Tenerife Training II : Cliffhanger

Two days after scaling Mount Teide I wanted to do a harder training session. I had purchased a book called Walk Tenerife, and the accompanying hiking map. None of the routes were suitably long for what I had in mind. So, I strung together 3 different routes from the book. Well, that's what I planned, but I ended up doing 4 routes. The map below shows my route, starting from the left had side in Adeje and heading north, following the green dots I have placed on the map, right around in a circle to the red dot. The route ended up being 19 miles. The first hour and the last 2 hours were hot and cloudless, around 24C. In between it was still warm, but clouded over. I carried 2 litres of water in a backpack that weight approx 5 kilos. I'm sure you have gathered this by now, but you can click on the pictures for a full screen image.



The route began at the top of Adeje next to a National Park called Barranca Del Inferno (Hells Ravine). This is the most popular walk in Tenerife following a spectacular ravine, but the route is only a 7km return and only 200 people are allowed on it per day. The route I chose was obviously considerably longer and tougher and I saw only a handful of people all day, all of which were doing walks on small sections of my route. There are no footpath signposts in Tenerife. You occasionally see a white arrow chalked into a rock, but more often you see little pyramid piles of rocks about 6 or 8 inches high that people put on the trail to follow. They are actually very helpful and got me back on route several times when I took a wrong turn.

The walking surface is rough and ragged. Dirt and large rocks, and boulders on the whole trail as the following photo and short video show.





A lady at the National Park centre not far from where I began my route gave me estimates of 2 hours to reach the first cliff face (after gaining 700 metres) and 5 hours to reach the village of Ifoche. Of course she assumed I would be walking, and not walking quickly or running. I ascended the hills at the back of Adeje and took this photo shortly before reaching the summit shown at the top of the picture.




I reached the top of the cliff 700 Metres above in an hour an 5 minutes. Due to the terrain on that section I had to walk all the way up, but I managed 2.7mph using my trekking poles on most of that part. I took this photo from that point. I had climbed from an area that was level with the circular water treatment tank visible near the centre left of the picture.



At this altitude, which was 1100 Metres, the route mostly plateau’s for a few kilometres and turned into pine forest, gaining perhaps another 100 metres in height. I ran the ran as much of the remaining route as it was safe to do so, but due to the nature of the terrain walking was necessary in order to stay alive! I used my poles while running, planting them down with every other step, almost like a cross-country ski action. This worked well, and I skipped over the terrain well. I even used the poles to launch myself upwards when climbing by placing both on the ground and pushing back to jump up sections. It was really quite enjoyable.

Route finding was difficult with criss-crossing trails everywhere as I followed the path from west to east across the top of the map. I missed a turn at one point and trotted out from the trees to be faced with this cliff, which was actually the Barranca de la Fuente Ravine shown in the centre top of the map. I don't know if you can really see the scale but the drop beneath my feet was around 250 metres





I had missed the path which took my around and wound down eventually to the ravine floor, before climbing back up and out around the other side. I retraced my steps and picked up the path. I reached the ravine floor and took this shot. This illustrates what I mean when I say the little pyramid stone piles that mark the route. Usually there is just one every now and again. Looks like in this photo there is a bit of a stone-man party going on. It’s pretty though huh?



I took this at the other side as I was climbing out of the Fuentes ravine.



I reached the village of Ifoche in 2 hours 40 minutes, somewhat quicker that the 5 hours predicted by the tourist office! At this point, technically the first guidebook walk ended and I picked up the second which took me from Ifoche to El Ancon winding around the almost to the summit of, but skirting to the side of and then down the three spectacular peaks Roque Los Brezos, Roque Imonde and Roque Del Condo. These shots were taken during that stretch of the route.

This little peak before the two main ones is called Garcia's nose.



This is Roque Del Condo. You can see the old agricultural terraces on the hillside.



A shot looking across from Del Condo:



This shot is looking back up to Roque Imonde. I had climbed down from practically the very peak of this.



This video shows the whole vista. The first peak is Imonde, and then across to Los Brezos where I had come from, then the final shot is of Del Conde where I was headed.



There was a lot of climbing down into ravines, and then back up the other side. You can see form this shot on a ravine floor where I had come from, up high in the right. I'm not sure how many metres I climbed that day, but I'd estimate around 2000.



I stopped and ate lunch around here, right next to the area marked Hidden Valley on the map. It really was a pretty spot. There was an old almost overgrown threshing circle and the remains of agricultural terraces on the surrounding hills. I topped up my electrolyte at this point too. I eventually reached El Ancon where the second trekking route ended and picked up the next route a kilometre or two down the main road in Arona. My knees were a little sore at this point. I had been out around 4 and half hours at this stage. I had an ibuprofen more an anti inflammatory than a pain killer.

I began my third (and what should have been final) trekking route. This should have taken me back to my hotel at Torviscus Alto, not far from the place on the map (bottom left centre) marked Picos Las Americas. However, this is where things started to go wrong.

I couldn't find my way down to the road. The hill was very steep and I was still at around 800 metres at this point. I took this shot from the peak of this route, just before I descended to try and find my way back. See the white line that runs in the side of the hill; remember that, as it was almost the death of me.



I descended down to 500 metres and then hit that white line, which turned out to be aqueduct carrying water along the hillside. At this stage it was open-topped and was 1 metre high and 1 metre wide, and made of stone. This is known as the Rio Conde, as marked on the map. I looked at the guidebook and decided that since I could not find my way down to my hotel, I would follow a 4th trekking route in the guidebook which followed the line of the Rio Conde. The name of the route in the book was "Adeje Skywalk" - I was soon to find out why. I scanned the route, a little too hastily, and disregarded the warning about a certain part inducing vertigo. Although as it transpired, that section wasn't an issue.

A started to make my way along the path that ran parallel to the Rio Conde. At first it was an easy and obvious path. The drop to my left was not quite gentle, but certainly not steep. However, at the point on the map marked 'difficult water changeover point, this got tougher. I had to clamber up and balance on the walls of the Rio Conde, which was about 3 inches wide. So doing a tightrope act I tip-toed over this meeting of several aqueducts. The other side the water in the duct had gone, to be replaced with a 18 inch diameter plastic pipe that sat at the bottom of the rock aqueduct. So, it looks to have been reused for some modern purpose. Then soon after the Rio Conde gained a concrete top, the path to its left vanished into the slope and I had to mount the Rio Conde itself as use it as a walking surface, which is what the guidebook indicated. This metre wide surface became my path for the next 4 miles. You can see it below.



You can see that although the hill drops off fairly steeply, it's not a sheer drop, so a loss of balance would not result in anything too serious. This continued for the next couple of miles, following the mountain contours, winding in and out of ravines. This shot illustrates nicely.



At several points, the aqueduct became a small bridge, with nothing to the right or left. Perhaps only a 3Metre fall either side, but enough to cause injury. None of this really fazed me, and I ran much of this section as I am pretty sure footed.

I turned a corner and up in the distance I could see the fabled Vertigo-inducing aqueduct over the Barranca Del Aqua (Marked waypoint number 13 'Danger of Vertigo', on the map). I also noted that after the aqueduct (to the left of the picture, the drop to the left of the Rio Conde walkway looks somewhat steeper...)



You can't see it from that photo, but around the corner and before the bridge over the Barranca, the drop to the left steepened a little and there was a sheer rock face on my right. I turned a further corner and my face went ashen when I saw this.



The things wrong with that scene:

1) Rock fall had smashed through 1 to 3 metre sections of my walking surface, the Rio Conde.

2) The scale isn't good, but firstly that's a 5M sheer drop, followed by a short steeper section, then another sheer drop that is not shown in the shot.

3) The cliff to the right of the Rio Conde, overhangs, the only way past is to edge around the mountain sideays. Not a good idea for someone who is wearing a backpack.

4) The plants and cactus had already ‘spined’ me to death in various sections. The overhanging plants are pretty tame here, but got worse later. I was forced to go through them, or go off the cliff.

I edged my way forward and had to climb down inside and into the pipe inside each time I hit broken slabs. There were many-many more of these over the next couple of miles, by the way. I'd already packed away my trekking poles onto my rucksack, but I was concerned they would catch on the cliff as I passed by. I was pretty upset that an respected walking book would put me in such a dangerous situation. Routes like this should just not appear. I later read in their book - "We were surprised that this route didn't appear in anyone else book". Well I think I can answer, that's because they all died whilst scouting it out!

I clung onto what I could of the cliff and edged my way around to the other side. This was seriously scary for me with a fairly large backpack with trekking poles poking out at all angles. I eventially made it past the worst, and I let out a sign of relief, but things got no better the other side. The same broken slabs and sheer cliff face continued. My progress slowed, no more running as you can imagine. Next I reached the aqueduct bridge section over the Barranca Del Agua. You can't really see it, but that's a big drop to each side. Serious injury or death if you fall, about 10 metres I think.



This shot taken as I was crossing it. I should have pointed the camera down to catch the drop, but didn't think about it at the time.



As I said earlier, this didn't both me too much. OK it was a straight drop 10M either side, but that's a metre wide surface to walk on and there was little wind. I think I even ran across it as some kind of bravado stunt.

For the next mile or so, things didn't improve at all. I kept hoping round the next corner would be a path down, but I just kept getting more sheer cliffs, broken slabs and scary walking, as shown here.



It was the overgrown bushes that I had to go through which made it all the tougher. I got ripped to shreds by various cactus plants during this stage.

Something strange happened then. I half questioned if I was imagining things. I swore no one had used this as a route realistically, and that it had not been trodden in months or years. Then I glanced across the ravine from where I had come and I saw a man. He had long black trousers on, no shirt, and had no shoes on as was following behind me on the Rio Conde I'd guess about 2 mins behind. I wondered where he could have come from as there simply was no access. You were effectively a captive of the Rio Conde for 5 miles. The cliff had got less steep to my left anyway, so I turned a corner and broke into a jog again and went around to the next ravine. I slowed up again as I went through some plants, and glanced over the canyon. Around the corner came the man, but now having lost quite a lot of ground to me running. He glanced across at me, stopped for a second, then turned on his heels and walked back around the corner never to be seen again.

This did freak me out a little. Later I was told that there were hermits who lived in the hills. I had visions of the hills have eyes movies.

A mile or so later, and much to my relief the Rio Conde disappeared into a rock face near the Barranca Del Inferno where I had began my walk, and after some clambering down a steep hill, I found the path that wound down into the canyon floor and back up into Adeje. I took this last shot looking back to the end of the Rio Conde, after I reached Adeje.



I completed the last couple of kilometres at pace. Even with the snail-slow progress on the Rio Conde and the lunch stop I averaged 2.4 mph. It had taken over 7 and half hours. Not bad for 19 miles and 2000 Metres of climbing. The most important thing there was 'time on your feet'. Out for 7 hours in warm weather in hassh terrain, just what I need. I called in a lift back to my hotel and retold my story. My sister and her Spanish boyfriend live in Tenerife and they had never heard of anyone walking on the Rio Conde. Nor had any other resident they spoke to. You must be crazy they said. I think they were right.

So I survived a training session that went way above and beyond the call of duty, over harsher terrain that I will ever face on the Marathon Des Sables in Morocco.

The day after I developed a lump on the top of my shin bone, red and raised, and was soon limping badly and could hardly bear any weight on it. 4 days later and now home in England, I can now walk better, but can't run. A physio looked at it and didn't think it was a sports injury. He suspects infection. Maybe I caught a bad cactus spine? I don't know, but if it is not much better tomorrow I'll have to go to the doctors to see what it is.

Apart from that I have no aches or pains of any kind and feel pretty good. Only 8 weeks to La Trans Aqu in France and only 5 weeks of hard training before a small taper. If this shin issue gets resolved quickly, I'm well on track and things are looking good.

I'll return to Tenerife later in the year for more training. It will be much hotter in July or August. The terrain is perfect though, and I will no doubt have plenty more opportunities to frighten myself witless in the mountains.

Tenerife Training: Climbing Mount Teide

I decided before I got to Tenerife that I wanted to climb mount Teide. Mount Teide is the highest mountain in the whole of Spain and the third highest volcano on earth, at over 3700 Metres, oxygen around 40% less than at sea level at the summit. The basin from where you begin your ascent is already at almost 2300 Metres, and you are not allowed to climb the last 163 metres without a permit. So, that leaves just over 1200 Metres to play with. As I was preparing my Father decided that he wanted to join me. I did try to put him off with scare stories of altitude sickness, and being harder that climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, and that it was only suitable for fit experienced hill walkers. Here is a 3D image grabbed from Google Earth.



However, he was not deterred and came along. It's a 60km drive gaining 2000 Metres to the basin. I had packed for both of us, knowing full well my father would not be prepared! I carried more weight than I ever had before. I didn't have my scales but it felt around 7kg; this included 3kg of water, so over time the weight did reduce. We called at the cable car station to enquire about using it to come down. However, to our dismay the last car back was at 4:50pm. This gave us only a 4 hour window to each the summit, which basically meant that at the pace we would be moving, no chance. It also reported the summit temperature being -3 (-22 wind chill) at the top. Considerably colder than we had anticipated or were dressed for. So, we settled for getting as far as we could in 3 hours, then we would turn about and descend. The start of the route begins at the road, by the signs for Montagne Blanca. The first 2.75 miles is on an easy wide path, than gains about 400m, very steadily. The landscape is awesome and looks very lunar-like as these shots show. That's my father in the frame incidentally.





Shortly before the easy paths ends, we hit snow drifts on one side of the mountain, as my father demonstrates.



By fortune, it was easy to navigate these as we continued on. I'd forgotten to say the wind was biting cold at times and neither of us had any windproof clothes with us in Tenerife. At no point did we really feel cold as we had a few layers of clothes on. This video was taken during the first hour as we headed along the nice steady ascent to the foot of the mountain proper.



Very abruptly at around 2.75 miles the nice path ends and suddenly turns incredibly steep. It had taken us just over at hour to cover that distance, but already we would tell our progress would get much slower. This shit illustrates that. The dark coloured earth is where it starts to get steep. We were heading to a point at the very centre of the picture.


I had let my father lead and set the pace for the day, as he doesn't have my fitness, although he did surprise me. I had visions of calling in mountain rescue for him before we started! He'd done very well up until the steep section, and then had to pause fairly often as we ascended the steep tight winding path. He was flagging a little until I revived him with some electrolyte and Enduroylye (electrolyte capsules). His muscle cramps disappeared quickly, and he stuck to drinking my electrolytes instead of the plain water. I also gave him my trekking poles to use for the remainder of the day. Progress improved immediately, as he took to using the poles like a seasoned professional. The following shots are good indicators of the terrain. You can also see the only item my father thought to pack for an expedition of this kind! In the shots looking down, we had climbed from the lowest point visible, off to the top right corner of the shot.





You get an idea of the terrain and views from the 3 mile mark video I took.



Our pace dropped from the 2.7mph to just over 1mph for the last 1/2 mile of steep climbing. We set ourselves a goal of reaching a pole that we could see before our return. It took us about 1 hour and 45 minutes of the steep climbing to reach what turned out to the mountain refuge at 3270 Metres, taking total walking time so far to 2 hours 50 minutes.

Here is some video I took from that viewpoint.



I left my father to take 5, and I continued climbing for the next 10 minutes. I really just wanted to see if I could get a photo of the summit and see how far away it was. However, almost immediately I hit snow, although I did clamber up for those 10 minutes before calling a halt. I took the next photo and video from that location. You get an idea of the steepness, although after that ridge the tough climbing is basically over and it's a steadier climb to the cable car station.





I took this shot just before I descended back down to my father at the Mountain refuge.



My father had only jeans and light gym shoes with no grip. We didn't have any suitable clothing for climbing those last 200 metres of altitude, and approximately 1 hour of traverse time, so we ate a little lunch and descended. As you can imagine, the descent was considerably faster. Using the poles my father descended very quickly, and we made it to the foot of the steep section in about 45 minutes, then took a further 40 minutes to reach the car. A descent like that is certainly hard on the knees, and I had an ibuprofen to keep any inflammation down, as I had give the poles to my father of course. Although the first section is less steep, you get an idea that there was still some effort required, especially given the conditions, from this photo.



I had sore knees for a little while afterwards, but all in all I felt good. We covered just over 8 miles in total. I had carried quite a lot of weight and felt fine. My New Balance 1000MDS shoes really performed well. Tons of grip and I didn't feel a rock or sharp stone through the soles all day. Lot of the early terrain looks similar to that of Morocco, so I know I have the right shoes for the job already.

I took a day off after that, before I did my next route. That is a story in itself. Lets just say it involves 19 miles, more metres of ascent and descent, and one of the most scary experiences of my life! I'll write it up tomorrow with photos and video.

Cliff-hanger or what?

Update: I made another Teide summit attempt in December 2007. read about it here.

...and another in 2009, read about it here.

Death on the Marathon Des Sables

Well, I'm back from Tenerife. I survived my training, but only just. I'll create a whole post about Tenerife, separate to this one as I have plenty to say and lots of pictures to see.

If you have been following this years MDS using the links I posted then you will know this already. If not, then the 2007 Marathon Des Sables has just finished. Overall it looks like the conditions were more favourable this year. The humidity was back to normal. Last year about 150 people retired, this year it's looks to be just 30. The humidity looks to have averaged around 15%, and not the 30-40% of last year. The one day the humidity made it to 18% the temperature mercifully dropped to 33C. This was the long day (double marathon) stage, so I bet the competitors were thankful for that! However, for one competitor the long day was his last. Very sadly, a French competitor, Bernard Julé, died in his sleep after completing the long day stage successfully; he was just 49 years old.
The full press release can be found here

Other websites go into more detail, only to say he was flown to hospital by helicopter where they later confirmed he had died of a heart attack. What stunned me is that this guy looks to have been a superb athlete. He had finished the long day in 45th place. Out of 750 competitors that is no mean feat. He even got up to greet other tent-mates in the night, and then passed away in the 3 hours before sunrise. There is nothing anyone could have done in this case. He sought no medical aid at any point, his ECG will have been normal just to gain entry. A minutes silence was held the next day, and the eventual winner of the whole event held up a placard with his number on as he crossed the line.

In better news, Alan completed this years MDS successfully. I've been getting daily updates from his boss and kept an eye on his progress. I've yet to hear the full story, but I'm sure I will when he returns from Morocco. I can only imagine he is elated, after the disappointment of retiring through injury last year. Well done to Alan, I look forward to hearing all your news.

So, MDS 2007 is over. The countdown begins now. Less than 365 days to go before my turn!

Climate Training

I'm going away for a week this afternoon to visit my sister who lives in Tenerife. It's her birthday, and the whole family is going out.

I'm also going to take the opportunity to do some warm weather training, and do a few of Tenerife's many walks. Being a volcanic island it has plenty of mountains to tackle, including the actual volcano Mount Teide which is 3700 (12,000ft) the highest peak in all of Spain. Even the mountains in my sisters back garden are bigger than any in the UK. I get back next Saturday, so expect some pics and video from Tenerife after that.

In the meantime, keep an eye on proceedings at this years Marathon Des Sables which starts tomorrow (Sunday) morning.

http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php

It gets updated daily with event and weather updates
Keep an eye on Competitor number 543, Silcock.
I'm sure he'll appreciate words of support from anyone, if you 'write to a competitor' on that website.

Speak to you in a week.

Spring in Lakeland and 2007 Marathon Des Sables

First off, apologies for not getting this weeks update up until Tuesday night. After the event on Sunday, I got back and had to pack for a business trip to South Wales early on Monday morning from where I have just returned.

So, the event was a Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) event called Spring in Lakeland. Whoever named the event clearly had no idea what the weather would hold. Winter in Lakeland would have been far more appropriate! The designated route was for 22 miles and 5340ft of ascent. As I arrived in Ambleside in the Lake District the hail started. The organisers gave us instruction to avoid one section of the planned route and take lower ground instead. This, plus an additional short cut (more detail later) meant that the event was 20.6 miles, and 4225ft of ascent. Still fairly substantial, but the main ascent to the highest point in the climb was wisely removed.

Both routes are posted below; the original route, then the actual route taken. The main difference is the peak between the 8 and 12 mile mark taken out, plus another at the end.





The event began at 8am for both walkers and runners. I changed my entry to a walker due to my recovering from ITB injury. This turned out to be a wise move. I was dressed in full waterproofs and carrying a lighter backpack of just over 3 kilos. I also used my trekking poles from the beginning. The route begins with a not insubstantial 500ft ascent in the first mile. After that a descent of the same amount followed by a fairly flat route to the first Checkpoint at 4.5 miles in Elterwater. The area is very picturesque; the rendered images in my previous blog post really don't do it justice. Fortunately I packed my mobile phone and took plenty of shots. The first below is from those flats.



About 3 miles in I felt some minor pain in my knee. I was surprised, at the same time as not at this happening so early. I knew doing the event was a bit of risk so soon after an ITB flair up, but I hoped walking would minimise the risk. At the first checkpoint I was sufficient concerned to pay a visit to a little shop in Elterwater and buy some Nurofen anti-inflammatory painkillers. My logic was to reduce inflammation, take away the pain, and hopefully enjoy the day. I then left CP1 and took this shot as I made the next section of ascent.



It took about an hour for the pain killers to kick in, by which time I'd already ascended and descended another 500ft. However, kick in they did and the pain faded, for now.

This shot was taken before the next climb and just before the weather took a turn for the worse.



At the peak around 6 miles the conditions deteriorated. All the way so far there had been on and off wind and sleet. This escalated to much stronger wind and hail. This video just capture the start of the poor weather just before the next section of ascent to the 8 mile mark



Descending from the 8 mile mark I took these further shots. You can just about make out the chunks of hail that were falling (and really hurt!)




A half mile later, the heavens really opened. This coincided with the route change, where we were instructed to stay on the low ground just after "High Tilberthwaite", and not make the ascent to Coniston fells. This was a shame, as this would probably have been the highest point I would ever have climbed in England so far, but when you see the next video you'll understand why it was wise to stay low.



Shortly after the video I took the next photo, which shows the distinct wintery flavour of the course in that area.



So, we got an easy route into the town of Coniston at Checkpoint 2. I took this shot shortly before arriving.



Checkpoint 2 was at Coniston Museum at the 11 mile mark, about half distance. At this point I took one more Nurofen (I had taken 2 at CP1 6 miles earlier). My knee had started to niggle again, but was still ok. I felt relatively fresh, despite the climbing so far. I had finished off all of my 800ml of electrolyte and virtually all of my 100grams or so of mixed nibbles; dried banana, dried cranberries and cashew nuts. I figured the effort from the climbing had made me burn more calories than normal at this point, coupled with my use of trekking poles, which definitely burns more calories.

The route to the next checkpoint at 18 miles was largely uneventful, yet still accounted for 1500ft of ascent in those 8 miles. I took this shot and video at around the 16 mile mark. I did pass some tiring people over this stretch. I was walking an average of 3.5mph, not a bad pace considering the climbing and several minute stops at the checkpoints.





Lovely views throughout this whole route as you can see. I reached CP3 and applied some zinc oxide tape to the side of my heel where I thought I could feel a blister starting. This isn't an area where I normally blister, so I was a little surprised. I put it down to a change in socks and perhaps not fastening up my laces as tight as I should. A couple of miles after the checkpoint by Clappersgate the weather turned nasty again.



Just a mile and a half or so from the finish my heel suddenly screamed in pain. A large blister had suddenly sprung up when I slipped with my footing. It was so painful it was impossible to walk on. I took off my shoe, puzzled as to why the Zinc tape had not done its job to prevent the blister progressing. Two reasons, the blister was on the bottom of my heel, not the side, and also my feet were so wet the tape had come off anyway.

It was impossible to walk with the blister, so I knew I had to burst it. If I had thought about it, I had a first aid kit in my pack with a safety pin. However, I forgot about that, and simply pinched it between two fingernails. It was very tough as the blister was on very thick skin, but I succeeded in bursting it and easing the pressure. However in the process I had pushed dirt or leaf debris under the skin and I could not get it out. I put my sock and shoe back on and decided to take a shorter route back which avoided the last ascent in the original route. This short cut was offered on the instructions for the route, if you were feeling tired. I was certainly not feeling tired, but thought I was on damage limitation at this point and so took the half mile shorter route and finished ahead of the other walkers as you would expect; there were only a handful in front of me before I stopped to attend my blister anyway. I decided not to stop for the free meal at the end, and to drive straight home. I guess I was in some ways slightly ashamed not to have taken on the last few hundred feet of ascent, but I knew this was for the right reasons. Oh, I forgot to say that I ran all the way back from Clappersgate. This was because it avoided pressure on my heel, and I wanted to get back quickly and be away before anyone else got back! I guess the running of the last mile in some small way made up for missing the last hill (well maybe not quite).

So, another successful milestone - 20 odd miles with some substantial climbing. I was, and still am, a little anxious about my knee. It is still sore, as are the tendons at the back of both knees. I had been taking ibuprofen for the last couple of days, and hopefully I've done no lingering damage by popping painkillers so early in an event.

I used my poles for the whole 20 miles, another milestone. My arms did tire in the last few miles, so I got less benefit from the poles then I suspect. I only used 1 sachet of electrolyte and not the second I had packed. That probably would have carried me through, but I was happy to finish as well as I did. I finished in 6 hours and 15 minutes for the 20.6 miles; around 3.5mph for the whole event. I was happy with the time, and look forward to the next LDWA event in a month’s time. Between now and then I will concentrate on my running a little more. I need to make sure this knee is OK, and I really hope it is. It doesn't feel too bad; let’s just hope it heals quickly this week.

My story should end here but I had to make a somewhat embarrassing trip to the local nurse-run NHS drop in centre to sort out that blister. I got home and was concerned about the black patches under the skin (the trapped debris and dirt). The skin was so thick that I could not cut it away with small nail scissors, and of course the red skin underneath was very very sore to touch. I decided the only thing for it was to go to the local DIY store, buy a scalpel, cut away all the blister skin and clean it out, then apply some Friars Balsam as antiseptic. If you've never applied Friars Balsam to a wound before, can I recommend you bite down on leather first! It is a good 7 out of 10 on the pain scale.

Anyway, the DIY stores were all closed. I was concerned about infection, which would definitely have kicked in had I have left the dirt in. So, I rather sheepishly turned up at the NHS local drop-in centre. I asked the burse to cut away the skin, but he said it was better to leave what was left. He prised apart the tough skin and scraped all the debris out with tweezers, before pushing in a needle of saline solution to flush it all out. Not the most pleasant experience, but it hurt less than Friars Balsam! He then bandaged it up and sent me on my way

So, I have a very sore heal as well as sore tendons and a knee. I didn't train on Mon and Tuesday because of work, but I will either run or go to the gym tomorrow, depending on how things feel.

So, a good success this week, but some pain to show for it!

Finally, the 2007 Marathon Des Sables starts this weekend.

You can follow it with the links below, and also send a message to Alan who is competing this year, after retiring with injury last year. Send him a message for morale support! Here's the info from Alan


goto the following website:
http://www.darbaroud.com
or
http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php

this is in french. you need to look (its normally near the top somewhere) for a section called:

"écrire aux concurrents / write to competitors"

only messages that start with my details as follows will get to me:

Silcock, Alan, 543

543 is my race number.

from there, you should be able to send a message if you should wish to! do not attach anything to it as the message will not be sent then - text only!! i would greatly welcome one, as anyone who has been will tell you, any message that you receive, lifts you - and trust me, you need a lot of that!!

on this site, you can also follow my progress. go to this address:

http://www.darbaroud.com/resultats/participants.php?epreuve_id=3&langue=en

this is where you can see the list of competitors. On a regular basis, the organisers update things each day, with your position / time etc, so you can see how i or anyone else is doing.

all you need to do here, is that under number is put 543 (my number) and press send (over on the right) and it will bring up my details. you will then find that you can click on my surname SILCOCK and it will bring up my details as the time passes through each checkpoint.

They also regularly update the website as the days pass too, telling you about the weather conditions and other things that have happened too. they put pictures up and some video clips too, to give you a really good feel for the whole event. eurosport on cable/satellite normally run bulletins through that week too, if you want to try and catch them!!

Good Luck Alan!

Ok, back to me again. After this weekend the countdown begins. Just a year to go, and I know it's going to fly by...

Midweek update and the weekend plans

A definite improvement with my injury over the last few days. I've continued doing a lot of stretching. My hip is fairly uncomfortable, but that doesn't bother me when I run. It's the other end of my IT band, the knee that I'm being protective of.

On Tuesday I did a 5 mile interval session. I'm deliberately doing intervals at the moment so I fully stretch out the muscles. That went well with no knee pain at all. I was due to go to the gym today, but being short of time I did another run. I did a slightly shorter route, at 4 miles, but fairly 'hilly' all off road and rough terrain. It was probably a little too ambitious as my knee did ache a little. You should really avoid routes with hills when recovering from IT Band syndrome.

During both routes I stopped a few times to stretch out my IT Band. My time was unimportant; I didn't even take a watch. I just concerned about getting back on schedule now. Doing little runs like this, 4 and 5 miles, almost feels like starting from scratch. I guess it is, but I'm going to make bigger jumps to distances than I would starting from scratch. Over the next few weeks I should be back on track. I need to keep the 40 mile event near Oxford in my sights for early May, then a month of easier training before the week long 'La Trans Aq' in the south of France.

This weekend is an event I had planned for months; spring in Lakeland, a 22 mile 5500ft of Ascent, Long Distance Walkers Association event. Now, I'm not stupid, running it is out of the question. I'm still wondering if I should walk it. However, right now I think I will. I can always retire if I'm having difficulty, and I will without hesitation if necessary.

I've mapped out the route on Memory Map (mapping software) and produced a few pictures of the terrain using the 3D-World feature. Now it's not a fantastic resolution, but you get the feel of the area I will be walking in on Sunday.






Lots of hills and lots of lakes. I guess that's why they call it the Lake District! I'll post up the actual route on Sunday, along with my report. I'll try and cut down my pack weight to under 4 Kilo's to ensure I don't overdo it. I will be using my trekking poles from the start, so hopefully that will take some of the strain off my joints. It's going to be a long day. It's at least a 2 hour drive for me to reach Ambleside, then at least 7 hours walking at a guess (considering the climbing) then 2 hours drive back home. I'll do my best to update this blog on Sunday night, but it may be Monday morning if I'm too tired.

Stretch

That's been this weeks main activity, stretching.

I did an hour in the gym on Tuesday; a resistance circuit, followed by half an hours cardio on the cross trainer and stair climber.

I was working away on Wednesday, and on Thursday decided to see if I was capable of running. I picked a short route (just over 2 miles). The route was virtually all road, even paths, nothing that could upset my ITB. I also ran it at a fairly quick pace, to help stretch out my ITB and ensure I was putting my legs through a full range of movement, and not just an off-road shuffle that I guess I do most of my training at these days. I stopped to stretch about half way round. I spent a good few minutes really concentrating on my ITB. After that I continued, and despite a few little niggles, finished without any knee pain. Good news!

I did my usual gym session on Friday, pretty much all resistance and free weights work.

Today, Sunday, I was in two mins as to whether to do another short run, or slightly longer walk. In the end I settled for running with my girlfriend and her father across fields near Stone, Staffs.



A ran with them, but also took a few opportunities to run ahead and stretch out my legs, almost doing an interval session. I stretched out my ITB at every stile we climbed over. Although my knee did niggle a little, it was not too bad. It was only a 4 mile off-road (and fairly muddy!) route, but it was enough given my current condition.

I forgot to mention I brought my Patt Strap out of retirement. It's basically a foam band that you strap around your leg above the knee. You apply it fairly tight, and it pulls the IT band in and prevents it rubbing against the knee as badly. It saw me through the New York marathon last year, so I'm happy to use it again whilst my ITB recovers.

I'll be running again this week all being well. Gym on Tuesday running on Wednesday and Thursday, Gym Friday, Run Saturday, and.... maybe the 'Spring in Lakeland' LDWA event on Sunday. I have entered as a runner, but I'm obviously not going to jump up to a 22 mile 5500ft of ascent hill run with this injury. As long as this week goes well, I'll probably enter as a walker. I'll use my trekking poles, so I won't be dawdling along. If however, I don't feel like my knee will stand up to it, I won't do it. I can't afford another set-back. I need to stay on the road to recovery and start building up those miles again. La Trans Aq, the event I have entered in June is just 3 months away. That is frighteningly close, not many training sessions to build up the miles. I know I can't leap back into the middle of my program, and must build up slowly, otherwise this ITB issue will never go away.

I've kept up my sit-up routine this week. I do the routine most nights. I'm up to 30 of each type each time, as well as my many times a day ITB stretching. In fact, I think i'll do some more stretching before bed! Speak to you next week.

Training Plan 2007 Month 3 & updates

Here is my training plan for month 3 (4-weekly cycles) of 2007.


Now, how much of this I manage is another question..

It looks very much like I have had a flare up of Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which I got before the marathon last year; side-of-Knee pain when running. It even hurt walking for the last two days. I've been icing it and taking ibuprofen, and I have not done any activity since Sunday when it struck.

I had an hours sports massage (read: Torture) on it yesterday. Thanks to Mike for that. Something that hurts that much just has to be doing me some good. My entire IT band on the right side is chronically tight (the left is pretty tight as well). I can only assume the change in orthotics set it off, or maybe it was just coincidence, as the orthotics change is to combat these problems. Either way, I can't really run for a week or two, or a month if you follow advice to the letter. However, it's not as bad as last time, because I cut the route short on Sunday for fear of serious problems.

I took a week off training. I'll did gym session on Friday but that's it, apart from a 2.5 mile walk on Sunday just to see how it felt. It didn't feel too bad, but I could still feel an ache, so I knew it was better to keep it short. I'll do a short run on Tuesdsy, perhaps just a couple of miles (if I feel comfortable enough). I'm doing plenty of stretching and I've got another torture session on Tuesday this week too.


For more info on this common runners problem see here

As mentioned previously, the IT band issue has been preceded as always by weeks of hip discomfort. I went to see my doctor today, who frankly knew less than me about ITB, but did suggest that a cortisone injection into the hip could provide relief if not a permanent cure. He's finding out more information as "It's not an area I've injected before", he told me. I'll let him read up on it and let you know how I get on.

Other news this week: Three items have arrived form the States. I ordered them from eBay, but it's actually an American camping retailer behind it. All these items are considerably cheaper in the States than here, even after postage. Here is a free plug for his shop, as it's the cheapest place to load up on lightweight camping gear. Mickies place

I ordered a Thermarest Prolite 3 bed roll. It amazed me by self inflating when I unrolled it. It covers your torso only and weight 370 grams.



Next up is an MSR Titan titanium kettle. Incredibly lightweight at just 118 grams


Finally a Brunton Mu-Ti folding titanium Spork


The whole lot cost me about £75 including delivery from America. That's around a £50 saving versus the UK.

Finally, I’ve ordered, but not yet received my sleeping bag. I was always going to buy one from PHDesigns, who manufacture the lightest bag in the world incidentally. However, that's not the one I'm buying as I want a fighting chance of staying warm in the cold desert nights. They have a winter sale on right now, and I've ordered a Mimim 300 with drishell (water resistant, not waterproof) for £125. It's rates down to 0 degrees, better than the Minimus I was going to buy. This one is cheaper, warmer, but about 100 grams heavier at 570 grams; still incredibly light for a sleeping bag.

Well, that's it for now. Banished to the gym for a week...

Teggs Nose (...and my knee)

I took Monday off training as usual. On Tuesday I did an hour at the gym; a mixture of resistance weights, cross trainer and the Stairmaster. However, I had to use the 'cheap' Stairmaster that is chain driven, and not the deluxe model that has the never-ending fold away stairs. The cheap version really is rubbish. What wound me up more was that the 'deluxe' models were being used by two women who leaned so heavily on their arms on the grip bars that they may as well have not bothered getting on at all. I always thought the idea was to workout your legs. If you can't manage that, then either a) go slower b) get off when you feel tired c) not get on at all!

On Wednesday I did an hour off-road with my pack, about 2 kilos weight. My schedule was down for a little more than that, but my knee was feeling sore. I just put it down to the long walk at the weekend. So, I decided to play safe and just do an hour. I ran up to the Wedgwood monument in Red Street, near to me, before heading across the fields and into Apedale Country Park and then going home. I felt comfortable throughout, and was tempted to stay out longer, but good sense brought me home early. I didn't want to tempt injury. For that very reason I decided not to do Thursday intervals session and rest instead. I did my usually Gym session on Friday, although had to cut it a little short because I had some work to take care of.

I was working all day on Saturday, in Stockport, so no training. When I got home I planned my Sunday run/walk. I planned a 12.5 mile route that would have been 2700ft of climbing. I have a 25 mile route marked for next weekend, so I thought 12 miles this weekend would be sufficient. On Sunday morning I was working again, but finished at 2pm, and went straight out with my pre-prepared pack. My pack was 4 kilos, and I was in wet weather gear as you will see from the photo's it was a cloudy, rainy day.



I set off running, but knew within a few hundred metres that my knee didn't feel right. I ran the first mile to the foot of 'Teggs Nose', a 1200ft hill and former quarry. I decided to get some use out of my Leki poles and used them to the top of the hill. The photos below are first looking up to Teggs nose, next the Reservoir at it's foot (you can se the low cloud in the hills above), and finally the view form the top. The first picture was actually taken from in front of the row of little white houses you can see in the centre of the third picture.








As I began to run along the top of Teggs Nose, my knee started to hurt again. The ache is a familiar one. The same as I got 6 weeks before the New York Marathon last year. Just like last time, for the last few weeks I have suffered from hip pain after a run, and now the knee pain has developed. I was forced to walk with my poles from there onwards, not wanting to destroy my knee for weeks like last time where I ran for 15 miles in pain (back in September). I was glad to have my poles to take some of the strain. However, usually when I walked last time, I got no pain; this time it still hurt a little, although not as acute as when running. A couple of miles later I had already made the decision that I was going to cut the route short and choose a shorter way back to the car. I made a few calculations and cut across to join what would have been my return route anyway, but I was knocking off 4.5 miles, so I ended up totalling just less than 8 miles; for 1500ft of ascent.

Just testing, a tried to run a little, and was hit with more serious pain straight away. Running was definitely out of the question. Even walking eventually aggravated the pain, especially on downhill sections where more force is applied. It was a little more acute as I finished. I certainly made the right decision not to soldier on for the full 12.5 miles though.

Now, this pain first happened last week on the 21 mile run. This must be down to the change in my orthotics. There is more raise on my left foot, and some taken off my right. I am guessing that this extra pressure on my right hip could be to blame. Then again, I have had the hip pain (but no knee pain) for some weeks, so it could just be a coincidence. Either way, I think I need a medical diagnosis, possibly a hip specialist. Even if I have to fork out for an MRI to identify what is going on, I think I am at the point where I will have to. I have had hip pain since at least August last year, and it's never really gone away totally. Nothing I have tried has worked. Every time I run, I suffer with a sore hip for a couple of days. I don't really think my knee has a problem, I think it is hip pain manifesting itself at the next weakest joint in the chain. That said, I'm no doctor! This is very frustrating. Every time I write in my blog I am complaining about one niggle / injury or another. I just want to experience pain (injury) free training for once.

One only plus-point from today is that my pole technique felt better again. It may have even been the speed at which I was walking that contributed to my knee pain. Perhaps a slower walk would have been fine? Also, I am totally comfortable with 4 kilos. One minor issue is that I need to address where I put my drinks bottle on my shoulder. It is fine when I walk, but when I run it moves about too much. I did complain about this last year, but I didn't look into a solution. This time I will.

If I have any news later this week I will post it. I will also post up 2007 Month 3 training plan on Tuesday or Wednesday too.

Beacon Bash

On Sunday I took part in my planned LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association) event, The Beacon Bash, near Wigan. It is a 21 mile event with approximately 2200ft of ascent. I had entered as a runner, but the day before I got an email from Alan Silcock. Alan entered the 2006 Marathon des Sables but had to retire through injury on day 2. He is going back for the 2007 MDS in 5 weeks. He is very busy cramming in a lot of last minute training as he had to take 2 months off around Christmas after having an operation to remove his appendix. He is also walking this years’ MDS, and not running at all. He decided to come along to the Beacon Bash, so I said I'd walk with him instead of running.

We arrived to the event late, as Alan’s alarm clock hadn't gone off, so we set off about half an hour after everyone else. I was carrying my Raidlight rucksack, but this time I had the front pack attachment on too. This I filled with nibbles, some cashew nuts, dried bananas, dried cranberries, and M&M peanuts. I also carried 1 x 800 ml bottle of SIS Go electrolyte on the front shoulder strap. The pack weighed in at 4kg. I also packed my new Leki carbon trekking poles. They are considerably lighter than the poles I borrowed over the last 6 weeks. Alan was carrying about 9kg in his training pack. He's been training with 12kg but is tapering off the weight to avoid injury in the last few weeks.

We set off at about 3.8 mph for the first couple of miles, mostly along flat paths and canal towpaths. Soon after, and at various points in the route, the terrain was very muddy indeed. This slowed us down and we averaged 3.2mph average, but that does include the checkpoint pauses.

We reached CP1 just before 4 miles, and then descended into the village of Parbold before climbing back up to CP2 and to the top of Harrock Hill. I had an adjustment to my orthotics last week, and at around 6-8 mile stage my right knee and shin was a little sore. I knew this was due to the orthotic change. However, despite being a dull ache it didn't really bother me too much for the remainder of the event. We reached the Appley Bridge CP3, which was housed at a community centre, and took 10 minutes out for a toilet stop, and a bit of refuelling. As always at LDWA events, the catering was excellent with tea, coffee, and snacks available at most CPs. I had finished almost over 800ml of my electrolyte by this point, and had just topped it up with water at CP2, so I opened a new packet of SIS go and made up another 800ml.

I took the decision at this point to use my trekking poles for the remaining 10 miles, as I wanted to get some practice in as well as give myself a more thorough workout. I had found it easy going up to this point, as there had been less ascent that on previous events I had attended in the last few weeks, plus I was walking of course. We set off from CP3, and then ascended through some incredibly muddy terrain to CP4. I forgot to mention that is was a lovely day, bright blue skies and sunshine. We could not have asked for better conditions.




After CP4, we descent a few hundred feet and then ascended again into Beacon Country park to CP5. We completed the ascent, just after CP5, to Ashurst Beacon (hence the name of the event).



I took this short video from the top to show off the panoramic views.



I really enjoyed using the walking poles on this event. I was using them Nordic Walking style; angling them backwards and using them to push off. These types are poles are not really designed for it, but you can do it just not as effectively. Alan said I was walking faster with them, so I slowed down a little as Alan was carrying more weight than me and would be going at a more steady pace in the MDS and furnace climate in 5 weeks time. We completed the last 3 miles and enjoyed some hot food and drink at the end. I can’t stress enough what excellent hospitality and great value for money at all LDWA events.

As mentioned, my right shin and knee was a little sore, but apart from that I was fine. No blisters, so the x-socks I am trialing performed well. Oh, I forgot to mention I was using my road running shoes as my trail shoes are heading to the rubbish bin, new ones arrive on Wednesday. I had slipped and ‘slided’ around a little, but they performed OK all in all. Alan was a little tired towards the end, understandable after having carried 9kg all the way round, plus it had been a while since he had done a 20 miler he said. After the food we were both feeling fine. Alan has got a 24 miler and a 26 miler in the next 2 weeks! His backpack had rubbed as well, but this was his training pack. Hopefully he'll get fewer problems with that when he switches to his Raidlight pack next week. We'd chatted about the MDS for much of the course, and I picked up plenty of tips and good advice for the desert next year. I dropped Alan home on the way back, and had an early night (8pm) after my dinner and Rego Nocte recovery drink. However, I'm writing this at 6am, after waking up at 4am bright as a button! I'll have to wear myself out today, and stay up later to get myself back in synch.

So, the Beacon Bash was a success. I found it too easy to be honest. This was of course because I walked and also because it only had a couple of thousand feet of ascent. Still, I am pleasantly surprised that I can take 20 miles in my stride now. We averaged 3.2 mph, and the course took us about 6:47.

Next months (March 18th) 'Spring in Lakeland' event will be a different kettle of fish. It is a 22 mile event but with 5300ft of ascent, and I running again this time! I have seen some 3D profiles of the terrain and it's much steeper that anything I have done before. It will certainly prove a considerable challenge.

What did I learn today? My refuelling with SIS Go electrolyte and constant nibbling on those snacks meant I didn't feel tired, or get any muscle cramps at all. The x-socks performed well, but more testing is needed with my proper trail shoes. The walking poles performed very well and provided a more total workout for my arms and back; I really think they will boost my fitness further. I think it will take my body a few weeks to adjust to the orthotics change, and then the new aches and pains should hopefully go away. I can always have a further adjustment made if not.

Finally, the best news: no problems whatsoever from my foot or ankle, so normal service is resumed this week. I am back on track with my training schedule, although I may not jump right back into the middle of it. I may do some slightly shorter routes for a week or two as I don't want to tempt injury again.

Catch up with you next week.

Midweek foot update and this weekends plans

It's Wednesday night. I had Monday off as usual, and went to the Gym on Tuesday. I did 20 minutes on the cross trainer, level 12, on Random profile. I also set it to run 5 mins forward, then 2 mins reverse, to make sure I work out my calves too.

I then did half an hour resistance weights, followed by 20 minutes on the Stairmaster; level 10, steady hills. I did 105 floors this time. This is the only machine in the gym that sweat is literally dripping off me during the session.

I'd normally go to the gym this evening, but I had a pre-booked appointment with the place that makes my shoe orthotics. It was basically a review to see if the orthotics were working for me. I had the orthotics built about 15 months ago. At the time they pushed and prodded me, measured everything, pressure plate analysis, gait analysis etc. They did the same again today. I've printed off one of the sheets, a before and after if you like, 15 months ago at the top and today at the bottom.

The first picture is my foot strike as I walk over a pressure plate; it shows the areas of my foot that make contact with the ground. The second is simply a static analysis showing how your weight is distributed.



You can see how my stance has altered. I was very surprised actually. My left foot now makes much better contact with the floor. On the original print you see part of my left foot never even made contact with the floor. This was my foot arching to try and make my left leg (the 8mm shorter one) longer. Now after 15 months of orthotics I am leaving a much more normal footprint. Also on the second diagram, my weight is more evenly distributed.

My original problem of 2 years ago; left knee and left hip pain has totally gone, and has been for over a year. I've had issues with my right hip more recently, which may well have been as a consequence of this orthotic correction to some degree. Today I have had another slight change to my left orthotic. Additional support and height has been added to the area beneath my left arch. Before, just my heal had the 8mm lift, now my mid-foot will get almost as much, so my pelvis (which is tilted without a lift) stays level during almost the whole stride. I am hoping that this will eliminate all of my hip pain once and for all. I'll let you know how it goes, but Orthotics do work!

As part of today’s examination I did some running on a treadmill. I was a little nervous about this, because of my injured foot. However, it felt fine. I did only run a half a mile though! It has felt much better over the last few days, especially after some ultrasound on it on Tuesday.

I think I should be OK for this Sundays 21 mile Beacon Bash near Wigan. I've deciphered the written instructions provided and created myself a map of the route in Memory Map as usual. Amusingly, I had to phone up the race organiser and tell them they had two grid references wrong. They said no one had pointed that out before, in 6 years! I was right as well! Just goes to show you how much attention the people pay to the grid references. They were all just following the text (i.e. Turn left over Stile, ahead 400yrds, bear left to follow stone wall up to top of hill etc). Now, I don't use the route description at all. I use it at home and transfer it onto Memory Map, and then use Satellite Navigation to follow it on the day. I'm not sure who is worse, the 'readers' or the 'gadget runner'.

I'm making the experience more real this weekend. I'll be running with 1 x 800ml drinks bottle on the front of my rucksack shoulder strap, instead of the 1.5l camel back I have been using. Ultimately I will use 2 x 800ml, but that's too much for this event. Its winter and the checkpoints are only about 4 miles apart. I'll be using SIS Go electrolyte this time, instead of the Vitargo I have been using. That's not the say I don't like the Vitargo, I'm just trying something new. I've got time to experiment at the moment. I may also try some of the snacks I plan to use; M&M's and cashew nuts to see how they agree with me.

I'm going to have to run in my road shoes (New Balance 1060s) as I think my 1100 trail shoes are a possible contributor to my foot problems. I looked back in my blog and I bought them in May last year. I had no idea it was that long ago. I must have done many many hundreds of miles in them, so the cushioning will have run out. I have ordered some replacement 1100's but they won't arrive until next week.
This route looks to have less climbing, perhaps around 2200ft, so I hope the shoes won't let me down. I'm not sure if I will take my trekking poles yet. I might do, just in case my foot has a relapse.

I'll write up a full report on Sunday night.

Training update, and new equipment.

The title just about sums it up this week. I made a pledge last week that I would not run until my foot was better. Well, it's not better. Even a walk around the local city centre this afternoon (a week since my last post) started to hurt after about half an hour. I'm even wondering if leaving it another week will not be enough. I have the 21 mile Beacon Bash run next Sunday you see.

In place of running I went to the gym 3 times. On Tuesday I did an hours swimming. I certainly improved this week. My breathing was better, and my front crawl too. I did about 28 lengths. However, I did have to take 30 seconds/1 min break between each one! Swimming is obviously a far more technical sport that running, and I am not very efficient at all it appears. However, towards the end of the swim my foot was beginning to hurt as well.

On Wednesday I did an hour in the gym. I did a mixture of cross training, resistance weight machines, and 15 minutes on the Stairmaster. This is my new discovery, the Stairmaster. I've always just ignored it, and figured it's one of those machines than women go on. I've been looking for an exercise to work my calves. They really burn when you walk for miles up hills, so I want to improve their strength. This machine really does that, and wears you out too. I set it to 'rolling hills' and intensity level 8, and later changed to 9. After 15 minutes I could really feel the burn on the calves, so it works.

The rest of the week I was working in Scotland. A lengthy drive there and back with my ‘poorly’ foot on the accelerator did nothing to aid the healing process at all, as you can imagine. I was hoping the rental car they dropped off would have had cruise control. Sadly, no! I got back on Saturday night, and woke up to a lovely sunny day on Sunday. I can't tell you how hard it was to resist the urge to go walking, but I knew it would do my foot no good at all. Instead I went to the gym again. I only did 20 minutes in the pool, before my foot started to twinge again. I did a couple more lengths (kicking more gently) and got out, not wanting to irritate it. I had not brought my gym kit, as I was planning an hour in the pool. However, I improvised. I dried off my swimming shorts, which are actually running shorts anyway, in the little swimwear dryer there and used my towel for a hand towel. I did 20 minutes on the Stairmaster on 'steady' at level 10. I did 103 floors (3.5km), versus the 47 floors I did on Wednesday. I'm going to use the Stairmaster every week now. Interesting that it didn't irritate my foot at all?

What else can I tell you? Well, I have just booked my flights to Bordeaux and back in June, for La Trans Aqu. I also have had some equipment arrive this week that I'll need for La Trans Aqu as well as the MDS.

Firstly, some Raidlight ankle-gaiters - they are blue, make of lycra and fit over your whole shoe. You have to glue Velcro strips onto your shoes so they attach. If you browse pictures from the MDS or La Trans Aqu on the internet you will see lots of competitors using them.

This is the manufacturer’s link. They don't look much like the rubbish drawing, but you get the idea.

Gaiters

Next up is a Sahara cap, like the one below. Pretty obvious what that is for.



Next item was an Aspivenin - an anti-venom pump. It is a compulsory item on both events. It's basically a large syringe that you attach to your wound (snakebite) and pump to draw out liquid poison. It's debatable as to how effective these are, with certain poisons actually ending up being more dangerous by using one apparently. I read bits about them on the internet, but it was scaring me too much so I stopped. I'd rather not get bitten by anything venomous, especially not in Morocco where if you get bitten by certain snakes you can kiss your ass goodbye within minutes. I doubt i'll even see a snake anyway (all fingers crossed).

Also arrived this week were some Leki Trekking Poles. I've bought the lightest poles that Leki sell for trekking. I bought them for about £20 less than anywhere else in the UK was selling them, and with free delivery. Result!

Manufactuers site


These are designed to ease the burden on your legs, by spreading your weight, and that of your backpack, making your upper body do more work. You expend more energy/calories, but you heal strike with about 20% less force overall apparently. They are also very useful on hills!

I emailed Leki this week and asked should I use Trekking or Nordic poles, explaining my goals. They forwarded my email onto Leki's UK importer, Ardblair Sports. They are not a retailer, rather a distributor to the likes of wiggle (online sports), and all the sports shops all over the country. They import many brands and types of equipment, not just Leki poles. Now, I had already ordered the trekking poles in the few days it took to get the email from them, but they suggested maybe I should use a new Nordic Walking pole - the Carbon Traveller.



You can see it's similar to the trekking pole, in that it collapses down in 3 parts for storage in a backpack. It also has quick release grips, so you are left wearing those half-gloves when you release (very useful for keeping your hands free to eat and drink). I quizzed them some more, and the downside is that the grip on the Nordic poles are slimmer, and not 'shaped' like the trekking pole. They are designed like that because you release your grip on the pole on the backswing as you 'push off'. As a result, after long periods your hand will tire faster than the trekking pole. Turns out the importer are supporting a Team Leki trainer at a trial Nordic Walking event on the 24th Feb at Trentham Gardens near to my home. They have arranged for the trainer to lend me the Carbon traveller for the day and see what I think. If I like them, I can get a special rate from Ardblair sports in return for a report on them for their website.

I also read about, and emailed the manager of an outdoor sports company who completes the LAMM (Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon) this year. Read his story here.
LAMM Story

As you can see, he was sceptic - like me really. Would poles really make a difference? Well it appears so.

It looks like the Nordic variety excels at improving your fitness by providing a more total body workout because of that arm action. Many places cite big improvements in muscle tone of the back as well.

I think I'm going to look into training with Nordic poles to boost fitness and build back muscle, but I suspect I will ultimately use the trekking pole for the comfort and weight-support benefit.

So that is all that arrived this week. When I get paid again, and I'd just like to say thanks to Mr Visa for buying me all that kit, I need to buy a sleeping bag and a bed roll - both ultralite. I'm looking to buy a PHD minimus sleepin bag, just 465 grams, and a Thermarest Prolite 3 to lie on, and hopefully get a goods nights sleep between stages.

Oh, almost forgot, I also bought a knife this week. Well, I won it on an ebay auction. It's an ultralite folding knife, only 17grams and cost me £8 - a Gerber Ultralite LST. Again, this is required equipment for both events.

The sooner I buy all this equipment, the sooner I can get used to carrying and packing it.

The Ardblair Sports company also said they sold 'x-socks' and said a previous MDS competitor had used them and written a report for their website. You can read it, amoungst others, here. Anyway, I'd heard of these and was thinking of trying them but they cost £11 or £12 each! She mentioned the price in the email, but said I could get a discount if I wrote a similar report for their website. I agreed, and have ordered several pairs of the 'Sky Run' socks. I'll let you know how they perform.

I have also been planning my La Trans Aqu food and backpack weight this week, but I'll save that for another week as this post is already much longer than I intended. I have sore fingers as well as a sore foot now.

Until next time...

Big news - a new challenge - In June!

Before I get onto that though, a quick update on this weeks training.

My foot/ankle hasn't been too good. I couldn't run, so I just did a couple of gym sessions. Even an hour on the ski machine aggravated my foot in all honesty.

On Sunday I tried out some Nordic Walking at Cannock chase. Google it for more details, but basically it's walking using slightly modified trekking poles, but using a totally different walking style. Instead of placing the poles vertical, you angle them backwards and push off with them, boosting your speed and really working out your upper body and back.

I struggled for about at hour with the technique, and then it clicked I was struggling because I was walking too slowly. I speeded up to my usual walking speed and it all fell into place. I finally felt as though I was being 'worked-out' and was getting a benefit from the poles. I'm going to email Leki and ask their advice on which type of poles are best for my activity.

I really like the Nordic style poles, as they have a small glove that clips into the pole and has a quick release. This means that it is easy to free your hands and eat/drink etc. Standard trekking poles just have a strap you have to thread you hand into. They really tie up your hands, and I'd be concerned that I would find it a pain to keep stopping to eat and drink. That could prove to be my downfall in 120F heat. However, I believe that normal trekking pole use could be more beneficial to weight distribution, especially of a heavy pack. So I want to know if there is any barrier to using Nordic poles, but using them in a standard trekking style. I'll let you know what Leki say.

So, I did about a 4 mile walk with the poles over Cannock chase. It was a lovely sunny day, and Cannock chase (a local beauty spot, popular with walkers) was very busy. I was pleasantly surprised that no jokers stopped me to ask where the snow was, as I trundled along with the poles.

I got back and strapped on my pack and decided to try a run. My ankle didn't feet too good a couple of miles into the run, so I decided to cut it short and it only ended up being a little over 4 miles. It felt much better on the soft ground, so there is obviously some healing to do still. The route I chose was nevertheless quite hilly as you can see, so I feel I got a good workout.



My foot has been sore all evening since, so I know that this week will be cross training only. I will just stick to swimming and gym work. I've not given the foot time to heal properly this week, ignoring my own advice again. I've learned my lesson. It's not terrible pain or anything, but unless it heals totally, it will come back and haunt me on a long run sometime soon.

Now, onto the big news: I've sent off the registration form, and assuming my bank transfer goes ok tomorrow then I've got a place in an event in June in France.

It's called La Trans Aqu. You can read about it in detail on their website, but in short it is very similar to the Marathon des Sables in format.

It's a 230km self sufficient 6 day event; 6 stages between 25 km and 60 km long each day. 75% of the tracks are on sand through pine forest that borders the beach. It's a costal path route basically, that also takes in the largest sand dune in Europe; the Dune of Pyla (300 feet high). That's also a night stage to make life interesting. There is plenty of running on sand I believe. You carry all of your food clothes, sleeping bag etc.

Now, where it differs from the Marathon des Sables is that it is about 20km shorter (ok that's neither here or there!). You can also hand in to the organiser a bag of no more than 2kg containing whatever you like (food probably) for day 3 onwards. So when you reach the end of stage 3, they hand you the bag to top-up your rations. It is a way of keeping your rucksack weight down. You are not allowed a pack that weighs more than 8kg at any time. It is mercifully cheaper than the MDS; La Trans Aqu costs 650 euros to enter. The temperature should be lower than the MDS. But, and it is a big But.... the humidity is considerably higher, usually 40% versus about 6% in the Sahara. This makes staying cool through sweating more difficult, and the high humidity was the reason that 25% of the field failed to finish in last years MDS... and it was only 20% there!

The event is only in its 3rd year, and will have a maximum of 250 competitors. Lots of superb athletes by the sounds of it, including someone who has come 5th in the MDS!

I've talked to past competitor from England, and given him my background. He said I should enter. I wondered if taking on this might be too much too soon, but I'm going to train hard and do it (notice I said do? "Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'" - spot the tongue in cheek quote anyone?). It will be invaluable experience for the MDS next year, and my first taste of a multi-day event. I'm not going to significantly modify my training plan at all, as I am already doing the right training. I may put a little more weight in my pack sooner and try and train with 6kg. I'll also aim to complete a 36-40 mile event or training session at the beginning of May; one month before the event on the 3rd June.

I'll post more details and information as I get it, as well as my early preparation of course. More next week.