Destination running

With the public holiday last Thursday, I decided to visit my uncle; he lives 7.8km from me, as the crow flies - and 11km, as the human runs. I've run there a few times before - sometimes taking a longer route to get there and then running home again. I haven't done this for about 3-months (not since Michael G. and I went to run an out-of-Joburg road race, arrived in the wrong town, drove back to Joburg and went on a long run, visiting my uncle midway for a colddrink).

Thursday had perfect weather - warm, but not too hot; a slight breeze and clear blue skies. This was my first proper training run since returning from TransRockies Run. After that crazy post-return weekend with the 100-miler and trail run, I thought my legs deserved a thank you; so I've stuck with paddle training and dance classes.

I felt great! And while I was running I was thinking about this 'destination running' thing. In training and in racing, we run in circles - literally. What I really enjoy about staged ultra races is that we usually run from one camp to the next; our origin and destination are two different locations. The same applies to adventure racing where you journey from one transition to the next; the latter located a distance from where you began.

The only limitation to destination running is, "How do I get home?".

Variation 1: Pick a destination, like the shops (DVD store works for me too), friend/family's home. Run to it and then run home.

Variation 2: Phone a friend. Arrange tea. Run to their place. Have tea. Get a lift home.

Variation 3: You've got a lunch planned at a friend's house. Leave early and run from home. Your partner can leave later, transporting your shower stuff and presentable clothing. Arrive at your friend's place. Shower and then be sociable, enjoying a well-earned lunch.

And now for my finest concept...

Variation 4: For this you need a runner friend... Plan a route between your house and theirs. They start from their house, you start from yours. You run a common route, meeting somewhere near the middle. Swop car keys (and gate keys). You continue to their house; they continue to theirs. On arrival, you fire up their car and start driving to a designated meeting point on the route. Say hi to each other, swop cars and drive home in your car.

Lovely.

Kilian breaks Tahoe Lake Rim record - by over 6hrs!

Kilian Jornet, the Spanish-wunderkind runner, broke the Tahoe Lake Rim record last night. He ran the 165-mil (264km) trail route in 38hrs32, which is 6h20 faster than the previous record set by Tim Twietmeyer in 2005. Kilian's target was 40 hours.

Kilian started running Monday morning and finished Tuesday night. He was paced by a number of accomplished trail runners and mountain bikers. He took an unintentional detour during the night, which they estimate could have cost him an hour; he also slept for two hours.

I followed his run, intermittantly, through Facebook (Salomon Running group); his pacers were sending regular Tweets and Status updates. There are also a number of YouTube videos; they show Kilian's relaxed and easy running style and pace.

It is quite exciting when a young runner, like Kilian, does such exciting running. I'm not sure what his next 'Quest' run is going to be, but it will certainly be worth keeping an eye on his conquests. I'd love to see him out here on the SkyRun route... (yes, I have suggested it to the media people working with Kilian).

Trade agreements - keepin' the peace

When it comes to racing and training, there are definite advantages to being unmarried with no children, especially if your spouse is not as devoted to sport participation as you.

After some insightful (and entertaining) conversations with friends this past week (all married with children) I have some thoughts...

One for one
This is one I don't recommend - you work* X hours on one day of the weekend in order to get the same amount of time off the next day to race/train. It's a bad idea because this is essentially an eye-for-an-eye strategy. You'll never win.

* Work is defined as household, DIY or childcare activities

Suck it up
You just go ahead and do what you want, dealing with the impending doom when you get home later. This is not a great strategy either... for two reasons. First, it's never nice to being in trouble; and second, intentionally antagonising your partner is stoopid - you wouldn't like them to do this to you.

The guys I spoke to are all responsible, committed men, who love their wives and families dearly. They work during the week and put in time at home after hours and over weekeds. They don't go boozing with 'the boys' every weekend, crawling home at 3am; and they don't spend Saturday nights away from home tucking R50 notes into strippers' thongs. I'm certainly making assumptions about these guys and their home life (you know the whole 'behind closed doors' thing); my assumption is based on how I know them. For all I know they could be lazy, beer-guzzling, couch-dominating slobs at home - but I doubt it.

As much as these guys love their families, they also love their sports. And, their participation in sport is integral to who they are as well as their physical, mental and emotional health and wellness.

Athletes and their partners, I'd like you to look at training and participation in the following light; sport is a 'hobby' of sorts. 'Traditional' hobbies like stamp collecting, cross-stitch, watercolour painting and rebuilding cars also take you 'away' from your families. The only difference is that you'd probably do these at home whereas a run or a race will take you out of the house (as does boozing and gambling etc - there are worse evils than being sporty). The doing of hobbies gives you time to yourself, time to think, time to be, stress relief and the many physical health benefits. This certainly keeps the individual sane so that they're much nicer person, partner and father.

Of course, everything in moderation. Spending 50hrs a week at work and 20hrs a week training will mean that you'll be dropping the ball at home.

Not having to deal with these issues myself, I'm no expert but I do tend to be sympathetic.

On the radio today the local psychologist was talking about criticism (giving and receiving). "You spend too much time on that stupid bike!" could be better positioned as "How about you do a two hour ride early on Saturday morning and then we can spend the rest of the day doing stuff, together, at home".  And, in response to version one, you could ask, "Does the duration of the ride bother you or is it just because I'm away from home when you'd rather that I was with you?".

Avoid discourse by being open about your sporting needs - and they are, for the most part, needs. And what it means to you. Put your training and participation in context and, of course, be fair - both of you.

(Comments welcome; I'm sure there are many of you with lots of experience from which other readers will benefit)

Media release: Kilian's Quest

A media release on Kilian's Quest - interesting read.

Kilian’s Quest to Take on Tahoe Rim Trail

On September 28th, ultrarunner Kilian Jornet will take on the Tahoe Rim Trail as the North American component of his audacious worldwide trail-running challenge.

“Kilian’s Quest” is the personal trail-running odyssey of Catalan runner Kilian Jornet, who has quietly become trail-running’s brightest phenomenon. Mountain-born and with a background in ski mountaineering, the Catalonian has dominated the SkyRunning World Series, won The North Face Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc two years in a row, and recently pulverized the record for traversing Corsica’s 120-mile GR20 trail (32h, 52m) during his first stop for Kilian’s Quest.

While this dominance of Europe’s ultrarunning competitions is noteworthy, it is his youth that makes Kilian perhaps a once-in-a-generation talent: he is 21 years old -- and has launched the Quest to find the world’s most significant trail challenges and apply his speed and endurance to running them faster than anyone ever has.

Kilian’s journey along the Tahoe Rim Trail will wind him through a 165-mile (266km) loop wrapped around the largest alpine lake in North America. The trail is comprised mostly of multiuse single-track, connecting the peaks along the ridge tops of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Passing through California and Nevada, the trail ranges in elevation from 6,240 feet to 10,338, with a total elevation gain of over 21,000 feet. The current non-stop record for the trail (45h, 58m) was established in 2005 by ultra-runner Tim Twietmeyer.

The focus of Kilian’s Quest is centered on running the most majestic peaks and trails in the world, and while his journeys are intended to merely pit an extraordinary athlete against legendary challenges, he is capable of setting new records at each point in his odyssey.

Paul Guimond, Salomon’s Senior Marketing Manager, said “Salomon has an extensive history of supporting extraordinary athletes. Kilian is a unique athlete, and his quest is something we want to support because it will help establish new levels of human accomplishments in the mountain environment. Moreover, Kilian is re-uniting the worlds of runners and hikers and makes the trails the new aspirational sports playground. ”

Readers and bloggers can follow Kilian’s Quest through his Face book page, (facebook.com/salomonrunning), via Twitter (twitter.com/salomon_running) or on his blog (salomonrunning.com).

About Salomon:
Salomon was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps and the birthplace of modern alpinism. Driven by passion for skiing and design innovation, Francois Salomon and his son George designed and perfected many of the first modern ski bindings. During the following 60 years, Salomon's commitment to innovative design and passion for mountain sports created a vast range of revolutionary new concepts in bindings, boots, skis and apparel for both alpine and nordic skiing and brought innovative solutions to footwear, apparel and equipment for snowboarding, adventure racing, and many other sports. Today, Salomon products are sold in over 160 countries and the brand is a global icon. Through performance driven design, Salomon delivers innovation and progression to mountain sports; converting new ideas into action and expanding the limits of possibility. Salomon's heritage, culture, and commitment are tied together by one simple concept: the world’s leading mountain people creating the world’s leading mountain product. Salomon, the Mountain Sports Company since 1947.