north face endurance challenge collingwood

as part of my training for fatdawg, derrick decided i should do the 80k up in collingwood last weekend.   what could go wrong?  it's only a ski hill.  as always, i left the logistical shit to the last minute and was scrambling to find a place to stay.  luckily my crossfit buddy darla was kind enough to lend me her chalet - only 2 minutes from the start/finish in the village of blue mountains.   i had a few clients friday morning, came home and packed my stuff, and then headed north where i eventually met up with the captain - by the flags dora, by the flags.  i also ran into my sexy friend alistair and his partner richard, and their buddy noel - who had NO idea what he was getting himself into!  haha!

race start was at 5am - good gawd - so it was an early rise for us!  i marvel at how fresh and unsuspecting we all look at the beginning of these stoopid fucking things …

for sure the only time i'd see these two speedsters - at the start line!  they both came in under 10 hours - 9th and 11th i think ...

we had a great laugh at the numbers these three picked up - talk about pressure!

the morning wasn't too bad, although you could tell it was going to be a warm one.  after about a 2k climb we settled into a nice easy pace.  sunrise was spectacular and i was still sane enough to grab a couple of pictures …

it was a 25 mile loop, which i obviously had to do twice.  the captain was doing the 'sprint' distance, so he only went around once.  by chance we happened to meet up at one of the aid stations!  we were both looking pretty good here ...

as often happens, i get caught up in the event and forget to take pictures.  i can say that the first loop went very very well.  i was strong and running a lot of the hills.  i was actually feeling kind of smug, thinking it wasn't so bad UNTIL i hit the last 8k.  good gawd.  i think they threw in 4 monster climbs, all in direct sunlight.  AND the last mile was down this krazy cascade trail with switchbacks, rocks and about a thousand really high steps!  it was hard enough the first time around, and i was absolutely dreading what it would feel like on the second loop.  regardless, i was still feeling good right up until the 60k mark.  AGAIN - i met up with the captain at the same aid station.  he was looking like shit!   he had like 8 cups of water and electrolyte drink on the go, and was stuffing handfuls of potato chips into his mouth!  he was ranting about pavement and heat and sunglasses and surveys.  it was frightening!  it was at this point that i  think the heat started to affect me, as i was getting kinda dizzy and my left adductor was trying to cramp.   i then felt the old hammies starting to go - what the fuck - i rarely get cramps.  i was drinking lots and taking salt tabs just to stay ahead of them!  haha!  the last 20k were hard, but despite all the seizing up and the wobbliness, i was still running!  yahoo!  thanks eddy!  the second time down the steps was torture - i was grabbing trees and shit just to stay upright!  when i finally popped out of the forest and saw the big red north face arch, i was overjoyed!  i came across the line at 13:49 - eleven minutes to spare!  my buddy onions was standing at the finish line and helped me stagger over to a chair!  it was a good 30 minutes before i could get back up!  we all had a great laugh at my calves - twitching uncontrollably from electrolyte imbalance and calcium shortage - kind of like poltergeist!   (doctor joe later explained what that was all about)

cap was pretty messed up too, so we were quite the pair, walking like a couple of old geezers thru the village to our cars!   i was really hot and my whole body was throbbing.   stooped heat!  we finally got back to the chalet and spent the rest of the night indulging in 'forbidden foods' - ginger ale, chocolate milk, chips and pizza!  as my buddy coach panda would say, 'paleo faileo'  haha!!!

the best part of the run was knowing mfs was with me.  it would have been her birthday on saturday, and i figured a run in the forest was a good way to celebrate.  every time i felt like stopping, i would think of her, kiss my wrist and keep on moving ...

happy birthday mfs - you are always with me …

love you forever …
sisters forever ...