Thoughts and happenings from a life on Malta

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.

Kettler Coach rowing machine

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

Quotes from the Latvia - Malta match commentary on Eurosport.com

Pre-match comment:

• Latvia and Malta are the bottom two sides in Group E so as with the Austria game, this match - kicking off at 6pm - means very little indeed.

Match comments:

• KICK OFF! We have started in Riga. Remember, this game is meaningless in Group F as neither side can qualify.
• Aleksejs Visnakovs lashes a firm effort wide of the far post for Latvia. Remember, this game has nothing riding on it as neither team can qualify.
• GOAL! 1-0 Latvia! He had a decent chance earlier and now Visnakovs opens the scoring in Riga. However, this game is largely inconsequential.
• GOAL! Latvia 2-0 Malta! Artjoms Rudnevs gets on the scoresheet in this pointless game.
• FULL TIME. Latvia win 2-0. This game doesn't matter one bit though.

This island is small but these comments, factual as they may be, make me feel even smaller.

This morning I did what so many other fellow runners must have done - I dedicated my training session to John Walsh. The run along the Mizieb paths was no longer, no harder, no faster than a standard Sunday one but it felt appropriate that as step followed step, my memories of John kept up with the cadence.

I cannot claim to have had a close relationship with him but the melancholy that hit me when I heard the news of his demise yesterday is with me still - I could neither sweat it out of my system nor kick it off on the dusty trail. In the decades that I've been active in athletics, our paths crossed on more than one occasion and, four years ago, he was there to give me useful advice in connection with a challenge I had intended tackling. That training schedule, together with his comments, is still stuck to my notice-board, a relevant focal point whenever I decide to undertake a new athletic venture. In more recent years, living in the same street, we sometimes small-talked outside his garage while on many mornings I'd even hear his motorbike throttling to life, signalling it was high time that I, too, headed for work.

My condolences go to his wife Carol and all those who feel his loss.