Blog Post

I have been away for awhile because of family stuff.  It looks like a lot of great things are happening here.

 I thought I would give an update on my training for Madagascar.  This is a self supported 6 stage 7 day race in northern Madagascar.  The 1st 4 stages are 25 mile days, the 5th stage is 50 miles, and the last stage is 6 miles.  I carry everything I need for 7 days (toilet paper, food, sleeping bag, extra cloths, emergency stuff...). I have gotten my pack down to about 15 lbs.  The beginning of my race season I was training in the mountains and doing a lot of climbing. This was important for my earlier races. The last few weeks I have been doing more specific training for Madagascar. I have been mostly training on dirt and gravel roads with my race pack. My pace is slow and and I have been working on my form as well as making my pack as comfortable as possible.  I use poles to help with the weight with the earlier stages and will pack them up during the later stages once my pack lightens up.  One of the most challenging things about this race is nutrition.  I am required to have 14,000 calories on me at the beginning.  This is going to be a hot race and living in the mountains I am used to cooler weather. I am using a high calorie drink for breakfast and recovery.  Pocket fuel, bars, nuts and dried fruit for the race, and dehydrated meals for dinner.  They supply the water and hot water for meals.  I will also use SOS for electrolytes as well as electrolyte pills.  I will have a few treats with me. 

This will be my 1st race out of the country and first time in a developing country.  There are 250 racers, 40 americans and the largest number of women Racing the Planet has ever had! I hope to have a great race report for you when I get back.  Happy Racing.