One of my dearest friends, on reading my last post texted me a Richard Nixon quote that he, correctly felt was apt. It seems that the infamous Nixon had quite a flare for delivering memorable soundbites, as any Google search will testify. The saying in question was that "only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent
it is to be on the highest mountain.”
Another close friend, who has experienced the expat lifestyle, commented that living abroad accentuates the normal highs and lows that life provides; partly due to the isolation and partly due the fact that this isolation results in any couple living in a bubble, without the distractions of friends and family to de-stress.
I think the most important thing is that life is all rosy again in Chateau Deane and the, alcohol fuelled, argument cleared the air and stopped me for taking Becs' love and support for granted. These challenges are quite resource hungry. They demand a lot of time and money to prepare yourself to be your best the moment the gun goes.
In some ways I regret the post. I regret the post as I feel a tad embarrassed for slightly over egging the demons I am face. I also regret that it has publicised something that was, and probably should have remained, private. Primarily I regret the post as it paints an incorrect picture of my wife and the support she provides.
One reason that I don't regret publishing the post is provides a snap shot of the full range of emotions one goes through on the journey to completing a challenge. I always intended this blog as a warts an all account of my preparation for the MDS such that readers can get an impression of the commitment and emotions that come with obsessing over achieving this feat.
All in all I think that when I receive my medal in the Sahara from the race director my thoughts will pause on that post as one of the reasons that I can marvel at reaching the submit of a high mountain.
The week of the 5th November was, training wise, another good week. I ended up exceeding my target of 35 miles by over ten miles. This was primarily due to my spending 6 hours on the Thursday completing a long walk of 20 miles to clear my head after the said argument with Becs. The week started out with a slow 8 mile run followed by an even slower ten mile run/walk after a rest day from running on Tuesday. I completed the 20 mile walk on Thursday and then finished the week with an 8 mile run on Sunday to complete 46 miles for the week. This week also included 6 gym sessions centred again around strength training of the core and big muscle groups.
The following week, 12th -18th November, went more to plan and I finished bang on target of 40 miles. I was a bit leggy at the start of the week, after the long walk the preceding Thursday, so the pace was marginally slower and my walking stages slightly longer in duration. The long run of the week was on Wednesday consisting of 12 miles. The rest of the week was two 8 mile runs and two 6 mile runs of differing tempo and intensity. My only mistake, in hindsight, was the scheduling of my gym sessions around these runs. As I was a bit leggy at the start I skipped a few gym sessions in the first few days so it concertinaed these sessions, especially the strength training for the legs, towards the back half of the week. This is a mistake I am keen to avoid repeating as my mileage increases.
The good news on Sunday 18th was that my package from Likeys had arrived. Whilst not 100% smooth sailing, the Marmot fleece was out of stock so I replaced this for their desert hat and another water bottle, it does mean that I know that I can expect a two week turnaround on deliveries; which I think is quite good. This delivery meant the start of this current week (19th November) had renewed gusto as, during the run on Monday, I could wear some of the kit I am intending to take and also digest the Peronin shake that should for the basis of my lunch intake.
Monday was a slow 23 mile run along Jumeirah beach to the Burj Al Arab and then back across the Sheikh Zayed Road so that I could weave my way back to the Burj Khalifa through some pretty grotty industrial estates and workers accommodation to find a couple more parks that come recommended.
All in all it was a good run, especially as I have settled back into my normal 25/5 routine of 25 minutes running followed by 5 minutes of walking. Not only does this allow the body to recover (Karl King writes a good article on the merits of following a 25/5 approach that is included in A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning) but its quite good psychologically as you can break long runs down into running segments.
I did learn a few things during this first dress rehearsal. Firstly the front pack bounces quite a bit. I need to have a play with the straps and weight of contents to see if I can get an optimal relationship to reduce this bounce. Whilst not painful it was quite irritating. I suppose that my final decision when I pack my ruck sack will be whether I take this front pack with me. My first inclination is yes such that when I have eaten a bit of space in my back pack I could simply stuff this into it if need be.
The second pearl of wisdom comes with the positioning of the zips on the front pack. Originally I had the zips centred at the top but the bounce affect caused the zips to move such that its contents spilled, thankfully, on a pavement after a mile or so. After this the zips were to the bottom and side so that gravity could negate this.
The final, and probably most important, lesson was regarding my new purchase of water bottles and shoulder straps for the backpack. I have learnt to be careful when pulling the straw out to start drinking; especially when the electrolyte tabs have only recently been added to the water. A couple of times this pseudo champagne effect caused me to be covered in sticky isotonic drink. which wasn't great. I have now perfected the art of pulling the straw with my teeth so that I can catch this splurge in my mouth.
Today was a slow 8 miler. This means I can fly to Australia tomorrow already on 31 miles for the week knowing that I can do a 10 mile run on Friday, when my friends are at work, and a quick 4 mile run on Saturday to hit my target of 45 miles. More importantly this will mean my running won't interfere with me catching up with everyone.
I am going to stop predicting when I will publish my next post as a quick scan of my last three includes references to my next post being at the beginning of December!!! Instead the plan for week commencing 26th November is a short recovery week of 25 miles. This is important as the last few weeks have been tough on the body and it also means I will not be running much whilst in Oz. Then the first week in December is my first meaningful dress rehearsal; the 1/4 MDS which includes the Dubai Half Marathon. I also hope to order some more kit
MasaAalama...
Another close friend, who has experienced the expat lifestyle, commented that living abroad accentuates the normal highs and lows that life provides; partly due to the isolation and partly due the fact that this isolation results in any couple living in a bubble, without the distractions of friends and family to de-stress.
I think the most important thing is that life is all rosy again in Chateau Deane and the, alcohol fuelled, argument cleared the air and stopped me for taking Becs' love and support for granted. These challenges are quite resource hungry. They demand a lot of time and money to prepare yourself to be your best the moment the gun goes.
In some ways I regret the post. I regret the post as I feel a tad embarrassed for slightly over egging the demons I am face. I also regret that it has publicised something that was, and probably should have remained, private. Primarily I regret the post as it paints an incorrect picture of my wife and the support she provides.
One reason that I don't regret publishing the post is provides a snap shot of the full range of emotions one goes through on the journey to completing a challenge. I always intended this blog as a warts an all account of my preparation for the MDS such that readers can get an impression of the commitment and emotions that come with obsessing over achieving this feat.
All in all I think that when I receive my medal in the Sahara from the race director my thoughts will pause on that post as one of the reasons that I can marvel at reaching the submit of a high mountain.
The week of the 5th November was, training wise, another good week. I ended up exceeding my target of 35 miles by over ten miles. This was primarily due to my spending 6 hours on the Thursday completing a long walk of 20 miles to clear my head after the said argument with Becs. The week started out with a slow 8 mile run followed by an even slower ten mile run/walk after a rest day from running on Tuesday. I completed the 20 mile walk on Thursday and then finished the week with an 8 mile run on Sunday to complete 46 miles for the week. This week also included 6 gym sessions centred again around strength training of the core and big muscle groups.
The following week, 12th -18th November, went more to plan and I finished bang on target of 40 miles. I was a bit leggy at the start of the week, after the long walk the preceding Thursday, so the pace was marginally slower and my walking stages slightly longer in duration. The long run of the week was on Wednesday consisting of 12 miles. The rest of the week was two 8 mile runs and two 6 mile runs of differing tempo and intensity. My only mistake, in hindsight, was the scheduling of my gym sessions around these runs. As I was a bit leggy at the start I skipped a few gym sessions in the first few days so it concertinaed these sessions, especially the strength training for the legs, towards the back half of the week. This is a mistake I am keen to avoid repeating as my mileage increases.
Monday was a slow 23 mile run along Jumeirah beach to the Burj Al Arab and then back across the Sheikh Zayed Road so that I could weave my way back to the Burj Khalifa through some pretty grotty industrial estates and workers accommodation to find a couple more parks that come recommended.
All in all it was a good run, especially as I have settled back into my normal 25/5 routine of 25 minutes running followed by 5 minutes of walking. Not only does this allow the body to recover (Karl King writes a good article on the merits of following a 25/5 approach that is included in A Step Beyond: A Definitive Guide to Ultrarunning) but its quite good psychologically as you can break long runs down into running segments.
I did learn a few things during this first dress rehearsal. Firstly the front pack bounces quite a bit. I need to have a play with the straps and weight of contents to see if I can get an optimal relationship to reduce this bounce. Whilst not painful it was quite irritating. I suppose that my final decision when I pack my ruck sack will be whether I take this front pack with me. My first inclination is yes such that when I have eaten a bit of space in my back pack I could simply stuff this into it if need be.
The second pearl of wisdom comes with the positioning of the zips on the front pack. Originally I had the zips centred at the top but the bounce affect caused the zips to move such that its contents spilled, thankfully, on a pavement after a mile or so. After this the zips were to the bottom and side so that gravity could negate this.
The final, and probably most important, lesson was regarding my new purchase of water bottles and shoulder straps for the backpack. I have learnt to be careful when pulling the straw out to start drinking; especially when the electrolyte tabs have only recently been added to the water. A couple of times this pseudo champagne effect caused me to be covered in sticky isotonic drink. which wasn't great. I have now perfected the art of pulling the straw with my teeth so that I can catch this splurge in my mouth.
Today was a slow 8 miler. This means I can fly to Australia tomorrow already on 31 miles for the week knowing that I can do a 10 mile run on Friday, when my friends are at work, and a quick 4 mile run on Saturday to hit my target of 45 miles. More importantly this will mean my running won't interfere with me catching up with everyone.
I am going to stop predicting when I will publish my next post as a quick scan of my last three includes references to my next post being at the beginning of December!!! Instead the plan for week commencing 26th November is a short recovery week of 25 miles. This is important as the last few weeks have been tough on the body and it also means I will not be running much whilst in Oz. Then the first week in December is my first meaningful dress rehearsal; the 1/4 MDS which includes the Dubai Half Marathon. I also hope to order some more kit
MasaAalama...
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ReplyDeleteGreat blog old boy - looks like the training is going really well. Don't piss it all down the wall on cheap aussie lager!!
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