A big shout going out to all those in Darius tent ( that was me being cool, didn't work did it)
Apologies in advance for any social or etiquette Faux pas in the tent but dehydrated food, energy gels and carb drinks tend to produce unfortunate reactions, I therefore make prior claim to a place at the entrance ( pleeease). Had our last training session on Saturday, 7 hours over the north downs, 1400m ascent/decent with 9kg including water, you did all remember water weighs as well. We also had 3 hours parked on the M25 motorway due to an accident afterwards which did not help our recovery, and watching the guy in front of us open his boot and proceed to consume a case of Magners cider...I kid you not. My new Raidlight rucsac has arrived ( I have worn out 3 ) we also wore our new, new balance mds 1100 shoes with no problems so that bodes well. My lovely wife did fantastic over the downs and she managed to try her new Raidlight lightweight trekking poles which were ever so slightly to long for her, so that at times she looked more like Douglas Bader climbing out of his Spitfire.
We had a tough time during September, My mother in law passed away, and we have 2 more grandchildren to add to our collection, but we just about kept on running.
I cannot wait get back to the Sahara and banish some demons from last year, but more so to see the wonderfull white desert and meet all those other crazies from around the world.
Good luck to everyone taking part in the race and all those fantastic volunteers who have to put up with us. I would like to pass on some wise words spoken by Mark Tamminga at the prize giving, he was second in the Sahara 2007

" During this race you will have had to make some of the toughest decisions of your life, decisions that people at home will never understand, but all of those decisions were the right ones "
To end on, if you see an exhausted old man taking shade under a rock wearing bib number 28 making sand castles, give us a wave, that will be me.

I guess by now all those first time Desert ultra - marathoners, and us mere mortal ultra - marathoners are getting rather obsessed about our training and preperation for the big one.
You know the sort of thing, do I look cooler in these sunglasses or those sunglasses, where should I pin onto my rucsac the teddy bear your kids, grandkids, or god forbid your Mother bought you for good luck, and is it edible.
I thought perhaps I would pass on some very specific facts and figures as passed on to me by some very, very experienced ultra-runners I was lucky to have met in the Sahara 2007,  and during the La Trans Aq ultra race in France, it was those crazy French guys who invented this sort of Raid running after all, but especialy Gerard Caupene, the organiser of the above event and a very experienced ultra man himself. If you have never taken part in this sort of event before consider the following.
Rucsac + sand + relief (dunes etc) + heat = minus 20% to 30% of your moving speed, if you run a marathon in 4 hours at home, it will take you 6 hours + to run a stage of 42 km.
Right pay attention here comes the technical bit. e.g If you run a marathon in 4h.10min your average speed is 10km/h, with a rucsac weighing 5kg ( I wished ) you lose about 2km/h at the same level of effort, with temperatures of 30 degrees c ( ha! we wished) you will lose at least another km/h, with various sand conditions you will lose another 1 to 2 km/h. So to run a stage of 42km you will need to run at 7km/h in the morning, and then when the temperature goes up at 6km/h all at the same effort as a 4h.10min marathon. This is an average, if the rucsac is heavier, if the temperature is higher you will  be at 5km/h if you don't want to put yourself into the "red zone"
It is wise to consider that if you are a 4.h 10min marathoner you will therefore walk often, deep sand, inclines, dunes etc. If you are a 3hour marathoner that controls your effort, you will probably average 9 to 10km/h and not walk at all. It is prudent therefore to train at the speed you hope to run/walk the race for long time periods, eg. 5 to 10 hours, with your full weight rucsac. Remember if you do not normally get blisters running on your home ground, and you walk some of the Sahara you will most certainly feel it in your heels.
Well good luck.
Next weeks blog " How to make a meal for 1 from noodles, cup a soup, and sand "

Great to see such a large field for this years Sahara race, although it could mean twenty to a tent and I cup of hot water each. I would like to say that I am following a very complex training plan involving all sorts of special techniques.......but i'm not ! I have moved away from the tough terrain of the north downs to Richmond park, which is a few kilometers from the centre of London. It is a 1000 hectare deer park and is 12 kilometers around the edge of it. I well remember last year when I first started training there again ( I did have around 9 marathons under my belt in the past) I thought I cut a dashing figure, a somewhat older chap but obviously fit ! that was until really fit youg mums were speeding past me....pushing there newlyborn in push chairs. I was nearly tempted to chuck my brand new rucsac into the bushes and find a bar. But I stuck at it, now I do 3 circuits and I leave (most) of those young mums behind. The distance is very usefull as at 12 k it is around the distance of checkpoints in Sahara race, I have tried to persuade family members to man the car park to simulate a check point, you know, clap as I approach, rush out to "spritz" me down, ask me if I have pee'd, tell me I look in great shape, but for some reason they have all declined. I have now reached the point where I cannot even run without my rucsac, my rucsac is my friend, and very useful for carrying toilet paper ( less said about that incident the better). My wife has reached that important landmark in training where  she is to out of breath to moan, and is perfectly capable of stopping for a pee without a bodyguard, and has perfected what we like to call the " Paula Radcliffe squat". My son-in-law Arthur Walsh continues to buy kit, and has invested in a Alumium foil sleeping bag, so I expect to see him thrown out of the tent the first night.
Well keep running, and running, and running...............Oh by the way I can recommend a book called "Running & Philosophy" a marathon for the mind.

Have recently returned from France where I took part in La Trans Aq. A ultra marathon along the Aquataine coast of western France. Around 150 miles - 250 kilometers over 6 days, mostly through beautiful pine forest and along empty wild beaches. The race comprises about 80% sand - yes even the forest had deep soft sand with 10 - 12 kilometers at the end of some stages along the beach. The long stage is 60 kilometers, there is a 37 kilometer stage at night ( after a crossing of a bay by zodiac boat) over the biggest sand dune in europe apparently, but as you only get a couple of hours sleep, then straight into another 37 kilometer stage it was really a 74 kilometer stage with sleep deprevation! It was a fantastic race, well organised by Gerard and his great crew, I will certainly be back next year, and who says you can't run on red wine, very French, very civilised. I was lucky enough to be tented with the guys from the Royal Fusiliers, and three lovely French ladies who were great company and very fast!.
Laid to rest a few demons from past failures and gained great confidence, fitness, and lessons for this type of event, and now will run with a nice 2003 bordeaux mixed with my Hi 5.
My wife and son in law are now training seriously with me over the North downs, we put in between 30 - 40 kilometers over realy tough terrain, unrelenting climbs plus ankle twisting paths...Great fun. Can highly recomend the new Balance MDS 1100 shoe + the raidlight clip on gaiter, no sand at all in my shoes, my raidlight rucsac and front pack were superb. If any one is interested I found the Hi 5 4:1 drink superb, and the Nuun electrolyte worked great, but the Paracetamol did not ! Good luck with your training..see you in the Sahara.

It's official, my lovely wife Vanessa has decided she is ready for the Sahara 2008 race.
I am not sure on what logic she basis that claim, maybe because she has a full range of fashionable running kit, or because she now has the breath to  swear at me after 15 kilometers, even though I am giving her all sorts of encouragment like " why are we running backwards"
" come on you can take him " or " call that a sprint finish" oh well nice to know she is taking the whole thing seriously when her major concern is " will I be able to lift the kettle off the fire " or another classic whilst looking at the 2007 photos " I wonder where she got that top". Of course my son-in-law who is also taking part in the Sahara 2008, is having serious misgivings about his mother-in-law taking part in the same race, he says he is going to ask for his own tent someway from the main camp, failing that he is quite prepared to bed down with the Camels.
In answer to Cleo who read my blog, I would be glad to offer any tips/advice. You can e-mail me if you like  [email protected].   Keep on running, team. Limping dog signing off

Welcome to my first blog as i did not bother for Sahara 2007. Well the couple of toenails I lost last year have not grown back yet, but that means I won't lose so many this year. After the major problems I had with food last year ( basicly stopped eating after stage 1 ) I am already experimenting with various options for the Trans Aquatain race in june, I have ditched the 35 tuna sandwich idea as they don't seem to fare well in the rucsac after 4 days.
 
The trans Aquatain race in france is based on the 250 km 6-7 day format so it should be good preperation for the Sahara 2008. The Sahara 2007 was with out doubt the toughest, most painfull, awesome event I have ever done, and may I say the most fantastic, I cannot wait to return and compete in , and complete this event. My master plan for 2008 is to stay in front of the Camels, the fact that they got a medal and I did not still hurts, even though they deserved one, as did all of the volunteers, but I mean, how can I tell my grand kids the camel beat me (perhaps I should eat the Camel !) I hope to run with my son-in-law this year, and I have already proposed we enter as a pantomime camel with the full costume, but we have hit an impasse about who brings up the rear, oh well keep training ( harder than you think you should, trust me)