30km of Trail Suffering on My 30th Birthday

For a while now I had liked the idea of attempting a 30km run on my 30th Birthday. It seemed to be a solid way to mark the milestone, one kilometre for each year. The main issue being that currently I am extremely unfit and weigh more than I ever have in my life. My longest run so far this year was only 15km and other than that I don't think I have done anything longer than 10km. A task that would have been just an easy training run a few years ago was going to be a fairly significant challenge!

I started out from home and tried to maintain a solid pace. I was quickly through Top Ryde and hitting the first section of trail at Burrows Park and then through the Field of Mars Reserve. I was pushing myself but didn't really think it would be realistic to maintain that pace. This section was over quickly and then I joined the trails along the Lane Cove River. These are really great trails and I don't know why I don't visit them more frequently. I shall have to try and make more of a habit of it. I ticked off just over 8km in the first hour.

After the flatish section along to the Lane Cove Weir I continued along the Great North Walk and onto a lot more technical terrain. I was starting to feel pretty rubbish but just tried to maintain forward progress walking the techy stuff and jogging the rest. I hit the 15km mark in exactly 2 hours. I still wasn't feeling confident that I would last the distance and the legs were feeling seriously heavy. It was a relief to hit the firetrail at the 19km mark. I enjoyed the downhill run into Browns Waterhole and then started a short out and back section along the valley floor to make up the extra few kilometres that I needed.

20km into the journey

The turnaround point on the Great North Walk

Hitting the Terry's Creek Trail after 22.5km I was onto very familiar terrain. The light was fading fast now to I grabbed out my torch to light the way and pressed on. I was completely destroyed now and just looking to get the job done so I could have a birthday beer. I passed by the 25km mark and only had 1.5km of trails left before the final road section back towards home.

In complete darkness at the 25km mark on the Terry's Creek Trail

Leaving the trails I started the grind up Blaxland Road and over towards Ryde Hospital. I was on struggle street but the fact that I was on the home stretch motivated me to get the job done. I cruised down the steep steps on Ryedale Road and down towards Anzac Park at the 29km mark. I was really looking forward to this. Jemma was waiting there with William and we ticked off the final kilometre as a family by walking a few laps of Anzac Park together. It was awesome to have them join me to finish off the end of such a milestone run.

My two favourite people in the world joined me to tick off the final kilometre together

I wouldn't necessarily recommend attempting a 30km run whilst extremely unfit and mildly overweight but I really enjoyed myself. I really tried to push myself and walk as little as possible and despite my pace dropping off a fair bit in the second half I was happy to knock it off in under 4.5 hours.

It feels odd to be entering a new decade in my life but I am looking forward to what it will bring. My 20's were nothing short of incredible with some huge milestones, getting married to the love of my life, buying a home together and starting our family with the coolest little man! Its going to be bloody hard to top that decade but I am seriously looking forward to trying!

The first adventure of the decade is already laid out for me. I have come a very long way in my recovery since my back injury and I think its time that I can realistically start turning my energy towards the goal that I was gearing up for when I got hurt... The 100 mile distance! I have a fair bit of weight to lose and almost all of my fitness to regain. Its gunna be a long road, let the training begin :)

Strava GPS Data:

Finally enjoying a well earned Birthday Beverage!

Faulconbridge Point & Grose River Walking Track

What a day out in the mountains. After originally having plans of heading out to Splendour Rock I awoke at 5am and felt that my cold was still lingering. I decided that a 40+km day probably wasn't wise if I wanted it to go away anytime soon so I went back to sleep. After waking at a more reasonable hour of 8am I started thinking about an alternate option for the day and given its been a few years since I did the Faulconbridge Point Trail I thought it would be a solid option. I had also never previously been down the Grose River Walking Track which descends from Faulconbridge Ridge very steeply down into the gorge. I had red that it is a pretty intense climb and it certainly didn't disappoint! With the extreme rain that NSW has been experiencing over the previous days it was also a great opportunity to see the might of the Grose River in flood.

Setting out shortly after midday I made steady progress along the ridgetop firetrail with a mixture of easy running and walking on the uphill sections. Due to the large amount of rain there were many spots where there was little streams forming over the track and also some pretty impressive puddles in places. It sure was a challenge to try and keep the feet dry. The rain feel steadily which was nice, I love running in the rain and it always makes the bush look nicer.

Water streaming over the firetrail due to the constant rain

Massive puddle flooding over the firetrail about 1.5km before the lookout

It took just under an hour to travel the 7.5km along Faulconbridge Ridge Firetrail to Faulconbridge Point. The fog was coming and going and unfortunately when I arrived at the lookout it was shrouded in mist. It was a shame as it would have been cool to see the swollen Grose River from above. Instead you could just hear a constant rumble coming from below the mist. The wind was picking up and given there was no view I decided not to hang around for too long. I grabbed banana from my pack and had it as I made my way back to the Grose River Walking Track for the big descent down to the river.


The Faulconbridge Point lookout, not much of a view other than mist

When I reached the turnoff I put my rain jacket on. I was pleased that I brought it along as it was getting cold and between that and my buff I was able to keep my body temperature regulated. The descent starts off steeply and gets more and more intense as you make your way down. The track had more or less become a watercourse and I gave up on keeping the feet dry. As I got deeper into the valley the trail entered a rainforested area. All of the ferns and moss dampened by the rain looked stunning. After several creek crossings you finally get your first glimpse of the Grose River.

One of the many creek crossings on the descent down to the river

Beautiful trail with the creek running alongside

The final few hundred metres down to the river is extremely steep. There are a number of short scrambling sections and ledges which provide a little bit of exposure. Two of the sections have a fixed rope to assist you on the way down the small cliffs. It was a heap of fun!

One of the small cliffs requiring the aid of a fixed rope to negotiate

The second small cliff with a fixed rope

Once finally at the base of the descent the mighty Grose River was a site to behold. It was well and truly in flood and there was an immense amount of water making its way down the gorge. About 50 metres from the end of the trail I could hear a waterfall. I made my way over to check it out and what is apparently normally just a small creek was a huge torrent. I found a small rocky outcrop to sit down and have a break whilst enjoying the view of the river.

What normally is a small creek was an absolute torrent

Infront of the waterfall

The mighty Grose River in flood, an impressive sight!

Feeling fresh after a break and ready for the big climb back up to the ridge

After a short break I started returning up the climb. It was a real slog and very slow going. I just trudged up and took my time on the rocky sections which were becoming increasingly slippery in the rain. Its a beautiful forest but a real brute of a climb!

The rocky and technical trail on the climb up to the ridge

The rocky and technical trail on the climb up to the ridge

After cresting the climb started out at a steady jog. I had originally hoped that I would crack 3 hours 30 minutes for the run but it looked pretty unlikely at this stage. My ankle was feeling good though so I proceeded at a run and figured that worst case scenario it would get me back to the car more quickly. The further I progressed along the firetrail the more impressed I was with how the ankle was holding up. I decided to go for it and slowly wound up the pace as the kilometres ticked by. I knew it would be touch and go and had to give it everything over the final two kilometres and was stoked to reach the car with about 25 seconds to spare!

All in all a really great day out. Seeing the Grose River in flood was a real treat and the consistent rain made the outing even more fun. I only wish it hadn't have been so misty at the lookout but at least its a good excuse to head back there again some day :)

Strava GPS Data (first 2km missing): https://www.strava.com/activities/464098809