29 replies to this topic

[Hamburglar]

I just read the below in Bernie G's race report and was impressed

Bernie G, on Mar 18 2009, 06:44 PM, said:

I ran the whole of the Black Range, passing many people along the way. I just got into a good rhythm and thought this is a lot easier than the sands hills at Wanda.

I was just wondering how many others ran the whole black range and what was your finishing time?

I am not sure if it is post traumatic stress syndrome or not, but I remember only running about 60-70% and I finished in 5:25.

I have thought a lot about my black range blow up on Saturday and have remembered the words of MPH reiterating that you have to take it easy to Pluvio. I remember him labouring the point, saying something like,"if you don't think you are going to slow in the first half, you are going too fast". It is a pity I forgot this advice.     

I think I will make it my goal for next year to run the whole of Black Range. I might have to make friends with some sand hills...

[run2work]

Ran probably 80% of it, all be it slowly and walked quickly up the inclines. Finished in just under 4.58  

rtw

Edited by run2work, 19 March 2009 - 06:44 AM.

[sfGnome]

I think that there were one or two inclines that I walked fast, but essentially ran it all. 4:54.

Mind you, both Terry & maggot ran past me along there like I was standing still and finished a fair way ahead, so their conservatism in the early sections looks like it paid off.

Edited by sfGnome, 19 March 2009 - 12:10 PM.

[scurry711]

Ran all the flats and the smaller inclines but walked the steeper ones. I just kept wondering when the Black Range was ever going to end. It seems to drag on forever.

[Blue Dog]

I remember hearing a few years back one of Mr G's priceless thoughts on the race .... "Once you reach Pluvi, to run a good time, you MUST run all of Black Range".

Never done it. Two years ago I ran the lot, walking only the last two nasty hills before Caves Rd. Finish 4:16.

This year I walked only half of the very last hill before Caves Rd. Finish 4:10.

It's still something to aim at.

FMD Six Foot Track is a pearl of a race. Long enough to test your endurance, short enough to test your speed, demanding enough to test your strength and stamina.

For the optimistically under-prepared it will slowly and painfully rip your soul open and expose it to the world.

And at the end there is a big building with beer. And next year.

Running Nirvana.

Dog.  

Edited by Blue Dog, 22 March 2009 - 12:21 PM.

[Spud]

Blue Dog, on Mar 19 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

I remember hearing a few years back one of Mr G's priceless thoughts on the race .... "Once you reach Pluvi, to run a good time, you MUST run all of Black Range".

Never done it. Two years ago I ran the lot, walking only the last two nasty hills before Caves Rd. Finish 4:16.

This year I walked only half of the very last hill before Caves Rd. Finish 4:10.

It's still something to aim at.

Dog, sounds to me like you smashed the Black Range, seen as it does end at Deviation.
Running all the hills to the road after the campground is impressive stuff indeed.
When Tall Geoff passed me, spritely moving up one of them mothers, I dipped me lid.

Oh and "running nirvana"

Damn straight!  

[walshy2]

I think I probably ran about 60%. Time 5:07. Will be better prepared next year though

[Maggot]

sfGnome, on Mar 19 2009, 01:04 PM, said:

Mind you, both Terry & Maggot ran past me along there like I was standing still and finished a fair way ahead, so their conservatism in the early sections looks like it paid off.

Hi Gnome ~ nice to meet you and many others mid and post race. Brettsrun and I even bumped into Jen runs the following day as she was basking in the post-run euphoria of Wild Endurance training in the Katoomba area.
My hill strategy was very similar to Blue Dog's (I wish my time was similar ) in that I ran all but the very steepest of part of the hills. I have the approach that no matter how slow I am jogging up the hills, it is still faster than most walking. There are those who actually power-walk up faster than me running, but that's cool. Rhythm and tempo and getting to Pluvi in some reasonable sort of shape is the name of the game. I try to visualise using granny gears on a mountain bike and let the terrain dictate the pace and effort.
This year I elected to start from Wave 3, having had jack of losing precious minutes bottle-necked at the top of Nellies Glen followed by a slow, crapola descent in previous years.
I went in to the race in some sort of form from recent races so far this year. The main selling point of this for me is the confidence it brings, especially in knowing I'd be good for the distance and that in theory I should be able to run the Black Range solidly. From this, I tried to gun anywhere that was flat or downhill, even from early on before Cox's.
So in response to the above, I didn't really run conservatively early, but coming from Wave 3 I had a bit of catching up to do .
It was one of those rare days when running felt natural and flowing. I mention this because I agree with Mister G's sage wisdom about having enough juice in the tank to run the Black Range. Whether you run 4hours or 6, I'd suggest this is the part of the course where the well-prepared can make bucket-loads of time. And also the hills... and perhaps the downhills too

[Mister G]

I think the phrasing I used was "if you run all of Black Range you will pass a hell of a lot of people..."

I ran all of it in 2002 and did 4.50. Walked 15 minutes of it in 2005 and did 4.51. Go figure.

[TallGeoff]

(FMD Six Foot Track is a pearler of a race. Long enough to test your endurance, short enough to test your speed, demanding enough to test your strength and stamina.

For the optimistically under-prepared it will slowly and painfully rip your soul open and expose it to the world.

And at the end there is a big building with beer. And next year.

Running Nirvana.

Dog.  


I love this race and couldn't put it any better, except to mention the terrain and the river crossing which add to the special nature of this race.

Exceed your ability and training and it will chew you up and spit you out just as nature intended.

[sfGnome]

Maggot, on Mar 19 2009, 10:25 PM, said:

So in response to the above, I didn't really run conservatively early, but coming from Wave 3 I had a bit of catching up to do .

Ah! That's better. I don't feel so bad about the speed at which you ran past now. If you'd already caught up 15 minutes by that point then you should be running that much faster!

[FlyerUltra]

I've been running all of the Black Range for the past 3 or 4 6 foots that I have done and that has brought my finish time down towards and then under the 4 hour mark. This year I also ran all of the nasty little hills between the Black Range and the end with a net result of 5 mins off my Pluvi-Finish split from 1h37min to 1h 32 min (3h 47 finish and 10 min PB this year- 1 min gain to Cox's, 4 mins gain on KOM and 5 mins gain to the end).

Hamburglar, on Mar 18 2009, 11:22 PM, said:

I just read the below in Bernie G's race report and was impressed

I was just wondering how many others ran the whole black range and what was your finishing time?

I am not sure if it is post traumatic stress syndrome or not, but I remember only running about 60-70% and I finished in 5:25.

I have thought a lot about my black range blow up on Saturday and have remembered the words of MPH reiterating that you have to take it easy to Pluvio. I remember him labouring the point, saying something like,"if you don't think you are going to slow in the first half, you are going too fast". It is a pity I forgot this advice.     

I think I will make it my goal for next year to run the whole of Black Range. I might have to make friends with some sand hills...

[Blue Dog]

Phibes, on Mar 22 2009, 09:04 PM, said:

I've been running all of the Black Range for the past 3 or 4 6 foots that I have done and that has brought my finish time down towards and then under the 4 hour mark. This year I also ran all of the nasty little hills between the Black Range and the end with a net result of 5 mins off my Pluvi-Finish split from 1h37min to 1h 32 min (3h 47 finish and 10 min PB this year- 1 min gain to Cox's, 4 mins gain on KOM and 5 mins gain to the end).

Impressive running Phibes, and you put the sword to that other mature-aged World Champion mountain goat from the ACT. It's something I can only dream about. I cant wait until he exits my age-group.

Well done mate, Dog.  

[FlyerUltra]

Blue Dog, on Mar 23 2009, 06:33 PM, said:

Impressive running Phibes, and you put the sword to that other mature-aged World Champion mountain goat from the ACT. It's something I can only dream about. I cant wait until he exits my age-group.

Well done mate, Dog.  

Thanks Blue Dog. I'm sure you've got a sub 4 in you. This year's 6 foot was one of a handful of times I have beaten Gramps- probably only because he was off colour for several weeks leading into 6 Foot, so mine was a Pyrrhic victory at best.

You think you have troubles- the legendary Don Wallace is the same age as me (47) so I have no hope of an age group victory!

[moondog]

this thread is a year old but great post blue dog.

i missed last years 6ft through injury.  can't wait to resume this year, despite how early during black range it started ripping at the soul last time..

great race.  thanks organisers - it has been my inspiration to get back running again after 18months off.

Blue Dog, on Mar 19 2009, 04:55 PM, said:

I remember hearing a few years back one of Mr G's priceless thoughts on the race .... "Once you reach Pluvi, to run a good time, you MUST run all of Black Range".

Never done it. Two years ago I ran the lot, walking only the last two nasty hills before Caves Rd. Finish 4:16.

This year I walked only half of the very last hill before Caves Rd. Finish 4:10.

It's still something to aim at.

FMD Six Foot Track is a pearl of a race. Long enough to test your endurance, short enough to test your speed, demanding enough to test your strength and stamina.

For the optimistically under-prepared it will slowly and painfully rip your soul open and expose it to the world.

And at the end there is a big building with beer. And next year.

Running Nirvana.

Dog.  

[frankie17]

moondog, on Feb 22 2010, 05:29 PM, said:

this thread is a year old but great post blue dog.

i missed last years 6ft through injury.  can't wait to resume this year, despite how early during black range it started ripping at the soul last time..

great race.  thanks organisers - it has been my inspiration to get back running again after 18months off.

I am scared of the Black Range.

s c a r e d

because I know I am underprepared.

[superflake]

frankie17, on Feb 22 2010, 05:32 PM, said:

I am scared of the Black Range.

s c a r e d

because I know I am underprepared.

Black Range is nothing to worry about as long as the cookie jar is still half full when you top Pluvio.

If it is empty just flag down the SES Troopie.

[frankie17]

superflake, on Feb 22 2010, 06:25 PM, said:

Black Range is nothing to worry about as long as the cookie jar is still half full when you top Pluvio.

If it is empty just flag down the SES Troopie.

There's the rub.  At top of pluvi my jar is three parts air one part cookie.  

Thanks for trying to help.

[AlunDavies]

Blue Dog, on Mar 19 2009, 04:55 PM, said:

And at the end there is a big building with beer. And next year.

[Hamburglar]

Just bumping this thread.

Last year I walked 8 times on the Black Range - will optimistically try and run it all again this year. Will see how we go.

[runhard]

Got to the top of pluvi thinking I would run most of Black range to the end. How wrong I was! I would be surprised if I made 50% running. Reading this thread and everything else to do with 6ft, nothing prepared me (mentally) for what I was about to endure. It just kept going up. I thought it would never end . Taking a different approach this year and hoping to run more and get it up toabout 80% (might be dreaming). splits were 1:31, 1:26 and then 2:23. It is hard work. Be prepared!!!!

Good luck everyone.

RH

[PonderStibbons]

Walked some of it both prior times, but last year it was a really slow jog when I wasn't walking, because I had put too much on the line getting to the top of Pluvi quickly.  This year's major focus is to take a good chunk of time off my final split, so I intend to take it easier getting to that point (walking both hills like my first time).  Fingers crossed that it works.

[Hallac]

PonderStibbons, on 05 March 2011 - 06:15 AM, said:

Walked some of it both prior times, but last year it was a really slow jog when I wasn't walking, because I had put too much on the line getting to the top of Pluvi quickly.  This year's major focus is to take a good chunk of time off my final split, so I intend to take it easier getting to that point (walking both hills like my first time).  Fingers crossed that it works.

Not sure how many times I walked, every time a minor incline became a small hill probably but I did count people I overtook and people who overtook me from top of pluvi to the end and I was up about 30 - 40 so took that as a reasonable sign that I had paced the whole race reasonably.  Plan to follow Ponder's example and take Pluvi very steadily so I have more running time left in me when I get to the top of Pluvi and see how close I can get the final split to 2 hours from 2.20 last year.

[ScamBullant]

From memory I only walked once on Black Range last year.

Starting at around Pluvi and finishing when we got to the road.  

[Spud]

I ran the whole of the Black Range once in 9x6FTs. That was the year Mister G and I cranked out 6-7 min kms all the way finished in 4.42 I think.   The year I ran my PB I walked the two 'steeper' inclines but was likely fresher for the run from the road to the finish.
Plan is to try and run the lot this year but I won't be too stressed if I need to walk some of it and then have good legs for the business end.

[Running Angel]

Not sure how much of the Black Range I walked last year, probably half of it, the rest was a slow jog. Main issue not tiredness but hamstring issue which had been made worse by all the climbing up MM & Pluvi. The injury had stopped me from doing any hill running in the 3 months leading up to 6FT so basically had to walk even the short inclines. Having said that I am a fast walker and I did manage to reel in a lot of people along the way.

This year if I can get to the top of Pluvi in around the same time as last year I am hopeful that I will be able to run more of the Black Range this year. I certainly think that this is the place to make up a lot of my time - I want to make sure I've got the energy to push on so will be holding back still in the early stages down to Coxs River as Nellies and the single downhill trail to the river are my weakest part of the race - took me just over 2 hours to get to the river last year and that's unlikely to change much.

I'm pretty quick walking uphill, my KOM split was around 1.40ish, so got to the top of Pluvi in 3.43 so took me just over 2.5 hours from there to finish - definitely can make up some time here even by just slowly jogging rather than walking along Black Range.

[DianeE]

Black Range is 'only' 8.5km.....why does it seem so much longer?!

I love the section where the trees start to change to pine plantations and you know you are almost there and the fun downhill starts.

I am determined to not walk the last couple of hills past Binda Cabins this year.

D.

[runhard]

DianeE, on 08 March 2011 - 07:49 AM, said:

Black Range is 'only' 8.5km.....why does it seem so much longer?!

It might be the fact you have already run up Pluvi or the fact that it is all up hill still.  Every little rise feels like a mountain at that stage  

[blair]

I ran most of the Black Range last year. I had started at the back of wave 4 and been held up on the stairs then took it easy to the river. I walked up Pluvi and was feeling good so pushed along hopeful of finishing strongly and getting a good time which I did. Wish I was going back this year. Will definitely be there next year