So we are all safe and sound in a yurt village and although that sounds like a good place to be, I’m disappointed not to have had my long day, especially as I felt I was coming into my own and that this was my chance….

It is hard to imagine that we spent the night before last swimming in a lake by camp, but then the heavens opened in the night – one tent was flooded and we started the race damp and under an overcast sky.  Stage 1 was along a flat road and I followed the MDS guys and their pert bottoms as they trotted off into the distance!  Through stage 1 and it was cool but surprisingly humid so I was getting wet.  My stress fracture in my toe was giving my grief and I was enjoying some melodramatic “ohs” to no-one in particular. Lovely Dr Jack gave me some painkillers at CP 1 and I jogged on through to stage 2 where I put on my jacket, just as it started to rain – it added some respite from the wind.  I had probably started about 20^th off the start line but now I was catching up and slowing overtaking people. 

Our tent manager/house husband Paul had luckily made us take black waterproof bags and cut holes for head and arms – so I added this over the top and I started to feel much warmer, if not very glamorous, as the rain really came down (along with some hail!)  Up through CP3 and then up the final steep climb (approx. 2,800 m) to CP4.  I was feeling great.  Shiri was just ahead and I felt strong.  A quick fill up at CP4 and I ran down the other side – the weather was bleak – I felt like I was in the Brecon Beacons in March, but with more yurts and hairier sheep!!!  I felt fantastic and was singing “The Hills are alive with the sound of music” followed by a bit of Bohemain Rhapsody.  As I got lower the weather picked up and the sun was coming out.  I ran down to CP5 and met Shiri who seemed to be struggling.   I checked she was Ok and then jogged on – I was eating up the kms and feeling great.  Down the gravel path and up the road.  I could see the next 3 competitors (in 10-12^th place) just 200m ahead of me and I had then in my sights.  I marched up the road and was running down from the peak into CP6 when the news was broken that the race was being pulled. 

I know safety is the priority, but I was gutted as I was having such a great day, I felt I could make up a large part of the Deficit with Shiri (she came in 7mins later to CP6 so I had made 7mins on an 8km section) and maybe pick off some of the guys.  The other 3 guys were there and we lay in the sunshine – disbelieving that they had pulled us.  The rest was a lot of waiting around and logistics of getting us back to a base where we could get warm and dry.  Not really sure what to do about food, what to eat, what to save, what we might be asked to do tomorrow….  I know it was very weather dependent and the organisers didn’t know but it was hard to plan or know what was happening.

So we have had a dry overnight and still no news on how they are going to work out times for yesterday or what they are going to make us to tomorrow.  Some are relieved but most people are disappointed not to have had their long day or the full race.  C’est La Vie!!

Apparently they are going to give us some noodles to keep us happy.  Oh well, the easiest way to my heart is through my stomach.

Time in cyber yurt is limited due to queue – so that’s all for now. 

Thanks for messages – I will have to read later.

Jo  xxxxx

As a famous running coach once said “hard things take time to do. Impossible things take a little longer”.  Well, it has been a long journey to get to the start line of this race….

In July 2010, I tore my hamstring tendon (yes, during some ridiculous long race!).  After a few months of denial and many more months of treatment (with no running and at one stage not much walking either), in January 2012, my physio told me I could run for 2 minutes on a treadmill…  and so the long road to recovery began.  Slow steps forwards and a large number of steps backwards (including many panicky texts, emails and visits to my ever patient physio!) and I’m finally back and heading to the start line of the Gobi March tomorrow morning!

I have a huge number of people to thank for helping put me back together again and I probably will forget to name them all – but first of all my long suffering physio – Justin and the rest of the team at Physiocentral - Michael, Heidi, Daniel and Stella, also Ines, Ross, Peter, Kari.  Also to my family and friends who have helped support me through all my running adventures, but more importantly put up with me being grumpy girl for the many months when I couldn’t run!  Finally, to all my running friends, especially Al who gave me a target and a comeback race to aim for last October (plus trying to stop me over racing!) and Imi who has clocked up almost as many miles as me and helped me stay motivated through the longer training runs.  Finally, Ruby and Amelia - my 4 legged running partners – who are fit and ready to run the Gobi – if only they could get their pet passports in time!!

Having only officially signed up, paid and received all the details just over a week ago, the last few days have been a little bit of a frenzy of shopping and weighing things.  CWR (calorie to weight ratio) becomes the all-important criteria for food and I’m weighing everything from toothbrushes to flip flops to decide what comes with me, what has superfluous bits cut off it (yes I’ve trimmed my flip flops!) and what stays behind.   According to my spreadsheet, my pack currently weighs in at 7.6kg and I have 15,864 calories.  I’ve just sacrificed 2 pairs of clean socks for a nice big lump of parmesan cheese – a treat for the Long March!! 

I’m trying not to get flustered by the latest email (this morning) telling us to bring extra warm and windproof clothes – I’ve managed to resist the temptation to buy more gear!  So I just need to buy a spare torch, tell everyone at work that I really am non-contactable for a week and Bole here I come….

If you are reading this, please send me lots of encouraging messages, gossip, anything to keep my mind off the pain!

Next instalment from somewhere in Western china….

Jo