Number 836

It's getting close - 8 weeks to be precise and I've even got my number, 836. For 2 years I have dreamed about setting off for the desert. What it will be like running in that heat, in all sorts of different conditions underfoot? Cooking my freeze dried food on a small stove, repairing my feet and sleeping under the stars while avoiding any beasties! I'll get a first glimpse of it at the end of the month when I will spend 4 days in the desert testing out my gear and myself. Between now and then I will be building up the miles in my legs. Tonight by contrast I went out for a quick 10k run with my rucksack on my back. Lit up like a xmas tree as I was running on "b" roads with no streetlights. Dodging the potholes and avoiding the ice wasn't easy but running in zero degrees is going to be completely different from 40-50 degrees. Perhaps in the double marathon day when we run through the night the temperatures will be near freezing but by then I'll be exhaused and running on empty. I can't wait but there's a lot of work to be done before then.