Friday 30th March 2012 - Radio Ga Ga!

So I made my live radio debut today!  I was welcomed onto the Calon FM breakfast show by the wonderful team there led by host Dave Williams.

I had a great time talking about all aspects of the challenge and I hope that I may have inspired one or two listeners to donate some money to Mencap.

You can listen to a recording of the interview here.  It'll only be available for the next two weeks so be quick!

Finally a quick word about Calon FM.  They are a community radio station serving Wrexham and the surrounding area based in the Glyndwr University campus.  They provide a great service to people like me who need a voice in the local community and a quick look at the list of guests they have had on shows what a help they are to charities and other good causes in the area.  Dave told me that they will shortly be applying to extend their licence for another five years.  I would urge you to do all you can to support this to make sure we don't lose this important asset to our community.  They are selling some raffle tickets and you can join in and buy some here. Finally I have to say, they play some great music!  Thanks guys - great work!  :)

Peace, out.

Thursday 29th March 2012 - 10 sunny miles!

So after the shock this morning of finding out that it's hotter here than it is in the Sahara I figured I might as well take advantage of it and get myself out in the sun for a little loosener.  I did 12.5 miles with a fairly light pack.  It was pretty nice really although my right achilles was really tight and around mile 8 on the way back I feared I might actually do it some damage.  It seems looser now so hopefully it was just one of those quirks that happen from time to time.  I also felt a little wheezy but it's hayfever season for me so that's to be expected.  I'm hoping that the pollen count will be low in the desert!

I also took the opportunity to dive into the tanning salon to put a little more in my skin.  I think that another two sessions (Monday and Wednesday me-thinks) will be enough to send me to Morocco with a tidy base tan and hopefully I'll delay the onset of sunburn for a bit.  Assuming there is actually any sunshine to burn me!

Other activity today; I counted some change that had been generously donated to me and went to the bank to pay that in.  After spending about two hours this morning sorting it out into bags I got there to find they had all torn during the run and all the change was rattling around loose in the bottom of my rucksack.  The young lady working the middle desk in Barclays Whitchurch deserves a special mention and perhaps a "Friendly and Patient Person of the Year" award for quietly and cheerfully helping me count out the hundreds of coins I dumped on the counter.  I did make a point of reading her name plate so I could send in some feedback but having the memory of a goldfish I have forgotten it.

I spent some time sending emails to various large companies again this morning and received some highly efficient rejections from most of them.  But I know that there are some wonderful people out there and it's just a matter of finding them!  I'll be having an early night tonight to prepare for my radio debut in the morning.  Wish me luck folks!  I'll be Calon FM some time between 8:30 and 9:30 tomorrow.  I'm really excited!  And also a little nervous...

Peace, out.

Thursday 29th March 2012 - Weather Update

Firstly, it's my Mum's birthday.  So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Mum!

Secondly, IT IS RAINING today in the Sahara Desert.  It is also colder right now in Tazarine (where the race finishes) than it was yesterday in Wrexham.  What a crazy world.  The forecast for this afternoon is for the Sahara to reach 18 degrees C.  Woopee doo!

I'm not changing my preparation in terms of the sun adaption of my skin and the heat adaption of my blood (more plasma please!).  But if the weather doesn't improve I may have to take the precaution of carrying a throw-away fleece to keep warm.  A few years ago the race had to be delayed, and ultimately diverted, because of floods across part of the route but this was considered a freak event.  Hopefully 2012 will not be another 'freak'!

If it is indeed going to be a cold wet one then I'll reach into my bag and pull out a little of the "Spirit of Glastonbury Festival" that's seen me get through several cold wet festivals in years gone by!

Peace, out.

Tuesday 27th March 2012 - Last minute kit buying!

Pretty lazy day on the physical side of things today.  I was working away so a 4:30am alarm call followed by a six hour round trip sandwiching some meetings and no lunch.  I got home about 8pm and had to set about some housekeeping and kit buying, more of which in a moment.

First though let me quickly bring you up to speed on yesterday's training; if you can call it that.  I started with a quick session in the tanning salon.  These places get a bit of a bad press and I think the whole tanning culture is derided slightly but my experience has been good.  The prices are really cheap; in fact I've wondered whether my tiny fee even pays for the electricity those giant machines use!  I guess it must because they seem fairly succesful.  Anyway, if you're looking for a good salon in Wrexham follow the link and tell them I sent you.  They won't know who I am but I'm sure they'll be happy to know that some random customer has recommended them.

After a quick 5 minutes frying in the vapouriser I headed off to the gym.  I spent a long leisurely time in there alternating between the pool, the sauna and the steam room.  All together I swam 1,500 metres and spent about an hour in the heat.  Roughly 45 minutes in the sauna and 15 minutes in the steam room.  It was a good session but I found some new blisters from my training walk on Sunday and frustratingly the ones from the night I got hypothermia (which are six week's old now) are still deep and fresh.  I now fear that they will not have healed fully when I reach the desert.  I wonder if I'll be the only person in the race to have blisters before I even start!

So on to today.  I still have a few items left to buy.  The main one causing me worry was the sunglasses.  It is important to buy 'goggle' type glasses, or ones with some kind of foam to the side because sand can blow in under the lense and be very unpleasant, particularly in a sand storm.  I had feared that I'd be paying over £100 for them but I found these little beauties online.



The other thing I've done tonight is buy myself a blood testing kit.  For my medical form I need to know my blood type.  It's the kind of thing I've been told in the past and never had the common sense to remember.  Or even write down!  Anyway, this nifty little number should sort me out.

Blood testing kit

That's it for today folks.  Peace, out.

MDS Information Shot - No 8

Hi All,

From time to time I get these information shots from the organisors of the MDS so I thought I'd share one with you today.  Maybe I'll post the rest over the next week or so as I ramp up my preparations (and my blogging I hope!).

This one is Number 8 and refers to the efforts taken by the organisors to maintain the pristine desert environment through which I'll be running.

Enjoy!

Peace, out.

Operation keep the desert clean

Environmental protection is part of MARATHON DES SABLES’ ethics, translated through several practical actions:
• documents printed on recycled paper,
• ban on throwing numbered bottles and miscellaneous packaging on the course, with penalties imposed,
• use of ecological bin bags,
• waste collection and destruction,
• self-combustion incinerator to destroy waste,
• installation of very efficient, fully hygenic dry toilets
Ever keen to respect the environment all bottles have been numbered since edition 3 and penalties levied on competitors if their bottles are found
on the race route, between start of race and finish line check-in point (ART. 27 and 28).
In addition, the MARATHON DES SABLES is once more calling up the services of an incinerator lorry. Aimed at destroying waste created by runners, the lorry is equipped with an auto combustion furnace, capable of burning not just organic matter but plastic and light metal.
Several kilos of ashes are collected at the end of the race, corresponding to the daily waste of more than 1,300 people.
Since 2007, GTR Maroc is in charge of transporting the incinerator furnace weighing 8.5 T.
Portable ashtrays are distributed during the race. Remember a cigarette butt left in the desert takes 2 years to fully degrade.

“The Earth does not belong to us, we leave it to our children”.

CARBON BALANCE & ACTION IN 2011

• Over 25 000 euros spent on carbon compensation.
• Complete renovation of a water conveyance system for 150 villagers living in Taright (running water). Water meters were fitted to finance maintenance.
• Solar water heater fitted at a health clinic in the small village of Jdaid.

Targets for 2012

• Install a solar pump on the well of Naam Oued near Mhamid. This guarded site will serve the region’s nomads and their herds.
• Create a ford on the Rheris Oued. This significant construction will link several villages by allowing vehicles to cross the river safely.

---

Decreasing the volume of waste

Everybody is asked to contribute: runners and organisers are encouraged to compress their mineral water bottles to reduce the volume of rubbish in the bins.
This is a gesture of solidarity and ecological awareness. This simple action could reduce the number of bin bags to be collected threefold.
This will make work less arduous for the teams in charge of this task and avoid the incessant circulation of vehicles around the bivouac. T
his ecological gesture requires no effort.
All you need to do is empty your bottle completely, unscrew the top and push on each end before throwing it into the containers situated at the CP exits
or the bags fastened to each tent.
Thank you in advance on behalf of the people who will work to keep the desert clean.

Sunday 25th March 2012 - Sunshine kit test

Hello World!

What a glorious weekend of sunshine that was; and what a glorious week of sunshine ahead of us here in North Wales.  Amazingly the temperatures here in the UK are currently on a par with those in the Sahara desert.  Somehow though I doubt my luck can hold for another two weeks to give me a cool desert experience so I'm still working on the assumption that I'll have some heat related challenges ahead of me.

Yesterday my training was more about testing some aspects of my kit that I hadn't tried before than about doing anything towards my overall fitness.  I bought a 'belly bag' a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to test it out at the same time as my backpack.  The new bit of kit is wonderful, with twin water bottle holders and two huge pouches for food bars, map book, safety kit etc to get me easily through the checkpoints and kit inspections.  It fits quite nicely around me and works well with my rucksack, leaving a decent space for my number to be visible on my chest.

My training was good, twice up Moel Famau.  It's not a big mountain and from car park to summit was about 25 minutes at a good walking pace.  So in total only an hours climbing.  Parts of it are pretty steep though and gave my calves and feet a good workout.  I had 10Kg in the pack so a little more good practice under weight.

The weather was gorgeous and all in all it didn't feel like training at all.  In fact it felt like a nice stroll followed by a hilltop picnic for one!

Now if only the Sahara Desert can be as pleasant as this I'll have a jolly old time of it!!

Sadly, my running-geek instincts failed me and I forgot to take my GPS watch so no distance, climb, or heartrate information on this one.  At a guess I would say probably 5 miles distance, 1000 feet of climb, variable heart rate and VERY VERY VERY slow pace.

Less than two weeks to go now until the off.  Please consider sponsoring me or donating to Mencap at www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.  All donations are gratefully received!

Peace, out.

Hi Honey I'm home!

Hello everyone.

Well, after about six weeks of the non-blogging malarkey I decided to come crawling back to you, with my tail between my legs. Yes, I confess. I have been running around not-blogging here there and everywhere. Having all sorts of not-blogging fun and doing not-blogging things whenever I liked, wherever I liked, and with whoever I liked. All the time shamelessly not-blogging.

This is a pity, since I have had a lot to blog about. I didn’t blog about a 30 mile training hike that culminated in me lying on the ground under a canal bridge at 5am with snow settling on me; excruciating blisters; and a dose of hypothermia. I didn’t blog about a subsequent three week break from running and a rumbling chest ailment that has lasted for over six weeks. I have run twice in New York and not blogged about it. I have had my medicals and my ECG (both passed against all the odds) and have not blogged about them. I have met Andrew Murray – ultra running machine – and not blogged about it. I have broken a bone in my hand and pulled a hamstring and not blogged about either of them. Finally, I have put together my nutrition and my equipment and not blogged about it. I am sorry for being such a bad and unfaithful blogger. If it is any consolation I can assure you that I did not post to any other blogs during this time of self discovery.

Anyway, hopefully I’ll be a little more organised now and get back to my routine of writing about my training and my preparations.

I want to do something specific about my food and about my equipment over the next couple of weeks. I’m waiting for my final items to be sent (some ziplock baggies for food; some new injinji socks for blisters) and then once I have them I will lay them out on something flat and massive and attempt to capture in one widescreen shot all the things that I will then attempt to cram into my little backpack. Wish me luck folks!

Oh, finally, the other thing that I have not been doing while not blogging is collecting money. So, for old time’s sake, here is a little bit of the begging that I know you love. Please please please sponsor me!!! :)

http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Peace, out.