Marathon des Sables 2015: my 5 must-have camp items for running the Sahara

It’s sandy, it’s hot and with questionable loo etiquette, the multi-stage race known as the Marathon des Sables will test you at the best of times. But if you at least make sure you’re half-prepped for the journey and post-race life at camp, the ride may be more comfortable. So for anyone up for this crazy desert adventure (or any other similar challenge), I’ve pulled together my 5 must-have camp items for running the Sahara.

1. Wemmi wipes

Watch as they grow…

The only help you will receive in the toilet department is what became known by us happy campers as poo bags (and even these are rationed). Needless to say, you’re on your own when it comes to toilet paper. Wemmi wipes are your ideal solutions as they come as they come in a dry tablet form. All you do is add water and they expand to the size of a wet wipe, which you can use to clean your face, body and then finally, well, you know where. A word of warning, do not haphazardly drop the Wemmi wipe into your bottle of water or you could spend up to half an hour trying to fish it back out. Alternatively you could simply de-hydrate wet wipes. Whatever you do, don’t forget to take something as you will not even find foliage that’ll do the job at some camps.

2. Victorinox SwissCard Classic

They may look like the weapons from a miniature Cluedo game but this credit card-sized tool kit will power you through

A knife may be mandatory on the Marathon des Sables kit list but this little gem of a tool contained a seriously sharp knife to slice up plastic bottles and a useful pair of scissors for cutting up foot-tape or opening the rather gooey soy sauces and flavouring of my staple camp dinner: chilli noodles. There’s also a pen, tweezers, nail file and toothpick. It weighs virtually nothing (26g) and if you really want to experiment (or the heat has finally got to you), you could create a make-shift shower by piercing holes in the bottom of the plastic bottle by using the toothpick tool.

3. A foil windbreak

What’s cooking? Stylishly using my foil windbreak in the desert (c) Kieran Alger

Granted my foil windbreak wasn’t the most sophisticated in our tent. As opposed to Matty’s, who had basically moulded a sheet of aluminium, I had made it at the last minute out of injinji sock packaging, aluminium foil and sellotape (A-Team, eat your heart out). It did, however, protect the tiny Esbit fuel tab flame of my Bunsen burner and ensure both my evening noodles and morning porridge were cooked to camp perfection. Of course, food choice is down to you and some people are perfectly happy to forgo the fuss of having to heat up water. Personally, I liked the idea of having a hot evening “meal”.

4. Lifeventure titanium mug

Boils up to 450ml of water – adequate for my regime of noodles and porridge

If you do go down the cooking route, you have to order Esbit fuel tablets from the official site. Be aware that the 20 Esbit tablets you receive are 4g not 12g each. Also ensure that you decant them into a plastic bag – they will disintegrate into dust if left in the box. I didn’t know any of this before I arrived but having a smaller titanium mug meant my use of fuel was way more efficient than my tent-mates and their larger cooking tins.They had to use two tablets to bring the water to the boil whereas mine cooked the noodles with one. I even had spares at the end which I traded for as many painkillers as I could get my hands on.

5. Two sealable plastic sandwich bags

Just in case you had no idea what I’ve been bleating on about

From keeping your Esbit tablets in-tact to protecting your eating apparatus, sandwich bags could not be more useful in the desert. It goes without saying that they are as light as a feather. You can use them to organise your bag into sections, protect your gear (roadmap) or even inflate them into pillows (something I failed to do). Honestly, it’s the little things we take for granted at home that can become multi-purpose in the desert.

Checkpoints Race: get connected to win the ultimate prize

The running world is a crazy place to be – with so many races to choose from it can be difficult to know where to focus your energy. And if you do have a goal in mind, say a spring marathon, what to do once you’ve crossed that finish line, got the medal and worn the t-shirt?

All those months of training shouldn’t go to waste so why not channel your energies towards a new challenge? One that demands teamwork in order to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to race across the Alps in September 2015.

Sounds intriguing

Introducing the Checkpoints Race – a challenge that connects runners from all over the world to create a social running league. How? Well, the aim of the game is for  teams of five runners to work together so that they can potentially win a trip to an all-expenses paid final 24-hour relay race at the heart of Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps from 25 to 27 September 2015. Bringing together 50 winning teams from all over the world, it’s the ultimate prize. And if you’re not convinced about the fun of 24-hour races, then hopefully these posts on the adidas Thunder Run and the Spitfire Scramble will change your mind.

Get your team together to earn Energy Points

Say what? I’m interested now

To be in with a chance of taking part in this inaugural once-in-a-lifetime experience, you need to first encourage four other runners to join you. Don’t worry if you can’t persuade anyone as the organisers of the Checkpoints Race offer entry for individuals who they then put together. It’s your goals as a team to collect as many ‘Energy Points’ as possible from May 2015 to September 2015.

How do I score Energy Points? 

You don’t have to be the fastest or an endurance athlete to score Energy Points. In fact, this challenge is as much a test of your ability to gather your troops and supporters as it is about your running performance. There are several ways to earn points and while your workout in terms of distance, speed and elevation does count towards your Energy Points, so does encouraging supporters of your team to run for you (hello Team Naturally) – the more supporters the more points. There will also be a series of playful games throughout the five month challenge to keep things interesting.

Hang on, where are these Energy Points kept?

Once you’ve signed up to Checkpoints Races, you then download their app (available in Google Play and the Apple Store). This automatically connects to your favourite running app (Garmin, Strava, Nike+, MapMyRun, Runtastic, etc……) and keeps you connected to your team and your supporters. You’ll be able to see your team’s progress as well as where you sit on the leaderboard.

Great, this will keep me motivated over the summer

Indeed, it will and even if you’re a bit of a naked runner, the challenge and competitive spirit of the race may spark your interest. This global race has already been endorsed by running superstar Paula Radcliffe and is an interesting challenge to get involved in. It may also be a motivational push throughout the summer months to train while having fun.

What’s the cost?

You can buy a solo pass now for $15 or a team pass for $65, which seems pretty reasonable for a motivational kick and the chance to race in the Alps. There are also entries for businesses (boost your workforce moral) and charity places. To find out more, go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/checkpoints-race-the-social-running-league

So who’s game?

I have to admit, I’m tempted. I just need a few people to team up with me. Any takers?

To find out more about the Checkpoints Race, go to http://bit.ly/CPR15-inF215

 

2014: The year that…

Yoga in a pod – views over London

1. I got high on yoga

Not only did I kick-off this year with a yoga class on the London Eye or in the clouds but I also embraced my “inner yogi” with a view from the Shard. A first for me on both accounts, I can now say that I have seen London from all angles.

2. The marathon madness continued

In the top 10 ladies but I’m not over 50!

As in the Paris, Geneva, Kent Roadrunner, Bournemouth, Rail to Trail Newport, Rail to Trail Cuxton and A20 Path’n’Downs Marathons – that’s a total of seven marathons or 183.4 miles of marathon races. Phew, I need a drink just thinking about it. I also managed a new PB by chatting away to a fellow competitor and kissing my boyf halfway round the race. I’m not over 50 though!

3. I went off-road

The road is long…especially when you make a wrong turn

And found my feet on the trails. In August, I took part in the Berghaus Trailscape – an epic multi-day event across the beautiful North York moors. I may not be able to add reading a map to my CV as my group went about 10K off-course but I can say that the race was breathtakingly beautiful. Similarly, running on the North Downs with Matt Buck’s Running Adventures in early December was the perfect escape from the City and something I’d love to do again and again.

4. Tried out the trails

Trailscape running equals bliss

In the latter part of the year, I also tried a new series of races called Trailscape – Rail to Trail. Easy to access as they are around an hour from London by train, these races put me through my paces. Hills, mud, white flags to follow and great company, trails are definitely a challenge and a whole load of fun.

5. And worked as a team for 24 hours

Thunderbabes are go…

A bunch of running mates team up together to see how many 10K laps they can complete in 24 hours may sound like madness to you but to me it’s a weekend full of fantastic memories. Both the Adidas Thunder Run and Spitfire Scramble were fun, frantic, adrenaline-fuelled events and I loved every minute. Music festivals feature heavily on my annual to-do list but running festivals are also becoming a must on my list. Thank you to adidas, the Thunderbabes and Team Naturally Run for the ride – I had a blast.

6. I met sporting heroes

Hanging out with Haile like you do on a Sunday

This year I ran with Haile Gebrselassie (get me) who was absolutely inspirational (and tiny). His philosphy that “Running is life, Running is medicine” rings so true. I also took the plunge with my childhood hero Duncan Goodhew. He boosted my confidence in the water and offered some fantastic tips for anyone wanting to take part in the annual Swimathon.

7. My trainers multiplied

Running all over town and beyond…

From adidas adizeros to the Salomon SpeedCross 3W, this year I finally found a range of trainers which suit the various races that I take part in. I tend to train in the adidas boost or Asics, run road marathons in adidas zeros, tackle the hills of X country in spikes and hit the mud of the trails in Salomons. It may seem extravagant to own a variety of trainers but by swapping them around according to terrain, I’m sure I am making the most out of them and myself.

8. I was introduced to LIJA, Boom Cycle, Results with Lucy and Chia seeds 

Me in my gold jacket

This year hot new Canadian brand LIJA caught my attention, especially a certain gold jacket that I wore continuously throughout spring, Boom Cycle became a part of my weekly routine, thanks to their new half hour lunchtime classes in Holborn, Results with Lucy also proved to be handy in terms of cross training and overall fitness, and Chia seeds were a welcome addition to my rather hit and miss diet.

9. I cycled in Carcassone, Vietnam and at the London Duathlon .

London Duathlon 2014

As well as traveling to Paris, Geneva and Italy, the boyf and I headed to the medieval town of Carcassone where we took advantage of the many vineyards en velo and Vietnam, where again we cycled like proper tourists in pointy straw hats. Back on UK soil, I continue to cycle to work and even participated in the London Duathlon on my ramshackle of a bike. Three times up the infamous hill was tough but the whole event was a lot of fun.

10. You met the Dynamo Mum

Well done Dynamo Mum

What a woman! Having never taken part in a race before, my 60-something mum trained so she could do the Race for Life with me. It was a real pleasure running the route with her and encouraging mum to keep going until the end. I’m so proud of the Dynamo Mum.

11. I signed up for the biggest challenge yet

Oodles of noodles for MdS

In less than 100 days, I will be setting off on an adventure across the Sahara desert with everything I need on my back. This multi-stage race known as the Marathon des Sables or, to quote my Dad, “that crazy run across the sand” is daunting and exciting. As of 1 January 2015, it will be properly heads down so I can ensure that I am the best I can be but #mygoal for 2015 is to finish this challenge smiling (and hopefully dancing). I am running the Marathon des Sables 2015 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. If you would like to sponsor me, please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SaharaBecsRun

12. Love is the answer

Witness the fitness of Team Naturally (what a lovely bunch of girls) getting scrambled

This year has been in some ways a trial (we had no bathroom for a few months earlier on in the year, which meant I learnt very quickly where the closest gyms are in proximity to my home and also now know what Kenwood House’s toilets look like although I have never been inside the house for a look around). But in other ways, it has been absolutely magnificent.

Ring-a-ding-ding

Not only have I met some fantastic people thanks to running, many of my closest friends have become engaged and married and I have also had the pleasure of becoming an aunt for the first time. And the icing on the cake was saying “yes” to my partner of seven years and sporting my own piece of bling. We’re leaving it until 2016 as next year I have Marathon des Sables and the wedding of one of my bestest friends. The next few years are certainly looking bright and I’m enjoying just living in this moment.

As Rik Mayall, who sadly passed away this year, said in a speech to graduates at the University of Exeter:

 Love is the answer  

Happy New Year

Equinox made me do it: that is #ETC

Equinox made me do it – no, not this but their new #ETC

Equinox made you do what exactly? Yep, this may sound like I’m passing the buck over to the very swish Equinox Fitness Club on High Street Kensington but their latest fitness class certainly uses those muscles you (or I) may have neglected over the past few months. Believe me, the short ‘taster session’ was a wake-up call to my abs and triceps. But please, don’t let me put you off as what I have to say is their latest offering is perhaps one of the most comprehensive fitness programmes I have seen in a while.

Imagine a gruelling bootcamp session mixed with HIIT (High-intensity Interval Training) plus teamwork and you kind of get my drift. All I know is that this half-hour ‘taster’ certainly pushed me to my max and it certainly was tough love for the trainer bellowing instructions my way.

This opportunity to get the “best body possible” or so the blurb around the Equinox Training Camp (#ETC to the Twittersphere) claims takes shape in the form of an hour-long class, led by the motivational fitness instructor Geoff Bagshaw, and is part of a new six-week bootcamp-style program that aims to get you feeling fitter and better than ever.

As I said before, by combining elements of the oh-so-now HIIT with teamwork, this complete body workout burns calories and uses muscles you never knew existed. The moves themselves are not overly complicated and form part of a sequence of drills and core-focused resistance training which everyone can do. From clock lunges and squats to burpees and  a minute of rowing, each exercise can be modified to suit people of all abilities. Essentially, it’s down to you how hard you work.

And here’s the deal-breaker; not only can you burn between 600 to 1,000 calories throughout the hour-long session, the nature of the exercises (HIIT), mean that you continue to burn calories at a higher rate for up to 48 hours after the class.

It is a six-week program, so you do have to be committed to the cause and as with all exercise, you only get what you put in. But after that time, you may well find that your strength, endurance, speed and flexibility have improved dramatically. The Equinox team also believe that the bootcamp-style classes will create a kind of camaraderie among the participants. You get to know them, laugh with them, sweat with them and motivate them along. And if you’re the kind of person who needs a little nudge to get moving or motivated, then the Equinox Training Camp could be for you. Sometimes it’s easier to take direction from the experts to help kick-start your fitness routine. This programme will certainly do that.

Whether you’re looking to improve your current fitness or simply do not know where to start on the road to health, Equinox Training Camp is the catalyst to make you do just that. Believe me, it certainly made me push myself harder. Equinox made me do it.

To find out more click here

I was invited to participate in a half-hour class by Equinox and all views here are my own. It was tough and a great workout for one dimensional cardio addicts like me.

September challenge: London Duathlon 2013

Becs talking about cross training in Women’s Running

SPOILER ALERT: Sorry for all you guys who haven’t seen this month’s Women’s Running magazine, but if you turn to The Great Debate feature, you’ll see that this month it’s all about cross training.

Besides the fact that the lovely Leah and I have a starring role in this feature, the subject itself is an important one for runners. And if you’re a crazy lady like me, it’s perhaps even more pertinent. For alongside training for the Women’s Running 10k, the Royal Parks Ultra 50k (you can always sponsor me here), I have also signed up for my first duathlon. Yes, that’s right – I will be taking part in the London Duathlon 2013 (Sprint) at Richmond Park on Sunday 15 September 2013.

Why? Well, I guess I want to see if I can do it. You can probably tell by now that I love a good challenge. What’s more, I was a cyclist before I became a runner. In fact, while my teenage friends were lazing about in bed on a Saturday morning, I was cycling up and down hills pushing copies of The Sun and The Daily Mail through customers’ letterboxes. Fun? It wasn’t. But it did mean I was pretty hot on “current affairs” (I delivered The Sun and The Daily Mail remember) during this time, it kept me fit and I was able to get my hands on the latest Bush album in Our Price.  It’ll also be a good bit of cross training for my 50k.

When I moved to London in 2006, I pretty much moved my bike with me and got to know the Big Smoke on two wheels. The thing is, and it’s a pretty big thing, I have never cycled competitively. Cycling has always been a way of getting from A to B or a leisurely activity. I have even been on two cycling holidays but timing myself has never been on an agenda. I guess I want to see if my equivalent of cycle “plodding” will be transformed when my competitive streak kicks in.  If all else fails, at least I have a bike, helmet and my running legs to keep me going. I honestly hope it will not come to that.

Alongside weddings, holidays, festivals and other silly season madness, I have tried to come up with some sort of adaptation of my 50k training plan by using these suggestions from the London Duathlon’s training expert, Dermott Hayes from RG Active:

Dermott Hayes says: Do your homework

Have I checked the transport for the day as Dermott suggests? Not yet, but I definitely will follow this rule closer to the time after my rather poor planning pre my last race The National Lottery Anniversary Run. He also says chat to athletes who have competed in the race before so you know what to expect. I’ve not done this yet but if any of you are former London Duathletes, please give me a shout. Any tips are welcome. Please.

Dermott Hayes says: Get the basics

I have a bike and helmet, I have a drawer full of running gear and running shoes. They say a poor workman blames his tools but I think you can make an exception when it comes to something like a duathlon. In fact, Dermott says: “you need to make sure your equipment is in good working order”. So I’ll get my bike serviced at the end of the month. I want to be able to concentrate on the race as opposed to wondering whether my brakes will fail or gears give up when climbing that killer hill in Richmond Park.

Run or cycle?

Dermott Hayes says: Build using BRICK’s

Yup, it’s a new term to me too. Dermott describes a BRICK session as a simulation of race day. I am doing the Sprint distance, which is 10K run, 22K cycle and 5k run. Besides the competitive cycling, I’m also concerned about the transition between the cycling and running elements. Will my legs feel like jelly after 22K? Will I fall flat on my face? I need to get onto one of these BRICK sessions to build my confidence. How do I swap between disciplines smoothly? Thankfully, RG Active is offering BRICK sessions for newbies like me (find out more here) and I’m going to head to my first one soon. Watch this space to see if I BRICK it.

Dermott Hayes says: Train transitions

This is my first duathlon and I’m not going to spend loads of money on bicycle clips/cycling unitards because multi-sport challenges may not be my bag.  Mentally, however, I need to develop my mindset of changing from running to cycling back to running. Oh and remember to remove my bicycle helmet. Not a good look on your final run.

Dermott Hayes says: Get outdoors

Here’s a confession, I’m not a gym bunny. The only reason I have a gym membership is so I can use their shower and go to the occasional Pilates class. I can see the benefits of training on a treadmill but I prefer hitting the open road (or should I say path). Dermott says that training indoors can be helpful for certain training sessions as you can control the environment, but I love the unpredictability of the being outdoors.  I am certainly training outdoors and with an impending house move soon, I’ll be tackling those hills of Highgate on two wheels. Hopefully this will put me in good stead for THAT hill, described in the race information as a “short, steep climb up Broomfield Hill”. I’ve cycled up that notoriously steep hill before and it certainly doesn’t feel short when you’re halfway up!

Dermott Hayes says: Be an early bird

When it comes to race day, I have of late been a bit lax when it comes to arrival times. This is mainly because I know what to expect. For the London Duathlon, I have no idea what I’m going to encounter so getting there early is definitely a priority of mine to see how the race operates and set up my transition area.

Will anyone be joining me on Sunday 15 September? If you have any tips for preparation or race day, please share.