The Grantham Ultra weekend has been invaluable in teaching me a few more lessons.
Body weight
I had been intending to put on a few pounds in the taper period to the MdS start line on the basis (i) I'd need it during the race and (ii) some comments I've seen elsewhere.
But this is of course extra weight that has to be carried. If instead I don't put on a few pounds I'll still arrive in Morocco with fat reserves to use up anyway.
So I'll be looking to keep off the pounds and hopefully shed a few more in my taper period to ensure I start the MdS at my lightest possible weight.
Rucksack weight
The muggy day 2 of the Grantham Ultra wouldn't have been pleasant carrying a heavy rucksack. While I've got used to going out with between 8-11kg I have been trying to convince myself there isn't any real difference between carrying, say, 9.5kg and 10kg.
But over time I really begin to feel every additional gramme with every footstep. Add desert heat and the demands of a multi-stage race and any weight being carried is likely to become uncomfortable as the days progress.
It sounds obvious but my MdS will be easier the lighter the weight of my rucksack: a starting rucksack weight of 10kg which becomes 8kg by the Stage 4 50+ miler will feel harder than a starting weight of 9kg which becomes 7kg by the same time.
So I'm on a mission over the remaining few weeks to shave off as many grammes from everything I carry, including considering whether I really need to carry certain things at all.
Salt
Training through the UK winter I hadn't seen or felt any signs of salt loss but day 2 at Grantham reminded me I do suffer on the salt loss front in warmer weather.
Salt tablets are issued to competitors at the MdS (equal to 20 0.5g salt tablets per day) and the organisers note that "perspiration can make competitors lose up to 15g of salt per day . . ." The NHS recommends 6g of salt is the daily maximum that adults should consume.
Many argue why start taking something you haven't used in training? Others seek to rely solely on electrolytes added to water bottles. For me, I know I will need them and plan to take 2 0.5g salt tablets per hour and see how I go from there.
I'd also noticed during day 2 at Grantham that by the finish I'd hardly touched my sweet foods in my rucksack but had devoured my salty Peperami and salted nuts, so I'll also be changing most of my sweet foods I'd planned for each stage for saltier goodies (peanuts, pretzels, etc.).
