Alrighty. Two days left, lets finish this series, it has taken me long enough.
This was a hard day for me mentally. I was starting to feel a little bit homesick, missing Finn and knew that all the major highs of my trip were over and that I was going back to some tough weeks. All of that was hanging over my head.
I did not set an alarm for the morning. I deserved a sleep in after yesterday’s effort and so I did sleep, for about 12 hours. I had plans of lounging on the beach with my banana lounge and reading my book. But it was not a particularly warm or sunny day when I awoke. I packed up and left my home, the first place I had stayed two nights in for my entire trip in tassie. So, it was the closest thing I had to home. I almost thought that this was to be my last day, but I was not booked on the spirit until Monday night. So, two days for some R and R.
First up on my agenda for the day was a good breakfast, which was more challenging to find than you might think. On my way into town, I wandered into a farmers’ market. I mostly browsed; I saw lots of people walking their dogs which just made me miss mine. I went to three cafes in town and none of them had anything I felt like eating which is crazy. Eventually I just gave up and left town to go to the beach which I had ran through the day before. A sleepy little town called Boat Harbour with a beautiful beach. It was the beach I ran across at the halfway mark.
I ended up giving in and getting a fish and chips by the beach, it was incredibly bougee though and not all that great, but it was food, and I was very hungry by that point. Afterwards I wandered along the beach barefoot and confirmed how freezing the water was which only made me not feel like swimming even more. Yesterday mid ultra-I wanted to jump in, but today I was feeling less hot as I was not in the middle of running an ultra. Go figure.
After the beach, I drove along the coast towards the Nut (see above). Got yet again more petrol and ice and a lady at the petrol station also driving a RAV4 asked me what sort of petrol to put in her car. I traversed the other end of the 100km race. Driving all that way really highlighted how far it was. On the way I drove past a campground and checked it out as a potential place to camp for the night. It was on a beach and you had to pay a small fee to stay. It was busy so I was not sure if there was a lot of options for me. I continued driving and reached the quaint little town of Stanley.
When I got to the car park at the base of the Nut, I was faced with a dilemma. The Nut is a volcanic plug, a huge rock formation jutting out into the ocean. There was both a chairlift to the top, for a short fee of course and there was also an option to walk a steep path directly to the top. Even though I would have full permission to catch the chairlift. I decided to walk, maybe I am insane, but I cannot resist a good summit. I was not as sore as I thought I would be post run, but I still moved slowly. Going down was harder than going up. Did two and a bit kms slowly. It was the highlight of the day, the view of the north coast from the top was beautiful.
When I got back down, I was still determined to go for a swim in the ocean sometime today. I drove down to the beach and jumped in the water. It took a fair bit of effort, but it felt refreshing. When I got back to the carpark, I observed a lady in a brightly painted van cooking dinner with her doors and windows. Her dogs lounged, one of them outside in the grass and another inside on a bed. They looked so completely at home and happy.
I drove back to my camping spot I had scouted earlier in the day and set up. I had more space than I had at any of my other spots and was sheltered by the trees, which made it feel semi safe. I wanted to go watch the sunset, but my tired legs just did not have it in me. The challenging part of being on the road but with no real go in my legs post-race. It is hard to explore when you do not feel like moving as much. On the plus side I was not as delusionally tired like I was earlier in the trip.
I finished the day sitting out on my chair eating my wrap as the sun set. Listening to the sounds of nature around me and recording the day’s events on my voice recording. While I talked to myself, I made a list of all the things I was grateful for. Because today had been a hard day mood wise, I needed to practice gratitude. Here is what I said to myself that day:
“I’m looking forward to getting the photos off my camera, I think there will be some really beautiful ones.
I am grateful for my podcasts.
I am grateful for the freedom and confidence to explore and travel solo, I think it takes quite a lot of guts, so I am proud of myself.
I am grateful for everyone who supported me and congratulated me on my ultra.
I am grateful for all my feelings; all the places I’ve seen on this trip and all of the people I’ve met.
I am grateful for my badassery of asking myself what if. What if I CAN run 50kms? And turns out I can. So proud of myself, even though I was underprepared and questioned it 1000 times whether I should drop down and do less distance. Although I still would have struggled through the 25 without a doubt. At least I knew I was going to struggle through 50ks, no illusion there. Incredibly happy that I did it. Ticked off a big item on my bucket list. Excited for UTA but not keen to a 50k super soon. Been good to get out of my routines and shake it up.
I really like living like this, despite feeling a little homesick. The planning aspect is hard, but I really like this. “
Wild at Heart 