Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Final Montage Of 2012! Look below for the full videos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDMPqRrWGF0

Throughout the year of 2012 I plan to do a series of physical (and maybe mental...) challenges.

Starting in January when I will be rowing an indoor marathon, this I estimate will take me about 3.5 hours, it's going to hurt but I'm sure i can do it.

In February I then intend to complete the Belvoir Challenge - an off road marathon.

http://www.belvoirchallenge.co.uk/

I have also entered this challenge in April:

http://www.acoventryway.org.uk/acw_chal-next.htm

A 40 mile challenge that i'm sure will put me off running for life!

Other challenges this year include The Yorkshire 3 Peaks, The Hellrider Duathlon - http://www.hellrider.co.uk/ solo of course! Cycle the South Downs Way.

I also have a few more up my sleeve, including a multi sport one from Rugby to The Olympic Village.  But more of that as the year gets going!

Why am I doing this? a. Because with a bit of determination I can and b. Why not! oh, not forgetting c. Wouldn't it be a great way to make a bit of money for a great charity?

When someone very close to me was at the lowest they could possibly get, when they were totally at a loss as to which way to turn, the Macmillan Nurses helped them get through probably the worst time of their lives. For that, I want to thank them.

Here's a bit of boring stuff ending with an important bit!:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate, also, please spread the word, the more people that get to know could mean a few more pounds to the charity.

UPDATE! TWELFTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Nzj--FdOw

UPDATE! ELEVENTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08IM9x-ST9w&list=UL

UPDATE! TENTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrcqeW9JzVs&feature=channel&list=UL

UPDATE! NINTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMJuFPhdrj8&feature=channel&list=UL

UPDATE! EIGHTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgJchqREO5U&feature=channel&list=UL

UPDATE! SEVENTH CHALLENGE DONE! VIDEO BELOW!

This was another challenge that Hywel put into my head while out in Annecy last year, swim the length you say? Ok, why not!  The day we arrived and I saw the size of the lake it started to dawn on me what a muppet I may have been to put this on the list! 15 km long, what is the furthest I've swam before? Just the 6 km, well prepared then..... Anyway, too late to back out now, Challenge 7 is on.

I had my support crew in Chris and Cliff in a kayak, wetsuit, goggles and swim hat and we're good to go.  Half 6 in the morning, not much on the water, off we go!  The water was cool and pretty clear and at that time of the morning a joy to swim in.  I had 5 - 6 hours of swimming ahead of me, I just tried to concentrate on my stroke, long glides, less energy, marathon not a sprint.  

Back in the boat my buddies were having fun working out how to paddle in a straight line and stay awake at the same time.  

After about 3 hours I was well into this challenge, I was however, pretty tired by now and I had to cross the lake to get to the castle side.  By now there were also a few speedboats about towing wakeboarders and water skiers up and down the lake, we got across ok, although the swell was now quite apparent and the sun had well and truly come up.

Before the challenge I had it in my head that if I could get past the castle I'd be home and dry, hard bit done just a couple of miles to the end.  How wrong could I be!  I'd swam through some fuel of somesort, the sun was beating down on me and the swell in the water was not great, one or all of these factors had affected me and I felt awful.  My energy had depleted and I felt sick, what can I do?  I'm nearly there, I can't give up now!  The lads in the boat were concerned, either for me or because Chris needed the toilet (Cliff had already been, forgoing his water to utilise the bottle, another story for another time!).  I decided I needed to stand up so headed for the shallow water near the shore, I unzipped my wetsuit and got some cool lake water onto me, that felt better, not great but better.  After a few minutes I zipped back up and got going again, can't be far now, 2 miles max.  I tried not to look forward as the finish didn't seem to come any closer, just keeeping an eye on the boat for navigation.  As I did get closer my mental state started to improve rapidly, this was going to happen, I was going to complete this challenge, just keep swimming!  Suddenly the end appeared to be there and I had the energy to swim hard until my feet were touching the floor. 5 hours 50 minutes, I'd done it!

Just for the record, 5 years ago I couldn't swim a length of front crawl....

Challenge 7 DONE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke-M1fPwAdw&feature=channel&list=UL

UPDATE! SIXTH CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

Challenge 6 – South Downs Way

This was a challenge that has been on my radar for a few years so just had to be included in this year’s Year of Challenges!  My friends Ade, David and Andy were all keen to join me and our great friend Tom volunteered to drive us down, act as a mobile aid station and then drive us home once finished, what a star!

So, we awaken at 5am on the Friday and creep down the stairs of our guest house in Winchester, not so we could get out of paying but so we didn’t disturb the other guests, not sure how that went as we were a little excited as we scoffed our breakfast down!

Fast forward to 6:30am and we are in the middle of Winchester under the statue of King Alfred ready to go!  The weather is fine, be great if it stayed like this all day, wishful thinking considering the amount of rain we’d been getting.

It’s not long and we are out of Winchester and onto the South Downs Way, just 100 miles of off road riding and we’ll be done. 

What a day! Sun, rain, mud and hills!

Up, down, up, down, up, down, you get the picture, although the downs were usually great by 60 miles we were beginning to resent them as we knew at the bottom there would soon be a killer climb to follow.  It's what you'd maybe call character building!  Anyway, to cut a long long story short, Eastbourne finally came into light, actually it didn't as we finished in the dark!  The important thing is that we finished it, tired and sore (you can guess where!), Challenge 6 DONE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCPeuV710Rg

UPDATE! FIFTH CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

 

Challenge 5 – Hellrider Offroad Duathlon

This challenge came to my attention before I decided on taking on the year of challenges but I’d not considered a solo effort at the time.

For those that don’t know, a duathlon is normally a race consisting of a run, a bike and another run over various distances.  The Hellrider is a little bit different; it is a duathlon that lasts for 8 hours, so you basically run, bike, run, bike and so on until the time is up, nice!

Teams of 5, 3 or 1 can enter, if you are in a team then you will do a run and then pass to a team mate who will do the bike and it will then go through the team until it’s your turn to bike or run again, giving you periods of rest.

I felt a solo effort was worthy to go on the list for the year of challenges……..

The gun went off at a respectable time of 10am and off we go on the first run lap, Starting with competitors from teams doesn’t help as the temptation to race is hard to control, “you’ve got 8 hours of this Ross, take it easy!” The run lap is an undulating 5k affair with some steep enough hills and a long downhill, oh and a couple of river crossings too, brilliant!  Plenty of people around for this first lap which I do in 28 minutes, going into transition I’m keen to get out on the mountain bike and see what’s in store for me.  The bike lap is only about 8k but wow was it tough!  Consisting of 3 climbs, one of which was quicker to push, some great singletrack and a long downhill back into transition, this lap I also do in 28 minutes.  The winner last year did 16 laps, that works out at 30 minutes a lap, I’m going too fast!

And so it went on, run, bike, run, bike and after just over 4 hours I had completed 8 laps, the wheels then started to fall off……. it got harder and harder both physically and mentally.  I spoke to another solo entrant in transition, he had decided to take a 10 minute break to rest his legs, I wanted to rest but didn’t like the idea of stopping so decided to walk a lap, a sort of active recovery if you like!  I wasn’t strict enough and the walk turned into a run/walk and 40 minutes later I was out on the bike again.  My remaining bike laps got a little bit slower but the run laps increased quite a bit, my limbs were (like in most of my previous challenges!) not feeling great and it was a real struggle to keep going. 

With just under 7 hours gone on the clock I set out on my last run lap, it was awful, going uphill was a struggle, going downhill was a struggle, the river crossings just added to my misery and I staggered into transition with 15 minutes left of the 8 hours.  I had a call to make, do I call it a day, “ok you didn’t go for 8 hours but you have done 13 respectable laps”, or do I finish the challenge and get out on the bike again? “Off you go then idiot! Get your bike shoes back on”.  Finishing in 8 hours and 20 minutes, completing 14 laps of the Hellrider duathlon, that was a tough one but…. Challenge 5 Done!

Over £1500 raised so far, incredible, people have been very generous, thanks!

South Downs way in a day next, be nice to be running!

Why take a bridge when you can wade through water…….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SbzEKBQkfo&feature=em-share_video_user

 

 

UPDATE! FOURTH CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

 

 

Challenge 4 – The Yorkshire 3 Peaks

This was one challenge I was actually really looking forward to, having done it before I knew what I was up against, I was fitter and I was stronger, it would be easy!  How wrong could I be!

We set off from the startpoint in Horton in Ribblesdale at a quite civilized twenty past eight in the morning, was quite cloudy and the threat of rain was there. Within a mile we are ascending the first peak, Pen Y Ghent, nothing too severe at first but enough to get my heart going.  The gradient soon increases and the terrain becomes rocky, my climbing skills are akin to a mountain goat that has had a hip replacement but with a bit of persistence we are soon at the summit 691m in the sky!  I recover quickly and promptly get running again.  There is time to be made up between here and the next climb which is 8 miles away, the descent of Pen Y Ghent was fast and sometimes out of control but we make it to the bottom to be confronted by a mass off muddy bogs.  These we could have really done without, navigating around and over them was time consuming but after seeing a walker go waist deep into the wet stuff we knew we’d made the right decision. With the Somme out the way we got going again and the Ribblehead Viaduct was beckoning us over.

Friendly faces were there to meet us at the first aid station, 10.5 miles done feeling ok but with two more peaks to conquer the job is nowhere near done, I neck a banana and carry on towards the next ascent, Whernside, 728m.  The path sweeps right along the front and then takes a big spiral around and up the side, this is the easiest climb in terms of gradient but it seems to go on for ever!  As we near the top the cold wind becomes apparent and spots of rain start to fall, brilliant!  We reach the top and push on through the biting wind to the trig point, two down one to go, I still feel strong but the hard one is yet to come….

The descent from Whernside is far more treacherous than Pen Y Ghent and a number of times it could well have been game over for me as I jumped around the loose rocks, but I chanced my arm and descended in good speed.  The next 2 or 3 miles to the foot of Ingleborough go ok, the strains of the previous two peaks are starting to creep through but I’m not in any agony yet.  Another aid station and another banana to get me over this next bad boy and boy what a bad boy it is!  Where I live there is absolutely nothing like this, so when my legs are taken out their comfort zone they eventually have their say!  Ingleborough sits at 723m and the path up is near vertical, step by step we slowly reach the top and continue across the moonscape esque plateu to the trig point, all 3 conquered! Piece of cake, just need to get back to the finish, how far is that? About 5 mile……great!!

For me this was the worst part, 5 mile of tired legs, I’ve mentally finished the challenge but it’s still not over, let’s just get it done.  The descent from Ingleborough is also very rocky so care needs to be taken, I need to be careful, don’t want to cramp while overstretching over this muddy puddle…..aaargghhhh!  I spend the following few minutes in agony, my calf has gone into a cramp and I can’t stretch it out, I reach down to try and pull my toe up but that only triggers another cramp in my hamstring, nightmare! This is hell! After the pain subsides I gingerly press on, willing the last few miles away and soon the village of Horton in Ribblesdale comes into view and not long after I am sat down in the café with a nice cup of hot chocolate, challenge 4 done, fantastic!!  Target was to get under 6 hours, time taken 5hr 47min, happy!  Check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHZ9l96M5o

Next challenge – The Hellrider, an 8 hour off road duathlon, time to get the bike out!

 

UPDATE! THIRD CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

 

Challenge 3 – A Coventry Way Challenge – 40 miles

When I decided to take this year of challenges on the thought of an ‘ultra’ marathon distance did cross my mind, however I was thinking that I would be putting it in at the end of the year NOT April! I was already training for an off road marathon (Belvoir) so it sort of made sense that this was achievable…..

So, I completed the Belvoir Challenge and I had six weeks to keep the training going for this one, easy!  It wasn’t! I got a couple more long runs in but was also thinking about future challenges so spent quite a bit of time out on my bike, not a problem I’ll be ok!

The beauty of this event is that you can decide when you start, so there aren’t really any pre-race nerves as such. I was one of the last of the 300 odd entrants to start and left Meridan at 8:31, the sun was out but it was a bit fresh, 40 miles, come on!

I knew that to finish this bad boy I mustn’t go off to quick from the start so I tried to settle in to an easy pace of around 10 minutes per mile, this was helped by having to follow the map and for the first 10 mile I did ok but was nearer the 9 minute mark than 10, I’ll live with that as I feel ok.

I arrive at the first checkpoint (cp) at Kenilworth feeling pretty good, necked a couple of custard creams and pushed on.  I went through 10 miles in an hour and a half, maybe a bit quick if I’m going to survive?  So far I’d only passed a few other competitors but it was still early days so I pressed on to the next cp at Bubbenhall.  My map reading skills aren’t great so I was actually surprised that I didn’t get lost until just before this cp, it was my own fault as the notes with the map are pretty much flawless, the error was soon corrected and I rolled into Bubbenhall having slowed a little on my average pace due to me consciously walking a few slopes, the checkpoints are brilliant, cakes, sandwiches, sweets and drink all on offer, seemed a shame to leave each one but it did give me an incentive to reach the next one!

From Bubbenhall the route heads over fields to Ryton then on to Wolston for the 3rd cp, I’m starting to feel it a bit by now, my pace is around the 10.5 min per mile mark and I’m anticipating the bad times ahead.  By Wolston I’d overtook quite a few people which gave me heart and also re assured me that I was going the right way!  From Wolston the route heads to Bretford the on to Brinklow for another cp, the route was diverted slightly after an earlier incident with some angry cows and another ‘challenger’, it didn’t add to the mileage so not a problem.  I went through the 20 mile mark in three and a half hours, I’ll take that though I am really tired now and the lack of training has come back to bite me.  Legs are really sore, feet are hurting and I’m really wishing I was at the end not at the half way point, I get to Brinklow and it was fantastic to see my mother and father in law who’d come over to cheer me on, was a great lift, ok this challenge is hard but I knew it would be and in the grand scheme of things it’s nothing to what other people have to go through on a daily basis.

From Brinklow the route heads over to Ansty via the canal then across to Bedworth to the next cp.  This was a tough section, thankfully the terrain wasn’t too bad but I was in absolute hell, my pace had slowed and I was finding it a real struggle to keep going, the cp seemed to be ages away!  Finally get there after going through 30 miles in about five and a half hours, just 10 miles to go, you can do it Ross!   I grab a ham roll and carry on out of Bedworth, though eating a ham roll and running wasn’t the best idea I’d had, as nice as it was I was struggling to digest it while running, still I soon swilled it down with some energy drink.

The route heads over to just below Fillongley then through to Corley moor, I’d say this part was a little bit undulating and slightly uphill so I was of course over the moon with that…… The next five miles were pretty much like the previous ten, legs were very fatigued, each step seemed a chore, every stile (oh the stiles!) seemed a climb.  Having run just 3 marathons in the past I wasn’t used to this sort of thing, get to 26 miles, collapse, recover, reflect, think about what’s next.  But I was slowly chipping away at the 40 and I was now getting closer to the end and it was now dawning on me that this challenge is going to be beaten.

With this in mind I’m lifted and manage to up my pace again and run for longer stretches between short walks, I’m on the last page of the map book and haven’t got far to go.  I get to the road that will eventually lead me to the finish and am glad it’s downhill.  Although it’s downhill it seems to go on for a long time but I eventually turn the corner and run up the steps and into the finish, the time is 16:31, 40 miles completed in 8 long long hours!  My folks, Claire and the kids are there to see me finish, brilliant!

A run with stile(s):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSEydabWzMc&feature=channel&list=UL

What a day, what a challenge!  Would I do it again? Maybe!  It is a great event, very well organised with a real family atmosphere about it, really friendly, can’t fault it (except maybe those stiles!).

So, challenge 3, done! Have now reached £1000 in sponsorship, absolutely amazing, I’m overwhelmed, thank you so much everyone who has kindly donated.

Next up the Yorkshire 3 Peaks!

 

UPDATE! SECOND CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

 

Challenge 2 – Off Road Marathon – The Belvoir Challenge!

This challenge maybe came a few weeks too early for me; my training was probably a few miles short of where I should have been for a 26 mile off road run.  But I only had myself to blame for that so let’s just get on with it!

I line up on the start line in Harby with 1100 other runners and walkers aiming to complete either the 15 or 26 mile challenge through fields, along footpaths and bridleways and a little bit of tarmac.

The atmosphere is good, people seem happy, I’m confident I can finish, hopefully in one piece, hopefully before the sun goes down…..off we go!

My aim was always to take it steady, so when we reached a standstill after about 5 minutes at the first gate I wasn’t too bothered, and by the next few the field had spread out pretty well.

I felt pretty good at the first checkpoint and although the vast array of cakes on offer was tempting I resisted and pressed on.  The route split at 9 miles and a lot of entrants seemed to be taking the 15 mile option,  it looked tempting but hey, that wasn’t much of a challenge!  The marathon route takes us beside the rather grand Belvoir Castle, looking pretty impressive in the sun, I’m feeling pretty good too but I’d not reached half way yet.

At the next checkpoint at 10.5 miles I again (maybe foolishly?) resisted the cakes and other treats on offer and instead took a gel (yum!) and carried on up the hill.  Going at a pretty steady nine and a half minute mile pace I feel ok but am conscious that I’d not run further than 17 miles in training so the pain was going to come.

I was still feeling ok and going well, the terrain was generally pretty good, dry underfoot but sometimes a bit rutted, the route followed a disused railway line and then round a small reservoir . I ran most of this section with a nice chap called Rob, he’d done the event before and encouraged me to take advantage of the next aid station, He even sponsored me, cheers Rob!  At said checkpoint I could resist no longer and shovelled cake down my throat like it was my last meal, it was great! I had 12 miles to go, my legs were starting to tire and I had felt better.

My pace began to slow as the fatigue started to kick in, I kept going but chose to stride the hills to ensure I finished, and it seemed ages before I got to the last feed station at 18 miles.  I got half a banana down me and topped up my water bottle, 8 miles to go but no more feed stations, this was going to be tough, I wasn’t looking forward to it.

This last 8 miles seemed to be the hilliest, at least it felt that way and the near vertical metal steps didn’t help.  Stiles seemed to become more abundant and became a real struggle to get my leg over (!), I began to resent them with a passion!  The miles slowly and painfully counted down, the finish was getting nearer with every step, I shuffled on.  Helping me along some of the way was a lovely girl called Mads, she was training for a 100 mile run later in the year (n.u.t.t.e.r.!) and we kept each other going for a few miles.  With 3 miles to go I was not in a good place, I’d resorted to walking to take a gel on board and was struggling to get going again.  I could see the village of Harby where the finish ahead of me, it looked downhill, please be downhill!  I gave myself a bit of a talking to and got going again, less than 3 miles to go, each step getting me closer to the end, each step causing my legs great pain, it was downhill though.  Relieved I run on into the village, round a few corners and into the finish, 4 hours 26 minutes, off road marathon, done!

Over £700 raised, absolutely brilliant!

The highs and lows of a marathon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4bXIfOLutI&feature=share

 

 

UPDATE! FIRST CHALLENGE DONE! REPORT BELOW!

Challenge 1 – Row an indoor marathon.

This was a challenge I’d thought about last year but didn’t think it was achievable as I didn’t row. On the few occasions I went to the gym I’d maybe go on for 5 or 10 minutes at a time for more of a warm up than a work out.  Having seen Hywel and co’s exploits on the ergo’s in the past I just thought ‘blimey, that looks tough’! However, after a brief chat with Hywel I was soon convinced it was possible if I put the training in, so it went on the list.  I borrowed an ergo from my good mate Tom (I believe he now misses his makeshift clothes horse……) at the beginning of December and set about getting myself ready for the 28 January.  Just regular 5k and 10k stints saw me through the month, but come January I began upping the distance  20k, 25k, 30k and finally a 35k before D Day, each week feeling stronger but looking forward to finally nailing the marathon and getting that first challenge done.

So, the day arrives and I’m confident I can pull through (see what I did there….). My mate James James joins me for moral support on his turbo, we put a film on and the date begins!  I try and hold it at a steady 2 min 6 secs for 500m, probably a bit fast for me for that distance but I’d anticipated I’d maybe have a few stops to take gels on board so wanted to bank some time.  The first 10k went fine, I’d planned on a gel at this point but felt good enough to keep going to 15k, this turned into 20k and then 25k when I finally stopped very briefly and necked a gel down. My average slowed a little to 2min 7sec but I was starting to feel it by 30k, my backside was very numb and my blisters on my hands were beginning to appear.  Only 12k to go so I knew it was in the bag, just needed to man up a bit!  My technique started to go out the window as fatigue set in for the last 7 or 8k, my legs were beginning to grumble, I just wanted it to be over.  My average for 500m was now 2min 8sec.  Before I started I didn’t really have a target time, I’d estimated around the 3hr 15min mark as in previous rows I’d finished absolutely knackered so always thought the last 10k would be slow.  I was keeping one eye on the watch and with 5k to go realised that I was very close to a sub 3hr if I could just keep going at this pace, it was a very tough final 20 minutes, going through bouts of being able to push hard followed by moments of very lethargic pulls. Anyway, I kept going and finally with seconds to spare I dipped under 3 hours for the 42200 metres!  What a month, over 200k done including a 5k PB of 18 min 59 secs, all in all a tough challenge but very satisfying.  The indoor rower is a great piece of kit for training, I had a bit of a love hate relationship with it, I often found it a struggle to get on it, knowing what was in store, but found once I was I’d finished a session I was very happy with myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFMrDHxwsrA&feature=channel

Over £250 raised so far, fantastic!  Next up - The Belvoir Challenge, an off road marathon.  Best start training!

Thanks again for visiting my page.

Take care

Ross