I missed the entry date again. Entries for the annual 6 Foot Track trail marathon once opened on a Thursday and I would sit on the internet while at work trying to get a spot before the event was full. Then they moved the entries-open date to a Saturday and I've missed it three times. I really should put a reminder in my diary. I can't remember when I remembered to look at the the site for this year's race but it was late and by the time I logged on it looked like all spots were taken. I refreshed my browser, the "sorry we're full" message disappeared and I entered, fairly sure there was a glitch on the booking site and I had not secured a spot.
But I did get a spot. And with a personal best of 4:32 I could request a Wave 1 start. As it turned out I got a wave 2 start, which I was a little disappointed with. My goal was sub-4:30 and I was hoping to make up the two-and-a-bit minutes by getting through Nellie's Glen more quickly as a member of wave 1 and not battering myself any more on the course than I had last year when I ran my PB. Nevermind.
Last year I had approached the race with fewer miles in my legs than I'd hoped for and I made my decision to run based largely upon a single long run in February. If I made it I'd run, if I blew up I wouldn't. So this year, with that in mind, I split my training for the run into 3 goals. The first was to complete the Beyond The Black Stump run on New Year's Day, which I did without knackering myself. Goal 1 achieved. Next goal was to run 500km in January which I managed with plenty of commute runs and a few longer outings, but nothing "big." So goal three was to go big in February, which I did by doing my longest ever run, a commute home via Bondi and Manly which lasted a bit over 4hr 30min and covered a little over 50km. Training done, I chose to ignore the fact that I didn't really have a lot of trail miles in my legs this year.
I left work early on Friday leaving for Katoomba before rush hour started. The bus home made it 500m then the driver clipped a wing mirror and rendered their vehicle unusable. Not a great start to my trip. The next bus and driver had no problems and I got home, picked up my stuff, got in the car and headed west. Sydney drivers are an odd bunch. Lots of lifetime members of "The Middle Lane Owners club" live here. There is another sizable minority who have yet to work out that frantic lane changing is probably the cause of and not the solution to motorway congestion. I can only assume the joy they feel at arriving home 2 minutes earlier on one trip in 10 has such a huge payoff that they never stop to think about driving more sensibly so everyone could get home 15 minutes earlier. They're a competitive bunch in these parts (and yes, by that I do mean the roads are packed with selfish fuckwits.) By the time I was at the foot of the montains things had settled down a bit and I got to Katoomba a little before 5pm.
It was raining and misty, although I'm fairly sure the mist was low cloud. I quickly picked up my race number from The Carrington Hotel then went to Coles to buy some empty carbohydrate calories for dinner. I had my camera but wasn't particularly inspired to stop and take pictures. Katoomba has some mildly interesting weirdos (an oversupply of emos and goths, folks who look like they should not be out alone and the odd God-botherer) but I suspect any picture I'd have taken would be more cliched than kookie so I didn't bother. I went to my hotel, straight up to my room and settled in to an evening of documentaries and bad food. I did take a few pictures of the sunset, which was nice anyway and nicer still because it meant it had stopped raining and tomorrow might not be too wet underfoot.
I woke just before the alarm at a 05:14. My traditional pre-race cold had not made it to my chest and I felt...OK. The pre-race cold is an inevitable pain in the arse. I typically don't exercise for the week before I run a marathon. My defenses drop. I get the bus to and from work, exposing myself to whatever bugs other commuters have. I'm usually stressed. I've often been eating badly. I usually think I'm under-trained. To get me to the start line I get on the Lemsip Max and hope nothing moves to my chest before the race. The onset of a cold may be stress related, but the encroaching cold is real; phlegm, blocked ears and itching eyes are real. But as usually happens I was breathing fine on the morning. And it wasn't raining.
I got some water down, had a couple of choc chip cookies, took a poo, finished packing my bag and left the hotel at about 05:45. I parked my car at the park and ride, took a shuttle bus to the start, had a cup of tea and a final pit-stop then took up a position near the start line. I shared a few words with one or two people but pretty much kept myself to myself and tried to both think about the start and relax, which is no mean feat. I have finished the race around 100th in the past and wave 1 and 2 are around 100 people each so I started quite close to the front of wave 2, hoping I could stick to my original plan. As it got light and the last coaches arrived the MC started to get us gee'd up, introduced the legend who was about to start his 30th - of 30 - Six Foot Track races. There were rumors that someone, maybe Martin Dent, was going to have a crack at the record.
And then it was 7am and wave 1 went. Five minutes later I was off. I made surprisingly good progress down the hill to the top of the steps, picking off a number of runners. There was a bit of a traffic jam at the top of the stops, as usual. The walking started, but there were sections where I was able to run down some of the steps. It was wet, but not treacherous, and I made good progress through what is one of the prettiest parts of the course. I really should go back with my camera and pay proper attention to it. I say that each time I run Six Foot; each time it looks a lot like a patch of gravel eight feet in front of my feet.
To cover 45km in my goal of 4:30 (well, 4:29:59) I needed to average 6min/km. I was hoping to cover the "easy" 15km to Coxs River at an average of 5:30min/km before the walk-up-run-down part started. The slow section through Nellie's Glen passed and then my average started to improve. Conditions were good. Overcast, cool, not to humid. A South African runner named Sean (everyone calls him Sam) started chatting to me. It was his first time in the race, but he was an experienced runner and was looking strong. He was surprised that you could get so close to 4:30 with the run-walk strategy I employ. I pulled away from him before Cox's river, but he caught me on the hills and finished in front of me. At one point I was running behind two woman who I told I would not overtake because it was International Women's Day. We had a bit of a chat before I overtook them. Towards the river I ran for a while with a guy who works for one of the sponsors. I was enjoying the company and not too concerned that my average was around 5:32/5:33. I'd kick myself (gently) later for that.
Cox's river was not as deep as I'd expected. Despite the recent rain it was around waist deep and as refreshing as ever. I squelched out and made my way towards the uphills and the section of the race that I pay least attention to. The 10km from Cox's river is mostly uphill. There is a bit of a drop from the mini Mini Saddle at 20km to Allum River at 22km and then more uphill to the Pluviometer at 26 before the grade shallows but you keep running uphill across the Black Range to the Deviation at around 35km. There's plenty of uphill. My plan through here is to run where i can but whenever it looks silly-steep to power walk. If my run speed will drop to about walking speed I walk. I stop briefly to chat to the NSW Rural Fire Service guys and girls at the aid stations. At one there was a guy in a sombrero who I have a three amigos salute to and for that was told I had enough energy to keep running. Fair point. At the Pluviometer i said there was a crude gynecological term to describe the hill, which got a bit of a laugh. Somewhere on the Black Range - I think - I asked if one of the guys was actually dressed as Batman or if I was hallucinating already. The friendliness of the runners and support crew is a defining feature of Six Foot. Mind you, so is the self-absorbed slogfest of the hills.
I got an extra spring in my step at around 35km; there is a flattish section and the mental boost of knowing that from there it is only a 10k - and anyone can knock out a 10k. I looked at my watch; 3hr30min. I needed to do a little over 10km in a little under an hour. An outside chance. There are two reasons why this is an outside chance. One is the silly-steep hill at around 38km. I've laughed at it each time I've got there. It is a fierce drag on already tired legs, sapping what little strength I have left. But it isn't the worst of it. The worst is saved for the very end. A steep 2km drop to Jenolan Caves over a narrow, rocky hillside path. This beats the crap out of the legs. Some people seem to be able to keep it together and make good progress on this drop; I tend to move aside and let them pass as I sort of hobble-hop-run this section.
But I made it through unscathed - in fact I'd not fallen at all this year - and on to the final, concreted path to Caves house. I heard a runner catching me up and then he said something to the effect of "go - NOW!" I put my foot down, determined to not be overtaken. I sprinted to the line, the clock reading 4:36. It took me a few moments to collect my thoughts. My watch said 4:30 and I realised I'd left 5mins after wave 1. I checked my self-time and it said 4:30:47. I had started my watch before the mats at the start and after them at the end but I knew I'd not be out by 47seconds. But I personal best is a personal best, so I didn't beat myself up to much as I staggered off to grab my bag, get changed and wait for the bus home to Katoomba.
My official time was 4:30:32 and I finished 113th. I'm happy with that, but if I'd stuck to my gameplan and made it to the river at 5:30s I would have, maybe, had my sub-4:30. Of course that little bit of extra effort might have taken a bit more out of me and slowed me in the hills - who knows? But I'm going to claim that I ran the hills exactly to plan and next year, if I get a spot, I'll be be running to the river with a cheery "we can chat at the end, I'm in a hurry!"
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