I finally have the time/strength to write about last week! Sorry about that, what with exhaustion/ cake bake madness I just didn’t get a chance!
After signing up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon, my colleagues here at St Dunstan’s thought it would be a good idea for me to go and train with some other fundraisers.
I was thinking that it would be best for me to start slowly – like going on another seaside saunter or training with someone like Shizo Kanakuri (who holds one of the world’s slowest marathon times and took 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds to finish his marathon!) Yup, I wanted to take it nice and slow, yes? Yes?…..erm, NO.
Instead of taking it nice and easy I went training with Squaddies SSgt Jim Offord and L/CplDean Howard – they are doing an event for the St Dunsan’s Forces Challenge in which they (and 8 others) will run 10 marathons in 5 days
Yes, 10 marathons in 5 days AND they will do all this in full Army gear (even 40 pound bergens) why wouldn’t I want to join them in their training?! Even the idea of training with those guys was exhausting!
Getting the train to Waterbeach was easy enough. Jim and Dean met us at the train station and took us to the barracks, luckily enough it was very quiet, the idea of loads of service people watching me make a fool of myself didn’t appeal.
The assault course was right next to Jim’s office and I have to say that some of it looked quite fun (the netting bit off Gladiators) but the wall looked a bit impossible to get over. Unfortunately (or not perhaps) I didn’t get a go at it!
Not long after arriving Jim said that we would go for a warm up lap – this was a one and a half mile gentle run (allegedly). They both started so fast and I usually take things slow at first, until I get into my stride (then run a teeny-weeny bit faster) I was out of breath after about 30 seconds! They were running rather too fast me (but I didn’t really like to tell them that for fear of looking rubbish) they were chatting away to me, whilst I was just trying to breathe.
On the lap around the barracks it has markings every 1/2 mile, which tell you how fast you should be running to be within the Army PT test. You will be pleased to know that I was well within it, so at least I don’t have to worry about that part when I go to sign up (unlike all the other parts)
After a breather we did another lap, this time you had to run as fast as you could to each marker. You had to get there within 5 minutes, if you got there earlier than 5 minutes you could spend the rest of this time having a fag (OK I am actually lying there, it was actually recovery time – or in my case trying to breathe time). Jim and Dean did this very easily, and I felt completely rubbish. After one mile I wasn’t actually sure if I would make it all the way round, but with their encouragement I made it to the end. I had to have a sit down after that to try not to collapse.
Due to my own daftness on a previous post, Jim decided that we would next have a go at the excercise trail (as I had writeen that I have never seen anyone having a go at these things) Starting with the monkey bars, which I have never been able to do, they ended up carrying me across, oh the shame. Next was the gate jump, which I easily got over. Jim said the jump was boring, I take it this means that it is do-able by mere mortals such as myself.
With a gentle jog to the next couple of challenges on the trail, I had a go at the log vault (the small end obviously) the parallel bars (I thought I was doing press ups, but apparently you have to dip more than 1mm for it to be classed as such) the slalom (would be quite fun to do drunk) and the over and under hurdles (mainly under in my case, I had to be lifted over the over ones as I had no strength left at this point)
Not even having time for a cup of tea next we did another lap round the barracks – this time in all the gear! I had a fetching pair of combat trousers to wear (it’s like the 90′s never went away) and a 10 pound Bergen rucksack (a quarter of the weight of Jim and Dean’s, but heavy enough for me to get an idea of their challenge) This time I managed to keep up with the two squaddies (admittedly they were taking it easy, as they were both doing a treadmill marathon the very next day)
Whilst on the leg Jim went off to “answer a call” on his mobile, or so I thought, and he reappeared a couple of minutes later dressed as Wolverine! Dean had also snuck off during this and when he came back he was dressed as Shrek (but Shrek’s trousers kept falling down and he had to hold them up as he was running along) As I was rather tired (for tired read “an absolute wreck”) at this point it didn’t actually surprise me very much to see Wolverine and Shrek. At that point all I could think of was getting round the last lap without having to have a lie down on the grass. My ability to feel surprise (or most other emotions) had been surpassed by sheer desperation to make it to the end!
After all that (which felt like a whole day, but was actually only a couple of hours) I got the train back to London and had a much deserved lie down. My failure to stretch properly after finishing with Jim and Dean meant I was pretty sore the next day and was hobbling round quite a bit. But my mental exhaustion was even worse and I was completely useless in the office the next day (ignore those who say that is always the case!)
The bad news is that someone was actually filming us at Waterbeach – keep your eyes peeled on You’ve Been Framed I am bound to pop up there soon!
A big thanks to Jim and Dean for having us in Waterbeach, it was a great day (I can say that now I am not there) and now plan to get a bit fitter so that things like that don’t cause me such physical/mental exhaustion and pain. I’m just glad that I managed not to keel over even though I wanted to for most of the day It made me realise that those guys are beyond fit, actually sort of super-human, so now I have a rough idea how hard they have been training for their HUGE challenge in November – so do make sure you sponsor them.
Injury update – sprained my thigh yesterday (only a little bit) I would like to say that this was caused by me doing star jumps or something like that. Actually I was sat on the floor and stood up a stupid way. Whoopsie!
