Oxfam Trailwalker - 2004

[Deleted User]

You could definitely do it, Glenn.

Helegant

More thoughts from the pondering Helephant about how to succeed.

I agree totally with Vrap that eat, eat and eat again is a critical success factor. (Just couldn't do it) After reading about Dr Nic, I think the channel swimmers are onto something. Feeding every half hour - high calorie stuff,.


Somone else can work out the calories in this little lot, but my message is that it wan't enough. The breakfast lasted me until about twenty miles...

Before the event:
Weetabix and milk
Fried egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, toast and jam
Muesli bar

During the event:
Cheese and pickle sandwich - thanks Iain, scrummy
Fig and date bar (not my best moment)
Tomato soup
Half a croissant
Flapjack
1 litre SS sports drink
2 Bananas
1 tablespoon of warm pasta
3 custard creams
Scrambled egg and one slice of toast
3 digestive biscuits
More tomato-ish soup
Glucose tablets
1 bar 'Divine' chocolate
1 Kit kat bar

Lots of tea, some coffee. A couple of cups of water at each checkpoint, and at least one litre of water during each stage.

Glenn

The problem is not getting enough - that's probably impossible. Trick is to avoid the lows, and protein is important for that. Chicken drumsticks probably best for non-vegetarians - although Spans was carrying a tin of tuna! Suspect it was a good luck charm.

Suppose protein bars would work, although I can't stand the things myself.

In 2003 my blood sugar bombed out at CP 10, recovered with the aid of a banana. No problems this time.

Suggest avoiding anything too sugary, except in emergencies. Risk of insulin shock is too high.

Helegant

Glenn, I agree with you. I tried to avoid the sugar rebound lows early on, but later it was a case of getting anything I could down my neck. The eggs were wonderful.

As everyone knows by now, Helephants crave chicken salad sandwiches when glycogen starts to deplete, and I really wish I'd brought some with me on the walk.

[Deleted User]

so, my handfuls of nuts were a good idea then

Helegant

Oh yes, and I also ate a handful of peanuts :-)

[Deleted User]

Oh, those scrambled eggs were bliss. As was Peter's coffee.

Helegant

Pixie, I had a tough time this year because I didn't train thoroughly for the event. I think that, had I put in more miles over the previous year, I could have walked the distance in much less than 20 hours.

My stride length shortened in the last third, and my step speed slowed over the last two stages as well. Meerkat and Vrap kept a smarter pace, and they could have gone much faster, had they been alone.

If you take this event seriously and train properly over the next year then I see no reason why you couldn't meet Glenn's standard.

[Deleted User]

I don't think I did eat a lot of protein during the event - the only big chunk of it was the cheese in the CP2 sandwiches (dinosaurs don't eat eggs). I just ate early and often. Probably got through about 4,000 calories during the event, and that's including the two bowls of porridge I had in the morning before setting off.

Regular doses of coffee probably helped too.

Glenn

The coffee the ghurkas provide is just right - with a little sugar already added.


Stop pondering Pix. Go and do 15 miles run walk instead.

XFR Bear

Protein would be easy to provide if we had a cooking stove - it would be no probs to put together a bacon butty or whatever peeps want

Glenn

On the other hand you could ask your support crew to fetch you a mega bucket from KFC.

Glenn

It is worth remembering that they are never very far from civilisation. Lena popped off to the supermarket before we arrived at CP 2 and fetched all kinds of goodies.

[Deleted User]

Please could anyone advise me how I could get into 2005 TW?

Is anyone desperate enough to include me in their team? !

[Deleted User]

goslo

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/events/trailwalker/index.htm

a few forumites formed teams in 2003 & 2004 and struggled round, now there's wild talk of putting together a team(s) to do it in 05 in under 20hours! Not for the faint-hearted but if you mail me I'll copy you into the others

[Deleted User]

Thanks N,I'll do that

[Deleted User]

The two main things stopping me giving this another shot
1.I really want to do that 50 mile challenge again-which will be around the same time
2.I wouldnt be able to attend training walks if i did get into a team-my on call and racing would make it impossible. The team training is essential

Good luck goslo

[Deleted User]

Thanks Hippo. What/where is the 50 mile challenge?

(I do miss your groovy Hula hooping hippo!)

[Deleted User]

well, you dont need to be in a team for it
it consista of 6.5 mile looprs(near a pub)
A safety cart is present at all times
and you have 15 hours to do it

I didi 33.5 of it this year, having done a 40 mile walk the weekend before
Im finishing the full 50-actaully, tias 52 miles next year
its in kent

[Deleted User]

Hippo-Sounds interesting-I take it it's a walk?

[Deleted User]

you can run or walk
i did b oth

[Deleted User]

I liked the idea of being in a team for a long distance,as the 50/52 mile challenge would be v.lonely on my tod