Starting on Wednesday 5th of August I will be competing in the Privas 72 hour race.
As well as trying to achieve some personal goals and break some New Zealand ultra-distance race-walking records I am doing the walk to raise money for Make-A-Wish (R) UK, and I would really appreciate your support.
If you can spare a couple pounds, euros or dollars, please visit my Just Giving page and make a donation.
Thanks heaps,
Richard
There is now only two weeks left until I start my longest race to date – a 72 hour race in Privas, France.
72 hours of walking around a 1,025 meter circuit in temperatures that will be in the mid to high 30’s during the day.
To complete as many laps as I can between 4pm on Wednesday 5th of August and 4pm on Saturday 8th of August – three days later.
To quantity that; I hope to complete something between 320 and 400 laps which is 328 to 410km which is 204 to 255 miles which is ‘a bloody long way’!
The surface is flat with varied terrain – some athletics track, some tarmac, and some unsealed surface.
I completed 145 miles (233km) on river trail terrain (mostly unsealed and often uneven surface) in 43 hours during the Grand Union Canal Race at the end of May. That was without any sleep. If I assume that I have 6 hours sleep in total during the Privas race and average the same pace as the GUCR for the other 66 hours then I should be able to achieve 222 miles (357km). And given that the surface for the Privas race will be smoother, and therefore faster, then I don’t see why I can’t achieve at least that distance.
The big question is: Will my right ankle hold up to walking for three days?
I have struggled with a minor ankle injury since the GUCR and as a result I have done very little training – one walk of almost 30 miles and nothing else longer than 2 hours since May. But I don’t see the lack of training as a problem. If anything, it means that I will go in to the race well rested.
Because of my concerns about the ankle I have decided that my race plan will involve walking for as long as possible before I have my first sleep. The race starts at 4pm on Wednesday (4th of August) and therefore most of the first 16 hours will be in relatively cool conditions. If I can then walk another full 24 hours through the Thursday and into Friday morning before I need to sleep, then that will be my first goal. If I can keep going through until early afternoon on the Friday – around 44 hours, then that will be even better as I will be sleeping during the hottest part of the day.
And if I can do that and cover in excess of 150 miles (240km) before I sleep, then I only need to complete another 50 miles (to get to 200 miles) during the following 24 hours after I wake up and that isn’t too difficult – is it?
My biggest concern is that my ankle will be OK while I am walking but will immediately swell up when I stop and may prevent me from starting again after my first sleep – hence my thoughts about walking for as long as I can before I stop. Obviously I will ice it when I stop, and will be taking anti-inflammatory tablets during the race – as and when required.
During the race I have some interim goals too: The New Zealand records for the most distance walked in 48 hours and fastest time over 200 miles are both achievable as well as the NZ record for 72 hours. I thought the NZ record for 200km might also be a possibility until recently when I was advised that the record time stated on the NZ Centurions website was incorrect and the record is about 3 hours faster than I expect to take to complete the first 200km. But that record can wait until another day.
And then there is my fundraising for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. I have never been tempted to use my athletic activities for fundraising in the past because I haven’t felt comfortable asking people to sponsor me to do something that I have done previously – i.e. run a marathon. But this is different. This will be the hardest race I have ever competed in and the knowledge that I am doing it to raise money for a worthwhile cause may help me when I need it during the tough periods that I will face during the race.
So if you haven’t already, please visit my Just Giving page and make a donation. Any amount in any currency will be greatly appreciated.
The race itself will have live updates as well as video streaming which you can see here: http://www.6jours-de-france.fr/index.php/42-banners/114-accueil-classement
And as I did during the Grand Union Canal Race, I will post updates on the Richard Walks London facebook page from time to time during the race.
One week to go until my first race of the year – the Château-Thierry 24 hour next Saturday/Sunday.
Other than a 7 mile and 10km race late last year, I haven’t raced since the Roubaix 28 hour in September and I am really looking forward to getting out there and doing it. I have put in plenty of training. From a race-walking point of view, I am probably fitter than I have ever been before.
The weather forecast doesn’t look promising though – seven days out and the forecast is for rain and temperatures of between 2 and 12 degrees. But how accurate is a seven day forecast?
The only problem I have is a minor knot in my left glut (the left side of my bum for those of you who may not know where the glut is), and as a result I have been on the foam roller this week practising some amateur trigger-point therapy.
I noticed the problem on Thursday night not too far into a planned 10km walk in Richmond Park, and after 3km I decided to abort the walk and head home – something I wouldn’t have done in my younger years when I used to run through minor injuries and wonder why I spent so much time out of running with major injuries.
So I walked back home on Thursday night and got out the foam roller – something I don’t use often enough – and today (Saturday) I am feeling much better. I have used the foam roller three times since Thursday and will continue using it for the next few days.
About a month ago I saw a tweet that linked to the video below demonstrating how to use a foam roller properly. I have been following this method, which involves rolling form side to side as well as up and down, since and have found it to be much more effective than simply rolling my legs up and down over the roller like I used to.
If you use a foam roller, take a look at this video. It will be well worth it.
For the price (you can purchase a foam roller on Amazon for about £16), and the time required (about 15 to 20 minutes), I have found trigger point therapy using a foam roller to be much more effective than traditional sports massage, and I will continue to use the foam roller for another couple days leading up to the race.
I am planning on doing 10 miles tomorrow and then 5 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, but all at an easy pace. And then on Friday we (my occasional training partner, Suzanne Beardsmore, is also racing) head to France for what will hopefully be a rewarding trip.
