L. Kock embarks on his quest for world domination

Thought this might be of interest. Blogger keeps track of where in the world my blog is being viewed from over the past couple of days, and displays it to me in quite a cool graphic as shown below. I could also show you which browsers/operating systems are being used by you all (yawn), but shall refrain to spare everyone from boredom...

I have a fairly good idea about who may be viewing the blog in the UK, Kenya, US, Netherlands and South Africa. However with regards to Ukraine and Mexico I have little to no clue! This is fantastic though because it shows that people are sharing the page to friends, who are then sharing to other friends around the world. I have had recent viewership (if it can be called that) from Kazakhstan, the UAE, Indonesia and Russia to name a few which is awesome. Please keep spreading the  word!

I'm actually at work so should probably get off this before someone notices...

Pageviews by Countries

Entry	Page views
United Kingdom	15
Kenya	7
United States	7
Netherlands	4
Ukraine	2
Mexico	1
South Africa	1

Marathon number 5: Check

Another weekend has passed and another marathon has been endured. Not having a saturday or sunday is now becoming the norm, it will definitely feel very strange not having to run 40 miles at the weekend once this is all over. I'll need to get back into playing some competitive sport or I'll go into cold turkey. due to lack of activity.

I did a city half marathon from the outskirts (Beckenham) into the centre of London (Hyde Park) which I found mildly interesting. Makes the city feel a lot smaller when you can run into it from the outside.

My legs are definitely getting stronger as well, normally at around mile 20 they start to get a bit sore but at today I didn't get into any pain until a couple of miles before the end. This bodes well for the ultra as I'll be able to get up every day and do another marathon without TOO much trouble (hopefully). The reality however is that it is going to be an incredibly torturous affair, no easy ride in the slightest...

I've been trying to sort out my kit which has been harder than expected. Items like backpack and sleeping bag are difficult to get right. Having been in touch with the race organiser he tried to help me out with some sleeping bag advice:

"HI

I just did the same exercise for someone else, so looked carefully at what is currently available and came up with 3 choices ( I am sure there are more possibilities ) 

Sleeping bags, loads of different types

Size and weight is dependent on 2 things, you can get bags that pack down to the size of a can of coke, but you will be cold at night so self defeating.

Down Filling, packs down smaller than anything else, is much more expensive than synthetic, and is useless when wet If your budget allows this is the best choice  LINK  for smallest and lightest for the conditions you will find ( Beware there are lots of types and grades of Down,, not all are as good at keeping you warm, and not all have a long lifespan ) 

Synthetic Materials are a lot less expensive, but hey are bulkier, but even when wet they can keep you warm.  The size can be reduced even further, by using a compression sack, size can be reduced by 20 to 30%. 

A good lightweight, and fairly small bag is the Gormasson -19, it can be reduced in size with a compression sack, it is also a much better price.   LINK 

Another option is this one LINK  its not so expensive for a quality Down bag, but does not pack quite so small as the first one 

Bags vary so much in quality and size, I have a bag that is good for the job and only cost £60, but it is bigger than my backpack, and I have one the size of a can of coke, which is very expensive.  but i would not sleep due to being cold., it was fine for the Sahara, but this is Iceland. 

A simple, lightweight. and cheap way to increase the temperature in a sleeping bag is to add a silk liner, it also keeps the bag clean, this can increase the temperature inside the bag by 5  degrees, there are also cotton liners, but they only make 1 or 2 degrees difference, better than nothing. 

If non of those 3 suit you, call Martin Like of Likeys on 01874 622900 tell him you are doing the Fire and Ice, and that I suggested you call him regarding a sleeping bag, he supplied the Yeti bag to an Icelandic runner last year, he thinks it is the best thing he ever bought, but Martin does not do Yeti anymore, but does lots of other brands. 

The three I have recommended are either stock or can be obtained in a few weeks,  whatever Likeys recommends will all be stock. 

Martin has a lot of personal experience in 250km events, and is probably the UKs best supplier of kit to events like this. 

Sadly some companies will recommend and stock what they make the most profit on, people like Martin stock what is best for the events, and the competitor, if I cant get what I want direct from a factory, I go to Martin because of his knowledge and honesty.

Hope this helps 

Dave "

Thanks Dave.

So it sounds like sleeping in the cold is going to be another challenge in itself, definitely need to get a good sleeping bag.

There is also a compulsory kit list that they check before you can start the event:

Compulsory Equipment List	Obtained
Backpack
Sleeping bag
Head torch + Emergency light	✓
8 x safety pins	✓
Small knife/multitool
Survival bag
Red LED light
Sunscreen
Lip Balm
Medical Kit + Blister kit
Tissues/wet wipes
Alcohol gel
T Shirt
Waterproof jacket & Trousers
Warm mid layer
Shorts & tights	✓
Sun hat	✓
Warm hat	✓
Shoes	✓
Socks 2/3 pairs	✓
Gloves	✓
UV sunglasses
Food (minimum 2500Kcal/day)
Water capacity (minimum 2L)

As you can see there are still a few things I'm missing...

I'll do several posts this week talking about the different types of kit and nutrition that I'll be taking with me. Fairly boring but some of the more inventory-minded people out there might get some pleasure in reading about it all! 

I am getting very excited as you might imagine but need to reign it in a bit as still a month or so of grueling training to go before I can get out there.

In other news, Mohamad Ahansal has just entered the race. For those non ultra marathon enthusiasts out there (which I'm guessing is everyone, including me) Mohamad has one the Marathon des Sables 6 times. 6 times. He's also finished 2nd on several occasions and has come 3rd a few times, which must have been difficult for him to take (!). Will be interesting to see this well oiled machine in action, although I doubt he will stick around to have a chat while racing. I'll have to ambush him at one of the stage campsites and get some useful info out of him. 

I had two beers last night and woke up with a hangover this morning. Really hammered home how getting super fit and alcohol are not a match made in heaven. The fitter you get the less booze your body can handle. I can see this research paper being published in Science in the next few years. I'll use yours truly as the sample group, drip feeding myself alcohol while attempting to climb everest. Many people will doubt the credibility/usefulness of such a paper, but a paper it shall be. If anyone would like to contribute or be involved in such a monumental study then please don't hesitate to call me on +447777777777 for more details on how to get involved. 

One final thing, for any twitter users out there. I have reactivated my account for a number of reasons which I shan't go into now but will do in due time and my username is @loren_kock. I've only got 40 followers and could do with a few more so show me some love and follow me! I've been tweeting fairly regularly about the race and anything else interesting, definitely worth a look anyway (just don't forget to click "follow" before you leave my page).

I've almost forgotten that I'm doing this ill informed event for charity. Please keep donating it's amazing that i've raised over £2000 and can keep lifting it now!

For everyone who has already donated I will be mentioning you in the next few posts to gratefully name and shame you. 

I'll start with the three most recent people who have kindly donated.

Shout out to Hilary Atkins (Kenya), Jenny Hart (UK) and my big brother (USA) for hugely generous donations, thanks a lot guys! 

https://www.justgiving.com/fireandicekibera/

40 days left

Apologies for my absence in the blogosphere for the past 3 weeks, I'm been having some time-management issues balancing work with training (let alone blogging). I'll be uploading on here at least once a week from now on in I promise...

Received some saddening news a couple of weeks ago that the offices at KIMTA had been broken into overnight by thieves who then stole a television, computers, the generator and a significant amount of cash. The bitter irony here is that KIMTA is working day and night to try and improve the lives of many living in Kibera, and yet those who stole from them most probably live just around the corner. In a way it sums up the current state of affairs in the area if it wasn't obvious enough already.

This has woken me up somewhat on the fundraising side of things, i've already reached my target of £2000 but more can be raised, especially in light of such recent circumstances.

Back to my training...I've run a half marathon (saturday) and full marathon (sunday) on each of the last three weekends, which will continue for the near future. Next week marks my first double marathon weekend, of which as you may imagine I am looking forward to with much excitement. The main thing that I need to do is keep nailing the weekend runs and maintain the shorter distances during the week (10 miles and some sprint/resistance training) over the next month or so and staying free of injury. Every mile under my belt is so valuable at this stage of my training.

Today (which is a Saturday) I managed to get a half marathon in when my sister dropped me off on the way down to Kent from London and I ran home along the River Medway before cutting east for the last few miles.

The whole run felt slightly cartoonish as will be revealed in the next few passages of writing.

First of all, upon joining the footpath along the river I was surprised to find it extremely serene and quiet, which in itself is odd considering it's proximity to Maidstone. Maidstone isn't exactly an image of beauty for those who didn't know already. I even managed to the a Bird. Yes, that's right. A real bird (Pigeons don't count) so close to a noisy, polluted excuse for a town. For budding ornothologists, and I indeed used to be one of those before it became less cool (or was it ever cool?!) my feathery friend was a Cormorant, spreading it's wings to dry in the summer sun.
                       
                                                 There is a bird in this picture, I promise

Soon my bubble of paradise was burst as when I rounded the corner I stumbled straight into a Hen party that was having some rowdy afternoon drinks outside a Pub by the river. As if this wasn't terrifying enough, immediately behind them were a separate group of men enjoying a stag do at the same establishment. One would expect it to be more intimidating to run past a group of testosterone/alcohol fueled alpha males on a stag weekend but in this case the complete opposite occurred.  I wouldn't dare repeat some of the profanities that were aimed at me from some of the red-faced lager-lapping lovelies seated around the soon to be wife. Luckily enough these little pieces of heaven weren't up for the chase and upon seeing them off I ran through the Stag group expecting more of the same. Instead of a torrent of abuse, I was actually greeted with a few words of encouragement and one bloke even reached out of the crowd to hand me a bottle of water.

(Image of hen party was meant to be inserted here but was understandably censored by Google)

I continued for another couple of miles and it was then that I began to hear a high pitched whining sound coming down the river towards me. Squinting my eyes I could make out a tiny little speed boat with a very jolly looking man seated inside it. As the boat approached it soon became apparent that this boat wasn't getting any bigger and was indeed the smallest speed-boat I had ever seen/ever will see. It zipped past me and I had to chase it back down the river a while in order to get a good enough picture. The poor chap in the boat must have thought I was intending to dive into the river and commandeer his boat. As he sailed on towards the gates of hell which I had just run through, I imagined the headline tomorrow morning on the Kent Gazette "Hen party harpees scupper Medway micro-boat".

                                              The last known sighting of micro-boat man

Soon after this a swarm of high-vis vest wearing cub scouts on their 12-speed mountain bikes came whizzing past, armed to the teeth with swiss army knives, maps, binoculars and water-proof watches. My heart sank as I imagined what they were soon to experience around the corner. A better man would have warned them away from that pub of doom, but the image of such a confrontation between the team of scouts and dribbling hen-party honeys was too great to prevent. I regret not going back to observe this rare clash of the titans, imagine the tales I could tell.
Upon continuing I came across a scout lagging behind, clearly unsure which path to take at the fork in the road he had reached. The thought did cross my mind that it would be quite funny to harmlessly send him the wrong way, however my morals got the better of me and I directed him down towards where his friends had just passed. Who knows, he may have been safer if I had sent him the wrong way. We'll never know...
 
                                                                                 ?

The rest of the run was relatively boring in comparison, and not worthy of mention. I will therefore sign off with another plug. Thank you for everyone's continued support in my run and the cause behind it, if there is anyone who you feel would want to donate to such a worthy cause then please don't hesitate to forward this blog onto them or my justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/fireandicekibera/

I need to get some rest, another marathon tomorrow (help)

First marathon of the summer...

Uni is out for the summer and I have moved up to London for the summer with an internship at myClinicalOutcomes to keep me busy when I'm not training. Weekends will most definitely be spent outside of the big smoke to give my lungs a break and to get some real mileage into my legs.

On Friday I ran my first training marathon. 26 miles from home to Canterbury. There was a county T20 cricket match (Kent vs. Gloucestershire) which we had tickets for and a great way to celebrate my first significant training milestone. The match was set to start at 7pm so it was decided that I set off around 12pm to account for any problems that might arise on my way in. Kara (sister) decided fairly last minute that she would very kindly run with me for the first half of the run. Expecting to be my running buddy for 13-14 miles she ended up staying with me for 17 before we looked a how far we had gone.

I then dropped her off at Chilham train station and finished the last leg solo. At around mile 20 my legs started to get a bit heavy but just about managed to make it to the end in one piece, all of the training since January is appearing to pay off which is a good sign!

Started to stiffen up while watching the cricket but it was a really good way to end a tough day of training.

Every weekend from now until D-Day I'll be running at least one marathon, I should be able to update this blog a bit more regularly now that I'm not pinned down by exams.

The realisation of the task at hand

Week 16

On Sunday I went out on my first 3.5 hour run. The route I followed encompasses the seven hills upon which Edinburgh was built on. I decided to do this seven hills run without a map (intentionally) to make me run around for longer finding the best route rather than sticking to the most direct possible. 

It was a lot harder than I expected. The distance I covered was 18 miles which in itself isn't too bad, the only killer was that as the name describes were the seven hills that must be summited to complete the loop. 

My GoPro arrived yesterday so it was the perfect chance to take it for a spin and take a photo on top of each of the hills although weather was particularly gloomy today.

0600: Wake up with a dead expression. Why am I doing this again?

0645: After light breakfast begin the seven hills run. Initially running along the water of leith which for those of you unfamiliar to Edinburgh is a river/stream that runs through the city and out to sea. If you have a look at the map above then you can make out a snake of green to the left of the castle which is the water of leith. 

A small bald man tries to ruin my picture 

0715: Arrive at first checkpoint, corstorphine hill upon which the Zoo is situated. The trail actually runs along the zoo perimeter fence. No escaped animals to view unfortunately. Awful picture but I promise that it is on top of a hill.

Then began my trial and error-strewn navigation towards Craiglockhart hill which as you can see is south-east of corstorphine. This looks easy enough but tested my directional sense to the full. I ended up stumbling upon the water of leith along which I wound away until it threw me up just opposite the sign for craiglockhart, which was a bonus.

0800: Steep shortcut-ascent to the top of craiglockhart felt great but probably was the root of my fatigue later on in the run, will definitely take it easy on early climbs in future! Second checkpoint reached with the the next checkpoint of Braid hills in not-so-clear view now.

0830: Braid hills summited, at this point I am still feeling quite good and get a wave of energy to push me on down the valley, across the golf course and steeply up to the Blackford hill viewpoint. Starting to feel some effect of cramp in my left leg now, continue to press on.

The view from the top of Braid hills couldn't be much worse compared to the glory of last week, cramp dies away as I run down into the valley towards Blackford hill.

0845: Blackford, hill number 4. The sun creeps through the low hanging cloud for an instant. A lonely man cuts a dejected figure against the misty Edinburgh backdrop. Also notice the second time my fingers are wreaking havoc on the aesthetics of my picture.

Cheer up matey

9:30: Suffocating in cloud I summit Arthurs seat, hill number 5. The only human being stupid enough to go running up there on a Sunday morning. The climb was a real energy-sapper, especially seeing as though I took a wrong turn through the mist. I'm looking slightly hagged now as my sugar levels hit a new low. Still 2 more hills before I can get back to my revision, what a treat.

Get a haircut, just do it.

As I began to wind may down the seat and towards Holyrood palace I started to hear a voice in my head shouting in a thick unapologetic Scottish accent. Considering I had been on the road a while now and had just run out of water I began to think that it could be a hallucination This is obviously a huge exaggeration, although I did read about a man who ran for 24 hours straight and did actually hallucinate. It all became clear however as I burst out of the mist opposite Holyrood palace. Sunday held the annual 'Great Edinburgh Run', a renowned half marathon through the streets of the city. I had emerged on the start line almost immediately after the run had started and the voices in my head were in fact the race announcer issuing motivational rallying calls to all the competitors. Today of all days they had decided to organise the event. It was almost as though they didn't even know that I was training that day. Since I wasn't displaying my race number (silly me) I wasn't allowed to take one of the thousands of lucozade drinks that they had out for the runners who by that point had already left. Sometimes you're too tired to argue, I could have really done with a drink at this point though as I had finally earned the much coveted 'fatigued' Frostie's badge and beginning to flag only 1 mile or so from the end of my run.

Don't you know who I am?

Still it was quite enjoyable overtaking a few of the late starters. Many of whom I'm sure were given quite a fright when they turned around to see a sweaty, wild-eyed youth hobbling his way towards them. If only those watching knew how long I had been running for, most of the spectators would have assumed that I was just one of those characters in incredibly bad shape, after all the start was only a few hundred metres back. 

Burning up the elite runner group

Carlton hill and the castle mound were the final two hills and I managed to get up and down them without too much trouble, mainly due to the excitement that was building up inside me about getting my neuroscience books open again. It's these little pleasures that really give you the edge when the going gets tough.

Apologies for the poor quality of writing that you may have had to endure in this post, my brain is just a bit burnt out from revising about spatial cognition. Some neural route learning mechanisms actually apply to all the running I'm doing. Who said learning wasn't fun?

All the support I am getting is phenomenal so thank you again to those who have been donating. Vincent from KIMTA is constantly sending me messages about progress being made at the charity and where money that we raise will be going. So please keep donating! 

justgiving.com/fireandicekibera 

Running in Edinburgh: Week 15.

This weekend marks the end of the first 15 weeks of my training program. Up until now it has been relatively easy going. I have stumbled through 42 runs covering a total of 380 miles. The next 16 weeks look absolutely brutal.

Panorama of Edinburgh from Braid Hills viewpoint 

Today was an absolutely stunner in Edinburgh, perfect for my favourite 10 miler up on to the Braid Hills to the south of the city. May do the same again tomorrow if the weather stays like this. Very little to write about today, a chance for me to express my photographic prowess.

Organic photography

No filter required

For the doubters

I did make the foolish mistake of playing a marathon of 5 a side football down in portobello afterwards. May have to seriously think about ice bathing soon.

I have also been lost significant amounts sleep while trying to win a GoPro on Ebay. It was all worth it though as I ambushed Petey214 with 3 seconds left on the clock to grab an absolute steal. Watch this space for some more exciting footage over the next few weeks...

Until then keep donating! http://www.justgiving.com/fireandicekibera I am so close to my initial £2000 target which is amazing considering how long I have left until the race.

4 months 1 week to go

April 3rd: First post

On the 10th August 2014 I will be running the 150 mile 'Fire & Ice' ultra marathon in Iceland. Having never run a marathon before, it is a huge understatement to say that this race will be a challenge! The race is comprised of 6 stages and all competitors must be self sufficient, whereby each individual must carry their own sleeping bag, food, water and other items deemed necessary for survival in Iceland's volcanic wilderness.

This event will be a huge ask, but one that I believe to be worthwhile in raising some money for a wonderful charity in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya of which I have done some work with over the past few years. I will post more info about this cause later, but for the time being my charity donation page can be found at http://www.justgiving.com/fireandicekibera. 

This blog will literally act as a 'running' commentary of my training and everything related to this event and the charity in the build up to the race itself. 

In the coming weeks it will be a balancing act of training and revision for some fairly important uni exams coming up at the end of the month so you will have to excuse the poor quality of this blog for the time being...