Friday, July 15, 2011

How to prepare yourself for 100KM Oxfam Trail Walker event!?

1. May we have some pre-walk experience, to know the way, keep reserve power for the up hills.
2. Set a target of how many hours you want to finish the trail and then mark the finishing time of each of the sessions. You may refer to attached file set-up your target.
3. Carry less as possible, a 30 gram of additional weight will be somewhat like 15Kg loading running along 100KM…
4. Climate should be about 23 deg C RH 75% in Nov 18-20 2011…estimated base on today forecast
5. Use new Running short as it will not create blister and bruise on your thighs
6. Use thick power dry quality soft Socks and keep your feet dry to prevent Blister. carry spare for changes at support points
7. One Blister will slow you down.
8. Don’t wear NEW Shoes or you will get hurt soon after a few stages. Use a pair of good quality hiking or running shoes that have been used at least 50KM as run in. Meindl Ventilator 7000 or new model Stride has super good Quality and are designed for Hiking. (of course this is my personal preference only!)
9. Lighter shoes with good shock absorbance sole is always preferred
10. Bring along with Vaseline or other Athlete grease like 3B put it generously on your frictional points such as, arm pits, inner portion of your thighs when we run to reduce skin irritation and blister or even bleeding.
11. Make sure your back pack is good, used and run in. Waist bag is good for light loading but it will bounce when up hill! Again, this is Personal choice.
12. There are Oxfam support points at each of the stage (total 10 stages) and a superfluous support for food, water, fruit, snacks, sandwiches, noodles, KFC chicken, power gel, cold and hot drinks at major support point at end of Stage 3, 4, 6 and 8 is crucial to the team success.
13. Keep a longer warm up time at early stage 1-2 make sure our body is used to the trail.
14. Stage 3-4, 7 and 8 are the most difficult stages, keep our power for this.
15. Stage 9-10 is mainly down hill and flat. We can finish it if we have completed the stage 1-8 of 78 KM! Yon can change a lighter running shoe for these two stages, dump unnecessary things and free yourself running to the last 22 Km towards to finishing point.
16. Eat whenever you can, drink frequently with small sips before you feel thirsty, light food is good, oily heavy meal is not recommended. Keep sleep enough two week in advance, hide your cigarette in you grandma's house, drink more water on morning of the Trail Walker day.
17. Water will dilute your blood and remove all of the nutrients and electrolytes through sweating, replenish certain Electrolyte drinks like Pocari Sweat or taking salt tablets is a way to reduce muscle cramps. Taking Power bar, power gel would help before up hill especially when body is tired.


18. See you in Finishing Point.

MacLehose Trail Snob

Monday, July 11, 2011

Night Walk along MacLehose Stage 4-8.

Every year, we do arrange some night walk as to get used to the hiking at night, we chose last Friday as our first night walk this year. The weather was quite humid, hot as about 28 Deg C. Luckily we had experienced some breeze at mid to top of Ma On Shan. But I do sweat a lot, my running outfit was old and that created irritation on my thigh. I did not manage to continue after our first support point at mid of stage 5, at the Kwun Yin Temple.
However that was a clear night and visibility was very good that I can see through 20km distance away. Attached the view of South Kowloon and the Hong Kong island taken at Tse Wan Shan.



Tse Wan Shan Snob