Why is it when I’m out running in wilderness I’m often
looking for a sealed road and when I’m on a sealed road I’m looking at getting
off it as soon as possible and getting back in to wilderness. My BNT days seem
to involve this sealed road theory each day.
When leaving the comfort of the Maui Mothership each day, I
look forward to the adventures of the day out in the wilderness. Though the
whole time I’m out there the gaol is to get to the sealed road where Vickie
will be to meet me, the focus is getting to the road, it has safety and my ticket
out of there.
The other side to this is leaving the Maui Mothership not
looking forward to the day ahead as its going to be on sealed roads where
there’s really no adventure. And look forward to better days where I’m out
looking for what I want to get off.
Confused? Because I am. But, what it really means is that
I’m a trail runner , period. I wish I could use the term born and bred, but
like most I started my running days pushing myself on the pavement with the
adventure being dodging cars and out running the neighbour’s dog.
But, I am a breed, a trail breed and one thing the BNT has
done to me is bring out the true trail runner that I am, with just thinking of
tarmac I get sick.
The last couple of days have been a little depressing due to
the National Trail taking in some quit country sealed roads. It should be a
time of relief whereby I can open up my stride, not think and cover some
ground. However, it’s been a time where it’s felt like paint drying, just
counting each kilometre wanting the day to hurry up and finish even though it’s
just begun. From the first step I feel every strike and the ground force shoot
up through my foot, rattle my body just in time for the other foot landing to
repeat the process all over again.
Have I become weak? Are road runners hardened to the
pavement? Used to the repetitiveness of the same old?
Trail running is harder I believe, but, with the terrain
giving a little underfoot, every foot strike being different and your mind
being constantly challenged by what’s coming up next, there leaves little room
for not being hard or getting used to any same old.
Luckily for me I’m on the BNT and for the best part I can
over indulge in all the great things that trail running has to offer nearly
every single day, so really what’s a bit of road running? Just a mental game I
have to play with myself that really is harder than any type of running.
It’s all about
hardening ones self-that’s why I am 1500km in on this 5330km journey, a journey
about one’s self. That sums’ running up doesn’t it?
So the last few days have looked something like this;
Day 60 – Phipps Cutting – Sandy Hollow: Seal Roads
I followed the road past some of Australia’s best wineries, shame I had no time for a tipple, would have helped with the roads repetitiveness. The first 1km was a little bit of a bush bash as the trail followed the old cutting where no one had been for a while.
Day 61 – Sandy Hollow – Ridgelands: Sealed Roads
The best bit about Sandy Hollow was our visit to the school first thing in the morning this was also timed with some showers that I was happy to miss the time I went out running late that morning. This section of the BNT follows what used to be a quit country road, but since the mine opened up, this has become a highway for trucks.
Day 62 – Ridgelands – Aberdeen: Happy Half trails and Half
Sealed Roads
Started out wet, but headed out across cattle fields and over a bush covered saddle. Then it was some road, then back over some rolling hills by which time the sun had come out and finished once again on road.
Day 63 – Aberdeen – Rouchel North: Sealed Roads
This brought me to my sealed road post, But looks like I’m follow a dirt road through the mountains tomorrow, well at least for the first 15km anyway.We're camped in a deserted Showgrounds.......Vickie's cooking the 6kg pumpkin we were given, looks like soup, grilled, steamed and some chopped up and stored in the fridge. The little perks are plenty.
Maybe you could break up your day with some interval sessions.
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