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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
Comments
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.
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.
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.
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.
Regular doses of coffee probably helped too.
Stop pondering Pix. Go and do 15 miles run walk instead.
Is anyone desperate enough to include me in their team? !
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
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
(I do miss your groovy Hula hooping hippo!)
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
i did b oth