Sleeping System: I received the sleeping bag in the post and managed to roll it up with my Multimat and get both into the Multimat stuff sack together. This is great for compression, but raises some packing issues. In my basic training days I was taught by ‘Shifty’ never to use the stuff sack and let the loose doss bag squash everything together to make a silent mouldable pack. Being quiet was essential for covert soldiering, but is not for this race. Making a comfortable pack IS essential – deciding on how I will pack the main section of the backpack will have to wait until I have a better idea of the available space, what other padded items it will contain and how many lumps need concealing.
Food: I have spent a lot of time researching foods and have been collecting samples of anything with more than 350kcal/100g. The best option for meals seems to be freeze dried ration packs, which will use up a litre of my daily water ration, but means I could account for all 14,000kcals demanded by race rules with 17 portions at 3.2kg. Expedition Foods produce a variety of meals (with a 15% discount for MdS competitors when bought from Racing The Planet) that boast 800kcal for between 175 and 205g.
Other Kit: Whilst browsing the ‘Racing The Planet’ website I found some great items, such as tablet towels, which are the size of a Paracetamol, but with a few drops of water expand into a flannel – together with the soap leaves I bought; my admin kit will weigh next to nothing. A friend of mine (cheers Max) recommended the Solar Technology ‘Pico Freeloader’, which claims to give 30 hours of phone standby time from 30 minutes charge. At £17.99 I thought it was worth investigating, as 240km is a long way without MP3! I emailed the company and told them about my challenge and they responded by donating £100 to the trust!
Fitness Regime: Now back in Kingdom with my two girls; I am back into full training. I’m up at 0530hrs for an hour session before work every day and then straight to the gym for another hour after work. I am back to long runs at the weekends and hope to build up to a full marathon carrying 10kg within the next two weeks. My weight has dropped to less than 90kg and my watch and clothes feel looser by the day. Another three kilos and I’ll be at my original weight when carrying my backpack!
Sponsorship update: After a furious burst of £730 coming in over the first 48hrs, the flow of funds has steadied and after just over a week the total is at £1100 including gift aid. I am astounded by some of the individual contributions the trust has received and truly touched that I have already had such a response. Thank you all for your generosity so far. I understand that many of my supporters are waiting until I am on the plane or even have finished the race to pledge financial support to make sure I actually do it. Whether you donate today, or on the sixth day of the race; your support will be greatly appreciated and always remembered.
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