17/9/13
Some days just don’t seem to pan how you would like. Last Sunday’s Flight Centre Epic Marathon went from bad to worse for me. After trying to do the right thing and carb-load all day Saturday, I spent most of that night in horrible pain with stomach cramps. Maybe that bowl of pasta or the birthday cake had been a little dodgy! I have never let a bad night’s sleep get me down before a race, especially since my sleeping habits at the best of times aren’t too crash-hot. So waking at 3am race day, despite not getting to sleep till around 11pm, was not too out of the ordinary and I was still looking forward to a great race. I wasn’t quite so sure however, once the toilet trips began! So it seemed I had to start the race a little more under-fueled and under-rested than desired.
The legs un-surprisingly felt heavy in w/up. Race start confirmed my suspicion of lack of energy and I made the decision early on in the race to keep within my limits and do my absolute best just to get through to the finish. With several dismounts in the early climbs and a few near-misses with trees, I really was battling out there. Ed was there to feed me on the first open-road section. To be honest at that point I already felt like I had done a marathon and could quite easily have called it a day there and then. I made the decision to take the right hand corner however and make my way up the main nasty climb for the day. During the next 20km I did my best to take on some Torq gels and hydrate well but sometimes no amount of race nutrition will make up for that empty feeling.
And so it was that I pulled the pin at the halfway mark. Like most riders, I always hate to DNF, but there are also times when this is the smartest thing to do. When the body has no fuel to keep carrying on, there is little point in digging a further hole. While I had no expectations on any spectacular results at this first marathon race for the long season ahead, I had at the very least intended to finish the event. I guess now I will just have to get the body right for next weekend’s Kowalski Marathon in Canberra. This time round I intend carb-loading on the trusty Torq Organic powder and my usual meal of rice. I will definitely stay clear of any dodgy looking birthday cakes!
Thanks so much to Hayden Brooks for inviting up to race this year’s Flight Centre Epic and of course to the ongoing support of all my sponsors Torq Nutrition, Momentum Energy, Lifecare, Adidas, 4Shaw, Sram. I will be sure to return to Qld this time next year and finish the Epic!
