Thursday 19th January 2012 - Anglesey Ultra Kit Prep

No training for me today.  I'm on a two day taper in readiness for the Anglesey Ultra on Saturday.  I've never been beyond marathon distance before (well, other than by plane, train, car, or bike at any rate) and it's fair to say I am approaching it with some trepidation.

So far the Marathon des Sables has seemed like a jolly adventure; an excuse to get myself fit and to lose sleep over some charity fundraising.  (Incidentally, I am losing a LOT of sleep over it... if you have a few quid please sponsor me because I'm getting desperate!!!)  But with a tough 33 mile off road ultra-marathon looming in my very near future suddenly things look a little more serious.  I am, of course, treating this as simply a training run.  But it's a big step up and I have plenty of worries.  What if my leg doesn't hold out?  What if my fuelling or hydration plans are way off mark?  What if my stomach plays up and I'm caught short in the wild?  Biggest of all though.... what if I am not even close to being fit enough for it?  I've done a lot of training but not enough to make me confident of achieving this.  I'll give it my very best though.

I guess the only thing for it is to make it to the start line and then put one foot in front of the other over and over again until I either finish the race or it finishes me!  I have, for once, put my laid back haphazard approach to life to one side and am getting myself organised.  As illustrated in this photo.

This is the equipment and food I have ready so far.  It looks a lot but I'm still a little worried it won't be enough and may supplement it today or tomorrow.

Listophobics.... look away now.  Listoholics.... time to rub your thighs.... this will be a doozy!

ANGLESEY ULTRA MARATHON KIT LIST
Food for the race:
500g mixed fruit (1500 cal)
24x Belvita breakfast biscuits (1392 cal)
2x PowerBar (312 cal)
2x Clif Bars (390 cal)
3x Energy Gel (295 cal)
5x ISO sports drink (705 cal)
5Ltrs Water
    [Total calories for consumption in-race: 5,594 cal]

Food for recovery:
2x Wild West Beef Jerky (300 cal)
1x packet Cous Cous (555 cal)
1x pot noodle (383 cal)
1x All Day Breakfast in can (450 cal)
    [Total calories for consumption post-race: 1688 cal]

Emergency food:
1x packet Dates (696 cal)
1x Protein recovery shake (262 cal)

Clothing:
Brooks Ghost 4 trainers
Socks
Compression shorts
Normal shorts
3x T-shirts/tops
Jogging bottoms (in case of cold)
Gloves
Hat
Beanie
Water belt
Phone carrier
Windproof jacket

Safety kit:
First aid kit
Pea-less whistle
Foil Blanket
Head Torch
Spare Batteries
Ankle and calf strapping
Stretch fabric tape
Mobile phone

Creams and tablets:
Berocca
Electrolyte tablets
Vicks rub
Vaseline
Deep Heat
Nurofen
Deep Freeze
Halls vapour tablets
Ibuprofen gel

Miscellaneous equipment:
Swedish army cooker
Metholated spirits
Matches
Air Zone 35 backpack
Water bottle
Fork
Heart rate monitor
GPS watch
Tin opener (not pictured)
Sleeping bag (for after the event - not pictured)
Duvet (for after the event - not pictured)

All told I will have about 7,500 worth of calories of food in my pack when I set off although this can be added to by simply having more of the isotonic drink supplement I will be taking.  I will also start the event with a good breakfast in me that should carry me through the first couple of hours.  I hope that this will be enough.  I have a real fear of feeling hungry and empty as this will affect my mental stamina too so I may add one or two more 'fatty' items to my pack before I start.  The advantage of having some fat in the diet is that it produces a feeling of satisfaction and fullness that you just don't get from these high impact, low volume energy bars etc.

Tomorrow I'll talk a little about my other preparations, carbo-loading, sleep, plans for the day etc.

Until then, thanks for reading!  Peace, out.