Six Inch - the revengening

Back in 2014, I ran the Six Inch trail marathon - a lovely 48km jaunt between North Dandalup and Dwellingup along parts of the Munda Biddi trail. After entering on a whim, I took to training like a man with a yet un-diagnosed mental illness, pushing myself to the limit and sometimes beyond. There were red flags along the way - like the time I decided running along the Bibbulmun trail for over 30km in November with less than a litre of water and no phone reception was a great idea. There were the almost weekly bouts of shin splint pain which made me cut down on my midweek runs and then try to catch up on the weekends (which in turn lead me to Altra shoes, but that's a story for another time), and the pigheaded reluctance to listen to friends who said that setting myself a goal time of less than five hours was perhaps a touch on the silly side.

"Idiots." I thought. "They don't know what I can do." Turns out, neither did I.

Five hours, four minutes and eight seconds. Almost, but not quite. Everyone I spoke to after the event was impressed and proud of my achievement. But I was broken, both mentally and physically. The ensuing post-event crash led me to a very dark place, and was the catalyst for seeking the help that led to my diagnosis. It also put me off running anything longer than a half marathon for a very long time.

Last year I thought that running a 50k would be a great idea to celebrate turning 40. I had gotten up to a 30k run, but never felt entirely comfortable in doing so. So when I gave myself a turf-toe injury playing barefoot soccer with the kids on holiday I was simultaneously gutted and relieved. One less thing to stress over, especially as I was finishing up my nursing degree.


But Six Inch has been in the back of my mind from the time I could descend the stairs of my house without screaming and collapsing in a heap with cramp. I was going to come back and do it again. The atmosphere of the event is too good to miss out on. It's an end of the year gathering of like-minded people with a party atmosphere.But this time, I'm not being stupid about it.

Training this time around will be less about bulk mileage and more about quality time on the feet and elevation. I'm also nursing a dodgy knee, which I'm managing through a combination of tape and ignorance. Sunday and yesterday involved a five hour hike on the Bald Head trail with my wife and eldest son and then a three hour 24k run through the Porongurup Ranges for a grand total of 38k and 2125m of elevation.

Bald Head trail. Best trail in Albany.

Nancy Peak trail. Stirling Ranges in the background.

   

I was cooked at the end of yesterday's run, but inwardly confident that I can go forward with few issues. No crazy paces, no throwing myself mentally under the bus. Just some time out in my backyard doing something I love. Follow the journey at Strava, Instagram and/or Facebook.

B.

Toasted. Nicely toasted.