Mummy, my legs hurt

Another amazing weekend in the mountains, done and dusted! Last year I decided to sign up for the 22k race at UTA, having done the 50K twice before. I really enjoyed the alternative 2017 course for the 50K, which was changed at the 11th hour due to weather concerns. This new, more runnable route took in most of the first half of the 100K course. I would have loved to have done this part again, but knew I wasn't ready to commit to the full hundo, so decided to have a go at the 22 and really try and run it strongly. Usually I would tell myself that I'm just 'here for a good time' and perhaps not push as hard as I could when things get tough. This time, I wanted to do better and not just waddle along like it was an everyday training run. UTA weekend often coincides with a huge work event for me, so after running Narrabeen Allnighter in January and doing some sporadic, non-specific training in the month or so following, I just didn't have the mental space to...

I've been training for the Surf Coast Century for a month or so now, and here's my second blog post.  If you missed the first installment, here's a link: Journal entry #1  //  156 days to go *** Journal entry #2  //  122 days to go Hi everyone! Since January I've been working towards two races at Ultra-Trail Australia - the 22km, followed by the 951 stair challenge the next day. Although this has been my focus for a few months, I've tried not to think too far ahead and skim over my UTA preparation because bigger things are on my mind... 100 bigger things to be exact...! UTA has been my goal for the last couple of months and I'm hoping to run it comfortably but also run it well, rather than faff about and tell myself it's a training run. This is a bit of a story I tell myself if I feel under prepared, or not confident that I'll get a respectable result - but this time I want to push myself harder than usual and really give it my all. I...

Near Blackheath NSW Time: 2 hours Distance: 7km loop This beautiful lush rainforest walk is well known and well publicised as one of the best attractions in the mountains. We had a kid free weekend so Richie and I were able to enjoy this snowy(!) day in peace. This loop walk is jaw droppingly beautiful; prehistoric in its scale, and lush green everywhere you look. There's so much information online about this walk that I'll just share some photos and skip all the details. Suffice to say there's a hell of a lot of stairs up and down, but the views are totally worth it. On our way back down the mountains, we stopped for a moment to check out the walk to Lake Burrogorang lookout overlooking Warragamba Dam. This walk is about 2.5km from the parking area at the end of Kings Tableland Rd. It was absolutely freezing by this stage - we'd got warm walking around Blackheath then cooled down so I was well and truly frozen when we got ou...

Near Newnes NSW Distance: 5km Duration: 2.5 hours including snack breaks We have been planning to get out to Newnes again for a while now, especially considering that the continued conservation of this magical areas hangs in the balance due to pressure from coal mining companies. I hope that it will be protected for years to come but just in case, we want to explore it thoroughly while we can, whilst it is still relatively untouched. Although there is definite evidence of human interference already; the native bush areas are in stark contrast to the endless clearfelled forestry-owned areas that you drive through to get to the walking tracks. The Newnes plateau is best known for its unusual rock formations known as pagodas; craggy stepped outcrops that have formed over millions of years. From the NPWS website: "The geological evolution of this park has produced Triassic Narrabeen sandstone cliffs, slot canyons, grand mesas and the beautiful, yet often strangely delicate...