With Marathon des Sables 2017 slowly creeping up on us, I thought I would share a few things that might be worth thinking about in the lead up to April. I really believe the key to success in a desert race like the Marathon des Sables is all in the preparation. So thinking about all the variables far enough in advance should at the very least put you at that start line knowing you have done the very best you can to get you through the week ahead. Here are some of the things you might want to start thinking about now.
Shoes
Let’s be honest, without these, it would be close to impossible to finish the race (though i’d love for someone to prove me wrong!!!) so it’s so important that you find ones that suit your feet and will compliment the conditions of the desert. In terms of they type of shoes you should wear in the desert I can’t offer much better advice than - wear the shoes that you are used to and know work well for you. Obviously there are some rules around this like you’ll need trail shoes, not road shoes and if your chosen trail shoes are similar to the likes of Salomon Speedcross, I would think about buying shoes that are better ventilated and slightly softer.
Size wise, you need to consider the amount that your feet might swell in the heat. Everyone is different, so it is hard to advise how much bigger you should buy but I wouldn’t recommend getting them much over one and a half sizes bigger than your usual size (unless you’re prone to big swelling) because if you leave your feet too much room to move about in the shoe, this will create friction and hence blisters. A good way to test out how your feet swell in the heat is in a heat chamber. I appreciate this might be too late in the day to change your shoes (because you only need to do heat chamber sessions in the last two or three weeks before leaving) if they weren’t feeling right but finding out then is better than being in the middle of the Sahara desert and realising. Obviously not ideal but at least you’d have enough time to pick up a new pair and re-test them in the heat chamber whilst wearing them in slightly. Another point you might want to consider are how many socks you will wear as this will also affect the amount of wiggle room in the shoes.
The shoes that work for me are the New Balance Leadville 100’s in a half size up. My feet are regular in proportion but the shoes suit wide feet and have ample room throughout the upper section so although I wear two pairs of socks, I only need half a size up to account for swelling. Throughout the week I might slightly loosen my laces but they never felt restricted for space.
If you’re worried still you can buy a set of elastic laces that are easy to adjust and also make it easier to put your shoes on and take off. It is the little things that count out in the desert!
Gaiters
I don’t think you’ll come across anyone in the race that isn’t wearing gaiters (I didn’t anyway). It would be good to think about what one’s you want to wear early, especially if there is a long lead time to receive them. Gaiters seem a lot easier to come across now but I still go for AR Gaiters, the brand that my boss recommended to me for my first desert race in the KAEM. You can see them on their Facebook page here or email Liz on despev@worldonline.co.za.
They have plenty of colours and are pretty durable. They come all the way from South Africa and cost only $24.50 plus shipping which varies from $11-32 depending on how quickly you need them.
The most important thing is that you find somewhere or someone able to stitch the velcro to your shoes… properly. If this isn’t done properly, it’s almost pointless you having the gaiters. I would recommend researching online, asking people that have done it before where they went or just pop in to your local cobblers and ask them if they would be able to do it for you. When you find somewhere, give yourself enough time before leaving, for the cobbler to do it twice just incase it is not done properly and you need them to re-do it. When I say properly, I mean the stitching is close up against the rubber seam of the shoe and nice and tightly stitched so that it won’t loosen and fall off but not too tight that the stitch will ping off. Essentially you want the velcro to stay stitched to the seam of the shoe for the whole week with no gaps for sand to creep through.
Heat
While you won’t need to start heat training until the last few weeks before you leave, you will need to contact the heat chamber to book in your sessions. And believe me, they go fast! I booked my ten sessions in January but made initial contact in December. This will also give you a chance to factor in the finances needed to pay for the sessions. Most of the heat chambers will have two treadmills, so find someone else to split the cost with. If you don’t know anyone use the Facebook desert forums and post the dates and times you have sessions for. I shared all ten of my sessions with people I had never met and ended up making friends with. It should cost about £13/£14 per session.
So the London Universities that I know have a heat chamber are Kingston and St. Mary’s in Twickenham. If you don’t live in London, again try one of the Facebook desert forums as someone will know of other ones elsewhere.
Training plan
OBVIOUSLY, sometime soon you are going to have to start training. Everyone’s training requirements are different in so many ways but it is all based on your goals and level of experience. Unless you already know, work out what works best for you in how you approach your plan. For example, I like knowing that I have a 16 week plan in the lead up to the race and someone to talk to during my training for support. Someone else might prefer no plan at all and no one to ‘check up’ on them. No one size fits all here. If you prefer to stick to a plan, get one written for you to suit your needs and your schedule.
You might want to think about booking a few races in the lead up to the race. One a month at the most and don’t do any races in the last three weeks before you leave. These will be a good chance for you to test out your bag with some weight and also get you in ‘race mode’.
I can offer support on training / coaching so email me if you want to find out more.
Kit and food
Packing food and kit with my spreadsheet - organised mess!
Yet another two very important elements to get right and start considering early. Your bag is up there for one of the most important pieces of kit you will need. It’s important you get one that is right for your frame and won’t give you any nasty sore spots. If you can, try the one on that you think you are going to buy before you make the purchase. Remember it’s just you and your bag surviving in the desert so you will want it to be your best friend, not your worst enemy.
Start to have a look at the compulsory kit list and think about buying what you need bit by bit, slowly ticking off all the items you need.
Food wise, start trying and testing food while out on your long runs. Buy a variety of brands and types of fuel to see how your stomach takes to them on the move. However, if you are doing MdS for the first time, you will never quite know for sure how you will respond to the food in the heat of the desert so use your instinct based on what you already know about your body and how it reacts to certain foods. One thing to bear in mind is that you generally want to find a good calorie to weight ratio. If it is high in calories and light to carry, that would be ideal!
Again, I can offer support on kit and food so email me if you want advice on this.
Enjoy Christmas
If you’ve started training already or if you’re just maintaining a decent level of fitness until a full training plan kicks in in January, you might be worrying about Christmas festivities setting you back and undoing your fitness that you’ve already started to build on. Don’t get hung up on this. You can easily make the next 16 weeks count enough to get you well prepared for the race. I’d still recommend keeping running on the agenda but don’t miss out on having a life with friends and family in the most fun month of the year. Save the social rejections for 2017 and enjoy your social life while it’s not too close to the race.
I hope you found these useful and enjoy the lead up to the race. Time will fly by, you'll be there before you know it! Wish I could be going too!