The countdown begins

No turning back now, the registration payment has been made and the date is set. Saturday 27th April 2013, a date where if all is well, I'll be embarking on what will hopefully rank as the greatest experience of my life. Between now and then it'll be 515 days of saving, training, sponsorships and a shed load of vaccinations. The two added bonuses will be if I can raise a warehouse load of cash in sponsorship for MNDA and if my cousin Sharon can join me for what will be, until I meet the love of my life and become a father, life affirming perfection. The 4 pictures to the left are a taster of what is to come. When the journey is complete, the details of which will undoubtedly make Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' look like a mere pamphlet, with enough photo highlights to fill Narnia.

Rossifer x

Once more unto the breach dear friends

Had to wait long enough to get actual pictures of the SOTF race, plus they cost a bit! Only 4 to choose from but I love this one, close to the end of the race where everyone had to slide down a steep quarterpipe on your heels and bum. Trying to get a team of people next time to have a go with me as I enjoyed it that much, hoping the same people will join in on the 19th May on the Soldiers Challenge.

I'm already looking forward to next year even though i've now come to terms I won't be going to Machu Picchu for at least another year. I was only disappointed for a while as I know the reason it wasn't possible, simply the Purple Book. If it's a choice between the life i've chosen to live and a one off experience then it's no contest, Peru can wait.

Rossifer x

Survival of the thinnest

One of those entries that I was part dreading but mainly looking forward to was the Survival of the Fittest, an event I stumbled upon on Facebook which would involve a fair amount of the jogging but plenty more besides. SOTF promised a 10km jog with a variety of different obstacles on route set in and around the derelict remains of Battersea power station. The setting alone was enough to snag me in but the obstacles were what sealed it, offering something completely different to the boredom of a simple long distance race. They would also end up bringing out the best in me as I was to soon find myself in my element. The SOTF website listed some of the obstacles that would be included and offered training techniques on how to handle them. I can tell you know there's not a lot of prep work you can do for things like climbing through derelict cars or skips full of water but i'll come back to that later...

As usual I left preparations to the last minute having only a single 2 mile training run before hand. This was confounded by the fact I rather predictably fell ill with a cold a week before, with the knowledge I would be doing the event with the same affliction. This didn't do much to harmonise the demons I feel towards my body I gotta say! Come race day though I felt well enough to eat, drink and move so I'd be giving it a shot. After several kilometres and plenty of obstacles on route SUCCESS, i'd made it out of Paddington and my way to Battersea! I followed a group of people who looked like they'd taken the easy option and 'trained' and stuff and had all the right gear, I felt like a pro just for remembering my top from the half marathon last year! I'd also risked my jogging shoes getting ruined over the casuals to give me an extra chance, not knowing if i'd ever be able to use them again like La Tomatina with my sky diving shoes.

I'd made the registration in plenty of time, 11:15 ish for 1:00pm start. The race was due to have 7000 entrants in 20 bands of 350, over a 1000 of these though would end up not making it, quite a shocking percentage methinks. I'd be running in band 13 with the other gold wrist band wearers. The band came with the timing chip, race number and a very cool t-shirt which i'd be wearing after the race. Each bands started in 15 minute intervals so I was watching everyone at the start and finish of their ordeal as both ended up next door to each other, the final obstacle there at the start for all to see.

Battersea power station loomed in the background, despite being derelict for ages it still looks so impressive, and we'd be going inside it for part of the race. It came to a few

minutes before and the gold group started our warm up. My Kung Fu training at least taught me how to warm up like I knew what I was doing there. I had my top with 'wicking fabric' on, waterproof trousers (which were pointless in the end) and proper jogging shoes as well as some padded gloves so I felt ready for anything. We walk up to the start line and everyone starts looking nervous...

The countdown goes down from 10, and we're off. Quick corner up to the first obstacle, the hay bales. This would be the first of many that I seemed to be perfectly built for. Despite cursing my body many a time, I and light weight, strong enough to weight said weight and stupidly tall and so perfect at lifting myself over such things. After that a quick jog to the next set of obstacles. A 5 foot metal wall, some over things and the first of many monkey bars. One though crossed my mind, don't start walking while there's a crowd but despite the cold, everything felt OK.

I can't remember the order of all the obstacles but I certainly remember the most memorable and the hardest to conquer. The hardest was simply the jogging. For the absent minded, I still hate jogging, passionately! The section between 2km and 4km had the longest sections of jogging and took the most out of me. Like I said earlier, the obstacles not only suited my build to a large extent but gave a break from all the jogging. 3km saw the first time of getting out feet wet. Not nice! The water seemed to get gradually deeper from the knee high water on the steeplechase track, to the skip full of water later on. The course would also see us going over fences, through tunnels, over A frames, under cargo nets, through inflatable obstacle courses, down slopes, crawling through ice, then mud, getting cleaned off by a fire hose and of course exclusive access to Battersea power station itself. We all had to wear hard hats and in the second of two sections inside had to carry a sandbag up and down a dusty section of the building. After climbing through some derelict cars (in the boot and through the windscreen) and a few wooden ramps, we all knew what was to face us at the end. The 'Wall of Fame' was the final obstacle only yards away from the finish line. I had thoughts of trying to scale it in one go but remembered all the times around the course people had cheered me on when I was finding it tricky and i wasn't about to finish without giving something back. I gave a lady a boost up to get over and a chappie did the same for me, at the top of the wall I tried to anchor myself whilst pulling another bloke up, it's the sort of event that brings out the best in people, teamwork, encouragement and co-operation all come naturally.

After landing a bit gingerly on the other side it began sinking in, I'd done it. 10 km and through many obstacles on a cold ridden body which was 2 stone underweight and vastly under-trained. I'd done this whole thing not for charity for once, just to prove to myself that I could do it and suddenly felt a wave of self respect that is more often than not lacking. Body and mind were in harmony for the entire 1 hour 9 minutes and 34 seconds it took me to get around. I'd psyched myself up to continue several times around the course and my body had responded. Every big Purple event I do seems to bring out different emotions from me and this was no different. Unlike the Bog snorkelling, I felt a much greater sense of achievement this time even though the Bog had taken more out of me. It proved that I guess I must be a lot fitter than I thought I was and that when it matters, and my body is anything less than flu ridden, the words printed in ink on my back are becoming more apt by the day.

Aside from the basic pictures I took with my camera, the others show the true story. The picture taken in front of my official time sums it up. Midway through Movember I am tache bound and looking ridiculous but good luck wiping the look of joy on face, and that was before I realised what time i'd done it in. I'd guessed 1 hour 20 something and was pretty stoked when I later found out it was an hour and 9 minutes. As well as trying to get a team together to have a nother punt at it next year, I've found another 3 events like it and in doing so have set the tone for next year's purple activities - endurance.

A huge thanks to everyone who supported me. The post race comments were all lovely but it was everyone during the event that made it. Without fail, every time I started walking there was a fellow competitor geeing me up and getting me back jogging. The Marshall's were also brilliant, high fiving everyone and keeping us moving. Big up to Men's Health magazine for organising it, the various sponsors for the stuff in my goodie bag and Tissot for making my dodgy picture possible ;)

Rossifer
x

Movember

After a fallow October month, November instantly offered the chance to add, in theory, two entries at the same time. By choice I've never grown a moustache as with my beloved beard it looked pretty bloody awful! The chance came to have another crack at doing so with 'Movember'. For those of you who don't know, Movember is men's answer to the race for life in that it's a gender specific chance to raise a lot of cash and awareness in Men's health issues, namely Prostate and Testicular cancers. The rules are that on the 1st day of November, all men taking part should be clean shaven and from that day forth should remain so except the top lip which is to be grown and nurtured with pride.

Doing this meant two things. Firstly it would be my first attempt at purposely growing a moustache and unfortunately meant i'd be losing my trademark beard after at least 6 years of having one. I little over two weeks i'd have swapped the Amish look for something rather dapper looking, the English gentleman look. Whether I ever attain that or simply look like a tall Ned Flanders remains to be seen. The proof will out on November 30th when my 'Mo' has been in residency for the full month and I decide whether to evict it, extent it's occupation on my face and whether to bring back an old friend to keep it company...

November 12th is survival of the fittest. As my cold is coming along nicely though and my voice sounds like a chain smoking dockworker from Southampton, I can't see me doing to well in it at the moment. If I can walk and breathe though come next Saturday, I'll be there. Time to end this year with a flurry ;)

Rossifer x

Catch up

For starters, a quick recap. October had not been the Purple fest I'd been both envisioning and looking forward to, but still offered a couple of gems. The main attraction was a Grand Prix in karting with a sadly lacking abundance of drivers from work. I'd been promised at least 8 people who had shown interest but it was only Neil Smith and his son who ended up donning their overalls. Apart from the odd dodgy kart and even dodgier tactics by a couple of mates on what sounded like their own purple book-esque month together, the day was a good one, ending in a classic final race which started sat on the grid with Fleetwood's Mac's famous tune 'The Chain' playing before the lights went green.

The little gem and true entry for October was the Conker tournament. Weirdly enough, for someone who loves Autumn as much as I do i've never taken on the season's famous past-time until the night I went with the two old ones and the crew from Denefield to a delightfully small and random pub in town for a conker tournament. 'The Retreat' is hidden away in a side street on Queens road and the back room was to be ours for the night. Hosted by the all entertaining Pip Shaw, the whole evening was delightfully chilled out. While the competitors were hard at it, the jukebox was playing some fantastic music and the whole evening just seemed so low key. I was half expecting Bob Dylan to come in at one point and play an unplugged gig it was that sort of atmosphere.

While me and mum crashed an burned in the first round, dad had his game face on and made it to the semi's (never one to be beaten easily that one.) So while it would go down as an epic experience like some of the others, it was still a new experience and one which was thoroughly enjoyed and so deserving of it's place in print on this here page.

Rossifer x