This is blog is for Competitor Mike Sewell, only just received your request mate, have left some details after your last comments, please feel free to contact me. Cobblers is in Paddock wood kent name of Snobs Cobblers (honest) number is 01892 838900, might be a bit late now but they might do a rush job. The glue I used is Evo Stick serious glue from Homebase, has very high temp rating should be pretty good without stiches. Sorry I missed your request. Good luck Chris Collins

Well, one week to go before I arrive in Cairo, de ja vue really, as this will be my fourth go at the Sahara, I say go, because it has beaten me three times, "beaten" is the wrong verb really, tested would be more accurate. My first attempt could be turned into a comic script......if it wasn't so painful. Memories of climbing, and crossing huge sand dunes in my "crocs" as the sun set, still make me emotional, and don't even mention " one more glow stick " this could bring me to my knees, very much as the Sahara did back then. BUT I would not change one moment of it, because of that Race I have become an obsessed Multi day ultra runner, as well as the Sahara races, I have been privileged to run four French ultras, two with my Sons, and one with my wife and son in law, I have met the most fantastic people, been through the most fantastic pain, run marathons through the forest at night, climbed the biggest sand dune in Europe, and spent hours on my own running. THANK YOU RACING THE PLANET its all your fault. For those of you have read one of the best books on running " Born to run" will know the character in the book "Caballo blanco" well he is a real character, who, i had the privilege of meeting at a talk he gave in London a couple of days ago. It was a great night, but what stood out for me was during Q & A at the end, someone asked if any one could run a hundred miles, " Yes" he said " if you want to" and he just meant that, if you WANT to, but that "want" was filled with implication, he said that distances were just barriers to go through, and they make you stronger, stronger physically, and, more importantly, stronger mentally. Well I look back on my first Sahara race and laugh, who was that person ? its been a long hard road, literally. Had my last serious run a couple of days ago, 20km with full pack weight including water ( don't forget to add water into your weight equations ) 10.5kg. Checked my spreadsheet again confirmed I had only what I needed, nothing to chuck out, sorted, that's it, I'm happy with that, and very happy to be going back to the Desert, I feel this is going to be the ONE, no more crossing the finish line, without a medal. I have crossed a barrier, both physical and mental, so if you see number 25 out on the course, and he looks a bit bewildered and battered, just say " Do you want to finish, do you Really WANT to finish" and that will do it. Look forward to seeing new, and old friends, in the desert, Bon Route, as the French say. Thought I would leave you with this quote. "Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense. The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of their being -- a call that asks who they are ..."

Have just returned from France and the Trans Aqu multi day ultra, the good news is the whole team crossed the finish line, the bad news is it could be the last one. Gerard who runs it is taking a year off for 2012, who knows for 2013?. This year found the course 80% sand! and soft sand at that, quite hot as well. Am now focused on the Sahara race, have started entering my exact equipment and food weights into my spreadsheet ( you don't have a spreadsheet ?) and final decisions have been arrived at for food, drink, and jelly babies. Whilst training for the Trans Aq with others, we kept the "magic " distance long run to around 30km, will now raise that to 40km as I am training on my own, and will run with full pack weight asap. Will also start in the gym on upper body strenghth and mega squats, my Son the fitness guru, see " lost in fitness" blog worked out the long day in the Trans aq @ 60km was the equal to 30.000 squats!
Will buy new running shoes at least 1 size larger than normal and get velcro stiched for over shoe gaiter, fact. glue does NOT work in the desert. Met Anthony in the trans aq, he is doing the Sahara race as well, small world eh !
Well as they say in ultra's in France  " bon route & courage"

Well we have had two extended public holidays over here in the UK, with lovely hot....well warm weather and I managed to get in 140km of training during these holidays, over tough ground. Only 4 weeks to La trans aq, a  race in south west France, 240 km of sandy tracks and beaches, a great race in its own right, and superb training for the Sahara.
For those who have never taken part in a desert ultra or similar event, here are some facts and figures proven and verified by experienced runners and event organisers.
Backpack +  sand + relief  (up & down) + heat = -20% to -30% of moving speed, that's minus. If you usually run a marathon in 4 hours, then it will take you 6 hours or even more to run a stage of 42 km. This theory has been verified even for the best runners, because these events are won at a speed of 10 to 11km/h, by runners capable of running these distances at 14 to 15km/h without a backpack, no sand, etc…
E.g. if you run a marathon in 4h10m, your speed is an average 10km/h. With a backpack weighing 5kg!(we wished), you lose about 2km/h at the same level of effort.
With temperatures at 27°C to 30°C (we wished) you’ll lose at least another km/h in comparison to 20°C still at the same level of effort. And the average state of the ground  will make you lose another 1 to 2km/h. So, the first day, if it’s hot ( IF it’s hot ?) in order to not overdo it, you’ll have to run at 7km/h in the morning (when it’s cooler !) then 6km/h if the heat remains until the end of the stage, always at the same level of effort for a 4h10m marathon… This is only an average. To sum up, if the backpack is heavier (it will be ) if the weather is hotter (it will be) and in sand ( it will be) you’ll be at a maximum 5km/h, if you don’t want to put yourselves into the “red zone”. It’s essential to bear this in mind.
A 4h10m marathon runner will, therefore, walk often. At each section of soft sand, at each uphill passage. A 3h marathon runner, if he/she  knows how to manage their effort, will probably never have to walk because their average speed will be between 9 to 10km/h.
Slow running! There are many fast road runners who come to these desert events and "explode" because they didn’t take the time to learn how to run slowly. When you’re used to training at 11 to 13km/h, it’s very difficult muscularly to run at 8 or 9km/h. But it will very often be necessary so as not to “explode” and have to finish a stage by walking. It is, therefore, necessary during training sessions to run for at least 4 hours using these specific speeds. Thigh muscles will become accustomed to work under compression and you’ll avoid pain and injury when you’ll be forced to run at these speeds over many hours (the long stage). The same goes for the slower runners; they’ll have to walk often (as shown above) and so it’s useful to train yourself to walk because the tendons and muscles don’t work in the same way. Blisters Many runners suffer from blisters when usually they never have them… If it’s not owing to shoe size or even new shoes, it’s often because you’ll provoke unusual rubbing/friction. By walking, you may suffer from blisters on the heels if you usually don’t walk, whereas when running you never get blisters, except on the toes. To sum up, teach yourself to run slowly, or do speed training, running at your marathon speed is unnecessary for preparing the these events.
This is only advice, it’s not cast in stone.
So NEVER NEVER NEVER run without your backpack, and start putting some weight into it sooner rather than later.

Regards Chris“ HOW! far to the next checkpoint” Collins

Greetings to all Sahara 2011 competitors. Well I have signed up for yet another Sahara race, this will be my fourth. This will be my seventh ultra multi day race at this distance ( 250km ) think I have finally got my gear and food sorted. Will be competing in La Trans Aq race in south west France again in June, another 250km multi day race, a great race and good preparation for the Sahara ( though not sure if anything prepares you for the Sahara ). Someone described these races as " they move the camp 40km from you everyday" or 90km in the case the long day, it's not called the long day for nothing ( well 2 days really ) but I love the Desert, love the people you meet (again) love the the support crew at the checkpoints, even though their enthusiasm does not quite match mine sometimes, so be kind to them, remember they have been working out there in 50 degree heat as well, ( although they do get to drink mint tea ! ). Well, keep training and see you there. Chris Collins