Today, ladies and gentlemen, is a record-breaking day! Yours truly just ran the furthest she has ever run (in one go) in her entire life: 20km. That’s a milestone not only because I did it without any real break from start to finish but because I was struggling so much in the beginning I had contemplated pulling out of the training. A week earlier, I caught the flu and was ... Read More »
As I ramp up the weekly mileage during training over the last few weeks, blisters have fast become a nagging issue. I’m thinking, “if this is what I get for a few hours’ training a week, what shape would I be in during the actual race, where I’ll be running a few hours a DAY for 7 days straight? Injinji socks to the rescue! I’ve heard about these special toe ... Read More »
One of the things that has always daunted me about the race was my being flat footed because that often results in weaker knees. Endurance races are, supposedly, a no-no for people like me. So the question is, will my knees be able to take 7 days of intensive runs up sand dunes and across squishy soft sand? The mind is strong but will the body be willing? So I ... Read More »
Alright, folks, here’s the plan: long training sessions on weekends for endurance and karate for power; shorter runs (about 8 km per session) and cross training on weekdays. Long weekend sessions will mostly involve running up and down the trails (and the hills! Oh, the hills!!) of MacRitchie. I started with a running buddy and fellow karate-ka, Mark, about 2 months ago and we’ve made some great progress since. The ... Read More »
[Ithaca, USA] On a particularly wintery day one year ago, the campus grounds were blanketed in an angel white. I spotted a bench in the distance nestled among the trees, dead wood amongst the living, waiting quietly, serenely for this winter to pass like all the others have so that another person can come and sit with it for a while. Benches are the keepers of secrets; they provide a ... Read More »
When I set off for the South Pole, my daughter Magdalena could not yet talk. When I returned, she asked me lots of questions: “What did you find down there?” “Infinity.” “What’s infinity like?” “White, peaceful, still.” “So is that like Heaven? Did you look for Heaven in Antarctica?” “No, I wasn’t looking for anything. But I discovered white infinity there.” –R. Messner, Antarctic mountaineer They tell you that Antarctica ... Read More »
Leaving Antarctica doesn’t happen in any obvious way. It is not that you see icebergs and snow one minute, and green earth the next. No; the Continent trickles away bit by bit. By the time you realize what is really going on it is far, far too late to catch one more glimpse of her ethereal beauty. It must have happened in those moments when I was floating like an ... Read More »
Leaving Half Moon Island to prepare for our trip back to civilization had been a less traumatic experience than expected. Perhaps the gorgeous weather and stunning scenery had helped ease the pain, but I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was leaving in peace, having gained the knowledge and understanding of Antarctica that I had come to seek. Back onboard, seasick bags popped ... Read More »
Chinstrap Jr. and her furry-butted brother Pre-mating ritual Penguins go planking (looks mightily comfortable) Pebble hunting? “You always forget to put the toilet seat back down!” As Antarctic landings go, Half Moon Island is just about every traveller’s wild fantasy– Chinstrap penguins abound the very minute you land, Weddell seals and fur seals napping on the beach like giant sausages on rocks, beautiful snow capped mountains all around. What isn’t ... Read More »
Ships can be such wondrous worlds. They cross the wildest of seas and the furthest of horizons, bringing the world to us while we sit snuggly on the library sofa indulging in light-hearted chit chat. But even as we carry on with our seafaring adventures, there is this very definitive amount of space to call home for a week or two. On a ship, travellers bond in ways that humans typically cannot ... Read More »
J.J. Pedersen let’s go see the world