169 replies to this topic

[sfGnome]

Action, on 13 February 2012 - 02:44 PM, said:

Simple physics says that every extra bit of weight you carry requires energy to carry it during the race.  Carrying an extra 750 grams is an extra 1% for a 75kg runner.   1% on a 5hr race time is 3 minutes...

So, if I can lose 25Kg in the next 26 days, I should break the race record! Cooool... Oh damn. I had desert tonight

[Colin]

Coogee1979M, on 13 February 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I agree that the aid stations in 2011 were better stocked in 2010.  However my experience in 2010 was that there were several aid stations that had run out of some food items, and a couple that were out of hi-5 drink. If 2012 is like 2011 then there may not be much to worry about.  If 2012 is like 2010 then 'well provisioned ' won't be an accurate description.

I actually somewhat agree because the middle third of race enjoys the buffet leaving little for the late comers, plus there is only average of one gel per person for whole distance, so if you use gel, salt and any other special muti like that then you should carry it.

[run2work]

Colin, on 13 February 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

Coogee1979M, on 13 February 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I agree that the aid stations in 2011 were better stocked in 2010.  However my experience in 2010 was that there were several aid stations that had run out of some food items, and a couple that were out of hi-5 drink. If 2012 is like 2011 then there may not be much to worry about.  If 2012 is like 2010 then 'well provisioned ' won't be an accurate description.

I actually somewhat agree because the middle third of race enjoys the buffet leaving little for the late comers, plus there is only average of one gel per person for whole distance, so if you use gel, salt and any other special muti like that then you should carry it.

Muti?

[halfwaydown]

run2work, on 14 February 2012 - 06:35 AM, said:

Colin, on 13 February 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

Coogee1979M, on 13 February 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I agree that the aid stations in 2011 were better stocked in 2010.  However my experience in 2010 was that there were several aid stations that had run out of some food items, and a couple that were out of hi-5 drink. If 2012 is like 2011 then there may not be much to worry about.  If 2012 is like 2010 then 'well provisioned ' won't be an accurate description.

I actually somewhat agree because the middle third of race enjoys the buffet leaving little for the late comers, plus there is only average of one gel per person for whole distance, so if you use gel, salt and any other special muti like that then you should carry it.

Muti?

South African Medicinal Tree Root.
Not sure about the scienctific proof that it actually works better than a gel, but would agree that a Root the night before tends to calm nerves and make for a sound pre-race sleep.

Edited by halfwaydown, 14 February 2012 - 08:27 AM.

[Colin]

halfwaydown, on 14 February 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

run2work, on 14 February 2012 - 06:35 AM, said:

Muti?

South African Medicinal Tree Root.

As our friends Wiki concur the word has found its way into English and Afrikaans as a slang word for medicine.

You guys will need your muti on pluvi.

...that's my tip for day btw

[Action]

Coogee1979M, on 13 February 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

..... If 2012 is like 2011 then there may not be much to worry about.  If 2012 is like 2010 then 'well provisioned ' won't be an accurate description.

Colin, on 13 February 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

..., so if you use gel, salt and any other special muti like that then you should carry it.

Yes, agreed. 2010 was a learning exercise with a full field, and I expect 2012 to improve on 2011.

and

yes, if you have a specific personal nutrition regime them don't rely on aid stations to supply your specific needs.  They will keep you ticking over with general food and drink, but if your muti is your lifeline then don't rely on anyone else for it!

[Action]

3 weeks, that is 21 days to go.
a solid long run this weekend, then time to taper - don't leave it too late - and don't get fat. Taper = less work = less food.

Personally, (and we are an experiment of one), I will drop by 20% in the coming week, another 20% the following week, and another 10% leading in. Long run tomorrow (hills, trails,.race pace, creek crossings), and a gentle 30 next Sunday, 25 a week out.

Taper. Your training is just about done.   And don't get fat.

[Lynda]

2 weeks to go! Is anyone else starting to get excited? Or is it just me?

[Nickelass]

If anybody is interested in a lift from the Chatswood area on Saturday morning to the race start (or return from Katoomba), send me a PM.

[runhard]

Ready and raring!!!!!!  Wish it was this week  

[Lotsahare]

Oh no! can i have another 6mths

[Rico]

So we think it will be on then?

[Action]

Rico, on 24 February 2012 - 07:29 PM, said:

So we think it will be on then?

Yes. Never in doubt*.  Perhaps a bit damp under foot (and up to armpits) but here we go, here we go, here we go!

2 weeks.  14 days.  Definitely taper time.  Just watch the weight.  Sorted your transport?  Don't forget it is an hour earlier for the main start than past years.  Got your nutrition sorted?  Got your gear sorted?  

Last long run for me tomorrow.  I dropped my km's last week by 20%, another 20% this week.




*unofficial opinion, but super confident.

[runhard]

Wont be too soft under foot if we have 14 days like the last couple!!!  

Cant wait. going to be awesome!

[Colin]

When 'Mr Rabbitt' was approached by John v. T (CR name escapes me now) to run 6FT for a Good Weekend feature, his minders told him that early March wasn't a good time in the polling/media/parliament/spin cycle for running around in the bush or doing IronMans.

Now that the Labor party is self imploding surely he can't do his chances any damage and 6ft profile may benefit from a budgie smuggling pollie running in Wave 4 who may yet become our worst PM- and that says a lot given how bad the two current Labor choices have been.

Hey Tony , what ya doin on March 10th?

Edited by Colin, 25 February 2012 - 11:06 AM.

[run2work]

Does he have a qualifier?

[mooo]

He did Ironman Australia in 2010 in around 13-14 hrs i think,so this would count for qualifying???

[Colin]

Lots of talk about how people have to run lots of trails and hills and how being a nancy road runner counts for nothing.

For those that haven't done much of it  just remember... in most case a guy that is faster than you on the road will be faster than you over 6ft all other tings equal.

Bearing in mind that you should do reasonable training on the surface being raced on, Six Foot is not that 'technical' a course that it is too much different to a road. Most of it is wide fire trial.
And even if it was really, really technical, in my experience there is only so much you can improve your skill on technical cousres by running more  and more of it. If it wasn't the case then someone like myself would be last down Nellies Glen, and I have run down there with the front runners- not that it helped me though. On the other hand there are people that only run trails that are still very toey over anything rough.
Road running and technical skills are not 'mutually exclusive'. In my case whether running down NG or the suicidal Platteklip Gorge at age 16 or racing over wet rocks in a canyon, wasn't learnt. It just was a natural coordination and lack of fear thing.

Looking at performances at the pointy end, there is probably one outlier in the top ten times that hasn't got a fast marathon PB and the record was subsequently bettered by 10 min by someone who does.
7th and 9th places -ex records- are by guys with super fast road times
2nd and 6th are by guys with fast road times but extremely bad tech skills. Alex was amongst the last down Nellies and Dave has visual issues limiting that ability.

If you look across the board it would also hold true for most performances.

At the end of the day what does count for much is consistent training, basic speed that converts to equivalent distance times, getting to start line uninjured and rested, and executing the race plan in conjunction with your ability on the day (probably the most difficult).

Bashing yourself on lap after lap of Quarry Rd hasn't made many people better 6ft'ers by itself, but has contributed to many injuries.

Just my thoughts to put the minds of those who haven't done so much of it at ease.

Edited by Colin, 26 February 2012 - 02:01 PM.

[Power]

Great tips......A bit of a relieve in some ways maybe not in others!!!

Numbers and wave allocations soon ??????

All very exciting......

[AaronR]

Well being less than two weeks to go and not set foot on a trail sine willy2billy, I reckon I's right to go.

[judo]

I agree 100% with you colin. I ran my 6foot pb without hardly setting foot on a trail. The next campaign I did all the ' so called proper 6 foot training of long hard hilly trail runs'. The end result was a time  13min slower than the previous year! I know there are other factors such as taper etc but for me running quarry rd and orchard week after week absolutely destroyed me.

[Tuttle]

judo, on 26 February 2012 - 05:16 PM, said:

I agree 100% with you colin. I ran my 6foot pb without hardly setting foot on a trail. The next campaign I did all the ' so called proper 6 foot training of long hard hilly trail runs'. The end result was a time  13min slower than the previous year! I know there are other factors such as taper etc but for me running quarry rd and orchard week after week absolutely destroyed me.

That was my experience, too.  (See post #90 in this thread.)

[Colin]

Tuttle, on 26 February 2012 - 10:10 PM, said:

That was my experience, too.  (See post #90 in this thread.)

That must have been in my sub concious, because I recall someone talking along those lines here.

Thanks for the post concurring your experiences - and Judo in particular who is a seasoned gun 6ft'er.

As I said elsewhere the post wasn't to teach vets to suck eggs but to reassure the novices, the Thomos and Aarons if i may mention them, that especially in this last two weeks don't feel that you have to make up for any lack of trail running.

I have always said that if you have qualified even marginally, then get to that start line fit, uninjured and tapered and run within yourself- ahead of the pacer of course - you have virtually got your finisher's medal by then.

[Nova]

very excited about running my first 6ft track.  Starting to taper and finding it hard mentally.  Also need to resist the temptation to eat junk foods in the next two weeks.

Bring on the race!!!

[Sarge]

Nova, on 27 February 2012 - 03:43 PM, said:

very excited about running my first 6ft track.  Starting to taper and finding it hard mentally.  Also need to resist the temptation to eat junk foods in the next two weeks.

Bring on the race!!!

The feeling is the same each year. I feel that if I got a phone call that said the race was on tomorrow I'd be ready to go.

[AaronR]

Colin, on 27 February 2012 - 11:35 AM, said:

Tuttle, on 26 February 2012 - 10:10 PM, said:

That was my experience, too.  (See post #90 in this thread.)

As I said elsewhere the post wasn't to teach vets to suck eggs but to reassure the novices, the Thomos and Aarons if i may mention them, that especially in this last two weeks don't feel that you have to make up for any lack of trail running.

Yes you may Colin. No worries.

[sfGnome]

Here's another thing to not worry about! Running track tonight in 115% humidity, it reminded me that the race is very affected by the day. My best placing ever also happened to be my slowest time ever - because everyone else was running even slower because of the conditions that year.

Sooo... Don't beat yourselves up if you aren't matching the splits you had expected. Every day is different, and you could still get a big surprise

[craig9elf]

<sup>Getting close!!

Can we still drop a bag at the start line to be taken to the finish line (like last year)? I'll be shuttling from Katoomba town so I wont be at the carpark.
Email says "</sup>Clothing bags will still be deposited at the car park (bulk) direct into truck and for the latecomers there is  some space at the start line for this."

This above probably states this, but just wanted to clarify this 'Clothing bag' is my bag.

Thank you.

Edited by craig9elf, 27 February 2012 - 10:18 PM.

[TheLogicDump]

On the topic of clothing bags. Last year it rained during the race & unfortunately the only place to store and organise that many drop bags is outside & not under cover. As mentioned previously this is the same as most large events & races.

My tip of the day is to buy some of those huge ziplock bags and use those to waterproof your clothes. You can get a t-shirt, socks and underwear in one bag & your shorts/jeans in another. This way even if your outer bag does get affected by the weather your change of cloths inside will still be dry and waterproof. While zip lock bags would work the best, double wrapping in normal plastic bags might help as well.

[halfwaydown]

TheLogicDump, on 27 February 2012 - 10:23 PM, said:

On the topic of clothing bags. Last year it rained during the race & unfortunately the only place to store and organise that many drop bags is outside & not under cover. As mentioned previously this is the same as most large events & races.

My tip of the day is to buy some of those huge ziplock bags and use those to waterproof your clothes. You can get a t-shirt, socks and underwear in one bag & your shorts/jeans in another. This way even if your outer bag does get affected by the weather your change of cloths inside will still be dry and waterproof. While zip lock bags would work the best, double wrapping in normal plastic bags might help as well.

Excellent Reminder
Thanks TheLogicDump

[craig9elf]

Big rains..........

http://www.courierma...f-1226284287899

Is 6ft wetsuit or non wetsuit sanctioned?

[jaspergrey]

I'm planning on driving to the start from chatswood on the day of the run. I'm assuming that the travel time will be 90 mins at that time of day (I'm going to leave at 5.15 am). Do you think 90 mins is a realistic travel time?  I'm in wave 4 - 7.25am start.

[runhard]

jaspergrey, on 01 March 2012 - 01:17 PM, said:

I'm planning on driving to the start from chatswood on the day of the run. I'm assuming that the travel time will be 90 mins at that time of day (I'm going to leave at 5.15 am). Do you think 90 mins is a realistic travel time?  I'm in wave 4 - 7.25am start.

Should be ok.  I would probably leave a bit longer. From memory there is a bit of road work up near Wentworth Falls which may or may not slow you down. Me I wouldnt risk it. the last thing you want is panic before the start. I would prefer to be an hour early over 5minutes early.

[hatless]

jaspergrey, on 01 March 2012 - 01:17 PM, said:

I'm planning on driving to the start from chatswood on the day of the run. I'm assuming that the travel time will be 90 mins at that time of day (I'm going to leave at 5.15 am). Do you think 90 mins is a realistic travel time?  I'm in wave 4 - 7.25am start.

Don't forget how long it takes to get out of the car, dump your drop bag for the finish, get your bib and pin it on, nervous slash, get the bus to the start line etc. Not to mention just calming yourself to prepare for the race.

I would aim to be at the car park by 6:30 at the latest.

Just my 5 cents...

h.

[stoneman]

I note Mr Action Jackson started this thread..

To all Newbies...Be wary of this guy!!!

it was 2009 when Action sat me down and said now look here Stoneman you can and should run at least one marathon - he badgered me over lunch that afternoon until I agreed...then he mentioned qualifying for "the 6 foot track"...I did that when you could do it with the megalong mega!.....

I suspect I was a project  - can he get a clydesdale class non running onto the paddock!

Seriously - listen to the advice of those that have been before, there are some great tips and a great community of people who are happy to share experiences..  

2 6 foots, a 60kmultra and about 7 marathons later I am still going strong...!!

Not there this weekend - have something on the followng week

Go hard go strong, enjoy it, and I have said if before - " 6 foot, it's where you find out what you are"  -

[Tom31]

A week to go and you've ditched us Action!  Is this some deliberate tactic to gain a few places?

[halfwaydown]

Tom31, on 05 March 2012 - 10:21 PM, said:

A week to go and you've ditched us Action!  Is this some deliberate tactic to gain a few places?

Rumour has, rather than taper - he's taken to the pool!

[Action]

halfwaydown, on 06 March 2012 - 07:58 AM, said:

Tom31, on 05 March 2012 - 10:21 PM, said:

A week to go and you've ditched us Action!  Is this some deliberate tactic to gain a few places?

Rumour has, rather than taper - he's taken to the pool!

Been off geting water wings fitted....

In exactly 4 days time it will be all over for some, in the midst of a world of pain for others, and a gentle stroll to the caves for the rest.  With the Coxs at 3m on Saturday it looked interesting, but down to a metre today, so perhaps muddy, certainly rocky, a definite swim, but looking good.  Not a lot of advice left now.  Probably the two key bits are "don't get fat this week", and "take it easy to the river". Perhaps check the waterproofness of your gear, but above all, relax. Can't do anything but enjoy (and suffer) from here.  See you at the Caves on Saturday.

[sfGnome]

I'm just relying on Action falling back in to old habits and taking 7 hours to finish.

Oh, better still, wouldn't it be be fun to be watching him running along black range trying to confiscate the timing chips from anyone he catches...

[knoddie]

I've been in Sydney for a week now on work, and left home in Perth without my hydration pack, thinking I wouldn't need it. Now with all this talk about "fatass" and "unofficial" runs if the main gig gets cancelled, I'm thinking I may need one after all.

Planning on driving from Alexandria to Katoomba tomorrow, any advice on stores I could call into on the way to buy something half decent?

Edited by knoddie, 07 March 2012 - 11:21 AM.

[runhard]

You wont need one!  6ft will be on. Dont waste your money yet. If it gets cancelled worry about it then. I have a spare you could borrow and I am sure many others would as well.

RH

[Colin]

knoddie, on 07 March 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

I've been in Sydney for a week now on work, and left home in Perth without my hydration pack, thinking I wouldn't need it. Now with all this talk about "fatass" and "unofficial" runs if the main gig gets cancelled, I'm thinking I may need one after all.

Planning on driving from Alexandria to Katoomba tomorrow, any advice on stores I could call into on the way to buy something half decent?

Every effort will be made to ensure that the race can proceed safely and that the right decision is made. If it is canceled then there are differing views on running it 'unofficially'.
In my view, if it is canceled for safety reasons, knowing what I know about the involvement of council, dept lands, Police rescue etc with this week's race and their input in the race proceeding or not, any unofficial race on the same day, same track (notwithstanding bridge etc) will have a bearing and reflection on the official race. If there is an incident then even worse.

I understand that people have been training for months, for many their 'A' race, however that training can still be put to good use anywhere else. For the organiser who has put more personal time into preparing for this one event, its not like he can just go and arrange another event next week to use up that preparation.

Sometimes we have to accept that these things happen, and the main goal is to look after the safety of all and the future of the event.

[Brick]

Removed to keep another member happy.
Move along people.

Edited by Brick, 08 March 2012 - 07:19 AM.

[knoddie]

Deleted

Edited by knoddie, 08 March 2012 - 07:31 AM.

[MountainMan]

knoddie, on 07 March 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

Planning on driving from Alexandria to Katoomba tomorrow, any advice on stores I could call into on the way to buy something half decent?

Turn off the Highway at Katoomba, opposite the station is Summit Gear, turn down Katoomba St and there are two or maybe 3 more outdoor/Camping type stores... , Mountain Designs, Some Climbing shop(can't remember the name), and a MacPac shop. At least one of those will have a quality brand Hydration pack... I am sure.

But you won't need, it. Race will be on, hasn't rained proper up here in days, all the coming major rain will fall east of the ranges, we will be sweet.

8 Degrees this morning... Brrrrr.

[BrendanP]

About the only one that isn't up there specifically is TNF which is located on Pitt St in Sydney.

[Campbell]

How long does it take to drive from Sydney airport to Katoomba? Thanks.

[Brick]

Campbell, on 07 March 2012 - 01:14 PM, said:

How long does it take to drive from Sydney airport to Katoomba? Thanks.

Depends on time of day and which day.
I will guess Friday lunch time.
But a general timing would be 1:45-2:00, lots of traffic about on Friday's.
If rush hour then you can easily add 30-60 minutes.

[tymb]

knoddie, on 07 March 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

I've been in Sydney for a week now on work, and left home in Perth without my hydration pack, thinking I wouldn't need it. Now with all this talk about "fatass" and "unofficial" runs if the main gig gets cancelled, I'm thinking I may need one after all.

Planning on driving from Alexandria to Katoomba tomorrow, any advice on stores I could call into on the way to buy something half decent?

If you are in Alexandria you can pop over the road to the Supa centre at moore park - they have a large Anaconda store there which sell them

[CessnockRunner]

Message deleted

Edited by CessnockRunner, 08 March 2012 - 07:28 AM.