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Namib Race Blogs 2009

Anita Bracey

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Namib Race (2009) blog posts from Anita Bracey

17 August 2009 01:23 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi

Great, at last I have found others who are doing this racing in the desert holiday.  Hope it is a relaxing break!  Only kidding, this I know will be tough.  This is my first race and am looking forward to it.  I am well into my training but would like to hear from others any training tips they have to share.

Best wishes
Anita

Comments: Total (15) comments

Posted On: 07 Nov 2009 03:04 am

Congratulations Anita on a fantastic effort. It sounded so, so tough. Especially the long stage! And 49C? I can't imagine what that must be like. So hats off to you. I was very happy to see you are still planning to do Australia. I sent you an email to [email protected] but it didnt go through, so would you be able to email me? My email is [email protected] I have so many questions about various aspects of a race like this, I would appreciate your opinion enormously. Have a good recovery. Best wishes Margaret

Posted On: 05 Nov 2009 08:11 am

Dear all, thanks so much for your support and messages of encougement. they meant alot to me. Sorry I missed Namibia!.......but i have now found out the Australia will be like Namibia, rocky, scrambly and very tough. At least I will not be so smelly as there are rock pools and sometimes we have to carry our packs through them. I really did stink last week! I would have loved to have updated my blog every day, stage by stage, but if you take a look at the results board you will see i was hardly every in camp! Most of the time I had 2 camels, which I knicknamed Pinky and Perky breathing in my ear. If you are last you see you have 2 camels and 2 behouin guys plus 2 staff behind you the 'sweepers'. Sometimes I asked them to hold back so they could not hear my expletives and tears! In the end though I pretended I was royalty and was being privatly guided through the desert! Much of the time though I was on my own and enjoyed some truely amazing sites. In this busy world it is nice to think that there are still places that are pristine and so peaceful. I am happy to be home though! All in all i did every mile except for check point 3 to 4 on stage 3. I even had people biting their nails on stage 5 as just made the cut off by 3 minutes. People thought I had been hiding behind a sand dune but i really wasn't, 32.57minutes of sheer pain ended in exhilaration and people were so kind to me. Once again, thanks so much for the support. xx Anita

Posted On: 02 Nov 2009 09:05 am

Anita, Congratulations on the long walk, rather you than me. Trust you get all the plaudits you deserve on a great showing. I liked the video. Best wishes for a quick recovery. By the way, why aren't you down for Namibia in 2009? John & Joan

Posted On: 30 Oct 2009 12:32 am

Well done anita, you are doing great! We love you and wish you well for the next leg. Panda is fine and cheering you on! See you soon, boo and paula. Xxx

Posted On: 10 Oct 2009 07:09 am

Hi Anita. Thanks for the tip about Running Free, I will try and find it here. I'm planning to look at lots of packs, I saw one I liked that was very small, maybe that's why I liked it, only 22L, thought that may do with a pouch. Enjoy your taper, have a great race in the Sahara, it has to be an awesome experience. I'm really looking forward to hearing about it. Good luck! Margaret

Posted On: 04 Oct 2009 08:06 am

Hi Margaret, Thanks for the encouragement, I still need to do alot this week and then will taper. As regards pack I have bought an MDS one with front and back parts, they still mean the weight is heavy but as it's distributed does not feel so bad. Also the more you eat the lighter your pack gets! There are a few out there so look around. I read recently that a woman went to MDS and took more clothes than she needed, she never changed them all week! At the moment I can't imagine that but having done the 40 miles I can see a little of where she was coming from. If my parents had not been so kind to have picked me up and run the bath, then I probably would have not bothered myself! Basically everything I have is ultra light weight, more costly but worth it in terms of weight and if you are doing this ultra ultra lark as a more long term thing as I am. Doing Australia next year and MDS the following, apparently Madonna is in MDS 2011! Not sure if it is true but would be great fun to share a tent with her! Also part of my preparation has been reading up on the races and how others got through them, there is a magazine called Running Free which has some great articles on ultras such as MDS and Namibia, you might find it on line. If not I am happy to post what I have onto you. All the best :) Anita

Posted On: 03 Oct 2009 11:41 am

Congratulations on covering 40 miles. That's a huge effort, and to still be aiming to do more this week is very impressive. I have never run any where near that distance. You sound like you're in great shape for the Sahara. I agree, the foot thing is really tricky, I will be getting bigger runners, as I already lose toenails over the course of a marathon, let alone fronting up day after day. I am also concerned about nutrition, another unknown. What size pack are you carrying? I really want to keep mine small, as I have no experience carrying anything. Good luck with your week of training, you must be just about ready to taper. All the best, Margaret

Posted On: 03 Oct 2009 07:53 am

Dear Margaret, Hi, thanks for the message and words of encouragement. The 4.25 time in the Sydney Marathon was geat, I am not up to that speed but hope over the next few years to gradually get faster. The main thing in my favour is stamina and the determination to complete and the fact that I am raising money for someone in need so have to finish!. I did 40mile the other day, it was meant to be 56, London to Brighton, with Extreme Running, they organised a great race. Viewed it as a training run and got slightly lost in Ashdown Forest, the place where Poo Bear was created! what I learnt that day was I could go over 26 miles and still stay intact, however larger shoes are essential, I see that now. Everyone's feet are different but I now know that the distance causes me pain in the top of the foot so extra padding would be good. I see some runners taping their feet, I think I will look into that. So I think each of us needs to know our week points in feet and body and learn to adapt. Another surprise to me was that I did not feel hungry for at least 2 days post race, I was worried about this thinking that the high calorie sachets would not be enough in Sahara but I think they are. Again everyone is different but my challenge will be to ensure I do eat at the end of each day. I have read that if you don't eat in an hour/hour half of the race then you will crash physically the next day. There is a window to get maximum benefit from the food. I am off this week so will be aiming for many miles with my pack, looking after 3 dogs plus my little one so could be interesting! BW :) Anita

Posted On: 02 Oct 2009 04:20 am

Hi Anita, that sounds like a good idea to get to Alice Springs with time to acclimatise before the start of the race. I am just getting back into training having run the Sydney Marathon on September 20th (slowly, 4.25). That was my 4th one over the last 2 years, I did London in April, what a blast! The crowd support was unbelievable. I plan to get back up fairly quickly to running a long run of around 30k on the weekend, with a couple of shorter ones during the week. On top of that base I will add in a long/walk run, planning to stay on my feet for as long as possible, around the middle of the week. I'll build up to doing that one at least with a pack. If you have any training ideas that you have found useful, send them on! I too will be planning to jog/walk at a reasonable pace. I look forward to hearing about the Sahara. Best wishes Margaret

Posted On: 25 Sep 2009 07:51 am

Hi Margaret, Many thanks for the message of good luck for the Sahara. I am really looking forward to it, my first ultra ultra! My expectation is to complete not to run the whole way but I do plan to power walk/jog all I can. You have plenty of time to train for Kimberley, what training are you doing at the moment? My plan is to get to Alice Springs the week before get over jet lag and take on some carbs! I don't want to wish Sahara away but am also looking forward to Kimberley as it looks fab scenery, rock pools at the end of the day to bath the feet! Catch up soon, bw, Anita BW Anita

Posted On: 25 Sep 2009 07:40 am

Hi Neil, Oh thanks for the message, I will get in touch with you direct. A photo will be no problem, I will make sure it is as dramatic as possible! BW Anita

Posted On: 16 Sep 2009 12:46 am

Hi Anita Good luck in the Sahara! I am doing the Kimberley in April 2010, so it would be great to share comments about training, equipment and anything else in the months to come. This will be my first multi-day event, so the learning curve will be steep. I look forward to meeting you in Australia. Best wishes Margaret

Posted On: 13 Sep 2009 10:27 pm

Hi Anita, Just a quick hello and it was one of our customers that actually alerted us to your blog about using the Wemmi Wipes in the Sahara! We are glad you have found them useful and we know endurance athletes love them because of their weight and convenience! The countdown is obviously on, and if there is anything we can do to help in the lead-up to the event then please do let us know. We would love to see a photo of yourself and the Wemmi's in the desert when the big event arrives, and we are sure it will be a great experience. Please do contact us via the website www.reallyrathergoods.com as we would love to know how everything goes. Best of luck! Neil

Posted On: 20 Aug 2009 04:39 pm

Hi Jay, many thanks. I have just read through your account of the Stormy ultra race. That was a great help particularly the idea of pacing myself and getting the nutrients right. Not sure that I will have the problem of learning to slow down though! That was quite a feet, well done. I am doing my first ultra this Sat. My main interest at the moment is managing the psychological aspect of ultra racing and your account really helped. See you in the desert! BW Anita

Posted On: 19 Aug 2009 09:28 pm

Hi Anita, Pretty much tested and finalized all my kit, so send me an email if you have any questions about what did and did not work. Cheers - Jay