Articles

Last year a dear friend died quite suddenly. Ellen was only 29 when she was diagnosed with Leukaemia; she died 13 days later leaving behind her 4 month old son and her fiancé. As well as being an amazing person Ellen was also committed to helping others and was a great supporter of the Tabitha Foundation.

Tabitha works with the poorest of the poor in Cambodia to help them build a better life. At any one time Tabitha is assisting over 33,000 families to save their way out of desperate poverty. Some of the programs include; House building, Community and Family water wells, and the sale of Cottage Industry goods around the world. I will be covering all expenses so donations will go directly to the Tabitha Foundation.

The aim is to raise enough to have a specific project named in Ellen’s memory, ideally a school as Ellen was a teacher in Singapore, whom took kids to Cambodia on house building projects.

To help Paul with this cause visit www.justgiving.com/gobimarch2011

Not Just a Walk in the Park: Race Preparation:

Last month I wrote about my aim to stay injury free while training for the Gobi Desert Race. So far so good! My training has increased so I am now running up to 130km per week. Over the next couple of weeks I will add in an extra long run of around 65km. I interchange the terrain from road to tracks, which helps to prepare for the different terrains I will encounter in the desert (it’s not all sand!).

I have increased the weight of my rucksack, again ensuring that it’s not a sudden increase, which would put additional stress on my back, shoulders, knees and ankles. Again so far so good!

The race is now only seven weeks away so it’s time to look at kit, decide what to take and what not to take, and order what I need well in advance. The race organisers provide each competitor with a 14-page kit list. Although it sounds a lot, there is a list of mandatory items to be carried like a headlamp and back up light, compass, knife/multi-tool, blister-kit; all things essential for six nights in the desert. Anything else on the list is really a luxury. I want to have the right kit, but I don’t want to be weighed down by stuff I don’t need. My challenge here is that ever gram counts.

Then there is the issue of food; what type of food to take ensuing I have enough calories for each days exertion of effort. This I am still researching, as there are so many options out there. I am also getting some advice from a sports nutritionist to make sure every corner is covered. My challenge here is that every calorie per ounce counts.

Finally, I should mention my feet. As I said at the start, so far so good, not even a blister but its important to note that I do change my footwear regularly and also the type of trainer/cross trainer to run in depending on the terrain.

Look out for my final write-up next month, three weeks before the race.

Paul Bell – Osteopath