in the next blog...Just as my legs are getting strengthened in the buildup to our relay, so is my confidence as a bona-fide cyclist in London. I'm  getting used to the roads and my lightweight Genesis Equilbrium 10. I've also booked a free Cycle Confident

It’s not something I usually have a problem with - I just reach into the drawer, pull out the closest bit of clobber and bound out the door – but oh, how times have changed (and the weather, and people's opinions of running in 'apple catchers' with We Will Rock You blaring out......

Whilst my brother jokes saying he'd rather be punched in the face than run 151 miles in the desert, I consider myself very fortunate to be capable of attempting something like this. After an exciting 2011 race calendar comprising of a couple of half

Stage 2: 38KThe sun usually rises here just before 6am but there was no sunrise this morning. We woke to a sandstorm, just what we didn't need to kick off a 38K stage. I'm sharing a tent with Jay Batchen, who has done the race eight or so times: he

. The first 12K were relatively flat, albeit stony; then we came to the dunes and stayed on them for most of the day. I actually managed some running today but I'm still only really keeping up with the walkers who aren't stopping at every checkpoint. You can

friends to watch me sweat it out over the 20K cycle. Now all that's left is the race itself.James has set us the challenge to complete the relay in sub-1:30. After the amazing results from his Bupa Fitness Assessment earlier this week, he looks set

of the running ‘experience’ is that you carry all your food with you. This is no mean feat - you have to carry 14,000 calories minimum (2,000 per day) during the course of the race. This is punishment of the highest order.Therefore, this week I decided

with a robust rucksack that will be my best friend for the duration of the race. The great thing about this pack, the Sky 30+10, is that it expands and shrinks depending on the space required, so as the race goes on and I consume the food I bring I can

At just 17.5K, the final stage of the 26th Marathon des Sables was the shortest by far but still proved to be challenging. It was another hot day - although once the temperature rises above 40C it's hard to differentiate between simply hot

Stage 4: 82KI made it! Everyone says that if you can get through the long stage you'll finish the race. I'm happy to report that at around 1.30 today (Thursday) I hobbled across the finish line after 82K, not quite last but with not too many people