Miles... Mud... and Mates

Thursday was a day to catch up with old friends and build relationships with new ones... Rory had arranged another training run for Helen Skelton from Blue Peter, and a great chance to put in some training mileage mixed with loads of banter. It was also great to see Paul Digman running well again. Paul shattered his ankle 3 years ago whilst we were 12 miles into running the Rotherham 50mile Ultra, he didn't realize how bad the damage was so he persisted and finished the race albeit slowly...but the damage cost him almost a year off from training to recover.

We set off well, and it wasn't long before the "mickey taking" and one-upmanship kicked in... even Helen chipped in as we put the first miles into the bank.
This was an opportunity for Helen to spend a couple of hours asking me everything she wanted to know about what was going to be facing her in Namibia, as she attempts to run 3 marathons non stop in 24 hours across the oldest desert on earth in 46c temperatures, towards the finish line on the infamous Skeleton Coast. We set off for Namibia on 8th April, so quality training time and information gathering is vital. I was impressed as she did a great job on both counts!

I was carrying a back pack loaded to 17lbs, so for the last 6 miles we made her run with it as Rory picked up the pace and Helen was pushed to her limits at this point of her training. She is a very courageous woman, and never retreated from the challenge, she succeeded in completing only her 3rd Marathon distance run over a very muddy and hilly cross country course in 5:52:40.

Rory, Paul and I were very impressed with her determination, (very quiet determination in the last 6 miles as she struggled to breath) and although she has a great deal still to do before she is ready for Namibia, so far she has what it takes to succeed. I will have the pleasure of witnessing Helen put into practice all of Rory's training when I join her in Namibia and It will be amazing to watch her succeed in crossing the Finish Line.
We have another 50 mile run arranged for her next month to give her a reference for the fatigue she will have to endure in the desert, so I'll update you on her progress then.

As for me I'm feeling good getting fitter, Oh...and after taking the mickey out of Ellie's blisters earlier in the month...I have developed one myself on the ball of my foot as a result of not stopping to adjust my sock!! Tut Tut... mind you if I had stopped I wouldn't have been able to catch up with Helen...Rory's doing a great job of training her...lol.

"It's not the size of the man in the fight that is important... It's the size of the fight in the man that counts"...

If you substitute "woman" for man, I'll put my money on Helen in Namibia all day long! She is one courageous Lady!

see you again soon...

Training kicks in

The last weekend in January was the Namibian Desert Ultra training weekend, and Steve Clark, ADT's Operations Director and Race Organizer invited me down to ADT's headquarters to share my experience with this years competitors over the weekend. For them it was chance to supplement their physical training with knowledge which will prove vital if they are to succeed in Namibia.

Steve arranged a tough training weekend, and interspersed the
physical sections with information briefing sessions, which covered Kit, navigation, a comprehensive medical briefing from Amy Hughes the Expedition Doctor, hydration and energy replacement, and my section which covered mental preparation and the psychology of coping with the night section of the race.

The race starts at 09:00 and after 9 hours the sun will set and your world will diminish into a circle of light emitted from your head torch... this is when the mental toughness kicks in, your pace may well see you being isolated and alone as you tackle the last 35 miles of the course. You will be physically tired, probably feeling mentally low, and there is no visual stimulus other than the amazing sky of the southern hemisphere, but on tired and possibly blistered feet you need your wits about you to maintain a course and pace that will get you to the finish inside the 24 hour limit.

These information briefing sessions were a real eye opener and the hydration, electrolyte replacement, medical and night session drew many questions as the competitors began to appreciate it wasn't just going to be about running!

Steve did however put in a very cheeky mid day 3 hour run along the Jurassic coast, which treated them to an energy sapping 3900ft of climbs over the 6mile out, and back course. It gave us a chance to get to know Darren & Nick from Team Men's Fitness Magazine. They were both part of a three man team of competition winners who will be tackling Desert, Mountain and Jungle Ultra Marathons over the coming year. Whilst it is difficult to replicate the Heat effect of Namibia, he certainly made sure that they received a reference of what the fatigue feels like at the mid way point in the race... the return trip in the 4x4's was a lot quieter than the outbound one as the task became more real.
Physically this took its toll and a couple of the competitors experienced psychological lows, as negative thoughts and doubts began to set in.
This was still early in their training plans, and some found it tougher than others, the briefing session ahead of the night run picked them up again, and they all began to realize that these points of reference for what they would all experience in Namibia were worth many times the cost of the weekend.

Mike had suffered a strained collateral ligament in his knee as a result of the muddy conditions on the coastal run but despite that he supported it with a tubigrip from the medical kit and carried on into the night section.
As I shared with them, "It's what you don't know that will hurt you in these kinds of extreme ultra marathon events", but to their credit everyone of them kitted up for the night run. They were there to train and learn what it was going to take for them to succeed in Namibia, and I'm sure everyone of them will reach the finish in time.

"Your own determination to succeed is more important than any one thing"
- Abraham Lincoln

Namibia ...the return...lol

Hello again, It's been a while, a year since my last Namibian blog, slightly less if you followed "In the footsteps of Pheidippides... Andy's "Spartathlon" challenge" but either way It's always great to catch up with friends, and it is good to see you here again.

So get your self comfortable and I'll bring you up to speed and set the scene for this years Across the Divide's Namibian Desert 24hr Extreme Ultra Marathon...
Rudyard Kipling in his poem "If" said this

"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!"

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

Ahh... the wisdom is there if you look for it Boys 'n' Girls, I think Mr Kipling was a secret Ultra Runner when he wasn't sharing his words of wisdom.

Well sharing words of wisdom, encouraging, inspiring and praising others in their efforts to achieve their dreams has become a way of life for me in the year that has past. I have been privileged to work with some great business leaders, and their teams of people, and many have become friends.

Many friends have also been sharing their dreams and goals with me, and I in turn have been inspired by their passion, drive and determination to succeed.
There is a hunger in their eyes and an excitement that originates from them when they engage with their goals... it is an unspoken message that tells me "the decision has been made, the challenge has been accepted" and I love watching them come alive and inspiring them succeed whenever I can.

Some of the latest have been my wife Caz, who along with dear friends Teresa & Ellie, have set their goals on completing the Edinburgh Moonwalk in aid of Breast Cancer, to add to the challenge, Caz is just recovering from surgery on her cartilage, and Ellie has set herself a change of lifestyle challenge of losing 4stone by August when they both share the big '40' birthday... they will be inspirational to all who know them as they commit themselves to their goals.

As for me, well you know me...I'm gonna be pushing my limits and raising my bar at every chance I get...lets have some fun along the way, more soon...