Surf Coast Century Countdown: 1 Week to Go

30/11/2020

Matt in the Central Goldfields.

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Surf Coast Century 2020 is less a week away! We asked Bogong supported runner Matt Crehan to share with us his training for the 100K distance leading up to race weekend. Matt placed 4th at the Surf Coast Century in 2019 – you can read more about his background here, and read his first blog post in this series (with 4 weeks to go) here.

Getting to the serious end of the build-up, this was my last full week of training before the race. Volume was probably a little on the high side for what was realistically part of my two-week taper, but I kept the effort relatively easy throughout most the week.

Goldfields Track that traverses Mt Alexander.

23–29 November

Monday – Lunch run, 21km, Mt Alexander.

I was still up in Central Victoria, following the weekend.

I had a great start to the week, doing an out-and-back on the Goldfields Track, traversing over Mt Alexander. The Goldfields Track is a 210km walking and cycling route that goes from Ballarat to Bendigo, or vice versa, taking in the goldfield towns of Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine along the way. After my earlier plans to do the whole thing in one push were quashed due to COVID restrictions, it was nice to get out on one of my favourite sections near Harcourt. This run starts between two cow paddocks then heads up and over Mt Alexander from the south, before dropping down the north side and heading towards Bendigo. I then turned around where the track hits Harcourt Sutton Grange Rd, heading back the way I came and ending up with around 1000m of elevation gain. It was quite a warm day and I did have one close encounter with a Red-bellied Black Snake. This is a good reminder to always have a snake bandage with you when you’re running in the bush in the warmer months, especially if you are on your own. Once again, I wore the Jackals for this one – great on the rockier stuff and nice and light for the flatter, grassier sections.

Tuesday – Arvo swim, 2km; Easy run, 8km, Yarra Bend.

Nothing too exciting to report for this day. Nice relaxing swim after work, then an 8km cruise around Yarra Bend. After the last three days consisting of Mt Macedon, Mt Tarrengower and Mt Alexander, it was nice to turn the legs over on some flatter stuff. Wore my New Balance 1080s.

Wednesday – Arvo run, 15km, Yarra Bend.

Didn’t really have a plan for today, basically just went out to the door towards Yarra Bend then went down whichever trail took my fancy. It was quite a warm afternoon, so didn’t want to do anything too strenuous. Took in some of the technical sections, but skipped a few of the up and downs that I would usually put into a run like this. Wore the La Sportiva Helios II and was light on my feet over the rocky terrain. I find my cadence tends to be up in these shoes and they are quickly becoming a favourite of mine.

Matt on familiar ground at Yarra Bend.

Thursday – Arvo swim, 2km; Easy run with Toby, 13km, Yarra Bend.

Back in the pool again for a post-work swim, before heading to Yarra Bend to meet Toby for a catch up. Good to have a chat and just tick over few kms. Kept the pace easy and stuck to the flatter trails. Wore my original pair of La Sportiva Lycans. They don’t have the same lug depth of the version 2, but were more than adequate for our little jaunt along the river.

Friday – Lunch run, 15km, Yarra Bend.

Another run where I didn’t really have a plan going into it, but just needed to get out on the trails. A late night beforehand made it a little bit of a struggle, but got it done and felt much better for it. I headed for the trail under the roosting fruit bat colony that lives at Yarra Bend, and made my way along the river. Feeling better after a few kilometres I headed for some more technical sections around Galatea Point. Had the Mutants on, which handle this terrain well. After putting an hour or so into the legs, I got in the car and headed back up the highway towards Central Victoria again.

Saturday – Morning run, 10km, Castlemaine.

I had come up to Castlemaine last night for a gig at the Bridge Hotel – C.W. Stoneking for those that are interested. And, man, it felt so good to watch some live music again! This year has been hard for so many reasons, and watching bands in pubs has been something I have really missed. There were still a few precautions in place so that this gig could go ahead, but it definitely seemed like a good step towards some normality. Here’s hoping we start to see more of this.

On Saturday morning, I managed to get out the door and get a short run in, but was a bit hungover, so basically just did some loops of the Botanic Garden. Wore my Jackals that I had ambitiously brought up with me thinking I might get to some more technical trails.

Sunday – Lunch run, 19km, Yarra Bend.

After being tired for the last two runs, it was great to get out feeling fresher today. Ended up doing a little more than I intended, being only six days out from the race. But I was feeling good, and figured 90 minutes would be fine to cap off the week. It was raining for most of the morning and the trails were nice and muddy, so I opted for the Mutants again. Once the sun came out, it got pretty steamy, but I kept the effort easy and just made my way over familiar ground.

Total of 101km for the week, with a little over 2000m of elevation. I will start to really taper properly from this point on: a couple of short runs in Yarra Bend, but that’s about it. I think it’s important to keep moving at least a little bit in the week leading up to the race, rather than having complete rest. But that’s just what works for me.

Getting very excited about the race now. One week to go!

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