As a child I really, really hated running, yet in 2011 I completed the Marathon des Sables. Charting my journey from non-runner to ultra-runner, this book follows my training from the first tentative steps, through my first marathon attempt, to a blow by blow account of the crushing lows and soaring highs of my time in the desert. This is not a how-to guide on running long, long distances. It is an expression and an explanation of my love affair with running and is intended to be a source of inspiration for those who don't believe they have it in them to take on seemingly insurmountable challenges.