Doing a half marathon is part of the celebration and an attempt to do something big before my upcoming 50th birthday. I had done much the same thing prior to turning 40, with two major challenges.
The first significant event was a culmination of something I had been thinking about for many years, but hadn’t been planning to do at that time. My wife and I had arranged a holiday on a tropical island in Queensland. As we got to the beach waiting to cross to the island the idea of how to celebrate being forty literally landed in front of me.
The next day I’m on a bus with a bunch of social misfits heading to the airport. These are the guys that I would be trusting with my life. They shared a series of jokes trying to suck me in and stress me out. They would be taking me to 10,000 ft and jumping out of a plane. This had been something I had want to do for a long time but had never been able to justify it.
We started with a safety briefing, but they still can’t be serious. Dressed in a one size fits all jumpsuit and an uncomfortable harness, the actual preparation doesn’t take very long as they cover the basics of what’s going to happen, then it’s off to meet the pilot, Animal. Didn’t instil you with confidence.
Bundled into the back of a small two seater plane we rattle off down the runway and struggle to take to the air by the end of it. A few minutes later I remarked about how high we were and what you could still see. They laughed again and told me that was only 2000ft. It took quite a bit longer, but eventually I noticed things getting serious as they were starting to tighten their straps and change positions.
At this point I started to wonder what the hell I was doing there and how could I have been so stupid. The pilot then yells out something about drop zone and ready to go. It was too late for a change of mind. The side door of the plane slid open and the whole world was exposed. Despite the extensive safety training we received on the ground self preservation took control. Sitting on the edge of the plane, two legs dangling into the abyss, arms trying to grab hold of anything that might be secure enough to keep me in that plane.
The call came from right behind me. “Hand across your chest.” Oh yeah, now I remember the drill and why we’re here. “It’s time to go.” One big shove and we are out there flying. The first thing you notice is the hundred mile an hour wind in your face and the vision of clouds screaming toward you. As you hit the cloud it’s like running through a hail storm. Breaking through the clouds the view of the island from about 8000ft was absolutely amazing and you really get the sensation of falling.
Within seconds my mate had pulled the rip cord and the chute opening was like pulling on the hand brake. For the first time in about 30 seconds I could feel myself breathing. For the next five minutes or so we floated gently over the island and could gradually make out more and more detail. Eventually we made for the beach we due to land on and the spec that was my wife waiting nervously for my return.
A perfect three point landing in the sand and a combination of relief and elation. Absolutely the greatest thrill I’ve ever experienced and I would have gone straight back and done it again. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day, although that could have been because the muscles hadn’t recovered from the wind in my face.
The highlight of this week is that nothing of any great significance had happened. No incident or accident, no strange trips down unfamiliar back tracks. Having said that, I actually went to the doctor this week. Given my medical history and my past running injuries, I thought it best I get a second opinion on my current fitness. Unfortunately he said everything was normal and gave me no reason to stop.
I ran this morning on the usual track to Noorat and it was nice to be back on relatively flat ground. As the big event approaches I’m seeing more runners out there clocking up the ks. I hope to see them on the road to the ‘g.
18kms today. The longest run I’ve done and significantly longer than anything over the past few weeks. I’m relatively injury free (nothing that effects my running anyway), but as with the longer runs I’ve done in the past, the last 2 or 3 ks were a bit of a plod. I’m still using the energy gels and they do give you a bit of a kick for a few ks, but they’re no magic potion. I’m reasonably confident I’ll be able to go the distance from here, but it may not be pretty. I managed three good sessions during the week and have really started to ramp things up. 36kms for the week.
19 Days to go.
Run Muzz Run 