Have ever of you heard of the Ticino Trail before? Probably not, and neither had I until I just signed myself up for it. If you want to take a look at the website it is here www.trail-ticino.ch.
The event is pretty mental, in the most positive sense of the word. Basically I will have 31 hours or under to cover 117km of mountainous terrain, including 12 passes, making a grand total of 8,500 vertical metres (almost the height of Everest) and reaching altitudes of 2,500m above sea level.
I will have to deal with potentially bad weather, low visibility nighttime running, crazy amounts of ascending and all this whilst watching the clock to make sure I complete it under the time limit, or all was basically for nothing.
Can I do this? I am not sure - it seems pretty tough by anyone's standards. Why did I sign up for it? Because I was saying how cool it looked to my MDS 2012 friends and then one of them announced he had signed up for it and I thought well I can't let him run it alone so I better join him now, especially since I was the one who suggested it. I have entered what appears to be an elite world of crazy people who know no limits, who don't know when to throw in the towel and say enough is enough. I have found a place where I can truly fit in, without seeming too crazy myself, where I am considered normal.
How am I going to train for this? I am not sure yet but the training regime is going to have to be pretty brutal. Given the huge amount of ascent involved in the race I will probably incorporate a lot of gym work into my training - squats especially. I can imagine that strength is going to be hugely important. Endurance will also be important, but at least it is not a multistage event, so as long as I train to run 50km fast, I reckon I can cope with 117km at a slower pace when it comes to it. Hill work is also going to form a large part of my plan.
The challenge this time is that I need to fit in all my training around a full time job. I will have to try to eliminate dead time from my daily schedule, and make use of this time for running instead. Why sit on a bus/tram to and from work when I can run to and from work for example. Luckily Anny is now a "proper runner," so we can go for some training runs together. I was very impressed with how much she has improved when I went out with her last night. The main improvement I noticed other than the pace is that she is no longer concerned by the sensation of being out of breath like she was before. She is mentally tougher, and able to push herself harder. I don't think she will ever be interested in events like the Ticino Trail though - she thinks these kind of events are for crazy people like me. She may however be happy to substitute hiking for trail running, which would be fantastic, as I much prefer trail running to hiking.
Apart from the fact I am going to have to train hard, the event itself is going to be fantastic. The race starts in Airolo (on the 4th August) and it is such a beautiful part of the world. Running over the passes is going to be breathtaking, and I cannot think of many places I would rather run. Anny is also planning to come down to Ticino and support me. Once again, knowing she will be there waiting for me is going to be an amazing mental boost. It may even mean the difference between success and failure. My MDS 2012 friend Steve will also be running in the race alongside me.
I am still planning to do a sub 3 hour marathon at the end of October (and have entered the Lucern marathon), and I figure by training for this event I will be in tip top condition for that challenge too. All I need to watch is that I do not sacrifice too much speed for endurance in my training regime. Having done almost solely endurance based training for events such as La Marmotte in the past, and having seen how people who focussed on strength and speed were able to beat me and cope with the extra distance when it came to the crunch, I am not going to base my training around very long slow runs alone. Speed work and strength work will also play an important part.
Showing posts with label crazy challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crazy challenges. Show all posts
Monday, 30 April 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Do you want a sneaky peak at the MDS 2013 course before the race starts?
I had already seen the MDS 2012 course before the official road book was given out on the bus. I already knew that the race was going to end in Merzouga. I had already been driven along most of the route and had stayed overnight at the Riad Nomad hotel right next to where the route passed on day 3. How did I manage that you may ask when the route is meant to be a secret.
I booked my trip with Cap Dunes travel and the owner Lahcen Ouyahia is very well connected in the region. He seemed to have all the inside information. I was not 100% sure that the route he was showing me was the actual one we would follow, but once I checked the road book, everything that he had showed me was in there down to a T.
I am very thankful to Lahcen because there was a problem with my online money transfer and he only actually got the money after he had provided all the promised services. He paid for the hotel and fuel from his own pocket without actually having seen a penny of my money. The problem was the fault of the Moroccan bank and luckily it has now been resolved, but it caused both Lahcen and I a lot of worry and stress. A lot of travel agents would have refused to provide any services until the money was actually in their account, and not just having seen a confirmation from an overseas bank that the money had been sent.
So if you want to go out to Morocco next year before the MDS starts for some heat acclimatisation, maybe considering booking your trip with Cap dunes travel www.cap-dunes.com.
I booked my trip with Cap Dunes travel and the owner Lahcen Ouyahia is very well connected in the region. He seemed to have all the inside information. I was not 100% sure that the route he was showing me was the actual one we would follow, but once I checked the road book, everything that he had showed me was in there down to a T.
I am very thankful to Lahcen because there was a problem with my online money transfer and he only actually got the money after he had provided all the promised services. He paid for the hotel and fuel from his own pocket without actually having seen a penny of my money. The problem was the fault of the Moroccan bank and luckily it has now been resolved, but it caused both Lahcen and I a lot of worry and stress. A lot of travel agents would have refused to provide any services until the money was actually in their account, and not just having seen a confirmation from an overseas bank that the money had been sent.
So if you want to go out to Morocco next year before the MDS starts for some heat acclimatisation, maybe considering booking your trip with Cap dunes travel www.cap-dunes.com.
Monday, 23 April 2012
How does one feel mentally and physically 9 days after the end of one of the world's toughest footraces?
Obviously the question of how one feels mentally and physically nine days after the end of one of the world's toughest footraces depends on the individual, and their previous multi stage ultra experience. I can only talk from my own experience as an ultra novice. Nine days on I can walk fine without any hint of a limp, the blisters are pretty much healed and the toenail that I lost will take some time to grow back but the skin that was underneath it has toughened up and it does not cause me any pain. So you could say that the superficial injuries have healed.
But in terms of energy I feel pretty tired despite going to sleep at a decent time. My sleep is also disturbed and I seem to be moving a lot during the night. My muscles seem to twitch randomly and I often wake up with my calves threatening to cramp up. My groin is still aching slightly and my quads feel very tight and in need of a good stretch. A couple of days ago I had zero appetite but that has now come back, and I was really craving a pizza today. My cold seems to be getting much better and my immune system seems to be getting stronger again. That just about covers the physical state that my body is in.
In terms of how I feel mentally, until yesterday I was just enjoying the time off and having a chance to organise the apartment and do all the little tasks that need doing. Today though I had a couple of feelings of emptiness without having an immediate challenge to look forward to. I also noticed that my short term memory is not as good as it usually is. Normally I have no need for lists and tend to just remember everything in my head until that list becomes overwhelming. Today though I had to write down a list with 3 points on it because I couldn't seem to remember the 3 points simultaneously. I also booked an appointment with someone, and then 5 minutes later I had already forgotten when I had booked the appointment for. Luckily I found the appointment card in my pocket.
I read quite a few articles that talk about people having post race blues after the MDS. The advise is not to be fooled into thinking that once the initial pain is gone you can just jump straight back into training to get over those post races blues. It talks about just enjoying a few weeks of relaxing and focussing on non running activities. I have signed myself up for the Lucerne marathon but luckily I have 27 weeks to train for that. I can afford to ease very gently back into the running and still have plenty of time to follow an advanced marathon training plan later on.
As I will be easing gently back into running I am going to take the opportunity to experiment with minimalistic footwear. Tomorrow I am going to go out and buy a pair of Vibram FiveFingers or VFFs as they are also known. I have also ordered a pair of Newton Sir Isaac Guidance Trainers, which are meant to help people transition from a heel or midfoot strike to a more efficient forefoot strike. It is going to be a lot of fun trying both of those out, as I am always one for new experiments.
I am also returning to work next week after having had an 8 month sabbatical. That will keep my mind extremely occupied as I try to remember how all the UBS systems work and get back the knowledge that I used to have. I will probably have no time for post race blues until I have settled back in at work. I do strangely miss that week in the desert though, where all I needed to focus on was putting one foot in front of the other. I also miss the camaraderie that existed between the occupants of tent 72, between the Mencap extreme team members, between the British contingent and between the MDS participants in general. We all shared a truly unique experience together. Unless you take part you will never really appreciate just how tough the race is and just how much it tests your personal limits. If you are even remotely tempted to try it I urge you to go ahead and sign up. You will not regret it I guarantee you.
But in terms of energy I feel pretty tired despite going to sleep at a decent time. My sleep is also disturbed and I seem to be moving a lot during the night. My muscles seem to twitch randomly and I often wake up with my calves threatening to cramp up. My groin is still aching slightly and my quads feel very tight and in need of a good stretch. A couple of days ago I had zero appetite but that has now come back, and I was really craving a pizza today. My cold seems to be getting much better and my immune system seems to be getting stronger again. That just about covers the physical state that my body is in.
In terms of how I feel mentally, until yesterday I was just enjoying the time off and having a chance to organise the apartment and do all the little tasks that need doing. Today though I had a couple of feelings of emptiness without having an immediate challenge to look forward to. I also noticed that my short term memory is not as good as it usually is. Normally I have no need for lists and tend to just remember everything in my head until that list becomes overwhelming. Today though I had to write down a list with 3 points on it because I couldn't seem to remember the 3 points simultaneously. I also booked an appointment with someone, and then 5 minutes later I had already forgotten when I had booked the appointment for. Luckily I found the appointment card in my pocket.
I read quite a few articles that talk about people having post race blues after the MDS. The advise is not to be fooled into thinking that once the initial pain is gone you can just jump straight back into training to get over those post races blues. It talks about just enjoying a few weeks of relaxing and focussing on non running activities. I have signed myself up for the Lucerne marathon but luckily I have 27 weeks to train for that. I can afford to ease very gently back into the running and still have plenty of time to follow an advanced marathon training plan later on.
As I will be easing gently back into running I am going to take the opportunity to experiment with minimalistic footwear. Tomorrow I am going to go out and buy a pair of Vibram FiveFingers or VFFs as they are also known. I have also ordered a pair of Newton Sir Isaac Guidance Trainers, which are meant to help people transition from a heel or midfoot strike to a more efficient forefoot strike. It is going to be a lot of fun trying both of those out, as I am always one for new experiments.
I am also returning to work next week after having had an 8 month sabbatical. That will keep my mind extremely occupied as I try to remember how all the UBS systems work and get back the knowledge that I used to have. I will probably have no time for post race blues until I have settled back in at work. I do strangely miss that week in the desert though, where all I needed to focus on was putting one foot in front of the other. I also miss the camaraderie that existed between the occupants of tent 72, between the Mencap extreme team members, between the British contingent and between the MDS participants in general. We all shared a truly unique experience together. Unless you take part you will never really appreciate just how tough the race is and just how much it tests your personal limits. If you are even remotely tempted to try it I urge you to go ahead and sign up. You will not regret it I guarantee you.
Friday, 20 April 2012
MDS post race summary
Hi everyone
Well as you will know if you were following my progress, I finished the MDS successfully. Woohooooo - another successful achievement to add to the list and a nice medal to put up on my wall.
I am sure you all want to know more about the experience itself so I thought I would write a bit of a post race summary. Before starting I have to say that the event was a lot harder than I had imagined it would be. We all knew going out to Morocco that the terrain would be rough, but I think a lot of us first timers underestimated just how rough it was, and just how much damage it would do to our feet. On top of that the mental strength required to complete it is incredible. When times are tough you know that all you have to do is pull the flare and you can end the pain immediately. Or you can push on for hours and hours and endure the pain.
Running fast on perfect feet is one thing, but running on blistered, bruised and sore feet is quite something else. In fact for me it proved impossible and for the last 3 days I resorted to walking/ limping in order to cover the ground.
The first 3 days my feet were in fairly good condition and I was able to run some good times and get some good positions. A lot of people start the MDS cautiously, but I wanted to make my mark from day 1 and show myself as a serious contender for a top 50 spot. I was very emotional at the starting line as I was expecting great things of myself and knew a lot of pain and effort lay ahead if I wanted to accomplish my top 50 dream. I was extremely psyched up.
Once the race started the pace was fast, and I think a lot of people were running way above their limits. I tried to keep my heart rate under control but I realised that if I wanted a top 50 spot I was going have to push very hard. My heart rate was 155 for most of the stage and that is way too high for me. I was hoping that I would be somewhere near the finish by the time I hit the wall. In the end I hit the wall about 1km from the finish and had to walk most of it, although I was only overtaken by around 6 people during that time as the field was rather spread out.
Apparently stage 1 was a very tough stage 1 compared to previous years. There were rumours flying around that due to the reduction in the number of abandons year after year and people starting to question the toughness of the toughest footrace on earth, the organisers had decided to make 2012 a very tough course. Some of the previous MDS competitors confirmed that it was an unusually hard day 1. The route had a lot of jebels in it, and on the last jebel of the day the incline was pure sand. I didn't see anyone even try to attempt running up the sandy incline. Even in the top 50, people still tend to walk up the steeper jebels. Maybe only the top 20 elite runners actually run up them, but they were too far out of sight for me to confirm whether or not that was the case. Day one was also a very hot day. It was amazing that for the whole 2 weeks I had been in Morocco acclimatising, it had been rather cool, and then as soon as the race started it got hot. I found that the heat was no problem for me though, so maybe my acclimatisation had served its purpose, as other Brits were struggling a little with the heat. I finished stage 1 in 42nd place much to my satisfaction and to the amazement of some friends and family following my progress back home.
Stage 2 was an absolute scorcher. The organisers later informed us that the mercury had hit 52C at one point in the day. Many people struggled with the heat and managing their rationed water. In this regard I think it is better to run the course and be back in camp around midday. The ones who walk the whole course end up being out in the hot sun for hours and hours, and they only have the same ration of water as those of us who arrive back in camp around midday after having run the course. In terms of pace I took stage 2 a little easier than stage 1 as I realised I had gone off a bit fast on stage 1, just like many others had done too. Nevertheless I managed to come 58th, which was also a good result. The terrain was very flat (small sand dunes and a dried up lake) and a lot of people described it as a runner's day. I probably could have done a lot better if I had gone slower on stage 1. This time I didn't hit the wall though, and I managed to keep running the whole way.
By stage 3 I was starting to get quite a few blisters and bruised little toes, but I was still able to run. Stage 3 was a real toughie. I started very slow as I wanted to conserve energy for the long stage the following day. By checkpoint 1 my position was nowhere near the top 50 and I was a little disconcerted, but after checkpoint 1 there was a very long shallow climb on sand, and I saw that almost everyone in sight was walking up it. I am pretty strong and that kind of incline didn't bother me one bit, so I just kept on jogging up it. Like this I was overtaking hundreds of people and by the time I hit the top of the incline I realised I was once again in a very good position (almost certainly in the top 50). The descent was very rocky and it would have been easy to roll an ankle, but I am quite experienced in descending trails and was able to overtake more people on the downhill whilst still maintaining some degree of caution. After the descent there were sand dunes followed by more sand dunes, and that went on for quite some time. I put myself into four wheel drive mode and just kept on ploughing through them. A guy later told me that I run like a tractor, and I know what he means. I was very happy with my progress as I saw the physical state of those around me struggling with the terrain. I felt very relaxed and my heart rate was low. It was very hot though and I was wondering how long before the next checkpoint. One Italian guy that I passed pleaded with me to give him some of my water but I couldn't as I had very little left and was also starting to get worried. It took quite some time for the checkpoint to come into view, and when it did I breathed a sigh of relief. After the checkpoint we had to cross a dried up lake, and there was a big sandstorm. Visibility was very low and unless you were very close to the markers you could not see them. I just tried to stick to the runner in front and he tried to stick to the one in front of him and so on, each of us hoping that the one in front was heading in the right direction. Each time we saw a marker we knew we were heading the right way and it was very comforting. After the dried up lake we had to follow a stony road to very near the finish and then cross a small section of stony ground to the finish itself. On this flat stony section several people overtook me as despite being relaxed and not overly tired I didn't seem to have a second gear to change up into. There were also a couple of people who had misjudged their pace and were walking, so I gained a few places by overtaking them. More of less though I held the same position for most of the day after having overtaken all those people on the shallow sandy climb after checkpoint 1. That day I was 45th overall.
Owing to my top 50 overall position after stages 1 to 3, I had to join the elite start on stage 4. Stage 4 was the long stage and was 81.5km. The elite group, including myself, had to start 3 hours after the others. This meant I knew I would be running well into the dark, which I wasn't really looking forward to. At the same time however, it meant I was going to be continually passing the slower ones from the general start and that is extremely motivating, as opposed to being passed by people all day long. My feet were a hell of a mess and I hobbled to the start line to stand next to the likes of the legendary Ahansal, wondering how on earth I was going to run 81.5km in this state. Ahansal got us to start 30 seconds after the official start as a kind of joke to Patrick. It was not as though 30 seconds was going to make any difference to me anyway, so I was happy to join in with the joke. After the intentionally 30 second delayed start we all set off. Almost all the others immediately went off ahead and I just settled into a very gentle pace that I hoped I could maintain for the whole 81.5km without needing to stop. There were only 2 people that seemed to be running at close to my pace and I ran for quite some time with a lady from the US called Megan. She told me that if I just kept going at my comfortable pace without stopping I would do a good time and would most likely finish before 1 or 2 of the other elites who had gone off too fast for their abilities. She had done the MDS before and finished the long stage the previous year around 25th, so her advice seemed to be worth its weight in gold.
After the first few kilometres there was a jebel to climb and I caught up with a couple of the other elites just by plodding steadily up it. There were places where we all stopped and walked too, in order to conserve energy. When we reached the top there were 4 of us all together. The downhill was very steep (around 20%) and the organisers had laid a rope down it, but it was mostly sand so I bounded down it without requiring the assistance of the rope. Not long after that was the first checkpoint, and after a brief stop for an energy gel and to fill up my bottles I ploughed on. It wasn't long after the first checkpoint that I saw one of the elites struggling. It turned out later that he had to be put on a drip. As the kilometres went on the walkers from the main start came into sight and then it was a great feeling to be passing one after another of them. Almost all gave some kind of encouragement and I did the same for them. The camaraderie was fantastic. I was still running by checkpoint 2, but I was starting to slow up. The pain in my feet was getting worse and worse and shortly after checkpoint 2 a bad pain started to appear in my groin, most likely brought on by my modified running style due to my feet. Then shortly afterwards my knees started aching badly. It was at this point that I had to make a decision - try to push on with my aim of top 50 and risk not finishing at all due to injury, or switch to self preservation mode, give up my idea of a top 50 finish and just make sure I finished it. I opted for the latter, deciding that the idea of failing the MDS would be hard for me to live down unless I was on my death bed. There would also be a lot of disappointed sponsors if I didn't finish, and Anny was coming out to Morocco to join me and I didn't want that to be all for nothing. So soon after checkpoint 2 I began walking, and I never really ran again after that, save for a few steps in the soft dunes on the final day.
The hours dragged on and the pain in my feet became worse and worse. Every step I took it seemed like my little toes were banging against the side of my shoes, and in their bruised state it was agony. My steps shortened and I was limping badly. By this time night was starting to fall and that only made things harder. I didn't want to bang my toes on a rock and at times it was hard to see the terrain well with my headlamp. The path was also not marked that well in the dunes and it was easy to get lost. I was mentally and physically exhausted by the time I rolled in to checkpoint 4. At checkpoint 4 there are tents to sleep in, and the medics said I looked terrible and needed to rest. I wasn't arguing with them and was happy to get some sleep and continue in the morning, not giving two hoots about the fact that the clock would be ticking the whole time I would be sleeping. Shortly before retiring to one of the tents I saw what I believe was a camel spider. It was not as big as I had imagined, but it definitely looked like what I have seen in the photos on the internet. At the point in time I saw it, it was heading towards one of the tents but after I alerted the occupants they swiftly moved it on. Don't forget that the whole race we were sleeping in open tents and nothing was to stop the creepy crawlies climbing over us in the night. But after the first night you are usually just too tired to give a damn.
It was hard to get any decent sleep with people leaving at all hours of the morning to try to complete the long stage before the time limit. But for me it was far too cold outside to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag, and it was also still dark. I decided to wait till first light before heading off. By the time I headed off it was around 5.30am. Progress was still slow but at least it was light, and that helped me mentally. I decided that to complete the remaining 30 something kilometres under the time limit I just needed to keep plodding/ limping slowly onwards. At the next checkpoint I saw one of the other former top 50 boys who I had walked with for around an hour the previous night. He had also been having a lot of problems with his feet but had decided not to rest and to try to run on to the next checkpoint. When I saw him he told me that he had slept at checkpoint 5 but that his feet had swollen so badly when he took his trainers off that he had had to cut his trainers in half to get his feet back in them and that he had no hope of continuing and so was abandoning. That was when I knew that my self preservation strategy of walking instead of running was the right choice, as otherwise that could have been me abandoning the race.
After the final checkpoint on the long stage there was a huge thunderstorm and I was caught in the middle of it. The rain came before I had a chance to put on my waterproofs, so I was already wet by the time I got my jacket on. The temperature dropped and I started shivering frantically. I was worried that I would get hypothermia and by the time I arrived back it wouldn't be far off. It would take me 30 minutes wrapped up in a foil blanket to feel warm again. That however was not the end of it. Part way through the storm the skies opened up and big hailstones pelted down on those of us still on the course. There was nowhere to shelter and I wondered what else could go wrong next. It was so terrible it was as if someone was playing a big joke on us. Each and every hailstone stung as it hit. After a few thousand or so had hit me I just didn't care any more - nothing now was going to stop me getting to the end. I finished the long stage 681st.
Stage 5 was the marathon stage and I knew I would be limping the whole way, which was kind of depressing. I hate walking when running is an option, as walking just takes too darn long. There was also a time limit to get to the final checkpoint that meant I would need to keep up an average of around 4km/h. That may not sound bad at all, but it is if you can only limp with baby steps. I knew that to be at the final checkpoint before the time limit I could not afford to stop and rest at any point during the day. In the end I made the final checkpoint half an hour before it closed. The time limit to complete the final section was very generous and I knew that time would not be an issue. Nevertheless I wanted to get to the camp as soon as possible as I knew Anny would be waiting for me at the finish. She had paid to fly out to Morocco with the friends and family package and they bring them to meet us for the end of stage 5. I had had no contact with her since the race had started as I didn't have my mobile with me, but I guessed that she would have seen my times had changed drastically after stage 3 and figured out that something was wrong with me. I also knew that she would be extremely worried. After 10 and a half hours I hobbled to the finish line as darkness was falling around me, and Anny threw her arms around me and burst into tears. I was expecting her to ask me to drop out of the race upon seeing my current state but she didn't. I think she could see how much it meant to be to finish the race and I reassured her by telling her there were only 15.5km left to go the following day. We spent an hour or two together, during which time Anny was able to get an inside view of the Doc Trotters medical tent (she refused to look at what they were doing to some people's feet as she was a bit squeamish), and then she left me so I could get some sleep ready for the final stage. Everyone else was already in the tent and glad to see that I had made it back, and we all then went straight to sleep. In fact I was so tired I didn't eat anything before going to sleep.
On the final morning I woke up in good spirits despite the waves of pain passing through my body. Everyone who has made it this far knows they will most likely complete it. In fact there is not even a time limit on the final stage, so you could in theory crawl on your hands and knees and still make it. I was very hungry and tried to get hold of any spare food that people were offering. Usually there is plenty of spare food around, especially in the first few days but now and again even in the last few days. People tend to get sick of the same food day after day and hardly eat anything unless they can scrounge something new from someone else. This was certainly the case for me, and there was no way another freeze dried meal was going near my mouth. I took 2 Tramadol tablets to numb the pain in my body (apparently it is in the same family of drugs as morphine) and prepared for the start of the final "sprint" stage. The first part was rocky ground and all I could do was limp until the Tramadol kicked in. After that we went into the dunes and on the soft sand I found I was able to shuffle along at a pace faster than walking alone. I kept up my shuffle on the uphill, downhill and flat as this was where I had spent my 2 weeks of acclimatisation training, so I was happy running/ shuffling in these dunes. After a while though the pain in my knees came back - caused by 42km of limping the previous day. I decided to walk and avoid the risk of a knee injury and having to abandon this close to the finish. Nevertheless I finished the final stage a little quicker than I had expected. Some of my tent mates had struggled more than me on this final day. In the end I finished the stage 643rd. It was great to be able to share the moment of finishing with Anny. She was half expecting a tear or two at the finish line, but I told her those had been shed the previous 2 days when I was struggling with my mind, not knowing whether I could force myself to finish or not. The final day was basically just a relief rather than a surprise at finishing.
Overall I finished 553rd out of 795 finishers and there were 59 people who abandoned. Here is the breakdown of my times and positions for each of the separate stages:
Stage 1 - 42nd - 3H36'04
Stage 2 - 58th - 4H23'44
Stage 3 - 45th - 3H45'27
Stage 4 - 681st - 26H00'29
Stage 5 - 787th - 10H30'36
Stage 6 - 643rd - 3H11'15
Over a week on and my feet are recovering nicely. I lost one toenail but other than that I am fine. Some of my tent mates had stress fractures so those may take longer to heal. Others got infections in their feet and had to take antibiotics. By next week I am sure I will feel fine again and be able to gently ease back into training. At the moment though I have a stinking cold/flu and am not even tempted to go running. I am trying to feed myself up and strengthen my immune system as it was pretty weak by the time I finished due to lack of sleep, physical exhaustion and heavily restricted calories. There are so many challenges to face in the MDS and I definitely think it deserves to be considered one of the toughest footraces in the world (although I will certainly not go so far as to say "the toughest"). It is a serious exercise in self management and mental toughness. You have to deal with extremes of heat (and even cold at times), rationed water, damaged feet, long distances, restricted calories and lack of desire to eat (despite knowing you have to in eat order to recover). But everyone in the race is part of one big family and they try to help each other through the tough spots. The guys I shared my tent with were a fantastic bunch and I really hope to see them all again. Everyone in tent 72 made it to the finish and we all helped each other out as each of us struggled with our highs and lows. Tent 72 rocks.
Gear wise I was happy with a lot of my choices and will probably write a separate post later about that. A couple of things that I didn't get on so well with though were the Raidlight bottles (leaky and hard to open the valves), the PT03 desert shoes and the freeze dried food (too many of the same flavours day after day). My decision to not take a sleeping mat worked out absolutely fine though and it was never uncomfortable for me sleeping on the Berber rug alone.
I hope you continue to follow my blog as I start preparing for my next challenge - a sub 3 hour marathon. Just as this was, it will be a journey of ups and downs that I want to share with you every step of the way. Writing things down helps me to achieve them, so I will continue to do it.
Well as you will know if you were following my progress, I finished the MDS successfully. Woohooooo - another successful achievement to add to the list and a nice medal to put up on my wall.
I am sure you all want to know more about the experience itself so I thought I would write a bit of a post race summary. Before starting I have to say that the event was a lot harder than I had imagined it would be. We all knew going out to Morocco that the terrain would be rough, but I think a lot of us first timers underestimated just how rough it was, and just how much damage it would do to our feet. On top of that the mental strength required to complete it is incredible. When times are tough you know that all you have to do is pull the flare and you can end the pain immediately. Or you can push on for hours and hours and endure the pain.
Running fast on perfect feet is one thing, but running on blistered, bruised and sore feet is quite something else. In fact for me it proved impossible and for the last 3 days I resorted to walking/ limping in order to cover the ground.
The first 3 days my feet were in fairly good condition and I was able to run some good times and get some good positions. A lot of people start the MDS cautiously, but I wanted to make my mark from day 1 and show myself as a serious contender for a top 50 spot. I was very emotional at the starting line as I was expecting great things of myself and knew a lot of pain and effort lay ahead if I wanted to accomplish my top 50 dream. I was extremely psyched up.
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| Early on in the race - clothes fairly clean and in good spirits |
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| A couple of days later - feet starting to blister and my top half wasting away |
Once the race started the pace was fast, and I think a lot of people were running way above their limits. I tried to keep my heart rate under control but I realised that if I wanted a top 50 spot I was going have to push very hard. My heart rate was 155 for most of the stage and that is way too high for me. I was hoping that I would be somewhere near the finish by the time I hit the wall. In the end I hit the wall about 1km from the finish and had to walk most of it, although I was only overtaken by around 6 people during that time as the field was rather spread out.
Apparently stage 1 was a very tough stage 1 compared to previous years. There were rumours flying around that due to the reduction in the number of abandons year after year and people starting to question the toughness of the toughest footrace on earth, the organisers had decided to make 2012 a very tough course. Some of the previous MDS competitors confirmed that it was an unusually hard day 1. The route had a lot of jebels in it, and on the last jebel of the day the incline was pure sand. I didn't see anyone even try to attempt running up the sandy incline. Even in the top 50, people still tend to walk up the steeper jebels. Maybe only the top 20 elite runners actually run up them, but they were too far out of sight for me to confirm whether or not that was the case. Day one was also a very hot day. It was amazing that for the whole 2 weeks I had been in Morocco acclimatising, it had been rather cool, and then as soon as the race started it got hot. I found that the heat was no problem for me though, so maybe my acclimatisation had served its purpose, as other Brits were struggling a little with the heat. I finished stage 1 in 42nd place much to my satisfaction and to the amazement of some friends and family following my progress back home.
Stage 2 was an absolute scorcher. The organisers later informed us that the mercury had hit 52C at one point in the day. Many people struggled with the heat and managing their rationed water. In this regard I think it is better to run the course and be back in camp around midday. The ones who walk the whole course end up being out in the hot sun for hours and hours, and they only have the same ration of water as those of us who arrive back in camp around midday after having run the course. In terms of pace I took stage 2 a little easier than stage 1 as I realised I had gone off a bit fast on stage 1, just like many others had done too. Nevertheless I managed to come 58th, which was also a good result. The terrain was very flat (small sand dunes and a dried up lake) and a lot of people described it as a runner's day. I probably could have done a lot better if I had gone slower on stage 1. This time I didn't hit the wall though, and I managed to keep running the whole way.
By stage 3 I was starting to get quite a few blisters and bruised little toes, but I was still able to run. Stage 3 was a real toughie. I started very slow as I wanted to conserve energy for the long stage the following day. By checkpoint 1 my position was nowhere near the top 50 and I was a little disconcerted, but after checkpoint 1 there was a very long shallow climb on sand, and I saw that almost everyone in sight was walking up it. I am pretty strong and that kind of incline didn't bother me one bit, so I just kept on jogging up it. Like this I was overtaking hundreds of people and by the time I hit the top of the incline I realised I was once again in a very good position (almost certainly in the top 50). The descent was very rocky and it would have been easy to roll an ankle, but I am quite experienced in descending trails and was able to overtake more people on the downhill whilst still maintaining some degree of caution. After the descent there were sand dunes followed by more sand dunes, and that went on for quite some time. I put myself into four wheel drive mode and just kept on ploughing through them. A guy later told me that I run like a tractor, and I know what he means. I was very happy with my progress as I saw the physical state of those around me struggling with the terrain. I felt very relaxed and my heart rate was low. It was very hot though and I was wondering how long before the next checkpoint. One Italian guy that I passed pleaded with me to give him some of my water but I couldn't as I had very little left and was also starting to get worried. It took quite some time for the checkpoint to come into view, and when it did I breathed a sigh of relief. After the checkpoint we had to cross a dried up lake, and there was a big sandstorm. Visibility was very low and unless you were very close to the markers you could not see them. I just tried to stick to the runner in front and he tried to stick to the one in front of him and so on, each of us hoping that the one in front was heading in the right direction. Each time we saw a marker we knew we were heading the right way and it was very comforting. After the dried up lake we had to follow a stony road to very near the finish and then cross a small section of stony ground to the finish itself. On this flat stony section several people overtook me as despite being relaxed and not overly tired I didn't seem to have a second gear to change up into. There were also a couple of people who had misjudged their pace and were walking, so I gained a few places by overtaking them. More of less though I held the same position for most of the day after having overtaken all those people on the shallow sandy climb after checkpoint 1. That day I was 45th overall.
Owing to my top 50 overall position after stages 1 to 3, I had to join the elite start on stage 4. Stage 4 was the long stage and was 81.5km. The elite group, including myself, had to start 3 hours after the others. This meant I knew I would be running well into the dark, which I wasn't really looking forward to. At the same time however, it meant I was going to be continually passing the slower ones from the general start and that is extremely motivating, as opposed to being passed by people all day long. My feet were a hell of a mess and I hobbled to the start line to stand next to the likes of the legendary Ahansal, wondering how on earth I was going to run 81.5km in this state. Ahansal got us to start 30 seconds after the official start as a kind of joke to Patrick. It was not as though 30 seconds was going to make any difference to me anyway, so I was happy to join in with the joke. After the intentionally 30 second delayed start we all set off. Almost all the others immediately went off ahead and I just settled into a very gentle pace that I hoped I could maintain for the whole 81.5km without needing to stop. There were only 2 people that seemed to be running at close to my pace and I ran for quite some time with a lady from the US called Megan. She told me that if I just kept going at my comfortable pace without stopping I would do a good time and would most likely finish before 1 or 2 of the other elites who had gone off too fast for their abilities. She had done the MDS before and finished the long stage the previous year around 25th, so her advice seemed to be worth its weight in gold.
After the first few kilometres there was a jebel to climb and I caught up with a couple of the other elites just by plodding steadily up it. There were places where we all stopped and walked too, in order to conserve energy. When we reached the top there were 4 of us all together. The downhill was very steep (around 20%) and the organisers had laid a rope down it, but it was mostly sand so I bounded down it without requiring the assistance of the rope. Not long after that was the first checkpoint, and after a brief stop for an energy gel and to fill up my bottles I ploughed on. It wasn't long after the first checkpoint that I saw one of the elites struggling. It turned out later that he had to be put on a drip. As the kilometres went on the walkers from the main start came into sight and then it was a great feeling to be passing one after another of them. Almost all gave some kind of encouragement and I did the same for them. The camaraderie was fantastic. I was still running by checkpoint 2, but I was starting to slow up. The pain in my feet was getting worse and worse and shortly after checkpoint 2 a bad pain started to appear in my groin, most likely brought on by my modified running style due to my feet. Then shortly afterwards my knees started aching badly. It was at this point that I had to make a decision - try to push on with my aim of top 50 and risk not finishing at all due to injury, or switch to self preservation mode, give up my idea of a top 50 finish and just make sure I finished it. I opted for the latter, deciding that the idea of failing the MDS would be hard for me to live down unless I was on my death bed. There would also be a lot of disappointed sponsors if I didn't finish, and Anny was coming out to Morocco to join me and I didn't want that to be all for nothing. So soon after checkpoint 2 I began walking, and I never really ran again after that, save for a few steps in the soft dunes on the final day.
The hours dragged on and the pain in my feet became worse and worse. Every step I took it seemed like my little toes were banging against the side of my shoes, and in their bruised state it was agony. My steps shortened and I was limping badly. By this time night was starting to fall and that only made things harder. I didn't want to bang my toes on a rock and at times it was hard to see the terrain well with my headlamp. The path was also not marked that well in the dunes and it was easy to get lost. I was mentally and physically exhausted by the time I rolled in to checkpoint 4. At checkpoint 4 there are tents to sleep in, and the medics said I looked terrible and needed to rest. I wasn't arguing with them and was happy to get some sleep and continue in the morning, not giving two hoots about the fact that the clock would be ticking the whole time I would be sleeping. Shortly before retiring to one of the tents I saw what I believe was a camel spider. It was not as big as I had imagined, but it definitely looked like what I have seen in the photos on the internet. At the point in time I saw it, it was heading towards one of the tents but after I alerted the occupants they swiftly moved it on. Don't forget that the whole race we were sleeping in open tents and nothing was to stop the creepy crawlies climbing over us in the night. But after the first night you are usually just too tired to give a damn.
It was hard to get any decent sleep with people leaving at all hours of the morning to try to complete the long stage before the time limit. But for me it was far too cold outside to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag, and it was also still dark. I decided to wait till first light before heading off. By the time I headed off it was around 5.30am. Progress was still slow but at least it was light, and that helped me mentally. I decided that to complete the remaining 30 something kilometres under the time limit I just needed to keep plodding/ limping slowly onwards. At the next checkpoint I saw one of the other former top 50 boys who I had walked with for around an hour the previous night. He had also been having a lot of problems with his feet but had decided not to rest and to try to run on to the next checkpoint. When I saw him he told me that he had slept at checkpoint 5 but that his feet had swollen so badly when he took his trainers off that he had had to cut his trainers in half to get his feet back in them and that he had no hope of continuing and so was abandoning. That was when I knew that my self preservation strategy of walking instead of running was the right choice, as otherwise that could have been me abandoning the race.
After the final checkpoint on the long stage there was a huge thunderstorm and I was caught in the middle of it. The rain came before I had a chance to put on my waterproofs, so I was already wet by the time I got my jacket on. The temperature dropped and I started shivering frantically. I was worried that I would get hypothermia and by the time I arrived back it wouldn't be far off. It would take me 30 minutes wrapped up in a foil blanket to feel warm again. That however was not the end of it. Part way through the storm the skies opened up and big hailstones pelted down on those of us still on the course. There was nowhere to shelter and I wondered what else could go wrong next. It was so terrible it was as if someone was playing a big joke on us. Each and every hailstone stung as it hit. After a few thousand or so had hit me I just didn't care any more - nothing now was going to stop me getting to the end. I finished the long stage 681st.
Stage 5 was the marathon stage and I knew I would be limping the whole way, which was kind of depressing. I hate walking when running is an option, as walking just takes too darn long. There was also a time limit to get to the final checkpoint that meant I would need to keep up an average of around 4km/h. That may not sound bad at all, but it is if you can only limp with baby steps. I knew that to be at the final checkpoint before the time limit I could not afford to stop and rest at any point during the day. In the end I made the final checkpoint half an hour before it closed. The time limit to complete the final section was very generous and I knew that time would not be an issue. Nevertheless I wanted to get to the camp as soon as possible as I knew Anny would be waiting for me at the finish. She had paid to fly out to Morocco with the friends and family package and they bring them to meet us for the end of stage 5. I had had no contact with her since the race had started as I didn't have my mobile with me, but I guessed that she would have seen my times had changed drastically after stage 3 and figured out that something was wrong with me. I also knew that she would be extremely worried. After 10 and a half hours I hobbled to the finish line as darkness was falling around me, and Anny threw her arms around me and burst into tears. I was expecting her to ask me to drop out of the race upon seeing my current state but she didn't. I think she could see how much it meant to be to finish the race and I reassured her by telling her there were only 15.5km left to go the following day. We spent an hour or two together, during which time Anny was able to get an inside view of the Doc Trotters medical tent (she refused to look at what they were doing to some people's feet as she was a bit squeamish), and then she left me so I could get some sleep ready for the final stage. Everyone else was already in the tent and glad to see that I had made it back, and we all then went straight to sleep. In fact I was so tired I didn't eat anything before going to sleep.
Overall I finished 553rd out of 795 finishers and there were 59 people who abandoned. Here is the breakdown of my times and positions for each of the separate stages:
Stage 1 - 42nd - 3H36'04
Stage 2 - 58th - 4H23'44
Stage 3 - 45th - 3H45'27
Stage 4 - 681st - 26H00'29
Stage 5 - 787th - 10H30'36
Stage 6 - 643rd - 3H11'15
Over a week on and my feet are recovering nicely. I lost one toenail but other than that I am fine. Some of my tent mates had stress fractures so those may take longer to heal. Others got infections in their feet and had to take antibiotics. By next week I am sure I will feel fine again and be able to gently ease back into training. At the moment though I have a stinking cold/flu and am not even tempted to go running. I am trying to feed myself up and strengthen my immune system as it was pretty weak by the time I finished due to lack of sleep, physical exhaustion and heavily restricted calories. There are so many challenges to face in the MDS and I definitely think it deserves to be considered one of the toughest footraces in the world (although I will certainly not go so far as to say "the toughest"). It is a serious exercise in self management and mental toughness. You have to deal with extremes of heat (and even cold at times), rationed water, damaged feet, long distances, restricted calories and lack of desire to eat (despite knowing you have to in eat order to recover). But everyone in the race is part of one big family and they try to help each other through the tough spots. The guys I shared my tent with were a fantastic bunch and I really hope to see them all again. Everyone in tent 72 made it to the finish and we all helped each other out as each of us struggled with our highs and lows. Tent 72 rocks.
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| The occupants of tent 72 |
Gear wise I was happy with a lot of my choices and will probably write a separate post later about that. A couple of things that I didn't get on so well with though were the Raidlight bottles (leaky and hard to open the valves), the PT03 desert shoes and the freeze dried food (too many of the same flavours day after day). My decision to not take a sleeping mat worked out absolutely fine though and it was never uncomfortable for me sleeping on the Berber rug alone.
I hope you continue to follow my blog as I start preparing for my next challenge - a sub 3 hour marathon. Just as this was, it will be a journey of ups and downs that I want to share with you every step of the way. Writing things down helps me to achieve them, so I will continue to do it.
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Radio silence from now - here is what you need to know to contact me and follow my progress during the MDS
I probably wont be posting anything again now until I finish the race. I am going radio silent. From the day after tomorrow I will be in the desert, and tomorrow I will be travelling for part of the day, then meeting my fellow Brits in Ouarzazate in the evening.
So I will leave you with the same message I posted the other day about how to contact me and how to follow my progress during the MDS. Messages of support that you send to me using the method below will be very much appreciated, and will give me a huge, much needed boost. If you want to watch all the action on TV there is a list of channels that will be broadcasting on the organisers website. Eurosport is one of those mentioned in the list.
My race number or dossard is 446, or alternatively you can find me by my last name Janes.
So now here goes:
For friends and family wishing to send you emails during the MdS from 7 April:
They will need to go to http://www.darbaroud.com/index.php?lang=en and click on ‘Write to a competitor’ or ‘Ecrire aux concurrents’. They will need to have your running number (DOS). They must NOT try to send attachments or anything other than plain text, or the email won’t be delivered! Messages left on the Darbaroud Forum will NOT be forwarded, nor will messages sent to me (although I will get back to the sender).
THIS FACILITY WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE UNTIL 7 APRIL AND WILL BE REMOVED ON 13 APRIL!
There will also be a finish webcam on the above page, so they might spot you crossing the line each day.
If anyone has trouble using the site, they can email me at mds@realmorocco.com or bommds@travelzest.com, however, as Monday is a bank holiday, I’m unlikely to pick up before Tuesday morning. You can also call me on 0845 026 4575 – I will be answering calls for the rest of the week.
Following your progress:
Daily results will be posted here: http://www.darbaroud.com/resultats/participants.php?epreuve_id=2012&langue=en
Last year, it was possible to follow arrival through checkpoints – I’m not sure if this will happen this year. Please make sure that your supporters are aware that these results take time to update – mostly they are quite good, but occasionally someone’s results get missed.
So I will leave you with the same message I posted the other day about how to contact me and how to follow my progress during the MDS. Messages of support that you send to me using the method below will be very much appreciated, and will give me a huge, much needed boost. If you want to watch all the action on TV there is a list of channels that will be broadcasting on the organisers website. Eurosport is one of those mentioned in the list.
My race number or dossard is 446, or alternatively you can find me by my last name Janes.
So now here goes:
For friends and family wishing to send you emails during the MdS from 7 April:
They will need to go to http://www.darbaroud.com/index.php?lang=en and click on ‘Write to a competitor’ or ‘Ecrire aux concurrents’. They will need to have your running number (DOS). They must NOT try to send attachments or anything other than plain text, or the email won’t be delivered! Messages left on the Darbaroud Forum will NOT be forwarded, nor will messages sent to me (although I will get back to the sender).
THIS FACILITY WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE UNTIL 7 APRIL AND WILL BE REMOVED ON 13 APRIL!
There will also be a finish webcam on the above page, so they might spot you crossing the line each day.
If anyone has trouble using the site, they can email me at mds@realmorocco.com or bommds@travelzest.com, however, as Monday is a bank holiday, I’m unlikely to pick up before Tuesday morning. You can also call me on 0845 026 4575 – I will be answering calls for the rest of the week.
Following your progress:
Daily results will be posted here: http://www.darbaroud.com/resultats/participants.php?epreuve_id=2012&langue=en
Last year, it was possible to follow arrival through checkpoints – I’m not sure if this will happen this year. Please make sure that your supporters are aware that these results take time to update – mostly they are quite good, but occasionally someone’s results get missed.
Last sauna done and precious grams shaved off my pack weight
I went to the sauna tonight for the final time before the MDS starts. In total I have done 9 sauna sessions in a row, and those combined with my desert runs in the midday heat, as well as the Bikram yoga lessons I did in the weeks before I came to Morocco should stand me in good stead to cope with the heat I will encounter during the race.
I stayed in the sauna for 40 minutes, but once again the staff had forgotten I was coming, so I got in the sauna while it was still heating up. When I first got in, it was below 60C (140F), but by the time I left it was a respectable 82C (179.6F).
The rest of the evening I have trying to shave some precious grams off my pack weight. I managed to cut some buckles off my rucksack that seemed surplus to requirements, and I decided to take 1 spare shoelace instead of 2 (what are the chances of 2 breaking). I also managed to put my windproof jacket and windproof trousers in a single stuff sac, so I saved a few grams there. Really when I looked at everything laid out on the bed, apart from the food I must only have a couple of kilos worth of stuff.
There is only one thing that bothers me and where I feel I did not make a good choice. The tube of suncream I am carrying is huge. It is 180ml and that is way too big a tube for 6 racing days when almost my entire body is covered with clothes (other than my face, hands and a small section of my legs). My suspicion was confirmed when I saw a report from the previous year's highest placed Brit that 100ml of suncream is ample. Now I could squeeze out some suncream before the race starts, but I will still be left with the honking great tube taking up needless space. If you think I am being a little over the top you should have seen my kit laid out on the bed. It was basically food, medical and survival kit, sleeping bag, windproof clothes, sand goggles, fleece, and then the great honking tube of suncream. I guess I will just have to squeeze some excess out and then put up with it, unless I can make a pact with another competitor that I share my sunscream with them in return for them carrying a small item of mine.
My final comment on how the day went is related to some frantic email exchanges that were going on throughout the day. Some of the Mencap participants wanted a confirmation of how many calories they needed to present at the checks, and then another team member told them they only needed food for 6 days. Actually the rules make it clear that you need 2,000 calories per day for 7 days i.e. 14,000 calories must be presented at the checks. The confusion was soon cleared up and everyone except maybe the person who thinks you need food for 6 days is happy. The rest of the exchanges were related to packing and what should go in the hand luggage and what should go in the hold, incase the hold luggage gets lost. I was not so interested in that discussion though, because I am already here in Morocco with all my stuff.
I stayed in the sauna for 40 minutes, but once again the staff had forgotten I was coming, so I got in the sauna while it was still heating up. When I first got in, it was below 60C (140F), but by the time I left it was a respectable 82C (179.6F).
The rest of the evening I have trying to shave some precious grams off my pack weight. I managed to cut some buckles off my rucksack that seemed surplus to requirements, and I decided to take 1 spare shoelace instead of 2 (what are the chances of 2 breaking). I also managed to put my windproof jacket and windproof trousers in a single stuff sac, so I saved a few grams there. Really when I looked at everything laid out on the bed, apart from the food I must only have a couple of kilos worth of stuff.
There is only one thing that bothers me and where I feel I did not make a good choice. The tube of suncream I am carrying is huge. It is 180ml and that is way too big a tube for 6 racing days when almost my entire body is covered with clothes (other than my face, hands and a small section of my legs). My suspicion was confirmed when I saw a report from the previous year's highest placed Brit that 100ml of suncream is ample. Now I could squeeze out some suncream before the race starts, but I will still be left with the honking great tube taking up needless space. If you think I am being a little over the top you should have seen my kit laid out on the bed. It was basically food, medical and survival kit, sleeping bag, windproof clothes, sand goggles, fleece, and then the great honking tube of suncream. I guess I will just have to squeeze some excess out and then put up with it, unless I can make a pact with another competitor that I share my sunscream with them in return for them carrying a small item of mine.
My final comment on how the day went is related to some frantic email exchanges that were going on throughout the day. Some of the Mencap participants wanted a confirmation of how many calories they needed to present at the checks, and then another team member told them they only needed food for 6 days. Actually the rules make it clear that you need 2,000 calories per day for 7 days i.e. 14,000 calories must be presented at the checks. The confusion was soon cleared up and everyone except maybe the person who thinks you need food for 6 days is happy. The rest of the exchanges were related to packing and what should go in the hand luggage and what should go in the hold, incase the hold luggage gets lost. I was not so interested in that discussion though, because I am already here in Morocco with all my stuff.
Last run done - now just to pack my bag and shave my toes
I just completed my last training run before the MDS. It is not crazily hot here today, but it is pleasntly warm and sunny and I wore 2 tops to make myself sweat a bit more. The weather forecast says it is 21C (69.8F). For the next 2 weeks in fact it is showing temperatures of below 30C (86F), but we will see.
As planned I ran 5km in the sand dunes. The pace was very comfortable and it took me 37 minutes and 11 seconds. If you recall when I first arrived in Merzouga on the 23rd March I only managed 4.9km in 45 minutes, and I found that much tougher. So basically 8 minutes of improvement and at a lower perceived effort. One of the reasons for that is of course acclimatisation, but I believe knowing how to run on the sand and how to pick a good route also play a big part.
What I have learnt about running in the dunes is that it is best to stay more forward on your feet and to take short quick steps rather than long bounding ones. It is also best to tread as lightly as possible, as often the top layer of sand is like a crust, and provided you tread lightly it may support your weight. This is especially important going up steep slopes where if the crust breaks you end up slipping back at least half of the distance you progressed forward. In terms of picking a route, virgin sand seems to be a better choice on the flat and downhills rather than following someone else's footsteps. On the uphills it depends. If you can avoid breaking the crust then virgin sand is a good choice, but if you break the crust or you know that you will then it can help to follow someone else's footsteps, as they provide a bit more traction/grip. Also the less up and down you can do the better so you need to try to choose a route that is as flat as possible (even if it is not the most direct route). Running up the dunes is very tiring and to be avoided if at all possible. Running down the dunes can also jarr your legs significantly and you risk hyperextending your knee if you are not careful. In addition it is the time when you are most likely to get sand in your shoes, as sometimes running downhill your leg slips into the sand so deeply that some sand gets in through the top of the gaiters if they are not done up tightly enough.
Now that I have got my last run out of the way I am going to go and finalise my packing. I will see if I can shave some more grams off the total pack weight by getting rid of more packaging and so on. I already did this several times but I will do it again from a fresh perspective. The 180ml tube of suncream I have been using the last few weeks will also be sufficient to last me through the MDS, so I do not need to pack a new tube in my running pack as I had originally planned (another 80g or so saved). 100ml should be plenty sufficient as only my face, hands and a small section of my legs between the bottom of my shorts and the top of the gaiters is exposed.
I will also have to shave my toes as part of my final preparations. I found the places on my feet where friction blisters are most likely to occur these last 2 weeks (through having had them), and it seems the tops and the underneaths of my toes are vulnerable. For this reason I will tape them up before the first day, and it makes it much easier to remove the old tape and apply fresh tape when the toes don't have any little hairs on them. I ordered my shoes 1 size larger than normal, and till now I have not experienced any foot swelling, so the blisters were caused by my feet moving around in the shoes. Hopefully having run in the oversized shoes for 2 weeks now though, my feet will be used to them and have toughened up significantly.
That's all for now folks. One more post to go (after the sauna tonight) and then I wil just leave up a post with the details of how to write to me during the race and how to follow my progress. You wont hear from me then until I have finished.
As planned I ran 5km in the sand dunes. The pace was very comfortable and it took me 37 minutes and 11 seconds. If you recall when I first arrived in Merzouga on the 23rd March I only managed 4.9km in 45 minutes, and I found that much tougher. So basically 8 minutes of improvement and at a lower perceived effort. One of the reasons for that is of course acclimatisation, but I believe knowing how to run on the sand and how to pick a good route also play a big part.
What I have learnt about running in the dunes is that it is best to stay more forward on your feet and to take short quick steps rather than long bounding ones. It is also best to tread as lightly as possible, as often the top layer of sand is like a crust, and provided you tread lightly it may support your weight. This is especially important going up steep slopes where if the crust breaks you end up slipping back at least half of the distance you progressed forward. In terms of picking a route, virgin sand seems to be a better choice on the flat and downhills rather than following someone else's footsteps. On the uphills it depends. If you can avoid breaking the crust then virgin sand is a good choice, but if you break the crust or you know that you will then it can help to follow someone else's footsteps, as they provide a bit more traction/grip. Also the less up and down you can do the better so you need to try to choose a route that is as flat as possible (even if it is not the most direct route). Running up the dunes is very tiring and to be avoided if at all possible. Running down the dunes can also jarr your legs significantly and you risk hyperextending your knee if you are not careful. In addition it is the time when you are most likely to get sand in your shoes, as sometimes running downhill your leg slips into the sand so deeply that some sand gets in through the top of the gaiters if they are not done up tightly enough.
Now that I have got my last run out of the way I am going to go and finalise my packing. I will see if I can shave some more grams off the total pack weight by getting rid of more packaging and so on. I already did this several times but I will do it again from a fresh perspective. The 180ml tube of suncream I have been using the last few weeks will also be sufficient to last me through the MDS, so I do not need to pack a new tube in my running pack as I had originally planned (another 80g or so saved). 100ml should be plenty sufficient as only my face, hands and a small section of my legs between the bottom of my shorts and the top of the gaiters is exposed.
I will also have to shave my toes as part of my final preparations. I found the places on my feet where friction blisters are most likely to occur these last 2 weeks (through having had them), and it seems the tops and the underneaths of my toes are vulnerable. For this reason I will tape them up before the first day, and it makes it much easier to remove the old tape and apply fresh tape when the toes don't have any little hairs on them. I ordered my shoes 1 size larger than normal, and till now I have not experienced any foot swelling, so the blisters were caused by my feet moving around in the shoes. Hopefully having run in the oversized shoes for 2 weeks now though, my feet will be used to them and have toughened up significantly.
That's all for now folks. One more post to go (after the sauna tonight) and then I wil just leave up a post with the details of how to write to me during the race and how to follow my progress. You wont hear from me then until I have finished.
Last run before the MDS kicks off
Good morning. Even writing the title above makes me slightly nervous. After my short training run today, the next time I run will be in the MDS itself. I have no intention of running tomorrow, and none of the other UK competitors will be able to run tomorrow either, because they will be flying out to Ouarzazate. Then there are 2 days in the desert, but I think most of us will be content to rest and conserve our energy. It is most definitely too late now to get any extra benefits from last minute training. Three days of full rest will be good for us, and also give us a chance to make sure our bodies are fully hydrated and that our glycogen stores are fully topped up.
After my training run today I will pack my rucksack exactly as I will be running with it in the MDS. It is almost fully packed now, except that I had removed my sleeping bag, fleece and several freeze dried meals to make space for a 1.5 litre bottle of water that I always carried around with me incase I needed it.
My training run today will be very light. The last couple of days I ran on the hemada so I want to go running in the sand dunes one last time. I will either run 5km, or run for one hour, whichever comes first. Then in the evening I have my last sauna session (making 9 in total). After that the countdown begins.
Mental preparation can of course continue. In my mind I will picture myself doing well and getting a good placing. I will picture myself crossing the finishing line and try to imagine the feeling of elation it will give me. I will try to imagine how it will feel to have Anny there with me at that special moment (she will be there at the finish remember, as she is flying out to Morocco with the friends and family package). I will learn to embrace pain and stiff and aching muscles (they are a reward for hard work after all). When Sunday comes I will be ready for it in my mind. Nothing and noone will stand between me and my goals.
After my training run today I will pack my rucksack exactly as I will be running with it in the MDS. It is almost fully packed now, except that I had removed my sleeping bag, fleece and several freeze dried meals to make space for a 1.5 litre bottle of water that I always carried around with me incase I needed it.
My training run today will be very light. The last couple of days I ran on the hemada so I want to go running in the sand dunes one last time. I will either run 5km, or run for one hour, whichever comes first. Then in the evening I have my last sauna session (making 9 in total). After that the countdown begins.
Mental preparation can of course continue. In my mind I will picture myself doing well and getting a good placing. I will picture myself crossing the finishing line and try to imagine the feeling of elation it will give me. I will try to imagine how it will feel to have Anny there with me at that special moment (she will be there at the finish remember, as she is flying out to Morocco with the friends and family package). I will learn to embrace pain and stiff and aching muscles (they are a reward for hard work after all). When Sunday comes I will be ready for it in my mind. Nothing and noone will stand between me and my goals.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Contact during the MDS
I just received the following communication about how to keep in touch and follow my progress during the MDS:
For friends and family wishing to send you emails during the MdS from 7 April:
They will need to go to http://www.darbaroud.com/index.php?lang=en and click on ‘Write to a competitor’ or ‘Ecrire aux concurrents’. They will need to have your running number (DOS). They must NOT try to send attachments or anything other than plain text, or the email won’t be delivered! Messages left on the Darbaroud Forum will NOT be forwarded, nor will messages sent to me (although I will get back to the sender).
THIS FACILITY WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE UNTIL 7 APRIL AND WILL BE REMOVED ON 13 APRIL!
There will also be a finish webcam on the above page, so they might spot you crossing the line each day.
If anyone has trouble using the site, they can email me at mds@realmorocco.com or bommds@travelzest.com, however, as Monday is a bank holiday, I’m unlikely to pick up before Tuesday morning. You can also call me on 0845 026 4575 – I will be answering calls for the rest of the week.
Following your progress:
Daily results will be posted here: http://www.darbaroud.com/resultats/participants.php?epreuve_id=2012&langue=en
Last year, it was possible to follow arrival through checkpoints – I’m not sure if this will happen this year. Please make sure that your supporters are aware that these results take time to update – mostly they are quite good, but occasionally someone’s results get missed.
For friends and family wishing to send you emails during the MdS from 7 April:
They will need to go to http://www.darbaroud.com/index.php?lang=en and click on ‘Write to a competitor’ or ‘Ecrire aux concurrents’. They will need to have your running number (DOS). They must NOT try to send attachments or anything other than plain text, or the email won’t be delivered! Messages left on the Darbaroud Forum will NOT be forwarded, nor will messages sent to me (although I will get back to the sender).
THIS FACILITY WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE WEBSITE UNTIL 7 APRIL AND WILL BE REMOVED ON 13 APRIL!
There will also be a finish webcam on the above page, so they might spot you crossing the line each day.
If anyone has trouble using the site, they can email me at mds@realmorocco.com or bommds@travelzest.com, however, as Monday is a bank holiday, I’m unlikely to pick up before Tuesday morning. You can also call me on 0845 026 4575 – I will be answering calls for the rest of the week.
Following your progress:
Daily results will be posted here: http://www.darbaroud.com/resultats/participants.php?epreuve_id=2012&langue=en
Last year, it was possible to follow arrival through checkpoints – I’m not sure if this will happen this year. Please make sure that your supporters are aware that these results take time to update – mostly they are quite good, but occasionally someone’s results get missed.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
Future Challenges after the MDS
The MDS has not even started yet but my next challenge has been decided. It will be to complete a sub 3 hour marathon. I have only ever done one marathon and that was last April in Zurich in just under three and a half hours. My running has come a long way since then though, and I am five kilos lighter.
I want to try to get together a group of runners in Zurich with a similar goal so we can train together. If you are from the Zurich area and are interested in training for a sub 3 hour marathon or have already completed one and would like to help by offering some training advice then please get in touch. I have also set up a group on glocals.com incase you are a glocals member.
If you not from the Zurich area you can still help by offering your advice to me. Just like the MDS I want you all to feel that you are part of my experience and I will be writing about it every step of the way, warts and all.
Once I complete this aim, and I say once because I will keep trying until I do, I will be looking for the next challenge. That has still be decided and I am open to suggestions. Remember, you are part of the experience.
I want to try to get together a group of runners in Zurich with a similar goal so we can train together. If you are from the Zurich area and are interested in training for a sub 3 hour marathon or have already completed one and would like to help by offering some training advice then please get in touch. I have also set up a group on glocals.com incase you are a glocals member.
If you not from the Zurich area you can still help by offering your advice to me. Just like the MDS I want you all to feel that you are part of my experience and I will be writing about it every step of the way, warts and all.
Once I complete this aim, and I say once because I will keep trying until I do, I will be looking for the next challenge. That has still be decided and I am open to suggestions. Remember, you are part of the experience.
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