So... the final blog...

I am going to start by telling the story that ends my Gobi mission... the first and only breakdown... followed by my post Gobi experience, Urumqui and beyond...

So it was Friday night and I was feeling surprisingly good considering my 30hour adventure that had started the Thursday before...

The "LONG" day had been epic... 99kms, plus another 7kms tacked on for good measure going "around the sand dunes instead of over them" saw me clock in 106kms, 24 hours of walking time...I have no idea why, but I didn't have an ache in my body or any strain on my face, except for the fact that my eyes felt like they were half open. I am not sure if that's dillusional, or if it's real, but the best thing I did was pop the Valium because the following morning after I felt amazing.

I know it sounds like Val is talking here but the mood after the long day was at first- anxious, waiting for the last competitors to make it back before the cut off, and then, strangely chilled out... It was like we had all made it already and all of a sudden everyone was hanging outside their tents, chatting, throwing away the excess food or rather just eating it (I ate for Australia again after the long day), there were photo shoots on the dunes, team tent photos and before you knew it it was past our 8pm bed time nudging 11pm...Looking now at the results, I had spent over 2 times the amount of hours on the course compared to the fastest person!

For me, it was interesting for another reason -  it was honestly the most time I had spent with my "DAUR" tent mates in the whole week. I think I finally asked Dan B "so I know how many blisters you have and how you digest your food, but what do you actually do?"...
I enjoyed that afternoon so much.. it was like backwards bonding out there... all the yucky stuff first...you would need 20 nights out with each other before you ever hit that chat and yet in Gobi town it was perfectly normal...and that afternoon we had tent photos - the DAUR massive was certainly a happy tent, and even though I didn't know at the time, we were accommodating the winner, the 3rd place womens, and the spirit award...and me, overall all number 111 which I couldn't have been happier with.

A stilnox later and I was trying to get to sleep with a sand storm blowing its business directly up my nose. The whole night I talked and cursed the sand in my sleep and woke up with one nostril completely at one with the Gobi... I was a mess this morning and ate my breakfast on the bus on the way to the start of the last day. At this point I didn't care. I even forgot to screw the lid on my water so at the start line I realised I was going to be running on empty... Lucky for me a cute little frog gave me some of his water...and somehow that didn't get screwed on either so I started running and splashing around in a cola flavored pond...

I tell you what's odd, I can walk 100kms but running the last few kms was a challenge... Stage 6 was only 6kms and so I was very relaxed cos I knew I had made it. It was tempting when a bus passed with the number 6 on it, I nearly jumped on but knowing my luck I'd have been back at the start line... I saw the red flag and ran in with Sam Fanshawe... What a feeling... An odd one... it was sort of an anti climatic climax!...
Like I had expected myself to be so emotional and all messy and I was just so happy I finished the smile on my face was pretty stuck... and still is... in fact I'm not sure it left me from the start which is why it's weird. I will explain this in a moment - but on another odd note, the best sensation I experienced after I crossed the finish line was something equally as random...
The sensation every time I chomped into the half watermelon I had in my hands... I had just finished a 250km race and this watermelon was rocking my world! Chomp...chomp...just letting it just drip everywere, I couldn't get any dirtier than I was... dripping all over my hands, sipping and slurping the juice, the texture of the melon almost cleaning my teeth, this amazing porous, fresh, crunchy, drippy, half moon shaped yummmmm...wow.

So.. the smile on my face did actually go... I did actually crack a tear...I finally had a Gobi breakdown back at the hotel. So, pre Gobi, anticipating my emotional needs, I booked a separate room for myself however somehow the hotel stuffed that up, and I now had to share a bed... (A1 you know I love you but I just wanted to walk around starkas for a while!)...I got over that...and then the deal breaker came....
I jumped in the shower in perfect choreography with 150 others only to have NO HOT WATER...and did I have a cry or what...
Picture a 2 year old tantrum. half wet. in a towel. in the room crying to Amanda like she can magically turn it back on "I can't believe there's no hot water, anything all week, i did it rough, i've done my yards, i can handle alll that sh*t but not this, not no hot water that's just mean....wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh".....

I took a deep breath and got over myself and sat in the shower until it was hot again... I peeled off the tape from my feet, my waist, my hips and scrubbed (I took a nail scrubber to Urumqui) every last bit of my body til it was raw and clean... and my chaffing around my waist was raw and clean too...and then I lathered every nice smelling lotion I could find all over me, drowned myself in Bvlgari (scent of the Gobi) and popped on a long floral "maxi dress" and ran out the door to the awards banquet...havainas, two swollen but otherwise good feet, a nice t-shirt tan, earrings, my "Creme de la Creme" bangle (Emily I love you), lip gloss and a big smile on my face...

I am sure everyone has mentioned the dinner, and the news of the death of Nick Kruse.
I am not going to say much on this. I think everyone did their best, in a very difficult situation. I was out there that day just before his situation started and it was stinking hot. It was stiffling heat. There were medical staff there on the mountain already as they'd been waiting for Lyn and I, and there was a team back at camp co-ordinating with those competitors who were helping Nick. There were people trying to do their best to help him. Whatever happened, as someone said that night- you never know when you are going to cross the finish line for the last time... and I am so sorry for Nick's family and friends. Getting to the start line was the biggest achievement have felt this whole time. Getting to the finish line was truly really lucky.

That night, we drank on at the sports bar next to the hotel and flopped into bed at 3.30am, knowing we had to be up at 6.15am...I somehow managed to put my alarm on for 5.15am just to make sure A1A and I slept even better next to each other that night...
To be honest, I was glad A1 was there, I was actually feeling a little emo' after such a big week,...it was nice to be around each other after such sad news and we all really felt lucky to have made it back ourselves...

The following morning we returned home to HK... since my return I have tried to read a few blogs etc and have certainly spoken to many of my friends... one of the over-riding comments has been "you made it seem easy," or "how come you had such a good time and the others hated it"...  and I have an opinion on that.

Apart from having the best Gobi training I think I could get (thanks Mungo) as well as personal training (core like a rock thanks Pete) and an amazing support network starting with my best friend Meli and my whole amaaaazing family... I also hid in my Omm backpack an Indian lucky charm (Mel H), photos of "Stormin Normin" my nonna, a sequin eye mask for my "look-good-feel-good" policy, and an attitude that seemed to get me through...

I have actually even questioned whether or not I pushed myself hard enough...ha..whilst doing 250kms across the desert...I am sure it was probably hard enough already...

But why was it that I didn't have a down moment?

This was how it played out:
When I was bored, I played games - I would try to recall everyone who had emailed or blogged me that day, or everyone who had sponsored me from start to finish...It really kept me going -THANK YOU ALL!!! xxx...so did the songs people sent me that would pop into my head (no I-pod remember I banned myself to test myself)...I would plan holidays and even think about my blog for that night.

When I felt tired, I questioned my salt, my protein and my carbs and I ate accordingly...
If I was huffing and puffing from the exasperating heat or from exhaustion and wanted to slow my heart rate I sang Amazing Grace to myself! ha! Have you ever tried to sing that song really fast and out of breath? It slows you down... and calms you down...
In fact Lucy T and I have a marvelous home video of ourselves singing our own rendition at 1.40am in the morning after nearly 18hours walking on the long day...anyone would think we were delerious and losing it but we were just happy we found the pink flags again!!!


When I was finding it OK, I pinched myself and reminded myself of something that was said to me by email, from a guy I've never met before, that stayed with me the whole time... "just remember not everyone gets the opportunity to do something like this"... and I thought of Olivia and all the others that would give so much to trade places... well maybe not on the dirt road where I was.. but even to have that possibility...I was lucky to be there, even if I wanted a magic carpet at that point!

So I made sure that I looked at the stars or the sun or the kids or the view and took it all in with some photos, some personal videos chatting away, or some more photos after I realised how bad I looked in the first ones. Thommo thanks for the hat but I look like I should have corks tied to that brim it was so big! :)

The best advice I had was in a trance meditation session a few weeks before the race (love it, hynotherapy, tapping therapies, the whole lot) ...the advice was simply
So, anytime I felt a labour in my step, "JKW" popped into my head and suddenly the next checkpoint would arrive...

When you combine my training on a physical as well as mental sense, I just knew that I could finish any day that the Gobi presented. It is easy to say in retrospect, but at the same time, basically, there was just no way in hell I wasn't finishing and that was always my game plan -to complete, not compete.

On top of all that, I had secretly told Dan Parr I would let him win the race... hehee...
So at that point I knew I wasn't going to win and I think because of that, I was ok with everything that happened. If my leg hurt, I didn't mind so much because all I had to do was JKW...

I am pretty glad I stuck to my game too. Runners that walked got weird blisters and strained walking muscles, walkers that ran blew their hydration...It's odd, even the best competitors go down and it's so easy to miss a salt tablet or miss sipping enough water...I may have hated it if it was hotter and would have really struggled on the long day, but thank God I was ok... Armed with my Gobi-brain, the panick attacks, the floods of tears, the hatred, the mental exhaustion, the Gobi-nightmares all stayed at bay and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it! ...I am also sure I had luck on my side...

I am sure its also a very different race for the runners, the one's who actually compete for a place... HA HA! I wouldn't have even known it was an actual race if A1A hadn't reminded me the night before!
In case you didn't know, I placed 111th which was perfect for me -111 itself adds up to the number 3, which is my favorite and my personal number... (as guided by GT, numerologist to the stars)...In total it was 59hours, 53 minutes 26seconds! Woo!

So... Monday back at work, 2 compeeds on my feet and the only muscle aching was my heart as I realised how close I'd become to my tent crew. I've been missing them all so much. Nick, Dan, Stu, Dan, Andy, Jude, Emma, A1A & I... what a team : )

That said, I need to go now and get my beauty sleep. We're off to drinks tomo night to catch up with each other post Gobi...friendships fully forged, the "Daur" massive will see you out soon....

OH ps... NO, there is no NEXT. I had such a positive experience, if I did another and it wasnt' so positive I would have to do ANOTHER one and 3 RTP events is just too many..

By that stage anyway I hope I will be on my next adventure...
The question is;
"what is culturally stimulating, mentally challenging and does not build leg muscle?"....

Peace love and Gobi-beans
xoxo
love Lulu

PS: for those of you that wish to donate to my charity site; Cystic Fibrosis UK please go to
where you can donate by credit / debit card. We have raised nearly GBP10,000.00 in just a few weeks! I am hoping and praying for a cure for CF so maybe one day Olivia will get over to the Gobi herself!

Woke up 4am for a 6am start on Thursday, only to be told they'd start at 8am...wasn't too pleased about the lack of sleep...
We were SO LUCKY with the clouds covering us until about 4pm, then the sun came out from 4pm-10pm and it was HOT... no idea of the temps but holy dooly....powered thru the first 65kms... i was on fire...i think bc i got my food and electrolytes right and had energy all day long at and i knew once i got to checkpoint 6 it was all downhill from there...
 
Made it to checkpoint 6 for sunset... wowowow spectacular!...quickly drained 2 new blisters and then did a full lube of the feet and tummy (from the pack rub where it clips around the waist) with Hydropel which truly saved my entire day today. Think grease for the car. This is grease for the feet!
 
Check point 7 was the sleep over point. By 2am Friday, Lucy T (nbf) and I had reached #7 and I threw my feet up on a chair and slept for 4hours with complete body exhaustion. I could have rested and gone sooner but my knees and feet were aching. Ate some dinner at 2am bc that was the only checkpoint with hot water so i looked forward to that meal alllll day.For me, the mind was aok but 18hours pounding on my feet was enough so i was happy to sleep for a bit and continue tomorrow.
 
4hours sleep, some breaky and we were off at 7am.... the sun was out in full force today. It was reported to be 36-53degrees... who knows, it was just boiling hot for the last 10kms across the sand dunes...Lucy and I marched in together at ~1pm. All in all we walked 24hours with a 5 hr stopover.
 
 
I am happy to say I never visited Negative Town. Much thanks to your support and emails running thru my head constantly all day and night!!!... as well as teaming up with amazing Lucy T.
In an observation, -referring to talking to people along the way -In this sort of situation, with 99km end point, and limited food supply, i can only compare the reaction to someones negativity to when you crave salty foods and only have sweet foods and you just need to get that taste out of your mouth...quick fast..i know thats sounds odd but the taste buds are aching and the emotions are delicate... It's a fine line between helping someone out of a dark moment and being pulled in and luckily I breezed through aok.
 
I can safely say I have done enough ME time for the next year....
On that note, as I nearly lost my ipods the other day and feared the prospect of actually having to do the long days in silence, I tested myself and ended up only using the ipod for 5 minutes over the lastb 30hours...haa.
 
I'm now back, trying to write my blog before I need to eat my last packet meal pasta and get some sleep for the last day tomorrow. It's 41 degrees in the shade of this tent right now so I literally cant stay anylonger as I'm so thirsty.
 
Thanks again for all your support, couldn't have done it without you.
lots of love,
xxx
 
ps Meli, book us in to the MO saturday next week. I need to relax....... : )

And again... Wow I LOVE reading the blog comments and emails!!! Thank you so much!!!! The most irrelevant comment to you is so magnified in my world right now...
 
So... last nite went to bed and got up 4am for an early start to a scorcher.
I bolted thru the first 2 check points but had a sore leg so took 2 painkillers which was great for the legs but terrible for the tummy.
 
Another win for the day / lose was that at checkpoint 2 I had someone help me get something out of my top pocket. They forgot to zip it up so I lost my 2 ipods, golf ball, nite light (lucky I have a back up) baby wipes and leuko tape. When I discovered this you can imagine the dark place I could have been, but somehow the situation I was in right then took over my disappointment...
Ten minutes later  was screaming and jumping for joy as the first passer by had actually picked up my golf ball and my 2 ipods!!! wooooo!!!!!!!
at check point 2 someone came in with "anyone lost some tape?" WOW.
 
Check point 2 was about 24kms into it and I took a pill for anti nauseas...then low and behold it was Vomitsvoille across the sand dunes and into some canyons... I had also picked up a friend along the way who was NOT doing so well... About 2 hours later it was 36ish degrees and I had run out of water and my friend was writing help signs with rocks in the sand dunes, she had really been effected by the heat and was at a point of no return...
Some positive thoughts and a message to first aid with some others who passed us saw us meet the med team about 4kms into base camp.
She stayed in the shade, next to another guy with an IV.
I battled on into camp...
 
I am very grateful to two people who have found me storming off into the wrong direction, Dan & Mark. It happened yesterday and today at the 3rd /final stage so I am now going to make sure I'm aware of that potential disaster when I decide to go hard and not look up!!! The flags are hard enough to see but it's another thing simply missing them!!!)
 
As I came to about 3kms I seriously questioned my sanity when I saw what looked like a life size sand castle. It was not hallucinations... Get this for a trip in the Imaginarium (of Dr Parnassus)... we are staying in a Buddhist theme park, made of sand and hay - ironically with beeping turnstiles like at train stations... It's so weird... we are sleeping in the museum that's the size of an basket ball court, hanging with relics of the cultural history in this region.. complete with a marble floor... and thatched roof... LOL...
 
Anyways, I got in around 2.30ish, which was long considering I had wanted to fly in today, but when you're alone out there and someone else is too, instinct kicks in and I can tell you now, I felt a lot better walking through 2hours of a canyon 1 foot wide at the feet and 5metres high sand dunes above my head with a friend!!!  The actual course was tough but mainly cos of the sand dunes which woke every little every foot muscle, and again the brutal heat. The great news is my friend came in and is considering tomorrow!!!
 
There are still ~10ppl out there... its been a tough day and they are out there in full on rescue mode at the moment as one guy is properly down. It's quite an intense mood here as people question tomorrow, their safety, how much water we get etc...the rescue op going on is just hardcore. Lets all send our prayers out for this guy... The team here are doing a brilliant job but the heat is just brutal...
 
MUM & DAD I promise I will stop before I get to that stage don't worry!!! 
I am feeling ok and promise you I will take care of my health first before not completing....xox
 
I am not looking fwd to the heat tomo... Swanny- you said it- its really moved to another level today...
The body is for the most part holding up... have a back spasm right now and going to sort that out... ITB on both legs is threatening but the other aches and pains sem to just move around my body as I go...
 
Anyways, that’s all for now, I got to eat then down my 3L of water...all very hard to stomach...then go to bed. another early start at 6am...
V for volataren cream, V for Valium and V for Very excited for tomorrow to be over, regardless of how I finish up in the race.
 
Thanks again for your blog comments and emails, I can't tell you how good it is to read them...
Lots and lots of Love,
Luisa
 
PS -LIV PAT did I miss your bday? I don't know what day it is here in the sandcastle but I hope you have a very special birthday!!!
PPS - FYI those that don't know, Liv Pat is the "IT girl" in our mission to raise 10K GBP for CF Trust UK and it's her birthday this week too!
What are we up to online!?! Thanks again everyone!!!
xxxxxxx

Thank you all so much for your emails and blog comments!!!  LOVING getting these each day!!!
I keep reminding myself of little things people have said or written to me in the lead up and itputs a big smile on my face and makes each step more enjoyable.
I am pretty lucky I haven't yet had any of those "moments" yet...I have actually been really enjoying this but thats in part due to our good luck with the weather!!!!
 
So... i went to bed aok last nite and slept OK...woke up this morning tho with a cold and rasping sore throat... Breaky down the hatch and we were off on the 3rd day. It was overcast from 8am thru to 1.30ish when the sun came out in full force. The first 11km were full of river crossing which numbed any pain out of my feet... then the next 11km was a dirt road which i found surprisingly relaxing... and not surprsingly i relaxed and dawdled along the way.
 
It threatened to rain from about 11am and it spat for the next two hours, the wind making it cold enough to out my feather weight jkt on (thanks Thommo!)... and luckily it was big enough to cover me and my pack...including my sleeping bag which was not in a dry pack... lucky the sun came out.
I was out there til 3.30pm today which was just too long but my legs weren't that keen to go faster.
 
I made a few videos along the way which will be funny when i return altho im not so sure i want you to see them....Me and the Gobi are slowly becoming united...Today the flies overcame their fear of a potential 58kg squashing and decided I was one of them... The photographer told me he took some photos as i was washing my hair -midway crossing the river last nite, looking "rather intrepid"...Im not so sure I have ever been described that way, nor do i want to see it! ha!
 
Amanda Clarke said you would never look so unnatractive as you will 3 days into the Gobi. It really is an understatement... Having said that i have some comments on the fashions of the field.
Red, Turquoise and Purple are THE colours to wear in the desert. They are the easiest to spot when you can't see the coaster size pink flags every 50m or so. There is a Korean guy with a checked trilby, girls clad in make up and leopard print and men in tights everywhere.... Its like Peter Pan meets the wild west... in the Gobi...
 
So...I got back to camp which is actually a cute little village and we are sleeping in a room in one of the houses. It's really quite decadent for the Gobi, ...a little mud house with 3rooms, clad with with embroidered sleeping pads and pillows and a naked light bulb to really set mood.... The best news was there is a little stream near by...ice cold mountain water...i was in head to toe--horizontally--It was only as deep as my ankles so took a little resting on pebbles and rocks but i could swear it was the best bath ive ever had... especially since its around 35 degrees at a guess right now as i sit here typing.
 
I think-and i could be very wrong- but China keeps all of China on China time. So the Gobi sits next to other parts of the world which are at about mid day right now. So its sort of strange but makes sense that its cool til 1-2pm.. Im not sure if thats technically correct but makes sense why 5pm is like midday here...
 
Anyways, I am sweltering in this heat and need to go back and eat my spaghetti bolognaise and drink lots of water...we have a 3am wake up to start the day tomorrow bc of the expected heat...
ugh.. bring on day 5...im nearly half way : )
 
Thanks again for all your emails and support, I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading them at the end of each day.
 
lots of love
xoxox
Lu

So.. last nite after I wrote, and froze, but I actually think the cold was like a huge ice pack all over, it felt great...but also felt great to get into "bed"...
 
So, imagine the backdrop of huge mountains, I'm in my army green tent with 8others and they are all, already asleep!
Picture this: I was quite gladthey didn’t see the get up I was in...I'm wearing the same tights from the day (full length avoiding repeat of those heinous 3/4 leg tan lines), a long slv tshirt, a feather weight wind proof jacket, a singlet, socks, and the buff (like a circular scarf only cotton) and my sequin eyemask... completely silk wormed into a cocoon with nothing but a breathing hole out the very top of the sleeping bag.
That’s how cold it was. a sleeping pill later and about 6-7hours we woke up and off we went.
 
day 2... i wish i was a goat....
it was 30kms today with the first check point at 15kms... 
today went much quicker than yesterday... probs bc the longest check point was at the start....
The first 15 was full of hills....we went down some steep inclines, seriously steep... no worse than yesterday but today I kept imagining how a goat might get down.. me and my 2 poles which are now extensions of my arms traversed across and down without a fall...when I got tired of the goat I imagined myself skiing... truly there is snow on the mountains around us and the "pole plant" has been paramount in my success navigating down the mountains. plant, turn, plant turn....
 
I felt so good today I just wanted to run. In between the hills the trails were so nice...I really had to stop myself tho, reminding myself that getting to Day 5 in relatively one piece is the goal.
 
At check point 1 I lost some time but it was for a good reason : ) I had a bunch of balloons left over from Amanda's birthday pre-Gobi at the hotel...weighing nothing I decided to throw in a few and I'm glad I did...it was a nice highlight watching some of the local kids (about 2-3years old) try to chew, spit, and blow raspberries as they tried to blow up the balloons...it was actually hilarious... also hilarious was the play equipment GYM set up in the middle of no-where just by the checkpoint.
 
We went thru that checkpoint and then went up a huge dry river bed... rolled both ankles but nothing worse than a fright....thank god for the poles... even if you don’t train with them, if you ever do this, bring them....
the last 15kms went quickly and we had a river crossing at the end... it was ICE cold crystal clear to the ankles... I took of my shoes, put my ipod in my bag (soo me to trip and drown it) and crossed the river. I dumped my bag on the other side and promptly went straight back in to wash my face, hair, arms, feet, everything I could wash without getting totally wet...ahhhhhh! bliss!
 
The last 2kms back I started to feel sick when suddenly my sultanas showed up in the corner of my pocket and much needed energy burst saw me get in at 2.50pm... so 5.5hours and I was pretty pleased esp as it was quicker than yesterday...
 
I have no idea what the temps have been but I haven't felt hot yet as there's quite a breeze.. I have been wearing the long tights which have felt cool all day and a big hat which I think deffff helps keep the heat away.
I got some narley windburn on my face today so donned the "buff" covering my face and neck, tucked under my glarefoil sunnies... YES I am wearing the "blue blockers" and even have them tanned on my face....
 
I was still feeling nauseas for next few hours at camp.... the tents are ovens and you cant lie in the shade anywhere else so for a while there I thought I'd be in vomitsville.... I pulled thru and managed to down my sweet n sour chicken with rice.. at times I'm not sure if it was the chicken or the chat of the 27years old boys I sat with that was making me nauseas. Where the mind wonders when in the desert.....!!! And, as if the clouds could hear my tummy rumble, they too started to rumble and I was saved by the rain! It was only a light sprinkle but cooled the temps down a bit and I now feel slightly better. At least the body is holding up.
 
So, tomorrow is a 33km day... and temps are meant to be "scorching" however we have 6 river crossings in the first stage so might not be too bad. im not sure that such a blessing tho as I keep having visions of Lunny's feet after Australia... I popped my one and only blister today (same one as yesterday) and I am hoping to keep it at that...
 
Thank you all for your messages and emails. It is AWESOME to read these at the end of the day!! keep them coming! Thank you so much!!!!!
 
I was about to sign out but one more thing-- I just overheard Mary saying the starting temps in the "Flaming Mountains" of Day 4 is meant to be 49degrees Celcius.
 
On that note, over and out to drink some more water and get some sleep.
lots of luv LU

OK...so friday nite arrived at Urumqui.
Tried to cull pack.
Weighed in saturday morning at 10.8kg.
Culled again with A1A (amanda closet trainer clarke) by my side.... still couldnt cull enough....
It was total FOS.
Fear-of-Starving....one of the worst pre race conditions suffered by Gobinuts causing them to carry uneccessary weight on the back...
Honestly. I ate for Australia the day before the race. I felt so ill  when i went to bed, but the sleeping pill managed to knock me out in good time, before i noticed the rock in my back which was a welcome surprise this morning...
 
Camp site is super organised and neat, the way iike it. views spectacular. felt like i was in a postcard.
The director of camp asked me -are u really doing 250km across the gobi desert?- i had to check
shoes, tights, hat, sunnies, earrings, necklace, tinted lip gloss (thank you A1A) - check- yes im here attempting to do so!
 
the race started 9.30am, long day getting in at 5ish. 32kms. felt cool all day which was good...By midday i wanted to give my food to everyone.... the first 2 check points came quickly, then we scaled a mammoth hill and on the other side was magical.... it was like Dr Parnassus (?) world beyond the mirror without the freaky acid and crazy russians... the scenery was truly magestic... my cannon did its best to fit me and the mountains in but it doesnt do it justice...
 
the last 15kms were LONG, my pace was definitely slower than i expected today... i was totally freaked out by my ITB showing up the day before and my hamstring that has been annoying me so i used the raidlight poles alllll day (thanks pete!!) and went slow,...the surprise of the day was a nose bleed for no apparent reason and my right groin/hipflexer? is screaming at me right now....1 blister, same spot as usual even tho i taped... Camp site again neat and tiday and all organised ....i still have my food but i just cant stomach too much of it right now...will try again in an hour or so...
 
anyways, as i sit here in the cold i notice many more sore points... its freeeezing.....i just put hot water into my bottles and into my sleeping bag... just had a milo and going to lie on my eggshell mattress in my tent, #1 DAUR... i happen to be in the tent with A1A the 2nd fastest female today, and Dan Par who came in 1st, and a great bunch of very very amusing Gobinuts. The banter is already at a low point. in a good way..
 
Anyways, looking forward to tomorrow. Just want to knock these few days out and get to that 99km day.
 
send me news!!
peace love and freeeezing cold gobi beans
love Lu
 

Twas the night before Gobi, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The Omm Pack was hung by the door with care,
And in a heartbeat the morning would soon would be there.

The Gobinut was meant to be snuggled in her bed,
But visions of an empty blog danced in her head.
Even tho the Ipod was still empty and she just wanted to nap,
She just couldn't quiet that brain for that long needed nap...
.........
..............(did you know there are 14 verses to this poem!?)
.................
She spoke not a word, and went straight to her page,
And filled up her blog space... really showing her age...
A quick stretch, finger tips to the toes,
Ouch that bloody hamstring!....and into dreamland she rose!

In the morning, she sprang to her feet, Gobified and ready for her big feat..
From HK to Shenzen, and at last into Urumqui to meet...
The journey's only just begun, so imagine now as she walks out of sight...
To all my supporters, thank you, peace love and Gobi-beans....
God Bless and good night.....

testing....