Skip to main content

Posts

New Year 2018- update

My fairly rough end to 2017 was compounded by succumbing to the 'Aussie Flu' that has been going around the UK. The enforced rest and several days confined to bed however did mean my knee was given complete rest for most of the holiday period; I also consulted with a doctor who gave me some basic advice to stop weight-bearing exercise for at least a week and try and manage the pain/inflammation with regular doses of high strength ibuprofen. Despite still battling the after effects of the flu, I have now run twice in 2 days; albeit very slowly and still with some discomfort in the knee, although it is what I would call 'runnable'. I am also very unfit which has come as a shock to me after having been in A1 condition in October and early November on the back of a great year of running. My plan is to run slow and steady for at least the next week and see if the knee holds up to regular running. As speed is not a priority for MDS then I do not have any need to push harder
Recent posts

Injury Update

I thought I would post a quick update on my knee injury picked up from the Druids 3 day event. Unfortunately, I am still struggling with knee pain and have now been limited to some cycling and very short test runs for over 5 weeks. This is obviously a concern with ideally my training for MDS due to start around now - I still feel I am at least 2 weeks away from coming back and even then it may well be a slow and steady return - possibly not enough to feel as though I can approach the MDS in a sufficiently fit state. I'm not making any decisions at this time and will get through the holiday period before seeing how things are developing. I'll update again later in the month or in early January! Elliot.

Druids: The Ridgeway (10th-12th November) - race re-cap

The 3 day Druids Ultra was put together specifically for runners who were racing or targeting the Marathon Des Sables by a company called XNRG. One of their runners came back from the desert realising there was nothing available in the UK to help runners to 'simulate' some of the physical, mental and logistical demands of the MDS. So, the Druids Ultra was established. Naturally, it's impossible to fully simulate the MDS in the UK, in November, but now I'm out the other side of this event, I can better appreciate some of the work that needs to be done in order to complete MDS. Without going into intricate day by day detail of the race, more important were some of the key learning points for me to take forward: 1) I was not very well prepared for this event logistically; I only packed 2 days worth of running gear for a 3 day event; I forgot to bring any foot treatment supplies (in the event of blisters etc.). I also should really have already purchased my sleeping b

Marathon des Sables 2018

Welcome to my blog where for the next 150+ days I will be providing some updates on my journey to the Sahara in April 2018. I am straight in at the deep end this weekend as I'm taking part in the Druids Challenge, a multi-stage event which takes in the oldest roadway in the UK, The Ridgeway. The race starts in Buckinghamshire and competitors make their way to Wiltshire over the course of 3 days, with overnights in Watlington and Didcot. The cumulative distance will be over 83 miles. Details here: http://www.xnrg.co.uk/events/details/the-druids-challenge-2017.aspx