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