Day 3! Wow I was just so glad to be able to say that and be there still.  I had been so worried about my foot flaring up and making it a complete nightmare but it hadn't and I was sticking to my strategy of just getting to the long day in the best shape possible.

So with the jebels in the background what did day 3 have in stall for us.  To my horror, sand dunes, and lots of them.  The road book said it was a 30km day which normally that would mean it shouldn't be too hard.  I knew that it couldn't be that easy, its The Toughest Footrace in the World!  How right I was, it might have only been 30km but wow what a 30km.  This day really sapped me as it was relentless dunes and slow moving progress, but at least progress.  All I wanted to do was to get through today, push on and get it done.

So today I had use the knowledge learnt from the last few days regarding salt tablets.  This was fairly easy to grasp.  'TAKE MORE'!!!!   So I knew that when it starts getting tough, as in when i'm having to work harder and sweat more, I need more of everything.  Salt, water, and calories!  Yes you will hear me talking a lot about this and if it sounds repetitive then sorry but it was.  If I am to explain to you how it was, with thoughts and routines then this is exactly what it was.

This is one of my favourite pictures.  This started of as a tough climb in the dunes but then developed into a Jebel. As tough going as it was I loved this.  Getting up high with the views and getting different terrain broke it up and made it feel exciting. Once I'd done the hard climb, which was at least in the morning so the temperature wasn't ridiculous yet, we got up on to the ridge this was amazing.

You can see on this picture the soft sand, this was like when your on the beach walking between the small dunes or just up down a long hilly beach.  This kind of sand was so hard to walk, run or climb in as it felt like one step forward and slide back two.  My heart rate was rising rapidly, so guess what???? Yep, get some salt tablets downed! This trek up the dune felt endless and mentally was a tough challenge.

It was worth it though, just look at that view.  This is another one of my favourite pictures, I love being able to see the line of runners they just look like ants ha ha! Incredible view and what an experience.

 This was another great moment in my day.  I was ahead of the 'COW' thank goodness!!!

The day just seemed to go on and on, ploughing through the soft sand and crossing dune after dune after dune.  I was now taking 2 salt tablets every hour and extra when I knew I was going to be working harder or just after a tough stretch where I thought I'd sweated more.  All I could keep thinking was its only 30km and once its done I was on to the long day which was always the target.

We crossed many long dunes but the one above felt significant.  The view shows the flat plains ahead of me which showed me that for the next hour at least I will be on harder ground, not necessarily easier as I found out.  It was only slightly more compact and kept switching in patches from soft to hard.  This messed with your mind, as you thought you were through a tough section and were going to get a slightly easier period, but no I was straight back in and out of the soft, draining, energy sapping sand.

So after about 20km we ended up back at the mountain range from the previous day, just slightly further along.  From where I stood to take the picture it didn't look too bad, but once you were half way up and sheltered from the breeze it just got tougher and tougher.  Near the top of the long climb was the rope from yesterday that had been moved and clipped in.  We needed it to help climb up the final section which was made awkward with the poles and slightly dangerous with other people at the same time pulling the rope in all directions in their bid to make the top.

Once over the top I assumed it wasn't going to be too far to the bivouac.  We were back on flat hard ground that was very stoney.  There was one single trail path that lead us across yet another plain.  I was suffering now as had been in the hottest part of the day and I just wanted to be back at base camp laughing and joking about my day just gone. I still had some work to do as the camp wasn't in sight yet.  All I could see in the distance was a hilly bank and people seemed to disappear at this point.  So it was either that the camp was there or we had to go up the bank.  Again with it being the 3rd day there seemed a pattern with the placement of the camp each day.  We always seemed to have a tough climb then a spectacular view once over the top of the camp.  This now became my target and I decided to get a move on as I could sense the finish line.  I wanted, or should I say needed a distraction.  So I started coming up with a rhyme to occupy my mind.  Before long I was up and over the bank that seemed so far away at one time and I was on my home.  In the picture above you can see what I saw, this was about 2km away aarrgghhh!  Anyway it gave me plenty of time to fine tune my rhyme ready for my grand entrance to the tent for the boys in the tent.

It was a glorious moment, I'd planned it  for the last couple of hours.  The rhyme was based on my day and I used my Hardmoors classification title of 'Shire'. It went something like

There was a shire from Yorkshire

Who crossed the desert that was his desire

Over a dune and a jebel or two

and then he felt pretty dire!!!

I know I know its that imaginative but it was the best I could do at the time.  It took all my powers to remember that, but a brilliant distraction and a great way to end my day.  Like I say a glorious moment.  Once I'd managed to get the pack off and out of my horrible salt lined smelly clothes I managed to lay down and relax.  Head on pack, feet raised up on sleeping bag and roll mat, and recovery drink in hand.  I was glad this nice easy 30km day was done.  My feet were boiling and starting to look like they'd been in the wars.  I picked up a couple of blisters but nothing major.  I empty my shoe from the thin soft sand that manages to get in, cleaned them down then popped them splashed in some iodine and left to dry.