We finished our journey yesterday by running through the Great Pyramids.  The finish line was pretty cool, with camels, drums and a great view of the pyramids.  It was (as always) on the top of a long sandy hill.  We had pizza, soda and beer waiting for us as we crossed the finish line.  I immediately threw down 5 slices of pizza and 6 cans of soda (I was a little hungry.)  After tons of photos, we all boarded buses to head back to the hotel to shower and feast.  I did a quick weigh in when I got back to the hotel, and weighed 152 pounds!  That means after feasting on pizza and soda, I still had lost 24 pounds this week in the desert.  I knew I had lost a lot of weight from getting so sick early and not being able to stomach the calories I brought, but I was shocked it was that much.

After showering, and showering, and showering we went down and had lunch number 2 at the pool.  Then about two hours later we headed off for our all you can eat banquet.  My goal is to try to get back half of my weight by the time I land in New York.  I have the full day free today, so I will be spending most of it sitting by the hotels awesome pool with the rest of the tent, and checking out Cairo a bit more.  Then I get on my overnight flight back to real life in NY.

I think this race was very different from what I expected.  It was less about your physical abilities (except the front runners of course) and more about what you packed and how your body reacted to the conditions.  Also, blisters were a much bigger issue out there than I expected (I will spare everyone the photos of my feet.)  I guess we had one of the highest dropout rates, as 40 of the 157 competitiors weren't able to finish all of the stages.  I was really impressed though as many of them helped out around camp or continued running legs even after being pulled from the race.  I'm also really proud of how our tent did.  We started with 7 rookies and 2 people who had raced before in our tent.  8 of the 9 of us were able to finish, including all of the rookies.  The one who was pulled in stage 3 (dehydration) still completed the 59 mile day (stage 5)after being cleared by the doctors.

Thanks again for all of the emails.  They were awesome to have out there (especially on stage 3 when I began losing my mind.)  Also, a thank you to everyone who donated to the National MS Society.  I am reposting the link below in case there are others who still intend to donate.  I can't wait to see everyone soon!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Events/MAMChapter?pg=fund&fr_id=7402&pxfid=220557&JServSessionIdr004=tfe3ss5ep1.app330b

Finished the long stage yesterday!  It's time to relax and enjoy the day off today.
 
Yesterday was a long, long journey.  It felt like we traveled all of Egypt, complete with sand dunes, mountains, and a plateau or two.  I used up a lot of my Ramen noodles in the morning, as they are the only thing I can really stomach out here.  It was nice to start off the race with a bit more calories in the stomach.  The first few legs were alright, and even had a few clouds popping in and out (I think I counted 4 times we got about 10 minutes of shade- it was awesome.)  The second checkpoint brought us through some ancient whale fossils.  After the 4th checkpoint (28 miles in ish) they had us climb up and over the biggest pile of sand I have ever seen.  It was so cool but so exhausting.  The 5th checkpoint was one of the toughest for me to get through, as we had to continue climbing up onto a plateau for what seemed like forever.  The sun set shortly after the 7th checkpoint, and the rest of the race was spent trudging through the dark in deep sand.  I really hit a snag from checkpoints 7-9, where I was just completely drained of energy.  Luckily this Irish guy (David) had an extra gel that gave me a bit of a boost.  I hit checkpoint 9 and pretty much wanted to power straight through.  I just wanted to grab my water and make a break for the finish. Well, my break for the finish started bringing me back towards checkpoint 8.  Luckily the volunteers pointed out where I was headed and pointed me in the right direction.  Crossing the finish line was awesome.  I was just completed exhausted, but made it in a bit after 11 pm, good for 32nd.  I am incredibly happy with how things went, especially after the meltdown on day 1.  I think my final overall placement is 37th.
 
8 of the 9 competitors from our tent made it through the whole week, which is really good (especially considering how many rookies we had.)  The last competitor crossed the line about 1 this afternoon, 30 plus hours after starting.  Despite everyone being exhausted, we are all celebrating at camp.  In 24 hours we get to eat real food again,take a shower for the first time in a week, and be normal people again.  I plan on spending a lot of time in our hotel pool and eating everything I can find.
 
On a side note, way to go Patriots on beating Miami!  I'm also pretty shocked by the Moss news. I really thought my family was messing with me until I heard it from so many people.  I can't wait to have a lazy Sunday and watch football for 12 hours straight next week.
 
I'll check in again tomorrow after the finish.  I wanted to thank everyone for the supportive emails.  I wish we were allowed to respond to each of them, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew how helpful they were.  It is time to try and find some shade, drink some water, and get ready for the final 2k tomorrow.  Until tomorrow.

So last night Mike and Johnna got engaged on the way into the final campsite.  We wanted to celebrate, but only had freeze dried meals and protein bars. We are going to celebrate Saturday night, once we are all one and can actually live like humans again.
 
Today was an alright day.  I finished 41st for today. The blisters on my feet have started to grow, and my only goal now is to finish.  I'm a little concerned about my calorie intake this week, as I haven't been able to stomach most of my food.  I've only been able to get down about 1500 a day.  Luckily, I was helped out by a bunch of my tent mates and I traded some of my functional food for their extra comfort foods (peanuts/ pringles/ a lifesaver.) It was the best food I have ever tasted.  I hopefully have enough calories in me to get through the 56 mile stage tomorrow.
 
My plan is to take it slow tomorrow.  I probably will stop at the hottest part of the day.  I have absolutely no clue how long it will take.  After this stage, we just have an easy 1 mile run to the finish, and then they give us pizza and beer at the pyramids.  Thanks again for all of the emails/ blog posts.  They have been incredibly entertaining and motivational.  Also, thanks to everyone who has donated to the National MS Society.  If you still want to donate, please click the link at the bottom of the page (or possibly back a page at this point.)
 
Time to get some rest before the battle tomorrow.  Let's see how this goes....

Last night we camped at an awesome site.  We were on top of a sand mountain and had a clear view for miles.  Only problem is it got incredibly windy, and the fine sand went right into the tent.  We all woke up with about a quarter of an inch of sand all over the tent (including us.)
 
Today was by far the hardest day out there yet.  The sand was so much softer than the previous two days, making everything much more difficult.  I was cruising along pretty well, and then hit the spring at the second to last check point.  It was so tempting to stop and go for a swim, but none of the competitors around me were going.  At this point, I was in 26th place, so I decided to keep going.  This ended up being a big mistake, as the next leg was brutal.  I reached the last checkpoint and needed to stop there for a bit before going on (I didn't want a repeat of day 1.)  I ended up coming in 32nd place, so another really good day for me.  I did get stung by some giant bug thing after I finished the leg today, but apparently it's nothing dangerous (some giant wasp thing.)
 
I have been craving so many different foods since being out here: Chipotle, Steak, Bacon, Egg and Cheeses.  I think my tent is starting to get annoyed with me as I describe my dream meals every night.
 
We did lose our first racer from our tent.  One of the girls was pulled at checkpoint three for severe dehydration.  We also have four more people out there on the course from our tent after over 12 hours out there (the brothers and the couple.)  Hopefully they can make it in by the cutoff. 
 
I actually think they are coming in now, so I'm going to go cheer them in.  Thanks everyone for the emails.  I have tried to befriend the camera people, so hopefully I will get some more photos.  Until tomorrow.

Today was the dreaded sand dune day.  Apparently yesterday was listed as being moderate, while today was listed as difficult.  I took it much easier off the start today, as I didnt want a repeat of yesterday.  The views were ridiculous today.  It looked like we were up in the mountains, except every mountain was made entirely of sand.  The third stage of the leg was all along a plateau, and all you could see was sand for miles.  After the third checkpoint, we had to run down a mountain of sand (a couple hundred feet down.)  I kind of wish I had my skis, because you could definitely make some good turns on that powder sand.  Eventually I made it in to the pitstop, and finished 33rd for the day.  Despite it being much more difficult, I had a way better day.  I know a lot of people have already dropped out (including many of the top racers.)  We however still have a full tent, and hopefully our group can keep it up as the week goes on.  The only negative today was the sand storm that filled our tent with about an inch of sand.
 
I want to thank everyone for the emails.  I think the people in the tent thought I was crazy/ delerious as I have been laughing constantly while reading some of them.  Also, thank you Izzy and Rosa for football scores (even though I think it means I'm out of the eliminator challenge - boo Cincinnati.) Mom, Dad, and Mom #2 (Kat) don't stress too much.  Dewy and Sarah, it sounds like you had a great weekend....  I'm glad all three of us survived til Monday.  Izzy and Matt, sounds like you could be convinced to get out here on one of these!  Thanks again for all the support out here.  I would check out the pictures from today, as it was a pretty crazy stage.
 
It's time to try to choke down a few more calories before bed.  I have been craving pizza and steak all week, but I guess ultra light freeze dried meals will do.  Tomorrow is supposed to be another tough one in the dunes, so it's time to get some sleep.  Thanks again for all of the emails and see everyone tomorrow.

Where do I start?  Yesterday was a chaotic day of administrative things (gear check/ bag weigh-ins/signing off our lives.)  The race kicked off on the right foot, as I had one of the lightest bags out here (6.9 kg plus 1.5 kg of water, so about 18 pounds to carry out there.)
 
We arrived at camp at 6pm, and it was already pitch black.  It made setting up way more difficult.  We have an awesome group in our tent.  There is a couple in their mid to late 20s, that literally met less than two months ago (Johnna and Mike.)  There are two brothers in their 20s, who signed up for this two years ago after a long night of drinking (Tom and Paul.)  There's also a guy named Mike who has traveled and worked in pretty much every country possible.  Emma is one of the few experienced people in our tent, and she is really helping all of the rookies figure out how to get through the race.  I'm really blown away by the pedigree of racers out here.  Everyonehere has an incredible background and a bunch of really challenging races under their belts. Night one was a fun celebration, with plenty of Egyptian music and dancing.  Sleeping, however, was much more difficult then I thought.
 
The first day of the race started off well.  My goal was to cover as much distance quickly early on, while it was still somewhat cooler out.  Then I could slow down once it hit the peak hours.  Well the course ended up being 10 x harder than I could have imagined.  There were a few massive sand dunes that felt similar to back country hiking out west (exhausting.)  I was cruising along fine at a nice steady pace until I hit check point 3. (Mom, this is where you can stop reading.) Apparently it was in the upper 40's C (around 47 I've heard, not sure what that is in Fareinheit.)There were only 4.5 miles left for the last leg and I pretty much fell apart.  I started having a lot of trouble holding down any water at the end of the race.    I got sick a few times at checkpoint 3 (obviously I wasn't leaving anywhere without being able to stomach water.) I finally  was OK enough to move on, and got about 3.5 miles down this section before I started getting sick.  The medical staff has been amazing out here, and they stayed with me as I sat around for an hour, only 1 mile from the finish line (as pretty much half the field passed me.)  I finally was feeling good enough to continue, and made my way down the last mile.  I think I finished about middle of the pack.  The last 4.5 miles ended up taking me 3 hours to complete. (I think I counted about 40 people pass me in this last piece.)  I am thrilled though to still be in the race.  I learned a lot in my first day and hopefully can use what I learned tomorrow.  I also promise to be much more conservative tomorrow, and just focus on finishing.  I can't believe they want us to run again tomorrow.
 
Side note:A lot of the exprerienced racers also had troubles today.  Apparently the course designer is known for setting up ridiculously challenging courses (this one and the Australian one, which had a 50 percent completion rate.)  A few people have already dropped oout of this race, but luckily no one from our tent.
 
Also, if you haven't donated to the National MS Society (link below) please do.
 
It is time to go enjoy camp life (clearly the best part of this experience.)  Dewey, make sure to email me all of the Sunday football scores tomorrow.  I can't go all week without knowing if the Pats are 3-1, and if I am still in my eliminator challenge.

I made it to Egypt!  Other than a slightly delayed flight, I had no problems getting in here.  Now it's time to frantically try to put together any stuff I'm missing.  We are in a really nice hotel, but just in the middle of nowhere.  It definitely adds an extra challenge to the preparation.

(Hopefully) the next time you here from me will be right before the first leg.  I need to go before my 15 minutes of internet are up.

I'm sitting in the airport at JFK.  Apparently Hurricane Nicole decided to delay my travel plans.  Hopefully I will be able to get out in the next hour or so.

I wanted to add to the blog that I will be running for the National MS Society.  Please visit the link and donate.  Every little bit counts!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Events/MAMChapter?pg=fund&fr_id=7402&pxfid=220557&JServSessionIdr004=tfe3ss5ep1.app330b

This has been a pretty crazy week.  I think I have everything in my bags, but I have a lot of work to do when I hit Egypt, like moving everything into ziplock bags, sewing the flags onto my shirt (which should be hilarious), fixing up my gaiters, etc.

Hopefully the next time I post something, it will be from our hotel in Cairo.

In one week I will be in Cairo, Egypt getting ready to start a 160 mile journey through the Sahara Desert.  Seriously?!?

Although I only signed up three weeks ago, I can't believe it is already time to fly to Egypt and get started.  I first read about the race in November 2009 on ESPN.  The race seemed so ridiculous that I knew I had to do it.  I found the 4Deserts website and started digging through every blog, article, picture, and video clip I could find.  I clearly had become obsessed with the race.

I didn't exactly commit to the race right away.  I knew I wanted to do it, but it seemed too ridiculous of a concept.  I did however train from December to April for the Boston Marathon.  About a week after the marathon ended I decided to commit myself to doing the Sahara Race.  Instead of falling into my normal lazy routine in May, I tried to keep up the miles.  I started running with backpack at the end of June (a backcountry skiing back pack filled with four 5 pound ziplock bags of sand.)  I was lucky, as the temperatures in the Northeast US stayed steady in the 90's for much of the summer.  Also, I didn't have air conditioning in my apartment, so hopefully my body is ready for the extreme temps.  Training went pretty well through the summer.  I didn't get in all the miles I wanted to, but I still am happy with what I got done.  I've finally reached my favorite part of training, the taper!  The extra rest has been great, and hopefully it will help my sore muscles and blisters I have built up.

I think I am almost prepared for this race gear-wise.  I still have a few more items I need to collect, but I do have all of the major pieces.  My apartment is a mess of freeze dried foods, Cliff bars, and running gear.  I have been focusing on trying to cut out any extra weight I can.  I'm normally a light packer, so I am willing to sacrifice comfort for a lighter pack (please remind me of this comment when I am complaining in the desert...)  Of course a camera and a couple of Ipods were allowable exceptions.

I'm headed off to Las Vegas this weekend to meet up with a bunch of my college friends.  I considered canceling the trip when I joined the race, but used the 100+ degree temperatures to talk myself into it.  Getting some runs in at these temperatures will definitely help, especially because I cannot fly into Egypt until September 30th.  

I guess that is all for now.  I look forward to meeting everyone in Egypt!