Introduction
After much anticipation and preparation the time
has finally arrived. As I am writing this pre-race report there are 14 days
left until the start of the Marathon des Sables (MdS). There is some excitement
but also some apprehension.
On the one hand is the exciting prospect of meeting
‘old’ Facebook friends for the first time. These are the individuals whose
constant posts of progress, hardship, frustration and encouragement have collectively
kept the MdS as a beacon of focus. The unselfish share of knowledge and
experience, I believe, has benefited each and every one. I have learned a great
deal from these posts, and hope that my contribution has acted, in some small
way as a motivator for others.
But there is, as is normal, some apprehension, a
level of anxiousness. As I reflect on recent Facebook posts and some private
conversations with many fellow runners it is clear that the name ‘Marathon des
Sables’ imbeds a certain level of respect in most. As a race the MdS demands
reverence and it is with good reason that there is anxiousness in the air. But
it is not a debilitating fear that is encountered but rather a healthy respect
combined with the excitement and a desire to get to the starting line.
I am confident that in the subconscious of every
MdS participant is a small but very real flicker of doubt. There is the
questions about whether we trained enough, do we have the right food, is it
enough, is our packs light enough, will we cope with the environment, will we
get along with our tent mates etc. Then there is our history that we bring with
us, the baggage of past failures that will be along for the ride and will
whisper words of failure in our minds whenever the race seems to be beyond our
ability.
And all of this is normal!
It is all of these factors that, together with the
distance, the terrain and the environment contribute to make this an extreme
event. It is not merely overcoming the physical, but rather conquering the MdS
at both a physical and mental level. It is about growing as a person as much as
it is about running the course.
As I look back over the past 18-months I review my
training and what I have learned. I also sat quietly to think about what the
Kalahari Augrabies has taught me and what I have learned from my most recent
Addo run with Tanya, so here is my last bit of race ‘wisdom’ before running-off
into the desert.
Training
As I have stated often, no one’s training is
perfect. And so I start by affirming that mine went fine up to 6-weeks before
the MdS. My plan was to run the Addo Elephant 44km with my wonderful wife, and
to do this with a 10,6kg back pack, then take a week’s rest after which I will
have three training weeks left. The first would be a continuation of the 110km
week that I did of which the Addo contributed 44km’s. I would peak at 120km’s
four weeks before the MdS, then taper down to 80km’s three weeks before, and
down to 40km’s two weeks before and take a rest during the week before the
start.
Then life happened and I woke up, on the last day
of my post-Addo rest week with middle ear infection. No balance, nausea and a
host of very unpleasant symptoms. The prescribed medication upped my blood
pressure and increased my resting heart rate substantially. Then fear gripped,
I still needed to have my ECG done and get medically signed-off for the MdS,
but with the side effects of the medication, there were some real concerns. So
I opted to take it easy, rest another week, drink massive amounts of water to
flush the chemicals from my system and see how quickly I can return to
training. The week went well and with two weeks of rest I was ready to return
to running. I had my medical, the resting ECG, stress ECG and some other tests
done and a happy doctor signed a happier me off on Monday the 18th
of March 2013, around three weeks before the start of the MdS.
I decided that to play catch-up at this stage would
be foolish with the possibility of injury being to great so here I am a week
later and only 50km’s run for the week, but it is enough. Next week I will run
another 50km’s and on Saturday the 30th of March 2013 I will set-out
to run my final 10km training run for the MdS.
So no-one’s training is perfect, but I know that my
success is not determined by one or two or even three bad weeks of training but
rather by the consistency of the months of dedication that I brought to the
table.
My confidence stems from the 6 to 7 ½ hours of running
and walking spent during the past four months with Tanya, my wife, at the
Groenkloof Nature reserve on Saturday mornings. The 30km’s we covered there
with a race pack weighing in at 10,6kg’s in some very difficult terrain and in
temperatures reaching as high as 38 degree Celsius made me stronger and better
prepared.
The following is a summary of some of my key training
in figures:
·
Total Km’s run over the past 18-months – 5,000km’s
·
Total Km’s run during the past 4-months – 1,000km’s
·
Average short distance – 10km’s
·
Average long run – 30km’s
·
Longest run during the past 6-months – 82km’s
·
Greatest distance covered over a 7-day period –
250km’s
·
Number of days running per week – 6 days
I know that when I phone my brother to let him know
that I am on my way to run the MdS, that he will have one question – do you
have enough miles in your legs? My answer will be yes, I have deposited enough
distance to ensure success. So even with bad, and as always, highly
inconvenient training glitches, the consistency of months of training gives me
the confidence I need.
I learned a great deal from running the Kalahari
Augrabies and adjusted my training after the Augrabies to be more realistic. I
no longer ran on the road, but did all of my training off-road, I also ran 30km
off-road run every Saturday that was run for time on the legs and not speed. I
did not, however, get in as much gym work and cross-training in as what I would
have liked, but overall I know that I have done what I could over the past
18-months, and in specific during the past 3 ½ months. Back-pack training
became a daily thing with 3-5kg’s per day and a 10,6kg on my Saturday long-run.
Race Goals & Objectives
So with the training under the belt I sat down to
clearly define my race goals and objectives. What was certain is that I would
use the Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM) as my baseline; I would use
my training performance of the past four months to set my upper performance limit.
My KAEM speed averaged 3,8km/h, in recent months I
had been able to reach 4,2km/h over a 30km trail distance with a 10,6kg
backpack in 38 degree Celsius midday temperature comfortably. These two figures
represent my two extreme race goals. My race target, however, is somewhere
between these two extremes set at 4km/h.
My race objective, however, is somewhat more
holistic, I am out in the Sahara desert to test myself, to find the inner
strength that comes from facing my fears, from battling adversity and to enjoy
every moment.
To achieve this goal and objective the cornerstone, besides training, is found in the food I am taking with. During the KAEM, I saw the key role food plays in race success. For the MdS I have made a few changes to my food, the majority of this relates to the food I packed for the long day. The most recent update from the MdS organisers are that powders do not count towards the daily calorie count, so my energy drinks do not count towards the overall nutrition value of my food.
Below is a day by day breakdown of the food I am taking with on the MdS. Although some stage changes have been announced I have retained the standard 7-stage format, the 6th day dinner and 7th day breakfast weighs less than 300 grams but will be a very welcome boost of both energy and moral during the rest day.
The graph below provides an indication of the
energy that I require during both the active and resting phases daily.
What is of greater significance is the graph that
provides a visual representation of the shortfall between the energy required
compared to the energy included in my race food.
The reality is that in extreme adventure racing
there are always trade-offs, for me it is to know to what extent I can create
an energy shortfall before it seriously impacts upon my race performance.
Race Pack Content
But food is not the only place where careful
consideration must be made by weighing potential benefit against the effort and
cost of carrying an item, no matter how light it might be.
The following is the content of my race pack:
So what does all of this mean in real terms? My race pack weighs in at 11.191kg dry, added to this is 1,5kg water plus 500g of equipment to be supplied by the MdS organisers minus my first mornings food of 250g. Therefore, my starting weight on day number one is 12,941kg.
My race pack weight is progressively reduced over the duration of the
event:
Staring Weight Day 1: 12,941kg
Staring Weight Day 2: 12,228kg
Staring Weight Day 3: 11,495kg
Staring Weight Day 4: 10,782kg
Staring Weight Day 5: 9,526kg
Staring Weight Day 6: 9,093kg
Staring Weight Day 7: 8,400kg
My Key Rules for the MdS
I find it is best to set some rules before the race, as the struggles
during the race often impair clarity of mind. So here are my MdS golden rules:
·
Rule #1 -
Run with the Desert – this is a concept that I learned during the KAEM. It
simply means that I will only do what the desert tells me to do; I won’t fight
her or try to conquer her but rather submit to her subtle guidance. A hill
might be her way to tell me to walk, a downhill an opportunity to run and a
tree or bush that throws a shadow might be her way of saying – “take a rest”,
·
Rule #2 –
Pursue Efficiency – here it is a matter of running when it is relatively
effortless to run, and walk when the effort of running outweighs the benefit of
running. Seek a way to use energy as efficiently as possible,
·
Rule #3 –
Savour the Moment – take many photos, feel the sand, taste the desert wind
and embrace the heat and the cold. Enjoy the hardship, the pain and the
struggle for it will soon pass. Remember that if it was not for all these
difficult times the victory would be hollow. Laugh a lot; enjoy the race, the
company and the competition.
·
Rule #4 –
Strategically manage all my Actions – manage everything, my feet, my
hydration, my heart rate, my food intake and my rest. Don’t just do, think.
·
Rule #5 –
Make Great Friends – take the time to get to know the few MdS runners that
I will have the opportunity to spend some time with.
Closing
It is with certainty and humbleness that I know
that my ability to participate in the MdS is not a product of personal
greatness, but rather the result of a loving family and many friends whose
support makes this possible. It is my wonderful wife, Tanya’s, commitment to
run with me every Saturday for hours that has made me a better trail runner. In
recent weeks she has paid the price for this commitment when she fell and tore
the volar plate in her left hand which necessitated a very painful operation. I
cannot thank her enough or repay her adequately for her sacrifice. Michiel
Hoefsmit suggested a diamond or two would do the trick, however, with the MdS
costing what it does the likelihood of a diamond seems to shine less brightly, sorry my angel!
My daughter, who thinks her two parents have lost
it, still supports us with encouragement and exclamations of how proud she is
of us, thank you my baby.
Then there are the dogs at home that are always
happy to see me and who eagerly guard the family while I spend many hours on
the road, I know I don’t give them enough treats (Tanya may differ with me on
this last point).
A little further from home are family members,
brother, sisters, parents, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles, all of whom show
an interest, give words of encouragement and to some extent worry about me each
time I set out to run one of these events.
And lastly there are the friends, ones that I have
met face to face and others whom I have only met via Facebook. Each and every
one of them, some are fellow MdS runners, have contributed in some way to keep
me motivated, focused and challenged me with finding solutions or answers to
very real issues that impacts upon us all.
It is with great appreciation that I acknowledge
that I am a product of an amazing team of people who has made a very real
contribution to me being on the starting line of the 2013 Marathon des Sables,
thank you to every one of you!
To my lovely angel, Tanya, thank you for allowing
me to do this and as always I will be careful, and will see you soon. You are
my inspiration thank you for participating in this madness with me.
Research
As many of you may know, I analyse every aspect of
this wonderful sport we call Extreme Adventure Racing. To date there are very
little scientific data available on the multitude of aspects that converge in
the preparation and participation. I have been researching various aspects of
multi stage races for some time now and much of the information you may have
found valuable on this blog has been the result of that research.
I have designed a very specific research survey for
the MdS and would really appreciate it if you would take the time to complete
the survey. It will take between 6 and 10 minutes to complete, your information
shared remains confidential and there are some incentives to participating.
The link below will take you directly to the
survey.
Thank you for reading my blog,
Genis
