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Gobi March Blogs 2011

Joseph Osha

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Gobi March (2011) blog posts from Joseph Osha

03 July 2011 04:10 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Hello everyone, back in Hong Kong following a rather extensive day of travel from Urumqi. Hmm, another RTP event behind me. Hard to say whether this is the last one or not - perhaps it is time to try something else. For those of you that have never tried a multi-day event and are thinking about it, I have two pieces of advice. First, go for it. Second, prepare. These events are wonderful adventures, and are in fact quite a lot of fun as long as one enters them in reasonably good shape with reasonably good planning. I'm very average physically, and will never be finishing at the front of the pack, but if someone like me can manage to finish I figure anyone can. I also hope that everyone seeks out and supports organizations like RTP (and its competitors, whom I won't name here in deference to Mary) The work they do building bridges between our world and the cultures we visit - Uigher, Namibia, Laos, wherever - is remarkable, and worthwhile. Thanks again for all the great messages - much appreciated! Ciao, Joe

Comments: Total (3) comments

Posted On: 09 Jul 2011 10:12 am

Hi Joe - First, congratulations on completing the Gobi 2011 and your excellent finish! My name is John Ross and have signed up for the 2012 Gobi March. I realize that you just completed the Gobi March and it is probably the last thing you want to think about, however, if you are willing I would be very interested to exchange emails (not many, just a few if/when I have questions over the next year) about training, nutrition, gear, etc. If this is not something you are interested in doing I completely understand! However, if you are I can be reached at [email protected]. Thanks so much for your time Joe and again, congratulations on completing Gobi 2011. - Cheers, John

Posted On: 08 Jul 2011 05:07 am

Good job - reached your goal and made to top 50! Enjoy travels and don't forget to stretch legs back in the states. Give us a shot when you visit HK!

Posted On: 04 Jul 2011 05:06 am

Joe Congrats & Another great race from you - and good to have your company out there. Best of luck with all the moving.

01 July 2011 02:32 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Well, it’s pretty much over now.  I am sitting in camp on the layover day, otherwise known as the second day of the 80K leg, watching the last of the competitors come in.  Yesterday was hard, as long days always are, particularly during the middle of the day when the heat came up.  We were below sea level, at a point that is apparently the second-lowest place in the world, and the temps were above 50C - that’s 122F for the Americans reading this.  That is hard to deal with, and I admit that I have no idea how people run in heat like that.  Adam Crawford very kindly ran/walked with me until I had to spend some time pouring water over my head at a checkpoint.  Managed to finish within the top 50, which was my goal, so maybe with a little bit of luck I’ll meet my top-50 objective for the race overall.  We shall see.  It took me a little less than 19 hours to cover the 80K yesterday. 

Meanwhile, friends and training partners are streaking ahead.  DK had a stupendous day, finishing in the top 20, and Adam was extremely strong as well.  Guess  I should have done more of those peak runs with DK!  A most impressive effort.  One can never train enough.

A small 13-K run-in tomorrow and we are done.  This has been great fun (yesterday excepted) but I am ready for a shower and some fresh veggies. 

Make sure to have a look at the pictures of the ruins that we ran through yesterday.  Absolutely fantastic – reminded me a little bit of Petra.  We also ran through a local village in the evening, which caused much amusement amongst the residents.

Comments: Total (5) comments

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 12:24 pm

Great effort GI Joe.... especially as you love the heat so much. Enjoy the glory! Cheers Ali

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 01:38 am

50 C! Unreal that you can even breathe at that temp. Good reading, your comments. And 45th. Good for you.

Posted On: 02 Jul 2011 12:43 am

Well Joe, DK may have run faster than you this year, but his blogs leave a lot to be desired. At least you leave enough energy in the tank to write a descriptive blog! I have not done one run this week due to what I consider to be too hot & humid times here in HK............how you guys manage your end is beyond me. Great Effort!!

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 04:30 pm

Great stuff Jo and now just a sprint finish. It\'s agony waiting for results and blogs to come through so glad it\'s not a complete walk in the park your end! Sharon

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 03:06 pm

Good for you! Top 50! I can't believe it took 19 hours to run only 80 km - one of the longest times for one of the shortest long days you've had! And the amazing heat! I couldn't stand up in weather like that, let alone walk or run!

29 June 2011 03:40 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Wow – extraordinarily hot today.  Quite an enjoyable early session in the sand dunes, but after that we traveled over some of the hottest sand and scrub I have seen.  Was over 110 degrees in the afternoon.  Takes a major effort to stay hydrated and keep electrolytes in balance.  I have no idea how the front runners manage to run in these temperatures – I need to move very slowly in order to avoid overheating.  Tomorrow is the long day, which is mostly an exercise in not blowing up.  We are rooting for more clouds and rain.  The terrain continues to be beautiful, if a little hot, and the people are great as always.  Thanks for all of the great emails!  More tomorrow . . . 

Joe

Comments: Total (9) comments

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 02:15 pm

Joe, 45th place at the end of stage 5! only the few kms for the last day, then beer & pizza I presume...... fantastic effort

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 02:23 am

Go GI Joe!! Looking matey, I guess you'll be well into the long one right now so fingers cross for you and look forward to seeing you've nailed it and I hope you'll feel proud of a big effort.... mind you it's only an 80 km long day ... are RTP going soft on you?! Take care Cheers Ali

Posted On: 01 Jul 2011 02:18 am

Yeah, great job cracking the Top 50 just like you wanted! Glad to see the dunes agree with you! Don't know how you can keep going in the heat - I barely made it through a 5 mile run down the beach and back!

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 09:25 pm

Still putting the right feet infront of each other. Good stuff and keep it going. Sharon

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 02:30 pm

Hi Joe, you remember what you told me in Australia at around 75km mark? you know you can make it! it still resonate today. hope you enjoyed this short long day.

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 02:08 am

Moving up in the rankings - way to go! Good pictures of you today. Hope you have clouds tomorrow.

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 12:40 am

Great work Joe - some fab shots of you on day 4 - leading the 'shoeless' charge in the dunes....You are out on the long day now - hoping it treats you nicely. Fantastic effort - nearly there!

Posted On: 30 Jun 2011 12:13 am

Great job so far Joe! It sounds really tough, but I know that you'll nail it. Keep a steady pace and well hydrated during the Long Day, and then you're almost home. Good luck!!!! Best wishes, Nicky

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 05:22 pm

Strong work Joe!! I'll be using the thought of your effort as motivation for a speedy trail run through the Oakland hills tonight. Wishing you continued success!!

28 June 2011 04:14 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Hi everybody!  First and foremost, thanks so much for all of the lovely emails and blog comments.  It is fantastic to hear from so many people, and the support is very motivating.
 
I wish that I could come up with some dramatic tales of suffering, but the truth is that I am mostly chugging along enjoying the scenery.  Today started with a run along a (mostly) dry riverbed, followed by a long climb and an even longer downhill.  DK, Adam and I were running together and were for some reason much slower on the first section than we thought.  That drove some competitive behavior later in the day, which was fine, and Adam and I ran the last 25K, although not quickly enough to catch DK.  He is in good shape this year.  It was extremely hot late in the day but we managed to make it in before the hottest part.
 
Mom, you might be interested to know that I have upped my sodium intake substantially this year.  In general it is working, although the higher sodium levels seem to cause more nausia when I am slightly dehydrated, which in turn makes it harder to eat recovery food at the end of each day.  Finding the right balance has been interesting.  I continue to use ramen noodles for a recovery meal, which work as well as any of the much fancier formulas.
 
Tomorrow's day starts with sand dunes, which will be challenging, but reportedly gets easier after that.  I am very much looking forward to the dunes, and hopefully we'll get some good Lawrence of Arabia pictures.
 
Most importantly, congrats to my sister Jennifer, who just had her second son, Rowan.  9.2 pounds!  That makes this week look like a picnic . . .
 
SM&G, sounds like you are enjoying Borocay.  Keep splashing.  Thanks for the jokes Derek :-)
 
More soon!
 
Joe

Comments: Total (0) comments

27 June 2011 03:33 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Cold.  Rainy.  These are not generally terms that spring to mind when one thinks of the Gobi desert.  We woke up this morning to very thick fog and very low (13C) temperatures.  The fortunate outcome was that the course was shortened, being as it was too risky to go through the mountains in heavy fog, and so we only ended up running 22K.  Hardly feels like I did anything.  Tomorrow will be a little more challenging. 

I am blown away by the beauty of this place.  As I type this I am able to look out of the tent at a range of vivid red mountains.  There is an amazing amount of color for such a dry place.  That said, the terrain is surprisingly lush around the villages, and we are seeing some of the real mud-brick Uigher buildings now.  They are very friendly people although I am sure they think it is bizarre to run through the desert, in spandex, for fun. 

This message probably won’t be posted until tomorrow as there are problems with the satellite link, so my apologies to all for the delayed update.  SM&G, hope you’re having fun in Borocay!

Comments: Total (4) comments

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 02:56 pm

Hi Joe, awesome race so far! Res Comp team is cheering for you all the way!!!

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 12:09 pm

Joe, you wont get this till after the long day (day5) now, so hope you are reading it feeling like you are recovering well!! It sounds like you and Adam & hooked up as running partners - similiar style / pace etc, thats great! so much nicer to have company when it gets tough. The last day will be a short easy effort. Youre almost there.........

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 09:36 am

Joe - keep up the good work! Team BofAML Research is behind you all the way!

Posted On: 29 Jun 2011 07:52 am

Hi, just reading this on Wednesday - glad to hear everything is okay! See you moved up a few places after Stage 3 - good for you! We're having a fabulous time and wish you were here but we're glad that you're actually there because we're proud of you!

26 June 2011 07:57 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

OK!  Day 1 done and I am still standing.  A most spectacular course, surrounded by high mountains and winding through steep valleys.  Rather more climbing than I would have liked but I felt ok, at least until the last stage.  We are fairly high, about 2,100 meters, and I was having some difficulty with the altitude.  In order not to repeat some of my first-day adventures of past races, I slowed down and tried to recover, and now I feel fine.  Noodles eaten, silly recovery tights on, all good.  We are going higher tomorrow, but apparently it is earlier in the day so it will be cooler.
 
We visited a Uigher village yesterday and saw a festival that was on.  Pleasant but also rather sad - the Uighers are being swept into shiny new show villages that the Chinese are building for them, and we visited one of them.  Pretty but not authentic.  Red Bull was a sponsor, no kidding.  I figure the real Uigher culture will be completely gone in another ten years.  Come here and see it while you still can.
 
M&G, I miss you!  S, I miss you more!!  More tomorrow.

Comments: Total (9) comments

Posted On: 28 Jun 2011 03:11 pm

Obviously the laid back, last minute shopping is the way to go. Fanastic effort with or without tights. Sharon and William

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 02:02 pm

Go for it Joe! You are leading by example! Keep it steady and don't forget to sip sip sip nibble nibble nibble as all good ultra men and women do! Angus

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 12:36 pm

Hey Joe, you're amazing! I'm going to follow your blog this week. What an experience! Hang in there.

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 09:42 am

Hurrah! Doing great! We miss you too! Everyone in Boracay keeps asking us where you are. When we tell them they just shake their heads and smile at us . . .

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 06:09 am

GI Joe! Good effort mate... yes stay smart and take it "easy" in the early days plenty of time to push harder later. Will be following your progress. Cheers Ali

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 04:49 am

Stay strong old man. In the unlikely event you are feeling down, just think of me on the Wilson for motivation! Stop by for a beer on your return.

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 03:49 am

Good first day! Hope it's all you expect. Have fun and stay well.

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 01:48 am

In the top 60!! According to the stage blurb online you are to head through sheep pastures today, so maybe a long flat valley after said climb? It just said sheep, not mtn goats or mtn sheep, so you could be lucky! Keep up the great work

Posted On: 27 Jun 2011 12:11 am

Hey Joe. take care out there. good going on the first day. I'll be reading. keep it going, I know it is not always easy.

23 June 2011 08:53 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Geez, here I am again getting ready to gallop across the desert for 6 days, all in the name of recreation.  You gotta wonder.  I think I'm ready this time around, but then again I thought that before Australia as well.  These races never turn out as expected . . .

Time for bed - early flight tomorrow.

Comments: Total (10) comments

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 02:45 pm

You go man - we know where your head it. Best of luck - hope to catch you back in HK for a good-bye hug!!

Posted On: 26 Jun 2011 12:13 pm

Joe, Gobi should seem a little familiar no? Im sure you will do as well this time around!! Im sure the humidity levels are a little lower than in HK.....that should help

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 05:00 pm

Your nephew Rowan says hey! He was 9.2 pounds and came out looking like a bruiser. We are all well and will be following you on your blog!

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 02:21 pm

Go Joe!!! Best of luck my friend. Sorry we couldn't make the HK going away shindig. Looking forward to catching up stateside. Perhaps at Infineon or Laguna?

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 02:20 pm

Go Joe!!! Best of luck my friend. Sorry we couldn\'t make the HK going away shindig. Looking forward to catching up stateside. Perhaps at Infineon or Laguna?

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 02:20 pm

Go Joe!!! Best of luck my friend. Sorry we couldn't make the HK going away shindig. Looking forward to catching up stateside. Perhaps at Infineon or Laguna?

Posted On: 25 Jun 2011 09:18 am

good luck Gregorys dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-william I'm sure you'lll do a sterling job..It's just one foot in front of the other. Sharon

Posted On: 24 Jun 2011 01:31 pm

Hey great profile picture! But I think you should have posted that you were a massage therapist since DK is a crystal healer or some other new age b____! Have fun fun fun!

Posted On: 24 Jun 2011 12:16 pm

Go Joe!!! the macro strategy team in New York is pulling for you. best of luck this week.

Posted On: 24 Jun 2011 08:16 am

Go Joe! CA Team in Hong Kong is right behind you, albiet in a comfy chair and a drink in hand