Post MDS depression and the Idatarod Invitational 1000miler

Now i think i see what happens to guys who've been fighting in the front line and then get back to normality. When you push your adrenilin button to a certain level, then your life is never and can never be the same, making it impossible to adjust back to the banality of the real world. The unimportant cares and worries of normal people mean nothing and people and life becomes depressingly tedious. Thats why they do daft things like blow up government buildings.

So how to cure it?

Ok i have an idea, but it probably wont work. I've been experimenting this last year with making my life around me as unstable as possible, in order to test my inner stability, i.e. my ability to lead a relatively sane business and normal life while at the same time not having a home, or any money, for example. So the next level here must be to totally cut off from the world for 25 days and see if my sanity survives.

Rather than settling down and getting a volvo and a house in the country, i've agreed to walk the 1000mile  (1600km) long 'Idatarod Invitational'.

It's set in Alaska in February. Some people cycle it but i think walkng will be harder. It gets to minus 50. You sleep rough and you carry a sled with your supplies and survival gear.There are no rescue helicopters or support. Or signposts.Just me and the harshest environment in the world. I will however be joined by two worryingly insane scandinavians though, and we hope to add to the 9 people who have so far completed walking this race in its entire history, ideally without losing my nose to frostbite.

 The real test will be to not go insane. My fellow adventure Jarmo (who finished the Marathon Des Sable on crutches) brought up the subject - 'As you might know the mental trauma is the ultimate fun/pain in the event. Regarding the fun the previous consecutive winner when seeing the finishing line after nearly running this 35 marathons had felt that he can´t finish yet and started backfiring as turned around and started going back to the direction he was coming from. He was hospitalized from the mt. '    I dont know....maybe hes still in a hospital..

A random guy who got lost for 4 days during the race

i think ill share with you a part of the application form for the race....

I fully realize the dangers of participating in a winter ultra-race held in the Alaskan wilderness during winter conditions, and fully assume the risk associated with such participation, including but not limited to the following dangers: Hypothermia, frostbite, wildlife encounters such as moose, wolves or dogs, equipment failure, inadequate safety equipment, weather conditions ,freezing temperatures and extreme cold and the possibility of serious physical and /or mental trauma and injury, including death, associated with winter athletic competition. I also acknowledge and assume the risk that I may become injured or incapacitated in a location where it is difficult or impossible for me to receive medical aid in time to avoid physical injury or even death.'

Now THATS what im talking about !!! I know from the experience of the MDS that its easy to laugh at these things from the comfort of your sofa, while you actually find yourself crying in the race when you think about how stupid you were to think it would be a doddle. But us humans, were pretty tough creatures you know, we can put up with a lot more than reality tv and soap operas.

there is a shorter 340mile race but id say thats for pansies. But heres a funny link about a guy who gets lost on it. Now how the hell do you train for a 1000mile race in the cold, just as its getting to summer? Well im going to walk to Vapiano and get a pizza, thats for starters...

Marathon Des Sables Diary, Stage 5 and 6

Stage 5 (42km)
The penultimate day was 42km which feels quite daunting after the state of most peoples bodies and feet – The race seems to break a man day by day, little by little, until you just cant fight anymore. However, although i could barely walk, because of the blisters and my being too stubborn to take painkillers, my diarrhea had gone and I had eaten well the day before, so i was fresh with energy for once, and i could run, so i did a brisk pace for the whole day, apart from the depressingly high series of craggy hills on the first leg (just to tire you out for the rest) I was surprised at my ability to be honest, but running i see now, almost too late, is the only way to do this race - walking is much harder if you're used to running, and the reason a lot of runners get blisters (walking you rub differentparts of the foot)

no water? superhot? terrain from hell? 36km still to go? no problem!

Stage 6 (17.5km)
The final day was of course the strangest. The whole trip, even at night, my heart was beating rather fast (i’m guessing it’s the adrenelin/fear) and here we were with a tiny 17.5km to the finish line of the whole race. The mood is positive as I forced down half a repulsive breakfast, then when we start up I get in behind a little Japanese nutcase who was almost sprinting, pace with him until i'm worn out, then join a pleasant Scotsman for a more sedentary jog into the one and only checkpoint. The final 7km after that, I think everyone found the energy or at least the adrenelin to run through. Just thinking of eating proper food, or washing, or having a bath, or a toilet or a coca cola was driving me straight to the line as fast as my exhausted legs would carry me. (I'll put in some photos here later, some freinds are sending them.)

The Finish Line! -  first world guys get to eat first, while Mexicans as usual starve

So here i am, in a hotel in a shabby town in a forgotten corner of the Sahara desert. Its a strange feeling afterwards, but im pretty releived its over. My feet look a mess but apart from that i feel quite ok apart from the deep tiredness.

And what did i learn from this race? Well first the only way to prepare for the Marathon De Sables is to do it. I brought all the wrong food, did a lot of the wrong training, and expected a totally different race (and result) But it does bring some of the fittest extreme sportsmen in the world (plus me) together, and speaking to these nutcases is in itself inspiring. Trying to compare myself to some of the achievements was pretty impossible...i had many a conversation along the lines of ‘ahh yeah i trained a little bit, but not much. Did the such and such Ultra the other day, you know the 150km one in the Arctic where you have to drag your sled behind you. Yeah i came 4th though i was so pissed’ type of thing, which kind of makes my 20km runs twice a week look a bit silly really.

I also learned that nutrition is THE most important thing in Ultramarathon, except maybe technique (which ive covered in other posts on www.slackersultramarathon.blogspot.com ) Im 100% sure i could have jumped a leap of places if id brought calorie rich and light pot noodles, supernoodles, isotonic drink tablets, glucose, more of the liquid food (Peronin, i definitely recommend it) and a host of other tasty but calorific foods that don’t make me retch when i try to eat them. Please avoid at ALL costs ‘expedition food’ – everyone i know took it was on the verge of being sick (in fact some were unfortunately) Here is a comparison of a few food reviews.

ok so thats it for one year....more mundane and random stories after ive slept for a week.....