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| Stage 5 |
02-Jul-2010 09:41:32 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]
Gobi March (China) 2010 |
Roasting in the Oven!
The prize for all the early finishers is a day of rest and leisure in The Oven! If you want to be really hard core, you can lie in the shade in your tent, the only cost being suffering a few extra degC!!! All the hot water you can stomach as usual!!!!
Stage 5:
Mantra: Finish
Reality: Finished!
Phil, Jacqueline and I spent most of the day together, when our cadence varied, we flip flopped on different sections. Unbelievably we all arrived at the last checkpoint within 30 mins of each other. Our different rest/sleep requirements meant that we all left at different times to tackle the last stage.
My rest consisted of coaxing my digestive system to actually start work on the reconstituted Spag Bol that I had eaten about 3hrs before! You would think that after about 18hours of exercise that it would be natural for the body to process food, but no, I took some sweets and started to feel like things were moving. Of course the only reason I wanted the process to start was so that I could take my next cocktail of Voltaren and Paracetamol to reduced the blister pain to a level where I could begin to walk!
Try to sleep, hobble over to pee, sleep, wiggle toes,...., wiggles toes, hang on!!! I cant feel the razor sharp pain anymore, it is only a dull pain, quick wake Jacqueline to see if she wants to get out there with me. "NO, I NEED MORE SLEEP", ok, I must launch as the window of reduced pain only lasts about 2 hours! Off I go, slow builds into medium pace and then I start motoring! Up ahead Phil and Jim have been stumped by the morning twilight and cannot find any markers, they are lying on the ground having a rest. I am totally wired and do an expanding square search for the next marker, spot it and call to the boys! I am off and finally into the dunes for the best 5% of the entire day. Timewise I hit the first dunes just as the sun is rising above the horizon, it is magical and I am hammering it! Finish just before 0700 local time, time to relax in The Oven in black Skins (thanks Blake!)!
So, tomorrow is the last stage and I have "ticked the box" on my Gobi experience. It is a lazy half-marathon in shoes with their roof cut off, feet with multiple blisters through the sand dunes of The Oven to arrive near Shanshan, bus back to hotel in Urumqi and have a huge feed and some cold beer!
Mantra: Enjoy it while it lasts!
Thanks go out to all of you who have been checking in on my progress and
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Comments (8)
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| Stage 4 |
01-Jul-2010 02:41:29 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]
Gobi March (China) 2010 |
Mantra: March/march/hard uphill/downhill
Reality Bites!: First hour slow due feet/march/hammered it and overtook joggers again in the hills! I think I came in 48th.
Thanks to all of you for checking in and writing some comments, it is a highlight of the day to see the messages!
Stage 4 was about 24km of flat desolation and then 12 km of fantastic uphill dunes/canyons and narrow crevices followed by a long slalom ski down a powder sand lined chute canyon!
In my first blog I mentioned the 3 F's!
Food has been no factor as I did not choose to skimp too much as others have. I am convincing myself that this has put my body (ex-feet) in good shape throughout. Bit sick of my power brekkie but only 2 to go!
Feet are terrible, as feared! Thanks go to Gillian for the supply of Benzoin, which has been shared around! I have 2 new ones today on the heel, which completes the suite of having blisters on every part of my feet! Toes, web between toes, under nails, heels, BALL OF FOOT!!!!!!! The thing with them is that they only make you wince for about the first hour or so, then the pain morphs into a dull ache. So, the way to deal with it is firstly, just keep going and do not stop, as it will reset the one hour clock again! Second, to borrow a phrase "Pain is guaranteed, Suffering is optional!" It is the long day tomorrow (99km) which I aim to do in under 24hrs, so if I keep going then the wincing hour will only represent roughly 5% of my day! How is that for a positive spin!
Failure is now simply NOT AN OPTION! I will take a moderate pace and leave some in reserve to deal with the unexpected.
The Oven is now well and truly roasting! It is 3pm local as I write and about 45degC in the shade. Our sleeping area is now about 35degC. Some people are only just arriving and they must have weathered some pretty harsh temps!
Finally, Mum, I will be on the trail all day tomorrow, so Happy Birthday to you! You are a great Mum and a shining light for many people around you! We are all better people for having you around. Enjoy your day, Love Mal. |
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| Stage 3 |
29-Jun-2010 08:40:41 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]
Gobi March (China) 2010 |
Mantra: March/march/jog downhill
Reality: March/march(get overtaken by runners on this flat sect)/hammer uphill and run down!!!!!
This morning i noticed a subtely larger right ankle and an ocnltwinge in calf. Of course i did nnot pay this toomuch respect, but when we hit the riverbed, my ankle was a little unstable and i rolled it a few times,but thankfully not seriously! At the first roll, it all came together i had missed the subtle signs, but it suddenly dawned on me! So, lesson is that just like flying, your experience tells you to sit back and take note of the "whats different today" and then act upon it!!!! Lesson learnt!
Only one new blister, with a little blood, but i popped that sucker and all will be taped tonight for the early get up of 4am tomorrow. The foot pain ni camp is strangely more than that on the track, the numbness takes over quickly and is then shatterd even quicker by an occasional sharp rock etc.
So, i have been pacing with my tent buddy Phil (134) and we have been doing quite well, aiming for top 50 each day, but only 60thish today. May i explain that we hit it pretty hard again, but today was a runners paradise, hence the slightly worse position. We did however relish in hauling in some runners on the hilols/finish. Thanks Phil.
Today during the stage was cool and an odd drop of rain, bizarre! However, at 4pm it is now incredibly hot and dry, we have arrived at the oven! Tonights camp is in a Uigher village and we are sleeping in their dwellings, luxury!
Syd, gear/nutrition will HAVE to be covered over some cold beers soon!
JacqDomChris, trust all is fine at home, one day soon daddy will come home from his long run! Jacq, i forgot to resend the race link to mullet and Dunph, could you send some info to them please?
Off to eat/tape blisters and sleep now.
Cheers Mal in TheOven' finally!!!!! |
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| Stage 2 |
28-Jun-2010 09:16:55 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]
Gobi March (China) 2010 |
Mantra: March/jog downhill/March (hope no blisters)
Reality: March, overtake others on uphill, then motor downhill/ March (and get overtaken by all that i overtook uphill!!!!!! BTW i love the hilly area!) AAArgHHHHH get 4 blisters!!!!
Hi everyone,
Firstly thanks for your interest and comments on the blog, it is comforting to see them out here in the desert.
A quick day today, came in 49th in about 4hr 15min.
Blisters have been threaded and i will probably take the roof off a couple tomorrow morning after they dry out. I have a large 3cmx2cm one on the ball of my foot which i will just second skin tomorrow after it has fully drained/dried o'nite.
I cannot believe it, but it has finally warmed up and it is good! Last night was possibly colder than the first night, however this afternoon it is quite warm and even the wind is warm. Did i mention that the Gobi is known as the windy desert? This claim to fame is true! "The Fridge" might finally turn into "The Oven" (yes, i know, be careful what you wish for!).
Jacq, sorry to leave you on your own on Sunday, i hope the boys are better next Sunday.
Thanks again for checking this blog. BTW you can look for the "features" tab on the rtp site for daily reports/photos etc (well so i am told!)
Love to all, Mal in the Gobi! |
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| Stage 1 |
27-Jun-2010 08:55:36 AM [(GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi]
Gobi March (China) 2010 |
Mantra: march,march,march
Reality: march, jog occasionally down hill, march across finish line coz I could!
Great terrain, except for the flat bits! Everyone from hkg loves the hills and everyone else loves the flats.
I am overwhelmed that I actually got cold at one point on the stage. Sitting here now I am freezing with a breeze coming down from the snow covered mountains in the distance. Whilst I am elated that we have not endured 45degC ish yet,I am dreading tonight as we are on a high plain exposed to this biting cold breeze/wind!
For anyone interested, today was 32km, I came in around 47th in about 5hrs37mins.
I am now off to eat my warm rehydrated nosh!
Mum, thanks for the comments and support, btw the oldest competitor is 61! So, how about next year for you mum?
Cold (never thought I would be typing that), hungry and need to get horizontal, bye for now. Mal.
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