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Targeting the Ticket Episode 5!
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Welcome to Episode 5 of Targeting the Ticket where we are following Nathan Pearce, Bridget Lunn and Toby Lang through their seasons at Golden Trail National Series.
With the third race of the series next Saturday at The Coastal Ascent, hear how Nathan, Bridget and Toby have been training in the past 6 weeks and their thoughts leading into this all important race for points before the big showdown in Brisbane!
Thanks for joining us on Peak Pursuits! Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod and share your thoughts, questions, or your own trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
Nathan: @nathanpearce_
Bridget: @bridget_lunn
Toby: @lang.toby
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/moire/new-life License code: VJ9EPZM2AQUSWRXL
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Transcript
Return from Hiatus
00:00:35
Speaker
G'day guys, welcome back to episode five, I believe it is for targeting the ticket. I should remember that name, I was the one that created it. So um it's been a long hiatus since we last sort of caught up.
00:00:49
Speaker
we um We just had a look at it then about six weeks ago. So a lot has happened in that six weeks. So what we'll do to open up the show is sort of go around the room and just sort of see what everyone's been up to If we've had some highs, if we've had some lows um and just sort of see how we're all traveling. So I'll go to
Bridget's Recovery Journey
00:01:12
Speaker
Bridget first. So last time we spoke, you just um ran at Buffalo, had a great race there.
00:01:19
Speaker
um So tell us a bit more about how the recovery has been, how What else you've been up to if there's been sort of, yeah, as I said, any highs or lows?
00:01:31
Speaker
Yeah. um I guess when we last spoke, it was already a few weeks post the race, so I'd already recovered. But, yeah, recovery in general went pretty well. i had, I'd say, like a month of good training post-Buffalo. And then I had an injury occur.
00:01:52
Speaker
Or, yeah, it wasn't necessarily an injury, but, yes, certainly something that stopped me from running. um And that caused me to take three weeks off.
00:02:02
Speaker
um It wasn't three weeks completely off. I'd, like, sort of take five days off, um do some cycling, see a physio, go for a run, and then be like, oh, it's still sore.
00:02:14
Speaker
So I actually have three weeks on Strava of, like, 25-ish Ks. um But yeah, as of this week, I'm happy to report that it is basically recovered at this point, I hope. um Yeah, I think it'll just be like an on and off thing I'll have to manage going forward. But um yeah, i'm I'm looking forward to building my training back up.
00:02:38
Speaker
um And I think that's all looking good. Um, yeah, I was, I wanted to immediately throw it to you guys, um, because I know nothing about this, um, but I don't know if you do, um, thinking about seeing, so this injury was in my foot.
00:02:55
Speaker
Um, I was wondering if you guys had seen a podiatrist or any experience with orthotics or any advice for me or any listeners. I'll go to you, Toby. I, I,
00:03:07
Speaker
I've been more high-limbed injuries rather than foot, but... um um I haven't ever been to podiatrist and I haven't even been to a physio for like three years.
00:03:19
Speaker
So maybe let's not take Toby's advice. um right I do believe like fair few years ago, I did um get a crack in my calcaneel in my foot. So but but obviously nerve is, it's a different ball game. And that's sort of what I had with my calf at the start of the year was,
00:03:39
Speaker
it was as sort of and a nerve reaction to my quads being overworked and quite weak um so my calves were sort of taking the load and it it sort of almost set off a nerve so nerves are that little tricky thing that it's luckily almost for your case it is kind of circled around sort of an area rather than it being somewhere referred pain from somewhere else um but Yeah, I wouldn't have sort of any um any references or I know Matt Clark over in Adelaide, he's a podiatrist and he's an Olympian, so I'm sure he knows a bit about running and foot injuries. But, um yeah, it's...
00:04:28
Speaker
no Nerve ones, ah as you said, like you you can they can cause you the biggest grief, but then the next day they disappear and you just sort of go what's going on?
00:04:39
Speaker
um And as you said, you can just kind of like... keep the window open to be like, oh, maybe I will be able to go for a run instead of just when you get like a stress fracture or a stress reaction, you just kind of go, right, that's my fate.
00:04:54
Speaker
Here's my four six weeks. And now I'm just focused at becoming a swimmer or becoming a cyclist. um So what have you been doing in terms of cross training? Obviously, you said a bit about cycling.
00:05:08
Speaker
Yeah, I'm almost afraid to admit that I've started to enjoy cycling actually. um I've only ever rode my bike indoors. I have a Zwift set up, um just attached my bike to a Wahoo kicker core.
00:05:23
Speaker
um And I don't know, I just, I really enjoy it. I like being able to like set the workout up the night before and set the exact wattage that I want to hit for the exact time.
00:05:34
Speaker
and then it just does it all for me as I'm cycling like I don't have to think about anything I just have to keep cycling um and I think that's actually a really good way to like push yourself um last Tuesday I did like the hardest certainly the hardest bike workout of my life um and that's probably just my fault because I put in the what's and I don't actually know like what they feel like or how long I can maintain that. So yeah, that there's no way I would have got that done if it wasn't like already set up for me. And I knew that I just had to keep pedaling and like, Oh, maybe I can hold it for another minute.
00:06:09
Speaker
Um, yeah, it was really enjoyable actually. um yeah, I I've tried swimming, but I've really inflexible shoulders and when I swim, I just kind of sink.
00:06:21
Speaker
So I don't enjoy that too much. Yeah, I think we are sort of with especially around running, we get into it by we we we're addicted by something. We're addicted by the rush that it gives us or the feeling that it gives us. And when that sort of almost gets taken away and you sort of do find these other avenues that you probably haven't even opened your eyes to, and as you said, like the ease of Being able to, and this is the biggest thing, I think, we you growing up as a well, for myself, growing up as a runner, it's just bled in into me to be like, yep, you go for your easy runs, this is your session, and you just kind of create your whole um routine around that. But then when you get into a pool, for me, I opt to swimming a bit more than riding.
00:07:12
Speaker
um You sort of go what is a swimming workout? or like what is a riding worker, as you said, like what is wattage? Like that's something that, especially in the trails, that we probably equate to it maybe a bit more than your track or road guys. But yeah, it is, it is quite sort of difficult to sort of get into that mindset of how do i get the gains that I would running?
00:07:38
Speaker
And yeah, you just trying to make those workouts. So it's, it's quite nice to be able to get, just jump on and, um, have the the machine work for you. I'd i'd say I need to update you upgrade you to a tax trainer, but that's just the the Garmin sales rep of me coming out. So we'll talk on the show about that.
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah, awesome. So obviously, you've had yeah you've had a bit of ah a rough couple of weeks, but has there been sort of any highs as well? Like, but we don't even need to be talking about sort of running or anything like that. Just sort of anything in the last couple of weeks that you've sort of enjoyed or been excited about?
00:08:18
Speaker
I'm just trying to think of what I've actually done the last few weeks. And it's just been like med school every single day.
Bridget's Unique Part-time Job
00:08:25
Speaker
I've been enjoying my work. So I work part-time at the university um and i feed the captive mice.
00:08:34
Speaker
So these are like little tiny native mice that they're going to be releasing at some point back into the wild. And they're just so cute and they need feeding every day. and I don't know, I just love it. Best job ever.
00:08:46
Speaker
That's cool. and well And especially now that we're with with, I don't know about you guys in Canberra, I'm sure it's gotten pretty cold there. But here in Melbourne, we've definitely turned to the ah the dark side and it's, yeah, it's pretty cold in the morning. So yeah, having something that just sort of keeps you rolling into work and puts a smile on your face is good. So awesome.
00:09:07
Speaker
Is there anything that else that you want to get off your chest or say? Yeah. Um, I guess recently I've been trying to do my runs in the morning.
00:09:18
Speaker
I'm a big fan of the the lunchtime run, but I think with med school getting busier, it's actually nice to have it done in the morning and then have the afternoon to either like do like a smaller second workout or something and just like study or relax.
00:09:34
Speaker
um But that has coincided with it being a Canberra winter and it is dark and it is freezing and i really need to buy some warmer running clothes. It gets like that. You sort of, you forget how cold it does get and then you go, oh, I don't have gloves or where are my arm warmers and that sort of thing as well.
00:09:53
Speaker
But, yeah, it's ballsy of you to... um Start doing the the morning sessions as it starts to get cold. There's no sunrises though.
00:10:04
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. there's ah There's always a positive in it. Awesome. Well, let's jump across to Toby, um catch up with what he's done over the last six weeks. we've We briefly spoke before the show and he there might be something that he um took advantage of, but um I'll let him sort of get into it.
00:10:24
Speaker
Yeah.
Toby's Surprising 5K Victory
00:10:25
Speaker
um Well, after KMR, I sort of just started getting back into regular training. I got my um high volume weeks back up. So, I just really like just got straight into it. Maybe it wasn't so great because I took basically a week off after KMR and then I kind of went straight back into peak training, which and I thought sort of between the two races, I was sort of having quite low mileage. So then there's quite a sudden jump back up to, you know, my full training load. So maybe that wasn't that great, but I mean, I've managed to hold on for up until now. So ah think it worked out pretty well.
00:11:03
Speaker
Um, But since then, I've just been back to my regular training routine, doing my regular big weeks. Yeah, nothing too crazy with that.
00:11:16
Speaker
um But then I did do this one random race about three weeks ago or so. was this 5K race put on by a business park that's near Canberra Airport. um So it's just like this regular race, basically a park run.
00:11:35
Speaker
Um, but there was this, the prizes for that were just absolutely crazy. So I did, I ended up winning the 5k and I got a $2,000 flight voucher for Fiji airways, which was just for like this one random, like basically a park run.
00:11:51
Speaker
That's corporate money. That's corporate money. yeah And like the other prizes, like the prizes for top three, I think. And like, even those were pretty big vouchers for other companies and things. So um like that's just kind of crazy.
00:12:04
Speaker
Well, yeah, as, as sort of briefly spoke about, it's when you, those opportunities come ah around, it's, um, it's good thing to sort of jump on it. And it, it's always nice as well, like, um, especially revolving around your work to sort of blend that and sort of showcase, um, you're running as well. So I'm sure there might've been some work colleagues there and, um, um,
00:12:27
Speaker
or some people that you've probably spoken about your running and they finally get to see what you you capable of. Yeah, I guess so like there are a few people that i recognize there, but like it was quite a, it's quite a big business park. There's lots of different places, like a lot of strangers.
00:12:44
Speaker
Um, and since I work in retail rather than like the actual, don't know, desk job business office buildings, like I don't really know that many people there. Um,
00:12:56
Speaker
But still, I just think that's kind of crazy that that much going for it. Well, it's good. Yeah, that's going to be um yeah your trips up to to Brisbane and around for the rest of the the Golden Series or Golden National Series. So and with your mileage, what are we talking about? like What have you gotten that up to? Yeah.
00:13:19
Speaker
And also what's sort of the main focus those mileage? Are you just sort of focusing on consistency or do we have some sort of key sessions in there as well?
00:13:30
Speaker
um So I got back up to, like I jumped straight up to, like sort of averaging about 50, 60 kilometres per week between two races and then for the week afterwards, which is a bit of a rest week. And then I jumped straight up to 100k weeks and I've been holding those for about,
00:13:47
Speaker
Well, since then, so six weeks. um and I've been doing, yeah basically the exact same training I was doing ah before the series. So it's two sessions a week, two full sessions a week, one on Tuesday nights, one on Thursday nights.
00:14:01
Speaker
And then also my weekly long run on Saturday or Sunday, which I also kind of treat like a session. So I do like go run up a big hill and sort of push it pretty hard.
00:14:14
Speaker
um so that I kind of count that as a session as well but not really sure they're fairly intense um yeah basically just trying to build up consistency get some good training in because I found that was what really got to me last year is that is all of these different things that you know you've got to have these races that spread out and you've got to you know taper for one recover the next week and then you get like one week of training in between it and then you've got taper for the next race.
00:14:41
Speaker
So just all these little things last year that just kept coming back. So I just never really got the chance to get back into full training. so it was like three months in the middle of the year where I was just sort of probably averaging pretty low weeks, not really doing much training, just sort of either a recovering or tapering.
00:15:00
Speaker
So I feel like, you know, having a good six week block in the middle now is quite good for me. Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. Like it is It does get a bit like that where you kind of, your body doesn't get into that rhythm um per se. And yeah, you you do lower your Ks and your taper and then you feel fresh and then you go on smash yourself in race and then you take bout. Yeah.
00:15:25
Speaker
five or six days to recover from that and then you just get back into your mileage and yeah it's just up and down up and down and um yeah it is nice when you do finally get to sort of see some success and growth in your training as well like i'm sure so on those some of those long runs as well you've just felt stronger as the weeks have gone on as well and it gives you that confidence for that next race um which yeah we'll dive into bit later but um any what what what's been your high and what's been your low for the the last six weeks oh um you don't have to say hello if if you you're just having a great time over there and i yeah honestly it kind of has just been all a bit of a high like in terms of training like everything's been going pretty well
00:16:18
Speaker
um I guess I was having a bit of issues with my Achilles, but that's sort of completely gone away now. So that's a good thing. that I guess that would be the low. That was kind of basically two weeks after KMR. That was an issue. And then started doing exercises, things like that. And it's completely gone away now, almost completely gone away. So that's good. um High has just been training, I think. Like, it's just great, you know, going in day after day training,
00:16:46
Speaker
being tired, recovering, and then just seeing like paces at intervals, going down, getting faster, doing long runs. It's always, that's what I really love about running. Yeah, awesome.
00:16:57
Speaker
So what I'm hearing there is I better be um looking over my shoulder probably earlier. Either at Coastal or BTU. Yeah, exactly. Watch out. Beautiful.
00:17:08
Speaker
Well, um I guess i'll um I'll take the reins on what I've been
Nathan's Stressful Balancing Act
00:17:13
Speaker
up to. So I've been, yeah, it's been a pretty chaotic last couple of weeks since we last met. So um ah believe when we did meet up, I was sort of mid move as well. So i've I've moved from Richmond to South Yarra.
00:17:29
Speaker
um Which is always exciting and fun, but it also adds a lot of stress, unneeded stress that um comes in when you're trying to get yeah your work balance and then also try and get your sessions and training in. it it does add up and then the last month with work as well it's been pretty stressful um stressful month with couple of launches with new forerunners as well so um yeah sort of chaos trying to get all that sort of sorted and um up to date and then also getting my mindset into a race for UTA which I went and did the 22 there so um training's been going yeah really good and
00:18:15
Speaker
I think probably that sort of weekend um when we met sort of late April, I sort of jumped into starting to go ah bit more trail or mountain-centric with my training. So adding in sort of every fortnight a sort of a hill tempo or a hill workout, um which is just sort of, yeah, elevated sort of what I feel like when i come when it comes to sort of climbing on the long run and climbing um just sort of getting that sort of
00:18:47
Speaker
little bit more out of me um where would be beforehand I was just sort of doing my flats to train road session. um And then UTA, was pretty happy with that race.
00:18:59
Speaker
um Yeah, it was as I said, it wasn't the greatest lead up into that. um I was in Queensland for work the weekend before, came back, had yeah ah a lot of work on the plate and then flew up to Sydney, was in the office the day before,
00:19:16
Speaker
um A lot of deadlines to be met and most of them out of my control. So it was a pretty stressful day. And then finally it was nice to take a sigh and check get my bib then and cruise around the expo and sort of meet with a fair few people and just have a good chat. And and then the morning of the race, it was um chaotic to say the least.
00:19:40
Speaker
um Let's just say if you're ever doing a point A to point B race, Never rely on the buses um to get you to the start line. So I am i pulled up at the early time of 5.30 a.m. and fog was rolling through the streets of Katoomba and caught up with zack and Zach Newsham and Peterson and we're just standing there looking at watch, chat away, look at our watch, chat away, and I'm like,
00:20:11
Speaker
Guys, it's 5 to 6 and it's 15 minutes away and we start at 6.40. And so luckily Zach's mum, Kim, still was there with the the car. So she jetted us down and I wouldn't say she sped, but she drove the speed limit and got us there um in time. But yeah, realistically, we I think we rolled up at about 6.20.
00:20:37
Speaker
still had about a K or 800 metres to walk or we jogged because we hadn't really done a warm-up. So it was chaos. um And we weren't the only ones in the boat. I think everyone on the start line was kind of scratching their heads. But that's what happens when you yeah with a big race like that and the logistics of of the Blue Mountains as well. It's pretty hard to sort of navigate and um do that. So yeah in the race, um I knew it was going to go out hot.
00:21:07
Speaker
um especially with 8k uh continuous downhill at about 10 percent um i i went out was sort of sat sort of in second or third and then and then that's when leo about 500 meters into the race just went no let's go we're going now so ah think we yeah we'll roll on sub threes in the first sort of k or two and um then yeah, Leo, Ben Duffus and, um, James Barnett sort of took off.
00:21:37
Speaker
I lost sight of him for a bit. And then, um I was just kind of like, I can't keep going at that pace, but I'll also sort of know my limits and um hopefully there all three of them are just sort of getting caught up in in the race rather than actually thinking too far ahead. And we cross the first creek crossing and you go into a nice ramp of sort of 15%, 20% grade for about a K and a half and caught up with to James and sort of steadily passed him. And then I was slowly catching up to Ben and Leo. And this is sort of, I keep replaying this moment in my my head and I go, should I have just buried myself a little bit on this climb to make
00:22:25
Speaker
make it up to them and then just try and recover on the descent. And i don't know, because in my eyes they would have been like, oh, Nath's back, Nath's here.
00:22:36
Speaker
But I um ah sort of let them ahead and, yeah, just never really saw them again. So it was a nice 12K solo race for the rest of the race. Yeah. um and im everyone that I ran past never really told me if how far they were ahead so as I always say out of sight out of mind my mind was sort of going I can't see them if they're not coming back to me now it's going to be um I'm I'm racing for third here so and then I looked I've looked at my Strava splits looked at theirs and I reckon I was only about a minute 20 behind with about a
00:23:12
Speaker
1.8 K to go. And then that's where my body just started to go. We're not enjoying this anymore. And We hit Furbos stairs and I started not panicking, but you start to go like I know Ian Best.
00:23:26
Speaker
He's probably one of Australia's best climbers at the moment. if That's what he focuses on. So i was like, if he's got any what of the legs on Furbos stairs, he can make up two, three minutes per K. So I just sort of kept the head down and just didn't really think too much about it. But I was trying to just, yeah,
00:23:48
Speaker
take one step at a time and keep moving and got to the top of the stairs and started, um, picking it up and sort of not a sprint finish. oh I was finishing strong and then about 15 minutes to go, calf just went and cramped up, um, which wasn't fun, but luckily you got across the line and had a, yeah, another sigh of relief that, um,
00:24:10
Speaker
Yeah, got across the line and got third. So I'm pretty happy with that for where where the training's been and um where I'm at the moment. Obviously, i do believe and do want to be up with Ben and Leo and competing, and and that's sort of where ah need to be. But um ah once again, like with sort of an interrupted start to the year, and then I think I did rush a little bit back to to get to Donna Buang and Donna Double,
00:24:40
Speaker
And that sort of showed in at nationals in Adelaide. So, yeah, I was happy with that. But now just sort of, um yeah, now I want to take that sort of next step at Coastal.
00:24:52
Speaker
So, yeah, that's sort of my um ups and downs. My lows, probably the stress that I've endured myself into, um probably self-inflicted most of it. but um And then highs, I'll say, yeah, UTA, UTA.
00:25:08
Speaker
UTA was a high. So it's always nice to sort of just catch up with friends as well that you don't see that regularly. And when you do sort of catch up with them and you sort of realise, I haven't seen you for 18 months, um you just realise how much time flies. So you've got yeah, take those opportunities and enjoy them.
00:25:30
Speaker
But after all that, let's um let's jump into coastal. So obviously... Did you run Coastal last year, Bridget?
Anticipation for Coastal Race
00:25:40
Speaker
Yeah, did.
00:25:41
Speaker
So we've all run it um last year. So it's a it's an interesting course. It's completely different to the previous two. A little bit more of roadrunner.
00:25:54
Speaker
course i would say um a lot of elements to it as well so you've got a lot of beach running you've got sort of some bush track single track mud um and i'm sure there's going to be plenty of mud like we did have last year um and i'd spoken to leo i saw he did a um bit of a course recce last weekend and he said yeah there was He ah lost a shoe in a couple of spots and um he said, yeah, it hasn't changed too much from the previous years. So, yeah, I'm sure we're going to be um getting amongst it in all types of conditions.
00:26:31
Speaker
and But, yeah, like what are your guys' thoughts on on this? I know, Bridget, obviously with sort of the the foot issue that you've had for the last couple of weeks, you're sort of,
00:26:43
Speaker
umming and ahhing if you should or shouldn't do it um obviously the unfortunate thing with having the first two rounds quite close to one another and then the sort of third and final close to each other it's it's set you up in a peculiar spot being well if you don't compete then you're sort of out of the running for the points, but um what, what, yeah, what's your thoughts sort of leading into it? um
00:27:15
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I'm not really sure i have, have this week and I have the start of next week to try and do a few sessions. And I guess I'll just see sort of where I'm at both with my foot and also just my fitness overall.
00:27:29
Speaker
um I've done, I did two, like, really small sessions last week and the fitness seemed to be fine. um But I guess, yeah, I just like a bit of bit more confirmation of where I'm at, make sure my foot's definitely stopped hurting.
00:27:47
Speaker
um And then, yeah, I'll make a decision based on that. Luckily, Newcastle's not too far away compared to a lot of the races in Victoria.
00:27:58
Speaker
um so yeah, I'm not really sure yet. Yeah, awesome. But obviously, yeah, I will have to do it if i um to be in the running for the series, of course. So, yeah, I hope to do it, but we'll see.
00:28:13
Speaker
Yeah, no, for sure. So, obviously, if you do go up, because it was last year that you camped before the race, didn't you? Yeah. I'm assuming you're probably not going to that again.
00:28:25
Speaker
do that again No, well, I don't know if I've said it yet, but I found another factor that contributed to my poor performances, which was um i had been to the doctor like years ago saying, I've been having some trouble sleeping.
00:28:42
Speaker
Is there anything you can do? And this doctor prescribed me diazepam. diazipam which is a very strong, very addictive drug for seizures.
00:28:53
Speaker
It's not used for sleeping problems. And this drug takes a few hours to start working, and it has a half-life of like 20 hours or 30 hours or something like that.
00:29:06
Speaker
So I'm taking like a... like an anti-seizure drug to stop my muscles working before doing a race when I want my muscles to work as much as they can. And I'd be like, why do I why do i feel like this is so hard?
00:29:18
Speaker
And it was, yeah, that obviously had an effect. So i once I realized that, i threw out the packet. Yeah. What was the logic behind that for sleeping issues?
00:29:29
Speaker
um I don't know. I'd assume it was relaxant. So it'd sort of stop you from being tense. at night, I guess. Yeah, it's used for, like, really big, like, overwhelming anxiety disorders, um which is not what I was presenting with anyway. so yeah, I guess the logic is it's just a relaxant, so you stop worrying you go to sleep. But, I don't know, in med school we look at, like, the actual prescribing charts that doctors use and, like, the indications, and that drug is not indicated but sleeping problems at all. So that was a dodgy prescription. Well, while we're on, um obviously, you, Bridget, and sort of the more on the female audience or female race, I
Women's Race Strategies
00:30:17
Speaker
should say. So I'm looking at the points now. So leading into this race, as we know, Simone is sitting on top um after, as she would say, probably...
00:30:29
Speaker
it's a bit fudged, um, those points, but nonetheless, she's still sitting pretty high on the points list as well. So, um, never count Simone out if she, um,
00:30:41
Speaker
put something together and if she does run at brisbane yeah brisbane she um she's still in in the running but i don't think that's on a um goal races at the moment so we've got yeah simone brick first at 176 we've got anusha moonen 131 points and then anika keel at 129 points so they're the only the three women that have done two races and then we go into the girls that have done one so you've got mia noble 100 katinka at 100 so both the previous winners of the last two rounds and
00:31:22
Speaker
Then we got our own Bridget Lund, 94 points. Steph Austin, 94. Matty O'Donnell, 83. Isabel Warner, 83. So that's sort of rounding out sort of top sort of 10 to 8.
00:31:37
Speaker
white um ah Yeah, there's a couple of duplicate points there. So, yeah, I think that's sort of around the top 10. So going in, sort of who do you think is probably...
00:31:50
Speaker
your sort of main competition, if you are to race, um who do you think is probably some of the girls to watch? Yeah, I mean, Simone's not racing.
00:32:02
Speaker
um i mean, any of them, really. They're all so fast. um Mia is really fast. She won the Buffalo Marathon um and also Donna Double, obviously. So she is...
00:32:17
Speaker
Very strong on the hills, um especially on the downhills. So definitely one to watch. um Steph Austin, I don't think I've raced against before. um Maddie, ah don't know. if I don't think she's racing in the end. Okay, yep.
00:32:36
Speaker
um maybe she'll surprise us and pop up. But, I mean, id love to race against her again. Yeah. um And, so yeah, I'm not too sure about um the others. I obviously don't have very much trail race experience, so most people are new to me.
00:32:51
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Obviously I know, um, Katinka is picking up her training as well. Um, she's sitting pretty good on the points, but yeah, as you, as we all know, like it takes, um, with the point system now as well, like it's sort of, it's anyone's race.
00:33:12
Speaker
Um, Because if so if we do have and another winner, so if we have three different winners for each round, it comes to BTU, like pretty much if you've come second or third as well in those races, your accumulated points is enough to actually win um if you win at BTU. So...
00:33:33
Speaker
um Yeah, it's very close and it's it's very deep as well. Like it's it's consistently um deep across the board. So it will be interesting to sort of see. We don't have a start list, unfortunately.
00:33:46
Speaker
um But yeah, it it will be good to sort of see who's on the start line, especially some of the girls that have only done the one race as well. um Because yeah if ah if none of them or some of them aren't on the start line, well, you can sort of count them out.
00:34:02
Speaker
in terms of the points race. They might be at Brisbane, but, yeah, they can – you don't have to worry about them in the points. So, yeah, it's going to be exciting.
00:34:12
Speaker
um I'm looking forward to it. So um hopefully we see you on the start line, Bridget, and, um yeah, wish you sort of a speedy recovery and hopefully, yeah, fingers crossed that over the next week things come together. And I think with your pedigree as well, like this course – is more tailored or suited to yourself as well. Like I know the distance is probably the distance for all three of us, I would say is probably on the longer end um of our sort of scale of racing. So, um but as I said, there's so many different elements to this course that shit if you just start feeling good in a certain section and some of the other girls might be hurting or gone out too hard, you can sort of capitalize on that and,
00:35:00
Speaker
if you can get toe the start line, you might not be as fit and fiery as you would like to be, but you might be able to just get a couple of points that um and take them away from some of your arrivals as well.
00:35:14
Speaker
um Yeah, that's true. I had... um I will admit I forgot just how many points the final was worth. So even if you went to Coastal and just tried to have a good time and still, you know, like top whatever but not try to win, i think you could still turn it around at Brisbane if you time it well.
00:35:35
Speaker
um so yeah. Yeah, exactly. So as I said, yeah, I think we were we were a bit unsure about this point system, but now that I'm looking at I'm like, ah.
00:35:46
Speaker
it makes it interesting, right? Like ah it throws it all down to to the last round. Like you you never really want to go into the last round and and there's someone's already won in a way. Like if they run semi-decent at the final, they they sort of get the the points or the chockies.
00:36:06
Speaker
um Yeah, beautiful. All right, so let's jump over to you, Toby, but I reckon – Before we jump into what your thoughts are, let's have a little rundown of the points purely because you're on
Men's Race Strategies
00:36:20
Speaker
top of them.
00:36:20
Speaker
um So you're sitting at 182 after two races. So we've only got two males that have done um the two races. So we've got Toby sitting on top at 182, we've got Michael Kernaghan in second on 175, and then From there, we roll down to the guys that have only done single races. So we got Leo Peterson sitting on top after winning at KMR.
00:36:48
Speaker
Got myself in fourth place on 94. We got Thomas Banks. Oh, we got Mark Harris, who's also completed two races. So he's on 84. We got Vlad Ixul, Connor Ryan, and then Dave Bailey to round out the eight. Oh, and Ethan Penk. So Ethan Penk and Dave are on the same points at 78 points. So once again, it's poor It's open to a lot of things, I think, um especially with from previous or the previous year, last year, like this Newcastle, we had a couple of local runners enter into the race. So if we have that again, that sort of throws a bit of a spanner in the works as well with the points because they'll take a couple away from
00:37:37
Speaker
some other people um if that was to be. But obviously, Toby, you're sitting on the top. How are we feeling ahead of – are you going to rock up to Coastal?
00:37:50
Speaker
um I'm sort of kind of on the fence about whether go Coastal now. I think last episode I said I was going to go to Coastal. But I think like, I don't really need to go to coastal because I've got my two races.
00:38:06
Speaker
I'm pretty happy with the points that I've got from those two races. It's like, I don't think I've got, I don't think I'm going to be improving my points if I do go to coastal. Yep.
00:38:17
Speaker
um So I'm sort of on the fence about whether I even go. Maybe I should, um like, even just for just for fun, really. um but yeah Obviously, what we spoke about last episode was if you do go – Ultimately, you're taking points away from people.
00:38:37
Speaker
So you're pushing someone back. um But yeah, as you said, you you sort of are in a pretty good spot because technically, if if you were to win at Brisbane, I'd like to try and stop that. But if you were, you would be on top of the ladder.
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah. So you might be drawn with someone else, but essentially, or actually, let me do the maths on this.
00:39:05
Speaker
I think I'm pretty sure if my maths is correct, that even if sort of Leo won Coastal and... came second at btu you'd still be even on point i could be wrong could be completely wrong there so don't quote me on that but obviously yeah like there's the ums and ahs of if you do go you have a great race you improve on your points that's awesome um but then there's also the element of you've only got three weeks to then try and back up for BTU.
00:39:35
Speaker
um And there's obviously travel involved and all those sort of things as well. So um so when do you think you might make that decision? um To be honest, I've got like, I'm not really sure up until the Saturday before, I guess.
00:39:52
Speaker
um Because, yeah, like I don't really need to go. um And yeah, as I was saying before, like, it's all about, you know, if I've got a taper for this, then recover the week after, then that only gives me two weeks after that to get to the final. And the final is like what really matters for me, especially.
00:40:13
Speaker
um so I don't really need to just go through all of that tapering and recovering all of that, just like mess with my training. Whereas I could just like keep on training, keep my block, keep my block.
00:40:25
Speaker
going and then just do a proper full taper just for the final, which maybe that would help me in the final, like instead of everyone else that has to race at Coastal and then back up the final after that. so For sure. Like I think, yeah, it's definitely smart to sort of be weighing it up um and especially how you you've spoken about your last sort of six weeks, how you've enjoyed that consistency and being able to slowly see that your pace has sort of come down and um to put essentially a speed hub amongst that and then before that sort of main race, it's yeah it's sort of – but you could almost –
00:41:10
Speaker
go the other way and be like, it could be nice because you haven't sort of put the intensity into um a race over the trails for the last couple of sort of six to eight weeks as well. So I'll um i'll let you make that decision. But um I know I will be there because I need to be to get these points.
00:41:31
Speaker
I don't know. I'm still, I'm an a-ring on how I approach this race. um Last year, i sort of came in a bit underdone, um, off an injury. So it was sort of similar to, I wouldn't say it was similar setting to, um, Donna double this year, but was still definitely, yeah, not ready to be out there throwing too much intensity. So it was a bit of a slog, but, um,
00:42:00
Speaker
yeah with the the different elements there's so many factors in play um but hopefully we've got a ah low tide and we've got hard pack sand as well um out on the beach because if that's soft i've yeah i haven't done enough sand running in my training unfortunately to um to withstand that so you think that helps i i don't think anything helps when it comes to sand right like it's You just kind of have to have that grit and I think it's just the overall strength.
00:42:34
Speaker
But then you've also got to be quite elegant over it because if you put too much sort of, it was, I remember sort of at the finish because you drop back down onto the beach and then i don't know if you felt it, but when you turned left to go back up to the stairs, that was the hardest part of the race because you were just trudging along that sort of stand. But you were almost pushing it. up It was going away from you um rather than just sort of disappearing underneath. so
00:43:07
Speaker
And I had Max Taylor up my ass, so I was just – Yeah, I was just trying to keep it. But, yeah, you sort of – you want to run try and run quick to get out of it quicker.
00:43:19
Speaker
But then it's also you the more power you put through – the worse it is for yourself because you dig yourself more of a hole um so yeah if if it's if we've got a high tide um it might be struggle straight for some people but hopefully we've got a nice low tide like we did last year and especially around those the rock fronts as well like you don't want to be battling with waves or anything like that so hopefully they've looked at the and i don't know how the what the moon does at that time, but hopefully it's, yeah, king tied out.
00:43:52
Speaker
um but Yeah, i'm not I'm not looking forward to the mud, but um I think, yeah, this course does suit me, um being a little bit more road-centric as well, but unfortunately it does it does um suit Leo as well. So it'll be interesting to sort of see who else out of those guys in sort of that top...
Upcoming Race Challenges
00:44:13
Speaker
eight are turning up um i don't know yeah once again don't know if tom's gonna be there vlad i don't believe will be there um dave bailey ethan penk um yes like ethan won't be there ethan won't yeah he's not doing the last two races So essentially it is, I think it's looking almost to be sort of a five horse race, if that, at this point, um which will, yeah, it will just be, it will not be nice and fun at Brisbane, or I reckon.
00:44:47
Speaker
And um yeah, exciting. So that's pretty much a wrap on everything. Have I missed anything that you think that we were supposed to go over? Let me, might quickly check the note.
00:45:01
Speaker
Um, But, yeah, no, I haven't looked at the weather. um That's probably another thing that um could play into it as well. Like if we do have ah nice day, that always is pretty good. So it's looking, yeah, sunny and 15 on the Friday. So um it possibly might be a nice dry day. So that sort of comes into it.
00:45:27
Speaker
Hopefully the ground firms up a bit um and whatnot. So beautiful. Awesome. Thank you, guys. I think that's a wrap for episode five. Unless, yeah, either of you guys have got anything else that you want to sort of get off the top of your mind.
00:45:44
Speaker
ah don't. No. Perfect. Beautiful. All right. Well, good luck. if Yeah. Good luck in your decisions, actually. That's probably more the thing that I should say. and Hopefully, I do see you there, Bridget.
00:45:56
Speaker
um Hopefully, I don't see there, Toby, just for my own sanity. and But, yeah, I'm looking forward to the next month of June um with a couple of big races coming up.
00:46:09
Speaker
So... Awesome. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you. And good luck at Pestle. Thank you.