Sometimes I train for the simple pleasures it brings - sweat stinging the eyes on a summer afternoon, lungs labouring as the legs run me out of the comfort zone, the sheer satisfaction of a shower washing away the exertion. Some other times I need a target to pull me through the routine that regular training becomes, such as Lifecycle in 2008 or the Madonie trail mountain marathon in 2011.

I've now set my sights on next year's challenge. Put in figures it reads: 0 - 3000 / 42.195. In words, that's running a full marathon which starts at sea level and finishes at an altitude of 3000 metres. Reading between the lines (and if my math is correct), there's an average gradient of 7% for each and every one of those 42 kilometres.

The location is Mount Etna. The date is 16 June 2012.  The time is 08oohrs. The aim is to keep going up unless the volcano brings me down ... to my knees in submission. In answer to the question, 'why this event?', it's because living on an island of mere hills, I cannot even begin to imagine a non-stop climb of that magnitude.

The purpose of this page is two-fold. Making my commitment public should help me through (inevitable) phases when enthusiasm begins to flag - the 'I don't want to lose face' motivating principle. Also, I wish to share my preparation for the event should anyone else think of doing it, be it in 2012 or future years. To this end I'll be logging weekly updates, with Monday being the target publication day.

 

 

Week 16 of 34 - 5%

The 5% in the title refers to the average gradient of the 4 x 1km hill repetitions I did Tuesday afternoon. I wasn't feeling comfortable with my body nor with my clothes. Neither did I relish the fumes of the passing traffic, albeit rather light at that time of day. I suppose I have been spoilt by the quality of air I find during my early morning runs or when I'm on the trails. However, this week I shifted the key sessions to the afternoon just to see if it makes the workouts feel any easier. Which it didn't really. What it did allow though was for me to luxuriate in bed an extra hour-and-a-half. Bliss!

To keep with the weeks theme of "change", I decided to do my long run off-road. With it being close to three hours, this is now my longest (time-wise) trail run ever done in training. The distance covered was nothing grand - 23k - but the Karraba section wasn't a run at all. I ignored the "main" path to explore other routes and so was reduced to a walk and occasionally had to resort to clambering over the rocky obstacles. Plus, I don't have a problem interrupting my run so that I can take in a marvellous view or inspect an interesting specimen of flora or fauna.

Week 15 of 34 - A weaker week

Does the title of this week's post seem uninspired, seeing that it's almost the same as last week's? The reality is that this has been the poorest 7-day period to date. Having completed only two sessions is bad enough but even worse is my failure to do any of the key workouts: hills, speed and long run. Admittedly I was feeling poorly with flu-like symptoms siphoning off my energy supply. As any of you athletes know, the temptation to force a reluctant body into action is always there but a recurring elevated resting heart rate confirmed my physical sensations; going head to head with common sense would have been counter-productive. At least I now know why week 14 was so disappointing - the body was already busy trying to fight off the virus.
Unfortunately these let downs are par for the course but thankfully there is still plenty of time to get back into stride for the 0 - 3000metres Etna marathon challenge since I'm not quite half-way there yet. And to cheer me up, I concluded the week with the proverbial silver lining -  a 15km trail run taking me to the cliff edge of Ras il-Wahx.

 

Training hours: 4 / Weight: 70.9kgs / Body fat: 12.4% / Muscle mass: 69.4% / Water: 57.6% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 50

Week 14 of 34 - A weak week

Sometimes an easy week doesn't reinvigorate the body enough to deal with an increased work load. Sometimes the best of intentions cannot quite overcome a dip in motivation. Sometimes the planned week of work turns out to be a much weaker version of that that had been intended.

Since I began my preparation for the Etna marathon, this has turned out to be the most disappointing 7 days for a plethora of reasons:

1. Heart rate - resting and active - has been on the rise
2. Cold, hunger and sleepiness prevented me from doing my second session of the day
3. Pains and cramps in places that the body never suffered before interfered with my running gait
4. Difficulty in finding a comfortable pace, even during a bog-standard run

Week 13 of 34 - Every 4th week

Every 4th week is one with a reduced training load and so it was this week - fewer and shorter training sessions. Besides giving my body time to recover from the incessant pounding of the streets and (less frequently now) trails, it allows me to reconnect with a world outside running. It was fun to meet friends for backgammon and go to the cinema again while not having to be in bed by 8.30pm. The wake-up time of 4.40am is a different matter though. That has been absorbed into my DNA so whether it's the weekend or a day off, my eyes open to the darkness of the hour. I can sometimes force myself back to sleep but the night would have been interrupted nonetheless.

Overall a quiet week but with a curious heart rate anomaly. Although the resting heart rate has remained under the 50bpm mark, the active heart rate was somewhat higher than usual. This happened during the steady runs and also the speed sessions. I can only presume the climatic conditions played a part, such as a strong head wind or elevated humidity. Let's see how it goes next week.

Training hours: 7 / Weight: 70.6kgs / Body fat: 12.1% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.9% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 47

Week 12 of 34 - A solid week

Ten hours worth of training this week, which included days with two training sessions each, makes for a week of solid work. Positive feedback also comes from the aerobic threshold session I did on Friday at 5.30 in the morning;  certainly not the ideal time for speed work and neither is the location. Not being much of  a track fan, I prefer to jog down to the Pwales road (leading from Xemxija to Ghajn Tuffieha), which conveniently serves as a warm up, and then do the session along the flattest stretch. This has a slight, but none too compromising, incline on the way out. Also, if a wind's blowing then it's almost guaranteed to meet me head on during the "up"section.  Nonetheless, last Friday's 3 x 20' at 150-153bpm were done 20 seconds per kilometre faster than 3 weeks ago.

The week of solid work

 

Training hours: 10 / Weight: 70.7kgs / Body fat: 12.2% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.8% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 47

Week 11 of 34 - Something's happening

That's one-third of the 34 weeks over and finally the signs of progress are making an appearance. The first, and most important, is that I can run. When I targeted the Super Maratona dell' Etna, I was undergoing therapy for a partial tear of the left calf muscle. My training then consisted of short, gentle jogs on alternate days. Now, thankfully, I run most days. The sessions have become longer and the designated long runs even longer - Sunday's run saw me set out when the sun was still slumbering and return home 150 minutes later. Another progress marker is that resting heart rate is going under 50bpm more regularly. Concomitantly, my pace is becoming faster without pushing up the heart rate. A third thumbs up is for the sensations I'm having while tackling hills. The strength is returning, as is the confidence; I'm seeking out hills of any length and any gradient. I tackled three new ones during Sunday's long run:

1. Palma - 1.3k, an elevation change of +103m and sections with gradients of 16%
2. Bingemma/Nadur tower - 2.6k, an elevation change of +159m and gradient peaking at 14%
3. Tas-salib church (Fiddien) - 1k, an elevation change of +71m and top gradient of 11%

Here's the course profile:

 

Training hours: 9 / Weight: 71kgs / Body fat: 12.4% / Muscle mass: 69.5% / Water: 57.7% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 48

Week 10 of 34 - It began as it ended

Another digit change on the calendar - it's 2012 - and that's a good excuse as any to celebrate. Evidence of the partying that went on a couple of hours earlier lies in the pools of puke staining the promenade pavement. No doubt many had been boosting their spirits by imbibing a variety of spirits.  I, too, exaggerated somewhat last night, breaking the unwritten rule of being in bed by 9.30pm latest and stretching my waking hours to 11.30pm. While that night the date moved forward by one day, the following morning I had to move forward by 1½hours. So there I was at 7.30am, in high spirits because I was running along near empty roads, with the ocean blue and scent of the sea assailing my senses.

Training hours: 8 / Weight: 71kgs / Body fat: 12.5% / Muscle mass: 69.4% / Water: 57.7% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 49

 

Week 9 of 34 - Christmas Day run

Due to work commitments, and because it was time I did so, I reduced the training volume for week nine. This meant Monday was dedicated to sloth while I did only one session-per-day on the remaining days, while still doing the key workouts. These were a 3x20' @ 150-153bpm on Tuesday, a short hills fartlek on Friday and the long run (the longest so far) on Christmas day. Again I included some longish hills: Manikata, 1.4k with an elevation change of +94m; Ghajn Zejtuna, 1.8k with an elevation change of +109m.  Despite these hills, and having run for 2:15, I only climbed 420m. This serves as another reminder of how massive a 3000m climb is and how much respect the Etna marathon deserves.

Training hours: 7 / Weight: 71kgs / Body fat: 12.3% / Muscle mass: 69.4% / Water: 57.6% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 48

Week 8 of 34 - And the week's key session was .....

Tuesday 13th, an 11k run which included some interesting hill speedwork: L-imbordin (aka Mzieb), San Martin and Xemxija.  These hills have challenging gradients even though, in the context of the Etna marathon, they are mere ramps. Take San Martin for example, which rises 110 metres over 2 kilometres. Even if I had to run it up 21 times (for a marathon distance), I would gain an elevation of 2300m - still a full 700m less than the Etna race!

The morning itself was ideal for such a workout, with the roads bare of traffic, a refreshing 15 degrees and a complete absence of wind. I woke up full of enthusiasm and the legs responded reasonably well to the effort. However,  the lungs were in overdrive, leaving me panting  towards the top of the hills.

Training hours: 9 / Weight: 71.4kgs / Body fat: 12.4% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.7% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 51

 

Week 7 of 34 - Friday's load

Housework is not high on the list of my priorities because there always seems to be something even more important to do. The most obvious is training but there are other things, such as spending time with an interesting book (just finished Running on Empty) or listening to music. And I mean listening, not just hearing it. Until not long ago, music was something to have in the background, while the mind is focussed on some other activity. However, since buying Anoushka Shankar's CD, Traveller, I have discovered the pleasure of sitting down on the sofa and actually concentrating on the music. So this too has become a time-consuming activity.

However, there is a chore I look forward to and that's the laundry, maybe because the only work involved is shoving the clothes into the machine, turning a couple of dials, pressing a switch and voila....time to pull the clothes out and hang them. Or even because I love the smell of cleansing detergent as I hang the clothes out to dry. I wonder whether the neighbours have ever caught me sniffing at the clothing as I pegged them to the line and what they thought when they saw my nose stuck into the crotch of a pair of shorts or undies. Anyway, last Friday was laundry day and in the evening I had the 4 lines which are stretched out on my back terrace heavy with wet clothing. It was then that I realized - three of those lines were completely taken up by sportswear! Where did I say my priorities lie?

*****     *****     *****

My long run, usually on a Sunday, was 2 hours during which I covered 20k and succeeded  in keeping an average heart rate of 135. Clearly though, my body still needs to adapt to these longer runs because I was not comfortable with myself; whilst happy to have covered 20k, I am less happy with the sensations I had throughout.

 

Training hours: 9 / Weight: 71.4kgs / Body fat: 12.5% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.7% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 50

Week 6 of 34 - Feet on fire 

"Feet on fire", a heading that conjures up images of me melting the tartan track at Marsa as I speed around on my 3 x 20' repetitions; the aftermath of lower limbs furrowing the soil-coloured surface of lane 7 to it's hard substratum being the modern equivalent of the ancient cart ruts. An alternative, mythical image generated by this post's title is that of flames flying from the superheated soles of my Diadora Mythos shoes, with only the onrush of wind suppressing their spread to pumping calves and thighs.

As it happens, the reality is more prosaic. I've worn these shoes for hundreds of kilometres and the socks likewise but, on my first track session in many months, the feet were uncomfortably hot. It was an overcast Tuesday, with the rain having done its worst a few hours earlier. A wind was blowing against the flow of the finishing straight, not cold enough for long sleeves yet neither comfortable enough for topless running. Yet, in spite of these conditions, my feet felt like they were on fire. Since I haven't been inducted in barefoot track running, the only solution available was to seek out the occasional puddle that had settled on the surface, splashing into it so that the footwear could soak in its cooling effect.

*****     *****     *****

I'm satisfied with this week of 9 sessions, 5 of which were runs and the remainder indoor activities: cycling, rowing and elliptical. The only problem is a pain in the lower front part of the left knee, which while sensitive to the touch, hasn't precluded me from training. Hope it's just another of those passing aches and pains that have a habit of forcing their temporary company on athletes.

Training hours: 8 / Weight: 71.0kgs / Body fat: 12.3% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.8% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 49

 

Week 5 of 34 - Shifting out of first gear

It's easy to fall into a routine of monopaced running - an effortless session where the heart is hardly ever taxed, the lungs work at idling capacity and leg turnover is at a canter. It's easy because the minimum parameters for maintaining basic fitness are met while another training day can be ticked off the calendar.

However, a marathon up the Etna is not easy so it's time to shift out of first gear. This inceptive week for speed saw the introduction of a (tame) hill fartlek session but I will be transferring to the track for faster paced work once-a-week. The long run is now up to 1h45m although I am displeased with the pain in both knees that I became aware of after.

The highlight of the past seven days was a night trail run, ably led by Ruben. A route which by day makes for an excellent trek with some challenging sections takes on a completely different dimension in the light of head torches moving along at speed (whenever possible) under a starry sky.

 

GPX file of route: here

Training hours: 9 / Weight: 71.0kgs / Body fat: 12.4% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.8% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 50

 

Week 4 of 34 - Not the season for butterflies

It's gone down and my fingers are the first to notice. Whereas last week I could still put on a T-shirt for work, this week the sleeves have lengthened. While until recently a sheet and thin blanket provided enough warmth in bed, the past few nights I have found myself curling up into a cocoon to preserve body heat. It's only a few degrees lower but by my standards, the cold has definitely arrived.

The season of butterflies has fluttered by. Powdery wings that contoured the countryside have been folded away to prevent the rains from caking them into slivers of coloured mud pies and proboscises rolled up to stop the cold from turning them into icicles.

And yet ..... ?

And yet I feel those creatures still, even if I cannot see them. The race might be a good seven months away but when my thoughts occasionally turn to that longest climb, I feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It's been years since I had this sensation prior to a sporting event and then never so much in advance. On the one hand it is satisfying, motivating me and actually making me look forward to waking up at 5am for pre-dawn sessions. On the other hand I am slightly perturbed by the prematurity of a nervousness that could easily eat away at my enthusiasm, leaving me emotionally drained on or before race day.

Training hours: 7 / Weight: 71.0kgs / Body fat: 12.4% / Muscle mass: 69.5% / Water: 57.7% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 46

Week 3 of 34 - Good to be back

It's certainly good to be back, even if it means struggling at the back of the pack. Saturday was the first trail run and the longest from the time or distance aspect since September's injury. Back then, my shoes scrunched on the baked soil and my calves and ankles got coated in a mix of sweat and dusty earth. This time, as Ruben led our small group around and through the Burmarrad plain, shoes sloshed over muddy pathways while feet splashed in milky brown puddles. In my absence, a fashion-conscious countryside discarded its burnt brown outfit to slip on a verdant coat.

For the GPX file of this trail run, click: here

As I work towards re-establishing a regular exercise regimen, I have started setting my daily alarm for 0500hrs. I was going to write "five in the morning" but the absence of natural light makes that time of day seem and feel more like night. It's hard sometimes to roll out of bed so early when I know that I could comfortably spend another two hours of slumber. In recompense though, I get to complete a training session thereby leaving the rest of the post-work day free for many of my other hobbies. Or, if necessity dictates, I'd have had enough time to recover for a second, evening workout.

Training hours: 6 / Weight: 71.1kgs / Body fat: 12.3% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.8% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 51

 

Week 2 of 34 - Still/but 

Still ...

• running only 3 times-a-week
• keeping a very slow pace
• not running on uneven ground (hence no trails)

But ...

Here are some relevant statistics relating to the past 7 days.

Training hours: 6 / Weight: 71kgs / Body fat: 12.2% / Muscle mass: 69.6% / Water: 57.8% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 49

Week 1 of 34 - Just about jogging

Last week I announced to the world (meaning those of you who visit this site) my intention to race the Super Maratona dell'Etna in June next year. What I didn't mention then was that I am still recovering from a partial tear of the left calf tendon, an injury suffered a month back. This means that my preparation has not started with a bang but with a whimper, not with impressive hill sessions but with a gentle jog every other day. The situation takes me back to March 2008 when I attended the launch of Lifecycle on crutches because I was suffering from a slightly more serious version of my present injury. I remember exchanging a few words with Alan Curry about whether I could recover in time and well enough to undergo the intense preparation that the event entailed (cycling 2000km from Lourdes, France to Casablanca, Morocco in 10 days). Five months later I had the quiet satisfaction of stepping off the bike in the shadow of the tallest minaret in the world at Hassan II Mosque. I hope I can experience the same sensations once again but this time in the shadow of Mount Etna's summit, Europe's highest active volcano.

This first week has been a mix of sports at mild intensities: jogs of no more than 30 minutes on alternate days, indoor rowing, indoor cycling, elliptical trainer, swimming, push-ups, sit-ups and stretching. In spite of all these activities, fitness is at a very low level and the heavy breathing when I walk up the hill to my home proves it. This is not the best way to begin preparing for the challenge but I'm in it for the long haul - 33 weeks to go.

Here are some relevant statistics relating to the past 7 days. I'll be including the updated stats in weekly write-up:

Training hours: 5 / Weight: 70.2kgs / Body fat: 11.8% / Muscle mass: 69.8% / Water: 58.1% / Bone mass: 3.0 / Resting heart rate: 49