First canoe triathlon

Yesterday I did my first canoe triathlon with my friend Sylvi. It was hosted at Rietvlei Dam in Centurion by TrailAdventure (Shane Gouldie is the organiser). We entered under the name "Parys Poppies" hahahaha

The event started at 07h00 so we slept over in JHB to have a quick drive to the start. We got there just after 6am. Very early! It was around 10 C, so not too cold. By the time we started at 7 I was in short sleeves.

The paddle
Sylvi and I have paddled four time trials together in her K2 and we're rocking. We had to paddle four loops of the course - around buoys. When we set off there was mist above the water - very pretty. We had an excellent paddle and were one of the first boats off the water.

The MTB
Neither Sylvi nor I bike very often but we were game for this 20km bike ride. It was just right for us with a bit of jeep track, dirt road and not too much technical. We lost our lead in the women's race to the pink pair, who were way better mountain bikers. 20km is a really great distance for a short and fast race.

The run
The final leg was a 5km run. This was on a grassy track cut into the side of the hill. It wound and meandered and made up the distance. Not very exciting but not terrible either. We took it very chilled and rocked in at the finish.

We clocked in at 2:39 for the course and were the second women's pair.

We didn't take any photos and thought we'd find a few from the event. Nothing up yet. But I did see this on FB -  a pic taken by a supporter of the pink pair. I'm hiding in the shadows; Sylvi is next to me.

Thank you teammie - that was fun!

About the Ultra Trail Mount Moodie

What a good day out it was this past Saturday at the Ultra Trail Mount Moodie, an 80km (actually 87km) ultra in the Sabie area. Yes, that's right - steep ups and downs and loads of forest and wonderful scenery.

This event burst on to the calendar last year. My race number, 3, was indicative of eagerness - I was the third person to submit an entry (the day I saw the post on FB). Clive Smart, the race organiser, has been organising events here for three years. After being approached by Trail Running SA to host the SA Trail Champs, Clive added the 80km distance event to his existing weekend offering (a 6km, 12km, 20km and 35km).

Oh my heart! Surrounded by forests. View from my room at Misty Mountain.

We started from Misty Mountain - on Long Tom Pass - at 04h30 on Saturday morning with 27 runners on the start line. It was far warmer than I expected after the cool evening and my shorts and tee were perfect attire.

My race kit - minus food. I've had this trusty back pack for a good 12 years now and it has done dozens of races and ultras. 

As Misty Mountain is on top of the mountain, there's only one way to go first: down. We started in the dark and within an hour or so it was light enough, even under the tree canopy, to turn our headlamps off.

The first big descent dropped us into the first aid station. It was a long, long downhill and I remember commenting to the aid station helper "Wasn't that a downhill!". On this section I met Su-yen and Nic, who I'd see more of later.

I quite enjoyed the next section to the second aid station. Flatter running with a good climb. On the flat I was in good company with Corne and Lorraine. They're amazing on the hills - running trip-trap so steadily upwards. I walked. They dropped me with ease.

Leaving Aid Station 2 we were on to the Fanie Botha hiking trail. I've known of it since I was a child but I've never been on it. Spectacular! The section had us on rocky and slippery trail heading up a ravine. We criss-crossed the river many times - sometimes on bridges and other times just splashing through.

I hadn't been taking photos but snapped a few. I was with Nic, an American in the Peace Corps based South of Polokwane, going through this section. We were warned pre-race by Clive not to even try stepping on the rocks in the river because they're so slick. He suggested stepping between the rocks, which worked just fine.

Nic negotiating one of the many river crossings.

A bit of what the trail looks like (a non-rocky part)

We caught up to Su-yen on one of the crossings.

And so we climbed up-up-up and came out belly-height to a waterfall.

Time to go down-down-down

And of course we descended to the bottom of the falls.

Su-yen, me and Nic at the bottom of the falls.

And then began a really, really tough ascent that seemed to take forever. At an indistinct path section we hooked up with Lorraine, another lady, Filipe and Corne. Up on top most of the others shot off. I needed the flat open space to recover from the climb with a gentle run-walk strategy for a while!

Filipe had a route profile printout and it showed a slight drop down to Aid Station 3 and then a big climb and a big downhill to Aid Station 4. Downhills sound fun; but for me they're not, especially when they're steep. I started taking it easy because I don't often run steep downhills and as a result they hammer my quads when I do.

Time to go down, down, down. Yes, all the way to the bottom where we'd find Aid Station 4

Only 24 of the 27 runners made it through Aid Station 4 (around 45km). By this time me, Filipe, Nic and another runner, Jakes, were near at the back of the field.

The next 8.5km was on mountain bike tracks. We were roasting through the valley section - very hot and humid with no respite.

Aid Station 5 sat just before another climb. Filipe, who I'd met last year when he ran my Forest Run, was sitting on the tree stump. I asked him if he wanted to join me - at this stage he wasn't going to continue. Jakes arrived and with not much arm twisting Filipe set off with us.

Jakes and I dropped Filipe on the ascent but as Filipe is a whiz on the downs, he caught us again later - and gained enough to stay ahead until the finish, which he reached about five minutes before us. The skies opened near the top of the climb but fortunately we didn't get hit  as hard as Misty Mountain. Apparently it was torrential, complete with lightning, up there.

Aid Station 6 came and went and we knew we'd be pushed to make it in before dark. Filipe left the station just ahead of me and Jakes - wrapping up the back of the field.

From the aid station we caught up with Nic and we all stayed together through Aid Station 7 (same location as Aid Station 1) and all the way uphill to the finish.

GPS readings from many runners confirmed the route to be 87-kilometres long. It took us 15h20 to get from start to finish and I was fortunate to be in good company. We were followed to the end by a race marshal in his vehicle - nice to have the light as night caught up with us.

It was also a treat to be welcomed into the finish by friends who'd run other distances during the day - Zelda, Johann, Melvyn and a bunch of others, including Clive and some marshals. Lots of shouts and cheers and goodwill for a very warm and appreciated welcome.

At the finish with Nic (8), Filipe (24) and Jakes (29). Photo by Melvyn.

I showered and headed down to dinner and the prize giving.

I came out of the race relatively unscathed. Oh goodness were my quads stiff for about 2.5 days after! Stairs were so not my friend. I've got an injured left big toenail from where I kicked a rock early on... and of course whacked it another few times in the course of the day. That will still take a while to heal completely.

I thoroughly enjoyed this ultra. I haven't done a straight-up ultra like this for ages. It was an interesting route with good variety in the running surfaces from smooth trail to rocky, slippery technical trail; smooth and open forest roads to rough and rocky forestry roads, river crossings... and of course uphills and downhill, plantation forest and indigenous forest and wonderful scenery.

My thanks to Clive for presenting this distance. From experience I know the work that goes into planning and marking routes, coordinating volunteers and all the other little bits and pieces that make these things happen. It's a lot of effort regardless of the number of participants.

The helpers at the aid stations were absolutely amazing - for friendly and warm and helpful. They even put ice cubes into my water reservoir at the last few aid stations... what a treat!

I think Clive is going to make some tweaks to the route but it should be on the calendar again next year. UTMM is not easy, but it is beautifully scenic and rewarding to finish.

UTMM quick note about a long day

What a day out at the new Ultra Trail Mount Moodie yesterday!

Around 15h20 and 87km...

With Nic (8), Filipe (24) and Jaco (29) at the finish on Saturday night -  at around 19h40. Photo by Melvyn Quan

I'll tell you all about it in my next post in a day or so - with more photos.

For now I'm doing final prep for the first event of my new Checkpoint Challenge Schools League, which starts tomorrow. I'm giving myself extra time to put out controls because I'm not moving as well as I usually do... hahahaha

30km Buenos Aires Sur (road race)

I'm back in Buenos Aires - as of Saturday evening - and already missing Bariloche, my new friends there and the hostel! In mid-May or so I had a look online to see whether - by any chance - there were any events on. I found this race - 30km Buenos Aires Sur - a 30km road run. I ran it this morning.

Not the most interesting route as the course is flatter than a pancake. I'd be hard pressed to say whether there was more than two-metres of elevation difference between the highest and lowest points on the course and we didn't run through scenic neighbourhoods. We started off on the local motor racing track (start/finish venue was the Autodromo) and ran on the roads around the track. But it was entertaining nonetheless to check out the people and because the route was 'out-and-back' on stretches we got to see people ahead of - and then behind - us.

I took a taxi from the city centre, where I'm staying, to the Autodromo - a 30-minute drive.

I loved this! Before the start they had music playing and then about 15 mins before there was this guy and girl on stage doing warm-up stuff with us. Pretty good fun to all jog on the spot and bounce around a bit with other people. It wasn't cold (like Bariloche!) but chilly enough that I was wearing my thin long sleeve top, plus run vest plus long sleeve thermal plus thin run jacket pre-start.

Gotta love self-seeding. And, here people seed themselves properly! Once we got under the start banner I didn't have to work through people to gain ground; I didn't spend 2 minutes walking... I was running next to people of similar pace from the get go! 

And, howz this for interesting... NOT ONE WALKER ahead of me! Actually, no walkers at all. While I don't have anything against walkers at races, I do have a problem with having to fight through walkers moving three-abroad on the road right at the start of the race. Really irritates me at home. As for the no walkers at all - I did find this strange...

A bit after 14km I could see the people at 10km and there were maybe like three of them only. I saw my first person walking at around 12km (calf cramp it looked like) - and he'd pulled off the side of the road (didn't just stop in the middle of the road). And then the next person walking a bit was maybe around 18km and then I saw two or three walking at about 25km and then a few walking in the last kilometre - and by I few, not even 10. And at about 20km when I could see people at 15km (very, very few) they were jogging, not walking. Interesting! 

Then again, for a race flatter than a pancake it isn't like you've got hills to 'justify' walking up them.

I'd say that 75% of the field were running a 4:45-6:00min/km pace.

Me, before the start.

Start! Heading for the start banner.

About 1.5km into the race - on the race track.

Just after I took the photo above this one, the guy next to me offered to take a photo of me. Very sweet.

Water points every 5km and no sachets... 330ml water bottles! Before the 24km mark they were handing out thirds of bananas (with skin on) and paper cups of Gatorade. 

At the finish. A really comfortable 2h44 for the 30km distance. My legs are feeling the after effects of the tar now - not used to all tar and the metronome-like repetitiveness of the road - I've been so spoilt the past month with my dirt roads, trails and mountain vistas in Bariloche. That said, I ran nice and comfortably - the type of comfortable where you can breathe through your nose easily and HR barely felt. Nice!

After the finish line people were handing out things - first a bottle of water, then a bottle of Gatorade, then a cereal-type bar, then a packet with a small packet of cookies and a banana and an apple. Sweet.

These guys were clipping the timing cards off our shoes.

At the last stop before exiting the chute we got these sheets of plastic. Being winter, they're given out so that you don't get cold. You can just wrap it around your shoulders as you go to your car or the bus. Nice to use to sit on the ground too.

My loot.

My race tee. We got them before the start and many people ran in theirs. It's a nice one.

So then, while I've got my loot on the ground to take a photo, the guy near me sees my SA flag and comes to chat. He came to SA in Jan for the half IronMan, and to travel for two weeks afterwards. He absolutely loved it there and says when he is old he has to decide whether he wants to retire in Argentina or to go to Cape Town. Lovely!

We finish talking, I pack up and before I leave I ask whether he knows about a bus (there seems to have been an event bus too from the centro - I only saw this online last night) going back to the Centro. He says he is from another city and he came here for this race (staying in the Centro) so he has his car and can give me a lift. What luck! His daughter and her boyfriend were waiting for him so I was in good company. He really, really loves South Africa. Even has an SA flag sticker in his car. 

Mariano y Lisa

Mariano mentioned a marathon that weaves through the Buenos Aires city centre - it's in October every year. I'll have to get my timing right one of these years because I'd definitely break my road marathon aversion for this one. He's running Chicago later this year.

So, a good morning out and pleasant re-entry to the city. I fly home on Wednesday evening so I've got three nights and another two-and-a-half days to play around here. I've marked down a few places to visit, including a road that seems to be a smorgasbord of yarn shops.

Namib Desert Challenge: Post-race contemplations

Home sweet (and cool) home. Now that the unpacking and washing is done I'm settling into customary post-race blues. That's the problem with a most wonderful week away with a most excellent group of like-minded people and nothing to worry about but running, eating and sleeping. Well, there's no better way to deal with post-race blues than to seek new adventures.

The second wave of runners waiting for the start of the final stage on Friday morning. Photo by Hannisze.

I thought I'd jot down a couple of notes - thoughts whirling around in my mind.

Desert gaiters
When you run in sand, you do need a shoe covering to prevent sand getting in. Desert sand is not the same as beach sand; it is fine and dry and it sneaks in through any and every gap in your shoe - the top, the mesh, the tongue. A desert gaiter is a shoe covering that is attached to the upper of the shoe and it covers your foot from the ankle to the sole.

You need to plan ahead as it is best to have velcro sewn around the base of the upper (the gaiter has velcro around its base). Glue is definitely not a good idea, especially for multi-day events as it wiggles into any little gap and lifts the glue. Any shoe repair shop will be able to do the stitching.

Desert gaiters are not that easy to find. Make your own or order online. Be sure to order the correct size (there are usually two or three sizes available). Too small gaiters will not fit properly and they'll pull up the front of your shoe creating toenail issues. There are a few options available.

Shooting the breeze with Christine (in pink) after Stage 3. We were looking up at the most beautiful blue sky, streaked with interesting clouds, through the branches and leaves of a shady Camel Thorn tree. These blue gaiters covered with fish were my super-dooper gaiters for this race. Photo by Hannisze.

Obviously I think that my Desert Gaiters are the best. The current version is my third evolution of the design, tweaked after three years of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge and my first run at Namib Desert Challenge in 2009. They're made from lycra, they come in two sizes and we make them up in your preference of colour and print - whatever fabric we can get our hands on.

Training
I am definitely not a good example for what training to do in preparation for this event... especially when I tell you that my longest run pre-race was a 15km in January... I generally average 40-55km/week. Although I had a comfortable race and I came out the other side with no stiffness on any day (I think my massage ritual helps with this) and good feet, more training and longer runs would have seen me being able to run faster, harder and longer. I've been running regularly for 20 years plus many long and multi-day races plus a mix of other disciplines every week so I really, really do not recommend doing what I do.

Runners like Marius, at the top of the field, runs 200km a week and spends a lot of time too on core strength. Asa, who had a superb run, clocked around 1300km since the start of the year (I think it was) and he also spent time running up and down a small sandy dune to build strength and prepare for the sandy stages. Excellent for building leg strength. He says that he thinks he only walked about 2km in total! Christine, who lives in Toronto, heads up to a cottage over weekends and she does a lot of long running. She gained bit by bit on me every stage - about 30 mins a day - ended up exactly 2hrs ahead of me overall. It does pay to put in the time and distance.

If you're a newbie, work your way through running programmes. Start with 5km and 10km programmes, move on to 15km, 21km and marathon. You just can't go wrong with a solid base. And later add in some trail for better proprioception and foot-ankle strength. But, don't rush your training. Take your time and get strong steadily or you'll spend more time at your physio than on the road.

Food & drink
This year delicious dinners were provided every night. We only had to pack in our own breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the run. The waterpoints really were superb and while I didn't eat much of the cookies and fruit provided there, I did drink loads of the electrolyte mix and iced tea. And to think that I only tried the iced tea on Day 2; I really missed out on Day 1!

For breakfast I went for FutureLife with added protein powder. I'm not going to be eating this again for some time... During the day I popped a couple of gels and ate some of my snacks, like cornnuts and roasted nuts, dried mango and home-dried banana. In the afternoons I ate my two-minute noodles with tuna. And then it was dinner time with veg soups, salads, pasta or rice.

In terms of volume of fluids we were all drinking a lot. I was almost flattening my water reservoir by the time I reached each waterpoint. That's around 1.5l. Plus, I'd leave the waterpoint having consumed about 750ml there and then. And then we'd all be drinking more in the afternoons after running. That's a lot of liquid. By the end of the week I was feeling quite puffy. Heat, salts, fluids... all contributing factors.

Here's an interesting one... On the 4th and 5th days I was peeing frequently, even out on the course. On the long day I made three stops during the stage! Definitely nothing wrong with my kidneys. On Saturday, post-race, I wasn't drinking much as we were on the bus for hours yet I had to go on the bus (there was a loo onboard), when we stopped in Windhoek and again at the airport not long after we arrived and again before boarding. I probably hadn't consumed more than 1-litre that day. And this continued all through yesterday. The good news is that my body is no longer stock-piling fluids, I'm not as puffy and I'm no longer bouncing up every half-hour to go to the loo.

Travel
It's easy to get to Windhoek with regular flights from Jo'burg and Cape Town on SAA, Kulula (British Airways) and Air Namibia. Transport by bus to Sossusvlei was provided and organised by the event - it's a 4h30 trip, mostly on a good quality dirt road. If you've got the dosh, you can fly into and out of Sossusvlei by charter.

Bye bye
I always get a bit sad to see my running buddies depart. To some we say goodbye at Sossusvlei if they're staying on; others go different ways at the Windhoek airport as they board other flights; and some are off when we land in Jo'burg.

Events like this present an opportunity for the coming together of people with more than just running in common. It's what burns in our hearts that is more unifying.

I'm fortunate in that I've been in this adventure / ultra / multi-day game for a long time and the people I hang around with the most are much like me. Running three back-to-back marathons plus an ultra plus a 'short' 24km stage to top it off - over challenging terrain and under extreme heat conditions - is not considered 'crazy' or really out there. Rather, I'm sent off with a wave and well -wishing text messages saying, "Enjoy the race". And they can relate to what I'm going through because they've done similar events - in some or other form. So, when I get home, I merge back into a similar environment surrounded by similar people.

But this isn't the same for all the participants. Many stick out like a sore thumb among friends (and families). I think it is far harder for them to re-integrate after such an experience, one that can literally be life changing.

[Not quite a year after I started adventure racing I deregistered from my Masters studies and turned my back on seven years. I have experienced first-hand the life-changing effect that hard, challenging, multiday events can have.]

Thank goodness for Facebook and being able to easily connect with the people with whom you have shared the experience.

What's next?
This was probably the most common question flying around camp. Some of the runners have got some good events lined up over the next year.

On the racing side I don't have much planned. I'm organising Metrogaine Jo'burg for 11 April; then I'm writing for Expedition Africa in early May (not racing because of being away shortly afterwards); and then I'm off to Argentina in mid-June to mid-July for intensive Spanish lessons -  an adventure dream I've had for almost eight years now.

Participating in races will be taking a back seat for a bit and with a number of projects that I had on the go from the beginning of the year to shortly before the race - Forest Run being a big one -  now out of the way, I'll focus a bit more on running training (I heard recently about a speed session group on Tuesdays near home) and aerial disciplines (another class in the pipeline).

That said, I'm cruising various websites, keeping an eye on what is on. I have a race in mind that I'd like to do much later in the year. For this one I'll really need to tune in my focus on running - I'll definitely need to do runs longer than 15km in preparation for this one, especially if I want to do well and feel great. For sure, squeezing in more running between other odd activities and circus classes is possible but ultimately something will have to give - for a few months at least. We'll see what the months bring...

Keep an eye on www.namibdesertchallenge.com for details on the September running of this superb event. Absolutely superb photos by Hannisze are on the NDC Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/NamibDesertChallenge/photos_albums.

Namib Desert Challenge: Stage 5

It’s done! The 5^th and final stage of the 5^th annual Namib Desert Challenge.

On paper it is a comparatively short 28 kilometres but the reality is that you can’t just blitz it or think that you’ll nail it in three hours and be done. No. No.

This morning we set off in two waves from the base of Dune 45, where we finished yesterday. It was the slower 10 runners first and then the faster 11 runners 30-minutes later.

The first 15km of the stage are actually quite cruel. It must be about 13-14km across a flat, stony plain that runs at the base of big dunes. The tricky part here is not the terrain underfoot. Because it is some of the most pleasant of the race; firm but not hard and littered with little stones that don’t prod your soles. The tricky part is the perspective. We run heading for a point in the distance but with the huge dunes and the open expanse you just can’t tell how far away anything it. You just run and run and run and never seem to get anywhere. It plays with your mind.

From the start I was running with Dave and Dave. Joe shot off like a horse bolting for home. We caught him going into the first pan. He was hammered. We invited him to join us. He shook his head. We convinced him and he started to jog again with us.

Looking back from where we'd come - this was just the first pan before the first dune ascent. We came from FAR, FAR away to the right.

Joe, Botswana Dave, English Dave and me.

The route then gets more interesting with a dune climb. After the long, straight flat your legs feel it and your heart rate climbs – quickly. We took photos quickly before heading down into the pan and through into Hidden Vlei and the first waterpoint.

Waterpoint 1 in the Hidden Vlei. Dave made a great 'model' during the stages when we were together.

Ice-cold rehydration solution and iced tea saw us off again, following a jeep track etched into the hard-baked mud pan. English Dave and I inched ahead of Botswana Dave and Joe; we grew the gap to the finish.

Approaching Big Daddy. We aimed for that low saddle (not really that low - see next pic) and then up the spine to the top, top, top there in the distance.

From the pan we were into some sand and another crunchy pan before starting the ascent up Big Daddy – one helluva big dune. The first part – getting on to the ridge – is really the trickiest because it becomes a case of one-step-up-slide-two-back near the top of the lee slope. Dave and I stood there for a moment to catch our breath again, while watching Joe and Dave approach.

From the low saddle while we caught our breath. Joe and Dave below - approaching.

And then up, following the ridge. Fortunately many runners had been up before us and it is far easier to step in the grooves made by those ahead than to blaze your own trail. We passed Laura and Ivan, the Americans from Colorado and continued up and up and up. It really is a spectacular dune.

Up, up, up. That isn't the summit. This is still the first part of the spine.

We ripped the downhill, sliding through the sand. It could be a good 300-400m from top to bottom, dropping us into Dead Vlei. 

The descent. That white patch is the sun-baked crunchy, mud surface (dried, cracked mud like elephant skin) of Dead Vlei.

There’s nothing in the main part of the pan. Dead. Towards the open end there are dead trees. Everything dead. Except us! As there was excess water, the happy helpers poured it over our heads and in the breeze we were invigorated.

Deadvlei.

It’s really nice that it is only about 2.5km from the end of the pan to the finish. OK, so there’s some thick soft sand to deal with before the warm welcome from Terry, Nel and the other runners.

It has been a really good five days of running. For us everything had felt very smooth in terms of the running of the event and how well we’ve been looked after. I know that behind the scenes things can be crazy dealing with crises but in chatting to Nel he said how smooth it has been on their side too; marking the trails, the daily bus transport, the wonderful dinner spread and the small team of volunteers who make it all happen.

I also really want to commend the staff from Sossusvlei Lodge who have setup and manned many of the water stations. In next to no time they learned all our names and warmly welcomed us into each aid station. They handed us cup after cup of Leopard Piss and iced tea and assisted in pouring water into our backpacks. The kept slices of fruit on hand and trays of cookies at the ready. And always a word of encouragement or a smile as we headed out again.

My room for tonight at Sossusvlei Lodge. Lovely!

A bed! Gonna sleep well tonight ;)

With a small field of runners we’ve been a happily family of running comrades. A really good people and I’ve had friendly running companions in the form of Tony, Joe, English Dave and Botswana Dave at various points on the stages.

As I type this I’m sitting in a circle with the other runners, under the shade of the Camel Thorn tree at the Sossusvlei Lodge, enjoying refreshments. I think there’s award and such at 18h30 and then afterwards a dinner. We’re looking forward to a late night of chatting and chilling with new friends. We’ll climb aboard the bus at 7am in the morning to head back to Windhoek.

It has indeed been a wonderful treat for me to return to this race. I ran in the inaugural event in February 2009 and now I’ve run their 5^th event. Both events are united by good organisation and wonderful warmth and hospitality. If you’re looking for an away race that is very sufficiently challenging but that doesn’t require you to lug kilograms on your back each day, then I can highly recommend that you put this one on your bucket list. It is not easy out here but it is very doable and the whole experience is one that you will treasure. Terry and Nel and your team – thank you and well done. An event to be most proud of.

Namib Desert Challenge: Stage 4

That’s the big one done. 55 long kilometres in the bag today.

We started on the road just inside the gate of the Sossus Nakluft Park, heading towards the Sesriem Canyon. This wasn’t in the long route four years ago so I was looking forward to seeing this popular tourist site. It was well worth running to – quite extraordinary especially when you consider that this canyon does indeed get flooded. Last year the course was diverted big time as the canyon was flooded and rivers on other sections were gushing. Nel, our camp manager and route marker, says that he has photos from last year, which I really want to see because it just seems so inconceivable that this dry, harsh landscape could ever be flooded.

Sesriem Canyon. That's Joe ahead of me (I could catch him today!). Lovely shade.

The first waterpoint came up really soon. We think about 7km instead of 9.5km. It was in the canyon and a whole bunch of us were all together. I decided to take out the inner soles from my shoes to make more space, which worked really well. I’ll tell you more about this a bit later.

We got on to some hard pack and just ran, ran, ran across a vast, open area. This was very much the theme from today with many vast, open stretches.

By about halfway through the section from WP1 to WP2 I found myself at the back of the field. Two wee stops and one little-piggy-needs-attention stop had me chasing runners ahead. It’s amazing how much time it can take to reel people in. They may be moving slower overall than me but not substantially slower so catching takes time. I caught up with Lucy and then Deon and then John before the waterpoint where I found the father-and-daughter pair of Mike and Jennifer as well as English Dave and Botswana Dave.

I loaded up on liquids before hitting the dreaded tar section. 14km of tar from WP2 to WP3. We actually stuck to the side of the road, which was far more pleasant. By this time I’d caught English Dave (the same Dave from yesterday) and we made good time with my run-walk game. We ended up sticking together for the rest of the stage.

WP3 was very much the entrance to the duned area. Sossusvlei is like a funnel – broad at the mouth with dunes on either side many kilometres apart. And they close in further down. We kept to the right on a track that was mostly firm underfoot. 

Me, on the track to WP4.

Long track to WP4, which was at the base of the dune you can see in the distance to the right (or maybe a dune past this one?)

Getting closer to WP4. The band of trees on the right... they line the riverbed of the main stream feeding into Sosussusvlei.

Thank goodness for the warm breeze that was far more cooling than no breeze would have been. We moved well through to WP4 – the last waterpoint of the stage (at about 44km).

Howz this? A mini red sand dune across the original track - the route to WP4. The path diverts to the left of the photo.

From here we definitely slumped. We ran a few little bits but overall just walked the last 10-odd kilometres to the finish, which was hard work. We still, fortunately, had the wind but we were going straight into it. Better than no wind but a push from the back would have been a treat. 

On our way to the finish, shortly after leaving WP4.

It must have taken us 90 minutes to reach the finish, at the base of Dune 45. We ascended the dune – a definite highlight – and enjoyed looking back at where we’d come from earlier in the day. Vast!

Me with English Dave on top of Dune 45. A stage well done!

WP 4 was at the furthermost dune on the end of the row on the left. Yes, far in the distance. We're helluva high up. That was just the last 10-11km! If you follow the footprints on the dune you'll see a black dot to the left (tree) and to the right there's just a fleck - that's a regular-sized bus!

Argi took the stage win. Marius was second, Stephan third, Paul in fourth and Asa in 5^th. Christine was first lady again, with me in second (but probably a good half hour – or more – behind her).

We’ve only got a short, 28km stage tomorrow.

The shoe thing...

OK, so I’m wearing my regular trail shoes – my third pair of this exact same model and I've been wearing these shoes for more than a decade - through many, many versions. When I put them on about two weeks ago I thought they were a little tight – but brushed that off as the shoes being relatively new.

Here’s my theory... For almost a year I’ve been running in both minimalist road and trail shoes. For about the last two months I’ve had a sneaky suspicion that my feet are a half-size bigger; but I wasn’t sure, especially as I mostly wear my older trails shoes if I’m not wearing the lean-and-mean ones – and they’re on their last legs.

So, my piggies have been feeling a little squished. Not overly so but enough that my little piggies have made triangle toes – something I’ve avoided for a good few years. And now I have proof that shoes that are a little squishy cause triangle toes!

I was debating whether to take out the inner soles from the start, but it didn’t feel right. By waterpoint 1 it was a good move. My piggies like their space. The only thing... taking out the inner sole turned my shoes into a minimalist shoe feel. 45-odd kilometres in minimalist shoes over sandy and, often, rocky terrain... Yes, my feet are feeling quite tired this evening.

Overall there are some runners with not great feet but for the most part they’re still standing, still walking and mostly still running. We’re all doing pretty ok.

The other thing for this post...

My 40:30 run-walk strategy. It rocks! Dave was running with me from waterpoint 2 and certainly for a good 30km we used this a lot. Provided you start walking earlier than later then you’ve got the strength and energy to walk strongly and then kick it up a notch to run with good speed for 40 paces. The key really is in keeping the runs to the 40 paces. You’ll feel like you can do more – and you should feel that way – but the point is that you don’t want your heart rate to climb nor your legs to feel tired. The short 30 pace walk is about recovery so that you can pick up the pace again. AdventureLisa’s 40:30 run-walk strategy. You read it here first. Ba-ba-ba-boom. *grin*

Finally, I’ve been told by the runners not to tell you about the fabulous showers at the camp, which we look forward to after the stages to get rid of the grit and grim. Nor should I tell you about the three course meal spread brought to the campsite by the Sossusvlei Lodge staff for our dinners. They don’t want me to tell you or you’ll think they’re having this cushy holiday with a bit of running each morning. So, I won’t say another word... ;)

That’s it for tonight. It is about 20h15 as I type this line and I’m the only one around now. The other runners are in their tents or nearly in their tents. These days are tough and hot so by 20h30 our eyes can barely stay open. Having a good 9-10hrs to sleep and rest is a treat – and we need very minute.

Night.