"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
Thomas Jefferson
Last night was NOT a good night. The last 3 runners got back to camp and pitched beside my hammock quite late.
05:00 am and the camp was manic.
Putting on wet clothes was always expected but having to tip out my trainers before putting them on was not a comfort moment but that's the jungle for ya.
Brekkie of Granola & Vanilla Protien shake for milk done, bag packed and ready for the off with a bit of a buzz feeling about the day ahead.
Thomas Jefferson
Day #2
Boom, there went a peaceful night's rest. Somehow they managed to dislodge my rain sheet and although it wasn't raining at the time it happened, it was inevitable it'd rain in the night so out fixing my hammock rainsheet at 23:45 was not cool!
I could've quite easily left it but bloody pleased I didn't coz an hour later it absolutely belted down for the entire night.
I could've quite easily left it but bloody pleased I didn't coz an hour later it absolutely belted down for the entire night.
Luckily none of my dry kit got wet so was pleased I'd made the effort to repair damage I'd not caused.
One bad thing aboout sharing centre posts with many others meant that if one person moved in their hammock, we all moved.
Someone connetcted to our "centre-spoke" spent the entire night training for the national trampoline championships for well over an hour.
Sadly patience didn’t last and a right royal belt of verbal abuse followed.
Sure, I was the one that delivered the justified onslaught but in the morning found most of those connected to the same central post had bitten their lips and spent the night grumbling to themselves. Probably just fatigue that forced me to let rip but hey ho, felt a little better for it at least.
One bad thing aboout sharing centre posts with many others meant that if one person moved in their hammock, we all moved.
Someone connetcted to our "centre-spoke" spent the entire night training for the national trampoline championships for well over an hour.
Sadly patience didn’t last and a right royal belt of verbal abuse followed.
Sure, I was the one that delivered the justified onslaught but in the morning found most of those connected to the same central post had bitten their lips and spent the night grumbling to themselves. Probably just fatigue that forced me to let rip but hey ho, felt a little better for it at least.
Morning and the rain had stopped long enough for everyone to get packed away for an 07:30 start.
05:00 am and the camp was manic.
Putting on wet clothes was always expected but having to tip out my trainers before putting them on was not a comfort moment but that's the jungle for ya.
Brekkie of Granola & Vanilla Protien shake for milk done, bag packed and ready for the off with a bit of a buzz feeling about the day ahead.
It was the last day of mostly downs so though I’d crack on and make the most of it.
With a steady jog right from the off I somehow found myself leading with Mael from France at the front of the pack for the first 5ish k and wasn’t long before I was alone without anyone in sight for miles.
Even now I have no idea what was was going on. Let's face it, I was here to complete, not to compete.
I wasn't going mentally fast, it was just a head down kind of approach, didn't look back and cracked on. Before I knew it I was totally isolated from eveyone else. Mael had vanished and no sign of the Norwegian. Acdtually there was no sign of anyone!
The road / track we were on was massively twisty and when doubling back every now and then I could see approx 2k behind me which for most of the time there wasn't a soul.
Occassionally I'd look where I'd been and see the next person chasing me down but he was quite literally miles away. I have no idea how or why I was so far out front and hoped I'd not made a monumental error of judgement with pace. But hey, felt good, wasn't tired, legs didn't hurt and the pack was comfortable so sod it, why not.
CP1 was done in an hour so quick refill and straight back out for the next leg.
next 13k was desolate and pretty lonely if I'm honest. Long straight roads / tracks for what seemed like endless miles can be mentally challenging at the best of times but with heat, humidity and the novelty of leading a race, for me, it was much tougher.
I sang (not very well - I sing like a strangled seagull btw), had quite a few conversations with myself, and weirdly, counted beats of eight in my head right up to CP2. I guess this is where the mental stamina came into play and it seemd to work just fine.
Chipped into CP2 at about 09:30 and still absolutely nobody in sight behind me for as far as i could see. Wtaf?!?
With a steady jog right from the off I somehow found myself leading with Mael from France at the front of the pack for the first 5ish k and wasn’t long before I was alone without anyone in sight for miles.
Even now I have no idea what was was going on. Let's face it, I was here to complete, not to compete.
I wasn't going mentally fast, it was just a head down kind of approach, didn't look back and cracked on. Before I knew it I was totally isolated from eveyone else. Mael had vanished and no sign of the Norwegian. Acdtually there was no sign of anyone!
The road / track we were on was massively twisty and when doubling back every now and then I could see approx 2k behind me which for most of the time there wasn't a soul.
Occassionally I'd look where I'd been and see the next person chasing me down but he was quite literally miles away. I have no idea how or why I was so far out front and hoped I'd not made a monumental error of judgement with pace. But hey, felt good, wasn't tired, legs didn't hurt and the pack was comfortable so sod it, why not.
next 13k was desolate and pretty lonely if I'm honest. Long straight roads / tracks for what seemed like endless miles can be mentally challenging at the best of times but with heat, humidity and the novelty of leading a race, for me, it was much tougher.
I sang (not very well - I sing like a strangled seagull btw), had quite a few conversations with myself, and weirdly, counted beats of eight in my head right up to CP2. I guess this is where the mental stamina came into play and it seemd to work just fine.
Chipped into CP2 at about 09:30 and still absolutely nobody in sight behind me for as far as i could see. Wtaf?!?
One thing I've now learned about myself is that I hate leading a race. It's depressingly lonely and that feeling of being hunted is a right head screw.
I drew the conclusion quite quickly that I prefer to sit in second place and do the chasing rather then the other way round.
I've never led races (apart from when I used to run cross country at school when I was 10!!) and it's defo not for me.
Note to future self. Sit in second place and go for the win nearer the finish line should the opportunity ever arise again of course.
Another blindingly fast refill and on for the last leg.
2k in and the jungle properly folded out under the canopy.
By this time the rain had been constant for ages and I felt a large blister burst on my left foot to a point, I thought I had a twig snap underfoot. I only realised what it was when the pain followed.
Fricken horrendous and made worse with the warm gush of warm fluid that seemed to slosh about in my general toe area. Grim!!
Now, I’m a firm believer that there’s sod all you can do about injuries until you complete the job. Same applies with my karate ethos.
Break a toe, break your nose, bust a rib in a session and sort it out later! It won't kill ya and everything is fixable later so crack on!
So, one dead painful foot, soaked through to the skin and then hell broke out in one swift swoop. The Jungle canopy!!
Waterlogged terrain was best described as bloody treacheorus beyond belief. After being only about 1k into it i hit the very first river of about 30' wide and dead rapid.
Followed the markers down to the river bank but couldn't see the exit markers.
Figuring it was either poor eyesight or me just being dense I waded across at times up to chest level. Could see the entry flag but couldn’t find the exit point.
Went back, slipped, was completely submerged, righted myself, slipped again & dragged downstream with 13kg of wetness, back up and trying again isn’t fun once. Doing it numerous times is even less fun and sanity began to fade along with morale.
Righted myself, went back and tried again but without success. Sorry to say, I repeated this pitiful saga over and over, each time looking for an exit that I was sure was there but couldn't see for looking.
Consciously aware the lead time I'd created was being eaten away it only made the whole incident more and more frustrating. I'd even considered cutting my own way into the Jungle on the opposite bank but figured it could put me in deep deep shit so opted to continue with the whole back and forth debarcle.
There was one point I recall standing in the middle of the rapis and screaming "where's the f%@kin exit?!?!". Yeah, like a race marshal was suddenly gonna pop up from nowhere in the middle of nowhere and point me in the right direction. At least it made me feel better for about a nano second.
After about 45mins I realised the marker indocators we needed to follow maent for us to stay on the original side of the river and follow it down to a safer crossing point where they's actually rigged a rope across for safety reasons.
Aghhh, and I'd already crossed it coutless times unaided!!. Unfortunately, at the point I realised the route, two other runners had caught me up. One was my nemesis Mr Norwegian and the other was a younger Japanese guy.
The Norwegian didn’t even acknowledge we existed and went ahead whereas the Japanese guy who had nothing but a selfie stick kinda paired up with me for a short while despite our massive language barriers.
When one wanted a break the other would pick up the "let's do this baton" and we'd crack on again. Weird concept but it worked just fine.
Fricken horrendous and made worse with the warm gush of warm fluid that seemed to slosh about in my general toe area. Grim!!
Now, I’m a firm believer that there’s sod all you can do about injuries until you complete the job. Same applies with my karate ethos.
Break a toe, break your nose, bust a rib in a session and sort it out later! It won't kill ya and everything is fixable later so crack on!
Waterlogged terrain was best described as bloody treacheorus beyond belief. After being only about 1k into it i hit the very first river of about 30' wide and dead rapid.
Followed the markers down to the river bank but couldn't see the exit markers.
Figuring it was either poor eyesight or me just being dense I waded across at times up to chest level. Could see the entry flag but couldn’t find the exit point.
Went back, slipped, was completely submerged, righted myself, slipped again & dragged downstream with 13kg of wetness, back up and trying again isn’t fun once. Doing it numerous times is even less fun and sanity began to fade along with morale.
Consciously aware the lead time I'd created was being eaten away it only made the whole incident more and more frustrating. I'd even considered cutting my own way into the Jungle on the opposite bank but figured it could put me in deep deep shit so opted to continue with the whole back and forth debarcle.
There was one point I recall standing in the middle of the rapis and screaming "where's the f%@kin exit?!?!". Yeah, like a race marshal was suddenly gonna pop up from nowhere in the middle of nowhere and point me in the right direction. At least it made me feel better for about a nano second.
After about 45mins I realised the marker indocators we needed to follow maent for us to stay on the original side of the river and follow it down to a safer crossing point where they's actually rigged a rope across for safety reasons.
Aghhh, and I'd already crossed it coutless times unaided!!. Unfortunately, at the point I realised the route, two other runners had caught me up. One was my nemesis Mr Norwegian and the other was a younger Japanese guy.
The Norwegian didn’t even acknowledge we existed and went ahead whereas the Japanese guy who had nothing but a selfie stick kinda paired up with me for a short while despite our massive language barriers.
River after river of various depths was coupled with endless endless deep, slippery wet mud. Staying vertical was a feat in itself. Ground that looked solid would simply slide away as soon as you stepped on it.
Mentally, I'd lost two places, the terran and river saga had sapped loads of energy and mentally I approached rock bottom in my head. and that all happened just before my first real "dark moment" rolled in. To compound it further, the rain was still incessant and although I'd accepted I couldn't get any more wet, it didn't help my head and i told my Japanese friend to carry on without me and leave me to battle my demons alone.
There was a moment I leant on my poles and just wanting to curl up in a ball and sleep. The rain, mud, jungle and critters were irrelevent, sleep was what I wanted.
One voice in my head was telling me to man the f$%k up and get moving but another was saying, nah, just have a quick kip and it'll be OK. Weird right but I stayed semi-vertical? What was disapointing for me the most was that only an hour ago i felt on top of the world both physically and mentally yet here I was in ruins on both counts.
Mentally, I'd lost two places, the terran and river saga had sapped loads of energy and mentally I approached rock bottom in my head. and that all happened just before my first real "dark moment" rolled in. To compound it further, the rain was still incessant and although I'd accepted I couldn't get any more wet, it didn't help my head and i told my Japanese friend to carry on without me and leave me to battle my demons alone.
There was a moment I leant on my poles and just wanting to curl up in a ball and sleep. The rain, mud, jungle and critters were irrelevent, sleep was what I wanted.
One voice in my head was telling me to man the f$%k up and get moving but another was saying, nah, just have a quick kip and it'll be OK. Weird right but I stayed semi-vertical? What was disapointing for me the most was that only an hour ago i felt on top of the world both physically and mentally yet here I was in ruins on both counts.
About 15 mins later, John from Ireland caught up with me and we silently agreed to stomp on together. Tbh I think we were both as exhausted as each other but conversation was a real boost to morale and we kinda bounced off each others fatigue.
When one wanted a break the other would pick up the "let's do this baton" and we'd crack on again. Weird concept but it worked just fine.
Stopping every so often on the steep ups was a good thing. Regaining some sort of strength and resetting before then next burst which would last for another 15 mins and then repeated it was a good strategy and we made pretty steady progress.
River crossing, mud, dense jungle & even more crossing seems to last an eternity.
At one point John and I actually did synchronised down hill bum sliding for about 15ft despite being 20' apart. Funny shit!!
The best way to describe the muddy downhills would be to imagine yourself trying to traverse a steep slope covered in ice in nothing more than a pair of trainers. Absolute impossible to stay upright.
Crossing the finish line on this stage was a huge sigh of relief but knowing the majority of the runners were still in the Jungle was a satisfying feeling although I did feel sorry for them.
Mentally tough, physically tougher but pleased to get it done with John in just over 5 hours.
Back in camp for a swift but efficient hammock set up the following wash / bath in a close by river / stream was probably just what I needed. The cold water's good for fatigued muscles right and being free of mud and grime was even better for the soul.
Feet were in a bad way. Being constantly wet, the skin became wafer thin and more prone to blisters etc.
The BIG burst blister on my left foot second toe ran from tip to root and was NOT pretty and pretty fricken sore.
Medic centre opened at 16:00 so had them do what they could and with KT tape and dressing, it felt a whole load better.
Medic centre opened at 16:00 so had them do what they could and with KT tape and dressing, it felt a whole load better.
Still along way to go and undoubtely this was just a tip of a huge iceberg with injuries so best to just ignore them and sort it all out at the end of the week.
The biggest of my probs had to be the chaffing (which I had in some pretty painful and nameless places).
The biggest of my probs had to be the chaffing (which I had in some pretty painful and nameless places).
Jeez these chaffs were sore and needed proper airing.
Plan was to get admin for Day 3 done, get fed and get into the hammock as soon as possible, stay dry and get some air to the general area.
Yeah I know it's pretty undignified but who cared. Next morning I'd slap on the Gurney Goo (sort of medicated, heavy duty Vaseline) and hope it'd protect the affected areas during the next day.
Damage report summary: second left foot toe blister from top to bottom, top of left foot blister, right across my entire back has worn away, right collar bone/ shoulder worn and obvs the chaffage. Not bad in the big scheme of things after 5 hours of painful and challenging terrian in honking rain. Was fairly pleased espcially when it could've been a whole lot worse.
The amazing & lovely medic crew did as much damage mitigation as possible today but I suspect they’re going to see me again tomorrow.
Plan was to get admin for Day 3 done, get fed and get into the hammock as soon as possible, stay dry and get some air to the general area.
Yeah I know it's pretty undignified but who cared. Next morning I'd slap on the Gurney Goo (sort of medicated, heavy duty Vaseline) and hope it'd protect the affected areas during the next day.
Damage report summary: second left foot toe blister from top to bottom, top of left foot blister, right across my entire back has worn away, right collar bone/ shoulder worn and obvs the chaffage. Not bad in the big scheme of things after 5 hours of painful and challenging terrian in honking rain. Was fairly pleased espcially when it could've been a whole lot worse.
The amazing & lovely medic crew did as much damage mitigation as possible today but I suspect they’re going to see me again tomorrow.
An early race brief took place in the early evening.
Apparetly the weather had flooded the rivers and made them impassable (no shit!!) so tomorrow we have one additional zip wire crossing and a complete route change.
Early bed and hoped for a more peaceful rest without the disruptions of last night.
Not sure if it’s exhaustion or not but laying in the hammock at the end of the day but it was actually bloody lovely.
Early bed and hoped for a more peaceful rest without the disruptions of last night.
Not sure if it’s exhaustion or not but laying in the hammock at the end of the day but it was actually bloody lovely.
Gentle swaying, stretched out, airing yer bits, chillin' and content that I gave what I could today was a proper contented feeling.
Race start time tomorrow was scheduled to be in 3 x waves of runners.
Race start time tomorrow was scheduled to be in 3 x waves of runners.
Tried to get some zzzzz’s in before another challenging but epic day hit us tomorrow.
Next week day 3 in the world of the Jungle Ultra 2019
Next week day 3 in the world of the Jungle Ultra 2019
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