Packing to go

I can't believe how long packing has taken. It started with preparing my food for 6 days in the Marathon des Sables. The key is getting the amount of calories right but at the same time trying to reduce the weight. This is critical because on Saturday the race administrators will be checking our rucksacks to make sure we can are carrying what we need to survive. I have no idea how many calories we will be going through a day, but it will certainly be more than the 2,500 - 3,000 I'm taking. This will result in weight loss of perhaps half a stone but I'll enjoy putting it back on when I get back. I have made one attempt to get everything in my rucksack and it failed. I've got most of it in but not everything. Tomorrow I'll try and pack it smarter but there isn't much room for error. Getting the balance between the weight and how much I'll need to eat is tricky as I am entering new territory. The diet isn't particularly appealing but it's what I need to get me through the toughest physical and mental challenge of my life. Only a few more days of normal life left!

Close call

At 9am I went out for probably my last run before I leave for the Marathon des Sables on Wednesday - actually fly our from London on Thursday. There was a light snow flurry and all I was doing was a 10k with no rucksack. It was a good pace but then I hit black ice. Bloth feet left the ground but somehow I managed to land on one and not do any damage. That could have been the end before I had started. After 10 months of preparation it could have been all over. When I got back home I noticed I had recorded a fast time for me and felt fantastic. Only then did the sun decide to come out! I have also been trying my MdS breakfast. Wheetabix, powdered milk, nuts and raisins. It was surpriringly nice so that's another thing off my diminishing list. Last night my eldest son got in very late and I couldn't get back to sleep. Thoughts of the desert, my food, hydration etc were going round in my head so I think I'll need a wee nap this afternoon to make up for it - all part of my recovery plan. It feels strange not to be training hard and I almost feel I'm not doing enough. But as 3 times MdS female winner Laurence Klein said to me, you should not run within a week of the event. So who am I to argue. Rest, yoga, massage, sauna's (to get used to the heat) and good food (plenty of it) seems to be the plan for the next week as the following week couldn't be more different: Sleeping in a tent with 7 other smelly mates, no showers, no toilets, freeze dried food, gels, 40 degrees plus dropping to 5 degrees at night, drinking warm water all day and running 5.5 marathons in 7 (although technically 6) days. Can't wait.

Technical stuff

I enjoyed a restful day today and had the pleasure of picking up a new car. A convertible for when the summer or even spring eventually arrives! But I needed to go shoping for certain foods I need for the Marathon des Sables. They have a strict minimum 2,000 calories per day and the carboydrate drinks and powders do not count. So this afternoon I measured all the food items and their calorific value to finalise my food for the week. When I weighed the food I realised it was too heavy as it would have been almost 6 kilos of weight for the food alone. So I swapped some of the gels and drop a sports bar a day which managed to lose a kilo but I can't see it getting any lighter. Tomorrow I will go for my 2nd last run just to keep my body ticking over but I can already tell it's getting stronger with the rest and all the good food I am shoveling in at the moment. I need to test a "foot pod" with a different watch as this will mean I don't need to carry a solar charger which of course would mean more weight. The problem is that a foot pod works on roads but where the length of your stride alters due to different terrain it will throw out the accuracy of the data. However it will be better than nothing. If you can picture looking for miles across a flat plain you can imagine how it will be difficult to know how far you've come and how far you have to go. It's important especially in relation to rationing your water so tomorrows test is important. Unfortunately I have a late night as I have to pick my son up and an early morning start as I have to drop my daughter off at horse riding! After that I can head out for my run. Then more rest and more food!

Preparing my body

Early morning yoga was a great start to the day. Then to a full on day of one deadline after another - I just love the end of a tax year! Then to the main session of the day - a sports massage. Grant "went in deep" as I am far enough away from the event to recover. As I haven't been doing big miles in the last few weeks my legs weren't too bad. My back was ok but my shoulders were tight - I put that down to the pressure of work. But I'll be back on his bench on Tuesday for my final massage. He's booked me in for 1.5 hours as he will be making sure everything is in order. So tonight I am relaxing, chilling with some good food. My race food has arrived and tomorrow I will start preparing my rucksack and drawing up the final list, including toilet roll. Mustn't forget that!

Inspirational young people

Tonight I was giving a "Mission Ironman" speach meant to inspire a group of young people who had completed a leadership qualification. I was the fifth speaker, the first four being young people presenting what they had done during their course. They were a hard act to follow as their stories were truelly inspirational. I had built my presentation specifically aimed at how with the right mindset you could achieve whatever you wanted. To demonstrate this at the end I invited two young people up to break 3/4 of an inch piece of wood with their bare hand. This is a daunting task but Alan was right up for it and confidently smashed the wood. Jenna on the other hand wasn't quite so sure and one her first attempt her hand bounced off the wood. "I knew I couldn't do it" she said - and she was right. But after a wee pep talk from me she smashed the wood on her second attempt to loud applause from the audience which included the Lord Provist of Glasgow. It was the perfect example of how your mindset determines the outcome and both volunteers who were brave enough to step forward, not knowing what I was going to ask them to do, will never forget the experience. The teachers and parents should be so proud of these young people who have got a head start on other pupils who haven't gone through this leadership course. I just hope that some of my messages will help them on their journey. It certainly was the highlight of my day which started with a yoga session and then a 10 km run in the snow. Now for bed to recover!

Active rest

This morning started with an early morning yoga session. It's the same every time. Stiff as a board at the start and by the end feeling more flexible and refreshed. I cannot imagine what my legs and lower back would be like if I didn't practise my yoga. It may not be perfect but it works. What followed was a hectic day and I didn't get home till late so I binned the proposed run as it was dark. My throat has also been sore and with the temperature at 1 degree I decided to take the rest. That doesn't sit well with me but I am so close I can't take any chances. I'll run tomorrow morning and hope this will keep me ticking over till I do some more miles at the weekend. Tapering is frustrating and niggles and feeling crap come with it. The negative thoughts also creep in so I've some work to do getting prepared.

Eating an elephant

On reading the rules for the third time I realised my doctor had signed the medical certificate but not the ECG graphs. Lucky I spotted that or else it could have been a catastrophy in the desert! Fortunately he was happy to sign them so I can breath a sigh of relief. Not everyone is so lucky and a number of athletes are having to go to a specialist to get signed off. I ordered my food today so that's another major one off the list. I will start laying out my kit this week and checking it off against the manditory items just to make sure, again! Someone posted the weather forecast in Morocco and on Saturday it will be a nice 31 degrees. However an MdS vet posted we should add another 15 degrees for the desert - that is going to be extremely tough. The advice I have been given is to start slow and walk before you think you need to walk - don't think that will be a problem as my rucksack will weigh 10kg on day 1. Day 2 I suspect has some big dunes and when you consider the shock to the system from day 1 and the fatigue as you are repeating a marathon from the day before, pacing will be essential. As I go to sleep at night my last thought is about the MdS and my first thought is the same when I wake up. I've been here before with Ironman but this is different, it's a 6 day event so I need to ignore the enormity of the event and remember you eat an elephant in slices!