Cradle Mt Run...check!!

Jonesy at the finish, can in hand and chewing the golden granite from the quarry mines of Bangalore!

What a glorious day!! I had an absolute blast running on Saturday down in Tassie (a pity my ankles don't agree with me though)!

I ended up doing the run in 12hrs and 38mins which put me in 30th of a field of 61 - which was pretty good considering that sub 13 was my goal. Hindsight is a helluva thing...If I'd been a bit less conservative I could easily have shaved an hour off my time. Heaven forbid if I actually trained properly for it as 3 weeks training, one sprained ankle (canyoning on Australia Day) and a weeks recovery/taper probably wasn't the best lead up, but I've always believed: if you think you can...you can!

At the start of the race I started off really happy with how 'easy' I was finding the running...little did I know that the twisted roots and harsh sharp rocks of the Overland Track were going to make me regret my arrogance! About 15km in I re-sprained my ankle and that combined with a few unscheduled toilet breaks (ok, ok I had the runs whilst running - not pretty) had me seriously doubting whether I'd be able to complete the full distance. As a result, for the middle 30km, the foot, well and truly, came off the gas. Perhaps a tad premature.

In the final 30km leg I pushed the throttle back down and found myself at the finish with plenty of juice left in the tank. I think I could have run another 30km! In one of the final splits I posted the 8th fastest time...not bad considering the elite runners in the field.

Overall though, my favorite part of the day was when I crossed the finish line...(wait for it), pulled out a beer I'd carried the entire way and sculled it; much to the shock and amusement of the race finish officials!! They definitely weren't expecting that...who’d be silly enough to purposely weigh down their pack on an 82km run!

The Overland track is truly one of the most mind-blowing tracks in Australia and provided all the runners with some stupidly stunning sights that helped to numb the pain of bruised blistered feet, twisted ankles and mind numbing fatigue. That was...only when we took the time to look up from the track that we were running! On this kind of track if you take your eyes off the track you can find your face in the mud in no time flat! I can't wait till I get the opportunity to go back there and walk it, enjoying the sights. 

Thanks to all you lovely folk that donated to the 40K Home Foundation that I was running in support of! If there's anyone else out there, that was thinking that they "might" donate...you still have time. Click on the following link: DONATE HERE 

After this little jog I've decided this running stuff is pretty fun!! James and I are looking to head into The North Face 100 in May...bring on the competition!!

Cheers

Jonesy