3 days after cortisone. Things are looking promising!

So I had a cortisone in my ischial bursa ladt Tues and since then it's improved out of sight! Wednesday we traveled almost 8hrs to Griffith and I was relatively pain free in the car.
Once we arrived I ran 7km with discomfort after the first 2km but more on the medial hamstrings.
Thursday was xmas day and I got 21.4km done. Slow but steady and the leg felt great. It was an average of 5:39 pace but a lot of that was climbing rocks.
Today was boxing day and my leg felt amazing when I got up. I ran 10.5km with an average pace of 4:59. My first km was 4:35.  Had some discomfort on the medial hamstrings again but overall it was pretty good

FFS.......Day 34!

Just get better damn you!
Getting a little frustrated now. The last prp hasn't seemed to have much effect and I'm now feeling rather pissed off to be quite honest. One thing yesterday morning I got through a spin class no problem and it wasn't any worse after. On Sat I went to Trotters and ran but that wasn't pretty. In fact the leg was just sore and miserable and was achy for the rest of the day. 10km at 6:16km pace and that's too much? Bloody hell. Before I decided to stop running all wasn't too bad. I couldn't do speed work but at least I could run. Now after having a bit of time off its so bad it hurts to plod. You try to do all the right things to get back on track and its like it slaps you in the face.
Anyway Jamie did mention it could be an ischial bursitis so today I traveled down to Sydney to get an ultrasound which showed thickening of the hamstring tendon. They said it's hard to see if there's an inflamed bursa but tomorrow I travel back to Sydney again for a cortisone shot under ultrasound.
Let's see what happens tomorrow

Day 29

Yesterday I got a 3rd prp injection but this time in my sacrotuberous ligament. Now that one HURT!
I'm not sure if it's getting better. Some days it doesn't feel too bad and other days I feel more pain in the hamstring other days its more glute or an ache in the pubic area.
I must afmit though since the injection yesterday it much less painful getting out of the car after driving.
Still painful if I have to put my leg in a stretch position such as bending down to do up my shoes etc.
I did get a massage of Brad today. 45min just focusing on my left hamstring, glute and low back
Also did a little 2km jog this morning and it was ok but still painful in a stretch position

The other thing I was told it might be is in imflammed bursa

Let's see how things are tomorrow

Day 22

Wednesday 10/12/14 - Can feel a bit of an improvement today. Still hurts to sit and drive and also stretching but feels slightly better

Day 21

Day 21 Tuesday 09/12/14 - 3 weeks since the first injection and 1 week since the second.
spent the last 4 days crewing for Greg Brown at C2K. Hamstring survived the trip and I also did some slow run/walking about 60km in total. It was ok once it warmed up.
Today however it was frustratingly achy. Had a crap massage.
Just annoying today

Day 16

Thursday 04/12/14 - So 16 days now since first injection and 2 days since the second. Today was just sitting in a car traveling 8 or 9 hrs from The Central Coast to Eden. Leg was ok sitting but had the usual soreness getting out of the car. Once we made it to Eden I went for a swim and not long later it came it came pretty good.
Ive strapped it up tonight

Day 15

Wednesday 03/12/14 - Day 15 since the first prp injection. No training. My hamstring felt pretty darn good all day. Driving from Newcastle to Central Coast flared it but came good again soon. Still hurts to stretch. Tomorrow will be a day in the car as a passenger heading down to Eden

Day 14 and 2nd prp injection

Tuesday 2nd December and 14 days since my first prp injection I had the second one today. This time Jamie injected the plasma in 3 areas in my hamstring. One was the same as last time another more on the bicep femoris tendon and the 3rd was more muscle/tendon junction of the medial hamstrings. The bicep femoris injection really felt like he got it in the spot and the muscle/tendon was also right where I've been getting pain. 

One of the annoying things with high hamstring pain is it can be hard ro work out where it's all coming from. 

After the injection I had an ache for pretty much the rest of the day which is different than the first injection where I felt fine. I ended up putting a compression bandage around the tendon and the helped a lot. After about 4 hrs with the bandage on it started to get achy again so I took it off and now my hamstring is feeling really really really good! 

I'm not getting too excited just yet but this is the best it's felt in a long time

Day 13

Monday 1st December - No training just on my feet working all day. Leg was annoying all day. I can feel it mostly when I lift my knee such as walking up steps and still sore when sitting.
So it's been 13 days since my first injection and I don't know if it's working. I'm hoping the pain I've had is the inflammation from the prp injection.
I get the second injection tomorrow morning

Day 12

Sunday 30th November - day 12 since the injection. No training just went to the Central coast half to take photos. Hamstring and glute were both quite achy when I got up and was pretty much like that all day. I was sitting for most of the day and that's what seems to make it worse

High hamstring prp injection

On Tuesday 18th November I went and got my first prp injection. This has been a long time coming. I've suffered with high hamstring tendonosis for the last few yrs on and off and after my last race at Stromlo I decided it's time for the injection. I want to keep a diary of how the injury goes with the injections.
So on Tuesday 18th I had the injection and it was simple and pain free. After the injection it felt fine and there was no flare up

Wednesday 19th day 1 - No training, I just went about my normal day and noticed my hamstring felt more relaxed. No pain except for certain stretch positions

Thursday 20th day 2 - No training.  Leg felt pretty much the same as yesterday.  Still sore if I sit on it for too long

Friday 21st day 3 - Easy 9km at 5:40 pace. Hamstring felt better at times and the same as it has been at other times. Rest of the day it felt awesome

Saturday 22nd day 4 - Very very easy 10km at Trotters. Ran an average of 5:50 pace. Hamstring was pretty good but groin was a little sore. Not sure if it was from running so slow

Sunday 23rd day 5 - Rode the bike 100km from Tumbi Umbi to Swansea and back. Hamstring was great until about 45km then was uncomfortable. It seemed to be ok riding though but when I finished that was a different story. My left butt around where the injury is was absolutely painful and stayed that way for the rest of the day

Monday 24th - day 6 - no training.  Butt very sore

Tuesday 25th - day 7 - no training.  Butt still sore

Wednesday 26th - day 8 - no training.  Butt sore but slightly better

Thursday 27th - day 9 - I went and saw Stan physio and asked if I should do any eccentric exercises. He suggested doing 3x20 eccentric leg curls. Did that then sore leg but came good as the day went on

Friday 28th - day 10 - 3x20 eccentric leg curls.  Leg quite achy all day

Saturday 29th - day 11 - no training except a surf. Could feel leg surfing. Leg was sore but came good as the day progressed. Was at Platinum chiro xmas party until really late and was sitting for most of the night and that flared the glute and hamstring up

Tuesday and some good training done

Made it to the 6:15am cycle class then as soon as that was done I went to Mingara pool and swam an easy 2km in 39:42 stopping every 5 laps then straight after the swim I got a 5km walk in 47:36.

Later I went back to the gym and did the 5:30pm cycle class followed by some core work.

Back was ok today but was tight and I know if I tried to run it would have flared up

Monday's swim

Was going to try a 30min run this morning but straight away my hip/back was sore so I stopped. Annoying!
At 11am I headed off to Mingara pool and swam 2k doing intervals of 50m in 35:44.

That's pretty much it exercise wise. Back felt a little better as the day went on

Thursday, Friday, Sat and Sunday. Got a bit of running done!

Thursday - Was up in Newcastle this morning and got a 10k run in 53:54. I could ffel the back but it was ok and felt ok as the day went on. It's not better but improving!

Friday - I was on my way to Canberra and stopped off at Mittagong and ran another 10k this time in 52:51. Again the back felt good as the day went on but was a little sore straight after the run

Saturday - Cold frosty morning in Canberra and I run around Lake Burley Griffin doing 16km in 1:22:35 and for most of the run I could feel discomfort in my left hip and in the last 1.5k I could feel slight pain in my back. I put my asthma puffer between my pants and spine and the pain vanished! Weird! But as the day went on the back/hip got pretty sore and was still sore at the end of the day

Sunday - Back on the coast and my back was feeling kinda normal again. Went to the gym and did the 9:15am cycle class then used the sauna where I was doing trigger point work to my gluteus medius and found that really relieved any discomfort I had.
Later I went back to the gym got on the treadmill and ran 1km pain free in about 5:30 then did another 1km faster in 4:50 with a little bit of pain at the end. Then it was yoga

Wednesday and things are looking promising!

Happy with how today went. Went to the gym and did 1hr on the elliptical trainer. Then I go to the Chiropractor to start work at 8:30am and my client forgo and my 9:45am client canceled as she was sick! Christ sakes that shits me. So I now have a couple of hours free so I go for a run/walk. Did 12km in just over 90min. Back was ok running and for some strange reason if iput pressure on my back while running I seemed to be running pain free. Weird. I then decide to go straight to Woolworths and buy some rigid strapping tape and strap my back and glute up. All felt great with the tape on.
Later I went back to the gym to do some core and upper body strength and did a last minute 1km run on the treadmill in 5:20. Back felt great with the tape on. I could feel it but overall it was quite good. Even better it felt fine as the day went on and even standing on one leg putting my pants and socks on was pretty good and thats the movement that really flares it up.

So I'm finally feel im getting somewhere with this injury and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Well For now at least.

Lets see how it is tomorrow. I'll have a go at running in the morning

Monday and Tuesday. In the 6th week now of this back injury

Monday was physio day. Saw Stan at 9am then got on the X-trainer for an hour after. Back was fine but still sore to run up and down on the spot. I then did some core work.

Later I got to a 4:30pm cycle class

Tuesday was another cycle class at 9:45am then some leg strength work. In the evening I went back to use the steamroom. Backs pretty much the same as yesterday

Sunday swim

Up at 7am and at Gosford to watch the Bay2Bay funrun by 7:45am. Took a few photos, chatted to a few mates then got out of the freezing cold to the warmth of my heater in my car and drove to Mingara pool to do a few laps. 60laps (3km) in 57:32 stopping every 1-6 laps for a break.

It was then to the gym for a core workout and to sweat it out in the steamroom.

The back was ok today but I could still feel it

Saturday

Went down to trotters just to walk and got 8km in walking to Wamberal along Ocean View dve and back

Next was to the gym where I did a double cycle class. 1hr50min in total.

The backs been pretty good but I did feel it after the walk.

Friday the 13th

Well Friday the 13th wasn't too bad a day.
After a morning of massaging clients I was able to get to WoyWoy pool which was 25m today for a 3km swim. Swam between 2-10 laps before I had a break. Finding it a bit boring at the moment to just swim continually so breaking it up made it easier. Total swimming time was 55:32 and must have spent 75min in the pool in total.

At 4:50pm I went to the gym and before I did the cycle class I got on the tradmill and did a mixture of walking and running. Was running up to 4:17 pace and the back just has discomfort while I'm running but gets sore after. Got 4km done in just over 25min

At 5:30pm it was time for cycle class. Back was tight in this but not too sore unless I was pushing a heavy load.

It's 9:30pm now and it's been pretty sore since that little run/walk.

Tomorrow I'm just going for a walk down at trotters then will do the double cycle class

Thursday....a run/walk and pain again

Got 8km done with a mixture of walking and running. I was up at Mums so trained around Warners Bay heading to Speers Pt and back. Started with 5min slow running then 5min walking then after 5km I ran 1km in 4:35 pace and the back felt fine running that pace on flat but as soon as I stopped to walk then get running again I started to get that stabbing pain again. Pain level was moderate for the rest of the day but unlike yesterday when I was pretty much pain free all day this time it was there just slightly and if I tried to test it out during the day such as running up and down on the spot it would instantly hurt.

Tomorrow I think I'll swim and do the afternoon cycle class.

I'm hoping after a nights sleep it will again st\rt to feel normal again

Wednesday and feeling good

A double cycle class was on the menu today. Completed it with no back pain at all but it did feel tight on and off throughout the class. Also got a leg workout done which included some plyometrics with no back pain.
No pain in the back as the day went on.
I think its time to try and do another slow run tomorrow and see how it feels

Tuesday. swim, acupuncture, 6k plod and physio

I was going to get up early and do the 6:15am cycle class but I was absolutely bloody tired and it took no convincing to go back to sleep and let my body rest a bit longer. Back felt wonderful this morning.

So instead I went to Woywoy pool and swam 2k in 38:55 then off to see Kristi-Anna so she could stick needles in my back.

With my back feeling good I went to the gym as I had to see Stan (physio) but before I saw him I got on the treadmill and at a snail pace I ran 6k in 41min stopping every 2k to make sure the back was ok. Mostly just felt tight until the last 500m when it was getting uncomfortable.

Physio next and he mainly massages around QL area then stretches and mobilization techniques

Saturday, Sunday and Monday.....a bit of fun at South West Rocks

Woke up Saturday with a back that just felt perfect! Was off to South West Rocks today with Greg Brown picking me up about 9:30am. First up though I got a cycle class done at 7:45am and my back was fine in that.
Rest of the day was spent heading up to South West Rocks and catching up with some other friends

Sunday was the morning of the marathon, half marathon and 10k and a few other smaller events that were held.
Perfect weather and with my back still feeling wonderful I rode around the course taking photos and cheering the runners on. My back was slightly sore in stages riding the bike and by the time I was finished riding it was pretty sore but it was feeling great again not too long later and felt great for the rest of the night

Monday again the back was feeling great. No pain what so ever. When I got home I had a massage to do and still felt fine in that but I did notice it was a little tight. I then went for a 1km run around the block and that stirred it up. Sore again from such a small little run. I guess it is on the mend and feels fantastic compared to a few weeks ago but it's still not ready to start running again and that's bloody annoying!

Wed, Thurs and Fri

So keeping my promise to myself and to blogging while I have this back injury the last 3 days have been mixed emotions.

Wednesday was a great day training wise. Started off by doing 30min on the stationary bike then 30min on the x-trainer. Back was a little sore after that.
I then saw Stan and had some physio then later I got body balance in. First time in a long time since I've done one of those. I then got to Mingara pool to swim 2km slow

Thursday was a day I had a sleep in. I was going to do a cycle class but couldn't be bothered and thought the extra sleep seemed a better idea.
I had to go to Newcastle to massage the Knights so I stopped off at Kotara fitness first to do some core work before work. Nothing else done today

Friday I woke up with the sore back. Very depressing and was quite annoyed. I just want this thing to go away. Almost 5 weeks now so it's frustrating not being able to do what I love doing and that's the joy and freedom of running out on the trails.
I got to the gym and did 48min on the stationary bike then off to Woyoy pool to swim 2km in about 39min then tonight I got in a cycle class. Back felt better tonight

Need to keep track of this injury

I thought I should blog about this back injury so if I ever get it again I'll be able to come back to this and see how I got through it.

So what have I got? Some stupid ligament issue called my iliolumbar ligament that goes from the transverse process at the L5 and attaches to Iliac crest.

The first sign I had an issue with this ligament was 1 week before it crippled me. I was doing Mt Solitary ultra and about 10km from the finish running down a hill I felt discomfort in my lower back near my spine. It lasted a few km's then going up Kedumba hill for the last 7km it went away and never bothered me again. In fact I forgot all about it and thought all was rosy.
The next sign was the following Saturday when I was doing some massages in Canberra and just had a tight low back.
The next sign was the day it happened. I was out on the GNW with the Terrigal Trotters and after about 6km into a 33km trail run I got that same feeling I had a week earlier at the Mt Solitary race but this time it didn't go away. It didn't really slow me down but I could feel it getting worse. I should have stopped and walked but as we do I ran and paid the price.
From then on it just got worse and worse and when I thought it couldn't get any worse it got worse again!

2 days later I go and see Stan my physio and after ruling out SIJ he thinks it may be my facet Joint.

With the help of another friend Di I go and get a cortisone injection into the L4/L5 and L5/S1 facet joint and after 7 days of no real pain relief I get a 2nd injection this time in my iliolumbar ligament.
The pain level went from a 8/10 down to a 2/10 straight away. It was heaven!

The pain since then had stayed between a 0/10 to a 4/10. I still can't run but I did do 3km in 19min40sec yesterday but even going that slow stirred it up.

So it been like this
Week 1 - PAIN!
Week 2 - PAIN!
Week 3 - 2nd injection and I'm walking with slight discomfort and I tried a cycle class but got sore mid way though
Week 4 - This is where I'm up to now and I did a 3km slow slow slow run yesterday but wasn't too good after and today I've done a cycle class then I had to go to Parramatta to massage the Eels and got there early so walked6km trying to do some 100m jogging but found out I better just stick to the walking. Then later when I got back on the coast about 6pm I went back into the gym and did a leg workout that included lunges, squats, jumping lunges which were all done Bodyweight and also used the assisted chinup machine and got through it all pain free. I did try to run up and down on the spot but that's still painful

So things are on the mend!!

The injured runner!

Injuries come and go. It doesn't matter if you are an elite athlete, a serious athlete or a weekend warrior. Sometime in our lives we all get injuries. Some people struggle with chronic injuries and some acute. Some people get recurring injuries every few yrs or so while other people get totally new ones.

For myself since I started running in 1999 I've had a lot and I've learnt a lot about how to win the battle against them not only physically but also mentally. Half the battle is the mental one!

The first injury I can remember getting was an achilles issue sometime in 1999. It put me out of action for about 4 or 5wks. I had no clue what to do. I didn't even have the internet back then so it was looking through old runners world magazines to see what this pain was. I was reading stuff about surgery and was freaking out! I was also stressing out that I couldn't run. I hated it! Then after about a month I was back out pounding the pavement again. I've had achilles issues twice since then. Once in 2009 after running hard out at Palmdale which took about 2 weeks to heal and I had issues with it again late last yr but with that one I had no pain just a puffy achilles so I took 4 weeks off to let it settle.

I've have the dreaded ITB. First time was back in 2000 when I was training for my first marathon which is now called the Blackmores marathon. I had no idea what this sharp stabbing pain in my knee was. All I knew was after about 20min of running it HURT! I remember thinking I had a knee injury and thought I was going to need knee surgery or something stupid like that. That one lasted about 6 weeks then came good only to haunt me again in 2009 when it came on all of a sudden running stairs in Bouddi National Park. The second time around I was out of action for 2 weeks then I back into it again.

I've had a strained quad and calf that's put me out of running for about a week

I've done cartilage damage to my ribs falling between two rocks after surfing and I was out of running action for 3 weeks and couldn't lie on my stomach for 9 months

I've dislocated my right shoulder about 8 times since I was 16yrs old and the last time was 5yrs ago ocean swimming out at Terrigal. That put me out of running for 2 weeks.

In 2010 I suffered with High hamstring tendinopathy and got it again in 2012

In 2011 I had a very nasty groin injury on both legs. That was awful and I couldn't run for 5 months between January and May.

In June 2011 I pinched a nerve in my L5-S1 and that was absolutely painful!!! Took 8 weeks to settle

Then last yr in 2013 I got my very first stress fracture in my right fibula but other than running I had no pain at all.

And now in 2014 I got a stress reaction in my tibia after doing C2K a 240km race which took 6 weeks to heal but this one only hurt if I pushed on the bone

Other things I've had peroneus brevis tendon pain in my foot which took 2 weeks to heal.

Had a sore knee for 1 week after running Narrabeen Allnighter race for 12hrs on concrete turning at a witches cone every 1 mile

Got a sore foot that put me out of action for about 2 weeks...No idea what that one was

Had morton's neuroma once which felt like I had a stone in my foot. That went away in about 3 weeks but didn't stop me running.

And right now I've pulled my iliolumbar ligament in my back.

So in 15yrs of running I've had a few injuries and I know if I let those injuries heal they will get better. Most get better in 2-4wks. Some are a little more stubborn though

Believe it or not I don't actually mind if I get an injury because if I never got an injury I'd just keep training hard all yr round without a break and I believe I would burn out.

Things I've learnt from injuries is never train through them. Just about all my injuries have just come on without much warning. My stress fracture last yr I had plenty of warning but ignored it but the rest came without much warning. The warning signs are probably there but I didn't recognise them.

I've done 2 ocean swim races that I loved that if it wasn't for running injuries I would never had done

I've learnt to enjoy swimming, bike riding and general cross training more. I've learnt that I enjoy running and training more than competing. That's why if I get injured I swim, and ride lot's and if I can't do a race then so be it.
I did get a little pissed that I got injured 2 weeks out from TNF100km race this yr though but at the end of the day I've done 3 ultras already this yr.

I've learnt that resting with an injury is a chance for me to recover and let my body heal.


So when my back gets better and if my injury history is anything to go by I should be back in 2 or 3 weeks I will then get back into it again train like a demon for 6-12 months until I get another niggle then take a few weeks off for recovery then train like a demon again which at the end of the day suits me fine :-)

TNF100 from a crewing perspective

TNF100 from a crewing perspective

So what do I do when I can’t race?  I do the next best thing and help another runner in their quest to run 100km.

2 weeks before TNF100 I was doing a training run with the Terrigal Trotters on the GNW and somewhere on that run I hurt my back and I hurt it bad! I was waiting until the morning of the race before I gave in and decided to live to fight another day. So with no race to run had being there I thought I might as well help Greg Brown out the best I could.

I had my Mum up with me as she was going to crew for me if I was able to run so we both followed Greg around the Blue Mtns for the day.

Now it begins I guess at the Start line. We got to the start at Scenic World about 6am and Greg was in wave 4 so he didn’t start until about 6:45ish so when he gave me his pack to hold while he went off to help Marina get a couple of last minute things from the registration area I went for little walk to where I had a better view of things. Maybe I should’ve let Greg know I’d moved from where he left me and with the event getting closer to it’s start time I start to look around for Greg but can’t see him anywhere.
With wave 1 about to start I try calling Greg to see where he was. His phone was turned off! Wave 1 are off and within 3min wave 2 will be getting under away. Greg’s in wave 4 so I take his pack and start to walk around hoping I’ll see him near the start line somewhere. It wasn’t too long and I spot Gary Pickering and he tells me Greg’s just over here and he’s in a panic! Now I know where he is and I’ll have time to give him his pack I tell Gary I’ll let him sweat it out a little longer! I see Greg but he doesn’t see me yet and I see fear and panic in his eye’s so I put him out of his misery and hand him his pack. Relief is now on his face and he has just enough time to take his jumper off put his pack on, get to the start line before he sets off!

Now I won’t have much to do until 47km later at CP3 as we can’t go to the first two CP’s so I hopped on the rail and which took us down the cliff to about the 5.5km mark. By the time I got there I saw Marc Person and Gill Fowler go running by. I walked a few hundred meters on to the single trail and started to take photo’s. A little down from where I was I saw a couple of people trip over then another and a minute or so later I saw another trip over all in the same spot. I walked over to see why everyone was falling on their faces and saw a small rock that getting everyone. After two more fell I started to warn the runners about this rock. I did that until I saw Greg come through then was about to leave. As soon as I walked away another tripped on the rock and fell down the embankment. So I now decided to just stay until the last runner came through and warn the rest.

When they came through I took the train back up to Scenic World, found mum and went off to Katoomba find a bakery.

Next stop – CP3 at Megalong Valley. We got here about 9:30am and I wasn’t too sure what time the leaders would be coming through but thought somewhere between 10:10am and 10:20am. I walked a few hundred meters up the track to take some photos. About 10:15am Stu Gibson came flying by! For the next hour I’m snapping away at the runners and cheering them on. The NSWIB had an esky at the cp so while I wait for Greg to get in I’m quite happy taking in the sunshine drinking beer. I then decided to tease the runners by walking back up the track with a couple of beers and drink them as they ran past me. The drooling from some of them told me they were getting thirsty. A few said “that’s not fair” a few just said “oohhhhh” and some just looked and held their hand out hoping I may give them one. Then out of nowhere Greg comes in. I can’t remember what time it was as I’d had about 5 or so stubbies by now. He had drop bags at this cp and had what he needed in them so all I had to do was see if he needed anything else and make sure he didn’t stay too long. Within a couple of minutes and a couple of photos of him leaving he is gone.

Next Stop – Katoomba to the bottle shop and the supermarket for some food

Next Stop – CP4 at Katoomba aquatic centre. With mum now driving and me drinking this is day is going well! We get the CP4 and I just chat to some 50k runners that had finished. Took photos of some of the 100k runners that I know and also chat to some 100k runners that I don’t know and try to encourage them along. We were here for a couple of hrs and Greg comes in still looking pretty good. I see if there’s anything he needs and tell him to get out of here and get back out there which he does and he’s off again.

Next Stop – CP5 and The old Queen Victoria Hospital at Wentworth Falls. Time to start rugging up as the sun is now starting to go down and the temp is getting cold. This was quite a wait as I knew it would be. We got here around 4:30pm I think and I thought Greg would arrive between 7pm and 8pm so with that I grabbed a few more beers and headed over to where the runners came in and happily cheered them in. They have now run 78km and the smile are vanishing from their faces. They are now shuffling along except for a few who still look rather fresh. I chat here to Allison Lilley for a bit then some other people I’ve never met before.  After drinking my beer I decide it’s time to get some coffee into me and start to warm up.
Around 7:10pm Cathy Duffy comes in and is looking a little lost. I go over and see if she needs anything and she tells me she can’t find her crew. I’m thinking with 9 family members all with blue hoddie on with team Cathy on them how could you miss them but can’t see them anywhere. I give them a call for her and they said they are stuck in traffic and about 2min away. So all good. I help her out and it’s not long later they are there and we get some food and warm clothes on her and send her off. About 10min later Greg comes in and within about 3min he’s off.

Next Stop – Finish at Scenic World. The end is so close now but so far away. It’s taking most runners between 3hrs30mn and 4hrs to do the last section of 22km of stairs, stairs and stairs. So I gather Greg should be in between 11:30pm and 12am. I find a nice warm area to sit and Mum sits down and rests up. We are going to be here a while! I just wait now cheering the finishers on and clapping them on their final 50m. It’s amazing watching them finish. I saw them start and to see them 15hrs, 16hrs 17hrs later still going is quite amazing! Greg came in about 11:50pm in 17hrs6min and a 25min PB! Now we wait for Marina to finish so we can give her a lift home. With mum sleeping on and off  in the chair, Greg relaxing eating hot chips and drinking the cold beer I had waiting for him Marina comes in in a little over 19hrs!

Next Stop – BED! Home by 2:15am, bed by 2:30am

Buffalo Ultra 75km....what a beast!

"The African buffalo is a member of the "Big Five"group of animals, with the elephant, rhino, lion and leopard. Buffaloes have earned a bad reputation from hunters and other people who come in close contact with them. They are unpredictable and can be dangerous if cornered or wounded. Though they have been known to ambush men and are often accused of deliberate savagery, they are usually placid if left alone"

Well that pretty much sums up this course. Especially the bit where it say's "Though they have been known to ambush men and are often accused of deliberate savagery, they are usually placid if left alone"

So with 7 weeks training coming off a stress fracture I decided to give it my best shot and I'm happy to say I survived to tell the tale!

So on a very early Saturday morning down in a small but awesome town in Victoria called Bright we lined up. I guess there were a lot of nervous runners hanging around. I don't think I was nervous but......but......but.......ok I guess I was nervous. 

It wasn't long before we were off and running into the darkness and before I know it we are plodding up the first climb which I didn't find too bad. Mainly because it was a very very easy pace and it was also dark so I could only see as far as my Ayup light would let me. So before too long we were on top of Mystic mtn and soon to make our way down "Mick's Hill" arrrrgghhhhh....ohhhhhhh.....arrrrrghhhh......ohhhhhhhh....... arrrghhhhh!!!!!!!! That's the sound I made sliding on my feet, sliding on my butt, then sliding on my feet, then sliding on my butt down this muddy slippery hill trying not to break my neck then thinking "how many people would line up for hours at Dreamworld for a ride like this?" That hill I think was 800m but however long it was it took a long time to get down. Then I started thinking that I have to climb up that later on then I start thinking I need to stop thinking.

Now once down I get running again checking to see if I had a big hole in my pants which I'm glad to say I didn't.

It wasn't too long before we make our way up "Clearspot"......ohhh Clearspot how I remember you well. This became a walk/run for me and all I thought about was putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward which worked a treat because before I knew it I was up the top then running down down down down down where I managed to twist my ankle. Having rolled my ankle a few times in the past I know if I keep moving it comes good so that's what I did but this time it hurt more than normal. Anyway I kept going trying to block out any pain then changed my running gait to make it a bit more pain free. So down down down I keep going then we head down "Warners Wall" This wall was another crazy down hill but I handled it better than Mystic and before I know it we are on road going through a drink stop. I felt great here and just kept on going. Through a few paddocks and gates we now make our way up Keating Ridge which I really liked and pretty much ran the whole way. It was similar to Pluviometer on the 6ft track then a few km's down hill to the bottom of the "Big Walk" I had a can of coke here and filled up my water and drink bottles then just took my time getting up to the top of Mt Buffalo. 

Now it was a 7km loop to go then run back to the finish....easy! On this 7km loop we got to go caving too which was exciting! Not easy after about 40km of running though. 

Now on the return trip I was still feeling great and once over Keating Ridge and back on the road section I caught up to Tony Williams who seemed to be struggling somewhat and at on off the drink stops he asked if they had any gels. They didn't but I had some as I wasn't even using them so I gave him a couple.  Keeping on moving forward we get back to "Warners Wall" and after a few steps forward I look around and find some sticks on the ground and use them to get myself up this cliff face thing. This is where It hit me and step by step by step I used those sticks to trudge to the top. It was also here that those gels kicked in for Tony as he passed me like I was standing still and the last time I saw him was at the finish line. In fact I most likely was standing still when he passed me. Once up the top it was then slow slow slow walk/run to the top of clearspot. A guy who was in front of me at the time turned around looked at me, pointed to the sky and said Ït just keeps on f**king going! It doesn't f**king stop!" Then with no flat to get the muscles use to running again it was time to go down the other side of Clearspot. This killed my knees. They were sore and I was no longer having much fun. It was now survival. This hill with sore knees and feet and arms and toes was endless but I did get there and with a little bit of runable ground it was time to conquer "Mystic" I grab some sticks the just stuck them into the mud and heaved myself about half a meter then stuck those sticks into the mud again and heaved myself another half a meter and did this over and over and over again sometimes going a meter forward then sliding two meters back and sometimes yelling outloud...."arrrgghhhh C'mon!"sounding like Lleyton Hewitt but I did eventually get to the top. Once there I knew I only had about 4 or 5km to go and mostly downhill. I stood on the top of Mystic for about 1min and thought about what I had just climbed then shook my head and headed to to finish.

I crossed that line in 11hrs34min had Sean put that medal around my neck then found a seat took off my shoes and thought "WOW!