Mt Oxford Odyssey, what can I say. Challenging, muddy, rewarding.
If you came for some mud you were good. Views, not as much but regardless it was fantastic day out. I am super proud of myself for getting up and around Mt Oxford. Although I had done most of the loop on a training run, I was keen to push my a bit more and run to race mode, not Lauren taking it easy mode. I was originally going to do the 15km. Still a hard race but being this is the last year for Mt Oxford Odyssey I thought I’d just go for the half and get up there!
Race day was a bit odd for me if I’m being honest. If you follow along on Instagram you would have seen that my wee Baloo bear showed some bladder issues which can amount to a very serious issue. This was 9:30 Friday night. After an hour texting a friend who is a vet, we made a plan. Chris was going to take Baloo to her in the morning, I’d go to the race. So I went to bed feeling uneasy and worried about my little cat, mixed with excitement of how race day might go.
Alarm went off at 5:15 am. Like every race day, I had oats for breakfast, a cup of coffee and had a few bites of a banana while on route. Tunes were quiet in the car. I’m not a grumpy morning person, just a quiet one.
I got all my gear ready for pre, during and post race on Thursday. Including setting out what I was wearing for the day. I just filled my flasks and water bladder the morning which meant I basically had to get dressed, eat and leave.
About an hour drive and I got there about 10 minutes later than I wanted to. I had to try and listen to the race briefing while standing in line for the loo! I didn’t feel rushed but the start happened quite quickly. Normally I would say that extra 10 minutes would have been nice to just chill but given my headspace of trying to get amped for my run but also worried about my cat, I was there alone as well, the quick start helped to stop any overthinking and I had to just go do it.
The start of the Mt Oxford track is quite nice. A few small uphills that I walked amongst a fairly runnable flowing track. I let me mind focus in on the fact that I was now in a race and it was going to get harder before it got easier. I paced myself well not getting caught up in the start line hype.
Then there was the climb up. I got passed. A lot. My steps became slower and slower and I needed a few quick breaks. Getting passed isn’t something that bothers me. Especially on the up. I know it’s not my strength but there’s always that little feeling of come on go faster. I do wish I could’ve got my mind in a better headspace. Particulary at a steep rocky area in the bush. At one point, I had a brief thought that I didn’t feel like I actually wanted to be doing that that day. It was a valid given the circumstances. Luckily, a few more people passing by, smiles and words of encouragement snapped me out of it. I was definintely not going to not do it. I just had to keep telling myself it’s a point in time. Think about when you get to the top, keep smiling and cheer on those who pass you.
So I did and I finally got to the top. It was just over two and half hours which looking now was only a few minutes off of my goal of getting to the top. It was such a relief and from there it’s like a switch went off. I had a few bites of my peanut butter sandwich, hydrated and picked up momentum across the ridge.
The downhill to the first junction where it turns off to the 30 and ultra, is mostly downhill, muddy but runnable. It wasn’t long before I just gave up trying to dodge the puddles and just went straight through embracing the mud. There’s a few uphills in between there that I was less than impressed with but I geared down to a power hike and got through. On from there it’s relatively steep going down. Steep enough that I couldn’t run but more like skip down in most places. Short quicks steps I ended up passing many of those that passed me going up which made me feel like I wasn’t so far behind!
I got to the last junction sooner than I thought with a good chunk of fuel left in the tank for the last 7km. This was the part I was really looking forward to and what I wanted to set out as a challenge for myself- be able to still go hard at the last section. In my training run, I got to this same area with a pretty empty tank. The last few uphills weren’t huge or long but definitely slowed me up. I really pushed hard to keep it moving, get to the plateau and continue to run again. I made sure to keep the electrolytes going in and get a cliff block in me for an extra boost. There was a few spots on the last 7 km that in the past I would have slowed up but I knew my body could do it. I just had to push on.
Finally the road to the finish and that was that! Across the finish line, completed, finito! Awesome cheer squad at the end. Such a good feeling conquering that mountain!
The race was really well organized. Track markings excellent! The team did such a good job!
Nutrition
I took just over a litre of water in my bladder. 2 flasks, one with ‘Pure’ electrolytes and the other with the ‘Pure’ endurance formula (not the 90 carb one). I sipped fluid on the way up to avoid any tummy upset. I had a bite of a sandwich on the ridge which I probably should have tried to get a bit more of it down and about 30 minutes after a caffeinated cliff block. On the way down, I had a Peak fuel gel and a couple more cliff blocks. By the time I finished, my fluids were gone. I felt good from the ridge and on. Lacked energy going up Mt Oxford but I find it hard to consume much when I am going up. Overall I feel like my fueling has been the best yet. My body responsed well and I made sure to prioritise getting something in me. I didn’t stop at any aid stations and was pretty efficient consuming on the go.
What went well:
- listening to my body of when to push and when to ease off
- staying strong on the the downhill and last push home
- nutrition and hydration
What did I learn:
- I think I need to be able to fuel better going up hill, find something that helps give me a bit more energy
- I’m not feeling 100% comfortable being uncomfortable going up big elevation
- I was sore the next day in my back and core
What am I going to do:
- trial consuming blocks while in a high effort zone
- work on them hill exercises
- consistent strength training
