And then just as quickly you are home again. Back in Hong Kong, after the Petra<>Amman<>Dubai<>HK leg of the marathon, made harder through a self inflicted hangover and zero sleep on the journey. Most race blogs tend to end on the same note, a bit of reflection on the event, and what motivates us to do this to ourselves. There are the explicit benefits that come up repeatedly

Long day done. It was a big grind. I remember 2 years ago saying that top of the lists of the things not to do is a desert marathon, a 2000feet ascent, followed by another desert marathon.  – to do it once was an experience – to do it twice is plain stupid. I must have removed the worst bit s from my memory 2 years ago, as some of it came as an unpleasant surprise. First half ok, second half a grind. Some things to lighten the miles: I heard a conversation on the way around where 2 chaps were discussing quantum physics and Schrodingers Cat – which if I recall was both dead and alive at the same time: which to me is a parallel to these events – at certain times your body feels dead, but the endorphins make your mind feel very alive. After the quantum physics they then said” would you rather fight a duck the size of a horse, or a 100 horses the size of a duck” (William – a question for you I think). On the way around I enjoyed watching a group trying to get across a water crossing without getting their feet wet – it seemed to involve climbing in a black plastic sack and hopping across – I took the easier route of just running through. Descriptions cannot give the landscape justice , you will need to look at the photos, it is sublime in the truest sense – particularly at the top of the 2000 ft bluff looking back at dusk on all the desert we had traversed this past week. Back runners still coming in now – 30 hours plus since the start of the long day – it gets emotional at the finish line at these times. Many more shaggy camel stories – but I will save those , including the one with the punchline “ we are French, we smoke camels” A quote from Thesiger – “In the desert I have found a freedom unattainable in civilization. A life unhampered by possessions, since everything that is not a necessity is an encumbrance. “ – a very good summary of how we feel in these events, and why against all common sense we keep coming back. And me? All I will say I that I am sure I am much closer to the end of my desert running career than the start. So tomorrow is that last 5 km into Petra – and much looking forward. On the topic of Petra – that was the name of the first Blue Peter dog – except in reality the first Petra died as a puppy and was replaced without telling anyone (this is true, not a joke!) – so in fact Petra was a copy  - not the original. But tomorrow we will very much be at the original, and the finish line in front of the Treasury. Look forward to seeing you all, esp Shazz and Will, Love D

Hello All. I had a great story today to tell you, but it is too rude for any readers not between 16 and 60. If you buy me a beer I will tell you one on one – when I thought of the punchline I laughed out loud on the trail – which surprised the Korean overtaking me. So for the race facts of the day – went pretty well and feeling fine for most of the run/hike – cracked it out in 6.20 ish – which remains fast for me, but still last in the tent! My tent mates are on fire – especially Scott and Andy. Feet are holding up pretty well, but will retape tonight before tomorrows 89km long march – doesn’t bear thinking about. Scenery and weather remain perfect, sandstone rock arches, pink flags in goat skull, - all good. Not too many camp medical emergencies to tell Jim and team at CSC – albeit there is a Japanese dressed as a cow doing the race – and he was getting his feet checked in the med tent last night – not sure what you can do for cow hooves. At the moment (well when I am home that is)  I am reading Mark Rowlands – Running with the Pack – which is part running and part philosophy (true!) – but I do recall him saying that when on a long run you experience a different kind of freedom – the freedom of spending time with the mind. You certainly have to spend a lot of time with your thoughts when you are out in the desert day after day  - and that is no bad thing. Yikes – I was almost getting serious there. Back to the other thoughts – Many thanks “Taj Manzoor” for those food recommendation – I am fantasizing now. I will try and come up with a printable shaggy camel story tomorrow – hhmmm – Camels seem ripe for rude jokes. PS – who won in the South Africa v Oz Cricket match? Better sign off – people waiting. Love and Regards (it will be a long time before next blog as I have the long day to crack). dg

Day 3 done, went ok today and came in 6hr 20 ish I think. Thanks William for that very helpful comment – should I need to complain I will bear that in mind. I had another encounter with the camel Bedouin today – he saw me looking at his camels and asked me to select which I thought was the finest – I said that I though the red , muscled camel looked good. He said” my friend – you have a good eye for a camel – that is a camel born in the 1980s – with his red fur – he comes from the arab lands to the east – he is a special racing camel who goes well over the desert and rough ground – see look at his big 4 strong legs and his four big heels that help him go through the sand. He also is a bit old now so not as fast as he used to be – so we have rigged him up with an intravenous drip and if he sick we inject him” “that’s very interesting I said – but what type of camel is it?” “that my friend is a 1980s Red Saudi Quattro with 4 heel drive and If-you-ill injection” I have been set a challenge from tent mates to come up with a shaggy camel story each day – many apologies. Going forward some will be too rude to print. I seem to have landed in a very fast tent – despite doing my best times each day , I am still usually last one in – with the others motoring – no probs , I think I am still c. halfway down field. Read others blogs for some great descriptions – as not sure I have time – but today was perfect weather, gorgeous views, and no crises. Toes and feet are getting a bit sore , but nothing out of the ordinary. Kinda feels almost like half way – just need to crank out tomorrow and then the long day..Love to Shazz n Will, best regards to all. Time to go an eat and compose tomorrows tale. Cheers dg

Apologies for lack of blogs . Yesterday was rainy first day and by the time we hit camp all the tents were leaking – hence keeping warm and dry was priority over setting up cyber tent –fair enough. In 2012 I learnt that Bedouin tents did not stand up to wind, the lesson for 2014 is they are not waterproof either. Millenia of desert design in those tents. First day was ok – as wet and cool is OK for us brits. Came in 5hr57 I think. Today was a bit tougher for me as I lost my mojo in the first half – but managed to find it again and come in 6hr 7mins. Hello to all at CSC and hope that you find time to read these in the morning meeting – keep up the inspirational good work – and me and Andy will keep pounding the miles. No injuries so far – other that a bit of chafing in the nether regions – time for nappy cream. Message to Rob Reid – can you blog to Simon S and ask him what the story was behind his huge amount of dirty laundry at the first hotel. Love to Shazz and Will – I thought you might like this story from day 1. I was passing a Bedoiun with camels and noticed he had  a lot of different kinds – I saidto Ahmed – I see you have some with one hump and some with 2 – I see camels, Bactrian, dromedary – but what do you call that oneover their with no humps? My friend – he is called Humphry. Given that this is Peter O Toole country and he died last year – a quote from Lawrence of Arabia – which could perhaps apply to RTP in Jordan – “we were in the desert for 9 months and we were having the time of our life – it could have been an archeological expedition , a military campaign”. Andy is on fire – well up the field. Looking forward to first beer – 5 days and counting. PS – the country is as spectacular as I remember – especially now the sun is out. Love to All – let’s get going with day 3.  PPS – the camel story may not be strictly true…

Tomorrow night I head off to Jordan via Dubai. Hopefully, everything will arrive the other end. We are advised to try and carry as much of our vital kit in hand luggage as possible to prevent errant suitcases in the hold. I am not always comfortable with that, given desert racers carry some eclectic kit

Now i am on the 5th desert i fear that the blogs may start to get repetitive - and once you have come into camp after a day slogging it is hard to add sufficient creativity & context. As such i thought i would just repeat some text from Alain de Botton's The Art of Travel. It captures one of the core drivers for racing in the desert. He is talking about the Sinai - but the words can be transposed for the Wadi Rum, not so very far away. "The Southern Sinai at dawn. What then is this feeling? It is generated by a valley created 400 million years ago, by a granite mountain 2300 metres high, and by the erosion of millennia marked on the walls of a succession of steep canyons. Beside all three man seems merely dust postponed: the sublime as an encounter, pleasurable, intoxicating even, with human weakness in face of the strength, age and size of the Universe" "But why the pleasure? Why seek out this feeling of smallness - delight in it even? Why leave the comforts, join a group of desert devotees, and walk for miles with a heavy pack along the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba, to reach a place of rocks and silence, in which one must shelter from the sun like a fugitive, in the scant shadow of giant boulders? Why contemplate with exhilaration rather than despair beds of granite and baking gravel pans and a frozen lava of mountains extending into the distance until peaks dissolve on the edge of a hard blue sky? One answer is not everything which is more powerful than us must always be hateful to us. What defies our will can provoke anger and resentment, it may also arouse awe and respect" So there you go. I am unlikely to remember those quotes next week, nor put it quite so lyrically once i have lanced by blisters and rehydrated my chicken tikka and rice. It is cold and grey in Hong Kong this week - and so i am looking forward greatly to some crisp blue skies and big landscapes.

I have found a neat way of getting down to race weight by getting food poisoning over the weekend, and dropping 6 lbs. Shame it seems to have sapped the energy at the same time. I was actually putting some miles in for once, with a 50km session 2 weeks ago, followed by the HK100km last week - but now that has come to a juddering halt. Probably for the best - perhaps i should now just relax and eat.

I just logged onto the Sahara site and realised there was only 6 weeks to go until the start. Oops - i had better get training. I have got the HK 100km in 2 weeks so that should warm me up / destroy me, as appropriate.