The slow burn... or build

I've decided to start this one with a bit of a funny story that exemplifies the fact that architects live and breathe architecture...

Many of you know I dream about architecture; I also think about architecture in the shower.

Two weekends ago after cycling 70km, ocean kayaking 6km, and carrying my bike up a hill that's a pedestrian version of Lombard Street in San Francisco, I jumped into a much needed HOT shower. My body hurt and I had burned 2,500 calories (equivalent to the healthy caloric intake for a typical adult male per day). As hot water started to soften and melt away the tightness and soreness, what I wanted to do was lie down on my stomach and shift so the hot stream of water could palpate the points of fatigue and pain. In a quarter circular shower stall with an approximate radius of 850mm this is NOT possible. Who designed this shit?!

So, to solve the problem of getting this glorious hot water to fall on to my lower back I decided I could stretch by touching my toes while holding my breathe and practicing what it's like to be under water in a kayak once you've tipped over...its mental training to not panic and gasp for air and I got to stretch my lower back while gravity works it's magic and assists the hot water into a gentle pummel on my sore back muscles. I count to ten and repeat multiple times...

Who says you can't make the most of a shitty space eh?! Hopefully that made you giggle a bit... I certainly found it funny and realised that if the walls could express themselves I'd be in for some rather confused and shocked faces.

So, now you know where I am training-wise, let's go back to when I couldn't even walk across my 10m long apartment for two weeks after my injury to another funny story.

What do you do when it's level 4 lockdown and you've injured yourself but don't want to go to an ER because you have asthma and can't go to a doctor or physio... well you email a physio and ask them what you should do! Well, much to the modus operandi of Lockdown we set up a zoom meeting.

Within five minutes of an introduction, there I am talking to a rather attractive male physio therapist, with a gorgeous British accent, on video and he's asking me to 'show him my leg and where it hurt,' and then he would show me his leg to compare and explain while we worked through what it might and might not be...

It was the weirdest most hilarious experience that ended in the following advice... "Ali, you need to wrap up your leg every day and wear heeled shoes! stilettos around the house!" Luckily my red patented leather heals were at the ready.

It took about 11 weeks of physiotherapy and specific exercises to get me back to being able to walk let alone run one kilometer (.62mi). Everyone kept saying take it slow. Let it heal. And the most difficult part of returning to exercise is/was the mental awareness of the fact that it WAS injured. Even now at some point in my run - usually when my VO2 is maxed and I'm hurting - I think, "body please hold out body please hold out just a few more kilometers," as that reminder of something exploding in my leg, my body, comes to the surface of my conscious and humbly reminds me that today could be the last day I exercise for a while...whether I like it or not.

But months later so far so good!
May I hold together and keep getting stronger with endurance!

Two things that have gotten me where I am now are a focus on diet and self-discipline, with moments of kindness and forgiveness.

The second I was in the clear to proceed with training for this epic event I knew I was behind, on the back foot, and time was narrowing as it would take a good six months minimum to get where I need to be come next February 12 and 13th!

So, I started reading about fueling and diet for athletes and asked a few people what they recommend and do for fuel and diet. Quite simply its pretty much up to you and you have to listen to your own body and re-evaluate constantly. I started out focusing on 30% protein / 30% veg / 30% carbs at each meal. This has helped me remain reasonably healthy and streamline meals. And because it was lock down I could have fun making meals from home!

Self discipline is not something that comes naturally to me outside of work. I always joke with friends that I'm super organised at work but outside of work I'm a mess. That's because being organised at work takes the majority of my mental capacity as Architecture is constantly asking for detailed recall, quick responses, developed ideas, and never ending critical thinking. So, I knew I had to get serious and event goals weren't going to be enough this time. I went out and bought a calendar whiteboard and set up my first months work out goals and input any major event milestones that I knew had to go on my calendar.

For the first month I was super strict and put this first over anything else because I knew if I didn't set up habit patterns it would become insurmountable very quickly. Mondays and Fridays are off days and you'll be happy to know I allow myself to go out and have a few drinks on Friday nights plus a cheeky pint of Stout after kayaking pool sessions on Thursday nights. I check in with myself and if I'm super tired I sleep extra, if work has an unforeseen deadline I work late and I adjust the day's training list and I forgive myself quickly. Self forgiveness is incredibly important so I don't burn out at work or on meeting this challenge. July and August completed and September is starting. The board has changed a few times as I tackle milestones and find out about new events AND as COVID-19 rears it's head again making it only possible to travel to some parts of the country.

Now, I leave you with some epically awesome photos from this amazing country that were taken during my first kayaking white water coaching trip to Christchurch right after level 4 lockdown ended and I couldn't run yet. It's where I saw the first 5km of Arthur's Pass for the first time and where I'll be hiking 33km after a 5km beach run and 60+km cycle up a mountain on Day One of this event!

Thanks to Cantebury Kayaking - Sam Milne - who will be coaching me monthly to get me to the start of a 70km kayak in February!
(https://canterburykayaking.co.nz/ )

...and here are a few photos from my first kayak race last weekend that was 12km! My arms were burning, right hand in pain, and legs going numb but it was terrifically exhilarating and a mental feat! My goal was to not finish last and to not stop paddling - in this I succeeded!