A few days after...

Looking back on Saturday it was such good fun, even if my legs are still like two stiff planks of wood! I'd defintely recommend this event next year.
So the big question was did I take too much kit and give myself back sores unnecessarily? The answer is a definet YES! I probably ate half of what is in the picture below. The organisers were really good and gave us a rationed 500 ml bottle of water (at checkpoint 2 I had to take 1ltr) cake, Haribo and chocolate, so I just didn't need to break into my stuff, so I'll know for next year.


The GPS receiver came in handy, helping us out in the dark when we had no clue where we were on the map! Here's our actual route in GE, after checkpoint 4 you might spot some doubling back, when we should have crossed the bridge!- TPU_17_2_07

The next race on the calendar is the Berkhampsted Half Marathon, which was my first running race, so looking forward to that on Sunday 4th March.

Ben on the Thames Path Ultra at Marlow

Thames Path Ultra

Tomorrow marks my first Ultra anything! The Thames Path Ultra is a 50 mile foot race from Reading to Shepperton. It starts at 09:00 Saturday and closes at 01:00 Sunday morning! There are 4 checkpoints along the route, which also close at preset times, so if we start to slow too much, we're out! Our tactics at the moment are to run steadily for as long as possible, hopefully around 5 hrs. We know that once we break into a walk it will be near impossible for us to start running again!


The Thames Path Ultra is intended to be an essential part of training for the MdS taking place at the end March this year. All participants must carry all water, food, clothing and any other essentials like Vaseline, just like the Marathon of the Sahara but without the sand!

The leaders should be finished between 7-8 hours, fortunately for Ben and I, we're not doing the MdS until next year, so we're using this race more for experience and meeting people who've been there and done it before. The only aim I'm going to post is that we want to finish and get the medal and certificate, anything else would be a bonus right now.


Off now to get an emergency pair of socks and my kit!

Its Official - I am a TG!

On January 28th, Ben and I undertook the Tough Guy challenge, which this year was known as the Oirish Toiger 2007?!?! It was a relatively mild, dry day at around 8 deg but that doesn't help a great deal when you have obstacle after obstacle to contend with - most of which involve getting very wet and cold!

It started with an 8 or so cross country miles, which was pretty dry under foot, until some cargo netting towards the end. At this point the wet, cold torture started to take its grip, with ditches full of water to contend...then on to the Killing Fields!

The Killing Fields is basically an open space, with a variety of challenges ranging from climbing A-Frames (for the first time ever) to the really tough obstacles like the above picture (not me!) know as the Fiery Holes. This involved jumping between deep, muddy water with hay bails to clamber on, whilst negotiating a hot, smouldering bonfire. All good fun!

Ben and I finished with a good time of 2hrs 29 mins and received the biggest medal yet! Imagine a horse brass and you'll be on the right lines!

So was it the toughest thing I've done yet, you may ask? Well I'm not sure, its incomparable to any other event I've entered up until now. I have to say, nothing quite hurt as much as crossing the 24 mile marker at the London Marathon last year!