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Trail to GPT2 2 - Gear and Nutrition for GPT
466 Plays3 months ago
Welcome to epsiode 2 of our 3-part mini series in partnership with SingleTrack Events and the Grampians Peaks 100!
This episode features Aussie trail powerhouse Oowan Davies who is running GPT100 for the first time this year after a massive year already with wins at Adelaide Ultra 100, Buffalo Stampede 100 and more!
Oowan and host Sim Brick chat through the mandatory gear list, with tips and ticks on type of gear, placement in the pack, how to pack light but safe, and all the tricks Oowan has learned in his many years trail running. Oowan and Sim then also cover nutrition and hydration tips specific to the GPT course, including drop bags, crewing, nutrition choices and proper hydration.
With 4 weeks to go there is still plenty of time to get some more nutrition and gear practice in before the race so this episode should give you some handy tricks to try out to see if it works for you to improve your own running - and likewise for anyone not doing GPT this year there are many gems of wisdom to take into your own training and racing!
Thanks for listening and feel free to reach out with any GPT related questions!
Oowan: @oowan_davies
Sim: @theflyingbrick_
SingleTrack Events: @singletrack_events
GPT100 Website: https://www.gpt100.com.au/
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/clear-sky License code: JFCE3VLFTFTXGN1C
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Transcript
Introduction to Trail to GPT & Guest Owen Davies
00:00:21
Speaker
and welcome to episode two of our Trail to GPT series. I am here with the one and only Owen Davies, who has been winning races left, right, and center, I reckon, since 2017.
Owen Davies' Running Achievements
00:00:38
Speaker
Definitely as far as I can tell or have seen, ah much more on the longer distance ultra side, hence why Owen is doing the miler.
00:00:48
Speaker
at this year's GPT, but this is off the back of a pretty damn big year already after having won the Warburton Trail Fest multi-day, the Buffalo Stampede 100K, then the Ultra Adel 800K,
00:01:03
Speaker
then a trip across to Switzerland to come 6th at the Swiss Alps, 50k, and a showing at the sky running world champs long distance in war. What date was that? That was back in July in the coming 31st, according to Itru at least. um So Owen has had a massive year and now we'll be rocking up to the GPT 100 miler. So thank you for joining me, Owen.
Engagement with Podcast and Feedback
00:01:31
Speaker
Thanks, Jim. It's a yeah pleasure to be here. I wanted to make one of those like long time listener, first time caller jokes, but um yeah, I suppose I'm not not really phoning in, but yeah, great to be here. Thank you. No, well, thank you. I know that you have been listening along because you've been giving us all sorts of feedback at times and um messaging across on the Instagram for the pod. So thank you so much for that.
Mandatory Kit and Nutrition for GPT Race
00:01:53
Speaker
And today, today we're going to be talking through the mandatory kit and nutrition side of GPT because it is its own beast in these aspects purely because of the location and how remote you get at times and the course. So we're going to run through as much tips, tricks, and advice as we can. Now, you haven't actually done GPT yet, I don't believe, Owen? Like you didn't do it last year? Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I was supposed to do it last year, but disappointingly, picked up a bit of an injury, so I gave it that one a miss, so yeah, excited for this year. Damn. Okay, nice. But have you done much running around the Grampians?
00:02:35
Speaker
um Yeah, I've been up there quite a few times um in the lead up to GPT last year. um yeah but My partner and I went up there and we hiked for two days and then I ran the rest. So we covered the whole course then. um And yeah, it' so it's a pretty unique terrain. It really is. it's there's It's so special. So, so special. So yeah, that'll be, that's good that you've seen the whole course. That is um very helpful for planning.
00:03:02
Speaker
so Because I think this course is definitely one that if you haven't seen the terrain before, it can catch you out a little bit in terms of how slow and your expected times aren't always what you would think for the terrain for sure.
Gear Strategy & Packing Essentials
00:03:18
Speaker
100%. hundred i said two yeah to you put some structure to this and get us a little bit started. ah We're going to start on the mandatory gear side of things, what everyone has to carry because I'm always intrigued. I haven't done a miler myself um and you guys always have to carry a little bit more than what we have to carry in the 50k distance or so.
00:03:40
Speaker
so ah We're going to get your tips on how to carry everything and what to carry um in terms of the mandatory kit. So I have the list in front of me and we'll run few through quite a few things on the list to get your take on them. ah First of all, your pack. What size is your pack in terms of leaderage for this sort of thing? I reckon I'll probably be going out with, what's that? beer That'd be a five-liter pack, which I know sounds really small.
00:04:08
Speaker
um But I've also got the benefit of some pockets and pouches around the shorts. So that's ah ah yeah five plus a bit. Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. um yeah I rate that because that's probably what I would think to do too. um so you can You can fit a lot in those five litre packs. Oh, you can. They're all stretchy, right? So squish it in. um And there's many ways to pack down the gear, which we'll go through. but in order to get this into a five litre pack um as you're going to be doing talk me through so the main thing that is almost always mandatory the waterproof jacket where are you putting that in the pack. Weather dependent to be honest um if it is a beautiful blue sky day.
00:04:54
Speaker
The days are going to be nice. The nights are going to be nice. And I don't expect to be using the jacket. That's probably going down the bottom somewhere on my back. The reason for that is they're generally a bit cushier, so they're comfortable against the back um and also relatively light. And if you're not going to be needing it, down the bottom is okay.
00:05:16
Speaker
If, however, it's a bit foul, and I reckon I'm going to be using that jacket, I'll probably be putting it around, what do they call them, like kangaroo pouches around, yeah kind of kind of on your back, but kind of around your waist where you can reach around with one arm and and get it out. That's probably a good spot there. If I was sticking it there, I'd also not have it bundled up. I just have it so that i just need to grab one piece and it'll just comes out like a giant, giant noodle. Yep, yep, that's exactly what I would do too. It's the whole weather dictates what you need accessible in your pack versus what you can pack away and hope that you don't need. um Obviously all the mandatory kit is there on an in-case basis.
00:05:58
Speaker
um So yeah, the the things that you're really hoping you're not needing can go further away, which is where the thermal long sleeve top, is that the sort of thing that you always pack away in the hope that you don't need it? Yeah, that's right.
Race Gear Checks and Penalties
00:06:13
Speaker
um Because I suppose you're packing the thermal top away in a more hard to reach position.
00:06:19
Speaker
is okay because at the end of the day, whether you are still racing or you've had a tumble and that's the reason you're putting the thermal top on, you're going to be taking your vest off to put the top on. So it doesn't matter if you're taking the vest off and reaching into the vest to get that top. But yeah, that would be sort of rolled up some rubber bands around it to um to keep it compact and tight and just put some away. But again, nice and soft as well. So it's not going to be digging into your back or and giving you any unwanted discomfort there. Yeah. And do you Ziploc bag that to keep it dry?
00:06:51
Speaker
I do. Yeah. um yeah tip My tip for the Ziploc bags as well is go for multiple bags rather than one big one because that way when you get stopped at an aid station or something like that and they want to check your mandatory gear, it's easy just to get that one item. You don't have to go fumbling through the Ziploc bag. It also means that when you open one thing, rain isn't getting into everything if it's raining.
00:07:16
Speaker
Yeah, perfect. I yeahp definitely rate that tip for sure. There's obviously a couple of things that might be able to be grouped together um in terms of first aid kit and those sorts of things. yeah Yeah, of course. And I will also say while you talk about mandatory gear check, the MILR at GPT is going to be checked four times on course for one item at a time, and that is items at random. um And then the 50K for anyone doing the 50K is checked once on course for two pieces of mandatory gear um with 30 minute penalties for everyone missing. so
00:07:52
Speaker
important to have all of these items and yeah have doesn't ah accessibility doesn't play into the which one's going to get checked because it could be the one you put at the bottom but that's luck of the draw.
Headgear and Sun Protection
00:08:04
Speaker
um I did not know that they'd publicly said that they're going to be checking checking four times but um yeah I encourage that that's that's a really good move.
00:08:12
Speaker
Yeah, 100%. I definitely encourage it too. If it's mandatory kit, everyone should have it. Keep it equal. And yeah, they've definitely said they've got it all laid out, even for the stage race. The stage race is checked once each day for two pieces as well. So be prepared to be checked and be stopped at aid stations for this event.
00:08:32
Speaker
Which is fine because everyone's going to be stopped the same number of times so easy done there ah The next thing on the list for the Myla and I will say so far everything that we've listed is also on the 50k list I'll let people know when there is a deviation there But warm headwear and they've got in brackets beanie buff or balaclava. What's your choice?
00:08:54
Speaker
I'd probably be going the buff. The reason for that is packability. Smaller, lighter, still does the job of a beanie if you do need it yeah for yeah for the warmth. But you've also got the versatility of being able to dunk it in water, get it around your neck.
00:09:12
Speaker
um get it around your hands, things like that. um So yeah, it's got that cooling benefit as well as that warmth benefit. um And then if you are wetting it to stick around your neck or something like that, obviously it's going to be warm, so it's going to be drying pretty quickly. Come night time, if you're smart about when you're doing it, it'll be dry by then. So if you do need it for warmth, you're all your good.
00:09:36
Speaker
Yeah. And they're one of the easiest things also to pack in a drop bag to pick up before the night stretches and those sorts of things too, if you need a dry one. um Yeah, certainly. Just wrap it around a bottle, those sorts of things. But the ah the next one is sun hat or visor. Are you taking just a little hat? Are you actually wearing a hat? Are you a wearer of them or?
00:09:57
Speaker
um yeah Yeah, I tip oh ah don't always wear a hat, but on a 100k, 100 mile sort of run, I would, particularly when you're above the treeline or exposed, and a lot of the Grampians is quite exposed. yeah So yeah, i'll be i'll but I'll be taking a sun hat. I'll probably have, yeah maybe I might start in a cap,
00:10:19
Speaker
but at one of the yeah the aid stations when the sun's starting to get a bit a bit higher and things like that, yeah swapping out for a bucket hat or something like that. yeah yeah i like I like having the ability to to swap hats. And again, hats also provide you that opportunity just to get get water in it, get ice into it at an aid station. Yeah, very good for when it's hot. yeahp Yeah, perfect. And then they've also recommended ah the neck cover um at the
Water Capacity & Communication Needs
00:10:47
Speaker
back if it is hot. and that's Like or the equivalent would be a bucket hat stopping the sunburn always a good idea. Yeah, definitely can catch you out ah Next one warm full-fingered gloves um They're pretty self-explanatory I think but at the same time are they in a ziplock bag for you to a separate one or same one as the um top or Depends on the weather. Um, I actually get cold hands. Um, I Okay yep. Circulation so those gloves for me they might be at the front of my vest or in the pockets of my shorts. Yeah I'll probably be keeping them a bit a bit more accessible just because yeah my my hands turn white and um when they turn white even just opening a gel isn't a fun experience. and ah Yeah fair. Fair, fair. So yeah that one actually I would be similar to you putting it in the front where they can go on and off and on and off based on the weather because they're one of the easiest things to
00:11:43
Speaker
transfer between. Now the next few things on both the 50k and the stage race and the miler is to do with phones um and that is the fully charged smartphone with the Capra app and an interesting one for GPT that makes total sense to me but is different to most races is that every single runner must have a Telstra SIM card.
00:12:10
Speaker
as opposed to any other provider, purely because the Telstra, like Telstra is the best provider for the area and gives people good coverage over most of the course and other providers don't. um So are you with Telstra already or do you have to go get a SIM?
00:12:26
Speaker
No, I'll be going out to get a SIM card. um And I did notice the other day when I was looking at the mandatory gear, they even specify if some of the but resellers of Telstra network, is that the the right word to use? So yeah some other resellers that use the Telstra network, there's only one of them that they'll accept because it's the only one that has full access to the Telstra network. So yeah, keep an eye out for that one. yeah Yeah, and that's Boost. and So it can either be a Boost SIM card or a Telstra SIM card, but not the sort of lower down levels of Belong, Aldi, Exitel, Tangerine, ones that use the Telstra network but don't have access to the whole Telstra network. And yeah, so for some people that might sound annoying, but at the same time, it's pretty easy to just jump to a supermarket or any phone provider and get a cheap prepaid SIM for the event.
00:13:16
Speaker
um and put that one in your phone just for this
Lighting Gear & Emergency Supplies
00:13:19
Speaker
one. it's It's for safety reasons and it's part of their risk management. So makes total sense. um It's actually why I'm with Telstra for all the mountain running that I do because it's got the most coverage. So yeah, that's definitely something for everyone to be prepared with beforehand. Don't rock up and I don't know how accessible Telstra Sims are in Hall's Gap.
00:13:39
Speaker
um So fun there. Then the next thing is the capacity and the capacity for GPT is more than for most ah depending on the weather in that it's three liters is the capacity listed and that may go down if it's not too hot. But if you were needing to carry three litre capacity um in your five litre pack, how are you distributing that? Like if you need to actually fill it up?
00:14:10
Speaker
Yeah, well that may be one of the instances that I would go to a ah higher capacity pack, perhaps. ah'd I'd probably be looking at two flasks up front. So there's a litre down in the sort of on the, like where your kidneys are. I'd sort of go for another two flasks in there, one on each side. And then the other two flasks, I'd probably just be sticking them yeah at the top of the the back pouch. You're re wedging them in there.
00:14:39
Speaker
um But yeah, it may that may well be a case where I'd jump up and and take a higher capacity pack. Yeah. Yeah. The other thing that can help you do the lower capacity pack, just because obviously the water level you're carrying will always fluctuate, um is the two in the pack, but also the handhelds that attach to your hands quite easily. Yeah, of course. So you don't have to grip them. um And some of the belts that come with um Like I know when I'm carrying, when I'm doing a shorter race, but need to carry it quite a bit of water, um I'll have my pack, but then I'll also can get 500 mils in my belt. I can carry a litre in handhelds. like it's You can do it differently to just having either a um a bladder or a bigger amount in the back of your pack. And that's purely for me. I'm not a fan of a whole bunch on my back.
00:15:32
Speaker
that's fair I prefer to have it in my hands because then I drink that first and then you keep going and you're running sort of as you normally would with the pack. So yeah, and this is ah the three litre capacity I think would be in hotter weather. So obviously if it's cooler weather, it goes back to a fairly normal two litre. I would guess so.
00:15:55
Speaker
Yeah, just but everyone should be prepared when coming to this race to need three litres of capacity. And then the collapsible cup because it's a cup free event. That one, do you have a favourite one? I have one from like previous races, my favourite ones of like my the little ones that they give you.
00:16:13
Speaker
Yeah, i've i've I've got a couple. I've got to make sure I use the right one because I also use them as something to take look for the dogs when I'm going for a walk on a hot day. Oh, yeah. So I've got to make sure I don't take one of them. Nice one. And those should squish up nice and easy for me. That's always in the front dump pocket. um Yeah.
00:16:30
Speaker
getting a cup of Coke or whatever I want at the aid station. So that one's nice and easy. Now, this is one of the differences between the 50 and the Myla, which makes a bit of sense, is just that the 50K needs one torch and you need two torches. So what are your torches of choice? Because you eat you need spare batteries for each of them or a power bank to charge based on what sort of torch it is. So what's your choice here?
00:16:59
Speaker
Yeah, it it it does make it a bit, oh, not difficult, but you need to be careful for the choice with a spare battery requirement. I like the Petzl Swift, um so it's a relatively small head torch with a removable rechargeable battery, so easy to take a second battery there. um That works out well.
Nutrition and Race Logistics
00:17:22
Speaker
ah The Petzl now I like as well. It is a bit bigger, it is a bit heavier, um but it does sit quite balanced with the battery on the back. And I've got a spare battery for that one, so that one's probably one to take along. um Obviously managing which torch I'm going to be using for the bulk of the the night. I want to be using the one that's more comfortable for the most part.
00:17:48
Speaker
knowing that I can swap them out at aid stations as you go. But of course, if you're expecting your crew to be able to recharge a head torch between aid stations, um yeah that that that might not really be possible. Although there might be a bit of time between aid stations, they do take a while to charge. Yeah, yeah for sure. that's the That's why the extra batteries are needed. And for the 50K, for me, for these sorts of distances, it depends on time of start and whether we're actually starting in the dark or not, because I have a I have a Petzl Neo Plus, um one of the ones that has the front and back, but it's super bright, super easy to run fast on the terrain. And if I actually need to run and race with the torch, otherwise, ah for me for a 50k distance, the torch is more of the emergency kit, um as opposed to something that needs to be a functional like I'm not I'm only going to be using it
00:18:41
Speaker
I assume if things have gone wrong, I don't know if the 50K has the cutoff would be in the dark. It might be actually. i'm Not sure. But that would be why the torch is needed, but I have a little Petzl bindi that I carry. Yeah. And that one just has the C batteries, like the circular C batteries, and I shoved the C battery in the same packet as the torch and it's quite nice and compact. So if you're in the 50K and really don't like it, we're starting in the light and you're fully expecting to finish hours before dark,
00:19:11
Speaker
Um, then I think packing it as an emergency kit kind of thing is, is fine. But if you're going to actually need it, those things aren't good for racing. They're good to get you across a trail, but you're not going to be running very fast with the Petzl Bindi. So, um, so yeah, the, the milers and anyone actually racing at nighttime for sure need to pay a bit more attention to the lumens and how well you can actually run with the torch.
00:19:36
Speaker
um But yeah, hopefully the I do find in my tip is that the ones with the spare separate spare battery to just carry is a little easier than trying to carry a power bank to recharge. um And also it's then easier to just switch the battery and you've got a functional torch straight away, as opposed to trying to recharge a torch while using a second one and those sorts of things.
00:20:02
Speaker
Well, my tip there would be make sure you know how to remove the battery and put the new battery on and make sure you can do it in the dark, because if you're taking the battery off, well, it's dark. Yeah. Yeah. I do when I run at night, I do make sure the spare battery for the torch I am using is in my front dump pocket in a Ziploc bag and it's straight at the front. I don't have to search for that. um So that's another tip there that when you do get to the night of the miler,
00:20:29
Speaker
whichever torch you put on, just make that spare battery super accessible. Because yeah, as you said, it could be pitch black when you're trying to get at it. um Nice, cool. And then the survival emergency
Mental Strategies & Final Advice
00:20:42
Speaker
blanket, I'm pretty sure everyone would be very used to having to carry a emergency blanket. The the foil that ah is going to save your life if you are, for whatever reason, take a tumble and can't move for quite a while. Those things by me, one of the most important pieces of kit. For you, where does that go?
00:21:00
Speaker
um Yeah, the emergency blanket would be going sort of down the down the bottom, down the back because by its very nature, it's therefore an emergency. It's not something you plan on taking out. If you're taking that out, your race is over basically. yeah So yeah, sos somewhere down the bottom, down the back. It's nice and flat, nice and comfortable.
00:21:18
Speaker
Yeah, perfect. Yeah, I put that against my back as a flat item that just you're not going to feel for sure. Yeah. And then the other part of my emergency kit is the well-known snake bite bandage. um I personally do actually put that in a Ziploc with my so with my um blanket ah right down in the same spot. But um what do you do with the snake bite bandage?
00:21:41
Speaker
I generally like to keep that a little bit more accessible. So I'll stick in a Ziploc bag as well, just because sort of everything goes in one of those bags. um I'll either have that in one of the pouches on my shorts, um or perhaps the bottom pouch on my back that's like separate from the main pouch. So yeah you can reach around and get it pretty easily. That's just personal preference as well.
00:22:05
Speaker
yeah Yeah, sometimes in the back pocket of my shorts with the phone, it sits pretty well there for me, I find. Yeah, and I will say that the snake bite bandage for GPT does have to be one of the ones with indicators for tension. um So you can get different types of snake bite bandage and it needs to be 10 centimetres by 2.2 metres at a minimum. So I've seen all sorts of of tricks people try and use to take a smaller bandage, including cutting them up or just skirting the size and not taking the right bandage, but definitely has to be one and that is, they're all big and chunky. Everyone's carrying the big and chunky ones, so um it's fine there because it will save your life if needed.
00:22:53
Speaker
so ah That is the end of the 50K mandatory kit. The only other item which is on both as a recommended, if it is above 23 degrees, is an ice bandana or neck cooler, because the race will have ice at key points on course, which is very lovely of them, if you ask me. But do you have a neck bandana? I know. ah Yeah, the the neck bandanas are great.
00:23:21
Speaker
um I know they mentioned T8 doing one on the website and yeah, they're they're great. Nice and light, good closure, wraps around. It's a simple bit of kit. It does want thats what it says on the tin. Keeps you cool. Love it. Perfect. Yep. So that is the end of the 50K mandatory kit. And then the continuation on the Myla kit and the Or actually, it's not exactly the same for the stage race. um For the stage race, it's everything we have so far. Oh, actually, maybe it is. So the next one is thermal long pants. Where are those ones for you? Yeah, same as the thermal top. Rolled up nice and tight with some rubber bands, ziplock bag and down the batter.
00:24:10
Speaker
ah can speak properly, down the bottom of my back. Yeah, perfect, perfect. And is that the exact same again for the waterproof pants or do you not bother ziplocking those ones? No, I'd still ziplock them, mostly because you you want to minimise the moisture that's getting onto the inside of them and the waterproof pants, you'd probably be putting them on if things have taken a turn for the worst either.
00:24:33
Speaker
weatherwise or you you might be injured or something like that. So you want that that extra protection. Yeah, I'd be ziplocking them and again down the bottom fold up nice and square and nice and flat so they're very comfortable against the back. Yeah, perfect. And I will also quickly add that the waterproof pants and the thermal long pants are both weather dependent items as well. So they're both if it's going to be a cold forecast.
00:25:00
Speaker
Um, but the one extra thing on the Mylar list is 500 calories of emergency food. So on top of what you would normally carry in your nutrition, uh, what are you choosing to carry here to get those 500 cows? Well, being.
00:25:17
Speaker
Being the emergency food, you want to go for something that that's light and going to have as many calories per unit weight. um Off the top of my head, gels or a powder, calorie for weight, they actually come in about the same. I prefer gels rather than a powder in the drink. So yeah, I'd be taking yeah what's that five gels as there' the emergency there.
00:25:42
Speaker
If it's emergency food as well, I'd probably slip at least two of them with caffeine just because it gives you that new little bit of an extra kick. So if you are injured, cold, whatever, you've just got that extra bit of...
00:25:57
Speaker
I think, caffeine morales. Yep. Yep. Perfect. And the very last item, which is not um mandatory, it is recommended, is a fleece or a second warm layer. um For you personally, how cold would it have to be before you carry a fleece? It would have to be pretty cold. Yeah. It's difficult to put a number on it, but I'd be i'd be saying it would need to be even through the night, it needs to be basically below zero for me. um yeah But in saying that, that's because I've got the know top that I'm wearing, I've got the thermal top and I've got my waterproof, windproof jacket. So there's already quite a bit of protection there. And even if temperatures do start getting low, you can always pick up something extra at an aid station.
00:26:49
Speaker
so yeah yeah if If you do make the decision not to take the second warm layer, the fleece, but you think yeah you it might come in handy, stick it in your drop bags, leave leave it with your crew so that you you can pick it up if you change your mind. That's the beauty of aid stations.
00:27:08
Speaker
Yeah. And that is actually the sort of thing that no matter what I will always have at a drop bag, even for the shorter distances. And that's purely because you don't trust mountain weather or like rough terrain weather back. You just never know what's going to happen. And also this is a different case for like, you're going to be near the front of the field, pushing the pace, um, moving a lot faster for people that are further back. They're spending a lot more time out in the conditions and in the weather.
00:27:36
Speaker
it becomes exponentially more um useful to people further back in the field. Or um if you're just, if especially if it's your first miler, or you're just not sure how this is going to go. um Because if this was your very first miler, Owen, would you carry like much more than you would carry now in terms of kits and those sorts of things? No, I reckon I'd probably carry about the same. OK.
00:28:03
Speaker
ah first miler. I'd probably be a bit more naive about yeah probably um i probably would have been a bit more naive about some of the choices that I made for for a particular item, but I reckon I probably would have been caring about the same. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. Cool. And in terms of those choices, so we're going to finish up the mandatory kit here with just a couple of tips of things that you wish you learnt earlier in terms of your mandatory kit or things you used to carry that or even brands or weights of things you used to carry that now you're a bit like that was not the smartest choice. Anything you can think of.
00:28:41
Speaker
o Yeah, there's certainly been a journey learning how to go smaller and lighter and also how to pack it It's one of those disappointing things that that that journey to shed weight off your mandatory kit, it can be expensive. So I'd always encourage people, if if if you've got a perfectly good waterproof jacket, for example,
00:29:07
Speaker
And then a new one comes out that's 20 grams lighter. Is that 20 grams really going to make a difference? You're probably better off saving your money ah and yeah saving the overconsumption of stuff um and and and investing that that money and effort elsewhere. um Yeah, I'd probably say If you're looking at making significant weight reductions on your mandatory gear and you haven't purchased some items yet, or you can beg borrow steel from friends, which is which is a great way to do it as well, the head torch and spare batteries is where you can save quite a bit of weight. Even the mobile phone.
00:29:51
Speaker
If you've got one of like the yeah the big yeah iPhone Pro Max or whatever, that's pretty big. It's also pretty expensive if you take a fall on the rock. um yeah So if you've got an old phone sitting in your drawer, why not bring that out and slot the Telstra SIM card in there? You can save some weight there. um And just a peace of mind of not not busting up a a brand new phone.
00:30:17
Speaker
um Also the food, I think, your nutrition through a race is where you can save weight. So things that are heavy, consume them yeah kind of first after an aid station. I know most people are going with it, the the gels and bars and and powders for their nutrition. But if you're wanting to have a banana or a chocolate bar or something like that, that's really heavy. So maybe eat that first. So plan your nutrition and how you can use the aid stations
00:30:50
Speaker
but at the same time, don't don't underdo your nutrition. It's always better to get to an aid station with two, three, 10 spare gels than being two hours out from the aid station and running out. Yeah, I'd definitely encourage um to to play it safe for the nutrition.
00:31:11
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And i've I've been a medic at lots of these sorts of longer events and I've only done races up to eight hours myself, but I've seen almost every mistake under the sun as a medic. um And so little tips I'd say is like weight is not by any means the be all and end all. um Obviously saving weight in some ways where you can is just going to make your life a lot happier and easier for the day. um But it's try not to do it at the expense of your safety as well so safety first then cutting weight second um but the biggest mistakes i've seen is just where people choose to put things in their pack and people putting especially nutrition don't put your nutrition somewhere you can't access it because if there's an extra block.
00:31:57
Speaker
in your brain to actually get something out of your pack to eat, you're likely to eat a lot less. um And anything that you're gonna need needs to be accessible over time. And so, yeah, I've seen a lot of people run into trouble just going, they get to an aid station and then get their nutrition out that they should have already been eating. um And it's a little bit late at that point. So just be careful the way you pack what you need. And yeah, as you said on um ah nutrition, don't If you have crew and there's drop bags, do both. Have nutrition in both or know what's at the aid station and use that because too many times I've seen crews not make it to an aid station and they run off without their nutrition because they're like, oh, I'll get to the next one. They then bonk, take a lot longer to get to the next one and their race is kind of done.
00:32:49
Speaker
um So don't rely on your crew getting to every single aid station. It does not always happen for whatever reason, cars break down, all sorts of things happen on roads and races. So you need to make sure that if your crew was not there, you can still make it through this race on what's in your pack and in your drop bags and at the aid stations, as opposed to having crucial items with your crew. um That's definitely a mistake I've seen a few times, unfortunately.
00:33:19
Speaker
ah But you actually segued really nicely into nutrition because i'm I love as a running nerd, I love hearing about people's nutrition plans, especially for Mylas. So I would love you to break down sort of where you're at now, but also what you've learned from like everyone's nutrition journey also seems to change over time and um you make the mistakes and you learn from the mistakes and you've done quite a few of these big events.
00:33:46
Speaker
with great success. So what are your current what are you your plans for GPT? Yeah, sure. Thank you. I like to keep my nutrition pretty simple. um Firstly, and sort of going back to your point about making sure you do eat. I have an alert on my watch to remind me to eat. it's yeah Sometimes it's channel like it's a great little reminder, um particularly when you're getting tired. yeah I keep my nutrition pretty simple. I suppose I start it off
00:34:17
Speaker
just using kind of the the cheapest gels I could get. um And in in hindsight, I probably would have been better off just drinking sweets, cordial or something like that. because they they ah they They didn't do much. But at the same time, I know that nutrition um and I guess the industry or the community's understanding of nutrition has improved a lot, particularly over the last sort two years, I think. um Yeah.
00:34:45
Speaker
sorry i stick mostly to to gels. When I'm doing ah say a 100 mile event, I'd incorporate some solid food in that. um The reason for that is I like to feel as though there's something in my digestive system, in my stomach.
00:35:04
Speaker
um Whereas just the gels, you can sometimes get that feeling of being empty or sometimes a bit a bit bloated. um So yeah, I'd go with some solids that would be like ah an energy bar or the likes or just the good old fashioned bananas, watermelons at the aid stations. I did try in an event a year or two ago,
00:35:28
Speaker
some flatbread, like the wraps with some peanut butter or something in there. Yeah, I wouldn't do that one again. Or if I did, I might use a different kind. it They were multi-grain wraps and that didn't really agree with me that much. So yeah. I suppose we all say it, don't try something new in a race.
00:35:51
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, guilty is challenged on that one. We've also made the mistake despite being told that though, so you know. Yeah, absolutely. And with the nutrition as well, it's not I think it's not just about not trying something new in a race, but only use it if you've used it in training and you've used it under similar conditions. So yeah if you're going to be using it in a you know 100 mile race, make sure you use it in one of your long runs. um Or if you're going to be, you know, you're going to be pushing hard and physically exerting, use it in a training runway, you know, physically exerting yourself because, you know, when the blood's going to your muscles and everything, that will really impact the way your body can digest those foods. So, on yeah, try it, try everything in training. Yeah, for sure. And multigrain map
00:36:44
Speaker
wraps would have had a bit of fiber and you don't want to put stuff through your stomach that takes a lot more blood to the stomach and intestines to digest. So the blood's going to the muscles. That's why the stomach doesn't like it so much to actually digest full amounts of food when running. ah But do you try and hit a certain amount of carbs per hour on your Mylas or is it more intuitive for you?
00:37:07
Speaker
A bit of both really. um I try and hit generally around about the 75, 80 grams of carbs an hour. um yeah I know people are pushing more you up to 100. You hear stories of some people going above 100, but it's important to bear in mind that that's dependent on your body as well. yeah i'm I'm a reasonably small guy, so 70, 80 for me might be the equivalent of 100 for a bigger person. So it is it is unique. Yeah, I'd recommend not not copying something just because someone else is doing it, um but you're really trying it yourself. But yeah, that's that's been a key part of my nutrition journey where previously it was yeah one gel every yeah hour, 45 minutes.
00:37:55
Speaker
But of course, when you're going for that 70 to 80 grams, um you basically take one every 15, 20 minutes. Yeah, 20 minutes. And that's where the ah the alarms come in. But when I say it's also a little bit of that intuitive side, it's important to listen to your body, listen to what your body is saying. Because For example, if you're so if you're really starting to feel a bit nauseous with the the nutrition that you're taking deep into an ultra, and you feel that you might be about to bring it back up if you take another one, you've got to then ask yourself, well, actually, is it worthwhile just waiting a little bit longer, letting the gut settle than taking the risk of of not being able to hold it? I think that's ah that's an important factor. But also, not being a slave
00:38:47
Speaker
to a gel every 15 minutes, 20 minutes, half an hour, whatever you may be. Although I have the alarm on my watch, I will be aware of where I am on the course. yeah Am I about to come up to a climb where I'm going to be slowing down to a hike? That might be a good opportunity. Am I coming up to a climb that I'm going to be running? Or am I coming up to a technical bit where I want to have complete focus on that the trail? So yeah, that's that's an important part of the the nutrition decision. Yeah, for sure. That makes a lot of sense. And in terms of ah electrolytes and fluid for you. Do you have a tactic? Do you turn try and drink a certain amount? Obviously that's heat dependent, um but do you how much do you know about your own sort of fluid needs and pay attention to that as well? Yeah, I think the hydration is is absolutely vital. Hydrating early, really important. um For me, I generally drop either a full um hydration tablet or half a one into ah into a bottle, depending on the conditions.
00:39:46
Speaker
and the weather conditions. um i yeah I don't often go straight water um simply because I almost prefer to have a lower concentration of a hydration fluid just to slowly keep up that electrolyte level within my body. um yep And yeah, I'd definitely say a bit like you were saying earlier, Sim, about not going light on some of the things, particularly nutrition and things like that. Don't worry about saving weight.
00:40:16
Speaker
um Water is one of those things. like if you're If you're thinking to yourself, I'm not going to take this extra flask full of water because I don't want to be slowed down by 500 grams, what taking that and consuming that water is probably going to make up any loss that you'd have plus a whole lot more. So yeah, yeah really important. I think we've all been there where we're undihydrated and it's never pleasant.
00:40:41
Speaker
Yeah. And I will say from, again, the medic side of the long distance events, this is exactly why there is at times, especially in hot weather, um a mandatory fluid amount rather than capacity out of aid stations. Because sometimes, especially later in ultras or even halfway through ultras, we're almost trying to stop people being their own worst enemy of going, I've got a big, like, Oscars comes to mind here where there's a big climb out of a valley at one point.
00:41:07
Speaker
and the number of people that got to the top of that valley in absolute all sorts because they hadn't taken enough water up the climb because they were trying to save weight and not carry too much, then made it so that we met it was mandatory to carry a certain amount of water out of the bottom. And that is like, there's reasons behind all these decisions for the races. They're not just trying to punish you to carry more um at times. And especially the further back you get in the field or the longer you're taking between aid stations.
00:41:34
Speaker
um Yeah. You're a lot, you're not going to undo your race by carrying 500 mils of extra water, but you might underdo undo, like completely undo yourself and not be able to finish if you carry less. Um, so on the waterfront, that is your friend. It will get them through. And I like your tactic personally of not, um, drinking, uh, plain water. And in my head, this is just my own logic of going, well, I'm not sweating out plain water. I'm, I'm sweating out other things. And so.
00:42:02
Speaker
It makes sense to put back as much of that as you can. um So on the, do you ever take salt tablets or and what's your, the other two ones, it's salt tablets and caffeine. What are your thoughts or tactics there?
00:42:16
Speaker
I generally don't take either of them as a separate yeah separate tablet. um I'll have the hydration tablet, so I just drop in and and drink them. um So that's where I'm getting my my electrolytes from. um In terms of caffeine, yeah, caffeine is one of those things, again, you really need to know how much your body can can handle. um and we we all We all love our coffee, but you don't want to be having too many of them.
00:42:44
Speaker
yeah I'd be saving them as well. So early in the race, yeah try you know staying staying away from the caffeine gels and things, use them later in the way in the race when you're really fatigued and things like that, particularly when you're coming through the night. I often find that the first half of the night,
00:43:05
Speaker
can be harder. That's just that's just the way my my body or my mind reacts to it. um So yeah, using using caffeine gel is in our first half of the night, I find to be quite advantageous. I'm also a a key proponent of the morale gel. So always having one gel, which isn't, it's not your emergency gel, it's your morale gel. And it's your favorite flavor with a bit of caffeine. And it's there just in case things are getting really bad. It's the thing that you can just whip out.
00:43:42
Speaker
everything is better Nice. I like that. I really, really like that. Definitely some morale. To be to be fair, though, for me, I think it would be morale lollies. I really like lollies. Yeah. I like grabbing grabbing a handful of them at the aid station. the They they yeah fu fulfill a similar purpose.
00:43:59
Speaker
Yeah, there's something about running along a trail, feeling like you're at a kid's party with a party mix kind of thing. That definitely lifts my spirits. So, love that. um Now, specific to GPT. and I would love to just get your thoughts on, because and even for the shorter races, this is how i um you dictate how much you carry out of an aid station based on how long it is to the next aid station.
00:44:25
Speaker
and Throughout GPT, MILA, there is a great amount of variation between distances between aid stations, everything from nine and a half K to 20 K um with more of them being on the shorter side. So I think the majority would be between nine and a half and.
00:44:43
Speaker
13 but then there's two especially longer or three really because there's a one that's 15 k's with 1260 up so that one's going to take a while too um but for any of these ones where it's like from guard trailhead to mount difficult is what 20k with 1100 up and 670 down so that's some steep terrain there and then about halfway through there's again 19k with sort of 780 up and 1400 down. um How do you think about those gaps in time differently to when you know that it's it's kind of not long until the next aid station versus I've got to be self-sufficient for a few hours here?
00:45:27
Speaker
I think um knowing how long you're going to be between aid stations will dictate how many gels or bars or whatever nutrition choice you use um that you take with you. But the key thing is is the hydration for me, knowing how much I want to take. As you say, and there's often the the mandatory fluid um that you leave an aid station with, um but if that's not in place um or that's simply less than you think is ideal, take more. um that's ah That's an important one for me. I think that you can you can get by without you can getby safely without nutrition. You might not be moving fast, you might be hungry and a bit grouchy, um but you really can't get by without hydration. you once Once your body's dehydrated, it's game over in many ways. So yeah, hydration would be the key thing. And of course,
00:46:22
Speaker
don't look at the distance and the elevation between aid stations as your sole measure. um look at Look at what the terrain's actually like. There's significant parts of GPT that are flat or downhill you gentle downhill, but they're just really rocky like just but You've just got rocks the size of watermelons that are jagged and rough and they're just all and somehow you've got to get through there. So even if it is flat, even if it is downhill, it's not necessarily going to be fast. So yeah, factor the time yeah and the terrain in. Yeah, I'd say for GPT, for anyone that hasn't seen the course and does look at the distances and elevations, just add quite a bit of time.
00:47:08
Speaker
onto every single like estimation you have. Because I'm not sure of any sections that are all entirely smooth, runnable, where you'd be running the expected pace for the gradient um on this course, for sure. um So that's it that's definitely a good go. ah One other quick thing I will add on terms of the hydration is just, um obviously we're saying the importance of water and getting a lot in, but the importance of the electrolyte side of things too um because people can run into trouble if you do drink only water and you're not taking in any electrolytes, there's something called hyponatremia, which can put you in all sorts. like It is actually a very, very dangerous condition if you put yourself there. and the only like The way that that it happens is by drinking only water and not replacing electrolytes so that you dilute your blood.
00:48:00
Speaker
um and so the ah Yeah, just make sure that there is electrolytes either in your gels that you're taking, in the fluid that you're taking, or tablets that you're taking in order to stop that from occurring as well. I don't want to don't want to go through the importance of water and then have people overdo the water. um Because sometimes out of anxiety, people very much can. ah So yeah, bit of a tip there. I'm not sure if you've ever run into that trouble, Owen. I hope not.
00:48:27
Speaker
Um, not personally. Um, but yeah, I have seen someone, um, go down with hype and dream. Yeah. As you say, um, it wasn't running. It was back when I was in the army, but it's, it did not look like a fun experience for him. So yeah, if you can avoid it, I recommend that. Yeah, definitely avoid, definitely avoid. Awesome. Well, yeah, I think.
00:48:50
Speaker
I think any ah any parting words of wisdom or just things that you're thinking about for GPT in particular that are maybe different to what you've had to think about before or playing to other milers or longer races that you've done or anything like that? I'd probably say um if you're having crew coming along to support you,
00:49:11
Speaker
Make sure you support them beforehand. um In that a lot of other races where you start and finish in the same location and do a big loop, it can be relatively short drives to each of the aid stations for your crew. The thing with GPT, there are significant distances involved because it's a point to point. So you take care of your crew. um I love putting together a bit of a Like drop bags for my crew sort of thing so there's a bag that I'll give them that's everything's for them and Yeah there because they a happy crew will make your race a whole lot better Yeah for sure and I've actually just had a quick look should have done this research as well before but I Not all of the aid stations are crew accessible. So I do find it interesting that you have a period from 15.5 all the way to 49.5 where you're self supported with one aid station. But that also is the biggest gap in the aid station. So I think that's definitely something to keep in mind in terms of
00:50:14
Speaker
drop bags and those sorts of things. Although I will say as a crew member, that would probably give them a nice break um to start the day. They can go get their breakfast and coffee while you come. That's probably true. So handy handy for them for looking after themselves. And then I think later in the race as well, there's two in a row that can't be accessed. So I think it's 106 all the way to 140. You're also um, self-supported, uh, which is late in the race. And I think that is a more of a key one where you're not getting the uplifting. Um, just meeting the crew. Like you're not getting that boost. You've got the aid stations. Um, but would you think about that? Um, that spot differently where you're trying to, you're very late in the race. You won't see your crew for a while. Um, where, is there anything you'd employ there in terms of mental strategies or anything like that to help you get through that point, um, or nutrition or anything?
00:51:11
Speaker
That depends. The brain can be doing some pretty weird things. that that that that deep into That's what i'm thinking but I'm thinking. You've got no one to keep you on the straight and narrow. Yeah, I mean, I've i've seen people taking their phones and and phone someone during a race. So if you if you need a bit of bit morale, a bit of a pick me up, a phone call to family, friends, your crew, that can be really good. Bear in mind, your crew might be resting during that time as well. So best to take that into account.
00:51:43
Speaker
um hot drinks, I find a really good one for morale. yeah And that also reminds me of another tip. If the weather's cold, um ask your crew not to put cold water in your flasks. Because basically if they fill it up at the aid station, that water's been sitting out in the cold weather. Give them a thermos that they can put hot water in so they can just add a little bit of the hot water. That way you haven't got something cold sitting against your chest, which um is never come yeah so that That's it that one of my little tips. um But yeah, i've got other moral tips. I think just focus focus on it focus on the the the end, focus on what you're doing, know that you've done the work before um and you're going to be out there enjoying a beautiful part of the world. um And if you don't enjoy it for a couple of moments during it, you'll enjoy it completely when you finish. So yeah, just focus on that. Love that. I love that. I think we should have
00:52:44
Speaker
End on that note. I really like it. and i've been but I've learned a bit, so this will be fun. I'll see you out there. i'm going to be I'll race the 50, but then I'll be on the Medic c crew as well. so You'll see me out there at the aid stations.
00:52:57
Speaker
and Yeah, thank you so much for coming and sharing some of your wisdom with everyone and I hope everyone's learned something. um I will say any questions, shoot them through and we can answer questions um from the Instagram or um direct to one of us and we can ah help people out on that front or to GPT. and We do have one more of these series coming up in a couple of weeks so we can answer any questions from anyone but Until then, good luck with the rest of your training, Owen. Has it been going well so far? Like we're feeling good? Yeah, ah feeling feeling pretty good, yeah. um Happy with where it's at and just looking forward to what the last, what are we, I think as we're recording this now, we're about six weeks out or something like that. um yeah awesome forward to it Awesome, awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming along and I look forward to seeing you when we get there. and Thank you very much and likewise. Thank you. Thanks everyone.