Hello all, with 30 days to go I'm making one last push on the big miles! I went for a long run the other day, without my racing backpack........it felt strange and I didnt like it! I put in a big 7 days just gone all loaded with full gear of 7.5kg, looking something a little boring like this: 11.5 miles (1 hr 45), 12.2 miles (1 hr 50 mins), 20 miles (3 hrs 30 mins), 12.2 miles (1 hr 30 mins), and finished off with 16 miles (2 hrs 20 mins). It feels strange, but I'm really getting used to running with a rucksack. Small incremental steps in training coming to fruition I guess. I'm off to Medoc in France next week to run a marathon, so I'm currently debating whether I want to do this with or without my rucksack. With would be better training, but I'm also keen to try and break the 3 hr mark, so will wait to decide. I'm also going to do some indoor altitude training over the coming weeks, so hopefully this will make the first day a little easier to stomach! I hope training is going well for everything and would love to hear how people are getting on and how their gear preparation is working out! Sports massage tonight!. See you all soon. Mark

So we're getting close, around 6 weeks to go! The last few weeks have been getting pretty serious, and for the first week in a long time I'm had to run on a pretty bad blister. I don't suffer from blisters too much, and this one only came about after a half marathon I ran at the weekend. I got caught up behind someone who was clearly too fast for me but I managed to hold on at 6 minute miles for the best part of 10 miles. To his delight, he dropped me, but I managed to come home in 1 hr 23. Unfortunately the tempo forced me onto my tip toes which left me with a huge blood blister to deal with. It's pleasing in some ways, as it means I've been able to run on pretty bad feet - hopefully giving me some idea of what to expect in the desert. It's also giving me some idea about how to treat them. I'm starting to get all my kit together. I'm not sure if I'm making the smartest choice by I'm opting for the OMM 25Litre bag to keep weight down. I'm fairly light, so I'm not keen to run with too much unnecessary weight. My training runs are now with a bag weighing at 7.5kg, which I'm hoping to increase to 10kg by the end of this month. However, that's really the top end of what I want to carry. One area that was particularly irritating me was my quest for a very light but very well rated sleeping bag. I didnt want to pay $380 for a new one, only to use it once and then see if wasted. It's all turned out pretty well as I found a newish one on ebay for $200. I picked up a Mountain Hardwear Phantom, which has great reviews! My training is ramping up nicely, I think. I still need to get in some crucial long walk runs of 5-7 hours in duration but I'm currently clocking around 70-90 a week feeling tired but generally ok at the end of it. Sports massage is helping me through keeping me in shape. I'm hoping to be hitting the 100-115 mile per week next week and the week after. Over the coming days I'll be starting to run with more of the nutrition to test it out and make sure I'm comfortable with it. I'm finding myself running more and more efficiently with less and less need for energy. Although it's a great sign that I'm able to run so far with so little, it does set a dangerous precedent that I don't want to be taking with me to Chile - so I'm really going to start thinking wisely about what I eat and when. The one area I'm unsure about is when to take the additional tablets like nuuns. I've never raced with tablets, so not sure when to take them i.e. Do you naturally include them in all drinks or only when you 'feel' you need them? Any advice would be appreciated? Anything I'm nervous about?! Yes - altitude sickness. Although it doesnt seem a real risk I certainly don't want to get caught out. I'll be training at the Altitute Centre in London prior to adapt a little, but I only have one day to acclimatise as I'm running this event on annual leave so had no extra days to take up to land earlier. Second thing I've nervous about! Flights! Any delays and I'm in trouble!! Over and out, got a long run in the morning ;-) Mark