Caves House to Pluvio & Return-40ks

The reason for 40 was due to getting to a sign on the way up from the Caves which only said that I had just come up the track not which way to go forward. Consequently walked up the track for 1k then turned around due to thinking I was wrong. Then spotted a walker who told me, yep the same hill I had to go up again. Bugger.

The start was at 7:30am this morning from Caves House after not finding the turnoff to the Black Range Campground where I intended to start from. No sign?
The start was all up hill and down and up hill again after the mistake and arriving at 6ks in an hour. That hill out of the caves was brutal and I could only walk it. Lucky we get to run down it during the race.

Trudged along to the Binda Cabins and then met up with Caves Rd. Couldn't work out where the track went and finally found it on the same side I had been running. Nothing to bad about this part. Eventually got down to the official crossing of Caves Rd. Made my way down to the Black Range campground discovering there were at least five nasty hills to go up between Caves Rd and the campground.
Down Black Range with the sun still behind the trees giving me plenty of shade. Not too bad the hills down here, coming back would be another story. Finally arrived at Pluvio after doing 21ks in 2:26:00.

Met Kev Tiller and Becky O plus 3 other stragglers doing the fatass "megalong to Mega". Had a powerbar here at half time.
Filled my camelbak up with some water and headed back.

Worked out that coming back along Black Range the first hill after Pluvio you would have to walk up as it was too steep. Found about 4 others that gave me the same feeling in the legs. Why run it. I did run all of Black Range bar the worst hills and arrived back at the campground after 60 minutes for the 8.7ks.
Met Ray(Kit's other half) and Deanna doing a bush walk towards Pluvio to meet Bernie g, Kit and Blue Dog later on. Filled up my water bottle from the tank. It was nice and cool actually. Excellent considering the water in the camelbak was copping the sun. Also had a my first ever Gu here. Seriously I didn't feel any effect at all.

From then I knew that the bit back to Caves Rd had five soul destroying hills. Two of which were at least 500m in length and quite steep.
Made the crossing of Caves Rd and trudged up and down the trail, walking a few more hills as I was knackered back to Binda Cabins. The sign for a shower made me nearly attempt a full clothed dip. Maybe race day! Just kidding.

There were a few more hills from the cabins until I finally reached the summit of Kiora Hill and I could run a bit quicker down hill. Very slippery down the single track to the stairs at Carlotta's Arch. Raced down the stairs and broke the imaginary finishing tape.
Trudged uphill to the car to break open the esky with a few much needed suppliers of gatorade and coke. Plus some snakes!

The important splits:
Caves House to Pluvio: 2:26:30. 21ks in 6:58 per klm.
Pluvio to Black Range campground: 3:25:50. 8.7ks in 6:49 per klm.
Black Range to Caves House: 4:41:06. 10.3ks in 7:18.
Finished with 40ks on the clock for 4:41:06. Average pace of 7:01 per klm.

The bit from Black Range to Caves House had more up hills than I could ever have imagined from the course map. Especially the part to the Caves Rd crossing was particularly hard for me. Heaps of walking up every hill and a slow trudge along the flat to get my breath back.
Learnt a lot about the course. If any tells you it is easy from Pluvio to the finish then they are lying. The sun was killing me now as the shade had gone from Black Range with the sun straight overhead, just like race day.
My last visit to the track before the race. For the stairs and Nellies I'll just have to see that on the day.
Yet again it was my longest ever timed run. And the best part was that I have had no cramps whatsover despite all the up and downhills I had in this run. Hope for the same on race day.