Tag Archives: dubai

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

The Morning Run

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The 5am morning conference call, which I thought would go for 30 minutes, actually went for quite a bit longer than I thought it would. Nevertheless, I still had enough time to squeeze in a 5km run before heading into work. With a 9am international flight the next day there was not going to be any running tomorrow.

I thought about looking for a new circuit, but I enjoyed the run from the day before so much I just made my way down to The Greens again and trotted around the track. Not quite as nice a day, but still a good little outing.

Running in the morning is one of life’s joys that makes me feel alive and sets the tone for the whole day. Skip a run – and be ready for a day of regret and lethargy.

If you’re not a runner, this might sound a little weird and even somewhat masochistic. An alarm clock screaming out at 5am (or earlier) saying it’s time to get up. Heading out into darkness in your running kit when most people are snuggled down in bed. Btw, the earliest I have risen for a run is 2:30am – the Great Barrier Reef Ultra marathon – that was a long day!

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Don’t get me wrong – I’m still tired at that hour of the morning. My body and mind both work against my best intentions with a host of excuses as to why skipping a run would be ok. Little aches and pains appear from nowhere and my eyelids feel like they are being dragged down by lead weights.

BUT – once I get up and start moving – the muscles start to warm up, my arthritic joints move more freely and before I know it I’m in the kitchen making an energy smoothie and thinking about where I will run. By the time I’m out the door I’ve got my running route planned and even wondering if I have enough time to increase the distance of my planned run and chastising myself for not getting up earlier!

It doesn’t mean my legs don’t hurt when I start running and that I’m not gasping for air as I tackle the first few kilometres and/or hills. It doesn’t mean that I don’t shiver uncontrollably when the cold air hits me or that being drenched by rain doesn’t make feel uncomfortable, or the combination of the two doesn’t make my nose run and my fingers and toes numb. It doesn’t mean that I don’t sweat buckets when it is hot and/or humid and I most certainly get fatigued.

The first couple of kilometres in my run are always tough – but I know I will feel better as I go, my body will warm up, my joints will loosen, endorphins will be released into my body and my senses will be charged. That’s why I do it.

Of course, there’s a certain event coming up in April called the Marathon Des Sables too, which is keeping me very focused. I know if I don’t do the training – there is no way I’ll complete the event. So you know what that means? Many more early rises between now and departing for Morocco 😉

Happy Running!

 

 

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

Running off the jetlag

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A very long flight with delays during the flight and the short stop over in Kuala Lumpur – perfect way to top off a flight delayed by a good hour at takeoff.  If it was something I could control I would be annoyed – as it’s not, all I could do was try and catch some sleep between the occasional movie.

Landing in Dubai the weather was a perfect 26 degrees.  I arrived mid afternoon and caught a cab to the hotel.  After a slow check-in, I was able to finally drop my bags in my room and call home before grabbing a shower. There’s not a lot that beats a hot shower after traveling for what seemed an eternity.

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A room with a view – from my hotel room.

A quick trip to the nearest supermarket for some essentials, bananas, water, juice and electrolyte drinks then back to the hotel.

I had organised to catch up with a colleague of a friend of mine who works in a similar industry.  Having only been in Dubai for five or so weeks, Kevin was the perfect person to get some advice for a new businessperson in town.

We went to an English style pub for some fish and chips and a couple of pints.  Despite the good company, the long flight and lack of sleep were starting to take their toll and I was ready to call it a night before too far into the evening.

By 9pm Dubai time I was in bed and pushing zzzz’s.

A slept solid and woke around 5:30am Dubai time. A quick call home, then I scoffed down a banana followed by a big drink of juice – on with the Hoka’s and out for a run to go exploring Dubai. Prior to heading over to Dubai I had conducted a few searches on-line to see if I could find any running circuits or routes that would be suitable for training.  Most were pretty short, but as I was tapering for a marathon that wasn’t too big a problem – finding them, well that might be a challenge.

One problem I quickly found was that the majority of roads in Dubai are not easy to cross by foot, except via designated overpasses or underpasses. Heading off along a major road I deviated a block away and before long I found myself in an area called The Greens that was a residential area with a fantastic footpath/track around a canal.  One of the few footpaths that wasn’t sand.

The view was fantastic and I quickly found myself with other runners trotting around a tree-lined path as the sun came up projecting reflections of the buildings on the glistening water (see the pic above).  A couple of circuits added to my run to the track were enough to cover 5kms or so and work up a sweat as I blew away the jetlag cobwebs. What a lucky find.

The best way to get the body back on track after a long journey, is to get out for a run!

Running back to the hotel I reflected back on the last day or so.  Only yesterday I was having dinner with Diane in Carlton, and this morning I’m running in the streets of Dubai.  No matter how many times I travel (and I’m a pretty seasoned traveller) it always amazes me how, in less than a day, a person can be transported to the other side of the world into new cultures, languages and a way of life and be going about things as normal.  It was only two generations or so ago that this would have been unimaginable.  I remind myself again (and not for the first time) to take time out to appreciate the “now” and be thankful for the opportunities that have come my way #luckyboy .

Even though the MDS is still many months away, being a little closer to Morocco got me thinking about the run and my training program. Sure the Singapore Marathon would be good for my conditioning, but there is a long way to go before I’ll be physically equipped to tackle the toughest footrace in the world. Today I enjoyed the run, but in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about what is ahead.

Back at the hotel I was able to stretch in the gym before rehydrating and then grabbing a shower.  Breakfast was pretty good and I was able to load up to compensate from substandard nutrition in transit – although the coffee in Dubai was seriously ordinary.  It was staggering to see that they had the equivalent of Krispy Kreme donuts out for the breakfast buffet – needless to say, I didn’t have any 😉

Not exactly the breakfast of champions I'm sure!
Not exactly the breakfast of champions I’m sure!

My work colleague Brendon offered to pick me up at 9am and head into the office for a full day of meetings and workshops.  Given I had plenty of work to do, I went straight back to the hotel after work.

A few calls back home and sort out some emails before trying to work out what to eat for dinner.  By sheer chance I stumbled across a health food chain called Kcal and hopped into a Quinoa Veggie Burger, Steamed Veggies, a side salad and Sweet Banana Sushi.  Delicious – wish they had one near home!

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Kcal Dinner in Dubai – yumm!

http://www.kcalhealthyfastfood.com/

@KcalWorld

Well it’s been a long day and tomorrow will be just as long. I have a 5am conference call that I need to be online for so a good night’s sleep is important.  Then maybe another run 😉

Happy Running!

Diary, Fitness, Fund Raising

Runners in the suitcase

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Tomorrow I fly out to Dubai where I will stay for a few days before flying to Singapore. I say tomorrow, but it’s actually 3:30am tomorrow morning so it’s as much today as it is tomorrow!

Given I haven’t packed and have a mountain of things to do before I leave, training has had to take a back seat.

It doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about running or my training program. I’m always contemplating what training I should be doing and questioning whether I’m doing enough. Travel can be a disruption to training, but whenever I have a trip planned one of the first things I do after I’ve set the dates is hop on-line and look for new and interesting places to run, or find an event that I can sign up for.

The runners are always packed in the suitcase – best way to see a city 😉

As luck would have it, I arrive in Singapore in time to run the Singapore marathon! 🙂

I’ve already signed up and had a quick look at the runners guide and what I need to bring with me to collect my race kit.  Of particular interest to me was how many, and the location of the, drink stations – heat and humidity aren’t normal conditions for Melbourne area!

My prep is far from ideal for running a marathon – or at least in a decent time, but still feel I can run it – even underprepared and running in extreme humidity and heat.  Arrogant? Not really, more confident in what I can push my body to do.  As I said – it won’t be a startling time and it’s a pretty flat track.

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I’ve found a few running routes on-line for Dubai as part of my training, but as I’m tapering they won’t be big runs, but good for blowing away the jet lag cobwebs and rolling over the legs.

Singapore should be a very interesting running experience and I’m really starting to look forward to it – stay tuned.

Happy Running!