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Setbacks, Comebacks, Taper Chat, and GPT Recap | Episode 83
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In this episode of Peak Pursuits, James, Brodie, and Simone reconnect for a big week in trail running.
Simone opens up about her ongoing recovery journey and navigating life with POTS, Brodie breaks down his strong return to racing at Triple Tops and what’s next at GSER, and James shares his cautious but optimistic first steps back from a stress fracture.
The trio dive deep into what smart tapering really looks like for trail and ultra runners — from elite examples to personal lessons — before wrapping up with race results from GPT, Feral Pig, and Triple Tops.
***Don’t forget, use code PEAK at https://bix-hydration.myshopify.com/en-au for 20% off Bix products, exclusive to PPP listeners!***
Thanks for tuning in to Peak Pursuits!
Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod to share your thoughts, questions, and your own trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
Follow Brodie: Instagram | Strava
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter License code: K08PMQ3RATCE215R
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Reintroduction
00:00:08
Speaker
Hello and welcome to episode 83 of the Peepersuit podcast. My name is James. I am joined today by Brody, fresh off. Brody, how long has it been since you were on trail running start line?
00:00:19
Speaker
ah That's a good question, actually. ah It's not GPT. No, I think it is. Yeah. Yeah. I run UTA 11. Yeah. Oh, going to say. No. Yeah. Apart from UTA 11, which I guess was, yeah, a bit more for fun. This was probably more a bit more serious, I guess. Yeah. So maybe a year since a serious-ish start line. But yeah, i was I was having a good crack at UTA. So UTA. I was going to say, you're not going to make UTA 11 a serious race. I think that's doing a disservice to the the guys that in nearly beat you.
00:00:50
Speaker
Well, they beat me, so. They beat yeah. Yeah, they did, didn't they? Yeah, I only got a second there. Frozen win. And the other voice you guys will be hearing is Sim. Sim, it's been a while. Welcome back.
00:01:02
Speaker
Yeah, I'm a swimmer. You look a bit more alive this time. My whole life is a bit upside down, so time is passing at a very weird rate, I must say. But, yeah, yeah this is actually also also my first time being on and not running the show. So thanks for thanks for doing that while I've been up gone, James. It's been great.
00:01:19
Speaker
Yeah, a weird time. yeah Happy to. It's kind of weird. Each time I come on, I'm like, all right, this is not an interview. Do not try and make this an interview. It's very strange, which I know if I'm passing or failing with. I'm sure everyone would love you bringing in a few more interview vibes into our absolute mayhem of trying to record. like Yeah, but it is is very good that when we put the message out, Sim, you were feeling kind of back to life enough to to come on. you want to kind of fill us in what the last few weeks have been like for you?
Sim's Health Journey
00:01:49
Speaker
Yeah, sure. um So i't I honestly don't know when I was last on. And also I will preempt this whole episode by saying I am about it as out of touch with the running world as you can possibly get, um which is good and I'm loving it in some ways.
00:02:05
Speaker
But um yeah, I think it must have been at least a month. um And so the update, I suppose, from my end is that not much has changed. um So yeah, I did slowly improve for about three weeks there, which was nice. It was like I kept doing a few run walks.
00:02:24
Speaker
I think throughout the month of um October, I was averaging about 20 Ks a week of run walking. So I was getting some stuff done, but it was like two, maybe three run walks.
00:02:39
Speaker
And that was about my level of activity. And and i genuinely mean that was my level of activity like no walks around that no swimming no strength no absolutely anything so my total activity time was probably about two hours or less for the week um of those weeks but then by the last week of October towards the last week of October like I just remember having ah had like three runs I did one walk run where I just went okay
00:03:12
Speaker
I'll just run and then walk when I feel like walking as opposed to doing it on any sort of schedule. um And I did that around Studley Park. And I ended up just running more portions than not and pretty much using the good old trail running um method of walk when it's an uphill.
00:03:30
Speaker
but and So that was actually really good. And I was like 45 minutes, I made it eight K's ish. And I was like, okay, like my heart rate was only an average of, I think 155 on that run, which compared to previous when like 530 pace running would get my heart rate in the 170s. I was like, this actually feels good again.
00:03:51
Speaker
um And it wasn't spiking, like nothing felt bad. So that week I was like, okay, let myself recover. But that was when I so actually started just running. Like my next run after to that was 6K is easy, super slow, but.
00:04:05
Speaker
six Ks. And then I did um a nine K and I ended that week on the Sunday where I was just like, I just want to go run and I'm going to do a loop around. I was in Bendigo, was in Cedric and I'm just going to come back like however long it takes.
00:04:20
Speaker
um And that run was like, i think it was 12.7 K. It was like 70 minutes of running. um And I was like, Heart rate fine, didn't spike. It still was, it was a 150 average. So it was like still a very slow pace for a high heart rate. But at this point I'm pretty damn unfit.
00:04:35
Speaker
So like not unexpected. um and it was still like some undulating Hills cause it's Sedgwick State Forest. So it was like um bushy, but yeah, that was it. That was at the end of that run where I was like, oh my goodness, I actually think maybe like, cause I felt good.
00:04:54
Speaker
I felt fine during the run, felt fine after. um But the problem is that like ah daily life is still kind of exhausting at times. And yes, throughout this whole time, I still have all the symptoms of POPs going on, but it's like,
00:05:10
Speaker
I'm learning to deal with them and learning to like see what helps and what doesn't. um And so, yeah, that was two weeks ago now, yesterday. And then I thought I was doing all the smart things again. And I was like, I was, I rested for two days straight because I'm like, hey, my body just did a really cool thing that I didn't know was going to happen. Like I didn't know when it was going to happen again.
00:05:32
Speaker
I'm just going to let it fully recover and make sure all is good. Um, and then the Wednesday I was going to run again, but I was like, oh, today I feel a little tired. So I'll give it another day.
00:05:43
Speaker
So I had three days of full rest and woke up on Thursday of that week, sick as a dog, like full fever, couldn't sit upright, like not okay at all. And that was the next sort of five days um again.
00:05:58
Speaker
So I have no idea if I picked up another bug. Like there's, I don't know if you, if it's that it may, I overdid it, but I'm like, I felt fine for two days after that run. So I'm not sure if it's possible that I can then go downhill um three days, three or four days later. But essentially ah haven't run since then again. it's been another two weeks because i was like, probably for a whole week there,
00:06:23
Speaker
Like I wouldn't, I couldn't come on the pod, I wouldn't have been able to come on the podcast or anything because I actually just couldn't sit up in a chair for very long um or do anything. So my abilities went almost back to square one, it felt like for a little while. um And then slowly over the last three or four days, maybe ah I've actually been a bit better again and able to just do things with my day like sewing um yeah and um being a little bit productive. But it's a real it's an odd, odd time when it's like,
00:06:59
Speaker
i I know um i in many ways, like I'm actually doing fine. Like I can recognize that it's not going to last forever and whatever's going on in my body will survive. But I'm back in another round of, um because I went downhill again, so bad, so quickly, and it got really bad again.
00:07:17
Speaker
it was like back to the doctors. And now I'm waiting on appointments with, yeah, a cardiologist, an ENT and a rheumatologist because everyone's now a bit like, okay, we don't know what's happening or what's going on.
00:07:29
Speaker
um let's go figure a few things out. But the fun thing with anything medical is that once you get the referral to those appointments, it's then waiting for the actual appointment. And the first two ENTs I got bloody referred to, had they were like, oh, yeah, we can offer you an appointment next March.
00:07:45
Speaker
I was like, okay, I actually just can't work or do anything or function. So that's actually not going to work. Please help. um So yes, I'm still, I haven't got a cardiologist appointment yet. I see an ENT in two weeks and I see a rheumatologist in five weeks.
00:08:01
Speaker
That's the best I could do. So I'm in the limbo land of the medical world, but also Yeah, that I'm not sure what they would do to like nothing happens quickly at this point.
00:08:12
Speaker
So I'm just kind of resigned to the fact that I don't think I'll be doing much for the rest of this year. um And whatever is going on inside my body is not happy. Yeah.
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah. Jeez. That's
Coping with Health Challenges
00:08:28
Speaker
rough. It's kind of the only thing that comes to mind. um that You're referring doctor, like the ENT, rheumatologist, cardiologist. Are they more like looking at one of those pathways or is it they just literally have no clue?
00:08:42
Speaker
So the cardiologist is for just closer um looking at the POTS side of things. Yeah. um Because what comes with POTS, which is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, um that is like I get, like and that for again, for a whole the last two weeks I've pretty much had it but um because they did disappear. But I get palpitations where like my whole body I can just feel my heart beat.
00:09:08
Speaker
um it's not super fast, but just if I was sitting down, like I can feel my heartbeat in my fingertips and like, it's really weird feeling. But then if I go from sitting to standing, my heart rate goes really high.
00:09:19
Speaker
um And like, so the cardi, a cardiologist is one of the main people that looks after that condition. So that's not looking at anything new. It's just probably investigating that a bit more and actually getting a cardiologist.
00:09:32
Speaker
treat. I don't know what they do, but recommendations or what? um Honestly, and I think even the medical world is a bit like doesn't know what to do, but um I'll see what they have to say. Rheumatologist looks at autoimmune.
00:09:44
Speaker
um And so, yeah, there certainly could be some autoimmune things going on. Like I've already got one autoimmune condition, which is celiac. So it's more than possible. They look at things like lupus um and a whole bunch of other syndromes you can get, which yes do I technically tick some boxes for but it's it's like that takes lots of investigation um and ENT is because every time I get sick the last couple of and the and the last couple of weeks but the last since June pretty much my whole um glands around my neck all swell really really big and and some of them are ah my like salivary glands which is weird very weird so
00:10:27
Speaker
I'm just being the enigma. And so all three have different, all three referrals have different reasons. Don't you just love being an enigma? I'm so used to it. And that that's, this is the thing I'm actually very, very, fact this makes me slightly thankful, as thankful as you can be for all my past life experiences.
00:10:47
Speaker
And I was reflecting on this actually yesterday, even when it comes to the running, because there was a few people that have asked they're like, oh my gosh, how are you surviving without the running? And I'm like, I, it's I don't need to run. i want to run. And I haven't needed to run for a long time. I actually really like not needing to.
00:11:03
Speaker
And therefore, I can be fine not doing it. It's like my life's not going to end. But also I've had periods of my life where I had to spend eight to 10 months doing absolutely nothing already before. So I'm a bit like, yeah it's still only been two months. Like, it's a lot better than I've been in the past.
00:11:21
Speaker
um And I've had major stomach surgery that was a very long six-month recovery. And that was after I was running. So I had to take a long time off. And it's just like all those little things have added up to like now me going, ah I've been through a lot and I know that I can come through this again. So it's fine.
00:11:38
Speaker
And also having been through a lot before running and during running at times too. i have so many memories of being at the tops of mountains and And just being so happy and being like, you know what?
00:11:50
Speaker
If I can never run again, I've had a pretty good run. And I'm very thankful for all the experiences I've had. So it's not like this mental... oh my God, I'm missing out on so much. It's like i my mind is a bit like I am very thankful that now as I lie in bed feeling like absolute crap, I have all these beautiful memories to go back to and to be like, I've lived a pretty cool life the past few years and now is just a bit of a stopgap before I hopefully go back to it one day maybe.
00:12:19
Speaker
But again, it's like no one knows. And that's the thing with life. It's like things can be taken away in an instant. I learned that from a very young age. So It's when things are then taken away, it's a bit like, oh, yeah, I knew this could happen.
00:12:34
Speaker
I'll be fine. It's definitely one of those things that's so much easier said than done. and And unfortunately, I think I, well, my own experience, which from a different perspective is like all the skiing in accidents I've had and then have been like in hospitals from ages and broken and metal holding me together, left, right, and center. And you kind of have to have those experiences so that when stuff happens now, you go, so what? It's like, I've been through, been through worse. You come on the other side of it.
00:13:00
Speaker
Yeah. You don't know what the other side always looks like, but you it's it's not, it's not going to end your life if you if you can't run at the same level you once did or you can't ski at the same level you once did or you just have to, don't know, think about things differently. But it's never easy when you're in the middle of it.
00:13:15
Speaker
Like it's not and it is because this is only this this
Acceptance and Positivity
00:13:20
Speaker
one time. um But on days where I'm not feeling too bad and like I can go about a normal-ish life day, like life's actually pretty good partially because – I've been forced into this hermit mode that I actually love as an introvert that doesn't have to then talk to people and do things.
00:13:40
Speaker
um And I'm like, I can recognize that the world goes on without you. It's fine. Things keep turning. I'm, I'm, I'm not up to date, but I'm sure so much has happened in the running world while I've been away. And like, it's kind of a case of every single athlete and human has their seasons and this is my season. And That's fine. At some point, again, um the people that currently are absolutely blitzing the trails will have a down period and that might be when I'm up. Like it's twos and froes as opposed to feeling like, yeah, you need to always be in it.
00:14:14
Speaker
Yeah. so but I think right now we've got the realities of one of us has just come back after Achilles and bone stress. The other one is in the middle of bone stress and the other one has got and undiagnosed health thing that we you're kind kind of in the middle of. like That's just the process of when you're when you're running or doing anything for multiple years, you're going to have all these fluctuations in your general health, whether it's running related or not.
00:14:39
Speaker
And that's just the reality of Reality of our life. Well, i'm I'm glad that you are upright and able to talk to us and have you met back on for these few days. Hopefully that lasts for a bit longer.
00:14:50
Speaker
I'm actually, I've bought a this fancy office chair that I've recently bought. It's actually like it leans back a bit so I can be in it for a lot longer. Looks very comfy just swinging sides side to side there.
00:15:02
Speaker
It is. It's very comfy. But no, like let's talk running and like happier things and all the things. Brodie, you're yeah Let's go across to Brodie, yeah. you are ah At least from from from my side looking in, I know you maybe have gone faster on that course, but coming away with a third at triple top is pretty good result for you?
00:15:20
Speaker
Yeah, i'm I'm pretty pleased. Like I finished feeling pretty satisfied and content, not disappointed. um Like obviously I would have liked to do better, um but – given where I was at, um it was it was about as good as I could have expected. And I pushed really hard. It was like really hard. I don't know. It's hard to remember how you felt in previous races when you're in the moment. But that one felt particularly hard.
00:15:49
Speaker
Like I was suffering most of the way. um It probably fits with how much training I've done. So, yeah, I was pretty happy to to be able to sort of put my body through it. And like my Achilles was fantastic.
00:16:03
Speaker
as well as fantastic as it has been so um yeah I was super happy with that like I didn't really notice it in the race much like a little bit but not really much um and then afterwards uh like often in the last two years after a race in the in at the end of the day I'm I'm sort of limping around a little bit because at least I even if it's not too bad i still like've got a bit of tightness in there or it's a bit sore and even if it gets better the next day it's usually in the evening it's not
Brodie's Racing Experience
00:16:34
Speaker
so good and definitely in the morning when i wake up it's usually not that good and and i was fine walking around like it's been the rest of my body that's been suffering today so um i'm yeah i'm really pleased with that it's actually quite surprising because
00:16:50
Speaker
I have been noticing my Achilles after runs and that sort of stuff. um And I wonder if it was like something to do with like being in the moment, being in the race, not thinking about other things. Like i was, I went for a run with Toby Sparks when I was down in Tassie, which was cool.
00:17:06
Speaker
um And I was talking to him about like, I try and run with people as much as I can because it just makes me take the focus off the Achilles. um Like having pain for more than six months,
00:17:18
Speaker
like you'll start to get some sort of ah central portion of that, which is meaning your brain is contributing to that pain in some way. So if you can dampen down the brain signals a bit, um it it helps. So like, yeah, I've been enjoying getting out and running with people because that helps.
00:17:36
Speaker
And I wonder if in the race, it was just a true reflection of where my body was at because I was just purely focused on being in the moment. And um yeah, it was so cool to be back on trails and and flowing there were some really good bits where I felt amazing mostly downhill um there was a lot of bits where I felt like complete butt but um yeah it was it was a great experience anything over two percent and I was suffering so yeah GSDR is going to be a tough one I think but I'm I'm hoping it's a big stimulus that um that I yeah I'll try and recover smart and
00:18:13
Speaker
and take ah take that on board and yeah, back up in two weeks, hopefully. Like I think my Achilles is good enough to do GSR. yeah I think I'm going to suffer again.
00:18:24
Speaker
um But yeah, hopefully I can, yeah, um I'll probably be a bit more conservative. Whereas in this race, ah yeah, I was trying to sort of fight with the top guys um and it was good. Yeah, that was really cool. But um I didn't quite have enough to beat the top two.
00:18:39
Speaker
ah Which are you doing? which gsc are you doing I'm doing the 28, which I found out today is not 28. It's more like 30 or 31. So, yeah yeah, good to know that um I entered a race that was at the limit of my capabilities and they decided to lengthen it.
00:18:55
Speaker
yes it's i found that out i should have messed you probably it would have been a nice thing to do found it out last week when i was like making people's plans it was like hang on a minute the start finish has moved and then like shiv is doing a pacing leg from harrietville to the finish and i was like you've got to do an extra three or four k now and it's just the same boat like twenty eight k is already pushing it for where she is right now and we're like oh i'm not sure that's good idea um i'm guessing that's made no impact for you though you're still go ahead Yeah, I think so. Like i I don't have any other options. I don't think it's i don't think it's like dangerous now that I've done triple tops and how my body responded.
00:19:32
Speaker
um But I think i will I will just have to be a bit conservative in the first half for sure um and make sure I feel. ah Sorry, go. Sorry, no, go on. What were you saying? I was going to where does the 28 now? It starts in Harrietville and you climb up to the top of Feather Top, same as like the Four Peaks route.
00:19:51
Speaker
Oh, so not there. Not the Northwest Burr? Bungalow. Yeah, yeah, Bungalow's Burr, sorry. Yeah, same as the Four Peaks route and then you go back down to the Razorback and then run along the Razorback to Hotham and that's where the race finished last year and this year it's going a little bit further on.
00:20:10
Speaker
Oh, so you run into the town of Hotham. Yeah, I think you run sort of towards like you're running, it's to a, finish line at i don't know if it's a restaurant or something but it's um it's like sort of towards dinner plane i guess but it's not that far of hotham but it's a few k's out yeah yeah it's it's about about halfway but to dinner plane like one of the i think it must be one of the overflow car parks essentially because there's a a trail that runs along the road um which i think i did ask them i think i said it may be a perm permitting thing or they just couldn't get use of the same area where they wanted to from up in hotham
00:20:42
Speaker
It's a fast 3K add-on then. It is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's downhill rather than uphill as well. So yeah it's not the worst ah the worst way, but it will be ah be stretching me, I think. So, yeah. But but I'm excited and, like, I think Triple Top's gave me a lot of – a lot of positive feedback um and I was really happy with with how it went.
00:21:04
Speaker
Nutrition was a bit hard, so yeah, but I just haven't done that running at hard intensity for a while and or really many runs with nutrition because I haven't been running. So yeah, I'll just try and be a bit more careful on top of that for but GSCR, I think.
Preparation and Strategy for Upcoming Races
00:21:21
Speaker
ah so Question, for your long runs that you have been doing, even if they're like 75 minutes, are you fueling them at the moment? Yeah, I was fueling them because I knew I had to try and do a race um and I was fueling them specifically with gels. Like usually I would ah would maybe still fuel a 60 to 90-minute run but just take a few snakes or something like that.
00:21:41
Speaker
um But I was specifically fueling them with what I use for race so that I was sort of training my body a little bit. But that being said, I did before triple tops, I did a 75 minute run and an hour 55 run.
00:21:54
Speaker
That's all I did. That was long enough over. it That was all my runs over an hour. So um I didn't have many chances to practice it, I guess. Before that, I haven't done anything since August.
00:22:07
Speaker
Looking back, knowing you had get ready for taking it ah intensity, the kind of i know abbreviated sessions, like intro kind of sessions that you had done, would you fuel them now knowing what you know how you felt?
00:22:21
Speaker
Potentially. I didn't really do much intensity. Like I did one run where I did two lots of five-minute sort of tempo pace and one where I did some hill intervals, which I can't imagine trying to take a gel in the middle of full-out hill intervals. That would be maybe asking for a vomit.
00:22:35
Speaker
um But, the and yeah, I don't know, just maybe like because I was busy and stuff. Like I guess if it was my number one focus, I would have. But like I was going after work. I took a few snakes with me and hadn't had them to film me, but I wasn't doing anything too crazy.
00:22:50
Speaker
Yeah. All right, it's good. it like Do you think that given given the way the Achilles has responded to this, it could actually be like a positive stimulus for Achilles? I'm hoping so. I'm hoping so. And I wonder, if like, because it was was quite uneven. it felt it feels good on the climbing.
00:23:06
Speaker
It's not too bad on the climbing. It felt good on the descents. Like, it wasn't an issue in any particular place. And Triple Tops has a bit of everything apart from probably a lot of being able to run very fast or the fastest you can for two hours I guess so it doesn't have that sort of flat open trail much but there is a bit of uphill on a road at the start and there's some downhills that are pretty flowy that you can get going it just doesn't have a lot but that being said I felt pretty good and flowy on the couple of flat sections there is um but yeah I think GSER will have a lot more very runnable terrain so it will probably be
00:23:43
Speaker
different. um But yeah, I've been doing my long runs in Dandenongs, which have similar sort of run ability, I guess. Yeah, okay. Because I was goingnna i was i was wondering that because GSER is such a different course. Like is there a chance that it's actually worse for the Achilles than something like triple tops where you're not?
00:24:00
Speaker
Potentially. Potentially. That's why I was a little less worried about triple tops because I knew that it would be slower pace. Like my pace was like 640 or something like that. Like overall it's a slower pace.
00:24:12
Speaker
um That being said, all of my training was probably more geared towards GSER because just the trails I have access to close. And um I hadn't gone further afield to run on technical stuff, which probably meant I was a bit underprepared for triple tops. But i was I was happy to do that. Like I was just wanting to get through these races, not be my 100% prepared because I couldn't be 100% prepared.
00:24:34
Speaker
yeah But I think that's why I'm so sore. I'm like literally my entire body is sore. my so Every stabilizing muscle, like coughing, deep breathing, I'm like, oh, my ribs are sore. Like literally my muscles between my ribs, my abs, my lats, like my deltoids. I don't know why my deltoids hurt, but like literally everything hurts.
00:24:55
Speaker
It's crazy. yeah But there's so much like reaching and pushing off rocks and and helping yourself down cliffs and stuff that you're using your arms and triple tops that it definitely gave my body a full body workout. And if I wanted to do really well triple tops, like I'm 12 minutes off the fastest I've done,
00:25:11
Speaker
And a lot of that I think is some of it is fitness. Some of it is I think you just have to have done a lot of recent stuff on quite technical terrain. And if I was going to do that in Melbourne, I'd be going to Lerderdug or Cathedral, somewhere where it's like really technical.
00:25:26
Speaker
Yeah. So is there a reason you're doing GSER so soon after? ah Because there's not that many high-profile-ish races in the back half of the year and I needed it to fit two in.
00:25:38
Speaker
Yeah. So I didn't have as many options. my but I guess my two choices, like after GSER there's UTK, but they're the really the only two. There's not much in December that you could do. The Mount Buller Skyrun, but it probably didn't fit the bill for what I needed to do.
00:25:55
Speaker
yeah So, yeah, I had to – I was choosing between GSER and UTK, and I decided although GSER is a week earlier – I think the 50k UTK ends up being on a Friday or a Thursday anyway. I should be on a 50k anyway.
00:26:12
Speaker
Yeah, I was going to say. No, no, sorry, I meant the 30k. The 30k, sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking at the 50k. I was looking at the 30k is what I meant. Sorry, I misspoke. yeah I definitely, I was complaining about running thirty k I'm definitely not running fifty I know.
00:26:28
Speaker
As soon as you said that, I'm like, no, no, don't go back to old Brody, please. but that Yeah, no, gcr GCR is also close. So it was more like if I had to pull the pin, it's easy one to pull the pin because I don't have to book accommodation. It's drivable. There's no flights involved. Like,
00:26:43
Speaker
If I decide I'm not doing it, it's I'll probably still go up because some of my athletes are running it. um And I'll just watch because I can just, yeah, it's it's much easier from that side of things.
00:26:54
Speaker
And I've always wanted to go to GSER, so I'm excited. No, no, it makes sense. It makes sense. I guess just in the back of my head, I'm like, I hope that the double whammy isn't what isn't good for the Achilles. Yeah. There's not going to be much training between now and next week in terms of like, I tripleops is it is a stimulus and like i'll do a long run at the end of this week but again it'll probably just be around two hours like i'm not going to go crazy um i'm not going to try and run like two and a half or three hours before gscr so i'm mostly focused on recovery i want to get a few gym sessions in because i was struggling to get them in before triple tops because it's a bit sick um so yeah i'm hoping to do a couple of them and then and then i'm back into a taper i guess the race is on a saturday so
00:27:37
Speaker
um yeah yeah i don't really have that many days so i won't be training it's recovering and and maybe one long run and then back in back into race No, it makes sense. If you weren't coming in with the injuries and same goes for you as well, like you're doing a race, you've got a week off, then you've got a race.
00:27:53
Speaker
What what do you would you normally try and do in that period? bright guess it probably depends on the – like it always depends like what the focuses of the races are. Like if it's two races that have equal weighting and I'm very um focusing a lot on both, you essentially, from from my point of view, train for that period being a competition period. So like – you're just training to that.
00:28:17
Speaker
That's your goal. So you probably taper into the first race a full taper and then it's just about recovery and a little bit of turning the legs over. And I wouldn't even think of trying to do any training.
00:28:29
Speaker
I guess if you use the first race as a build to the second race, it's a bit different. But um if if you're doing both of them really hard, I think it's about recovery and then you might just do a couple of key things to keep the systems turning over, but you've already done the work.
00:28:45
Speaker
So you don't need to do any more work. um So, yeah, I'm in a bit of a weird situation because I'm sort of half rehabbing still as well. But I have an athlete who ah ran GPT, the stage race, and he's doing GCR 28 as well.
00:29:00
Speaker
And he's not going to do a whole heap between now and then. It's mostly about recovery. And he'll do a few things just to keep the the systems ticking over, but nothing nothing crazy. Yeah. So similar in some ways, like you've got to look at it for me. Like I've done heaps of now back-to-back racing, um often actually only a week apart, but sometimes two weeks.
Racing Strategies and Recovery
00:29:20
Speaker
But ah For me, it's it's looking at it like you you're not trying to gain fitness, like you're not going to gain fitness in between the two, but you can lose sharpness.
00:29:32
Speaker
um So what I look at, the like I have a pretty set rhythm of what I do. in terms of like two days before the first race will be my last session, but it's ah it's a lighter session, but it'll still have some upticks in it.
00:29:46
Speaker
um The day before the first race, still doing my strides and then racing. um And I will always make sure the day after that first race, I do do a very easy jog.
00:29:57
Speaker
um And if I take a day off, it'll be two days after just to make sure that I'm getting the body moving. um But it's usually for me, if say it's a week, when it's a week apart, I look at it as um three days of recovery. So if it's a Sunday ri race, that would be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Wednesday.
00:30:15
Speaker
Thursday I'd still do a session and to be honest, that would be a decent-ish session um in the way that like I would – the way it becomes decent-ish is usually because I want to be really warmed up for whatever reps I do.
00:30:30
Speaker
um So it's like easy jogging into that for those three days and then sharpening. um So it might be so like – some 2K tempo reps and then some shorter reps of whatever or uphills or whatever, um, before then essentially rinse and repeat. So I have at times actually done, um,
00:30:51
Speaker
And I think it was, was it Lara Hamilton I did this with? But I've done um a few goes of like um kind of two sessions in a row. So I would do three days rest, a like tempo-ish kind of session. So not a hard session, but getting the legs moving again.
00:31:08
Speaker
And then the next day doing, say, some one-minute efforts. Yep. Like one minute on 30 seconds off. And that would be two days out from the race and then the normal taper into the next race if it's one week. If it's two weeks for me, I actually try and get a week in the middle of those two weeks that feels like a semi-normal training week purely because that is what feels like it then keeps me in rhythm um and it keeps me from feeling stale in any way. So it might look like three days of recovery, a week of training,
00:31:40
Speaker
um like normal training as it would normally look, long session, hard session, long run, et cetera. um And then however many days left, that leaves to taper three or four um in that way. So, yeah, it's like walking the line because doing nothing isn't going to help because you can become pretty stiff and stale pretty quick.
00:32:01
Speaker
but And I also do look at any training I do in that block between, Like I know I need to recover really well out of that competition period. So you kind of look at it as, yes, I'm a bit exhausted. I know my legs are a bit tired, but often they actually feel better after doing a session and then they feel better in the race, but then you're even more exhausted after the second race. Yeah. um So it's just having to count ah like ah account for that in your recovery after the second race um if you're doing both to your full capacity. Yeah.
00:32:32
Speaker
Yeah, interesting. Golden Trail never did more than two in a close succession, did they? um or No, not in what in super close succession.
00:32:42
Speaker
um No, the first time I did Golden Trail, I think I did – they didn't have the two-week blocks constantly. um And then I did Marathon de Montblanc, Dolomites, and Sierre Zanale, but I think there might have been like five weeks for three of them or something. so um yeah but yeah it's a curious one like seeing how how you get your own body into the right state again like I'm sure what works for you might not work for Brady might not work for me it might be very close but like yeah there's different options but it's not it's not It's not like it's not doable. I get the question all the time, like how close can I put a tune up race next to my a race or can I do these two things close together? And it's like, uh, depends, but from my point of view, it depends on the recovery. Like, especially with the tune up race, I get that question a lot. Like, but I've done, or even just like your last sort of like longer effort.
00:33:33
Speaker
Um, cause I know like, if you look at a traditional, maybe marathon taper, their taper are pretty hard. Yeah. Or they're like all long tapers. um and And they were like, oh, we never run longer than three hours or we never learn longer than 40k's like you you hear that a little bit um whereas i'm like if you if you match the recovery correctly and it's a bit hard in ultra but if you're training for a 12-hour race um i i'm not against doing something that's sort of five six hours two weeks out um yeah yeah as long as you match the recovery properly but it all depends on the person and where they're coming from as well there's so many individual variations
00:34:15
Speaker
And that's the thing is like I've recognized my individual variation is that me and tapers, like I don't really need them. um And i've I've learned that through experience in in a lot of ways.
00:34:26
Speaker
um But like I have so many examples, like even this year, I ran 5K as a training race and was one second off my PB the day after a four hour forty two k long run like and the last time i ran that time i was tapered in sharpened in ready to go going for that time and then this time it was like it just came out it's fine but then like um that all the way back to when i first got into running which actually One thing I have done in this little break, I've gone and gotten every single thing from my old Fitbit and and Garmin's onto Strava, which takes forever.
00:35:01
Speaker
But it means that I've got all of my first two marathon builds on there and I was a doofus. But also it was like before my 307 marathon, which was at the time, like if you looked at my training, you'd go, that's not going to happen.
00:35:16
Speaker
It was like 5K tempo two days out, 2K tempo the day before. I think think I did a tempo the day before that 5K and my last long run was really long and hard. Like I think just and then when my current marathon PB, Tim called me and because it was just before a lockdown.
00:35:32
Speaker
Tim called called me and told me we get we were going to race the map like my lockdown marathon two days before I did it. So I had a 48-hour taper and my long run the week before that marathon was 44K.
00:35:44
Speaker
So it was just like zero taper essentially. And because of how those sorts of things have gone and then how things have usually gone when I taper, I'm a bit like, I need to stay in rhythm.
00:35:55
Speaker
But then you speak to Jess. Jess is perfect example of the opposite um where she like, gains energy from not from like knowing that her body's rested yeah whereas i don't know what my body does but it doesn't doesn't get energy I think it also depends on the event and what you're doing.
00:36:15
Speaker
um Like I was talking to Ian Best about um the VK that he did it fully and like he ran faster in his preparation a few days out than he did on the day. and And we were talking about maybe he tapered too hard, especially for something like that where you just literally like it doesn't matter if you have a little bit of tightness or a little bit of accumulated fatigue because it's a short thing.
00:36:39
Speaker
Whereas maybe for a four-hour race, it's it's a different story. So, yeah, I think it's interesting. And you see people like ah like I've seen Remy Benet for the um Golden Trail races.
00:36:50
Speaker
Often, actually, they're doing a VK or some sort of race the day before. Or if they're not doing that, you'll still see Remy go out for like 12K run where he does 500 meters avert.
00:37:01
Speaker
Whereas... In the past, I would be scared to do something like that because I know I've got to come down 500 metres. But I guess depending on what you're doing and and how your body's conditioned, um some of those things are appropriate. So, yeah, it's interesting. There's not one way to taper and it depends on the event, depends on the person.
00:37:18
Speaker
there's ah There's so many variables. There's one thing I've observed, though, is like I've observed a lot of elites tapers for lots of different races. Not many people taper that much on trail. yeah um And like, oh, I think back to Meow Yow winning um OCC last year.
00:37:34
Speaker
I did a session with her on the Sunday and then I did a two-hour long run with her on the Monday. She goes and wins on Thursday. And that two-hour long run was an effort. Like she sends me like we're doing two hours at this heart rate.
00:37:45
Speaker
And I was like, well, you're three days out from your race, but sure. like if this is And that was the day after a six-by-five-minute hard uphill where she's going for it. Oh, no, she wasn't she wasn't going for it. I was you were going for it to keep up with her.
00:37:59
Speaker
But she was working. Like, it wasn't as if she was going easy. So it was a bit like, as i but I was just through observation. And then when I was like, what are you doing tomorrow? She's like a double run. And then yeah what are you doing the next day? Another session the day before the race, but a light one. And I'm a bit like, okay. like i And went the more I travel with a lot of these elite athletes and a lot of the things, but see what they do between races personally,
00:38:21
Speaker
I look at a lot of the sessions and the things they do in between ah when there's only one week between races. Like I've seen people do six by 2K hard session in between two races when it's like oh so six or seven days apart.
00:38:34
Speaker
And my brain would have used to go, oh my gosh, like how could you do that? Like that sounds like way too much. And now I'm a bit like, no, okay, I see it. It makes sense. So, yeah.
00:38:44
Speaker
Yeah. It's it and definitely something like I i see, I guess I'm saying from that is that whenever I'm speaking to one of my athletes, and I kind of go, okay, obviously we've got the demands of the event. Like put that to a side, the taper should be structured around that.
00:38:58
Speaker
But like you've got to consider your normalized load. So like where are you coming from? Because if you – if we all followed the exact same taper we were all coming from a different starting point even just for the exact same event and i i'm with you brady and sim is what you're saying as well like the old three week marathon style taper i think has ruined more races than it's probably saved the only reason i think you need a three-week taper is if you're coming in absolutely cooked and you are like trying to save your block because you've just gone way too greedy on it peak too early train etc
00:39:32
Speaker
um Like I'm finding basically what you're saying is like between five to 14 days, depending on the person, depending the event. But even then it's like you're keeping the same frequency most of the time, like the same runs on the same days.
00:39:45
Speaker
If someone starts to feel a little bit sluggish, a bit stale, then you put in some more intensity. And if they're feeling a little bit, too peppy in their step then you might take out some strides for a day or just change the intensity a little bit to make a bit more aerobic but less speed focus but it's yeah it's definitely something that i think we're it's good to experiment yeah i think people forget that the taper is mostly reduced volume not reduced you're not reducing the intensity you're not reducing the frequency per se it's it's often like like sims but i disagree with you No, even Sim was talking before about her sessions. The sessions she's doing, they're not full sessions. They're still sessions, but she's not doing a full session.
00:40:22
Speaker
And I wasn't about to disagree with her more. i was about to say that, like, people also forget that a taper, when you look at the science, might add two to five different max to your... Like, you could not taper and your max on that day might be 2% worse, be 5% worse.
00:40:40
Speaker
might be five percent worse Like, you're not... you you could, and that's the thing that I keep, I always ruled remind myself when things haven't gone perfect into a race or like, like it i not even perfect. It's just like, okay, like the tapers, like on a two hour race, the tapers a couple of minutes, like maybe.
00:41:00
Speaker
um And that's provided nothing else goes wrong. Like there's other things that can take a lot more percentage off or add a lot more percentage on than a taper. So Yeah. And I think you've got to also weigh up the mental side of a taper as well. Cause some people, whether it's good or bad, if you take away too much intensity volume, you take away a run and that
James's Return to Running
00:41:20
Speaker
can have more detrimental effects of how either how much pressure you put on yourself for the race, your level of anxiety, pre-race, you might feel like you've switched off, burn out, whatever it is that like the physical side of it is it's yeah, it's relevant. It's good to get it right, but it's not like the end of the world. If you come in a little bit heavy legged, I'd probably say it's better than the other way around.
00:41:38
Speaker
Yeah, I think early days on my running, my coach was very – he recognised that a lot because as soon as I started to taper for anything, I was like, no, I'm not fit anymore. I can't race anymore. And so he just had me train straight through races, zero taper, and I raced great.
00:41:51
Speaker
Yeah. And it was like that worked for me at the time. there's a bit We know that you can – You still have really great sessions or runs where you take segments or whatever you do. You have days where you have great training sessions when you're in the middle of your full training. So you know that you can perform when you're in your full training. And I think that sort of stuff is important to remember that.
00:42:11
Speaker
yeah The taper is is not the be all and end all. Yeah. yeah Yeah. and Interesting. James, we haven't heard from you. I haven't heard from ages. Yeah. So so to to to catch you, of someone you' been i think I think it has been four weeks because I think this is i think this is my fourth week.
00:42:28
Speaker
doing hosting it anyway um so did the 12 weeks off for stress fracture we added another two weeks because we had a scan and there's still a little bit mild stress in there yeah um today was run walk number one so we're week 15 it's was one one minute walk sorry one minute run seven minutes walk so it It doesn't really feel like I'm returning to running, although I am doing the jogging motion. So it does feel good from that perspective. But I think last I've become very much of a weekend warrior, more so from just time availability, because I've been trying to ride and riding just takes so much time.
00:43:09
Speaker
Yeah, it does. I can't just go out the door really here. Like it's on the road. I don't want to do that. So last week was, last week was good fun. actually woke up this morning and my legs were absolutely trashed. did two, two, two and a half hour rides back to back on the weekend over gravel. Um, which for me was, was ah like a lot and actually enjoyed it.
00:43:29
Speaker
And it was nice to wake up and be like, Oh, my legs have done some work. This is, this is a good feeling. Um, so, But yeah, nice so first first return to run today, felt it feels great, the running. like ah don't feel It's the same the first time around. Mechanically, I probably feel more efficient coming back than I did whilst I'm running because I've spent so much time in the gym working on all these things that you don't normally put that much emphasis on during like your actual training. Yeah.
00:43:59
Speaker
Yeah, it, the first time around unintentionally ran most of my like intervals a bit quick, not still probably slower than what I would typically run an easy or maybe around my easy pace, but just unnecessary.
00:44:14
Speaker
So this time, like being very conscious, like I'm trying to run at five thirties, which is probably more than a minute, a minute ish slower than I would normally run if I was just not thinking about it. Um,
00:44:27
Speaker
So has someone told you to slow yeah down? Yeah, so luke Luke Nelson, who if you're listening to this and you would like to go listen to him, we just released a podcast with him. He's ah sports chiro. He's the one that's been looking after me the whole year. He's also a running and strength coach. He's going to take over my coaching for at least the first six months of this so that I don't do anything stupid. And my...
00:44:48
Speaker
coached before all this, Tim Locke, like I'm not expecting him to have the knowledge to not make me do anything stupid um went from from this because it is a bit of a complex case. yeah um And then I'm going to be, it's like the same return to run, but this time, and I asked Luke just to ah kind of clarify for me because I also wanted to, I made an assumption which was right, but I'm going to repeat every single return to run.
00:45:10
Speaker
so What i did today, i will do again on Wednesday and then it will, in this case, reduce the walk interval. Do that on Friday, repeat that on Sunday and just do every second day four if we do it that way, it'll probably take six or seven weeks to get to continuous running without any walk breaks. but Yeah, yeah.
00:45:29
Speaker
Again. I only ask because like um ah on most of my return to runs, like the the team I've had looking after me have actually told me to run well and faster, not plod.
00:45:43
Speaker
But I think it depends on sort of like part of my problem was it was fatigued running form was what was causing like my sacral stressy. It was based on fatigued form doing that. So it was a bit, I don't know if that makes it, if it makes a difference, but I was pretty much told like, yeah, you can run fast.
00:46:03
Speaker
Yeah, okay. I think for me, it's, ah Luke just basically said that we need to give my body more time to adapt to the, and because but but because the bone density changes are taking so long to have an effect, because it's just they're being, from what understand, being stripped very quickly.
00:46:18
Speaker
um that we yeah going so and I've always found I completely disagree with anybody that says they can't run slow like I will quite happily go and jog along with a friend who runs at seven minute pace and it's just like yeah okay it might feel a little bit like restricted but it's if you can't run slow you you're lying to yourself is my is my opinion so I I quite like I'm quite happy to run and like I'll run with um with Shiv like her easy pace compared to her race pace is really chilled so we'll go for a run at 5 30s 5 it's how her recovery run and that feels really nice to run with people at 6 6 30 so running at 5 30 just feels like I'm putting less power into the ground but I'm still running with my normal form
00:46:58
Speaker
But that's exactly it. So people, well, you won't be running with your normal, like youre running with a lower range of motion. So range of motion is what changes from in different speeds. Like, and you can see that someone running on a track looks like they're kicking their butt.
00:47:12
Speaker
ah No, you don't ever see that when running five minute K's or slower on it, like any, even in the pro. So what you see is like a lower range of motion for what you're doing and still feet. And the people that I've observed that say they can't run slow when I'm, I'm looking at them,
00:47:29
Speaker
and coaching them. It's like, They're trying to still put the same power into the ground and still use the same amount of range in terms of the kickback of their legs, et cetera, but just hit the ground slower, like as in less, as opposed to same number of steps in the minute, but they're all lower power steps and they're all just lighter, easier steps. And yes yes, your leg's not kicking back as much and your knee's not driving forward as much and you'll notice the oscillation is like just not as big.
00:47:59
Speaker
Yeah. but It's just if you just decrease the range of motion. And like it i always, I usually get people to do it by like, okay, you're just pitter pattering. Like, pretend you're going up a steep hill and you're trying to do fast legs is usually the way I get it Because then everyone decreases their range of motion going up a hill because the efficiency aspect.
00:48:17
Speaker
So it's like you've just got to adopt the form of going up a hill with fast feet and lower, um like not being bouncing off the ground too much to go slower. And everyone can do it when you actually it somehow.
00:48:29
Speaker
Yeah. I'm guessing, Brodie, by by the laughter from you, you do do you feel the same way? Well, I used to think the same way, but there is some there is some different. Obviously, people run in different ways um and the mechanics are slightly different. So, some yes, I believe most people can run slower than they think they can run ah for the reasons you guys have talked about, but people will have I think there will be some normal variation in the the differences of people at the same ability level, what the slowest pace they, even if they practice a bit that they could run at just because of their forms are different.
00:49:06
Speaker
um So that, that, that's probably the main thing. So like, but yes, I agree in, in essence with what you're saying. um yeah And yes, James, the same, i would suggest that for most bone stress, although I'm not elected, this is,
00:49:19
Speaker
I'm a hospital physiotherapist, remember everyone, not a private physiotherapist. um But I think because it is reducing the force of each impact, the running slower is generally, I think, probably the recommendation to start with the return to run because you're the bone doesn't have to take as much force with each hit.
00:49:41
Speaker
um So, yeah, I think that's a good approach for you to start with. When I had my stress fracture, In 2022, I did the same and my physio was very on top of me, like running slower. And I'm i'm not too bad at it. I'm the same as you. I'm comfortable running at six minute Ks, that sort of stuff.
00:49:58
Speaker
um So it wasn't too much of an issue. um But then this time around, when I had just my simple, bit more simple bone stress, um I didn't feel like it was as big an issue ah to to really drop the speed. So it probably depends a little bit on the severity and the location of the injury.
00:50:16
Speaker
If it's in a more, ah If the issue became around more around weight-bearing, hitting the ground type of stuff compared to um maybe Sims was a bit different with ah her sacrum and the way she was running, um then if it's a purely like a tibia or a femur or um even a metatarsal, then some of those ones are probably like they would benefit from slower running to start with.
00:50:40
Speaker
Yeah, it makes sense. And it works out really well because each time I've done a return to run, so is my dog. And so Alfie, found he comes along. He normally like he can get to about the 30, 45 minutes or they will see with summer.
00:50:54
Speaker
It's yeah, which is which is very cute. It makes it it gives me some company on on the runs, which is nice. Love that. I'm excited to see you Strava today, James. It was good. yeah Yeah. or It's always nice when, like, you know, not that people actually kind of care as well. Yeah. Like, I think that's a nice thing about social media is that people will comment and say like, oh, this is great. We're really happy to see this.
00:51:16
Speaker
And I think Strava is probably better for that, or at least we're not going to really attract too many people thinking negatively towards us um or yeah block them. But, um and we've also... We've just had today our house settled.
00:51:29
Speaker
So I'm officially living in a rented house now yeah as of today. So that's that's exciting. I'm very glad this process is nearly done. Just the whole moving bit next, but yes. yeah Good work. Good work.
00:51:41
Speaker
yeah Awesome. Fill me in on what's have been happening in the running world. A quick break in the show to thank Bix. Bix has just come out with their 30 gram gel in two brand new flavors. This is a new gel, new flavors. You've got the choice of the salted strawberry or the berry. The salted strawberry is also packing 300 milligrams of sodium as an increase, whereas the berry has 200 milligrams. Both make them perfect for the conditions we have in Australia, whereas most gels on the market do not have sodium within them.
00:52:10
Speaker
What Bix has done here is take the recipe for the gels that work so well, that 1.8 ratio that is very, very friendly on the stomach and added a soft, subtle, but very tasty twist that you can dial in your race day and your training nutrition to that extra fine detail.
00:52:25
Speaker
As you know, Bix has been supporting the show from the start and it literally helps keep the podcast coming to you every week. So if you want to support the show, level up your own nutrition game, head over to the Bix website, use our brand new code PEAK, P-E-A-K for 20% off at checkout.
00:52:40
Speaker
And with that, let's get back to the show.
International Race Highlights
00:52:42
Speaker
Yeah, so start i overseas now. the that There's a race in the States called Tunnel Hill. From what I understand, it's a trail slash very, very fast dirt road.
00:52:56
Speaker
um They use it for the 50 mile, 100 mile. records and On the women's side, both the 100-mile and 50-mile world records were just broken. So, Katrina Jennings from Ireland, she just ran 12.37 for the 100-mile, breaking Camille Heron's 2017 record at 12.42. So, it was saying offline before we got on, any anyone that's breaking a Camille Heron record in that sort of style of race is very, very impressive. The pace for that one – um had was 4.42 per K for 100 miles, which is pretty and pretty impressive. And on the women's side, this one actually, but don't know, I'm curious which one you guys think is is more impressive from like hearing the pace perspective.
00:53:37
Speaker
But Anne Flower broke her own record. She in the 50 miles, she ran 5.18.57, bringing it down from 5.31.56, which 3.57 pace. damn.
00:53:46
Speaker
is' a three fifty seven pace
00:53:50
Speaker
Do you reckon the difference in paces between the 50 mile, like running 357 for the 50 mile or running 442 for the 100 mile? before i just just Just hearing the paces, which one sounds more impressive?
00:54:02
Speaker
Hang on. So half of the 50 miles. couldn't do either of them. flat knowing that But half of the 50 miles, I'm just um doing maths here, and half of the 50 miles a marathon and the women's marathon pace record, what is it?
00:54:14
Speaker
Three. Well, we're ignoring Ruth. yeah Yep. and ga So it would be 212 essentially, which is three tens, give or take.
00:54:28
Speaker
It's pretty good because if you look at 310s to 357s, that's 47 seconds. And then 357s to 440s, it's double the distance again and it's adding another 40 seconds. Like I have no idea if that scales well. I don't know if that math is correct. That's right. We'll go with that. It's better logic than I could come with.
00:54:49
Speaker
Yeah, but either way, and i think I think there's something about being sub four that when I saw that and I thought the idea of running 50 miles at sub four pace, was like, wow, that is incredibly impressive. Yeah, something about saying 50 miles though, I feel like I need to say 80 Ks. Like compared to 100 miles, what 100 miles but like,
00:55:07
Speaker
80K sounds crazy compared to like 50 miles makes me just think it's 50K. It's great distance. Like i I know that when I can not allow anyone in the States to say this as well, but I feel like the 50 mile or 80K distance is one that I wish that we would see more of in trail running.
00:55:23
Speaker
So does this 50 mile 160 meters gain and loss? Yeah, I think that's quite a bit. Damn. damn Okay. That's not much.
00:55:34
Speaker
Yeah. Flutter than Ballarat. I was going to say, there's plenty of relatively flat marathons that have more than that. Yeah, it's the Valencia of the States, apparently.
00:55:47
Speaker
Wow. Okay. Man, they're both so impressive. I love seeing. And like the fact that they both both took down their records by quite a ways in some ways. So like it wasn't close. No, and I think that Anne Flower, she took down her own record from a year ago. I feel like breaking Camille's record in 2017 for Catarina was pretty pretty impressive there. So that's kind of the the international news as such. More locally, we have quite a big weekend of racing. I think GPT being...
00:56:15
Speaker
being the main one, um the 100 mile, which is the GPT-100, also the Ultra 100 mile championships. We had Caleb Olsen come out.
00:56:27
Speaker
like the From what I can understand, talking people as well, the conditions were pretty good this year. They got very cold overnight. i think I saw few people drop out, um but there was no no lightning, no extreme heat.
00:56:39
Speaker
and So like they they didn't, they could run the whole race. It doesn't seem to have slowed them down. And if anything, I think it's really split it up, especially when you start looking at the 50K results. But Caleb Olsen, he won the men's in It's taking ah two hours, 40 minutes off Michael Dunstan's course record.
00:56:58
Speaker
George and Knight, I have so much credit for this guy. Goes out with Caleb Olsen for about the first 50K or so. They come through the 50K mark only about, think it was 17 minutes slower than Peter Frano wins the 50K in the day before.
00:57:14
Speaker
So 4.48 beats Brody's time from last year, like really, really quick. And we were messaging Brody, Ben and I from the preview show, we had a chat and I was like, i seeing George go out that that hot, my best guess was that he wasn't going to finish because it just seemed way too fast.
00:57:33
Speaker
And I was like, but I would love to get disproved. And he held on like 23-16, ends up just shy of two hours behind Caleb. But twenty three sixteen also takes near as damn it 50 minutes, 45 minutes off what Michael Dunstan ran. Granted, different weather conditions, but Even so, very impressive. And i don't know his's actual at age, but i know in the youth category. So he's under 23. Is he under 23? Really? That's what the results were showing was he was in he was in the youth. There's youth.
00:58:00
Speaker
I didn't know what the youth category was. yeah oh That's crazy. I thought he was like mid-20s. and then it was like mid twenty wow And then rounding out the podium, Steve Miller, ah twenty three forty one so also under the old course record. And that was him and Tom Dade were going back and forth quite a bit. And then in the last i probably 20, 30K, Steve really put a gap on opening up about an hour lead on Tom Dade, who came in fourth.
00:58:26
Speaker
On the women's side, this was... I think it was essentially a gun to tape, you would say, win for Manu Chung. She 27-58-45.
00:58:37
Speaker
Then it was a real cool battle for the first Australian. Nicole Patton and Lou Clifton going back and forth a few times in this one. Nicole eventually won out 29-12-30 and then Lou 30-24-27. I had a chat to Nicole afterwards. She was like, this was definitely harder than Worlds.
00:58:55
Speaker
and so like yeah and she quite enjoys her 60 to 100k distance so yeah but when you think about like in the preview one of the the big conversation was Nicole has done so many 100k's and never done a miler I think even with all that experience to actually get your first miler, whether she nailed it or not, like had a great time, sub 30 hours on that course is very, very impressive run from her and a very impressive run from Lou as well to to round out the podium.
00:59:23
Speaker
I think, yeah, she DNF'd, I think in year one, 2023. So cool to see her get to the finish and get on the podium as well. Do you know what happened to Bridie? It looks like she was in second for a good portion of the early stuff.
00:59:37
Speaker
Yeah, from what I understand, she just got too cold overnight. So she, and I haven't heard this from her, but from what I and understand, she didn't get the layers on quite fast enough. and then even with like loads of layers on, just couldn't get herself back warm again.
00:59:50
Speaker
um i think it did. Yeah, that's what she said on Estrada as well. Yeah. yeah yeah um In the 50K, so this one, I've already said in the men's, we had Peter Ferrano take the win, 429.20. I think Mikey's course record was 436, 437. Yeah, something that.
01:00:11
Speaker
Taking eight minutes off, which I don't know, if I was Mikey two years ago with no one to race against, I would feel pretty happy with that performance. think kind of cements how good of a run that was back then.
01:00:23
Speaker
Yeah, I think he was coming into – he was just coming into good – that was like when he really started takeoff. And I think, yeah, like you said, it was it was a great run. And, yeah, without a watch, without anyone around him and probably worse conditions, I think it was still a bit warm in Mikey's year. So, yeah, definitely a great time. and And this is like people from the the world level that are running faster than And then second place, Dan Jones. Dan did do the stage race, um but the 50K kind of counts for that first day. So he was second in 431.55. Ricardo Cherta, who did did the 50K and then decided to do stage two, 432.32. And then first Australian, Thomas Banks, 438.21.
01:01:04
Speaker
So just a minute off Mike DiMuentes' time. And this was great to see. We said, in the again, in the preview, we really wanted Tom to go for this because we felt like there was a performance like this out there. And, you know,
01:01:15
Speaker
yeah He's just absolutely smashed that. Yeah, it was super super good run from Tom. um I think, like we just said, how good Mikey's time was and what level he was on at that time. And um to be like just shy of that, um I think, yeah, it's super impressive. And we can sort of see it coming.
01:01:31
Speaker
um But, it's yeah, it's it's cool for him to sort of get get a good one like that on um the books. Yeah. Even though he's fourth, he still he still hasn't got that win yet. but he couldn't He wasn't probably expecting to get the win at GPT. I'm sure there's a win around the corner.
01:01:45
Speaker
I feel like there's definitely a win around the corner like to yeah you take away that international field and domestically that's an incredible performance and definitely don't want to get lost in the fact that he didn't make the podium because of how good of a run that was on the women's side uh 505 59 which is a bit ridiculous doesn't surprise me at all I think that it's like I think me and Brady were chatting about this last year I've only just seen it um but um But, yeah, I'm assuming it was much cooler than last year. um Yeah, a lot. It's pretty good conditions, I think, for the 50K particularly, especially because it doesn't have that cold element either. like it was yeah It was starting to warm up, but, again, the the people who were running out the front probably didn't really get much of the heat. heat it sort of I think it got warmer in the afternoon maybe, but it still wasn't too hot.
01:02:34
Speaker
Yeah, okay, nice. Wasn't the whatever we were blessed with. No, and not quite the same. 40 degrees feel. um But um no, this like, i love Fu Xiaoxiang, she's amazing, but um Yeah, it was like my course record was never going to stand in a year where it was cool enough because even I went in last year. Like I know what how slow I was moving last year, but I went into last year thinking in good conditions I want to get as close to five hours as possible.
01:03:01
Speaker
Like I looked at it and went, Mikey's run 4.37, add half an hour. That's what I'm aiming for kind of deal. And then it was like on the day, every single thing possible. Like it wasn't going to happen with already the conditions, but then I went five and a half hours.
01:03:15
Speaker
We'll see if that works. And then it was like, like so it's like Fuzhou running 505, absolutely brilliant run on that terrain and absolutely love it. But it's just like, makes me so happy that someone's proven that that can be done.
01:03:29
Speaker
um I think there's part of me where it was just like, no, I know how fast women can move on this course. And I know it's, like Like someone will break five hours very soon because it's more than possible.
01:03:42
Speaker
um And the mark from the last couple of years was too far away for my liking for what women are capable of and too far away from where the men had been. So I'm glad it was Fuzhou that brought it close. Yeah.
01:03:53
Speaker
Yeah, like brilliant run. And i think what we were talking about is that we now we've had these international level and like top international level runners over here. On this course, we now we have these benchmarks now yeah where if you're coming in, Sim, and you're like, ah cool.
01:04:09
Speaker
I now have Fuziao's time. I have her splits. I know that that is what it takes. yeah Let's see what happens, which is which is really cool. um Following Fuziao, Lucy Bartholomew, this was, yeah, after four peaks, talk about tapering.
01:04:23
Speaker
Comes in second place, 5.15.45. So just 10 minutes back from Fuzhou. That was yeah very, very impressive from her. And then Maggie Lennox rounding out the podium in 5.40.11, beating Marcella Vasanova, who was in fourth.
01:04:38
Speaker
That a great run for Maggie. I'm just going to say I picked that. but Yeah, yeah. But also Lucy... Lucy, I was surprised by Lucy. Like I hadn't written her off. I still think she would have run well, but how fast she ran, I was, yeah, i think that was pretty crazy. Like I wasn't expecting her to run that quick. So, yeah. She's very on the terrain and she showed yeah what she showed already last year with how well she was moving through the mile.
01:05:03
Speaker
Well, it wasn't so much of that. It was the four peaks that she ran really hard and ran really good times at four peaks on every day. did she do that? Yeah, one one day of recovery into a 50K. So, yeah, i did obviously she's she's very good at running long distances. So maybe that means she's very good at running multiple days in a row. So, yeah, super impressive. The whole paper thing we were talking about earlier. Yeah, exactly. Well, for certain people, I don't know. I don't think I could have done that. even if i but I'm definitely not going to find my fastest 50K after four days at four peaks.
01:05:36
Speaker
um Even just like the the mental fatigue of it. Now, she does seem like somebody that thrives off – pushing herself, the attention, like you're seeing her at finish line, people are always coming up to her. And, um, but there's some point I'm assuming that has to take a little little bit out of you, but yeah, it's the, the claim I will get is I messaged you on, I think at the start, she asked me what time I thought Lucy would run. And I said, five 15 and she ran five 15, 45. there you go.
01:05:58
Speaker
yeah have the Have the text to prove it. That's all that I really care about. And, yes, I'm so happy for Maggie too. yes Yeah, no, that i was very that was such a good run for Maggie. I was talking to her a little bit before um just giving her some tips on, um like, how the course was and some bits and pieces.
01:06:16
Speaker
And, yeah, it was so good to see her pull it off off. Like she hasn't done an incredible amount of training. She's only, I think it's eight, don't know exactly how many months off the top of my head.
01:06:27
Speaker
She was born like three days before Kununye, so Feb. act nice as its boy Yeah, So it is about eight, is it? Is that right? Is my maths right? Yeah, eight. Yeah, eight months. like Whatever it was. um And I think her longest run was 37K in the lead up and she's obviously juggling motherhood and all that sort of stuff. So, yeah, I think I was really impressed. Like I think she could do a lot faster and I think she's someone who could go pretty close to five on that course when she's in her sort of best shape. So, yeah, it was it it was a really cool run to see. it was
01:06:58
Speaker
I was super happy to see that. The other thing I want to point out, and obviously the conditions are different, but last year in the women's field, only two women went sub seven hours. 13 went sub seven this year. Damn.
01:07:09
Speaker
It's really cool to see like a bit that that depth in the field. And yes, obviously there's still the gaps. Like you're comparing against
Stage Race Recap
01:07:15
Speaker
Fuzhou and Lucy. It's a pretty high benchmark to compare against. But then once you kind of get to Maggie at 540, Marcelo 551, then it was like 6, 610, 610. Like it's very quick um succession from that point.
01:07:27
Speaker
Although for anyone that ran over seven hours last year but just over, you would have been under seven this year, I promise. Just to give them all credit. That was hell. Probably anyone that ran over five hours, I reckon. Honestly. Anyone that ran over five and a half.
01:07:42
Speaker
Like it just it got hotter and hotter and hotter. Honestly, yeah. ah To anyone that did run that last year, now I'm springing back nightmares to But yeah, that that is really cool to see the depth. Even if it's just the consecutive times is really is really cool. Yeah, The other kind of key one that's going on was the stage race. and We didn't really preview this one, but we'll just want to go through the overalls. Dan Jones took the win in the men's with a total time of 16.34.29. So maybe that's the new benchmark.
01:08:12
Speaker
Maybe we can get get get Jim Wamsley over here next year and he can go for that time. she's not thing Hayden, oh, it's a hard rock qualifier and that's what Jim wants. It's good end of season race. I'm yeah putting out there.
01:08:26
Speaker
Hayden Barnett, he came second. Hayden had a great four days, 18-11-06. And like on the last day, yeah okay again, you don't you never know how hard people are pushing on the last day, but he was only nine minutes off that.
01:08:38
Speaker
So yeah, very, very solid weekend for him. And then Nick Campbell came in third with 20-54-11. On the women's side, we had Nadia Fedorova.
01:08:51
Speaker
She took out the win in Kristen Diderick, 25-18-09. And Nicole McKilliam, kristen detoric twenty five eighteen ah nine and nicole mc mcchium in 2602. I like the stage race idea.
01:09:06
Speaker
This one appeals to me. It appeals to me too. Very much. Very cool. I would put those put those into context for you. ah Let's say I think... Dan Jones, he did 1634. So if we quickly look at the team relay, which happened as well, um and there was some fast teams, particularly in the men, two quick men's teams running against each other.
01:09:29
Speaker
um They were, the O Wizards ran 151342. So they were only an hour 20 ahead of Dan and they were running full speed three guys every day.
01:09:40
Speaker
So like, it It really puts that into context. And then even Hayden's run, like I think he was about an hour faster than what Matt Cooper did in 2023. And that was where we were like Matt Cooper was, that's why we were sort of saying, oh, we think Matt, I thought Matt Cooper was in a chance for the 100 mile because that was such an impressive run. So yeah, yeah I was super impressed by Hayden, particularly his last two days. He got, he was getting closer and closer to Dan um really fast there.
01:10:05
Speaker
Yeah, Hayden's, like we've always known Hayden's got great potential. Like I always hop back to his 1D cross run a couple of years ago and then he's sort of so fell out the the training rhythm a bit and it's coming back. I'm excited to see what's what he's got in store for 2026.
01:10:20
Speaker
ah Alrighty, so that was GPT. Brody, do you want to take us through Triple Top? Yeah, I can. I can. I just lost it though. I guess actually, I know I mentioned this at the start, but obviously congratulations to Nicole and to George for taking out the 100 mile national champs. National champs, yeah. yeah yeah Yeah, that's awesome. I'm also very glad GPT finally got a good weather year. They deserved it. Yes, they do deserve it.
01:10:43
Speaker
Yeah, and it looks like they're going with the same dates next year. So they're sort of aiming for that earlier November time. So yeah, hopefully that will be the the ticket. um Yeah, so we had Triple Top Mountain Run um down in Tassie. I was down there running.
01:10:59
Speaker
it's says pretty like It's a pretty competitive field for Tasmanians, so it gets a lot of the best Tasmanian trail runners to it. um And sometimes we get some interstate people over. um But, yeah, i think it mostly Tasmanians this year. But the winner was in the men, Angus Tolson. He ran 203.49.
01:11:20
Speaker
And then in second was Sam Wolford in 204.13 and then I was in third in 205.24. um Angus was sort of out the front all day by himself. Sam came through me at the top of Mount Roland, which is sort of last climb before the big descent.
01:11:35
Speaker
um And, yeah, I couldn't see him on the descent. I saw Sam right at the end, but, it was yeah, he was too far ahead. ah So, yeah, that was a good little race between and and some David Bailey in fourth.
01:11:47
Speaker
Yeah. We'd call him out a little bit. that In the women's really quick time from Meg Sinclair, she ran 2.28.58, which, um yeah, super impressive time, I think, yeah especially the conditions being a little bit wet and muddy.
01:12:04
Speaker
um So I think there was a few minutes there. One or two-minute PB for her. Yeah, nice. Yeah, really nice. So it's a good time to go under two and a half hours. um In second place is Orientier from Hobart. She's only, I think she's only 15. She ran 242.22. So she wasn't wasn't too far behind Meg.
01:12:25
Speaker
And I think, Sim, she beat your time, but that I did clarify that it wasn't very it wasn't as quick last year. Yeah, no, I did not run fast last year. That was the year. Last year I just chucked trail tantrum after trail tantrum, smashing my way through the trails, which I love.
01:12:41
Speaker
ah But the way that sometimes the trails aren't um actually trails anymore in races. Yeah. And look, that the Triple Tops is barely a trail trail. uh anyway and then if you have it overgrown so you can't see the trail it becomes pretty difficult which is what the case was last year whereas this year because of that they went in and trimmed it quite nicely so um yeah thanks but thanks for having that experience last year sim because i had a much more enjoyable day because of it um in third place in the women's sorry it was mel clark in two hours 48 04 so yeah another another good time any air like to be honest anyone going under three hours on that course is is moving
01:13:21
Speaker
Yeah, cool. And then elsewhere in the country, I'm just going to kind of run through the winners for these ones. So the Budai Coastal run in the 21K, John Pynchon took the win 148.55 and Steph Austin took the win in the women at 203.55.
01:13:35
Speaker
Over at the Feral Pig Ultra in WA, and have to bear with me here because got go through quite few screens to get these results. um In the 100 mile and the women's, Hester Nord took out the win.
01:13:46
Speaker
In the men's, Ethan Sturrat took it out. he Both of them had pretty comprehensive leads there. In the 100K, Victoria Hun took the win again by over two hours.
01:13:59
Speaker
and Ben Leeson also with over two hours in the men's. 50 miler, there was where yeah Casey Edlington in the women's, took the the win there, and Jack Barnes in the men's. That one was pretty close, only 10 minutes separating Jack and Chris in second.
01:14:16
Speaker
The 50K was taken out by Alira Hanczkowski at 6.12.13, and then Brett Johnson took the win in the men's. This was the closest battle um of the...
01:14:31
Speaker
The day was 4.55.20 for Brett to win and Sean Hall 4.56.14. So 56 seconds separating those two. And then lastly, the 23K in the women's. Pippa Anderson took the win out by just over a minute and Zach Thomas took the men's again by about the same sort of window up in queensland we had the mount glorious mountain trails in the men's we had ben duffers take the win by about 10 minutes from jamie casario and in the women's amber rollinson won in really quick time 220 37 from genfield in second there and i think that oh and then we had a course record from ben
01:15:11
Speaker
I looked at it and I think he was just slower than he was last year when he ran against Aidan Hobbs and Billy Curtis. So I think he was like maybe 40 seconds slower. Yeah, was going say because, okay, so it's still a damn impressive run.
01:15:25
Speaker
Yeah, really, really quick. And then we also had the third round of the Southeast Queensland trail running series in Namimba Valley. Jack Gill took out the men's in one hour, one minute and nine seconds.
01:15:38
Speaker
He had quite a substantial lead for a one hour race. And then Kelly Bobbitt in 1.1750.
01:15:44
Speaker
Three. Cool. All right.
Dream Races and Personal Preferences
01:15:47
Speaker
James Barnett, we are finally going to get to your question. It's been multiple weeks. Sim, you haven't had a chance to see this one yet, so this is going to go off the top of your head. Brody, I'll come to you first.
01:15:56
Speaker
So it's from from James. What is all of your dream races to train for in terms of speed, technicality, undulating, et cetera? I still haven't decided, but I don't know exactly if he means like, do I want to train for a trail as a technical or a speed?
01:16:10
Speaker
I think like create a perfect race. Like is it a race that exists? Well, I guess yes. I think you can go both ways. so Go a race that exists but then also if you were to make your own race, what distance would it be? How technical and how much elevation for the distance? oh Do it.
01:16:29
Speaker
I don't know. I like doing a variety. have a bad answer to this. Probably one that I want to do. ah ah It's funny because there's a race in in Scotland that I would say is like the race that I really wanted to do but it doesn't exist anymore.
01:16:45
Speaker
um It was a Skyline Scotland that used to have the Ring of Steel and they just moved locations. But they had a race at that race that was called – Glencoe Skyline. Lincoln McQuilliam from Tasmania did it, and it's like the most bonkers race you ever see. Like your you're doing some like low-key mountaineering in the middle of the race, and the ridgelines in that are just epic.
01:17:08
Speaker
um So, yeah, that's probably that was probably my bucket list, but it doesn't exist anymore. um but maybe something like that, like a fifty k race that has some faster running sections, but also some some sections where you have to sort of go through some really technical terrain. Because I think for me, it's like if it's a 50K race of just technical terrain, I've done a few of those and they're like, they they're fun, but they're also like so hard. So I think it's nice to have some variety where you've got some like faster running bits, some flowing faster bits, and then some like really technical terrain you've got to cover.
01:17:38
Speaker
Yeah, like it. By the way, I need his dream, right I need like, Wait, so you you said you'd make a 50K? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, probably. Yeah. I don't want to be out there all day, but the 50K is going to be one in about five hours and that's a really good time for a 50K.
01:17:55
Speaker
Like that sort of 50K, not a fifty k that's one in three and a half or four hours. Yeah, yeah, Yeah, not you're not going to our hour? No, no, no, not that sort of – or UTA even now. Yeah, yeah. but So it's pretty it's pretty slow in places, but there's also bits where you can get going.
01:18:12
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Sim, you know what would do? Honestly, I'm like fairly fairly similar in some ways and dissimilar in others because I would personally have like a dream race.
01:18:26
Speaker
Like when I when i'd think of dream races, like I have... and I don't know if Brady would be the same, maybe not as much of ah of the long distance stuff, but I have a dream 100 mile and I have a dream 100K and I have a dream 50K kind of deal.
01:18:40
Speaker
And I would kind of look at it as anything below that as like, well, to be fair, this year I did a, what, 20 something K that took me five hours. So, you know, like
01:18:52
Speaker
there's some of the shorter ones that I like too, but for me it's the more technical and steep ones. um the better. Although I have my experience at Ueda this year made me realize that multiple up and down steep does, this is more of a performance thing. It was fun, but it doesn't suit me because you feel like you're climbing constantly and then the descents take no time at all.
01:19:14
Speaker
So then short descents aren't anywhere near as fun. um So when it comes to a dream race, like any dream race of mine must have a long steep downhill finish that is ideally technical. because they're the ones that I'm just like, okay, get as many people as you can. um how How steep are we talking? Are we talking like flowy, technical, where you're still moving or like triple tops where you're down 40%? Like 20% to 40% and techie.
01:19:43
Speaker
Like the the final descent at Ueda. Yeah, 20% to 40% is a big difference though. I reckon 20% is my ideal. 40% is like you're climbing down cliffs partly. It's got to be long though. So I don't mind if the whole long descent is anywhere in the middle there.
01:19:58
Speaker
Like it's going to vary. I don't want the whole thing to be the same. I don't mind having the steep drop-offs and then like the less steep and then, yeah. yeah Like it's got to keep you interested. But like that's the range that I like there just for the sheer thrill of it.
01:20:13
Speaker
um But it's got to just be long enough that it's not over too soon. But yeah. I'm lucky enough that I've already done a good portion of what I didn't know were dream races, but then you you are there in the middle of them and you're like, oh my gosh, this is absolutely incredible.
01:20:28
Speaker
a So like that's sort of, i don't think I have many like one-off races that I'm like, oh my God, I want to do that. One I would say is diagonal to food. Yeah.
01:20:40
Speaker
um um which is kind of like this one I look at umm and Madeira, um Madeira Island. Actually, see Madeira is one I'd be i'd love to do. looks pretty cool. Or like where they did the...
01:20:52
Speaker
The Golden Trail races in in that ah the four stage one where they were like running up the up the volcano and then down it, like that just looks so cool. That is one of my all-time highlights.
01:21:04
Speaker
Like doing those five whole days in Madeira was insane and it's gorgeous. um So to do that 115K would be certainly a dream race of mine. And then, yeah, Diagonal de Fou.
01:21:15
Speaker
just for how stupidly gnarly it is. But also, um when I look at races, I look at like the race atmosphere, et cetera, like that's what that's across an Island. And it's like such a huge thing for the local, um, community and everyone that lives there, et cetera. So it's just like, I love that when a, when a race can bring people together like that.
01:21:35
Speaker
Um, But yeah, I think that there'd be too, too many of like in Oz GPT for sure. um But also it's like, I think I moved away from having a dream list of races a long time ago because I was a bit like, look, like take every opportunity as it comes and the races that you do end up becoming like ah but Like all of them have been a bit like this is insane and awesome.
01:21:59
Speaker
But yeah you can guarantee for me that as long as it's steep and technical and I get to run downhill on steep and technical rocky stuff. I will say I prefer rocky stuff to um steep and like I don't know what how you'd describe all the other. But like think Dolomites kind of deal. Yeah.
01:22:16
Speaker
Like slatey rocky or like? and Love me some slate rock. Yeah. Like especially if it's scree fields. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Yeah. So you're saying loose rock, not like hard ground. No, both.
01:22:28
Speaker
Both is what I'm saying. Like when you have to rock hop and really, really like focus. Likes any form of rocks. Pardon? Just loves rocks. loves rocks. Yeah. Pretty much. Like give me rocks over mud, is I suppose, is what I'm saying.
01:22:41
Speaker
Yeah, okay. I feel like being British, i would take mud over rocks any day. Just grow up in mud, essentially. What's yours, jim Dream Race, then, James? Yeah, I think I don't really have any reason to say this because so far my only experience going above 50k is a DNF at 100k. But I do, i i feel i feel like, as said before, I really like the 50 mile, so 80k distance where you're doing something that's, you're still done.
01:23:12
Speaker
in, don't know, something that's mountainous, something that takes you somewhere that you can't drive to. I like routes that go to places that are really remote and ideally a point-to-point.
01:23:23
Speaker
and I'm not not loop not a loop guy. i'll try I'll train in loops, but I like a point-to-point race. um I don't know. what you would love Old Ghost. well that's what was coming like what's what um kept coming to my mind uh whilst you were talking so the right distance point to point ticking a few boxes yeah and i like i'd say i like moderate to moderately like hard technical technicality but i don't i don't like it to be so technical that you just can never find a flow and you're just stuck you're not me and simone level you're like describing old ghost right now i think you
01:24:00
Speaker
I'll put it on the list. But yeah, and and in in a dream scenario, it's a net downhill. It also finishes with a long descent. I'm probably more in the 20% range than a 40% range.
01:24:10
Speaker
So have you looked at the Old Ghost course? No, never. i've I've known of it. The Old Ghost course, the 24 kilometers is downhill. And I mean like runnable, like down downhill.
01:24:23
Speaker
Yeah. Sign him up. Yeah. 2027, here he comes. Yeah. is that twenty twenty twenty twenty seven here he comes Yes. Yeah, I like you skipped a year. It's a really small. Well, it's in February, so it's probably bit close for 2026. Definitely too close for 2026.
01:24:38
Speaker
Also, it's sold out. It's only like 300 runners, so it's sold out really quick. yeah It's small and gorgeous and amazing. Please go do it. You've just described it. I've always loved the idea of four peaks in reverse.
01:24:52
Speaker
So it's just four downhill days. Oh my gosh. Yes. That sounds great. Can we do it? Yeah. Who's going to finish it though? You can only have like 10 finishes. but Everyone else is, everyone is walking down on day two and three and four.
01:25:08
Speaker
yeah But imagine having, do this and race each other. Yeah. Just like you have like three downhill days and then you got to go and do mystic. I love that idea. I want you to tell me this straight after you've done a race that has a massive downhill because I couldn't walk down the stairs today. I was taking the lifts between levels.
01:25:25
Speaker
Yeah, but you're like incredibly deconditioned for what you, especially the pace that you want to run down this stuff. Yeah, probably. probably yeah like ever Yeah, if you're doing four downhills in a row, you'd have to be a little bit measured. Yeah. as you've done Unless you'd only been training downhill.
01:25:39
Speaker
Like at the same time, ah like having done, that this takes me back to the Madeira race. Like we were doing balls to the wall, like all out racing for what you could do for that day for five days straight. All of them had steep downhills and all of them had quite long downhills. so And I found that, like, of course, it's exhausting, but, my the so like, the doms got better, not worse.
01:26:02
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, that would make sense, I guess. Yeah. You're already getting some benefit. Although I'd hate to do a blood test on people doing that. you yeah Like the recovery afterwards, that was the dumb one where I then raced well. You'd have lots of people on on on standby for Raptor. Yeah.
01:26:20
Speaker
Yeah. Like it it would shut down the rest of your year if you did it in when when it normally is. but And I'm not not too sure about the getting up to the top for day two to then have to run down part. but Wait, for Feathertop?
01:26:32
Speaker
Yeah. Across the Razorback. I was just thinking helicopter, just drop it. It's easier. Yeah, we'll go we'll we'll get we'll get a helicopter company to to sponsor it and then we'll just we'll go for it.
Race Complexity and Upcoming Challenges
01:26:43
Speaker
um So yeah, no I think the like the best runs I've had are ones that have more descent ideally than then gain and have something that makes you have to not just run hard. Like there has to be and another another element of your execution that you've got to take into account, whether it's cooling, it's food, like there's something bit more tricky about it.
01:27:00
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Nice. I like it. James, if you're listening to this, which hopefully you are, send us in what you would be your optimal. want to give you his. Yeah. He didn't give us his. He just asked us for ours, which is fair. been trying to answer this question for three weeks because we were running out of time every week.
01:27:20
Speaker
um All right, guys, I'll go through what's coming up. But anything else from either of you? not really. I'll be going back into my little hermit mode. Yeah, you've done well, Sam. You're like, oh, fine.
01:27:32
Speaker
like as ah Like today is not too bad, but also i kind of knew this was coming. So i have rested more <unk> today than I would have needed to otherwise to make sure that I was going to be fine.
01:27:44
Speaker
And talking to Brodie and I takes out a lot of energy. yeah ah It could be an energy booster actually, I think. You win. yeah All right. Well, then coming up this this week, it's a bit of a, compared to what we've had the last few weeks, a little bit quieter run, we've got the run, can never say this word, run, manipulat thank you, stage race in WA, Narrowneck in New South Wales, Stromlo Running Festival in ACT, and then, this is a bad name for a race in my opinion, Black Snake Trail Race in Queensland.
01:28:13
Speaker
like I don't want to go now. hey It doesn't sound like something I want to do. Run Bibbulmun is amazing. I've done that one um when it used to be called the Great Southern Stage Race. And for anyone for anyone that does, so that's the same race, I believe, and I don't think they've changed any. It is like a lot of sand running and I must say a lot of snakes.
01:28:31
Speaker
But it is gorgeous. That was where I think in the first 7Ks of one of my days of the relay, I saw seven snakes. um So it's ah it's a snaky area, but that's fine.
01:28:43
Speaker
um But it is beyond beautiful. And it's such a really fun, like it's such a fun event for the way it's set up in terms of every, like it's a point to point stage race. yeah So you're moving each day where you're staying, et cetera.
01:28:57
Speaker
um And you're staying with all the other participants. They feed everyone. It is for anyone that wants like a running experience in a really gorgeous part of Australia, highly recommend it. Brilliant. Well, i guess on that note, we will finish it up guys. It's been lovely. Thank you very much.
01:29:13
Speaker
No worries. Thank you. We'll finally re-enter the running world for a very brief moment. And to everyone listening, thank you for coming along for episode 83 of the Peek Pursuits Podcast.
01:29:26
Speaker
Wow. You have to leave that in. That was great. We will catch you next week. Yeah. See you, everyone. See you, guys.