August 2010

[El Gordo]

Ah yes, Connemara. Sorry, that had slipped my mind.

Eh? You have been busy
Of course, Almeria is very much on my radar too. I'm hoping to tag on a few days (usual flight issues permitting) for an Ultra training camp in Cabo de Gata. The race will be a training run (no, really, it will this time) possibly to pace someone to a sub 2 hour half, possibly not. I'm not planning on hanging onto Ladyrunner's skirt-tails again next next year - damn near killed me last time.

The training camp thing occured to me this time around when I was staggering around the coastal trails after Simon. Oh, and if that plan does bear fruit I'll be drinking a fair bit less post-race. Ahem.

Will have to make a call about Connemara a bit nearer the time.

Well running or not I'm not going without you. You can bloody well cycle along with a loud hailer and bark at me for seven hours until I break down weeping or finish the damn race.

I may well take you up on the sub-2 Almeria offer.

Might sound strange after the calf going ping again last week, but I'm feeling more optimistic right now than I have done for a long, long time. Far from being the last straw as far as my running is concerned, it was the last straw as far as the injury is concerned. I've embarked on a serious health and fitness campaign, with 10 lbs dropped last week alone, plus between 1 and 2 hours of exercise most days over the past 2-3 weeks. I'm determined to sort this problem out somehow.

[Antonio247]

Ah yes, Connemara. Sorry, that had slipped my mind.

Eh? You have been busy
Of course, Almeria is very much on my radar too. I'm hoping to tag on a few days (usual flight issues permitting) for an Ultra training camp in Cabo de Gata. The race will be a training run (no, really, it will this time) possibly to pace someone to a sub 2 hour half, possibly not. I'm not planning on hanging onto Ladyrunner's skirt-tails again next next year - damn near killed me last time.

The training camp thing occured to me this time around when I was staggering around the coastal trails after Simon. Oh, and if that plan does bear fruit I'll be drinking a fair bit less post-race. Ahem.

Will have to make a call about Connemara a bit nearer the time.

Well running or not I'm not going without you. You can bloody well cycle along with a loud hailer and bark at me for seven hours until I break down weeping or finish the damn race.

Congratulations, S. You seem to be quite fit. Unfortunaltely, I haven´t done much since Connemara.

It would be great if you all could come to Almería half marathon. It would be my tenth consecutive half, so I´d also love to go for a sub 2 hour but I´d have to train a lot.

I imagine it will be on the last Sunday of January as usual. As soon as I can confirm it, I´ll get you know. By the way, I´ve seen there is a flight with Easyjet from Gatwick to Almería on Saturday and another flight back on Wednesday. So, if you could stay until Wednesday instead of Tuesday, you wouldn´t have to go to Málaga or Murcia.

What sort of training camp would you like to do at Cabo de Gata natural park?

Well, have a good time in Brazil.

Saludos desde Almería

[Sweder]

What sort of training camp would you like to do at Cabo de Gata natural park?

Hola Amigo! Well, you deserved a long rest after your brave run in Connemara. Is your injury fully healed now? It would be great for me to help you run under two hours in Almeria 2011 so please take care with your training. I have no doubt you can do it. I think Ladyrunner and Gillybean are interested in coming, maybe MSilv too.

For Cabo de Gata training I thought about a series of runs (including the post-race Monday recovery run). I would probably stay until the following Saturday, running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The idea would be to complete at least one long run in an Ultra-style (carrying food and water), something like a three or four hour run at gentle pace (between 35 and 40 kilometers) including easy hills like we encountered this year. Moylebird told me she took part in a training camp in Lanzarote this year. I think they ran every day but I would prefer to continue with my strategy of resting (and eating) well between runs to avoid injuries.

Of course this all needs more thought and opinions are welcomed. I usually get the best results when I dream up my own plans rather than follow perceived running wisdom, so it'll probably seem a bit odd to most

[Antonio247]

What sort of training camp would you like to do at Cabo de Gata natural park?

Hola Amigo! Well, you deserved a long rest after your brave run in Connemara. Is your injury fully healed now? It would be great for me to help you run under two hours in Almeria 2011 so please take care with your training. I have no doubt you can do it. I think Ladyrunner and Gillybean are interested in coming, maybe MSilv too.

For Cabo de Gata training I thought about a series of runs (including the post-race Monday recovery run). I would probably stay until the following Saturday, running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The idea would be to complete at least one long run in an Ultra-style (carrying food and water), something like a three or four hour run at gentle pace (between 35 and 40 kilometers) including easy hills like we encountered this year. Moylebird told me she took part in a training camp in Lanzarote this year. I think they ran every day but I would prefer to continue with my strategy of resting (and eating) well between runs to avoid injuries.

Of course this all needs more thought and opinions are welcomed. I usually get the best results when I dream up my own plans rather than follow perceived running wisdom, so it'll probably seem a bit odd to most

The training camp sounds great, S. I hope to be able to do some kilometres with you if I´m not injured. I can show you interesting places with some hills for a long run.

I thnk my injury is over but I haven´t tested it properly yet. I want to start running again in September. I´ve just done a few bicycle rides in all these months.

Best of luck!

Antonio

[Sweder]

It's been a modest start to my overseas campaign. A tired trudge around the 'lake' behind our hotel in the early, pre-work hours. Oppressive humidity drew out the beer-sweat in double-quick time. Within 20 minutes I was drenched, shuffling painfully around the 400 metre loop on hard-floor tightened legs, cursing the wag who installed this sauna into my own private circle of hell.

Not exactly an epic outing but it's something. Salvador is a weird and wonderful place. As someone known to RC parrishioners offered on Twitter, this region of Bahia should have its own surreal newspaper. They could call it the Salvador Daily. It's turning out to be a longer, stranger trip than I'd imagined, yet there will be time for running, sit-ups and maybe even a lone spin or two. The ongoing saga of the The Wall is keeping us entertained in a morbidly fascinating way; stop-motion workers battle against their inner sloth to rebuild a critical feature of the congress centre hours before our global event opens for business. It'd be like watching paint dry if they'd actually got as far as painting the damned thing.

In a moment straight out of Naked Lunch I had an odd encounter this evening. On firing up my laptop over a hundred tiny ants poured out of the keyboard, scurrying across the desktop like an insectoid wave from an elctro-magnetic pulse. Welcome to Bahia.

More soon; sleep required.

[Sweder]

No more running to report in August; there's way too much surreality going on, real parallel universe stuff. An expedition to track down a Guinness in Salvador lead me to a bar straight out of Twin Peaks complete with freakish occupants, bizarre features and spine-chilling atmosphere. More of that anon (when I finally get into September).

This morning I looked out of my window to see a riderless horse plodding along the street. This beast lives in a rundown shack up the hill and is, so far as anyone knows, a free agent. He's a little on the skinny side but seems happy enough. Every day he trots out into the highway (where auto-mayhem ensues) to access the slightly greener grass on the roundabout. He proceeds with the air of one who has a devine right to roam, oblivious to the angry fists and latin curses filling the warm Bahian air.

Meanwhile the World Dental Congress opened today. Last night, with 14 hours to go, the venue decided to test the brand new water-based cooling system with disastrous results. Around 16 lakes appeared - on carpets, booths, equipment - and it seemed we'd have to cancel the opening. I stood still whilst the event organiser wept gently into my shoulder and the venue coordinator, dashing in his big floppy shoes, red nose and curly wig, proceeded to wonder who was at fault. I took my client gently by the arm and fed her ice-cold Bohemia pilsner and cheeseburgers until the colour returned to her cheeks and she felt well enough to return to the fray. The local crew pulled an all-nighter and voila! We're up and running and highly regarded with lines of visitors queueing around the block to come see the latest instruments of oral torture and gum disease prevention. Welcome to my world of infinite glamour and prestige.



'If you build it, they will come'.
We did, and they have.
Salute!