A freezing start to February

Three or four layers hasn't been enough to keep out sub-zero temperatures this week and I've finished all my sessions very chilled. This feels like the hardest part in training for the MdS: getting up and out of the door into the freezing cold. This isn't ideal Sahara training with the MdS just 2 months away!

55 miles this week, with the only back-to-back being 27 mile/3.5 mile, in my 7th or 8th pair of trainers in a year:

- a couple of short runs without the rucksack (which is bliss!) at a steady pace, apart from today's 3.5 mile short and slow effort as I crunched/slid along in 3-4 inches of snow and ice;

- 18.5 mile fast march (4h10m) with 10.5kg rucksack: this was all on ice- and snow-free pavements as I wanted to maintain a good fast walk for the distance on a hard surface (of which there are some in the Sahara, such as the salt flats); this felt very comfortable for the first couple of hours but a weighted body on a hard surface at speed for so long was starting to tell on my ankles and knees towards the end;

- I had a couple of days rest from the 18.5 miler before going out for a 27 mile run/walk with a 5.5kg rucksack (5h56m; 2136 foot ascent; 3275 calories).

This 27 miler felt great: it was frozen ground from the off so I didn't have to slip and slide around my route, at least for the first couple of hours.

After that thick snow started to fall. Still, an 8 minute run/2 minute walk served me well for the first 3 hours which I then reduced to 5m/5m for the last 3 hours.

Finishing a very, very cold 27 miles;
it's not clear from the picture
but my bottle tops have
frozen!

As the snow piled up on the ground (a good couple of inches, more on the hills) it progressively became much harder work.

I finished the 27 miles feeling strong despite having to wade through energy-sapping snow and trying to maintain heat through the freezing cold but I felt I could easily have carried on: a good sign. I'd only taken on 426 calories during this 6 hour effort so I'm surprised at how I felt once I finished.

So that's another 3 week build up done, which has looked like this:

- week 1: 50.1 miles, including a 23.1 mile (5.7kg rucksack)/14 mile (11.1kg rucksack) back-to-back;

- week 2: 52.2 miles, including a 25 mile (7.1kg rucksack)/15.1 mile (9.2kg rucksack) back-to-back;

- week 3: 55 miles, including an 18.5 mile fast march (10.5kg rucksack) and 27 miler (5.5kg rucksack).

So I'm looking forward to an easier week. Key is to stretch off a few niggles, finish off ordering yet more kit and do more upper body work: a couple of swim, weights and rowing sessions.

There really isn't much time left now until Stage 1 of the Marathon des Sables starts on 8 April. After my upcoming rest week the plan is for 2 hard weeks followed by another easier week which will take me to Sunday 4 March.

I need to have a think about what happens for the remaining few weeks after that date: I had been planning on 2 further hard weeks before my 3 week taper period begins which leads me to the start line of the MdS: during the taper period the plan is to significantly reduce the mileage and exercise sessions to get the body fully rested.

I'm intending, in that last 2 week hard period, to complete a back-to-back ultra-marathon with some other MdS Brits over a weekend, but whether or not I'll be able to get up for the second day of this event is something I'll probably decide at the time!

Depending on how I feel after that event will determine whether I do have that second hard week, or if instead my taper period extends from 3 to 4 weeks.