Stage 5... done (with serious speed!)

It can't be a good sign about my cooking if Rob manages to do so well in the desert without any properly prepared meals , it must mean my cooking really really sucks!

But they did it again!

Brilliant performances on I am assuming on very hungry tummy's! It sounded like a very tough stage (again) with 21kms of mainly dune running.

Results
Pos Competitor Stage 5
2 Ryan Sandes 2:07:00
10 Rob Graham 2:34:15
31 Andrew Espin 3:27:30

Pos Competitor Overall
2 Ryan Sandes 25:32:04
13 Rob Graham 36:10:42
34 Andrew Espin 41:20:51

They are on their way to the finish now - a 10km run to the town of Luderitz where they will be destroying the pizza and beer offered to them as they cross the finish line.

I am so very proud of them - Rob, it seems like he is just getting stronger and stronger as the days gone by. Andrew is also doing exceptionally well and keeps on amazing us all.

If you want to shed a tear or two , go read ryan's blog on his website on his about the 100km stage(www,ryansandes.com ).

I hope to get the results for stage 6 later today . And see them back in Cape Town tomorrow , whooohhooo

stage 4 ...done !

So the 2 boys not only finished the 100km stage , they WAXED it !

The results were finally updated last nite :

Rank Competitor Stage 4
1 Sandes Ryan N. 11:36:52
17 Graham Rob J. 17:09:15
31 Espin Andrew M. 19:38:20

And overall results after stage 4:

Rank Competitor Overall
2 Sandes Ryan N. 23:25:04
16 Graham Rob J. 33:36:27
36 Espin Andrew M. 37:53:21

So I think we got to go out and buy some champagne ...

Today was suppose to be a 28km stage but the latest update said it has been shortened to a 21 km stage , lots of dunes and sand today, it possibly will hurt after a 100km's.

Lets wish them a no chain day , xxx Carla xxx

stage 4... no updates yet

I am still waiting for updated results from stage 4 to see how andrew did, but the organisers have decided to keep it a secret... not funny when you anxiously waiting.

The organisers have updated news highlights a couple of times - I will extract some highlights on what happened out there yesterday /today:

1) At about 4am this morning (Namibia time)- ONLY "32 competitors have crossed the finish line after 100km of pushing on through the night." The rest is still on the course.

2) At about 8am " 63 competitors have arrived at camp 5" The rest is still on course. 24 hours later from start time yesterday.

3) Dr. Allen Chen said, “we are seeing a lot more chronic stuff now. Blisters are getting worse, shoes are absolutely filled with sand and there have been cases of tendonitis and obviously, dehydration is a major issue.” Competitors are receiving the best care possible, and looking better for it.

4)And finally we hear something about Rob! And I qoute...
" Rob Graham (South Africa) commented, “it was a long haul, and definitely the most difficult day of my athletic life,” but then conceded that the landscape was, “stunning.”

5) At about 10am this morning: "There is a confirmed drop-out rate of 25%, and more than 100 people stayed overnight at check-point 18. All the competitors who opted to spend the night at check-point 18 had to leave at 0600 in order to continue."

6) I read on one person's blog that they were apparently going to get onto a bus at 3am the morning of the 100km stage to travel to the starting line.

I must say if I was there I would have not been impressed by the 3am wake up call , a 4 hour bus ride and then a 100km stage. Oh and for good measure add 43 degrees heat. The 25% drop out rate is understandable.

I do not think I can check the website one more time ! Chris (the physio), Eric Tollner and I have been checking that website continuously for any signs of life but I think we are now starting to hallucinate as the long wait is now taking its toll on us.

Hope to get some more news later ...

stage 4 update

Rob has finished the 100km stage in a time of 17h09 ! I think he is about 17th now , but results are a bit of a mess , so not confirmed yet .

Still waiting for Andrew's results to come through though .

It looks like the majority of the field is still out there , they have 2 days to complete the 100km stage so today will be a rest day for Rob who finished at about 1 o clock this morning !

Ryan and Salvador ( the leader) finished the 100km stage together , sharing the 1st place for the stage ! Ryan is a machine.

The high temp for the day was recorded to be 43 degrees, so the day could not have been easy.

Stage 3... done (with excellence!)

Stage 3 was predicted to be a fast stage... and our boys did exactly did , they went fast .

Ryan came 2nd , just 5 minutes behind the winner , leaving him in 2nd overall , with only 19 minutes seperating the two... how awesome !

But then there was Rob... he came 12th for the stage with 4h19 (!!!) and that leaves him at 20th overall . Grrrrrreat performance from the mobsta !

Andrew also had a brilliant day with a 4h55 split and that pushes him up to 39th position !

Today will split the boys from the men - with the 100km stage starting in about 5 minutes time, but I am sure our boys will be just fine.

Rock on, Carlagirl

Stage 2... done !

So stage 2 is done !

Another superb day out yesterday in the 38km Stage 2 in what was described as "basically a day of rock and then sand”, the competitors were asked to make their way through three stages of rocky terrain, following a 60m sand dune, the group’s first introduction to the Namibian sand dunes that they will tackle later this week...

Rob and Andrew both seemed to have good day , Rob finishing 22nd overall ( 5h52 for the stage ) and Andrew moved up to 43th position (5h59). Ryan won the stage which is fantastic and I am sure Rob and Andrew would have celebrated with him last night!
With exactly what they would have celebrated I am not sure , maybe they went all out and mixed 2 different flavoured rehydrates togehter ...

I am sooo proud of them :)

Today is a another 35km section and tomorrow is the dreaded death march of 100km's !

Rock on, Carla

stage 1 .. done

Results in from the Namib last night after a very tough stage 1 through the Fish River canyon that saw plenty of competitors withdrawing and some even spending the night down in the canyon!

Ryan Sandes came in 2nd, only 24mins behind a "very determined" Salvador Calvo from Spain. "Ryan confirmed that the canyon section was, “tough, and might have chosen to drive it.” Sandes is running with overstretched ligaments in his right ankle. “At least it isn’t broken,” he said."

Rob come in at 19th positiom overall in a total time of 6h14 and Andrew in 54th in
7h19.

To put it in perspective, the latest runner in in 202nd position finished in 15hrs, 12mins, and according to the web, there is still a competitor out there waiting to come in (this was at about 11pm...)

The webpage is not updated regularly as the organisers are having problems with the reception.

This morning saw the boys starting stage 2 at 9am , another 40km's or so , but hopefully a less technical day !

(Thanks to Eric Tollner for writing the majority of this update!!!)

Cheers Carla

The boys have arrived in Namib

Just to let you all know the boys have safely arrived in Namib and is currently going through the dreaded bag check. I hope they had all that the organisers required!

Rob has been allocated a special race number , # 69! (Mmm, always a lucky man!)

I will keep you updated as much as I can during the next week with any news that I receive ...

Cheers, Carla (Rob's real wife and stand-in wife for Andrew)

PS : Due to logistics and bad planning I have to use Rob's gmail address for blogging here - so sorry if this causes confusion ... but it could be worse , you could be running 270km in a desert for 6 days... )

Gremlins

HI
Some gremlins with the link I just posted, so I've put the link to the results page just under the countdown banner.
This will redirect the page to the Racing The Planet: Namibia results page where you can view the full results!

Andrew

Results

Hi
If you'd like to follow the results, use the following link:




This is also available on the top right hand side of the page!

Update Update

915-14-May: The course has been modified and is now expected to include a 100 kilometer stage (Stage 4), followed a stage with nothing but dunes in what course director, Dave Annandale, calls, "the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen." Volunteers are undergoing training for RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009, and competitors are beginning to trickle in throughout the day.

RACINGTHEPLANET is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food, are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams.

EXCITEMENT OR FEAR

Which is it? A bit of both!!

Well guys its getting close now. One 30 minute run left and then down the gauntlet. hahaha.

I went to Ian (Coach) today who did a muscle balancing to see if all my muscles were firing properly ..... well 12 out of 42 groups needed to be balanced. It was a very interesting experience and the first time that I have ever had this done to me. Tomorrow night is time to pack bags... then repack bags .... then pack again just to make sure. I hope I remember to pack my shoes in. hahaha. I wont forget food!!

All my patches have been ironed onto my shirts ... I guess I'm an Ironman then ... hahah .... watch this space my friends .... when we get back another adventure lurkes... :) :)

I'll try beg borrow or steal a pc in Nam to keep you updated before we run!

Cheers

R

Packing List

Started going through the items to pack last night - these include:

Backpack
Sleeping Bag
Myoplex
Future Life
Smash
Knorrox
Perpetuam
Game
Rehidrat
Freeze Meals
Bars
Jels
Biltong
Nuts
Headlamp + backup
Batteries
Compass
Safefty Pins
RTP Patches
Nationality Patches
Knife
Whistle
Survival Blanket
Cap
Sunglasses
Lightweight Jacket
Tights
Fleece Hat
Gloves
Long Sleeve Shirt
Short Sleeve Shirt
Shoes
Sunscreen
Blister Kit
Talcum powder
Medication:
Anti-inflammotory
Neurofen
Norflex
Immodium
Valoid
Broad based anti-biotic
Electrolytes
Red Flashing Light
Waterproof Bag
Socks
Gaiters
Flip Flops
Lip Sunscreen
Insect Repellant
Eating Utensils
Bowl
Ziploc bags
Toilet Paper
Wet Wipes
Towel
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Transact patches
Leukotape P
Vaseline
Buff
Disposable Camera

Well suffice to say that most of this is probably going to end up being turfed because it won't fit into the backpack. Ha Ha - how you like?? The food and race aids that are in powder form - we will wait until after registration and begin to portion out into plastic ziploc bags - because we'll have to go though customs and the last thing we need is to be stopped because we're each loaded down with plastic bags of suspicious white powder.
I think the rest will have to be on taken on an essential/non essential paradigm basis. I suppose one can get carried a bit too carried away trying to cater for every eventuality, but gees, its hard.

I am also attaching a google map of the terrain for stage one.

Stage Descriptions

Stage 1: Fish River Canyon, approximate distance – 40 kilometers

After spending the night at Camp 1, “Africa’s Grand Canyon,” tucked away in Namibia’s great natural wonder, the Fish River Canyon, the 2nd largest and deepest canyon in the world, and the largest in Africa, RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009 commences. With breathtaking scenery, competitors will start a deep descent into the canyon where the ground will be uneven and rocky and there may be multiple river crossings and climbs depending on the water level. The canyon is teeming with exotic flora and fauna, and there may be sightings of wild zebra, baboon, oryx and other animals. More than 350 million years old, this ravine is made up of spectacular, rich orange hued, horizontal dolomite strata, and hot sulphur springs which at times can be rough and broken. After exiting the Fish River Canyon, competitors will head towards Camp 2, which is named “Southern Cross.”

Stage 2: Leopards & Cheetahs, approximate distance – 42 kilometers

The high, forbidding cliffs of the canyon give way to the scrubland of the African Bush in Stage 2. Ground varies between hard, broken rocks to hardened riverbed sand with wet patches. There may be a few ascents up loose, sandy slopes as the path through this area of the African Bush mostly consists of winding roads traversing small mountains and hills. Competitors may be lucky enough to catch sight of a few leopard or cheetah tracks on their journey. Camp 3, is named, “Nama,” after the indigenous tribe in the surrounding area who form a majority in this part of the world.

Stage 3: Huns Mountains, approximate distance – 39 kilometers

Stage 3 begins with large flat areas and easier terrain than the previous stages skirting the Huns Mountain range. Derelict dwellings populate the dirt roads winding through easy to medium ground up and down small rises. There may be a descent into a riverbed, as well as rocky, broken ground with the occasional scramble, towards the end of the stage before returning to easier flattish ground. Camp 4 is, “Quiver Forest,” so named due to the native Quiver Tree, an indigenous succulent that grows in this area.

Stage 4: In the Footsteps of the Bushmen, approximate distance – 40 kilometers

The route through Stage 4 continues through the African Bush, following easy broken road meaning a moderate pace may be maintained. Although the path may at times be uneven, it is expected to be a quick stage due to the long areas of flat and gentle downhill passages through lunar terrain. As Stage 4 progresses, there are plenty of animal tracks and even a few prehistoric rock drawings to be sighted. There are only predicted to be a few small inclines, although there may be patches of rough sand. Camp 5, the eponymous “Springbok” is situated in an area where the local species of deer herds in numbers.

Stage 5: Out of Africa, approximate distance – 80 kilometers

Stage 5 will have a complete change of landscape as competitors make their way towards the stunning but harsh Skeleton Coast, where some of the largest and oldest sand dunes in the world exist. The sand dunes are typified by their bright copper tones, as the mineral and metal deposits in the sand have oxidized over time, thus signifying their immense age – some of them reach up to hundreds of feet high. There are areas of the Skeleton Coast that competitors will pass through, that no human foot has ever landed before, due to previous diamond mining restrictions in the area. Soft, loose sand dominates the stage with wicked winds expected. Camp 6, “Skeleton Coast” is located near a purpose built wind barrier constructed by the local team in order to provide shelter for the competitors at their last campsite.

Stage 6: The Diamond Trail, approximate distance – 20 kilometers

Stage 6 kicks off with a very sandy coastal track bringing competitors, at times, very close to the water’s edge. The notoriously windy Skeleton Coast, and sometimes an impenetrable fog can form making visibility difficult – the Skeleton Coast gets its name from the high number of ships that wrecked in this inhospitable part of the world. The coast is mostly flat, but occasionally relieved by rocky outcrops and small, rolling hills. The land that competitors pass through was previously diamond mine territory. Eventually, the coastal track will lead competitors into the picturesque, historical town of Lüderitz where the race will end with great fanfare.

News update from Namibia

Hi
We received email today with the following news:

Dear Competitors,

Our course director, Dave Annandale, is currently in Southern Namibia
putting the final touches on the course. He is reporting that it gets down
to almost 0 C (32 F) at night and reaches between 35 and 40 C (95 - 104 F)
during the day. He is also now reporting very light winds in the early
stages of the course. Remember that it is likely to be very windy on Stages
5 and 6. We have updated the website with a brief description of each
stage. A complete Course Book will be provided to you in Namibia.

We also wanted to clarify two Mandatory Equipment List questions that we
have been receiving. 1. You must bring a pair of tights (or long pants) to
wear, and you must bring a lightweight jacket with lining (or a lightweight
jacket with base layering underneath). It gets chilly at night, and since
it gets dark before 6 pm each day, some of you may end up spending part of
every stage in the dark. Please see attached Mandatory Equipment List with
Tights and Jacket items clarified.

WE HAVE OUR KITS

Hey Guys

I hope all is well. Great news .... Andie went to collect out race kits yesterday ... and they look soo hot, even if I say so myself!!

Watch this space for photos's!!

R

News Update

RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009 gets underway in just two weeks with two hundred and fourteen (214) competitors from 38 countries expected to participate including a record number of past champions who will be vying for top places



(9 May 2009, Hong Kong) -- RacingThePlanet is set to stage its next endurance event in Namibia on 17 May 2009. Traversing some of the most spectacular dunes and stunning landscapes of the oldest desert in the world – the Namib Desert, RacingThePlanet’s six stage, seven day, 250 kilometer self-supported footrace, features a field of 214 from 38 countries. The event kicks off with a steep descent into the Fish River Canyon, the second deepest canyon in the world, an area rich with local wildlife such as Mountain Zebra, Giraffe, Oryx, Steenbok, Springbok and even leopard. Competitors will make their way through the African bush traversing lunar landscapes and over some of the most demanding and challenging sand dunes in the world to finish at the Skeleton Coast in the charming town of Lüderitz.



The field of 214 features a record seventeen (17) former champions including 27-year-old Ryan N. Sandes of South Africa, who has won two previous RacingThePlanet events and 60-year-old Marco Olmo of Italy, a recent champion of many top ultramarathons. Seven teams will be competing including a four-person team from Israel, a Spanish team, a father/son/daughter team, a Japanese team, an HSBC bank team, an American/Danish team and an all female team. A record number of women will be competing with 54 on the roster. The largest contingent of competitors hails from the United Kingdom with 58, and a record 63 competitors are coming from Hong Kong.


Many competitors will be raising money for charities including Briton’s Mark and Philipp Mosimann, brothers from the United Kingdom who have already raised more than US$50,000 to support an Operation Smile mission in Namibia; American Norman Waite, a banker with Nomura in Hong Kong, who is hoping to raise US$250,000 to support the Otto Wong Neuro-Oncology Clinic; and Garrett T. Quigley, Zein J. L. Williams, Gordon D. Oldham, Douglas H. Maclagan and Stephen R. Moore, who are supporting the Child Welfare Scheme in Nepal. More than 60 competitors will be raising money for local and international charities.


Thanks to the unwavering support of the Namibia Tourism Board, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and other government agencies in Namibia, competitors will have access to some of the most remote and pristine areas in the country, and will be the first ever humans to have crossed parts of the landscape.



Competitors in RacingThePlanet: Namibia will have access to a cybertent which will feature fifteen Intel-powered Classmate laptops. RacingThePlanet has utilized these laptops for the past year, testing and validating the devices for use in rural schools. The laptops have become a key resource for the event. Breaking news from the field will be sent utilizing these Intel-powered laptops and BGAN satellites.

Omaruru Beverages (PTY) Ltd. of Namibia will supply competitors, staff and volunteers with nearly 18,000 liters of OASIS® Natural Mineral Water, the most popular water in Namibia.

Website coverage of RacingThePlanet: Namibia can be found at www.4deserts.com/beyond/namibia featuring hundreds of pictures, breaking news texts, daily journals, video clips, field updates and full results.




About RacingThePlanet
RacingThePlanet® is a unique category of rough country footraces that take place over seven days and some 250 kilometers in remote and culturally rich locations around the world. Competitors must carry all their own equipment and food; they are only provided with water and a place in a tent each day but are supported by professional medical and operations teams. RacingThePlanet is international; the events typically involve competitors from over 20 different countries who are able to mingle around the campfires and in their geographically mixed tents. Currently the events consist of the 4 Deserts, a series which encompasses the Gobi Desert in China, the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Sahara Desert in Egypt and Antarctica, and a fifth event which roves to a new location each year. Time Magazine recently ranked the 4 Deserts #2 on its list of the world’s top endurance competitions.


RacingThePlanet also maintains an online store which carries only the best products for endurance events, travel and the outdoors. The store can be found at www.racingtheplanet.com

New Logo

Let us know what you think of our "Further Than Far" logo.
Apparently our race kit is ready, and I am quite excited about picking it up.
Will post photos of the kit as soon as they're done!

Swimming

Howdee.

Been swimming a few times this week just to keep things ticking over. I think I have the majority of our stuff for the race ..... getting close now!!

Good luck to everyone who's leaving for Africa X. I hope its a kick ass race!

R

Weekend Photos and Final Peaks

Hi
Here are some photos from the last of the 32 Peaks.

Tuesday

Quick swim this morning - my arms hurt a bit from gym yesterday, but felt good.
Yesterday was probably the first day in months where I had a moment to take lunch and get a couple of things for next week, and its surprising to see how many things are ticked off on the list already.

Another Taper Weekend

Hi Guys

I hope the weekend was good! We had a great run with Kent on Friday morning - his last being a single man!! We stuck to the Greenbelt - I must say I ran this EXTRA carefully because could you imagine the embarrassment of being this "Mountain Man" and falling over in the mud of Greenbelt in front of Triathletes- hahahaha - I would never live that down!!

Saturday - a bit hung over from the wedding the night before - I found myself on Vlakkenberg with the usual gang (minus Andrew who was honing his downhill skills at Elephants Eye) and about 20 upstart trail runners (incl. kids, dogs etc etc). It was good fun. We ran ahead to bag the 2 Vlakkenberg Peaks, taking us that much closer to closing the 32/33 peak chapter, and then caught up to the rest of the pack. Carla seems to be grasping trails quickly and from what I saw she looked very comfortable. We ran ahead of the pack to go and check out the actual Manganese mine (Ive been on the path so many times but never to the actual mine). It was awesome to see. Back to the path and then to try catch up to the pack again. We all finished at East Fort - A great run!!

Sunday - 2 peaks left of the 32/33. Lions Head and Signal Hill. Ian, Andrew, JT, Tony, Ryan Otto and I took off from the Lions Head Car Park. We pretty much hiked up to the top. AWESOME up top!!! WE looked down on a blanket of cloud. Lions Head is really one of the most underated peaks from a view perspective. We trotted down the peak - got into to the car - hahahaahaha and drove to the top of signal hill. A 50m walk and dunt da da 33 Peaks complete. I think Andie is going to smash Vlakkenberg on Tues with JT then we can send in all our photos!

:)

R

Tent Listing

Hi
We've just received the tent listing.
All the tents are named after animals that we potentially may see along the route.
Ours is the Ostrich tent.

ESPIN, Andrew M. South Africa 18 - OSTRICH M
GRAHAM, Rob J. South Africa 18 - OSTRICH M
KNOWLER, Shane New Zealand 18 - OSTRICH M
MORI, Terumasa Japan 18 - OSTRICH M Team Funky
OHI, Kenji Japan 18 - OSTRICH M Team Funky
OLIVER, Cleo J. United Kingdom 18 - OSTRICH F
SANDES, Ryan N. South Africa 18 - OSTRICH M
SHIMA, Naoyuki Japan 18 - OSTRICH M Team Funky

Short Weekend

Hi
It was a relatively short weekend this weekend training wise.
I tackled the Elephant's Eye loop on Saturday for the first time since I snapped my ankle on Tuffer Puffer - I think it was a good thing head wise to eventually go back and run it and I don't think I ran it too badly either.
Strangely enough as I ran up the path I actually slipped ever so slightly off a rock (ironically it was close to the same place as last year August) and I felt my ankle start to go over, but compensated for it immediately. And I didn't get freaked out.
The only stupid thing is that I wasn't wearing my usual ankle strapping. After doing that path a second time, I dropped down to level five and ran all the way to the tar road that eventually takes you out to Vlakkenburg and then back the Elephants Eye route again, so suffice to say that I think I shoved a boot up that particular demon's ass.
Sunday, was Lion's Head and Signal Hill. It was a good run - well more walking than actual running to be honest. I now only have to do the Vlakkenburg peaks and I've finished the 32 Peaks challenge. Just need to figure out which are the beacons and will try and get to them in the week. I think it will be cool to have finished them before I leave for Namibia.

The Wedding Run

Howdee.

A quick update - today was a quickish 12km run with Legend and Andrew. I must say i felt 100 times better than i did at club on tuesday.... thank goodness! hahaha. After that it was off to Chris who turned me into a pin cushion with all his needles that he stuck into me. ;).

I'm looking forward to tomorrows run.... it's Kent Horners wedding run....his last one as a single man!! ..hahaha. Just a smallish group of us are probably gonna trot around constantia. I'll let u know how it goes.

chow

R

Early morning

hi
Well its four o'clock and i've been up for an hour so far with a house 'malfunction' my garage door is opening and closing I think its shorted somewhere because of the weather but am a little shaky because its not great to be pulled out of sleep but an alien sound! yesterday was ok day just swam, enjoyed it! Had a good, although painful session at Chris eventually he found the problem i've been having with my calves as a tendon issue which I have to do exercises for so it doesn't get worse! about to leave soon tto do my run think its goinng to be wet! hope I can get the garage door closed

Pack Run

Hi there.

Yesterday I had a light swim and as per usual the Tuesday day night pack run. I had a nice run with Carla and the dogs beforehand.

The pack run was hard last night ..... I think it was me....and not the increased pace of the pack....hahahaha.... I hope. I felt tired on the up hills and kept on running out of breath. I think that it may be from all the weekends parties!!

Just got a e-mail now - Puffer and Tuffer Puffer entries are out - wooooo hoooo.

What to do, what to do - Puffer - or Tuffer??? :) - I think I know already!!

R

Tuesday

Had another late day at work todsy, Had to go back to my client three times today so only got back home just before seven. it took every bit of motivation I could muster to go out for a 15km run in the cold and yet - I got rained on but in the end I was glad I did it - laying on the couch now about to go to bed

Weekend Training

Hi Guys

Its really nice to be cutting the distance a little on the weekends now because you really have the opportunity to enjoy your fitness. You can look around a little more and take in the surroundings that much more.

I really enjoyed both runs on the weekend. Saturday was spent mainly between Hout Bay and Sandy Bay. Fortunately it was raining so we didn't bump into any unsuspecting nudists or should I say no nudists bumped into unsuspecting trail runners. JT, John Legend, Andy and I looked like drowned rats at the end but we really had a good time. The one path we chose to run hadn't seen any running action in a while (I think it had seen plenty of other action - by the number of condom wrappers we found on the floor)so it was a little rough going. It was really quite spectacular.

Sunday we were back on a misty Chapmans Peak with the usual suspects.... John Legend, Trev, JT, Carla, Lisa Baumann, Monique Andy and Me. Once again a good fun run.

Afterwards we all headed off to Dario's to celebrate Monique's Birthday.

The week ahead is a few 15km runs, gym work and some swimming.

During this week, perhaps on Friday, I must start to get my final items on my kit list together!

By the way ... Andrew has been working on a logo for Further Thabn Far ..... so watch this space!!

Cheers

R

Looong Weekend

I counted back from last week and realised I think the longest I slept was about 4 hours last Monday night, so suffice to say that its been a really interesting week!
Most of the sleeplessness was work related, and I ended up doing not a whole hell of a lot of anything except work (and fly around the country) last week, so I really wasn't holding out for any major feats of heroics with the weekend's training, but it turned out quite well in the end. Saturday was mainly beach work, had really tight calves and a full blown asthma attack towards the end (always really great in front of a group of people....) but hung in there. We did mainly beach work and some interesting path finding in and around Rocket Road and Sandy Bay. It was quite wet - I think that's what made my chest close up as I went up the first sand dune.
Anyway, Saturday night was Kent's bachelors - managed to keep it (mostly) tidy, but got home quite late (nothing like a 90 minute stroll through the streets to get back to my car to loosen up the legs...) and then the parallel path along Chapman's Peak on Sunday with the usual gang (Rob, Carla, Lisa, John, Trevor and birthday girl Monique) - had the usual tight calves, not too worried, I missed my appointment with Chris twice last week because of work, I am sure its nothing he can't sort out. Once the tightness left, I must admit I felt really good, and myself, Rob and Lisa did the return leg along the path while the others took the steep path down to the road.
Tried Rob's suggestion of longer strides in the shale on the usual section just before the end of the run, it worked well - thanks dude.

After the rush of last week, I decided not to force anything and just lazed around watching tv this morning and did a gym session in the afternoon - my arms are sooo sore now -funny how quickly you lose it!

Anyway, more recover and taper to look forward to this week. Hopefully can swim and gym a bit more, feel like I have neglected them a bit.

Hectic Week

Just a quick note thank goodness its been a recovery week because it would have been difficult. I worked most of last weekend and every night so far including the whole public holiday yesterday luckily I got to vote just before nine o clock last night! Had a four o clock start this morning I am at the airport about to go do client training in Johannesburg hoping to catch some sleep on the plane - wish me luck

Voting Day

Hey Guys

I hope that you all have voted already. Well I haven't yet but I will shortly. Just wanna get something to eat first - then i'll be off. Today has been quite busy. First thing this morning we had a great light trail run (no pack) with Carla, Monique, JT and John Legend. Unfortuneatly Andie was stuck with work stuff. We just ran up a path along side Chappies. As our mate Judy would say "IT WAS GRRRRREAT" hahaha. After that off to Chris - you will never guess my other tight calf is a slight tear. O well at least got time to recover. Its not serious just gotta keep an eye on it. After that a cool down swim whilst I waited for Carla to have a Pedi and a facial - doll.

Well chat a little later - I'm friggin hungry!!

R

Its all about the labels you wear

I got a package in the post last night, I was quite excited when I saw it was from Racing The Planet, so I ripped open the pack to discover that my labels for my kit have arrived. NOW it feels very, very close.

Updated Equipment List

We got the following updates for the equipment list over the weekend.

Dear Competitors,

Please see attached final equipment list. A few changes have been made:

Mandatory Equipment
Waterproof Bag: We have added a requirement that you carry either a trash bag or waterproof bag to ensure that the contents of your backpack do not get wet on any river crossings in the Fish River Canyon. There may be times when the water levels reach above your waist.

Optional Equipment
Sand Goggles: You will traverse sand dunes located in one of the windiest locations on earth -- the Skeleton Coast around Luderitz. We have been blown away by the fierce wind during our scouting visits and we would suggest that if you have contact lenses or sensitive eyes that you consider getting lightweight goggles for this section. You may traverse the sand dunes at night, so make sure that the goggle lens is clear.


Water Purification Tablets: While in the Fish River Canyon, you may be required to replenish your water from the river -- the water is perfectly fine to drink -- in fact all who go down into the canyon solely drink from the river. If you have any concern with this, we suggest that you carry water purification tablets.

Blister Kit
The blister kit has been created by the RacingThePlanet medical team -- it is highly recommended that you have the items suggested. Blisters are a major reason why some fail to finish. You should have a blister kit in your pack at all times to treat "hot spots" before they become full blown blisters.

Temperatures
The locals tell us that it can get very cold at night, at times down to freezing. The locals estimate that the temperature will be around 5/10 C (40/45 F) at night. Please plan your sleeping bag carefully. You may consider adding a small silk liner for additional warmth.

Equipment List

It is imperative that you have all the equipment on the Mandatory Equipment List. All Mandatory and Optional Equipment have been used in past events and is highly recommended by competitors.

RacingThePlanet Store
You can find a good majority of the items recommended on the Equipment List on the RacingThePlanet Store, click here .

Please be prepared for check in on Friday, 15 May 2009 at the Windhoek Country Club Resort. Your equipment will be carefully checked and you will not be able to compete with even one missing item.

Recovery Time

Hi Guys

Well the big weeks are over and now eventually we can look forward to a great taper. Yesterdays run for me was a good strong one. Initially I could feel my legs being tired but loosened up fairly quickly. I was relieved because the night before I was quite stiff.

We started on the Greenbelt yesterday with our Ironman buddies most of whom were having their first run back since their race. It was very wet and pretty much rained the whole weekend. It was great to be out mushing around in the mud. It looks as if we will have a few new people on our trails soon. Watch this space!!!

Once we were back at the neck Andie and I said cheers to our Chinas and headed up Vlakkenberg - a bit like Gorillas in the mist hahaha. Sometimes when you are in the mist on the mountain (even with people) I get this great sense of solitude.

We finished the run just on four hours (although we had to run a couple of loops in Hout Bay first to make up time).

The week ahead is mainly just resting, swimming and gyming (coz you gotta at least look buff for the race - hahaha)

Chat tomorrow.

R

Final Day of Block Week

You know how you kind of have this idea of ending your training feeling really strong and amped and ready for the big race? Well this wasn't it! I ended up feeling really, really bad on the first half of the run - and it was the easiest part - one of my favourite routes - the one around the green belt in Constantia with the usual group - Rob, Carla, Alison, John & Trevor. I had to end up walking back to the top of Constantia Nek, dreading having to do the climb up Vlakkenburg in the rain.
Rob said my face looked like a thunder cloud as I got to the parking lot at the Nek - I felt like I had nothing left - but I just didn't want to quit on the last run.
Suffice to say that getting up the mountain was a challenge, but I eventually got to the top. The run down was good, the rocks were quite slippery from the rain, but made it down in one piece, but I really struggled on the last loop around Hout Bay, I think I eventually finished, shaky, tired, a little under confident - but happy that block weekend is done. Now I have to concentrate on recovery, and getting my head right. Funny how there are no training programs for that...I think there are just good friends.

Four Hours left of Block Week

Howdee

The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. Today was a good run taking in four more peaks - that takes us to 30!!!! Three small ones left to complete the 32 (33) peaks. Wow its been a long road. We were out with JT and Iain today, which was great. As per usual when running with Iain some bundue bashing was called for! hahaha. It was my first run in my new New Balance trail shoes. I must say the shoes hung in there. No blisters!! Trust me- I took them through their paces today.

Both Andie and I were in our Line Break compressions. haha - today they were needed.

Tomorrow - you don't want to know. Plans have changed coz our Ironman buddies wanna run with us - back to the Greenbelt- haha - we are gonna be able to run the route blind folded! haha! I think we will have a jol though so i'm looking forward. After that we are officialy into taper!! wooo hoo

R

The Big One

I was very, very worried about today's run - I've been feeling very weak and flat the whole week, so I just decided no matter how bad I feel, I am just going to put one foot in front of the other and plod on until the clock hits the six hour mark.
I am soooo positive, I scare myself!!!! I decided to put one less litre of bottle of water into my pack than usual, just in case - and ran in my Linebreak compression shorts - also just in case.
We went back to "grabbing some peaks" today with the original team, myself, Rob, Janette and Ian. I felt good on the first two Peaks, because we were joking around, I must admit I had a lot of fun - I took some strain on the BlackHill side, as we ascended into the mist, my chest closed up a bit, but I just trudged on and eventually got there.
When we got back to the road - we decided that Ian and Janette would run back to the car while Rob and I ran towards Ou Kaapse Weg and try and get Bokkop in as well - Peak Number 30.
That peak was an easier climb up, but I got a little nervous coming down for some reason, we came down along the ledge and I felt a bit unsteady jumping from rock to rock - I'd land and then I'd feel the weight of the pack behind me land a split second later - its a weird feeling. From there we split up and Rob and I ran up Wagon Trail to Silvermine.
I haven't really been back to Wagon Trail - and more specifically Elephant's Eye - since my ankle incident - it was good to revisit it.
From Silvermine we headed towards another personal fear - Blackburn Ravine. We laughed on the way, because I actually met Rob and Carla registering for my very first trail run The Fisherman's Trail Challenge and I absolutely, ABSOLUTELY hated coming down Blackburn - I had no idea how to run it and I have never run DOWN BB ravine since. We started down - and I ended up having a lot of fun stomping down the mountain - I just relaxed and tried to concentrate on landing correctly!
Rob - half mountain goat anyway - had to wait twice for me to catch up, but it was so comfortable and the view is unbelievable.
We eventually got down to the road at 5:33 and made a slow way back home to finish at 5:59 (hows that for timing?).
I am sooo happy I got through it - got home and jumped back into my long tights - Just got to get through tomorrow and block weekend 3 is DONE

Friday Night Frights

Friday's second session came after one of the toughest professional days that I've had at work, so I kind of knew that the run wasn't going to be the greatest.
I felt really weak, especially on the hills, but I wheezed, I inhaled from my inhaler, and eventually made it - I don'teven think I moaned that much...(well I guess that comes with not having air.)

Day 2 Block Week

Howzit

hahahaha Stood outside the gate at 5am waiting for Andie... he is never late so I knew he was still curled up in bed. I gave him a wake up call .... i could here the panic in his voice. Anyway he told me he would run from home.

I ran off to meet John Legend at La Cuccina. John might have had a Red Bull this morning coz he took off like a man possessed. I hung in until the end of valley road... and then hinted to slow down on the way back hahahaha. It was a fun run this morning.

Yesterday's runs were good. Chappies in the morning a good solid run with gale force winds at the top. HECTIC!!!!!. At one point I was really hoping one of the guys would say "Hey lets turn around" - That's the problem with training with endurance dudes - NOBODY BUCKLES DAMMIT. Greenbelt last night was a great run for me - I always enjoy it. For some reason it seems to relax me when I'm there.

Andie is struggling a bit with his chest so we will have to keep an eye on that. I think it mainly from a sinus but mixed with a bit of asthma. The rest of the weekend runs should be at a slowish pace so should be able to control it but must be very careful to avoid a chest infection.

Woohoo - my boss has just brought me a plate of Lasagna for brekkie!!! He made it himself. I'm impressed. Thanks Bennie!!! Its awesome!!!

Greenbelt tonight, again.

Chat later

R

Sleep

I slept through my alarm this morning, and only woke up at five! Stumbled out of bed, pulled whatever clothes I could find on and went running on my own.
I was so very tempted to not take the pack, but thought about how guilty I would feel if I didn't.
My chest was quite sore,and I felt tired with not much energy.

First run of the block weekend

Well the first run of the block weekend wasn't all that great! Not sure if it's just the sinus issues of this week, or work, but this morning's run in the howling wind up Chappies was HARD!!! Made it through relatively unscathed, but ended up having a small asthma attack during this evening's run. Luckily I had my pump with me, but it was weird, there wasn't even enough breath to call out to tell Rob I had to stop.
Anyway, after that I was a bit kaput, but finished the run anyway.
Had my recovery drink and back to home to finish working.
Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Hi
Here's are some photos from Oceans courtesy of Eric Tolner!

Pre Block and a runny nose

hi quick note from my phone - I have come down with either a major case of sinus or the beginnings of a cold - my head just feels really boggy but have been able to do my run on tuesday and managed a swim after work tonight. work has been really busy this week, my project is being delayed so having to put extra time in before a block weekend is not ideal either but lets see what happens...

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Carla

Hi everyone
It was a busy weekend! Saturday was the Two Oceans 56km Ultra Marathon - I was quite nervous about it - its a deceptively hard run - quite flat for the first 28km, 2km of climbing Chapman's Peak (which was opened especially for the race), a quad burning section down the otherside, and then the real race starts when you hit the bottom in Hout Bay and start the climb the eventually leads up to Constantia Nek and then the last 10km of camber that takes you back to the finish at the University of Cape Town.
Carla was kind enough to use her first Saturday morning off from IronMan to get up at 4:30 drive us to the start in Dean Street where we met Chris and Linda and waited for the Half Marathon to get underway (I think there were about 13000 entrants for the Half) before we went down to the Main Road to enter our starting pens.
I think our race had about 7000 runners.
Rob & I were seeded in B group, we met Lisa there and chatted nervously while we waited for the countdown and the eventual start.
I always find the start a bit of a fight - you have to look for open gaps while trying to lock in your race pace as soon as possible. I must admit, we found it quite easily - inspite of slight technical difficulties with our watches - Rob initially reset his by accident and mine stopped after 30 minutes, so we never really had our full racing time, just splits per kilometer. Once we locked in our pace, we were actually quite disciplined about it and pretty much kept almost the exact splits for every kilometer except about five or six splits during the climbs.
Running into Hout Bay was a special treat for me - first time in Hout Bay Harriers kit and the supporters were pretty awesome I must admit.
We knew that the real race started once you hit the bottom of Chapmans but we worked well together in tackling the climb, and I think the mountain training really came in handy here.
For myself I broke it up into running from the bottom to the second circle by the Police Station, then from there to the Harrier group waiting mid way up the climb - I must admit, I was so into the run, that I really don't think I noticed everyone there, but thanks Carla the support was great - I think Carla may have been expecting me to get there in full Prince Of Darkness mode, but for the first time in a long, long time I was really having fun, and completely in the mood to race.
From the Harriers, the next section was the final and steepest section to the top.
We got there pretty much unscathed, and then tried hard to do the Math to try and figure out what time we were at. We knew as much that we most likely went through the marathon mark in a record time for both of us, but the end time was still a bit of a mystery. The first time I actually had an inkling of my finish time was when we got onto the field, and I saw the clock. For those of you that know, the finish at Two Oceans has got to be the longest finish of ANY race - that field is LOOOOONG.
We pretty much got in at 4:34 - it was cool to cross the line together!

Huge big thanks to Rob for the GREAT run - couldn't have done it without you bud!
(Next we look for yellow footprints in the desert ha ha)
And huge thanks to Carla for getting us there, and getting back in time to the finish to pick us up - the roads are closed, so to get back to UCT in time, you really need to haul ass!

Sunday was a gentle, slightly stiff and very slow stroll through the Constantia green belt, more a loosener than anything else. It also marks the beginning of 5 weeks until race day!!!

I am pretty pleased, I raced in my new Linebreak compression shorts, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn't cramp, its a weird feeling of your shorts kinds of holding everything together.
I spent the rest of Saturday in my spare set of tights, just for recovery!
Besides a little case of hayfever, I think I came out of the weekend okay.
Well okay for the Prince Of Darkness that is.

4:34

Howzit dudes and dudets

Sending this from the cell... so no spell check. Apologies. :)

Wow..what a weekend.

I was quite concerned with the lead up to Two Oceans, we had done 60km worth of running done during the week leading up to the race. The Friday morning i woke up to stiff and heavy legs. The whole time i told myself i must keep my eyes on the final goal and not worry about the race.....but ...... it would be a bonus if we could have a comfortable run and sneak in under 5hrs. Friday... this didnt look promising.

On Friday, Andrew gave me a pair of Line Break compression tights and socks..... well.... I think they worked!!!! I put them on for the whole of Friday and wore the tights under my race shorts on Saturday.

On Saturday when i woke up at 4:45 to get ready for the race i could feel my legs were already feeling better.

At 5:45 we were outside Nino's waiting to hook up with Chris Allan before race the start @ 6:25. At 6:20 we in the starting shute chatting to Lisa.

The goal was to run just under 5 mins per km the whole way. hahaha ........ the Nek @ 5 mins/km haha... right.

Technicaly we ran a great race, at no point moving away from our planned splits.... even when were tempted to race a little. km by km passed... chappies was a non event for us, before we knew it were running under the marathon mark @ 3:20ish. I knew then that a sub 5 was on the cards now.
Up the nek we went and passed the Hout Bay supporters... we definitely ran here! Once we were out of sight ... a short walk was called for...... alas..... caught on TV....the whole of SA saw us walking...hahahaha. From there we picked up the pace and finished in 4:34. It was a great day out. Andrew looked so easy the whole way!

Thanks to everyone who came to support... and Carla for all the driving around!!

Sun.... a run /walk & rest!!! Mon..... a short gym session......and rest.

I suppose i should wash my line breaks hahaha!

Chat later

R

I slept in quite late this morning it was such a change to wake up when the sun is already out! went to register for tomorrow which I found really badly organised and very claustrophobic and popped by Ian to check out this knee thing if reckons and I know if is right that its my shoes more than anything else I suppose its easy to forget how much mileage we are doing and my shoes are at the end of their lifespan! he helped add additional support to the inner soles so I am now chilling on the bed in my calf guards from Linebreak and hoping for the best! let you know tomorrow - also considering running in my compression tights

The week before Two Oceans

So the buzz surrounding IronMan is starting to fade into a hot,windless memory and life continues. We're now just within the five week limit before Namibia and the radar has two definite big blips. The third and final block weekend next week and Two Oceans Ultra Marathon on Saturday.
Its a little funny to think that the bulk of the runners for Saturday have spent this week with their feet up, enjoying the taper and the always welcome indulgence of carbo loading, but man, my legs are tired.
A quick little 60km in three days taper and now we go into this ultra marathon as a training run. My thoughts are just to approach it as a training run and enjoy the vibe and whatever happens, happens. I know that sounds very lazy, but at this point it may be a strategic decision more than anything. A hard run means more recovery time needed - and have a run on Sunday as a "warm down" before a couple of days rest before the block weekend. Already the tell tale signs of over use are showing, my achilles is starting to become uncomfortable and Chris reckons I have the beginnings of a possible knee ailment purely just from the distances. If I stop to think about the physio, the kinesiologist, the acupuncturist, the coach - I have accumulated quite an entourage.

Irony for the day, Chris wants me to spend extra time in the gym with rehab exercises. Ya, cos I don't go there enough! Ha Ha, that joke that the spin instructor keeps making about moving a treadmill into the sauna may not be that far off.

Compression Gear - Should we wear?

Well the weeks training is over apart from a recovery swim or two. we did maimly road this week and no packs which was quite fun. This weekend is the Oceans Ultra, I havent really been thinking about it but all of a sudden I ve begun to get a bit nervous esp when we were out running this morning and my legs are soooo tired :). O well lets hope the compression gear works. We are getting Line Break gear hopefully today to try out. I hear its excellent for recovery. We are getting the socks and the 3/4 shorts.

Question: Do you wear the socks at the risk of looking like a ponce at Oceans. If you put them on at Ironman its fine BUT we might look odd at Oceans.hahaha watch this space.

We've done about 60km this week as a taper for Oceans. Next week we start gearing for another block week. I must start to think about routes now.

Chat L8A

R

Two Oceans

Two Oceans is looming this weekend and I am starting to get a bit nervous.
I am attaching the profile - its going to be road and its going to be tough!!!!

The Duck Run

Hi
This is the GPS image of our run through, up, down, sideways in St Francis.

The Duck Run & Ironman

Hi guys and girls

Sorry that its been a while but as you know weve been on the road with Ironman PE.

A huge congrats to all our chinas(and wives) that took part. What an awesome day it was - hot as hell, i tell you. I'm very proud of Carla for crossing the line for the 6th time.

With all the chaos we Andy, Sand Crab and I managed to get some good running in. On the friday am we got up at 5. We packed our bags and off we went to do some sand running in Cape St Francis. What a day we had. I think Andy will post the pic later. All went well until 10mins from the end - Rob Blew totaly - hahahahahaha. I had to stop, gain composure and limp to the end. I guess it happens - roll with punches!! After the run my legs ached the whole day. I thought I was gonna have big problems for my Saturday run.

Shot to Sand Crabs Mom for letting us stay at her place in St Francis - it was awesome. She has got like 1000 different types of toy ducks on display - sounds weird but its actually really cool.

Sunday I thought would be a killer coz my legs were so sore the day before - thank goodness for compression gear!

We really had a fun run on Sunday in PE on the IM route. You can imagine the comments we got running along in full desert gear on the IM course the day before the race. We even interupted a heard of Springbok!!

Monday was drive home day so no running. This week is quite heavy with about 60km of week running before a nice training run on the weekend of Two Oceans Ultra.

I'll keep u posted

Ciao for now

R

A Run Most Fowl

What a weekend!
We packed up and started driving to St Francis late Thursday afternoon after work - myself, Rob & Ryan. The vibe was very excited, and the trip went by quite quickly, although we arrived at Ryan's Mom's place at about 23:30 after a pizza stop in Plettenberg Bay. The house itself was fowl. Fowl - as in Ducks.Ducks in the bedrooms, ducks in the bathroom, ducks in the kitchen - a smorgasbord of ducks. It was so funny, and I could so see myself staying there.
We tried out the desert sleeping bags - i really don't think i am going to get cold in it - and headed out for a long, looooooong run through the sands of St Francis and the tail end of Jeffrey's Bay. The sand makes running very hard - your heart rate goes up as soon as you move from trail to sand by far!!!!
We got to PE amidst the Ironman buzz and bling, it was strange not to be participating, but I must admit that feeling passed quite quickly. We got back on the road again on Saturday morning with packs and all and ran up and around UPE, even managing to startle a herd of Springbok that went crazy in front of us jumping a huge fence,or in the case of one unfortunate springbok, going straight through it at pace. We got more than just a few stares from the Iron people three dudes running with packs, made even more funny by people that thought Rob and I were racing the next day!!!
IronMan was interesting to watch for a change, the conditions were brutal.
Well done to everyone for pulling through, you're all my heroes.
Special well done to the Iron Lady Princesses for getting through a rough day!

The point of no return

The flights are booked, so I guess there's no turning back now.

Before we head off into the sunset

Had a bit of bad news yesterday regarding our flights to Windhoek, but guess will just have to take it in our stride! (Didn't mean to use a running analogy!)
This week is a bit of rest week with a biggish weekend, but we need to reshuffle some of the days because we're heading off to Port Elizabeth to watch IronMan.
Although I must admit, I tried running last night, no aches and pains, but oh my word, I felt sluggish.
I have been to PE since the IronMan began there, first as a spectator in 2005 when I went to support two friends who were participating, and the following year as a participant. It will be strange to go and not compete, but I think for me it will also be interesting to stand back and watch for a change, see what the latest trends are, get some new ideas.
Of course there are now more than two people who I am going to support, and I have to say that having done the first IronMan, even though the day turned into a nightmare for me (see I wasn't joking about the bad luck with racing) it did have a profound influence on EVERYTHING that happened after.
In my circle of friends now, i have watched people work soooo very hard for this one, and I am really holding thumbs that they get what they want!

So anyway, without sounding overly melodramatic, I just want to wish my little surrogate family the best of luck, Carla, Duncan, Alison, Sandra & Steve.
And to my friends Claire, Trevor, Nix & Dave - kick some ass.

The ultimate sign of progress, I guess, is that there's now WAY more than just two friends to cheer for!!!!

Rest Week

Hi Guys and girls

Its been a great week so far - no running - hahahaha, apart from the short club run that we did yesterday (10km). The run yesterday was very interesting.... almost like a delayed fatigue. My legs weren't stiff or sore but just couldn't move quickly. When I wanted to accelerate it felt as if I was putting my foot on the accelerator but the car was in neutral!

Andie, Ryan and myself are off to PE tomorrow to support Ironman. We will make a short stop in Cape St Francis to do a 4 hour beach run.

This week have mainly been about swimming and gyming.

Ciao for now

R

Training Stats - Powered by QlikView

Hi
I have updated the training stats for March and used QlikView to generate the views of the data!
If anyone can think of a different view of the data that would be interesting to see - let me know!
Andrew

End Of March

It's the end of March already, time is slowly tick-tocking down and its 7 weeks to go now. Managed to get a swim and a gym session in last night after work, I must admit that the upper body felt tougher than usual for some reason - but it was a slighly different routine, just to keep things interesting.
Visited Chris this morning, who did some more work on my back and neck - more clicking - but hopefully my headaches will ease a bit. Also my calves were quite sore - could have been something to do with the thumbs pressing into them - and I have to made the effort to do the rehab exercises to strengthen my achilles for running.

And no, the irony of having to do exercises for my exercise has not escaped me.

Thanks, but I think I had more to lose anyway

STATS ON OUR TRAIL RUNNERS!!!

Well Done guys on your second block weekend of training under the belt - a great confidence booster as well as experience.

Andrew, you are learning to fine tune your nutrition & (literally) think on your feet while you are running to get the best out of your body

You are both getting stronger & fitter, & with 7 weeks to your big race, your recovery is noticeably improved!! Congrats!!

Since starting training in the beginning of January, Rob is down 2kg as his body has leaned out with the speedwork, hill training & distance. Andrew is down 4.5kg over this period too, showing just how hard he is training for this amazing challenge.

Keep up the training!!!!

Block Weekend Part Two

Hi everyone,
Made it through block weekend unscathed, so to speak. All of the days were basically running for time as opposed to distance.
I had a bit of a task as well because I had to try and play around with some variables to get to the bottom of my nausea. The problem I have, and it sounds really funny, but I cannot swallow food when my heart rate is high. I chew and chew and chew but cannot get the swallow reflex to happen. I started Saturday's long run with some bars but found myself after about three and a half hours firstly unable to get passed one and a half bars, and very hypoglycaemic. I managed to trudge on to the top of MacClears beacon at just under four hours, thinking "Oh well, here we go again, Rob and Ryan will have to wait for Andrew again". I chugged some Myoplex down and we started back down towards Constantia Nek. Anyone who has run with me knows I absolutely suck at descending, it's probably worse since my ankle incident because the natural instinct for survival kicks in and I brake everytime I get to a technical section instead of just relaxing into it. As we started down the mountain, I watched the other two slowly (well, not that slowly) pull away from me and I though, well this is nothing new. I still had a bit of the shakes but trundled on regardless, Rob stopped for me to catch up a bit, and asked how I was doing - at that stage I was starting to feel a bit better, after ten minutes I felt like nothing had happened at all...and stranger than strange, I caught myself tackling the technical down sections without actually overthinking it, just looking for a place to put my foot down, and found myself...and I think I was having fun.
Okay, so now its probably going to rain for ME having that, but its true.
Technically, I don't have the experience or strength of my running buddies, but it didn't matter for once.

Sunday's run was one of my favourites - throught the Constantia green belt. The Klaasenbosch trail always feels so Tolkien, and it was great to have the girls with us - Carla, Alison & Sandra who are all three in the final preparation for IronMan next weekend. My pack felt heavy on Sunday, even though it was a shorter run than Saturday, but managed.

The time left is now not that much.

15 Hours 4 Days

Howzit Guys

Well its done Block Week 2!! Woooo hooooo! hahaha. Listen all things considered, the distance, the hours... all went well. My calf, although tender, hung in there the whole time - even with the steep acents that did on Saturday. Every run over the last four days we have done with packs. Our packs on average have been about 8kg's.

Thursday and Friday were road / trail combo's. The trail in each case is a route we have through Kirstenbosch and the constantia green belt.

Saturday was a bit of an Epic crossing... up Suikerbossie, up Llandudno ravine...all the way to the dams..then follow puffer route to Mcclears Beacon... then home via puffer to constantia nek...then to Hout Bay.....hectic....it took me long enough just to type it (on cell phone..watching Bond 007 on TV).

Andie did well too, trying different things with his nutrition, now is the time to test! We ran quite a bit with Sand Crab too.

Sunday - back to Green belt - some of the usual supects joined us, Carla & Ali.... and Sandra Boer ... another one of our Ironman buds (this one so happens to have gone to Kona - the holy grail of Ironman!!!). We finished with the Ironmanners..and then put in an extra hour for good measure...all in a days work.

Well i guess its 4 days of running about 150km-ish... good going.

Andie took some kick ass photos at the dam.. i'm sure he will post!

Chow for now

R

ps - thanks Ryan for compression Socks - i look like a dork but they work!

The Unbearable Lightness Of Being...Chris Allan

Deep into the second block weekend, after a couple of weeks of busy at work, I finally managed to get to see physio extraordinaire Chris Allan. I had to take a coffee and a La Cucina muffin, because I don't think he realised how messed up I actually am. I put my neck out a couple of weeks ago, the week before the Prince Albert race, and have had this constant headache, as well as I can't turn my head to the right, I kind of have to swivel from the hips. I think its stress related, and running with a pack has not helped the situation. My ankle, more specifically my achilles has been noticeable lately as well. It was kind of funny because half way through the session, Ryan popped in to get some stuff and they were chatting as I writhed in agony as Chris had to practically get up on the table to get enough leverage to get my back clicked back into place, and the last part where he struggled to get my neck to click at the end - but the difference after was so noticeable, I slept through last night for the first time in MONTHS - probably also because I hadn't gone to sleep the night before because of a problem I had with the house - loooong story. The sessions so far in the block weekend have been okay, but tomorrow's long run lies like a mountain before me - no pun intended, we're going to climb Llundudno Ravine and head across the Twelve Apostles to MacClears and then back into Hout Bay - its going to be a tough one - have to concentrate on my nutrition to see if I can overcome the recent bouts of nausea.

Blocking!!

Howzit

A good start to block week. 3hrs with packs. We ran Chappies and the Constantia Green Belt. I must say i really enjoyed it. Its really cool to have built up endurance to a point where you can go out for a long time and still finish strong. I think our pack weight is up to about 9kg's.

Tommorrow is gonna be a bit of a pack run with friends ....the usual suspects ... and then Greenbelt a little later on.. I think we have to be careful not to push too hard....coz Sat is gonna be heavy!!! hahaha

Next week we are gonna be up in PE to watch Ironman. It oight to be good fun...but i think its gonna hurt my heart a bit not to line up at the start.

Chat tommorrow

Chow 4 now

R

Have to change the title now after hearing the news, 270km not 250km.

Mid week

I am pretty much eating everything I can lay my hands on - I am just hungry ALL the time. Been keeping myself busy with some swimming and gym, spent sometime on the dreaded spin bike yesterday morning and a long/short run last night at the club.
Its weird how all of the sudden its become so much darker so soon, and so much colder. I ran in a long sleeve last night, and the usual burden turned into a bit of a blessing. It's quite sad to see summer bleeding away slowly, but I guess winter has its own advantages and disadvantages. The one thing I enjoyed about trail running last season was it never ever bothered me if it was raining while I was running, sure I got cold, but I remember cycling in the wet and it was terrible!!!!!

Pre Block Week

Howzit Guys

Its been a pretty non eventful week so far mainly because we have a Block (4 days in a row of big distance) starting on Thursday. We can look forward to about 15 hours of running. I have been thinking about routes and what we should do. Yesterday was Club run - Andie and I did about a 7km warm up before hand..... and ended on about 18km. The funny thing is that now days an 18km run feels as if I am running 5km. :)

I got a little news from the Sand Crab that apparently we can expect alot of sand running(what? in a desert? Sand!! Cant be) & dunes in the 4 Deserts - Namibia. Hahaha. Another bit of useful info is that the race in going to be about 270km...20km further than expected. Apparently on the web site there is a Google map with some co-ordinates. I'll check it out and post it.

This week up to Thursday I am mainly going to swim and gym to keep the blood flowing.

Chow for now

R

Crossroads

It's photos like these that sometime really put things into perspective.
I haven't blogged in a while, probably because I'd pull the whole world into my own little black hole of despair - yes, I lean towards the dramatic.
Its been a rough last couple of weeks, personally and in terms of training.
On the training front, I ended up being very disappointed with my race in Prince Albert, its not the end of the world, I realise that, but you know how sometimes when things are weird, a mole hill looks pretty much like a mountain, even if they are the Swartberg and it's midnight and you're vomiting the entire contents of your stomach down the cliffside. I even managed to black out at one point when I tried to run, from weakness, from shame who knows. I managed to start running again after what seemed like an eternity in the darkness, alone with the real Ghosts of the Swartberg. Its a bit frustrating really, all I had wanted to do was say, OK that was the best I could do. Anyway, water under the bridge now - it's just one race.Right?
The thing is though, I seem to be building up a history of "strange" occurances during my races, I train hard, text book in fact, but on race day, if something will go wrong, and let's face it, when you start to do something over two hours things are bound to go wrong. I almost pulled out of the bike on IronMan SA with cramping so bad I couldn't actually turn my cranks,I started vomiting uncontrollably during the run at IronMan Brazil, I snapped an ankle during Tuffer Puffer, something I still don't think I actually got over completely, it was also one of the first times something bad happened that I could not overcome and finish. Now I get sick AND black out, which begs the question, if these were only one day events and I struggled to finish, what on Earth would make me think I am actually going to get past day two of Namibia? I've thought alot about this, it's taken a huge effort to get to the point where I could have entered, I thank QlikView for this, and I thank Rob for firstly listening to all my crap and also for all the training experiences that we've shared as well as all the amazing people I have met as a trail runner. I had made up my mind that maybe it's not worth even going, if there's a more than just a likely chance that I am not going to finish. Maybe I need to separate the race from the other stuff that's happening in my life.
I thought about how Rob and I did the big climbs, and how strong I felt and that even though THAT was how I was meant to run and couldnt, the fact remains is that is how I CAN run...its just that I don't often get a chance to prove it. To myself. And then everything just gets lost. Kind of like me.
Sorry if this is a bit "out there".

Wolverine

hahaha - well after strict instructions from Chris to keep runs flat and easy, plus dodging the temptation of Linda Dokes hill session ... I listened!! Saturday started at Silvermine where Andrew and I watched the Ironman athletes doing some laps.... then the Sand Crab joined us and we were off. Level 5 contour path for starters ... then the River path....then back to...yawn....level 5. The good news is that my calf didnt hurt. I could feel it though. It worked out to be a good run and i was quite tired at the end but really happy that i could run.

Sunday - a road & trail combo. Still tried to keep it flat.... this is big ask if u live in hout bay... there arent any. Anyway....ran to fish on the rocks then up chappies (flatish..haha) and then along a trail back down. We finished off with some work along valley road.

Finally we ended the run @ Nandos - haha double chicken burgers all round!!! I'll check with Chris tomorrow but hopefully i'll be allowed back on the hills tomorrow.

It was very quite on the roads i guess because Argus is over and Ironmanners are tapering - 2 weeks left. We did bump into Lisa Baumann surging up Chappies looking very strong...I think she is gonna kick ass @ Oceans this year.

Chow 4 now!!

R

Calf Tear - but don't despair!

Howdee,

Ive had quite a busy work week so far, our directors are down from JHB and we had a golf day etc etc but its a recovery week... so all is good. Ive managed to have a swim...and hopefully a bike and gym tommorrow.

Okay now the bad news. Saw Chris (physio extrodinaire) today, I have a slight tear in my calf muscle caused by the hills in the Hell.
What does Chris say? Rest till Saturday... block week posponed. Run flat road and no pack..until next week. Okay so news not that bad. It could be worse, but still a bit of a set back. I guess it will be fun to have a nice reaxed run on the weekend!

Chat later - chow for now

R

Wednesday

It's a bit of a rest week this week.

Midnight Hell

Hi everyone
Here are some photos from Midnight Hell

To Hell and Back

Howdee guys

Sorry It's been a while but I have a good excuse. Ive either been driving, eating, running or sleeping!!

Friday evening - a quick 4 hour drive and we were in Prince Albert. Dinner: A pizza for starters, steak for mains, ice cream for desert and a beer to wash it all down - Gotta love Carbo loading.

Prince Albert, Gamkaskloof and "THE HELL" are just as awesome as I remember them from a few years back. It was great to be 4x4 in with Andrew and Linda Doke, just to see the expression on their faces as we drove down these huge downhills that we would have to run up later!! hahahaha - excellent.

The race start in the Hell valley which is encompassed by the Swartberg Mountains. The temp as we got out the car at about 8 was about 29 degrees but I think dropped to about 22ish at Midnight.

At 9 (at night) the race started Andrew , Linda and myself headed off at a good solid pace and before we knew it there were no other headlights in front of us. This couldnt be?? We were in the lead. At the 12km mark just before a huge climb I thought that the rest of the pack would catch us, as I thought it would be best to walk / run this section, It didnt happen instead Andrew Linda and I in fact increased our lead here. I think from our endurance that we have built up over all our big weekend runs and mountain work helped us up these hills at a strong pace.....and so the evening continued.

At 10km to go Linda made a break from me.... and showed me how to finish a race in style smashing the existing record! Awesome!

On the whole a great race. I was very happy as it is the best race finish that I have ever had - 2nd. Well done to Andy a top 10 (even although feeling sick at one point). Word out on the trails is that he came blitzing past on the last 10km.

I did pick up a tweak (Athletes use this word to make a problem less than it is) on the race, I hope its okay. It is a rest week and I have physio on Wednesday.

Chow for now

R

Midnight Hell

What a race!! Congradulations to fellow Hout Bay Harriers Linda Doke in smashing the course record AND to Rob, with a calf injury, putting in a very close second place finish also well within the previous record!!!!

Chappies Again!

Howdee

I can never be accused of not being able to conquer chappies .... Tues, Wednesday evening... and this morning - Chappies seemed to be the route of choice..... i didnt choose to run it ... it just seemed to choose me. When I woke up this morning at 4:40 i thought that it was gonna be a struggle because my legs felt like lead. Carla and i went outside nobody was there!!! Two minutes later an entire posse arrived. John Legend, Trevor armed with iPod, Ryan, Ali and new entry Marlene!! 7 of us in total. We started off at a nice brisk pace for about 5km... Then the girls turned around as they only wanted to run 10.

Next second Trevors iPod was in and we were running 4:15 per km '@&€£¥'. It was crazy ... testosterone at its best. I recon we might have tested positive if we had a drug test hahahaha. Anyway bottom line a fun hard run, perhaps too hard before the weeked. I ran straight into the house and into my compression tights. i wore them under my work clothes the whole day....in this heat!!!! what we do for sport!

I had a recovery swim this arvie which seemed to loosen me up a bit :).

I'll chat tomorrow when we get to the hell!!! Think of us!!

Chow for now

R

O btw spotted a cape cobra on chappies on wednesday! So keep them peeled

GOOD LUCK FOR MIDNIGHT RUN!!!

After a pretty heavy week training (incl. the previous weekend!) you guys get to rest up Friday to give Saturday's Midnight Run 80km a good hard push with full training gear & nutrition as to be used in your 4 desersts race in Namibia.

This is going to be an awesome opportunity for you to gaige your fitness & endurance levels with 9 weeks of training till your big race to go!

Good Luck!!!

Pack Run and Wednesday

;)

Tuesday nights run was a good hard
one; first i got dragged up chappies by Ryan. Very similar to how a dog plays with a toy....haha.... then off to join the pack run. There was a nice biggish group there. I spent most of my time running from the back to the front of the group... this proved to be a great interval set. we decieded to do speed session right at the end which i think everyone enjoyed...... a few moaned at me however hahaha .... shame.

Tonights run was a mixture... at first sluggish .... then I found a nice rythm.... hectic! So at least I finished strong. I cooled down on the beach with the dogs. I then quickly ran to swimming squad just in time to watch the guys finishing.

Gonna get an early start tommorrow..so its up at 4:40. I think about 4 people should pitch up to run Chappies!!

Chow for now!!

R

It hasn't been a great week so far - had heavy work commitments, so I've had to cut my training short. Its not easy trying to care of work, training, a house, etc on your own. Trying to keep head up for the weekend.