The Sahara is windy

Yeah, really it is. Just have a look at the video below that we’ve snitched from coach Christian’s ultrarun blog. The video shows a desert race without a fancy soundtrack and without the make up. You can imagine the hot, dry wind exacerbating the heat. If you’ve ever found yourself in a furnace, you know how we’ll feel. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could probably tell us that what will save us is our faith in our own feet and in the divine. Tomorrow marks NINE weeks left to the race, and rest assured that Jakob & Jakob are as prepared as they normally are prior to a race. No, don’t laugh! Really! We’re piling up the kilometres and need to add weight to our backpacks. Unfortunately, they don’t have treadmills in the sauna at my gym, but maybe my second coach could hook us up? I’ll check with him.

So far this week, we’ve focused on an interval of maxing out 3000 m and a solid 90-minute run, as well as two strength building sessions. Coach Stefan thoughtfully included a sand-simulating balance exercise, jumping and landing on semi-circular rubber balls. Excellent! And this weekend, the team is meeting up at Saint Peter’s cabin up by Lillehammer for this week’s long run of 2,5 hours.

Ultra Trail d’Emmona

Finally, we’re brainstorming plans for the rest of the year. An idea that’s cropped up is a race in the Pyrenées in Spain. It’s called Ultra Trail d’Emmona and you can read an account of last year’s race right here. Another one is the Cactus Rose 100, running in Texas. Their motto is: “No Whiners, Wimps, or Wusses”. Sounds like something right up our alley!