Registering for my First Adventurethon

O…..M….G!!  I just realised that there is only 16 weeks until my first adventurethon in Albany.  I have been waiting for registrations to open for the event so that I could register, it would be official and then there is no backing out, but today I realised that I don’t have time to wait I really have to get cracking with my training if I am going to complete the Enduro event.  Mentally I have committed so I am claiming the hitlist item!

I am a little disappointed in the Adventurethon website as it is actually very difficult to find out distances for each leg of the event.  Basing it on last years information and some feedback from the facebook page I think that I will be up for approximately 7.5km paddle, 22km mountain bike ride, and an 8km trail run.  But I could be wrong.  I haven’t really paddled before, except for recreation, and currently I can probably run for 2km at a pinch (as in I will probably have a heart attack after this point).  The bike I have covered…..I think.  I completed a fairly tough 42km mountain bike ride last year which you can read about in this post, so I am pretty confident that I can get that leg done, but I haven’t ridden outdoors since we moved in January, well not without the gator attachment for my youngest.  So I have to get back to some mountain biking, you know, outdoors.  Call me crazy but I think I can get it done.  The reason I love to book in an event like this is that it gives me direction for my training, its a challenge, it gives me a chance to see a whole new town and scenery, and it is an awesome sense of achievement to actually finish a race.  My friend Snooze has bravely agreed to come along this journey with me and we will try and co ordinate a couple of sessions together each week.

Snooze and I…..No I couldn’t find a better picture of us…and we had great lobster that day!!

At the moment my current training has been riding a stationary bike 3x/week and strength training 2-3x/week, so I am not starting completely from scratch fitness wise.  In terms of preparation I am going to break it up into four blocks of four weeks.  The first block my focus will be on increasing strength via CrossFit, developing a good running base, and focusing on eating well to lose a little weight.  My second block of four weeks will be about building endurance in each leg.  The aim of the third block will be about starting to do some block training, that is, doing a bike ride followed by a run or a kayak then ride.  Early in the final block I will try and organise to do a couple of run throughs of a mini adventurethon to get a feel for the event and then scale back/taper a little in the final week leading up to the race.

Race nutrition will also be something I will need to look into as the race can be 5-6hours if not a lot more depending on how my training goes!  Hydration and fuelling are going to be critical.  I have purchased a new pair of running shoes specific to my big flat feet as it is one area where I can’t compromise if I want to get through this injury free.  I will be using the roller and trying to do a bit of yoga on my rest day and may splurge on a couple of massages throughout the lead up with a real focus on injury prevention.  I am carrying a little niggle in my left knee and am prone to migraines if my neck is out and diet isn’t right, so I will keep an eye on these things.  I need to drop in at the bike shop to get my bike set up properly as well.    A little nervous but a whole lot excited!!