I was able to sleep in just past 4am this morning! I had a strengthening session for the abs and then the total trainer in which I worked the upper and lower body. It felt good considering I haven’t been doing much upper body work lately!

The legs certainly appreciated the fact that they weren’t subjected to any pounding this morning!

The evening consisted of an 8 mins abs session, a 40 minute walk and 20 minutes on the cycle. I can feel my legs are still tired and sore, so I am thankful it’s just a short run tomorrow.

When the alarm went off at 4am, all I wanted to do was stay in bed!

I was out the door just before 5, and it was simply a slow grind.

I didn’t feel particularly great in my left calf, and was worried it was getting sore. After 3km I stopped and stretched and it seemed fine after that.

My quads and hamstrings and butt and shins were all sore…but the dream of Comrades and thinking of the people who inspire me; especially my wife Rheanna, my parents, brother and sister, and family and friends; along with the people of South Africa who need role models; inspired me to keep on pushing and I was able to divert my mind reasonably well. (I find sometimes it works, and when it doesn’t, the miles take twice as long and the run ends up being twice as hard!)

It was a slow run ending up at 5:50 pace but at least it was more consistent and overall I felt better. My feet got sore but it took 18km this morning, whereas it has been 10-12km. Usually I find it takes 30km or so for me to feel pain in my feet.

In the evening I only managed to do some Abs, Leg strengthening (hamstring curls, squats) and step exercises. I would have liked to do a walk, but I decided to do some acupuncture to my shins and calves and make sure I was in bed just after 9!

Tomorrow brings a day off running and a chance to do some strengthening for both the lower and upper body.

A slow session that was supposed to be run quickly!

In the morning I did 10km with 7 intervals ranging from 30s to 90s.

I tried to include some hills and was happy just to vary my pace even though the recovery portions were very slow!

After that I did some leg strengthening exercises including squats and concentric hamstring work (ie leg curls) with minimal weight. Even with the lack of weight I could feel the stiffness/soreness later in the day!

In the evening I was running out of time so could only manage a 30 min exercycle and my 8 minute abs video! It’s a great way of maximising ab work in a short period of time!

I was very thankful for the leg massage Rheanna gave me which included quads, hamstrings and calves! I could feel the left calf was very tight and the front of the shins are a little sore with what feels like excessive pounding as I am not use to this mileage.

Tomorrow is the midweek longer run, and then I am looking forward to a day off running on Wednesday!

“I find that many people are afraid to dream big.
They are reluctant to hope for too much because
they don’t want to be disappointed”
John C Maxwell

Resting HR (average): 57

Injury status: Tight right butt and hamstring 4/10

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm): 34/29

After doing very little for the last 2 months and barely training in March, I knew this week was going to be tough. With just 8 weeks until Comrades, I have 6 weeks to build up distance and get quality in.

It’s going to be painful!

Tuesday I started with a run from St Lucia hoping to do 20km, but the pain in the butt was just too intense and my hamstring felt like it was going to snap so I didn’t push too far. I have to admit to huffing and puffing a lot! My fitness is terrible!

Wednesday was fairly light just to ensure there was not too much muscle soreness.

Thursday was a shorter tempo run. Friday I was tired and slept in, but knew I had to do a long run. In the heat of the day it was tough. I couldn’t run greater than 12km’s before I had to resort to walking. I remember when 20km without stopping was a doddle! Oh to be fit again.

In total I walked about 5km, the pain was just intense. Mostly through my feet, and it got slower and slower and slower. 32km took me 3:28. At least I recovered enough to do a 50 minute walk up to the Mt Gravatt lookout in the evening.

Saturday was about more time on the feet and me and Rheanna walked just over 3 hours, managing 17km and a couple of decent hills. I really need to get my walking speed up. I averaged about 11mins/km, but for Comrades it needs to be closer to 10 mins/km.

Sunday was another 18km, and once again the fitness is lacking. I managed to complete it with no walking, but there were a few stops in there (I have to say I was glad to stop for traffic lights!)

The Hamstrings and butt are tight, the feet sore , but at least the mind is fresh and desperate to ensure a Comrades Marathon finishers medal. That’s enough motivation to keep pushing through the pain!

“Don’t follow your dreams.
Let them follow you”
Justin Herald

Comrades Marathon 2010 is still a reality!

I had given up all hope of taking part in Comrades 2010, and had turned my attention to the Comrades Marathon 2011.

It taught me to never, ever give up on ones dreams. Events have transpired to allow me to fulfill my date with destiny, and I am so excited to have received my confirmation of entry to take part in Comrades this year!

Unfortunately I am so unfit, fat, overweight and with very little time to prepare. I shall endeavour to provide daily updates as the Comrades gets closer.

The goal of a sub 9 hour finish is shleved, and now my new goal is simply to complete the course and earn a finisher’s medal.

With only 8 weeks, I have 6 weeks to really put in the miles and build up to hopefully 50km. I’ll just have to rely on being able to run 50-60km, and intersperse a lot of walking.

In 2008 when I was injured just prior to Comrades, I was fairly fit and confident of a good showing. This time there is plenty of self-doubts and I will not be particularly well prepared. However I am going to do my best, and I would love any support I can get in my Comrades challenge.


I am requesting anyone who know’s me to accept my challenge.

Sponsor me to complete the Comrades marathon.

If I finish you must pay the nominated amount, and if not, you don’t have to pay a cent.

Any money I can raise will be in aid of Champions development, a South African charity organisation based in East London (on the southern coast of South Africa, for those who don’t know!).

Champions Development is run by a friend of mine, Jono Kruger and was formed for the purposes of establishing a programme for the holistic development of underprivileged and previously disadvantaged youth in the Eastern Cape Province. Champions Development aims to empower youth to make a stand against influences surrounding them in society, by creating opportunities for self-empowerment and job creation  through sports, life skills and integrated skills programs.

If you are interested in accepting my challenge email me on sanjay@sanjaydeva.com

on 3 April 2006, for the purposes of establishing a programme for the holistic development of underprivileged and previously disadvantaged youth in the Eastern Cape Province.

“Do not wait for your ship to come in,
swim out to meet it”

MARCH 2010

Resting HR (average): 54
Resting HR range: 50-58

Neural mobility: 36/31cm

Average weekly mileage: 5km
Average training load: 13

Running time:km range: 5:24 – 5:53

Weight: 72.6kg
Fat %: 22.4%

What a shocking month! Comrades or no Comrades, to average 5km a week is pathetic. I had all but given up hope of running Comrades, and I guess the training or lack of reflected that.

I am also heavier than I have been in sometime, and the worse thing is most of my dress pants don’t fit, well not comfortably! I had to take off my black chinos I brought in South Africa last time! It’s time to get back into some serious ab work and training rather than feeling sorry for myself.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance.
It is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for,
It is a thing to be achieved”
Anon

“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you,
they’re supposed to help you discover who you are”
Bernice Johnson Reagon

FEBRUARY 2010

Resting HR (average): 53
Resting HR range: 46-59

Neural mobility: 34/30cm

Average weekly mileage: 24km
Average training load: 79

Running time:km range: 4:50 – 5:29

After a good January and averaging 67km a week, February has been a disappointment with an average of only 24km a week.

The main reasons were finding it hard to sleep and consequently wake up and losing momentum.

With Comrades 2010 an unlikely reality now, establishing a routine is the most important thing to me and my schedule. The challenge for March is to build the routine up and perhaps not push quite as hard as January. With regular training I can build a base and start to prepare properly for a strong 2011 Comrades marathon!

“To be tested is good.
The challenged life may be the best therapist”
Gail Sheehy

“Most of life is routine – dull and grubby,
but routine is the momentum that keeps a man going”
Ben Nicholas

Not a great week once again. It started well with a 8km on Monday and a reasonable quick 15km on Tuesday.

Thursday was a 6km tempo run which was quicker than I have been but Friday morning was too hard to get up after some late nights. In the weekend there was minimal training due to the rugby and have an Internet Marketing workshop all weekend.

When you don’t fit in the longer training sessions, you don’t get the gains you want. With Comrades 2010 become more and more unlikely, I can start to focus on running the Comrades Marathon in 201.1. For that I need to start laying a strong base now!

“There is no challenge more challenging
than the challenge to improve yourself”
Michael F Staley

“Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job,
and often taking the first step is enough
to prompt you to make the best of your day”
Robert J McKain

The last 2 weeks have not been great! After sitting for 3 days in an Internet Marketing seminar, it aggravated my back which cause pain in my right lower calf and shin.

Missing 1 or 2 days, slipping out of the routine and I’ve found it extremely hard to wake up. It doesn’t help when the humidity makes it hard to sleep at night, and you only fall asleep at 1am! Trying to then wake up at 4am is tough going.

It also doesn’t help you trying to fall asleep if you haven’t exercised during the day! It’s a vicious circle.

Consequently there was no running this week (Rugby season and having to wake up in the middle of the night for games from South Africa doesn’t help either). I’ve only done 6km over the last 2 weeks, and it’s a momentum stopper.

At least I’ve done some exercise, and have only missed 5 days so far this year.

Next week I have to force myself to wake up early, get out on the road and get some milage going again…

“Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds
literal momentum of the human soul and mind”
Bryant H McGill

“Strength and growth come only
through continuous effort and struggle”
Napoleon Hill

Resting HR (average): 52

Injury status: (R) calf/shin 4/10

Neural stretching (knee to nose. averages in cm):
Baseline 36; Afterwards 32

What a terrible week! My right lower shin and calf have been sore. Initally I thought I’d strain my tibialis posterior (one of the shin muscles), but I should know better. I don’t really get muscles strains.

The previous weekend I had been in a 3 day seminar and I think the sitting upset my back which refers pain down into my shin. I should just keep running small amounts as it helps to loosen up my back.

This week has been a diaster with very little running. It doesn’t help when I just struggle to wake up and then when rugby season starts! Too many middle of the night games from South Africa to watch make it hard to wake up and get out for a run!

Next week’s challenge is to wake up, get some decent runs in and get back on track!

“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength”
Oprah Winfrey