With my head resting on my pack, legs elevated on roll mat i'm having a well earned rest.  Once your back you have the privelidge of watching others return back to their tents, dragging their heels and carrying their water rations.  What I did like was that when someone does does return and pass your tent or surrounding tents, the runners who were already back clapped them in and congratulated them.  So instead of the walk of shame it was the celebration shuffle!  Next thing I know in hobbles Tim, 'whats happened?' I asked.  Tim's ankle was swollen, in fact it looked a tennis ball on the side of his foot.  The reply was that he'd fallen and wrecked his ankle.  They weren't quite sure to the severity but it didn't looked good at all.  Tim was having to go backwards and forwards to the medic tent, mainly because he kept forgetting either a bottle of water or his medical card.  They strapped it up and gave him a high dose of pain killers because he was insistent on carrying on no matter what.  Legend!!!  He still beat me back that day and the rest of the week lol!

What did I learn from this first day then, apart from don't fall over and wreck your ankle like Tim?  Lots of basic learning which confirmed all the things I knew I was going to have learn about and fast.  How much water, how often to take the salt tablets, how many calories, did I need the poles, was I hampered by foot if so how did I deal with it and keep dealing with it????  All these questions needed to be answered and as I found out each day it was going to be a constant learning process.  After my little rest and the excitement of Tim's ankle I needed to have a bit of a clean down and start sorting my feet in preparation for the next day.  First though I needed food and I wanted to do this before I tended to my feet.  I felt pretty good after this section, my foot held up well and my legs felt strong.  The pack had been heavy but it was only going to get lighter, thank goodness my shoulders were destroyed and it was only day 1.

Whilst I re-taped my feet I was planning my next days strategy for water, salt and calories.  This seemed to be our initial main topic of conversation and whether we thought we were getting it right.  What we decided was, we were pretty much on it but if anything we need to take more salt tablets.  Especially for me when I knew I was either going to be working hard or if I had just been working hard therefore seating more and had a greater need for replacing it.  We also decided that in the hottest part of the day, so 1-4, we needed to be taking more salt on as again would be sweating more therefore much greater need to replace lost salt.

The tape I had used and put on the vulnerable areas of not just my feet but my shoulders and lower back had held up ok and were doing there job it seemed.  I treated my feet, a mini wash and clean then covered them in the goo!  Yes Gurney Goo.  As most things in our tent, we hadn't used it before or tested it so it was a little into the unknown.  We were all using it, you could tell as we lay there feet raised and drying in the breeze.  It was amazing stuff, I'd recommend it to anyone.  We all couldn't believe how much it helped the recovery and protection of our feet.  The smell though was something else.  A cross between 'Vicks' and 'nail polisher remover' which got right up your nose and let off a party popper.  Wow!  Pungent stuff!

So apart from missing my shower I managed a slight clean down and a change into my evening wear.  A different pair of shorts, a merino wool long sleeve top and if needed a windproof running jacket.  I wasn't able to get into my sleeping bag initially as it was too warm for me.  This soon changed as my fear of scorpions and camel spiders grew the darker it became!  The headlamps went out and noise quietened, then there was darkness and eerie silence.  Before long the snoring started, then the flatulence took over.  It was gong to be another long night!!!!