80 Ways to Train...

Today's Trailwalker inspired track:
Just Can't Get Enough ~ Depeche Mode

Today's Trailwalker inspired quotes:
Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you. Baby ~ Dirty Dancing 1987   

Oh, them. They're the dance people. They're here to keep the, uh, guests happy.
Neil Kellerman ~ Dirty Dancing 1987

Date:        April 11th 2010 (Emma's Birthday...)
Where:     Checkpoint 6 - Checkpoint 7 (Yagarasawa to the Fujimi Center)
Totals:     16km - 4:53 hours

We’re always conjuring up new & ridiculously fantastic training methods. Mainly because we are easily bored. We just may have outdone ourselves this past weekend with all-new Soundtracker Fatigue Training workout. Let’s get physical, kids. I love my sleep even if you wake me up before you go-go but this proved a bit of a brick wall last year during Trailwalker when we were a million miles away and pretty much got none. We were very much worse the wear for it, without any patience. It was nasty. So this year we are troubleshooting it from the get-go. Don’t stop believing. Pushing ourselves to the limits, going beyond them to bust a move and ultimately work through any sleep-deprived, sledgehammer scenario. Oh, hell no, sleep, we don’t need you tonight. Though, generally we would love you all night long. This year things can only get better. So it was a full-on do-nichi’s worth of heavy duty warrior training, which commenced Saturday afternoon with bubbles and nibbles at Em and Erin’s. Mickey wasn’t there, too shy. We were working for the weekend and simultaneously we were wanna be startin’ somthin’ for Em’s pre-Birthday celebrations. Because she was about to turn 36 and after all girls just wanna have fun (this may all be way too convoluted to follow but do keep going as there is an ending something so strong and a point…eventually).  

Canapes moved into dinner at the local curry joint with fellow Soundtracker fans and our marvelous support crew, with or without you, minus Jack & Diane and Jessie’s girl. With enormous amounts of garlic Nan in our systems we reminded each other of down-wind rule for the Sunday’s checkpoint 6-7 hike as we rolled back to our house (chez E&E). Time after time we downed some post-dinner-pre-going-out drinkies. Then we were like, if you leave, just take on me…because a-ha! it was time to amp up the workout intensity, bring on the cardio and leave the love shack.  

You might think we were going to be hopelessly irresponsible and you would be right, but have some faith, this type of training does lead somewhere. It led us to the Pong for 80’s night at 57.  

There was something in the air tonight. What’s not to love about hanging out with George Michael. Annie Lennox and David Hasselhoff…? I mean, come on Eileen. We boogied the night away, dancing with myself and all kinds of new friends, costumed and non. I was in the former category, nice lace leggings, sparkly legwarmers and all but no sunglasses at night, naturally. Oh and it was all you can drink for 2 hours, so we could relax and still work on our hydration techniques…All too easy. Did someone shout “Dance Off”? Indeed. Hit me with your best shot boys, cause the spectacular Meegy is in the club and we’re not gonna take it lying down. That girl can robot anyone under the table. Walk like an Egyptian, check. Jump, check. She is always our Dr. Feelgood.  

 

We danced til dawn then beat it back to Kiyosumi. Hungry like the wolf Em had her birthday soy hotdog then we grabbed a couple of hours sleep, the reflex of course, before our 6am call. We found a fabulous Easter Bilby and Cadbury eggs on our bed…sweet dreams (are made of this…) We didn’t hit the road til 8am…fatigue training not off to a good start (or perhaps the perfect kick-off???). Here I go again… We were so horrendously exhausted with every breath you take…The exact condition, albeit sans the rubiks-cube shots, that we will be experiencing in less than 2 weeks as we tackle 6-7 for real.  

After a tortoise inspired start, it was time to whip it, even push it, and we actually enjoyed the hike and the walk this way, our all-time nemesis. Welcome to the jungle. Gorgeous wild blossoms still blooming, inspiring all kinds of sluggish lyrical safety dance moves, especially when Dove’s cry. We were walking on sunshine all the while. Em wore her High 5 party hat the entire day. Legend and lucky star that she is. We forgot about it mostly until every hiker we met reminded us or just thought us super freak. There was a lot of singing and bd shoutouts through the woods. It was a good day, not at all an early pre-cursor to a cruel summer. We pushed through the tiredness ending up in Suruga-Oyama way ahead of time, even with photos, videos, dawdling and illegal tractor rides…(our lips are sealed).

 

Time for a bath at the Fujimi Center and some 100yen quality tainted love time in the massage machines. We then battled through the late Sunday Tomei traffic, gave up at Nakai rest-stop and were appalled our favorite soy donuts, to pour some sugar on me, were not there. So we settled for some birthday noodles and a surprise cake in the car. The only way to roll. Made complete by fork with candle. No 99 luft balloons though. Sorry.

At some point we made it home sweet home, all tuckered out from almost 2 days fully awake, party hat still firmly on, big hair and smudged mascara de rigueur. Finally finished the whole 100km of the course. Training done. So now comes our packing marathon and the ensuing what to wear debacle. We’re under pressure. This will surely occupy the entire next week. Because all too soon we will be lining up at the start in Odawara. And we just can’t get enough.  

*If anyone has actually made it to the end of this nonsense we invite you to partake in a little Soundtrack giveaway. A twofold challenge, only for the truly adventurous and old and open to all, even us…

1. The above waffly prose contains some 60 of the best 80’s Song Titles. If you can name them all, including the artist if you can be bothered, you get the most incredible yet-to-be-determined prize.

2. If you can somehow work video killed the radio star into a meaningful sentence you get something too. May be just the accolades. Fittingly, perhaps that is enough.    

Time to Trailwalker… 8 days, 8 hours and 48 minutes!

Comments

[Geigy Boek]

You ladies are far far too clever.... enjoying the walk with you even if it is vicariously.