I am writing this sat in a Beijing hotel recovering from the Gobi March which concluded on Saturday.  This is the first opportunity I have had to get back on to the internet to finish off my blog so I will now regale you with the final 24 hours of the Gobi March 2009.  I last blogged on Friday afternoon after completing the long march.  Friday was spent recovering and cheering in the remaining competitors who completed the course by early afternoon.  Group photos were taken of age groups and the rest day enabled competitors to sit in the shade and chat in a relaxed environment.  This was the 20th Racing the Planet race so to celebrate this occasion, an enormous cake was brought into camp - I have never seen one so big.  It was covered in cream, fruit and....tomatoes!  We were also entitled to one can of soft drink or a bottle of beer.  Beer is usually available at the finish line but as we would be finishing in front of the mosque in Kashgar on Saturday, then only soft drinks would be served.  I had my sensible head on and opted for a coke zero which tasted amazing.  My stomach must have shrunk because I could only manage part of my cake.  I had managed to look at the results of the long day and the overall results which now placed me only 15 minutes behind the girl in front of me (Kathryn Harrison from the USA).  This spurred me on to do my best on the last stage.  I was torn between enjoying the atmosphere of the last 10km through Kashgar old city or racing as hard as I could to try to close the time gap.  Unfortunately because I do get competitive I opted for the racing.  Friday concluded with a firework display by the locals which was enjoyable before a final night in tent 4 with my tent buddies.  Since Mark and Andy had left the tent felt quite empty as there were only 7 of us remaining but the banter levels remained as high as usual.

I got up at 0700 hrs on Saturday morning and enjoyed my final breakfast of cup a soup, coffee and protein bar around the camp fire chatting to competitors before packing up my kit and boarding the coach for the last trip into Kashgar.  The coaches left at 0900 hrs but everyone set off for them at 0830 hrs as most competitors were doing the "Gobi shuffle" due to sore, blistered, swollen feet, knees, hips etc.  I am sure a bunch of blue rinse OAPs could have walked faster than us!!  We made it to the start line at an old tomb in Kashgar and the final stage began at 1130 hrs.  I was running with Clive for the last stage and we set off running on the road.  Having been used to a variety of terrain all week, it was really strange running on a road and my shins were screaming.  About 10 mins into the stage, Kathryn Harrison caught up with me and I realised then that no matter how hard I tried, I would not make up the 15 mins gap so I took my camera out and decided to enjoy the final stage.  Kathryn, Clive and I took photos of one another and we stayed with each other for about a km.  I must have gained a second wind because even with my camera in my hand, taking photos of the local sights and the locals, I managed to continue to run, fast march and before I knew it I had stepped up my pace.  We ran through part of the old city where only the previous week, Sandra, Wayne, Clive and I had taken a tour and we bumped into our tour guide from that week who recognised us as we ran past.  There was no breeze in Kashgar and it was extremely hot but I kept going - trying to run in the shade, on part of the flat and downhill.  We passed the statue of Mao Tse Tung and I knew that we didnt have too much further to go.  When we got near to the Mosque and the finish line, the sound of the drums and band at the finish line spurred me on and I crossed the finish line in 1 hour 14 mins - my 3rd desert race complete.  I can't explain the feeling of crossing the line after a week of highs and lows.  It was definitely the hardest of the 3 races and I was so relieved to have finished.  I received my medal from Sam and got hugs from lots of people.  After stuffing down a couple of slices of pizza and a diet coke, I returned to the finish line to cheer on the rest of the competitors and especially my tent mates.  It was a wonderful way to finish the race and competitors hung around the finish to see all complete - many photos were taken and the atmosphere was fantastic.  

Next on the agenda was a shower, and we made it back to the hotel where Sandra and I were sharing a room.  We paper, scissor, stoned for the first shower and as usual I lost however Sandra was on the phone to her husband and she offered me the first shower.  It was fantastic!!  Once we had showered and changed we met up with a load of others and went down to the FUBAR - a western bar where we gorged ourselves on cheeseburger, chips, cheesecake and I had the pina colada that I had been craving for all week.  Most of the gobi competitors ended up in the FUBAR and the atmosphere was fantastic.  We made it back to the hotel in time to get changed for the awards ceremony which began at 2100 hrs.  Unfortunately 2 of our tent mates had to return to Hong Kong that night, so there were only 5 of us from the tent at the awards dinner.  For the first time ever, we were allowed to dine in the peoples square with Chairman Mao overlooking the proceedings.  It was quite a surreal experience as all the locals from Kashgar were watching us.  I didnt eat much of the food as it included chickens feet so I stuck to rice and vegetables (thankful that I had eaten a burger earlier).  The prize giving commenced after the meal and I was absolutely shocked to find that I had won my age group and I had finished as the 5th girl.  Ireland placed 1st and 2nd, Canada 3rd, USA 4th and I was 5th.  Team Cohesion won the team event with 2 males and 1 female (Sophie Collett who is an amazing athlete) so they could not compete as individuals which is why I moved to 5th from 6th.  28 women had started the race and this was my best result ever - I was delighted.  The rest of the evening was spent watching the DVD of the race and looking at the photos before I finally crashed out at 0200 hrs.  Sunday was spent flying from Kashgar to Urumqi and onto Beijing and most of the competitors were on these flights.  I was sat in an aisle seat on the Kashgar to Urumqi flight and Sandra was in the aisle seat opposite.  There was a cute chinese toddler in the seat in front of me that engaged with Sandra and myself.  This was all very well until the mother/grandmother holding it realised that it needed to go to the toilet and to our utter shock, instead of taking it to the toilet on the plane (these youngsters don't wear nappies - they wear clothes with cut away pieces between the legs) she aimed the child down the aisle and it projectile peed in the aisle - we could not believe it.  It almost went into the bag of food that the frenchman sitting opposite the child had between his legs.  After that, we did not want to hold the childs hand or have anything to do with it - i will just stick to having cats I think!!!  

We arrived in Beijing on Sun night for a couple of nights of recovery and I will continue this blog once home.  You can spot gobi competitors in Beijing with their slow shuffly walk.  Yesterday, whilst visiting the forbidden city, I bumped into a number of fellow competitors trying to sightsee as best they could - still rather challenging with broken feet!!

Thank you once again to you all for your support.  Once I get home and receive all the emails that were sent to me in the desert I will reply to you all.  You now get a reprieve until Nov 17 2010 when I undertake my final 4 Desert - The Last Desert, Antarctica. 

Well, I survived the long march - 79 kms across the Gobi Desert and only 10km to go to the finish line in Kashgar.  Thursday started quite early as we had to get on a bus to go to the start for the long march.  Our tent was up at 0545 hrs which gave us an hour to sort ourselves out before we needed to board the buses for the hour or so trip to the start line.  We passed some spectacular scenery which I tried to appreciate as I knew that I would not enjoy it as much later during the race.  We started at 0900 hrs and my strategy was to get a little bit of running in to the first checkpoint but afterwards to take it steady as 79 km is a long way.  I wanted to aim for each checkpoint rather than psych myself out by realising just how far i had to go.  The first checkpoint was just over 9 km long and we managed to run down hills and march out the rest.  I stopped off at the first checkpoint only to top up with water before continuing to checkpoint 2 (10km).  Part of this leg was difficult as it involved a climb up to a pass and then a steep descent but I got through this unscathed.  We reached checkpoint 2 where we were cheered in by Terri.  Matt was the doc there and gave me some painkillers as my hips, thighs and knees were in pain.  If you had shaken me then i would have rattled - i was so full of painkillers and antibiotics.  The next stage was 11 km long which was deceptive as you thought you were catching up to people and then realised that you had to descend and then ascend.  I had my mp3 player on at this stage and scared some locals by singing (wailing) out loud to Dirty Dancing - it was no surprise that Clive was way ahead of me - it meant that he didnt need to listen to me.  I am really pleased that I had someone to walk with for the long day - Clive had a good strong pace and I kept up with him as best I could, although I was always 10-15 metres behind him.  We got to checkpoint 2 and I was pleasantly surprised to find i was 54th into the checkpoint.  I had been determined not to look behind me today as I get psyched out if I see people catching up with me.  I just looked forward.  The stage between checkpoint 3 and 4 was 10 km and there was a water crossing - there were 4 of us at the crossing and teamwork was the name of the game as a walking pole was passed back and forth.  This is what I love about these races - it doesnt matter who is racing - people will stop to help each other and nobody wanted another day with wet feet.  We got to checkpoint 4 in good order and in good time and it was great to realise that we were at the halfway point.  i took on board some more pain killers and we only stopped for a few minutes.  We left this checkpoint at 1630 hrs and calculated another 2 hours to get to the next checkpoint which was 10.7km away.  We just marched out and gained a bit of time - i managed to take some photographs of the local scenery and wildlife before we reached checkpoint 5 at 1835 hrs.  I am not used to reaching the hot water checkpoint in daylight so this was a real novelty. We had debated whether to eat or not but with 27.5km still to go, it made sense to eat.  I had saved my mountainhouse lasagne for this checkpoint so we spent just under 25 mins at the checkpoint before moving on.  The next stage was a killer - it was 11km across river beds - not knowing whether to avoid the rocks or the sand (which i still hate).  I really struggled on this terrain and was overtaken by 2 racers, just short of the checkpoint.  I had to stop briefly at this checkpoint as i needed to take on a powergel.  The checkpoint had been hidden by herd (is that the term?) of wild dromerdrie camels - complete with young.  When they moved away i could see the checkpoint.  I still had another 16.5km to go and this felt like it would take forever.  I just seemed to go backwards during this next stage even with my poles - maybe i was psyching myself out with the introduction of soft sand to this leg (I have never gotten over my fear of sand after the sahara race!)  Anyway we finally made it to the last checkpoint before camp (having stopped on the way to put our flashing red lights on the back of our packs and our headtorches on).  It got dark halfway to the last checkpoint before camp and when we reached the checkpoint we clocked in and then moved on.  I got a hug of encouragement from Liz (one of the volunteers) which really spurred me on.  The volunteers have all been brilliant with Terri, Nicola, Liz and Vicky always there cheering and encouraging me.  The last 6.5 km felt like they went on forever.  We were overtaken by 3 people on this stage (including Nick one of our tentmates) and again i felt I was going backwards.  We could hear the drum in the distance signifying that other people had finished the long march.  Following the cylumes (light sticks) made it seem further than it actually was but Clive and I crossed the finish line at 0019 hrs - 15 hrs 19 mins after starting.  I was full of mixed emotions - I had almost completed my 3rd desert race, I was in pain from my hips downwards and I had beaten my long day time by a lot (Atacama in 07 was 80km and I completed it in 21.5 hrs).  I was absolutely shattered.  I sat down at the finish line to get my passport signed and found that I struggled to get up again.  In the tent it took ages to get my shoes, gaiters and socks off.  I tried to get some sleep but I could not find a comfortable position to sleep in as I could not extend my legs fully.  3 of us in the tent had finished the long day.  Unfortunately Chris in our tent had had to pull out due to injury so we were just waiting for Gary and Sandra.  Gary came in around 0230 hrs and it was brilliant to wake up this morning to find that Sandra had gotten in at 0630 hrs.  As I am sat here blogging, the last person has just crossed the finish line at 1245 hrs.  We are now in a lovely campsite with trees and shade, with some time to recover before the final stage through the old city of Kashgar (this is being pulled down later this year) before finishing in front of the Id Kah Mosque.  My feet are in tatters - numerous blisters to pop - some have grown out from under toenails (nice!!), aches and pains all over but I only have 10km to push before pizza, beer and that all important medal.  After that, I just have Antarctica - The Last Desert to conquer in 2010.  I am looking forward to getting back to the hotel where I will be sharing a room with Sandra (Sandra and I were room mates before the race) - shower, change then out to FUBAR (a western bar) for cocktails (pina colada) and LARDY food - I am craving chips!!!  The banquet and prize giving ceremony will take place on Saturday night before most people spend all of Sunday flying to Hong Kong or Beijing before enjoying a couple of days of relaxation (if anyone can walk after the race).  I will try to update my blog after the race tomorrow afternoon.
 
 I have not been able to check my emails since Wed night so in advance of reading them a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has sent my emails and blog comments - you have no idea how important they are to improving morale.  Sandra BT also sends her thanks to everyone as she has not been able to send any emails this race.
 
Get set for the Last Desert Blog in Nov 10!!!!!!
 
Helen

I have just recovered from what can only be described as the worst day of my life!!  After a fantastic day yesterday, I came down to earth with an almighty bang after stage 4 of the Gobi March.  This was the 4th marathon distance in 4 days and boy did I feel it today.  My performance probably wasnt helped by my lack of food intake last night - I tried to eat some noodles but I just didnt have an appetite and couldnt force the food down.  Now why cant that happen in the UK when I am tempted by lots of bad food!  It was really cold in the campsite last night and I didnt get much sleep and that didnt help this morning. 
 
Anyway, onto the stage.  It was known as Stairway to Heaven (renamed Stairway to Hell by me).  The first part was 7.2 km which sounded good until the 475 metre climb was explained (which involved 9 wooden ladders and a steep climb ( a scramble in places).  I seemed to do ok on this leg even though it took over 1 hour 30 mins.  I was the 4th female through checkpoint 1.  The route to checkpoint one was up to Heavens gate and then back down so we subsequently descended 357 metres.  The leg between cp 1 and cp2 was tortuous.  It didnt help that I fell over at one point and grazed my leg from knee to thigh.  This was a 7.5 km leg following a goat trail across several (more than I care to remember) mountain ridges which finally descended to a vally and then ascended in a river bed.  After my fall, I took the downhill parts very carefully.  We had climbed 400 metres and descended 431 metres. I had no energy by the time I reached CP2 - we had to stop for isotonic drinks, powergels, pepperami and I deployed the walking poles.  The next leg was 13.5 km and I lost my will to live on this leg - it involved a trail crossing a number of ridges before descending in a river bed to the 3rd cp.   We climbed 250 metres and descended 700 metres which at times I found extremely difficult.  I was feeling pretty low by the time we reached CP3 as I felt that I had been going backwards today after my effort yesterday.  I was therefore surprised to find that I was around 62nd into the cp.  We didnt stop for long at this cp as legs would cease up more than they already had.  Straight after cp3 was another river crossing which resulted in soaking wet feet again.  This leg had been briefed at 13km but we were told at the cp that it would be 14km.  This leg seemed to go on forever - the backs of my knees were really painful and I just had to put my head down and get walking.  There was yet another river crossing to add to the already wet feet.  I was really disappointed to finish in 9 hrs 12 mins but I was about 65th to finish so it was not as bad as I thought.  A lot of racers put time onto their leg due to the terrain.
 
I can hand on heart say that this was the hardest stage I ever taken part in all of the 3 desert races.  I got back to camp, had more of my toenails drilled to release thhe blistera and I am about to have a go at popping 3 corking blisters on my feet - I am a walking wreck - septic toe, blisters, grazed leg and bad knees - still, I only have 80 kms to do tomorrow and then a final 12km to the finish.  There will be no blog on Thu as I will be mostly walking - more to follow if I live on Friday. 

Well i am sat here blogging and totally stunned with how I coped with the stage today.   I managed to sleep properly last night for the first time since we have been out in the tents as Gary Baron gave me his spare ear plugs - what a star.  We have a world champion snorer in the tent (no names) and he has been keeping most of the tent awake each evening.  The weather this morning was pretty good for racing - overcast and cool.  The race brief was at 0800 hrs and the race started at 0900 hrs.  I had a large blister on my left heel but apart from that I was ok.  I knew I had to take it steady again today - i was really pleased with my 76th place yesterday (which placed me 78th overall)and just wanted to improve on that position. 
 
Once the race started I jogged ahead in order to get ahead of the crowds before breaking into a fast, steady march.  Clive very kindly agreed to be my racing buddy again which really helps.  It is great to have someone there to spur you on.  The first stage was 10.5 km and we covered it in just over 1 hr 15mins (which totally surprised me).  It was a great stage, crossing a village, running 4km on a trail which passed an oasis and graveyard followed by 4 km on a road.  I ran and fast marched the whole way.  I was determined today not to sit down at checkpoints and I managed that.  I only spent a couple of minutes at checkpoint 1 sorting out my water before we headed off onto checkpoint 2.  I really enjoyed this stage - it was 10.7km and we crossed ditches, paddy fields, muddy water and a deep river crossing.  It was brilliant fun - combined with getting hit in the face with bamboo and getting scratched by thorns I turned up at checkpoint 2 looking like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards.  I had been 51st through checkpoint 1 and 50th through checkpoint 2 so I was really pleased and surprised with how I was getting on today.  It really, really helped having a running buddy - we kept each other going.  The next stage was hard work (although a shorter leg at 8.5km).  It involved 2.5 km following the right bank of the river and then following a dry river bed up hill, followed by a scramble through a tight rock space (luckily I got my fat "ass" through) and finally onto a ridge to the checkpoint.  The scenery was fantastic and I made sure I appreciated it as in previous desert races, my head has been down all the way.  At the 3rd checkpoint I realised that my 750ml water bottle had fallen out between checkpoint 2 and 3 (what a muppet).  I found the final stage of the day hard work - it was 8.7 km and was all uphill.  my walking poles were deployed for this and I managed to break into a run on the few downhill bits.  It was a 210 metre climb between CP2-3 and 425 metres between CP3-CP4. I felt a little bit lightheaded for the final stage and was totally relieved to see the finish line.  I finished in just under 6 hrs 20 minutes and i was totally stunned to find I was the 47th person to finish the stage today.  I am feeling it now as I have blisters under most toe nails and the doc has just put a needle through 3 of my toe nails - nice!!!  I was amazed at how supple I felt for the stage today when I had been unable to walk properly last night - maybe it was the painkillers that helped!  I now need to eat as I dont eat during the day as I have no appetite - I just take on power gels.  I just hope I can get better as the week goes on.
 
I have just read the emails which were sent on 15 Jun and the blog comments and thanks to all for them.  Cleo - I now dont sit down at checkpoints - I just fill up with water, take on power gels and get going.  Lucy - the mp3 player has come in very handy although my singing probably scares the locals!

Our campsite for day 1 was in the village of Tashpushka and we stayed in Kyrgyz Homes.  Our tent was in a room with a raised area which was carpeted.  Unfortunately it was really hot so I didnt get a lot of sleep.  To top it all, I battered my head on one of the doors and now have a large egg sized bump on my head - still, as Matt Ladbrook our medical director said - it was the softest part of me.  I have known Matt since my Sheffield OTC days and have not seen him for 15 years so it has been really good catching up with him.  I survived yesterday blister free and apart from being a little bit stiff this morning, I was ok.  I spent yesterday on my own on the course and that was really hard.  Today, Clive said he would run with me.  Unfortunately he has trashed his heels so he needed a slower day to recover.  It was great having someone to keep up with and Clive survived my company - probably because I was too exhausted to even speak!
 
We set off at 0900 hrs and the first stage was 8.2 km and it was out of the village, on a trail, through farm land and into a red valley.  We started off at a good pace, speed marching and then once I had warmed up I was able to run the downhill bits.  Even having stopped to sort out my footwear didnt hamper my speed and we made it to checkpoint one in 1 hr 10 mins.  I was around 58th through the checkpoint.  Stage one was good and the going was not too bad.  We only stopped for a few mins at the checkpoint as I wanted to push on - i took on water and a power gel.  The next stage was an absolute bitch of a stage.  It was 11km and a good 3km was up and down crossing ridges - my energy levels were low but i did manage to run downhill.  It was the hardest stage so far and my legs really felt it.  i made it to checkpoint 2 where i took on my isotonic drink and pushed onto stage 3 which was 10.5 km.  My legs were stiff at the start of the stage but at the halfway point I took a gel, put my music on (and scared people with my attempts at singing) and I got a real rush of energy to the extent that i was able to run.  Clive really encouraged me and we stormed the second half of the stage overtaking 3 people in the final few kms.  Having an energy gel halfway through a stage really does help.  The final stage was 11.4 km and it was hard, I had to get my poles out to get momentum going up hill and I managed to run down hill a little before hurting my right hip flexor.  This stage was almost 4km uphill on a gravel road, then 3km in a river bed followed by 3km in narrow canyons.  What wasnt mentioned was the soft dunes in the canyon that had to be climbed up.  I had a bout of tourettes syndrome and turned the air blue!!  when we finally made it out of the canyons there was just 1km to go before the campsite.  I was going to be slightly slower than the first day but the terrain had been harder, however my competitve side came out and I walked/ran the last km to the finish in order to finish in front of the 5 people who were with us in the canyon.  i really wanted to finish in a better position than on day one.  i was delighted to cross the line in 76th place (having checked the results for yesterday i was 79th and the 9th girl). 
 
I am so pleased that the day had ended - the stage really hurt today.  We are now camping in a wheat field in Langerville which is great.  The tents were so hot though and any shaded area was gratefully received.  Thankfully the heat has now subsided, I have stopped sweating, i managed to eat some food (having only had power gels and isotonic drinks today) and I am now blogging and listening to some locals play music. I am still really stiff and have a couple of blisters but they will be ok.  I just hope I loosen off for tomorrow as I have never been so stiff - I feel like an old woman.  I have found the heat worse than on the sahara race and I hope it gets cooler (but I doubt it).  i am now going to try to sort my feet out and get some sleep.  Thanks again for all the emails - they really do boost morale.

Th e first day of racing began at 0700 hrs with breakfast around the camp fire.  We are provided with hot water each day in order to have hot food and drink.  The race brief was at 0800 hrs with the race starting at 0900 hrs.  I was determined to start the race slow and steady as my mistake in Sahara was to shoot off and then suffer during the day - going backwards through the pack.  I started at a steady pace and found that I could walk up hill and run on the flat and downhill.  This was following a river crossing with depths varying from ankle deep to calf deep.  It was very refreshing and my running shoes dried out quickly.  I made it to checkpoint 1 (10.7 km) in 1 hr 20 mins and i had planned for 2 hours.  i was really pleased.  I didnt sit down at the checkpoint - i just filled up my water and moved on.  I had buddied up with a Brit called James who had also done Sahara last year.  I stayed with him past checkpoint 1 but he then kept running and I alternated run, walk.  I got to checkpoint 2 (11.2 km) in 1 hr 30 mins but I made the mistake at checkpoint 2 of not having a decent rest.  As a result I really suffered between checkpoint 2 and 3.  I had been the 53rd person to get to checkpoint 1 and the 60th person at checkpoint 2 but I was overtaken by a number of people on route to checkpoint 3 (10.6 km).  I felt like I was going backwards and the terrain was hard and the high temperatures didnt help.  I was welcomed into checkpoint 3 with pom poms by one of the volunteers (terri) who knew me from Atacama.  I took the time to sit for 20 mins and sort my shoes out and reapply sunscreen and take on more fluid.  i then had 10km to push to the finish - they seemed to drag and part of the route involved a scramble up from a river bed.  I finally finished in just over 7 hrs (i was expecting 8 hrs) and crossed the finish line in 76th place out of around 125 competitors.  Instead of a tent tonight we are sleeping in local houses - still with our tent buddies.  Unfortunately our room contains a mammoth spider so there will be little sleep for me!  My manky toe is still ok and thankfully no blisters at all.
 
And i have to do it all over again tomorrow - aaaaaggggghhhh!!!

I am writing this blog from Campsite 1 after a busy day which began this morning with a blister care brief by the medical team.  This took place on the outside area on floor 7 of the hotel in Kashgar.  We obviously looked suspicious as 2 Chinese military helicopters kept passing over the hotel to inspect.  Following on from the medical brief was the check in for the Gobi March - this involved kit checks, kit weighing(9.5 kg for me), waivers to sign, race numbers to receive.  The morning flew by and before we knew it we were on the coach for the desert.  Not sure whether our coach driver had passed his driving test as it was a particularly dodgy coach trip but we arrived in one piece to be welcomed by a village of locals.  We had a horse guard of honour as we walked to our tents.  I am sharing a tent with my sahara buddies - Sandra, Andy, Mark, Wayne as well as our Atacama friend Gary, my work colleague Clive and 2 guys from Hong Kong.  We were welcomed to the Gobi March with a festival of dancing and horsemanship including a horseback race involving a dead goat!  For the first night in the desert, a meal is always provided and this was spag bol, bread rolls, fruit, oreo cookies and diet coke - heaven!! 
 
The only slight issue i have is a medical one.  2 weeks ago i visited the Garrison medical centre to get my toe checked out as i knew there was something wrong with it.  The civilian doctor said there was nothing wrong and I have subsequently turned up to China with an infected ingrowing toenail on my big toe.  I have been on antibiotics for a few days and ran out of tablets so paid a visit to the medical tent and ended up with a needle full of anaesthetic in my big toe followed by partial removal of the nail.  nothing will stop me from doing my best at this race - i am just frustrated that my problem was not highlighted before. 
 
It is now 2230 hrs and still light - we are on beijing time and it takes some getting used to with the light nights.  We start at 0900 hrs tomorrow with a race brief at 0800 hrs.  The race starts tomorrow and I cant wait.  i will take it steady tomorrow and not rush off like i usually do - we have river crossings tomorrow.  So far, i have enjoyed my time in China and i hope the next week will be relatively pain free!!
 
thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement and i will keep on blogging!!
 
hels
 
 

As part of the race will be at 3000 metres, a number of us decided to head out to Kalakuli Lake which is along the Karakoram Highway (running from Kashgar to Islamabad).  The highway took 20 years to build and is in better condition than a lot of the roads in the UK.  There was a Chinese Police checkpoint on the way where passports/visas had to be shown before we were allowed to move on.  The Karakoram Highway (the Pakistan part) is renowned for being dangerous but thankfully our Chinese leg was uneventful (apart from wild camels and yaks running across the highway).  The Kalakuli Lake is approx a 4 hr drive from Kashgar and is at 3600 metres.  It was an early start this morning and en route we passed some incredible mountain and glacial scenery.  Having spent a day in and around Kashgar, we wanted to get out into the mountains and experience a little bit more of NW China prior to the race and by spending some time at 3600 metres, we would get a small taster of how the altitude would affect us.  Luckily I packed some warm gear and a wind proof as it was pretty cold at the Lake but the views were worth it.  After walking around part of the lake and meeting the locals (and the local wildlife), I ended up horseriding around the lake for an hour.  We rode straight into a hail storm and got absolutely soaked yet back towards the lake car park, the weather was fine.  I only felt slightly lightheaded at altitude (so no change to my normal behaviour) so that was quite reassuring.  The wildlife was fantastic - camels, yaks, mountain goats, coloured ducks, mongolian ponies and I am really glad that I took the opportunity to get out and see a little bit more of the area.  

Once we are back at the hotel (currently carb loading in the Karakoram Cafe), I will go through my kit again (for the 4th or 5th time) and adjust it slightly as we experienced cold, rain, hail, wind and sun today.  Tomorrow will be the final kit adjustment as well as getting out and about in Kashgar to visit the famous mosque.  I have now  found out where the public swimming pool is so will go for a swim tomorrow before I head out into the desert for a week.  I never thought that I would have withdrawal symptons from swimming and cycling but I have.  The roads out here would be fantastic for cycling so who knows, I may come back one day and have a go!

Kashgar is a fantastic place with a mix of cultures, it is colourful, vibrant and friendly and I would urge people to come out and explore this part of China.  I may not be saying that next week whilst putting myself through hell on the Gobi March though!!!

I finally arrived in Kashgar late last night after a very long and sleepless journey (Heathrow-Beijing-Urumqi-Kashgar).   I met up with Sandra B-T and Wayne Enis at Urumqi and we all travelled onto Kashgar together.  I had no idea what Kashgar would be like nor indeed what the hotel would be like and I was suitably impressed with the hotel room (although they had some dubious "freebies" in the bathroom).  Sandra and I are sharing a room for the next couple of days and Clive and Wayne are in a room together (their room has a roller blind that opens to reveal the shower and toilet to all in the room).  Sandra and I had only been in the room for a couple of minutes when someone knocked on the door.  We opened the door and thought it was a member of staff trying to check the state of our bathroom.  Instead, it was a drunk hotel guest who proceeded to lock himself in the bathroom and make use of our "facilities" rather than going downstairs to the Gents!   

As our body clocks were still on UK time, we took the opportunity to wander around Kashgar for a couple of hours before crashing out (at around 0300 hrs).  This morning was spent catching up on sleep before visiting the old town of Kashgar and the bazaars before going in search of some western food.  What better way to acclimitise than wandering around a city in search of good shopping deals.  Tomorrow we are going to travel into the mountains and visit a lake at 3600 metres to try to acclimitise properly before we head into the desert on Sat (we may even try to swim in it).

I am impressed with Kashgar, a mix of cultures and friendly locals however I am not sure about having noodles and rice for breakfast (which is what the hotel serves).  More before the race. 

Time has flown by so quickly - it doesn't seem that long ago since I was racing across the Sahara Desert.  I wanted to be so organised for the Gobi March but as usual it is now just over a week until I fly to China and I still haven't packed!  I have been training harder than I did for Sahara but this time it is overall fitness and not just running focused so I hope that works.  I competed in a triathlon last Wed and have been swimming most days and today I went out on my road bike for over 80kms.  At least it is time on my legs and I hope it helps!

I am determined to get my pack weight reduced.  In Sahara I seemed to have everything but the kitchen sink and that will not happen for Gobi!!  I have well and truly learnt valuable lessons from Atacama and Sahara and have "tweaked" my kit accordingly.  The only thing I am missing is a roll mat.  I always use a thermarest but I am fed up with fighting with the thermarest each morning when trying to get it into its stuff sac - still don't know what to take but I am sure I will find something.

I am really looking forward to getting out to Kashgar and meeting up with previous tent buddies, having a few days to acclimitise before setting out for my 3rd Desert challenge.  I really can't wait.  I feel better prepared for this race but who knows what will happen in the Gobi!!!