Part 2 of 5 completed - another 32km run

Howdy everyone

Firstly before too much blurb I wanted to include a couple of photos, because I haven't been adding that many to my posts recently.  These photos are ones that I took today during my 32km run, and show the cool trail running terrain almost on my doorstep.  They are from the first part of my run, in the Zurichberg woods.

Perfect point to exit the gravel track and enter the woods

A flying Negrita hurdling a fallen tree (front left of photo)

Close up of Negrita

Time to get our feet dirty and have some muddy fun

The route today was pretty similar to the one yesterday, except for the last part.  Instead of heading to Felsenegg from Uto Kulm I didn't go all the way to Uto Kulm but instead climbed the ridge to near the top and then headed in the direction of Uitikon.  I almost got lost after passing through Uitikon as I was heading away from Zurich despite being sure that I was heading towards it.  I thought my sense of direction was like a homing pigeon, but today I must have been a very drunk homing pigeon at the very least.  It was only when I saw the beacon on top of the Uetliberg that I realised my mistake, but at least I noticed before I was too far off course.  If I had continued to run away from Zurich without realising, it could have been a very long run or walk home, as I didn't have any money on me for a bus and I wouldn't want to risk a hefty on the spot fine.

The total elevation gain was a little less than yesterday, but still a respectable 796m.  I am hoping that all these hills with give me the extra strength I will need to take on the sand dunes in the Sahara.  It is not only the uphills that give you a good workout, but also the downhills too.  Downhills are great for building strong quads, although you do have to be careful not to overdo them, as this is how I got injured a couple of years ago (by hammering too much on the downhills).

So with my objective (100 miles/ 160km of running in one week) almost half way completed you may want to know how I am feeling.  So far so good I would say.  The muscular aches are very mild and no pains to report at present.  With tomorrow being a rest day it gives my body a chance to recover before the next two 32km runs on Wednesday and Thursday.  I am however planning to do my first session of Bikram yoga (hot yoga) tomorrow, so it is an active rest day.  My complete rest day will be on Friday, ready for the final 32km run on Saturday.

The press up test - 51 is my new max

Hi folks

Over the last month or so I have been testing myself every couple of days to see how many press ups I can do to failure.  When I started doing that my maximum was 32 reps, but over the weeks it has been slowly increasing as my upper body strength has increased.

You may ask why I want to strengthen my upper body for an endurance run.  Well a strong upper body and core is important for maintaining good running form in the latter stages of a race when you are tired.  It seems that even the top long distance runners believe in going to the gym and doing some weight training according to all the advice on the internet that I have been reading.

Not only that but in the MDS you have to carry your rucksack weighing anything between 6.5 and 14kg.  Now that takes some upper body strength as well as leg strength.  So I think what I have been doing is an important part of my MDS preparation.

My first aim was to get to the point where I can knock out 50 press ups a day.  Well I am happy to say that I am now at that point.  Today I managed to do 51 reps to failure.  As that was after a 32km run I am sure I can repeat that performance on a daily basis.

So what is my next aim now that my first aim has been achieved.  I think I will set that as being able to do 100 press ups in one go.  Aim number 2 here we come!

First of the five 32km runs done - 890m of elevation gain

Today was the first of my five planned 32km runs within the space of one week.  It went well and was mostly trail running in the woods of the Zurichberg and then later in the woods of the Uetliberg.  Owing to the fact that both locations are hilly, the total elevation gain on my run was 890m.

I started off with Negrita on a 9.5km route that went up towards the Zurichberg, then I dropped her off at home and continued my run towards the Uetliberg.  Running on gravel tracks is not really train running, so Negrita and I frequently left the tracks and went off into the woods.  We were running through bracken and small trees and jumping over logs, and Negrita was having a lot of fun.  Not just her, but me too.

As I ran towards the base of the Uetliberg along the streets of Zurich I was trying to head directly towards a meadow that is steep enough to require a bit of scrambling in places.  Despite heading directly for it, once I reached the woods at the base of the Uetliberg I couldn't find the meadow itself, but I did find an interesting mountain path or Bergweg.  The path was steep and involved scrambling over tree roots.  I tried to keep running the whole way, but it was too steep and too slippery and I ended up walking for some parts.  Nevertheless my heart was pounding so it was a great workout.

Higher up, the path merged with larger trails and I was able to start jogging normally again until I reached the Uto Kulm.  After a moments pause to take in the views I followed the path that heads to Felsenegg along the ridge of the mountain.  The wind was strong and extremely cold, and along the ridge there is no respite from it.  Had the wind been behind me I would have been whipping along, but as luck would have it, it was a head wind.  Despite wearing several layers on my top half I was still feeling the cold, so I decided to head down towards the city where it would be warmer.  The last thing I want now is a stinking cold.

The downhill section was pretty steep and I was doing my best to maintain control and avoid running head first into the trees or fences on the switchbacks.  It was tough work on the quads, but luckily my quads are still strong from the recent cycling trip in South America.

At the bottom of the descent I found myself opposite Leimbach station.  My route then followed the Sihl river back into the city and along the exclusive Bahnhofstrasse.  As I reached home I checked my GPS and I was still short of my target distance, so I headed along the road to Wipkingen station and back, to make a nice round 32km.

Today was so much fun that I will have to do the same route again in future.  At the moment there is little reason for me to be running on the roads, as trail running is a lot closer to what I will be doing in the MDS.  Not only is it lower impact but it helps strengthens the ankles.  The constantly changing scenery is also more stimulating for my mind.