Andelfingen to Eglisau by canoe and my planned 100k training week completed

This morning started off wet as seems to be becoming commonplace these last few weeks in many parts of Europe.  However, by the time we arrived in Andelfingen the weather was starting to look more promising.  This was the start point of the 4 hour canoe tour that Anny and I had booked with Wasser-land.ch, and from there the plan was to head down the Thur river to its confluence with the Rhein and then head down the Rhein to Eglisau.

The route was incredibly scenic and we passed through nature reserves, vineyards and some small villages with ever such cute little churches.  The current was so strong that it wasn't really necessary to paddle.  It was relaxation more than exercise.

We did try to paddle hard for a few kilometres at the start, but the inflatable canoe that we were using had no rudder, and unless you paddle in sync the canoe tends to spin in circles.  That happened to us on several occasions, and the spectators standing on the banks of the river probably thought we were very drunk.  After those initial few kilometres we just paddled very gently, and took frequent breaks where we let the current take us down the river, admiring the landscapes that we were passing through on the way.

In terms of technique, the person at the back is able to steer much easier than the person sitting in front.  The one in front on the other hand sets the rhythm and is responsible for keeping an eye out for submerged trees, rocks or other obstacles.  At the start Anny was sitting in front and I was in the back, but after a few kilometres we changed positions.  I thought that maybe with me sitting in front the canoe would spin in circles much less, but I was mistaken and the poor canoe would be resigned to spin in circles for the majority of the trip.

We decided to stop at a riverside cafe for some refreshments along the way, and this was by far the funniest part of the day.  I hopped out of the front of the canoe on to the dock and then held the front of the canoe whilst Anny stepped out on to the dock to join me.  The next thing I saw was Anny kicking the boat away from her whilst still standing on it and simultaneously holding on to the wooden pole of the dock.  Then splosh she landed in the water.  The water was pretty chilly today (even wearing wetsuits, as I had found out earlier when I went for a dip), and Anny wanted me to help her out of the water on to the dock as she was cold.  I was so busy helping her that I let go of the canoe and it started drifting down the river, so I shouted to Anny to swim after it and get it back.  If need be I would have jumped in myself, but there was no point in both of us getting wet and the water was pretty dirty because of all the swan poop.  She retrieved the canoe and I pulled her and the canoe out of the water a bit further downstream.

After the tour finished in Eglisau I decided to run home.  I was not sure how far it was, but today I was meant to run just under 30km in total, in order to complete my aim of having done 100k this week.  I figured that it would be about 20k from Englisau to Wipkingen, and then I planned to go for a run with Anny and Negrita once I got back to make up the remaining distance.  It turned out to be 27k from Eglisau to Wipkingen and I was cream crackered by the time I got home.  Nevertheless I got Anny and Negrita to get ready, and then went out for the remaining 2.3k to complete my aim.

So this week's mission was completed and I have run 100k.  Most of that was in my Newton Sir Isaac guidance trainers, with the exception of one session that I did in my Vibram FiveFingers.  Now for the coming week I will try to do 110k, maybe with a bit more running in my Vibrams or barefoot.

This coming Thursday I will be trying out fencing and then writing about it.  I have come up with the idea of regularly trying out new activities so that I can write about them and keep my blog interesting.  Thank you to my regular followers for keeping me enthused to keep writing.

A thank you email from Mencap

To all those of you that sponsored me for running in the Marathon des Sables 2012, here is the thank you email that I received from Mencap.  Whilst it is addressed to me, it is in fact to all of you as sponsors too.  If anyone wants to donate but hasn't yet, my fundraising page is still open for 2 weeks more http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PaulJanes

Dear Paul,

Thank you so much for running this year’s Marathon des Sables for Mencap. We fully appreciate how much effort and commitment went into both your training and fundraising and we are extremely grateful for your support.

Please follow this link http://youtu.be/8S_hCA-b1L8 for a special thank you from Josie, one of my colleagues with a learning disability.

You have raised a fantastic sum of £9,858.20 which will go towards making sure that more children and adults with a learning disability can live their lives to their full potential.

Once again, well done and a huge thank you. 

Best wishes,

Ellen

100km training week, kettlebell swings and weighted sled pulls

Ryan (another MDS 2012 finisher) doing a weighted sled pull

Saturday and Sunday last week were rest days as I decided that this week was going to be my first 100km training week since the MDS (preparing for the Ticino Trail in 2 months time).  42.68km down, and 57.32km left to go so far this week.

I have been running to work each day since the 1st June (last Friday), as June is the Bike to Work month in Switzerland (which I signed up for as part of a team), and one team member is allowed to use other human powered means of transport to get to work, so I am the runner of "The Saddle Sores" UBS team.  In addition to this I ran Monday lunchtime, did yoga Tuesday lunchtime, ran on Tuesday night and last but not least did the group coached running session tonight with Jeff Grant.

When I saw all the equipment that Jeff had brought with him, I knew we were in for a tough but interesting session.  He had brought weighted sleds, a tyre with a rope attached (for tyre pulls), kettlebells and bungee cords.  In addition to being a running coach, Jeff is also a CrossFit instructor, so he uses this equipment on a daily basis.  After a couple of minutes of warming up we started with a technique drill.  We did some drills to show us the importance of leaning forward whilst running to increase speed, but doing it from the hips rather than from the head (which causes us to break at the hips and for our weight to shift backwards).

Now it was time for 20 minutes of seriously intense exercise to begin.  We had to run around a loop as fast as we could, and then when we arrived back at the start point we had to pick up a kettlebell and do 10 kettlebell swings, followed by one small loop either pushing/pulling a weighted sled or dragging a tyre behind us.  Then we had to start all over again, and keep doing this until 20 minutes was up.  The hardest part for me was not the weighted sled or tyre pulls or kettlebell swings, but the running in between the sets.  My running pace slowed down significantly between the first set and the final set.

To round the session off, Jeff made us split into 2 teams.  One member of each team had to use a rope to pull a weighted sled towards them until it reached their feet, then another member had to put on a harness attached to the weighted sled by a seriously strong bungee cord and do 4 bear crawls out as far as they could against the resistance of the cord and then back.  It was rather funny to watch, as some people got to the end of the cord and then were catapulted back at warp speed towards the sled.  Luckily no one was hurt though.  The whole exercise was repeated until all team members had done both parts (pulling the sled towards them and bear crawls) and covered a set distance on the ground.

It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow, as I can imagine that there will be quite a few aches and pains after tonight's killer session.  Whatever happens I will still be running to work in the morning and then either running at lunchtime or running back home from work.  Then to get to 100km I will have to do a half marathon on the weekend.  6 days of running and 1 rest day is the plan.

Tonight's session was being filmed by someone who is helping to promote Inov-8 shoes in Switzerland.  So don't be too surprised if you see me popping up somewhere on YouTube or Facebook over the next couple of days.