Tapering by the Red Sea

As imagined, tapering in Sharm El Sheikh (for Transgrancanaria) was relaxing and much fun. The weather was fine every day and the scenery was magnificent. Obviously snorkeling and diving are much bigger sports than trail running in the Red Sea area. Sea life is amazing down there, especially at coral reefs. However it was possible to take short & easy jogs/walks between frequent swimming sessions, which suited my purpose well.

500 marathons in 500 days

Ultrarunner Ricardo Abad recently accomplished running 500 marathons in 500 days. He covered those 21,100 km in 50 provinces of Spain for the benefit of ANFAS.

 

Let the sunshine in - beach tapering for TGC

Let the sunshine in! I've decided to fly down south to a Red Sea beach resort for my TransGranCanaria tapering. After living several months in Scandinavian winter darkness, my pale skin and frozen ass crave for some serious sunshine.

Without a doubt natural UV-rays are the best for great health and mood. Vitamin D pills or tanning machines are just not the same. And getting tanned gradually before the race goes a long way preventing a sunburn on race day.

The emphasis will be totally on relaxation, recovery and fun. I try not to run too much, but I will probably swim a lot and possibly go snorkeling and stuff like that.

I'll fly to Canary Islands only a couple of days before the race, as the weather can be unpredictable there this time of year.

No matter what the weather will be like, it'll be an exciting race. Both Zigor Iturrieta (2011 winner in 13:22) and Lizzy Hawker (2011 winner in 15:55) will be there.

 
INTRO Transgrancanaria 2011 from Bichillorunner on Vimeo.

Here's a classic track by Camel for you, recorded 35 years ago: "Highways of the Sun".

 

3 useful kitchen gadgets

We all have probably bought some useless junk that we don't use anymore. However I use the following three kitchen gadgets almost daily. Perhaps I could live without them, but I don't want to!

1. A blender. There are many good ones, but make sure it has enough power. Then you can blend anything you like. You can eat tons of fruits and vegetables and go running full of energy.

 

 2. A spiralizer. Like you saw in the video above, junk food like pasta is bad for you. Get a spiralizer and make your own raw zucchini spaghetti - it's delicious and healthy. Again there are several designs available. I like Lurch Spiralo, featured in the video below. I simply put in inside a big salad bowl, and start spiralizing right there.

 

 3. An apple peeler/corer. Like the video below shows, kids love apples like this. This is also handy when making salads. It's one of the best, made in Taiwan - look for the famous "Apple Parer & Slicer, Corer" brand!

 

Stress free zone

Have you ever felt like this?

Life in the fast lane causes stress. If you start out too fast, you may have to pay for it later on. The good news is that running helps.



For me running is not about racing for a place or time, it's ultimately a stress free zone of happiness.