Day Five Of The MDS

What an awful day! A marathon stage, over 2 jebels and flat across a vast open plain. The heat was immense, it hit 51.4c!!

I set off at a quick pace, feeling really good in a light breeze. Then after 18km the wind died and the heat went mental. It was so hard to keep going. I ran my best day so far but at what cost? I'm afraid to find out.

For the first time I ran out of water 3km before each checkpoint and had to walk to keep my temperature and pain down. It was a very emotional run today. Seeing the bivouac come into view round a hill I turned into a blubbering wreck for the final 2km. Last night in the desert tonight, and we have an orchestra flown in! Looking forward to feeling some good British rain on my return.

Thanks for watching on the webcam, sorry I was such a wreck today.

144miles done, 11 little ones tomorrow.

Thanks for all messages, they helped a lot today.

Day Four Of The MDS

Well I survived the long day! It was 35C at 9am yesterday and like that from 12-4pm. It hit 45C yesterday in the shade, but we got 55C in sunlight. I have been slowing this week to get stage four done. I marched most of the course, and then ran the last 10k. Pretty quick too! It was 2am and, with only a head torch to go by, was quite dodgy but they had a massive laser in the sky to follow.

So glad of a rest day today. I've lost a lot of weight and need to eat, but my stomach has not been good. I plan to fuel up today and go for it tomorrow. I want to enjoy it too, so I'm not going to kill myself. I've seen so many people in a really bad way!!!

No words can describe what this is like, it's not just the run/walking. I have sand EVERWHERE! My nose is bleeding all the time with the dry and the dust! Four blisters now and feel like I've been hit by a train! I hurt everywhere!

There is a big delay in getting messages and I can't reply yet, but I am keeping them all.  Thanks everyone who has sent me a message, they really help.

Day Three Of The MDS

Wow, I feel like I've been hit by a truck! I'm slowing down a little, but the weather is just brutal!

It hadn't been too hot until today but very windy and sandblasted. The heat has come back with a vengeance now though.

Big day tomorrow, the 82km stage. I  feel sick all the time and can't stomach the food. I plan to do whole stage in one helping. It'll be something like 20hrs!

I'm getting all of your e-mails, so thanks, they really help when I hit a low point. This is the toughest ever MDS, 17 people are out already. There will be more tomorrow.

You can watch me on the live webcam at http://www.darbaroud.com/webcam/26mds_webcam_index.php from around 5:30am UK time.

Keep the money rolling in, I'm doing this all for charity!

No words can descibe this!

2 days to go!

OK, only 2 days to go till i leave for London Village.

This Blog will get updated with my daily blogs from the desert, so keep checking!

Also info on how you can mail me in the desert too!

Training has now finished, few more sessions in the Sauna and that's it! I'm ready.
Pack is looking good, i'll post my kit list on here tomorrow hopefully but it's gonna be minimal! hoping to be around 8kg. :)

Spk soon!

Carl.

2 weeks!!

Last week of training before i start to taper....
I rested on Monday and Tuesday last week, in preperation for 5 day in the Lakes.
and that went a little like this....

Wednesday, train to Windermere with my Raidlight lightweight 24litre backpack full to bursting with food for 2 days, and minimal clothing and equipment. when i then ran to ambleside to discover the Hostel closed until 16:30, so i headed up Fairfeild for a run.
Thursday i headed out to reccie the final 3 stages of the Lakeland 100 (A race i am doing in July of this year) a long run of 14.5 miles out, and the plan was to get the bus back, but halfway i decided to run back too.. but due to a breif snowstorm, i decided to head back with a mile still to go cutting out a steep decent (and a climb if i were to come back)
Friday was my big day. Setting of at 08:00 to catch a bus to Coniston which is the start of the L100, and I set off to Keswick were i was staying for the weekend with the Sale Harriers running club. passing over the Walna Scar Road and pass, into Seathwaite and then onto Boot, Wasdale head over the Black Sail Pass, and on... 36 miles on i arrived..

Saturday was 16 miles with a morning hill session, and afternoon run round Derwent Water.
so for 7 days Sunday to Saturday i clocked aroind 115 miles, and now the recovery stage begins. I will still be running, but only around 30 - 40 miles this week, but i will try and do a lot of swimming leaving time for my jionts and bones to strengthen, and muscle tissue to repair. I also need to put on some weight before heading out so i have some reserves to keep me going.

Carl.

3 weeks left!

hi all,
this is getting real close I can smell it! very excited!!

so how is my training.goingnk well I've cocked 70 miles this week, 10% road, 50% flat trail and 40% very hilly rocky mountain trail. perfect!
I've notdone much on the way of cross-training, but yoga. I think with things getting so close I'll be fine. when I start my taper.next week i'll replace running.with swimming more, to keep the fitness their.

I am very happy with the way i nave trained in terms of the terrain I've been running on, but I still fear the heat and hope it doesn't just cripple me...

I have most of.my kit now, just need the running shoes, and still haven't decided what to wear.. I'm thinking Inov8 ultra trial shoes. but I Need to get a pair to try them...
another thing coming to the desert is a loaf or two of Soreen! great lightish and carb packed, and also my new sponsor. but seriously, I have been eating them for years but a lot More recently, my recent 'bonking' episodes when out on my long runs are due to me not taking on board enough carbs..
so PSP22 and Soreen malt loaf will be powering me up those dunes! lol.

I'm on 2days of rest, then heading for the lakedistrict Wednesday morning till sunday, and meet up with Sale Harriers on Fri eve. nope to get over 100 miles covered and be pretty Much self sufficient. will see how many wainwights I can bag! ;)

happy running all!
Carl

4 weeks to go!

wow, getting close now.
got all my food this week, expedition foods 800 kcal range, and started building my daily needs bags together.
also got other stuff like leatherman penknife, medical kit, etc... also order and got today my new ultralight Titanium cooking pan and stove. both weight around 100grams! very pleased!
mileage was 65 miles, with a long 28 miler on Sunday down the pennine.way from Marsden to Edale. found it unusually hard going, but back again this weekend, so hope to make amends. probably didn't help getting drunk on Fridaynight which stopped my planned 10mile run sat, which my mileage down to the 65.....
also few runs to work, and the usual circuits, and a bit of gym work helped finish off an ok week.
it's.getting real close now!
can't wait to get out there!
plans this coming week are 75 miles, with mote off-road hard trail on Sunday...

one last thing, I'm very happy to announce that Soreen have become a part of my challenge and can't wait to try the new favours they have.

sleep time now, More posts spongy, i'm in the lakedistrict from wednesday am next week, so targeting at least 100 mole in the 4 1/2 day i'm there...
Carl :)

5 weeks to go

Ok, This week has been much better!

Mon 11 mile to work and back
Tuesday Cycled to work, Ran with SHM, 1 Mile efforts with 2.4 mile recovery. (7.5 miles total, and upto 5:40m/mile pace) no pack
Weds 11 miles to work and back. Yoga and Curcuit training. Felt very tired. Yoga good session!
Thurs, cycled to work, rest.
Friday 11 miles to work and back.
Saturday, 14.5 mile run in the Lakes, Reccie of leg 2 of the Lakeland 100. (7.2 miles out and back, Seathwaite to Boot)
Sunday, 12 mile run up Fairfeild (873 mts) from Ambleside. Fab, but tough. Deep snow on the summit!

Great week, totalling 67 Miles! my highest this year so far. The weekend was brilliant, Early start to Seathwaite and discovered it had snowed Friday night! Very muddy, wet and cold run. With a few nasty climbs in too! Not looking forward to that leg so early into a 100 mile run!
Sunday was even better, went shopping in Ambleside for an X-Bionic Fennec shirt for the MdS, then got changed and headed up the Mountain! was again pretty boggy and wet low down, but soon hit the snowline, and from then on it got deeper and deeper! although the wind was quite low until we reached the summit in a complete 'White-out' with a fair bit of freezing wind... Decide we needed to get down and Fast as although running uphill keeps you warm, as soon as you stop, or start the descent we got dangerously cold fast!
Brill downhill run, My Inv-8 X-Talon 212 fell shoes were brilliant and grippy on the soft grass and packed snow. But slippy on the wet rocks.
Although running the cold and wet doesn't seem great desert training, the terrain is pretty similar. Hard rocky ground (aside from the bogs and snow!) is certainly better than plodding along smooth tarmac. And even the mental side of running through all that the British weather can throw at you is good. I know that this year's MdS will feature over 13 seperate climbs of 12% gradient or more, so hill running is essential, and confident downhill running will gain me masses of time out there!!

This weekend i plan have another go at the Marsden to Edale route i did a few weeks ago... Aim is to run most of it this time, as well as runs to work so should manage around 70 - 80 miles this week...
Curcuits with Gregg on Weds at Sale Leisure centre and Yoga will be the only crosstraining this week, as well as some Cycling... Might fit a swim and Gym session in on Thursday eve...

Hopefully some Big Sponsorship news to annouce soon!! Watch this space!!

Carl. :)

update

great run today, set off from Errwood res' upto the cat and fiddle, around and up across Axe Edge moor. very wet, windy and cold.
managed only 47 miles this week, and the usual gym, yoga and circuits.. going to try up the mile a bit now, been at this level for few weeks now, will try about 60 this coming week, fee run to work should easily up it. planning a reccie of cp2 to cp3 of the lakeland 100 this weekend coming and a run up Fairfax nr Ambleside? should get a good 30 miles in then...
still a little worried about the nerves in my hamstrings...
had a Fab sport massage on sat, so feels good on yr back, I could have laid there all day! bliss, hurt mind too but good hurt.
anyway, bed read and sleep time. will post more as and when I do some runs.

7 weeks to go

Hi,
Sorry about the lack of updates, getting time really is a struggle...
Training still going on, lots of it. Past few weeks have been averaging around 40 - 50 miles a week running with weight, Yoga sessions on eds have been really good. and really helping my core strenght building as well as flexibility. and Curcuit training once a week on weds also i am enjoying more now it's just once a week.
My energy levels are the only concern as i'm training upto 20 hrs a week now, and hard cycling to work each day, with once or twice a week of running in.

No breakdown of my weekly activities, but i seems to have gotten into a rythem, Swimming and gym on mondays, running with Sale harriers Tuesdays, Yoga and Circuits Weds. Swim Thursday. Gym Friday. Walk and rest day Sat with a sport massage. long run Sunday. Each day also has cycling or running to work.

Finding time to cook and eat is the worst thing...

My kit is starting to come together, and the race is paid for now. need to order the food and some clothing. Going to see a new running store soon to see about sponsorship, see if they can help with anything i need, and /I can help them. Got word that Soreen are going to sponser me too! so I'll be powering across the desert with some squidgy energy!

7 weeks left, and my niggling pain is still here.. I think it may have been the compression socks i have been wearing, as i thought recently they seemed very tight around the cuff just under my knee, so stopped wearing them and will see how things go over the next few weeks.. It makes sense now i think about it, but never thought the socks could have been the cause.... Well 5 days into not wearing them, and no change, still OK, but somtimes the pain comes on... So inconclusive, but i need to leave it a few weeks first.

Anyway, sleep time now, weekends are when i get to catch-up on sleep and household chores, so busy day tomorrow, and probably out most of sunday out in the Peaks running. Planned 13 mile run, but i may increase mine to 22+miles when i get back home.. Did 21 on sunday 3rd up and down the banks of the Mersey. very good. And ran the next day, and felt good.

I'm gonna nail this MdS, although at no less than 250km, the 2011 edition is expected to be the toughest yet! with an 82.2km stage!

Carl.

10 weeks to go - training update

things have gone really well this past week.

Tuesday, did 15 miles to work, back and a speed session with Sale Harriers
Thursday, another 15 miles to work and back but going via chorlton and a night run down the Mersey Banks..
Sunday, 50k Race! finished in 4:50:12 with a 6 - 8 kg pack on. Good time on my feet, and miles in my legs...

Good yoga, too, recovered well after this, Monday was not the Torture is usually is after a fast Marathon.

1 swim session during the week, and some good rest days.

Sorry, but i obviously did 61 miles for the week, and will take it much easyier this week, but start to work toward multiple days running to work now..

Quick update, More detialed one next week, struggling for time to do anything!

Carl.

11 weeks to go!

Woo-hoo!!

At last a decent week of training. feeling good, mile was not high, but certainly getting there. Injury seems to be diminishing rapidly, more so now i have bought some little gel heal inserts. supposed to be for both for shock absorbancy, but i have just put one in my left heal under the insole to add 2-3mm on my length imbalance. Seems to be OK so far, but see how the next few weeks go.

Mon-   rest day, after the 17 mile walk.
Tues-   12 mile run to work (Canal path), via the physio on the way back.
Weds-  really good Circuit training session, and Yoga beforehand. 1 m run
Thurs-  10.5 mile run to work (Canal path)
Fri-        rest, glutes really hurt after circuits and Yoga.
Sat-       16 mile hilly run around Dewsbury and Brighouse. with 8-9kg pack on.
Sun -     5 mile run, no pack.

Mileage for the week - 44.5m
Feeling much better towards the end of the week. really trying not to overdue it. could have gone for another 16 miles this morning, but thought i'd get home and do just a short 5m round sale Water park, on the flat with no pack on.
Will slowly start to increase my training, but i will not exceed 50 miles this week. should be starting in the gym on the weights too. planning to put a heavy pack on and go on the stair-master thing.

Really enjoyed saturday's run. there were some long and steep uphill sections and i managed them much better than expected, total was about 1700ft of ascent in 3 climbs through out the run. was chucking down with rain, and pretty windy but warm. was out for 2hrs 15mins. but spend 30 mins visiting a friend en-route..

Very good week, seem to be back on it. did little heavy laden walking, but next week i will plan to do another long walk with weight.
:)

12 weeks to go! Training update

Ok, i need to get this going again, things have been poor for the past 4 or 5 weeks, but no more!

Discovered (Should have been obvious!) that Walking is going to form a major parts of the MdS, so i've started that.
This week see's me getting back into running slowly, it still hurts my knee, but not so much in my Fell shoes and offroad terrain... and providing I warm up fully, it's not too bad on hard ground too.

so this week has seen;

Mon   -   28 miles, a mixture of walking 60% and running 40% from Marsden to Edale along the pennine way. found it very good to be on my feet for 7hrs+ and i felt it afterwards too! ~5-6kg pack
Tues   -   nothing
Weds  -   cycled to work, very stiff calf's (Got 2 bloody punctures too!)
Thurs  -   9 mile head torch run, and run home from Physio 2 miles.
Fri      -   swim 40 mins BS
Sat     -   run 5 miles at night down the Mersey Bank, with a few hill sprints
Sun    -   17.5 mile walk down the canal and TPT. 10kg full pack, in 4hr. 4.4 avg mph

totals; run 25 mile, walk 38 mile, cycle 10

Finding the walking (Fast march, target over 4mph) very good. Watch the Ben Fogle program on his MdS, and realised how much time on my feet i need to get used to. so I need to get at least 1 long walk in ech week, with progressively heavier packs. Starting to get my kit together now, so i can put the stuff i'll be useing to the test. Really want to cook while out on my long walks, got my solid fuel stove, and some freeze dried food. next time i'm out for the day, boiling some water and trying out the food will be on the cards.

Yoga is forming a bigger part of my training too, especially stretching my hips and shoulders. and working on my posture. although i find the Raidlight Evo 2 pack i have great for balancing the load with the front pouch, and taking a lot of stress off my back, and improving my centre of gravity.

Overall, not a bad week if i were starting on a 18 weeks training schedule, but i'm not, only 12 full weeks to go, so less focus on outright speed and more on getting used to being on my feet, and strengthening my legs and shoulders. I'm probably at 3:15 marathon pace right now without the knee trouble, and i certainly don't need to go any faster in the desert!

Carl.                                       
              

Training Update

right, the whole week of christmas was nothing... lazy and eating.

since i have clocked about 20 miles on the bike, and on Monday (2nd) i got the train out to Marsden and 'Yomped' (fast march/run) the 28 miles of the Pennine way to Edale, which consisted of a fair amount of climbing too! all in took 7hrs, when walking I tried to keep at 4 mph+ and running was between 6 - 8 mph. steeady. I did have around 8kg on my back, and wore my Fell running shoes. phyiscally felt good, bar the back of my right knee getting really tight for the last 3 - 4 miles.

Since xmas i have also done 3 x 40 mins steady swim sessions and 1 x 2000 mt fast Row (8mins 20secs)

Cycled to work today, (although i suffered 2 punctures!! f?*king shitey roads!) although in the dark & wet, I Can't get really get too much speed up

Yoga is going well too, doing at least 15min each night, and upto 90mins when i feel like a really good stretching session.

Not much elseto report, 2011 means I really need to get some training in, even if i'm not running 100% I need to get out on more fast walks carrying weight. work on the swimming, and use the bike or rower for my Cardio blast's. I may probably start going to the track sessions on a Thursday at SHM, or the hill training session on a Monday night at Worsley. I'm sure the training plan my PT will come with will encompass all of this, and more!
Of course on a weekend I can easily do the Wizard repeats on the bike (a 1 mile hill in Alderly Edge, which climbs around 200 metres. enought to near kill you on a 2nd attempt!

Streching now, feeling stiff after Monday..

Night run tomorrow with Sale Harriers out in the Peak District, really looking forward to that! test out my new Petzl, Myo-RXP head torch!
:)

New Year Resolutions

i have thought about this a bit, and i would like to shortlist the following:-

1. 'Walk' (in a handstand) the 30 metres and 4 stairs from my kitchen to the lounge.
2. Run a sub 3hr marathon
3. finish 4 marathons in the year
4. finish a 100k race.
5. break a world record (don't know what yet...)
6. Compete in a triathlon
7. learn to swim front crawl
8. cycle 1,000 miles in a single week
9. run over 2,500 miles in the year
10. Cycle over 5,000 miles in the year

I think numbers 2,3,6,7,9 & 10 are fairly do'able..
Numbers 1,4 & 8 are more demanding
Number 5 will be tough, but I'll have to see what sport i can excel in or find a record that has not been broken yet..

update

Hi,
I'm still not running much. the orthotics have quite literally 'hit a nerve' and even i've not worn them in over a week, my big toes and balls of both feet are numb... Which i think is affecting my walking and running gait to the point it's causing mechanical issues so i'm getting pain in my knee..
Really Pissed off now, and it been 10 days since my last run.
I have however started swimming regularly now, and the Yoga is going well. I'm certialy feeling the benefit of the stretching and strength work.

Now the weather is dry, the bike has been dusted down, and i'll be using it a lot while the running is off.. And I'll be heading out for the 'Wizard' for a few mile long hill reps on this tough climb in Alderly Edge.

the festive period is over now, and i know i have drunk far too much this last week!! but that's it now. I'd like to say not a drop until MdS, but that would silly and exclude me from many great social events coming up, so i will only have a small amount on these occasions..

Ok, I'm off out again now. Swim this morning, and bike ride this aft. With plans for a long walk (25 - 30 miles) tomorrow over the Dark peak, so early start for that!