Sports Science
The training has been going well, but it's been a real slow grind getting back to where I need to be. The Madagascar Challenge had taken more out of me than I realised. Firstly there was the massive weight loss of 22kg and then the recovery from the continuous attach of the parasites, bilharzia, the bout of Denghi fever and the rest of the bugs that I had picked up on the island. My weight back up to just over 9kg and most of my muscle mass back, the running niggles now started.
Final arrangements
I am on my way back from Durban and have just attended the FNB starlight concert, what an event, the full Durban symphony orchestra mixed with pop and rock. To me the hit of the show was Lloyd, last years Idol's runner up, when he came out he just blew the place apart with his voice.
Printing my new book “Burnt Vanilla”
Every time I finish an adventure, the wise words of Prof Wayne Derman seem to ring in my head. I will never forget this one meeting that I had with him at Sports Science.
Mandela Day
I had the pleasure of Joining Professor Jake Gerwels (The chairman of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation), and the Naspers staff at head office in Cape Town to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela on his birthday by taking up his challenge to give up of our time to make a difference in someone’s life.
Working out how to train
Training in a way is unique to each individual, there are the basics that you can follow, but you have to firstly understand yourself, your body and secondly design your program to slide into the event, especially when doing something a long as what I am attempting, you need to peak on the run and basically build as the event unfold.
Preparing for India
Now begins the hardest parts of the journey. Having done most of the grind, putting of the event together, getting sponsors on board setting up the team, the final planning, preparation and organisation over the past year is now behind me. Now it really starts, the mental and physical preparation, the training of mind and body, getting it to work in unison and slowly pull in the wide angle of focus that one has in normal day to day life, this process now has to bring focus to a pinpoint to culminate in one thing and one thing only and that the run. In order to do this I have to systematically sort out all outstanding things that I am working on. Each time I complete one of the tasks, I feel that the focus is brought in another notch and it's onto the next until the day that I leave for India with no distractions, but the focus of the run. Basically end up with blinkers on to the peripherals around me and just see the run ahead.
A youth day gift
It was my first trip to the magnificent Albert Lutuli hospital in KZN. I was invited to join up with Prof Anil Madre, Mehul and his wife Khushma, of Operation Smile to be part of a magical moment – to experience corrective surgery, giving a child his God given right to a smile. No matter how many times I have experienced this, it is still so heart wrenching to see these little children with their clefts.
Taxi
If you really want to feel the pulse of a big city, just flag down a local cab. Preferably, a very old one. Here in Mumbai there are the 30 year old fiats, yellow roof, black body work and then the bling, which ranges from cab
What’s up
I always remember when I got back from my first massive run – The Great wall of China. I was sitting with Prof Wayne Derman, not in a good space, feeling a bit of the post event depression, needing to talk and find out how
Mumbai
The first thing that struck me was in amongst the madness of the city, wall to wall people, every conceivable space being utilised floor either accommodation or to trade, some sort of little business to eek out a living from this manic city, there was very
