Week 2 – A hard slog

Once upon a time I consistently updated my blog. In those days I was stronger, faster and could jump higher. After a year in the tropics I have lost most of my fitness and have a huge uphill struggle to get back into shape.

Each week I’ll document my training. This will motivate me to train harder.

Last week was a big week by any standard.

On Sunday, three members of my Trailwalker team set off to train on the MacLehose Trail. The toughest two sections are sections 3 and 4. Both are awarded a three star rating, the most difficult. It was a really hot day and I set off with 8 litres of water in a backpack. For those unfamiliar with the Maclehose, it is described as the hilliest terrain outside Nepal. Traversing the MacLehose 100km is like climbing Mt Everest and descending again. I don’t know if this is true but I can tell you the hills are unrelenting. And last Sunday it was very hot and humid. For about 7.5 hours we slogged away at those hills. One of the guys blew up and needed to be helped to safety. He was all puffed up and hyponatraemic.

I had a relatively relaxed week (except for working through one night and being lured into a boozy business dinner in Taipei on Thursday) then hit the Mac again on Friday night. Leaving at midnight and going through until 8am. A nice 8 hour hit out. It’s been a long time since I did a “through the night”

Next weekend I’ll be in Beijing so things will be more relaxed. When I get back I’ll do more Maclehose and have a crack at the section that includes Needle hill. See below



Week 2
Sunday – 7.5 hrs on the Maclehose trail – Hard, Hilly, Hot, Humid
Monday – 30min easy
Tuesday – 1.5 hrs 5 x big hill repeats
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – rest
Friday – rest
Saturday – 8hrs through the night on the Maclehose trail

Week 1 - The blog strikes back

Week 1 – ending Saturday 20 Sept.

The blog begins again.

I shut down the blog because I received a complaint, but I have decided that it motivates me and it’s time to use it again.

What am I training for? Well the immediate response is Hong Kong Oxfam Trailwalker on the 7th November. But I only see that as re-entry point into the world of endurance. Since I started living and working in North East Asia one year ago I have had significantly less free time. The first thing to go was my fitness regimen. Then 33 trips to Seoul and 28 trips to Beijing and other places in China add in the odd trip back to Sydney, Taiwan, Europe and the US and you have an unfit specimen.

My training has been consistently steady over the past two months. I went to Keswick in England to walk/run some fells, I was in Arizona and managed to walk into the Grand Canyon all the way to the Colorado river and back in one afternoon (and rescued some poor fellow that was stuck out there, no lights, no map, no water and 125 degrees, had to carry his pack up to the rim) and I’ve been fairly consistent in my training here in HK.

So the blog begins again. What am I training for?

Badwater? (210km) If the race director lets me in again I’d jump at the chance, no excuses this time
Bob Graham Round? – If I fail at getting into Badwater I may put all my efforts into a BGR attempt
C2K? – (240km) on in a few months at the beginning of December. I probably don’t have time to prepare, but have done it twice so a third finish would be cool. And I get to use my lifetime race number 6
Spartathlon (240km) – Next September is too far away

We’ll see. But at the moment I’m getting miles under the belt.

Still very hot here in Hong Kong.
Sunday – 4.5hrs – On the HK trail – rolling hills
Monday – 3.5hrs – On the Wilson Trail – Big Hills
Tuesday – 1hr – 3 x v steep ascents
Wednesday – nothing (Seoul)
Thursday – 30min easy (Seoul)
Friday – nothing (Seoul)
Saturday – nothing (still in Seoul)
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Sunday – 7.5hrs on the MacLehouse trail. Full report next week, very hot carried 9 litres of water from the start