From LunarC to Tre-X: they just keep coming

LunarC was absolutely thrilling! We all had the best time out there and In 2 Adventure put on another wicked event - thanks Robyn and Simon!!

We all agreed that our lights were woefully inadequate, but it didn't stop us. Riding at night is fantastic! Your attention narrows to the beam of light in front and you're forced to focus on the here and now. Then, to be riding as daylight starts to bleach away the darkness-wow, definitely something special. The air changes. There's a space of silence. Then it's day.

I am really keen to do more night rides - with better lights, for sure!

In the meantime, I have Tre-X Enduro tomorrow.

I'm not doing the endurance race. I'll stick to the short course and my goal is to come out of the swim stronger than last time and be able to take on the ride with more vigour. I know my training has been better going into this race and my legs are fitter than last time, so I have every chance of achieving my goal.

I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces again and getting caught up in the atmosphere-it's what keeps me going back for more!

t

One dark night

A stroke of madness, or a moment of intrepid confidence? Whichever it was, it has led us to today-the day of LunarC.

Candice and I have teamed up. Mel is going solo. Shauna is volunteering as an official and Kerry is our official cheer squad and pit crew.

It's going to be a night of first times, sheer fear and pure delight. Regardless of anything else, it's an 8 hour mtb endurance race and that means, it's sure to be night of big accomplishments!

I can't wait for the vibe and buzz of the atmosphere up there! I'm sure it'll be another awesome event from In2Adventure.

t

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...

Fears and doubts

I've had a reality check this morning. My brother-in-law has just had to withdraw from a long-distance trek because of exhaustion. If a fit guy has that experience, then I may well be punching above my weight.

Hearing the news has triggered more questions. How do you manage exhaustion when you're on the trail? Is food or water the key? Both? Is it something else? Clothing? Shoes? What makes the difference? What training is going to be best to prepare?

What do you do with wastes - I doubt they have conveniently placed port-a-loos along the way (all the really big questions, as you can see).

This has also come after realising yesterday that I have a long way to go to get my fitness up to peak. I did weights and boxing classes yesterday, back to back. I enjoyed them and got through them fine (incredibly sore today, mind), but what was most concerning was how shattered I was for the rest of the day. It completely wiped me out. And that was just an hour and a half. For the GeoQuest race, I will be working at that intensity in continuous intervals for two days!

Even so, I'm still stupidly keen on doing this. It's just that now I realise I have to work harder to get into condition. That's cool - fun even.

t

a decision

I've decided to train for an adventure race.

About a month ago I was checking my emails. A newsletter for an outdoor retailer came through and at the end was an ad for GeoQuest.

I can't say exactly why it caught my attention, but it did so I clicked through and had a look at the website. In a very bizarre/fateful/impulsive/dumb moment I decided that competing in next year's race was the challenge I needed.

Since April I had lost the drive to stick with my training, so I was looking for something that would inspire and motivate me to keep working harder. This was it.

Two nights later I was out for drinks with Melissa and I mentioned my plan. She was keen and we started making plans; we were so excited. Melissa has rogained in the past and had wanted to do something like this for some time.

GeoQuest has a half-distance race that involves two legs of mixed disciplines, like trekking, rogaining, mountain biking, kayaking, estuary swimming etc. You need a team of 4, plus a support driver.

I need to learn a few important things, like how to mountain-bike (in fact, I need to buy a mountain bike and get used to wearing a helmet and having scary hair every time I remove it!), but I'll get there.

We've set an interim goal of competing in some smaller events in August and have planned regular sessions to build fitness and skills.

I'm so excited about it, but kind of overwhelmed by the size of the goal. What keeps me excited is how amazing it will be to look back over the year, at all the new things I will have introduced to my life.

taryn