A day of serious mixed emotion... some excellent training in the morning, followed by some terrible news, followed by The Lion King play in South Africa. Let's start with the bad news, my cousin Michael was shot 5 times in a high-jacking outside his brothers home last night. Shortly after they arrived, 2 men demanded the car keys and then started demanding wallets, bags, cell phones etc. While handing them over, one of the men simply shot him 5 times in cold blood.
He is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of a local hospital. They have started reducing the morphine and he is slowly starting to respond to what is going on around him. Mike and I have been close since we were kids and my hopes, wishes and prayers go out to him and his family. I will keep you all posted on his progress.
Went to the gym this morning, did 20min on the rowing machine followed by 20min on the spin bike and then hit the road and did 8,5k. It was a tough run with the first 4 k having some pretty tough climbs. Took a bit of strain but that was to be expected after the rowing and cycling. Really happy to get through it and feel I am really back on track now.
This afternoon I saw The Lion King at Montecasino. EXCEPTIONAL is the only way to describe it! I am not a great theater lover and usually walk out wondering what all the fuss was about (no culture, I hear you say) but this one blew me away and it comes highly recommended.
Today
Weight 71,8 Kg (after the run so not a true reflection)
Height 171 cm (not expecting that to change anytime soon)
Run
Distance: 8.5
Time: 49m 41s
Heart Rate: Around 180 but falling fast after training (A good sign)
Cycle
Distance:
Time: 20 min spin bike session
Heart Rate: Between 139 and 165 as I do intervals
Swim
Distance:
Time: 20 min rowing
Heart Rate: Steady build up from 101 to 141
Why would you possibly want to do this?
Visit TTMAD Home Page
Call it crazy, call it a 'mid-life crises', call it boys being boys... I don't mind. I am 45 years old, been physically active most of my life (interspersed with brief periods of sheer laziness) and have decided to complete the South African Ironman in April 2008. (3.8k Swim, 180k Cycle, 42.2k Run)
Someone told me that when you are 45, rich and bored you buy a Harley or a sports car. When you are 45, poor and suffer from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) you do the Ironman.
In 1987 I completed a canoe Ironman triathlon and suddenly realised that if I completed the Ironman in 2008, it would be almost 21 Years to the day since my last big physical challenge.
I have been training for a few months now but took 4 weeks off all training before the 'big push' that starts TODAY (2 July 2007). This BLOG will be a daily Web Log of the life and times of a Ironman Wannabe. I trust you will enjoy the experience with me and please feel free to comment on any of the blogs.
PS. I am doing this for charity and the details of that will soon be posted here, as well as on my own site at www.brandstrategy.co.za and at the TTMAD site (Tri-ing To Make A Difference)
Saturday, July 7, 2007
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I Share My Road...
(This article I wrote, recently appeared in the SA Mens Health Magazine in July 2008 as the letter of the month)
I Share MY Road…
MY road? Well it’s not really MY road, I don’t really own it, in fact I don’t even live on it, but I do run it almost everyday and in my head that makes it MY road. I set out at about 5:15am most mornings and I share MY road with so many others.
There are the sprinters, the joggers and the walkers. What strikes me most about these people is that they are not wearing the latest in high tech running shoes or specially designed shirts to wick sweat from the body as they cover the kilometers. No GPS heart rate monitors strapped on these chest. In fact most are in ordinary clothes, overalls, construction boots, reflective security jackets, in fact, just about anything.
They are not running to get fit or to complete some race they have circled on a calendar, they are running to get to work, to catch a taxi, to make a change of shift or even to get home after pulling an all nighter. They are running to bring home the money they need to live, they are truly professional athletes.
We nod to each other as we pass and sometimes even share a greeting over the music blaring from my iPod. And each day I am reminded just how fortunate I am to have the opportunity and the means to choose when I run, to choose why I run and to choose where I run.
So to all those who share MY road with me, thank you for the lessons you teach me everyday and Gods speed and safety on your journey.
Mike Said
Somewhere on MY Road
Senderwood
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