It’s all about the rhythm
It’s strange how one needs to find a rhythm in whatever you are doing.
No matter what it is, you need to find that sweet spot.
When you have it everything just falls into place, it becomes so easy. I feel that perfecting this rhythm, is finding the balance between mind and body. For me it begins with training.
Finding this begins with those relentless day in and day out months before and event. Getting up every morning at 4:30 to the confounded alarm clock screaming next to you, all you want to do is roll over and switch it off.
Dark, cold and raining, you head off to the mountain for a two-hour session before work, but as you get used to this and the body adapts, there is no need for the alarm, you are awake. The mountain is no longer a drag as you are getting fitter. You begin to find a rhythm.
Then comes the event itself; the 1000’s of km that lie ahead. In order to deal with this you have to quickly get into the groove, a nice easy rhythm, hour after hour, day-in, day-out and then the weeks and then build into the months.
We have been going for twelve days now; we have been in a fantastic space, knocking of the kilometres day by day. Our running sets are working well, and we have been averaging 60 km per day, then suddenly everything has gone pear shaped.
Niggle after niggle has come into play and unfortunately it mostly with me; it started with my knee, then groin and now a bit of tendonitis. Andy and I have been through this before where we basically grind to a halt. This means starting from day one again. We call this the rehab mode. We sit down, asses the injury and see how we can work around it on the move. It begins with just walking and discussing it.
It’s a slow process and we build back up to speed again, find that rhythm.
