Today was a good day ! 

Well, after a full day of travelling, I’ve finally arrived at the glorious race hotel for one last night of luxury before heading out into the cold desert nights.

I was hit with a bit of a curveball when we landed in Johannesburg: an SMS from BA to say that my luggage hadn’t made the flight.

Poles, pocket knife, anything liquid and some of my food were all still sitting somewhere back in London. Not exactly ideal preparation!

Thankfully, with a few local shops and some handy support from the other competitors, I’ve managed to pull together the full list of mandatory kit ready for check-in tomorrow morning.

It’s a shame about the poles. I’d spent quite a while convincing myself that I was definitely going to need them… but apparently that decision has now been made for me! I’ll just have to see how it goes.

For now, though, the kit is sorted, I’m here, and after all the preparation and anticipation, I really just can’t wait to get started.

I've wanted to race RTP Namibia for quite a while, so it's pretty exciting that it's finally just around the corner.

Training for this one has looked a little different. Rather than following one structured plan, I've basically spent the year entering other races! There have been plenty of half marathons, the London Marathon, UTMB Andorra, and a whole collection of trail races around the UK (plus a surprising amount of heat to train in!).

I feel ready, and a lot of that comes from the training and racing I've put in over the last few months. Having completed a number of Racing the Planet events also gives me confidence in a different way. Knowing the race format, being familiar with the equipment, and understanding what to expect removes a lot of the unknowns. That said, I still remember the loose sand dunes in Jordan, and they definitely weren't my favourite! At least this time I have a vague idea of just how tough they're going to be.

One thing I'm determined to improve this year is my nutrition. For far too long I've underestimated just how many carbs I need during these races, so this time I'll be making a conscious effort to fuel properly. Hopefully that means more consistent energy and a stronger race.

I'm also excited to have a much lighter sleeping bag this time. It's freed up a little extra weight in my pack, which means I can carry a few more running snacks.

The plan is to vlog and blog every day throughout the race. Whether I actually manage to do that after spending hours running across the Namibian desert remains to be seen, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

If you'd like to follow the adventure, I've been sharing all of my training and race build-up over on Instagram: @ultramarathonpaul. I'd love for you to come along for the journey - there'll be race updates, plenty of desert scenery, and hopefully a few stories worth telling along the way.

Namibia... let's do this.