Midsummer Epiphany in a Year of Graft

Its funny what jet lag and exhaustion does for a man.

This morning I woke at 6am (far too early) and forced myself to go for the first run of the year (i've a half ironman in 10 weeks, so kind of makes sense) After some initial spluttering it turned out ok. As all you runners out there know, the best thing about a run is that it clears the head and so here i find myself writing my thoughts on paper while my bacon burns...

For those who haven't read this blog before, a quick disclaimer - while I do intend to just jot down my honest thoughts about the world. None of these thoughts are remotely politically correct, so if you have an issue with honesty, or get faux offended by me making fun of fat people, skinny people, tall people, short people, black people, white people yellow people and kind of brownish people, gay people, trump supporters, Inca princesses, the funny way asian people pronounce things, hillary clinton, leftists. (Have I left anything out?) Then don't read this blog.

And of course if you are a winner in life, who shares my 'samui' sense of humour, please read on...

This morning, while 'cleaning out the cobwebs' on this frankly slow and plodding run, like many of you i found myself thinking of my life and what I'm doing, and what I'm not doing, and how to do what I'm not doing and want to do. So i made a few resolutions for myself -

One thing I notice is that while lots of people do new year resolutions, why doesn't anyone do midsummer-resolutions? Its probably a better time to do it to be honest. The sun's shining, there are less temptations, more reason to have a mankini-body. So just to be a trend-setter, here are mine -

1. I won't drink alcohol until 2nd September (this ludicrous triathlon date which i haven't done any training for yet)
2. I won't get married
3. I won't have sexual relations with any animals.


If anyone see's me doing any of those terrible things, I will buy you a drink.

I just came back from Japan so i'll write some quick thoughts on the trip later....

Very Good Link to my other Blogpost

Back Running

Apologies for no recent interesting journalism, I've been trying to become a real writer. More Later!

Outdoor Life in Jaco

While it doesnt have a square inch of culture, Jaco does have a lot to do if your into sport and outdoor things.

It even has an active Yoga class, called Aurora Yoga, beside the Wok restaurant on the main street, which i went to last night (in English too!) actually its pretty useful for cross training and is only $5 a session.

Get drunk and try it

There are plenty places for running (all the running stuff is on this amazing link) but personally i prefer just to run on the beach as 1. all the girls can see you and dream 2. The sand is a good running surface and 3. the beach is exactly 5km long, so you can do 'laps' . A girl today told me theres a good trail up behind on the south end of the beach with a good view so ill maybe check that out tomorrow.

Playa Hermosa, makin' it look easy

The surfing here is good for beginners and intermediates - the waves and currents can get quite powerful. I should plug Jaco surf school here (situated right beside Bohios) because they are not only good guys, i got really lucky against one of them at poker the other night ;o)  For more experienced surfers though, Hermosa, just on the next bay is more what your looking for.

Jaco beach running track

Ups its another one of those 'private eye' reading sports fishers

There are also a large number of americans who come for 'sports fishing' , which i understand has some connection with buying cheap hookers and getting drunk in bars with remotely fish sounding names, as thats all i ever see these guys do.

Really, the whole country is full of sport - kayaking, rafting are also all over the place. But one thing i didnt see any of was Chess. I mean, comeon, the place is jam packed with surfers and no chess??? What the hell? A day in Kuta in Bali (which is quite a similar place) would be all about some good food, surfing, a massage on the beach afterwards, and a good game of chess with some random local guy or a chinese tourist (why are chinese so bad at surfing but good at chess?)

Anyway, if anyone in Costa Rica is reading this and would like to challenge me, im up for it, otherwise im declaring myself Costa Rica Chess champion.

NUTRITION, TECHNIQUE AND DISCIPLINE (WOULD BE GREAT IF I HAD ANY)

I’ve spent considerable time reading about how good nutrition affects running performance, and how a good diet is the cornerstone of any athletes life. Avoid sweets, fried and processed food, eat lots of fruit and veg. Avoid tea, coffee, don’t eat or drink too many dairy products.  Anyway my discipline sucks, here’s what i ate today.

8am breakfast of 2 x Weetabix, milk and honey (Nutrition Brownie Points – 7/10)

11am elevenses – smoked salmon on a white roll, 2 coffees and white sugar (NBP – 5/10)

2.30pm lunch – fish and chips, tea with milk and honey (NBP – 3/10)

11pm – large bag of smoked bacon crisps, half a bar of chocolate, spoonfuls of honey (NBP- 1/10 may as well have had a beer)

Anyway i’m going to write down what i eat every day now in a little journal - I think by exposing myself and writing down exactly what crap i put in my system every day, then i will force myself to a healthy diet. No, pervert reader,  I didn’t mean that kind of exposing myself.

Tonight, despite still aching legs from Sundays Yoga (I kid you not!) and after my fish and chips digested, i thought i’d do a stint in the freezing rain with a half marathon. I focussed on going slow and getting the technique correct, and although theres a lot of room for improvement, i think it started to work towards the end, or at least it either wasn’t sore or I was through the pain barrier. At this distance though, I could feel I could have done with some sugar to keep my energy levels up but that’s a small issue – I always take a little bottle with water and honey  (a true superfood and something that must make up 80% of my diet) but next time i’ll try adding some jelly babies which I hear are perfect for giving you a boost.

This month I plan to focus on diet, and technique. After this I don’t even know which country I’ll be living in so that will decide if I do this 50miler or just the Las Vegas Marathon in December.

50miles, well it’s easy to talk about when your’ sitting in your living room watching TV, but the reality is, there are all sorts of new issues come out – regulating your temperature, all those niggling pains from bad running technique and of course dehydration, hypothermia, and the other potentially fatal illness that comes from lack of sodium can make these ‘Ultramarathon’ races quite dangerous.  Anyway, now I have a task for the month, watch this space!

WHY DO RUNNERS RUN? (IT'S THE DRUGS!)

I went for my first proper training run for a month today.  I’ll try to keep an intermittent log in here, as I will be taking bets on my ability to complete this 254km Sahara race over the next wee while, with the proceeds going to PAPYRUS, a charity that helps young people with depression . I did a cautious 5 miles (8km) in a not very fast 46 minutes in chilly but quite ok plus 4 degrees today, with a bit of hail towards the end.  I’m pretty fat from the USA though so that kept me warm.  

The first run is always an amazing one though – After a mile or so I always cough like hell, it feels like all the crap living and awful processed American food being expended from my body, and usually I have a tough time in the first few miles just remembering how to run – but after 2 or 3 I got into the swing of the Chi Running again and could open the clutch a bit. I’ve decided to raise money for the suicide charity, I think quite an apt good cause considering the nature of the race i’ve entered. So if you’d like to give, just email me – there will be details on my facebook page too. The strangest thing happened though – despite having not ran for a month, i wasn’t even out of breath today, so tomorrow i’ll attempt a cheeky ten miles, just a slow one, in an attempt to 1. Toughen up my feet with blisters and 2. Get used to running in crappy hailstones (the forecast is even for snow i believe) So long as the saunas on when i get back, then i shouldn’t catch a cold. 

At the moment im fat as hell, and red, so its time to bet against me finishing Marathon Des Sables!

Anyway back to the running – the first run for a while, always reminds you of why you run.

And i’m sure you are asking yourself – ‘Yes Alan –actually why the hell do people run?

Well this is an interesting and you could say core question. You non runners will see runners out in pissing rain, snow, hail and storms, and even deserts thinking – ‘This guy is 100% crazy – otherwise why is he putting himself through this hell? ’ A point I can understand fully by the way. Other non runners will tell you it’s boring, it messes up your knees, its gives you a cold, only a total nutjob would get up at 5am and decide to do such a pointless thing like run 20km up a hill and back. WHY?

Well – every runner will tell you a few different things, but the root of it all is - Running  makes you happy. Your brain releases Endorfins and you get a great feeling of wellbeing after the exercise. So it’s basically drug addiction. Of course people say they run for the discipline, they run to relax and clear their mind, they run so they look good, they run because they will improve stamina and be better in bed. And all these are true. But... during and (especially)) after a long run, you feel great, confident, positive, and want to do it all over again – and that’s why it’s addictive.   When you’re running smoothly, you’re totally in touch with your body and what it’s doing, it’s like meditation – at these times its easy even to fall asleep, (so don’t do it on a busy road)

And with Chi Running you don’t even expend enough energy to get tired, so you can run a longer distance than you normally would if you were pounding the pavement and messing up your knees. 

I’ve also stopped drinking now so if anyone sees me with a beer/wine/pint of vodka please punch me in the face (guys) or kiss me (pretty girls) or at least put a bet against me finishing the Marathon Des Sables (all girls and guys)

CHI RUNNING (and the fact that the solution always comes when you are on the toilet not thinking about anything in particular)

I had an interesting conversation the other day about 'The Secret' and how it does seem that if you really need somthing, then somehow there is always a lifeline thrown your way. As soon as that one door closes then the other one opens and you look back and realised that you should have actually closed that door ages ago anyway (you all know what im talking about!)

Anyway one thing happened to me recently that illustrated this, my Ultramarathon training had been proving...well basically impossible. Ultramarathon means you have to train long long distances, and these longer runs are great for bringing out niggling injuries (im no spring chicken anymore remember)- if you are pounding a pavement for 150km a week then the repetition with normal or 'power' running totally breaks you. Its ok to run through the pain, but it was beginning to get to me, how the hell am i going to run 254km straight, if after 30km i get such pain in my knee that i can hardly walk never mind run? Well i suppose its at these times when you simply dont have a solution, that you get totally depressed - what kind of idiot would i be to mess up my health just for a stupid run?

To be honest this was almost what i wanted - its always easy to look for excuses so you dont have to do somthing difficult, and its just when things look too difficult that all those demons come out to tell you that you dont have the strength to go on. Its the same with any challenge. However instead of giving up and looking like a dick, i searched and searched and finally found the perfect solution (or rather it found me) - Chi Running.

Its a technique where you use gravity and your core muscles to run. You use about 30% of the energy you normally do and you dont get injured. Win win! If you are even half serious about running, i suggest you buy this book (or cheat and read it here for free)  The most important chapter, if you are browsing, is to read chapter 4 which is on p58
Chi Running Book

It means i can go out, get drunk on friday and saturday, and still run 25km on a hot and humid sunday afternoon (the true story of my weekend)

But more importantly, here, the moral of the story is that, from out of nowhere, just as i was thinking i was totally fucked, a solution provided itself, and now i actually know i can do this race. Now all i need is the same thing to happen in all the other messed up parts of my life ;o)