DIGITS HOT BOX

The season up till now has been strange to say the least for the Karkloof valley, normally our summer starts mid September, and our summer is not "normal" compared to other parts of the country or Pietermaritzburg for that matter. Summer in the Karkloof is normally misty, drizzly, shitty type of weather with very little heat units to make anything grow, but some days probably 5 in 25 it can be quite warm and very humid!
This season however it has been very,very dry and hot,  right up my street but unfortunately the pastures aren't growing because we have run out water for irrigation, the cows enjoy the dry conditions no mud equals no foot rot and mastitis!
Yesterday was a perfect Karkloof summers day 10 degrees, misty, drizzly, grey and I had the absolute shits, so I decided to give my heat chamber a go. I put the air conditioner on at 30 degrees max couldn't go any more, set up my treadmill and started running. After 20min the temp inside went up to 36 degrees with 55% humidity ( I know this because we have a weather station at Bartersfield that measures inside conditions as well), I ran for 1 hour at 13km/hour and I must say it was a workout of note! There was no air  movement so breathing was hard it felt like someone was sitting on my chest, my core body  temperature went up to 38.9 degrees don't ask our I measured this, just remember I take rectal temperatures of cows everyday. So Digits hot box worked  not something that Ryan Sandes would train in but it was good enough for me, one problem though I was supposed to run for 1h30 had to cut the session short, tooo much boontjies the night before eeeishhh really compromised my breathing no ventilation BOSS!

TIME TO GO

With 7days to go before I start running I am now "gatvol", what I mean by this is I need to start running. I am extremely agitated and my fuse is much shorter than usual  and this only means one thing it's TIME TO GO! The past week I have trained with the food and kit I will be taking with me to KAEM. It has been a little bit of a eye opener, the total pack weigh is 13kg with 2,5L of water, daily food weighs in at between 850g to 1,2kg. My pack is full no extra pace BOSS! I have trained with this weight but not the bulk so it has changed the position of the backpack on my back with the result my shoulders and lower back is some what tender. Yup my eyes have opened WTF am I getting myself in for?? But alas this will not deter me, the mental demons are not going to win, I am going to give the KAEM a good one with no lubrication!!

THE BONGA-BONGA LEAF

If you don't know the bonga-bonga is a Zulu word given to an alien invasive plant that occurs through out KZN. One of the golden rules of running ultra distances (so I have learnt) is to never leave home without toilet paper! When nature calls nature calls and that's that BOSS! I did a 25km training trail run on Saturday and I did not run with my backpack only a water bottle (you see where this is going), and on Saturday morning I must of over done on the protein drink. It turned out to be the longest 25km run I have ever done. 8 km into the run my first stomach cramp and I thought it was just wind, but fortunately I did not let it go in fear of  follow through!! A quick side step and duck behind a bush only to realise NO TOILET PAPER! The landing gear was down and there was no turning back, looking around frantically I saw my saviour the BONGA-BONGA, with its large fury leaves. As A conservationist I can honestly say that  was the only time I was happy to see an alien plant!!!!

KIT

I started this weekend sorting out all the food requirements for KAEM. I got the daily distances and I have calculated what my calorie expenditure should be but this was more of a thumb suck than anything else! Breakfasts are generally going to look like this: 100g oats with usn protein shake mixed in. Running calories depending on the days distances 1-2 Hammer nutrition perpeteum, 1-3 GU's, 1-4 serving of cytomax, 1 rehydrate and if I get sick of all the sweet stuff I will suck on 50g of biltong. Post run: PVM fusion for recovery with 1 sachet of rehydrate. Lunches cup-a-soup, 85g tuna packets (they are great tasting) with salty biscuits. Suppers: I have bought a few back country freeze dried meals and tried a few, they taste good but are quite costly, other suppers will include my all time favourite toppers and smash(NOOOT!). I have also been experimenting with some snacks for around camp banana chips dipped in honey are tasty and really high in calories, Hawaiian nut mix as well. My favourite snack is 20g milo with 30g milk powder tastes great and is good for recovery, and before bed I'll smash a protein drink and hopefully slip off into lala land!!
My equipment: Raidlight 30L backpack (light and strong), shoes: Salomon slabs 2 and raidlight mini sand gaiters.sleeping bag: first ascent adventure light, self inflating pillow (my luxury item) I am still deciding if I should take a sleeping mat?? socks: injinji mini crew (awesome). I will be running in a first ascent recovery T shirt white short sleeve and compression tights shorts made by skins. If it gets cold at night I will wear 2XU compression long tights and K-Way long sleeve thermo shirt and my trusty buff.  Toiletries: toothbrush cut in half, small toothpaste, wet wipes for "showering", deodorant, prep (my botty butter).

DOWN HILL

So I've started winding down before the start of KAEM, I will still run everyday but cover less distance. I will also do some training in my "heat chamber". The office at Bartersfield dairy is made out of the same material as refrigerator and it has no ventilation other than an air conditioner, so my idea is to hook my treadmill in the office and blast the air conditioner on 40 degrees Celsius! (I told you us dairy farmers are too clever!!!) I don't know if it will work or even help but I going to give it a bash. I'm also hoping like hell I don't pass out and face plant into the deck of the treadmill. I will post some pics of my cunning plan.

VASBYT SEUN VASBYT

"Vasbyt seun vasbyt" I heard these words going down fields hill during comrades, nearing the bottom I saw "ouboet" beer belly, bald and sunburned,  he had been there for a while and he could obviously see the pain on my face! If you don't know fields hill it is a long down hill on the down run of comrades with about 30km to go. Nearing the bottom of fields hill every inch of my body was sore, my knees felt like they were about to pop out of my hips and ankles were bruised from the camber of the road,  my body was screaming STOP! but in my mind all I could see was the finish line. I went to my "happy place" that day on more than one occasion. My "happy place" is often visualizing the finish line and hugging  my wife and daughters at the end and feeling that sense of achievement. I suppose this "happy place" drives me in alot that I do, daily really,whether I'm doing something that is quite boring or really difficult, and if I think about it carefully my mind is my only limitation!!
Thanks outboet for those words of encouragement.

The final 4

The final 4 weeks before I start running in the KAEM. The nerves are starting and wondering if I have done enough training, well it's too late now. My main concern is to keep the legs moving and staying injury free. I also have to watch my health because I can ill afford to get sick now. So this weeks training looks like this
Monday: Session 1 30min cycling,weights and core
Session 2: 1h30 easy trail run
Tuesday: 2hr endurance run easy
 Wednesday: sess. 30min cycling, weights and core
sess. 2 2hrs hill work
Thursdays: 2hr endurance run with 6 @ 5min intervals
Friday: sess. 1 cycling, weights and core
Saturday: 6hr endurance  with 15kg backpack
Sunday : 2hr endurance run with 15  kg backpack
No rest days this week because I'm trying to keep the legs moving everyday, the intensity will be much less in the next couple of weeks I'll start tapering with more rest days.

FARMING,TRAINING,FARMING,TRAINING

Farming,training,farming,training ...oops and family. Farming pays the bills it has to be done!! training will hopefully get me through KAEM, unfortunately my family during this time has to suck the proverbial hind tit. I am extremely lucky that Kim understands.. well sometimes! The children are very demanding of my time and I really try to give them as much as I can whenever possible between farming and training that is.

My day starts like this.. 03h30 wake up , coffee,  get to dairy by 04h00. Sort any issues for current milking and analyse data from Alpro which is a full management system  (advanced and technical). You see us dairy farmers are extremely progressive and innovative, you have to be to survive. 04h45 start Bartersfield dairy which is 3km away. 05h30 back to Denleigh dairy, breed cows, treat sick cows, issue instructions for grazing and feeding, 06h30 back to Barterfield dairy, breed cows, treat sick cows. Back to Denleigh check pastures and feeding. 07h00 sort out work for heifer staff, inoculations, weighing, breeding etc. 08h30 breakfast... this where I slip in my first session. 30min indoor trainer with 30min weights and core.. 09h30 back to Denleigh work with heifers and enter data on to two dairy management systems. 13h00-14h30 run run run...14h30 same procedure as morning .. 19h00 close up dairy and see the children and cook supper,I try help Kim with Jenna's homework and school lunches... 20h30 I go to club duvet... This a a typical day but there are many days where things go very wrong,  break downs in dairies, absent staff, disease outbreaks, runaway fires and then all training is cancelled and I don't see the family. This is hectic to some maybe not so for others but for me I WOULD NOT CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD.... would like to see the family more though!!!

MY NAME IS DIGIT

My name is DIGIT! While studying Nature Conservation at the Cape Technikon a friend gave me the nickname DIGIT. His name was Andre Klocke he had an uncanny ability to give very appropriate nicknames to people associated with their looks or behaviour. Mine was not because I'm good with numbers, or missing a finger. It because I looked like a gorilla from "gorillas in the mist". The silver back gorilla with the fused fingers was called DIGIT. The name has stuck with me ever since almost 20 years. If people call me by my real name I don't respond, everybody calls me DIGIT and I like it.

HOW I'M WIRED!!

I am a classic mesomorph! If I look at a cookie it will go straight to my ass. I'm told my forefathers were Scottish Highlanders known for their running ability in the highlands, unfortunately that genetic ability seems have been diluted somewhat on me through the generations but I have still have that dogged determination to endure and finish a task.  As a youngster I was somewhat "porky" and had to endure nicknames like "tubs" and "fatboy". I always played sport at school from the age of 8 I was put in the scrum and I loved every minute of it. I hated athletics I always came last in 100m sprint, I was told I wasn't built for running but for power. At the age of 16 things started changing I started body-building and being a mesomorph I got strong and muscular very quickly. After leaving school and completing my national service I studied Nature Conservation, not much studying too much drinking, but still managed my weight well. I started working for the Natal Parks Board in 1992 and then I started packing on the pies. In 1997 I decided to go dairy farming a far cry from nature conservation I know but I suppose it's in my blood it has to be more about dairy farming later.  In 1999 I got married to Kim (see family) after which I ballooned to 110kg ( I am 1.78m tall and ideal weight is 76kg). After seeing a picture of myself at that weight I knew I couldn't carry on like that. I started mountain biking and watched my diet and I lost 34 kg in 4 months, I then started to achieve some success in the age group categories(sub-vet) placing in the top three in a number of races. After a few years of MTB I started to look for new ways of testing my body. In 2008 I did my first Iron man 1,8km swim,180km cycle and 42km run, I was hooked to endurance. Unfortunately in 2009 I got coxsackie virus which set me back a bit but still carried on training much to the disgust of my doctor and family. 2010 brought a new challenge the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme marathon (KAEM) but I knew I didn't have running endurance in my legs, so I used the Comrades Marathon as a training run  for KAEM. I enjoyed Comrades and finished in 8h24 not fast but good enough for my first one! Comrades was an extremely humbling race for me I thought I could dominate it but it showed meI had a lot of work to do if I wanted to complete the KAEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!