2013 - what will it bring?

Hello it’s me again, wanting to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Xmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. I also wanted to give you something to think about over the festive period and you’ll be pleased to know, it won’t cost you a penny! It’s that time of year again which seems to sneak up on you – doesn’t seem like a year ago I was thinking the same thing! Can I get my work finished before the break and what will 2013 bring? For me it’s a big year as in 16 weeks time I will be completing in (with 800 athletes / nutters) the Marathon Des Sables; 5.5 marathons across the Sahara Desert in 7 days carrying my own equipment (10kg) – temperature around 40 - 50 degrees! Although I have completed 2 Ironman competitions in the past, this is in a different league so I’m pushing the boundaries. My training schedule is full on and, with the exception of Xmas day and New Years day, I will be training in whatever weather is thrown at us – currently running in the dark in freezing conditions. In January I will be running 50-80 miles per week (with a weighted rucksack) and at the end Jan I am running The Great Glen – 79 miles in 2 days. In February my mileage goes up to 80 miles plus per week and I will also be going out to the Sahara for a 4 day training camp. In addition I will be swimming, cycling and practising yoga to reduce the chance of injury. I hope you will follow my journey including the blood, sweat and tears! Please spread the word, tell others to increase awareness of Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres. I will be arranging a night in March to visit Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre in Glasgow so you can see first hand where my fund raising efforts go. I’ll publish details nearer the time. Finally I thought you might be interested to see how complex the MdS is from a logistics point of view. Here are a few facts from the organisers of what is required to run the event: 120,000 liters of mineral water, 400 support staff, 100 volunteers for the course, 100 4�4 vehicles, 270 saharan and Berber tents, 2 “Ecureuil” helicopters and 1 “Cessna” plane, 23 buses, 6 MDS specific commercial planes, 4 camels, 4 quads bikes, 3 mountain bikes, 1 incinerator lorry for burning waste, 52 strong medical team, 6,5 kms of Elastoplast , 2,700 compeed blister plasters, 19,000 compresses, 6,000 painkillers and 150 litres of disinfectant, 6 satellite telephones, 15 computers, fax and internet, 1 editing bus, 5 cameras and 1 satellite image station, Unbelievable isn’t it and I can’t wait to get out there. Thanks for reading my post. I am often told I am MAD but I hope you’ll agree that what they really mean is that I am Making A Difference! Have a fantastic Xmas. Derek

Learning to walk!

This morning I headed up Tinto, a beautiful hill in South Lanarkshire. Many years ago I used to fly a hang glider on Tinto but today it was a treck with a weighted rucksack (5kg). The path was rutted, covered in ice and lying water so I had to be carefull. On the steep sections you could feel the weight in the rucksack and it made me wonder how tough it will be going up large sand dunes with 10kg in 40-50 degrees heat! Learning to walk is an important part of the training and Tinto provides me with a perfect training ground. I didn't get to the top as it got too icy but I did reach cloudbase so for safety reasons I turned back. This type of training is active recovery and has loosened off my legs for tomorrows long run which will be between 15 - 20 miles. I'll be back on Tinto soon and hope, in the better weather, to run to the top as this is the kind of fitness I need for MdS.