Tough graft - Mount Solitary assault

This week has been a bit of an arse in terms of being able to get out and train. Mainly because I was recovering from Deep Space until Wednesday evening, Thursday I had a twinge in my left leg so thought it best not to head out, and then Friday was busy with work commitments. However I managed to get out yesterday with a few guys from CoolRunnings, for what I thought was going to be a nice gentle 40kms. Sweet Jesus, did that not turn out to be the case!

The run is know as the Mount Solitary 'run-up', and consists of a 40km loop around the Blue Mountains. The scenary is quite simply stunning when you're at the top.

I didnt start well, after only 4kms I rolled my right ankle pretty badly. One of those ones where I actually few over from it. I can normally keep my footing when I do that, but this was a pretty bad one. However I popped some painkillers and just carried on, although this morning it is pretty swollen and quite sore.

However on we go with the run, starting at around 1200m, and we decend right into the valley at around 200m I believe. What goes down must go up, and for the next couple of hours, we had an almight slog up Mount Solitary. The final 30 mins or so is literally hands and knees scrambling up the mountain face. I dont mind this, if I'm on a walk or climb, but on a run, I'm not so keen. Still the views at the top were well worth it. So along the ridge we went, before having some food, and then setting off along the ridge of the mountain some further, before decending. Boy was that an experience! Again hands and knees stuff and it was here that I managed to scrap my leg along a bush stump, opening it up quite badly too... things were not going well here!

So downt he mountain we came, before we hit the rainforest, and some beautiful running for around 10kms along the mountain ridge, just underneath it, and making our way back to Katoomba. Here we filled up on water from the fresh mountain stream, before hitting the 15kms or so back to the car at Wentworth Falls. Again soome more great runnable trail through rainforest where I picked up a few leeches for flavour too! And then at 38kms, the monster of all hills! This is not what you need having just climbed a mountain as big as Snowdoon already... however on we plodded, and again we climbed another 1000m or so I believe of just head down and grin and bear it. It was a hard slog that seemed to never end, but we got there and finished our 42kms (a slight detour earlier on added some) in a long, slow time of 8 hours 30 mins.

That was a tough one, especially off the back of last week, but it's again, good to do these long tough trails as they will increase the strength. I'm still shit at hills, but I'm getting better. I'm noticably good on the nice long flats of trail running, but I still need to work on those hills.

The ankle is pretty sore at the moment, but should be OK in a few days for some speed work and tempo training.

EDIT: Here's some stats on the run from one of the guys who had a Garmin on. I can see why these things come in handy now. I didnt wear a thing on Saturday, well clothes obviously:

Trip measured 43.99km with elevation gain of +2730 and descent of -2716. Climbing Mt Solitary, it is 3.0km from river (163m)to first level off (837m) with a gain of 671 metres. High point of Mt. Solitary is 955m. For the dreaded final climb it is +600m over 6.7km.