Archive for January, 2008
« Previous EntriesGetting ready for the Tring2Town!
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Only three days to go until the Tring2Town ultra marathon! The Tring2Town is a great race to test parts of the MdS equipment in a real-life scenario. As in the Sahara, the runner must provide his entire equipment and food (except water) at the Tring2Town. The good thing is that the runner doesn’t have to carry around as much stuff as on the MdS - it’s just one single day! - but it’s wise to fill that backpack with all you might possibly need. The compulsory items are:
- Back pack
- Compass
- Whistle
- An emergency blanket
- A torch
- A map case or waterproof bag (e.g., Ziploc) for paper directions
- Waterproof Jacket
- Hat
- Long Sleeved Top
- Long Trousers
- 10 safety pins
- Personal food
On top of that, I will carry along:
- My personal mixture of maltose and fructose sugar and some cereal bars
- Additional spare clothes for after the race, including a scarf and warm hat
- Band aids, contact lenses
- My wallet and a train ticket for the ride back home
- My digital camera and music player
- My cell phone - just in case I need to call for help
Health Tip #7: Band aids
Monday, January 28th, 2008Although the medical service is great at the Marathon des Sables, there are a few medicinal items you will want to carry yourself. Adhesive plaster (band aids) are one of them.
At the MdS 2006, I used two types of band aids: the regular ones for the odd rash or to protect the nipples, and Compeed plasters for taping blisters. I found that about a dozen plasters were plenty for the eight days.
What worked best for me with blisters was to open them with a clean safety pin, dry them out with some toilet paper and let them heal at the open air. However, when I had to continue to run, I put a Compeed plaster on the dried blister which I removed upon arrival at the biouvak to let the Sahara air do the healing.
Band aids have some unconventional usage at the MdS, like taping a leaking water bottle, etc. Be creative when you are out there, confronting an unusual situation that requires improvisation!
No Comments »Tool Tip #17: When they blow the whistle
Saturday, January 26th, 2008The whistle is another one of those mandatory items you have to carry on the Marathon des Sables. Most likely you will not use it, like the compass or the venom pump. Unless …
This is what happened on the MdS 2006: There are about 30 young Berber men at the camp; their job is to tear down the tents in the early morning, load them onto army trucks and build them up at the next camp site. In 2006, there was this senior Berber bloke on a rusty motor bike that kept blowing a whistle in the early morning hours to put pressure on those poor chaps that tore down the tents. “Pheeeeep Pheeeeep” he went for like 2 hours, sitting on his motor bike puffing black clouds of exhaust fumes into the clean Saharan air, blowing his whistle “Pheeeeep Pheeeeep” and shouting “yallah yallah” at the 30 Berbers.
The next morning - same procedure - blowing his whistle “Pheeeep Pheeeeep”and shouting “yallah yallah”. Next morning - you guessed it - “Pheeep Pheeeeeep” and “yallah yallah”. By the the third day, every runner was utterly annoyed by that “Pheeeep Pheeep” of his whistle and the shouting “yallah yallah” of this Berber chief on his motor bike.On day 4 or 5 at dawn, about a dozen or so runners took out their whistles the moment that the Berber chief started his round on his motor bike - and all the sudden there were a dozen whistles blowing, then 50, 100, eventually all 600 runners where blowing their whistles. The 30 Berber blokes where laughing like crazy and the poor old chief had lost his authority.
The next morning it was his son riding the motor bike to survey the Berbers tearing down the tents. And he was not blowing his whistle. I wonder why…
No Comments »Landmark #9: Hampton Court Palace
Thursday, January 24th, 2008Hampton Court Palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is located 11.7 miles south west of Charing Cross. Dating back to the 14th century, it was built and rebuilt continuously by such well-known architects as Sir Christopher Wren, William Talman and Nicholas Hawksmoor.
Henry VIII is likely to be Hampton Court’s most notable resident. With so much history built into and around the walls of Hampton Court, it is no wonder that many ghosts haunt the palace. Queen Catherine Howard was arrested at Hampton Court in 1542 and is said to have run along the Long Gallery screaming for King Henry VIII to save her, before his guards caught her and dragged her away. Her ghost is said to haunt the palace, sometimes screaming in the same hallway. Others report seeing King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
In October 2003, a closed-circuit security camera at Hampton Court had recorded an indistinct image of a mysterious figure in a long coat closing the fire doors. According to one report, a ghostly-looking figure in period dress suddenly appeared on the screen and closed the doors. A female palace visitor wrote in the visitor book that she may have seen a ghost in that area during this time, also. “We’re baffled too - it’s not a joke, we haven’t manufactured it,” said Vikki Wood, a Hampton Court spokeswoman, when asked if the photo the palace released was a Christmas hoax. “We genuinely don’t know who it is or what it is”. So when you pass the Hampton Court Palace area at night during the Thames Meander, beware of the ghosts that haunt the place!
Pro Tip #6: Organizing life at the MdS
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008Organization is vital at the Marathon des Sables. Right now, I am drafting four different packing lists for the MdS: Obviously, the most important one is for the backpack. I am listing all the mandatory items, food, medical kit, clothing, etc., keeping a note of the weight of each item and the calories for the food.
The second list includes all those items that I will carry in the front pouch of my backpack, i.e. the things that I will need during each stage (food, isotonic powder, etc.). In the evenings at the biouvak I will fill up my front pouch for the next day with the things I used up during the day.
The third list is for stuff that I will have in my suitcase but will not need during the race, that’s things like normal clothes, shaving kit, a book to read during the flights, etc.
And then there is the fourth list: All those items that I will want to have at the biouvak before the first stage, but after having handed in my suitcase. This includes food, especially the breakfast on day one, some fresh fruits, olives, bread, extra solid fuel (Esbit) for a hot cuppa, band aids, isotonic drinks, etc. It will also include a strong adhesive tape, the type used to seal cardboard boxes; I will use it to tie the signal flare to the outside of my backpack, because my experience at the MdS 2006 was that you can not fix it properly with straps because it doesn’t have any kinks or loops.
I will bring a cheap nylon bag to the Sahara for all those things on list #4. This will help me getting organized when packing the back pack and the suit case to hand it in. On race day, I can just throw away the nylon bag with the remaining few items.
No Comments »Health Tip #6: Avoid that sunburn!
Sunday, January 20th, 2008Protecting the skin from the sun is just another one of those “most important things” at the Marathon des Sables. A sun blocker with a SPF of at least 30 is a must, as well as a good lip protectant balm. Try to find something that dries quickly on your skin. Sun oils or creams that dry slowly will attract the sand that the ever blowing wind carries around. And you don’t want to look like a Viennese Schnitzel with a skin that could double as sand paper. Good clothes are great sun protectors, too. A hat is a must anyhow, the best ones cover the neck and ears from the sunlight. A long sleeved shirt may be great if it has a loose fit to enhance ventilation. Best thing is to apply the sun blocker in the early morning, maybe a second time after about an hour to make sure not to miss any exposed part of the body. Use it abundantly; you are not running through the desert to get a sun tan to impress your folks at home!
No Comments »Tool Tip #16: The pocket knife
Friday, January 18th, 2008I am a big fan of pocket knifes and have about a dozen of them, from very simple and small ones to multi-purpose knifes. For every occasion - a walk with the dog, a picnic, camping - I have the right tool.For the Marathon des Sables, the pocket knife is a compulsory item. I found it useful to have a very small knife that sports a short blade, a set of tweezers for those nasty thorns and scissors to cut band aids. The smallest Swiss army pocket knife will do just fine and won’t add much weight to the backpack. Anything bigger and fancier is mere luxury at the MdS.
No Comments »Landmark #8: Walton-on-Thames
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008Walton-on-Thames, a town of approximately 23,000 residents is located just a few miles upstream from Hampton Court Palace.
The name Walton is Anglo-Saxon in origin and is believed to mean ‘farm of the Britons’ or ‘Saxon settlement’. Even before the Romans and the Saxons were present, there was a Celtic settlement here. Walton is believed to be the place where Caesar forded the Thames on his second invasion of Britain.
Walton is the birth place of Julie Andrews, world-famous actress and singer. Unforgettable her appearances in “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music”, two hugely successful Hollywood productions, both with a similar message that if you try to live your life like running a bank or commanding an army, you miss out on lifes beauty and inevitably fail in one way or another.
Having made it to Walton-on-Thames at the Thames Meander, you are almost home. Just a few more miles along the dark Thames Path and you are in the Hampton Court area with its Surbiton School in Hinchley Wood - “that’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!”. So enjoy those last few miles and keep in mind that “just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down!”
No Comments »Pro Tip #5: Managing water at the Marathon des Sables
Monday, January 14th, 2008At the Marathon des Sables you are given nine litres of water a day. That’s it. Managing your water supply is crucial. But how much water will you need? It depends. Factors that influence your water consumption are:
- Outside temperatures; obviously, the warmer, the more water you will need to cool down body temperature
- Humidity; greater levels of humidity require more fluids, as your body will need to produce more sweat to cool you down than under drier conditions
- Your body weight; the heavier you are, the more water your body will require
- Weight of your backpack - keep it as low as you can
- Your speed: The longer you are baking in the sun between each checkpoint, the more water you will need
- Sun exposure: wearing UV-protecting clothes, a hat and sunscreen lotion will reduce your sweat rate
- Minerals: If you don’t refuel your body with the salt you sweat out, you will loose more water than need be
- Your personal body physiology: Some people just need more water than others
- Your rate of water intake: Drinking in small sips every few minutes is more efficient than downing an entire bottle in one go
Obviously, there are factors you can’t influence, but you can do something about your discipline of drinking, your minerals, your clothing and the total weight you are carrying around. If you are a heavy sweater, a slow runner or if conditions are very humid like at the 2006 MdS, think about starting each race stage with an extra bottle of water. While this adds to your total weight, it might prove to be a life saver if you run out of water on the course. Keep in mind that you will receive only one bottle of water every 8-12 kilometres. If you need more than that you have to carry it with you from the start.
No Comments »Health Tip #5: Vitamins on the Marathon des Sables
Saturday, January 12th, 2008What I missed most at the Marathon des Sables in 2006 were fresh fruits. Being vegan, my diet largely consists of fresh fruits and vegetables, things that don’t go well in a tightly packed rucksack. Thus, to get a minimum of vitamins, I will be carrying multivitamin and mineral tablets out to the Sahara in March. It’s not a replacement for fresh apples, oranges and tomatoes, but it’s the best alternative there is. However, I will carry some fresh things with me when arriving in Ouarzazate that I will consume before the race starts. Thus I will have some fruit in the morning of the first stage to start out with a load of vitamins and other good things running through my arteries.
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