The other day was the start of Avalon's journey from the UK to her starting place in Gran Canaria before we row her across to Barbados. There is still a wee bit of work to be done on her when we arrive but we are almost there. This is all part of the process and will give us time to get used thee boat even more.
The excitement is certainly building and I cant wait to reach the start line.
I will be starting my own journey down to the start point on the 5th of January.
A few weeks ago our boat Avalon under went an inversion test to ensure that she would self upright in the event of a capsize. It is something that every boat undergoes to see how they will deal with extreme weather situations or rogue waves, it certainly builds up confidence in her abilities when you see how quickly she pops back up. She passed with flying colours! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHXt3Xi7no4]
Initial Testing As a bit of background up till this year I haven’t ever followed any sort of diet and don’t really believe in the idea of following some of the strict diets that are advertised as I’m not sure how sustainable they are for a person.
However in my quest to be at the peak of my game for the start of this ocean row I knew my understanding and ideas needed to be developed. Back in February this year I realised that at 82kg I was too light and lean for an ocean row. Now I wouldn’t say I was particularly ripped or anything along those lines but given the fact that they can lose as much as 20 kg (3 stone) this can represent a huge loss in power output. Over 3000 miles that can make all the difference between a record and no record.
So I hit the gym to no avail.
I then saw a friend of mine Rin, who’s a nutritionist (a massive thank you for your help!) who got me taking a food diary before analysing it and then having me up to do a skin calliper assessment to check my body fat percentage. Both of these were experiences in themselves monitoring everything I ate and drank was a change from not paying too much attention. It was great as it really made me think about what I was taking in and trying to understand what affect it would have.
The Skin calliper test was a totally different kettle of fish, armed with this strange looking device she measured chunks of flesh as I watched the dial spinning round in various directions trying to work out what the numbers meant.
Going through all the data afterwards was hugely helpful having it all broken down in food categories and estimating the number of calories i was taking in, it was a brief insight into what was to be the focus for the coming months. The results were that I was consuming around 3000 calories on a weekday and 3.5K to 4K at the weekend. This I was told was not enough. Awesome! Not so good was the balance which was slightly protein and fat heavy.
I was quickly learning that it wasn’t just to be quantity but quality too in order to get the best results.
The aim of the game was at least 4000 calories a day during the week and as much as 5000 to 6000 at the weekends depending on how active they were. This was going to be a challenge in itself especially given the normal recommended daily amount is about 2000.
Would be great to hear other peoples experience with diets and what they were. From a diet for a particular sport to a summer holiday.
The day had finally come about. I was just going about my normal day when an email came through letting us know that our 1st sea trials were happening that weekend. My plans quickly changed from the original of cycling and rowing ergs to being out at sea and quickly organising some travel between 2 of us before the early start on Saturday morning. Saturday morning came round pretty quickly. Myself and Jan another crew member, who I’ve rowed with in London, started the 3 hour drive down to Rossiters (our boat builders) in Christchurch on the south coast. By the time we had finished catching up with all that was going on we were there and searching round the boat yard for our captain as well as finding a whole array of ocean rowing boats. This included the resting place for a boat that tried crossing the Pacific Ocean and sadly the occupier was not quite so lucky. A rather sobering point.
We soon found the rest of the crew and after checking out the progress of the boat, made our way to a local breakfast house for some food. Having a 2nd breakfast before 11am was certainly a good start to the day and building our energy a head of the day’s activities. I have well and truly got into the diet required with all the training but will be talking about that later.
The plan was pretty straight forward; leave Rossiter boat yard just before it had reached high tide then out east along the coast towards the Isle of Wight and see where we end up. Then after dark start our journey back to the boat yard on the incoming tide before a debriefing at a local pub. Simple.
Part of the day’s activities was testing out the boat for another rower and his voyage as it had been modified since its previous expedition. First job was to get the boat ready which included putting all our equipment and food for the day onboard, filling the boat up with some ballast and working out which was the keel and which was the rudder as they looked almost identical.
First slight issue came in the form of the ballast tanks leaking into the adjoining compartments, not a problem it turned out as we starting stuffing epoxy resin, supposedly waterproof and highly sticky playdough, into the holes. Turned out not to be so stick but did the job.
The next was a little tougher. It turned out that the keel and the rudder were the wrong way round however we only noticed this at the point at which the supposed keel was stuck in the boat and obstructing the rowing position. I wish I had got some photos and footage of first trying to get it in and then an even tougher job of getting it out. But sadly we were too engrossed in the problem. Trying desperately not to damage the boat we tried everything from levering it out to giving it a smack with a mallet. We manage to wriggle it out of the hole at which point we all decided a keel wasn’t so important. They do however make a big difference it your ability to stay a course and turn which we were to discover later.
The row out was fantastic, passing a solo rower also out testing their boat, winding along the river mouth past various on lookers of this strange looking rowing boat with 5 guys in it. It was amazing being out there on the water after so much dreaming, talking, planning and hours of training.
It was the time that Jan and I had been waiting for, to get behind the oars and get some power through them. It was a strange sensation having done most of my rowing recently on the relative calm of the Thames on a fixed seat boat to then go on a boat with a moving seat and throw in a few small wavelets (it was a pretty calm day!) all made a real difference. However after changing seats on the second session we were soon finding our groove especially thanks to a mixture of Leven and Tim our rowing coaches who were providing advice for us.
Making it round towards the needles off the Isle of Wight we started relaxing between rows with a mixture of munching some food whilst curled up in the front or rear cabins or admiring the various quotes written on the inside of the rear cabin. Im pretty sure one of them went:
“Row, row, row your boat
Gentle down the....”
As my brother has already made a joke about this it made me laugh, I certainly don’t think that Atlantic Ocean really fits after the gently bit. But we will soon see.
It was fast approaching what was for me to be one of the highlights of the day and I think it could be each day of the row too. Sunset. Despite being just off the coast of the UK it did not disappoint and for an hour or so we admired the colours change across the sky from pale blues to burning red before darkness set in. There is however something very peaceful about rowing in the dark whether I feel that way later we will have to wait and see but all there is, is total darkness apart from the boats red and green marker lights and your team mates back in front of you moving up and down the slider.
Turning the boat around Jan and I took up the oars, already there was an element of competition between the teams of rowers. This maybe a slight understatement. However we wanted to go faster than them so decided to up the rate and see where we could get to. Admittedly come January it is going to be all about distance covered but still in the meantime we can have some fun. Although I can’t remember the exact result I’m going to say that we won and I hope they would say the opposite in case one of them is reading this.
The journey back in was certainly an interesting one, navigating towards a light between mud banks as we had beaten the tide back too. We could make out on one side the breaking of some waves and on the other slick mud and gravel. This was until it got a tad too shallow to row, the water however was rising quickly and we were soon paddling on into the darkness trying desperately to make out the unlit buoys. It was slow progress and without the keel sharp turns were impossible, the only saving grace was the tide was still against us preventing us from flying up the channel. Finally coming into the yard we found ourselves several feet below where we had left it. Without a motor to ease us into the mooring we took a bit of a run up before I jumped up and onto the bank armed with the rope to tie us on. We were safe and sound to row another day.
Next stop pub debrief and a quick and an uneventful drive back to London.
Following our recent sea trials Tim one of our crew members put together a short video of the day. It gives a brief but very exciting insight into what is to come on our Atlantic Row. I expect it’s going to be a lot warmer than off the coast of the UK! Check out the video and let me know if you have any questions about how it will all work.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0GMbVkVySU&feature=youtu.be]
During the training for the Marathon des Sables, at the event and since I have met a number of people that have inspired me and given me ideas on everything from lifestyle choices to what my next challenge might be. Once I passed that finish line I wanted to find and choose what it might be so I could continue the journey so to speak as well as to have something to aim and train for.
It wasn’t until I met a multiple world record breaking and highly experienced ocean rower Leven Brown back in February that it really cemented an ambition that I have now had for a number of years. To row an ocean.
More specifically the Atlantic Ocean. January 2013 will see myself and 7 other crew members taking on the challenge of breaking the 30 day barrier for rowing all 3000 miles across it in shifts; rowing for 2 hours then off for 2 hours constantly from start to finish.
Much more details to come...
But for a bit of insight here was a snippet from the weekends action.
I am writing this after an incredible day for sporting achievements. We had the British open in golf which turned out to be a roller coaster ride to all the top players including our home grown talents. There was the German grand prix, ok not in the UK but Jenson did make it onto the podium and the Tour de France where Cavendish had an incredible stage win and Wiggins took the overall win with the yellow jersey. The first Brit to do so in years.
It’s safe to say we are now on the final straight to the huge spectacle hitting our shores this summer. The Olympics have finally come after years of preparation, everyone from the organisers, the athletes and most importantly the supporters and fans.
We have had the odd spate of press on the odd problem but like all big events there always some ironing out. But now most of them are being resolved and as soon as the curtains rise on the first night of the opening ceremony all of that will be forgotten.
Now all we have to wait for is to see how our athletes perform and almost more importantly who and what they inspire other people to do.
I hope you all enjoy the Olympics.
Ever bitten into something super hot by mistake? Or maybe by choice? Got any pictures of the experience? It was Friday night and my housemates had invited a group of us to the local pub the Duchess of Cambridge. Whilst chatting to one of them I was quickly distracted by a sign advertising "American Suicide Wings", a challenge to eat 6 wings and get them free and a bottle of chilli beer free or the "Eternal shame" of failure.
I couldn’t resist.
First up was a waiver declaring some semblance of sanity and an understanding of what was to come. Slightly off putting especially when I heard the last person to eat them claimed they suffered from deafness as a result of eating them.
I don’t know much about chillies but the guy mentioned that these were super hot; normal jalapenos rank about 5000 on the Scoville scale (which I found out is a measure of spice). This had some extract from a bottle ranked at 3,000,000 scovilles equivalent to law enforcement pepper spray I have found out. This was a bit more putting off.
A beautiful heap of them arrived and you could smell the heat oozing off them! With a couple of photos for a bit of a before and after shot, I started to munch. So far so good, halfway through the first of 6 wings.
Then it hit like a freight train and it is fair to say my mouth was on fire, the sweat started pouring and my eyes watering uncontrollably. I wanted to keep going though and was quickly making my way through the napkins provided until I managed to get some chilli in my eye which certainly added to the experience. The waitress did mention not to touch anything...
With no dairy refreshment allowed all that was left was for some beer and water which didn’t really help the situation of an ever increasing numbing and burning sensation in my mouth. I ploughed on through as if it was the wall in a marathon, it certainly felt like a huge wall.
Finishing the last one was a very different experience than a race as I realised what a state I was in with blood shot eyes and a serious burning sensation in my stomach. All I can say is what a way to start a weekend.
I am massively behind on writing this up but quite a few weekends ago a friend of mine that I met in the Marathon des Sables and I headed for the Isle of Purbeck to compete in an adventure race. I was certainly looking forward to it and hoped that I could make up for my previous attempt at doing one and getting horribly lost. It all began with a very early start for a Saturday, luckily meeting at my house, for bacon baps and large mugs of coffee before making up for lost time shooting off down the motorway to the south coast. We were leaving London early in the morning and according to the thermometer in my car it was already reaching 20°C. It was certainly going to be a hot day and as we drove down catching up over what had been happening over the last wee while the car was heating up considerably. Just towards the end my gps decided to stop working completely and we were left following a car in front hat was kitted out with some good mountain bikes and a load of kit in the boot, we could only assume they were heading to the same place. Luckily they were and we were soon at the start area getting ready and making sure we had plenty of sun cream.
The race was to be a slightly different format to usual with us carrying all the kit we needed for the day and switching between foot and bike at various stages depending on each teams strategy. It was a bit disappointing this as our mid race plan of stuffing our faces with pasta salad and other goodies were quickly stopped. Instead we had a pre-race munch.
Our strategy was pretty simple cycle to the nearest running section, get that done and dusted before picking up a load of cycling points with the aim of making it to the coast for the second run. Then all that would be left is a quick sprint back. Easy.
With all our kit we headed for the start point, we had the map ready and were soon going to be told which points were worth what and which didn’t exist. We dibbed in our electronic tag and were off. First part of any adventure race is route planning, we sat down and worked out where we wanted to go. This is almost the hardest part as every part of you just wants to get started but without a decent plan you are stuffed before you even start.
Onto the bikes and we were soon on our way to the 1st checkpoint and the transition to the running stage. We made it without a hiccup and dumped all our kit as we didn’t think we would be out long enough to need water or anything else. Picking up the first couple of checkpoints easily enough was a great start to the race. It took us through a village and past many onlookers who were enjoying the sun by a river and slightly shocked as runners came past in varying degrees of sweatiness and lycra covered athletes. The second section of it took us round a lake before heading towards the transition zone again. It started with almost overshooting a checkpoint before a good mile or so run along the riverside with thigh high stinging nettles and an ever increasing feeling that my legs and knees were covered in a new version of prickly deep heat. The day was certainly heating up and we both wanted a big drink as we ran it in back to the transition trying hard not to think of our thirst or stinging legs.
We were soon on our bikes and flying along the country roads and tracks. We could make out in the distance the ridge that we had to climb and could make out a huge set of ruins that resembled a church or similar. Now the interesting thing with some adventure races is that you can never tell how you are doing till the end of the race as you constantly pass people heading in the same and opposite directions, even at the same checkpoint you can head separate ways as your strategy, physical fitness and ability to map read can all vary greatly. It is still slightly disconcerting as you pass people travelling in the opposite direction to you. We were now on a mixture of farm tracks and single bike tracks some of which were impossible climbs. It was just lucky that the weather was good otherwise it could have been much harder.
We had been going for a few hours and our legs were beginning to feel it. My water was almost out and we came squealing into a village as my disc brakes needed some work doing to them. A pub with 2 other races topping up with water was a tempting stop but we kept going. Chasing down some cyclists in front and heading up towards the where the coast would be and our next transition.
It was here that the mountain biking got very interesting we were coming along a ridge with beautiful views of the coastline and the sea beyond. We were picking up speed on the downhill sections which felt great but soon it became incredibly steep. Our arms, teeth, bodies and bikes were all being shaken over the hard rocky ground. My bike at this point started to sound incredibly bad but I assumed this was down to the terrain. At the bottom was our next checkpoint and I checked my front wheel which swayed from side to side. Not great at all but explained a lot! It turned out it had shaken itself loose.
We had a quick stop for some food and water before the run as again we wanted to travel light as possible. We headed to the closest checkpoint which turned out to be a bit of a tactical error as it was down a steep hill and the next was to be back up and along form where we had just come. But never mind it was great being back on our feet. Making our way along a ridge into a military zone open at weekends with an entire cove opening up beneath us was a fantastic sight. The water looked a cool blue colour and small boats and sea kayaks dotted its surface. It is certainly a place to go back to.
Heading down to the coast and we were soon at the sea front smelling the salty air and passing an ice-cream van wishing we carried some change for an ice lolly. Our final checkpoint on the run was at the end of the beach and we hoped it wasn’t up the small but steeply stepped hill that was there too. It turned out that it was and after a quick look round its bas ewe had no option but to head to the top where we picked it up. Running back to the transition and I could tell my legs had done enough running; I was glad that all that was left was a good hard cycle back.
Some more food including a recent addition to my race pack of jelly cubes and we were ready to go. We knew there would be a hard climb but looking at the map after that it would be pretty much all downhill to the finish. We weren’t wrong, after a good climb before deciding we could get some more points and a bit more of a climb we started making our way back down. We absolutely flew down a road trying not to touch the brakes too much and just letting the bike go. Adrian on his slick commuter style tyres was flying a long easily and my knobbly wheeled bike couldn’t really keep up without putting in some extra leg work too. The steep section was all over so quickly and at a cross roads we found ourselves standing in front of a path leading down to what looked like Bruce Waynes house from Batman. After a couple of pictures we were off again, it was looking pretty tight so we really started picked up the pace and drafting off one another like something out of the tour de france.
We made it with loads of time to spare (5 mins or so) and could final get a decent lunch in. After almost 5 hours running and riding we could shower and relax with a bbq before the prize giving. We caught up with some friends and it turned out we had done really well coming a very respectable 4th in our category. All that was left was to head to an awesome pub called the Square and Compass looking out over the coast with a pint of lemonade and a pasty.
The journey back was slightly unusual after placing our full confidence in my GPS system which decided to take us on a route that included a ferry crossing to Bournemouth whilst listening to the euros.
Continuing a theme from the New Year (I know it is now some time ago) of finding out about the stories of some inspiring people I finally got round to sorting out the next person. Recently I have been following the progress of a couple of expeditions and journeys including one by Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite. I first heard about him a while back partly due to his different take on travel and expeditions with the “1000mile Project” which is to complete 25 separate journeys on different non-motorised forms of transport. To find out more check his website out:
He recently completed his 6th journey cycling Paul Everitts bike car called Priscilla from Vicksburg Mississippi to Miami. He has had to overcome adversity along the way but as he will describe this one was to bring its own unique challenges including a car crash. So I thought it would be great to get a few quick thoughts on it and adventuring.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
I do things. It's that simple!
How did you decide to take on this life changing route and why 25 challenges?
Once upon a time I had a well-paid job as a graphic designer, my own house, cat, long-term partner, and depression! I decided at the age of 25 that I had to start making a living doing something I was passionate about, so decided to travel with a purpose. Expedition1000 and its 25 journeys give me a long-term focus that keeps my motivation on track and ensures I have enough variety and scope to keep doing what I love without getting bored or trapped.
You have recently finished your 6th 1000 mile journey what was the most challenging part of the trip?
Without doubt peddling a 2 metre-wide 4-wheeled Bikecar at the same time as sharing the road with other vehicles made this the most challenging and dangerous expedition I've done to date. More than ever I'm in touch with my own mortality now.
What will you always remember from it?
In between the craziness of keeping moving and dodging cars, now and then there were beautifully peaceful moments, like riding a 40-mile bicycle path and chilling out with this tortoise or swimming with Manatees in Crystal River.
Whats the next challenge on the Horizon?
In August and September I'm swimming 1000 miles down the Lower Missouri River, USA.
Can people get involved?
I have now selected a team to join me on this adventure, and I'll have a documentary crew following along. We'll be creating an interactive, fun and informative social media campaign around the journey so people can follow on Twitter (@DaveCorn), Facebook (Expedition1000) or Youtube (davecornthwaite)
What or who inspires you to keep going?
I do what I love day in day out. Beat that for motivation. Work and life are intertwined...
Any advice for the wannabe adventurer?
Stop talking, stop making excuses, just do it. The next one will be easier to start. And then the next. And so on.
What do you do when you have rest time?
I honestly don't rest much at all. I'll go and spend time with friends, have a meal, have a drink, but somewhere in there my mind is still whirring with things I need to work on and new projects to go for.
Favourite food?
Passion Fruit. Eggs. Meat. Nutella. Not all on the same plate.
Favourite music?
I have a super eclectic taste. From Counting Crows to Shawn Mullins to Jessie J, I need about 10,000 songs on my iPod to combat 1000's of miles!
Check out what Dave is up to below:
What have you done over the last week? Travelled anywhere special or did you soak up the parties around the UK or further a field? Well the last week has flown by, I was up in Scotland last weekend meeting up with The Captain Leven Brown commodore of Ocean Row Events (just added the commodore bit to go with the sea theme) which was inspiring as expected and I came away with many plans and ideas but more on that later. The rest of the weekend was spent soaking up the rare but incredible Scottish sun on the beach at St Andrews with our good friends from the Blown Away team. They took myself and my brother out on the Zap cats check out the video below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU5lRBTRiOk&list=UUEBSzFdgbVc-a4ZpzIZluoA&index=2&feature=plcp]
I am pretty sure they said I could drive it next time too...
Check them out at:
And of course checking out what was happening at the Jubilee weekend back in London where some of the team I row with each week were out on the river paddling in front of the Queen. I believe the TV didn’t do it justice and that being in the middle of it especially with the lashing rain was certainly an experience.
I managed to have with a segway experience with the family before shooting back down to London for the remainder of the week.
To top it off was a pretty speedy bike ride to Windsor with Ful-on tri and some great headwinds to battle, where we stopped off at the Chocolate Theatre for another fantastic hot chocolate and slice of carrot cake. Both were devoured pretty sharpish before a slightly more casual pace on the way back pushed along by our nemesis of the winds from our outward journey. Followed by a spot of rowing down in Richmond today. All in all a pretty awesome week!
For quite a while I had been thinking and planning in my mind how good it would be to cycle out to Windsor, take in the sites and have a quick break at this chocolate café I had previously visited. I had a whole Saturday to spare and with the sun shining I thought it was finally time to get off my bum and rather than thinking and dreaming about it to go a head and do it. They always say the hardest part is getting out the front door regardless of whether your joe blog or Olympian and its true, at least certainly from my point of view.
My previous attempt had seen my journey cut short as without a map and arriving at a very busy main road out of London I thought it best to spend some more time cycling round Richmond Park. I didn’t want this to happen again regardless of what happened.
The plan this time was simple try and follow this dodgy map I had printed out, head out to Windsor (no excuse for falling short of this), stop at the café and then head back. All ready I headed out the door, it started to rain.
The initial part of the ride is probably the easiest to navigate but also have the busiest roads adding to the challenge of getting about safely. I headed out to Richmond Park, passing some fellow fulon tri members who had made it out on the rider earlier than me, before following the meanders of the Thames out to Hampstead court. It was here that the first challenge of the day came in the form of the smells, sounds and sights of pimms, ice cream and sausages coming from the direction of The Foodie Festival, to go or not to go?? It was very tempting, but one for another day.
Heading out into greener pastures and I was travelling by the Thames, through smaller London boroughs, past cosy pubs and quaint house boats. I always think they would be great to live on, but that’s a story for another day. On reaching a decisive decision point I pulled out my printed off map and noted how useless it was, you could hardly make out the roads never mind the road numbers. Fortunately I met a friendly cyclist who pointed me in the right direction. Heading up to Chertsney, then Virginia Waters, followed by Staines and finally into Windsor. Sounded simple enough. I headed in the direction he said and the roads were great now, pretty quite and they had a bike lane.
Further on and the signs pointed in separate directions left for Virginia waters right for Staines. My thinking was Virginia waters and Windsor and both further west so no reason to head back into London. Which turned out to be not entirely true but I thought I couldn’t go wrong.
I was travelling through bright yellow fields, through wooded areas and past some huge mansions with a whole array of luxury cars parked outside. It was great being out in the open. I met a cyclist who showed me where we were on a map which confirmed that I was on the right route and got chatting about his trip he was planning across France which sounded fantastic. Another T junction and another decision to be made left or right, fortunately some cyclists came past and said they were travelling to Windsor. I jumped on my bike again and was on my way following close behind before overtaking and carrying on my journey. The route took me through and past the Royal Park. It was an awesome sight cycling along with trees towering over the road, blue flowers poking up all over the place and then this huge old tree appeared. It’s the beauty of cycling you are travelling slowly enough to experience all the sights and sounds around you that in a car you are closed off from to a greater extent. Pulling over to take in the sights and I got chatting to the first semi-drunk guy of the day and it was only 1pm but he was an old lad who had clearly been having a very good start to the day at his local.
I carried on into a bustling Windsor with the castle looming up a head of me, tourists and locals mingling in the high street and the thought of chocolate getting ever closer. I rolled up to the café called The Chocolate Theatre. I was greeted to a great sight of a whole heap of bikes parked up outside. Should have taken a photo thinking about it…
I ordered my “Penultimate Hot Chocolate” and a sandwich, chilling in the cool breeze and relaxing with the thought of the ride. It finally arrived; the long awaited moment one creamy hot chocolate, cream and chocolate flakes not sprinkled but placed gently on top as they were huge chunks of chocolate. Couldn’t help but smile.
It was time for the ride back, if nothing else to burn off a huge number of calories and get the legs warm again which had cooled considerably during my stop. Riding a long and I was soon met by some of the cyclists that I had met previously just before the Royal Park. It was time to join the peloton Tour de France style, racing a long rotating the lead and allowing each other to be pulled along by the man in front. It was great travelling at higher speed and a welcome change to the afternoons bike ride. It also took me in a much more direct route back to the start point. Flying a long the country roads soon brought us back to Hampstead court and the surrounding area which was jammed with traffic where the peloton finally had to break apart as we each picked our way through the heavy traffic. All that was left was a burst into Kingston and the end of the cycle.
Not sure where my next route will be so if you have any ideas then let me know…
A couple of weekends ago I made the journey up to Manchester to visit my brother and for the two of us to compete in the Manchester marathon. For both of us it was our first road marathon. The idea started around the beginning of the year where during a conversation with my brother he dropped into it that he thought we should do a marathon and more to the point the Manchester one. We checked it out and entered that evening. A few months later and no specific training other than my usual training of a bit of everything and his rugby training as a hooker, in the forwards, and we were standing in the queue waiting to pick our race numbers up. This in itself turned out a bit of a challenge as we joked about forgetting our running numbers having only just looking at them before realising that neither of us could remember them. Back to the start of registration all over again. We managed to make it out of there with all our documents and freebies which included everything from a liquid iron supplement, a razor and the all important finishers t-shirt (despite the fact that we hadn’t actually done it yet).
The following morning saw us being woken to the alarm, far too early for a Sunday morning. A quick check out the window confirmed to both of us that as usual when the two of us do an event together the weather is guaranteed to be awful. Raining and windy. Trudging out the house the rain changed to hail forcing us to pull our hoodies tight over our heads. After a quick tram ride packed with other runners we arrived at the finisher area to drop kit off, supposedly join in with a warm up before heading to the start line. This plan quickly changed to huddling in one of the tents with a number of other competitors trying to stay warm. The start time loomed and it was time for the dreaded strip off into running kit time. It was certainly a day for hats, gloves, waterproofs and any other apparel you wished to have to stay warm. And certainly not the sort of weather for the shorts and t-shirt that my brother and I were kitted out in. Trundling to the start line was a cold and bitter experience. Reaching the start area we were surrounded by the other 8000 participants, minus those who on the day thought better of it, waiting for the gun to go. It was an amazing experience being surrounded by so many people certainly creates an atmosphere. Very different to the races that I have mainly done with maybe 100 to 150 people in them. There was a real sense of anticipation and as the gun went gloves, jumpers and space blankets were thrown off in all directions as the race got under way.
The route consisted of 2 loops a small one that went right by where my brother is living before heading almost back to where we started before heading out of Manchester on a much larger loop.
Manchester map
We got into a good easy rhyme right from the off and had a good chat while we were jogging whilst taking in the sights of Manchester that neither of us had seen before, mainly the industrial estate near old trafford and smells which neither of us had smelt before such as outside the Kelloggs factory. I’m still not sure whether it was a good or bad one. The crowds were still out in their masses even though the conditions had begun to deteriorate; clapping, drumming, passing on messages and shouting out words of support. It was a fantastic atmosphere that continued to surprise my brother and I on our way round.
After passing so close to the start it was time for the larger loop, the first 10 miles had gone well and we were doing well time wise too. But conditions had really start to deteriorate the wind had picked up and the rain set in. We looked like drenched rats.
The course is one of the flattest I have done but with a couple of lumps thrown in there just to keep your legs and mind guessing. However the route was to take us out towards Dunham Park where we had learnt to roller blade years ago and out into the sticks. It was at this stage that the weather felt like it was really deteriorating and conversation slowed as we shut down everything with the only aim of moving to stay warm. It felt like gale force winds, fine with it behind you but incredibly unhelpful if it is blowing in your face, coupled that with the driving rain and our teeth were soon chattering. I’m sure in the sunshine the course would have been very beautiful and the country paths a joy to run down with miles of traffic less asphalt. But instead they were a mine field of mud and puddles to keep you on your toes.
We continued on and at the checkpoints, which they had every few miles, we began to stop for the goodies they had. I have to say though the chocolate energy gel was pretty horrible but some stuff that looked and tasted just like jelly from the packet was a real pick me up. Think they are called shot bloks.
The route started making its way back into town and with this came more cars, clearly irritated by the congestion caused by the runners, which were driving all over the course. It was also here that the mile markers really didn’t help motivate you to the end. I can understand why there is “The wall” in marathons because you can see exactly how far you have left and you end up mile counting. I’m more used to the finish coming as a welcome surprise round the corner where you just have to continue till you cross it but instead you start thinking only 8 miles left, 7, 6 …. It just makes it seem to go on forever.
The last few miles began to feel like they were going quicker, and each large gathering of people brought on a momentary burst in pace. The weather had finally turned and it was dry. We began to dry out in the brisk breeze and certainly felt warmer already.
All that was left was the final “sprint” to the finish, with crowds, photographers, cameramen and runners wrapped in space blankets it was a great atmosphere to finish in and certainly help spur us on. We crossed the finish line together with smiles all round, before getting the all important finishers medal.
IMG_1940
Overall despite the weather it was a great experience and one which I am sure my brother will always remember too. If you are not sure which marathon to do next or fancy a challenge I would definitely recommend it.
What I thought would be a relatively lazy weekend became a jam packed one continuing my journey on 2 newish challenges.
Saturday kicked it off with a couple of hour’s bouldering in Mile End, London. For those that don’t know what bouldering is check the video out below. This is like indoor climbing but where you don’t use all the ropes, harnesses and other equipment. This is because you tend to be much closer to the ground and the emphasis is on thinking how to tackle the challenge, then depending on how good you are using a mixture of technique and power to conquer it.
It was great fun trying to make my way up the grades starting on the beginner ones with these large, chunky holds before moving up the grades with the holds becoming increasingly smaller and in many places becoming an overhang. It’s safe to say I didn’t make it that far up the grading ladder but even so I managed to get into some odd positions. Luckily I was doing it with my housemate who is far more experienced and was able to give some tips. It was a killer on the arms and forearms as my poor technique was made up for by muscling my way up. The final technique I learnt as my muscles tired at the end of the day was the wall hug a classic by all where you just grab the wall and get as close as you can, completely useless but feels easier at the time.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVjEKI2Dqxc&feature=related]
Sunday was an early start with a quick cycle over to Richmond, luckily in the morning sun. This was my warm up before rowing a Cornish pilot gig called “Tiger”. The surprise of the day was being welcomed by a security team who were looking after the Queens Jubilee rowing-barge, called Gloriana, as the finishing touches were being put in place. It was great finally getting out on the water paddling up to Teddington locks and back. The main challenge was to avoid the large number of kayakers and dinghy sailors. We finished at a cafe for a quick coffee before my cycle back.
It’s the bank holiday this weekend have you got plans for it? Maybe a long bike ride, run or maybe a relaxed few days? If you have some ideas get them out as it may inspires others to give it a go?
A few weekends ago I headed up to the Yorkshire moors as I had entered an event called the Hardmoor 55. It is a 55 mile running race over 1 day along part of the Cleveland way and unbeknown to me the hilliest course I have done. It started with an epic drive on a Friday night where I joined thousands of others getting out of London before flying up the motorway. This was done whilst chomping on some tortellini that I had cooked up the previous night. I hadn’t really spent much time looking at exactly where the event was but was slightly surprised when I saw my usual turn off on my route home to Scotland.
I arrived at the B&B/ pub full of people and asked about my room. My mind quickly turned to the much more importantly issue of breakfast. It turned out the cooks had gone home which meant I couldn’t even get some bread or cereal for the morning. Not the most helpful answer. Going upstairs I quickly laid all my kit out, there was a rather excessive food pile for the race and certainly far too much to eat over the space of 1 day. But in it all went split equally for the 2 bag drops allowed in the race.
I was anxious and excited about what the next day would involve as it was much longer than I had run for a while, in fact the longest had been 10 miles plus a bit of cycling and swimming. I wasn’t too concerned though as I knew that my only target was to enjoy the day, get some miles done and finish. This didn’t exactly help for a restful night sleep as I twist and turned with an over active imagination. It wasn’t of winning the event...
5.40 am came round quickly.
I wanted to ensure I arrived early after strict instructions from the race organisers (I was to find that everyone took them seriously) that we had to be bang on time otherwise no lift to the start line. I turned up to the waiting point with all the racers already clad in lycra and I was still munching my breakfast of hummus and pitta bread. However the organiser was late. Everyone one had one thought only “Could have had longer in bed”.
Chatting with some of the racers on the drive over there was a good mix of newbies and experienced ultra runners, some of whom I had met briefly at previous events. I spoke to one individual who claimed although he hadn’t done the whole course the Yorkshire moors aren’t really that hilly. I was pretty happy with this, although he did point out he was from the peak district, the alarm bells should have started, as not that hilly for a fell runner is certainly different to running round London.
Exiting the bus we were quickly ushered in for a kit check and handed the finishers t-shirt at the start. The race seemed to come round incredibly quickly and my plans of looking at the route quickly vanished with last minute bits and pieces, including the usual huge queue for the bathroom. We were soon off trudging along at a brisk pace up the first few inclines, experience told me that this pace would soon drop off. Or at least that is what I hoped for. The day had started much warmer than expected and within a short time I was dripping. Plus my rucksack which was far too large for a one day event, (being the same that I would use for 7 days) wasn’t setup rightly and the pouches on the front were slapping into my sides.
It was a beautiful day, slightly overcast but running through fields, forests and passing confused looking walkers was a great feeling. On the way to the first check point I foolishly followed a couple of guys in front of me, not knowing the way myself only to realise very quickly that it was the wrong way and had to turn back. Although going slightly off track seems a common theme in these longer runs its still frustrating as all the people you had passed trudge past in a slow version of the tortoise and the hare.
Chatting to some of the competitors passed the time including a guy who was in the middle of his 75th marathon a fantastic achievement in 2 years.
Hardmoor 55 checkpoint 1
I found out that the first check point we had to go back on ourselves but the views were spectacular as we made our way out onto a plateau with patches of mist rolling in and views across the valley opening up as we got closer to the edge. We dropped down to the 1st checkpoint where I found us standing in front of the Yorkshire moors Kilburn white horse. A top up on some water and a quick bite of flapjack. The race was on.
kilburn-white-horse
It is amazing especially with hindsight how quickly the miles get eaten up but it went surprisingly quickly up to the next checkpoint. I ended up running by myself for a large portion of this section as my pace settled into a rhythm that I could maintain. It still felt a bit too fast. We continued a long rolling hills dropping down, before climbing and continuing a long ridges. The 2nd checkpoint was down a long decline which helped with passing a few runners. I also found out that this section of 22 miles was the quick section as what was to come would certainly slow everyone down. Not exactly what I wanted to hear as the hills we had already passed seemed quite large.
We came into the small wee village of Osmotherley where our first bag of goodies had been dropped off. I reached the checkpoint had my card stamped to say I had arrived and then started rummaging around for my 1st bag of goodies. It was missing. There was other food on offer but I was looking forward to my nuts and soreen. There was however homemade sausage rolls and after speaking to one of the organisers I managed to get hold of some soreen too. Definitely a positive point.
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The race quickly slowed. Exiting the village we worked our way back up onto a long plateau where we could already make out the penultimate checkpoint. Unfortunately it was a lot closer than the route we had selected which took the form of a long sweeping curve. We could also make out most of this path too. Slightly depressing when you can see the whole route practically laid out in front of you for the next 5 or so hours. Regardless of this a group of us trudged on chatting about a whole host of things, as one man described it “anything to take his mind away from the agony”. I’m not sure he was having such I great race as the others all seemed in good form. We covered some spectacular scenery traversing stoned paved paths, up steep side hills, through rocky out crops and the odd sheep or fellow competitor. This was interspersed with periods of cramp an affect from the morning heat. I unfortunately hadn’t managed my electrolytes resulting in these random but uncomfortable twinges as cramp set in.
Fortunately I had packed a few packs of dioralyte which I have found great for rehydrating on long races, though the one major drawback is it doesn’t taste great but it is cheap and works for me. This started getting me back on the road to recovery. I ended up running with 2 others for what was to be the rest of the race. For a few miles we had been constantly playing cat and mouse as I caught up on the up hills before they passed me on the down. That was until the hail started. What had been a blue skied day suddenly turned very cold and dark. The hail bounced off our hands, faces and hoods of our waterproofs. It was certainly a motivator to keep moving forward as we shuffled in silence with nothing but the pitta patta of the hail on our heads. Reaching the second bag drop was fantastic, especially as my food was actually there this time.
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We all collapsed in some chairs kindly put out by the staff and tucked into the food in our packs, on the tables and anywhere else we could find it. I also had my first and hopefully last cup of special tea. The recipe for which is 1 strong cup of milky tea, add several heaped teaspoons of sugar and 1 of salt. Pretty disgusting but I hoped this would help with the cramp which still seemed to be plaguing me.
We left the checkpoint shivering uncontrollably, the cold had caught up with us during the short break. But with full bellies we started to make our way towards the goal which we had been so close yet so far all day Roseburry Topping, a single peak that we would first have to make our way to the bottom before scaling it to the summit before going back the way we came. The plan had been to make this in daylight but it was becoming apparent that this was not to be the case as we donned head torches as dusk set in. All you could see was a small patch 3 feet in front of you, the steady stream of people making their way up to the top and back and a glimpse of people’s faces illuminated in an unusual way from their foreheads. After a slog up we made it to the top with views out across the evening landscape. It is amazing the amount of light that is created from all our street lighting and this area felt relatively rural.
Roseburry opping2
Rosebury topping1
The last section was made slightly trickier by the lack of light and the criss cross of paths that went their separate ways. We negotiated our way towards the final push up to a plateau before dropping down towards the finish. It felt tough as hills we weren’t expecting suddenly seemed to appear and as our legs tired what was classed as a hill at the start of a day was very different to that towards the end as each slight incline became an excuse to go that bit slower. Yet finally my legs had stopped cramping and I was still raring to go as the course dropped down towards the finish. Potentially a sprint one. We reckoned that we would have to seriously pick the pace up to beat the 12 hour mark but as it would make little difference to our finishing position we decided to just enjoy the final couple of miles. As we started to sense the finish though we realised that we could still make it and the final meters did become a sprint into the hut to ensure we beat the 12 hours. We were greeted to a round of applause by the competitors who had already finished and a welcome chair. We finished in 11 hours 53 mins joint 43rd overall. I got changed into some clean clothes and the quickest top that came to hand was the finishers t-shirt. I checked it out before putting it on it was bright blue with a bold statement “55 miles and 2700 m ascent”. No wonder my legs hurt so much. I was definitely glad I hadn’t read it before the start line that would definitely have made it more daunting.
Overall another race, a lot learnt but certainly an awesome race to be repeated.
Last week I met up with some of my tent mates from the marathon des sables and chatting to a competitor this year with some last minute tips. It got me thinking about this this time last year and since.
Even before finishing the marathon des sables last year my mind was already whirring with ideas for possible races, expeditions and trips. Just meeting all the people who made it to the start line and hearing many incredibly inspiring stories made we want to experience more challenges.
Since then I completed my 100 mile race, completed an ultra running event called the Hardmoor 55 (still writing the review) and dipped into adventure racing. Also over the last 6 months or so I have spent a wee bit of time researching and discussing various ideas about adventures with some of you (hopefully your reading). I am sure many of you have your own ideas for adventures, challenges and dreams to fulfil over the coming months of 2012 or maybe you have plans for past that point to which is even better. The next challenge will be announced soon....
Whats your next challenge? Have you got plans for the year or maybe a longer term vision? Would be great to hear about them as I know many of you have got them lined up.
Mt Everest
Having never really been into cross country at school, which is possibly an understatement as it was my least favourite activity I found myself entering the last cross country of the season for my triathlon club fulon tri. The previous one had finished with flapjack and cans of Guiness much to my delight so I thought why not give it another go. This had been from the warmth of my room, however standing on the start line with a frost on the ground it didn’t seem such a great idea. There were still blokes running in vest or singlets (depending on where you are from).
Unfortunately we had managed to find ourselves placed towards the back and before we knew it the race had started, or at least the start whistle had been blown. As unfortunately just after the start line was a narrow bridge that acted as a great bottleneck for all the runners to have a very leisurely start.
The race format was 2 laps totalling 5 miles, the benefit being that once you have done the first one you know how hard you can push and when to push. The first lap also went pretty quickly amazingly and I found myself overtaking more people than being overtaken a nice feeling compared to the previous event.
However the second lap was to be a bit more interesting as I found myself stuck behind a “man” who was not only holding me up on the narrow uphill section but who also resembled something closer to a camel as every second gasp for air was followed by lots of spitting. I’m not really overly bothered by this kind of thing however it is slightly disconcerting as you overtake and are now in direct firing line.
Pleased with getting past this guy I wanted to decrease the gap with the man in front and bided my time for a couple of the downhill sections where I felt my slightly kamikaze style of letting my legs run would certainly close the gap. It worked on the first passing a couple more runners and was marginally slowed on the second. I was heading down and in my haste I hadn’t exactly chosen the best line. A tree was fast approaching and my ability to change direction massively reduced as I committed to the slope. With arms flailing I marginally missed the tree before promptly sliding on my arse. I somehow managed to pick myself up quickly, patted a slightly confused dog and carried on my way in what felt like less than a blink of the eye. Possibly a slight exaggeration but I was just relieved that I hadn’t hit the tree. It did bring back memories of a video I had seen...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQEq4sGcKBg&feature=fvsr]
All that was left was a sprint finish there was last bloke in sight who I was sure I could catch however there was also one chasing me down. I passed the man in front and was then passed with mere meters to go. Slightly disappointed at this happening I was still pleased that I had improved from my previous attempt. It was just a shame that this was the last of the season. All that was left was an afternoon of watching the rugby 6 nations.
Well the last couple of weeks have gone super quick, luckily the weekend before the snow hit London “very severe weather” I managed to grab a spot at the running school in Chiswick.
Having never really spent much time learning how to run other than laps at school round the same cross country route and a brief spell in my uni triathlon club, it was always going to be a bit of a learning experience. Besides I have previously sought advice on gym training, various sport specific training and learning how to teach skiing so why not running too? Who taught you how to run? Have you run recently? How was it? Have a think and a read, you might start having a few questions yourself there is plenty of info out on the internet or you could be tempted to check them out.
http://www.runningschool.co.uk/
I think most people, including my prior self, considered running to be a case of putting one foot in front of the other, generally faster than walking while others use it in a sport. However the one similarity is that little time is spent focussing on how we run but more on how fast or slow we are going, what we are listening to, looking at or playing. For some people this experience can be uncomfortable or even painful which doesn’t exactly encourage you to hit the trails, run round the pitch or take a wee jog for the bus you are running late for. My own experience has been a bit up and down like many runners, sportsmen and women or your average Joe. My logic has always been that to get fitter, faster and better I have to run more miles. This has sometimes been a pleasurable experience and others agonising and often resulted in frequent visits to the physio, which has also been a pretty painful experience. Does it have to be this constant up and down or could it be improved? What is the ideal situation or pinnacle to aim for? I hoped the day would answer or at least explain some of my questions, hopefully bring up more questions and maybe look at fixing them.
I rocked up at the headquarters in Stamford brook, based under the tube lines where I was greeted to coffee and croissants. Always a good way to start the day, followed by a briefing from the founder of “The Running School” who is an experienced runners and sportsman called Mike Antoniades. He briefed us on how the day would pan out and more importantly what they would work on. Just a point Im not going to reveal their tips of the trade as I don’t think that’s right but I will tell you how it felt, a little of what I had to work on and the info they provide on the net.
Finally we jumped on the running machine while they filmed our technique at the start of the day. Something I would recommend everyone to do, it’s easy to do with a mate or place the camera on a stand behind and to the side. You will be able to see where all your various body parts are going instantly. I was immediately aware of how I was running, did it look wrong or by some miracle could I be gifted with a perfect running style. No matter how positive I was thinking I was to learn that this certainly wasn’t the case! They didn’t say anything it was merely the first stage of our day’s assessment.
It was then time to get outside; it was chilly with snow forecast for the week to come. The group clad in an assortment of leggings, lycra, woolly hats and gloves we made our way to the local park. First up was a warm up, although it is the most obvious and correct place to start it is something that I hadn’t been doing before starting a run but instead opting to warm up quickly by jogging straight from the door. Lesson 1 noted and remembered.
It did help with every part of the body truly warmed up and raring to go. Time for the drills. Like many drills the aim seemed to be to go to the extremes to encourage the mind to remember the feeling so when out on the trails or pitch we could look to replicate this feeling. We worked on a few key areas, the motion of our arms, the motion of our legs, putting these elements together and finally working on how we would create the transition from our old style to new.
Like anything new it felt strange, at points bizarre and even just plain wrong, however the results told a completely different story. Rather than hearing my feet land heavily and thump into the ground I was moving across lighter and quicker than before, muscles that I didn’t normally feel ached having been used for the first time but most importantly the principles of the idea made sense. More filming took place, again the mind went into over drive trying to remember every little tit bit that had been mentioned and I tried, maybe a little too hard, to put them into action. I would have to wait and see if this worked as it was time for lunch.
Following a rather dry and boring lunch of cous cous and whatever was left in fridge that morning it was the time everyone had been waiting for. Video time, the lights went out, the room was warm and the seats incredibly comfortable after the mornings exercise. Perfect snoozing conditions but first the videos as mixed emotions went through my mind between hoping to have my technique ripped apart to dreaming that I had taken everything on board immediately. It was certainly awkward seeing myself run on the screen, put in slow motion to pick out the key areas. The pre and post workshop footage was incredibly useful though. It became clear that I had been trying too hard to think of everything that I had learnt that morning as my robotic like form swept across the screen. Yet there were improvements. My legs were beginning to resemble the technique that we had been working on and I was using my arms more effectively, now I just need to make it more natural amongst a few other corrections.
We looked at everyone’s footage which was a real benefit as we began analysing each other, asking more specific questions and helping our understanding of how we can ultimately improve our own technique. The session finished with some strength & conditioning exercises followed by stretching. At least one thing hand changed over the day and that was my flexibility, still as rubbish as ever. Now I just have to put the lessons into practise….
Following the course my advice would definitely be to work on your technique, it can make a huge benefit if you want to go faster or if nothing else help to reduce the forces through the body. It does take time though to make the transition but why wait for the perfect time as there is no time like the present. See what you could become....
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By1JQFxfLMM]
It would be great to hear some of you stories of maybe a memorable run or maybe the first run you remember having to do?
It was the first weekend in January and I had managed to sign my self up to my first adventure race as a solo competitor under the great “team” name of “Billy No Mates”. This was thanks to my brother’s kind contribution on what my team name should be over the Christmas period. The race is part of the Haglof Open 5 series which take place across the country. This one was being held in Crowcombe, Taunton in and around the Quantocks. If you like the sound of the race check out the other races in the series.
After a very early start of 5am, marginally helped by a fresh bacon bap we were on our way to Crowcombe. I say we, because somehow I had managed to convince my girlfriend to drive me down, watch me (even though it would turn out to be only possible at the start and finish only) and then drive me back. After a bit of a drive with radio 1s standard role call programme, where people text in with what they are up to, we arrived there to a view of lycra, buffs (kind of like scarf but can be made into everything from hats to a neck warmer) and lots of mountain bikes.
I registered, collected all the info including the map with all the points marked on and bumped into a mate from the marathon des sables and his team mate. After a quick chat it was definitely time to get ready, rather quickly as I suddenly realised I still had to put my bike together. According to the map it was only a short walk and cycle to the start line which turned out to be up a pretty steep hill that saw most people jumping off their bikes just to reach the top. I was hoping that the whole course was not going to be up and down hills this steep.
Now the race format for the day was a 5 hour cut off where you had to go between points a bit like orienteering and with no set route on a mountain bike and on foot. You had to select which one you did first and could only change once, choose a route, go to as many of the checkpoints that you wanted to go to and then switch to the other discipline and do the same all over again but to different checkpoints. Each checkpoint carries a different number of points, so the person with the most points at the end of the day wins. In principle it is all straight forward, there are the points on the map, a plan and me raring to go. However I was to find that it doesn’t always go to plan.
I decided to run first, I reached the start line, was told that some points didn’t actually exist, put my timing dibber in the machine and checked the map. I thought that I would mark on the map which points I should do and more importantly couldn’t do as they weren’t there, but found I had forgotten my pen, so instead I started running.
The race was on! It was quite hard going, not running wise or at least not yet but more keeping pace with where I was on the map. I overshot the first point. Not a great start but I decided to keep going as I could get it on the way back.
This was possibly a sign of things to come.
After continuing I managed to pick up a number of points, the day was dry with the cloud level above the hills and my legs felt good. After dropping down into a valley to grab a checkpoint and making my way through a rather smelly and boggy bit of ground I grabbed my second furthest point. I decided a bit of food was required and so walked up a slope while having some munch while planning my next move. Adventure racing I was finding more and more isn’t all physical but mental and strategic. My plan was to drop down to a series of points and do a loop back towards the start to switch to my mountain bike. I planned the route quickly from where I reckoned I was and started. Whilst heading down another wet and muddy track I began checking the map. The more I checked the more the map, the direction I was heading and the landscape didn’t match up. I was lost….
As time was of the essence I reckoned heading back to my last know point was the best decision and make a new plan. After making my way back towards what I thought was the main route back to the start I continued on my way with the plan of heading down to some different points on the way back. Even this proved challenging as the paths of the Quantocks marked and unmarked criss crossed along my route. I needed some different points of reference but unfortunately the cloud levels had dropped, preventing me from getting my bearings. Fortunately I bumped into some of the mountain bikers and then a fellow runner who kindly pointed me in the right direction. I ended up reaching the points I wanted almost by mistake, it just took a whole lot longer to reach them than planned. After grabbing a couple more points including having to run past numerous duke of Edinburgh looking expeditions and running through several large patches of gorse bushes I made it back to the finish. My legs by this time felt pretty knackered, I had spent far too long running at around 3 of the 5 hours but I was looking forward to some speed on the bike.
A quick bite of soreen, banana and topped up on water and I was on my way. I dibbed in with the timer, started checking the map more thoroughly and mentally kicked myself for not doing so whilst eating. I decided on a bit of a loop which wouldn’t get all the points but took me over ground I thought I would recognise from the run before ticking off some higher points that were near to the finish. It felt great being on my bike, the wind was blowing against my face, splashing through muddy puddles and generally having a laugh. I picked up the first point pretty quickly before heading to the second. On glancing at the map it looked like it was slightly down a path, however I was flying down this path for what seemed like ages and nearly shot past the checkpoint. At which point I realised that the reason why there were hardly any tracks to this checkpoint was that no one wanted to come to it as it was in the middle of nowhere and down a long a steep track. I slowly made my way back up the hill reach the top and planned a route that would take in a couple of the further points before heading back to the finish and collecting some of the higher points along the way. There wasn’t much time left so I decided to crank the pace up a bit and was flying down the track, or at least it felt like it compared to running. I had a nagging feeling that the way I was going wasn’t quite right. After checking, then rechecking the map I decided I had spent too much time on it and wasn’t 100% sure I could get the point and make it back to claim some of the bigger points. My plan was to head back towards the finish and try and do a sort of spiders web from it, so not straying too far so that I shouldn’t get a time penalty from being late but still able to pick up some more points.
With a new plan and the clock ticking I headed for a point in some trees, the mud was super thick and with tired legs it was pretty challenging keeping the bike in the tracks. This resulted in a couple of minor bails and yet more scratches and bruises down my shins. Reaching the checkpoint I made my way towards another point, now I am still not really sure how it happened but I think in my haste to get to the next point I didn’t go quite far enough and went up the wrong path. This resulted in missing the checkpoint completely, a rather convoluted route back to the finish, passing through a fort (I found this out afterwards), before having to pedal like crazy to get back to the finish. I must of looked a strange sight to some people driving past in cars, caked in mud, bloody shins (small cuts always seem to bleed more than they should) and a grimace on my face. I almost shot into the finish line, after being told that I need to get off my bike to finish, and dibbed my timer in. I was late....
After chatting to some of the other races that I knew I made my way back towards to car, for a bit of a hot drink and I managed to find a tub of flapjack waiting for the competitors. I was knackered, elated and pretty happy with the days performance, I hadn’t got completely lost even though I found out I spent almost 2 hours being lost but I had completed it. I also learnt a shed load and I’m sure it was only beginner lessons!
Time for the drive back.
Have you got stories of being lost? Whether it is on the way to an interview, a little walk or some other story let us know.
For those interested in what I would do differently here we go.
All pretty simple things but the best plans are almost always the simplest.
What are you wanting to do this year of where are you travel this year? Well I thought I would take a trip to the east end of London at the weekend to get a few ideas. But I want to hear about where you might be heading whether it is to the deserts in Morocco, mountains of Europe, beaches of Australia, travelling round South America or even around the UK it would be great to hear about them. Last weekend I managed to squeeze in a look at this year’s Boat, Bike Outdoor and Adventure Travel show (that is a bit of a mouthful) held at the Excel. I wasn’t really sure what to expect as I have been to the ski show and in previous years it has just felt like an extended shop for the likes of Ellis Brigham and Snow and Rock.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDTwQGEeGZc&feature=related]
This experience was definitely different being welcomed into the area with slackliners carefully balancing and doing tricks (check the video out), then loads of stalls on various events ranging from the kayaking across Scotland up to the Jungle Ultra and everything in between. I spoke to a Glaswegian from red spokes (http://www.redspokes.co.uk/) about cycling in the likes of Pakistan and experiencing the sights and culture whilst out there.
I managed to get a full tasting of the products from the people at torq fitness (http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/) and I have to say I would definitely recommend trying their products particularly the gels if you are interested in using them maybe for your first marathon this year, while out mountain biking or anything active and enjoying the outdoors. They are tasty and unlike some aren’t overly sweet or thick like part solidified jelly.
The experience finished by checking out some huge sailing and motorboats, I forgot to take some pictures and it was beginning to close up which didn’t help.
Overall it was a great way to spend part of the weekend, I even managed to find a couple of contacts for upcoming challenges and events which is always useful. Later this month is the Adventure Travel show at the Olympia and if you haven’t decided on where you want to go this year or want to hear some inspiring stories about everything from stories of adventure to improving your travel photography it is worth checking out.
Also check out these two guys websites who are hugely inspirational, have some great ideas and show how simple it is to get into the outdoors.
http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/