Trafalgar Halls is a cruel mistress, of the men that have attempted to run the stairs 50 times, only three other men have successfully completed it. To add to the constant pain of having to haul your body vertically up 17 stories of incline the competitor must then complete 20 press ups at her summit. I have seen men break under the relentless onslaught of suffering which the stairs bring to the competitor. Running her 50 times burns over 7000 calories and renders people immobile for weeks.
To add to the physical burden the competitor must overcome high levels of mental stress. Her walls only contain numbers and stairs. The same numbers, the same stairs, no sunlight, only artificial of which some flicker like an abandoned hospital ward. The stair climber must reside in this hellish environment for as long as it takes him to complete the task.
I completed this challenge three times during this year and so asked for more. So I doubled the numbers, Trafalgar Halls x100. People were shocked, some appalled. x50 was enough to whittle the common man into a shivering wreck. But I forged on and climbed for nearly 10 whole hours. I saw many demons, at one point floor 9 began to morph into a stage of a horrific Lady Gaga Musical, Poker Face would not leave my mind, and I was the center piece of her diabolic horror show.
But Trafalgar Halls shaped me. To this day there is not a greater physical challenge. It is the ultimate expression of exercise. No balls, no rules, just you, some stairs and a 1000 press ups. You cannot hide behind excuses, you are the combined sum of your bodies will to continue and your minds strength in adversity.
And now in March I will attempt Trafalgar Halls x200. This will truly test every fabric in my soul. I can confirm that this is the grand conclusion to the Trafalgar Halls Challenge. Her last throw of the dice. What stands between me and the submission of her stairs is 400 ascents,descents and 4000 press ups. Only one thing is guaranteed with Trafalgar Halls. And that is long hours of relentless pain and suffering.
On a side not I would really appreciate it if people could become a fan of my Facebook page.
Tuesday 27 December 2011
Monday 26 December 2011
Trafalgar Halls x200
Trafalgar Halls x200
Height Of Trafalgar Halls: 50 Meters
Total Height To Climb= 10,000 Meters
World Tallest Building:
Burj Khalifa 2,700 Meters.
World Tallest Mountain:
Mt Everest, 8,200 Meters.
Height Of Trafalgar Halls: 50 Meters
Total Height To Climb= 10,000 Meters
World Tallest Building:
Burj Khalifa 2,700 Meters.
World Tallest Mountain:
Mt Everest, 8,200 Meters.
Saturday 24 December 2011
2012 Challenges.
During 2012 I will be upping the stakes in my Endurance events, I will be seeking to set new World Records and gain new skills which will eventually help me tackle the Triple Enduroman .
My first event will be Trafalgar Halls x200 this will take place on the 24th of March. This will follow the standard formula for the Trafalgar Halls Challenges which I completed last year. The Challenge consists of running up and down a 65 Meter building 400 times, ( one succesfull climb is one full ascent and descent) and at the bottom of each descent completing 20 military style press ups. I will attempt to do these in under 24 hours.
On May the 24th I will attempt a 240 mile indoor cycle rid, to help me train in attempting a world record attempt of cycling from London to Lockerbie (Scotland) in under 24 hours (a total distance of over 370 Miles) which I aim to complete in late June time.
In the summer of 2013 I will be embarking on my second expedition. I will run a 108 mile ultra Marathon from (Southport) Liverpool to Hull. Then I will row from Hull to the Hague in Holland ( a distance of 250 Miles) followed by a 1500 Mile Cycle ride to Istanbul Turkey in under 30 days.
Many people do not grasp the reasons behind why I choose to do these things. I am often called "insane" for wanting to put myself through such pain for no obvious reward. I will never be able to explain my reasoning to those that raise such questions for they are the same people who stand stuck on the sidelines, raised in the stands, observing men and women who say "enough with the questions" and perform to the curious masses.
My actions are not unique. Dig below the service, and you will find men and women who reside at the forefront of Human advancement. Men and women who are not afraid to put everything on the line just to see what they are made of. Be they Racing drivers, Fighters or Ultra Endurance Athletes. I am also working with Water Aid in helping people across the world less fortunate then I am have the basic Human tools to develop into balanced and healthy people.
I am doing my bit, I wont raise nearly as much money as some people say I deserve to simply because I am not one to endlessly talk of my past actions or flaunt my services to the world.
Merry Xmas.
My first event will be Trafalgar Halls x200 this will take place on the 24th of March. This will follow the standard formula for the Trafalgar Halls Challenges which I completed last year. The Challenge consists of running up and down a 65 Meter building 400 times, ( one succesfull climb is one full ascent and descent) and at the bottom of each descent completing 20 military style press ups. I will attempt to do these in under 24 hours.
On May the 24th I will attempt a 240 mile indoor cycle rid, to help me train in attempting a world record attempt of cycling from London to Lockerbie (Scotland) in under 24 hours (a total distance of over 370 Miles) which I aim to complete in late June time.
In the summer of 2013 I will be embarking on my second expedition. I will run a 108 mile ultra Marathon from (Southport) Liverpool to Hull. Then I will row from Hull to the Hague in Holland ( a distance of 250 Miles) followed by a 1500 Mile Cycle ride to Istanbul Turkey in under 30 days.
Many people do not grasp the reasons behind why I choose to do these things. I am often called "insane" for wanting to put myself through such pain for no obvious reward. I will never be able to explain my reasoning to those that raise such questions for they are the same people who stand stuck on the sidelines, raised in the stands, observing men and women who say "enough with the questions" and perform to the curious masses.
My actions are not unique. Dig below the service, and you will find men and women who reside at the forefront of Human advancement. Men and women who are not afraid to put everything on the line just to see what they are made of. Be they Racing drivers, Fighters or Ultra Endurance Athletes. I am also working with Water Aid in helping people across the world less fortunate then I am have the basic Human tools to develop into balanced and healthy people.
I am doing my bit, I wont raise nearly as much money as some people say I deserve to simply because I am not one to endlessly talk of my past actions or flaunt my services to the world.
Merry Xmas.
Friday 27 May 2011
The Sands Of Time
"I don't really mind not drinking anymore or spending most of my time in bed, for me as long as I have a few true Friends around me (which I luckily have down there!) time will fly by and it will be D-Day" -Dec 2010
I remember sitting in front of my laptop on a cold December evening writing my very first entry into this blog as if it was yesterday. And I can still recall the worried and excited thoughts swimming around in my brain as it attempted to construct a blueprint of my impending training regime which would make me physically fit enough to run to Rome.
The speed (or more accurately) my perception of time is drastically increasing as I venture further into my twenties. What seemed an age to me five years ago is now merely a moment as the relentless current of time pushes me towards old age and eventually,death. Time has no friends or foes and no matter how many times people try, it will never become humanities servant. Although we may eventually dramatically slow and perhaps even prevent the aging process, our feeble minds would implode with the knowledge and pain of eternal life.
To this day I still have a vivid memory of sitting in a Secondary school History class and celebrating London winning the 2012 Olympics. That night I attempted to to imagine what the 22 year old version of me would be doing whilst the games were being played. I am only a year away from what seemed like a unfathomable amount of time to me 7 years ago.
Facing up to our own mortality is something many of us rarely do.Which is understandable. From an early age we have been conditioned to "hush hush" the topic and distract ourselves with nonsense. Death it seems, has become taboo. Our only connection with our own mortality comes when relatives pass away or new ones enter the world. With new scientific and technological discoveries being implemented at an alarming rate,our meetings with death are becoming more and more infrequent.
Many ancient cultures with their dramatically decreased life expectancies, living standards and constant conflict viewed death as a natural consequence of life. Every day men would return home with dead animals slumped over their shoulders or siblings would perish to famine at an early age. Religion relieved many fears by attempting to explain the reasoning behind the chaos of existence but the enlightenment gave rise to a modern society so obsessed with attempting to avoid death that we paradoxically have now began to avoid living!
I remember when this Photo was taken, I was in my second year of College and had a rough plan to go travelling, I wanted to join the Royal Marines as an Officer but first needed to pass the January Exams. In the two years subsequent to this being taken I have done things I could never have predicted but I still remember this whole dam night like it was yesterday!
I'm sure many of you have done the " if you only had ...... to live what would you do". I love asking people I have just met or do not no very well as this often reveals their inner child to me. The one that was lost sometime during the ages of 14 when the claws of society gripped, and then shredded every single dream they every had in front of their very eyes. I watch as peoples eyes light up as their whole lives ambition's spill from the tongue.
Once most people finish with their intinery for their grand finale I say to them.
"So go ahead and do them!"
It is strange that we somehow plan our wildest dreams and fantasies to the back burner as we trundle through the theatre of life. They are ignored until suddenly we are shoved a stopwatch down our throats by a doctor with 3 months until your Funeral. The reality is that for many of us our last day on earth will be spent in a Hospital bed unable to move with tubes escaping every orifice in our bodies. The last thing we would be able to do was go Sky Diving or propose to your Girlfriend. The time for action is now.
If you have simple Dreams then all they require is simple action. However if you have complex and grand dreams then they require months if not years of dedication to accomplish. Our culture is obsessed about finding short cuts to solve solutions. However in the cold hard world of reality only one thing yields results and that's hard work and achieving your dreams are about as hard of work as it gets! There will be times when you feel immense anger and loneliness, times where you will be hurt from betrayals and failures even times where you feel like giving up. But these very emotions, during the times where you feel at your lowest point combined with your ability to dust yourself off wipe the tears away and continue towards your goal regardless provides the magic formula to achieving your life ambitions.
I have found that in the pursuit of a dream people tend to find their true purpose. The more people that laugh, ridicule and rubbish it gives it more validation to become a dream worth accomplishing!
The sands of time make no mistake in erasing our minuscule fleeting visit to Sit Com: Planet Earth. So its best to start making as many footprints as possible, so future generations of people can follow in your wake.
Peace and love boys and girls.
I remember sitting in front of my laptop on a cold December evening writing my very first entry into this blog as if it was yesterday. And I can still recall the worried and excited thoughts swimming around in my brain as it attempted to construct a blueprint of my impending training regime which would make me physically fit enough to run to Rome.
The speed (or more accurately) my perception of time is drastically increasing as I venture further into my twenties. What seemed an age to me five years ago is now merely a moment as the relentless current of time pushes me towards old age and eventually,death. Time has no friends or foes and no matter how many times people try, it will never become humanities servant. Although we may eventually dramatically slow and perhaps even prevent the aging process, our feeble minds would implode with the knowledge and pain of eternal life.
To this day I still have a vivid memory of sitting in a Secondary school History class and celebrating London winning the 2012 Olympics. That night I attempted to to imagine what the 22 year old version of me would be doing whilst the games were being played. I am only a year away from what seemed like a unfathomable amount of time to me 7 years ago.
Facing up to our own mortality is something many of us rarely do.Which is understandable. From an early age we have been conditioned to "hush hush" the topic and distract ourselves with nonsense. Death it seems, has become taboo. Our only connection with our own mortality comes when relatives pass away or new ones enter the world. With new scientific and technological discoveries being implemented at an alarming rate,our meetings with death are becoming more and more infrequent.
Many ancient cultures with their dramatically decreased life expectancies, living standards and constant conflict viewed death as a natural consequence of life. Every day men would return home with dead animals slumped over their shoulders or siblings would perish to famine at an early age. Religion relieved many fears by attempting to explain the reasoning behind the chaos of existence but the enlightenment gave rise to a modern society so obsessed with attempting to avoid death that we paradoxically have now began to avoid living!
Me Messing Around at a House Party (2009)
I remember when this Photo was taken, I was in my second year of College and had a rough plan to go travelling, I wanted to join the Royal Marines as an Officer but first needed to pass the January Exams. In the two years subsequent to this being taken I have done things I could never have predicted but I still remember this whole dam night like it was yesterday!
I'm sure many of you have done the " if you only had ...... to live what would you do". I love asking people I have just met or do not no very well as this often reveals their inner child to me. The one that was lost sometime during the ages of 14 when the claws of society gripped, and then shredded every single dream they every had in front of their very eyes. I watch as peoples eyes light up as their whole lives ambition's spill from the tongue.
If nothing else, watch this video of a truly wonderfull man and his approach to life.
Once most people finish with their intinery for their grand finale I say to them.
"So go ahead and do them!"
It is strange that we somehow plan our wildest dreams and fantasies to the back burner as we trundle through the theatre of life. They are ignored until suddenly we are shoved a stopwatch down our throats by a doctor with 3 months until your Funeral. The reality is that for many of us our last day on earth will be spent in a Hospital bed unable to move with tubes escaping every orifice in our bodies. The last thing we would be able to do was go Sky Diving or propose to your Girlfriend. The time for action is now.
If you have simple Dreams then all they require is simple action. However if you have complex and grand dreams then they require months if not years of dedication to accomplish. Our culture is obsessed about finding short cuts to solve solutions. However in the cold hard world of reality only one thing yields results and that's hard work and achieving your dreams are about as hard of work as it gets! There will be times when you feel immense anger and loneliness, times where you will be hurt from betrayals and failures even times where you feel like giving up. But these very emotions, during the times where you feel at your lowest point combined with your ability to dust yourself off wipe the tears away and continue towards your goal regardless provides the magic formula to achieving your life ambitions.
I have found that in the pursuit of a dream people tend to find their true purpose. The more people that laugh, ridicule and rubbish it gives it more validation to become a dream worth accomplishing!
The sands of time make no mistake in erasing our minuscule fleeting visit to Sit Com: Planet Earth. So its best to start making as many footprints as possible, so future generations of people can follow in your wake.
Peace and love boys and girls.
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Running Makes The World Go Round
On a warm 22 degrees day I am mile 8 into my first of two 12 mile runs laden with weight. I am sweating and the skin on my back has worn away to such a degree that the platlets in my blood have given up forming over the area of friction. Every time I hit the ground my backpack lifts and when I lift off it sags. The result of these conflciting motions have inspired me to run in a hunched form not which give a certain resident of Notredame a run for his money.
In these days of relentless training I could do two things. A): Give up and cry myself to sleep. Or B): Laugh at the whole situation. I always try my best to choose the second option. Because, lets face it is is funny. I mean Im running this same route with a huge backpack on, my 10th pair of Ipod headphones cast off over my shoulder because they no longer work. And I have a towel wrapped over my left shoulder to prevent the chafting of my cut back. All of this training is for the most extreme marathon ever attemped and its going to be ran my me... and one of my best friends who at the same time last year were both living homeless in Sydney selling Psychadellic Electronica CD'S recorded by us in a drunken/green haze during our College years. I take everything with a pinch of salt. Whenever I start to take myself to seriously I take a long hard look in the mirror and initiate myself into a 7 minute Mayan Ritual Mating Dance which I picked up in Lebongan Island from a shamen.
I am not a super Athlete or even a great runner. Nor is Max but we both have one thing in common which many much fitter people lack in the case of these events. And thats motivation.The motivation to prove the legions of people and companies who wrote us off in January stating such things as (and I quote). "You cannot run 20 miles a day, it is impossible". Well guess who is now? and "You will never be able to get to Rome in under 60 days" ( we have yet to try but you can be sure we will give it our dam best shot!). I have trained so hard for this event and so has Max and not one person can tell me what I can or cannot do. Since day one I have said and said with confidence that I am running to Rome in June. And I will complete the run in under 60 days. My word is my bond and this bond supplies me with the fuel to continue no matter how bad things get. No matter how low I feel. And no matter who tells me to give up.
For my training im wearing Compression Vests I used these when I was fighting and they really help me keep cool. Something I will need to be on this run.
On Saturday me and Max will be running our longest Ultra to date. A 74 Mile run from Redhill to Brighton and back. The route will be using maps and we will be navigating across the hills of south east England. Of course this event will be filmed and im sure it will provide you people with 5 minutes of laughs, shocks and entertainment. Then after that we will both be taking our training down a few notches, preparing ourselves for our exams and organising the logistical aspects of the run.
Our fates cannot be predicted but they can be manipulated. The man who basks in the glow of success simply turned to face the sun.
Have a good one people.
In these days of relentless training I could do two things. A): Give up and cry myself to sleep. Or B): Laugh at the whole situation. I always try my best to choose the second option. Because, lets face it is is funny. I mean Im running this same route with a huge backpack on, my 10th pair of Ipod headphones cast off over my shoulder because they no longer work. And I have a towel wrapped over my left shoulder to prevent the chafting of my cut back. All of this training is for the most extreme marathon ever attemped and its going to be ran my me... and one of my best friends who at the same time last year were both living homeless in Sydney selling Psychadellic Electronica CD'S recorded by us in a drunken/green haze during our College years. I take everything with a pinch of salt. Whenever I start to take myself to seriously I take a long hard look in the mirror and initiate myself into a 7 minute Mayan Ritual Mating Dance which I picked up in Lebongan Island from a shamen.
I am not a super Athlete or even a great runner. Nor is Max but we both have one thing in common which many much fitter people lack in the case of these events. And thats motivation.The motivation to prove the legions of people and companies who wrote us off in January stating such things as (and I quote). "You cannot run 20 miles a day, it is impossible". Well guess who is now? and "You will never be able to get to Rome in under 60 days" ( we have yet to try but you can be sure we will give it our dam best shot!). I have trained so hard for this event and so has Max and not one person can tell me what I can or cannot do. Since day one I have said and said with confidence that I am running to Rome in June. And I will complete the run in under 60 days. My word is my bond and this bond supplies me with the fuel to continue no matter how bad things get. No matter how low I feel. And no matter who tells me to give up.
For my training im wearing Compression Vests I used these when I was fighting and they really help me keep cool. Something I will need to be on this run.
On Saturday me and Max will be running our longest Ultra to date. A 74 Mile run from Redhill to Brighton and back. The route will be using maps and we will be navigating across the hills of south east England. Of course this event will be filmed and im sure it will provide you people with 5 minutes of laughs, shocks and entertainment. Then after that we will both be taking our training down a few notches, preparing ourselves for our exams and organising the logistical aspects of the run.
Our fates cannot be predicted but they can be manipulated. The man who basks in the glow of success simply turned to face the sun.
Have a good one people.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Thursday 21 April 2011
112 Days
Thats right 112 days ago I set off on my first run. Fast forward to today and nothing has changed apart from the miles and intensity of each session. Over the last week I have been out to see my family in Italy. Whilst there I could not resist the chance to go out and explore the Island of Sardinia!
I have been ranting on about "Operation Spartan" for some time now without really explaining what an average week will be for me in terms of my training. I dont just wake up and run.Its much more complicated then that.
A 12 mile run to most people seems very simple. You simply put your shoes on and move your feet forward until your pedometer bleeps. However most people do not train as much as I do, and most people do not run 12 miles twice a day carrying 30 pounds of weight on them!
During my training I have incorporated many forms of exercises to improve my performance during my runs. For example I dedicate two hours per week working on my upper body muscles. Why? So my body can cope with the extra 30 pounds of weight on my back. I am also an avid circuit trainer. Circuit training is a form of conditioning combining resistance training and high-intensity aerobics. These twice weekly sessions are designed to improve my aerobic and anerobic thresholds. These elements are usefull for the run to help decrease my overall 12 mile time and develop the explosivness needed to tackle periods of incline (such as a 100 mile, 3000 meter ascent over the Alps!). I also Stair climb which is a mixture of both Anerobic and Aerobic excercise which helps bridge the gap between the two.
It is a fact that there is a positive correlation between performance and diet. Therfore I have put hours of research into having a diet which keeps my body fueled throughout my training. It is not very complex, I do not believe in "Diet Fads" and strict regimes designed by people to make money. So stick to the basics truths. High Carbs, High Protein and Eat your Greens! I eat around 5 times a day and prepare fresh meals and avoid anything processed like the plague. I recover with one shake formulated by Multipower to resupply my body with the electrolytes I sweated out during training. I have to consume over 3000 calories per day to maintain my weight and prevent my body from going into a Catabolic state (it starts to eat my Muscles!).
I have also started stretching much more and force myself into a ten minute period of leg and upper body stretches. This is something I have only started doing recently and I have allready noticed an improvement on my recovery time which is the name of the game.
I need to be able to run 25 miles in any weather condition, carrying my life on my back. And then recover to to it all again the next day. For 8 weeks. I have reached the point where I am doing this. Nothing, nothing can replace hard work and dedication. There is no short cut to getting into shape and becoming fit. It has taken me 112 days of sacrifice to get into the condition I am in now and I still have another 30 days of hard training to go. Then I will complete this run in the time I said I would do it in. And then, and only then will I rest until the next challenge. There will always be more challenges. Its what makes me tick.
You can find out more infomation about our training on our website.
Train Hard.
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Why Do You Do What You Do?
I am currently in Italy staying with my mum for a week. The weather has been really nice and its great to see my family again and return to some home comforts which I miss back in Portsmouth!
As I write I am lying in my bed with a heat pack covered over my hamstring after covering 23 miles of mountanious terrain in the Italian Countryside. My blister is playing up and I have friction burn on my back due to the persistent contact with my backpack. This regime has been extremely testing on my body but I count myself lucky that no serious injuries have been inflicted on me yet. I recently wrote an article for a journalist who asked me a few questions about the run itself. So I thought I would share it on here.
Hey **** hope your all good and Uni is going ok. You are not the first person to ask me this many people will never understand why I choose to do what I do. And to be honest I really don’t care. The truth is I really don’t enjoy what I do anymore. Before I started training for this event my view of the world was extremely broad now I have blinkers firmly focused on running. Doing anything in excess results in the activity becoming boring or a chore. I am running in excess. It is extremely boring and I am constant pain. Yes there are times when I hit the circuits but I will soon be running again. Running long distances with a big bulky bag. Completely alone.
No one likes to be alone but the truth is we are alone, we are alone on the start line, when we hit walls even when we get promoted from work. Running has become a metaphor for my life. Ultimately I make the decisions to stop when I want to stop or continue when I feel like continuing and the same thing applies to everyone. We decide how hard we want to go, how far we want to push ourselves and what things we want to sacrifice to achieve our goals.. People will of course influence these decisions and “Pillars of support” such as family, friends and loved ones will aid you in times of need. But the buck stops at your feet.
Like I said before I would not say that anything about my training has been “fun or “enjoyable”. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. I believe greatly that the human character grows mostly through times of struggle. Even more so it a statement to the training regime I have inducted myself into that I am feeling like this. It means its working. Operation Spartan has one goal. To make a man fit enough to run a 1000 miles in under 60 days. As I write the time of departure draws nearer and nearer. I firmly believe that the man standing at the foot of Canterbury cathedral will be 10x the man who staggered home after 5 miles of running on a cold January morning.
I want to experience life in all its glory. And in my youth I am able to do that. I do not get the thrill I once did out of drinking, taking recreational drugs and chasing shallow woman. I am not suggesting that I am “partied out” or slept with so many woman that I find the whole experience boring. Nothing motivates me more then the sight of a beautifull woman whilst running, if Marika Fruscio was in a van driving infront of me with the promise that she would spend the first night in Rome with me then I would get to Rome in half the time I estimated! Its just the fact that so many men these days seem to only care about getting laid whilst being drunk whilst not developing other areas of thier lives.
When I started training MMA again in September I found myself getting bored of the routine of training. The rush I used to get was, again not as intense as it once was so I found myself searching for a goal. Something so unbelievably epic that it would force me into a lifestyle so extreme that it would consume me into a cocoon and spring me back out an improved person. And that was one of the motives behind this run. Really I should be the person asking “why do you do what you do?” Habitually throwing away your youth to the bottle buying new clothes and new “trinkets” which grows nothing apart from your spiralling student debt.
When I started training MMA again in September I found myself getting bored of the routine of training. The rush I used to get was, again not as intense as it once was so I found myself searching for a goal. Something so unbelievably epic that it would force me into a lifestyle so extreme that it would consume me into a cocoon and spring me back out an improved person. And that was one of the motives behind this run. Really I should be the person asking “why do you do what you do?” Habitually throwing away your youth to the bottle buying new clothes and new “trinkets” which grows nothing apart from your spiralling student debt.
L8N.
Monday 21 March 2011
Officer Training
On Saturday I embarked on my most challenging journey yet. I had an idea how hard this run would be but I never could of conceived the things that happened to my mind during the long night that followed.
Since day one of training I have made it my mission to always be pushing my boundaries above and beyond the call of duty. This time last month I ran to Guildford, now I planned to run from Portmsouth to Chichester and back again, at night,carrying more weight and obviously having to deal with the side effects of being sleep deprived.
I set of at 2.30am, an hour later then expected. Google maps told me that from PO5 4AY (my postcode) to Chichester was 17.8 miles. Making my total mileage 35 miles. I set off at a slow pace for the first 3 miles, stepping up a gear as I left Portsmouth city and onto the bridge towards the motorway. As it was the middle of the night I decided to head up the A road and follow signs towards Havant. This was a stupid idea, I nearly got killed by a lorry passing and at one point this "A-road" began to materialise into a fully blown motorway.
I climbed out of the A-road an onto a side road, which happened to be pitch black. I pulled out my Maglite strapped it to my shoulder and ran on. I turned up the pace again into my orange zone. Which I can hold for about 6 miles before starting to feel my lactic levels getting high. On normal circumstances I would of been quite scared of a pitch black side road but I had Llloyd Banks "I'm so fly" on my Ipod playing on my" I'm fucking gangster" playlist.
I carried on on this side road for around 3 miles before hitting a roundabout. In front of me was a sign saying "Havant" and "Chichester" and to my right "Havant South Industrial Estate". Although straight ahead of me seemed the most logical option I chose to turn right as the road seemed much quieter. I wanted to avoid A-Roads and Motorways as much as possible. I could get away with hugging the side, but during the run I will be dealing with other peoples lives and it is my priority to ensure everyone safety. "Think Run" . As the road continued I passed an electricity plant, I heard the humming of the current "Q.U Hectic" which fitted the mode perfectly. I was hitting 7 or so miles completely alone in the middle of an electricity plant.
I turned right and headed over a bridge covering the motorway I would of been running along If I hadn't of made the decision to take this route. My "Im fucking Gangster playlist" was getting tired after an hour of being played so I switched to one of my mixes I done a few months back in London. It was a personal mix for my own listening so I loved every tune that came on. To cut a long story short my pace was fast, passed over some more random side roads before hitting an inevitable stretch of A-Road. Ran along this stretch for around two miles before turning of for Elmsworth. As I reached Elmsworth I stopped briefly for a few minutes to take in some water and a Hydro Gel. I saw a sign that said "Chichester 9". I felt great running at my current pace, I decided to up the tempo to my red zone pace and smash out te last 9 miles in under an hour. I put my head down and braced myself to enter what I call "warp space 1"
Warp Space one is normally where my first wall hits. This wall is purely physical, I tend to get a niggling pain on one point of my body, or Ill contact an incurable wedgie. I have faced and overcome this wall many times before and was prepared for the first onslaught. It came around 5 miles in. I suddenly developed a cramp like feeling inside my groin. The only time I had this sensation before was when I landed back from Indonesia. But that was just Herpes.
Just kidding.
The best music to help overcome the first wall for me is 80s soul or r'nb. I find that gangster rap and other hard forms of music which must people use to overcome walls just get me into a mood. A bit of Mary Jane Girls, a forced smile, and some mid running dancing was the perfect antidote.
As I hit 7 miles I raised my head up and looked in shook as I saw three figures running ahead of me, with backpacks on!! I could not believe my eyes. I had my Maglite on as it was in the middle of the countryside, there were no artificial lights apart from me. I paced up, I noticed how fast these dude were. They stopped and began literally floating over some fences. Seriously these dudes were swift. As I neared the fence I shouted out "I guess im not the only one then!". I shone my Maglite and got a quick glimpse of the men. Definite military. "good luck in Libya" I said again. Surprisingly I didn't get shot or gagged for comprising their position. I carried on. Reaching Chichester at 5.20am. I stopped for a few minutes to take in another Carbo Gel, then carried on once again.
I was deep into "Warp Space 1" now. Anymore running would result in the onset of "warp space 2". A place I have been two twice before. And a place where the physical pain is overshadowed by a new psychological foe. For some reason this wall starts to mess with my emotions, during the 2 miles I went through a period of deep sorrow and self doubt. I carried on. Another 4 miles past. These feelings now tuned into anger. A voice inside my head was starting to tell me to "slow down...take it easy, you have done great". I ignored it. 3 miles later. The voice is louder and more prominent. I stop to take in another Hydro Gel. The sun had nearly rose which meant that I had been running for over 5 hours.
I forge on deep into warp space two. I turn my ipod off. I had to focus on the mental war that was raging in my mind. Music only hampered me. I focused into my soul telling myself that this was the frontier. I was reaching a place of deep calm. another 3 miles pass and now the voice is a scream. I run back onto an a-road and am smashed by the wind of passing lorries. I was really hungry. Tired and my head was a mess of emotions. I dont know whether it was the lack of sleep but as I ran through a footpath I had a massive sense of deja vu. I know I had ran the same route a few hours before but it was in the middle of the night. I carried on. Portsmouth was only 4 miles away now. I felt fine until suddenly I hit "Warp space three". I have had never felt such a strong psychological wall. I literally smashed into the iron curtain. I broke. The screams to stop had finally got to me. I sat down.
It was a brilliant day. The sun shone and I was by a lake. I felt crestfallen, getting as far as this to suddenly break was so frustrating. I needed a source of inspiration. Then as if by divine intervention it came to me.
As I sat picking at the grass I gazed up into the distance and saw the spinnaker tower, standing into the morning sun. As if on cue a flock of birds rose from the lake and started to fly. That single moment can not really be put into words. It was a spiritual few seconds. I set off at first I stumbled, then I walked and then I ran. Be it very slowly back to Fratton. I stopped at a shell station and got talking to one of the guys that worked there. We knew each other because I got served by him when I done a 14 miler a few days beforehand. I was a mess physically and mentally and my Hachimaki was slipping over my eye. I told him of my quest and where I had come from. He called me in broken English "a caveman" which I took as compliment! I stumbled back into my flat at 9.03 am.
This run was not physically the hardest of my training so far. That award goes to Trafalgar Halls x50. But it was the most mentally taxing, because it was at night and I was tired. The battle which raged during the last 12 miles of the run really cannot be put into words. When you are pushed in a Gym, on a football field..in fact most sports. It is for a short time, perhaps "on a mad one" you will reach Warp Space one. But this type of stuff, the Weighted Utra Marathon runs....its next level.
Since day one of training I have made it my mission to always be pushing my boundaries above and beyond the call of duty. This time last month I ran to Guildford, now I planned to run from Portmsouth to Chichester and back again, at night,carrying more weight and obviously having to deal with the side effects of being sleep deprived.
I set of at 2.30am, an hour later then expected. Google maps told me that from PO5 4AY (my postcode) to Chichester was 17.8 miles. Making my total mileage 35 miles. I set off at a slow pace for the first 3 miles, stepping up a gear as I left Portsmouth city and onto the bridge towards the motorway. As it was the middle of the night I decided to head up the A road and follow signs towards Havant. This was a stupid idea, I nearly got killed by a lorry passing and at one point this "A-road" began to materialise into a fully blown motorway.
I climbed out of the A-road an onto a side road, which happened to be pitch black. I pulled out my Maglite strapped it to my shoulder and ran on. I turned up the pace again into my orange zone. Which I can hold for about 6 miles before starting to feel my lactic levels getting high. On normal circumstances I would of been quite scared of a pitch black side road but I had Llloyd Banks "I'm so fly" on my Ipod playing on my" I'm fucking gangster" playlist.
I turned right and headed over a bridge covering the motorway I would of been running along If I hadn't of made the decision to take this route. My "Im fucking Gangster playlist" was getting tired after an hour of being played so I switched to one of my mixes I done a few months back in London. It was a personal mix for my own listening so I loved every tune that came on. To cut a long story short my pace was fast, passed over some more random side roads before hitting an inevitable stretch of A-Road. Ran along this stretch for around two miles before turning of for Elmsworth. As I reached Elmsworth I stopped briefly for a few minutes to take in some water and a Hydro Gel. I saw a sign that said "Chichester 9". I felt great running at my current pace, I decided to up the tempo to my red zone pace and smash out te last 9 miles in under an hour. I put my head down and braced myself to enter what I call "warp space 1"
Warp Space one is normally where my first wall hits. This wall is purely physical, I tend to get a niggling pain on one point of my body, or Ill contact an incurable wedgie. I have faced and overcome this wall many times before and was prepared for the first onslaught. It came around 5 miles in. I suddenly developed a cramp like feeling inside my groin. The only time I had this sensation before was when I landed back from Indonesia. But that was just Herpes.
Just kidding.
The best music to help overcome the first wall for me is 80s soul or r'nb. I find that gangster rap and other hard forms of music which must people use to overcome walls just get me into a mood. A bit of Mary Jane Girls, a forced smile, and some mid running dancing was the perfect antidote.
As I hit 7 miles I raised my head up and looked in shook as I saw three figures running ahead of me, with backpacks on!! I could not believe my eyes. I had my Maglite on as it was in the middle of the countryside, there were no artificial lights apart from me. I paced up, I noticed how fast these dude were. They stopped and began literally floating over some fences. Seriously these dudes were swift. As I neared the fence I shouted out "I guess im not the only one then!". I shone my Maglite and got a quick glimpse of the men. Definite military. "good luck in Libya" I said again. Surprisingly I didn't get shot or gagged for comprising their position. I carried on. Reaching Chichester at 5.20am. I stopped for a few minutes to take in another Carbo Gel, then carried on once again.
I was deep into "Warp Space 1" now. Anymore running would result in the onset of "warp space 2". A place I have been two twice before. And a place where the physical pain is overshadowed by a new psychological foe. For some reason this wall starts to mess with my emotions, during the 2 miles I went through a period of deep sorrow and self doubt. I carried on. Another 4 miles past. These feelings now tuned into anger. A voice inside my head was starting to tell me to "slow down...take it easy, you have done great". I ignored it. 3 miles later. The voice is louder and more prominent. I stop to take in another Hydro Gel. The sun had nearly rose which meant that I had been running for over 5 hours.
I forge on deep into warp space two. I turn my ipod off. I had to focus on the mental war that was raging in my mind. Music only hampered me. I focused into my soul telling myself that this was the frontier. I was reaching a place of deep calm. another 3 miles pass and now the voice is a scream. I run back onto an a-road and am smashed by the wind of passing lorries. I was really hungry. Tired and my head was a mess of emotions. I dont know whether it was the lack of sleep but as I ran through a footpath I had a massive sense of deja vu. I know I had ran the same route a few hours before but it was in the middle of the night. I carried on. Portsmouth was only 4 miles away now. I felt fine until suddenly I hit "Warp space three". I have had never felt such a strong psychological wall. I literally smashed into the iron curtain. I broke. The screams to stop had finally got to me. I sat down.
It was a brilliant day. The sun shone and I was by a lake. I felt crestfallen, getting as far as this to suddenly break was so frustrating. I needed a source of inspiration. Then as if by divine intervention it came to me.
As I sat picking at the grass I gazed up into the distance and saw the spinnaker tower, standing into the morning sun. As if on cue a flock of birds rose from the lake and started to fly. That single moment can not really be put into words. It was a spiritual few seconds. I set off at first I stumbled, then I walked and then I ran. Be it very slowly back to Fratton. I stopped at a shell station and got talking to one of the guys that worked there. We knew each other because I got served by him when I done a 14 miler a few days beforehand. I was a mess physically and mentally and my Hachimaki was slipping over my eye. I told him of my quest and where I had come from. He called me in broken English "a caveman" which I took as compliment! I stumbled back into my flat at 9.03 am.
This run was not physically the hardest of my training so far. That award goes to Trafalgar Halls x50. But it was the most mentally taxing, because it was at night and I was tired. The battle which raged during the last 12 miles of the run really cannot be put into words. When you are pushed in a Gym, on a football field..in fact most sports. It is for a short time, perhaps "on a mad one" you will reach Warp Space one. But this type of stuff, the Weighted Utra Marathon runs....its next level.
Friday 18 March 2011
Its Been A While
I haven't really posted in a while. I will make up for it in the next few weeks.
The last time I posted was around a month ago now. To be honest things have just gone mental. I did not expect to be doing half the things I would be doing by April, but this is the power of positive thinking and the will to succeed!
At the end of February me and max met up for our monthly dose of pain. This does of pain was a 24 mile run to Coulsdon back to Redhill and to the top of Box Hill. Here is a clip of our training. Due to our Camera man getting injured we stopped filming at the base of Box Hill, but you get the general picture.
The last time I posted was around a month ago now. To be honest things have just gone mental. I did not expect to be doing half the things I would be doing by April, but this is the power of positive thinking and the will to succeed!
At the end of February me and max met up for our monthly dose of pain. This does of pain was a 24 mile run to Coulsdon back to Redhill and to the top of Box Hill. Here is a clip of our training. Due to our Camera man getting injured we stopped filming at the base of Box Hill, but you get the general picture.
At the start of March I stepped up my training to two daily runs of varying distances. I also stepped up my HIIT training, adding a four mile sprint before I tackled 8 stair climbs and 200 press ups. As It stands im putting in 55-60 mile weeks and this total is only going to get higher. I have also ran out of text books to add to Bertha. I have added a fire extinguisher to my bag to bring Bertha up to 14kgs. My dietary needs are also getting silly. I worked out that in a three day period I eat 2kg of Meat three bags of salad and 400 grams of grapes. And that's just dinner!
I am still motivated to train but at times things do get hard. Sometimes I wake up in the early hours of the morning and look into the distance, hearing the howls of my fellow students coming back from another good night out. Thinking how much I would like to be joining them before realising I have to be up in a matter of hours to run 8 miles. And as more and more people show interest in the event I feel the pressure on my shoulders mounting. I will have to lead the team through some really difficult times and sometimes I forget that I am still only 20 years old.
On the 10th of March I ran up and down my halls 50 times to raise awareness of my cause and to show people that I am fit enough and have the mental strength to complete this quest. Two Spartans joined me , Dan and Will. I would like to thank them for sharing my pain, they made the day a whole lot more fun. I would also like to thank my housemates who helped me massively throughout the day and a host of other people.
As I am writing this I stand only 10 or so weeks out from the beginning of this run. As I said from day one this will not be a holiday walk through Europe but 8 weeks of pain, pain to get to Rome in under 60 days. This was my claim and I am a man of my word. The training, the mental game is all piecing together. Come June we will be ready for anything.
Tuesday 15 February 2011
Setting An Example
I have been turning into a bit of a dragon lately with the other lads hoping to come on the run with me. This is mainly due to the fact that I have recently had to cope with the loss my greatest asset in Football Manager Demba Ba. I was informed that he would be injured for 8 months with a broken leg. For two days I wore black, drank white lighting with the village drunk and memorised every line of Shakespeares finest play, a midsummer nights dream. And it is also the fact that I have a responsibility to make this run a success and more importantly make sure everyone gets through alive. I have a hard time respecting people who do “talk the talk” and don’t “walk the walk”. If there is a challenge to be met set my me then I would of already done it in a faster time and under worse conditions.
I want to get used to running by myself in new enviroments. It could be a possibility that I would be running solo on the run if other members drop out or dont pull there weight. A few days ago I had to waste an hour of my time with some crackpot student who thought he was fit and wanted to come on the run. I wont take anyone on the run who does not reach the required physical fitness levels or lacks the mental fortitude to see this thing through.
In April there is to be a final assessment of everyone’s fitness levels. The test will consist of a 28 mile run with full kit starting from Purley and ending in Guildford. This test is designed to push each man to his limit. The run will be at the individuals fastest pace and would have to be completed in under 7 hours. It is really hard. I would know.
I just did it.
During week five of my training I decided that I was going to attempt the run towards the end of weeks six. At the time I was running 12 miles with ease with over 26 pounds of weight on. I was getting into a routine and wanted to shake things up a bit. I hate routines, if I am not being stimulated and challenged I will start to shout at walls and attack people.
My aims for the run were fairly simple. My primary aim was to establish a pass time for the test. I decided that anything I got I would add an hour to. My secondary aim was to put some of my navigational skills to use whilst running over the South Downs. I decided to set a route from Purley to Guildford as it combined a great mix of artificial surfaces such as (Pavments) with the soft terrain of grass and lots Hills.
I set of on my journey after skipping my alarm three times (great start!), my pace to begin with was very slow. I am quite strange in the fact that I only reaching my full pace at around mile 5. I am prone to all kinds of aches and pains in the initial first part of my runs, this is most likely to due my neglect of stretching. As I entered Hooley my muscle memory started to kick in and my pace increased to around 8kph. Not much happened between Hooley and Redhill apart from being called a c**t by passing motorist. I had my latest RA Podcast on full blast and my mind was wondering to all kinds of places. As I neared East Surrey college I turned right and began to increase my pace to 10kph this was because I knew I had a mile or so stretch of gradual incline with some more severe drops along the way. I like to power through hills. I find that that is the single best way to tackle such stages. Once I reached Reigate I stopped and ate a bar of chocolate washed down with some pastilles. I read a really interesting article recently about Dean Karzanes ( One of my heroes and an inspirational figure to many others) a ultra marathon runner who has completed tasks such as running across the south pole and taking part in the hottest marathon on earth. During his runs (sometimes reaching over 100 miles in length!!!) he consumes Pizzas, Chocolates and any other junk he can get his hands on. He said that this gives him the quick release of un refined carbs that he needs along with high calorie content. If it worked for him, then im sure it will work for me. After breaking for a minute I joined the road linking Reigate to Dorking. As I passed the road leading to Box Hill I began to have nervous convulsions. A part of me wanted to just to run up it again but I knew I would regret that decision 10 miles later!
At Dorking I stopped for around 30 minutes to eat some pasta and do some stretches on council property. They seem to keep all the nice patches of greenery for themselves. I set of I was making good time, 1.30 minutes gone. I would be in Guildford in no time! I had no idea how wrong I was going to be.
As I left Dorking there was a sign saying “North Downs area of natural beauty”. I suddenly had disturbing flashbacks to a very similar sign stating the same thing about Box Hill. Of course being a “area of natural beauty” in the middle of surrey only meant one thing lots of hills. And hills make James very tired. I wasn’t wrong for the next two miles I had to tackle some really tough hills, not at the level of Box Hill but not far off. It was made harder by that fact that I had all ready ran 12 miles before that point. As I reached I turned off the roads due to them becoming un fit for pedestrians. I started running across a field. As I am a man I refused to stop an look at my directions and made use of my instinctual navigational tools, such as the man compass. I have made use of my trusty man compass on many occasions, such as the time I got lost in Sydney and whilst I was tripping in Indonesia. It never let me down before. I could hear the drone of the road near me and decided to follow it as much as I could until I reached a town called Westcott. The field was a boggy mess. Matters were made worse when I started to get spitted on by a nasty dark cloud. It was waiting to burst on me. Once I reached Westcott I decided to sit down and rest. As I ate some more Pasta and drank my water I realised that this village was a bit strange
Combine the “League of Gentlemen” and “Hott Fuzz” and you have Westcott. I saw the same Police car circle around the village square three times. A woman was standing in the park opposite me taking part in what I could only describe as some kind of ancient mating dance directed at her dog. I visited the local store to buy some water and was greeted by the owner stating, “what are you doing?” ( I think the combination of me young mixed race male combined with me sweating carrying a massive bag led him to assume I was an in fact an escaped convict about to steal his stock) I ate some more food and set off again. After reaching Gumshall I decided to go off road again. This was when things went horribly wrong.
The road I was running on became an A-Road and after nearly being hit by a passing Lorry I made a decision to get to Guildford by cutting north across the downs. It would not only save me time but was also much safer. As I ran across the countryside I realised how steep some of the peaks were getting. I hit my first big wall as I approached a particularly nasty field. My legs began to burn and my hip ached. I ran to the top and rested. At this point I was beginning to realise that I had absolutely no idea where I was. I went to drink some water my bottle was now down to its last ¼ of a litre. Picking up my bag I forged on and climbed over some more fences into fields, the spitting from earlier on began to increase to light rain. The one thing I noticed as I ran was just how beautiful England is. All I could see were hills which seemed to stretch for miles, I had a moment of realisation sitting down as the rain landed on my head. I was very cold and tired but felt so appreciative to be in the situation I was in. I set off again after running through a small cluster of trees I paused and assessed my situation. I looked to my notes form the night before giving me key points to aim towards if I got lost. I swore as I withdrew the paper it was damp and un readable. I couldn’t hear any traffic which meant I had strayed deep into the countryside. I knew from looking at maps the night before that I was somewhere inbetween Gumshall and Guildford. All I had to do was keep going in one direction and I would re join the road again as it split into multiple lanes. I drank the last of my water and continued running.
The rain was coming down now quite badly at this point I began to get angry. I was doing so well and I had messed up a very simple route by trying to be clever. I approached another fence. I began to climb over. As I picked up one of the wires to duck under I jolted back in agony.The shock sent me tumbling over the fence, my bag was stuck and I faced another few seconds of pain before I freed it. Stupid twat I thought to myself. I just clambered over an electric wire. I clambered up the hill, towards the end of this particular field I saw a herd of Cows as I passed them they all looked up at me with there big eyes. I stopped and tried to pat one of them. I really love animals. The cows seemed to have a spritual connection to one another. It is a shame that many of them are simply bred to be slaughtered. I hope that one day I would have the courage to become a vegetarian.
I was really getting thirsty at this point. I had been running for around 45 minutes without water. It doesn’t sound much but my body was crying out for water to feed to my muscles. What also made my morale worse was the state of my clothes, I was muddy and my hands were cold. Still it could be worse the rain had stopped and the sun looked set for an appearance. I continued on for another 15 minutes. As I reached the end of another field I heard a moped straining over a hill. There was a road near by! I followed the sound and gazed at the beauty of the concrete. Jumping onto the road I began running. This road literally had no pavement. I kept running, now my thirst was getting quite bad and my hip was starting to click. I stopped at a café which over looked a magnificent view of the whole of the downs. I was very high up and I now understood why I was tackling so much incline. I went in and asked for a pint of water. The lady was very kind, she asked me where I had came from, when I said Purley she poured me three more pints! After speaking to her about why I was doing all this she pledged to donate some money to my page. It turns out I was at a viewing spot and Guildford was only 6 or so miles away. I thanked her and began running down a very long hill. Cars whizzed my me. One man beeped me and I threw a stone at the back of his car whilst offering to kill him. I had to run along this road, if there was a pavement I would run across it! From training in Martial Arts for nearly ten years I normally have a very good control over my temper. However I had been running for hours, I was thirsty, wet and my hip hurt. If this guy had a problem then I was more then happy to talk to him about it.
At the end of the road I saw a sign saying “Guildford”. I knuckled down and ran, this was the hardest part of the run so far. I was so near to the end. Im sure it was only a mile or so but it felt like 10. Mentally I was beginning to fade and my mouth was so dry. I hit a roundabout. Opposite I saw a sign saying “welcome to Guildford”. I approached it and cuddled it shouting at the top of my lungs, fisting the air. I was so happy with myself. I stopped the stopwatch on my phone. My time: 5.55 Minutes. Not bad for the first time. As I walked towards the train station I got very strange lookes from many people. They didn’t know what I just done. To them I was just another guy. I looked a state and smelt awful. But I really didn’t care. I had ran a distance I would never of dreamed of 7 weeks ago and I done it with weight over difficult terrain. This was the first test of my training. And Im happy to say that I passed. Now it is time for the rest of the lads to do the same.
I have learnt many things which I can definitely take forward on the next run and when I run to rome. The first is that I need to seriously invest some time into improving my navigational skills. I worked out I had actually ran a massive 7 miles which I didn’t need to do. This cannot happen on the run. I also realised just how much water I will need. I drank two litres on the run and I desperately wanted to drink more.
Im training again tomorrow. No rest for the wicked. Im also doing a show in two weeks time, I plan to run to it.
Sunday 30 January 2011
70 Pounds, 2 men and 1 Kamikaze: The Box Hill Run
On Saturday Me, Max and our good Friend Jack embarked on the first of 4 monthly weekend exercises designed to test our physical and mental strength. The culmination of our first months training would be a 16 mile run to the top of Box Hill and back to our home in Redhill.
I awoke at around 9.AM to the smell of bacon and eggs. Max was cooking his famous English breakfast. Jack had also arrived at the same time sporting his Kamikaze Headband. He was going to take some photos of our run and join in with the training as he begins RT training with the Engineers on March the 6th. After our meal we began warming up and preparing for the run. Me and Max brought down our backpacks and started loading them. At first we used books and towels. We both reached the 20 pound limit. But after consultation and a brain wave from Max we decided to increase the load by adding some of his free weights just to make the run more painfull! I added a 10kg weight (20 pounds) to Bertha who already weighed 20 pounds and Max placed 15kgs of weights in his bag. Making my load 40 pounds and Maxes 30 pounds. Meaning we would be taking 70 pounds to the top of Box Hill with us! The first time I placed Bertha on my back I could feel immediately the strain on my shoulders and back muscles. And as me and Max stepped out into the cold winter morning we knew this run was going to be painful.
We began running. Our route would take us through Reigate and on the road to Dorking before turning into Box Hill. Redhill is full of inclines, we ran into our first one within a few minutes of running. The training I had been doing on the stairs really came into play here. I felt the familiar burn in my legs as they pulled 195 pounds up the hill. At the first peak I smiled as the road flattened out. Within no time we had reached Reigate town centre. We were setting a great pace given the circumstances.
We continued our run past the Blue Anchor pub and onto a 2 mile flat stretch of road. I felt great and Max was looking good. I set a fast pace when running which means people often play catch up with me. Max did a great job of keeping on my tail. At the two mile mark we saw a roundabout junction approaching, over shadowing it was a series of peaks with white cliff faces. The highest one stuck out like a sore thumb, and that sore thumb was Box hill.
At the base of the road leading up to the beginning of the hill we rested up. All three of us knew what was coming. This is no exaggeration Box Hill single handily has the steepest 800 metre ascent I have ever experienced. Not only that it is followed by two miles of continuous incline. It is a treacherous piece of rock.
I wished Max and Jack good luck. We decided to tackle the next 2.5 miles ourselves, Jack was running without any weight so he shot off from the start. I set of second and began to prepare my body for the pain it was about to experience. Tackling this hill with 40 pounds on my back was going to push me to my limits.
I set off. To begin with the incline was very reasonable. I turned a corner then BANG. I hit the first piece of rock. I power through and notice immediately Bertha dragging me back. I strained as I reached the peak, I continued on to a footpath which went through some forestry. My legs started burning but I was more then used to this from my training. I then cursed as I saw the next leg of my journey. This incline was something out of a horror movie. Cars were speeding to a crawl and mopeds were howling. I told myself that this was what I signed up for and reminded myself that surrendering was just not an option. I began to ascend. My back began to arch under the immense pressure. My legs were beginning to set on fire. It was only sheer wil and fortitude getting me through this. I got to the 400 metre mark and a massive lactic wall hit me. I cried out and forged on. At this point I was arched forward like a hunchback. My pace had slowed to a crawl. 600 metres. I could see the peak. This gave me a much needed shot of adrenaline. My legs seemed to surge into action again and I smashed the last of the distance. I reached the top, un -clipped Bertha and grabbed my water. That was intense. I waited for Max and smiled at his face. He looked like he had been three rounds with Mike Tyson!
We chatted for a few minutes before we set off. Like I said I set an advanced pace running, even with weights on. Especially today, I just wanted this to be finished with. I saw a sign "Box Hill 2". I began jogging. the next stage was not as steep in comparison to the first. But it was just as tough due to the sheer distance of it. This was two miles of constant incline. After the first mile I bumped into Jack who had been waiting ahead for us. At this point I was really feeling the pain. It was my shoulders mainly. Jack shouted some encouragement and set off as pace maker. I could feel my whole body straining under the combined pressure of having to carry me up this hill with this weight. It seemed like an age before I reached the top of the hill. Once I got to the viewing point I felt an enormous amount of pride. We were so high up. And I got here from home with this weight just with my sheer body power.
The view from the top...awesome.
I awoke at around 9.AM to the smell of bacon and eggs. Max was cooking his famous English breakfast. Jack had also arrived at the same time sporting his Kamikaze Headband. He was going to take some photos of our run and join in with the training as he begins RT training with the Engineers on March the 6th. After our meal we began warming up and preparing for the run. Me and Max brought down our backpacks and started loading them. At first we used books and towels. We both reached the 20 pound limit. But after consultation and a brain wave from Max we decided to increase the load by adding some of his free weights just to make the run more painfull! I added a 10kg weight (20 pounds) to Bertha who already weighed 20 pounds and Max placed 15kgs of weights in his bag. Making my load 40 pounds and Maxes 30 pounds. Meaning we would be taking 70 pounds to the top of Box Hill with us! The first time I placed Bertha on my back I could feel immediately the strain on my shoulders and back muscles. And as me and Max stepped out into the cold winter morning we knew this run was going to be painful.
We began running. Our route would take us through Reigate and on the road to Dorking before turning into Box Hill. Redhill is full of inclines, we ran into our first one within a few minutes of running. The training I had been doing on the stairs really came into play here. I felt the familiar burn in my legs as they pulled 195 pounds up the hill. At the first peak I smiled as the road flattened out. Within no time we had reached Reigate town centre. We were setting a great pace given the circumstances.
We continued our run past the Blue Anchor pub and onto a 2 mile flat stretch of road. I felt great and Max was looking good. I set a fast pace when running which means people often play catch up with me. Max did a great job of keeping on my tail. At the two mile mark we saw a roundabout junction approaching, over shadowing it was a series of peaks with white cliff faces. The highest one stuck out like a sore thumb, and that sore thumb was Box hill.
At the base of the road leading up to the beginning of the hill we rested up. All three of us knew what was coming. This is no exaggeration Box Hill single handily has the steepest 800 metre ascent I have ever experienced. Not only that it is followed by two miles of continuous incline. It is a treacherous piece of rock.
I wished Max and Jack good luck. We decided to tackle the next 2.5 miles ourselves, Jack was running without any weight so he shot off from the start. I set of second and began to prepare my body for the pain it was about to experience. Tackling this hill with 40 pounds on my back was going to push me to my limits.
I set off. To begin with the incline was very reasonable. I turned a corner then BANG. I hit the first piece of rock. I power through and notice immediately Bertha dragging me back. I strained as I reached the peak, I continued on to a footpath which went through some forestry. My legs started burning but I was more then used to this from my training. I then cursed as I saw the next leg of my journey. This incline was something out of a horror movie. Cars were speeding to a crawl and mopeds were howling. I told myself that this was what I signed up for and reminded myself that surrendering was just not an option. I began to ascend. My back began to arch under the immense pressure. My legs were beginning to set on fire. It was only sheer wil and fortitude getting me through this. I got to the 400 metre mark and a massive lactic wall hit me. I cried out and forged on. At this point I was arched forward like a hunchback. My pace had slowed to a crawl. 600 metres. I could see the peak. This gave me a much needed shot of adrenaline. My legs seemed to surge into action again and I smashed the last of the distance. I reached the top, un -clipped Bertha and grabbed my water. That was intense. I waited for Max and smiled at his face. He looked like he had been three rounds with Mike Tyson!
We chatted for a few minutes before we set off. Like I said I set an advanced pace running, even with weights on. Especially today, I just wanted this to be finished with. I saw a sign "Box Hill 2". I began jogging. the next stage was not as steep in comparison to the first. But it was just as tough due to the sheer distance of it. This was two miles of constant incline. After the first mile I bumped into Jack who had been waiting ahead for us. At this point I was really feeling the pain. It was my shoulders mainly. Jack shouted some encouragement and set off as pace maker. I could feel my whole body straining under the combined pressure of having to carry me up this hill with this weight. It seemed like an age before I reached the top of the hill. Once I got to the viewing point I felt an enormous amount of pride. We were so high up. And I got here from home with this weight just with my sheer body power.
The view from the top...awesome.Max came a few minutes later and we loaded up on some carbs (cold pasta in a plastic lunch wallet with tuna..yuuuum). Before setting off back home. The descent was not physically hard. However it was much more of a mental battle. As we trudged back down the hill we were all freezing cold, tired and aching from the immense weight we were carrying. None of us were speaking, not a good sign. I was in my own little world thinking about how great it would be to be in a hut tub,smoking a blunt with three Latin supermodels. I decided to share this fantasy with the lads to give them something to put their minds away from the cold we all chriped up and before we knew it we were back at the base of the hill!
We arrived in Reigate grabbed some food and marched back to Redhill. All three of us were very very tired, but we were happy we completed the task. Covering 16 miles over such hard terrain with 30/40 pounds of weight was a great achievement for month one of training. On the run itself we would be running with less weight, less difficult terrain and have much more time (we clocked a time of roughly 4 hours )
Im having three days off before continuing with my training. Next month things take a step up. I will be running more miles and climbing more hills. I have also had an article wrote about me on Water Aid website...
"Fortes fortuna adiuvat"
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Month One.
Month one.The climax of January will take place on Saturday. Me, Max and Jack will be running from Redhill to Box Hill, its around 8 miles. This is a distance I have covered many times this month. However this will be much harder for two reasons. Firstly Box Hill is one of the highest points in the south east of England. From the top of it you can see all of Dorking out to Guildford and beyond. To reach the top we will have to endure a savage incline for nearly two miles, I have cycled this route and it did not hesitate to turn me and max into mush. And secondly we will be running "live". We will be carrying the full weight (30 pounds) just to make things that much harder.
During my first few days of training I could not run 5 miles with Bertha (my backpack...it has a name now) without stopping for a break or needing a drink. I remember thinking to myself whilst running for the first time that I had bitten of much more then I could chew! Fast forward a month and I run 10 miles daily without breaking a sweat with 20 pounds on my back, climb 162 flights of stairs and weight train. I have lost weight and feel sharper then ever.
It then dawned on me what three more months of this will do to me. I don't think I will ever be fitter.And that is even before I have ran the route. Stepping into Rome I would not doubt myself against against any athlete in terms of raw physical fitness. And this thought (as well as the growing amount of donations to Water Aid) really keeps me motivated in these dark winter months.
However training has also led to some negative side effects. One being, developing a new fear of small dogs. Last week I was running along Portmouth pier parade and a rat like creature began running after me. I carried on but suddenly I felt a tug on my pullstrings of my backpack. It was a dog attempting to tear off half my bag!! The owner ran up to me and apologised and prized this pathetic excuse of a canine away from Bertha. I told her that the only person she should apoligise to would should be her (pointing to my back). She looked at me as if I was mad.
I am also having dreams about Stairs (non erotic...for now). Last night I was convinced that my lectures had been moved to floor 14 of Trafalgar halls and we all had to run up to get taught. If I see stairs I have a convulsion and start running up them and then doing press ups. This happened today on the way to the Mountbatten centre..
Next month things get harder. Every week the amount of miles I have to cover increase and I start lectures again which means 7am runs. Fun times.
I'm also doing quite a few gigs this month so will be juggling my time between music,studying, training and attempting to socialise in between them! Busy busy times ahead. But would not have it any other way.
Peace out.
During my first few days of training I could not run 5 miles with Bertha (my backpack...it has a name now) without stopping for a break or needing a drink. I remember thinking to myself whilst running for the first time that I had bitten of much more then I could chew! Fast forward a month and I run 10 miles daily without breaking a sweat with 20 pounds on my back, climb 162 flights of stairs and weight train. I have lost weight and feel sharper then ever.
It then dawned on me what three more months of this will do to me. I don't think I will ever be fitter.And that is even before I have ran the route. Stepping into Rome I would not doubt myself against against any athlete in terms of raw physical fitness. And this thought (as well as the growing amount of donations to Water Aid) really keeps me motivated in these dark winter months.
However training has also led to some negative side effects. One being, developing a new fear of small dogs. Last week I was running along Portmouth pier parade and a rat like creature began running after me. I carried on but suddenly I felt a tug on my pullstrings of my backpack. It was a dog attempting to tear off half my bag!! The owner ran up to me and apologised and prized this pathetic excuse of a canine away from Bertha. I told her that the only person she should apoligise to would should be her (pointing to my back). She looked at me as if I was mad.
I am also having dreams about Stairs (non erotic...for now). Last night I was convinced that my lectures had been moved to floor 14 of Trafalgar halls and we all had to run up to get taught. If I see stairs I have a convulsion and start running up them and then doing press ups. This happened today on the way to the Mountbatten centre..
Next month things get harder. Every week the amount of miles I have to cover increase and I start lectures again which means 7am runs. Fun times.
I'm also doing quite a few gigs this month so will be juggling my time between music,studying, training and attempting to socialise in between them! Busy busy times ahead. But would not have it any other way.
Peace out.
Wednesday 12 January 2011
Regime Change
I have been training now for just over 8 days. So far I have been managing with my new lifestlye. I wake up, I eat, I train, eat then train, eat then sleep!
After running 8 miles with weight on me and doing some interval training I am too tired to do anything else. Even make music. The goal of the regime is not only to be physically fit. But mentally prepered for the run. I also have to start working on other skills such as navigational and survival. The aim of the training is to become as strong as possible carrying the minimal amount of weight In other words have a little body fat as possible. (This will change three weeks before hand where we will consume more calories to gain some weight to counter the invetible weight loss of the run).
I am now running with some Brookes Beast shoes. They really have helped my posture, they cost nearly 100 pounds but it is a worthwhile investment. The last thing I want to do is get injured before the run. Running during the winter months is great character building and its even better by the sea.
Just about to smash 7 miles out, I am on target for my 30 miles of running this week. #
Adios
After running 8 miles with weight on me and doing some interval training I am too tired to do anything else. Even make music. The goal of the regime is not only to be physically fit. But mentally prepered for the run. I also have to start working on other skills such as navigational and survival. The aim of the training is to become as strong as possible carrying the minimal amount of weight In other words have a little body fat as possible. (This will change three weeks before hand where we will consume more calories to gain some weight to counter the invetible weight loss of the run).
I am now running with some Brookes Beast shoes. They really have helped my posture, they cost nearly 100 pounds but it is a worthwhile investment. The last thing I want to do is get injured before the run. Running during the winter months is great character building and its even better by the sea.
Just about to smash 7 miles out, I am on target for my 30 miles of running this week. #
Adios
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Raw
Today I brought A load of supplements. When I was training for fights I swore against them but through increased exposure from my Nutrional expert, Joe, I have been swayed around. And anything which will help my body through this I will take (apart from steroids due to the small side effect of your Penis shrinking!). I have now gone 4 days Alcohol free so far it is a breeze, although as it stands I am alone in halls. The true test will be when everyone gets back and starts pear pressuring me into drinking!
It would not kill me to go on the lash for one night fitness wise, But mentally it could be devastating. Everyone is stupid when they get drunk but I am REALLY stupid when I get drunk. Im a bit of a Lightweight which does not help as seen here.
It is even worse when me AND Max drink (which we did a lot of travelling).
So Alcohol must be a no no. Training is going ok, I have a small niggling injury to the left of my hip, im keping a check of it and if it develops I will take a visit to a witch doctor. Fingers crossed my university will help me with promoting the charity and event. They would give me a massive boost in terms of exposure. Just about to do some interval work now. So ill leave this computer and get back to what Im best at doing!
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