Day 2- 44km
Day 2 started off with a better prep, dry shoes and kit (had a spare set so I didn't have to run in wet gear) and some Myprodol in my stomach and a Transact patch on my foot (sore hoof).
We were bussed out to Elim Dune in the Naukluft National Park about 10km from our camp for stage 2. A 44km stage awaited us with varying terrain and our good friend, the rain, to accompany us. Thankfully, the rain that did fall was actually very low cloud and we ran, albeit very slowly to start with, through the clouds on a rising terrain with magnificent scenery. We transitioned into rocky and muddy ground (yes it is possible to have both) and arrived at CP1 at 15km. A quick drink, refill of the water bottles, and a bite to eat (oranges went down a treat) and we were off.
Water awaited us about 8km down the road. A plateau had flooded and we were in for some serious wading, almost impossible to run through this 'pond'.
Saturday 21 April 2012
The Race (part 2)
And the rain came down.... What started as a light drizzle turned into a downpour that was the equivalent to an hour of water pouring down Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia.
This amount of rain was not supposed to be falling in the desert and we were in for a very wet run the next day. Now anyone who has run a marathon can justify that it is hard enough in decent weather. We started day 1, 42.2km ahead of us, with the rain absolutely chucking down and very muddy terrain to contend with. A race that was hard enough to think about suddenly become a helluva lot more interesting and tougher. I for one was so nervous I got my preparation completely messed up. I forgot to loob and plaster up (essential in any weather, more so in rain), packed a whole day of food (an additional 1.2kg, so effectively ran day 1 with approx 8kg!) and more importantly, forgot to take any pain medication for my stress fracture. EISH! What was I thinking? (Range of expletives here.....). We lined up, a quick pre-stage briefing on the route, and we were off to an applause from Lodge staff and family that had come out to see their family member run.
Hard to imagine that the above pics were taken at 7am.
And off we went, at 5min20/km pace- what the hell? I was running with a Capetonian, James Frazer, whom I had met the day previously on the bus and I suppose we both just got carried away by the adrenalin rush. We chatted for a while and I simply had this nagging sense of overexerting myself too early on in the stage/race. I said 'Cheers' to Jim and pulled off the track to take my rain-jacket off.
The route was pretty flat for about 15km, however, the rutted jeep tracks played havoc with my stress fracture. Every time I landed my right foot on top of one of the ruts it pushed the stress fracture open ever so slightly and I was in some pain until we got to the flatter sections. Eating and drinking were going to plan and I felt great. We crossed a small pass between two hills, down the other side through some flatter land, met the first Check Point (CP) at 17km and proceeded to follow the route around the base of the mountain range to the next CP at about 30km. We ran through a dried river bed, which at this stage was becoming more of a mud bath but it was superb fun none the less. Clocking in a CP2 at approx 30km was very much welcomed and I proceeded to walk with the Poms, Mike and Glen, for about 4km's as we had all made good time and wanted to pace ourselves for the next four days. At the end of our fast paced walk we proceeded to hit a decent that you simply had to crawl down, definitely no running here.....
The dirt road down the bottom is where we were headed and it runs all the way for 7-8km to the stage finish. I pulled out a 7 minute lead over the Poms coming down the pass. This road was simply mind-numbing and mentally it broke me. I finished the first stage in 5hr15min, a couple of minutes behind the Poms. I was glad I had got through the first day and off we went to the race camp, sore, soaking wet and tired. Day one done, four to go. Happy days.
This amount of rain was not supposed to be falling in the desert and we were in for a very wet run the next day. Now anyone who has run a marathon can justify that it is hard enough in decent weather. We started day 1, 42.2km ahead of us, with the rain absolutely chucking down and very muddy terrain to contend with. A race that was hard enough to think about suddenly become a helluva lot more interesting and tougher. I for one was so nervous I got my preparation completely messed up. I forgot to loob and plaster up (essential in any weather, more so in rain), packed a whole day of food (an additional 1.2kg, so effectively ran day 1 with approx 8kg!) and more importantly, forgot to take any pain medication for my stress fracture. EISH! What was I thinking? (Range of expletives here.....). We lined up, a quick pre-stage briefing on the route, and we were off to an applause from Lodge staff and family that had come out to see their family member run.
Hard to imagine that the above pics were taken at 7am.
And off we went, at 5min20/km pace- what the hell? I was running with a Capetonian, James Frazer, whom I had met the day previously on the bus and I suppose we both just got carried away by the adrenalin rush. We chatted for a while and I simply had this nagging sense of overexerting myself too early on in the stage/race. I said 'Cheers' to Jim and pulled off the track to take my rain-jacket off.
The route was pretty flat for about 15km, however, the rutted jeep tracks played havoc with my stress fracture. Every time I landed my right foot on top of one of the ruts it pushed the stress fracture open ever so slightly and I was in some pain until we got to the flatter sections. Eating and drinking were going to plan and I felt great. We crossed a small pass between two hills, down the other side through some flatter land, met the first Check Point (CP) at 17km and proceeded to follow the route around the base of the mountain range to the next CP at about 30km. We ran through a dried river bed, which at this stage was becoming more of a mud bath but it was superb fun none the less. Clocking in a CP2 at approx 30km was very much welcomed and I proceeded to walk with the Poms, Mike and Glen, for about 4km's as we had all made good time and wanted to pace ourselves for the next four days. At the end of our fast paced walk we proceeded to hit a decent that you simply had to crawl down, definitely no running here.....
The dirt road down the bottom is where we were headed and it runs all the way for 7-8km to the stage finish. I pulled out a 7 minute lead over the Poms coming down the pass. This road was simply mind-numbing and mentally it broke me. I finished the first stage in 5hr15min, a couple of minutes behind the Poms. I was glad I had got through the first day and off we went to the race camp, sore, soaking wet and tired. Day one done, four to go. Happy days.
The Race (part 1)
Hi ladies and gents,
Its been a while since I last posted and it will probably be the last on this blog spot. I'll create another to keep you all up to date with my future running adventures. Yes, there will be many more :)
Well, the good news is- I AM STILL ALIVE ;). I didn't get lost in the Namib Desert and I'm still in one piece. Ha!
My last blog post focused on the food I would have to take with me on the stage race and I am glad to report that I used about 80% of what I tested. I amended my food list to cut down on weight and thankfully obtained a kit list from my good mate Wayde Kennedy who finished last year's race in 3rd in a very quick time. The new munchy products I included were in packets rather than tins/cans as I thought we would be lugging this with us throughout the race (I'll get to this a little later).
That important issue put to bed and it was supposed to be smooth sailing to the race date. Maybe not. A little bit of drama showed up to make my wee adventure even more testing and exciting... I managed to pick up a stress fracture in my 3rd metatarsal in my right foot during the first week of March. Hurt like a bugger and probably came about with me running on pavements, in a variety of running shoes (road and trail) and lacking a massive amount of sleep. The sleep bit- I'm studying part-time at Wits Business School and lecture prep and assignments had been chewing away at the time I had available to actually recover from my daily running sessions. So, if there is any advice I can give to someone planning to do this race: Make sure you don't travel every other week, don't bother enrolling in any education courses, make sure your relationship with your partner is healthy and can take the stress of little quality time together, and make sure you get lots of sleep. Rather skip running sessions for a couple of hours more sleep (rather run later in the day if you can).
I can honestly say that I have glass feet so you may call me Shaun Glassfoot if it pleases you. Two stress fractures in two years- um, I probably need to do something about it and I should do something about it but I know what every specialist will say. Just saying it annoys me so I won't say it.
On to the race... Being unable to string 5k's together without feeling a proper amount of pain from the stress fracture two weeks before the race had me slightly worried. Well, you may ask Andrea, I was crapping myself. Here I was, sitting with a less than perfect foot (I could think of a range of expletives to describe my gammy foot), signed up for a +200k stage race, and heavily invested money and time-wise, and I couldn't even run properly. What the hell! Please could something just go right like everything else had so far.
We went to Cape Town for Andrea's cousin's wedding and somewhere along the line in that week and the following week back in Joburg, the foot started feeling better. Now it could be my mental stubbornness and my nerves but I honestly felt that three weeks of no running had actually done me the world of good. The 24th of March arrived and it was time to set off on my adventure, off to the airport and an afternoon in Windhoek prepping my kit.
25th of March
Having met some Poms and another Saffa at the airport on the way to Namibia, we met up in the morning and chatted about the race. Interesting to note that one of the Poms, Mike, had run the famous MDS (Marathon des Sables) and another, Glen, had completed the GUCR (Grand Union Canal Race) that I was training for last year before I picked up a stress fracture in my 2nd metatarsal and had to withdraw. I was in some good company here with runners of serious pedigree. Now I was nervous. Was everyone running with a list of accomplishments the length of their arms? Thankfully there were quite a few accomplished desert and extreme ultramarathoners but not all were so I felt at peace with that. The bus arrived (late as usual- same as last year apparently) and off we set for our 5 hour journey to the Sossusvlei, 3 hours of which are on graded dirt road. The scenery made up for it- magnificent!
Arriving at the Sossusvlei Lodge, we had a quick briefing, kit check (medical and compulsory items) and we were bussed off across the road to the Desert Camp where we partnered up and were allocated a tent for the week. My food choice needn't have changed- I was under the impression that we would be carting all our kit through the desert so that was my reason for cutting down on weight. Due to logistical reasons, the race organisers, Kinetic Events, decided to have a static camp. Each site (4 tents per site) would have running water, a shower, flushing toilet and wash-up facilities and we could leave our non-essential items at camp. Even still, my race pack was close to 7kg per day (compulsory items, a small medical kit and liquid comprising the weight). A last supper at the lodge (!) that night with an all-you-can-eat-buffet, and an early night were on the cards.
And then the fun and games started later that night.... part 2 to continue....
Ciao,
Me
Its been a while since I last posted and it will probably be the last on this blog spot. I'll create another to keep you all up to date with my future running adventures. Yes, there will be many more :)
Well, the good news is- I AM STILL ALIVE ;). I didn't get lost in the Namib Desert and I'm still in one piece. Ha!
My last blog post focused on the food I would have to take with me on the stage race and I am glad to report that I used about 80% of what I tested. I amended my food list to cut down on weight and thankfully obtained a kit list from my good mate Wayde Kennedy who finished last year's race in 3rd in a very quick time. The new munchy products I included were in packets rather than tins/cans as I thought we would be lugging this with us throughout the race (I'll get to this a little later).
That important issue put to bed and it was supposed to be smooth sailing to the race date. Maybe not. A little bit of drama showed up to make my wee adventure even more testing and exciting... I managed to pick up a stress fracture in my 3rd metatarsal in my right foot during the first week of March. Hurt like a bugger and probably came about with me running on pavements, in a variety of running shoes (road and trail) and lacking a massive amount of sleep. The sleep bit- I'm studying part-time at Wits Business School and lecture prep and assignments had been chewing away at the time I had available to actually recover from my daily running sessions. So, if there is any advice I can give to someone planning to do this race: Make sure you don't travel every other week, don't bother enrolling in any education courses, make sure your relationship with your partner is healthy and can take the stress of little quality time together, and make sure you get lots of sleep. Rather skip running sessions for a couple of hours more sleep (rather run later in the day if you can).
I can honestly say that I have glass feet so you may call me Shaun Glassfoot if it pleases you. Two stress fractures in two years- um, I probably need to do something about it and I should do something about it but I know what every specialist will say. Just saying it annoys me so I won't say it.
On to the race... Being unable to string 5k's together without feeling a proper amount of pain from the stress fracture two weeks before the race had me slightly worried. Well, you may ask Andrea, I was crapping myself. Here I was, sitting with a less than perfect foot (I could think of a range of expletives to describe my gammy foot), signed up for a +200k stage race, and heavily invested money and time-wise, and I couldn't even run properly. What the hell! Please could something just go right like everything else had so far.
We went to Cape Town for Andrea's cousin's wedding and somewhere along the line in that week and the following week back in Joburg, the foot started feeling better. Now it could be my mental stubbornness and my nerves but I honestly felt that three weeks of no running had actually done me the world of good. The 24th of March arrived and it was time to set off on my adventure, off to the airport and an afternoon in Windhoek prepping my kit.
25th of March
Having met some Poms and another Saffa at the airport on the way to Namibia, we met up in the morning and chatted about the race. Interesting to note that one of the Poms, Mike, had run the famous MDS (Marathon des Sables) and another, Glen, had completed the GUCR (Grand Union Canal Race) that I was training for last year before I picked up a stress fracture in my 2nd metatarsal and had to withdraw. I was in some good company here with runners of serious pedigree. Now I was nervous. Was everyone running with a list of accomplishments the length of their arms? Thankfully there were quite a few accomplished desert and extreme ultramarathoners but not all were so I felt at peace with that. The bus arrived (late as usual- same as last year apparently) and off we set for our 5 hour journey to the Sossusvlei, 3 hours of which are on graded dirt road. The scenery made up for it- magnificent!
Arriving at the Sossusvlei Lodge, we had a quick briefing, kit check (medical and compulsory items) and we were bussed off across the road to the Desert Camp where we partnered up and were allocated a tent for the week. My food choice needn't have changed- I was under the impression that we would be carting all our kit through the desert so that was my reason for cutting down on weight. Due to logistical reasons, the race organisers, Kinetic Events, decided to have a static camp. Each site (4 tents per site) would have running water, a shower, flushing toilet and wash-up facilities and we could leave our non-essential items at camp. Even still, my race pack was close to 7kg per day (compulsory items, a small medical kit and liquid comprising the weight). A last supper at the lodge (!) that night with an all-you-can-eat-buffet, and an early night were on the cards.
And then the fun and games started later that night.... part 2 to continue....
Ciao,
Me
Monday 16 January 2012
Nutrition & Week 12 Update
Hi there,
Why are holidays so short? And which silly HR consultant/manager/professional came up with 15 days of annual leave? Had a great break from work but now back to travelling, running and focusing on the task at hand...
This past week has been a great running week- 90km in 7 days, 122km in 10 days. Best block so far. Feet are slightly sore but that is to be expected. 2 day rest now and then back on the road to tackle another monster block. Looking good for another +90km week this week and an epic 10 day block of 138km. Lets hope the feet don't fall to pieces.
On another note: I've been thinking about my nutrition for the race and my mind starts wandering to "How the hell am I going to get tuna, trail mix, and canned chicken into Namibia?" After watching Border Patrol on TV, I'm a bit concerned that I may be running the race on Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem and Hammer Gels only... Hahaha. Actually, I suppose that's the normal concern on every travelling athlete's mind. Never been stopped at Customs before so, touch wood, I won't this time.
Taken a pic of the meals to be tested so here is the menu:
Nutritious... Ah, high kJ content rather... and easy to cart in my baggage. Luckily the Sossusvlei Lodge is catering for dinner. All I have to do is bring my own breakfast lunch and snacks.
All for now. Comrades runners- Tee and Horstman- take note for your Comrades meals :)
Later,
Me
Why are holidays so short? And which silly HR consultant/manager/professional came up with 15 days of annual leave? Had a great break from work but now back to travelling, running and focusing on the task at hand...
This past week has been a great running week- 90km in 7 days, 122km in 10 days. Best block so far. Feet are slightly sore but that is to be expected. 2 day rest now and then back on the road to tackle another monster block. Looking good for another +90km week this week and an epic 10 day block of 138km. Lets hope the feet don't fall to pieces.
On another note: I've been thinking about my nutrition for the race and my mind starts wandering to "How the hell am I going to get tuna, trail mix, and canned chicken into Namibia?" After watching Border Patrol on TV, I'm a bit concerned that I may be running the race on Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem and Hammer Gels only... Hahaha. Actually, I suppose that's the normal concern on every travelling athlete's mind. Never been stopped at Customs before so, touch wood, I won't this time.
Taken a pic of the meals to be tested so here is the menu:
Nutritious... Ah, high kJ content rather... and easy to cart in my baggage. Luckily the Sossusvlei Lodge is catering for dinner. All I have to do is bring my own breakfast lunch and snacks.
All for now. Comrades runners- Tee and Horstman- take note for your Comrades meals :)
Later,
Me
Thursday 5 January 2012
Welcome 2012- Happy New Year
Happy New Year (and Merry Christmas for 2011- a wee bit late on that one) to everyone reading this!!!
It is going to be a fantastic year ahead- plenty to be grateful for (The Man upstairs has blessed me with capable legs and athletic ability to complete and pursue what I need to, as well as the gift of hope and faith to believe in my dreams)!
So its been a while since my last blog post- and as you may have guessed- the month of November and December were murder, work was a real terror. But such is life... I have focused somewhat on the really important things and my running has been coming on quite nicely. If my training records are compared year on year, I tend to do my most amount of training during the Nov/Dec period- may have something to do with the stress/unstress effect of work and running.
Looking back at my previous post- I mentioned a wee trot through Northern Jozi called the RAC Tough One. A 32km end of the year race. The foot held up, the legs were great, mind was strong and the effort was tempered. 3hr19 for a tempo training effort- good running. The next race is the Dischem 21km in the greater Bedfordview area. The schedule calls for a back to back 30km over this weekend so I'll run to and from the race on the 22nd with a LSD on Saturday the 21st.
After this is the Johnson Crane Marathon on the 29th of January. This is going to be another back to back epic weekend (40km on the 28th, 42km on the 29th) so looking forward to this weekend with great expectation. This will also be my qualifier race for Comrades 2012 ( I finished the Johnson Crane in 2010 in 3hr59, 2 weeks after IMBC 70.3). The Pick 'n Pay Marathon on the 12th of February is also on the cards as a qualifier race.
To date, I have completed 657km in 11 weeks (ave 59.73km/week) with a highest mileage of 110.32km in 8 days.
The legs are getting stronger every week and my 2011 injury looks to be well healed. I have been investigating the minimalist side of running and after my injury in January last year I purchased Nike Free +2's which I believed strengthened my feet and aided in the recovery of my injury. I recently purchased the Vibram Fivefingers KSO TrekSport to further the strengthening processes of my feet and lower leg muscles and ligaments. The transition has been a year in the making so I'm handling the process quite well- will update more as the year goes on.
I'm down on a weeks holiday at the KZN South Coast so I've been running on the beach and dirt roads to mimic race conditions with the added benefit of more oxygen to help with the distance. I always enjoy running down here- the summer rain always makes the going a lot harder though.
Next week I'll be back to work and back to routine runs with the club.
Chat to you soon.
It is going to be a fantastic year ahead- plenty to be grateful for (The Man upstairs has blessed me with capable legs and athletic ability to complete and pursue what I need to, as well as the gift of hope and faith to believe in my dreams)!
So its been a while since my last blog post- and as you may have guessed- the month of November and December were murder, work was a real terror. But such is life... I have focused somewhat on the really important things and my running has been coming on quite nicely. If my training records are compared year on year, I tend to do my most amount of training during the Nov/Dec period- may have something to do with the stress/unstress effect of work and running.
Looking back at my previous post- I mentioned a wee trot through Northern Jozi called the RAC Tough One. A 32km end of the year race. The foot held up, the legs were great, mind was strong and the effort was tempered. 3hr19 for a tempo training effort- good running. The next race is the Dischem 21km in the greater Bedfordview area. The schedule calls for a back to back 30km over this weekend so I'll run to and from the race on the 22nd with a LSD on Saturday the 21st.
After this is the Johnson Crane Marathon on the 29th of January. This is going to be another back to back epic weekend (40km on the 28th, 42km on the 29th) so looking forward to this weekend with great expectation. This will also be my qualifier race for Comrades 2012 ( I finished the Johnson Crane in 2010 in 3hr59, 2 weeks after IMBC 70.3). The Pick 'n Pay Marathon on the 12th of February is also on the cards as a qualifier race.
To date, I have completed 657km in 11 weeks (ave 59.73km/week) with a highest mileage of 110.32km in 8 days.
The legs are getting stronger every week and my 2011 injury looks to be well healed. I have been investigating the minimalist side of running and after my injury in January last year I purchased Nike Free +2's which I believed strengthened my feet and aided in the recovery of my injury. I recently purchased the Vibram Fivefingers KSO TrekSport to further the strengthening processes of my feet and lower leg muscles and ligaments. The transition has been a year in the making so I'm handling the process quite well- will update more as the year goes on.
I'm down on a weeks holiday at the KZN South Coast so I've been running on the beach and dirt roads to mimic race conditions with the added benefit of more oxygen to help with the distance. I always enjoy running down here- the summer rain always makes the going a lot harder though.
Next week I'll be back to work and back to routine runs with the club.
Chat to you soon.
Sunday 13 November 2011
Welcome Part 2
Adding on to the previous entry:
I had a very quiet period of no running for the 3 months post Comrades Marathon 2009- my motivation was gone and I struggled to focus on the short runs that I did do. One quiet weekend, I sat down, checked the race calendar and found a triathlon which seemed interesting- IMBC 2010. Having only completed Olympic distance and Sprint triathlons, this seemed to be the next logical step- so I entered. I needed to get my act together and create my training plan which was customised for my available time- 4 months til race day. Best I start moving.
My training went well- I made every goal I set myself- distance and time wise, however, I decided to push a wee bit harder and no prizes for guessing what happened next- I fell ill. Schoolboy error and a fatal mistake for a Sport Scientist. I should have known better. So off I went on Christmas day to Linksfield Park Clinic Casualty with a self-diagnosis of Palatine Tonsillitis (Casualty doc confirmed this much to her utter disbelief that a Sport Scientist could actually know what was going on- evil poke), got the required anti-biotic and was booked off training for 10 days. Crisis management- assess the training. I had enough done in my Base and Build weeks to carry me through so crisis semi-averted.
10 days later I went into Taper phase and the excitement of racing started building. I raced and finished in a decent time- I could have done better but beggars can't be choosers.
The multi-sport training placed me in an excellent position to train for Comrades 2010, injury free. I had a great training phase, with regular runs out to Hartebeestpoort Dam from Montecasino, a distance of 47km, with my good mate Fabio- we seemed to be the only nutters keen on the undulating route, often on scorching days (32C + ( 90F+)), with Fabio's wife Celeste supporting us on most days. We both got through the training (Base, Build and Taper) injury free and prepared to race a great Comrades.
I contracted a stomach bug 3 days before the race but decided to run anyway (I've often been told I was stupid, and in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does"). Numerous pit-stops, missed rendezvous point for my planned nutrition, and making the half-way cut-off point 5 minutes before the gun, I pulled myself towards myself and had a negative split race (albeit with plenty of motivation from my dedicated girlfriend, Andrea, my 2nd mum and aunt, Margie and my good mate Ralph). Man, was I glad to see the finish line- I had plenty of people very worried.
So with having a very slow and painful race I decided 2 months after Comrades 2010 to enter another challenge- Circuit racing.
I chatted to some of the guys at the club who had completed circuit races previously, was convinced by their enthusiasm for tackling a long race and I entered the Dawn to Dusk 12hour circuit race. I did not have much training (approximately 50km of running- I had carried over some mental and leg strength from Comrades) I planned my nutrition and feeding stops precisely and finished in 19th place, completing 81km in 10h54min. My feet were very sore after running on the hard, compacted earth on a 1km circuit 81 times- something which may have added to the events to come.
This race convinced me that perhaps my forte lay in longer races, requiring superior mental strength and endurance rather than shorter, speed focused races. Searching for longer races in South Africa on the net, I came across a website: http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/ and found the Grand Union Canal Race (GUCR), a 232km (145mile) non-stop running race from Birmingham to London in the UK with check points (CP) and cut-off times per CP.
My old man lives in Perth, Scotland so having him second me (this race requires a second to help with personal feeding stations) would have been the ideal opportunity to race well and prove something to myself. I bought my trail shoes, pack, and some essential kit and started training in earnest on the 1st of November 2010. By the 11th of January, I had amassed 630km of running in the rain, scorching heat, off-road, on-road, on the beach, over Christmas, New Years, at 2am, and on my birthday. I was feeling on top of the world!
On the 12th of January 2011, I went running with my running club and 1km from the end of the run, I absent-mindedly stepped on cambered paving and broke the 2nd metatarsal on my right foot. Diagnosis- 4-6 weeks of no running. Effect- training plan and race out the window. Result- seriously annoyed and depressed.
I missed all the big races of the season, including my maiden Up Comrades, which I had not entered as I was going to complete the GUCR. My injury actually took 5 months to heal properly and I refrained from running entirely- mainly for fear of damaging it again. By this stage I had running on my brain and got stuck into weight training at the gym in an effort to strengthen my body for the running season to come. The theory is: if you strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons supporting the skeletal system, the risk of injury becomes a lot lower. However, my improved nutrition and lack of cardiovascular based exercise increased my weight to 88kg but I maintained a decent 11% body fat. I was now 16kg heavier than when I raced Comrades in 2010. Can you say rugby outside centre?
I have now entered three big races: The RAC Tough One (a 32km punisher of a race- good for pre-Comrades running evaluation and a good race to end the 2011 year on), the Johnson Crane Marathon (the first Johannesburg marathon- great for an early season wake up call), and the Comrades Marathon in 2012.
So that brings us up to date with the history of running and me. I will be 30 in January and I made a promise to myself that I would do something extraordinary with my life before then. I have always thought running in the desert would be the greatest adventure and the toughest race anyone could ever do. I don't have the financial means to do the Racing the Planet (4 Deserts) http://www.racingtheplanet.com/ series or the Marathon des Sables http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ although I think I would be capable of running very good races. Ryan Sandes has been extraordinary in this sport, something I aspire to be one day.
I came across the Namib Desert Challenge http://www.namibdesertchallenge.com/#content late in October 2011 and given my business commitments through work in Namibia, it was an ideal opportunity to race, a stage race, in the desert, in a foreign country, at a fraction of the cost of the more glamorous desert races. I have now entered and consider this to be a 30th birthday present to myself and something I will aim to successfully complete. I have planned this race down to the T. Nutrition, kit, training, logistics. I have learnt from my mistakes and although I will probably make more in the future, I know the most important ones have already been made.
All for now- Sunday lunch is calling.
Shaun
I had a very quiet period of no running for the 3 months post Comrades Marathon 2009- my motivation was gone and I struggled to focus on the short runs that I did do. One quiet weekend, I sat down, checked the race calendar and found a triathlon which seemed interesting- IMBC 2010. Having only completed Olympic distance and Sprint triathlons, this seemed to be the next logical step- so I entered. I needed to get my act together and create my training plan which was customised for my available time- 4 months til race day. Best I start moving.
My training went well- I made every goal I set myself- distance and time wise, however, I decided to push a wee bit harder and no prizes for guessing what happened next- I fell ill. Schoolboy error and a fatal mistake for a Sport Scientist. I should have known better. So off I went on Christmas day to Linksfield Park Clinic Casualty with a self-diagnosis of Palatine Tonsillitis (Casualty doc confirmed this much to her utter disbelief that a Sport Scientist could actually know what was going on- evil poke), got the required anti-biotic and was booked off training for 10 days. Crisis management- assess the training. I had enough done in my Base and Build weeks to carry me through so crisis semi-averted.
10 days later I went into Taper phase and the excitement of racing started building. I raced and finished in a decent time- I could have done better but beggars can't be choosers.
The multi-sport training placed me in an excellent position to train for Comrades 2010, injury free. I had a great training phase, with regular runs out to Hartebeestpoort Dam from Montecasino, a distance of 47km, with my good mate Fabio- we seemed to be the only nutters keen on the undulating route, often on scorching days (32C + ( 90F+)), with Fabio's wife Celeste supporting us on most days. We both got through the training (Base, Build and Taper) injury free and prepared to race a great Comrades.
I contracted a stomach bug 3 days before the race but decided to run anyway (I've often been told I was stupid, and in the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does"). Numerous pit-stops, missed rendezvous point for my planned nutrition, and making the half-way cut-off point 5 minutes before the gun, I pulled myself towards myself and had a negative split race (albeit with plenty of motivation from my dedicated girlfriend, Andrea, my 2nd mum and aunt, Margie and my good mate Ralph). Man, was I glad to see the finish line- I had plenty of people very worried.
So with having a very slow and painful race I decided 2 months after Comrades 2010 to enter another challenge- Circuit racing.
I chatted to some of the guys at the club who had completed circuit races previously, was convinced by their enthusiasm for tackling a long race and I entered the Dawn to Dusk 12hour circuit race. I did not have much training (approximately 50km of running- I had carried over some mental and leg strength from Comrades) I planned my nutrition and feeding stops precisely and finished in 19th place, completing 81km in 10h54min. My feet were very sore after running on the hard, compacted earth on a 1km circuit 81 times- something which may have added to the events to come.
This race convinced me that perhaps my forte lay in longer races, requiring superior mental strength and endurance rather than shorter, speed focused races. Searching for longer races in South Africa on the net, I came across a website: http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/ and found the Grand Union Canal Race (GUCR), a 232km (145mile) non-stop running race from Birmingham to London in the UK with check points (CP) and cut-off times per CP.
My old man lives in Perth, Scotland so having him second me (this race requires a second to help with personal feeding stations) would have been the ideal opportunity to race well and prove something to myself. I bought my trail shoes, pack, and some essential kit and started training in earnest on the 1st of November 2010. By the 11th of January, I had amassed 630km of running in the rain, scorching heat, off-road, on-road, on the beach, over Christmas, New Years, at 2am, and on my birthday. I was feeling on top of the world!
On the 12th of January 2011, I went running with my running club and 1km from the end of the run, I absent-mindedly stepped on cambered paving and broke the 2nd metatarsal on my right foot. Diagnosis- 4-6 weeks of no running. Effect- training plan and race out the window. Result- seriously annoyed and depressed.
I missed all the big races of the season, including my maiden Up Comrades, which I had not entered as I was going to complete the GUCR. My injury actually took 5 months to heal properly and I refrained from running entirely- mainly for fear of damaging it again. By this stage I had running on my brain and got stuck into weight training at the gym in an effort to strengthen my body for the running season to come. The theory is: if you strengthen the muscles, ligaments and tendons supporting the skeletal system, the risk of injury becomes a lot lower. However, my improved nutrition and lack of cardiovascular based exercise increased my weight to 88kg but I maintained a decent 11% body fat. I was now 16kg heavier than when I raced Comrades in 2010. Can you say rugby outside centre?
I have now entered three big races: The RAC Tough One (a 32km punisher of a race- good for pre-Comrades running evaluation and a good race to end the 2011 year on), the Johnson Crane Marathon (the first Johannesburg marathon- great for an early season wake up call), and the Comrades Marathon in 2012.
So that brings us up to date with the history of running and me. I will be 30 in January and I made a promise to myself that I would do something extraordinary with my life before then. I have always thought running in the desert would be the greatest adventure and the toughest race anyone could ever do. I don't have the financial means to do the Racing the Planet (4 Deserts) http://www.racingtheplanet.com/ series or the Marathon des Sables http://www.saharamarathon.co.uk/ although I think I would be capable of running very good races. Ryan Sandes has been extraordinary in this sport, something I aspire to be one day.
I came across the Namib Desert Challenge http://www.namibdesertchallenge.com/#content late in October 2011 and given my business commitments through work in Namibia, it was an ideal opportunity to race, a stage race, in the desert, in a foreign country, at a fraction of the cost of the more glamorous desert races. I have now entered and consider this to be a 30th birthday present to myself and something I will aim to successfully complete. I have planned this race down to the T. Nutrition, kit, training, logistics. I have learnt from my mistakes and although I will probably make more in the future, I know the most important ones have already been made.
All for now- Sunday lunch is calling.
Shaun
Saturday 12 November 2011
Welcome
Hi guys,
I've decided to write a blog on my running and training for the Namib Desert Challenge 2012 and the events and decisions that have led me to this point in time.
Let me first start with how I became a runner (and trail runner now), and a bit about my background.
I started off as a road cyclist in my early twenties, not an elite cyclist but a better than average run-of-the-mill weekend warrior, training 6 days a week while studying at varsity. Before that, I was a pretty active teenager, participating in mountain bike racing on a weekly basis and enjoying the great outdoors in Johannesburg with my old man (Mike) and my brother (Glenn). Family tragedy struck in 2002, my mum (Liz) passed away, and my outlet for my emotions led to an increased focus on my sport- I surprised myself with some of my results.
I took a leave of absence from cycling while I began personal training at a Virgin Active- working 14 hour days and becoming a recognised professional in the industry. My return to endurance sport resumed when I took up a corporate position and I dabbled in triathlon, becoming an ITU certified coach in the process with a focus on community development and as a means to better my product offering for a business venture called TrainingBible South Africa (with Eckard Bergh and Ian Wilson).
I completed the 2010 Spec Savers Half Ironman in Buffalo City, East London (2 weeks after tonsillitis) in a time of 5:51. A great feeling after training for 4 months, 12 sessions and 25 hours a week. That was pretty much the culmination of my triathlon performance as I haven't raced since (partly due to the time I have available to me now, with work travel, and the restructuring of my priorities).
My running performance stemmed from triathlon- I could run a comfortable 10km in under 50min, with minimal training and a somewhat unconventional arm carriage (as anyone who has run with me can attest). After a couple of beers with some mates, one night in early 2009 (Fabio la Mantia & Andrew Squire), we decided to enter the Comrades Marathon that year. I had never raced further than 10km at this stage so it was the beer talking and not my brain actually working. So I had a challenge ahead of me: I needed to race a 21km, a 42km in under 5 hours to qualify, and run an ultramarathon, all in 4 months. No pressure.
I managed all of the above, contracted ITB in both legs twice in the 4 months, had almost 40 days of rest to recuperate from the debilitating effects of ITB and still ran a great race in 10:15 to claim my Comrades Bronze medal. Super chuffed!
More in the next blog entry....
Ciao
I've decided to write a blog on my running and training for the Namib Desert Challenge 2012 and the events and decisions that have led me to this point in time.
Let me first start with how I became a runner (and trail runner now), and a bit about my background.
I started off as a road cyclist in my early twenties, not an elite cyclist but a better than average run-of-the-mill weekend warrior, training 6 days a week while studying at varsity. Before that, I was a pretty active teenager, participating in mountain bike racing on a weekly basis and enjoying the great outdoors in Johannesburg with my old man (Mike) and my brother (Glenn). Family tragedy struck in 2002, my mum (Liz) passed away, and my outlet for my emotions led to an increased focus on my sport- I surprised myself with some of my results.
I took a leave of absence from cycling while I began personal training at a Virgin Active- working 14 hour days and becoming a recognised professional in the industry. My return to endurance sport resumed when I took up a corporate position and I dabbled in triathlon, becoming an ITU certified coach in the process with a focus on community development and as a means to better my product offering for a business venture called TrainingBible South Africa (with Eckard Bergh and Ian Wilson).
I completed the 2010 Spec Savers Half Ironman in Buffalo City, East London (2 weeks after tonsillitis) in a time of 5:51. A great feeling after training for 4 months, 12 sessions and 25 hours a week. That was pretty much the culmination of my triathlon performance as I haven't raced since (partly due to the time I have available to me now, with work travel, and the restructuring of my priorities).
My running performance stemmed from triathlon- I could run a comfortable 10km in under 50min, with minimal training and a somewhat unconventional arm carriage (as anyone who has run with me can attest). After a couple of beers with some mates, one night in early 2009 (Fabio la Mantia & Andrew Squire), we decided to enter the Comrades Marathon that year. I had never raced further than 10km at this stage so it was the beer talking and not my brain actually working. So I had a challenge ahead of me: I needed to race a 21km, a 42km in under 5 hours to qualify, and run an ultramarathon, all in 4 months. No pressure.
I managed all of the above, contracted ITB in both legs twice in the 4 months, had almost 40 days of rest to recuperate from the debilitating effects of ITB and still ran a great race in 10:15 to claim my Comrades Bronze medal. Super chuffed!
More in the next blog entry....
Ciao
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