It's the Final Countdown

As a complete novice event participant - unless you count a couple of egg and spoon races from my school days! - I have been very gratefully soaking up as many race tips as I possibly can to help give me a sense of what might lie ahead.

Luckily for me, it seems that the Moonwalk is a very popular race, in fact this year is the 5th Edinburgh Moonwalk so most people know someone who's completed it and I have had lots of advice which is helping to steady my pre-mission nerves.

Here's some of my top tips that I was given that I want to share with you - should you ever feel similarly inspired/ take leave of your senses!

• Vaseline your toes to prevent chafing

• Really good socks are key

• Shoes with Vibram soles are great for preventing blisters when walking over long distances.

• A Mars a Day helps you work, rest and play. A Mars every few hours helps you churn out those miles!!!!!

Mars bars are just as good (and perhaps better) than glucose gels for refuelling during a race as the gels can cause upset stomachs - the last thing you want during a 26 mile walk!

• Marathons are 65% mental and 35% physical so best to think about a Marathon as 26 x 1 miles repetitions to break it down into more mentally-manageable chunks.

When I was having a quick hunt online for any other tips - I came across a fabulous resource: The Amazing Adventures of DietGirl

Diet Girl, aka Shauna Reid, has not only lost an incredible 12.5stone (not a typo I promise). She also undertook the Edinburgh Moonwalk two years ago and her entries are very funny although I had to pause when I was checking out her Moonwalk entries - it just sounds SO awful – funny, but gut wrenchingly awful and definitely made me a) start laughing hysterically and b) question whether I could really be so foolish as to even attempt this Mission.

However DietGirl’s impressive list of tips redeemed her slightly though I’m wondering if British Rail 1st Class extends to baths? – Really it should given the price. (I should state that the first and sadly only time I have ever travelled 1st class anywhere was about 10 years ago when I was travelling parentless as a still very childish teen and was bumped to 1st class most probably to keep me out of trouble). Have to admit that I couldn’t face travelling home surrounded by screaming kids/babies – having been up for 24 hours straight and walking a marathon overnight and fortunately the Hare agreed with my assessment of the facts.

However, aside from the bath, I plan to follow DietGirl’s list of tips to a T – especially the slippers and being carried from the finish line to the Train (Hare take note x). So click here to check out DietGirl’s full list of amazing tips.

And for the hilariously funny firsthand account of DietGirl’s Moonwalk saga check out:

1. http://www.dietgirl.org/dietgirl/2008/07/moonwalk-report-part-i.html

2. http://www.dietgirl.org/dietgirl/2008/07/moonwalk-report-part-ii.html

Wish me luck that I, or the Hare, don’t encounter any “crotch whacking cones”.

p.s. If anyone in the Edinburgh area fancies getting out of bed c.4am and greet us with a platter like so – I would probably marry you OR if you'd prefer, marry you off to the Hare - your choice!!