Caro’s experience doing a 60km mountain run! ⛰️
"The hard work is done before you hit that start line."
DediKate Head Trainer, Caro ran the Kepler Challenge last weekend, a 60km mountain race on the famous Kepler track in Te Anau. Read all about her experience from mindset, nutrition, motivation, training and more! We are super proud of you Caro! 👏🏽
Prior to the race...
"Last weekend I completed the Kepler Challenge. This is a 60km mountain race on the famous Kepler track in Te Anau.
A year ago a good friend completed this race and from that moment on, the seed was planted in my head. Over the coming months I slowly increased my weekly trail run distances each week. This would include one long run a week and 1 or 2 smaller runs along with my weekly (and very importantly) DediKate sessions.
From 12 weeks out from the race, I developed my own training plan which included back to back big runs, speed work, my longest ever run, then the taper. Taper week is always a bit strange because it is important to still move, but just in very small amounts. This was a 45 min run, a 35 min run, a 30 min run then a 20 min shake out run the day before the race. Apart from a small ankle niggle, my body felt very much prepared heading into race day. The taper really should be enough to keep the body and mind busy but allow you to freshen up. Come race day, you should be fizzing to go!
Nutrition is a huge factor when undertaking a race like this. I keep things pretty basic, but I do what works for me. The night before every race I always have the same meal. This isn’t the time to try anything new or indulge in a Thai curry. I always have spaghetti bolognaise. Some good carbs to load the muscles. For race day breakfast I again always have the exact same breakfast I would have when training. 2x pieces of Vogel’s toast with honey and banana and a coffee.
The race started at 6am so it was a super early wake up to try and get things moving - if you know what I mean!
On the start line I had an energy gel to help kick things off. I then had an energy gel every 45 mins for the first 30km. After the big decent I pulled out my first honey on white bread sandwich. I had cut this into squares and would eat this on the move. I had two of these over the course of the race with the addition of energy chews and some banana.
Hydration is a major factor when running an ultra, so I was super aware of how much I was drinking. Dehydration can be the worst thing. My hydration bladder was filled with electrolyte and I always grabbed more when passing aid stations.
The aid stations that I moved through were super loaded with all kinds of snacks - lollies, chips, fruit cake, you name it! There was even a mini Fresh Choice supermarket set up where you could collect a paper bag and literally go shopping in the aisles they had created, then they would write your name on your bag and it would be given to you at the finish line. I didn’t want to waste any time so I kept moving through most of these apart from the odd grab of some jet planes.
I wanted to do the Kepler because I was loving my weekly trail running and I wanted to set myself a big goal. This year has been a biggie. I have run in three great walks of NZ races. The Routeburn Classic, The Rakiura and now The Kepler. Each of these races have been massive challenges but I have enjoyed all the training runs with my friends and the weekends away exploring new places. The people you meet and the feeling of being apart of these events is why I keep doing more! I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to be out there last weekend and also thankful to my family and friends all the support.
"I can achieve what I set my mind to."
My mindset on the day of the race was really positive. I had told myself before the race that if I was to get myself into a dark hole, to embrace it, acknowledge it and remind myself of my why. There were no real dark moments for me during the day. In fact I found myself smiling a lot!
I have learnt a lot about myself through the whole process of my training. Mostly that I can achieve what I set my mind to. I believe that it is all in the preparation, so having a tailored training plan is important. The hard work is done before you hit that start line, so whatever happens from that moment is almost out of your control. The biggest reward for me is crossing that finish line and feeling that sense of achievement.
What is next for me? Not much at the moment! I will enjoy some down time with my family over the summer months and give my body and mind some time to heal and recover. People often forget about the mental load these events take!
I have some big things planned for 2024, but for now I will continue to enjoy my weekly DediKate workouts and slow things down.
If you have any questions about trail running please don’t hesitate to get in touch!"
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