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Gobi March Blogs 2011

Heather Draper

11

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Gobi March (2011) blog posts from Heather Draper

01 July 2011 03:08 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Yesterday: 80km and 48 degrees C in the shade. Oh. My. God!
 
But first, let me go back to Wed, as I think I may have been partially delirious when I wrote it.
Wed. was the dune day. 3 checkpoints before getting into camp. By the time I arrived into checkpoints 3 and 4, those tents were filled with pukers and others getting I.V. drips. WTF?!?! Kept pushing through. Richard and I buddied up between checkpoint 2 and 3 and stayed with each other until the end. We kept going by playing "Granny went to market..." Thank you Richard!
Got into the camp, complete with massive camel spiders and scorpions. Oh heavens.
 
Woke up on Thursday morning mentally preparing myself for the 80km ahead.
Kelly and I decided we were going to stay together and get through it together. We did it!!! In 19 hours. Wow!! There were some tough and extremely tough times. We played 20 questions, counted steps, and other things to get us through. But we kept with it and kept going. Yay!!! Got into camp at 3am. Slept for 2 hours. Now, all of us here at camp are melting in the afternoon heat. And trying to stay hydrated throughout the day.
 
The last stage is tomorrow morning. About 10km. My feet are ok (one small blister) and the body has held up. Shoulders are still patched up. Just need to make it to the end.
 
We have all been talking about what we want to eat when back to the hotel tomorrow afternoon. For me, it's salmon, double order of mashed potatoes and a fruit plate. Oh man. I'm so finished with sweet electrolyte drinks, Promax bars and gels. I ran out of most of my savoury food yesterday-but the salty sachets of miso soup are keeping me going. Yum!
 
Thanks again for all of the messages you guys, you've helped to keep me going!!!
 
xo

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 05 Jul 2011 09:02 am

Hi, Heather. Congrats for the strong finish and thanks much for the encouragement along the way. A reunion is being planned for the Hong Kong competitors on July 23. Could you drop me an email at [email protected] so that we could send you the details, please? Thanks

Posted On: 04 Jul 2011 02:53 pm

WAY TO GO!!!! I am SOOOOO proud of you and KNEW you would do wonderfully! Enjoy your special treats and the rest of your Central Asia experience. Can't wait to catch up over drinks to hear detail by detail of the race!!!

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 11:42 pm

YOU ARE AMAZING and AN INPIRATION!! Congratulations on your success!!

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 08:46 am

You are doing brilliantly. Well done...oh are you counting steps too. Enjoy your salmon and mash. There is a large frozen orange gatorade waiting for you here. XX

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 03:45 am

Well done! Well done! What a splendid effort ! After this event, nothing is impossible!

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 05:38 pm

Atta go Peanut. You sure show the world what your made of Honey. Take your time (figuritivly speaking) as that last 10K should be a "walk in the park" compared to the Kls you have left behind you. We are sssooo very proud of you. LOVE Daddy & Helen XOXOXO

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 04:57 pm

You've got it, Stem. You're there. 10 more km will seem like a walk in the park. I have thought of you all week and have been checking the website daily. CANADIAN CHICKS ROCK! xo

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 04:37 pm

Wow! What an adventure. Thanks for showing the world how tough and gritty us Canadians are.

29 June 2011 05:56 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

On a bus at 4am today to take us to the start of the dunes. Started today at 8am.
From the start to the first checkpoint the dunes were amazing!! Alice, just like Namibia! Only tons more!!
But let me say this...if you ever find yourself wanting to run 37km in sand in 40+ degree heat...resist the urge!
Anyway, a great day, I pushed it hard, and had the cramping at the end to prove it.
Tomorrow is the long march...82km. Just plodding along to make it to the end.
Too tired to write any more.
A note to friends and family, please don't tell me my standings in the race, I don't want to know until the end.
thanks to everyone for your messages!!!!

Comments: Total (7) comments

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 02:32 pm

So, So, So proud of you. Getting near the finish now. Keep up the good run. Love you bunches and bunches. XOXOXOXO Love from Mom and Brian

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 06:42 pm

Heather your mom says you are The Best. Keep going and enjoy yourself and yes you can have the sand and +40 deg temps. Mom and Brian

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 11:40 am

Great going Honey. You are spectacular, and we are very proud of you. LOVE XOXOXO

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 06:37 am

YOU rock and you ARE a rock my tenacious daughter. Keep up your great race sweetheart. I'm sharing your blog daily with the girls at work. Brian and I are following your every day's adventures. Keep safe. Love you bunches. Mom and Brian.

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 01:26 am

Wow!!! This is awesome!! Best of luck too you!!!

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 01:07 am

Heather - I've been thinking about you all week. What an accomplishment to get this thing DONE! Keep on pushing through it! Sending you good vibes for semi-cool weather. Your determination is inspiring. :) Mary

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 12:25 am

You are amazing!! Keep slogging, you're well past the halfway point! And, hey, thanks for the crucial advice. I'm gonna delete running up 40k of dunes in 40+C off my life's must dos list ;-)

28 June 2011 05:17 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Yahoo!!!
Finished Stage 3, 44km today.
What an amazing day!! And holy smokes it's hot!!! I love it (when I'm not slogging it uphill that is)!!
Yesterday's miserable weather was perfect for the Brits and Aussies who said they'd trained in similar nasty conditions; today however, was hot hot hot!!! Better for those who trained in the heat.
A lot of downhill today, but the last 7km was all uphill in 2pm heat...ouch!
Feet have held up.
Shoulders are still surviving with the bandages, though really sore.
Feeling great!!! (probably still the endorphines zooming in me!)
Tomorrow are the dunes...all day. Gators will be on. We have a 4am bus ride tomorrow morning to get to the dunes...ugh, guess that means we are up at 2:30am?!
My tent mates are great: Kelly compared the many Brits and their conversations to an ongoing Monty Python sketch!
More tomorrow!
Again, thanks to everyone for their messages...I actually get weepy reading them (chalk to up to exhaustion, ha ha!).
Roweena: thank Claus once again for his pole training!
Ky, love you baby!!!
And finally, to the greatest stepmom around: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HELEN!!!!! xoxo

Comments: Total (8) comments

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 05:53 pm

Keep up the good work there girl. We are both following your adventure every day. Sounds like fun or maybe torture. Hehe. Looking forward to meeting you at Christmas

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 11:17 am

Hi, Glad to hear that everything is fine. Thinking of you. Got a message from your helper. Mouse is fine... Good luck for the rest of the race.

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 05:36 am

Very proud of you my sweet girl. We both are, and are certainly reading your blog daily, and sharing with anyone who will listen. I guess you're on to stage 4. Love from Mom and Brian. xo

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 04:11 am

Amazing Stem!!!!! You really are an inspiration. Just remember, if your feet get sore it's to be expected... because they are busy kicking so much ass :) YEAAAHHHH!!!

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 03:57 am

Great going Honey. We are ssssooo proud of you and your accomplishments. Guess you really are the super kid I always said you were, but then again I am bias you know lol. Love and hugs from us, and thank you for the birthday wishes. LOVE YOU xoxoxo

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 03:41 am

You are one crazy lady, Stem. I'm quickly catching up on your first few days. Go super-lady! Best, best, best wishes to you!! Much celebrating ahead at the finish line...

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 01:28 am

Thinking about you on the dunes today and sending some "kick ass vibes" to you and K!

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 11:33 pm

You got this in the bag baby, stage 3 done!! That's so cool. A massive air hug and kisses to

27 June 2011 03:37 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Meant to start at 8am but we had to wait until noon; the rain, wind, mist, etc. made conditions too dangerous for us to take off any earlier. So we spent the 4 hours huddled in sleeping bags in our tents, freezing!!! At noon we set off but on a much modified trail, again because of the hazardous conditions. Our 41km day was changed to a fairly straight 20km. Ran (ahem, shuffled) quite a lot of it. Felt good, but got into Camp 3 where it was even colder,  windier and rainier and jumped into the tent and into the sleeping bag…umm, stretching wasn’t a priority (sorry, Ky!).  The wind has now died down and the rain has stopped…time to stretch!
This wasn’t the Gobi desert I was expecting, ha ha.
Collarbones are holding out-painful to touch but no chaffing yet and the taping has remained in tack for the past 2 days. Yay!
Not going to write about my feet so I don’t jinx anything; the first part of tomorrow’s Stage 3 has multiple river crossings (gulp!).
The emails to competitors over the past 24hours have not come in yet, so a preemptive thanks to anyone who sent well wishes.
Will write more tomorrow…
Love to everyone!!! xo

Comments: Total (3) comments

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 04:35 pm

Keep warm there girl, Just like your mom. Warmth hmmmmmm. When you come to visit at christmas I will have a huge fire going for you and mom to talk all night. Keep going and look after yourself as the desert can be a very surprising place. Love from Mom & Brian

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 04:27 pm

All good babe for you it's warmth over streching anyday, just glad you made it though and can write about it, love you , think your so courageous, keep on pushin baby

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 04:15 pm

Atta girl!! Just keep slogging away through sand, storm, wind, water and all those other extreme elements northern China's famous for. Look forward to catching today's post. Xx

26 June 2011 07:52 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

What an amazing day!!
The scenery is gorgeous!!!
It's freaking hot out here...I mainly LOVE it!!! The terrain was tough. Lots of scree/shiggy (Jo, you would have loved it!) down hill bits, and some scary cliffs, but it was fab! Oh thank you, thank you to my hiking poles!!!
Of course this might be in endorphens writing this.
Yesterday my pack weighed in at 10.5 kilos before water. It was heavy by the end of today...very heavy! But my shoulders were previously bandaged to prevent the nasty chaffing I get, so at least there was no chaffing!
Thank you to everyone who has written me a note to read (hint, hint), it was lovely to get a message to read.
Have been meaning to thank Melissa S for the patches...thanks babe!
Thanks all from me at the end of Stage 1.
Until tomorrow...
ps-Ky, love you and miss you...hope you're having a fab time in Thailand!!!

Comments: Total (10) comments

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 01:59 am

Helloooo over there!! You are absolutely fabulous! From the photos I've seen of the course so far, it looks amazing: incredibly wild and rough on the feet I guess. Keep slogging. You're a trooper! Sending all our best wishes to you :-)

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 10:46 pm

Good luck Stem, can't wait to hear all about your trip

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 06:48 pm

Yay! I'm happy to hear you're loving the patches! Great job Stem, will be thinking of you over the next few days!

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 11:01 am

Go Heather Go !!!! You and Kelly are amazing to me. So happy you are doing this together. Friends forever !!!!

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 05:23 am

Sweetheart. Just home from holidays, FAB vacation! Just read your 1st day. You\'re great!! I\'ll read every day. Love you bunches. Mom and Brian xo

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 05:21 am

Sweetheart. Just home from holidays, FAB vacation! Just read your 1st day. You're great!! I'll read every day. Love you bunches. Mom and Brian xo

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 11:43 pm

Heather you rock!! Love that your loving it, and especially that there was no shoulder chafing after day one!!! Miss you something crazy baby, love and kisses

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 06:51 pm

Hey Heathere, glad to hear that you're having a blast. Thats the secret to finishing the race! Keep up the great work, you're on the right track.

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 06:31 pm

We will be following your blogs faithfully Honey. Keep on a-truckin. You make us proud. LOVE Daddy & Helen XOXOXO

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 05:10 pm

You're amazing, Stem! I'm following you from afar here in Hamilton. Take care of yourself out there! xo Ma

24 June 2011 08:28 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Mild drama at check-in: I didn't have a third light. Oh no!!! But the RTP staff (Aleena calmed me down and Victor went in search of someone with an extra) got me through it! Thanks to Simon who had that extra light!! Now all checked-in and hanging out in the hotel room. The bus leaves in 30mins for a 3 hour drive to the first camp. Nerves have started, good ones and...nervous ones!!! Have already met some cool competitors with interesting stories. This will be a fantastic week!!!!

Comments: Total (1) comments

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 06:49 am

Good luck on your first day sweetheart. Mom, Brian and Anucci

23 June 2011 06:37 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Kelly and I arrived in Urumqi yesterday. Partly because as teachers we now have the summer off, and partly because we wanted to get acclimatized to this heat. Compared to Hong Kong, this dry heat is gorgeous!! I love it!! I decided to pack a thermal just before leaving HK so I spent an hour today sewing on patches. A broken needle and various thread colours later, I have realized my sewing skills are lacking. Found the Kyrgyzstan Consulate today and dropped our passports off. Will have that visa tomorrow. Also checking into the 'race' hotel tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting the other competitors! Getting nervous and excited!!! Worried about the weight for the first few days, but I know that the extra food I've packed (helping to weigh me down) will be needed throughout the week. And I'm loving that it's almost 10pm and still light out!! I miss that about the summers in Canada.

Comments: Total (3) comments

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 12:14 am

Yay! You will do amazing! You are an inspiration and I look forward to reading your blog along the way! Good luck Stem and Have Fun!!!

Posted On: 24 Jun 2011 02:06 am

Heather Good luck with the Gobi March. I live in HK and did the same race last year. Had a great time. Its tough but very rewarding. Keep smiling

Posted On: 23 Jun 2011 03:42 pm

Hi there You don't know me, just a fellow Canadian who likes to follow RTP events and Canadian competitors - just wanted to wish you good luck! The most I've ever done is a few half marathons so I can't even imagine the training involved in something like this. With the summer solstice just passed, I am enjoying our long Canadian evenings! Sincerely, Christine from Winnipeg

07 June 2011 11:10 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Last weekend was tough. Really tough.
My new poles work like a charm; however, the left strap gave my hand, thumb and wrist some nasty chafing.
I loaded the pack up with all of my actual Gobi kit (minus a few snacks, and little odds and ends). I had become accustomed to toting around kgs of rice and the 'real' pack was very different. It sat differently, and as a result, I used different muscles. My neck and shoulders were incredibly sore. I'm not sure if I would only train with rice if I did this again.
The weekend was very hot and the water stops on HK Trail are only every 25km. So the 10km water stops on Gobi will feel very luxurious indeed!!!
My head was also playing tricks with me: doubt, stress, fear of not finishing... But I managed to get through it.
And finally, after the hike on Sunday my muscles went spastic...quite literally! I had muscle spasms here, there and everywhere (my right thumb cramped and locked up, the middle of my back cramped into a massive knot, my left toes cramped into claws...). I think it was dehydration and salt loss.
That's it for now...more, but tapered, fun in a few days time!!!!!

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 09 Jun 2011 08:25 am

Hi Heather, I'm a friend of Jo and she said you are training hard for the Gobi. Sounds like you are very well-prepared! Wishing you the best of luck for the last few weeks. This is the best part of the training - you run less and you eat a LOT more :) I will be following you on the race. Good luck!

Posted On: 08 Jun 2011 07:32 am

for poles i think some fingerless gloves are a must, like cyclists/ gym people woudl wear along with some zinc/duct tape where there is any rubbing

02 June 2011 09:15 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

This weekend will be the final long haul before starting to taper. I'm actually really looking forward to it! My training partner and I will also be loading our packs, not with the standard bags of rice, but with all of our actual race kit.
It will be interesting to see if,
a) everything actually fits (loading the backpack up tonight...gulp!)
b) everything fits comfortably against my back for many, many hours
and
c) I can carry it all
I'm sure I'll see a bunch of competitors on the HK Trail this weekend! Happy hiking to all of you!

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 04 Jun 2011 05:29 am

To competitors for the 2011 series! Good luck and train well, I\'ll be looking up to you for my 2012 attempt!

Posted On: 04 Jun 2011 05:29 am

To competitors for the 2011 series! Good luck and train well, I'll be looking up to you for my 2012 attempt!

29 May 2011 10:31 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Had a fabulous 50 km hike/shuffle on Saturday! Gorgeous weather!!! Sadly, couldn't get out on Sunday as it's final assessment and report time. But will have a couple of runs during the week.
I've been testing out the snacks I'll be eating and I've come to the following realizations. First, beef jerky takes a loooooooong time to chew. Second, yogurt covered raisins may not be ideal in hot weather. Third, Cliff Shot Razz gels do not agree with my tummy during a long hike (running races are ok). And finally, anything that takes too much energy to eat, is out: I'm exhausted by the end of snacktime!!!
This coming weekend is my final long haul. I'll be trying out pretzels (gluten-free of course).
Then it's time to taper...woooohooooo!!!

Comments: Total (0) comments

23 May 2011 11:37 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

...no, not the training...the blogging!

The training has been going well. My training partner, Kelly, keeps me focused and doesn't let me wuss out on training runs! I can say one thing though, I'm just about sick of Hong Kong Trail! The upside of always hiking/running HK Trail is that I know the terrain and I'm able to tick off the landmarks as I pass them.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Posted On: 03 Jun 2011 04:05 am

Yes! That was me! How's training going??

Posted On: 30 May 2011 09:25 am

Hahaha. Tell me about it (the part of being sick of Hong Kong Trail)!!! Was that you that I saw doing HK Trail in reverse with another lady on Saturday morning? It was probably around mid-day and I was the Chinese woman in full Gobi gear headed the other way.