Back tomorrow, with wisdom and insight….

Continue Reading →

It’s coming, with live music, food vendors and a seriously lekker afternoon out with the purveyors of real beer in Cape Town.

Who’s coming?

Continue Reading →

‘A few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us.’ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on twitter or identica.

Life can be ridiculously complicated, if you let it. I suggest we simplify.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote, which I’ve stolen as this site’s subtitle, is the shortest guide to life you’ll ever need:

“Smile, breath, and go slowly.”

If you live your life by those five words, you’ll do pretty well. For those who need a little more guidance, I’ve distilled the lessons I’ve learned (so far) into a few guidelines, or reminders, really.

And as always, these rules are meant to be broken. Life wouldn’t be any fun if they weren’t.

the brief guide

less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe

Such a beautiful way to begin the week, I had to share. The article was originally published here.

Continue Reading →

I am happy to confess it to you. I am happy to tell you that I am far from normal, that the normal limits of mankind don’t apply to me. That society deems me a freak.

Come here, I`ll tell it to you calmly, quietly, without prejudice. I`m happy to sit and listen to you tell me why I am mad to be trying to balance a full work day with my crazy sports obsession. I`ll sit and listen, without judgement. I realize you can’t fathom the compromise, the level of effort it takes to live the life I choose to live, every single day. I realize all you see is the training and the work and the limited time. I see that you see I am tired, that I look “ill” to you, too skinny by societies terms and conditions.

What you don’t see is the real effort. The packing of 2 bags a day, the effort it takes to shower 3 times a day depending if I am squeezing in a lunch session too. The compromise it takes when I want to go out partying with mates, because I LOVE the dancing, singing and laughing and bromance that they offer, but when I am simply too tired to be a part of whats going on there. The compromise it takes to stay true to a dream, a goal. I know you don’t see me when I`m sitting, 140km into a 180km ride, tired and weary, with 40km of hills and block headwind to get home. You cannot see the doubt in my mind right then, the fight in my head and body to keep going, despite the surrounding circumstance. All you see is “crazy boy spent the day on his bike again”.

You really can’t see that I`m training my mind as much as my body? Really? Interesting…

I full realize that you and most of the people I am surrounded by look at me with caution because they don’t understand my motivations. I know those of you who watch these videos and get goosebumps, wanting to be out there, on that course, that you share that burning desire. I salute you. In fact I am standing on the highest perch with a banner and a microphone for you, protesting the limits of society for you, with you, through you. I know you don’t expect everybody to understand you, but that you feel like an island some days. That the island gets lonely.

I get that. Just remember that life is NOT about finding yourself out there, in the open road. It’s about CREATING yourself out there, in the open road. That you are building the foundations for making amazingly good decisions by pushing the limits. The limits are beautiful. Just when you smash through one, it goes just a bit further again. The limits will challenge you forever. That is their essential beauty and truth.

Still not understanding what I am saying? Have a watch at this, tell me it doesn’t grip you in the heart and wake something in you. For me, I get so emotional when I watch this that I am ready to run out the door and onto the mountain, disappearing for a few hours where I set the trail and there is no route. Where all bets are off on whether I hit a limit out there or not.

It makes me want to go find that beautiful moment where I have to stop and ask myself serious questions about WTF I am doing out here in this state with so far left to go. Give me those moments. They make me laugh at myself. Yes, I am mad.

What am I doing?

This is my language. I know you might not understand it. I realize the crazyness of it all. I know it’s a little obsessive. I am fully aware of how intense it is. I am 100% coherent on the fact that I do it 100% for myself, however. I really can’t complain, all is Kosher around these parts. Thank goodness it`s far from over. Really there are too many great roads, trails and open stretches of water left to explore, too much great food to experience and far too many amazing wines I have never sampled.

I may not always be so driven to obsess about sport. I may switch it to exploration at some point, but I guarantee you I will explore by bike, foot and human power. I`ll be climbing the mountain, not catching the cable car to the top. I am too addicted to the way the body feels when it moves. How good it feels to walk, run, ride, climb, dance, jump, boogie, bounce, paddle and in the middle of all that, with all the senses going bazongkers, standing perfectly still with my eyes closed, arms wide spread, being amazed at how everything tingles with absolute excitement at doing what it’s supposed to do, when the mind and body are 100% stimulated through a full body sensory experience.

Don’t tell me I am mad.

I am well aware of the fact.

Continue Reading →

These are my opinions on running shoes, current trends in them as well as the correct process from various A’s to B’s on the questions I get on a weekly basis about running shoes and a few other running things. It’s no surprise. 80% of runners will suffer an injury every year. It’s no secret that there is a shift towards running more like a kid, barefoot or in low profile shoes.

I can start with my story, which is a success, but has taken years to achieve, not months or weeks like most people want. I was a knock kneed kid who wore corrective shoes which over corrected my stance and I am now slightly bandy legged. C’est la vie.

I was a swimmer who ran. For swimming, my feet had to be as flexible as possible. Not grand for running I tell you. I pronated like a 150kg rugby prop with collapsed arches and wore the biggest, heaviest shoes there were for training. I had to wear these because I pronated that badly. I was a heel striker with underdeveloped glutes and ligaments and dropped arches. I ran badly, full stop. I had a big engine from swimming so I hung tough but running hurt me more than anything.

Forward several years to current day. Last night I ran 30km in a neutral racer/trainer which is quite worn out, as it’s the only shoe I now train in. My arches have lifted, I strike midfoot, I am 8kg lighter and I had no pain other than a blister, which has its origin in a wet foot for 9 hours the week before at Transbaviaans in a mtb shoe rubbing the skin soft.

What you don’t see in the fast forward is this:

- 5 years of work to strengthen my feet enough.
- The pain of becoming a midfoot striker as my calves and glutes had to endure weeks of adaptation at a time.

It wasn’t simply a case of switching shoes. I went through the process of getting less and less stable shoes for 4 years, this year switching in January to neutral trainers for the first time, and only in July moving to running in lighter shoes full time.

Here is the FAQ:

1. What shoes should I buy?

The ones that suit your current running style, biomechanics and foot strike. Go see an expert when buying running shoes; don’t rely on other people’s opinion. Make sure the expert makes you run in a few sets and watches your knee flexion, hip movement and foot strike.

Find out if you pronate, are neutral or in rare cases, supernate. Those are the 3 foot strike patterns. If you pronate, dependant on how strong your leg muscles and ligaments are, you will either go for a stability or a motion control shoe.

Motion control is generally reserved for the big guys with bad knees. Stability is what about 70% of runners will need. I started in motion control, moved to stability, then lightweight stability, then neutral, now neutral racer/trainer.

2. Should I try barefoot running?

Sure, if you have run in lightweight trainers for a year. If you don’t run regularly and if you run regularly but in heavy motion control shoes rather go to the gym and work on core, glutes and hip strength.

Then start running barefoot on grass, for short periods of time. Grow this over time as your feet and ligaments and core and glutes get stronger. Move to a racing flat first on the road before even thinking of going barefoot.

Then move into a shoe like those weird toe finger shoes and start on dirt roads, before trail. I am not there yet.

Adaptation period will be months, not weeks. Deciding to run in a racing flat or barefoot out the blue and smashing out runs like that is like deciding you want to give tequila a go for the first time and promptly smashing a bottle on your first go. Just not going to be condusive to “performance” and you will most likely get hurt.

3. How far should I run to start?

Start slow and go long. Simply, take 180 and subtract your age. If you are super fit, add 5 beats. That is the maximum heart rate you should see on any run. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, it’s also around the point where you can’t run with your mouth CLOSED anymore. Run for as long as you can around that intensity to start.

That is your Aerobic Endurance Threshold and will give you maximum fitness and maximum enjoyment out of your running. Less sore muscles, fatigue and injuries.

If you can only run 3 days a week, go long. If you can run 6 days a week, run less time and more frequency. 6 x 30mins a week are so much better than 3 x 1hr runs even if total time is the same.

Most importantly, run for as long as it’s FUN.

4. Should I eat before I run?

My experience says no. If you have to eat, get into the energy gels. Easy on the stomach and a reliable 150 calories will get you through the run no problem. Eat afterwards, in what a friend refers to as “The Golden Zone” which is the first 30min after exercise, where you can eat basically whatever you want; your body will just burn it.

5. How long will my running shoes last?

Roughly 800-1000km if you run light on them and it’s what’s traditionally termed a “training shoe”. If you pound the pavement, 600km for a heavier training shoe. The lighter the shoe, the less mileage. My racers are good for about 250km and then they are KAPUT!

Those are the most common questions I seem to be getting; I hope they answered one of your questions, at least. Now go out there and have some fun…

Continue Reading →

If you find ANY worth in my blog, please click the link and confirm your vote for Urban Ninja as best sports as well as personal blog of the year.

Thank you. SA Blog Awards have done quite a bit of extra work this year and your vote counts monumentally to getting this blog inside the top 10 so please send the link to your friends, colleagues and spam your entire Facebook, Twitter, etc pages for me. Dankie.

Continue Reading →

I often get asked why I have a partnership with Puma, beyond the amazingly cool products they make. It’s not always understood what goes on behind the scenes at Puma and how much development is going on with their footwear line. It’s not new news that Bolt has renewed with Puma and there will be plenty of Press Releases you can read about that on Puma Running. This came along with the PR stuff and I wanted to share it because it shows the essential ethos of an incredible company to work with. For me the highlights of working with Puma are that I have had a long standing relationship with them, that their products improve year on year, that they have been there for me when I really needed help to get to races and that they value the input I give back in terms of footwear design, clothing cuts, etc.

They are a company who listen. They get involved for years, not seasons. They have a long term approach. They are truly fighting to be as “green” as possible. They are unbelievably freaking cool.

Read the questions and answers below, from the media. You sense there is a deep seated relationship between Bolt and Puma. Like a family. It’s exactly how I feel about them. Thank you.

Usain Bolt Media Q&A

Q. So you’ve re-signed with PUMA, how much are you making off this

deal?

A. PUMA and I have reached financial terms that are mutually agreeable, but we aren’t giving out actual numbers. (more…)

Continue Reading →

One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now.

— Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist

Continue Reading →

The great thing about this sandwich is that you pound the meat before cooking. This means it only takes a minute or so on each side to cook. Another benefit is that the meat is tenderised so it doesn’t matter if you use slightly tougher cuts, like rump. It also means that the steak ends up in bite sized pieces so there are no akward moments wrestling to chew through your sandwich.

Ingredients:

200g steak (Sirloin is easiest)
1 lemon, halved
wholegrain mustard
4 large fresh slices bread
Small handful wild baby rocket

Make:

Heat BBQ or char grill pan on its highest setting.

Place steak between 2 layers of plastic. Bash with your fist or a meat mallet until it is flattened out to about 1/2cm thick. You want it to be thin as possible with a few holes so it cooks quickly.

Season steak and drizzle over olive oil on both sides. BBQ for approximately 1 minute each size until well charred. At the same time cook the lemon, cut side down.

Place steak on a clean, warm plate and drizzle with more olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Allow to rest for a few minutes so the meat juices mix with the oil and lemon juice to make a super
tasty sauce. Tear meat into bite sized pieces.

Spread bread with mustard then pile the steak on top. Scatter with rocket leaves, if using and drizzle over the juices. Top with another slice of bread.

Why:

The Quick Steak Sarmie (QSS) is an essential and so easy to make. Loaded with great protein, good carbs (if you go the Rye Bread option, specifically) and the power of rocket for flavor in there, you simply cannot doubt the power of this after a morning session of exercise. I smashed two of these on Saturday afternoon when I got back from my lunch. I may have smashed 2 Jack Black’s along with it, for good measure. I then took a hike up the mountain where I did a bit of this…

Continue Reading →

We found this little guy in the road in the middle of the Karoo somewhere on our last bike camp through the Karoo. Excited already for this years trip. I expect us to go further and see even more remote places…

This article relates far more to front of the pack age groupers and elite athletes (hoping some pro’s out there read this to reiterate what I am saying) but has merit as well for being aspirational and seeing the difference between where you might be and where you want to be.

Camping for me is a big thing. I love training camps. They are a big week of focus with a big boost in performance if you do them correctly. Now when I say big boost in performance, of course I mean roughly 2-4% improvement come race day, but when you reach the top, 2% could mean 1st to 4th in your age group. Being the first knob not to make the podium or missing a Kona slot by 57 seconds (it happens) is the worst possible thing. As a top age grouper, I like to take all the risk equations out and go in as well prepared as I can handle. I love the training and racing but I hate having excuses for limited performance after the race.

So what equates to a proper camp?

For a time limited athlete like myself, I like bike camps the most. I can gain the most time there and run performance increases relatively as well by biking more. True. Story. I would say an increase of 50-100% in mileage (depending on skill and adaptation levels) is best and that the frequency is very important too. Rather do 7 days of work than 5. The idea is to teach the body to function when your mind is saying you are broken, but really you have lots left to give. I like to ride 4 hours every day with a 40min AeT run in the afternoon during the week (work allowing) and then 2 x 6-7 hour rides on the weekend with a 40min AeT run in those afternoons. Total volume for the week would be around 40 hours which makes me a freaking zombie and useless to the world. True story. I struggle like a mofo to get through the week but I understand why I need to press on.

Key things:

1. Put yourself in the dead zone. You want to wake up saying “no way I can do that again” and then have to go do it again.
2. EAT – you cannot eat enough in a week like this. Recovery is more important than doing the miles.
3. Sleep regularly and lots. Naps are non-optional.
4. Take a buddy. If you have someone with similar goals, take them along. Accountability goes a long way when you are wrecked on Day 3 and you know your mate is waiting for you to get up and ride with him.
5. Keep the intensity down. The idea is steady miles, keeping is to Ironman pace at maximum for 7 days in a row. The idea is to smash days 6 & 7, not 1 & 2.
6. Camp should finish 4 weeks prior to a big event to allow sufficient recovery and taper.

The reasons:

Mental – by making long training sessions routine, racing an IM becomes far more manageable. One of the key strengths Campers take home is the knowledge that no matter what happens in their race: they will get through it; they have been there before; and it’s no big deal. To truly perform at your best for IM, you need to get to the point where a 180km steady ride is simply “a session”. You won’t be able to perform on race day unless you have developed superior bike stamina in training.

Economy - while speed skills, drills and technique-focused workouts are useful for building economy, top athletes need to train their bodies to operate efficiently for 8-12 hours. 6x30s drills are useful but long hours of training at close to race effort (Aerobic Threshold: AeT) are far more race specific. We need to train our ability to move efficiently, with good form for many hours.

Aerobic Capacity // Aerobic Endurance - a fast Ironman is a 8-12 hour time trial. First and foremost, athletes must train their ability to simply go the distance – at any pace. Big week training addresses this universal critical success factor.

+++

Avoid Intensity

When you are extending endurance, be very careful with training above your steady zone in all sports. Sustained mod-hard efforts result in extended recovery. My experience is that each hour of mod-hard (tempo) exercise, likely results in at least three hours of steady training being missed.

When extended yourself through camp, it’s best to remain focused on the goals. Save the majority of your sport-specific strength work for the specific preparation phase of your season. Excess fatigue generated from appropriate camp work will tend to clear in 24-48 hours. Fatigue generated from excessive mod-hard and hard training can take weeks or months to clear. Part of the lessons of camp is that we have limits, one of the nice things is that we find that they are nearly always further than we expected.

If you ever decide to do one of these remember its YOUR camp, train YOUR intensity. Have a great weekend.

Continue Reading →