Race Report - Mt Glorious Trails Race 2018

I recently changed the focus of my blog from the thoughts of being an "Average Runner" to that of "Running with Crohn's Disease". Essentially what it's like to love running, but doing so whilst affected by a chronic illness. Hopefully, if you are suffering from something like I have or any other illness, these posts may ring true and provide some comfort in times of discomfort. I make no apologies for some of the content below, it is personal but I feel it is important to share.

This race report certainly reflects the change in my blog's focus. In no other event I have I done, has running with Crohn's impacted me so much as the day I had on the Mt Glorious trails.

I had come into this year's race with very high expectations. My training had gone really well and I had managed to run more Kilometres, had better workouts and ran far more trails and hills than last year. Actually I felt as though I had not really prepared well for last year so I made sure I did not repeat that mistake. My time last year wasn't that bad, even though 3 hrs 3 mins and 38 secs sounds a lot for 22km, it isn't for the type of course it is. But anyhow, my aim was to get under 3 hours at least.

I woke on Saturday the day before the race with an a slight twinge in my hip. Now, this is not that unusual for me. For years I have had issues with my hip and back, with the pain ranging from mildly uncomfortable to downright crippling. I was fairly used to this and found that copious amounts of Nurofen Plus usually helped. As it turns out, these hip and back niggles were diagnosed back in September last year as Ankylosing Spondylitis, a type of arthritis that normally affects the spine and other joints. Unfortunately, this arthritis was a direct consequence of having Crohn's Disease and there was very little I could do about it. The good thing about it was at least I now knew what had been bothering for the last 20 years or so.

I was concerned about the hip niggle, but not enough to start hitting the anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs just yet. The problem with NSAIDs is that although they work a treat to remove the pain and inflammation from the arthritis, they can play havoc with the stomach and gut. Having Crohn's on top of that means that in some cases using drugs to treat one thing and can make others far worse. On another note, it isn't really a good idea to use NSAIDs whilst exercising (or running up and down two mountains on a Sunday morning) as they can increase blood pressure and put unnecessary strain on the heart.

So, back to the hip niggle. It didn't really bother me too much through Saturday and I hoped that the pain wouldn't last too long, a good night's sleep Saturday night would surely help and I would feel OK on race day.

I woke early on Sunday, the niggle was still there. Oh well, I had to suck it up and get my gear ready and go through my usual morning routine. This means a good hour on the toilet at least. 

I decided not to take any anti-inflammatory drugs to help with the hip, it wasn't overly painful and I thought with a bit of stretching it should be OK. The stretching did help, but I took some Panadol anyway to try and help calm the pain that remained. Once I was ready I packed my gear and drove the 1 hour to White Cedar picnic area on the far side of Mt Glorious in the D'Aguilar National Park.

I arrived at the car park at 6:20am, which I will be honest is a bit late for me. The race started at 7am and I usually like to have a minimum of 1 hour to get to the toilets, and prepare for the start. I still managed to go to the loo, then dropped my bag with food and a change of clothes for the finish with the TRAQ volunteers, and made my way to the start line.

I would usually take 2 Imodium tablets about an hour before the start of any race to lock up my bowels and give me confidence to get through the race without any "issues". For some stupid reason, I didn't take them. I thought I would be OK as I just been to the toilet shortly after parking the car, famous last words...

The atmosphere of trail races is always great, as they are smaller than road events in the city and much friendlier. More people know each other, and someone is always up for a chat at the start line.

The area where the race is held is stunning, this is one the reasons why I love it so much and why I came back again after last year. The views from the top of Northbrook Mountain over Lake Wivenhoe are amazing, and almost worth the entry fee alone!

The race is divided into 4 waves of starters, mainly as the track is so narrow at the beginning but also to let the quicker runners get out in front. As with last year, I decided to start in the second wave. There was a short delay however, as the coach bringing runners from the park and ride at the Gap was running late. It wasn't really an issue though, it just added to the excitement and anticipation.

At around 7:15am the first wave were off, as per tradition the Scottish piper set off the race. It is still surreal to hear bagpipes at that time of the morning starting a trail running race but there you go.

I lined up with the rest of the second wave at just before 7:20am, the pipes blared and then we were off. 20 metres into the race we had a river crossing, this time last year it was completely dry, but the recent rain meant a few centimetres of water. No problems though, my feet were going to wet from sweat anyway, so water wouldn't be a problem. Up and round the first tight bend to the right, and the first climb loomed ahead of us.

I decided to take this section a little slower than last year, the first 2.5KMs are straight up with gradients in places well over 40%. The trail is loose and covered in rocks. It means that it is impossible to run, so it's really best to keep steps short, keep a good walking rhythm and be patient. I actually felt pretty good at this stage, even though I was moving slower than last year. I held myself back, keeping my heart rate low and if people passed me then so be it.

Eventually I reached the top of the first climb, where the first aid station and check point was located. Now I could begin to run. The next 6 to 7KMs are mostly downhill or flat, the perfect place to gather pace, relax and claw back time. That was the plan anyway. Last year I went down this section way too hard and paid for it during the last 10KM climb. I had decided to not to go quite as fast as last year, knowing that I would pick up time on the climb as I had specifically trained for climbing up steep hills.

The problem was my hip. I couldn't stretch my legs out enough, which meant I could not keep my pace up. I was aiming for 4:50min/km pace at least but could not go faster than about 5:20min/km therefore losing around 30 seconds per KM. It doesn't sound like much but it would have meant losing around 3 to 4 minutes on the downhill section.

However, the hip wasn't the only problem. Just before the downhill section, I started to feel a slight ache in my stomach. Because it was so slight, I put it down to a bit of wind which would be let out shortly. It was a bit of wind and it felt good to get it out, but the ache didn't go away, it just got stronger as my pace quickened. I still tried to ignore it, but I knew the inevitable was coming. Why on earth had I not taken the Imodium!

Usually when running on trails, finding some scrub or some trees away from the main trail is easy. I can sneak off and take care of business without anyone knowing what is going on. The problem here is that as I looked behind me, there were about 5 to 10 other runners. It wasn't going to be as straightforward as I thought. The other problem was that we were running down a mountain side, where on the left it inclined steeply with no bushes - therefore difficult to get up to and hide. On the right, the opposite. There was a significant drop, quite scary in places but plenty of hiding material. What on earth should I do!!!

The decision was made for me unfortunately. It is at this point that I am sure that fellow Crohn's sufferers can empathise with the humiliation of being caught short in a public place. Although I was out in the middle of nowhere there were plenty of people still around. Fortunately, I do know that the "runs" hits runners as well, considering the countless articles and podcasts I have read or listened to about the subject, therefore I am sure the other runners on the trail would understand, I hoped.

Still, back to the problem in hand - I had a split second decision to make as I could feel the poo desperately trying to get out. What could be worse, stopping in full view of everyone dropping my shorts? Or having crap streaming down my legs!! I threw caution to the wind and launched myself down the steep right hand side of the trail, not knowing even where the drop ended. I scrambled down the side and fell a good 10 metres below the trail and grabbed on to a tree just as my butt gave way.

It is at this point, that looking back on the situation I can be thankful of two things. The first, is that I had managed to get out of sight. Although what it looked like to the runners behind me, seeing someone launch themselves down a cliff pretty much in the middle of a race must have been rather odd (I'm actually positive they knew exactly what was going on). The second, which I am sure is a miracle, was that I did not get crap all over myself but it was certainly flying in all other directions. 

After about 5 minutes, I managed to finish and clean myself up pretty well and tried to haul myself back up the steep side of the trail. This only took a few seconds, but each one felt like a minute. I got myself back on the trail, ignored the other runners who were streaming past, I am not even sure they noticed me and set off running. I was angry as hell! I must have lost at least 8 to 10 minutes by now with the hip and the unforeseen toilet stop, and I was beginning to worry about my sub 3 hours target time.

I was able to pick up my pace a little now that I was at the bottom of the descent and even though my hip was hurting, I knew that this part of the course would be quicker, even though the next 10km would be the constant climb up to the top of Mt Glorious. I wasn't hitting my target pace due to my hip, but I was certainly moving quicker at this stage than last year.

A number of other runners did pass me on this section, but nowhere near as many as last year. I was confident that I would be able to make up some time, but I wasn't sure how much. I was at least 10 maybe 15 minutes behind schedule, I knew that it would be very tight to even match last years' time let alone get under 3 hours. There was only one thing for it, which was to push on.

As this section is a constant climb, I walked part of it and ran part of it. Bit by bit making my way up the mountain. One thing I definitely did not underestimate was the heat, it was actually 2 degrees hotter on average than last year, which may have also contributed to my slower pace. In terms of nutrition, I got that right. I made sure I had plenty of electrolytes in the water I was carrying. I also had a back up of gels and salt tablets in case I started getting dizzy.

One of the problems with trail running in hot weather is the risk of over hydrating. That is drinking too much water and not taking in enough electrolytes. Last year I stuck to water and gels, which I don't think was enough. This time round I had two 500ml bottles filled with a product called Tailwind, ensuring I had enough calories and salts going into my body on a regular basis. I backed it up with another litre of water in a bladder carried on my back, a salt tablet and a gel which I took with 40 minutes left of the race. I felt good, but I couldn't do anything about my hip.

I reached the turn off onto the single track rain-forest part of the course, probably the most beautiful section and let another couple of runners through. At this stage, the pain was pretty bad and I was walking most of the way. I did run a few metres at a time but it was getting too difficult. The other issue was the time, it was fast approaching the 3 hour mark and I still had another couple of KMs to go. I had to let it go, this year was not going to be it for getting under 3 hours. I kept going though and I could hear voices getting louder from the finish area.

As I turned the last corner before it opened out into the grassy area at Maiala Park, there was a volunteer waiting with a bell to ring in the finishers. What an awesome touch, as it alerted everyone at the finish and cheering erupted from everyone as I crossed the line. Cheers were going up for every finisher, which was really great.

I crossed the line, high five'd a couple of random people and slumped down to the grass. 

I must admit I was disappointed.

I was upset at having had the arthritic issues with my hip and I was angry at myself for not taking the Imodium before the beginning of the race, which would have prevented my toilet stop in the first half of the race. Both issues were really outside of my control, as was the slight increase in temperature compared to last year. I couldn't help feeling down at the fact that I hadn't beat last year's time, even though I had trained so hard. My finishing time was 3 hours 5 minutes and 45 seconds, just over 2 minutes slower than last year.

Looking back, writing about the experience a few days after the event I am beginning to see things a little differently. I am realising that not all people can complete these sort of events, let alone those who are suffering from a chronic illness.

I am thankful that I have finished the race. I am thankful that I did not have to stop and pull out, even when it would have been easy to do so. I will learn from this experience, and know that mentally I can cope with significant and unexpected setbacks. This is going to help me when I compete in the Gold Coast Marathon in June, and hopefully the Blackall 50KM Ultra marathon in October. Bring it on!