Off and racing

At 8.36am on Sunday, we were officially off and racing in the Teva Adventure Series. Well, perhaps not racing, more like jogging in that staccato way you have when you're caught in a pack.

Mel was the navigator and Kerry and I were on lookout and support duty. The first leg of the race was on foot (ha - read that again, slowly) and although my memory is a little hazy, I know Mel's intuitive navigating saved us time from the outset.

I also know there was a lot of crashing through scrub. Ruddy lantana - grrr!

We picked up our bikes at the fourth control and set off at speed, welcoming the breeze. It was already hot and the day was still so young.

I love my bike

I had such a blast on the bike legs! There's something so liberating about cycling fast.

Even so, it was on the first bike leg that I came off, twisting my ankle. I ran on to the control, but on the way back made the decision to speak up and take time to strap it.

As we were sitting down to figure out where to start (switching your brain from race mode to first aid mode is not a quick thing), another competitor stopped and offered her help, explaining that she was a physio.

She held her whole team up to help me, but they didn't blink an eye. Just another reminder that adventure racing is really about people and team spirit.

So much, so fast, so fun

So much happened during the race that I find it difficult to remember the details and the order of things, but the flashbacks are vivid.

Sandy tracks, boggy trails, and fast, flat stretches.

Taking bearings, back tracking (not much, mind you), crashing through bush and splashing through creeks.

Red and white controls, the happy beep of the timing chip.

Clumps of other competitors, happy exchanges and well wishes from strangers.

More lantana, more sandy track and that hot, hot sun.

People, smiles, lots of water, electrolytes and gels!

The gels certainly kept us firing. It was easy to tell when they’d hit, because I suddenly needed to tell everyone how awesome the day was. It probably drove Mel and Kerry crazy, but it was only the truth – the day rocked!

In the next installment: brain teasers, Candice's leafblower and crossing the finish line.

Preparations and people

I've already said how awesome Teva was, but 24 hours before it, I was not feeling so confident.

A shaky start

The day before the race, I was very nervous. In fact, I'd been nervous since Monday. I was worried that I would hold the team back or, worse yet, not enjoy the experience.

But, there it was - that was the whole point - this journey was supposed to be fun and full of laughs.

An early dinner with family (big bowl of pasta!) helped me relax and I got home in time to organise my gear before going to bed. By the time I hit the sack, I definitely felt ready to have a good time.

The day dawns

The day started very early.

My alarm startled me awake at 4am. By 5am I was collecting Mel and Candice and, about an hour later, we were meeting up with Kerry at the services near the Bribie Island turn off. I was starting to get pretty excited.

The event was held at Beerwah, near Australia Zoo. A week earlier, In2Adventure had sent out joining instructions that explained we were to first drop our bikes and then head back to Race HQ to register and prepare.

For me, driving up to the bike drop-off zone was when it all felt real. There were so many teams arriving and so many cars, bikes and people that I was reminded of cities like Amsterdam and Hanoi.

Senna and Susan from Adventure Seekers were among the officials helping to herd bikes and people at the drop-off area. Grabbing a few minutes to chat with them added to my excitement.

Gear and more gear

Back at Race HQ, we found a patch of ground and dumped our gear. Hydration packs full of food, water, compasses, tyre tubes and repair kits. Esky and extra water. Map board and container full of essentials like pens, highlighters, suncream and a change of clothes - just in case.

With our signed indemnity waiver in hand, Mel, Kerry and I lined up at the registration tent, where we received our race packs, bibs, map, course instructions, control card and timing chip.

We read through the instructions, planning our route and noting controls that could prove tricky. We had just enough time to make a loo stop, apply more suncream and get our packs on our backs before heading over for the first challenge and race briefing.

The starting line

The first challenge was a beep test, designed to stagger the teams at the start. Kerry stepped up as our representative and kept pace with everyone, but Mel and I were pleased when she decided to stop before she used up much-needed energy. As it turned out, our group of teams started just six minutes after the first group - in our opinion, not worth exhausting yourself for.

The race briefing followed, including updates on the course information and track conditions, reminders about safety and race rules. Importantly, the briefing also included clues that would help us in upcoming challenges.

I was stoked to see the friendly faces of the Phoenix Adventure team, as we milled around the start line. In the short time we had to chat, it seemed everyone was pumped for the race.

It was awesome to know some of the other people on the course. In fact, the camaraderie among the competitors was something that kept coming back to me throughout the day.

To be continued...

Warning: hi-carb content may offend

I lost hours in the grocery store this morning, reading the nutritional information panels on almost everything I picked up.

This, in itself, is not unusual for me. What is strange is that I was looking for high carbohydrate content products. Suffice it to say, Tony Ferguson would have been having conniptions.

I've been thinking a lot about race nutrition this week because my digestive system struggled after Sunday's race - all because it wimps out with foods like bread and muesli.

Last week, I packed some of the food that I can eat - the kind with 'no dairy, no gluten, no point' emblazoned across the packaging. I'd also taken a risk and included some muesli bars. They didn't agree with me.

(Of course, I shouldn't have then had the bread roll at the bbq - but it was a bbq for pete's sake. You've got to have bread rolls).

Obviously, all the food you take has to have high energy value. Apparently you need to eat about 1 gram of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight, each hour of racing. Hence, my close attention this morning, to carbohydrate values.

Aside from taking the right stuff, the act of eating is not a simple thing during a race, for so many reasons. If you're eating properly then you're probably having something every 20 minutes and it has to be easy to eat and readily accessible.

Imagine trying to down a muesli bar while you're paddling a kayak (though Erin made it look easy), or scoff trail mix while you're peddling at 15 km per hour (or thereabouts - I was going to say 20 km per hour, but that would have been wildly ambitious of me). All the while you need to be keeping pace with your team and staying on course.

Thankfully, there are loads of products on the market that give you energy, protein, electrolytes and whatever else you need, in one quick snappy burst. I've picked up a few things to trial at tomorrow's rogaine, including some gels that are supposed to be easier to eat on the run. I'm hoping I can find the perfect potion!

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