All posts by Graham Plant

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising, Uncategorized

Feeling like a Turtle

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In this blog my aim is to provide some insight into the training program that I am applying in preparation for MDS2015 and some insights into the purpose – raising awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Australia.  That said, if all I do is record my training from every day – you’ll soon get sick of it as there’ a fair amount of repeating prior training days – after all, practice makes perfect.

But don’t worry; I won’t be boring you with every minute detail from every program, but providing sufficient insight about the training – just in case you’re interested 😉

Today – it’s back to the gym for a solid workout. More core work and upper body – why upper body when my focus is running? Well the MDS requires me to be self sufficient for the entire 250km+ journey carrying everything I will need except water – which is rationed out by the race organisers.

The MDS organisers are very specific in regards to the mandatory gear that I have to carry, plus a list of recommended gear. All up, I’m expecting my backpack to be around 10kgs or so at the start of the race – as I consume my food – it will get lighter! Here is the mandatory list and items provided by the organisers:

Mandatory equipment:
• backpack MDS or equivalent
• sleeping bag,
• head torch with spare batteries,
• 10 safety pins,
• compass, with 1° or 2° precision,
• lighter,
• a whistle,
• knife with metal blade,
• tropical disinfectant,
• anti-venom pump,
• a signalling mirror,
• one aluminium survival sheet,
• one tube of sun cream,
• 200 euros or equivalent in foreign currency.

Marathon Kit:
It is supplied by the organisation and will include the following:

• a road-book issued on 03 April,
• a distress beacon,
• an electronic transponder,
• salt tablets,
• sachets for the toilets
• ID marks

So as you can see there’s a lot to cart around with me  in my backpack – so much so that I’ll be looking like a turtle – so long as I’m not as slow as one!!!

If you’ve ever run with a backpack for any period of time, you will know that it places additional demands on the body. For a race of this length and difficulty, I will need to ensure that my shoulders, upper and lower back, arms and core are conditioned to enable me to carry the weight and hold form.

The MDS Ultra-bag is much bigger than a normal running backpack and the weight I will be carrying is more than double what I am used to carrying on some of my bigger runs. I know I’m not yet conditioned so there will be plenty of work to do in the gym and with the backpack to get me ready for MDS2015.

mds-ultrabag

The other reason for working the upper body is that running burns a lot of energy. Not investing time and effort into creating a balanced program that works all the muscle groups can create imbalance in the body.

I’m not exactly built like a whippet, but I’m not a big build either. When I was in heavy training mode for some longer runs last year, I copped a lot of criticism and comments that I was too thin. So I’m trying to keep a better balance and ensure I don’t waste away!

My MDS backpack is on order and I’m expecting it to arrive in January for some solid training runs to condition me for running with it for six days in a row. It’s both daunting and exciting 🙂

Happy Running!

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

Neighborhood Running

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Even though I have had the opportunity to run in some amazing locations and gaze over spectacular scenery – there have been plenty more runs that are not exotic, but my local neighborhood. Hey, I’m not complaining, just observing.

A few of the places I have run...
A few of the places I have run…

I’m pretty lucky though (other than living in a very hilly area) as I have some interesting runs that I have created that give me a mix of road, footpath, track and trail – and of course – hills!

I’d hate to add up the exact number of kilometres I have racked up around my local area – but I suspect it is hundreds and hundreds and probably well over a thousand. The circuits have become so familiar to me that I can calculate how far I am from home (or any other key geographic point for that matter) by both time and distance.

I can tell you the gradients of each hill; points that you can get water – be it a tap at a service station, a front yard tap or a properly serviced water station; points where traffic can be dangerous; the best place to cross the road to avoid traffic congestion so you don’t need to stop running; areas where the footpath is uneven and needs to be traversed with care; and even which houses have a dog that will start barking as you trundle by.

When I drive up to the shops or around the local area I find myself noting areas I have run (sometimes out loud) and estimating how long it would take me to run home from those points! Or keeping an eye out for hidden trails tracks that I’ve yet to explore.   Don’t shake your head as if it’s weird – if you’re a runner you do it too I’m sure – yes you do – admit it!

From my house, I have devised 5km, 6km, 9km, 10km, 14km, 17km, 20km and 40km circuits that I run regularly – and some longer ones for my big outings. The familiarity can be good as I know exactly how far I have to go and how far I have gone and if I develop an injury know how and where I can shorten the circuit.

On the flip side, sometimes familiarity can breed contempt and I fail to take in my surrounds letting my mind wander or start daydreaming – not respecting or appreciating where I am and what I am doing.

Every day I run is a special day. I’m very lucky that I can run when many cannot – and one day (hopefully a very, very long time from today!) I know I also will not be able to run – or at least not like I can today.

So today’s run was my local run – 14.5kms at a reasonable clip averaging 5 minutes 22 seconds per km.  I’ve got a marathon to run in a few days so no need to get too carried away – but it was a nice run along road, trails, tracks and paths – through beautiful bush-land, beside a babbling creek, with magpies warbling and in wonderful sunshine.

Next time you pull on your runners for a local training run – open your eyes and take in the sights, breath in the air and enjoy your run wherever it maybe – embrace your run.

 

Mullum Mullum Creek in my neighborhood.
Mullum Mullum Creek in my neighborhood.

 

Happy Running!

 

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

Rest Day Benefits

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A day off training is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. Not getting up in the dark to head out for training and punishing the body can be nice – but at the same time, you wonder if you are undoing all your hard work by taking a break. The simple answer is, “Of course not.”

That is of course, as long as you aren’t binging on junk food, knocking back half a dozen beers and generally abusing your body.

Rest days are important and they should be appreciated. A day of rest is just as important as a training day as it allows the muscles time to repair and recover.

It is not uncommon for professional training plans (even for Olympic athletes and other elite sports people) in order to allow the body time to recuperate. Workouts place greater strain on our muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and joints. Our body’s immune system is activated when there are muscle tears or joint strains, but if the body doesn’t have a break between training events, the system doesn’t have enough time to catch up and start repairing the body.

Deciding not to have a rest day raises the risk of injury. If you are like me and a large part of your life is high-impact sport such as running – you need to know that running can place stress on your joints and lower extremities to a level that has the ability to crack bones and tighten muscles. Without the occasional a day off here and there, calf muscles can tighten, tendons of the feet can lead to bone spurs, shin splints can develop, muscle tears and strain can occur and there is so much more.

Now of course, rest days will vary in frequency and type depending on the individual, the intensity of workouts and style of exercise. Bodybuilders may only want to take a day off from lifting, but still do cardio or work different muscle groups. Runners may opt for Pilates or Yoga with a focus on different parts of the body.

The more experienced you are and the greater level of fitness, the greater tolerance you will have for continuing to do some light activity during a rest day.  However, if you are a just getting started in developing your fitness your rest day should probably be a real rest day in which you do little or no activity at all.

My simple philosophy is listen to your body – know your body and let it guide you. If you are genuinely sore from a workout and still fatigued then rest is probably just what you need. If, on the other hand, your body just wants to bludge, get out there!

Important to note, your nutritional requirements on a rest day should be different to a training day or an event day. Just remember, you won’t be burning anywhere near as many calories off on a rest day, and, the fuel you would need for an intense workout or long run is markedly different to a day of chilling and relaxing.

Stick to your nutrition plan, but make it a light day – eat well, eat right, eat on time and drink lots of water and again – listen to your body.

On the days you are giving your body a rest, spend the time exercising your brain = healthy body and healthy mind are both keys to reducing the risk of dementia. Any activity that involves thinking and learning can improve your brain health and help protect against dementia.

Recent evidence suggests that greater benefit comes from more complex and challenging mental activities. The more brain activities you do, the more frequently you do them and the more complex the activity, the lower your risk of dementia is likely to be, as with keeping a healthy body and monitoring your nutrition.

Your body is a temple and should be given the love and attention it needs to enable you to achieve your fitness goals and set you up for a long and happy life. Don’t let it become the “temple of doom” – give it rest when it needs it and don’t abuse the rest days – but use them to make your training days and competing days the best they can be.

Relax and Happy Running!

 

 

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

Gym for Core

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My fund raising activities have been slow due to work, but I am progressively getting my schedule in order. Taking on a new job as a CEO a couple of months back has demanded my time and attention. It’s going well, but there is plenty to do and I’m still learning the business.

That said, no job is worth sacrificing your well-being so I know I need to commit time to training, family, friend and interests other than just work.

An important part of my training regime is regular gym work with a major emphasis on core as well as endurance. Having lived with arthritis for nearly 15 years, I’ve had to manage my body and be careful with the amount of impact activity such as running that I undertake.

Also, you might think you run with your legs, but a strong core is a major benefit for running endurance events.  When you start to fatigue, a strong core will help maintain form even when it is hurting. Breaking form is one sure way to bring a run undone and create pain and suffering in places you didn’t even know you had!

Why? Well, when you’re absolutely knackered nearing the end of a long run, your coordination and posture can suffer, causing you to slow down and break form.  A strong core developed through a variety of core-strengthening workouts will improve your coordination and posture throughout a run, even in the latter part of a marathon or ultra marathon when you will undoubtedly need it most.  Afterall, the strength in your limbs are intimately tied to the strength in your torso.

Core strength training is key to reinforcing the way that your pelvis, abs, hips and lower back work together.  When you are fit, well-toned core muscles work in sync and ensure that when your foot hits the ground, your trunk remains solid.  A good core prevents any wobbling in your torso and keeps you from deflecting energy.

Core strength training also improves stability and balance, two qualities that you’ll lose without practice, and when you are running trails and different terrain, this is even more important.  A strong core and good balance help you recover from missteps and stumbles – and if you’re anything like me you have a few of these on a big outing!

Supplementing any core work, I try to spend some time on the elliptical machine (cross trainer) and the stair master (I hate this machine).  Working on the running muscles with as little impact as possible.

Given my dodgy hips, I also work hard on my hip adductors and abductors.  I figure the stronger they are, the less I’ll hurt and less trouble they’ll give me.

photo 1

So well I may not have ripped abs and an awesome six-pack, my core is pretty good – but it could be better.  More planking (side and front), more supermans, more crunches, more bosu and more medicine ball ab twists combined with a weights session designed to build strength not bulk.

photo 2

MDS looms closer everyday and I know that any shortcuts in training will catch me out later on – and I don’t want that to be while I’m trekking across the Sahara Desert in 50 degree heat!

Crunch, crunch – Happy Running!

 

Diary, Fund Raising

Fueling the engine

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With a pretty busy schedule at work at the moment it’s been hard to squeeze any longish runs in during the week.  Preparing for a trip overseas, managing the day to day at work and juggling a few other balls at the same time has meant that training time as been compromised.

Today I hit my standard 5km circuit near home. It has a few hills to test the legs and doesn’t cross any roads that will cause undue delays. Normally it’s a good run to take Missy and Bella on as it’s in Missy’s range before she starts to tire. Not a startling quick time but a reasonable hit out to get the motor running for the day.

It’s always a challenge balancing training, work, home life and any other activities that are happening.  Personally I seem to be struggling more than usual.  I’m behind in my studies for my PT course and have been delinquent in getting all my fundraising activities happening.  No matter how hard I work, there’s always more to be done.

That said – no use complaining. Plenty others in worse situations than mine who seem to manage ok.  And when it all boils down, all of my busyness is pretty much of my own doing.  I think I just need to be a little more judicious in how I allocate my time so as not to waste any.

One thing I have done is to start testing the freeze-dried food I am planning to take with me on MDS.  The initial thought is that it will taste like garbage and I’ll all but starve as I trek across the desert burning up calories at a ridiculous speed every day.  Pleased to say that I don’t think this will be the case!

Nutrition and hydration are the keys to making it through any endurance event.  All the training in the world can leave you short if you fail to plan your calorie intake correctly.  For MDS – the organisers are very, very specific on the minimum requirements.   I know I’ll drop a few kilograms across the journey but that’s to be expected.  However, being unable to fuel my body adequately could be catastrophic.

To my surprise, the meals taste really good. I’ve decided to try the range from Back Country Cuisine from New Zealand.  I bought a vegetarian selection from the range to try that includes Vegetarian Stirfry; Chana Masala; and Nasi Goreng.  So far haven’t hit a bad one – although the Chana Masala was a little on the spicy/hot side – so may give it a rest.

BC_NASI_GORENG_1serveWhen I’m on an endurance event I consume so much sweet stuff to provide energy, all I want at end of the event is something savoury and salty to eat. I’m yet to try out the flameless heater packs but hoping they work as well as they say (and that I can take them into Morocco).  Best thing about these meals – they weigh only 90 grams each 🙂

Still need to sort out my running snacks and other nutritional requirements, but I’m feeling like I’ve got the main meals just about sorted!

Bon appétit and Happy Running!

26th November 2014

Diary, Fund Raising, Uncategorized

The Memory Jogger: Running for a cause

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Today, the 25th of November is an important day.

The 25th of November commemorates some memorable historic events such as:

  • In 1487 Elizabeth of York was Queen of England.
  • In 1783 the last British soldiers left New York three months after the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolution.
  • In 1947 the future Queen Elizabeth married Prince Phillip in Westminster Abbey.
  • In 1963 the world watched on as John F Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery following his brutal assassination.
  • In 1966 The Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted in London at the Bag O’ Nails club.
  • In 1984 one of the most successful global fundraising events incorporating 44 artists from around the world as Band Aid recorded “Do they know it’s Christmas”.

There’s no doubt that the 25th of November is marked in the historical archives as a significant date. However, it is also important for another event that won’t appear in the history books and is only remembered by a few. On the 25th of November 2013 my mum passed away.

It’s already been a year that has at times gone quick, and others, gone slowly.   It reinforces that no matter what happens, the sun will come up and set again tomorrow. Time waits for no-one.

Reflecting back over the year, I can recall numerous times when things have occurred that reminded me of mum and I’ve had the urge to call home to talk to her. Special family days have come and gone and she hasn’t been there to share them. Which is a bit strange, as mum had been in permanent care for a couple of years fighting dementia, and had missed many family gatherings.

It wasn’t possible just to pick up the phone and call mum for a chat and share my news. When Alzheimer’s was really starting to effect mum she didn’t like talking on the phone, but when she was well you couldn’t get her off!

When I did pop in to see her at the nursing home in Benalla, conversation was difficult as mum didn’t always make a lot of sense and then struggled to understand the news I was sharing.

Often it was easier just to walk together and look at the garden, or just have a hug. And sometime listen to her conspiracy stories about the people at the nursing home. The hardest thing about the nursing home (other than the depressing environment she was forced to live) was leaving her at the end of a visit.

She would try to come with us when it was time to leave (and was successful at escaping on more than one occasion) and when told she couldn’t, you could see the disappointment and sadness in her eyes. It still makes me sad today.

On one visit to mum she seemed particularly morose and I commented that she seemed very sad. She responded in one of those moments of lucidness that sometimes comes to the fore of someone fighting dementia and replied, “Well it’s a pretty miserable existence I have, isn’t it?”

It hurt. Still hurts.

Why? Because it was true. She didn’t want to be there. We didn’t want her to be there. Due to her having Alzheimer’s there wasn’t anything that anyone could do about it.

So while mum was taken from not only me, but also family and friends, she was stolen from us long before her passing.

Since mum was diagnosed I’ve become more actively involved with Alzheimer’s Australia. My first effort was to run a marathon to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Australia and I was successful in raising a few thousand dollars. I was fortunate enough to complete this while Mum was alive and still remembered me.

Maintaining fitness and healthy lifestyle is important in preventing dementia – so I’m kind of helping myself while fighting for a cause. Fund raising for a cause is very humbling experience and I was amazed at just how generous and supportive people can be. That was when I realised how far reaching into the community were people affected by someone close to them living with dementia. This time I’m going for something much BIGGER!!

The anniversary of mum’s death seemed like the opportunity to launch my next fund raising adventure in her memory – the biggest personal challenge I have ever attempted.

In 129 days I will be in Morocco about to tackle the “toughest footrace on earth” – Marathon Des Sables.

morocco-sahara-deserthttp://www.marathondessables.com/

Known simply as the MDS, the race is a grueling multi-stage adventure through a formidable landscape in one of the world’s most inhospitable climates – the Sahara desert. The rules require that I will be self-sufficient, to carry with me on my back everything except water that I need to survive. I will be given a place in a tent to sleep at night, but any other equipment and food must be carried.

Over six to seven days I will traverse the Sahara desert with nothing but rolling sand dunes for miles around. There is sand, mountains, rocky terrain and some of the toughest conditions in the world. They say you can’t feel the sweat dripping down your face because it’s evaporating in the baking heat. With temperatures reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees centigrade) this is an endurance event like no other.

When I complete the final stage of the Marathon des Sables, I will have run the equivalent of five and a half marathons in six days, a total distance of some 251 km – 156 miles, depending on the final route.  You only find out the route the day before it starts and then each leg is advised the night prior to heading off.

I have been keeping a diary of my training, my thoughts and my experiences since the 6th of June 2014 – the day after I registered for MDS.  At the time I signed up I was unable to run as a consequence of some hip surgery in the preceding April.  My plan is to publish this journey when it’s all done and dusted – 301 Days – A journey from crutches to the toughest footrace in the world.

From now on though, I’ll be publishing a daily blog sharing my story and looking for support as I embark on this challenge – not the run – raising awareness about Dementia and hopefully some much needed funding.

There is a saying that I heard a long time ago about human beings that I use every day.

There are three types of people in the world.

  • Those that make things happen.
  • Those that watch things happen.
  • And those that say “Huh, what happened?”

I’ve decided that I want to be someone that makes things happen!

I’ve been each type of person at one time or another. Even now, some days I sit back and watch what happens – a spectator on life. But more often than not I do my utmost to be different. To not accept the ways things are. To challenge the world and more importantly myself.

Life is short….. too short. When it is over I would like to think that I have made a positive contribution to my family, my friends, my clients and to those less advantaged than me.

In reality I am not a very remarkable person – your typical Joe Average.  I did ok at school; I’ve been reasonably successful at work; I’ve got a great family and an amazing network of friends, colleagues and clients.

When it comes to running – I’m not very fast; my technique is ok – but nothing to write home about – but I can push myself to run for a long time. Sometimes a very long time.

Although I am still recovering from the hip surgery which forced me to stop running for 12 weeks, and I have rheumatoid arthritis (I’m also only 14 months from turning 50), I am determined to complete MDS2015 – to raise funds for research into the prevention and potential treatments of dementia.

Hopefully at the end of my run I will have reached my fundraising goal and raised awareness for Alzheimer’s Australia and the plight of so many that fight dementia everyday. I hope you will join me on my adventure with a cause.

You can follow my blog and get more information about my efforts on a website I have established to record my adventure as well as Twitter and Facebook.

Website: https://thememoryjogger.com.au

Twitter: @memoryjogger

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thememoryjogger

Happy Running!

GP@MARYSVILLE

Original post on gpontherun.com