Mds 2009 .... the beginning!

Well, that was something else!!!

First of all, before I start waffling for an eternity, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support. I was incredibly chuffed to have several pages of messages from people on here.... some of whom I've never spoken to, supporting me and willing me to finish. I had quite a few tears I can tell you!! Knowing that people genuinely support you and want you to do well really is a massive boost.

This was an experience that I can never repeat... and I won't for various reasons. As you all know, this Mds was slightly different to the usual! And that is one reason I wouldn't return. It was unique. Highly unlikely to be another one like it. I know that people who have done it in the past (and people who have never done it) will probably say 'but you didn't do the full Mds', 'you must feel cheated' etc etc. Well no. I don't. It was the most mind blowing experience I've ever had and was, by no means, easy. Brutal is one one that springs to mind (and one which I heard many times after the long day)....

I am going to write up a full account on my mds blog which I will post the address for when it's complete. But thought I would run you through the build up (which was very long...!!!!).

I stayed at the Gatwick Travelodge on the Wednesday with various other people that I'd met previously (including some of my tent mates)... we had a meal that night and were very excited and nervous about what lay ahead..... little were we to know!

When we arrived at the airport on Thursday morning, it wasn't hard to find where check in was for this flight..... a whole line of people with very similar looking backpacks, many looking like rabbits trapped in headlights (including me probably!!). We were all in very high spirits though and it was good to see a fair few familiar faces.

We flew to Ouarzazate and faced the first of many ridiculously long and painfully slow queues. Passport control. Being the only plane that had landed you would think they would be quick and efficient but no... me and Steph were actually somewhere in the middle of the crowd but due to the guy on our desk sitting back and picking his nails, going for a walk from time to time and generally arsing about, we somehow ended up at the back... I was actually the last person to be checked! Typical! Anyway we were shipped by coach to the Berbere Palace Hotel. More queuing whilst we were allocated rooms. It was about 5.30/6pm by this time. Rooms were very nice and spacious and the hotel generally very good. We went to the bar (obviously) for a few drinks and then went for dinner.... the food was fantastic. Couldn't fault it as there was so much choice. Later that evening, one of the guys we were with said 'It's going to rain tomorrow'.... another guy replied 'yes, but that's here in OZZ, we're driving 6 hours into the desert... it never rains in the desert'. Famous last words.....

Friday morning we got up at 6.15am. We were being collected at 9am. However the phone rang shortly afterwards to say that we were actually being collected at 8am... aahhhh!!! Panicked slightly and then got all our stuff together, had breakfast and waited for the buses.
Once on board, it did actually start to spit with rain. Oh well. We were given lots of paperwork and the famous roadbooks which we started studying frantically.... all looked very daunting but the first day looked relatively easy so all okay with that. Dune day was day 2....

The coaches set off and the heavens opened. The rain was so hard you couldn't actually see very much out of the windows at all..... it was streaming off of the roof of the coach... rivers were running down the roads and parts of the desert were beginning to flood. It was bizarre knowing where we were and what was happening. However, we were all pretty confident it would stop. I mean we were going to the bloody Sahara desert....

Many pee stops later and we arrived. We were told we had to wait for army trucks to transport us off road the rest of the way. Still chucking it down with rain. It was just after 3pm at this point.

We waited on board for about an hour and then the army trucks returned for us (they had to do a few trips)....

Got off the coach into thick mud. Army trucks are incredibly difficult to get into by the way as they are incredibly high up! Passed all the cases up and then given shoves by other people to help us aboard. We were told that when we arrived at the bivouac just to go for any tent (they are usually numbered by nationality - Brits tents were 65-95 or something) but we could have any due to the conditions.

Very bumpy ride (back breaking actually) and after 20 mins we arrived. The bivouac was an absolute quagmire!! Terrible! Huge puddles in the middle of it.... we met up with the lads we were sharing with who were on another truck. They had bagged a reasonable tent. About a quarter of it was water logged so we put our stuff on the dryest parts of the carpets and proceeded to try and make it as waterproof as possible.

Shortly afterwards one of the AOI officials came to say that we could, if we wanted to, transfer our stuff to the white press tents which were dryer.... a couple of my tent mates went to have a look while I stayed with Alan to keep an eye on our stuff.... we had backpacks and our suitcases so dragging them around in the mud wasn't an option!

Soon afterwards another official came to say that the bivouac was going to be evacuated and that we would be taken to a hotel.... we were to get some food and wait for the army trucks to return. I had flip flops on at this time.... so we had to walk across the bivouac to the food and press tents with our cases and backpacks in the thick mud. Every step I took my flip flops stuck. Was quite funny.... it was dark at this point too which made it more interesting as you couldn't actually see where you were treading even with a head torch. Got the cases into a tent and went for food. The food tent was thick mud, but worth the wait because the food was fantastic. You couldn't fault the organisers as they did a brilliant job under the circumstances and made sure we were all okay.

Seemed like a long time before the army trucks came back but eventually we were rescued!!! There were however, we found out later, 7 guys who were left at the bivouac... didn't envy them that at all!! Poor buggers!

We arrived in a place called Erfoud... more queuing but finally were given a hotel room (shared with Gilly and Steph) and we cleaned ourselves up (a bit) and went for a drink.... crazy day all round... we had no idea what would be happening tomorrow....

An announcement would be made tomorrow (Saturday) about what was to happen but Day 1 was likely to be cancelled.... Rob (the rep) would be around tomorrow to let us know...

To be continued.....!!!!!

Up to date

So I'm sat here now with only 4 days to go before I fly to Morocco. I actually can't believe this is happening, can't imagine being there, and feel like I'm in a dream like state at the moment! Between Brecon and now I have been training steadily. A bit of gym training, running, walking etc... dune training again and the glued gaiters held up incredibly well!! A bit of cracking where the foot flexes but easily sorted. I feel pretty confident about the footwear now.

I am surrounded by kit, food and medical things. Today was the first attempt at actually fitting it all in. Oh dear. First attempt failed miserably. If I didn't have to eat I'd be fine. Loads of room! 2nd attempt was slightly more successful but the pack was bursting at the seams. 3rd attempt and feeling slightly happier (only slightly). Fitted everything in but it is seriously full to the brim. Knowing I have to fit a rather large flare into it as well doesn't help. May have to try and repack the food (again).

I have the ECG (normal) and medical form all signed, dated and stamped. Have my tickets, flight details, hundreds of painkillers, antibiotics etc etc.... sanity possibly not.

The truth is that I actually can't wait to go. I would never have dreamed that I would be capable of doing something like this. Not physically, I think anyone could train for something like this, but mentally... wouldn't have had the confidence to even think about something like this. But now, I just want to be there, standing on the start line, listening to PB dishing out advice, birthday greetings and AC/DC... all the things I've heard and I'm actually going to witness it first hand.

So I probably won't update this now until I return....

Here's hoping the story's a good one!

Brecon bound....

Have been really bad at updating this.... anyway this is what's been happening.

On 20th February a group of nine of us set off for Brecon (again!). We were staying at a Travelodge in Pontypool and were doing one route on the Friday afternoon and another on the Saturday. Friday was approximately 15 and a half miles, Saturday about 18. The weather thankfully was beautiful and once we'd all arrived, we got changed and set off.

On the Friday we all stayed together and walked. Had a good laugh and tackled some rather interesting terrain! Paths, muddy fields, hills and very steep banking covered in brambles and small trees - the only way up was using hands and knees! All good fun though and definitely good training for the dunes we are to face in the sahara.

At one point we were walking through an estate (it was starting to get dark at this point) and being given menacing looks by the local youth. The social clubs was called 'Pants Social Club'. Highly amusing!!

All in all, despite a couple of wrong turns, it was a really good day. Once we got back and showered it was off for food and a few drinks.

The next day was also beautiful, clear and sunny. We all did our own thing today, some ran, some walked. I was walking with Carol and Steph and we made a pretty good team. We did go wrong a couple of times (I blame the maps!) but all in all, very enjoyable.

We went out that evening for a meal and a few more drinks. A great weekend with a great bunch of people.

Dune training

So with less than 6 weeks to go now I feel like I am almost ready (as ready as I'll ever be). I went to the beach today.... actually really enjoyed it and very glad I went. I did about 14 and a half miles on the shingle and sand which was okay. Quite tough to walk on in parts because one minute my feet felt pretty solid and in the next step they sank completely. A great place to train though so I'll definitely be going back. Once I'd finished that part of the day I went into the dunes. Now this I really enjoyed! I didn't have gaiters attached but was wearing ToeToe socks with Sealskinz over the top and my trainers. No sand on the feet which was a bonus! Not quite sure how it must have looked to the people enjoying the dunes with their kids, buckets and spades at the ready, with slightly deranged looking woman sliding down one side and attempting to run up the opposite side. But good fun and it's given me an insight as to how hard it is to walk up a steep slope in the sand!

I will hopefully go back a couple of times between now and the end of March. Definitely beneficial. Once the gaiters are attached I need to roadtest them anyway.

Less than 8 weeks to go....

It really is...!!! Reality starting to hit hard!!! I have all my kit now and am starting to test food options. It's really hard to know what I'll feel like eating when I've been trudging all day in the blistering heat. Something that appeals now, really might make me want to run in the opposite direction out there. Today I tried fish and potato in parsley sauce... an Expedition meal. It was actually quite nice but an effort to finish the whole meal. They are quite big! I'll try another one tomorrow and once i have about 5 that I like, I'll stick with it. Noodles are an option too because they're easy to eat and prepare.

I did one leg of the Town to Tring/Tring to Town on Saturday with Perks and Steph. Perks was officially entered (Steph and I were not!). I think this is probably a good one to do to replicate the boredom you might feel in the desert. I didn't find it boring because the company was good, but canal towpath does start to look pretty similar when you're walking 40 miles of it. I had a few hip issues from about 12 miles which wasn't good, but mind over matter, just keep plodding on. Once it got dark it was bloody cold. We were the last (but we're getting pretty used to that!!!), and we were making good walking time (averaging about 4 miles an hour for pretty much the whole thing). We walked with another lady (Tricia) who is on the waitlist for 2010. It was her first ultra and she did incredibly well..... she started to suffer with the cold towards the end but we kept going and made it back in around 10 hours 40 minutes.

I wouldn't do this one again, but it was all good experience. Oddly enough, I ached more from doing this than anything else I've done in the past....

The Brecon Beacons are calling in a couple of weeks which I'm looking forward to. Now I just need the snow outside to disappear so I can get back on my feet...

It's been a while....

So what have I been doing since the Beacons? I did one run in the week after the Beacons and then caught the winter lurgy that was floating around. Felt rubbish for over a week and what with one thing or another, didn't do much training..... Boxing Day (Friday) I managed six and a half miles and on Sunday I did just over 10 miles run/walk (mainly walk I have to say) but the legs felt good and my feet are in pretty good nick!

I'm going to do half of the Tring to Town/Town to Tring event with Perks (keeping her company as haven't actually got a place....). That's 40 miles and is on the 17th January I think...

In February we are sorting out a jaunt in the Brecon Beacons, two days covering a distance of about 18 miles on the first day and hopefully about 30 on the second day. Now I'm going to concentrate on building up mileage and doing more back to back days, long distance.

I have really mixed feelings at the moment. I'm absolutely terrified about the Mds but in my heart of hearts truly believe I can do it and I'll be fine (provided nothing happens that I have no control over). BUT despite the mixed feelings I really can't wait to go now. This has been on my mind for a hell of a long time now and suddenly it's becoming very real.

I also managed to get myself in an article in Running Fitness Magazine (Feb issue).... very proud of the fact that someone actually nominated me as 'inspirational'. Don't see that myself but really chuffed that somebody else did (thanks Judith).

The Beacons Ultra : 6th December 2008

It's been a while and this is worth an update!

It was off to Wales for the first running of the Beacons Ultra organised by Likeys (top people!!!). I met up with Gilly who drove up there and Jo. When we arrived in Brecon we visited Likeys and I was not disappointed. Martin and Sue are two of the nicest people I've ever met. Ever helpful and very welcoming. I managed to get a fair proportion of the kit I need and was very chuffed with my buys. We saw some other Mds forum chaps and girls there which was fantastic. It's great to finally put faces to names. After spending up, we headed to the bunkhouse which was to be our home for the next couple of nights.

Carol (Perks) did us proud by making copious amounts of chilli and rice. Everyone chipped in either financially or practically by supplying bits of food. We had a really good meal and all sat, chatted and got to know each other. Gilly, myself, Perks and Steph were sharing a room. Bunk beds - yay!!! I went to Brecon with every intention of only completing one lap of the ultra (23.5 miles) because I was doubting my capabilities and didn't think I trained enough. After talking to Steph, who decided she wanted to try and push herself, I decided I would try for both laps. I asked if she minded if I tagged along.... she didn't thank goodness!!

We got up at 6am on Saturday and prepared as best we could. Backpacks packed, ten layers of clothing on as it was bloody freezing, and nervous twitching. We went over to the rugby club at about 7.45am. I was picked out for a spot check which scared me slightly as, although I knew I had everything, I couldn't quite put my finger on where I'd put it.

We stood at the start, frozen, and waited for the off. Matt from Likeys went through a few bits and pieces and then we were on our way. I set off with Carol and Steph. We had decided to run the first leg (along the canal ie. the flat bit!!) and then see how things went. We stayed at the back which was probably best as there were some seriously fast guys there!

The canal leg passed without any problems and we soon found our way on a very gradual but very long climb through the forest trail. It went on forever. We temporarily lost Perks, but she soon caught us up and we settled into a good rhythm. The scenery was absolutely stunning and because it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day, it made it all the more gorgeous. I could live here!!

Eventually we hit the tarmac (not literally) and after a short distance found ourselves at the checkpoint. We didn't stop for long, just to top up and then made our way up to the Gap. Another climb. There were some pretty dodgy bits (the names of which escape me now), but we managed pretty well in my opinion. The paths were strewn with boulders and rocks so toe stubbing became a fairly regular pasttime!! Once we'd reached the top of the gap and another checkpoint we started to make our descent..... down a very rocky and very icy path. It was very slow going but definitely kept us on our toes (tho not always as Steph found out!!).

There were fields to cross, and very narrow boulder strewn paths, but eventually we finished our first lap. It took 6 and a half hours so we could start the second lap with time to spare (the cut off was 3pm). We knew the second lap was going to take a long time due to the conditions changing (more ice) and the dark. Carol left us at this point as she was sticking with one lap so as not to aggravate injury.

Once we were past the canal and on our way up the forest road (again!), it started to get dark. Head torches came out as did warmer hats and gloves. It was getting very cold!! I found this bit psychologically quite tough and I started to feel a bit sick. We got to the checkpoint and met up with Mark, Mike and Dave. Mark was also feeling a bit ropey at this point and after snacks and drinks, we all set off up the Gap together. I had a dodgy moment and had to stop for a minute or two. After peanuts and a cereal bar I started to feel a bit better. The chaps helped us through the horrible icy bit (tho poor Steph and her bottom became rather attached to the slippery floor!!!). Once through the worst of it we lost sight of the boys who steamed on ahead. At this point one of the marshalls (Jeremy I think) caught us up and walked to the next checkpoint with us. We were very tired but also knew we were going to do it!!

Every time we got on to a road and thought we could speed up a bit, we'd hit more ice and slow right down again. The marshalls at the checkpoints were fantastic and very encouraging. When we arrived at the last checkpoint, we discovered that lovely Gilly (who had been there at the end of our first lap at 2.30pm), was still there.... she must have been frozen. She was going to walk the rest of the way back with us (another 4 miles!!!). We caught back up with Mark, Dave and Mike and trudged on knowing we were nearly there.....

With about 2 miles to go we caught sight of a headtorch bobbing towards us. It was Carol, fuelled by Veuve Cliquot, who came to support us the last couple of miles. It was so lovely and a real boost. Mike and Dave went on ahead and finished. Me, Steph and Mark finished in a very proud last place in 15 hours and 34 minutes. We actually received Lantern Rouge award the next day.... google it - we're very proud!!! We had a welcoming committee who were standing at the end of the road and clapping us home. Fabulous. 48 miles done and dusted.....

All in all, this event was probably the best I've taken part in. Well organised, small and personal, friendly and good fun.

I will definitely be going back next year, and it's given me bags of confidence for the Mds.

Finally, it was so great to meet so many lovely people. Can't wait for March and tent life to begin!