Training for the 2009 MdS - 10

Well, it's been a long time since I last posted here.  In the meantime, a lot has happened - too much, one might say.

First of all, and most importantly in terms of running, I finally did my first full marathon - in Füssen, southern Germany at the end of July, and it went off far better than I expected.  Having been plagued with yet another injury (this time, a torn calf muscle), I wasn't able to get in much training at all, but it went off fine.  I managed it in a time of 4:02:05, which is not bad for an old codger on his very first marathon.

Back in Chur after Füssen, I felt really strong with no aches or pains whatsoever.  Within three days, I was out running again, but then did something stupid - two very strenuous hiking/running days in the mountains above Chur, which caused my left tibia to ache like crazy.  I thought nothing of it, and two days later, decided on a 50-km run/hike from Liechtenstein back to Chur.  I had hardly achieved 10 km when my leg announced, that it was not going to work anymore, and let out a massive burst of pain.  I ended up almost crawling to the road, from where I caught the bus, and train, back to Chur.  I finally ended up at my sports doctor, and he confirmed by greatest fear - a tibial stress fracture - this is a thin break in the bone, caused by over-use, and makes sense because a marathon causes micro-trauma to the muscles and bones, even if one feels really good afterwards.  A period of recovery is essential - I had totally ignored that and, not only did I not allow recovery, but I did some extreme training, and the result was not surprising.

Since then, I've had to cancel my participation on marathons in Berlin, Lucerne and Locarno, and have been able to do nothing else than bike and swim, plus gym; and later, as the break started to heal, a fair amount of mountain hiking, but no running whatsoever.  I did keep myself fit, and feel, at the moment, fitter than I have ever been in my life, but my running per se will certainly have taken a knock back.

Anyway, I have just been to my sports doctor again, and he is convinced, I can finally start running again from today, but only small distances - no more than 5 km at a time, twice a week, slowly increasing.  I'm very happy at last, because the last four months have been filled with frustration for me, and there have been times when I have almost given up the whole lot and packed it in.

On 6th December, I'm taking part on my first ultra-marathon - 78 km through the Brecon Beacons in Wales (http://www.beaconsultra.com/ ). Of course, not having been able to train properly, I won't be able to run much - probably just the first few kilometres which are flat and alongside a canal, after which the terrain is pretty hilly.  Fortunately, though, I've been doing a lot of hiking lately in the mountains around Chur, and this will aid me greatly in the Beacons.  Vicky is going to be doing it with me, and we'll keep together all the way.  The event is a double route - i.e. twice around, and we'll see how things go by the end of the first round.  Should we tackle the second loop, we're going to be doing it in the dark, so head torches will be the order of the day.  Vicky and a few others from the forum have been out to Brecon in the last month or so, and apparently parts of the route are very stony/rocky - not the best conditions for night events, but still.  Back here in Chur, I've been doing some night hiking as well, to get used to it, and really enjoy it, despite the incredibly sense of isolation one feels.

Back to Brecon: I fly over to London 3rd December, and will be away a full week, spending time in London, Hampshire and Wales.  It's going to be very exciting, and I can hardly wait for it.

Regarding to 2009 MdS - all is go for it, I'm fully registered and paid-up, and am looking forward to it with immense elation.  The hardest part, of course, is going to be training here in Switzerland in winter for an event that will be taking place in the desert at temperatures of up to about 48°C!!!!!  Could be fun.

I am frantically organising kit lists, food lists, and so on for both Brecon and the MdS - it's a huge amount of work, although very interesting, I must.  Of course, there is a lot of contradictory information "out there", and it's hard to know which to follow.  The most important learning will take place on both events themselves.  Learning by doing, although a certain amount of prior knowledge is salient.  The plan is, that I am going to do the MdS in 2011 again with Vicky, so what we learn in 2009 will stand us in good stead for '11.

Now that I am really back into my training, I shall try and keep this blog current.

My Training for the 2009 MdS - 9

It's a hot Sunday evening, and I'm out on the verandah, after a weekend of much death, but some great training for my beloved MdS. The unofficial temperature today in Chur reached around 35°C (the official weather station is down near the Rhein, where it's always much cooler than in the town and surrounds), and the humidity was a sultry 65%; in addition, a southerly wind (the Föhn again) was blowing, albeit very lightly, and the Saharan dust, which has been hanging over Europe for the last week, returned to turn the sky murky and desert-like. Yesterday, however, was a humid, muggy sort of day, with intermittent showers and light storms, and I was really nervous about precipitation hitting our town towards evening. As fortune would have it, we were spared any rain after 3:30 p.m., which gave the ground time to dry and prepare itself for the thunder of runners' feet through the Altstadt of our pretty little town.

I registered several weeks ago for the annual Churer Lauf-Parade, which took place yesterday for the ninth time since its inception. It's run through the oldtown (Altstadt) of Chur, along the little lanes, curving perilously, paved at times with cobble stones, and filled with character and history. It's an unusal race - really a fun thing, more than anything else. There are several categories of events, including kids alone, families, partners, teams, clubs and, for the first time this year, individual runners. The whole event started at 17:30 hours - the kids' races. The race for individual runners and families, started simultaneously at 18:45 hours. The event is 4,6 km long, and involves seven loops, each of 660 metres. Living in the Altstadt, I know the route like the back of my hand, but had never actually run it before. It's basically quite flat, but there is one stretch up the so-called Reichsgasse, which, after a while, becomes damn steep!!!!!

After quite a hectic day, domestic- and business-wise, I set off around 17:30 hours on a 4-km warm-up run along the river in front of our house, called the Plessur. It's a comfortable run, with no surprises, and I have run it a thousand times (or less), sometimes even after a few beers. It generated a good sweat in me, and I felt ready for my big event when I returned home. Our good friends, Rolf and Brigitte, came over the Arcas square (on which we both live) around six o'clock, and we wandered down to the starting area on the square known as Kornplatz. There were thousands (maybe hundreds - Chur is too small for thousands!!!) of people around. The kids' races were just finishing, and there was an atmosphere of jubilation and juvenlie excitement in the air. I've never run such a short race before, and wasn't sure how to prepare for it. Nonethelss, after collecting my complimentary T-shirt and bicycle light (!!!), furnished with my number bib (No. 501), I stood around the start area with Kurt, Rolf and Brigitte, and became progressively nervous as I saw the calibre of some of the individual runners, as well as the teams. Most of the runners had registered for relay races, which meant, they would be running only 2 of the 660-metre loops, and not consecutively. My kind were to do the whole route, non-stop, no wine en route, and as fast as possible.

Shortly before the warm-up spectacle began, I received a lovely surprise: our best friends, Rita and Mohammad, turned up to support me. I had had no idea they were coming - I had not expected them at all, because they're not really into this sort of thing. But, there they were, as large as life. It was a great morale boost. Obviously, living here, I saw a number of other people, whom I know, and there was a carnival atmosphere about the whole thing.

At 18:30 hours, the aerobic exercises started, for those who wanted to try out this exercise in bodily co-ordination. I think, it's an age thing, because I cannot stand in front of a woman, perched on a stage, and copy her aerobic exercise movements, but emulate her movements, getting the left-or right-hand-side correct. My brain just won't swap the sides before me around. And co-ordinate hands above the head, and legs flying out at the side at the same time - forget it - I am incapable. Several kids were viciously kicked in the process, and the legal implications are going to ruin me. Fortunately, other good friends of ours were with me (running as a family team), and the father (Elmar) was having the same co-ordination difficulties!!!!!

Finally, at 18:43 hours, we all stood at the starting arch, and the countdown began. This was going to be fun, as the families, often with very young kids, were taking off at the same time as the adult individual runners. Death, en route, was an inevitability. For some strange reason, I found myself at the back of the pack, which caused me a lot of stress when I began the forward movement. I had set my heart on 25 minutes for the race, hoped for 20 minutes, and decided to surprise myself. Once the starter's gun shot a thousand swallows out of the sky, and I had managed to hurdle 45 000 youngsters, I achieved a pace which I knew, I would never be able to maintain for a full marathon - I was averaging about 3:30 minutes per kilometre (in fact, according to my Garmin 305, I had a maximum pace during the first 600 metres, of 3:10 minutes per kilometre). At my advanced age, there is no way, I'd be able to sustain this pace for an entire marathon, but I knew it was a short distance, and tried to stay as fast as I could.

The corners, at that pace, were criminal, and there was many a terrifying moment, when I felt sure, my face would end up engraved with road patterns. Fortunately, this never came to pass, and I had an accident-free race. I recognised many people en route, whom I knew, and there were often loud cheers of "Hopp, Craig" (a Swiss cheer - basically meaning - Go, Craig). This gave me a lot of encouragement, as I sped along the lanes and mini-lanes of our historic town. Arriving, for the first time, back at the start on the Kornplatz, my fan club (Kurt, Rita, Mohammad, Brigitte and Rolf) cheered me on vociferously. I had chosen not to use my iPod for this race, and it was fun actually hearing, what people were shouting.

At the end of loop one, most runners exchanged batons with the next runners, but we individuals rushed on, undeterred by the mass of trampled bodies. And, so it went on, seven times, with each time the Reichsgasse becoming steeper and steeper, finally feeling like a climb up Mittenberg!!!! The support along the entire route (times seven) was fantastic, and it was as if the whole of the town was out, cheering us runners on. I experienced a lot of high-fives with kids (and adults), to the extent, that I had to stop, due to bleeding hands (almost!!!!). There was even a band on the square next to the cathedral, playing carnival music (in Swiss-German: Guggamusik) - a great boost to the morale. I must admit, I couldn't keep up the 3:30 minutes per kilometre pace, but my average pace was 4:05, which is still one of the fastest I have achieved. I knew it was only 4,6 km, so the psychological pressure of a marathon was not evident, and I could (as is said in Swiss-German) give gas!!!!

It was such a fun, fantastic, familial, festive race, and I wanted it to go on forever. Finally, I ran down the Herrengasse (literally translated: Gentleman Lane) to the Kornplatz for the final time. There was a young guy (about 20 years of age) in front of me, going hell for leather. My only thought was: I'm going to beat you, you young brat!!!! Casting caution, calf injuries, age, coronary risks and catatonia to the winds, I gave gas, and sped down the last 100-metre stretch to the Ziel (Finish). I overtook the whippersnapper, going at a pace, according to my Garmin 305, of some 2:50 minutes per kilometre - pretty fast for an old codger, but it felt so damned good, overtaking a 20-year-old with calf muscles the size of my thighs!!!!!! I really sprinted the last 100 metres.

Finally, the Finish, but chaos. There was a queue, and it took a good minute for my barcode to be scanned. My trusty Garmin 305, however, gave me a time of 18:05 (18 minutes and five seconds). I was ecstatic, and filled with self-pride (who says pride is a sin?????). Grabbing a drink (no, not wine, but a local Swiss drink called Rivella) and half a pineapple (it could have been, I was that hungry, but was, more than likely, a banana), and found my fan club. There were lots of congratulations and bowing before me, but no hugs and kisses - probably due to the fact, that I was sweating profusely!!!!!

It had been a wonderful (and short) race, and my current calf injury remained dormant for the entire race. I was dying to know my placing, but had to wait before it was published. It was celebration time, and we set off back to the Arcas square to the restaurant Los Tioz (formerly Lett, for those of you who know it). That half-litre beer I had didn't touch sides. Gosh, it felt great. Towards 8 o'clock, we made out way back to Kornplatz for the prize-giving, and it was then, that I discovered, that I had come fourth in the Individual Runners category, two minutes behind the guy who came first, and first in my age group. What jubilation. Rita and Mohammad had to leave then, but we went to another restaurant with Rolf and Brigitte, and had a lovely celebration dinner and drinks.

It had been a great race, lots of fun, especially being on one's own doorstep, in one's own town. Support was fantastic, and I already look forward to next year's event.

Today even started off a hot day, and, as mentioned, by 3 p.m., it was 35°C. I set off on a longish run, shortly after 1 o'clock, heading along the Rhein towards the town of Untervaz, where I did a u-turn, and headed back to Chur along the Rhein, but then continued to the military area, called Rossboden. Regrettably, my calf muscle injury kicked in at this point. It hurt like buggery hell, and I decided, instead of running further, as I had planned (wanted to do a 30-km run), it would be more sensible (like HM's shoes), to turn and head home - another four kilometres. I ended up having to walk the last three kilometres, but you can bet your last penny, I ran the final 200 metres onto the Arcas square, which was filled with people in the outside restaurants!!!!! I mean, my reputation was at stake!!!!!!!

And thus, endeth a lovely weekend. I have iced my calf, drunk copious amounts of wine (for medical reasons), and am now about to watch a few episodes from one of my favourite British TV series, My Family on DVD. Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a day in the business - yet again. We already have two bodies, have fired one of our employees, and have to integrate the new one.

A final comment: I love running!!!!

Too much going on in my life.....a few thoughts....

It's a very damp, cold Sunday. My calf muscle tear is healing nicely, because I have stopped running for a while, but I now have an excrutiatingly sore left knee, and, based upon my self-diagnosis, I believe it's so-called Runner's Knee. I cannot walk down stairs without a great deal of pain and discomfort. Not too sure what to do about it, but will probably make an appointment with my sports doctor so he can examine it. It's all a little too much at the moment, because I have the Churerlauf in two weeks' time (this is just a short, 4,9-km race through the Altstadt (old town) of Chur), and have decided to do the Half Marathon Plus (i.e. 25 km) in Liechtenstein on 14th June. In other words, all this nonsense has to clear up post haste, so I can get down to some serious training again.

There is a little too much going on in my life at the moment, and I feel somewhat overwhelmed. When I run, it helps me cope with all this pressure, but when I am incapacitated, I feel submerged in a sea of stress and confusion. Putting it metaphorically, the motorways of my life are congested right now, and I need to find an off-ramp, so I can escape to the peace and tranquility of a quiet country road.

In between bodies and other matters, this weekend, I have taken to tidying and re-organising my library in my study at home in Chur. It's a daunting task, but I am almost complete now. I am sure, I have more books than a small regional library. Being somewhat chaotic of mind, I tend to let my study (which represents me, my kingdom and my being) manifest the way I am. It's always spotlessly clean, but chaotic in organisation (or disorganisation) - try to find a Latin dictionary here, and you will have to look, more than likely, in the books on meteorology or esoterics. Anyway, I set about trying to bring some order into my chaos, and now feel satisfied, that if I want my Latin dictionary, it's amongst the books on physiology - simple!!!!!

I then sat on the couch here, drinking a fine South African red, looking around at my books, and decided to jot down, that which represents my life in my books. The list is somewhat considerable, but I shall publicise it here in categories, with no level of priority:

marathon/ultramarathon-running; fitness; meteorology; vulcanology; deserts; earthquakes; other earth sciences; medicine, anatomy, and physiology; Africa/South Africa - history, politics, geography; travel; running and ultrarunning; bodybuilding; nutrition and metabolism; La Légion Étrangère (the French Foreign Legion); Naziism and the Occult; the former South African Defence Force (SADF) and its operations; Charles Schultz's Charlie Brown and Peanuts; the English language, grammar and literature (in particular: D.H. Lawrence, William Shakespeare, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joseph Conrad, etc.); languages: German, French, Italian and Arabic; esoterics (this covers a multitude of topics, some of which are best left unmentioned because they are rather controversial in nature); Scotland (home of my ancestors); the cartoons of Giles; anything to do with Monty Python/John Cleese; Spike Milligan and the Goon Show; Switzerland and Liechtenstein; psychology (especially physiological psychology); the United States Marine Corps; philosophy; horror movies; the psychology of war; viniculture. Whew, quite a list, but that's me. I also enjoy reading novels, particular those of Robin Cook, John Grishman, Dean Koontz, Tom Sharp, Roald Dahl and Dan Brown.

I joined the Rosicrucian movement in the UK a few years ago, but found, that it was incredibly expensive, and questioned, whether or not the organisation was more interested in making money, than expounding its philosophies (which I do find terribly interesting); I also, in a fervour of philosophy and searching for the meaning of life, joined the Order of the Jarls of Baelder, but this, too, came to nothing, as I am too far away from the headquarters in the UK.

Whilst in my enthusiasm for organising my study, I also categorised my magazines, all of which I receive, as subscriptions, by mail. Here again, whew, what a list - however, I have decided to rationalise, and not renew several of the annual subscriptions, not because I don't like them, but rather due to the fact, that I don't have the time to read them all; the ones I am keeping include UltraRunner, UK Runner's World, Country Life (South Africa), Képi Blanc (French Foreign Legion magazine, in French), GO (South Africa), Travel Africa.

Looking at the above, I see an incredible sense of categorisation in it all. My life is anything but that - it's the epitome of chaos. I am not an organised, disciplined person, but I do make, on frequent occasions, an effort to become organised - it lasts a while, but then the chaos sets in again. I must say, I like the chaotic side to my life, and am not averse to it at all. I just find, that it places me in conflict with so many others, and this is a cause for concern.

And, outside, the rain is coming down in torrents. What is all this, then, that is going on in my life? Well, there's the business itself (a major source of stress); the renovations in our other house in Carona; the renovations in Kurt's late parents' apartment above us here in Chur; the forthcoming renovations in our apartment when we integrate the apartment next to ours into one large dwelling; our staffing concerns in the business; relationships in general; the injuries I seem to have on a constant basis; not having nearly enough time in life to do the things I want to do; a never-ending HATE of taxes and the tax department; ageing (I accept my age, but fight against it nonetheless); fear of dying (I may be an undertaker, but death is something that comes ever nearer, and I have no time for it within the next 279 years); concern about my family in South Africa; finances (I guess, a universal worry); why summer in Switzerland is so short. Believe it, or not, these are the things which can keep me awake for hours at night (and do) - I am a born worrier. I'm 51 going on 97, and will worry, 'til the day I die, which, given the above, may only be in the year 2287.

Well, it's time to stop. That book, which so many people have suggested/implored/threatened that I write? - believe me, it will come, one day. Not only, do I need the money, but it's one of the things, I think about consistently.

Aftermath of the cancelled race....

Thanks to the calf muscle tear in my right leg, I had to cancel my much-looked-forward-to Grand Prix de Berne 16-km race in the capital city on Saturday last. I'd really needed to get away from death and the business, and couldn't wait for the race, when this unfortunate muscle injury occurred. On Saturday, I tried not to think about what was going on in Berne, but it wasn't easy.

However, I did decide to do the sensible thing, and take a break from running for a while, so that the injury could heal itself. I have no more race dates set until the Berlin Marathon on 28th September, but need to go through the list of upcoming races, and see where I could take part. Whilst the MdS is my ultimate middle-future goal, I need a few other near-future goals, because I really enjoy racing.

On Monday last - a holiday here in Switzerland - I went for a bike ride with Kurt. We did around 40 km, taking it easy, and stopping off for a beer in Felsberg. I'd hope to go further and a tad faster, but held in the reins, and enjoyed it. Cycling has no effect on my injured calf muscle.

On Tuesday, due to various factors, I was in a deep low, and decided, I needed to get away for a day, be on my own, and go for a long bike ride. On Wednesday, I would take a break from undertaking (my first in seven weeks, which is far too long), and head off for the day on my mountain bike (see photo above). The weather had been perfect for over a week, and Wednesday was to be no different.

Consequently, on Wednesday morning, I rose at the usual time, readied myself for a day's riding, and set off around 9 o'0clock. My plan, was to ride to Liechtenstein, through this little principality, and across the border to Austria, possibly even heading further north to southern Germany. On Tuesday evening, I had used GoogleEarth to map it all out, and it seemed possible.

I set off from Chur, heading down towards the Rhein at Haldenstein, and followed the usual cycle/hiking track through Zizers, Landquart, Bad Ragaz and then north of Sargans to where the Rhein turns from its northwestwards flow to head basically due north, creating the natural boundary between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It was quite cool when I set off, but I had on my Nike running jacket, which kept me quite warm. By Zizers, though, I was already hot, and removed the jacket.

From my running, I have been learning how to nourish myself on longer runs, and decided, this applies to cycling as well. I had along with me two Gatorades, and a PowerBar, plus water, all of which I started ingesting at regular intervals, in addition to which I also bought myself a large tuna roll and a huge banana on the way. For a change, I found, that the home route, when I returned to Chur, was not nearly as physically stressful as it usual is after a long ride (and my ride on Wednesday was very long - for me), and I put it down to proper nourishment.

Back to the outbound journey - following the Rhein on its northward track, I crossed the hiking and cycling bridge over the mighty river to Balzers in Liechtenstein, and then rode on the sealed route along the levee, which canalises the Rhein all the way to the Bodensee (Lake Constance). There were quite a few cyclists around, and it was interesting to see the various kinds of people enjoying the Rhein - entire families out for a ride, elderly folk getting in some exercise, top-fit guys and girls thundering along on their racing bikes, people like me just out for the day and cross-training for the MdS!!!!, and so on. Quite a few ladies' groups also seemed to have chosen yesterday for a cycle - that's all very nice, but I wish they would realise, that they can't ride ten abreast and block the entire cycle route.

The weather forecast for the Rhein valley had been for northerly winds, which meant, I would have had a headwind in the morning, and a tailwind for the return journey when I was tired. Chance is a fine thing, and I ended up with the exact reverse!!!!! Anyway, on I rode, the Rhein to my left, and beautiful Liechtenstein to my right, passing by the towns of Balzers, then Triesen, followed by the principality's capital of Vaduz. Prominent on the mountain side above the town, is the castle of the royal family of this mini-country (photos can be seen on my flickr.com site). Once I had reached Vaduz, I decided to follow what is known as the Leichtensteiner Rheintalroute for cyclists (the cycling route for the Valley of the Rhine on the Liechtenstein side). It steers clear of the towns (mostly) and meanders through beautiful agricultural and forested areas. Vaduz is 40 km from Chur, so off I set on the meander, heading northwards. It really was very tranquil and enjoyable, and I stopped often to take photos, and enjoy the scenery.

Before I knew it, I was in the north of Liechtenstein, and had arrived at the Austrian border - nothing, other than a post which proclaimed entrance to the Republik Österreich. For motorists, there are still customs and passport control posts wherever roads cross the border from Switzerland into the European Union. The foreign affairs and defence of Liechtenstein are controlled by Switzerland, so between Liechtenstein and Austria, there are border controls as well. However, for cycling and hiking, there are no controls at all, which is very sporting of the EU. Switzerland has joined the Schengen Agreement, and all borders between us and the EU are due to come down some time soon. The original date was 1st November this year, but there seems to be a political delay, and who knows when this will happen.

Anyway, across into the EU I rode, my heart still set on Germany, until I saw large thunderstorm clouds over the north, and decided against it. There were also storms evident over the Swiss canton of St. Gallen to my left, and I was pretty nervous, that they would flow over the mountain barrier of Alpstein, and hit the Rhein valley - fortunately, this did not happen. Having decided not to ride to Germany (which would have been another hour or so to the north), I concentrated on the western Austria area in which I found myself, and decided to head west to the point where Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein share a common border. In front of me, though, was a mini-mountain ridge, which could either be crossed, or circumnavigated. I chose the former route, which, on the map of the area I found at a bus stop, described itself as a hiking track. It looked more like a mountain road which headed up through the forests, so, engaging a lower gear, I set off upwards and upwards and upwards. It was absolutely beautiful, albeit tiring, but I liked the solitude and peace of this dense forest through which I was riding. I finally came to a fork, the upper way changing to a small footpath, quite unsuitable for a bicycle, and the lower route heading back down the ridge past a castle and church (which suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest). I had no choice, and took the right fork, only to find, that I was heading rapidly downhill to near the point at which I had started the ascent - the circumnavgiation would have been right after all. Back down in the valley, I came to the main road around the ridge, and was in some heavy motorised traffic for a while until I finally came to another wide agricultural area, the road across which lead to the little village of Bangs - there are some very strange names of towns and villages in Austria!!!

It was getting quite hot by then, and I had to apply suntan lotion to my exposed arms for fear of them burning to a crisp - the joys of a European "tan"!!!!! From Bangs, I found the narrow cycle track which heads back south, and this marked the northernmost point of my journey. From then on, it was back towards Chur. As I crossed the unmanned border into Liechtenstein, I came across what must be an historic border sign, describing Austria as the Empire of Austria!!!! It was quite ornate, and brought back tales of the empire from history lessons in school!!!!!

Back in the mini-principality, I turned back towards the Rhein to the point where the three countries meet, and had a break while I took some photos, and checked all my instruments. As the crow flies, the north-south extent of Liechtenstein is about 25 km. I was then in the extreme north, about to head to the extreme south, although it was a lot further than the flight of the crow!!!! I decided to follow the Rhein this time, and cycle the whole way along the sealed levee. It did become a little boring after a while, although the mountain scenery all around is spectacular without a doubt. The headwind - fortunately not strong - was a trfile annoying, but did not dampen my spirits.

On and on I cycled, until finally I reached the cycle/hiking bridge across the Rhein near Balzers, back over to the Swiss side. The route back to Chur was pretty much the same as my outward route, the only difference being, the thunderstorm clouds which were building up over the peaks, and threatening to release their precipitational and electrical loads upon poor old me. However, I was lucky, in that I got back to Chur without any problem, and headed straight for Café Arcas on the square of that name in the Altstadt, on which our house is located. I ordered the largest, coldest beer they had, and enjoyed every mouthful.

I'd had a really great day of cycling, and had seen so much of the countryside. I know Liechtenstein well, but it's different by bike than by car, and I will do his trip again. I'd covered 130 km, and felt in excellent condition as I drank my beer. My calorific expenditure that day had been 4280 kcals, so I could afford to quaff a brew or two.

A hot spa bath a short while later, did the world of good, and I felt well-exercised and happy once I emerged. Even today, I have no sore muscles, aches or pains, and even my rear is not at all sore after a long time in the saddle. It had been an extraodrinarily beautiful day. Did I sleep well last night? Hmm, not too badly, but not right through - I had a few hours of wakefulness in the wee hours, again.

In retrospect, it was just as well, that I did not go to Germany, because it would have meant me arriving back in Chur about two or three hours later, exactly when a storm hit our town!!!!

I enjoy biking very much indeed, and would like to do more; however, running is my priority, and I'll do biking (in terms of long rides like this one) when I feel like a break from running, or have an injury which makes running impossible. Actually, part of the route on which I cycled back comprises the 50-km solo run, with rucksack, I have planned for summer. I must say, though, it's a lot quicker by bike!!!!!

Today is another beautiful day, weatherwise, but I'm back with the bodies. From tomorrow, however, there is awful weather expected, with a return to lower temperatures and lots of rain.

Injury - yet again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the calf problem from yesterday turned out to be a muscle tear, and I have had to cancel my participation on the race in Berne. Right now, I don't want to talk about it, I am that gutted.

More, once I am in a better frame of mind.

My Training for the 2009 MdS - 8

Thursday's run was a recovery run, which I really did try to run at a slow pace. However, this is not something I am very good at - slow running - and explains the injuries I have had to date. Nevertheless, I did manage to stick to a pace of 5:24, and covered 8 km.

At one stage, though, I changed my mind suddenly about my route, and did a dramatic change of direction, causing my right leg to twist grossly. I felt an immediate pain in the lower part of my right calf muscle, which followed me all the way home. It was quite painful in the evening, and I iced it twice, which did seem to help. I also took an Ecofénac before bed, just in case. There is only a slight hint of discomfort this morning, but I'm having a rest day today, anyway, so hope the little injury will be better by tomorrow's race in Berne. (For the race website (in German), see: http://www.gpbern.ch/cms/aktuelles.phtml).

I'm very much looking forward to the Grand Prix de Berne. Apparently, it's a very festive time in the capital city, and the atmosphere is phenomenal. The weather forecast is for perfect spring weather, with a maximum temperature of 25°C, and only partly cloudy skies. I'm going down alone by train, expecting to arrive around midday, so I'll have time to fetch my number bib, and view the exhibition, before my part of the race starts at 16:24 hours. My number is 16089. I see, from the starting list, that there are some big names from the running fraternity taking part - obviously many Kenyans, Ethiopians and Eritreans, but also our Swiss champion, and winner of this year's Tokyo Marathon, Viktor Röthlin, will be racing too. Great excitement. I'm going to stay the night in Berne in a small hotel, so at least I don't have to come charging home to Chur by train, and can do that on Sunday morning in a leisurely fashion. Really excited about Saturday.

My Training for the 2009 MdS - 7

This evening's run was wonderful, but also worrying - wonderfully worrying, perhaps - or worryingly wonderful? Whatever. Where was I?

I set off, with the intention of doing 18 km, and ended up doing just under 20 km, deliberately extending the run so I could go further than the 18 km envisaged. I hate restrictions, barriers, definite aims/goals, control (also self-control, but not rectal control). If the intention is 18 km, then I'll do 17 or 19, but not 18.

I try to vary my runs (not diarrhoea, silly reader) as much as possible, but find, that I am slowly having to start repeating at least parts of some. There just aren't enough trails and roads to satisfy my needs. I'll have to have a word with the planning department - the Ministry of Running Trails.

As I am wont to do, I headed off down to the Rhein, through the heart of the military area, where shooting practice was taking place - I wasn't in my disgustingly erotic shorts, so was in no danger of being used as RPG practice. Clarissa and Victor (camel spider and vulture, respectively) were at my heel and overhead (respectively) - the rest of the flange and ponce (respectively) were out boozing. I headed up towards Domat/Ems, running behind the solar panels which line the Autobahn for several kilometres, past the small town, across the bridge of the dam on the Rhein, and then hit the headwind as I returned to Chur on the other side of said river.

It was a good run, thus far, and I felt happy, and did not feel any strain after yesterday's 12-km jaunt. My hayfever is a trifle annoying, at the moment, and I sprayed my thinly-membraned nasal orifices with my hated cortisone spray before I left home (bit like American Express, I guess - never leave home without it). Anyway, shortly after entering the forest between the dam and the village of Felsberg, I felt the need to blow my nose, but had fortgotten to load myself up with tissues. Consequently, it was the nasal ejaculation method into the bushes. I hate doing this, but it was necessary. Regrettably, a gust of wind hit me as I did this, and a blast of the stuff arced back and went over my running vest. Bloody hell (and I say that deliberately) - it was pure blood. It's not the first time I have lost blood because of the spray, but it's the first time I had to run home with blood all over my white vest!!!!! The movie Black Sheep has nothing on the way I looked. Of course, every man and his dog was out cycling this evening, and I did get some very strange looks.

Back in Chur, I had the choice of a short route home (as I had planned with GoogleEarth, and which would have been 18,2 km), or another route, which would give me a few more metres, but included a nasty hillock. Being the pillock I am, I chose the latter route, and dripped a trail of nasal plasma all the way to the top, but was happy I had done it.

It was a satisfying run, and, since Sunday, I have run 64 km, so feel pretty happy with myself - but not complacement by any means. I have a short 8-km run tomorrow, then I'll have a break on Friday, prior to my Grand Prix de Bern 16-km race in the nation's capital, Berne (with an "e" at the end, in English!!), on Saturday afternoon.

One thing I noticed today is, that I must try something other than diluted Gatorade as a drink en route. When I am not running, I have no trouble digesting it, but when I run, it makes me feel somewhat queasy at times. I need to find a substitute.

And, it's soon time for new Nike running shoes!!! Mine really are too small. The blisters on my toe ends have blisters, I think my toes are rotting off, and one of my toenails is dark blue and looks set to release itself from its digital captivity.

Just for the records, the results for today's run (not marathon-winning, but not bad for me, even if I say so yourself):

Distance: 19,78 km
Average pace: 5:05 (including vicious hillock, and a few others nasties)
Time: 1:40:31

I do wish, that every route I take, did not end with the inevitable uphill back home!!! It's not intense, but after 20 km, it's noticeable!!! And so to bed, to dream of camel spiders, sand and Patrick Bauer (we're entering nightmare territory, here).