Filed under: British Military Fitness, Commando Challenge | Tags: British Military Fitness, Commando Challenge, prospect park
I decided I quite like being bossed about by men wearing boots and camouflage trousers, so I signed up to British Military Fitness classes last week. Then failed to go to the Wednesday class because I was drinking wine and eating curry with friends; then failed to go on Saturday as well because I was in Devon eating the biggest ploughman’s lunch in the world in a sunny cafe on the beach. Oops.
I resolved to rectify this and – despite feeling a bit battered and bruised after Commando Challenge – I reported for duty just before 7 on Monday evening. I was relieved that I left work a few mins earlier than I had to – one girl was late, didn’t get a bib and was relentlessly picked on for the next hour and referred to as “girl in dirty white t-shirt” and instead of, for example, “blue number 40″ (me).
Two different instructors took the whole group together on Monday, and had us traipsing all over the park. Some small allowances were made for the beginners (blue) and intermediates (red) – “DOWN ON THE FLOOR, PRESS-UPS. GREENS 12, REDS 10, BLUES 8. CLEAR?” Obviously I did as I was told.
Struggled a bit when were were warned there were snipers in the area (in Prospect Park, Reading? Then again…) and told to get down and commando crawl into the shadows. My poor elbows and knees were already traumatised by the Bicton Park tunnels, and they didn’t like that at all.
The best bit was resting in between tummy crunches, laying down on the cool, wet grass, staring up at a beautiful starry, moonlit sky. I wouldn’t have seen that if I’d gone straight home and flopped in front of the telly-box.
It was so good, I went back to the Wednesday class tonight. Another two completely different instructors, split into two groups, all blues together. We did a shit load of running around – sprints and jogs – then swapped instructors and did sets of leg exercises, stomach exercises and upper body stuff. With a few more sprints round some goal posts chucked in for good measure. I think I’m going to hurt tomorrow.
Oooh, check this out – appears to be a new WordPress web poll feature. Or at least I’ve never noticed it before…
Filed under: Commando Challenge | Tags: Commando Challenge, exmouth, royal marines
Normally when I sit down to write these race reports, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. I tend to list the good and bad points, with ugly bits thrown in if I really have something to moan about. But I can’t do that for Commando Challange…because the whole event was awesome.
After a reasonable drive down to Exmouth on Saturday afternoon, had a glorious afternoon paddling and wandering along the beach. Met everyone else at the Quentance Farm B&B – a bit mad, but very accommodating with lots of dogs – then went out for food. Oooh, here’s an ugly bit: never, ever go to the Dog and Donkey in Knowle village. It’s run by the rudest couple in the world.
Anyway, after a reasonable night’s sleep, it was time to rouse the team for the challenge. I’d roped in a few people from work, some of whom run regularly and others who do not. Here’s the team in our specially designd t-shirts looking rather fresh, and almost completely clean.
Before the challenge
This wasn’t to last for long. After registering, listening to the safety briefing and doing the warm up, we made our way to the start line.
We set off…uphill basically…across an uneven field down a lane with quite a lot of poo, then up a series of other hills towards the course. I think this is what they euphemistically call “undulating” in Runners World. It wasn’t an easy run, and it felt more like three miles than the stated two, but we were all feeling good and had a slug of water at the top.
Into the course, and we immediately hit the first tunnel. Down on our hands and knees we went, and into the darkness. I’m a little claustrophobic so I asked everyone to keep talking, at which point they all started talking at once, creating an echoey but quite comforting feeling. Some Marines were at the end to make sure we all emerged. Which was nice.
Out of the tunnel, down a muddy hill, the next hurdle was a long, muddy pool – which came well above my waist. Halfway through it, we were stopped and told to duck ourselves right down under the water. That was fecking cold, but quite refreshing.
We ran steeply uphill after the pool. It was very boggy by now and we were weighed down by wet clothes, but glad of them as the sun rose out of the mist. At the top of the hill, we could see a crowd of supporters for the first time. It took me a minute to realise they were all gathered around the “highlight” of the course: the sheep dip. Didn’t have much time to think about it, just held my breath and was hurled through it by one Marine and hauled out of the other side by another.
Weirdly, we’d changed colour.
Me after the sheep dip
After that, it couldn’t get any worse. The tunnels got progressively smaller, more painful on the knees and eventually the elbows, but we were still having a blast. The run back didn’t seem to take half as long, and we crossed the finish line – about 1 hour 45 mins after the start, according to our support crew.
Looking slightly less fresh than at the beginning, here’s the team at the end…
After Commando Challenge
Quite easily the best event I’ve done in a long time. I’m coming back again next year.
Yes, alongside some colleagues from work, I will be competing in Commando Challenge in just two weeks’ time. This involves running seven miles through bogs, rivers and submerged concrete cylinders – not to mention tackling the fearsome sheep dip. There’s no information yet as to whether we are allowed to wear pants.
Scary mary. I have to admit, this was my idea, so I now need to see it through to the bitter (and dirty) end.
Obviously, we’re not doing this purely for the good of our own health. No no no, we’ll be raising money for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust and Help for Heroes. I know we’re in the middle of a credit crunch and all that, but we’d all appreciate a small donation.
Filed under: 10k, Commando Challenge, gym, running | Tags: 10k, Commando Challenge, gym, running, weight training
Abstained from alcohol last night, had a healthy vegetable pasta meal and was in bed by 10pm last night.
Went to the gym this morning and ran 10k/6 miles in 60 mins. I rarely run at any other speed – and I’m good at pacing other people, as long as they run 10-minute miles! At some point, I’ll do some proper work to increase my speed over shorter distances.
Right now, I need to build up my strength, particularly in my upper body in preparation for Commando Challenge. So I did about 25 minutes of weights in the circuit training area. I did two sets of 12 then 8 reps, increasing the weight for the second set. Each machine has 12 weight settings,and I’ve noted below for my own records what I did on each machine. I’ll be trying to increase the weight level in the run up to the Challenge.
| Sets | Reps | Weight | |
| Tricep press | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Ab crunch | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Biceps curl | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Seated row | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Seated leg curl | 2 | 12-8 | 6-7 |
| Lat pulldown | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Shoulder press | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Squat | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Chest press | 2 | 12-8 | 5-6 |
| Leg extension | 2 | 12-8 | 6-7 |
Just thinking about doing some work that needs completing by Monday 
But getting distracted by the Paralympics. Top marks to the BBC for screening three hours of coverage at peak-time on a Saturday even after the football season has started. Terrific to see the GB team remain in second place, having already secured as many Golds as we did in Athens (35).
Filed under: Commando Challenge, Pulse8, gym, running | Tags: Commando Challenge, gym, healthy eating, running
My positive thinking at the beginning of the week resulted in a 5-mile/50min run on Tuesday morning, my first day back at work for two and a half weeks. And – erm – that’s it.
On Tuesday I got home a smidgen before midnight after client drinks in Londonium and went to bed without having any dinner.
Wednesday afternoon I was back on the train for a client meeting in Waterloo, followed by birthday drinks with a very old (as in long-standing, rather than ancient) friend. I was fairly restrained and left at 9.15, but it still tool me over two hours to get home again.
Thursday saw me in Newbury first thing, then back onto First Crap Western for another client event in the Capital, from which I was unable to escape until 2.30am this morning.
I’m not a very nice person without at least seven hours’ sleep per night, so I’m suffering. There’s also half a stone of Italian cheese nestling around my bottom that needs shifting, and of course I haven’t eaten properly all week.
So the Nottingham Half is an impossible quest, and I’m pulling out of an event for the first time without a proper illness/injury excuse. I’ve still got a press release to sort out before I leave the office tonight, then it’s home for a nice wholesome home-cooked meal featuring lots of vegetables before bath and bed, then to the gym in the morning. I shall repeat that process twice before I return to work on Monday.
There’s no way I’m going to be allowed to duck out of Commando Challenge on 12 October. The t-shirts are being designed, our sponsorship page goes live next week and certain members of the team are inordinately excited about our adventure in the West Country. Onwards and forwards…
Filed under: Bupa Great Capital Run, Commando Challenge, great north run, running | Tags: 10k, Bupa Great Capital Run, Commando Challenge, great north run, running
Early start yesterday, but arrived at Hyde Park in plenty of time – unlike my old running partner, LB. He scoffed at my intention to get there at 9am for a 10.30 start, left home in Ware a good hour later than me, discovered his train was cancelled, got on a bus which got lost, got on a different train to a Victoria line tube stop, discovered the Victoria line was closed and had to get a cab to Hyde Park Corner. He was very late.
By contrast, I met RedRocket for a leisurely amble into the Park to the start line in plenty of time to find a clean portaloo with no queue in front of it, dropped the bags off then lay down in the sunshine while all the other runners bopped around us obediently as instructed by the man doing the warm-up on a big screen. It didn’t feel much like a race.
We were herded into the start area – colour coded into four waves which are then each broken down into three sections and set off virtually bang on time. The Great Run people really do know how to organise an event – they should talk to the Reading Half people who have never, to my knowledge, started a race on time.
Anyway off we went for a very pleasant, flat run around Hyde Park. There were around 12,000 people so you had to pretty much stick to the pace – which was a comfortable 6-minute kilometre. It was lovely and flat all the way, and the route looped back on itself so that we saw the front runners hooning it down the 7-8k stretch as we jogged up towards the 4k mark. Well done them – I’d struggle to do that pace for 100m.
There were a lot of people lining the route, but few people giving the runners any encouragement. At one point, a girl yelled “come on, give us a cheer” and there was a half-hearted clap from a few people before they lapsed into complete silence again. It would be nice to see Londoners with the same level of enthusiasm as the Geordies at the GNR, but they just looked bemused.
As we jogged towards the 8k mark, I spotted LB on the other side approaching the 4k post. He looked quite comfortable – despite starting late and having to run through crowds of runners and walkers at the back.
Finished in 57:35 – not bad considering my training could have been better. It would be good to beat that time at the Nike Human Race on 31 August. And I really need to get into shape for Commando Challenge in October. Obviously all of that took a back seat during yesterday’s post-run celebrations at various venues between Kensington and Notting Hill – the best pub by far being the quirky Churchill Arms near Notting Hill Gate. Worth going for the people watching and vast array of pot plants in the loos. Go easy on the chili prawns though…
Filed under: Commando Challenge, London-Brighton bike ride, St Albans half marathon, half marathon training, running | Tags: Commando Challenge, half marathon training, London-Brighton bike ride, St Albans half marathon
I’m feeling more confident about the London-Brighton bike ride in ten days’ time, having been out again last weekend for a reasonable 15-ish mile ride. OK, it’s nowhere near the distance but at least I don’t feel like I’m going to hit the deck again every time I turn the handlebars. I felt noticeably more relaxed and considerably happier about tackling the roads down to the coast.
I’ve done another six-mile run this week. I would have preferred to do a nine or ten-miler before the St Albans Half Marathon this weekend, but just haven’t been able to find the time. If I run it in two hours and ten minutes, I’ll be happy with that.
I was hoping to go for another half marathon in the autumn to try to break the elusive two-hour mark, but failed to get places in either the Great North Run or Run To The Beat. Instead, I’ve convinced a crowd from work to join me in Devon for the Commando Challenge. This isn’t just about running with no pants on. No, it involves seven miles of cross country running with various team-based challenges around a Royal Marines training course.
The website gves competitors the following handy hints, as if providing advice on the best way of doing one’s laundry:
“Remember to tie your laces tightly or you ARE going to lose your footwear.”
“It really is worth a visit to your local Army Surplus as old combats will not only protect you from cuts & scratches, but also protect your knees in the tunnels.”
“Remember – this is a military fitness test and you should train like the Marines do. During your training runs, drop and do press-ups, squats and crunches. This will prepare you for the frequent mid-race changes from running to crawling and back again.”
Gosh.
