Having a 60+ hour/week job makes training for something like this quite a challenge but I've managed to do about as much I thought I would (3,700km in the last year according to my training spreadsheet) so I feel my fitness is as good as I could realistically expect. However, when it comes to kit, much of it has become rather a last minute job. Luckily, the flip side of my job is that it suddenly becomes approximately a 5-10 hr/week job when term ends (and assuming I'm not on any trips) so, like Neil, I have also been having a mad kit-panic these last two days. Much of the kit is fairly obvious, although, as ever, there are numerous brands and price ranges to pick from. Even things like running shorts, comfy running socks, a lightweight top, legionnaire's cap, sunglasses and a backpack have resulted in a lot of Googling, a lot of worrying and a limited amount of testing. However, it has reached the stage where I now have to finalise everything.
I agonised hard over footwear but have gone for the same type of road shoes that I have done all my training in. They may not be perfect for uneven ground but they have good cushioning and my feet are used to them. In their second test drive I broke my half marathon PB in the very pair I shall be using. Blisters on my feet are in fact my biggest worry. To keep the sand out I have a pair of desert gaiters. These require a Velcro seam to be stitched and glued all around the shoe just above the sole. The gaiter itself is essentially a hollowed out volcano shape. The crater of the volcano forms a tight seal around your lower shin and then the inside of the base of the volcano has the other side of the Velcro and seals all round the shoe. This should significantly reduce (but not eliminate) sand getting into the shoe. From a couple of brief test runs I have found it does not impair running but does make your feet feel hotter.
I think it is a fair bet that the vast majority of Brits have been worried about how their clothing will keep them cool in the desert sun and I have not ignored this, going for light coloured clothing wherever possible. However, those of you that know me well will know that I am not like the majority of Brits. In fact, a new colleague, remarking on me wearing a jumper on a moderately mild May morning, bet me that I could not continue to wear a jumper every day until the end of June. Some four years later, having long-forgotten about the bet, I am still "not out" as it were.
As such it is how much warm clothing to take that is bothering me. It does actually get quite cold overnight and at dawn temperatures might be as low as 5C. We have been advised to take one thin warm layer but I doubt this will be enough. However, extra layers add to the weight to carry during the day. My Rab down jacket (designed for sub-zero conditions) has the best warmth to weight ratio of anything I own and so, somewhat surprisingly I shall be taking it. Given that I have only a lightweight sleeping bag I suspect I shall be wearing it overnight too. Hence, as jokingly predicted by my friend RTT, I do come to the conclusion that in my trip across the Sahara I will likely be attired in a thick down jacket for nearly 50% of the time.
