19 sleeps to Karkloof

There is preparation, and then there is preparation. The body is as ready as it could be considering all the hiccoughs these last 3 months.

The head needed a little comfort. So today, I headed for the hills and "proper" trail. There is nothing like a little effort in "native" territory to make you glad you're a trail runner. 3 Rivers Trails and Crossways have some great running, from jeep tracks and single track to medium and technical trails on the flat and with some ascent or descent. Watch - Your - Step! (Glad my feet were in #BalegaBestSocksEver today... it was dry and hard).

Am I ready? Yes. Will I complete #RunAMUK... yes, bar anything over which I have no control. Did I #RazeABar? Well... I need a little more help there 😜

Donate here: BackABuddy (everything goes to the charities... not to me!)
OR sign up to the Galaxy Bingo ONE12run on 30 September to see how many loops of the Sardinia Bay parkrun you can complete in 12 hours at Grass Roof, Nelson Mandela Bay!

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Mac Mac Ultra 100: Ear worms and elevators!

What are the effects you can expect from doing 100 miles on foot? Hunger. Tiredness. Hallucinations. Blisters. Bruises. Toenail funerals. Sleep monsters. And others... Nobody mentions EARWORMS... [definition: a catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person's mind. I might amend that...]

Legends are made from stories. Sometimes they are true. Sometimes they have music.
Make sure you pick a good tune if you choose an earworm as a pet. The Cranberries version of "Zombie" is a good tune. For the first 15 hours. Thereafter... you're the zombie! But, I'm ahead of myself. There were three sections to my Mac Mac adventure: the first part where I felt good: 11 miles. The second part where I wondered if I'd make it: 70 miles. The last part that I'll just call "Zombie": 19 miles.
Ideal race preparation goes "smoothly" and is "stress free". A few niggles that hampered recovery and training in the 2 weeks leading up to the r…

The Truth of the Trail: Karkloof 100

I said to Andrew & Deon, "On the long trail, either you are truthful, or you are dead. And perhaps this is why we are a close community of people who know and believe in each other. We root for each other's success because we relate so honestly."

Friday night at 8pm, the gun was worked into the theme tune to the Greatest Showman. We Karkloof 100 milers were off, not quite like prey in front of lion... but the atmosphere was just as charged! An amazing show to send us on our way. It had been hot all Friday. Dry heat. It was due to get as hot on Saturday.

AMUK update: I had aced Addo. UTD and me... let's call it a tie (although I might flatter myself here). And Mac Mac bit my bullet... I finished, but it took everything I had. 14 weeks later, I'd recovered mostly, but not been able to maintain 100 mile fitness. I was as ready as I could be...

Rene & Frikkie (official and unofficial AMUK wayfinders) were prepped and looking good. There was no hope for me to …

Addo 100 - Race Report #RunAMUK for #RazeABar

A week after completing the Washie 100 miler I started training for my 2nd miler... I couldn't walk, but in my head it started. It was a kind of running “I am because we are” (loose translation of an African philosophical idea labeled “uBuntu”). Truth be told, it probably started when I ran my first official 5km run or parkrun many moons before that!
uBuntu philosophy leads to other African proverbs like, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with friends”. Race medals need friends, too, right? From a road 100 miler I needed to add a bush 100… and of course there are many around the world as one of the faster growing sports. The more 100 milers the better, right…? And of course me going far at Washie meant a great team of unicorn support on that road, and many miles training with mates leading up to Addo! Go together…
There were a lot of lessons I needed to learn at Washie. Teamwork, nutrition, hydration, training the right amount (not too much is as damaging…

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