Getting The Hay In The Barn...

The last month has been a case of getting the miles done. 

I think so far this year I have run 580 miles which is well beyond my corresponding mileage of this time last year. It has been tough, both mentally dealing with the cold and the routine of training in some capacity every day of the week and also physically. The demands that such a regime places on the body and mind are not really something that is immediately obvious (at least in my case) however I have found that over the last 2 months I have had little time for little else than anything MDS related. The effects of these demands definitely came to a head for me the last weekend, I did my 2 back to back long days of 20 miles and 14 miles and by the end had had enough of running full stop! I think mentally I was tired of running in the cold and into headwinds, physically the niggles I had in my body seemed numerous and I was generally quite fed up. I also think that the lifestyle changes that I have made gradually over the last 6 months or so to the point that I no longer go out on a Sat night, am mindful of the next training session, no longer see much of my very understanding and awesome friends and the general tiredness of hard training weeks have meant that I just wanted time out from it all. Luckily it snowed here in Jersey on Monday just gone which mean that running was not really on the agenda, which further meant that I had 3 guilt free days without running. I attended a Bikram Yoga class towards the middle of the week and then decided to run again on the Thursday with full pack weight and for the first time in a few weeks felt really up for the run having taken time out.. Which kind of proves the whole “rest is best” theory and has given me a new lease of life mentally leading into the last big mileage weekend of my MDS regime. I now feel back on track after a little hiccup and ready for the next week or so of tough training before the taper..

I went to visit my GP for the obligatory ECG which we need to present upon the start of the race, along with a signed medical form to say you are fit to race. I had a ver low resting heart rate, perfect blood pressure, but the ECG did throw up some irregularities which meant I have been referred to a Cardiologist this coming week for a cursory check of my readings. I have read a little about this and it seems alot of the UK competitors are getting the same irregularities as it is a by product of endurance sports such as ultra running, so I hope to get the all clear in the next few days!! 

So this weekend see a few of us running 27 miles on Saturday and then I will be doing another long one with a pack on Sunday.. After this I will then be switching my focus to more frequent runs with weight as well as interspersing these session with lots of Bikram yoga to hopefully acclimate to the heat.

With just under 3 weeks to go the massive list of equipment I have had to gather for this race has all but come together. I took the snow nights as an opportunity to sit down and weigh the stuff I will be taking and to put a handle on what is essential and what is a luxury to take with me. This was pretty eye opening and led to a few tough decisions, so it looks like a lot of compromises on photographic/video equipment, MP3 players, spare T shirts, sleeping pads and other items I had initially factored into taking.. The jury is still out on these choices, but I am currently erring on the ruthless side with minimalism winning the day. I imagine when faced with the reality of lasting in the desert for a week with only one t-shirt, one spare pair of pants and other delightful dilemmas some of these decisions might be revisited!

I was lucky enough to be featured in this months Gallery Magazine which is a local lifestyle magazine here in Jersey. I had a photography shoot with local photographer Danny Evans and I was really pleased with the results. It was slightly surreal and lots of attempts were taken to get the pic of me running towards the camera but Danny was great, really made me feel at ease in such an alien environment for me, and the article has really raised the profile of the fundraising I am doing for local charity Jersey Hospice Care.

I had set the initial target of £5000 for Hospice which I hit back in December. I then re-evaluated this and re set the target to £8000. I am currently on just over £7000 with a couple of event to go before I head off. Next week end should you be venturing past Marks and Spencers in St Helier you will encounter me running on a treadmill with my colleague Nicola Gott who is doing the London Marathon and also raising money for Jersey Hospice Care. We plan to run for 8 hours between us whilst also trying to collect funds in buckets, so please be sure to pop by and say hi!

As mentioned I am raising funds for Jersey Hospice Care and am running the Marathon des Sables in memory of Natalie Moss a friend of mine who sadly passed away just over a year ago and was in the care of Jersey Hospice during the last 6 weeks of her illness. They are amazing its as simple as that. If you can see your way to donating please hop over to www.justgiving.com/Paulsdesertrun

Many thanks – More to follow soon!

The Business End Of The Regime..

Well the weeks are ticking down and ticking down, only 5 weeks til we fly to Morocco on the adventure of a lifetime. After almost 2 years of preparation I cant believe it is here to be honest.

The last month or so has been intense. Life has centred mainly around training with my week involving some variation on the theme of running, yoga or strength work interspersed with organising all the finer details to arrive at the start line prepared. My training plan has looked something like this:

Mon - Bikram Yoga
Tues - Run with weight (avg 10 miles with 5-6KG pack)
Wed - Run at Lunch Time (8 miles) Run at Night Time (8 miles)
Thur - Running Club Hill Session (avg 8 miles
Fri - Strength/ Core Session
Sat - Long Run - (avg 20 miles)
Sun - Long Run (avg 14 miles)

This has changed slightly depending on what has been going on, 2 weeks or so ago a few of us did a 45 mile training run around the island of Jersey which was a great day out and fell just on one of the sunniest days so far this winter, which was a great morale booster, and was a great confidence booster for running the long day on the MDS which ranges between 50 and 60 miles.

One of the biggest factors I have found difficult with training has been getting motivated to get out there in the cold. I think I am not alone in this as it seems to be a recurring conversation with other runners at the moment, I am almost looking forward to the 40 deg heat of the Sahara at this point, although I am sure a day under the searing sun will have me begging for snowy cliff paths and boggy trails with windy beach runs that make me want to cry!! I think it is natural to lose motivation as the pure mileage has been high over the last few weeks, with every session being key whether the goal be to acclimatise to the heat (Bikram) build endurance, run with weight or hill work. This weekend sees me hitting my peak in terms of training with a 3 day odyssey planned: 26 miles on Sat, 26 miles on Sun and 26 miles on Monday afternoon. I think once this is done whilst I will still be logging miles I will gradually take the intensity and mileage down as the goal is now to get to the start line healthy and injury free. 

Equipment wise the last few weeks have been active: I received my shoes back from the cobbler with the velcro attached yesterday which means I am able to attach the sand gaiters to them and so form a seal which will prevent sand from getting in to them and prevent chafing and blisters. I also took delivery of my evening meals yesterday: the finest that Expedition Foods has to offer in dehydrated foods... Once you add water and let them stand they do look actually begin to look like food and taste ok (based on the Chicken Tikka one I tried a few weeks ago) if a little bland, but a bit of salt and pepper will solve that I am sure.. My rucksack weight is currently looking like just under 7KG on paper although a real life pack hasnt happened yet and I am sure other items will sneak in and bump the weight up. I have tried to be ruthless using lightweight items where I can, only taking essentials and it looks like I will be wearing the same clothes for the whole week! I just hope my tent mates have decided to do the same otherwise I might be quarantined!

I have decided on most of my clothing with the following T Shirt which is Under Armour Heat Gear and I had printed up to thank the local companies that have supported me in my buildup in some way or another: www.mymemory.co.uk, Sportsbug Jersey, BNP Paribas Jersey, Fit 2 Function Jersey, Tonic Body & Skin Therapy, Bean Around the World Coffee Shop and Leanne Rive Personal Training.

Fundraising has seen me break the £6000 barrier, which is awesome. I have a goal of reaching £8000 raised for Jersey Hospice Care before I leave in 5 weeks with some events planned to hopefully get me there. I have been canvassing most people I know for donations so am sure people will be glad to see the back of me by the time I get on that plane!! :-) If you are in any doubt as to how to donate please visit: www.justgiving.com/Paulsdesertrun all donations no matter how small are welcome, and to just know that people are supporting me gives me amazing motivation during those long, hard, cold training runs!

This was quite an interesting picture that I came across on the net which gives you an idea of some of the things we have to carry as well as some of the decisions us MDS runners have been faced with over the last few weeks: 

We were given our race numbers a few weeks ago, I am number 624.. Once we are out there the MDS website http://www.darbaroud.com/en/ provides real time updates of how we are doing, photos of the days racing and vitally you are able to send messages to the competitors through the website. It goes without saying how important that will be for morale so if you have a few spare minutes between the 5th and 15th April please drop me a line..

More to follow over the next few weeks.. 

The End Of A Love Affair....

So over the weekend a very important relationship for me ended..

We had been together for nigh on 2 years now, shared some good times, bad times, awful times and amazing times. We had travelled around the country together taking in the various sights that good ole Blighty has to offer and spent alot of one on one time just soaking up the view and connecting with nature..

We met across a crowded Ebay auction about 2 years ago, when I saw them I knew they were the right trail shoes for me.. Inov-8 Roclite 295's oh how you have served me well.. In the last 2 years I have run nearly 600 miles in those bad boys; from my first trail race, to my first trail marathon, my first ultra marathon and my first multi day ultra marathon. I have to say they never let me down, I have always felt confident running in whatever conditions Mother Nature has thrown at me, and I think I have experienced her greatest hits! From the slippery clay of the Jurassic Coast, to the slippery mud of the Jersey North Coast, to the Slippery Clayey mud of the North Downs (see the theme here???) and so on and so forth..


Anyway I would like to bid them a fond farewell, I hope you will join me in raising a glass to my faithful, battered, muddy Inov-8's.. I will be consigning them to the bin this evening.. By the way I have replaced them with a much younger, sexier model who is sure to give me many ups and downs over the coming years!! :-)

There is a shoe in there honestly!

The weekend just gone I participated in the XNRG Pilgrims Challenge 2 Day Ultra on the North Downs Way in Surrey. My mate Pete and I flew over on Friday night and were lucky enough to spend a night in a travel lodge in Aldershot. Saturday morning I awoke after a great nights sleep and we set off to the start line, not really knowing what to expect, but having the vague idea that the course would be less extreme than the Dorset Ultra weighing in at about 3000ft of elevation as opposed to nearly double that in Dorset.

Remember these Signs?

I was set to start at 10am, but it was so cold I asked if I could switch to the 9am start to get going.. We started and the day was beautiful, cold, sunny and perfect for a 33 mile run.. Apart from the mud! Right from the off I paired up with a couple of guys who ran way beyond my ability levels, and one of who had a GPS map of the route on his IPhone and seemed to know the way, there were alot of points along the initial part of the route where the signage was not obvious so I thought it prudent to stick with them.  We blasted off at a crazy pace running all the hills and completely turning my carefully thought out race strategy (drawn on the back of a fag packet!!) out the window.. By 15 miles I had said goodbye to my fast friends, taken a few wrong turns and set about the painful task of living with the damage I had inflicted by committing the cardinal sin - Going out too fast! The rest of the race passed uneventfully, if a little painfully with beautiful scenery and some very muddy pathways along the way. The XNRG crew at the check points were all very friendly and supportive and were a welcome sight after a couple of hours on my own listening to my cheeky girls play mix on my IPod.. The checkpoint food was also spot on, with a selection of fine cheeses, pretzels, sausage rolls and other culinary delights. I finished the day in 5 hours 20 mins with no real wrong turns and a lesson learnt about the need to control pace at the start of a 2 day event. I had a massage right at the end of the race which set me up for the next day and kept the aches and pains at bay. The field was a very strong one, with the winner for day one coming in at just over 4 hours and breaking the course record.

That night was spent listening to ultra endurance athlete Andy Mouncey doing a presentation on Ultra marathon running and his career which was very entertaining, and was good to see him manning checkpoint 2 on Sunday morning giving words of encouragement to all people moving through. The big highlight of the Sat evening for me (apart from the delicious Pasta Bolognese) was when the last 3 guys in from the race arrived in 12 hours later after starting at about 8am and the whole room erupted in a standing ovation for them.. This sent shivers down my spine and summed up one of the things I love most about ultra running.. One of the 3 had a bottle of Stella in her water bottle carrier, I think she had earnt that!

The Presidential Suite For Me!!

Onto day 2 and after a restless nights sleep in a school gymnasium with 200 other smelly endurance athletes the lights came on at 6am and up we got. 8am start for the race today, and the course was the reverse of the previous day taking 33 miles of the beautiful North Downs back to Farnham which psychologically was home for the day.. Pete and I had a flight to catch at 7pm which added a nice little bit of motivation  to make it snappy so off we went. The legs were stiff to start and I decided on keeping a steady pace initially so that I could ease into the day and not blow up too early on. This plan went out the window when I took a wrong turn about 10 miles in, and added an extra mile or so plus an extra hill to my race. I trudged back up that hill a broken man after galloping down it like a leaping gazelle.. I joined the race and the North Downs Way once more and set about trying to reclaim some of the time I had lost. I did hit a few bad patches periodically and thought that it was going to be a long day indeed, but after bumping into a few people and chatting a bit along the way I found my spirits lifting and hitting a nice flat section where I got into a good rhythm and ticking of a good few miles which made everything look a lot better.

A bit further down the track I bumped into 3 runners around the 20 mile mark who were obviously preparing for the MDS and had done both days of the Pilgrims with the rucksacks they would be using in Morocco plus approximate weight. This was where I learnt my second valuable lesson of the weekend: Its good to run with other people! I stuck with the guys I met, Tom, Damian and Therese and really hit it off with them, we had a good couple of hours together and the banter was great and really kept my spirits up through the latter part of a very tough couple of days. I look forward to this type of camaraderie in the desert, particularly touching base again with all the people I met over the weekend who will be doing the MDS: Joey, Warwick, Sally, Gordon, Pete, Susie, Rory, Ian, Stuart, Kate and alot of other people who I chatted to along the way, at meal times, ran with and said hello to.

In summary the Pilgrims was a great event, well organised and great value for the entry fee. There were alot of MDS 2013 competitors there which was great to put face to names and to exchange information. I would not hesitate to recommend the event and will probably venture back there myself next year. Lots of lessons learnt for the MDS as well as a great confidence boost ahead of the big one.

More to follow soon!

I will be running in aid of Jersey Hospice care and in memory of my friend Natalie Moss - if you would like to donate please visit my just giving page here

10 Weeks To Go.......

First segment of “Hard as Nails” training completed!! It was a tough 3 weeks taking in around 210 miles on road and scenic Jersey coastal and cliff paths culminating in a 3 day back to back session averaging 20 miles per day for the 3 days. Happily I completed the 3 days well, and felt good after each day, and managed to run each day at a decent pace, so all on track and looking good at the moment.

I took the opportunity over the week after the tough training to take it easy and to let my body recover and repair, scaling down the mileage to a still respectable 48 miles for the week but maintaining a lower intensity and less frequency. I visited a local masseur Samantha Wade at Tonic Body and Skincare (Click here) who massaged my legs back to normal and I even had a lie in at the weekend just gone which was much appreciated. It wasn’t all self pampering though and I was out for a nice Sunday 15 mile run the weekend just gone with my friend Simon McKenzie where the sun came out and it almost felt like spring! (Apart from the woolly hats, gloves, puddles and wet feet!)

Good Game! Good Game! :-)

So everything feels like it has now settled down, little niggles that were starting to appear have been tended to and I am now tapering for the XNRG Pilgrims Challenge Ultra Race. This takes place on Sat 3rd and Sun 4th Feb and is 33 miles on each day over the North Downs in England. This is a very popular race amongst people training for the MDS and I expect to meet quite a few people from the UK who are travelling to Morocco in April over the weekend. I think I am looking forward to this as much as the race. The forecast for the race is sunny on the Saturday with rain on the Sunday which I will take as last year it snowed on the Sunday and apparently the going was pretty tough. This will be the last race I do before the MDS so will be nice to gauge where I am and to identify any tweaks to my training regime.

Next weekend also sees us moving into single figures with the amount of time left before I go to Morocco. 9 weeks! Basically right now everything is about the MDS: Training, equipment choice, mental preparation, massages, nutrition, fund raising, thinking about MDS, writing about MDS and talking about it :-) I can imagine people who know me & who don’t run might be a little MDS’ed out to be honest. I am not particularly nervous at this point, more excited, although there have been a few reports of people getting injuries who were due to take part in 2013 which is a little unsettling. It’s the delicate balance of training and putting stress on the body to improve vs. not putting too much on the body so that it cant cope.

I got a great quote off Canadian ultra runner Jason Loutitt when I contacted him a few weeks ago which kind of sums up the balancing act of rest vs. training and also testifies to his abilities as a runner: "The more you cross that 'too tough' barrier in training, the easier the race will be and the better the result guaranteed... But to do that and not get injured is everything so you have to really know your body. If you don't have good body awareness take subtle training like Pilates. If all good and you can kill yourself in training, stay on top of recovery in all aspects – nutrition, massage etc. Give ‘em sh1t out there!" I didn’t realise this at the time but he had about 10 hours or so previously come second in a 100 mile race called the H.U.R.T. 100 miler in Hawaii so was pretty awesome of him to come back with advice at all, let alone so quickly after a race! 

As I have previously covered in this blog one of the big factors of prep for the MDS is equipment, particularly the clothes you wear, the shoes you wear and the rucksack you carry. I have pretty much decided on the clothing and recently took order of some shiny new Salomon gear courtesy of Craig Meredith at Fit 2 Function here in Jersey (click here) who is a specialist local supplier of Salomon and Inov-8 trail running shoes, accessories, clothing and hydration packs amongst other things.

I have decided on my footwear (99% anyway..!!) and have opted for the Salomon Crossmax Guidance Trail shoe which is a road to trail shoe. It has great support; great grip and is very cushioned so on the surface appears to fit the requirements I have for MDS. I tried them over the weekend on the cliff paths in very boggy, sludgy wet conditions and the grip was second to none. I found them to be very comfortable and I really felt the medial support post in them and as someone who pronates i feel that the support will come in to play quite heavily in the latter stages of a stage or a race. I will test them further this weekend at the Pilgrims and then decide more fully after this. Once I have decided on the vital shoe choice, I need to get them off to a cobbler where I need Velcro sewn around the whole shoe in order to be able to attach the sand gaiters that will keep the sand out of my shoes/socks and protect my feet from blisters (hopefully!) 

Other equipment I have been testing includes the Power Traveller Explorer Solar Power Charger, which was kindly provided to me by the guys at www.mymemory.co.uk. An amazing bit of kit which is a battery that can be charged by a solar panel, which is handy as I hear there is a lot of sun in the Sahara! I am in the process of testing this to see how many charges I can get out of the battery, how quickly the solar panel charges the battery and general reliability of the item. 

Once the Pilgrims is done, it looks like another 3 weeks of intensive training is on the cards within which I hope to introduce some weight to replicate running with a more heavily laden rucksack, a bit of running on sand and also a bit of Bikram yoga to get used to heat and also maintain flexibility. On Feb 16th a few of us are going to run round the island of Jersey (48 miles) as there are a number of us taking part in long distance events over the coming months (Simon McKenzie – Thames Path 100 and South Downs 100, Phil Taylor – Endurancelife CTS Ultra Sussex, Leanne Rive – Connemara Road Ultra, Matt Cuthbert South Downs 100) So alot of races for Jersey runners coming up in the next few months with alot more on the horizon in 2013 for those of us hoping for UTMB qualification for next year. But that is another story.... Happy training! 

I will be running in aid of Jersey Hospice care and in memory of my friend Natalie Moss - if you would like to donate please visit my just giving page here

Training and Recovery....

Since the start of January I have embarked on my specific MDS training proper. My plan, which was set by Rory Coleman back in November sees a massive ramp up in mileage and intensity for me, so the last few weeks have been tough going. The first week was tough and I think after the xmas and new year indulgences my body didnt really know what had hit it the first few days!

My plan basically means that I am training every day of the week, running 5 times a week and weight training for the other 2 days, so at the moment it is go go go every day with no real rest. I am operating on a 3 tougher weeks then a slightly easier week to avoid burnout and injury. My workouts have looked a little like this for the past week:

Mon - Weights session (legs, core and upper body
Tues - Spartans speed session (track 9 miles on avg)
Weds - Half Marathon (8 miles at lunch and the rest in the evening
Thurs - Spartans Hill session (avg 9 miles)
Fri - Weights session (Core and upper body)
Sat - Long run one (17 miles - cliff paths)
Sun - Long run two (17 miles - road)

As you can imagine it has been pretty intense, but I have been loving the training and the challenge of pushing myself. The track nights have helped and I have also been doing some of the longer runs with friends such as Phil Taylor and Lee De St Croix so the craic has been good..

One of the biggest things I have been contending with is recovery. As I am training every day, I have been trying to ensure that as soon as one session ends, my recovery for the next one begins. This has meant stretching thoroughly, taking in food/recovery shake within 45 minutes of session end and foam rollering the hell out of every part of my body. This strategy has been working out well and so far I have been coping well with the higher intensity track sessions, and then recovering well enough for the long runs at the weekend. I think this for me is one of the biggest considerations for the MDS as the main challenge (apart from the heat!!!) is getting up and running after having run a large distance the previous day and doing this for six days. This weekend is a big one for me I will be running 19 miles on Sat, 19 mile on Sun and then 19 miles on Monday so should be a big test. I will be employing all that I have learnt about recovery and hoping I get through it well!

After the big miles this weekend I have a relatively easy week of training next week followed by the Southern Cross Country championships next Saturday in London. Its a 15km course and I along with 16 others will be representing Jersey Spartans in the race. Should be a good event, apparently its 800 people storming up a hill at the beginning so should be quite the atmosphere! Check this vid to get an idea:

The 2012 National Cross Country Champs - Parliament Hill

After this the following weekend (First weekend in February) I have signed up for the XNRG Extreme Energy Pilgrims Challenge - a 2 day ultra marathon on the North Downs in England. Day one is 33 miles, we sleep over night in a school hall, then 33 miles back to the start the following day! Alot of people taking part in the MDS will be taking part in this also, so I hope to make contact with a few over the two days. This should be another great test and upon successful completion I would hope it would indicate the training is heading in the right direction.

So in-between training, entering other races and working, I have been slowly picking my way through all the decisions that have to be made as far as the equipment I need to take, the food I need to eat, the clothes I need to wear and the shoes I need to wear in the desert. I never contemplated how complex this part of the planning would be, with a lot of advice being bandied around - a lot of it conflicting! I am 85% of the way there with a lot of the decisions although I imagine I may U-turn on a few of these before April.. I can imagine I will be selling a lot of surplus equipment on Ebay so watch this space for a bargain :-)

I will be running in aid of Jersey Hospice care and in memory of my friend Natalie Moss - if you would like to donate please visit my just giving page here

Snow forecast this weekend here in sunny Jersey which should prove to be interesting for the weekends running!

More to follow as and when it happens!

Raidlight Desert Pack 20+4 Review - First Impressions

Le Sac!

I took delivery of this little beauty just before christmas as mentioned in my last post, so I have been waiting for the festive period to return to normality so I could give it a little run out and see if all the shiny zips and abundance of pockets and other exciting bits and pieces really delivered what I was looking for in my pack for the MDS in a few months time.. It comes with the main ruck sack, front pack, 2 Raidlight bottles, and a "trail quiver"which is like a pouch that attaches diagonally over the sack.

A Bit About The Pack

So on to the technical info that the website gives.. To be fair there isnt alot of information about this pack and the details on the website are sketchy, so I bought this as a leap of faith really based on their great reputation for MDS kit..

The website states that with all the gear attached the weight is about 870g, frontpack being 100g and the sack on its own is 590g  and this is all I used this morning on my 15 mile trail run on the beautiful (if a little windy, muddy and wet!) cliff-paths of Jersey. Heres a bit more about whats included directly from the website:

Characteristics of Olmo Desert Pack 20+4

Straps Characteristics’

• 2 strap’s bottle holders
• 2 accessories holder ziped pockets on straps (gel, bar)
• Mesh pocket on bottle holders (gel, bar..)
• Comfortable chest strap

Front Pack Characteristics’

• Large ziped pocket on one side
• Mesh pocket on the other side
• Compression System
• Bottle Holder
• Map holder

Back Characteristics

• Large main compartment with mesh separate bladder’s compartment
• Inside ziped pocket for documents or small accessories
• Front mesh pocket with flap for easy acces
• Side mesh elastic pocket for easy access
• ziped pocket on the flap with key clip inside
• 2 large mesh elastic pockets on the back
• Compression system

Bottom Backpack Characteristic

• 4 plastic buckle  to fix sleeping bag with 2 straps

Made for a bladder used

• separate pocket for bladderwith bladder fixation
• 2 tube exit (right and left)
• NEW: Bladder compartment in the front pack. (in option)

Belt Caracteristic

• Removable Front Belt
• Belt included bib carrier and gel holder (can be used separatly)

Pole Holder / Flare Holder Caracteristics

      Trail Quiver included (can be used separatly)

• Pole holder or flare holder  ( possibility of access without removing the backpack)
• 
  

So lots of stuff going on on the pack and lots of storage and pockets. I am a bit of a Salomon Junkie as I think they just do running equipment so well, and in this pack Raidlight have really taken a leaf out of their book. This is the 3rd version of the Olmo just released in November so it appears they have put alot of thought into the details that people need on these types of races.

Initial Impressions

I was a bit concerned about it being white, as it ain't gonna stay clean with the trails here and the amount of falling over I seem to do! However I put it on this morning with about 2KG of weight in and put 2 bottles of water in the front bottle holders and was really pleasantly surprised at how stable it was, the bottles even when full stayed put and the pack felt nice on, lots of straps to adjust it to how I liked it and off we went!

Side View

Front View With Salomon Bottles

Rear View

Over the 15 miles the legs didn't feel so good, but the sack felt great to be honest, I didn't feel the sack got in the way and I didn't have to adjust it once I had found the sweet spot..
One thing I was a little concerned about was how waterproof the main compartment would be; However we got caught in a torrential hail storm for about 3 or 4 miles and the contents of the main compartment were relatively dry, which is encouraging, this bodes well for having gear in the bag and lugging it through sweaty days in the desert and it being dry ish at the end.. I did however have my Iphone stowed in one of the front pouches in aforementioned hail storm and this did not come out bone dry.. It is now drying out (fingers crossed its ok!)

Conclusion

I am pleased with the leap of faith I took, I know some people would say Raidlight can be flimsy and I can see this could be an issue with the pack, however weight is low on this and the pouches and pockets are great. I did try the front pack and it secure by 3 different points on each side and feels really stable, I haven't run with it yet but I think it will be fine..

The pack some might say is quite expensive, but to be fair with alot of the rucksacks you might consider for the MDS there are alot of add ons. Once you have purchased a front pack, bottle holders and bottles the price would be comparable I think. The Trail quiver is a nice touch for those who may use poles, I dont think I will use this myself however.. It is also mentioned that you are able to affix the sleeping bag to the bottom of the rucksack, I am struggling to see where, but I can be a bit dim sometimes so will keep persevering with that one..

I am also a little concerned by the size and how I will get a weeks worth of equipment and food in it.. I know that I will have to pack ruthlessly anyway, but now you actually see what 20 Litres looks like... Yikes!! But alot of people use the 20L and so I am sure I will be able to get beyond this..

As an aside I got a Raidlight Buff free with it, and also a really handy book on Multi Day stage racing which is written by two guys who have done the MDS and a few others and they provide some really useful tips and walk you through what to expect when taking on the MDS.

I would say if you haven't got your rucksack for the MDS yet it might be worth checking this out, I would like to say at this point that I purchased the rucksack myself and am in no way affiliated to Raidlight and my opinions are based purely on the testing I have done.

No Turning Back....

I have just made the final instalment payment for the 2013 Marathon Des Sables...

So this means there is now no going back, I am signed up for the race in April next year and there is nothing I can do!! Time is galloping away now, in just over 3 (yes 3!) months I will be on the start line of the race, my knees knocking my heart palpitating and my legs raring to go in the "toughest footrace on earth"

After the Dorset Ultra I felt pretty decent, I took part in a track night at the local athletics club in Jersey on the Tuesday, felt too good in fact! It wasnt long after that that I picked up the dreaded tummy bug thats been going round Jersey, with a few xmas do's on the go over the last week the bug has been most inconvenient as I haven't been up to going out and letting off a bit of steam, but its all on the mend now and hope to get some decent mileage in over the following week..

So to equipment for the MDS...

Over the last few weeks my attention has switched to what equipment I will take with me to the desert, as vital a part of the prep for the race as the training itself, so I am now the proud owner of a very light very warm (i hope!) very expensive sleeping bag; the Raidlight Combi, which conveniently doubles as a puffa jacket for those chilly evenings in the desert.. It weighs just under 600 grams so am really pleased to have got this major bit of kit sorted..

So as it was xmas I have also treated myself to another major bit of kit, a new rucksack. Presenting the Raidlight Olmo 20L + 4L, a lovely looking bit of kit that I have just taken delivery of yesterday. Its new out in the last month and specifically designed for the MDS, it has a front pack, 2 bottles and lots of handy pockets and pouches which is ideal to me for a long race.. It is quite small however and I am a little concerned how I will fit in a weeks worth of food and other stuff, although I have been informed that I need to be ruthless when packing! I had a quick try of it today and it feels great on, I dont think it will move much much when running which is great, I will be trying it in the near future so hope that it is ideal for the job.. 

As far as other equipment it is all coming together, I am 99% certain on the shoes I will take, the sand gaiters I will use and the clothing I will wear for the week. Weight is the main consideration and I need to really ensure that I take the minimum of equipment and try and keep the pack weight down to 6.5kg (or as close as possible) Over the coming months I will be looking at and testing the various hydrated food options I can take with me as well as the other nutritional aspects. Again I am looking for highest calorific value against least weight whilst also being half decent tasting!! Could be quite a tough thing to satisfy these issues..

So it is now christmas time and training has dialled down slightly.. I am looking forward to getting back into it come new year, 3 months of hard training ahead in which intend to get used to back to back days, build strength and endurance and get used to heat and running with weight.. Phew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.. As far as the heat acclimation I am hoping to adopt a sauna training strategy. I will be building up time spent in the sauna and then introducing light exercise such as step ups to raise my core temp slowly..

Lots to do and lots to look forward to! Have a great xmas and an amazing new year.

Endurance Life CTS Dorset Trail Ultra Marathon Dec 2012

Its Official!

I'd forgotten how severe the hills on the beautiful Jurassic Coastline were to be honest.. This was the third time I have raced on this section of coast and as soon as I was stood at the base of the first climb, which incidentally was right at the start, the pain, lactic acid build up and "what am I doing here" - ness came flooding back from the previous races!

The Course Elevation Profile

Endurancelife always organise a good race, and the Ultra was well organised, I think 130 people started the race and by the looks of the results only 46 made the aggressive final checkpoint cutoff time of which I believe was 6 hours 15 mins. When you take into account the amount of climbing involved for the day (around 6000ft) to make the cutoff is no mean feat. The conditions were also super muddy with more than a few people spending quality time on their behinds and one guy I met even cutting his hand on barbed wire when falling.. 

Beautiful

The Hills Are Alive...

I was lucky in that I didnt actually fall, but as I was traipsing through the mud I was silently cursing the organisers, it was treacherous in parts with slippy sections right next to sheer cliff drops!! I also took a bit of a wrong turn in the first 10 or so miles which lost me a few places in the overall rankings but in a way was a good thing, I ended up running alone for a good 10 miles or so and stopped worrying about pace, position and all that, plugged my Ipod in and enjoyed the run! I think if anyone could have seen me running along singing along to Tina Turners "The Best" or air boxing to "The Eye of The Tiger" they might have questioned my sanity, although I guess not many sane people run 35 miles in those conditions for fun in the first place? Discuss.

         

Phil and Lee

Me!

It was a hard day, but it was sunny and the scenery as always was beautiful, it was great to go over with my friends Phil Taylor, Lee De St Croix and Peter Wright, the banter we had was amazing and we all did well. I was lucky enough to meet a few people who are taking part in the MDS next year, Joey,

Mark and Fred so this was definitely an added bonus for the day.

So.. I placed 11th overall in the end finishing the course in 6 hours 46, I was so pleased with this, and shows a real improvement as a result of my training over this year. The biggest thing for me was being able to climb some of these mountains/hills and then being able to run at the top, this meant I was sustaining a good overall pace during the race and didnt really start to feel tired in the legs until the last 6 miles or so, where you came back to the start line and have to go out and do another 6 mile loop of the initial course. This was tough psychologically as getting to the start/finish and keeping going is very counter intuitive! Once I had gone through I kept telling myself 6 miles to go, 6 miles to go and listened to my cheesy chart iPod playlist and soaked it up..

As far as things to take away from the day? I would say that cheesy chart music works better than thrash metal to keep the spirits high during those difficult times (particularly Katy Perry's Firework...!!), Hammer Perpetuem is an amazing energy source for long races (kept me going and supplied with energy for the duration), leg strength training definitely paid off for those hills, Salomon Exo calf guards were invaluable to keep the legs feeling fresh, and really strong Ibuprofen makes everything ok when all else fails.. :) Onwards and upwards now to 2013, maybe one more Ultra marathon before the MDS just to keep ticking over...

Thank You!!

Another high point this week was that I reached my £5000 target for Jersey Hospice Care. I am raising money for this amazing local charity as a dear friend of mine Natalie Moss spent time there this year before she sadly passed away and they were amazing to her and her family. I am running the MDS in memory of her as her grace and poise under such awful circumstances and her strength was amazing and so inspiring. I am humbled by the support of everyone who has donated either by attending the various events I and my good friends have organised or through my justgiving page, thanks so so much and I hope to raise more before I go to Morocco in April for this great cause.

So whats next? More training now in the lead up to christmas, interspersed with my works xmas do this Friday and various other social events, so a slight reduction in mileage I think for the next few weeks, then back into it at full pelt in January to get me to the Desert. Its just under 4 months til we fly to Morocco and face the biggest challenge I have ever faced. I found the James Cracknell documentary about the MDS on Youtube the other day, well worth a look to see what the race is about, click here