Retirement

Hi lovely readers. I just logged on here to shut this page down, as I haven't been able to keep up with it since launching www.obstaclekit.co.uk, my online store dedicated to hand-picked, tried and tested obstacle course racing kit and equipment.

However I have just noticed that even this old blog is still getting daily hits. If you could comment on this if you're reading this then I will get back on it and bring it up to date with my latest adventures!

In the meantime you can catch up on what I've been doing on the News page of Obstacle Kit Ltd, following us on Facebook or Twitter

Event review - Back 2 The Trenches, Redhill, 9th March 2013

There's nothing quite like news of a cold-snap to really get you ready for a race! Desptie being a cold-weather person, after the terror of the Winter Tough Guy in January I was looking forward to some slightly warmer runs! Luckily, the snow wasn't due until Sunday, but we still had a chilly and foggy start for the long drive across to Redhill.

The site was easy to find using sat nav and following the signs when we got close. It helped that I'd been here before for the Spartan Sprint last July. The marshals in the parking area were good and with free parking we were soon onsite with plenty of time to go.

We were a team of 10 mostly of friends from Salisbury and a few guys that I had met through previous Spartan races. A lot of the team were using this as their first obstacle race to prep for Tough Mudder and as always with team runs the focus was on having a laugh and getting through together.

Muddy March! Back 2 the Trenches Vs. Rock Solid Race

After a decent brake since Tough Guy, I'm nearing my next two events on two consecutive weekends in March.

Back 2 The Trenches in Redhill Surrey, is run by Priory Events and held on the same site as the Spartan Sprint that I did last July. There are 5km and 10km options, and I'm signed up with a team of 10 runners for different experience levels, most taking on their first mud/obstacle runs. We're going to have a great day, good laughs and finish the race as a team.

The Rock Solid Race near Exeter takes place on the following weekend, which again has 5km and 10km options. The Wife was signed up for this as her first run by our son as a Christmas present, with a place for me to run with her to help out. Again, we're not going for time but to enjoy it and to help the Wife get some experience before she tackles Tough Mudder in May.

New kit- Inov-8 TrailRoc 245's

Now I'm starting to think that I'm becoming a bit obsessed with buying Invo-8 trainers. Between Christmas presents to each other and the January sales, The Wife and I added TrailRocs, RecoLites, F-Lites and Road-X to our collection, resulting in quite a full utility!

When the Wife's TrailRoc 255's arrived, it was the final push I needed to buy some myself. They looked great, though I knew I wanted the slightly lighter 245s. I've been trying to decide between a set of TrailRocs and TerraFlys for a while now, the reason being that there are a lot of trails locally that are short and linked by roads. My Talons, whilst amazing in the soft stuff, absolutely ruin my knees if used on hard surfaces and likewise my Road-X leave me on my arse when taken through wet grass or mud. So, after seeing The Wife's and seeing even more trail races being won in TrailRocs, my mind was made up.

Event review – Winter Tough Guy, Midlands, 27th January 2013

Well, the time has finally come- Tough Guy is here for the first time since I started obstacle racing last May. The stories that I have heard about this event paint a picture of freezing temperatures, physical and mental torture and provide many with the firm belief that this is THE toughest obstacle race on the planet. I can’t wait!

I’ve been waiting to tackle this event since running the Tough Guy 10K in September 2012. The 10K was good fun and great starter event for the guys with me that hadn’t run an obstacle race before. Lots of lovely mud, deep water and purpose-built high rise obstacles made for a fun and challenging day and only heightened my desire to take on the full 10 miler in winter J

Kit recommendations- What should I take to a run?

One of the things that I am most frequently asked is “What kit should I use or take with me to a mud and obstacle run?”. It’s a bit of a tough one to answer, as every promoter has different rules and regulations. 

The below list is based on my experience so far and that alone. It’s therefore highly biased, but that’s one of the best things about writing a personal blog- I can be as biased as I want to be :-)

Tough Guy.... Almost missed it!

It suddenly dawned on me this evening that I hadn't actually signed up for Tough Guy yet! Bugger!

I've been looking forward to this  run as one of "The big 3"- I've done Tough Mudder and the Spartan Beast, but like most Tough Guy is the original test. I would be absolutely gutted if I couldn't make it! 

Christmas presents :-)

Well Christmas is upon us and I've decided to sort race entries for some of my relatives.

Firstly, my big brother who is an amateur triathlete will be joining our Tough Mudder team for Kettering next year.

Event review- Grim Challenge Aldershot, December 2nd 2012

I saw a post on Facebook a few months ago for the Grim Challenge series, sent by a friend of mine who wanted to get into mud and obstacle running. After answering a few general questions on these sorts of runs, I decided to keep this on the back-burner as a possible short run to warm down after the Spartan Beast which was only two weeks before it.

Kit review- Liquid Grip update

I almost forgot to give a quick update on the Liquid Grip product in the race after my earlier review!

I used it twice- Once before the monkey bars and once before the final wall. The grip was simply amazing. Even though the ropes and bars weren't wet or greased as they have been previously, I could fly up and across both obstacles with ease. Not necessarily faster, but with less effort.

I need to practice getting the Liquid Grip on to my hands whilst running with more efficiency, but I'll get there. In the meantime I can confirm that this product is great for obstacle running! :-)

liquidgrip.com
www.wellnaturalhealth.co.uk

Spartan Beast Race Kent- I got my time

Well I finally got my time through for the Beast, but for reasons that I won't go into once again, I'm not sure how relevant it is.

In the end I got a 01:52:20 which placed me 9th. Normally I'd be pleased with this as I really wanted a top 10 time, but with the amount of problems with this race, I'm not even going to count it. The best thing I got out of this race was my Trifecta medal and a test of my pain threshold.

Oh, and one last thing whilst I'm here: A friend of mine who ran the Beast in a later heat did take his GoPro and got a lot of the footage from the race. I thought the least I could do was post a link up for him!

Event review - Spartan Beast Race Kent, November 18th

Well this was it, the big one. This was the race that I've been looking forward to ever since tackling Tough Mudder in May. After the recent Spartan series races that I have completed, I was very excited that finally the time had come to take on the biggest Spartan Race in the UK, the Beast.

Billed as a 25km, 50+ obstacle onslaught, I was ready to shed blood, sweat and tears getting through this challenge.

Spartan Beast- T -3 days!

Well the prep is all done. Sunday 18th @ 1000 I'll be setting off in the elite heat of the UK London Spartan Beast. I must admit, I'm feeling great but I am concerned about my cardio, or lack thereof. It's been really tricky recently to get solid training in. The Wife and Oscar have both been very ill recently, which has limited the time I've been able to spend training.

Kit review- Liquid Grip

I was sat at work the other day, pondering a few things about the Spartan Races that I've done so far this year. The main thing that hit me was how slow I was up the ropes at the end of the courses. These were the ropes soaked in mud and water up the "Wall" obstacles. You need to pull yourself up the 45 degree slope via the ropes, and with the slope being covered in plastic and soaked, all of the effort needs to come through the rope.

The problem is that because the ropes are soaking wet, you have to clench your grip very tightly which not only tires your arms out but makes you spend longer securing each grip. In addition, your hands naturally start sliding down the rope even once you have grip.

Pain... Tell me I'm wrong

A bit about pain. This post may single me out as a bit of a weirdo, but I'm not worried, I'm totally cool with that.

I like pain. There you go I said it. I'm not talking about in some sort of sexual, kinky way, but I like pain when training and competing. Whether the sting from a punch inside the cage or the feel of stones slicing through my skin when crawling under some barbed wire, there's something about the sharp feel of pain that gives me focus and drive.

Tough Mudder 2013!

Last night The Wife and I signed up for Tough Mudder in 2013. Northampton, 5th May. We're in as a team of 8 so far but it'll likely be closer to 12 I would have thought.

Quite excited. For most of the people running with us, it will be a first obstacle run. The Wife has just signed up with the local CrossFit club that opened a few months ago, Sarum CrossFit. This will be the basis for her training, interspersed with some running. She won't let me train her, we've already been down that road :-)

As for me, it'll be business as usual :-) Stayed tuned for more updates as we go along!

Event review- Tough Guy Wolverhampton, 10km mud thrash, 14th October 2012

Four of us signed up for the first of a series of new events from Tough Guy, the founders of the obstacle run. Traditionally only run once a year, Tough Guy appear to be adding new events each year which I assume is to cash in on the growing market for obstacle runs bought on by the heavy promotion of Tough Mudder and Spartan Races.

Kit review- Inov-8 Talon 212 trail trainer

I've been using the Inov-8 X-Talon 212s for 6 months now as a trail running show for use in training across Salisbury Plain and as my race shoe for both Tough Mudder and Spartan series races. After researching before Tough Mudder in May 2012, I found several blogs and reviews from people who had run it before recommending either Inov-8s or Vibrams. When looking at the course structure, I decided to go for the X-Talon 212s as they seemed to have far superior grip and the majority of running would be through thick mud or wet grass fields.

Kit review- GoPro HD Hero2

As I write this, I'll be honest, I'm a bit annoyed. I purchased my first GoPro HD Hero2 towards the beginning of the year. It unfortunately got lost in the Tough Mudder run (My own fault!) and I re-purchased towards the end of June.

Why am I annoyed? After spending the best part of £750 on a new GoPro with a lot of the accessories, the replacement model was announced just yesterday, the GoPro 3. Twice as faster but more importantly smaller and lighter. I will however try not to let this shine through in this review!

Spartan Race Super and Sprint Birmingham- I got my times!

Hmmmm, another long wait with no emails after my Spartan Race. I'm starting to feel like the Spartan email system doesn't like me!

Anyway I got the times through and there was a bit of a problem. As I did the Sprint straight after the Super race, I was told the get a temporary timing chip for the second race. Unfortunately as I crossed the line twice with my original chip, my Super time came out as the race time, plus wait time, plus Sprint time...  3 hours and 24 minutes, not exactly lightning quick!