Ok, firstly I'm writing this post so I'm going to put it in perspective. Today unfortunately was all about me for all the wrong reasons. Trace was sick at home with the flu and wisely in bed at 5.30am when Mia and I met up, we were driving to Mount Kuaring-gai Station then catching a train to Brooklyn where we would do the first 3 stages (approx 42'ish kms). All went well, apart from the fact the loos were inconveniently locked at the train station, Mia put up a good fight but it was touch and go until we got to the station at Brooklyn where the loos were opened (and in hot demand by other trail walkers!). It was interesting catching the train as passengers were either trail walkers doing the same as us, or young things heading home after a night out. Before I start, I gotta say, Mia had a blinder, she was strong, fast and in the best form she's had yet, and better yet, her foot were totally manageable and a non-issue (which was a good thing as we had plenty to worry about later). So the first stage is a game of two halves, a big, long climb to start with, then easy fire trails until a steep down hill and back into boulders, streams and normal trail stuff. Goddamn though I couldn't get my breath. I'm on antibiotics for a sinus infection, but still, blimmin frustrating for both Mia and I, so we spent a bit of time walking (at Vic pace) and a bit running, Mia tried to rally me with games and chit chat, but I was in the feeling-sorry-for-myself zone. Not much was working apart from sulking and walk/running. Amazingly once we surfaced back into the sun at our first checkpoint, we'd shaved a good 40mins off the first time we did this leg which proves two things, (1) walking fast is effective (2) chit chatting while out there isn't! back into stage 2, 15km up and down kms to Bewowra. We put our ipods on and ran a good chunk of this with some experimental fast hair raising running down the hills. Once again I couldn't quite get my breath on the uphills but was feeling ok with our rythmn. We made it out in a similiar, slightly faster time than the last time we did this, which was good as we didn't run it all. By now, we'd been on our feet for about 5 1/2 hours, so headed off on our last 12kms, feeling good, and with plans to walk/run a bit more of this as it's a lovely valley with just a big climb at the end. The reality of this event though is that almost every step you take carries a risk, and my time came about 4km's into this stage when I misjudged a step, heard a crack in my ankle and hit the ground. After the crying and swearing had stopped, Mia and I had an "oh shit" moment. We were basically out in the middle of nowhere with an injury. Images of helicopters, stretchers came to mind, which seemed far too dramatic, so with some makeshift crutches, Mia and I hobbled 2kms to a pickup point off the trail, where John and the boys picked us up. Mia was amazing, basically carrying me and my bag, and putting up with me all day, as she said "It just wasn't your day today". Of course by now, panic had set in that this was the end of my Oxfam journey, so I headed to A&E for a marathon 6 hour waiting session. When I finally had my xrays and saw a doctor, the verdict was all good, bad bruising, possible ruptured ligaments, crutches, but those magic words "there's no reason why you can't do Oxfam in 8 weeks IF YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR FOOT", which for once is what I am doing. As for my husband, he's crashed off his mountain bike the day before and hurt his wrist, he thought, "well while I'm at hospital I might as well get checked out too", the news wasn't so great for him with a broken wrist, and a cast for 6 weeks. So with one on crutches and one in a cast we headed home to pay our babysitter. The end of a crap day for me.
Did I mention Mia was in amazing form????
Brooklyn to Cowan, 14kms, 2 hours 40, Cowan to Bewowra (15kms) 3 hours, Bewowra to Crosslands (about 6km)(emergency exit), a very slow hour 30 mins
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