The Butterflys have started
The calm, envitable, falling towards fate mindspace has now been replaced by the butterflys. The nerves are getting started. Last day of work and I think concentration could be a bit problematic.
I was thinking why I am feeling so strange about this race the other day and I realised its the unknown factor that is getting to me. For all my races, nothing was ever truly unknown. The c2c I had been over every section of the course before hand (well except for the run from the beach), there was nothing to surprise me. Triathlons, even though they might have been done on courses I was unfamiliar with, never actually was going into the unknown, 5 passes I had driven down all those roads at some stage in my life.
But the Kepler is completely unknown. I have walked up to Luxmore Hut when I was about 12, but I have a almost complete blank on that experience other than I got really hot and had to take off my bright strippy new polyprop (the things you remember).
So all I have to go on is that map, course profile and what other people have told me and devise a race plan from that. So heres the race plan (but with all my race plans, I expect about 10% to actually go to plan):
- First 5K is flat to the start of the hill, so a easy jog down here, keep HR at 150.
- Then a 8K climb to 1000m to Luxmore. Walk most of this, run anything that is flattish. Make sure I keep HR down, that will be the key to this section, keep HR below 160.
- After luxmore, 14K with 500 meter ascent and then 500 meter descent, 500 meter ascent. Run as much as possible, walk the ascents, HR below 160.
- Sharp descent of approx 1000m. Take it easy here, I will be tired and clumsy, lots of steps to negotiate, but try and make up time running down as much as possible, should also give me a chance to recover. Aiming to get to the bottom in about 4.5 – 5.5 hrs. This is just a guess, but will be extremly happy if in that time or faster.
- Iris Burn to Motorau Hut, 16 K slow descent. This should be the easiest part. Get into the run 10 walk 1 rhythm, keep hr at about 155.
- The final 15K, will be a slog and will hurt. Been in the beech forest for a while now and just a mind game, keep up the 10 / 1 ratio and just push it. Don’t worry about HR just go to the end.
I don’t have much of a risk management plan, what if x happens etc. Not much I can other than deal with it, keep going. If I lose a water bottle or perpetum bottle, just have to rely on other food and get to aid station. My biggest what if is my feet, if they hurt or my neuroma flares up. Will carry a spare pair of insoles if my orthoditics irritate. Will carry bandages in case of blisters, but I haven’t had blisters in ages.
That is something else I haven’t decided, weather or not to take a first aid kit, it isn’t on the requirement list, but I do like to be prepared, might just take a small version.
The nutrition plan:
- Basically have a pump bottle filled with perpetum paste. Have a few em power bars, and peak fuel gels, to be used in the last 15 K. Sip on the petumn bottle every 20 min.
- Hydration, will have a bladder in my back pack, but will also have a spare bottle that I can fill at aid stations and any river on the way. Don’t want to have to stopped and refill the bladder. But will if I run low.
- Aid stations will have banana’s so I will grab a banana at the aid stations.
Well I am not sure if all that has help my nerves, it was supposed to… just getting antsy now, can’t sit still…
Oh and the paranoia has passed 
I have prefect health… except for that hammy that was feeling tight on the run this morning. And the new shoes arrived yesterday.
Sounds to me like a good race plan Nadia. Seems everything is in order and you’ve thought about some of the what-ifs.
It’s going to be a long day so you might as well enjoy as much of it as you can
best of luck. You CAN do it. Just remember, at least its not 100km, its not even 70km….
Tip for you, don’t fill your camelbak until you get to the top of the Luxmore, at the Grunt check in, this way you climb most of the ‘grunt’ with 2-3kgs less, just a thought. Apparently lots of the men do it that way. There’s an aid station at the start of the Luxmore climb, you could maybe use your ’spare’ water bottle of the trip up the grunt. Each aid station has bananas, pre-made leppin and jellybeans. The first ?8km to the bottom of the ‘grunt’ climb is typical forrest floor, narrow track, at times only 1 person across is possible, lots of tree roots as with the ‘grunt’ climb – this is a ascending zig-zag climb all the way up, about halfway it does get flatter so you can run some of it, there’s a few dicey parts – first near the steps (I think before) on the cliff face, as you get closer to the top the trees are really mossy on the southside, then zigzags get closer togeather, then its out into the open, view of both lakes – one behind you, the other to your right (if the cloud isn’t too low), run along the boardwalk to the trees, round the corner and there’s the Luxmore hut! The rest I can’t help you with – but I do know the descents can be slippery and path quite narrow, due to the steepness you can over-run yourself and trip.
Anyways – all the best Nadia, you’ll be fine, remember the pain only lasts for a moment but the glory lasts a lifetime
Thanks Ange, I might just do that, or fill the bladder half fill and then fill all up at luxmore.