Strangers n the night..

Posted on 11 April, 2012 by Kerry

…exchanging flip flops, left one for the right.*

So, predictably, the enthusiasm of the new year disappeared as quickly as sweeties in the playground and blogging has been slack to say the least. Unfortunately it’s not the only thing that has been slack, training has been amiss too – though mainly it is the city based Tough Gaff’s team members that have been the most remiss. Indeed the country Tough Gaff’s members have been shining examples of training dedication, Fiona completed the Yeovil half marathon at the end of march in just over 2 hours, though technically she did cheat by training. Sean hasn’t been racing as he’s been in the land of Stan, he has however been lifting heavy things on regular basis. So much so that a friend recently remarked that he looked like he was smuggling a dead animal under his t-shirt. Not sure how much cardio he’s been doing though.

It’s bound to me more than me.

So far this year, if you include the 6.5 mile Grim Night Terror that took place on the 5th Feb that I still haven’t posted about (I know slovenly blogging reaches new depths) then I’ve ran almost ten miles.

In our my defence, there have been many things over the past three months that I’ve not been slack on. Mainly the smoking of cigarettes, the eating of peanut butter M&Ms, drinking of exotic cocktails, working, travelling and generally having fun.

So In a bid to have less fun shake the training torpor and have a chance of not dying during the Total Warrior weekend, I booked a couple of places for the inaugural UK Tough Mudder in mid-May. Apparently is is probably the toughest event on the planet, and so not easily confused with Total Warrior, which is the toughest t0k and 10 miles on earth, or Tough Guy, the safest most dangerous event in the world.

So training has started, and is going well, which to be fair it needs to, and brushing off the bloggy fingers has felt good too, so there might be more updates to follow**

 

*Well it seemed like a better opening that than he usual mea culpa of the lazy blogger

**Probably

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La Dolce Vita

Posted on 8 January, 2012 by Kerry

Happy New Year! 

Obviously we’re well into the new year but as I’ve only just got back online after a rare week pretty much off the grid and on a mountain you’ll just have to forgive my tardiness. The off-the-gridness came from sandwiching the cheeky week of skiing in mentioned in a previous post. I’m not sure how effective skiing is as running training but it was awesome fun. There’s a great video of me, yet to be posted, tumbling head first down a slope before sliding head first down a slope. Fortunately it was all in nice soft snow, so only my pride was damaged.

So back in the UK, all in one piece and most importantly I’ve not fallen out too badly with the scales, running training has to start tomorrow – the Grim Night Terror is in four weeks and then the Yeovil Half Marathon is in 11 (gulp). Actually it technically started today, but the plan I’m following has it down as a rest day – ;-)

Training updates to follow, perhaps, and don’t forget you can always sponsor me for the Grim.

 

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Grim’ll Fix it – Grim Original 2011

Posted on 4 December, 2011 by Kerry

Ah the Grim, the first off-road race we ever did and, as mentioned not very long ago on this very blog, we learnt a lot, It’s rolled around quickly this year as the 2010 race was postponed and only took place in January. This time last year the country was covered in snow, which would’ve made a great race but while the course was good to go, the car parks wouldn’t take the strain, so it got moved to Jan,

What a difference a year makes.

For a change we ran the Sunday race but the photos from yesterday show clear blue skies and sunshine. Today was overcast and a little windy but warm. We amazingly turned up in good time, good job as I thought the start at 11am and it was actually 10.30 and set off with the main crowd.

The course had been shortened a little from last year, mainly by cutting out the boring bit towards the end and they’ve thrown in some more fun bits, well if you think a good few hundred yards of muddy moguls is fun. I think the wonderfully muddy bit, which is basically orange clay (as modelled in the picture), has been extended. It was certainly muddier than ever, which Grim Virgin Ray found out when we finally got there. Somehow Fiona and I forgot to mention that it was traditional to have a mud fight at that point. I should also apologise to who ever was in front of Fiona when I flung the initial shot.

It remains a brilliant race, well organised, great value, great fun and provider of a great t-shirts. There were only a few down points, there were no ducks to steal this year, neither was there a goody bag, we also forgot to bring the flasks of hot chocolate & coffee. Oh and we were also missing a large, one-legged buffoon who is currently on deployment in Afghan. It really wasn’t the same without him

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Sunday Summary

Posted on 13 November, 2011 by Kerry

<Insert usual comment about rare occurrence of two post in one week here>.

So, the Grim 8 is less than three weeks away, the Night Terror Grim is just under 3 months away and it looks like there might be a cheeky skiing trip sandwiched neatly between the two. Unfortunately since the Total Warrior Tough Weekend training has been, shall we say, a little sparse.

This is normally not a problem, as recently mentioned, sheer bloody mindedness can you get through an awful lot of physical challenges that might perhaps have been better prepared for physically as long as you don’t mind being cold and miserable for an hour or so longer than you would have if only had done any some training. However for some reason, I really don’t fancy dragging out the Night Grim longer than needs be and it’s also no fun to go skiing when you’re legs aren’t up to it. So today marked the first day of the pre-Christmas fitness regime, which consisted of cycling the very long way to and from the super market, like 6 miles out of the way. Followed by another long bike ride in the afternoon.

Nothing too strenuous but a start, tomorrow the plan is to hit the useful pub fight techniques Thais Circuits class and then get back to weights in the week, with some spinning at end of the week and some running thrown in. Yay!

Obviously to complement the new regime, for dinner we’re definitely not having roast beef plus trimmings, followed by a steamed treacle pudding. Just as I’m definitely not drinking red wine and snacking on roast potatoes as I type this.

Ahem.

My Just Giving Page has been set up, and you can donate your pennies to MacMillian with just a couple of clicks, Or you can text CJWY55 then the amount to 70070 – how awesome is that?

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Grim Night Terror

Posted on 10 November, 2011 by Kerry

<insert usual excuses about not posting much here>

The Tough Gaffs’ first off-road experience was the Grim 8 in 2007 and it was a very valuable learning experience that set us up well for
our more recent muddy endeavours. I would summarise them as follows:-

  • Being really stubborn and determined can get you round without some any prior training
  • No matter how vain you are, if you running through thigh deep puddles, lycra is the only way
  • You’d be amazed at where you can chafe if you don’t follow point 2
  • Leaving the racing snakes to run at the front, its far more fun to help out the other huffers and puffers at the back
  • Every race should have a mud pit for a mud flinging fight halfway round
  • Mince pies taste better after 8 miles of mud & sweat. FACT.

and most importantly:

  • if it looks like more than a puddle, then it is.
We’ve ran at every Grim since then, well except for when my idiotic knee stopped me, but Sean and Fiona put in a record time while i dog sat and kept tasting the mince pies for freshness. Each year has got better and better, its very well organised and really good race. If you had to make a complaint, it would be that it’s not actually 8 miles, more like 9. So the last mile takes an awfully long time but it seems to keep the marshalls amused.
Anyway, when the organisers announced that they were thinking about a midnight version, as a team we mainly went “oooooohhhhh’.  Today, when we found out it was not only taking place, but was open for entries and places were limited. We mainly said, ‘Book it Danno Fiona’, which she duly did.
So, in February, we’ll be trotting around the tank track for two four mile laps, in the dark, and the cold. It’s a new challenge for us and so we’re going to raise some cash, this time for the race’s nominated charity, MacMillian. Just Giving widget to duly appear.
There’s some discussion about what we’re going to do post-the Terror Grim, suggestions welcome, and there’s even more discussion about not letting this place get so dusty but we’ll see about that.
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Total Warrior V Tough Guy

Posted on 13 August, 2011 by Kerry

One bills itself as the “The Safest Most Dangerous Physical Mental Task Day in the World”, the other  to provide the other as the toughest 10 miles and 10k on earth. As team Tough Gaffs has now ran, well completed, both the Winter Tough Guy and Nettle Warrior, and the full Total Warrior Super Weekend, we thought we are ideally placed to offer our occasional visitor our thoughts on which is actually the toughest.

Starting with Total Warrior, as its freshest in the memory, and with the positives. It is seriously gorgeous, though the pouring rain on the saturday did spoil the view a little during the 10k. The extended run on the Sunday took us up onto the fells and the vista was wonderful. Unfortunately it doeesn’t bill itself as the most beautiful event but the toughest and on that front it doesn’t quite live up to its billing.

It was well  organised, despite over 1,500 people needing to sign waivers and pick up their race packs on the Saturday, there were few queues. The free temporary tattoos and headbands were a nice touch too. As were the clearly defined waves, which meant little to no bottle necks at the obstacles. The goody bags were OK, the t-shirt for the 10k was a little pony but the technical t-shirt for the 10m is pretty spiffy. The only problem with that beng they didn’t have them in extra extra lardy for Sean*. The marshalls were all brilliant, especially the poor love looking after the river crossing, who got soaked on the saturday but had the coolest wellies I’ve ever seen on the Sunday.

All in all Total Warrior was fab, we’ve already said we’ll be back for next year and we’d thoroughly recommend it. The only downside of the whole thing was the obstacles. Not enough of them and definitely not tough enough, even the Shocker at the end only gave a bit of a tickle. Admittedly I did swear when I got the first zap on the Saturday but that’s more because I actually thought only Mr Mouse and Tough Guy would be the only people mean enough to actually electrocute people, so getting zapped shocked me in more than one way.

There’s a few tweaks that could be made to course as it stands to make it more challenging. Reversing the direction of the cargo nets so that you have to crawl up the hill, making the barbed wire crawl, actually barbed wire and lower.  Not laying out the tyres in such a neat manner, making the tunnels longer  etc.

The real issue is, is there isn’t really an obstacle on the course that strikes you with fear, or  makes you go ” bugger” before you haul yourself over it. Its been almost eight months since we did Tough Guy and the thought of going round the colosseum or the torture chamber again fills me with dread.

I know that mud-races, like Total Warrior, are designed to appeal to everyone and they seemed to have done a great job on getting people who have never done such a race along. So it may not want to have obstacles that strike fear into the heart of an experienced racer, let alone a n00b. However if that is the case then it should revise it’s tagline to, a lovely run out in the lakes with some obstacles to break up the hills. Not quite so catchy I admit.

So where does it stand against Tough Guy? It has the potential to be better than the original and the best but it isn’t yet, not by a long way. However, they have the space and the potential to be, they just need someone slightly more sadistic to design the course.

Oh and before anyone comments, which is unlikely, that there are other races out there like Tough Mudder and the Spartan Races which may be equally as tough or tougher than TW or indeed TG, we’re signing up to do those both their London races and will duly report back.

*Not that he’s fat, he’s just a very large human being or did  you conclude from the photo above that he was normal size and the rest of the team are minuscule?

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Total Warrior 2011 – Toughest 10k & 10m events on earth

Posted on 8 August, 2011 by Kerry

Shiny! A short post as my battery is about to die, it’s late and it’s been a very long weekend. Although a Super Weekend in which team Tough Gaffs completed the inaugural Total Warrior Super 10  Weekend.

There will be a more detailed post at some point in the future about the whole thang but the important facts are, we did complete both the 10k and the 10 mile event, it took a while to do the latter but we were still faster over the 10m than the slowest person over the 10k. You can still sponsor us. We’re all pretty bruised and battered, with possibly one broken foot (TBC).  Did I mention you can stil sponsor us in aid of Help for Heroes. Who are wonderfully supportive to people raising cash for them as well as doing great work.

The whole weekend was wonderfully run and organised. We were delighted to be given a special team award,which we think was for most determined team or it could have been daftest as four of only about 50 people to do both events. Either way we got awesome medals, that could double as coasters, and other stuff we like, such as fizz and beer.

Oh and protein powder.

We’re already planning on doing it again next year but we’d love more obstacles, bigger and scarier cos right now it’s not quite the toughest event on earth.

 

 

 

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British 10k

Posted on 17 July, 2011 by Kerry

Only a week after it’s been run, I thought it might be time for a little update on how we did in the British 10k, which can be summed up as ‘not bad’.

Sean and Fiona were a bit stymied by being knackered, Sean had had the annual horror of working on a Saturday at the Yeovilton Air Day and dealing with the public upsets his delicate sensibilities. Then the plan to come up to the Smoke the night before was knocked on the hear by Buddy, the lovely, yet very protective, not quite settling into his kennels. This necessitated a very early start from the country Gaffneys to make to the big city for the 9.30 start.

However make it they did, and after only a slight detour, and additional 30 minutes or so, wandering from one tube station to another thanks to me not checking the weekend line closures. (seriously why close the Piccadilly line when 25 thousand people need to get to Piccadilly Circus). We made it on time to the start.

Well I say start, when the gun finally went off at about 9.50, we we’re about 12,000 people back, standing next to a bunch of people dressed as what can best be described as Bollywood Triffids. We soon shuffled across the line, with Fiona putting in a hot start. For the first time since the ill-fated London Nike 10k in 2008 we ran our own race. Well apart from Ray who insisted on keeping pace with me and therefore got the same pants time.

It was bloody hot, and really busy. Really, really busy and the results on the door, stand at:

FIona – 1 h 3 mins 13 seconds

Sean 1 hr 10 mins 18 seconds

Kerry 1 hr 11 mins 47 seconds

Ray 1 hr 11 mins 47 seconds

Personally I’m somewhere between happy and disappointed, it is the slowest 10k I’ve done since 2002 but likewise its the least training I’ve done in years. Something that needs to be addressed before the the Supar duper Total Warrior Weekend.

Which is 10k, followed by 10m.

With obstacles.

In the Lake District.

Which is quite hilly so I believe.

Oh and it’s in less than 3 weeks.

Cripes.

You can do  your bit by sponsoring one of us, or all of us, or some of us. Go visit our sponsorship page and throw some cash. It will make you feel better, and us too, and more importantly it will help a great cause in Help For Heroes.

Next update most likely post-Total Warrior.

 

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training and search

Posted on 25 May, 2011 by Kerry

Training continues apace, mainly at a very, very slow pace.

Having got home far too late to join the running club, after getting locked in the new office (a story far too dull to share right now), I decided I’d go for a pootle by myself. Just a short one, mainly so I’d be back in time to watch the Apprentice. Using RunKeeper for the first time, I set it to tell me when I’d done each mile, thought I’d knock out three and call it a day. The pace for the firs mile, to be honest, was a bit slow but I was ok with that, as I’d stopped for a good stretch 10 minutes in. I upped it over the next few miles and finished feeling quite happy.

That was until, i took of the phone and realised the app had worked out I’d stopped moving and my stupidly slow mile was due to me being stupidly slow.

Ah well it can only get better.

This isn’t a highly trafficked blog, which is fine. It serves mainly as motivation,  to let Sean know that I am actually still training and acts as a nice writing outlet. However, we do get a steady trickle of visitors. Mainly sent here by google and looking for training tips on tough guy, total warrior and the Grim, or photos of the same. Occasionally they are after gaffer tape holders and that’s about it. So I was a little disturbed by the person who was searching for information on ‘showers after rugby.

 

I’m not sure what post made this blog the right answer to that query, or indeed what advice I can give on that topic. Except to say, you should shower after rugby, I’d recommend a shower gel with some exfoliant in it to help get rid of the mud. Unless you’re a back, then you probably just need to wash your hands to get rid of the sweat the opposition forwards will have got on you during the post-match handshake.

 

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The End of the Word is Nigh

Posted on 21 May, 2011 by Kerry

At some point today, the Rapture was due to hit the world. This is not the end of the world, but rather the overture to it ending on the 21st October 2011. In case you don’t know, the Rapture is when 144,000 Christians will be scooped up into the air to met Christ, and generally have a good time laughing at the ensuing panicing sinners on earth*. I mention this purely to illustrate the Tough Gaffs’ mentality, which is instead of kicking back to watch the transporter show and indulge a spot of  post rapture looting, I decided to kick start the training again despite the predicted doom.

I’d had a week off from the gym, mainly due to a few too many social parties, including a trip to the Country Gaffney’s for a BBQ that wasn’t to celebrate Sean’s birthday** and a couple of exams. However, today I got back to spinning, which was fun,( no really it was). Tomorrow promises squash and then a run. It’s only seven weeks until we do the British 10k and while I’ve done a couple of 3 milers with the Ealing Eagles, a lovely bunch of people even if they are all racing-snakes, so I need to get more miles in. I’m pondering getting some Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves and if so, will definitely need to break them in pre-July.

So seven weeks until the 10k, means it’s about 11 weeks until the Total Warrior Super-weekend. There seem to be a few people dropping by for training tips. I suggest you go check out the Total Warrior facebook page as they are very nicely posting a weekly training plan.

I also suggest that you sponsor the team, Pick your favourite Team Gaffs member – Me, Sean, Fiona or Ray. We’re all raising cash for Help for Heroes, so it doesn’t matter who you sponsor, except mainly to help with the bragging rights. Also Sean has had a genius idea that whoever sponsors him the most will get to pick not only the next charity he fundraises for but  also which event he runs. Of course, one in, all in. So it wil be interesting to see what post-August brings.

 

 

 

*Which might strike you as unchristian but then surely is the notion that if there were a god, he’d only let in the top 144,000 people that have ever lived.

**He’s getting a little sensitive about his age it seems

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