Why drive when you can walk...........or is it the other way around?

Two days ago I got myself a new Salomon running backpack which I am really cuffed about. My backpack at home would have been a nightmare to run with, so the Salomon was a really good find!So it was pretty obvious that I will have to test the bag for comfort as soon as possible and I decided to pack the bag with about 6kg (think my bag will weigh about 11kg when I start the MDS). I was only working at 1pm so I left home around 10h45 aiming to reach Madinat at 12h45. When I left the temperature was 43 degrees C with a 65% humidity.



I decided to trek across a patch of desert first through very soft sand. The backpack was very comfortable with a 3 way adjustment. I tried to run some of the first sand sections and immediately realized that running with a backpack is not the most natural thing in the world, especially over the soft sand. I also found it to be very very hot with no breeze what so ever to cool you down. I decided to drink more water due to the heat, then stop off at a cafe and get some isotonic drinks.

I walked the 13,7km in 2hrs 15min and this session just put everything back into perspective. The MDS is 6 days of full day racing, it is going to be pretty tough. I am confident though that I have enough time to prepare well for the race and when starts to cool down here in Dubai that my training distances/time will improve significantly!

Below is a map of my walk to Madinat - Click to enlarge