HOW I BROKE.

Last weekend was the “Kep Ultra”, the race that first sparked my interest in “ultra- running” a few years ago.

I knew I wouldn’t be entering this year as I was only just getting back into training…but I had a plan, a cunning plan. I’d run my own “Ultra” during the race, watching and encouraging racers along the way. I’d call it “ultra-watching!” Little did I know this plan would be my undoing…

From the time I arrived at the finish line (my starting point) I had a plan in mind. I’d start at the finish line for the race and run the 23km down hill to the final check-point for the 100km racers, there I’d refill my water bottles and run the 23km back up the hill to the finish line, grabbing some photos and saying “hey” to racers as I went. (46km/28ish miles in total)

From the time I set out I felt bad, about two kilometers in I stopped and ate the total of the food I’d brought along (some baby food I’d been “experimenting” with) hoping it would give me some energy, I felt as if I were stuck in sand, even on what seemed flat ground my energy was being zapped fast.

I pushed on knowing that I probably just needed to warm up and then things would be smooth again. At about 8km I ran into some volunteers setting up for a final check point at a crucial intersection. They seemed awful surprised to see me and mistook me for a racer, shouting at me that I was “going the wrong way”.

“I’m not racing” I shouted back as I headed downhill toward the oncoming 100km racers. By my calculations’ the lead runners should be coming through in about in hour I thought.

I was running downhill now but the effort required was still very hard. “What the hell is going on?” I was starting to wonder, normally I can smash the descents but today I was struggling to keep going. I pushed on…

An hour passed and I was at the Darlington Station, A major landmark in the race, I filled my water and waited for the runners to come…they didn’t, my calculations were wrong, my head was hurting, I was getting a migraine. I felt cold and decided to put on my jacket (best decision ever) after waiting I pushed on toward the bottom of the hill. Almost immediately my head began to throb. I pulled into bushes and tried to pee…it came out brown.

“Oh shit” I was dehydrated…badly.

I walked back up the hill to Darlington and refilled all my water bottles, drinking them entirely twice before doing the sensible thing and back tracking back toward my car.

It took me a long time to hike the distance I previously ran, but hiking was making me feel better.

I was enjoying the view and listening to my music. Two hours later I was in Mundaring and there I met the front runner in the 100km race, he was running well and I couldn’t help but envy how well he was going (considering he’d just run 90 km!!).

As we approached the summit a massive crowd appeared to cheer him on, (people were cheering for me too, as they had mistaken me for a racer) I pulled right off the track to make clear that I was only there to watch, I saw a lot of fellow runners that I know in the crowd and stopped to talk with them. I was feeling pretty terrible, I thought about asking them for a ride to the finish, but too full of pride I didn’t ask for any help. I just shrugged it of and told them all I was going to get some pictures and I’d see them all at the finish. I'd been running for four hours now.

I was now only about 8 Km away from my car and decided to try running again. This made my brain hurt and my legs were begging for mercy but this was meant to be an “ultra” …it’s supposed to hurt.

Then a rouge honkey nut caught me unaware and I rolled my ankle so hard that I heard an audible “POP.”  I fell forward in agony and lied very still for along time afraid to look at my throbbing ankle. In the fall I’d knocked my head on the ground and my vision had started to go funny.

“This is not ideal.” I thought and I eventually got to my feet.

Three more miles…the longest three of my life, my water had run dry. My ankle was sore, and my brain felt swollen in head. Finally a finish line approached and runners were coming in and basking in the glory of their achievement. They are all heroes. If you ever want to witness somthing special, hang out at an ultra finish line.

I sat down and talked to some fellow runners and passed on my congratulations

I'd been running for 6 hours...Felling ill, I headed home.

No sooner had I parked my car in the driveway then projectile vomit began to erupt violently from my mouth, my headache was now unbearable, and i was strating to shake...My next stop was the ER.

I got to Royal Perth Hospital in bad shape; I was taken in immediately and given an I.V. drip to rehydrate me and something else to take away my nausea. After a few hours I was released…I got home and had heart palpitations for the next week. My heart would beat, and then beat, and then stop……and then beat again. “Now you’ve done it” I thought to myself. Had I tried to run the entire Kep race like I wanted to…well, I’m not sure I would have been okay. My Heart was speaking to me and it's message was clear.

The end game is I need to take a break for awhile, fully recover from Ross River Virus (see previous post) and then reassess. It looks like my ultra days may be over…for now.

It was a huge wake up call, to have a heart scare. I have a lot to lose and I know I’m too stubborn to run a sensible 10 miles a week (total) like the doctors recommend. I’m an "all or nothing" kind of guy, always have been.

So, what now for this Blog? …Well, I thank you for reading for however long you’ve been following. I hope you’ve had a laugh or you’ve been inspired.

I wish you all well.

Aaron.

Sillyness

There is not a lot to report this week, a nasty cold has brought my training to a complete halt and I’ve been catching up on rest. Feeling better this morning, I was itching to go out and run something, anything, but I’ve only just started to feel better…so I let myself rest… By noon I could wait no longer and found myself driving wildly toward Ellis Brook.

My plan was simple enough, a bit of light hiking, “there will be no running.” I told myself.

“I must recover before I start running again” I stated, I was wearing jeans to further cement my commitment to keeping this outing sensible. Parking my car in the “Honey Eater” car park, I slipped on my Montrails and gazed skyward at the goliath climb that snakes its way to the ridgeline. I took a deep breath, and set off. My lower extremities are very used to running this path so I indulged them for a few minutes, falling into a gallop to get it out of their system. “At the base of the climb I’ll stop and hike it.” I thought.

I hit the hill and started to power hike, I was making damn good time. I soon reached the ridgeline and on feeling the flat my feet instinctively again started to run and hop over rocks. “Oh, well” I thought, they’ll tire soon enough.

A descent approached and instead of working my way down it slowly, and sensibly, I sprinted, and the more I sprinted, the harder it was to stop sprinting!…so I just kept it up.

“This is starting to look more like a run!” a voice was saying in my head.

“This is starting to get more FUN” another replied.

And from then on it was a run.

I’d have looked pretty silly sprinting around in blue jeans and with no water…I’m sure I was mistaken for a lost hiker with “Canyon Fever” when I finally saw another person half an hour later.

“Oh who cares?” I thought, I found another hill…a big one…a steep one, I saw it from a few kilometers away and spotted the narrow trail to its summit, it called to me.

I ran what I could and hiked the rest. On reaching the summit I was astounded at the view, absolutely breathtaking…and then I made a familiar mistake, I went exploring.

I was totally out of water and about 5km from my car, but I trudged on, following several dead end trails, before finally having enough sense to backtrack back down the big hill.

I’m home now and itching to go out again, I’ve even debated the benefits of backing up today’s adventure with a quick 20k, but I know that will not help me get over this cold, it’ll make it worse. I’m looking forward to getting back into again later this week.

Happy trails.

The City

It’s been a big week. I’m finally recovered enough to attempt 5 runs a week and I’ve logged some pretty decent mileage.

The highlight of the week was my Saturday run in the city, normally I’d cringe at the idea of running in the “concrete jungle” but, as I haven’t done it in so long the novelty of it appealed to me.

I parked my car along the river at South Perth and ran east toward the causeway, it was dark already and the path was dimly lit and offered a lovely view of the skyline as it reflected off the Swan River.

On reaching the causeway I discovered a pair of runners ahead going in vaguely the same direction as I wished to go…so naturally I had to race them. I clearly set out on this run with the intention of this being a LSD (long slow distance run)

But once I got caught up in racing I forgot all about that. I was about a minute behind them and closing fast, about two KM’s later I’d closed the gap to around 15 seconds. It was around this point that one of them turned ‘round and spotted me closing in on them. Suddenly they took off like a bolt and the “secret racing” had begun. 4 Kilometers passed and they were looking back frequently to gauge their position relative to mine. I was still closing…8 seconds now. I kept pushing a few minutes later they gave in and started to walk. Giving me a coy look as I passed as if to say. “What? This is always where we’d planned to stop!”

It’s an unwritten law in running; any two runners going in the same general direction are racing.

I past them and kept up my crazy pace until I’d well and truly dropped them.

I was nearing the end of the loop  and decided to head up into Kings Park, leaving Mounds Bay Rd. I found myself at the base of “Jacobs Ladder” a huge staircase that summits at the Kings Park entrance. I ran into the park and enjoyed the view of the city and beyond. The park was filled with tourist and couples making out on the grass, I passed them and made my way into the dark trails that skirt the perimeter. I eventually reached and climbed the DNA tower and stood for a long time on its peak enjoying the view.

It was getting cold now and I decided to head home…summiting and descending “Jacobs’s Ladder” a further three times for good measure. I love distance running!

Shoe Nerd..

Somehow my running shoe collection just keeps on growing, Minimus’ for fast short runs...Pumas for track silliness...and now the Montrails for long range fun.
I broke in the Montrails last night after two days of them sitting in a box begging to be thrashed; after two years of running in ONLY Minimus' I was a bit worried when I first saw the Montrails heel...it looked high! Well everything looks high compared to the zero drop Minimus. First impressions when slipping the Montrails on, is how good they fit. (always a gamble when you buy over the net)  when the back of the shoe fits over my heel it sucks in tight around the back of my foot and I feel as though I don’t even need to tighten the laces to keep this shoe firmly attached. Also noticeable is the very aggressive sole of the shoe, it’s got big lugs underneath and I suspect it’ll be fantastic grip on the many pea gravel trails that dot Western Australia. My route yesterday took me from road to trail so I got to test them on multiple surfaces and was very pleased to see that these shoes still encouraged a midfoot strike and had a bit more padding to help on longer road runs. The real test will come this weekend on some glorious single track!

Happy trails!

Serpentine

Out at Serpentine this morning to look at some serious hills, Coming off a very successful hills run on Wednesday I was feeling confident that I’d be able to cruise up the hills at Serps…halfway up the first hill however any ideas that this were going to be easy were evaporating fast. It's pretty demoralizing to give in and walk a hill, the time it takes to cover distance when walking only added to my disappointment. I finally reached the summit and struggled to suck in air. My legs felt very fresh but my lungs were screaming. I felt like giving up. I stuck with it and fell into a more sustainable rhythm, eventually I recovered enough to keep up.

                                   

Luckily what goes up must go down, on the descent I hammered my way down the rocky trail and finally started to feel good, it just goes to show you that you can feel like crap one minute and be cruising the next!

On the “Three Steps” I took a much more sensible approach and hiked it, letting my lungs rest but still giving my legs a work out. Running at this stage is all about compromises and listening to my body. I’m still nowhere near 100% and I often forget this when I get overzealous on a big hill.

Finishing the run I have a mixed bag of feelings, I’m disappointed at not being able to float up hills like I want to, but still stoked to be out there…even if I’m bringing up the rear.

They only come out at night!

I was out at bold park last night for some mid-week hills fun, I’ve been recovering a lot quicker now that I’m back into it again and was able to run all the hills…albeit not at top speed. There is nothing better then trail running with good friends on a beautiful night....Happy days!

No Pain, No Gain!!

It back out to Kalamunda today for some more hills and single-track. Saturday night found me debating the idea of running at all as my sciatic nerve has been driving me crazy, but when I woke up at 5:30 a.m. I figured I may as well give it a go. I arrived at Jorgenson Park about a half an hour early and tried to motivate myself with loud music in my car while I waited for the others to arrive.

The running group regulars soon appeared and we shared some light banter before things got serious, Now Bernadette, who normally coordinates these little excursions  has neglected to tell me that today’s outing would be speed specific…or so it seemed.

It all started innocently enough as we meandered down a section of the Bib Track. However, about 5 minutes later things kicked into high gear and the pace setters (you know who you are) descended into a valley at breakneck speed, disappearing into blanket of fog on the valley floor.

“Holy shit!” I thought. Surely they don’t intent to keep this up…but they did.

Sucking hard at my camelback straw, I dug deep and followed as fast as my feet would go. “Kamikazing” my way through ankle breaking rocks and slippery mud slicks, eventually reaching the fore runners at the intersection and trying in vain to catch my breath, next would come the climb!

Climbing used to be my forte…(Note: Used to be) I had to dig deep but I made it up and over the hill without losing too much time, then into another neck breaking descend…and on, and on, and on it went…until it was done.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel dead, I’d even say I felt okay! I was pushed beyond my limit and I’d passed, that’s progress!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Run in a group…preferably in a group full of sadists and watch how fast you’ll improve.

An hour later I was home…and still mobile; I headed out to the park with the kids and had a nice barefoot recovery run. Big gains this week, and recovering much better than two weeks ago. Watch this space.

all pics by Bernadette.

Boo!

I’ve recovered enough from that “back incident” to attempt another run. Last night I laced up and headed southbound into the market gardens and turf farms that line the “

Ghost Highway

” It’s a long undulating stretch of road that I started running 2 years ago and fell in love with. Night on the

Ghost Highway

is beautiful and isolated and running on it transforms it into a dream like experience. Old paperback trees thrust their branches wildly and unnaturally skyward and present a ghastly silhouette. Small marsupials scurry as I approach and rattle bushes as they retreat; the verge is alive with movement. And then there is the ghost…me. A 6’2 man…only my shadow accompanies me…and I’m running. Occasionally a car will approach, its driver stricken with fear as a lone runner vaporizes from the night. As quickly as the cars appear, they’re over the next hill and gone. And again the road is silent and mine.

Stars guide the way and I settle into a very efficient rhythm. Kilometers are ticking by and I’m feeling great. Tonight I’ve brought my iPod and I’m listening to songs I’ve forgotten about…2 hours have past…then 2.5, I approach home and briefly entertain the idea of continuing. But do the smart thing and call it a night. Best estimate is around a 25km (15mile) run. Not too bad for my 3^rd run back.  

Freak!

So, while I wait for my back to recover I thought i'd post this Vid of Kilian Jornet (aka FREAK) watch how this dude climbs and descends...not human.

Also, I got some new shoes on the way...this time some Montrails, report to follow.
Happy trails

The Bad Hurt...

Last night I rejoined my old trail running group for 16.5km in the hills, my legs felt great! I’m obviously I need of some good hill sessions though as most of the hills slowed me to a hike. The night finish was spectacular and otherworldly as my headlight found the path through a narrow cut between trees. Running with a group has always pushed me well beyond my limits and tonight was no exception…

We finished in the dark and sat around chatting for awhile, eating fresh oranges. A twinge in my back told me it was time to head home before me body seized from the shock of not running, to running hard in the hills.

I made it home, had some dinner with my wife and then went for a hot soak in the bath. It felt great to slide into the warm water and let my muscles relax…then out of the blue my lower back had a spasm and I felt like I’d been shot.

I tried to call my wife to help me, but the pain was so intense I couldn’t speak.

I clawed my way out of the bath for fear the pain would cause me to pass out and drown.

Eventually making it to the hallway on hands and knees, my wife came to my aid…by laughing hysterically at me.

Once she’d satisfied her need to laugh at my plight, she gave me some hot rub and an anti –inflammatory.  I lied on the couch for a long while in the fetal position hoping it would go away, but every time I’d move it felt like I had a knife stuck in my spine.

Bed time approached and I thought I could make it to bed on my own, I forced myself upright, the pain was so intense that I collapsed on the floor and cried like a baby. I have never experienced pain like this. I got to my hands and knees and crawled to my bed, passing out from exhaustion.

Waking up this morning, the pain is still there; luckily it’s subsided and is now more of an annoyance then a crippling condition.

So while I might be able to run 16.5km in the hills, the recovery of these runs as going to be the issue. It’s a hard pill to swallow, the mind is totally willing and the body is not up to it, probably due to Ross River…

I guess it’s back to walking for recovery, and we try again next week.




pics by Bernadette.

The Good Hurt!

I’ve been feeling better lately and decided to go for my first trail run today. Being my first trail run in a few months I’ve decided to choose a relatively flat trail to test my legs, so at mid-day today, I headed to Thomsons Lake.

I’ve been using an old “WalkGPS” map I got of their web site (Map can be found on previous post). It’s about 9km around the lake with four distinctly different environments; the southern and western side has sparse vegetation and is exposed to the sun with patches of thick sand. The north is, by contrast very shaded and large trees protect you as you chug up the hill, descending to the east the gum trees guide you back toward the lake and kangaroos scatter as I approach, frightening both of us in equal measure. Once you’re on the eastern side of the lake you enter the flooded plains (currently dry but certainly prone to flooding) and paper-bark trees offer little in the way of protection from the noon sun. Animals are thriving on the reserve and I see many species of birds and marsupials, rounding one corner I see a small possum about to be carried off by a group of crows, I gave them a fright and they abandon their attack and the possum scatters off, thankful this time to have a human encounter.

My legs are feeling okay; I’m admittedly unfit as I’ve stopped training regularly awhile ago, I try to blame the soreness on my fitness instead of Ross River…

I get home feeling great and even briefly think about backing it up with a 5km tonight to “cool down” but I remind my self to be patient and opt to rest instead. Happy in the fact I can finally start to re-build and start again.

Funny Friday.

Funny and True....i'm guilty of at least ten of these!

Tiny Victory.

By Monday night I’d had enough of sitting around watching TV, I wanted to punch Ross River Virus in the face, so disobeying the doctor I rummaged through my drawers in search of running clothes. It took me a while to find them as I haven’t had much need for them lately; but sliding them on I felt like a superhero getting into costume. I was about to leave my house and go running!

Outside the stars were putting on a display, and even through the light pollution I stopped to marvel at them for a while. I started off…a few sore steps, I persevered and the pain diminished. I passed 3k and the pain fell away completely. I felt like that scene in “Forest Gump” where he has those leg braces and as he runs, they disintegrate!

At 5k I was feeling brilliant, at 6k I stopped worrying about how I was feeling and just enjoyed. My footfalls were silent as they hit the ground, which is always a great indicator that I’m striding both comfortably and efficiently. I made it 8k without incident and decided to call it quits so I don’t overdo it.

Returning home I was ecstatic, it’s a very promising sign that I’ll be able to get back to full training in about a month.

Hopefully a easy paced long run this weekend (well 12k counts as “long” at the moment) and I’ll be able to get an idea of how I’m progressing.

An Ultra by the end of the year is back on the cards!

"T" Lake.

I was back out at Thompsons Lake this morning. I parked my car at the Russell Road entrance, and stretched sleepily watching the sunrise. Cold wind nipped at my skin and eucalypt trees perfumed the air. I grabbed my favorite walking stick and my camel-bak I made my way inside the reserve through the dual chain link gates. Chilled fog blanketed the low lying areas of the lake and gave off a mystical “lord of the rings” look.

I’ve been told to not run for another month (see previous post) but today I thought I’d try a bit of “light running”…just to see. The reserve is dead flat and running was easy enough, being on the coastal plain there are often thick patches of foot swallowing sand and even these were fairly easy to negotiate. Two kilometers later I relented as knee pain kicked in…damn. I slowed down to a hike pace and was happy to take in the view.

“A few more weeks” I promise myself.

“I’ll have to ease back into it.”

 I guess this is the first injury (Ross River virus) that has kept me out of running...in a weird way it’s helped me want to run more too. I guess the “not being able to” has made me want to do it more. No one likes to be told they can’t do something!

As I walk I have grand visions of creating a race here, maybe a 50 miler, maybe 100!

The idea of race directing has become more and more appealing over the last year. I can’t help but going to a trail and looking at the logistics of running a race there. Thompsons Lake is a pretty special place, and the idea of a race here, in my own backyard, is exciting.

I eventually circumnavigate the lake and get back to my car.

Trail time: “check!”

Image from "Walk GPS"
a great trail running resource website here: www.walkgps.com

Jealous?

 The always motivational coaching endurance movies, click below!

Coaching Endurance

Beards!

So, I've decided that a "mountain man" beard will help my running...(see HERE)
Let the experiment begin!

Alone in the bush.

My worst fears have been confirmed…I’ve got Ross River Virus (Western Australia’s answer to Malaria). Only an infected mosquito can give you this virus, and it affects all of your joints in a manor similar to arthritis. You also get a bit sleepy and experience “out of the blue” headaches…so not ideal if you’re a distance runner. In fact, my doctor has recommended I quit any running until this passes (which could be up to 18months!!). Luckily, my body has responded very well and I’ve only felt a bit of mild discomfort and a bit sleepy, but wanting to play it safe for a while, I’ve down graded my training until I feel 100%.

Sunday: I found myself very bored of sitting around, so I decided to go for a little walk. Leaving my house with the best of intentions of taking it easy, I left my water bottle and phone at home and decided to walk around the neighborhood…That turned into a little walk into the Thomsons Lake Reserve…that turned into a circumnavigation of the lake. I was “Hiking” now! Walking is soooo pedestrian when you can be out Hiking! Entering the reserve from my secret entrance on the northern end of the reserve, I grabbed a large stick to ward off poisonous snakes. All of my Snake encounters have been on the reserve. Rapid growth all around this area has created a condensed nature reserve. And snakes are very much a real threat. Walking cautiously down a single-track path I let the idea of snakes get the better of me and swatted several suspect leaf piles. I felt like and explorer, sure I wasn’t running but this was “trail time” all the same and fulfilled my nature fix. Circumnavigating the Lake wasn’t on my agenda when I set out but seemed the logical thing to do once I’d started. It was a very enjoyable time walking alone in the bush.

I finally got home two and a half hours later, sunburned, dehydrated and exhausted…and with a very mad wife waiting for me, in fact she’d nearly sent out a search party to look for my corpse.

I guess the moral is: you can still get out there even if I can’t go top speed, and always, always tell your wife where you’re going!

Happy trails.

All photos are from: www.walkgps.com/Thomsons%20Lake%20Walk.htm

The Wild.

"The Fig Tree Loop":

Wungong Gorge has been on my mind for about a week now, and when I woke up early this morning I thought it was a good time to pay it a visit.

Wungong is my “Local”, it’s the nearest good trail close my house and I’ve neglected it lately in favor of more exotic and distant trails, but after today that’s going to change…In fact, I’m going to make it my running home base!

I got to the trail around 8:00 this morning; I parked on the western side of the Gorge and decided to run along the valley floor to warm up. It’s fairly easy going along this bottom section and is suitable to horses and hikers alike. My feet were thanking me for taking them off road, not only for the more forgiving surface but also to change up my gait from road running. The further you run into the valley the larger the walls loom and engulf me in thick foliage and welcoming shade. Occasional beams of sun poked through the trees and revealed Orb spider webs high in the branches.

The terrain turned from flat to undulating and large rocks litter the trail like icebergs in the sea and just as treacherous. I paused occasionally, to play with my new camera and take photos. After a while I reach the eastern side of the gorge and can see the mighty Wungong dam. Turning right I head toward the southern ridge. Here the trail comes to the valley floor and then turns abruptly upward as you make the climb up out of the valley and into the more exposed and rugged southern ridge.   

I struggle to make progress uphill as the pea gravel gives way below me. The incline is unforgiving and in direct energy zapping sunlight. I reach the summit exhausted and let the cool easterly breeze blow on my face for a long time. Around me monarch butterflies have filled the sky and it’s like a surreal dream, I sit back and watch them swirl around and land on spiky bushes.

Once I’ve recovered sufficiently, I make the zigzagged decent back toward the valley.

Luckily its wild fig season and I come to my favorite fig tree. (Yes, I do have a favorite)It’s loaded with fresh figs and I spend several minutes squeeze testing them to find the ripe ones, I eat two or three and they’re delicious, refueled now I feel great and proceed back toward the valley. Here the trail turns west again and skirts the valley for a while before the big climb back to the ridge. The terrain here is very steep and the only way to climb it is to zigzag your way up. I climb for what seems like and eternity and eventually reach the top. Spying a new trail here I get my bearings and check my water to see if I’ve got enough for some “bonus k’s” luckily, I do.

Going east again I’m exploring and in my element. The running on the ridge is easy and I’m feeling great. The trail later merges back with one that I’m familiar with and I start to make my way back to my car. Getting off the ridge proves to be very hard; the decent is very steep and covered with pea gravel. I make very short quick steps as I scramble down, my feet are singing “the black toenail blues” as my toes relentlessly slide forward in my shoes.I reach the valley floor and cross a stream, I suck down the last of my water and lightly run my way back to my car, three hours have passed. I’m not sure how far I went, but I’m happy to be back where I belong.

buzz

Okay, a bit of a set back…either I’m really sore or I’ve contracted the mosquito virus “Ross River.”

I felt pretty terrible on my run the other day and my joints have been abnormally sore since, that being said, it’s been a long time since I’ve asked them to run.

 I gave a blood test the other day and I’m anxiously awaiting my results before I jump back into training. Crossing fingers…..

Less is more.

 Click here for more info!

Couch to 50k

Day 1: "The Couch Potato".

It became apparent about 10 minutes into my run tonight that I’m starting from scratch.

I left my house, excited, visualizing an easy 20k run, gliding along effortlessly…After all two years ago i could run a marathon on any given day!

However at about Ten minutes in, the illusion was shattered by a loud clapping noise. I turned ‘round expecting to see a Clydesdale chasing after me, but I was alone, alone with a stranger’s gait. Now for the uninitiated a “Gait” is your natural foot fall or running stride, mine felt anything but natural. I’m sure I looked more like a wounded emu than an efficient runner. Somewhere along the line I’d forgotten how to run comfortably and in turn efficiently.

“No matter” I thought, as I turned up my I Pod to drown out that annoying foot slap sound, “I’ll persevere and hope I can get into a rhythm.” I thought optimistically.

Finally at about 4k I relaxed into it started to feel good…then great…then really bad.

A walker in front of me was keeping pace…even pulling away??

“What the hell is that?” I gasped

“Oh my legs feel like they are going to fall off…Oh, okay don’t be alarmed. I’ve been here before.” I reassured myself. Thinking back to an ultra…but this was no ultra. This was a 7k stroll. I made it home exhausted and relived to have lived through such a harrowing ordeal. That’s it, first one done, tomorrow will be easier. Let the secret training begin!

Try a Tri?

Less than a month from now I’ll be embarking on my first triathlon. I’m not one of those “Ironman Types” who love multi discipline sports, I fact I’m not looking forward to the swim leg, with swimmers frantically kicking past me to get near the front. In fact the whole idea of a triathlon scares the hell out of me…that’s why I’m so excited about it.

It all started with the Santa Run (see earlier post) and since I was a bit of a “show off” in that race, a few guys at work selected me to be on their Tri team.

“No worries, that’ll be easy.” I said studying the course map.

“Three months to train, I’ll be ready...”

That was two months ago, sadly my training plans never materialized. I did manage to improve my best score on “Madden NFL 2005” on my XBOX and I did have a nice holiday. Now it’s less than a month to go and I fell like a teenager cramming for a big test. From this weekend it’s game on! No more lazing about.

That’s the reason for my excitement; I’m really excited about training again, albeit if the catalyst is some silly Tri and not an ultra-marathon, it’s a baby step in the right direction and should get me focused again on what I love… Running.

Still here....

Anyone who knows me as a runner would testify that I have a love/hate relationship with running. In fact we metaphorically broke up about a year ago and I haven’t spoke to it much since. I have had little spurts here and there we I would lace up and commit to a few days of running but for the most part I’d almost given up. I was now a non-runner. When you classify your self as a “runner” in the sense that I did, you can’t help but feel you’ve lost a major part of your identity, not to mention running friends.

Meanwhile I’ve been ignoring the smoldering fire, the passion for running. Each day it’s been growing, I’ve been waiting for it to return to a bonfire, but as quickly as it grows it’s doused by something, something unidentifiable but tangible all the same.

I think for me my biggest inspiration in running is the exploring, exploring a new trail, exploring my own limits of endurance, exploring the glorious feeling of being able to seemingly run forever. That’s the flame I’m fanning now. Encouraging myself to go explore what’s out there.

Feel free to throw some logs on the fire.

Ueli Steck's Eiger north face ascent