Here I am back in Ushuaia after disembarking the Antarctic Dream this morning at 0800 hrs.  I am now sat up in the Posada Fin del Mundo trying to rest my knee before meeting up with some fellow racers later on this morning and then for dinner tonight.  I am getting used to not swaying about now I have hit land.  The last few days at sea have been emotional with a very rough crossing of the Drake Passage.  The sea sickness patches were tested to their limit and thankfully mine remained on my neck all the time.  My taste for alcohol only came back once we hit the Beagle Channel last night and entered calm waters.  The race finished on Tue and that seems like an absolute age ago.  We couldn't have the Awards Banquet or prize giving until last night as a lot of racers had taken to their beds to ride out the rough crossing.  We were all getting cabin fever, being stuck on board for 3 days with nothing to do but chat, read, play scrabble, eat and sleep.  However, in days few we will all probably reflect on that and appreciate the time we had chilling as opposed to living life to the max.  The celebrations began at 1700 hrs yesterday with a viewing of all the photos and a video montage from the race.  It was great being able to see this as you tend to exist in your own bubble on the race so to see everything by way of photos and video was fantastic.  We then met in the dining room for cocktails and the prize giving.  I am now the proud owner of a 4 Deserts medal to go with my Atacama, Sahara, Gobi and Last Desert finishers medal.  I feel really privileged to be part of an elite group of international racers who have completed all 4 Deserts.  There are less than 100 of us worldwide.  I was also absolutely thrilled to have it confirmed that I am the first British Woman to complete all 4 Deserts; that goal kept me going through the pain of my knee.  I am also the first military woman to complete all 4 Deserts so all the pain and expense was worth it in the end.  My only regret is that we were unable to get a morning of sightseeing in after the final stage as the Captain had to outrun a storm that was heading our way.  With hindsight I am glad we didn't hang around for sightseeing as I cannot even imagine how bad the Drake Passage would be in a storm.  It was bad enough when we crossed it on the way back.  My core stability was tested to the max when wandering around the ship as it listed from side to side and forwards and backwards.
I am not sure how I feel right now after finishing all 4 Deserts; it has not really sunk in just yet.  I am really glad that I will see some of my fellow racers today prior to everyone bomb bursting tomorrow.  I head to Buenos Aires tomorrow morning and hopefully I will get to the Evita Museum tomorrow afternoon before taking it easy around Buenos Aires on Monday before my flight back to the UK on Tuesday.  I need to get my knee sorted as it is still hugely painful so I doubt that I will be heading off in my tango shoes to a Milonga in Buenos Aires.

I have met some incredible people during the 4 Desert races and I know that I will still look at competing in future roaming RTP races but at the moment I want to get home, get back to normality, get my knee sorted and enjoy a calm life until the racing bug hits me again!  Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored me and supported me during the race.  I really appreciate every penny of sponsorship and every email sent and blog comment received.  It kept me going every step of the way.  

Helen x        

Well this is my last entry at sea until I get back to Ushuaia.  It has been an emotional couple of days at sea with some very choppy waters with lots of people feeling a bit under the weather.  We are having the awards banquet tonight as we enter the beagle channel when we have calm waters.  I have spent the last few days eating, sleeping, reading and taking photos of albatross off the back of the Ship.  I have had it confirmed by RTP that I am the first British woman to complete all 4 Deserts as I finished ahead of Lucy Rivers Bulkley.  However congratulations go to Lucy for completing all 4 Deserts in one year – the Grand Slam, a great achievement.
 
I have not touched alcohol yet and am hoping that the calm waters will bring my wine tastebuds back to life.
 
Thank you all for your support – I hope I have done you proud and I am now trying to rest my knee before heading up to BA on Sun and back to the UK on Tue.
 
Helen

We are currently at sea and it is 0540 hrs and I couldn’t blog after the final stage last night as I was absolutely shattered and would probably have made very little sense if I had tried to blog last night.  Yesterday (I couldn’t even tell you what day of the week it was) was our final stage in The Last Desert and the day started off as planned with breakfast from 0730 hrs.  Just as we were coming to the end of breakfast the ships tannoy announced “Orcas, Orcas, Orcas”.  That was our signal to leap to our feet (as best we could after racing the previous day) and look out to see.  Unfortunately I had bare feet and flip flops on but that did not stop me navigating the stairs at the stern to get onto the top deck to see.  It was a fantastic sight with a number of killer whalers hunting.  I managed to get back to my cabin, retrieve my camera and get back on deck to continue to watch these incredible mammals.  I have never seen them in the wild before and they are absolutely beautiful.  There were approximately 6 of them and as we watched and took photos it became obvious that they were chasing penguins.  These poor penguins were swimming for their lives.  Once such group of penguins were seen leisurely swimming towards the Killer Whales and when realised what they were heading into they about turned and doubled their speed to escape.  The ship kept turning about to enable us all to enjoy nature at its finest and the Killer Whales got really close to the ship.  Neil Wilkie and I went up onto the Bridge to get a better view and it was there that we then saw that the killer whales had enjoyed their penguin aperitif (I even saw a killer whale toss a penguin into the air and I have that on camera) and were now focusing on the main course – Humpback Whale.  The Chilean crew of the Antarctic Dream were just as excited as we were and explained that they have never seen this happen before.  They have seen Orcas kill a Minke whale but not a Humpback.  It turned out that the Orcas were trying to kill a calf but its mother was trying to protect it.  All that was needed to complete this incredible sight was commentary by David Attenborough.  We stayed watching the killer whales for around 90 minutes before we headed on for the mooring site for Stage 4 of The Last Desert. 
 
I stuck with the same layering system of kit that I had used for Stage 3 as that had worked well.  I needed to make sure that I was well hydrated and well fed prior to the race as I had been given some strong painkillers for my knee which would hopefully get me through the stage.  I needed to get as many kms in as possible as I wanted to improved my ranking after my disappointing start to the race in Stage 1.  We landed on a beautiful part of Antarctica and and to get to shore we had to pass some mini icebergs which were an amazing colour.  A Gentoo penguin greeted us on shore, curious to see what crazy people were about to run around their home.  Deep snow was on the ground and there were a number of penguin rookeries dotted around the shore and on the hillside that we would be racing on.  This was going to be a challenging final stage and just from the course briefing and seeing part of the course, I knew that I would not get a marathon distance in today.  The snow varied from calf deep to thigh deep depending on where you stepped and we had to stick to the course as we were running on a glacier and there were crevices which none of us wanted to fall into.  The course was a 2.5 km loop and it was hilly yet again (why should I be so surprised)!  The going was extremely tough and at the start of the race everyone was in single file and the first couple of laps were really snow as we all found our way through the snow.  I made a break for it along with a couple of others from the middle of the pack on the first loop.  The lead group had already made good headway.  I just kept my head down and ploughed on through the course.  This was not a course on which you could multi task as I found that if I tried to eat or drink or even if my mind wandered from putting one step in front of another then I would suddenly veer off into deep snow and fall over or stagger around like a drunkard.  Thankfully I had my MP3 player on right from the start of the race so the music kept me going.  Throughout the stage I kept up a steady pace and I started to run (or shuffle) wherever possible.  The painkillers were working as my knee was a dull ache and as soon as they wore off I made sure that I took some more.  I set myself targets of overtaking 1 person at a time and I just continued to move forward.  I don’t know what happened to me on the stage but I just kept on driving forward and managed to overtake a number of people and lap at least 9 people and this was unheard of for me.  My goal was just to complete as many laps as possible and not stop for more than a couple of minutes at a time if I needed to stock up on water.   I also did not look at my watch, I just kept going round the loop and when I got to Lap 9, I was told that it may be my last lap so I dug deeper, my knee was killing me by this time as when I had overtaken 2 racers on the previous lap I had jarred my knee.  I took my final painkiller and just went for it and when I got to the end of lap 9 I had enough time to go for my 10th lap which would bring me to 25kms for the stage and 132.5 kms overall.  As I neared the finish line, which was at the bottom of a steep hill, I fell over into the snow before one final burst for the finish line and the knowledge that I have completed The Last Desert and all 4 Desert Races.   Once I had received my medal from Mary I had problems breathing – probably down to the fact that I ran more on this stage than any other stage but the conditions seemed to suit me and my goretex running shoes with micro spikes worked a treat.  However, that passed quickly enough and I then had photos taken with some fellow competitors and Robyn Metcalfe (who has done 3 of the 4 desert races at the same time as me) and I congratulated each other.  However we both said that Sandra B-T should have been there with us so Sandra, if you are reading this blog then please know that we were both thinking of you.
 
It was near enough 2100 hrs by the time I had finished racing so I donned my gear to go back to the ship in, made sure my camera was handy for some last shots of the location before getting back to the ship, hot chocolate, a hot shower and then dinner.  I started to feel a bit dodgy once I had stopped and was sat upstairs in the lounge.  This is probably due to the fact that I took my final 2 painkillers on the race without food which I shouldn’t have done.  I started to feel better once I had some food and we were all given a glass of champagne to toast our success in the race.  I had a really relaxed dinner with Robyn and Bob Metcalfe amongst others and as we dined we sailed past the most stunning scenery – icebergs and glaciers and considering that it was midnight it was not too dark outside.  I had to excuse myself early as I was absolutely shattered and I couldn’t keep my eyes open.  The Banquet Dinner will take place this evening after a day of us all being true Antarctic tourists as we get to enjoy the spectacular scenery and wildlife without having to run!
 
Thank you to everyone for the emails – I will keep on blogging whilst we are on the trip as we don’t get back to Ushuaia until Sat am.  We have the unpredictable Drake Passage to contend with prior to docking.  For all of you who are thinking about taking part in a 4 Desert event then DO IT.  It has been the most amazing experience of my life.  It has taken me just over 3 years to complete all 4 Deserts and I have experienced some incredible parts of the world that not everyone has the privilege of seeing.  If I can do this then anyone can.  I never thought that when Alan Johnson approached me in the Autumn of 2006 about being part of a team running across the Atacama Desert, that I would find myself on the Antarctic Dream in Antarctica at the end of the most fantastic journey.  What will I do next?  Take a rest before planning to take part in the Racing The Planet one off series of races but I will give myself a year off first!

I am currently typing this blog as we are at sea with the most almighty swell outside which has already tipped the ship some way over and trashed rooms.  Thank heavens for a patch which Phil Tye one of the competitors very kindly gave me which is enabling me to type.  The patch did fall onto the shower floor but it is now taped to my neck and I am praying that the effects will not be impaired….Anyway, enough waffle and onto the blog.
 
After the crossing last night, we were woken up at 0345 hrs ready for the start Stage 3 where we all needed to get in as much mileage as possible after the disappointing distance achieved yesterday.  I ensured that I was fuelled up and I even took the fuel of Paddington Bear – Marmalade (well, Apricot Jam) sandwich ashore to eat before the race.  We all awoke to find the Antarctic Dream moored off Deception Island facing the old whaling station.  I was absolutely over the moon as this was the very same whaling station that I have 55 year old black and white photos of from my dads’ old Royal Navy album.  It was snowing quite heavily so we had to ensure that we were clothed for the occasion and that our kit was sufficiently waterproofed.  I really wanted to get stuck into this stage as I didn’t want to come all the way to Antarctica and not get the distance in.  We got the zodiacs  to shore and the stage today would be a 2.5 km loop along the beach of Deception Island with a cheeky climb halfway through followed by a steep downhill phase.  The snow continued to fall as we had our course briefing at 0545 hrs and I had decided to race in my goretex trainers, compression leggings, outer shell trousers, compression top, bright orange fleece top and goretex jacket.  This was complemented with gaiters, snow spikes, polar buff, goggles, fleece hat and gloves.  You could not see my face!  The route was covered in snow and we were warned to look out for wildlife en route.  We were also briefed that we were running in the crater of an active volcano and our ship was moored in the crater.  This was proven later on with the smell of sulphur and steam coming from the water.  The heat also melted the snow on the beach during the race.  Unfortunately my knee has been playing up since day 1 and no amount of painkillers today could mask the pain so all I could do was grin and bear it.  I coped on the flat but uphill and downhill was extremely painful, it was a bonus that I had my trekking poles with me.  The idea of today was to get as much mileage in as possible with the potential to race until 2100 hrs.  I have learnt my lesson and I set off at a steady pace.  I did most of the laps on my own but it was still very sociable as you were constantly passing people or being passed or having personnel coming towards you on the route.  I walked with James Love, Neil Wilde, Lucy Tang and my final 4 laps were with David O’Brien and we kept each other going every last step of the way.  For the remainder of the time I either looked at the scenery or had my music on.  It hit me during one of the laps that my dad will have stepped foot on this beach which was pretty amazing and quite poignant for me.  The challenge for today was to keep yourself mentally stimulated as you completed lap after lap.  My strategy was to stop and take on water every 10 kms and this worked for the first 8 laps and you really didn’t want to stop anyway as there was a biting wind and the snow was falling and you could hardly recognize fellow competitors as we all had buffs or balaclavas on.  Then amazingly the sun came out around lunchtime so after lap 10 I stopped briefly to get rid of my goretex jacket and thick gloves.  I swapped my fleece hat for a buff and then went on my merry way.  However I forgot how bright I was with my fluorescent orange top which was last worn in tent in Atacama when I would dazzle my fellow tent buddies each morning.  I also substituted my goggles for my glacier shades.  The route of the leg had to be altered slightly due to a seal chilling out close to the route.  Throughout the day it kept its eye on the strange proceedings going on around him and when the sun came out he was on his back, flippers outstretched sunbathing.  We were also privileged to have a number of Gentoo penguins chilling out on the beach and not fazed by us.  This was a wonderful photo opportunity and it was great to see most of the racers taking a few minutes out to appreciate the wildlife otherwise we might as well have been racing in a “normal” location.  Later on in the day we were also treated to a number of chinstrap penguins (not chinstrapped racers) who decided to venture close to our route to see what we were doing.  They were fantastic little things and watching them took the mind off the pain of the stage.  There were a number of nesting birds which we all avoided but one bird tried to fly off with one of the Racing the Planet pink markers!  As the day progressed I kept setting myself 10km targets and as I hit 18 laps (45 kms) I was told that due to the weather we were finishing at 1730 hrs.  This gave me the motivation to keep on going and I really wanted to hit 55 kms (22 laps).  As previously mentioned, I completed my final 4 laps with David O’Brien and we finished the day with David on 50 kms and me on 55 kms.  I was really pleased as I had done over a marathon distance on Deception Island, in the crater of an active volcano that had last erupted in the 1970s.  We finished just in time as from around 1400 hrs the weather had got progressively worse with the temperature dropping, the wind being strong and sleet.  By the time we crossed the finish line, fingers were becoming numb.  They got worse as we tried to get into goretex, wellington boots and lifejackets for the trip back to the ship but at least we were greeted with hot chocolate as we got back on board.  The crew have been fantastic.  We are now waiting for the stage tomorrow and I am sitting at 107.5kms  - 43.5 km on stage 1, 9 kms on stage 2 (all did this due to the stage being cancelled at the 9km point) and 55 kms today.  I really now want to get to over 150 kms in total tomorrow which would mean the majority of the distance being done over 3 stages.  My knee has really seized up and the doctors say it is to do with my ligaments.  I have been given some herbal anti inflammatories from one of the guys on the race and some strong painkillers to get me through the stage tomorrow.  I need to do as best as I can as I still want to improve my mileage so I can move up the rankings some more. 
Overall, today was amazing – what an amazing experience to race on Deception Island amidst the history and the wildlife.  I am extremely privileged to be here and  I totally respect this continent as it can be harsh and unforgiving when it wants to be.  It is now 2300 and I need to go and sort out my feet as blisters have appeared but I may leave the treatment until tomorrow when we moor up or I could accidentally poke a needle through the wrong toe with the swell of the ocean being so strong.  It is looking like I will lose toenails so it will be back to painting my stumps with nail varnish for the Christmas Party Season!
 
Thanks once again for all of your support – it keeps me going and I will not give up – not a chance!!

After finishing the stage yesterday dinner was a lively event with lots of tales from the day.  We were told that stage 2 would start at 0600 meaning that we would have to get up at 0330 hrs.  Seeing as most people did not get to bed until midnight that would have been emotional.  We were all tannoyed at 0345 this morning to tell us to stay in bed as the wind outside was 45 knots and there was no way that the zodiacs could get us to shore for our second stage.  I think there was relief all round as it meant that everyone got a couple more hours of sleep which would set them up for the day.  Breakfast was at 0600 and then the waiting began.  Thankfully the winds subsided and by 0930 the zodiacs were ready to take everyone to shore.  In order to ensure that I was fresh for today and had enough fuel in my body, I made a sandwich at breakfast and made sure that I ate it an hour before the stage started.  It really paid off as I set off at a brisk pace with a positive attitude about the day and miles ahead.  In order to survive the day and not get mentally defeated I decided not to focus on who was ahead, who was behind and who may overtake me.  Instead I just got cracking on the first part of the stage - just over 9 kms.  I kept a good steady tabbing pace and was really comfortable.  My kit was in better order today as I have removed the front pouch from my pack enabling me to run without having my kit bouncing up and down.  I was able to run down hill when the going was ok but my right knee was extremely painful when tabbing up hills and when running.  In all my desert races I have never had problems with my knees - blisters YES, lower legs - YES but never my knee.  I had taken drugs before starting the race but they made no difference.  However, it is an issue that I will have to deal with and grit my teeth as I will get to the end of the race and finish.  The race has been really sociable as we are running on a loop and when I neared the turning point of the stage, I was saying hello to Neil Wilkie (who was mentioned in breaking news today by leading the pack at the start of the race for at least 45 seconds, it was so funny to watch him) and James Love.  They both told me to effectively shut up and catch up with them.  That helped me put an injection of speed into my tabbing 5 minutes later I had caught them up.  I felt really good and knew that I had fuelled up correctly.  My goretex shoes were holding up and just as well as my shoes from stage 1 were still wet through back in my cabin.  3/4 way around the loop we were informed that the weather was closing in and we had to abort the stage at the checkpoint to ensure that we could all make it safely back to the ship.  Everyone got the distance in prior to getting back in the zodiacs and going back to the ship with the hope that we could pick up where we left off later in the day.  Throughout the day we waited for positive news but it didnt surface, in fact the weather got progressively worse and then started to improve but it would not give us a window of opportunity to get back on land prior to it closing in again.  I now fully appreciate how hostile this continent can be and the weather can change in seconds.  We are currently sailing towards Deception Island and the ship is rocking from side to side and it is fairly obvious that I am not in the Royal Navy as I am feeling extremely ropey.  It is too late to put a patch on as it wont have any effect as we should only be at see for around 5 hours so I will have to ride this one out with tablets.  We are up for another early start tomorrow and I really just want to get into the race and get the distance in tomorrow.  I came down here to get the distance in not realising how difficult this can be.  Everyone on the ship just wants to get the mileage in as well as experience the beauty of Antarctica.  We are promised more wildlife tomorrow (we have already seen feeding penguins at sea on this part of the trip) and the scenery is due to get better and better.  My cabin currently resembles a chinese laundry as my room mate and I have been frantically trying to dry all of our kit after it got wet today and after the soaking parts of us got on stage 1. 
 
Sandra B-T and Wayne Enis - I miss you guys being out here and Sandra - Robyn and I have devised a great way to pass the time.  We both wish you were here.
 
Roll on tomorrow, we will pray for no wind so that we can get to shore and get cracking with the race.
 
See you all soon and thanks again for supporting me on this Adventure.

Day 1 is over and what an emotional and dificult date.  We were due to get on the zodiacs at 0500 to start the race at 0600, however the tannoy at 0340 declared that the wind was at 35 knots and that until the weather conditions improved we were going nowhere.  I had already got into my kit so stupidly, instead of going back to bed I sat up in the lounge.  There was a lot of waiting around until 1030 when we started to get on the zodiacs to go to shore on King George Island - god it was baltic so we were all in our layers.  By the time all the competitors were over on the island, avoiding the chinstrap penguins that were milling about on the beach (not bothered about us humans) it was nearly noon and the race was starting at noon.  We had a loop to complete totalling 14.5 kms split into 5 kms and 9.5 kms, each time going back to the checkpoint.  I tried to set off sensibly although I was dressed in my fur lined goretex jacket.  Even though I was happy burning off loads of calories by wearing the goretex jacket, I could only cope with 5 kms of it on so I had to stop and very quickly take it off and stash it in my daysack.  I tabbed up the hills and then ran down them and strode out on the flat over the first 14.5 kms.  I covered the first 14.5 kms in good time but then it started to go wrong as I had zero energy so I tried to take on a gel and some parmesen cheese but it didnt speed me up.  I soon figured out why - normally I will have my breakfast an hour before the race starts as it is part of our rations however  breakfast was put on at 0600 hrs so by the time the race started at noon, my energy levels were depleted.  I had a word with myself and after the 2nd 14.5 kms I took on a very quick hot meal which I was carrying.  That really did the trick and I covered the third 14.5 kms with Lucy R-B and it was great to have company as I had raced solo all day.  We were soon joined by David OBrien who is going for the grand slam this year.  The route also introduced us to some wildlife - chinstrap penguins, seal, albatross and some diving petrels who were protecting their nests.  A couple of the racers got pecks on their head but I waved them away with my poles.  There were some evil parts of the course with hills of snow and of mud, water crossings, deep mud and deep snow.  I have now firmly added snow and mud to my list of dislikes!  I was soaking wet and my feet were wet due to constantly hitting water under the snow and it was really hard work.  At the end of the 3rd 14.5 km, David and I got a spurt of energy and we picked off a couple of competitors.  I only completed a marathon today so I am quite disappointed but I found the conditions hard and the fact that I had no energy for part of the day.  Most people completed 3 lots of 14.5 kms with Ryan Sandes, the South African athlete completing 6.  He is awesome and a machine.  Some of the racers completed 4 laps.  Now I know where I went wrong with my nutrition i will make sure that I am better prepared tomorrow and thank goodness I have 2 pairs of racing shoes as my salomon ones are soaking wet and wont be dry by 0500 hrs tomorrow when the next stage commences.  That is unless the wind gods have something to say about that.  I have only suffered one blister under a toe nail today but my right knee is really painful.  Looks like I will have to rely on drugs!  I am happy to report that all my digits are intact and although my feet were wet through I didnt succumb to frostbite.  When we got back to the ship I realised that all my kit was wet through including my day sack but thankfully I had a waterproof bag inside.  I will do away with my front pouch in the morning and rely on snacks in my pockets - I didnt touch the snacks today and my camera in the other as you always have to be poised to take photographs of the amazing wildlife here. 
 
Thanks ever so much for all your support and I will go out there tomorrow morning and improve on my distance from today.  At least the weather allowed us to land today and we have started to get the miles under our belt.  More of the same tomorrow so I am anticipating getting wet again.  Comparing the other 3 desert races, the stage today and the conditions we raced in and on were the hardest I have encountered.  I was even starting to dream of the sand in the Sahara over the snow which was just cold and wet!  More tomorrow if I survive the stage.

We have just sighted land, the first in over 48 hours since leaving Ushuaia and it is spectacular.  Trying to keep your balance on the top deck, battling waves, wind and a camera was no mean feat but well worth the view and the photos.  Day 1 of the race commences at 0600 tomorrow and I have just repacked for the second time and hopefully I have everything I need.  I really do need to start racing as the food onboard Antarctic Dream is fantastic and I need to be on the desert diet rather than coming back looking like a weeble.  The last 2 days have given me the opportunity to meet more racers than I would do on a normal 4 Desert Race (if there is anything normal about the races and the racers) and that has been great.  We boarded the ship on Wed and I was incredibly impressed with the lounge and dining area as well as the cabins.  The mandatory kit check took place on Wed evening and thankfully I had everything that was required after a mad dash around Ushuia on wed am.  I have been able to store some of my kit in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia to avoid taking everything to Antarctica.  Thu and today have been spent trying to avoid cabin fever by attending a number of lectures on birds, whales, seals and penguins as well as watching the film about Shackleton.  It also proved a great place to get my head down as I have not been able to sleep well in the cabin as I have spent most nights fighting to stay in my bed with the swell in the Drake Passage and the sofas at the back of the lecture room were sooo comfortable – I wasn’t the only one to fall asleep though, at one stage the whole of the back row were kipping.  Thankfully the seasickness patches  are working and I have felt fine all the way across the Drake Passage.  Some of the side effects are light headedness and dizziness but hey, I get that most of the time anyway.  The temperatures have not been too bad up until now and yesterday we were sat out in the sun on the top deck and I had another interview with Transworld Sport.  I keep on insisting that I have a face for radio and not TV. 
 
The plan for tomorrow is 15 hours of racing trying to build up as many miles as possible.  I would dearly like to complete at least 50 miles as I am used to tabbing at 4 miles an hour and with less weight than on a CFT I am hoping to go faster but we have no idea of the terrain at the moment.  I am really looking forward to the wildlife and will be ensuring I get lots of photos – this is a once in a lifetime experience and I don’t want to come home having raced and not taken in the incredible sights.  Our first stage is on King George Island and  I now want to get this race underway.  I have a photo of Dad to take in my RTP passport and I will be wearing my lucky scarab beetle (worn in Sahara and Gobi) as well as my lucky penguin.
 
I will start off at a sensible pace rather than do what I normally do and set off way too fast.  It is a marathon not a sprint and I don’t want to burn myself out.  I will update my blog tomorrow night if I still have fingers that have not succumbed to the cold.  I can’t wait to set foot on Antarctica some 55 years after Dad did.  Roll on tomorrow and I hope the crossing in the zodiacs to land is calm!
 
Thanks for the emails and the comments to my blog.  They will keep me going.
 
Helen x
 

Well I am finally packed and ready to go.  I head down to the meeting point in just over an hour and then the adventure can well and truly begin.  I arrived in Ushuaia on Mon afternoon and have managed to relax, shop as well as meet up with some fellow competitors.  Yesterday morning involved meeting Lucy R-B and Jackie Furness and we were filmed by Transworld Sport gossiping over hot chocolate, shopping and then finally we all did a piece to camera about the upcoming race.  I had dinner both nights with members of the RTP team and competitors and it made a great change to have company after spending 4 nights in Buenos Aires dining alone.  My time in BA was fantastic although at times I had to remind myself to slow down.  I managed 9.5 hours of tango lessons and I survived injury free and I found out that I don't have 2 left feet.  I took myself off sightseeing avoiding all the tourist buses and shows preferring to explore myself and finally I managed to SHOP!  My time in BA was great preparation for the race - over 12 horus a day on my feet and carrying various weights (depending on my purchases).  I did venture out for a run on my first full day in the city but I drew some strange glances.  The only gear I had was my race kit so in temperatures in the mid 20s I had my thermal leggings on, thermal top and 3 pairs of socks in order to fit into my racing shoes.  I stuck out like a sore thumb especially running past a women sunbathing in a bikini in the park!

My flight down to Ushuaia on Mon was relatively easy and LAN did not even charge me excess baggage which was a relief.  I was able to leave my BA clothes and purchases in BA with the couple I am staying with on my return and then once I arrived in Ushuaia it was a short hop to the B&B I was staying in - Posada del Fin de Mundo with fantastic views of the glacier and the channel from the communal living area.  The weather has been changeable - varying from pretty warm to this morning when it was cold and raining.  Hopefully I am prepared for every eventuality with my kit.  I had dinner last night with some of the racers and didnt get back to my B&B until 2230 hrs.  I then packed my kit which took 3.5 hours but at least it is all pretty much ready to go.  I have all the mandatory kit and then some.  My final purchases this morning were parmesan cheese and a sleeping bag stuff sack.  The shops in Ushuaia are pretty impressive and you could easily have bought most of your race kit from here.

I am about as ready as I will ever be for the race - there is no turning back now.  I will just get on with it and I refuse to give up.  We meet at 1400 hrs in the Albatross Hotel for final instructions before walking down to the ship and we will be setting sail this evening.  I just hope the Drake Passage is calm but I have my sea sickness patches on standby just in case.  The kit checking will take place tonight and time penalties will be incurred if you are missing kit.  I double checked my kit last night so I know I have everything I need.  

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages of good luck and to all of you that have sponsored me.  I really do appreciate it and it will spur me on to achieve my goal of finishing the race in the best time possible.  

I will post blogs after the stages and I am ready for the adventure of a lifetime and my first sighting of the continent of Antarctica.  It is 55 years ago to the month that my father set sail for the South Atlantic and Antarctica when he was in the Royal Navy and I am really proud that I am following in his footsteps all these years later and hopefully setting foot on those parts of the Antarctic Peninsula that he visited.

For now, I will sign off and get on with making my way down to the hotel and then onto the Antarctic Dream which has had many, many great reviews and positive comments.

I cannot believe that the Last Desert is now just around the corner.  It seems an age ago when I paid my deposit back in Aug 09.  I have been back from Afghanistan for 2 weeks and it has been a manic fortnight trying to sort out all my kit and plans for Antarctica.  Still, I think I am just about there now.  I have managed to continue with my training, fitting in runs and cycles - even managing to get 2 runs in and some cycling during a weekend to Bruges.  I have tomorrow to finalise my packing and then I head down to Heathrow on Wednesday to board the flight to Buenos Aires.   

I was interviewed by British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) TV this morning and following my BFBS radio interview last week, I heard myself on BFBS radio in Germany this afternoon.  This is all great as it is publicising the 2 charities I am raising money for.  My charities are Hounds for Heroes, a charity raising money to provide assistance dogs to injured military service personnel as well as injured personnel from the civilian emergency services.  My sponsorship site is www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HelenCarter.  I am also raising money for those personnel injured in Afghanistan serving with 4 Mechanised Brigade and this is through the Black Rat Fund (www.blackratfund.org).  I have managed to set up a very basic Facebook page which has been charting my preparations for the race.

I just hope that all my training at altitude and in 40 degree plus heat since Mar 10 pays off at sea level and in below freezing conditions during the Last Desert! 

Nerves are mixed with excitement as I am so used to the hot desert races and this race will be something completely different and I hope I have got the right type of kit for the race.  It is all unknown territory that I am now entering but I really can't wait to get the final race underway.  2 days until I fly and 9 days before I board the ship for the Antarctic.  I really can't wait.  I have a few days to relax and learn to Tango in Buenos Aires before I fly down to Ushuaia ready for a little bit of acclimitisation and then the race beckons.