countdown 3 days to go

have bought BPA free bottles and jugs, special oils and teas, to get ready for the "juice". lachlan got me a huge bag of juicing carrots (organic) so set for carrot juice next week. going to the organic markets near the royal tomorrow to get some Kale.

i found out that normally mrs flannery's up the road gets it in, so wont have to travel much, between them and the chandler markets i should be able to get my supplies quite cheap.

i keep reading different opionions about jucing and also fasting (ie nothing but fruit/veg) being good and bad for you.

my thoughts are that it has to better than McDonalds, caramel in a can, raisin toast and butter, bags of grain waves chips and 2 bottles of wine each week.

so you see my current diet also doesnt meet the dietry daily requiremnts. so the new one i think has to be better for the body, its only 15days and then using lean protein and legumes, so 15 days wont make any real reduction in calcium and lean muscle etc

well thats what i am telling myself.

new beginnings

i know that this is self indulgent and self absorbed but i thought i would increase my motivation by blogging my experience for the next 15 days and maybe beyond.

for Christmas my brother showed me a documentary called "fat, sick and nearly dead" it is about an Australian man who decided to improve his health and lose weight by fasting (juicing veges/fruit 100%) for 60 days. his website www.jointhereboot.com discusses different reboot programs.

so i have decided to achieve a 15 day program, this means no caffeine (there goes my beautiful Pepsi max) no meat protein, no grain carbohydrates, no dairy, what does this leave i hear you ask .....

fruit or vegetables, nothing else for 15 days. the first five days are juiced or eaten, then following is only juice and the finally five days are juiced or eaten.

why might this be good for me?? a few reasons

1. i cant physically eat 5 serves of veges per day due to my surgery
2. i am addicted to sugar and carbs
3. as you all know my not so secret obsession with pepsi max, as i often joke that there is water in pepsi max so i don't need to drink any.

giving this all up will take an incredible will power and surviving the with drawl symptoms of caffeine and sugar, bring on the headaches!!

but the main reasons for doing this is to lose weight (must lose 25kg in 19 weeks for my school reunion on the 12th of may 2012) and to be healthier and hopefully reduce my chance of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

so i am going to post weekly photos to show my progress, blog for the first 15 days of what its like and if works for me then maybe convert some people close to me to also take on the challenge. (rachel this means you!!!)

it all begins on Monday 2nd of January 2012 (you always have to start on a monday) but also to get my fruit and veges ready and first day of cleanse to do it in the privacy of my own home (and maybe toilet).

i have my juicer, steamer and other weird ingredients ready, so wish me luck and see you next week

walk the line 2 success!!!!

One of the concerns this year leading up to the event was the possibility of rain, I checked multiple websites and all predicted rain on Friday and Saturday. Everyone was so up beat that those weather guys always get it wrong BUT not this time, indeed on Friday night and all Saturday it rained not heavy but just consistent. This led to changes in the condition of the track - MUD and more MUD

Friday 15Th July - We all met at the Wallaby hotel (where we were staying and the support crew were staying at the Advancetown caravan park, as Tracey was using their caravan as a home base during the event). Went and had a lovely lunch of hamburgers and then rested for the afternoon. That evening we went to the Woodchoppers Restaurant and had a beautiful meal to help sustain us for the next 48hrs. The rain had started and even though it was light, it seemed set in. All in bed by 8.30pm but due to the drunks leaving at 1am, sleep was fairly disrupted.

Saturday 16Th July - We woke up at 3am to get ready, as last year we left going to the registration a bit too late so we wanted to get there by 4.45am. We thought that the park was only 200m away but we had to walk at least 1km to get there and thank goodness Brad & Tracey picked us up and took us back to the hotel afterwards. When we got to the start line it was all in darkness, no music, no guns and just no real atmosphere, it was quite a mood killer as last year it was so exciting and upbeat when we went to register.

This year we had arm bands with a GPS chip in it, to help swipe into the checkpoints (didn't work so well and took quite a few attempts at each checkpoint to get it to work).

The rain was present and when we returned to the start line at 6.30am, they were setting up the start area, with music and heaps of people in their hiking jackets.

My mum and dad, Rachel, with Alan, Tracey, Brad and Madeline were all their to send us off. the last post and soldiers poem was read out by a digger and then a gun went off and we were off about 7.12am

Start 7.12am, We decided to go with the third fastest group to try and reduce the bottle neck at the first checkpoint. The first section is through suburban streets and reaches orange court and then go through mt nimmel forest. The first section included a few small steep inclines but was relatively easy to the first major checkpoint.

Check point 2 (Mt Nimmel) 10.26am - We arrived fairly comfortably and met our support crew who had parked outside the grounds (which in hindsight was were fortunate as lots of cars got bogged in the grounds). Our first checkpoint went smoothly and we were on our way with in approx 15-20Min's. The next section included three mountains, which we knew would be challenging but once done just a simple road walk to the next major checkpoint at Polly's.

The first mountain (mt nimmel) we had done many times in training, it was steep but all had no problems, at the top we took a left turn back down the side of the mountain and this was to go to a new section we had not seen before. This included a new incline (extremely steep - in fact i think the steepest of the lot) as we reached the peak (and my heart was pounding like a rabbit) there was a white cross with "Duncan" on it, he was a fellow hiker that had died two weeks previously from a cardiac event, it was very sad and eerie to see it and realise the loss for his family and team.

We then went along the ridge and descended a steep muddy section, this is where the fun began as due to the rain and previous people going through it, by the time we got there the track was so muddy (slippery clay) and people were sliding and falling every where. We were lucky and made it safely with a fall but it was very risky. I wish we could have filmed so many people on their butts just sliding past!!. The final mountain (mt fairview) was also tough as it was made of clay and we had had previous difficulties on it in training, again the only way up was to go bush and try and pull your self from tree to tree rather on the track with so many people falling. We made it to the top and then the easy bit going down the road to the next major check point - Polly's

Checkpoint 5 (Polly's Kitchen) 16.21pm - The rain was still continuing not heavy just annoying, the lovely grassed area was a bog field with four wheel drives even having problems getting out. It was great to see trace and crew with hot food and a rest, we then gathered up our night clothes and were really happy to leave before dark up Polly's mountain.

I struggled a bit up this mountain and had a shin cramp at the top but was able to stretch it and we then descended really well to the check point 6 (environmental centre) and then the 8 creek crossings. Usually at the last creek crossing we go up a small mountain and then down to the next checkpoint, but due to the rain and dangerous conditions they took us on a detour around (i believe it was an extra few km's for sure). We then came down the last few undulating hills, were we found an empty ambulance with the lights on, (late we found out that it had bogged and someone had to be quad biked out with a fractured collar bone from falling). I felt good in this section knowing that we were almost half way. Of course it was still raining but at least not as cold as last year.

Checkpoint 7 (Numinbah Hall) 22.26pm - At this stage we were 2 hrs ahead of last year's time. this is where i always feel so sorry for support crew as they have been waiting in the cold, rain and dark for us to get there. My feet were a bit sore and had to try and fix a few blisters, hot food and change into warm clothes and reflective jackets to head off into the night. We left and headed up the next mountain (for once i felt i was going up it really well and we travelled down really fast in the dark) and got back to the environmental centre. I needed some repair time (more blister packs) on my feet due to my strapping cutting into my ankles. I think we all felt fairly good but knew that the next section is always a killer!!

It was truly horrible and soul destroying, it is only about 8 km but it just keeps going up and you don't get much rest, it is a single file goat track and impossible to get any real speed up, once we got to the top section we had to go through a section of pure mud. It was thick, slippery and feet were cold and wet, the funny thing to see was harry (who had decided not to take his poles) was so walk past him and see him holding onto a tree, trying to decide the safest route to take.

This was also a section where we came across a young man who had collapsed and was unconscious with the ambulance trying to get to him. We reached the checkpoint 9 (fire station) the floor was just pure mud and we were bushed, we only had about 3km until syd duncan but the section we were to take was even deeper in mud and i was so over it, as every step you took forward you ended up sliding backwards. We finally made it to syd duncan and a few of us were really spent.

Checkpoint 10 (Syd Duncan) 4.57am - It was very cold and still dark when we arrived. Harry was very quite and didn't look well but a few minutes sleep and he was raring to go with new vigor. I got the shakes due to the cold and covered my head with my dressing gown, I'm sure the others thought i was losing it but i was just trying to keep warm. With a new change of shoes and socks we set off, and the sun was coming up by the time we got to hell fires pass, which was good as it is quite steep and i could now at least see where i was going, we all picked up and speed off to mount Nathan.

We walked alot with a team from townsville and they were really good company. we ascended Mt Nathan to find a team trying to carry two of their team out (their knees were gone!!) and i felt sorry that they were so close but just couldn't keep going.

After Mt Nathan we went on a new section down along the ridge line and to the next checkpoint, i thought this would be a easy section but boy was i wrong, it just seemed to go on forever and finally we came down a steep section only to look up and see this huge hill rising above us. I remember thinking i cant do this anymore and started to feel sorry for myself and cry. I struggled, really struggled to the next checkpoint (which was the final one). At this time Rodney was so strong, he felt regenerated, Harrison was keeping pace, Brad was tired and a bit sore but still hanging in there.

When i met rachel at the checkpoint, i remember saying i was done and that was it, i cried for about 5 mins

Checkpoint 12 (Nathanvale Rd) 10.43am - This was a bit tough for us all, the support crew had worked so hard and I'm sure were exhausted as well but they pitched in and got us through. Harrison had some nasty blisters on his feet and they would cause him a lot of pain in the next few km's. Brad was tired and a bit stiff, Rodney was so fresh and felt he could just keep going. Rachel rubbed my feet, fed me, clothed me and sent me on my way to finish.

we went through some new suburban streets and i was not in a great frame of mind as i felt we had still so far to go, we entered the forest and then i realised where we were (regular training section) and knew that we only had one more steep section, when we got to the top, there was a sign saying 10km to go. i don't know what came over me but i became full of energy, mentally alert and just so upbeat, i realised that i was going to finish and that it was only a few hours to go!!!



The last 10km on the whole went very fast, brad and harry had bad blisters so were having a bit of trouble walking fast, but every 2km there was a sign and we just kept on going.

Checkpoint 14 (Finish line - Nerange Velodrome) 15.59pm - YEAH!!! we finished in the daylight, all four of us and feeling really strong. This was the hardest event due to new course, rain and the never ending mud but we all made it and it was fantastic to see all our family & friends cheering us to the finish line, we crossed under the guns and got up on stage to receive our certificates (even this year the last two stairs weren't that hard), one thing i really wanted to achieve was getting my dog tags from one of the kokoda veterans (Jim Stillman) and it was a real honour to receive our medal and shake the hand of a digger.

our family gave us hugs and kisses and was wonderful to sit down and spend time with them in the sunshine. we got to take videos and have photos taken to remind us of what we had achieved.

Once again i would like to thank my incredible team (walk the line 2) brad, rodney and harrison, it has meant alot to me to be apart of their team, we have spent many hours and hundreds of kilometers supporting each other and enjoying each others company.

Of course we would not have achieved our dreams with out the super supportive support team (tracey, brad, madeline and rachel). the support crew contribute at least 50% of work to get everyone across the line.

i am very proud of my achievement of two kokoda challenges and look forward in supporting future teams in achieving this fantastic event. New adventures await me but this will always have a special place in my memories and my heart.

Dee

last training session

so yesterday was my last training session, brad and i did tooheys forest for a short two hour session.

it was gentle and really relaxing, decided that this final week i will do heaps of stretching, drink water (for those that know me well - YUK!!!) and have a relaxing massage (probably with a few needles) on thursday.

strapping of my feet on friday and then lyn is taking rachel and me down the coast for lunch with the team and support crew.

have been watching the weather zone and they are predicting rain (not showers) but real rain on the saturday, so hope they have it wrong as it will make a difficult experience almost impossible, will have to really have a strong mental attitude as will really add to the experience.

wishing everyone the very best, my team has seen me through some tough sessions and i know the support crew will do their very best to help us finish.

love to all

dee

binna burra to o'reillys

hi all

this was our last big weekend hike, i decided due to small injuries to only do saturdays hike (43km) binna burra to o'reillys and return and the guys would also back it up the next day with another 23km hike.

we got to binna burra at 4am (having gotten up at 1.30am) wow they are long days, when we got there the stars were out and looking like a beautiful day, thank goodness i decided to pack my raincoat (always the girl guide) because within about 2hours it was raining.

there was silence in the dark, (all caught up in our own thoughts - why were we doing this when we could be home in bed!!!!) but by the time the sun came up we were all focused on getting to the half way mark,

once again due to rain the views were minimal, but the main issue was the mud and the cold. i was so cold it was hard to move my fingers and even my gloves weren't helping. and of course the mud was horrendous with wet feet sloshing in ankle deep mud.

we made good time and had a quick rest at the half way point and on the way back i felt the best ever, i really felt fully energised, my feet were only hurting a little and we were going really fast on the way back.

it took 12hrs which is fairly normal but all of us were really strong and felt great at the end, compared to the time before where we were hurting big time!!

went and stayed at the wallaby hotel, hot shower and pizza and were all in bed by 8pm.

the boys had a great second day and did it easily in 5hrs!!

now one last small training session and then the real thing!!

mini kokoda event

On June 26th was the Mini Kokoda (30km)event, this is held each year by victory sports. last year about 300 people participated but this year due to other events the numbers were lower (mainly runners).

we started at numimbah hall (very cold) and go to polly's and return. i felt good at the start but went out too hard too fast (trying to keep up the first major hill) and pulled my right hip flexor, it was sore for the rest of the day, and was very difficult to lift my leg going up the hills.

we were really doing great and keeping up but then i had stopped eating and just totally bonked. it was amazing to see runners just flying down the mountains (more like crazy).

we managed to finish 30mins ahead of last years time, which if i had more energy it would have been even better.

have realised for me its better to have energy replacement in my water all the time rather than stopping and drinking gatorade every few hours, keeps my levels up.

tracey and brad met us at the hall and was lovely to see them, i may have even shed a few tears on tracey's shoulder!!!

it was tough for me and i even wondered if i could do this, next week is the big weekend so hope it goes well!!

in the darkest night!!!

queens birthday weekend, we decided to swap nights to Friday instead of Saturday due to expected rain and yes it was the right decision for two reasons. 1. it didn't rain and 2. it was great to have the whole weekend to recover.

we set off from Polly's about 7.45pm, i struggled to get some momentum up the first mountain but got my rhythm going down, we got to the environmental centre in 2hrs, and then onto the 8 creek crossings, it was great that the creeks were low and easily hopped from rock to rock across. no one fell in!!

the next section had been graded which was good to walk on but changed the whole look of things, they also added large rocks in the dips and i thought maybe we had taken a wrong turn, but then after about an hour i recognised some land marks, then we were at numinbah hall.

it is the most god forsaken bitterly cold place, huddled in the small alcove (see photo), by then our sweat had turned to ice, my hands have never been so cold.

i had my feet strapped and started to get blisters on the front of my ankle and the arch of my right foot, so after doing first aid, taking codeine and caffeine gu gels, the boys were a bit tired but i was "party town", singing to my ipod (alittle manic).

this helped keep the pain to a low level which was good as the worst to come ... it was now 2.30am walking up the road to the cow pad (soul destroying section). we had our reflective jackets on over our backpacks and looked like large turtles.

the cow pad is exhausting as it is up then down then up (both going on for ever), we got to the bottom section before beechmont (my last memory was this was easy) but they had graded it and it is like thick top soil and very soft under foot, it was undulating, so every time we crested i thought here is the road, but no it went on for ever and brad and rodney had had enough!!

final long walk on the side of the road dodging cars flying out of the night and then the long climb up the grassy knoll to top of syd duncan, we had made it by 6am, and another team where there just starting.

we wind was cold and the guys were very organised and brilliant and had hot Thermos of coffee. went and picked up my car and headed home. had to sing loud and window down to stay fully awake but by the time i got home i wasn't tired so only got about 1.5 hrs sleep and then went to bed at 8pm.

feeling good today, amazing how the body recovers now from 30+ hikes, in all it took 10hrs with the breaks which i am happy with as night is so much slower and we are on track for a 30hr finish (here's hoping0.

only two major training sessions left, with the mini kokoda and the full weekend, 4 weeks to go.

dare i say i might even miss it when its over but no ......i promised its my last time

team walk the line 2

last week was the brisbane briefing night about the kokoda event, support crew (tracey, bradon and madeline were there) the 2011 team (dee, brad, rodney & harrison). it was interesting, alot of it was the same as last year but they asked the audience to raise their hands if it was their first time and the majority of hands were up. the presentations got the imagination going and we started to feel like it was really happening.

tracey took notes for the support crew, i have absolute faith all will run like a well oiled machine and looking forward to the yummy grub. i think rachel will be happier this year as the support crew will have their own caravan to rest in between checkpoints.

we had our team photo with the new shirts all looking crisp in blue & white.

go team!!!!

sweet success

the next hike we did after i had a break for a week was to try the brisbane kokoda trail again, this was the week after the actual event, so we were out there by ourselves. we realized where we had gone wrong so headed out to make sure we achieved it.

in my preparation that week, i had a "painful massage" and acupuncture to the soles of my feet and major strapping, hoping this might make a difference. Nathan one of my physios showed me how to walk differently with my poles (more nordic hiking style). so i lengthened my poles and instead of putting them in front and dragging my self forward, i placed them behind and pushed forward.

so off we went, it was great, beautiful weather, we didnt get lost, took about 7.30hrs (very good) and i flew like the wind, okay i went alot faster and my feet were fantastic.

they were sore but like other people who hike 30+ kms, it was the first time in 2 years and gave me such a lift. i was on a real high!!! so bring on the needles and look forward to seeing if it was a fluke or the beginning of a real change.

lots has happened

since my last blog, we have had quite a few training sessions. 1.we attempted to do the brisbane kokoda event track (mt cootha) which is 30km. we set off from kenmore (not realising we would end up on one of our regular hikes in mt cootha). the map we had from the website appeared to be straight forward but it wasnt. we met a few teams training for brisbane and also the oxfam 100, one team (we found out they had given us the right directions) told us we had missed the turn to do the loop but we ignored them and kept going and met up with some other ladies, we kept on going, going and going, and then after 4hrs decided we should head back and left these lovely ladies to keep going to get to their car (i hope they are still not out there - i think they would have ended up at mt nebo and been miles from their car - maybe they took a taxi back!!!). on the way back i started to struggle, felt i had blisters starting under my toes and my plantar fascitis was bad!!, we made it back to the road about 2km from our car and then i just sat down by the side of the road, wished the guys well and hoped they would come back for me. of course they did but i really thought of giving up and not competing this year :( but determined to do something, so i have enlisted a team of physiotherapists and have 3 sessions a week, will let you know how it goes.

strength session

Rodney has been off his feet this week due to an infected toe he had to have lanced, don't know how he walked with it last week!!

so brad, Alan, Bella (the dog) and myself decided to do a short walk, we decided to do Polly's, which is a steep ascent approx 4km, did we do it once, twice ....no we did it three times.

so very good for the quads and calf's, first time last year it took me 70Min's, first time yesterday 52 min, then 42 min and final 49min. so must be getting stronger this year.

i felt good after but would have struggled with the knees if i had done another repeat. on the way home i really had to fight not to fall asleep, had the windows open and singing as much as i could.

got home had a shower and then .... the steam roller hit me and i was out to it for about 2hrs. feel good today but it was more exhausting then the previous hike of 43km.

next weekend we are doing the "brisbane kokoda course" approx 30km on the northside, this is the first time we will have done it, but it has a famous "hell hole" section, which i assume means it steep and tough.

only 8 wks of training to go so the pressures on to be ready for 16th july

the four season hike

yesterday we did binna burra to o'reillys and return approx 43km. the weather was cold, windy, rainy, sunny all within a few hours. it took us 11.50hrs of hiking, it was long and the last 5km were horrendous, but we finished.

madeline (brad and rodneys niece) came with us for an amazing 11 yr old she did the first half with us and was chatting all the way, 22km without any training, truly inspirational. we met tracey and brad at the half way mark for lunch and then headed back.

what was so hard, the distance but its bearable, the leeches, well they eventually fall off, it was the MUD, it was unbelievable. every step was squelching and often you would think you were on solid ground but give way like quick sand and end up to your ankles, by the return trip we could care about our shoes so just walked through it all, so today i had to use a gurney to wash my shoes they were so caked in mud.

we pulled up okay today but last night when we finished it was tough, my back was really painful and brad carried my back pack for the last 8km (could not have done it with out him), he motivated harrison, and supported rodney who was in pain with an infected toe, he was the team strength yesterday, thanks brad!!!

next weekend might go down and try and find apple tree park with its 1000 steps and try and give that ago, maybe twice (LOL)

got myself a new backpack (now have 4) its alot smaller and lighter and hopefully will be much easier for the event.

thinking of two more goals for 2012 (hike to the stinson wreck) tough 35km hike and the oxfam 100 in the blue mountains (okay so that is really crazy) but you have to have challenge yourself or maybe ride 1200km across the nullabore to perth

mud mud and more mud

hi we decided to try the first two mountains (nimmel and fairview) and then return (approx 28km), what we didnt think of is what has happened with all the rain, coming down the first mountain, brad when for a big slide down and the back of his pants where like huge skid marks, of course we paid out on him as it was so funny. there was heaps of teams out training and it started raining again, so up the second mountain it was all mush and bog, just like the real kokoda track, it was so slippery. we made it to the half way mark and when we turned around it started pouring, and as a prepared girl guide i had my new rain jacket but before i could stop and get it out of my back pack i was soaked, so ended up just continuing walking in the rain (as once your soaked you cant get any wetter). the way back was full of slipping and sliding and the funniest was rodney on his butt sliding down about 20m, but of course we just missed it and didnt get to show it on the film. by the time we made it back at about 2pm, my feet were really sore with the descents as your toes end up hitting the front of your shoes and this is how you end up with lost toenails, i had taped my feet but they were wet and so more exposed to blisters. we survived and look forward to next weekend, 42km (binna burra to o'reillys), only 10 wks to go and have to up the training. went to a kokoda seminar with the winning team (nike hammer who complete it in under 12 hrs) and got some good tips and confirmed that we are doing lots of things right. anzac day today and it has helped remind me why i am doing this event and i even did my small part by polishing the war memorial placques in my church, which had not been cleaned for many years. it was good to look at the names and think of each of them and what their stories were. mateship, endurance, courage and sacrifice

syd and nathan

hi again, last weekend we did about 25km from Syd Duncan Park to over Mt Nathan and return, this means we got to do hell fire's pass (down and joy of joy back up it), the most amazing thing is we were back at the car by 11.10am. we were just flying (for us anyway), met a couple of teams and we didnt see any snakes. i'm enjoying training this time and looking forward to our next big hike in 2wks, doing mt nimmel and fairview and then return, we havent done this before, so should be a good test. the following week we are doing binna burra to o'reillys and back (42km) its fairly flat but is hard just due to the time on your feet, it certainly is getting darker and a little cooler at 5am, i'm looking forward to winter and rugging up when you hike. i have a whole month off in april, so the plan is to train hard and keep the kg's coming off.

doing it in reverse

yesterday we got to do the last section (from the velodome to the last checkpoint and back). i forgot the map and a few times we had to stop and think and face the other way to work out which way to turn but we made it.

it was hot but a few cool breezes towards the end helped, we left at 5am and got to the half way mark (4.20mins later). i had been to see the sport dietician and she said i was not eating enough, so we planned for me to eat every hour and drink gatorade every hour, so i had something every 30mins. it certainly makes the time go faster when your injesting every 30mins, but the difference it made with my energy level was incredible, i still was the last up the hills but was often out in front on the flats and down hills.

we came back faster at 3.55hrs and would have been faster but poor harrison had to have some first aid (something in his eye and brad flushed it out with poor water all over him). so we were back to the car by 1.30pm, very happy with the time

the list of symptoms at the end, i had sore feet, brad's feet were sore, harrison had sore feet and a blister and rodney had very sore feet, yes everyone had sore feet, the 30km walk was hard as it was so rocky and your feet paid the price.

today i feel okay but my inner thighs are very sore (didnt think i used those muscles going up the hills!!!)

next weekend another big hike (syd duncan to the last checkpoint and back up hellfire)

mini kokoda training run

two weeks ago we completed whats called the mini kokoda track which is almost 30km, we started early (5am) but totally forgot its now dark at this time so had to wait til 5.30 so we could see where we were going. there was about 6 groups heading out, we headed up pollys and over, brad had the camera on and when we got to the creek, he happened to catch me on film a over t in the water, not so flattering so it will only go on the blooper reel.

but because of this my pants were wet, add in 7hrs of hiking and you get a whole world of chaffing, but i will spare the details except by the end i was walking bow legged.

there are also a further 8 creek crossings, and the water was up so impossible to get across dry, by the end i just walked through the water (a few leeches came on board but easy to get rid of).

the track was very muddy and slippery and was difficult in some sections to get a grip as our shoes were just caked in mud.

we had a quick break at the hall and then headed back, i was feeling good but when we hit the last mountain, i just bonked, ran out of fluid and thank goodness for harrison he gave me some extra to get through.

we got back to the car at about 2.30pm which was really great as one time i had done it with brad last year, we didnt finish until about 5pm. so we are getting a lot faster.

i have an appt with a sports dietitian to try and sort out my energy issues, as i need more nutrition to keep me going the long distance.

small hike this weekend at mt cootha and then we need to do another big one, would love to do the 42k (binna burra to o'reilly and back) will see if i can talk the guys into it

little mt cootha

yesterday we went for a short "4hr" hike at mt cootha, we have done this loop three times, and this time we found 3 kokoda teams out training, they had all done it before and was great to chat and hear about their experiences and remember the same difficulties we all went through. brad used my new wearable video camera and took lots of shots, this is practice for the event, as this time we want to capture our experiences for ourselves to remember and to give some idea of what its like for others to see. at the moment i am on a no sugar diet, which is working well (3kg in 2 wks) but the down side is when training i have hit the wall, really suffered today going up the "kokoda track" felt like my feet were like cement and just no energy. so my plan is during the week when training under 2hrs, no sugar but for long training hike i need some extra engergy!!!. next weekend we are doing the "mini kokoda" section which is about 29km and will take about 7hrs, so need the extra to get back over the mountain. have made a little training dvd, and getting used to all the options for editing, so we should end up with some great films of the event. going tomorrow to a massage therapist that uses a product "sensar" which is ultrasound to help with pain and inflammation, if it works i may buy one, most is covered by NIB and will use it to try and get through the long hikes (as my feet are still a big problem) will let you know how i go

hell and back

Last weekend we did hell fire pass from syd duncan park and back, this section is hard in the event as you have gone 24hrs without sleep and are at the 70km mark and it is about 1.5hrs of straight down which just kills the knees and hips. it was very hot but we did the track in fantastic time, even with a rest at the bottom, we took 4hrs and were back by 10.30am. the return trip back up took some effort but we were cutting an amazing pace on the flat section back (i had disco playing in my ipod and i took off at great speed). was home by 12md and in bed by 1pm for a nanna nap (it sapped my strenght abit). it was a great day and really enjoyed it.

tough day!!

today we did "black shoot gully" which is about 17km all up. the main difficulties today was the 33 degree temp with 90% humidity. i have never sweated so much it was dripping off the brim of my cap. my sunscreen sweated off and now i have a great burn mark on the back of my neck and arms. this track is 500m of elevation to the highest point of the challenge at syd duncan park, where we had our break, i was tired but felt quite good until the journey home. the track has two gullies with very rocky and rugged trails (constantly having to stablilise feet) and this sent my feet into overdrive. the ups were good but the downs incredibly painful. i remember last year i felt exactly the same and even shed some tears, so i knew it would be tough. this section is the one we do during the night with our headlamps and is the most exhaustive section, so good to do it during the day and in the next few months when cooler we will walk it through the night. i have attached a little video clip, it shows where your head is at when feeling exhausted, hopefully tomorrow i will feel more confident and will continue to talk myself into finishing kokoda 2011.

first of the long hikes

yesterday we headed (me, brad, rod, harrison, alan and his beagle bella) to mudgereeba to do a 18km hike, its from the second check point to the fifth, including 2 mountains. the weather was perfect with sunny skies but a cool breeze. was amazing that bella scampered the whole way but fell asleep in the car on the way home, tired but very happy!! this has been our longest walk to date, my feet for the first time coped better, pain scale of only 5-7, i get my new orthotics on tuesday (went and saw a ballerina specialist). i know i'm hiking not dancing the 96km but if you have ever seen a professional ballerinas feet you would understand (Yuch!!) we met a team from 2009 and they told some terrible stories about their injuries (broken foot, blisters underneath toes) so it made our experience sound like a walk in the park. goes to show, adequate training and preparation are the key, so we are not stupid to start training this early. we finished the 18km by 12.30pm and then had lunch at polly's kitchen, all went well and it was a good first training test. next week is the dreaded cowpad from the environmental centre to syd duncan (highest point) its the section you do during the night and its is 8km going steadily up, so we will do a round trip and try and conquer this beast!!

registered for 2011

hi all, it was a tense moment at 6am this morning, i was up from 4am and had set three alarms to make sure i didnt oversleep.

kokoda challenge had offered 100 previous teams the opportunity of pre registering early before the offical registration in feb. i was determined to get in early and filled in the form online as quick as possible, but when going to pay it kept saying a fatal error, but knew our team details had saved. so i phoned them at 6.30am and someone answered and said that this was happening as it was already full and we may not have gotten through, i was very down about it and felt responsible for the team. but got an email latter in the morning saying there had been an error and we were registered, to make the payment and we are now team 21 (better than last year as team 26).

so now the fun begins in insuring we are fit and ready for the 96km, i think i have some left over injuries from last year, so this will be my final attempt (please hold me to it) as i think the training does put some permanent damage to this aging body and hope it can make it through this time.

last saturday we went to mt cootha for a training session (5hrs) thought it would be a breeze but mt cootha (the gap towards mt nebo) is fairly tough and got a good work out, even went up the kokoda track, which i thought was pretty easy until it keeps kicking up steeper and steeper, so plan is to go again this weekend and add some more tracks.

harrison is on holidays so the next training on the track is 29th jan (doing the first two mountains) about 18km so will be a good test.

i noticed on the website it says there are some new twists to the course, so looking forward to seeing what it is, bottom line it means steeper hills for sure.

keep you posted

dee