Delirious from lack of sleep… just like desert… allegedly

Well – I have finally surfaced back into the real world after doing four long night shifts at work which feels a bit like going into a dark tunnel where you don’t communicate with the outside world.  It was a tough 5 days, where I just about managed to squeeze in a bit of training.  A quick session after my first night shift in the high altitude chamber at the gym followed by a dip in the pool… and a good breakfast. Then on Monday evening I had to head back to the gym to teach an indoor group cycling class before heading to my last night shift. Any sane person would then think that the following morning I would head straight home to bed, but here’s the catch: The desert is going to be a tough mental challenge and so one of the weird and twisted ways that I have prepared for this is, instead of going home to sleep after a series of night shifts I head straight to the gym to be put through my paces by Jon.  I had a small window to have breakfast and feed my brain and veins with caffeine. Although, I must admit, I think my ability to string words together in a full sentence was rapidly dwindling.  I headed first to the pool to loosen up my limbs and refresh myself – it felt like a good idea, but after swimming 40 lengths I felt a tad light headed as I got out of the pool. I did sort this out by consuming some awesomely good energy products kindly provided to me by Maxi Fuel. The funny thing with energy products is that you often expect them to immediately make you feel buzzing and fired up… They don’t, or they certainly don’t when you have done night shifts and not slept for about 16 hours!  But somewhere down the line you realise they are giving you the stamina to keep going.  I headed up to the gym floor and slumped down on the sofa to wait for Jon.  You will imagine my surprise when he slumped down next to me and we sat chatting about the forthcoming race, my preparation, how I was feeling about it all, etc.  Going through my mind was that this was a rather pleasant way to train, sitting chatting on the gym sofa, not a hint of exercise… I was merely being lulled into a false sense of security.  The infamous step bench was waiting for me and soon I was set to task doing my step up routine with weights: 25 step ups on each leg, then 25 step downs on each leg – well that was the first set.  Very slyly in the second set this was sneakily increased just as I thought I was getting to the end of the set, to adding another 25 step ups to each leg.  A pattern formed here, I realised.  Was catching my breath and just about to commence the third set when Jon said right this time it was 75 on each leg – I did hint that I wondered if he could count that high, as I certainly wasn’t capable of doing so, and I just have to trust that it was 75 on each leg that I did and not 175 which is what it felt like!!  However, shock of all shocks, Jon was kind and after the step ups that was it and we headed to the mats for me to roll out my muscles and be stretched, that was almost more painful that the third set of step ups if I’m really honest.  I am sure that at some point when I am in the Desert and slogging up and down the dunes that I will suddenly look at the dunes and simply see them as a series of step ups in the gym 🙂  although I might not count to 75 as I am running up and down them!

So the training continues, and my task for today is to take advantage of all this glorious hot sunny weather; to pack up my rucksack with all my kit and head out into the midday sun for a gentle tapering run with full kit… Somewhere in my crazy old head that sounds like a good idea… I will let you know if it is was.

In the meantime if I could lay a challenge to those of you that are interested and following my progress towards the desert?  I will be taking my ipod with me, I am looking for some inspiring songs to urge me onwards.  If you have any suggestions of music that will power me forward through the desert please, please let me know…