The First Paras'10 Bootcamp.......

........was a measured success, until Sunday morning! A complete and utter severe beasting - CHECK! Camaraderie and Banter - CHECK! Vomiting due to exhaustion - CHECK! Team bonding - CHECK! Further Team Bonding (except when Adam decided to publicly and loudly support Chelsea during the Champions League Final) - CHECK! Being very ill Sunday morning because we decided to smash the back doors out of the selection of optics and shots in the Crown after the event - CHECK!


I can honestly say that Sunday morning I felt worse than I had collectively after two consecutive Stag Do's for Jono and my Cousin. Now obviously we have vowed in hindsight to ensure that next time, the maxim, "less is more" will be adopted. After all, smashing out 2 solid hours of back to basics circuit training and a 6 mile run on the Saturday would have done wonders for our training, until we deemed it a good idea and undo all the good work and do what boys do when they get together, when a BBQ and beer is involved.


The training was tough, I personally haven't experienced that level of training in over 10 years and we all said it, that no matter how many miles we'd all run, it never prepared us for that. So much so that I proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach after half an hour or so, although I think I must has developed an allergy to Powerade as what came out, was just liquid and it was vivid blue! The next hour and half was a mixture of pain and pleasure, pain followed by 20 seconds of pleasure of rest between each exercise and a minute if we were lucky between each group of circuits. Dan worked us hard, to the point of complete exhaustion, and fair play to him, after all, we're under no illusions, this challenge wasn't and isn't go to be easy. The circuits included various partner and equipment work outs and come the end we deserved our face plants into the freshly cut grass. 


Rehydrated and energy stocks replenished we started out on a 6 mile run, and I guess for all of us at various stages throughout the run we all struggled a bit to come to terms with the punishment we had all endured. The running route was mapped out by Craig (who did an incredible job of organising the weekend, including the venue and all the extras that he did), and started out from Craigs Grans house in Sandon to Danbury Common, with a lap around the common before heading back to Sandon. So after three hours of solid torture we eventually slumped into a collective heap on the edge of the garden, stuffing our faces with Jaffa Cakes and Jelly babies. That's when it all went wrong..........


........the BBQ was fired up, the Peroni was drained, the Bombay Sapphire came out, and come 1930 we were in the Crown, having something to eat, watching the football, and then it began.......there were bombs going off everywhere, jagerbombs, skittlebombs, disaronno sours, slippery nipples and not to forget as we are doing this for one collective reason, as a tribute to my brother Lloydy, it wouldn't have been a tribute without Pernod and Black! 12am, became 1am, became 2am, more Bombay Sapphire was drunk, and by this stage we had all developed the munchies again, and quiche became apple pie (but to understand that, you would have had to have been there).


When we all eventually surfaced Sunday morning, there was a distinct sense of impending doom, we were supposed to be tackling an assault course, personally I couldn't have tackled a 4 year old for a bag of sweets. Banksy and I surfaced first and continually looked at one another, I think, for emotional support to confirm what we both knew was going to happen or not going to happen. The assault course wasn't going to happen, and I was definitely feeling that something was going to happen, that would result in me feeling incapacitated for the rest of the day! As more of us began to surface we all clung to each other for support in blowing of the assault course, which we successful managed to do, far more successfully than I managed to hold on to the contents of my stomach (again)! However, like a trooper Craig still attempted it, I had trouble climbing off John's sofa into my car, when my beautiful yet unsympathetic fiancée folded me into the car to take me home. The rest of Sunday was spent nursing sore muscles and a sore head, but despite how crap we all felt, obviously as a result of our own stupidity, the weekend was a complete success. We did put some serious effort in and having a lot of the boys together and getting to know one another was priceless and come the event those bonds we've now formed as a group will only become stronger.

John & Cooper

Peckle and Karl

Adam & Bansky

I'm tired........

Who says white men can't jump.......

John Middleton

John Banks

Adam Allegri

James Davison

Craig Ford

Karl Rushen

Andrew Cooper

Almost half the Team - Rushy, Banksy, Ads, Cooper, John Midds, Peckle and Beany!

A little detox required........

.......two stag-do's on consecutive weekends have taken their toll, and hit the training hard. The weekend of the 27th April, myself, John Midds, Pete, Coley, Bear, Coops were in Bournemouth for Jono's Stag-Do, costumed up as Stormtroopers. 25 of us in total, with Jono dressed up as Vader, with Yoda (Nick the Dwarf) handcuffed to him for the evening on the first night there. Myself, John and Pete did manage 5 miles with 5 hill spints and press-ups the night before we drove down, but a weekend of bad food, beer and skittlebombs would have certainly undone those efforts. That weekend was the weekend after the Virgin London Marathon and Coley fell off the wagon in dramatic fashion, after many months of hard training. He recorded a fantastic time of 3:11:59, but got beat severely by Nell McAndrew, as we continued to remind him most of the weekend, if he does the event again, we've encouraged him not to stop for lunch as well! 

Crossing the line

This weekend it was in Krakow with James Davison (Peckle), for my Cousins Stag-Do, which was pretty much the same as the weekend before, with better weather and in a beautiful city! Hasten to say once I was picked up from Stansted by the wife-to-be, the weariness really began to kick in! The guilt has also kicked in now, knowing that my last meaningful exercise was 10 days ago, and whilst the two weekends will be a highlight for me always, I've really begun to agonise over missing my training. Trainers will be on tonight and I envisage a world of hurt for the next few days, but getting back to pre-stags seriousness is a must, and necessary, especially with our first group get together finally planned and ready to go the weekend after next. Most of us will be together for the weekend with a series of events and runs organised, and a perfect opportunity to get some banter flowing, don't envisage the skittlebombs will make an appearance though! 

Less.........

.......than a month on from the last sponsorship update, we have now topped £4k, which is a fantastic effort, but I know we can do so much more, especially as more than half the guys, haven't begun to raise any sponsorship yet. Hopefully come September we'll be able to raise big smiles knowing we've made a little difference, I know we can and that is the aim.

Trials and tribulations continue to hit us all, but it's all part of the process of determining the body's limits. John and Jono continue to make strides in their respective comebacks from injuries, but as that happens Craig is struck down with a constant problem, that thankfully is easily diagnosed by the Physiotherapist John had used. Thankfully he is already on the mend and looking forward. Another added benefit of being part of a group undertaking the same event together, is I guess, the whole experience is collective, the ups and the downs are felt by us all, but the support network is incredible, and despite how difficult John had found the problems he had initially, Craig has been able to benefit from that experience now. Banksy is due back in the UK soon, but continues to rack up the miles across the pond. Me personally, have recognised that the efforts are really beginning to notice, nearly a stone and half down and no longer resembling a bag of conkers, which is made all the sweeter when others are noticing that things are happening too. Despite what seems to be a constant problem with shin splints, I can feel myself get stronger and fitter all the time. Caroline and I were in Brecon over Easter and I dragged her round Fan Frynych to do some tabbing, which at first was about as welcome as a fire in an igloo, but come the end she was smiling, and we still managed to smash a good time out, despite the fact it was her first effort at that sort of walking and climbing and I had the full-weight bergen on. Coley is gearing up for the Virgin London Marathon this weekend and we expect big things, his training has gone really well, and is now tapering in preparation for the big day - from all of us buddy, we wish you the best of luck.

Raring for the Off

Smiling - She doesn't know what she's let herself in for!

The Goal in the distance (On the left)

The climb begins - The shorter 7.5mile route doesn't prepare you for the climb that the longer 10mile route softens - bstds in the Mountain Centre!

Oh dear - not the summit as we found out 15 mins later - still climbing!

The Real Summit! 

Despite the pained look on my face actually climbing up to the summit @ 629m wasn't that bad with the bergen on. To be fair, we did the walk in less than 3 hours, when advised it would be at least 4, and as it was both Caz and I's first attempt at this, I was pretty chuffed with our efforts. I must admit I was like a caged animal because I would have liked to give it a real blast and see how I got on, but Caz insisted I wasn't making it 'much fun' by barking at her to get a wriggle on. We are planning on going back in June, and hopefully we'll get to go up Pen y Fan, and by then, the legs may be a little more in tune with what's required, because Pen y Fan will be a different animal!


That little ditty leads pretty well into the next passage, because it really is now, where I'm trying to encourage the boys to really think about their hills work. Hills work can't be underestimated as to it's importance for an event like this, without that strength in the quads and being able to draw on that power, trying to get around Catterick with 35lbs on the back isn't going to be fun. I posted  this video on our FB group page just so the boys could get an idea of what they'd let themselves in for, I'm hoping they have taken note.........................

HILLS WORK BOYS - IT'S A MUST

AND DON'T FORGET TO STOCK UP ON.....................

............IT MAKES HILL WORK FUN(ish)!

Time........

.......is flying by, and as we creep (or limp as the case may be) into April, the word running through the group seems to be 'progress'. For me personally I'm dipping under 15st on the scales for the first time in quite a while, starting out at 16 and a 1/4st in Mid-Jan (almost a stone and half gone). A complete change in regime and an absolute desire to not miss an opportunity to do some form of training really is driving me forward. Don't get me wrong there are days, when regardless the body (the shins and knees especially) just doesn't want to play ball. I've changed my running style too now, and am also beginning to notice the benefits of that. John continues to progress after his long enforced lay-off, again as most of us, having the occasional bad day, although at the moment he's at odds to determine what he likes least, running or rowing! Luckily Pete seems to be reliably at Johns side, and together they are churning out some miles. A few of the boys have also been measuring their progress against the Para Fitness test and in all cases coming in as 'recruits', hopefully by the time September gets here, we would have stepped that up a bit!

John's Test

Peck's Test

With just a little under 3 weeks until Coley is smashing up the Virgin London Marathon, he has knocked out his final big prep run, and knocking up some impressive times, especially over distance, coming in at not a lot over

7min/miles. The guy's a machine - please make sure you show your support for him and fill the coffers of his sponsorship pot. 

After much huffing and puffing I have managed to get the boys tied down to a date for a first proper 'Yorkie' beasting, the weekend of May 18th we will be found in a field somewhere, doing what men do in the wilderness, making fire, eating sausages and getting muddy! It will be the first opportunity for us all to be together as a group and for those of the group that don't know each other, to get to know each other. Should be plenty of banter being flung about with the mud!

In addition to my stupid self doing the Colchester event (which I have now officially signed up for), Coley, Craig and a very good friend Stephen Elliott will also be running the event with me. Stevie knew Lloydy very well and were close friends so for me it's an honour to be doing the event with him and it will ensure that the Colchester event is every bit as special as the Catterick event. It's just a shame a few of the other boys can't be talked into it.................(although some of them, have a valid excuse, as they'll already be in Cyprus, waiting for Caroline and I to arrive for our wedding)!

We are chuffed.......

........to announce that, this morning we have reached our orginal target of £2000 for The ParaRegiment Charity, so I've upped the bar and with 6 months (ish) to go, have raised the team target to £4000. This morning we also reached the half way target for Help for Heroes, so £1000 raised, but I know we can do more, much more. I can't thank the boys enough for their efforts and for the generosity that has been shown thus far, but I'm hoping with the time left before the first event, there will be considerably more money making its way to the charities we are supporting, thank you and please continue to dig deep, it really does make a difference.

Unlike Jono........

........James and I managed to go new wheels shopping and actually by a complete pair! My purchase was brought on by 11 miles of sheer agony Saturday morning, when for the first time in a long while shin splints hit me hard and instead of doing the sensible thing and going home, I was determined they wouldn't beat me, eventually they subsided or were just subduded by the pain in my knees, I'm not sure which! My gladitorial spirit was only matched by my determination to get rid of the old and get in the new. The trainers that I have been running in are in excess of 10 years old, and have never been subjected to the punishment they have taken from my pounding over the last 6 to 8 weeks. The shooting pains up the inside of my shins, were pretty obvious when I hobbled through the door, sadly Emmins wasn't there to take pity, so then by the time I'd climbed the three floors to our bedroom, where she was grooming herself, exhausted from my efforts and everything aching it was damn obvious and I declared "I don't care what else we do today, but I'm getting new running shoes", she didn't offer any objections, other than I smelt bad, was soaking wet and was in need of a shower to make me nicer to know! After eventually loading myself up with protein via Nando's we get to Up & Running, where I'm greeted with a multitude of running shoes and for the life of me I can't remember anything about my fit, anyway after running around the store like a madman, almost knocking small children into oblivion, we determine I have a neutral gait and 3 pairs of shoes later the new wheels are fitted. Shame they couldn't give me an MOT whilst I was in there too!

RUNNING SHOE PORN!

Rushy's New Wheels

Peckle's New Wheels (slightly gayer version)

6 months........

.........and counting DOWN! Rapidly!Which also means it only just over 7 months until my wedding, which we fly out for the day after Paras'10 Colchester. Get two for the price of one people, you get supporting and I'll do both events and suffer the wrath of my Future Wife! I can hear her in my ear now....."you better not get injured" and Emmins if you're reading this, it's all you fault, you put the idea in my head!

I have been pounding the streets, ensuring people know who we're supporting, the T-shirts are getting some serious miles in now, and getting drenched to be fair! Still no H4H yet though, still look like a bag of conkers in it!



PARA REGIMENT CHARITY



AFGHAN HEROES





The training has really stepped up now and I personally can feel myself getting stronger and fitter every week, not sure my knees would agree though. I'm currently averaging 3 runs a week at about 20 miles collectively, with strength work thrown in on rest days. The 'lbs' are definitely coming off as are the minutes and the resting heart rate is coming down too, so all moving in the right direction. I'm hoping that by Mid-April I will be at fighting weight and can begin the conditioning and building work. John continues to gather momentum after his knee troubles although still under physios order, his training is beginning to pick up, which is great for him. Adam did the Bath Half at the weekend and nailed a 1hr44, a more than decent 8min/miling! Congrats buddy.