Video: First Light - advanced training for the holiday season

"It's visionary. It's truly on the edge of what we could call climbing," says Jesse Huey. A video by Arc'teryx

 

Mallory Found?

When Frank Smythe - an Everest pioneer - died in 1949, his wife burned all of his photographs and records. So, when his son Tom came to write a book about his dad's adventures, imagine his surprise when he came across an old diary. However, the diary was to reveal more secrets than anyone could ever have imagined!

In the back was a letter addressed to Edward Norton, leader of the infamous 1924 Everest expedition, the expedition on which George Mallory and 'Sandy' Irvine disappeared. The letter reported a sighting Frank had made with his telescope from Everest basecamp...

"I saw something queer in a gully below the scree shelf. Of course it was a long way away and very small, but I've a six/six eyesight and do not believe it was a rock. This object was at precisely the point where Mallory and Irvine would have fallen had they rolled on over the scree slopes."

Given the discovery of Irvine's body in 1999, could this have been the final resting place of George Mallory?

What is intriguing is that Frank decided not to tell anyone of his finding, as he didn't want unsavoury media interest, and we suppose, due to the respect Frank had for his fellow mountaineers.

Read more in this great Article by Ed Douglas Lifelong secret of Everest pioneer: I discovered George Mallory's body in 1936 | World news | The Observer

 

Training: How To Train For A Marathon In A Week!

The last few months have been marked with successive illness/injury - stomach bug, CECS, followed by viral pneumonia. But at long last I'm feeling better. However, the outcome of my enforced hiatus has meant that I have not been able to train as much as I would like / at all!

Following such a break most sane people would not consider undertaking a Marathon - especially one that is in just under a weeks time! And rightfully so, as this will be a massive strain on the heart and body. On the whole I would tend to agree that training for a marathon should take a minimum of 4 to 6 months, building up one's weekly distances by 10%. However, I see this as the perfect opportunity - not only to see how fit I really am? Understand how my body will react? But, also test my mental strength!

That said I have just six days to train for a Marathon... Can it be done? Having consulted Dr Google, I'm convinced that the answer is yes... Here, is what I have gleamed:

1. "Just because something seems hard and you don't feel prepared does not mean that you can't do it" - Andrew Gertig ran the San Francisco marathon without any training. He finished in 4 hours and 28 minutes. His advice is: 1) Take a walking break at every mile marker 2) Eat half a banana whenever he saw one and, 3) Take two waters at ever water station... Whilst this is good advice, I am going one step further I am going to do some actual running!
2. You can short cut the long run. Those who know anything about running would agree that it’s impossible to run a successful marathon without completing some long training runs first. But how long is long? Competitor Running magazine suggest "you can largely duplicate the benefits of doing a handful of long runs (think 16-20 miles) by doing a greater number of moderately long runs (think 10-14 miles), some of them at higher intensities". Thus, in the next six days this is exactly what I plan on doing. 3x20km and 1x10km. The alarm clock is set to 5:30am!
3. Final thought... Pamela Anderson ran the NYC marathon in 5hrs 41mins... apparently with no training. Surely I'm in better shape than Pam?

I'll keep you posted!

Please don't do this at home, and certainly not without a responsible adult present! Because, according to runners world, you should actually train for a Marathon - http://www.runnersworld.com/fun/breaking-you-should-train-before-running-a-marathon

 

Training: Simone Moro training for Everest

Whilst we all know the outcome of the trip, Simone's training regime is frightfully similar to Ueli's (see here). With Running, climbing and gym work taking precedence...

 

Video: Reel Rock 8

One of the things I look forward to each year is the release of Reel Rock. Can they beat Honnold 3.0? - which is one of the best climbing movies ever? Oooh the anticipation...

You can download their movies here... http://reelrocktour.com

 

Gear: Ueli's Kit Room

Check out Ueli's secret kit room HERE as EPIC TV get a sneak view of the Swiss machines gear store... (How many shoes does one man need? Clearly it's X+1)

 

Training: Keeping on track

If you recall, on top of skill based trianing, my fitness goals involved 1) Increase my VO2 max 2) Increase Endurance and aerobic threshold and 3) Put on muscle so my body has fuel to cannibalise at altitude.

It is important to keep your training in check and on track. Many athletes strategically place 'B' priority races within their training calendar - they act as test pieces. Whilst I'd love to go out climbing more often, it's not practical, so some Urban Trianing is in order...

Hence, in line with these goals I've just signed up for

1. a x-country ultra marathon at the end of Dec'13
2. An Ironman 70.3 in April'14
3. I've arranged a 'full-on' trip to the Alps in the summer
4. and to top it off a full Ironman in Sept'14 (my first full distance triathlon)

Whilst completing a long distance triathlon does not mean I can go out and climb at high altitude, it does give me something to aim for, and will keep my training on track. Further it will help with my endurance thresholds, core strength, and will also get me out swimming, biking and running (a lot).

My Training schedule is pretty much sorted, and I'll share the 12-24 hour a week suffer feast with you shortly...