City to Bay 2013

Well for something a little different i had the opportunity to compete in the 2013 Adelaide City to Bay fun run (can runs BE fun?).
My best mate works for one of the main sponsors of the event and managed to get us both complimentary entry to the event. It is one that i have contemplated doing for a while and have done the 12km walk with my wife a couple of times but never run it, i am not really built for running.
After getting the call up to do it i had about 8 weeks to focus on the event, the trouble being that i also had to prepare for the Adelaide Dirty Dozen bike ride which was on the week before. A bit of a balancing act ensued.

Having not done a 12km run since True Grit in April of this year i decided i had better see how i my body would respond to that.
I got myself down to the Seacliff hotel one early Saturday morning and decided to run to Glenelg and back. I had mapped this out and knew it was just on 12kms as a round trip. The first 6 kms i did fine, with little trouble from my body. The way back however i started to get quite tight up through my groin and had a slight hint of pain in my left foot but pushed the whole way back and completed the 12kms in 55mins. Awesome! i was stoked with that.

The day after however my left foot was extremely painful on the outer bone. I thought a brisk walk to the post office to collect the mail would help. It didnt. I got to the post office and called my wife, who i work with, to come and pick me up. I was beginning to get worried as it was sore right up to the week of the event. I was wearing my sneakers to work (great look with suit pants, shirt and tie) =)

2 days before the run the pain had subsided and was able to walk without any discomfort. This was a relief. One downside i find in preparing for an event whether it be cycling or running is the hydration factor. i am for 3-4L of water per day in the week leading up to the event, but also find myself running to the toilet every 30mins! oh well, a small disadvantage but i know it works for me.

My dinner the night before was the same as the one before every event. Pasta with my home made tomato sauce. something i know will sit in my stomach well and not negatively impact my event.

Alarm goes of at 0530 knowing that David will be there at 0630 i decided to get a light breakfast in and do some stretching. Now punctuality isnt Dave's strong suit so i was amazed when i heard him pull up at 0620! =) i wandered out the front and the first words that he spoke was "dude why the hell are we doing this", haha took the words out of my mouth. There was a light sprinkling of rain down south which got harder as we drove to the city. We parked at my office and planned to walk the 20 odd minutes to the start line. As we were at the office we could hear the rain outside, not a good sign but we just had to suck it up and head out. Luckily the walk to the start is mostly sheltered which was fortunate as the rain was persistent.

It was amazing, just as we got to the start line on King William road the rain suddenly stopped and the sun came out from behind the grey clouds! P.e.r.f.e.c.t!

We were stunned by the sheer weight of numbers lining up for the 12km run and walk, the buzz around the place was palpable. There were groups together and teams stretching. David and i found some room where we could continue to stretch as we were a little worried about cooling down after the walk and pulling a hammy! That would be my luck.

0800 BANG the first group took off and i could feel my pulse quicken, however we were that far back it would be another 20mins until we started! The race organizers let groups of (im not sure how many) go off in 5 minute intervals but this was not graded in any way so was completely pointless! When our wave was due to go everyone walked to the up the chute and didnt start to run until crossing the start line, no need to waste precious energy. I turned to Dave and said "lets do this bro" and off we went up the slight uphill and found ourselves in a good rhythm and did a 4:31 first km which was a little quicker than we anticipated. I put it down to nerves.

The biggest difficulty with an event like this is the large cross section of varying abilities and we constantly found ourselves dodging slower runners and groups of walkers, increasing the chances of a rolled ankle or collision but this certainly adds to the specter and appeal of the event.

We knocked off the first 5 kms with little trouble and we constantly checked in with each other and gauged one another on the pace etc. Dave had had some trouble with calf muscle cramping in the lead up so he was cautious of that but so far it hadnt caused him any issue.

Checking the time at the 8km mark we had dipped to an average pace of 5.33 per km which meant we would be just over the 1hr mark we set ourselves but with still 4kms to go we could easily peg this back. As we crossed the 9km mark i asked David "whats the longest you have run before" to which he said "10kms so this will get interesting". And interesting it got. We both started to shorten our strides and David got held up at the last drinks stop by the crowed which i elected not to stop at and although i slightly slowed he could not close the gap. I made the decision to continue on and upped my pace again. Running down Jetty Road i managed to see my wife and kids along with Davids wife and kids which was great. 500m to go i kicked again until i rounded the final corner, 100m to go i gave it all i had and crossed the line in 1.03! BUGGER! just over my goal of 1hr.

After i filed through, got my free Sunday Mail and Powerade i managed to meet up with Dave again. high fives were exchanged and we wandered up to the Pier hotel to meet the girls. David had a decent blister on his heel and i had 2 across the top of my toes. meh, nothing too bad though. Cool down stretches were done and a quick shower had (not together!)

To top off a great day we all ventured to Brighton for some lunch, a walk on the jetty and indulged in some ice cream at Copenhagen.

Overall i was really happy with the run on the day. I would do things differently next year. Start training earlier and not let the winter "CBF's" take hold of me. Make sure i run in decent shoes is a big learning!

 It was a special event as it allowed a great friend and I to reconnect and enjoy each others company, it was more than just a fun run.

I am looking forward to making this a yearly event and have penciled in a sub 53min run for next year!

2013 Adelaide Dirty Dozen

“Well that was fun”. These were the first words that I mumbled as we arrived back at our cafe end point to conclude the 2^nd annual Adelaide Dirty Dozen Ride. What is the Dirty Dozen I hear you ask! Well let me explain. The format of the ride is as follows.

Over 3000m vertical in approximately 100km over a 'Bakers Dozen' of hills close to Adelaide. 

Hills will be in order of:

1.       Mt Osmond (Hayward Dve) - 2.3km @ 9.7%

2.       Gill Tce - 0.6km @ 14.7%

3.       Heatherbank Tce - 0.6km @ 10.3%

4.       Kensington Rd - 1.3km @ 11.5%

5.       Coach Rd - 2.4km @ 9.8%

6.       Knox Tce - 1.4km @ 9.4%

7.       Ridgeland Dve - 1.2km @ 10.7%

8.       Burdetts Rd - 1.7km @ 7%

9.       Nicols Rd (up and back) - 0.7km @ 11.7% & 0.5km @ 12.9%

10.    Knotts Hill / Pound Rd - 2.7km @8%

11.    Fernhurst Rd (Cherryville) - 2.1km @10.8%

12.    Corkscrew Rd - 2.5km @8.9%

13.    Coach House Dve / Woodlands Way - 2.7km @10.1%

According to Ride With GPS - 3595m vertical all up!

This is the 2nd year that the Dirty Dozen ride has been held in Adelaide. Last year an overwhelming fear of failure rendered me a non starter and it is something that was continually eating at met. Last year just over 80 people took on the challenge with only 35 finishing. yes it is THAT hard. I, once again, listed myself as a non starter due to a really poor winter training season and no ride over about 70kms in the last 6 months. I volunteered my services as a support vehicle for the event as a way of still being involved but without riding. 2 weeks out from the start i said to my wife "i think i want to give this ride a crack". As usual she was super supportive (even if i secretly wanted her to talk me out of it!). My issue was i was confirmed as support for the day. After some sweet talking on my behalf my wife, reluctantly, agreed that she would step in my place and drive the car! ok, shit, i am riding now with 2 rides in the past 7 weeks, this is gonna hurt! After completing a reccie ride of 6 of the hills (yes not even half of what is on offer for the ACTUAL day) i thought once again of backing out. I remembered how i felt after last years event and hearing the storys of the day and having nothing to offer. The words that i promised myself last year were "i would rather try and fail than not try at all". 

Night before i followed my same pre race plan. Big bowl of pasta, cooked exactly the same way and a decent hour of stretching. Also i had promised the event organiser that i would be more than happy to bake some treats for the day! ooops. So the night before was also filled with making banana bread, cookies and "cocaine" bars. Lucky i had some assistance. 

Don't worry we had finished mixing! =)

Knowing that official proceedings got underway at 0700 but the Red Berry Espresso (the start point) opened at 0630 i packed the car the night before so i could just roll out, drive to the office, get set and head to the Cafe for a coffee. hmm timed it a bit wrong and got there at 0615. 

It would look a little different in a few hours!

Prime Parking spot

As soon as Walter and the crew threw open the doors at RBE i was in! first coffee down and i was feeling great. The nerves continued to build as more and more people began to arrive. Being on the reserved/Shy side i was happy that my boys from Cervo Rosso arrived early and in full CR kit. Not being organised before hand i took a punt that there would be a couple of us at least in the "uniform" so i wore mine. Good move. Before we rolled out it was decided that we would stick together throughout the ride. This was an unexpected bonus for me and goes to show the continuing camaraderie we have, No one was left behind. For sure there were varying abilities and being that I had very little preparation  I was one of the slower ones but the stronger riders made sure that we all stayed together (I think they enjoyed the breaks just quietly). 

Trying to keep a lid on the excitement was difficult and i couldn't figure out if i was shriving due to nerves or the crisp morning air! 

By the time we left for the official start i had heard that a quick count of the sign in sheet saw 120+ riders signed in! there were also some that didnt sign in as they were not planning on completing the whole ride. 

After a nice 20min "warm up" we hit Mt Osmond which was a nice way to start the ride. We rolled over this one with relative ease and then meandered our way down the Southern Freeway to Gill Tce. Hadnt done this one before and after a quick regroup, a drink and listening to AVO call out to his first random of the day "Kat! Kat! your name is Kat isnt it?" "ahh yes, did you read it on my helmet?" to the laughter of the group we started up Gill (and Kat, if that is her real name, just about sprinted up there). Not a bad climb which, as weird as it sounds, was made easier by the photograper on the side. I mean no one wants to look like they are struggling on the 2nd climb of the day with a camera there!

A beautiful ride though, somewhere, took us back towards Greenhill (i think) we came to Heatherbank which was checked off with relative ease. Then it was on to Kensington, or Kensi as it is to the locals. I had attempted this for the first time 3 weeks ago and had to stop half way up, first time i had stopped on a climb in 18mths. This time i was determined to make it and make it i did. It was made a little easier by riding up with Richard, who half way up, turns to me and says "shit i shouldnt have had those beers last night, oh wait no it was actually the red wine i should have avoided"!

Start of Kensington

Top of Kensington

Damn, now we have to go back down!

On to Coach Road. This road is a MONSTER! 2.4km long with a section known as "The Wall". as you turn right at about the 1.5km mark you see it, an approximately 300m long section that peaks at about 23%. This is where shit gets real REALLY fast!. people employed the "weave" to get up there, others walked while some of us just gritted out teeth, pulled on the bars until our knuckles were white and got up there. I was thanking what ever God was willing to listen for the fact that at the summit of Coach there was a pre-arranged "Cafe". RBE had put on cold drip coffee and the banana bread, cookies and cocaine bars were being consumed. This was my first chance to see my wife and kids in a "somewhat" fresh state. Adam ( the provider of this pain) was lucky enough to have his wife who baked 10 DOZEN cupcakes! This was just the recharge we needed. 

Coach Road Cafe. AVO at the front of the cupcake line

Coach Road Cafe

After a 30 min stop we took off. The next 5 climbs, Knox, Ridgeland, Burdetts, Nicols and Pound were all ticked off. I was hanging on by a thread! Then came Furnhurst. I had heard tales of terror from this, referred to as the Pit of Death as once you descend there is only one way back out. AVO has this as his nemesis. I actually managed to get in to quite a decent rhythm with this one but it is slightly demoralization to look at a speedo that says between 4.9-5.5 kph. Any slower and i would have fallen off!
I never thought i would say this but we actually headed to Corkscrew road and looked at it as a recovery hill! That is not normal seriously! quick bite to eat and a kiss from the kids we headed to Coach house drive/Woodlands way

This was the end of me once we got up Coach house. I was cooked, done, nothing left! Then we hit Woodlands. This is a road, not overly long, maybe 1.5km but it has 3 "ramps" with each one a little longer and steeper than the next. This is also a hill that plays with your mind. At the end of the 2nd ramp there is a sign, a beacon to continue to ride for that reads "CREST". Unfortunately when you get to the top you are faced with the 3rd ramp! Once i managed to pull myself over the crest i heard an excruciating "OH GET F&#$%D" coming from Roger behind me. I managed to ride on for another 100m or so and i had to stop and walk for a minute. This poses a problem in itself, re cleating on a hill. This is difficult even if you are not in a dehydrated loony state but on the last climb of this ridiculous ride it was just dangerous! Roger caught up to me and after a quick breather he looked at me and just said "c'mon we can do it together". "Yep lets to it Rog!" Somehow we got going and the 2 of us rode over the crest and to the encouragement of the waiting group. We werent first, but we werent last either. 

After a 15min regroup, a coke and some water we headed over to Norton Summit where every small rise in between hurt. We flew down Norton Summit Road with everyone too exhausted to put the brakes on and meandered our way back to Red Berry Espresso. Rolling in as a team was a great reward for a special day out on the bike. Coffee consumed by all, a sandwich by some we reflected on the day that was, our victories, our struggles and thanks given to Walter and Adam for pulling this together. 

THE team! Cervo Rosso Adelaide

I parted ways with the group and started the 5km ride back to the office which was nice as a way to quickly unwind the legs and reflect on the day. 

It was a very special day on the bike, without a doubt the hardest i have had since i started riding but it was made easier by the group i had with me. I dont think i would have had it in me to finish the ride without them.

To put this into some context. Harley aka "Durian Rider" said that this was his toughest ride since 1999. This from a guy who doesnt own a car and does some EPIC rides. Also I contacted former Pro Cyclist Pat Jonker and asked how he pulled up the day after, his response, "My body feels like the morning after stage 14 of the Tour de France"! 

My preparation was poor for this event, hindsight is always 20/20, but i can certainly improve and will continue to strive to do so. 

Bring on 2014!!!! 

The day after at CR HQ La Musette Cafe Glenelg

Stop!.... Hammer time!

In what is my planned to be my final hit out before Saturdays Dirty Dozen ride i decided to join in with the Thursday morning "Hammer Time" group.

This ride starts at 0630 GST (Garmin Standard Time) every Thursday from Red Berry Espresso just off Greenhill road in Adelaide. We head out up Greenhill at a steady pace and make our way to the start of Waterfall Gully Road....this is where the fun begins. 

Not having driven up this road let alone ridden up it i wasnt sure what to expect. The description on the group event page (http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/group/waterfall-gully-thursdays) says "Waterfall Gully stretches 3.8km, contains around 100m of elevation. The profile is that of a moderate climb, but there are some undulations. This lends the road to being a great for time-trials" 

Sweet! Didnt check where the strava segment started so 3 riders shot off the front (thanks Adam, Shane and Jim!) so of course i had no choice but to try and jump on! It is a simply stunning stretch of road and the weather today could not have been more perfect. Being that this is only my 2nd or 3rd road ride in going on 6 weeks i felt it! not gonna lie, but it was reeeeally good to get out there. More so than the scenery, the group i got to ride with are 
fantastic. Finally got to put some faces to name (and tweets) and meet some new ones. 

Once we got to the end of Waterfall Gully road we discovered that the gate to the car park, and strava segment end, was closed. AVO nearly went barreling into it! would have been a great time if it was open! We all managed to shimmy through, Gamins in hand, to cross the line. 

After a quick regroup it was back to RBE for a coffee and a laugh then on to work!

it is days like this that reminds me of WHY i love to ride bikes! Definitely planning on making this a regular ride!

From L - R
Trent (me), Georgie, Teddles (Terrier), Loraine, Adam, Shane, James, AVO and Daniel

End of the road, Waterfall Gully. Want to get back here for a walk and some exploring

Today i also had delivered my 11-28 rear cassette for the Dirty Dozen ride! was getting a little worried that it wouldnt get here in time which would have seen me in a WORLD of pain come Saturday and probably unlikely to finish. Glad it got here in time, im a LITTLE more confident now. 

Well if i make it through Saturday i will post a report! Wish me luck!