Training Log Archive: apopeIn the 31 days ending Dec 31, 2009:
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Thursday Dec 31, 2009 #
Swim 37:43 [3] 1.6 km (23:34 / km)
Did 1.2 in 29:00 so a bit better than last time. Might be able to get hold of a demo wetsuit. Buying one is still out of the question
Run race 43:08 [5] 10.0 km (4:19 / km)
shoes: Nike Pegasus 07
New Years Eve 10km at Piet Reinerveld Park in Pretoria. Nice crowd of people, including Mats Haldin!
I only started my watch as I crossed the start line. It was a double lapper with a very unexpected twist - a detour up a monster hill after 6km.
I only started my watch as I crossed the start line. It was a double lapper with a very unexpected twist - a detour up a monster hill after 6km.
Wednesday Dec 30, 2009 #
Trail Running 3:45:00 [3] 22.0 km (10:14 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
A loop of Suikerbosrand with Nic, Mac and Lisa. Lots of walking. And lots of grass in the path - itchy legs.
Cycling 55:00 [3] 20.0 km (21.8 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
A quick burn around the last part of the road loop with Mr Specialized factory racing and Nic
Cycling 57:59 [3] 17.6 km (18.2 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Av 18.5 Max 57.1
Bill Stewart route with Sarah. Went at the hills hard
Bill Stewart route with Sarah. Went at the hills hard
Tuesday Dec 29, 2009 #
Swim 31:00 [3] 1.2 km (25:50 / km)
I seem to get slower!
Paddle 1:01:03 [3] 10.18 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: K2 Accord
3 and about a third laps of the Germ' with Lisa. A man with a GPS says the lap is only 3.1 km. So our pace isn't quite as hot as I had thought
Monday Dec 28, 2009 #
Cycling 3:05:09 [3] 62.02 km (20.1 kph)
slept:9.0 shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Ave 20.33 Max 65.5
To Wits via Zoo Lake for a swim. They were cleaning the pool and said come back at 10.00. So I did a loop of Emmies and down the the scout hall. Still not finished cleaning when I got back so I came home.
To Wits via Zoo Lake for a swim. They were cleaning the pool and said come back at 10.00. So I did a loop of Emmies and down the the scout hall. Still not finished cleaning when I got back so I came home.
Sunday Dec 27, 2009 #
Orienteering race (Sprint Cup Prologue) 29:30 [5] 2.8 km (10:32 / km)
shoes: Saloman SpeedCross
Kloofendaal 1:5'000
So not a great start. Down 4 minutes by #2! Overshot #1 seeing a crag ahead and convincing myself it was the one even tho it was 100m too far. Then I tried to tiger line #2 and found that reading the boulders was difficult so I ran left instead of right.
Settled down a bit after that. Walked some hills.
About 2 min behind Garry I think. Way off Mr Finland Jarko Houvilla. He did 20:37! Awesome to see
So not a great start. Down 4 minutes by #2! Overshot #1 seeing a crag ahead and convincing myself it was the one even tho it was 100m too far. Then I tried to tiger line #2 and found that reading the boulders was difficult so I ran left instead of right.
Settled down a bit after that. Walked some hills.
About 2 min behind Garry I think. Way off Mr Finland Jarko Houvilla. He did 20:37! Awesome to see
Orienteering race (Sprint Cup Final) 35:00 [5] 3.3 km (10:36 / km)
shoes: Saloman SpeedCross
Chasing starts for the final. It felt like a much better run, but maybe just because I was passing people. Could have been better.
I punched #3 before everyone in front of me with a good route round the bottom. We all messed up #4 - I found it first and everyone followed. Brad managed to catch up with Dylan and I. I punched #8 in the lead and missed a small path down to #9. I lost 2.5min to Brad and less to Dylan. I caught Dylan again and chose a faster route to #13. I didn't realise Brad was ahead until I got to the open area.
Well done Brad! Tough course and I screwed up when it counted I guess...
Time to find some speed for the sprint season
I punched #3 before everyone in front of me with a good route round the bottom. We all messed up #4 - I found it first and everyone followed. Brad managed to catch up with Dylan and I. I punched #8 in the lead and missed a small path down to #9. I lost 2.5min to Brad and less to Dylan. I caught Dylan again and chose a faster route to #13. I didn't realise Brad was ahead until I got to the open area.
Well done Brad! Tough course and I screwed up when it counted I guess...
Time to find some speed for the sprint season
Saturday Dec 26, 2009 #
Swim 46:31 [3]
Buffelspoort swim.
Friday Dec 25, 2009 #
Run 41:24 [3] 8.17 km (5:04 / km)
slept:8.0 shoes: Nike Pegasus 07
Bedford Center, Bishop Bavin, old house, home.
Thursday Dec 24, 2009 #
Paddle 54:18 [3] 9.6 km (5:39 / km)
shoes: K2 Accord
3 laps of the Germ' with Lisa. Good to catch up
Cycling (Linksfield) 1:15:00 [3] 25.5 km (20.4 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Ave 21.1 Max 59.3
Old-school linksfield. Up the Alpe in 5:41. Feeling the altitude a bit
Old-school linksfield. Up the Alpe in 5:41. Feeling the altitude a bit
Wednesday Dec 23, 2009 #
Run 57:30 [3] 10.0 km (5:45 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
Run with Jane along the cliff path - really scenic. Nathan swam again, but we decided it was going to be too cold at 7h00.
Tuesday Dec 22, 2009 #
Swim 35:00 [3]
We drove up to De Bos Dam for a swim. Its the main source of drinking water for Hermanus, so hopefully no one pee'ed in it...
It was cold, I was feeling weird for 2 hours afterwards.
My calf cramped for about 5 min in the water and now its very bruised. Ouch
It was cold, I was feeling weird for 2 hours afterwards.
My calf cramped for about 5 min in the water and now its very bruised. Ouch
Run 16:00 [3] 4.0 km (4:00 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
We entered the Kleinmond Triathlon. It was a good laugh and lots of fun. Jane rocked up in her tri-suit. We were the only people wearing swimming caps.
120m swim, 400m run to transition, 10km cycle mix of path and road and then a nice 4km loop including a board walk.
R170 for 5 entries. R300 prize money ;) Nathan 1st man, me 3rd, Jane 1st women, Jess 1st junior woman.
I'm making this my speciality distance... 120m swim!
120m swim, 400m run to transition, 10km cycle mix of path and road and then a nice 4km loop including a board walk.
R170 for 5 entries. R300 prize money ;) Nathan 1st man, me 3rd, Jane 1st women, Jess 1st junior woman.
I'm making this my speciality distance... 120m swim!
Cycling 25:00 [3] 10.0 km (24.0 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
4 x 2.5km loops at maximum speed. Some guy drafted me for a whole lap and then dropped me. Had him on the run tho. All very serious
Not even going to log the swim
Not even going to log the swim
Monday Dec 21, 2009 #
Cycling 3:10:00 [3] 50.0 km (15.8 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
From the hotel, to Hemel and Aarde road, off onto some amazing single track. We were trying to get to La' Vierge for lunch. Eventually we decided the track was going too far out the way, so back down to the tar road to the restuarant. The track was specially made and seriously technical.
After lunch, we found De Bos Dam and had a dip. Then up to the top of Rotary Way for an awesome view of Hermanus. Home via the Beanery and the new harbour.
Awesome day out!
After lunch, we found De Bos Dam and had a dip. Then up to the top of Rotary Way for an awesome view of Hermanus. Home via the Beanery and the new harbour.
Awesome day out!
Sunday Dec 20, 2009 #
Swim 35:00 [3]
Morning lagoon swim while the others went for a road ride. Giving my knee a break.
Swim 35:00 [3]
Afternoon lagoon swim with Jane. Ridiculous wind made for a struggle out and a cruise back. You'd get smacked in the face by a wave every time you breathed.
Saturday Dec 19, 2009 #
Note
(rest day)
A rest day!?
We drove to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch
We drove to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch
Friday Dec 18, 2009 #
Swim 30:00 [3]
The first of the lagoon swims. A bit weird cos you can stand up at any time and the water probably won't be higher than my hips. A bit windy too. Kite surfers are good at avoiding me.
And I'm sticking to the story that the dead fish are because the lagoon has been closed for a while and the water isn't salty enough for them. I haven't been sick, so probably not polluted...
And I'm sticking to the story that the dead fish are because the lagoon has been closed for a while and the water isn't salty enough for them. I haven't been sick, so probably not polluted...
Thursday Dec 17, 2009 #
Cycling 2:15:00 [3]
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Route 4 at De Hoop. Much sand. And a sore knee
Trail Running 45:00 [3] 7.5 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
Beach run
Wednesday Dec 16, 2009 #
Cycling 2:45:00 [3]
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Route 2 and 3 at De Hoop.
Knee not happy about all this exercise
Knee not happy about all this exercise
Monday Dec 14, 2009 #
Note
Now I'm in Hermanus! Really nice place. Hopefully not too much training yet, although I am here with team exercise... probably a mtb ride this afternoon. We've already cycled for 20min to get lunch :-)
Saturday Dec 12, 2009 #
Note
(sick)
Back from Abu Dhabi. Lots of fun!
Check out the blog. I'll try to update all 70 hours of racing.
Got a cold on day 6. Coughing a little bit now. Should be gone soon with a bit of rest and sleep
Check out the blog. I'll try to update all 70 hours of racing.
Got a cold on day 6. Coughing a little bit now. Should be gone soon with a bit of rest and sleep
Wednesday Dec 9, 2009 #
Trail Running race 2:00:00 [4] 20.0 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
'Night orienteering' at the bottom of Jebal Hafeet. More like run over stony ground with a heavy pack and follow the lights in front of you. I had a heavy bag. Front teams used GPS, we just ran on compass bearings and followed the lights. No problems, just a bit of suffering
trekking (Canyoneering) 3:00:00 [3]
shoes: Salomon Wings
Via Ferrata up Jebal Hafeet. 1300m of climbing. Spectacular!
Trail Running race 30:00 [3] 4.29 km (7:00 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
From the top of the canyoneering to the parking lot. My knees weren't impressed.
It was cloudy so we didn't get a great view.
It was cloudy so we didn't get a great view.
Cycling race 1:00:00 [4] 30.0 km (30.0 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
We dropped almost all the 1300m in about 4km. Then we raced into Al Ain. High intensity with some pushing to keep us in the main bunch.
Run race 18:48 [4] 3.01 km (6:15 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
The final leg: a short run through the palm oasis in Al Ain. It was all on a hard surface. We managed to run steadily the whole way.
Huge pack, with mtb shoes, 2 helmets, climbing gear, pedals off the bikes and the 1.5kg gps tracker.
Huge pack, with mtb shoes, 2 helmets, climbing gear, pedals off the bikes and the 1.5kg gps tracker.
Tuesday Dec 8, 2009 #
Cycling race 7:30:00 [4] 90.0 km (12.0 kph)
shoes: Olympic MTB shoes
Started with a fast 33km section to the new hotel in the desert Qasar al Sarab. That took about 90min. Francois and Christo towed Lisa and I just held on. I worked hard!
We had a tea party at the hotel. Then we set off in what felt like a sand storm. I was looking at 3 to 3.5 hours for the 55km.
Add some very sandy sections to the sand storm and we suffered for 5.5 hours. We ran out of water and managed to get a total of about 1 litre each from various press and official cars.
I was a bit stronger than the others towards the end because I had been pacing myself very evenly since I wasn't towing.
Quite a suffer fest. And really dirty
And even though I packed about 50% more food than I thought I'd need, I ran out. I got a bar from Lisa and ate everything in my backpack, including emergency super C's. So, for the last stage I almost packed everything left in my crate. I'm now carrying 4 emergency gels and a few energy bars. Unpredictability doesn't suit me
We had a tea party at the hotel. Then we set off in what felt like a sand storm. I was looking at 3 to 3.5 hours for the 55km.
Add some very sandy sections to the sand storm and we suffered for 5.5 hours. We ran out of water and managed to get a total of about 1 litre each from various press and official cars.
I was a bit stronger than the others towards the end because I had been pacing myself very evenly since I wasn't towing.
Quite a suffer fest. And really dirty
And even though I packed about 50% more food than I thought I'd need, I ran out. I got a bar from Lisa and ate everything in my backpack, including emergency super C's. So, for the last stage I almost packed everything left in my crate. I'm now carrying 4 emergency gels and a few energy bars. Unpredictability doesn't suit me
Sunday Dec 6, 2009 #
trekking race 23:00:00 [4] 90.0 km (15:20 / km)
shoes: Salomon Wings
The BIG leg of the race. I was pretty nervous not having done much to prepare besides running about 10km.
We had our fancy lycra gaitors to keep sand out. They worked well. In the end I had blisters on both of my little toes. They didn't slow me down too much, but they are bloody sore now.
So we went steadily. I kept a very close eye on what Lisa did. She's got lots of experience on long runs, so I tried to do what she did. I was solid the whole way. I'd call it a conservative pace for me.
I was burning sugar at a crazy speed. Too much long acting insulin I suspect. I went through 15 bars, pronutro, crackers, chocolate, dried fruit, pretzels, gels. I finished with 1 gel and 1 serving of pronutro left. So I was cutting it pretty close. Lesson learned: carry a lot more than expected. It could be disasterous if I run out of food.
We skipped 2 optionals resulting in a 12 hour penalty. A top 15 finish is not too difficult if you get all the desert points. I may have been able to do that, but it would have skrewed me for the rest of the race.
Nav was interesting. I did almost all of it off the photograph, compare to the top teams that went as straight as they could through the dunes based on the gps. We stuck to the pans. Difficult to say which was better. I do know that we hurt a fast french team with a pan route choice when they went straight. I think we took 20 min out of them in 10km and they're faster than us.
We had our fancy lycra gaitors to keep sand out. They worked well. In the end I had blisters on both of my little toes. They didn't slow me down too much, but they are bloody sore now.
So we went steadily. I kept a very close eye on what Lisa did. She's got lots of experience on long runs, so I tried to do what she did. I was solid the whole way. I'd call it a conservative pace for me.
I was burning sugar at a crazy speed. Too much long acting insulin I suspect. I went through 15 bars, pronutro, crackers, chocolate, dried fruit, pretzels, gels. I finished with 1 gel and 1 serving of pronutro left. So I was cutting it pretty close. Lesson learned: carry a lot more than expected. It could be disasterous if I run out of food.
We skipped 2 optionals resulting in a 12 hour penalty. A top 15 finish is not too difficult if you get all the desert points. I may have been able to do that, but it would have skrewed me for the rest of the race.
Nav was interesting. I did almost all of it off the photograph, compare to the top teams that went as straight as they could through the dunes based on the gps. We stuck to the pans. Difficult to say which was better. I do know that we hurt a fast french team with a pan route choice when they went straight. I think we took 20 min out of them in 10km and they're faster than us.
Saturday Dec 5, 2009 #
Paddle race 7:00:00 [4] 55.0 km (7:38 / km)
From the island inland on a channel. Grabbed CP2 and CP2+. We had some shallow water and had to do a bit of pushing in the mud. Back out onto the sea and slogged it home.
Excellent conditions: tail wind and flat sea. No nausea!
We saw turtles and dolphins.
Almost got tricked by the building of new land into the ocean. There was a huge new piece sticking out into the ocean that wasn't shown on the aerial photo. These guys do things in a big way.
Excellent conditions: tail wind and flat sea. No nausea!
We saw turtles and dolphins.
Almost got tricked by the building of new land into the ocean. There was a huge new piece sticking out into the ocean that wasn't shown on the aerial photo. These guys do things in a big way.
Friday Dec 4, 2009 #
Cycling 20:00 [5] 12.0 km (36.0 kph)
shoes: Salomon XA Pro
A blast up and down the Abu Dhabi beach road. We used cages so we could hop onto the run quickly. Did a bit of Lisa pushing to keep us in the bunch. We finished in the leading bunch.
Run race 1:00:00 [4] 10.0 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Salomon XA Pro
Off bikes and onto the run around the royal palace, past Marina mall, down the road towards Lulu island. Francois was hurting so we didn't push it too much. We passed an unconcois girl who had run into a street pole!
This also included the run on Lulu island after the paddle. We had to pick up 2 controls ontop of dunes. My uncovered salomons filled with sand - our first taste of desert running.
This also included the run on Lulu island after the paddle. We had to pick up 2 controls ontop of dunes. My uncovered salomons filled with sand - our first taste of desert running.
Paddle race 40:00 [4] 6.32 km (6:20 / km)
From the end of the swim we hoped into the boats and paddled to Lulu island and back. The leaders we coming back as we were heading out.
Swim race 40:00 [4] 0.9 km (44:27 / km)
We swam from the cultural village across the bay to the start. Very salty. Francois isn't a big swimmer so the rest of us towed him most of the way. He lay on his back and held onto a bib on each side.
Hard work!
Hard work!
Note
We finished the prologue in 29th - our worst placing of the race I think.
Paddle race 5:30:00 [4] 33.0 km (10:00 / km)
Part 1 of the long paddle. We left from the start of the prologue, out around Lulu island, into the sea, along the coast for a CP, and then further along to the bivouac.
I felt horrible most of the way. Finally chucked at about 4 hours. Popped a gel and got moving again.
Progress was slow with heavy boats and rough conditions.
The desert island that we slept on was very cool. About 100m long and 20m across.
I felt horrible most of the way. Finally chucked at about 4 hours. Popped a gel and got moving again.
Progress was slow with heavy boats and rough conditions.
The desert island that we slept on was very cool. About 100m long and 20m across.