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.  

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.

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...

http://www.wateraid.org/uk/get_involved/events/event_news/9479.asp

"Fortes fortuna adiuvat"

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.

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

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! 

Music On My Mind

So Christmas has finished and now everyone can look forward to the new year where ( I hope) many resolutions will be kept!

I am very busy at the moment recording a new Album for Sleep Record and finishing off my solo Album. It has been a very long time since any music has been released from me and the new material is sounding really great. I cant wait to get it out there.

A few days ago I was asked to complete a Risk assessment form for the run. That was pretty fun. I personally cant see the point of it. The risks are many and vast. There is a significant chance of injury disease or death.  But I don't really give a fuck (I have broken the swear seal I anticipate many more once I am stuck in a tent in the middle of the Alps with nothing but my thoughts and right hand to keep me warm) .

I am making the most of my time off over Christmas.; When Uni comes around its going to be a very surreal existence. 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.  I'm feeling great at the moment in terms of fitness during the snow I was forced to run 9 miles back home with a heavy load of (I would guess) 30 pounds from Crawley back to Redhill gaining nothing but some sore hips for a day or two.

As well as the physical preparation for the trip, I am going to have to start putting in some more hours getting some more money for Wateraid. Hopefully the University will get behind me and all targets should be reached by March.

One more week of bliss. Then the work begins

 its going to be fun ;)

Adios
http://www.justgiving.com/James-Saward-Anderson

The Rough Regime

Here is a sneek peak at the training regime I have set up for the run, Its is just a very rough plan to give us idea on miles.

PLAN SPARTAN

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. "

Organization is the key to this missions being a success

Objectives of the regime:

 To become physically, mentally and financially ready to complete the Run2Rome.

Physical Training Package

This regime is a culmination of advice from professionals and my own experiences. Each man must be able to cover a distance of up to 30 miles per day for an extended period of time. Therefore the Aerobic system must be developed.  Another system will be the Muscular system and the anaerobic system. Each Athlete must be able to run 30 miles with a load of 30 pounds.

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

The Regime:  

Months One To Two:

Core acclimatization  

Focus: To acclimatize the mind and body into a ritual training regime .

Long Distance Run (LDR) at medium intensity (subject should be able to talk throughout).

20 Miles-Week One : (5 of these miles completed before 8am)

Upper body training: Anaerobic high intensity(80-90%)  2 hours.  

These sessions must include sprints, press ups, chin ups, sit ups.

Detox:

NO DRINKS

NO DRUGS

Week one will aim to clean the body of toxins built up from the previous months. 

Protein Rick diet, low Carbohydrates (apart from just before LDR).  Avoid Fast food. Water is the best and only fluid you need.  High protein consume Chicken red meats, fruits and vegetables.  Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine. Joint Supplements. 

WEEK TWO:

25 Miles (LDR)-7 of these to be completed before 8am

Load: Minimal under10 pounds.

Upper body training: Anaerobic high intensity(80-90%)  2 hours.  

These sessions must include sprints, press ups, chin ups, sit ups.  

WEEK THREE:

30 miles (LDR). 10 of these to be completed before 8am.

Load: Minimal under10 pounds

Interval Training: Anaerobic High Intensity.    2.30 minutes.

WEEK FOUR

40 Miles (LDR) 15 of these to be completed before 8am.

Interval Training : Anaerobic High Intensity.  2.30 minutes.   

Weekend Trials:

15 mile Run.

Box Hill Run

Months Two to three  

Launch of Operation Spartan.   

WEEK ONE

45 miles (LDR). 10 of these to be completed before AM

Load: Minimal Under 10 pounds

2 hours per week  

WEEK TWO:

50 miles (LDR)  10 of these to be completed before 8am

WEEK THREE:

Rest up

WEEK FOUR:

55 miles (LDR) minimal Load-Under 10 pounds

2.30 hours  of Interval Training.

Weekend Trials:

25 mile run.  

Beasting

Month Three-Four  

WEEK ONE:

60 MILES (LDR). Compulsory load of 15 pounds. 20 miles to be completed before 8am

High Temperature Gauge acclimatization training. All subsequent exercises must be completed wearing two  layers of jumpers or one coat   

Heavy weights training: Working Shoulders and Back Muscles groups.  

Week Two

65 MILES (LDR). Same rules apply.

Heavy weights training working calf muscles and biceps followed by The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music. 

Week Three  

70 miles (LDR).

Interval Training: 2.30 Hours.

WEEK FOUR:

70  MILES (LDR)

Weekend Workout:

2X 20 Mile yomps.

Month Four:

Climax Of Operation Spartan

WEEK ONE:

90  miles (LDR).  20 pound load

Interval Training.

WEEK TWO:

100  MILES: 20 pound load

Interval Training

WEEK THREE:  

70 Miles LDR- 20 POUND LOAD.

WEEK FOUR: SPARTAN TRIALS.

Four Days: 25 miles per day.  Run to Brighton and Back carrying full weight and equipment.

Month five:

Spartan Training:

High Temperature Gauge acclimatization training.

WEEK TWO

70 miles ; Three layers for (HTGAT Training)  medium intensity run.

REST OFF.