5 weeks....... 31-Jan-2011
Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2011
Well, I've not done this blogging thing before, so you'll have to bear with me. If you are interested in what I have to say and you don't know me, I'll warn you that I like a chat when I get going and can go on a tad!!
Anyway, thought I'd give it a go and try to get some thoughts and feelings down on record. I applied for The AC11 in July 2009 and pretty much since then I have been focussed on getting fit and in decent physical and mental shape for the forthcoming challenge. March 2011 seemed like a lifetime away back then but it is now only 5 weeks away! I have taken my training pretty seriously over the past 6 months and have steadily increased weekly mileage. I've completed numerous 1/2 marathons, many 20+ milers, a handful of marathons, a 30 miler, a 36 miler and a 45 mile (Country to Capital) race on 15th January 2011. That was clearly a tough challenge but I survived. I was pretty pleased with my performance and felt it was a reward for the months of hardwork that had preceeded it. I started from a pretty low base of fitness. Admittedly I wasn't exactly overweight or in a total state of disrepair. However, I did enjoy the odd cigarette and probably drank a little too much. I'd done, apart from the odd trip to the gym to bring down that average cost per visit, very little excercise for a number of years. So, although I felt utterly exhausted and not exactly an olympian I completed the 45 miles in 7 hours 1 min.
My wife (Sophie) has been unbelievably supportive over the past 12 months, especially considering we started last year with a 6 month old baby and had another at the beginning of September 10. Our second was born almost 2 months premature and spent a week in Intensive care, followed by another 2 to 3 weeks (can't remember how long exactly - all a bit of a blur! I've come to realise that sleep deprivation has the same affect on one's memory as excessive alcohol does!) in hospital. He's now doing really well and is almost 5 months old. His arrival came at a pretty crucial time from a training perspective so I just had to find a way of continuing to run without compromising my responsibilities as a husband and father. So, when Sophie and our baby were in hospital I commuted to and from the hospital, twice a day, on foot. Since then, it has been a case of trying to fit around having a fulltime job and 2 boys under 16 months......oh, and sleep!!
So with 5 weeks to go and the 66 mile Pilgrim Challenge race this coming weekend, it's very much a case of trying to stay clear of any illness (very difficult with a snotty toddler climbing over me!) and injury. I have spent the past couple of weeks condisering my kit and nutrition options. I feel I am almost there and am aiming to keep my pack weight below 9-10 KG. I ran 22 miles on Saturday with a 13kG pack (just for the hell of it) and decided there and then that I would not be attempting to cross the Atacama with that kind of weight. I have been used to running home from work (approx 8.5 miles) on a regular basis with a 5-6KG pack and I must say (without trying to state the bleedin obvious) that 13KG is considerably different in terms of the affect it has on running gait. I just about managed to maintain my regular running pace but felt as though I couldn't have continued at that pace much beyond the 3 hours it took me. I'm glad I did it though. Although it was miserable and bitterly cold it was very much a positive training session. I learned a couple of lessons (strangely I suffered from my first blisters - probably the extra weight?!?) and set myself a benchmark for pack weight.
I will treat this weekend's 2 stage (33 miles each day) 66 mile race as my final opportunity to hone my running strategy and tactics (whilst under physical and mental stress and race environment) and to also make some final decisions on kit/food/pack weight. I will then stick to my plan and use the remaining 4 weeks to get used to it, tweak, condition and maintain fitness and strength. I aim to to complete a 100 mile week next week. I feel this will be extremely beneficial both physicaly, as I will treat it as the peak of my training 4 weeks before the gun goes off in Chile, and mentally. It will provide a boost to my confidence, going into the AC knowing I have completed two thirds of the race distance over the same period. I'll be good to go!
I guess that's enough of an intro. Sorry it is rather dry - I promise to try and add a little humour to my future postings!
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