Plotting and Planning!

The post Sahara depression comes and goes. Today it is one of the 'goes' days. Why? Because there are stuff happening....and I want to be part of it.
And I'm GOING to be part of it.

2012 was a fantastic racing year. From NDC in March to Sahara Race in October. But what's next....can't wait for life to happen. I'm going to make it happen.

OK, so now I have to decide what race/races I'll be doing next year. Like everything in life, unfortunately, money talks. Money makes the world go round. Can't some money come round my way. All I want to do is run in deserts. That's not to much to ask for. Anyway.

Plotting and planning for 2013.

China??

Cameroon??

Namibia??

Watch this space for my 2013 adventures!

A very important part of training, is resting! and that is what I'll be doing until the end of the year.
and trying out that thing called 'a social life'! hahahaha. When I start my training again in 2013, it will be all systems go. There is a desert out there with my name on it!

the west

Sahara Race 2012

a Year and a half ago I did my first desert race - The Namib Desert Challenge. I went into the race, with no idea what to expect. I left the race with a feeling of belonging. I belong in the desert. The vast open spaces, the silence, the heat and the sand.

And so the addiction started.

Warren Muldoon, an American competitor, convinced me to enter the Sahara Race in Egypt.
Game on! Why not.

250km through the Sahara Desert, me and my 8.5kg backpack. One set of clothing, and alot of food!

The NDC Crew

October 2012......the wait.....and then finally the time came. On my way to Egypt for the Sahara Race 2012.
I got on the plane, super excited and super nervous. I had absolutely no idea of the adventure that awaits!!!

Hello Egypt!

I'm going to fast forward to the day we left for the desert.

4 busses with 134 competitors hit the dodgy Cairo roads.....don't think I'll go back to Egypt for a holiday(hahahah).
4 hours later we were in the desert, WOW - POWERFULLLLLLLL

The first campsite was next to a lake, that's one thing I can give to the Racing the planet team. Every campsite was on the most amazing spots. As for the CP's.....lets go with hide and seek...

Our village in the middle of nowhere

Khonsu - my home for the next 7 days. We were such a crazy cool bunch in that tent. Out tent was quite messy, hahahha - 2 Korean boys, 2 Japanese boys, 2 Japanese girls, me, Timo, Warren and Willem. It was a rather tight fit, very cosy! My sleeping partners on my left and right, was Timo and Juni.

Khonsu Fleamarket - Miki, Yoko, Timo and Willem

I love those kids to bits! Juni, was my favourite. He called me his ' Sahara mommy ', because I was always looking after them. Making sure that they eat etc. They only finished between 5 and 7pm everyday. And they finished and started every day with bit fat smiles. Juni is doing the 4 deserts grand Slam this year!!!! So super cool!

My kids

The day started any time from 4am!!! I got up at 5am ish, coffee, breakfast and then getting ready for the day. Every morning Juni will ask me "What time is it?" I will reply "5am" Juni "see you tomorrow" Covering his head, and back to sleep.  And suddenly it was 6:30 and time for the race breefing. Alina with her load speaker, explaining what is waiting for us in the desert.....the stages was described as moderate, difficult, moderate/difficult.....well my idea of moderate was definitaly not her idea of moderate.

The type of sand varied the whole time, so you keep on adjusting your running style. Or shall I say, shuffle style. And when tired. Walk. There were alot of walking involved.
The whole course where mark with pink flags, running one flag, walk one flag. "Just move forward Westie"

From 9am that thing, called the sun aka the one eyed devil, had no mercy. Like N.O.
All you can do is to try and block out the heat. And now and then there would be a bit of a breeze, heaven!

I couldn't do any heat training for the race, because the Cape Town winter was wet and cold.
But I knew I would be able to handle the heat, I grew up in the Northern Cape. And believe me, December in the Kalahari is no joke. My sister said to me before I left 'You will be OK, you've got Kalahari sand in your blood'

I ran my own race everyday. Just me, myself and I. When I started running everyday, I felt good. The legs took about and hour just to keep going again, and then I was fine. Flag to Flag. Checkpoint to Checkpoint.

Between every checkpoint there was a halfway marker, that really helped alot. Check check, water fine. Go.

At every CP you were greeted by the friendly voluteers. Cheering you on and filling up water bottles.
I didn't dare sit down for a bit of a rest, I was to scared I won't be able to get up again. hahahaha.

and then, suddenly - HOME! I was rather relieved everyday to see the campsite.

first things first. Back to the tent. Recovery Time!

My recovery consisted of the following:
Getting a camp chair.
Shoes off.
Socks off.
Feet on chair.
Hammer Recoverite with Pepto Pro
BCAA's
60g Parmesan cheese.
and Bob's your uncle.

Dinner time.....anytime from 4:30 was a good time to have dinner. But then madam still had to make her bowl...you cut a 1.5l water bottle in half. A cup and a bowl!
The one evening Timo asked me "when shall we go for dinner", and his next question was "have you made your bowl yet" Now that's what I call a wingman!

Lunch is served, desert style!

Dinner time

Next time I will definitaly take a bigger variety of food. I had Cottage Pie EVERY evening. At least it tasted good. Adding some olive oil for extra Calories. the Italian style!

Khonsu Fleamarket.....the best flea market in the Sahara.
Warren got rid of food on a daily bases....he's pack was to heavy.
We didn't mind at all.....cliff bars, freeze dried meals, gels! I'll take it!!
But you have to be quick - I was quick! very quick.
Left over chicken and rice. Thank you Warren!

The long march - 12h46 of running/walking/crawling. It's all about the long march, and I still had some energy left. The previous day I ran a bit to hard, so I could feel that the legs were not to happy. But its the last day, and I knew I would finish this race. Come hell of high water.
The day feel like of a bit of a blur at the moment. I had no idea how long the 87km will take to complete.
At CP6 - the over night and hot water point - I had some tea and marched on. Liz was manning the CP, and it was so nice to see her face! She had to pull out of the race, doctors orders....Liz, there are still alot of deserts out there. And I can hear them calling us....Liiiiizzzzzzz.....Kriiiissssss.

At CP7 I got the good news.....only 28km's left. I had to fight back the tears. Can't start crying now, still 28k's to go girl.

only 28km to go!!

Tony did a quick kit check - red flashing light + head lamp. Tick. Right ready for the running in the dark. I've never ran in the dark before, it was not as scary as I thought it would be. I could see red flashing lights in front of me, and the route was marked with glow sticks. So all good, no need for a panick atttack!

The last CP before camp, I saw my favourite Frenchie....Max! It was so good to see his face. Max was the man in charge of the Cybertent. He did not sleep alot!

Wow, the finish line.....there are no words. That feeling of accomplishment is what make us come back for more. Tears of joy was streaming down my face. Fuckit, I did it!


I miss the desert and its people. ALOT.

New friends for life!

until next time!

Thanks Eqypt!

Greg, me, Liz

 

my wingman

the beginning

It's been a rather long road to get to the Sahara 2012.

Hours and hours of training. Weekends were no longer for socialising, but for running.
But I don't regret a single minute of it. There is nothing like spending hours on the trails, running, walking, crawling and climbing.
And now it's showtime!

I see the Sahara Race as the beginning. The beginning of fantastic things to come.
Everyone says that the race will be life changing.....maybe that's why I'm doing these kind of races.
Constantly looking for something, and deep down hoping I will never find it.

Everything is set for the Sahara. My bags are pack and ready to go.

my pack weighs 8kg......so much for 7kg.
the only way I can get to 7kg, is if I get rid of some food.
I'm sure I'll do some repacking in Egypt with the help of my fellow runners.

I'm so SO looking forward to this adventure and seeing my two friends Warren and Timo again.

Ok, one or 2 loose ends to tie up......chat soon via the 4 Deserts website.

I'll be back. With my medal.

Kriss West, Queen of the desert

11384 KJ's

or +/-2600 Cal...........

and this my dear friends, is what I will be consuming per day....give or take a few Cal's.

It is so difficult to pack food for a day, when I have NO idea how much time I will spend running.
When I look at last years times, day 1 is the fastest, day 2 longer, and then day 3 and 4 sort of the same. And then the infamous LONG day.

My packing list for the long day will be a bit different for the other days.
I will have to eat some proper food somewhere during the day, because only living on energy gels for 15hours will not do the trick.

the whole eating and carry on running bit I don't really like. Its going to be HOT and I will have to do my best of best to keep the food down. So, smash and biltong it will be. And its been tried and tested by myself - Delicious!
Not sure how delicious its going to be in 50C......I will let you know afterwards.

I've got this mental block against packing my bag for the race, but this weekend is D-day.
If I can check in under 8kgs it will be FANTASTIC!

In the not to distant future.......this will replace

this in my pack!

Today are one of those days, where I am SO SUPER EXCITED about the race.

only 18 days to go till showtime!!!!!

a bit of sand training

with less than 50 days to go......the stress levels are increasing day by day. but going hand in hand with stress is excitement. I've been looking forward to the Sahara Race for a very long time. and now it's almost here.

this past weekend was a recovery weekend, with only a few hours of running. I love to run, but I must say I quite enjoy recovery weekends.....then I can fit in a bit of social and family time!

my raidlight trekking poles, ie. Javier and Jorge Rodrigues Rodrigues, joined me on my beach run this weekend. Seeing that we will be spending alot of quality time together, I figured that it is only appropriate to name them. and i must say, they made the few hours on the beach an absolute JOY! they are SO going with me to the Sahara.
The poles only weight 120g each, fabulous little numbers from Raidlight. a must have for the desert.

Javier and Jorge Rodrigues Rodrigues

After a recovery week, comes a heavy training week - but I'm looking forward to spending some serious time on the legs this week. Speed work, hill work and some sand!!!! BRING IT ON!

Ok, training does not only exist of spending hours on the trails and in the gym, but also sorting out what food to take with on my race.

Do you have any idea how quickly a few grams turn into a kilogram? shocking!
I made up a potential food packet for one day.......820gram. and believe you me, there is not alot in that ziplock bag!
and I have to take 7 of those for the race....crap. when push comes to shove, i'm gonna go with a bottle of olive oil and a few blocks of parmesan cheese. sounds appetising hey! delicious!!

food update and some pics to follow later this week.

the serious countdown to the race has started.

a corner thing

Life doesn't always go the way we want it to go.
In a perfect world the runner never gets injured. Never!
Especially not 10 weeks before the race.

and not just any race.....the biggest race of my life to date.

....the story...
...10 days ago I went for a normal training run. Nothing funny, just a bit of sand and a bit of single track. I spend about 4hrs out on the trail. I was a bit tired afterwards. Back sore from the heavy backpack. Just a normal day at the office.

but then the next day..........O MY WORD. PAIN. Severe pain in my left leg. And it's my good leg for f" sakes.
It felt like shin splints, and I figured - rest for a few days and then everything will be back to normal.
or not.

After resting for  a few days, I was back on the mountain............20mins later I was in tears.

Self diagnosis 101. Stress fracture. That's the only thing that makes sense. Shin splints cannot be this painful.

anyway, Today I had a MRI done. good and bad news.
Good news - IT IS NOT A STRESS FRACTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but very bad shin splints. the reason for the shin splints? Really don't know.

Some people might say it's overtraining....but I don't think so.

Bad news - no running for at least 4 weeks!!! HUGE F"up

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER!

GAME PLAN!
Shock wave therapy.
Aqua jogging.
Spinning.
Gym.
and maybe walking with the backpack.

Because, I am going to the Sahara. and I am going to have a fabulous race. even if I have to walk it.

Now I will just have to try not to over-do it with all these alternatives to running. Don't want to end up with some other weird injury.

Who gets shin splints for no apparent reason?

well, ME.

all pretty in pink.....going nowhere slowly

Just going to take it one day at a time!

a constant state of tiredness

Training for any race, takes alot of time + energy + commitment.
Some days it takes alot of bribing to put on those running shoes and hitting the road.
Especialy if have to hit the road/mountain/sand with a backpack that weighs about 8kgs.

BBM does not stand for BlackBerryMessenger......but for BrokeBackMountain!

After a heavy weekend of training, my shoulders are shot! I'm actually thinking of walking around with my pack everyday. People might look at me funny, but who cares! Me and my pack need to become the best of best of friend. BestFriendsForever.

So on Friday I received my new pack.......the start of a new love/hate relationship. But I truly believe that this love affair will last a while.

My new boyfriend.......Raidlight Runner R-light 30l!!!!!!

Isn't he just gorgeous!

Ok, so now I've got all my KIT for the Sahara. My credit card will be so relieved......phew! There is nothing like a bit of online shopping for gear for the Sahara.

Next on the menu.....is food. FOOD. Time to finalise what food to take with. A block of Parmesan cheese and a bottle of olive oil can only be appetising up to a certain point!

Seeing that I have no social life at the moment, evenings can be spend weighing little plastic bags of food!!!!!!!! What can be more fun than that!

BackPackTraining 101

This weekend's training consisted of time on the legs with a heavy backpack. Almost 10h of training with a backpack that I thought weighed about 8kg........yeah right. Try 10.5kg!!!
How it's possible for 8kg of rice to weigh 10.5kg, is beyond me. But then........the rice was not the only thing that was in my pack.....let's add the food, camera, cellphone, car keys. Jip, us girls we don't travel light!

Needless to say, my shoulders are sore. VERY SORE. and there is NO way I would be able to run 250km with such a heavy backpack. Not that I ever planned for it to clock in at that weight, but at least now I know it's out of the question. I don't want to be the last one over the finish line every day.....

Then, another problem.......my backpack might be to big for me. Kept adusting the straps the whole time, because the pack just didn't want to 'sit still'. So much for my fancy ass OMM - I still think it's a very cool pack with loads of cool little pockets everywhere. But if the pack is not a tight fit, I'm afraid it might be the end of our very brief relationship.

Dear OMM, it's not you, it's me....we can still be friends?

Back-up backpack plan - the old faithfull Raidlight! Now that is a very small pack, and it will be a very very tight squeeze to fit everything in that pack. But it's do-able, it will just take careful planning and there won't be space for anything extra, or nice to have. Bare essentials only. Maybe xtra socks....and that's it!

I do have a creative side to me.....so pimping the Raidlight with an extra pocket or 2 is very do-able.

Better get this backpack issue sorted ASAP. The clock is ticking and the Sahara is waiting for no-one.

happy training everyone!

117 Days to go

After an EPIC weekend of training.........EPIC......as in THE WORST EVER training weekend of the year. Or even last year. It was just one of those weekends were I could not get my feet moving. Everything was sore - legs, feet, .....just about my whole body.

That might be due to the fact that I had a EPIC COOL training weekend the previous one. 50km of running in Table Mountain. From Camps Bay to Kalkbay. 11hrs later......

So that training run came back and bite me in the back side this weekend. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. I see this past weekend as "hitting rock bottom" and it can only get better from here onwards.

With only 117 days to go, there is no more time for bad training weekends. IT IS SOMETHING OF THE PAST. punt klaar punt

On Friday I paid the balance of the entry fee for The Sahara Race end of October - and suddenly it hit me. This is it!!!!!! Only 4 months to go 'till the biggest running event of my life. Faaarrrkkkk!!!!!

There are still so much to do - Training - KIT - FOOD.


Training.........ignoring this weekend's EPIC FAIL......is going according to plan.
It's a new week, with new goals. The goal - TO follow my training program to the T.
No "I'm not in the mood to do speed work" - Just do it. Don't stop when tired, stop when done. Don't stop when tired, stop when done. Don't stop when tired, stop when done............Ja Ja, this is me talking to myself.

KIT.......got almost everthing I need for the race. A few mandatory are still missing, but nothing that a bit of online shopping can't fix.

FOOD........alot.


Training for the Sahara Race, is a journey....... A journey I'm planning to enjoy every km of the way.


"We no longer see the obstacles behind us, but look forward to the ones ahead" - Killian Jornet

80/20 Rule

"80% of all Competitions/Race/Challenges are won by the MIND"

Very true words from a friend of mine.

Last week I started my training for the Sahara Race - kick off in a 130+ days. I've been looking forward to this race since last year March. After doing the Namib Deserts Challenge in 2011, I realised this is just the beginning. And that I've found something that truely makes me happy. Running for days on end in the desert. Me Myself and I. And the only thing that keeps you company, is your mind. And I discovered that I've got a pretty strong one. Maybe tooooo strong sometimes.....but that's not a bad thing?

(ps. the Sahara is a COMPLETELY different ball game..........but what the hell, life to short to play it safe.)

Training for Ultra's is part of my life. It's what I do. It's who I am.

Yesterday I spend a few hours training in the Jonkershoek Mountains - me and my backpack and 6kg's of rice. 6kg's of Tastic rice might not sound like alot, but O my word, it gets heavy! I'm slowly building up to 8kg's - so by the time I get to the Sahara, I'll be ready. I'm not going to let a heavy backpack slow this queen of the desert down! and for the moment I'm just ignoring the fact that training for a desert race, in the middle of the Cape Town winter, is not ideal.


and that's my 2cents for the day.


ABILITY:  is what you're capable of doing.....tick
MOTIVATION :  determines what you do....tick
ATTITUDE: determines how well you do it....tick

                                                            Jonkershoek Training

And my two best friends.....my Inov8 Roclites

The return of the Mountain Goat

This time it was at the Helderberg Mountain Extreme. Only 24km......That's nothing.....Right?

On Saturday night I thought it might be a good idea just to check last year's times. O my shattered nerves.....this will take me longer to finish than the Jonkershoek race of 2 week ago. And Jonkershoek was 30km!! So I new something was cooking with this race, ain't no flats involved.
And that was the correct assumption. It was up and up and up and then down and then up and up and more up.

The start of a LONG climb



Long walk to freedom

My quads were killing me....but what can you do. I can stop, gooi a tantrum, but then what. I'm already halfway up the mountain (for the SECOND time I might ad), so lets just finish this mother.

One thing that I realised at this race was that I need to work on up hills. Alot of people passed me as I missioned to the top op the West Peak. But then when it came to the downhills, they had to get out of my way, cause I was FLYING down. I was running on pure adrenaline! I politely ignored the fact that if I do slip and fall, I'm going to be falling for a LONG time! Block. Ignore. Run.

The Helderberg Xtreme is 60% mountain (and rock) climbing and 40% running....well that's my opinion. I think if I knew what I was getting myself into, I would have thought twice about entering. But by next year, I would have forgotten about the 'bad' things of the race...and will enter again.


Boulder hopping....ps. slippery when wet.

Even though this race, for me, was tougher than the Jonkershoek one, I felt like a million bucks afterwards. Ignoring the fact that when I finished the race, I was sort of covered in blood. A certain young lady decided to buy a piece of single track on the Helderberg Mountain. Flat piece of single track. Only a few rocks. And those few rocks connected with my hand, arm and both knees. it was a spectacular fall. And I did check....no-one saw me. . I fell so hard that I had to wait a few minutes for the air to return to my lungs.....Girls don't cry. Girls don't cry.

This was truly an extreme race, very technical downhills and very steep up hills.

For those +/- 5 hours I felt ALIVE! Un-stop-a-ble.

The mountain goat is back, for the time being....giving the queen of the desert a bit of a breather.

Queen of the Desert turns Mountain Goat for a day

......at the Jonkershoek Mountain Extreme.

What a lekke way to spend a Sunday morning.....At least this time the weather was perfect. As we trekked up the mountain the temperature did take a bit of a dive, but you could still feel your hands and feet. So nothing to complain about. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL up on the mountain.

OK, first you have to get up the mountain..........all the way up Swartboskloof!!!!


Trekking up Swartboskloof

Trail running.....lets call it trail walking rather. It was this snake of colourful trailrunners hiking up the mountain. I didn't feel bad not even attempting to run up this monster, because everyone infront of me was walking...Phew. Thank goodness.

Spectacular view from the top

Once I got to the top - it was a mixture of run, walk and caution caution. For one split second I did not concentrate .....and down I went. Crash boom bang. At least I connected with a grass patch and not the rocky single track. A well, that's part of the whole adventure. Scars are cool!
In the back of my mind I sort of recall from last year, that there is a very tricky downhill coming up.
Tricky might be a bit of an understatement. Nerve-recking.....mountain, single track, slip and fall and they will find me days later. This race is NOT for my friend Mike in the UK....his got a bit of a vertigo thing going.

Concentration to the max, as we all venture down a very steep and technical downhill.

                                                          Caution Caution

And suddenly it was over, and I could start running. At this point the 19km competitors joined the 30km competitors. We(the 30k'ers) must have looked like a bunch of wild creatures, running as if something was chasing us. After over 3hours on the mountain, this was the first time we could actually run.....that's what we came here to do. RUN.

ps. note to self: If one enters a mountain race, one must train on the mountain.

My technical running ability was not what it's supposed to be - not use to rockhopping! that is more Linda Doke's scene. Linda, next year you have to run, to show us how it's supposed to be done!

and then, nothing like ending a day with a bit of an injury. I could feel the inflammation in my foot getting real bad from about 6k's to go. But what can you do. Finish the race and deal with it afterwords.

Self-treatment 101: nothing that duct tape and mixed veg's can't fix.

Cheers
the wanna-be Mountain Goat

and the next desert.....

From the 1st of May it will be all systems go for the next desert......The SAHARA!!!

At the moment I'm enjoying my recovery period, bit of gym, little running and a bit of socialising

I'm super excited about this race - it's a BIG one - but with the help of Ian and a bunch of experienced 4 Desert loonies, I'll be fine (I hope....).

My training for the Sahara will have to be completely different than for Namibia. Guess I'll be spending my weekends running up and down Blouberg beach or in the Atlantis dunes!

.
For the Sahara I have to carry everything I need for the 7 days on my back. I'm going to try my best to clock in my backpack at max 7kg.....that's heavy! and even heavier if you have to run in sand for 7 days.

All fun and games!

Now to secure sponsorship..........there are a few deserts still to be conquered!


This is only the beginning.

Live your life while you are alive

WOW WOW WOW

What an absolutely amazing week in the Namib desert! I can honestly say that is was THE BEST week of my life. The race the people the organisers (Kinetic Events - www.namibdesertchalllenge.com) everything.
And to the Sossusvlei Lodge that fed us every night. At 18h30 every night they rocked up with most amazing food! Springbok steak and potatoes for me, thank you!

With the build up to the race I was quite nervous....will my feet be OK, will I be OK.....you know what everything was perfect. I did get a few blisters, but nothing serious. With the adrenalin pumping you don't even feel your sore feet.

Day 1 and 2 was WET. and they say it never rains in the desert. Bull!
It was all fun and games, I managed not to get any blisters on day 1, only realy disgusting looking feet.
At check point 1 I changed my socks.....was a mental thing....because 30 seconds later they were wet....again.
Mike and Glen(in picture below, and members of Team Toss) passed me at the checkpoint with the following remark..."Looks like trench foot" (thanks guys)

Finished the day with a big fat smile on my face!

and I just knew, this will be an amazing 5 days in the desert.

Day 2 was still wet........

But running in cool weather does make a difference....last year I did day 2 in 6h30 and this year I came in at 5h03!

Thank goodness the sun came out for a bit so that we could dry our clothes, socks and shoes.
We had a barbeque for clothes..........and we came up with new perfume as well....Fire and Sweat.
One day myself and Jesus Menendez will cash in on this unique fragrance!

The Team Toss washing line

and then came Day 3...........and the sun! YEAH!! I trained for HOT weather conditions and not for Jungle type weather. So I felt confident that the day will be good, and a great one it was. Got back to the camp after 4h of running, the sun was shining and could charge my ipod, dry my clothes and all was good.
(as you can see, the main theme of NDC this year was "how to dry your clothes and shoes")

The long day, Day 4

I teamed up with David Barnard after about 6km's and we ran together the whole way. This was the first time in a race that I ran so well with someone else. We ran, walked and chatted and suddenly the day was over. As we approached checkpoint 4, I was a bit disappointed......because the day was almost done, and I wasn't ready for it. Only one more day, and the race will be done and dusted.

Jo(1st lady), Me and Tiaan

Me and Jesus

Day 5........What a blast!. The route was very flat for the first 10+km and then we hit the dunes. Super cool racing and so so beautiful. As I approached the finish line, there were a truck load of tourists behind me - they had no intention of passing me, but instead they cheered me on all the way to the finish line. That was super cool!

Dirk Cloete - NDC 2012 winner!!!

Every day I ran MY race, MY pace and in MY comfort zone.
and I felt alive. I belonged there. Staged racing is my thing. LOVE it!

To all my peeps! Dudes, thanks for all your support! You guys have no idea what it means to me to have you behind me and supporting me in my crazy adventures!


To all my new friends...........was super super cool to meet you guys! I really hope we meet up in the not to distant future.

You know you are all welcome to join me in the Sahara later this year.......

Kriss West, Queen of the desert