After Action Review #1 - What didn't work

This is the first review of my participation in the 2013 MDS.  I am specifically covering what did not go so well during the event.  Fortunately these were only minor in nature and I was able to carry on quite well.  I will also post soon the numerous thing that did go well for me.  Both contain lessons learned and should be of interest to the community in general.

Listen Up!

1. Not quite enough TP - The lack of enough "desert dollars" could have been a disaster.  Fortunately it was only an inconvenience since spare was available from those abandoning in my tent.  In the future I would bring almost an entire roll.

2. Not enough protein in diet - The lack of sufficient protein for me especially during breakfast was a hindrance.  I wound up getting hungry and approaching a bonked state earlier during the day than I had anticipated.  Slim Jims saved me in this regard and I began to eat my ration of these along with my breakfast to get me through the stages.

Slim Jim Full Meal Deal Breakfast

3. Broken critical equipment- Specifically sunglasses.  Mine failed upon arrival at the bivouac.  Fortunately, I had brought a spare pair with me and had access to them.

4. On-the-move food selection less than optimal - Bars while high in calories were difficult to consume.  Hammer cranberry bars were ok.  Almonds were not as palatable while exerting but OK to snack on in camp.  I would include some dried fruit (apricots) in the future.

End of Stage 4 - I am SO Hungry!

5. Lower back taping - While I never had issues with pack rubbing during training, the day after day insults along with the heat give me a case of road rash on my lower back.  I would advise taping this area as a preventative measure in the future.  Some also taped their shoulder regions.

6. Improper shoe tension - Or should I say I didn't tie my shoes properly on Stage 2 and got some toe blisters. I was overly concerned about shoes being too tight and lost sight of going to the other extreme.

Foot Maintenance - Twice a day minimum!

Next up some things that went well!

Back In Town

Well, after two days of traveling we are back in Los Alamos.  We are adjusting to the jet lag and catching  up on all the unpacking, laundry and work related issues.  Over the next weeks I hope to post some After Action Reviews relating to my MDS participation.  Hopefully you will continue to follow this blog and see what I learned from my experience!

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!

Stage 5/42 km/marathon stage.

It is over! I have finished.

Unsure of my placing because results are not up yet. Made it in in about 5:15. That should put me under 31 hrs I think.  Very hot again today. Feet OK but my lower back is a mess from my pack and the heat. Very, very happy and satisfied as to what I have accomplished.

Looks like Megan Hicks has wrapped up the women's with the dropping out of the top French women yesterday.  One of our top women may have dropped today also.  I had to walk her into the first check point.  We  will get fed tonight and the awards are in about an hour.  Tomorrow there is a short liaison stage (7 km) into town and then a five hour bus ride (nap). 

Thank you all for the support, well wishes, and interest!

The Long Day!

Stage 4/75 km.

This was the long stage. I did very well out there yesterday, came in around 11:35. This moved me  up about 30 places in the standings.

There was about 15-20km of dunes. It was HOT. In the dune fields it was somewhere between 52-55C (125-130F). Little to no wind. I sStayed cooler by pouring a little water over my sleeves every  couple of kilometers. People are still coming in and have been out for more than 24 hrs.  The cut off is 36 hrs.  My blisters are manageable and the food is holding out. I will eat my green chile sometime today (it is a rest day).

We have one more race stage (29 miles) tomorrow then a short liaison stage the day after.  Have to say this is an adventure and am glad I am doing it.  Hope all is going well with everyone following these posts. Thank you for all the emails.

Time to go hydrate and eat!

Stage Three is Done

Stage 3/38 km.
24 have dropped/1001 still in. It turns out that two of my tent mates are among those that have fallen out and one more I am not sure about.  Today we will loose some more. Cool and cloudy to start. I made good time to begin with but temperatures climbed and there was no wind across the dry lake beds.  Even though I had to walk a lot through the sand I still finished the stage in under 5 hrs. I will need to recover for the very long stage tomorrow. 

 My feet are OK, and I ate breakfast later in the morning and that helped me during the day as well. However I will need more protein in the mornings so I will enjoy my Slim Jims!

I appreciate all the pages of emails I am getting, helps lift the spirits!  I'm almost half way ,I need to get through tomorrow.  Hope to be under 14 hours if at all possible but there are 15km of dunes.  I am shifting to survival mode.  Doing OK.  Scenery is beautiful!

Stage Two in the Rear View Mirror!

Stage 2: 30km lots of walking today. Many jebels that we went up/down/up/down/ect. Pace was much slower for everyone.

Hydration went well but I am trying to get my food timing down, still behind the curve. I have enough but just not eating soon enough. Unfortunately picked up three toe blisters today, sooner than I had hoped. The downhills did me in on them. Will tape everything tonight. Went slower today so I will most likely drop in the standings, not that I'm racing or anything. Lots of people suffered today with the steep hills.

We were scrambling and climbing for miles. No shade anywhere. Many gaiter failures due to the rocks (now I know why they call it More-rock-o). Mine are holding up great, thanks mom! The rest of my gear is working out well. Pack is getting lighter by the day. I appreciate all the emails I received last night. Thanks to everyone for taking time out to follow this. I am doing well and will get another night sleep tonight if not too windy! 

Miss you all!

HI All -

Lisa here from Belgium-

Have not heard from Garth yet, but info gleaned from the MdS website suggests that he had a good day - he finished in 4:34:30   131 place overall, 123 in the mens, and 15 in his division (Men 50-59). With over 1000 runners, he is doing rather well!  Hope he is able to get an email out to Dirk so we can get something from him posted up here soon!  Remember you can send him an email at the camp!

http://www.marathondessables.com/fr/messagerie/ecrire-a-un-concurrent.html

Runner # 1097

The Starting Line Draws Nearer!

After about 18 hours of travel (of which only five were in the air), I finally made it from Paris to Quarzazate, which is affectionately known by its three letter airline code: OZZ. 

The first stop was in Madrid.  It is a very nice, large and underutilized airport. I saw most of it as I had several hours to kill during my layover.  From Madrid we flew to Casablanca, which was surrounded by beautiful vast green fields.  It was really a nice sight on the approach.  The most painful part of the trip was listening to the safety briefing in three languages!

My only hassle on the flight was having to retrieve and recheck my bag in Casablanca.  Security didn’t much care for my bag full of freeze-dried food, and it took several minutes to explain what it was for and where I was going.  In the end Morocco’s finest chalked it up to a crazy guy and let me pass.

The flight from Casablanca to OZZ was about 90% MDS’ers, and the winner from last year was seated directly behind me.  At least I can say I beat him off the plane!  When we landed, the transfer to the hotel went smoothly; but it was rather obvious that this wasn’t the full-service Marriott in Paris, but very much the other end of the spectrum.  

Oh well, in two days there will be even less luxuries!