Trail Running

Usual last minute entry to this event, with another commitment down the Gold Coast in the afternoon, I thought this would be a great way to spend the morning - since I needed to be down there.

I have never run down around the Hinze Dam wall, so also keen to check it out, with only a quick viewing of the course on the seq trail series website, noting there was a reasonable hill at the start, a 1.7 dam wall run and then a 7km mountain bike forestry loop and back to the finish via the dam wall again.

Leaving Brisbane at 4am, and meeting Deb and Tony at Nerang to carpool to the event, got us there about 5.30am. Suprisinging quick from Nerang. With a bit of time to register and warm up, there was teh race briefing (which I couldn't hear - event though I was pretty close), then it was Wave 1 of the Long Course was off. We were Wave 2 - completely happy with that. 

My only plan was to start controlled and if I had any fuel in the tank for the forestry section, I would turn it up there and enjoy that.

So starting the course with Deb and Tony - we headed straight to the first lookout via a lovely slightly muddy hill trail. Nice and social pace, up the relatively steep hill up to the lookout (with some nice community spirit for the top runners where already on their way back down) - didn't really even look out over the view od the dam, but then we were back the same way back down the now even muddier trail (Tony decided to take off at this point) and then Deb and I ran back through the start area and over to the dam wall. Was getting warm already with a full sun and the temperature rising, and actually not looking forward to doing this section on the return leg. - although still enjoyable having a chat to Deb along the wall to keep distracted from the flatness - and also cheering on the short course runners (Craig T in particular) who were coming back already and always finding some enegy for a photographer

Entering the mountain bike section - was by far the nicest, greenest section of the course. I'd love to have done 18km in this area! Lots of good running sections, with a few undulations to speed walk to recover a little and then enjoy the downhills. Totally a great section. Had a good group of runners to keep my pace accountable and was managing the run / walk technique well, and saving some energy for the final section back over the dam wall. 

Finally, after what seemed forever, we were back up to the dam wall, and the last leg before the finish - fortunately the clouds had come over so it wasn't as hot and I managed to keep a reasonable run through to the end of the wall - with another jumpshot opportunity 

Then finally back down the short hill - with another photo jumpshot opportunity

Overall a great morning, great chats, good training and discovering some new trails which would be good to get back to... maybe next year.

Course:

Gear:

Shoes: Altras Lone Peak 6 - 2nd time worn and loved them

Pack: Soloman 8 liter pack with 3x500 flasks with 2 scoops of Goodness Infinit mix. Only drank 2 on course, and the 3rd was drink after.