It's been 2 weeks since Sahara race 2010 ended but the memories and feelings I gathered from this race is so fresh I could still remember how it felt stepping my feet on the soft sands, the scorching heat from the blazing sun, the beat of the drum at the finish line, the irritating buzz from the flies, the stench from my hair and the good times spent with wonderful people. Of cos the thought of freeze dried food still put me off!
 
Fuel for the mind has definitely higher calories than any freeze dried food out in the market (tested and proven!), and I'm thankful to have received tonnes of them during the race. I know I've thanked my supporters many times since day 1 for sending me emails and encouraging words, and I can't emphasize further how important they are to me in a race like this. So a final one to all of you out there- THANK YOU! On a second note, I'll also like to apologise to my mum for causing her sleepless nights throughout the week and my sisters to have to check on my blogs and results to update her so she can have a peaceful mind. Though this peace didn't stay for too long cos she'd start to worry for the next day's feat. My mum has always been a worrier mum who worries much more than she should. But this also makes her the most caring and loving one who feels for her gal, thinks of her and cares for her anytime, anywhere. For this, I'm truly thankful!! THANKS MUM!! Seeing her at the finish line and crying in her hug, I know I've no emotions to hide. The feeling was beyond words. Simply wonderful. I know I've made her proud! :)
 
In contrary to my happiness for completing the race, I returned with a piece of news from work that's sadly unfortunate. The site in Singapore is closing down end of the year due to some complicated patent issues (I work in a pharmaceutical research company) so everyone in the company is basically laid off. I guess some people would jump at the opportunity to change work environment, do a career switch or simply rejoice at the handsome sum of severance money, but I'm affected by the loss of project built up over the past 3 yrs and having to say goodbye to a bunch of nice colleagues. That really upsets me alot! Atmosphere in the office was bleak in the past week and soon we'll go round the industry with a message written in our faces - Pls adopt me! Despite this, I try to stay positive and think of what this race has done to me. I've survived one of the harshest conditions on earth and had been an inspiration to many along the way. If I get knocked down just by this little setback, I'll be my own laughing stock. Just like this song by Doris Day- Que Sera Sera (whatever will be will be, the future not ours to see, Que Sera Sera). Who knows what path I'll take next and whose path I'll cross. What's important is to remain truthful as a person, know what you want, adapt to life's changes and adversity and always be on the bright side.
 
I wish my colleagues all the best in their future endeavours! It's been a pleasure working as a team in the past 3 yrs. If life is stagnant at some point, consider doing something a little offtrack and different- climb a mountain, run a desert, travel or pick up a new skill, anything at all. A friend I was once close to loved quoting this to me that I remember hard till this day- "Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius". At tough times like this, I'm glad I have things I really like to do as a means of seeking solace in. If your life has been pretty flat till this day, perhaps this is a good time to do some self reflections and think about what spices you want to add. Life can be peachy afterall! :) 

FYI, I've raised a total of about $7000 for the kids at CCF. Big shouts to all who'd donated! That should be enough to fulfil some wishes! :D

Heard that I've a little quote in breaking news so you guys should have known by now that I've finally completed the LONG stage. YAY! Well done is an understatement and I'm still pretty much awed by the whole achievement I'm not sure how to put them into words. (Yes I did cry after crossing the line!...awww)
 
Race started at 630am yesterday and the entire course of 94km is broken up into 10 different checkpts. Each checkpt is about 10km apart and with an amount of fatigue gathered over the past few days, 5km/hr is the best I could perform. This means each time I leave one checkpt, it'll take me 2hrs to reach the next. This is a great mental challenge as I'll be greatly drained by the 40+ deg heat and checkpt is the only place I find shade and water. It's really easy to get myself so comfortable settled down, that the discipline part of me has to remind me 10mins is up, time to pack up and go.
 
My body was rather obedient yesterday without much churning around but I still couldn't glup down mouthfuls of water or electroytes as generously as I'll like. In fact I've packed all the wrong stuff this time that I believe I'm on a serious calorie deficit. Smell, taste and even the sight of freeze dried food turned me off so badly I only managed to grab a proper dinner portion on first night and ended up giving the rest away. I couldn't take any energy bar at checkpt and even the taste of water is starting to act up against me. So what's left for dinner are sometimes miso soup, cookie, coffee and tea- very little calorie but at least I'm taking some salts in. Well a friend pulled out due to dehydration on day 2 so I took the chance to steal his cereal and instant noodles. Yes Instant Noodles is what I should have packed! Savoury and tasty. Now I know what to pack the next time (did I just say next time?!!)
 
Trying to put food, salt tablets into my system is a challenge every day. By day 5 yesterday, I think I was running on 90% mental strength, 10% physical. I was surprised to still feel ok right from the start and be able to fast walk/slow jog throughout. To distract myself, I would imagine my trek poles as ski poles so I was sand surfing most of the time! Fun!!
 
Heat in Sahara desert usually creeps up around 1030-2pm. So I was really looking forward to sunset and night for the cooler temperature. By the time I hit checkpt 5, it must have been 11hrs since racestart. Before making my way to checkpt 6 where there'll be hot water for dinner and where most people have a longer rest, I put on my headlamp to prepare for the night part of the run. I didn't stay too long at checkpt 6, probably only 30mins. Drank up a pack of chrysanthemum tea and coffee, ate a piece of bak kwa (Bee Cheng Hiang roasted chicken slice) and that was it for dinner. I was very determined to not linger around for too long. Took a 5mins power nap and off I went.
 
The night after that was long....extraordinarily long! Many times, what surrounded me was darkness, glow sticks, blanket of stars (which I unfortunately couldn't admire, gota fix my eyes on the ground), music from ipod and dim light from my headlamp. I felt pretty demoralised without a soul in front or behind me, and having to run for long hours, checkpt after checkpt is mentally challenging. I can only rejoice from the sight of checkpt in a distance or a flashing light coming from another runner's backpack. I bet those of you who had done RTP races know what I'm talking about. On top of that, I've to battle sleepiness, fatigue and the repetitive act of 'sand surfing' that I felt myself so detached from reality and practically losing my sanity. This is especially the case from chkpt 6-7, 7-8, knowing it's going to be another 6hrs before reaching the last chkpt 9. But this is also a time when either I just think of nothing and focus on my actions, or I self-reflect and think of many significant people in my life. I thought of my family knowing they'll be there for me anytime, caring for me. I thought of Thaddeus, Elaine and Denvy who's gone through the exact same thing and emerged victorious so it is possible task. I thought about how true it is that so long as you take one step at a time, there's no way you won't reach the endpoint. And when things appear big and hard to achieve, break it down to bite size. Be patient and good things will come to those who wait. As I'm typing this sentence, the drum was beaten and people were applauding for a couple that just came in. It's 1230pm now so they had been out there for 30hrs. Amazing! These are people with the greatest mental strength. Timing doesn't matter, it's what you learn from the journey that stays with you for a long long time.
 
Speaking of mental strength, it is something truly amazing. I was beginning to lose patience from checkpt 8 onwards I thought I needed to speed up now!! In a distance I spotted 3 flashing lights that made me really happy. At least I didnt feel that lonely. I was very determined to not lose sight of them I stepped up my speed to stay in their pace. Suddenly there was this gush of adrenaline in me, I started overtaking all of them. Can't imagine I could still RUN after clocking 70km! I didn't stay long at the last chkpt and sprinted all the way to the end point. This is what I called mental power!! Awesome!!
 
When I crossed the line, I wasn't tearing. It's when I sat down and thought about what I'd just been through, that's when emotions flowed through and I felt completely achieved. What a long week it's been. And I pulled through. I made it!
 
This race is not to say how great I am or even to discourage anyone from taking part. It's a lesson I learned about dealing with my own emotions under adverse conditions. I may curse and swear at how brutual the weather is, but there's no way I can change anything. Many times, it's your own attitude and perspective that play the tricks.
 
GREAT THANKS to all those who have shown so much concern for me and who haven't forgotten to write me in this one week. I truly appreciate them!! It's beyond words!
 
Tomorrow is the finale run into the pyramids! Can't wait. Oh ya, I'm craving for COKE and pizza now!!
 
I'll be back on 18 oct. See you guys real soon!!
 
HUGS
Trish xxx

I've kind of lost track of days and only know each day by stages. So stage 4 is conquered once again! Big pat on my shoulders! My tummy still acts up on and off so Denvy, I hear you but I guess forcing food down my stomach at this point is pretty pointless since I know I'll throw them up later. But thanks for the advice! I've been asking around for food but apparently most people are running low on ramen and instant noodles themselves. Only managed to grab a pack of chicken noodles which couldn't taste any better! Thanks Wei Yong for your kind donation! Pretty much feeding on my cookies, miso soup for whatever calories and salts I can absorb. Tomorrow shall be a race running on mental will more than physical strength. But it shall be conquered!!
 
Today's terrain is rated moderate and it's mainly plateaus, rock formation and open spaces. Not as tough as yesterday but I took about 9hrs to come in. Well, don't worry about me cos I'm actually feeling fine. Could have done slightly earlier but a friend was having very bad blisters when I bumped into him at chkpt 2 so decided to walk with him till the end point to make sure he got through. Since I no longer have a chance to get 1st (LOL), ranking doesn't quite matter to me anymore. As I mentioned earlier, everyone out here displayed good sportsmanship and tries to help one another as much as they can. When a Korean competitor saw my friend limping badly, he handed his trek poles to him and walked poleless for 9km. How touching!! Although the sad news is he'll probably pull out of the race cos 94km is too torturous to those feet. Most important is to listen to your body and know your limits. I wish him speedy recovery!
 
It's 7pm now on the eve of long stage. Lights out at finishing line now so I'm glad the last runner has come in. Pretty chilly out there! Tomorrow is going to be a super long day. I'm more concerned about food than anything else. Will rely on my comfort food- bak kwa, chrysanthemum tea (my #1 favourite drink!), tea and coffee to pull me through. Heard there may be warm coke along the course but keeping fingers crossed. (Did I just say WARM coke is delicious?!!)
 
My hair is stiff and stinks by now and the guy sitting beside me is covering his nose while checking his email. Good indication how badly I need a shower!! Just not sure how I'll fight for the bathroom with Jane later on. Haha.
 
JM and family- Thanks for a sweet note from France! It warms my heart...Tell everyone I say Hi!
 
Meipeng- Thanks for being so supportive and even updating lilly colleagues of my progress. Cheers to you :)
 
To all who's been following me through this week and sending very encouraging words, I appreciate every single one of them. You'll never know this kind of feelings till you're here! so thanks!!
 
I'm resting up now for the long day tomorrow. Looking forward to it actually and see how I'll cry and be down on my knees once I cross the line! It'll be amazing as I can imagine. Hopefully I'll get there. Tonight, I'll just be dreaming of more coke and pizza at the end point by the pyramids.
 
See you guys soon!!
 
Hugs
Trish xx

Stage 3 is finally over so one more down! Woohoo...
 
It's the longest stage so far in the past 3 days and I felt much better today! Still didn't have a great appetite for freeze dried food so I just fumbled through my backpack for alternatives. Campbell instant soup tastes good! I took it much easier today as my stomach started acting up after checkpoint 2 so I resorted to walking alot! But it's ok, at least I'm not throwing up and managed to drink up to stay hydrated. 2 things I reminded myself alot- one step at a time (Penel) and checkpt to checkpt (Elaine). They helped me through the long walk.... But I was alittle bored at some point, doing most of the leg by myself. But a fly (yes, deserts have tons of flies for whatever reason) must have pitied me and flew with me for a good 200m. Thanks buddy!
 
One of the toughest was actually more sand dunes (Johnson-I think it's 70% soft sands out here and not 30%!!) but they're so beautiful I had to stop for pictures. Can't wait to upload them later! There're more rock formations today too and it just felt like a total privilege doing a race out here. Another 38km to go tomorrow before the killer long stage of 94km on thurs. There won't be any blogs on thurs cos I'll be running in only on fri. So check out my last blog to see if I survive through...Hopefully! Once that's done, the race is considered completed!! I'm already thinking of coke, beer and pizza at the final point!
 
Theme of the campsite tonight is Castle in the Sand as we're camping by the side if a dune alongside the Ksour al Arab rock formations. It's really beautiful at night here under the blanket of stars I wished the strong wind hasn't stopped me from sleeping outside the tent.
 
Goodnight for now. Cybertent is closing as volunteers have a long day tomorrow. Thanks again for keeping the emails flowing in. Appreciate every single one of them.
 
Janice- Hello there and of cos I hear you. Hugs
 
Sisters and Jean- I think of you guys alot! Thanks for keeping the spirit up and you bet I'm going to loosen up from now on. In fact, today I did that alot! :)
 
Clement- Thanks for your life saving towel! It helped to cool my system down so much I just wet it and use it as a face mask. Btw there's a volunteer here who's portugese and he said that's a famous line among runners! Good choice.
 
Ryan- Happy belated birthday to you!! Hope you received good presents from them and I'll pick the finest sands for you! ;)
 
Maurice- I like your quote! But of cos I won't run like a barbarian in case they thought I'm crazy and pull me out of the race!
 
Trish xx

It's pitch black out there at 630pm on day 2 and I should be grabbing my dinner by now but just couldn't resist dropping by the cybertent to read the lovely emails you guys have sent. Thanks for them, I read everyone's well wishes but I couldn't reply to them so just be assured they're not lost in cyberspace!
 
Today was tough with more sands and sand dunes. I didn't hold up as great but am glad I finished. If you know me well, you would have known about how prone I am towards nauseating during races (for whatever reasons-heat, overstraining, dehydration) and I was hoping this condition won't hit me that early but sadly it did already today. So basically my stomach will start to reject food, water and I'll simply throw up very often during runs. This dragged me down a lot (no water, no food= no energy) and I've to walk most of the course. The organiser tastefully planted steep descent down the sand dunes I felt like sand surfing for a moment! It was really fun but then what comes down gota go up. Although campsite was within sight from checkpt 3, it's still a good 5.2km away within multiple dunes in between. But I've kinda gotten used to seeing any checkpoints ahead that seems really near...but it's actually FAR (about 30mins to get there). So I tell myself to be positive that the checkpoint is even within sight! 
 
Besides the difficulty of the course, scenery was once again AWESOME I wished I could better appreciate it. But no worries, I 'forced' myself to still take pictures no matter how tired so I can have great story to tell when I'm back!
 
Well the truth being- I was dehydrated and feeling depressed from the heat and the bad condition I was in and yes, the thought of giving up drifted in and out of my mind. But I promised myself to cross the finishing line and I swear I was glad to slap myself out of my bad thoughts and felt completely achieved! Of course there is doubts in myself how I'm going to pull through 3 more stages BUT after reading all the encouraging emails you guys sent, I feel all refreshed again! I'm feeling fine now (medical tent kindly gave me a life saving can of coke!! Heavenly regardless it's warm coke!) so I'll just take it easy tomorrow! Afterall, to be able to complete is the ultimate goal! People here are great and everyone just helped each other along the way. That's the comaraderie I'm talking about. Just when I was low on sugar, a guy singing Lady Gaga handed me a candy that can't taste any yummier (a pity I didn't get his name but I'm sure he was God sent). And since I'm still not having great appetite for Expedition freeze dried food, Ching-Yen from Taiwan kindly gave me a pack of bamboo shoot rice from taiwan!! GREAT!! Very touched by that!
 
Ok, gotta grab dinner now and rest up for the night- it's 42km tomorrow. Btw, if you're wondering how filthy I am now, I'm not too bad! Don’t think I'm stinking much (or maybe we're all stinking we don’t realise!) But my face, hands, clothes, backpack are sandy all the time, I don’t bother cleaning up anymore! As I'm typing this blog, I'm also digging sands out of my ears.
 
Good news for the day- I'm adding this bit since Vanessa Tan from Sg/malaysia doesn't have a blog, I'll like to congratulate her for coming in strong today despite the difficult terrains. Good job gal and make sg proud!!
 
Elaine- I've met Belinda already and told her you said Hi! Nice lady! Thanks for the great msg you sent.
 
Denvy- I can't help but keep thinking of you along the course and simply awed by how you managed to come in top female in Gobi! Anyway that's great inspiration to me
 
Everyone out there- thanks for keeping the emails coming in! They're my food for the mind! Definitely much more delicious than freeze dried!
 
Hope tomorrow be a better day!
 
Gdnite xx

Hello there,
 
Thanks to those who'd sent me sweet and heartwarming emails. I've just finished reading them and felt instantly refreshed!
 
Day 1 is done and scenery was awesome! You can never imagine how much sands there can be on this earth! Race course today was mainly by the southern lake within the Wadi El-Rayan protected area so it's rather soothing for the mind as you're looking out into the lakes while running on the soft dry sands. First flag off of the race is usually the most exciting as most of the runners, including myself, wouldn't know what we're getting into. True enough, the organiser has mercilessly put out 3 sand dunes before checkpoint 1 as our appetisers. These sand dunes were so massive I'm concerned I'll fall over while climbing one but felt completely achieved as I successfully overcome them on all fours! Cool stuff!
 
I felt pretty ok on the course throughout until after checkpoint 3, when the mid day sun just put me down alot. I was struggling with the 45 deg heat and coming from sg didnt help that bit! But I managed to finish in 6.5hrs, coming in at 43th position and hopefully top 8 female. Will find out later from the results slip. One good news is I didn't get a blister, just some potential cramps which I've pretty much resolved with some good stretching. So I'm basically holding up ok so mum doesn't have to worry! :)
 
Alrighties, gotta sign off for now as a line has formed outside the cybertent. Thanks again for the emails and pls keep them coming!
 
Love you guys!
 
Trish xx

Just realised it's been some time since I last blogged and I'll keep this a short one cos in an hour's time, I'll be heading for the airport to catch my flight to Cairo. I've spent the past few nights packing my backpack (of cos there're alot of unpacking, removing of stuff, putting them back in, weigh and reweigh, trying to squeeze stuff into every single available corners) and I'm glad I managed to pack my sardines in the 25L can looking full yet neat. Hopefully the bag can hold for a good 1 week and by then, I'll give 4 thumbs up in its reviews. There's so much to say but little time to put them into words. Very much fighting every single minute now as I would out there in the desert. Pls stay tune and keep the heart warming emails coming during my race! Thanks to all who have shown me support along the way, especially my mum who's done so much for me I don't even know how to thank her at the end of everything. I guess finishing safe and sound is my best gift for her. Love you guys! See ya at Sahara! Trish xx

I just got back from a week's vacation in Bali that totally broke away from running. I did bring my gears and trainers along but since it's supposedly a family trip, I didn't want to upset anyone's schedule by turning it into a training camp, though it would have been a great training session on the soft sands. And with the beautiful waves surrounding me, I'm sure more attracted to water sports likes surfing than putting on that pair of shoes!

Having shared my July's training blog which some would consider hardcore, I'll like to show you what goes on behind the scene besides my hard work that makes it all possible. This post is dedicated to one of my greatest sponsors (out of just 2 to begin with)- Spa Infinity http://www.spainfinity.com.sg/. Prior to training for Sahara, I've never tried a single sports massage session but having read how much it can help in post-training recovery, I decided to approach Spa Infinity and was fortunate to receive a full sponsorship from them between now till the race. How wonderful!! My feedback- It's a total luxury!

Founded by Singapore's ex-national swimmer, Leslie Kwok, he absolutely understands the needs of an athlete when it comes to stress and muscle pain relief through body massage. It is no surprise Sports Massage is the signature dish on the menu. Most of the massage therapists have years of experience and most importantly, they conduct each session according to your needs and areas to be emphasized on- shoulders, legs, deep or mild strength. You name it, they do it-without cracking the bones. Mind you they really make you discover parts of your body you never know can be that Painful! But it's good pain and they make sure they leave no muscles untouched. And alittle icing on the cake: There's free sauna, jacuzzi facilities and a relaxing lounge with those big armchairs you can sink in after a good massage. There's no doubt about walking out of the spa feeling satisfied and happy cos I know that's part of the whole body maintenance to prep me up for the week's training ahead.

Hopefully this doesn't sound like the usual ritual of advertisement I'm supposed to perform for my sponsors out of great gratitude because it really isn't. Sponsorships are not easy to come by but once you found one that you truly believe in the products (in this case, I do!), you simply can't wait to share the great experience with others who will potentially benefit from it, especially for the other singaporeans runners. Even my mum and sis who'd tried its other types of massages gave a 2 thumbs up! And in future if you ever make a trip to singapore and shop till your calves muscles cramp up, you know you have a solution! :)

Thanks Sam, Sandy and Denvy for their comments in my previous blog which made me laughed cos their reactions from me climbing 125 storeys shocked me more than I shocked them. A little clarification here: I lived in an apartment that goes up to 25 floors, and bear in mind we don't have very high ceilings here so the entire building is not really that high. Hence I've no choice but to do only 25 floors each time up and down, therefore didn't manage to 'enjoy' the harsh gravitational resistance of a 125 storey building! But it's still tough and mundane nevertheless, and my strategy is to place a nice clean towel, a bottle of water and isotonic drink in the mail box that serves as my refuel point. (hope my neighbor didn't find me weird going back and forth it). Each lap is rewarded with a few gulps of water, a wipe off the sweat and some stretches before continuing the next lap. Only until the finale lap is completed then I get to savour my isotonic drink. I personally find training vertical helps strengthen my back and quads but it takes a little effort to fight the temptation to just head home when you're on your unit level!

Ok, putting stairs climbing aside, I've been pretty occupied with work, training, searching for gears and to make things difficult, singapore's weather hasn't been very kind these days. Plans for long run under the big hot sun during weekend had been ruined by the nasty rains (there's been a few occasions of flooding in the past month). Hence I try to focus more on different load weights and mileage will soon increase come august. Anyhow here's what happened in week 3 and 4.

Week 3:
Mon- 12km run

Tues- 6km run with 10kg pack

Wed- 10km run with 6kg pack (slopes)

Thurs- 23km run with 4.5kg pack

Fri- Rest

Sat- 25 storeys x6 (total 150) with 10kg pack

Sun- Rest

Week 4:
Mon- 6 rounds of slopes (about 1km each)
Tues- 5km run with 10kg pack
Wed- 8km run with 12kg pack
Thurs- 23km run with 3.5kg pack
Fri- Rest
Sat- Rest
Sun- 16km run/trek with 8.5kg pack

How I feel: Depressed to see my thighs growing chunkier!..Ok, you know I'm just kidding though the chunkier part is true. I'm still disciplined enough to do morning stretches and been going for sports massage once a week (Many THANKS to Spa Infinity for sponsoring me unlimited sessions which I'll dedicate a post for it later!) I guess that helps to ease most muscle tension and lactic acid buildup. Unfortunately there is an occasional surge of pain in my left shin and a constant nagging pain in my right foot bunion that I can't do much about them.

Sandy: Don't worry too much about your struggle and changed running style with the backpack. It sure feels different initially but you'll get used to it later. One pointer though, try to keep your back straight in case it's not and I heard packing heavier items on top, lighter below helps! Good luck and see you in Sahara! :)

Trish xx

Week 2 hasn't been the most hardworking week, with more rest days than I deserve but that doesn't mean it's the most non-motivating because I found something new to play with- climbing stairs! Sometimes you just need to find new training techniques to keep the energy (or more importantly, the interest) going, especially since the body can get comfortable with the routine and switch to plateau mode. Cross-training in gym is good for building core muscles in the back and abs but it's never one of my favourite spots being surrounded by chunky, intimidating machines (and hunks the size of king kong) that I sometimes have difficulty understanding which does what. So I'm only sticking with simple back strengthening exercises together with my stretches. Hopefully it'll work out fine!

What I did:
Mon- Rest

Tues- 11kg pack walking up and down 25 storeys x 5 (total 125 storeys)

Wed- 8km run with 4.5kg pack

Thurs- 22km run with 4.5kg pack

Fri- Rest

Sat- Rest

Sun- 8km run with 8kg pack

How I feel: This is my 2nd time carrying a pack over 10kg and just like the first time, I had bad shoulder-ache which resolves itself over the next 2 days. And surprisingly, slow run with a lighter weight the following day actually helps to ease the pain quicker :)

Since the beginning of July about a week ago, I've been getting down to some serious training which simply means more intense session than the past months. If you know me well, I'm not really an organised person and the sort who'll try to possess an organiser right at the start of the year, hoping to get myself better sorted as part of my new year resolution but never quite succeed. But this time for the race, I pushed myself to be more disciplined and pen down my training schedule over a blog which hopefully will keep me on track of my own progress and more importantly, to share training tips with others if they turn out to be good. Here it goes:

What I did:
Mon- Run 5km with 3kg pack
Tues- Rest
Wed-Run 5km with 3kg pack
Thurs- Run 22km with 3kg pack from office to home
Fri- Rest
Sat- Run/Trek 11km with 6kg pack (terrain), rest abit and run back 11km loop with same pack
Sun- Interval training in stadium- 1.2km slow jog, 6x 1km with about 3mins break in between, 1.2km cool down

How I feel:
Achy shoulders and lower back on monday cos I trek/run with a 10kg load the previous sunday. That was my first time putting the whole pack of unopened 10kg rice in my backpack and mind you, it's heavy! But recovered pretty quickly in the next couple of days. Maybe the stretchings help. Knees held up well for now.

I try to get 1-2 rest days per week, but occasionally due to work or other commitments, may end up 'resting' more. They're not fixed days so you can work around your own timing. I've been religiously doing simple stretchings every morning for 5mins (longer the better if you can afford the time) to ease off muscles tension from previous day's training. Getting more sleep is also a key to recovery which I've unfortunately been lacking and need to work harder on it.

That's all for now. Have fun training! :) 

I've not checked out other participants' blogs but pretty sure I'm not the only one feeling the pre-race jitters now that it's only 3 months to the Sahara race! Where did all the time fly to? Past few months had been spent training for an ultra marathon in May, which I sadly didn't manage to complete. But I didn't let it bother me too much because right from signing up, my objective was to ensure I keep in shape and maintain my fitness for this ultimate race in oct. After all I chose to pull out, which was a wise choice, or I would have to pay the damage by not recovering in time to start training again.

I'm really excited and looking forward to this race and there's not a single day I don't think about it. Every training reminds me of what I'm aiming for and how much I really want to do this to experience something so amazing I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Sounds like I'm aiming big here? Nope, not at all! Just like any rookie on this journey, I'm only hoping to complete this race in one good piece and able to tour around Egypt after that. And since I'm helping to raise funds for Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF), I hope I could earn a decent amount of money with my sweat (lots) and blood (blistered toenails maybe) and bring on new hopes and strength to the kids to fight the cancer disease.

A little intro to my fund raising effort: Money raised goes towards CCF's Wishlink Programme that helps fulfill wishes of kids having poor prognosis or little chances of survival. This is truly the most difficult time for both the kids and their families and if I can help bring joy and smiles back onto the innocent faces, and some consolation to the caregivers, every single kilometer and tinge of pain out there in the desert is worth it! No doubt about it. You can check out more info on how to donate on my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trish-for-the-little-ones/136852602995033?ref=ts

No amount is too little as long as it comes from the heart, and every sincerity is greatly appreciated! Your support and encouragement will make this journey a less lonesome one too. So THANK YOU!