying. Mr Dennett and i then squelched our way along. The hills were coming and i started to relise also how hot it was becoming. I had only been taking about 2 cups or less ever aid station but now i realised i needed more. I began taking about 4 cups. thsi meant nearly a litre of liquid. I found this quite difficult to get down quickly but managed. Runners around me were amused at the sound i made as the liquid in my stomach made the noise of a big waterbottle. Soon we arrived at the first of the large climbs. We slowed to a walk. I do feel slightly ashamed for this walkign spell over the hills but it was needed. When we did stop to walk i realised that we werent' losing time on those ahead. The hill was about 1 in 3 gradient in parts and was so steep that running did not really help. the first hill though hard is dwarfed by the secong major hill. After completing the first there is a downhill section. This was both annoying and a bit hard. At this point i was thinking every step i take back down this hill is one more i have to go back up. We finally arrived at the biggest hill and it did not disapoint. I though or hoped the hill and just grown bigger in my mind. But my mind had not exagerated it. This hill was 3km's long and rose 1km vertically. Mr Dennet who never refers to hills as hills rather as gentle inclines for the first time since i met him 6 years ago he called an incline a hill. I surprised myself at my own strength and as we aproached the 30 kilomtres i climbed the "hill" powerfully. My long walks of 3 or 4 hours had helped me get strength for walking on these hills. I actually enjoyed the hills and surprised myself greatly. Unfortunately Mr Dennett who had torn his calf previoulsy was being troubled by it again. I was shocked, i had always been worried that i woudl slow down Mr Dennett and this really upset my thoughts. But in a less selfish way i was also worried. I don't know if he realised this but he looked really bad. It is weird how an injury makes you look exhausted and totally changes everything. I was concerned but also wanted to go on faster because i was still worried abotu the cutoff's. Mr Dennett told me to leave him behind. I did, maybe with not enough reluctancy. I realy did want to go faster but later wished maybe that i had been a bit more supportive of Mr Dennet. Before I left I said to him "don't be afraid to pull out". TO most I would have tried to say something encouraging. But to him, who has run countless marathons (about 50 marathons, he isn't so good out counting) and who had this current problem in his calf because he ran 20 miles on it after tearing it to finish the marathon. I felt he needed discouraging rather then encouragement. Anyway we parted and I was off liek the people at the start who had taken off due to the freedom of the wide road i took off up the hill. Once at the top i saw a fair few who had pulled out. Though i felt sorry ofr them it also had the affect of making me feel better that i was still moving. I took in as much water as i could. I then set of running the first steps since starting on the hill. I was quite tight and had a little trouble but still started passing a few people. The race ran for about 8km along a dirt trail from the top of the hill and then turned on to a sealed road, the main road into jenolan caves. Along the dirt road things wnet well. But i still wanted to get to the raod sealed road that meant there was 10km to go. Just before getting to the sealed road the trail went through a section that all the trees had been chopped down and the road was gravel. This was nto a nice section and the heat started to get to me more. The trail had mostly been shaded but this section was liek and oven. But i arrived at the road feeling greatly releave. But my mind began to waver. when i arrived at the road i stoced up on more then a litre of water but it didnt' help a lot. I couldn't even think which way to turn thought it was obvious with a guy holding his hand out to direct me i still felt confused. I ran off anyway feeling happier that i had made the road. TO BE FINISHED SOON!