Lap After Lap After Lap

Saturday:
Distance: 80.1 km
Time: 8 hours 43 mins 21 secs ( moving time)
Rate: 6' 32" per km
Calories used: 5900
Weather: frost, foggy, then sunny, temp range 1.5-11-8 degrees, humidity 99% down to 60%, wind calm
Shoes: Asics Response Trail
Week: 136.3 km, July: 93.25 km, Year: 2496.6 km

With only 6 weeks to go before "Tan", it was time to step it up. Two weeks ago, it was a 60 km outing, this time over a flat easier course, the distance and time increased dramatically. Certainly not something to do off a low distance base. But made it through with no problems.
I had the company of Softshoe all day, joined by leading ultra ladies Kerrie Bremner for 40 kms and Pam Muston for a few laps as well. Run with them for a few hours and you learn a lot. They finished 1st & 3rd at the recent Australian 100 km championships on the Gold Coast.
We ran 21 x 3.78 km laps of the old Jogalong course in Stromlo, soon be be cleared for new housing suburbs, the end of an era in Canberra running.
There is a rise of around 40 metres each lap, but we soon found out that clockwise is easier ( not much) than anti clockwise. After each 2 laps, we stopped to eat and drink and changed direction.
About lap 9, we walked for half a lap, just to change pace, keep the pace down, and recharge. Later we did the same again, plenty of fast walking, learning off Pam how to not waste time.After all, it's only a training session.
Kerrie & Pam left us as we had completed 50 kms, the afternoon session was completed in nice sunshine, nice enough for plenty of people to be out walking their dogs. Good to see, but it would be safer for all if they had some control. I think the animals were just pleased to see others out there.
The pace slowed down as we neared the end, the temperature cooled down getting towards dusk. We put on more tops, the wind jacket and gloves to keep warm. At the start the gloves & beanie were also required, fog and frost were thick.
We had to do an out and back of 600 metres to get to our goal of 80 kms. Glad to finish, but knowing that only 20 more kms, I would have the "Tan" run done as well.
Real confidence booster today, longest training session ever done, although plenty of race events over that distance.
I'll rest today, no problems as a result of the day out, tired, a couple of good night's sleep will fix that.
Thanks to Softshoe & Kerrie for their company, something different to the normal training over the hills and mountains.