Counting Down – 39 Days to the Start of the Last Desert Race in Antarctica

Making new training friends…Iceberg 1 & Iceberg 2

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

With time running out to train and prepare for the Last Desert Race, and with so many things still to be finalized before my departure for Antarctica, it is important to maximize every training session before the race.

I have recently finished reading Peter van Kets’ book, The Eight Summit. One of the extreme adventures covered in the book is his epic walk in 2012 with Braam Malherbe of more than 700km to the South Pole as part of the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race.

They were required to man-haul sleds weighing around 85kg during the race, and as part of their training, used to drag tires along a beach. According to Peter he could feel the difference in his leg strength within the first week of training with the tires.

Although we are not required to pull a sled during the Last Desert Race, every stage might long and slow as a result of weather conditions, terrain and the distance to be covered. As a result, there might be more walking than running, and leg strength and overall endurance will therefore be important factors to complete the race.

Based on Peter and Braam’s experience in using tires as part of his training routine, I have started walking and running with tires today in a local park. I’m using two tires – a big one and a small one. I have painted the big one green and named it “Iceberg 1”. It is too heavy to run with, but perfect for pulling while walking and I could feel my legs working all the way. The small tire is painted blue and I have named it “Iceberg 2”. It is the perfect size and weight to pull while running, and although offering a slightly different experience than puling the big one, will no doubt also increase my leg strengthen.

I really enjoyed the first session with my new “training friends” and hope to do at least 2-3 tire sessions per week before going to Antarctica.

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