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
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