Vacation Training

I'm currently on vacation in Namibia.  Yes, it is summer. Yes, it is freaking hot. 

While this 2 week break will serve as `n little break from running as well before going at it hard in January, I'm planning on doing some training sessions.  The training sessions will be with a specific goal in mind.  In 2011 I would like to compete in some multi day races taking place at altitude and extreme heat. 

Windhoek is sitting pretty at 1650m.  This is a great opportunity to see how my body react at the higher altitude.  For a coastal dweller like me this is quite a jump. 

The temperature in Windhoek is daily above 33 degrees and very dry.  So my second goal will be to see how I fair in this kind of climate.

Next stop will Swakopmund, back at the coast. There will be a lot more oxygen, yeah! But there will be a lot more sand.  The coast of Namibia is home to some of the highest dunes in the world.  Here I will test my skills and strength on the dunes.  Giving me an idea of what to expect in races like the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme and Marathon des Sables.

Three Peaks 2010 Race Report

It was going to be a perfect day out on the mountain.  The weather was cool and the sky cloudless as we toed the start line at 5am.  For some reason the busy party street which is Long Street was rather quiet.

"OK, lets go", and we were off.  The first couple of kilometers up to the trail was a frantic sprint.  People scattering in all directions pursuing what they believe will be the fastest, most efficient way to the trails.  The poor newbies didn't know if they should come or go.

As we started the climb up to Devils Peak the sun started to come up and I was excited to see the views from the top.  Last year we could barely see 5m in front of us.  Half way up the trail splits.  I took the more direct option and Neil Hermann taking the other option.  He beat me to the top by a couple of seconds.  I followed him down and we were able to miss the traffic still ascending.

Returning to Green market Square I was feeling good in 7th position.  The climb up to Maclears Beacon (Table Mountain) was epic as always.  There were lots of hikers on the mountain to give us encouragement. This gave me a good excuse to rest every so often to explain to the tourists why we are doing this.  After touching Maclears Beacon I headed back to Green Market Square. Deliberately taking the descent easy and slow. The climb up to Lion Head is not easy and you need a lot of leg strength.

The climb up to Lion Head was painful and slow as always.  The key is to just keep moving.  When I reached the chains a group of kids were coming down, without ANY supervision.  They took took forever to come down and I did my civic duty and helped them down.  This gave me a descent rest for the final climb, but I lost some valuable time. Mark Pikker came along and instructed them to wait.  I lost a position to him on the final section.  The descent was a crazy mad dash trying to make up any lost minutes and hoping to pass someone.  I was sliding down on my bum and ran as fast as I could once I hit the road. 

Exhausted I reached Green Market square in 5th position and almost an hour better than last year!

Three Peaks Challenge is one of the oldest runs in Cape Town and is super special.  The camaraderie is unbeatable.  If you ever feel like putting yourself through a little but of pain this is the one to do. 

Weekly Summary 25-31 Oct

25 October 2010

A very easy 8k run through the valley.  Didn't feel any pain in the knee although it did feel a little bit weak on the downhills and I am favoring it.  Went for a massage in the evening which really helped my legs.

Movescount 2010.10.25

26 October 2010

Went out for an 35 minute tempo run on flat road.  Another pain free session while handling a descent pace in the middle.  Went to the physio and it sounds like some inflammation under the knee.  Apparently not to serious just a little bit overworked.  This is good news as I thought it might be the joint or ligaments acting up.  Got some ultrasound and some strapping.  Tomorrow is a rest day so will test it out on Thursday morning on the trails.

Movescount 2010.10.26

28 October 2010

Early morning run through the valley. 12km.  I took it easy and the knee felt great.  I din however develop stiff ankle from favouring my left knee. 

Movescount 2010.10.28

30 October 2010

Another easy 12km run through the greenbelt.  My knee reacted good on the downhills.  I'm starting to get amped about the race next weekend! WOOOP WOOOP

Movescount 2010.10.30

31 October 2010

I decided on a change of scenery today and went for a short fast run next to the ocean.  Followed by a swim in the ocean and a scuba dive.  Great fun for a Sunday morning!

Movescount 2010.10.31

I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again.  Going through a period on injury is tough, but it shows where your support really comes from.  It also shows you that running or whatever activity your obsess about is not the start and end of everything.  We need to focus on a balanced life to keep us happy!

Weekly Summary 18-24 Oct

18 October 2010

I was home today, because I was writing exams in the afternoon.  The morning was a perfect summers morning.  It was super hot and no wind.  I decided to head into the valley for an easy 10k run.  The heat pushed my HR up higher than I wanted so the pace was very slowly.

Movescount 2010.10.18

19 October 2010

Today was suppose to be a big hill session and the last of my hill sessions before Three peaks.  My legs was tired, probably due to a hectic gym session the night before.  Rather annoyed with myself it was not as good a quality session as I would have wanted.  Did 15 repeats like I was suppose to, but not doing the distance or time on them.

Movescount 2010.10.19

20 October 2010

Went out for an easy run through the valley again.  On the return leg a flattish section I experienced pain and discomfort in my left knee. NOT GOOD! It went away quickly, but it happened a few times in the next 100 meters.  After that I had a pain free run back home.  I had some pain in my knee during the weekends long run, but was only for a short period and after some heavy sessions earlier this week without pain I didn't think much of it.

Movescount 2010.10.20

21 October 2010

Took the day of to give my knee some rest.  It feels fine, but does twitch some times while walking downhill.

23 October 2010

Went out for a 20k run with the group in the forest.  Was an easy effort.  Knee felt good except for a handful of times during some early descents, but this improved as I warmed up.

Movescount 2010.10.23

24 October 2010

Had a pain free 40 minute pace run on the road. Mental note: "More flat roads until full recovery."

Movescount 2010.10.24

This was a frustrating week for me.  Just finishing peak week the last thing I expected was picking up an injury.  I'm trying to keep a positive mind about it and doing everything in my power to heal as quickly as possible. Ice, rest, massages, physio and Ice Man (perde salf).  In the past I've experienced various injuries before important races and miraculously healed for each of them,  except those injurious was usually self induced by doing stupid things while NOT running.  But this time it's different!  
      I've got confidence in my bodies ability to heal quickly and therefore I WILL be ready when toeing the line for Three Peaks next weekend.

Weekly Summary 11-17 Oct

11 October 2010

Monday morning and that means only one thing! Yes, the slog back to work starts all over again, but it also means going easy on my favorite hilly route!  11k's, last kilometer barefoot.

Movescount 2010.10.11

13 October 2010

Did 21km in 1:40 on the road.  This was a rather tough route.  Lots of hills.  In total I did 8 uphills and 8 downhills with very little flats in between.  If I did more than 4k's on the flat I would be surprised.  This was excellent training for the Three Peaks which is up, down, up, down, up, down pass out!

Movescount 2010.10.13

14 October 2010

During the night the flood gates in the sky really opened up! When I started my run at 6am the streets were flooded.  Soon after it started small marble size hail started to hammer me.  Luckily I had my peak cap on, but damn that hail still hurts your head.  Soon after the streets and lawns were covered in white ice!  Surprisingly I wasn't the only runner out on the road. The run itself was a 45min tempo sessions reaching it's peak for 10 minutes before starting to slow down again.  Was a tough run after last night and could feel my legs were tired.

Movescount 2010.10.14

16 October 2010

We headed out again to Groendal for a 35k run.  This time exploring the dam side.  A couple of K's dirt road let us onto sublime single track.  The single track followed the ridge line going over numerous hills before dropping us down into the ravine feeding the dam.  Thanks to the great rains earlier the week we could fill our bottles in the river and cool of a bit.  Heading back we had to conquer an ascent that makes the steps on Platteklip Gorge look like steps in the retirement home.  Great training for the up and coming Three Peaks challenge.  If only the ascent was longer.  Finish the last 8k's strong running at race pace.

Movescount 2010.10.16

17 October 2010

I headed out for another 21k run following the same hilly route as Wednesday.  This time it was mid day and the sun blazing with tired legs.  Surprisingly my legs reacted well and felt fresh after the second hill.  The sun also did not push my HR as expected and I finished a little sooner than Wednesday.  All in all a good effort, I'm very pleased.

Movescount.2010.10.17


 

Some Random Gear Comments

Two weeks ago I had some serious issues with my gear on a run of 45km.  Not awesome.  I was rather disgusted about this after spending quite a lot of money.  But, being an engineer and having "The Nack", I sorted out most of my problems last week.  But let's start at the beginning.

I bought the Salomon XT Wings 5 backpack some time ago.  Main reason was to make use of bottles.  In the longer races it's quicker to refill bottles than a bladder.  This pack comes with space for a 2lt bladder and 2x600ml bottles.  And of course the Salomon custom system where you can hook up a variety of flasks, bottles and pouches.

This pack is great as it sits tightly against your back and the position of the water bottles keeps the weight over your hips.  It gives it a snug feel and barely notice your running with it. 

After a couple of weeks running with it I decided to get the Custom Bottle Holder and Custom Flask Holder.  I filled the flask with Hammer Perpeteum made into a paste.  With the bottle on one shoulder strap and the flask on the other I was off for my 45k run.  This was when I experienced my first problem.  The bottle has a strap on a vertical slider that connects over your chest to the bottle on the other shoulder strap and pulls the two together.  That is if you have two bottles.  So my bottle was just flopping around and bruising my chest. This was not gonna be fun for 45km.  Later when I started drinking my Hammer it was a real "sukkel" to get the paste out.  The hole on top was so small that the paste didn't want to flow freely.  Usually I use the Hammer Flask and is able to get a good mouthful with every squeeze.  Now it took me 3 times longer to get less.

The solution?  For the bottle you can remove the one part of the strap and slide it onto the opposite shoulder's vertical slider.  Now you can pull the bottle tight over your chest and no more flopping around. 

Remove strap and slide onto shoulder strap

 I tested this out last weekend and works like a dream.  I'm still in a pickle about the small hole for the flask.  Any ideas?

It's a squeeze to get nutrition out of the flask

 O yes, my second Nalgene hydration bladder also started to leak.  I'm not impressed.  It's probably time to spend the money on a proper Camelbak bladder.

Weekly Summary 4-10 Oct

4 October 2010

Easy run to start the week over my super hilly course. 11km.

Movescount 2010.10.04

5 October 2010

Got out of bed eager to tackle the hills with my new found running form and breathing rhythm.  I did 12 hill repeats, 10 and 11 was stair repeats.  My interval times were much more consistent and I felt really good doing it.

Movescount 2010.10.05

6 October 2010

They say you must be careful what you wish for.  I have learned this once again the hard way.  Last week I complained about not reaching maximal effort and at this week's TT I've met my match.  I tried to chase down the front guys while unknowingly they chased down PB's!  The result for me was a minute slower than my PB and lots of pain.  My average HR was the same as my max HR when I've set up the PB. OUCH!

Movescount 2010.10.06

8 October 2010

This was suppose to be an easy flat run.  I ran past the pine forest in George and decided to do 2k's bare footing in the forest.  WHAT A PLEASURE! It was still early morning and the air was crisp, perfect way to start the day.  After bare footing it was back on with the shoes to head home.  It felt like I was running on two bowls of custard strapped to my feet.  My feet was not happy, they really enjoyed the barren forest trails.

Movescount 2010.10.08

9 October 2010

Did 27k's.  Started up on the hill in the forest for a short loop before heading down the green belt.  First time we've ran this route.  It's beautiful, but some parts are a bit filthy.  The greenbelt runs right pass my house so I ended up at my doorstep. Great run.

Movescount 2010.10.09

September Summary

September has come and gone.  I had three consecutive race weekends coming 4th, 2nd and 1st (by estimating my time correct).  Also a lot of resting.  So was a month of two extremes.  I really enjoyed the two contrasts. My total distance will be a bit more than 167km as I didn't log all my K's on Movescount this month.  The illusive maximal effort is still alluding me! I know it's not important to do time in this area for long distances, but I still want to make it in there at least once.  Any ideas?

Weekly Summary 27Sep-3Oct

27 September 2010

First day of training again.  Went for a 10km run over on a very hilly route.  We've all read or heard about Born to Run and barefoot running.  Anton Krupicka also does barefoot running at the end of a lot of his sessions.  I have decided to try this out.  Did the final 2 minutes of my run barefoot.  I know it's not much, but start small!  It was amazing.  I felt so alive and in touch with my running.  Definitely looking forward to my next barefoot session.


Movescount 2010.09.27


28 September 2010


Did 11 hill repeats. Ended of with 3 stair repeats. Was a tough session and felt very wobbly at the end.


Movescount 2010.09.28


29 September 2010


Got up at 6:00 and the sun was shining bright! I just love the summer.  Went for an easy 7.5km run and going barefoot the last 1km.  I'm really starting to look forward to these barefoot sessions and can't wait until I can do some descent distances barefoot.  Got a lot of strange looks from people on their way to work, I carry my shoes in my hands while bare footing.  They probably think I'm craze.


Movescount 2010.09.29


30 September 2010


Chris and I went out early for the Thursday valley run.  We headed down the valley and found a new short, technical and steep incline.  We raced to the top and while catching our breathes on the bench decided to run to the next hill in the valley, run to the top and tempo it back to meet the rest of the group as they started.  It was a frantic 20 minutes, but well worth it.  Nothing like an unexpected challenge.  I'm happy to report that my legs are also feeling good.  Ended up to be a 10.7k run with loads of steep hills.


Movescount 2010.09.30


2 October 2010


Personally this run was a huge mental effort. I've got some mixed feelings about it, but a lot of positive things that came out of it.  It was a 45km run on rather boring undulating forestry roads.  It used some rather strong mind power to power up the 3-4km hills without walking even on the return leg when I was starting to feel nauseous and had to control myself to not vomit.  At the end I learned how to run hills efficiently with correct breathing rhythm and body form.  Something I have struggled with the last couple of months.  So it was a positive experience, although I had to learn the lessons the hard way.

Movescount 2010.10.02


3 October 2010


Was suppose to go for a 20k run.  It would have been interesting to see how I far after yesterdays run.  My legs did feel good so I think it would have been good.  But instead I took the day of to get engaged to my lovely girlfriend/now fiance Lida Brand.  Love you lots girl!


Sorry, no Movescount for this one...

Weekly Summary 20-26Sep

20 September 2010

My recovery from the Baviaans has been surprisingly good.  I will however stay with my decision to rest 4 days.  So I went for a quick 30 minute swim to pump some fresh blood.

22 September 2010

Another quick 30 minutes of swimming.  had loads of energy and felt like I could go on forever.

23 September 2010

Went for a 1:10 run.  Felt absolutely amazing! My legs was fresh and I had lots of speed and running the hills with ease.  My knees are still a little fragile on the descents, but this should go away in the next couple of days.


Movescount 2010.09.23

25 September 2010

I did an interesting trail race today called the Ecomile 15k.  It took place on a local dairy farm running through coastal thicket, pasture greens and a small beach section.  You had to guess your finishing time and then try to come as close to it as possbile. No watches allowed.  Was a really fun and relaxing run, stopping at the water points to have a chat to everyone.  I came 3 minutes short of my estimate.



Movescount 2010.09.25


26 September 2010

Yet another 30 minute swim to sooth the legs.  Tomorrow I'm starting to train at full tilt again.

Baviaans Trail Run Race Report

4:55am:  Finally my clock goes off after a night that seemed to go on for ever! I laid in bed being nervous rolling this way and rolling that way.  Thinking about my strategy and possible outcomes.  Struggling with the absolute deafening silence brought on by being in the middle of no where.  I hear the ladies in the other room getting up as well.  They arrived at 11:00pm the previous night and did not have more that 5 hours of sleep.  I feel bad for them.

5:30am: Down a quick breakfast while listening to the cars zipping past on the gravel road on their way to Geelhoutbos, it's still dark and the chickens start to wake up,  I get in the car and follow suit.

6:10am: I turn off the main road and follow the other cars into the valley on jeep track towards Geelhoutbos.  The valley walls is getting higher and the terrain rougher.  I might have under estimated how rugged this race will be.

6:30am:  Because this run is in a wilderness area they are super strict about litter, which is good! So there will be no cups at the one and only water point halfway at the highest point.  it is compulsory to carry a 150ml cup with you.  They check this before you enter the register tent.  We received a huge goody bag!

6:50am:  Race briefing! Last year a lot of people got lost on the final descent due to not listening to the race briefing.  Everyone listened carefully this time around.

Total ascent 1400m

7:05am:  Go!!!!!  It was a quick start with four of us leading a gap in the field.  Kobus and Hylton soon disappeared into the distance.  Christo and myself kept up a good pace while chatting and joked around that it felt like a road race. 4:16/km- way too fast! But I was feeling good and was able to talk so I stayed with it.  We completed a 6km flat warm up before we hit the BIG climb.  The climb would take us 800m up over approximately 8-10km.  The jeep track was littered with egg size rocks. Very technical terrain.  There were certain points where I thought how the hell did the water point crew get their vehicles up here.  Christo looked strong and slowly pulled away while I took regular walking breaks up this monster hill.  In the distance I could see Kobus and Hylton disappearing over the ridge.  Looking back I had a glimpse of Andre in 5th.  He was also doing much more running than me.  I wasn't feeling strong up the hills like I would have wanted to.  I think my mind was just not in the right place.  The hill and continued and Christo started to disappear from view.  It was time for some personal motivation, "Run what you can and walk the rest, the race is still young".

After the monster hill it was still some distance to the water point which was a couple of K's after halfway.  We followed the ridge line over undulating terrain while steadily climbing to the highest point of the day.  The views were amazing and the weather perfect. Overcast and no wind.  Reaching the crest of each climb I had a quick glimpse back to see where Andre was.  Jack joined him and this made me more worried.

Reaching the waterpoint at the highest point was great.  The crew was friendly and filled my bottles.  There was a variety of stuff to eat.  I grabbed a hand full of Jellybabies and the marshall pointed me into the right direction.  From here on we would follow a single track that disappears most of the time and some bright flags to keep us on track.  The terrain was much more technical and I felt more at home.  My stomach was cramping and it slowed my pace.  I was hoping to go rather fast on the predominantly downhill second half, but my stomach wouldn't allow it.  Although i was able to keep a steady pace and keep on jogging.  Soon afterward I started to catch glimpses of Christo in the distance.  Before long I passed him.  My stomach started to feel better and I started to push the pace.

We started to turn toward the left, toward the scree downhill where getting lost is a good possibility.  At the top of the scree I passed Kobus, who was in second at that stage.  With 4km to go, very technical terrain and downhill with the possibility of catching Hylton it was all systems go.  If he was going to make a mistake I was going to capitalize on it. I went down the scree as fast as possible with near ankle twists and falling once.  Hitting the last 2km of single track it was a full on sprint with the hope to catch Hylton. Running past all the cheering spectators was great.


10:40am: I cross the finish line in 3:35 and second place.  Hylton finished in 3:30.

Big thanks to the organizers for a well planned event.  Congrats to Hylton Dunn for a superb run making up 5 minutes behind first place at the water point to finish 5 minutes ahead.  And big ups to the gentleman that ran with very old non running shoes! You my friend are an inspiration to us all!

Weekly Summary 13-19Aug

13 September 2010

Got out of bed super excited this morning, but my excitement didn't carry through to my jog.  Did about 50minutes of running just playing with the pace.  Felt a bit sluggish.  Hopefully this was due to the string of late nights over the weekend.  Will make it an early one tonight  so that I can be rested for the final speed session tomorrow.
      Went for a 30 minute swim in the afternoon to get some fresh blood flowing through the legs.  Felt super good afterward.

Movescount 2010.09.13

14 September 2010

My final speed session before the race.  Did 8km easy, 3km fast, 1km easy.  The rest and carbo loading is definitely starting to pay off.  Almost my whole run this morning was in sunlight, BRING ON THE SUMMER!

Movescount 2010.09.14

16 September 2010

Did my final run before the Baviaans Trail Run.  Went out for a 30minute jog around the block in another gusting morning.  My legs feels like a wound up jack in a box on steroids ready to explode!
   Went for a deep tissue massage in the evening.  The therapist gave me a proper tongue lashing, because it's been a year since I had my last massage and my muscles was so tight she couldn't feel the different muscles....oops!

Movescount 2010.09.16

18 September 2010

The day of the Baviaans Trail Run! 38km 1400m of climbing and millions of egg size rock to run over.  Achieved second place and is absolutely stoked about it.  I worked super hard and my watch confirms it!

A lot of hard running!

Movescount 2010.09.18

Weeks of training hard finally came to and end with the Baviaans this week.  I'm really happy about the second place.  Hind sight is a bitch though.  Missing out on first place with 5 minutes I can't help to feel that if I pushed harder on that hill or maybe went a little faster on that section that I could have done it.  But I refuse to let this dominate my thoughts and rather bask in the glory of second.  I wasn't as strong up the hills as I would have wanted to be so will review my training for 3 Peaks Challenge in 6 weeks time.  That will be only hills.

The sun is coming up nice and early now and setting later, so no more dragging myself out of bed! I can get those early morning runs in and focus on my studies.  Studies actually need a lot of focus for the next 5 weeks! Busy times! 

Enjoy the running! 

Zuurberg Mountain Race Report

It was the the return to the scene of the crime for me.  The last time a ran through this part of the woods I didn't do so much running as suppose to walking.  Last time I walked through this part of the woods was after 65km of undulating terrain on my way complete the Addo 85km race earlier this year.  Then, I was rather disappointed to not be able to run the beautiful section of the Addo Reserve.  But! Today was a completely different story.

The Zuurberg Mountain Race is a no holds bar race limited to 100 runners and walkers.  There are no prizes, no big stars, no egos just a mountain to run in a very social environment.  Not a lot of people knows about this race, but its a firm favourite amongst the locals.

The day didn't start very good.  I woke up an hour and thirty minutes before my alarm after a late night and couldn't get to sleep again and was still able to leave the house later than planned.  We missed the turn off to Zuurberg from the highway, because I was looking for something to munch in my bag.  The 8:00am start time drew closer and the nerves started to build.  7:35am we hit the 16km gravel pass up to Zuurberg.  THE FAN drove us up the pass in record time with some nice rally tricks, not good for the nerves.  Got there 7:55, just enough time to pick up my race number, greet the crew and kiss THE FAN goodbye.

"OK, Go!"  And we're off.  The first 2k's are ran over some gentle hills to warm you up.  This was done at a blistering pace especially on cold legs.   We then hit a very technical rocky descent for about 15 minutes.  This gave my heart and lungs a bit of a breather.  I really enjoyed this section.  Definitely the most awesome insane downhill I've done.  I ran off the faint path at one point and almost connected with a tree, I was really enjoying myself! 

There are no directions and a handful of places where you can get lost.  After dropping out at the dry river bed and choosing the right path we were down in the valley and it was time to do some fence hopping and dodging cow dung.  Fourth and fifth was struggling to get over a fence.  Time to make up ground!  My long legs helped me a lot here and I was able to move into fourth position.  This section of the run was really beautiful with the rocky mountain sides reaching up the sides of the valley.  Looking back to our crazy descent I couldn't see a path or runners, awesome!

I followed third through the valley floor under a yellow wood tree canopy and criss crossing rivers.  This was really beautiful, but there was no time for sight seeing.  We lost a couple of minutes at two junctions deciding which way to go. Thinking back to the instructions at the start we decided on left, good choice.  Next junction take right, another good choice.  Note to self, "Bring hunting dog a long next year!".

From here it was a gentle climb out of the valley back to the start.  Halfway up there was three guys from Achilles AC (organizers) with some Coke and friendly smiles.  After a quick chat I was on my way assaulting the last ascent and a gentle run back to the finish line.

At the finish we were given a handmade clay medallion and treated to buffet style breakfast.

This is definitely in the top 3 of my favourite races.  It's got it all, good people, technical trail, value for money and a unique experience.  This event has been going for twenty years and there were 2 guys doing their twentieth, well done.

Unique gifts makes a race much more special

Weekly Summary 6Sep-12Sep 2010

6 September 2010

Last stair repeats before the Baviaans Trail Race.  Did 12 repeats and felt rather good.

Movescount 2010.09.06

7 September 2010

Spring has sprung and the sun is coming out earlier.  The second half of my morning runs are now in beautiful sunlight, really picks up the spirit.  Did 2 x 3mile intervals.  Taper is underway and will be characterized by short intense training sessions and little longer very easy runs.

Movescount 2010.09.07

8 September 2010

A short and easy run around the "block".  Felt a little bit sluggish which is not ideal at this time of my training.  My taper only started this week so hopefully it will get better with lots of rest and carbo loadinig to follow.  Last half was once again while the sun was rising, great feeling!  Had some time to do a proper stretch routine.


Movescount 2010.09.08

9 September 2010

Last long run before the big race. Ran through the valley from home, met up with the Thursday night running group and headed back into the valley.  We took it rather easy, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the pace we kept. Was suppose to do 24km, but only did about 19km.  At this stage less is probably more.

Movescount 2010.09.09

11 September 2010

A last minute decision to do the Zuurberg Mountain race.  This was the perfect final race prep race.  Fifteen kilometers of supreme mountain single track.  My recovery went very well afterward and I'm super amped for this weekend! Race report will be up soon...

Movescount 2010.09.10

 Four days 22 hours to go. The nerves are starting to build up.  This will be my most competitive race to date.  I've set myself some rather ambitious goals and I know my competition well. My preparation went well.  Now I need to focus on getting my mind in the right space and think about my strategy.

Addo Trailrun

I've done the 50 miler Addo Trail Run earlier this year.  Here is a race report from someone that did the 25 miler. Click Here

I'm still in two minds about next year's event.  They made it much earlier to the 12th of March.  I'm going on holiday to Namibia for 2 weeks over Christmas.  This will be a party holiday and not an adventure/running holiday.  So I'm not to sure that I will have enough time to prepare for the 50miler.  After 2 weeks rest there will be only  2 months to train.  Maybe I'll just check it out after my vacation and if I don't feel up to the task just do the 25miler....Decisions decisions!

Looking For Adventures

ad·ven·ture

   /ædˈvɛntʃər/ Show Spelled [ad-ven-cher] noun, verb, -tured, -tur·ing.

–noun

1.

an exciting or very unusual experience.

2.

participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.

3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome 
Yesterday on the radio someone talked about Christmas dressings and presents.  That means only one thing!  The end of the year is nigh. With a barrage of year end parties soon to come your way you will be sitting around the Christmas tree stuffing your face with all kinds of cold meats, salads, breads, wine and deserts. 

Year end also calls for something else.  Plans for the next year! I'm talking specifically adventure plans.  Book and plan early and your sure to get a great deal, no stress and the exact adventure you are looking for.

Apart from the various races I want to compete in next year I am also starting to build on an adventure.  A couple of decisions need to be made to decide on which type of adventure.  Will it be a "commercial" adventure where you do something that anyone can do with the right amount of money or do you go off the beaten track?  I vote off the beaten track!

Be the sky line!

But for interest sake lets explore both options:

Weekly Summary 30Aug-5Sep

 Firstly a quick summary for August.

30 August 2010

Went for an easy late afternoon run through the valley.  Did the reverse route for my TT route.  Interesting how your mind plays tricks you.  I ran past a familiar marker that my I always pick up close to the end of the TT and all of a sudden my mind was playing games and recognized the marker with pain and tiredness.  Overcame it shortly after though.  My legs were still a bit tired towards the end after the weekends bundu bashing.  I hope the taper will sort that out.

Movescount 30.08.2010

31 August 2010

Today was the day I was dreading for quite a while.  3x4mile intervals.  That's a lot of hard running.  Jumped out of the bed just after 4:00 and headed out the door into a gusty wind.  Not ideal.  I ventured into PE city center once again where I could take a break from the wind. 23.75km later I was safely home and the wind stopped blowing, just my luck.  It was hard work, but the endorphins running through my veins for the rest of the day is worth it! Go run far and hard, you won't be disappointed, DO IT NOW!

Courtesy of blaugh.com

Movescount 31.08.2010

 1 September 2010

 Had a nice little swim after work. The headed out to the 8km time trial.  This would be one of my last opportunities this year to set a good time.  Sub 30 minutes has always alluded me even though my VO2max test last year said I can break it.  The trial started of a bit windy, but after the hill the wind dropped and the pace picked up. The last couple of K's was painful, but felt fast so I was positive.  After crossing the finish line and catching my breath my watch confirmed my suspicion, 29:15!!!! WOW! I was over the moon! All the training is paying of and it is great to see it! My girlfriend surprised me with an ice cold beer to celebrate when I got home, hows that for positive reinforcement.

 Movescount 01.09.2010

2 September 2010

 After my successful time trial yesterday is was time to do some hill repeats.  The legs felt rather good, considering the week I've had.  I still can't seem to get into my zone 3 (171BPM-182BPM) for long enough, never mind reaching above zone 3!  I know it's not that important for longer distances, but I like pushing the envelope every now and again.

Movescount 02.09.2010

4 September 2010

Parked the cars at the SPAR and ran part beach part road verge for 8km. Started 9km magnificent single track through coastal milkwood forest.  Being tall does have it's draw backs.  I had to dodge a lot of low hanging branches and my lower back got a proper work out!  Had excellent views of the ocean and dunes.  After this pristine piece of single track the slog back to the car was not "lekker".  I tempo'd the final 6km.

Dunes on the horizon...perfect training for desert running!

Movescount 03.09.2010


This was an amazing week.  A lot of kilometers covered and mostly at speed.  Usually I sleep a lot, but since last week's awesome run in Groendal I had the one after the other training run pumping endorphins through my bloodstream.  It is amazing how the body functions and are able to thrive on a self created chemical!  So with all the time spent on the road and rather busy at work I got less sleep, but felt less tired and super amped each morning to jump out of bed and get those endorphins flowing again!

Spring Is Here!

Yes, spring has arrived.  Seems like this is only on the calendar.  In Port Elizabeth it never really felt like winter and by the sounds of it Cape town is not experiencing a very sunny day.  Non the less, the weather in PE is absolutely perfect today.  Perfect for TT tonight!

I've decided to start a tradition.  I've always tried to make my first swim for the summer a memorable one and now I will try to do it on the first of September each year.  Come rain or shine(wind).  I did not have enough time to make it down to the sea for this momentous swim and settled for a swim in the pool. Cold! Very very cold! But worth it!  So the plan was that I set up the camera with delayed shutter, jump into the pool and get an awesome self portrait, easier said than done right? Right! At least it resulted in some funny photos.

The official photo of the first swim a.k.a. belly flop

Walk on water!

CANON BALL!!

mmmm..this hurt, alot

Happy Spring and to everyone in the northern hemisphere....mmm...happy autumn? 

So what did you do for spring?

KOEVOET wins!

A short post about a special moment in the history of my former paintball team. Former, because I don't live in Cape Town anymore.

Finally! Koevoet, translated to "crowbar", can say they are victorious! I'm not referring to the counter insurgency unit of the 1980's, because they still can't claim victory seeing that they are disbanded, but rather to Koevoet the paintball team.  After their 3rd attempt at the annual 5 man paintball championship at PBA they reached the finals and won.  Can't believe I wasn't there to experience this.

The day started of with only 4 members and recruiting the 5th man on the last minute.  It was a tough day loosing some games and having to fight really hard to win some.  After a couple of games the communication got better and they started to work as a team.

Koevoet progressed into the semis, not unfamiliar territory.  On the previous two occasions  they reached the semi's after playing super strong the whole day just to loose the semi finals. I was captain at the previous two occasions...food for thought...mmmmm.  Koevoet won the semi's and reached the finals facing Jesters.

The finals was decided by playing the best out of 3 games. Jesters won the first one and the second game went to Koevoet after a daring "chariots of fire" run to plant the flag. The final game was a close one with Koevoet loosing 3 of their 5 men, but pushed on to make it 2 out of 3! Victory...finally!

It was an epic day of paint-balling! Congrats Koevoet!

Freeee-dom!

Distance for Difference

After the inspirational and motivational presentation from Braam Malherbe I walked out the school hall and decided that I will also dedicate myself to a charity.

The charity I have chosen is called Distance for Difference.  The charity focuses on helping children in need.  To provide them with a better home or whatever is needed to make life a little better and easier for them.  It works in a rather unique way.  I need to get sponsors that will sponsor me for every kilometer I run.  The harder I work the more I can make for the charity. Simple as that, BOOOM.  Are YOU interested in doing your part for a good cause?  Go check out the D4D website.

One of their athletes just completed a bicycle tour from the most southern point to most northern point of Taiwan.  A journey that took him 3 days, 564km and 9900m's of elevation.  Impressive!  He dubbed it MissionT2T.

I'll leave you with this:

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary

Wilderness Escape

Finally after various unsuccessful weekends I got the opportunity to visit Groendal Nature Reserve. Groendal is part of the greater Baviaans Mega Reserve. Just 50km out of Port Elizabeth it is characterized by rugged terrain, streams and vast ravines.

The day started of with a quick fact check with the local hiking club.  Shortly after we were on our way up the Upper Blindekloof Trail.  After about 2km's we reached a little monument in honour of the inception of the reserve.  We ignored the sign stating Upper Blindekloof to the right, as our local informant told us to do, and soon found ourselves plunging down into a ravine and indigenous tree canopy.  We were now on the Lower Blindekloof trail.  It is a beautiful flat trail zig-zagging across the dry riverbed.  Jumping over tree roots and ducking and diving under low hanging branches.  Not ideal for someone as tall as me.  It was soon apparent how dire the drought is in Port Elizabeth.  This route is suppose to be characterized by various swimming pools.  Although there were crystal clear pools it is evident that it's been quite some time since any fresh water flowed through here.  It took us about 40 minutes to reach the end of Blindekloof.  A beautiful swimming pool and even a swing rope from a tree.  I won't swim in this pool now, but if the river was flowing this will make for an awesome refreshing swim.  After a quick confirmation on the map we realized that we were indeed on the incorrect track and that our hiker friend sent us down the wrong path.  Not that this was a huge problem, just a little irritating.  

  

We head back out the ravine and got onto the correct path at the monument.  From here it was a hot and steep climb to the top of the plateau.  The views from the plateau was amazing.  We could see the Baviaans mountains in the distance, the ocean and hundreds of little hills into the horizon.  The next sign we encountered lead us on an extreme knee jerking downhill via a very small and faint single track back down to the river.  Once again we followed the dry river bed up the ravine.  With no obvious path it was a slow, painful bushwhack. 

  

We reached the second junction in the ravine and while the baboons up in the ravine sounded unhappy about something we checked the map again.  We had three options.  A, we go on in the ravine and exit as per the map, which at this speed would take us forever and a day and we only had so much skin on our legs that can be torn of.  B, bushwhack up the nearest hill and try to pick up a path.  C, retrace our steps and head back out the ravine the same way we came in.  The safe choice was C.  We reached the plateau once again and felt rather positive about the hard slog up the ridge.  "Perfect training for Baviaans" was our mantra.

  

We ran to a plantation on the horizon and had something to eat in the shade.  We deserved it.  We were running low on water and knew we would have to push on to get back down and out of the beating sun.  After 15km of mostly downhill we were safely back at the car.  

  
We learned some valuable lessons, while nature clearly had the upper hand.  The score 4-1 for Mother Nature.  I got a stick in my eye, we ran out of water, Chris lost his shirt during the bushwhacking and we both ended up like we received "6 van die bestes" from the principal on our legs.  We could only score one point, making it back stronger and tougher than before.

The start to the most technical running I've done in Port Elizabeth

Anyone up for a swing?

Knee jerking descent

Weekly Summary 23-29Aug

23 August 2010

Easy run, gearing up for the week!

Movescount 23.8.2010


24 August 2010

Port Elizabeth is a little vertically challenged.  Sure there are a lot of ups and downs and little hills, but nothing substantial.  This leaves me with the great pleasure of entering the city center.  The only place in PE where there are loads of long hills.  My uncle says that when the city center was still the business hub of PE all the girls had the most beautiful sculpted calves in South Africa.

So I ventured out early and had the opportunity of dodging taxis in the dark while negotiating the hills!

Movescount 24.8.2010

25 August 2010

It's been three weeks since my last time trial on the trails and so far my performance has not been satisfactory.  This all changed today.  Although my legs still felt heavy from yesterday and I felt really clumsy over the uneven terrain I was able to knock off 1 minute from my time over the 8km.  Still not nearly as fast as my road TT's, but it shows a huge improvement in performance.

Running on single track fast with branches sweeping by and grass against your ankles is surely one of the best experiences you can get. You just feel free!

Movescount 25.8.2010

26 August 2010

A easy run up to the nearest "koppie" and back.  Found a nice long steady hill to do repeats on for the up and coming 3 Peaks Challenge.

Movescount 26.8.2010


28 August 2010

Headed out to Groendal Nature Reserve.  What a pleasure! Varied terrain from ravine running to running on ridges and bushwackinig through driver river beds. Excellent technical trails.

Movescount 28.8.2010


I attended a very inspirational talk on Friday presented by Braam Malherbe.  He is one of only two people ever to run the entire length of the Great Wall of China.  It took them 98 days to complete the 4000km+ adventure.  All in the name of charity.  This has inspired me to put my gift of running to good use and support a charity.  More on this in the upcoming weeks.  I'll end of with this quote that Braam used from Spiderman "With great power, comes great responsibility".

Weekly Summary 17-21Aug

Tuesday 17 Aug

Went out to George for work. This always gives me the opportunity to explore new areas. Seeing that I had to do 19km I was amped to get in some decent sight seeing. What was suppose to be a moderate, flat, long interval road run turned out to be a partial, hot, dusty ascent of Montagu Pass in George. It's a gravel pass connecting George with Herold and is an absolute splendour. Some long hills to negotiate (really worked the quads) and on return it turned into long speedy downhills to hammer the hamstrings! Overall a good work out in an awesome part of South Africa.  I made a mental note to myself to attend the Om Die Berg trail run next year!

Montagu Pass

Movescount 17.8.2010


Thursday 19 Aug 2010

Went to Target Kloof to do eleven stair repeats.  It would have been great if the stair was another 2 flights up just to really get the heart racing.  They say you need to give names to difficult hills and sections.  It gives that hill a life of it's own and you start fighting a battle with it.  Led Zeppelin inspired me here and I named the stairs after their most famous song "Stairway To Heaven".

"Stairway to Heaven"

Movescount 19.8.2010


Saturday 19 Aug 2010

Woke up with rather stiff legs after serious leg workout in the gym on Friday.  Tried to walk it out and stretch it out, but wasn't very successful.  I finally started with the run at around 2pm in Longmore plantation.  A lot of undulating hills.  This should be the perfect training run for Baviaans Trail Run with 4 steady climbs of about 4km each. After 32km it was time to increase the pace gradually over the last 6km to marathon pace.  With 2 steep hills to negotiate it was a bit tricky to get the pace right.  Finished the last 2km just below race pace.  the lactic acid had built up a lot, but after 5 minutes of walking around it felt a lot better.  Back at home it was time for a ice bath followed by lots of food! Yum Yum Yum!

Movescount 21.8.2010


This week was the first of two peak weeks.  Not a lot of frequent running, only 3 sessions, but it has been hard running and a lot of distance.  Next week sees more frequent running and some very hard running mid week.  looking forward to it.  I'm feeling good about the Baviaans Trail Run.  I will be using this weeks long run as a benchmark for the race.  I strongly believe I can do a 4 hour run. That is if i don't get lost. Four hours is good enough for second, maybe first if Warren Petterson has a bad day, which is unlikely.

Waiting for the Trail

After a long slow (very slow) run on Saturday I was amped to get out on the trail again on Sunday morning. The wind was howling and sun baking down hard, but I persevered. I started of slowly, just to get the legs warmed up, but when I hit the trail it was all speed.

I didn't push the pace at all and kept a steady heart rate. As the trail winded my pace followed. My mind drifted and it was a blissful run. Passed the same group of mountain bikers 3 times. I love doing that! Chasing mountain bikers on trails is probably my favourite thing besides running trails. Especially on the hills and the more technical the better. Just hop past them with a quick "Hey" and of you disspear into the sunset, while they push or "sukkel" up the hill. I'll definitely recommend that you go out chase a few of them around. It might just make you stronger as well! And when you have had enough of chasing them, enter the First Ascent Mast Challenge. Then you won't just chase them, you will RACE them!

elsmi's Running Move 15.8.2010 - Move at Movescount.com

Woodridge Trail Run Report

This new run on the trail calendar is a little gem! Sure to become a firm favourite under the few trail runners and awesome alternative to chasing the line for the hordes of tri-athletes in Port Elizabeth.

 

The day started of chilly and misty, but by the time the start gun went off the sun was shining like it was summer. The first 2k's was a gentle uphill on some single track and gravel road. I took in the second position letting the front runner go in the hopes that I will catch him toward the end or make ground on the technical sections. After a steady climb we entered an area called "pudding bowl". It's a couple of hundred metres of twisting and turning single track in a little forest. Time to make up some ground and try and shake 3^rd place! It worked well and on the intense descent into the gorge I made some more ground. The gorge is about a 2km section in indigenous forest with a trickle of a stream and slippery rocks. My trail skills came into play and I was able to drop 3^rd place and pass the guy in front. I was able to get a bit of a lead, but the middle section of the race was characterized with two steep climbs which saw number 2 taking the lead again and sprinting up the hills! We could only manage a power hike.

 

The last section was free flowing single track. I thought I had 2^nd in the bag, but on the last climb number 3 caught up to me. We ran together for a bit at an easy pace before we both realised the end is only 2k's away. I was expecting an attack towards the end and picked up the pace first. With 1k to go we basically reached a flat out sprint. We emerged onto the finishing field with people cheering for the winner and for our close battle. I just could not get my legs to move fast enough. I finished 3^rd losing the sprint in the final metres.

 

These type of races are always the most fun. A close battle and very strategic. The Woodridge Trail Runs Series was a success and I hope it will be back again next year.

 

Windy City

The Windy City is treating me well.  I have the luxury of running trails whenever I like without any traveling required.  Step out the door run over some rich peoples lawns for 2km and then it's all trail! Lovin' it!

I've got 8 weeks until the Baviaans Trail run and my training is going well.  The extra mileage on trails has certainly helped a lot!  Running with a pack on half the time has also made a huge difference and come race day my race pack will be as light as a feather!

But now, time for a mid-week long run.  Making it a fast one today! Booom!