Project 1: Glamour on the Fan Dance

"Glamour" on this particular occasion can be translated as yet another undignified moment on the Fan.
Training for this event has certainly created many of these moments, thankfully not all have been witnessed by people, but unfortunately there seems to always be some herd of Welsh wildlife to look over the mishaps.

My theory is that spending a good proportion of training time at slightly above or as close to goal pace is the way forward for this event, adhering to the laws of specificity.
On this particular training run I decided to run (yes run) with 5kg of weight (less than a half of the 11.4kg weight target) from the turn around point back to the storey Arms. So half of the event, but I think the worse half.
I had pre-decided that this was going to be a balls out maximum effort so heart rate, sweat rate and breathing rate was to be at an all time high.
Every time I train here, I learn a new thing about myself and this time, I was amazed at how appalling I sound when I'm exerting myself. It was a sort of sound half way between being strangled and hyperventilating and seemed to get some very sympathetic looks.
I'm also amazed at when you are truly motivated to do something, the effort level seems to drop significantly despite working really hard physiologically. I discussed this in "fighting fatigue with fatigue". 3 hours of sleep, a 4 hour car journey and a bag of Haribo was my preparation, so
in theory, not particularly conducive to feeling good. Despite this, morale was high and lassitude was diminished by the sudden sharp gale of icy cold air into my eyeballs. In the end I clocked 1hr 34mins. It was hard but I was pleased with that. Training is paying off.

Part of the reason for my unwavering motivation for this event is a huge admiration and love of the Beacons. I have been coming here for years and can potter the hills on my own quite happily for hours and days. It provides a mental respite for me even in the most atrocious of weather. Time spent here has solved many a problem and brought me back to life when nothing else could. In terms of a test of physicality I really think it has it all; requirement for strength, fortitude, grit, resilience and so much more. But I have choice to retain the love of these hills. I would have laid down a long time ago cursing the gradients and terrain if I had to do the full SAS selection. Sleep deprivation, cold, hunger, proper load bearing, night nav..... tough.

Lessons learnt

When I mentioned an "undignified moment" I was referring to a "knicker chafing" situation which occurred because of my maverick attitude of ignoring proper advice about wearing appropriate clothing and underwear. Ah.....the glamour of a fitness model. I did endure the chafe but after I had done the training run I thought to hide in a shrub and take care of this delicate situation, only to fall down a hill and into a river. Great.
The thing about certain "faux pas" moments is there is no possible way of recovering your dignity. This was one of them. Even the sheep and horses looked shocked.
The lesson learnt here: WEAR APPROPRIATE CHAFE FREE CLOTHING, but when you can't do this, nappy rash cream works a treat!

A horse with "post traumatic stress" from witnessing a "faux pas"

Learn to count
In the previous post I talked about training to overcome mental fatigue and skills to learn to "tolerate" effort. I was always told to count "sheep" when I was little to get to sleep. It failed miserably when I was small but strangely works rather well now. It is a way to focus the mind on something "neutral" that is neither good or bad. It also helps keep rhythm. I'm also just learning what a commonly used tool it is. People say "oh I've been doing that for years". The variations might be counting, or doing maths problems or word problems. Anything to focus and distract the mind from "discomfort!".
I like counting to 100 and repeating. Any more than this I lose count and anything more complicated like doing quadratic equations I just quite frankly can't do. When I get tired, even 2 + 2 seems like a monstrous task.

Osprey Backpacks and Dachstein Gloves. 
Need I say more..... A good packback is invaluable for comfort. Comfort = good.
These gloves are fantastic for warmth. Traditionally used for mountaineering, made from oversized wool which was then boiled to shrink to a thick felt. Similar to wearing two adult sheep on your hands but not so good for waterproofing unfortunately. Perhaps a Tesco plastic bag over the top might help.

Osprey Talon 44 - Good for the job

Dachstein Mitts

I love this ridge

So there we are, a practical no frills guide to how to survive the Fan. Count sheep (literally!), wear sensible knickers and work as hard as you possibly can. Easy!!