Well it's been a while since my last blog, mainly as Ben's a unique 'specimen' from a trainer’s angle. He doesn't need a Mr Motivator breathing down his neck, just give him a bit of direction, wind him up like a kids toy and he's off ten to the dozen!
Hold that thought – his energy & determination push him around training like a mad dog chasing his tail - get the picture now? Seriously it's like that, and he's like a big kid too – egging me on trying to prove a point. I'll give you an example telephone conversation:
Hold that thought – his energy & determination push him around training like a mad dog chasing his tail - get the picture now? Seriously it's like that, and he's like a big kid too – egging me on trying to prove a point. I'll give you an example telephone conversation:
‘So how did you do last night?’
‘75km’
‘Hold on, you were only supposed to do 50km!’
‘Well it means if you join me on Saturday then there's 25km less to do!'
So Ben's just had his head tucked down, following the plan and tapering the last week for the "312" which I'll tell you about in a mo.
Mind you he had a shock a couple of weeks ago that really made me laugh. Superman (recall the last blog?) was on a 100km evening ride. It was pitch black (apart from his meagre bike lights) and cycling through very quiet, wooded country lanes – and when I say mean quiet, you can literally hear a pin drop - that's a scary, lonely place to be!
All Ben heard was ‘Shwooooosh’ and he felt a warm sensation on his… let’s just call it his "neither regions"! He looked down and there was a large bat! You can imagine his surprise and shock as he took a few swipes to remove the winged menace!
His legs have never moved so fast - it was the best performance he has put in to date. So our superhero must now be re-named BATMAN. In Ben's interest (and in the name of health and safety) I checked the diet of this Mallorcan breed of Bat and apparently they only eat maggots… so you'll be ok won't you, Ben!
So let's get down to the 312 race from a trainer’s angle and let's pull no punches – there's no way he should have done it. 312km around the coastline of Mallorca, with the first 150km comprising huge mountain terrain. When I took on the challenge to train Ben he threw this in at the last minute – I just laughed because it just wasn’t realistic.
In those short weeks not only did he do it, he finished 30 out of 200 – with the other 170 not even finishing the punishing ride (and they were all fitter, stronger and better equipped than Ben) What they didn't have is Ben's massive heart – the heart of a Lion.
I spoke to Ben the night before and asked him how he felt. ‘A bit scared and excited, but I've decided that the most important thing is just to enjoy it’, he told me. We discussed breaking the race down into manageable chunks, focussing on sections of the race, achieving that, taking stock and moving onto the next section. We discussed that this was not a race, it was part of the journey – it's just part of the marathon training to get ready for the 6,000km challenge. It didn't matter whether he finished, I just wanted him to train hard and push himself to the limits – but safely.
Do you know what – I think he sort of listened to me… but he also had his own agenda! He was going to finish. He told me: ‘I don't care if it's midnight, I'm going to do it!’ I tried to keep his feet on the ground but when you have the heart of a lion..!
I waited at Palma Nova roundabout at the halfway mark, expecting him to be pushing hard but making up numbers at the back. Cenk texted to say he was on his way and I waited and waited, watching groups of hardened racers pass by. I waited for nearly 90 minutes and phoned Cenk who told me he’d passed Mood Beach over 20 minutes ago. Do you know I thought I’d seen him, head down, focused, in a small group of serious riders! Well, when you have the heart of a lion!
I underestimated him - more faith and I wouldn't have a big burnt nose!
‘75km’
‘Hold on, you were only supposed to do 50km!’
‘Well it means if you join me on Saturday then there's 25km less to do!'
So Ben's just had his head tucked down, following the plan and tapering the last week for the "312" which I'll tell you about in a mo.
Mind you he had a shock a couple of weeks ago that really made me laugh. Superman (recall the last blog?) was on a 100km evening ride. It was pitch black (apart from his meagre bike lights) and cycling through very quiet, wooded country lanes – and when I say mean quiet, you can literally hear a pin drop - that's a scary, lonely place to be!
All Ben heard was ‘Shwooooosh’ and he felt a warm sensation on his… let’s just call it his "neither regions"! He looked down and there was a large bat! You can imagine his surprise and shock as he took a few swipes to remove the winged menace!
His legs have never moved so fast - it was the best performance he has put in to date. So our superhero must now be re-named BATMAN. In Ben's interest (and in the name of health and safety) I checked the diet of this Mallorcan breed of Bat and apparently they only eat maggots… so you'll be ok won't you, Ben!So let's get down to the 312 race from a trainer’s angle and let's pull no punches – there's no way he should have done it. 312km around the coastline of Mallorca, with the first 150km comprising huge mountain terrain. When I took on the challenge to train Ben he threw this in at the last minute – I just laughed because it just wasn’t realistic.
In those short weeks not only did he do it, he finished 30 out of 200 – with the other 170 not even finishing the punishing ride (and they were all fitter, stronger and better equipped than Ben) What they didn't have is Ben's massive heart – the heart of a Lion.
I spoke to Ben the night before and asked him how he felt. ‘A bit scared and excited, but I've decided that the most important thing is just to enjoy it’, he told me. We discussed breaking the race down into manageable chunks, focussing on sections of the race, achieving that, taking stock and moving onto the next section. We discussed that this was not a race, it was part of the journey – it's just part of the marathon training to get ready for the 6,000km challenge. It didn't matter whether he finished, I just wanted him to train hard and push himself to the limits – but safely.
Do you know what – I think he sort of listened to me… but he also had his own agenda! He was going to finish. He told me: ‘I don't care if it's midnight, I'm going to do it!’ I tried to keep his feet on the ground but when you have the heart of a lion..!
I waited at Palma Nova roundabout at the halfway mark, expecting him to be pushing hard but making up numbers at the back. Cenk texted to say he was on his way and I waited and waited, watching groups of hardened racers pass by. I waited for nearly 90 minutes and phoned Cenk who told me he’d passed Mood Beach over 20 minutes ago. Do you know I thought I’d seen him, head down, focused, in a small group of serious riders! Well, when you have the heart of a lion!I underestimated him - more faith and I wouldn't have a big burnt nose!
No comments:
Post a Comment