Gaiters Galore

A critical piece of equipment for the MDS is a good set of gaiters.  Their entire purpose is to keep sand out - period.  Sand = blisters.  Enough said.

My search for a suitable pair resulted in limited commercial options (Sandbaggers, MDS, Raidlight).   While I am sure these were most likely suitable for the event, none of these options appeared to meet my expectations.  Therefore I embarked on a R&D project to come up with my own design.  Never ending  thanks to my mother for her assistance with assembly consultations and professional sewing!

As with any design project one must first define the requirements of the product.  For my gaiters they were as follows (and not in any particular order):  Sandproof-duh!, Velcro attachment to the shoe, cover the entire upper of the shoe, extend above the ankle, adjustable at the top and around the shoe, breathable, durable and finally professionally constructed.

Based on these criteria my design incorporated a ripstop lower portion (durable and sandproof) that covered most of the shoe and an upper spandex component (breathable and "adjustable").  Loop Velcro was affixed to the gaiter with the hook component attached to the shoe (note: I am not too happy with the job the cobbler did on the shoe and may have to get this done over).  The back portion of the gaiter also included a small section of spandex to allow for adjustment around the circumference of the shoe.  No Velcro was attached to this piece and the spandex adheres to the hook Velcro on the shoe sufficiently well.  The top of the gaiter also includes a small bungee drawstring and lock to snug up if necessary.

After numerous attempts the final shape and dimensions were determined.  This give the gaiter a more foot shaped appearance and breaks with the ball of the foot.  This also minimizes weight and streamlines the design so as not to snag on the local flora.  Colors were selected to give a New Mexico flare (form and function)!

Initial field trials show no significant issues.  Be on the look out, I will be the only one there with them!

Back Detail

Front Detail

Side

Stylin'

Fitz Compression Wear

A chance meeting with Richard Berry and family up in Lapland has brought together the British manufacture Fitz Compression Wear and my MDS attempt.  I met Rich while on "holiday" in Saariselka when he was having difficulty with the lock on his apartment and came next door for assistance.  Discussions later in the week during New Years celebrations (at 68.9 degrees north latitude) reveled he was in the performance sports wear business and I was heading for Morocco.  What a coincidence!

Rich was extremely intrigued by the MDS and upon returning from the land of reindeer, follow up emails indicated that Fitz was interested in having me try out some of their gear.  Having satisfactorily used compression shorts during the 2012 Desert RATS stage race and many other ultra-marathons I am planning on using compression shorts during the MDS.  Compression tops my also be an option along with calf/shin sleeves.

Competing and training in compression gear is fairly standard for me, a hold over from my cycling days. I enjoy the support it gives and the improved recovery especially during high mileage weeks.  I am looking forward to shaking down Fitz performance wear and to see what works best for my training, competitions and MDS attempt.

The Fitz web site is:  www.fitz4sport.com




Thank you Rich and FITZ!

SUV Trail Run

Yesterday I competed int the Sugarloaf Ultra Vista (SUV) Trail Run, a great event put on by Mark Dorion.  The start was about midway between El Paso and Las Cruces and consisted of various out and back loops over varying terrain along the Sierra Vista Trail.  Not a lot of vertical but plenty of rollers.  I came into this with a "just a training run" attitude but competitiveness got the better of me.  6:16:30 for 60k and second place too (thanks for the award Mark)!  Quite happy even though I did not run with my pack.  Still a little early for that many miles with it.

Practice taping feet, worked out well - no blisters. The Kiensio Tex Gold tape works better than Elastikon.  Not as thick, better adhesive and the paper backing makes it easier to cut.  I also used "on the move food" rations for my race nutrition.  Even after only 500 calorie breakfast it was sufficient to get me through the event.   In fact I had some leftovers when I crossed the finish line.  GU recovery brew at the end went down well.

Overall a good day!

Tawny dog on the Sierra Vista Trail

Iron Chef MDS - Evening Entries

This will be the last of my gastronomical entries.  I have covered breakfast, "lunch" and now finally dinner.

Expedition Foods Beef and Potato Hotpot:  6 oz/801 kcals/$11.95.  Generally a good entree however not very visually appealing, therefore this one is good when it is dark.  Could benefit from the additional of spices of your choice. Scores 3.5 out of 5.0.

Expedition Foods Asian Noodles with Beef and Mixed Vegetables:  6 oz/805 kcals/$11.95.  This was a very good meal.  Rehydration was fast and there was just the right amount of flavor with a little spicy after kick.  This one scores 4 out of 5.

Asian Beef and Noodles

Not bad.....

Expedition Foods Chicken Tikka with Rice:  6 oz/ 808 kcals/$11.95.  I really liked this one too.  Scores a 4 out of 5.  Unfortunately I could not get this for my kit when I ordered.  Replaced with Chicken Korma and Rice.

Expedition Foods Shepard’s Pie:  6 oz/805 kcals/$11.95.  Two words.....Dog Food.  No way.  I am going to replace this with spaghetti.

Expedition Foods Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice: 6.5 oz/ 805 kcals/$11.95.  Very basic and palatable.   I will have this twice during the event.  Scores a 4.5 out of 5 also.

Backpackers Pantry Santa Fe Rice and Chicken: 7.5 oz/760 kcals/$10.50.  This was good.  This meal has much more of a “local flavor” than the Expedition Foods from over the pond.  Even has New Mexico green chile!  Weighs a little more, is more bulky and has slightly less calories but the taste more than makes up for that.  A 4.5 out of 5.0

I am additionally taking some extra food for the bivouac so as to assure that I have enough/likable food prior to departure.  Any leftovers will be abandoned or stored in my bag for delivery at the end.  Most likely will take some Expedition Foods Macs and Cheese along with some breakfast options.

As you can see chicken is the choice.  I would prefer beef but unfortunately chicken is more readily available.  Final menu for the event is getting close and will most likely be posted along with my kit contents prior to departure.  As mentioned before some of these may need to be repackaged due to space considerations.

Iron Chef MDS - Breakfast

This is the second installment of my culinary comments relating to my MDS nutrition planning.  Today I will be discussing my favorite and most important meal - Breakfast.

I have to eat breakfast, and a hearty one at that.  I am planning to try and keep the calories around 600-800 for this meal which limits choices but over the race that should not be a problem.  Below are some reviews of various offerings I have tried over the last several months.  From my experience most of the US brands do not offer the calories I am looking for and/or the taste.  I am leaning more towards the Expedition Foods brand.  Their packaging while convenient is a little heavy and contains trapped air resulting in volume issues and thus may need to be repacked.

First and foremost COFFEE:  Starbuck Vias of course!  These little "pixie sticks for grown-ups" are great.  I am planning on bringing 10 for the race.  I will throw in a couple of tea bags also.

Mountain House Eggs and Bacon:  2.25 oz/315 kcals/$5.50.  This meal was quite disappointing.  Besides calling for 8oz of water of which you eventually pour out 4-6oz, the eggs had the consistency of foam rubber and about as much taste.  Bacon consisted of a sprinkling of bacon bits.  This one will not make the cut.  I give this a score of 2 out of 5.

Mountain House Breakfast Skillet:  4.75 oz/680 kcals/$7.25.  This one was not bad.  Utilizes about 12 oz water but none is poured out.  Consistency and taste are acceptable but pepper is needed.  Just about the right portion size for me.  Scores a 3.5 out of 5.

Expedition Foods Scrambled Eggs, Potatoes and Mixed Peppers:  6.25 oz/828 kcals/$11.95.  Much better than the Mountain House Eggs and Bacon offering and quite filling.  Lots of potatoes and peppers while very light on the eggs.  These exist as somewhat of a coating on the potatoes.  This took quite a long time to rehydrate properly (at least 30 minutes).  While there is over 1.2g of sodium per package, additional salt and pepper help this out a lot.  Great candidate for some New Mexico green chile!  This receives a score of 3 out of 5.

Expedition Foods Scrambled Eggs Potatoes and Peppers

Dig in! Note water fill lines on inside of packet, a nice touch

Expedition Foods Custard with Apples: 4.0 oz/541 kcals/$12.  This is billed as a dessert item but any dessert is good enough for breakfast (I regularly have pie with my coffee in the morning).   This item re-hydrated quickly and was very tasty.  It was almost too buttery for my liking but if you enjoy it slowly with a cup of coffee it is great.  This scores 4 out of 5.  Based on this one I would also feel comfortable with the Custard and Mixed Berries.

Bla Band Apple Cinnamon Porridge:  5.5 oz/700 kcals/$6.00.  I ran across these in a grocery store in Finland so I pick up three.  Bla Band (Blue Ribbon) is from Sweden.  Taste was OK for a rye based product but set a little heavy.  Brown sugar would have helped this out a lot.  Scores a 3 out of 5.

Bla Band Apple Cinnamon Porridge

Other potential options would of course be some sort of nutrition/granola bar.  Pop-Tarts also come to mind.  While some like these, I am not a big fan.  I also am considering three other Expedition Foods breakfasts though I have not tried any of them:

Porridge with Sultans (You really can't mess up oat meal too bad)
Fruity Muesli with Milk Powder (I could do cold cereal once, with yogurt this would be better)
Hot Cereal Start with Mangoes (hmm....interesting but...)

I will be including a little bit of salt/pepper/sugar to help some of these out.  Given the options above it should not be too difficult to come up with six or seven breakfast options that will be palatable and varied. 

Hello Suomi

Hello from Finland!

On vacation with my extended family in Saariselka Finland.  We had hoped to see the Aurora Borealis but alas, it was cloudy the entire time we were here.  While I was taking it easy this week I still got in some runs up and down the local fell, and of course these were mostly in the DARK.  It is dark here 20 hours a day and when it is "light" it is the equivalent of dusk.  Fortunately it has not been too cold, only in the high teens/low 20's with the exception of when we arrived when it was around 0.  Definitely not heat training!  Great time relaxing with family and being somewhere different however it is nearly impossible to get over jet lag when there is no sun.

Dressed for the cold!

Marathon de la neige?

Next week it is off to Las Vegas and the desert for work.  Will be doing at least one run at Red Rocks and where ever else time will allow.   I will also be scheduling my EKG/doctor appointments for my medical within the next couple of weeks in order to assure I can get seen early in the 30 day window before the event.

Iron Chef MdS - On The Move Food

This is the first installment of several detailing potential gastronomical plans for my upcoming Marathon de Sables.  Today I will tackle what I term “on the move food” or what I plan to consume while running/walking.  I have previously touched upon basics of calorie counts and will be shooting for an average of around 2800 kcals/day.  Of this amount, breakfast and evening offerings will contribute approximately 1400 kcals total leaving another 1400 kcals for consumption during the day.  I will vary from these amounts depending upon the stage.  The long stage will have additional on the move calories and less evening fare, while the rest day will be reversed.

I am fortunate to be able to ingest food during exercise with few ill effects so long as I don't over indulge!  For me taste, convenience and form are the important criteria for the evaluation of trail food.  Taste is obvious, if you don’t like it you will not choke it down.  It has to be convenient also; no long preparation times, excess packaging, and difficulties with handling.  Finally there is form, is it moist enough and easy to chew?  Will it disintegrate into crumbs?  The following meet my above criteria and represent a typical days worth of “on the move food”:

·         Smoked Almonds: 2 oz a day/340 kcals

These are good and easy to eat.  Most any other nut will suffice

·         Slim Jims: 2 oz a day/320 kcals

Nice treat, easily packed.  Suggest only original and mild flavors. 

·         Various gels:  1 oz (1 each)/100 kcals

Leaning to ones that are not viscous (Power Bar brand)

·         Various energy bars: 2.2-3.0 oz (1 each)/230-390 kcals

o   Cliff Bar Chocolate/Apricot/Cool Mint:  All of these are OK but somewhat dry.

o   Pro Bar: Looking into these.

o   Hammer Nutrition Cranberry:  Love these but on the low calorie end.

o   Hammer Nutrition Almond Raisin:  Very good

o   Power Bar  Triple protein (may melt)

·         Stinger Waffles: 1 oz (1 each)/160 kcals 

I love these, easy to eat and slightly sweet.  Fragile and can be reduced to crumbs.

·         Electrolyte tabs: 0.6 oz (2-4 tablets)/0 kcals 

These are in addition to SaltSticks or Endurolytes, mainly bringing to flavor the water.  I usually use these at half strength 

·         GU Brew recovery 2.1 oz (1 each)/250 kcal

Slam when I get done with the stage, chocolate.

I believe this menu will serve me well by offering the variety and nutrition necessary for the long days of exertion.  A hearty breakfast and dinner will round out the culinary adventure.  These remaining two areas will be covered in the near future!