Week 23 - The Final Countdown - Less Than 3 Weeks To Go!!

Well what a journey I've been on. My next sentence was going to be that it's nearly over but that wouldn't be true. Because the last 6 months or so has changed me as a person. And the changes will continue long after 16th March when I cross that finish line in www.RockSolidRace.com. My first blog was a warts and all honest assessment of why I'd failed time after time to lose weight and keep it off. But over the months I've developed new habits that are much healthier choices for me. Don't get me wrong. I still love food and I still have the capability to gorge myself. But, and this is the big change, I now do it as a treat once in a while whereas before it would be almost daily at times.

The most satisfying aspect of my lifestyle change has been my enjoyment of sport again. Right up to my 20's I loved playing sport but as the weight crept on it became harder and harder until a point was reached where it stopped being enjoyment and became a punishment for having allowed myself to gain weight. I exercised to lose weight rather than for the buzz you get from a hard workout. Even in the early weeks of my training with Lee there was a sense of dread before arriving at the gym knowing I was going to be exhausted within minutes of beginning the session. My blogs over the weeks shared the pain of these sessions but as I progressed I talked more of knowing the pain was temporary and it was only an hour and I often felt elated afterwards knowing I'd got through it.

I wouldn't have got to where I am now without the huge support of Lee Kirk, my personal trainer at Exeter University Sports Faculty. He has been a rock offering encouragement and pushing me harder than I would ever have considered pushing myself. Lee has been on holiday for the last few weeks and I'm also indebted to Martin Hewlett and Tai, who have taken up the baton to continue my training in Lee's absence. I have taken some proper "beastings" and have been "broken" for many days afterwards but I only have to look in the mirror or try on new clothes in smaller sizes to acknowledge the old adage that hard work brings rewards. And all three trainers have paid me the ultimate compliment by saying that I'm a pleasure to train because I always give 100%. I had a particularly tough session with Martin a couple of weeks back where I did approx 200 squats with weight and a similar number of shoulder and bench presses. 2 days later I couldn't straighten my arms or bend my legs. So as you can imagine, stepping into a pair of trousers was a challenge. I had to put them on the floor and put my feet in then shuffle my legs along the carpet until the waistband was in reach of my hands. Not a great look.

http://sport.exeter.ac.uk/facilities/





In my last post I mentioned I was doing a 2 hour SW Military Fitness training morning with hill running. Oh my God!!! This was my first session with this group of mainly girls and a few blokes. Some of them regularly do the weeknight training sessions which last an hour but my introduction to this style of training was an eye opener. Lots of running between cones with press ups, sit ups and squat thrusts were followed by climbing the hill in the picture above. It's difficult to get the perspective of how steep it was until you see the man in the high vis jacket halfway up the hill. We did 3 up and downs then went back into the main field for more circuit stuff. Then we ran to the next hill which dropped on the other side into a valley and back up to a further crest. There and back 3 times with the obligatory press ups, sit ups and squat thrusts.





Back into the field and this time we did a version of the military field gun competition. This involves 2 teams running from one end of the course to the other holding a long rope. All team members must keep hold of the rope at all times. At one end of the course are the "gun parts" which are transported one at a time by nominated team members and carried back to the other end. I think there were 14 parts in all and when we crossed the finish line the instructor told us it looked better where it was before and to move it back. God I was knackered by now but off we went again 14 times. Then he said actually, on reflection, it looked better last time so move it back again. At this point I politely bowed out for some water, and watched on in admiration at the stamina of the ones still going.

After this we had to run a circuit of the park and then finished with stretches. A full 2 hours of hard work. And this weekend I'm doing a similar thing with them which is a 5-6km run around the Marine Commando Challenge course at Woodbury in Exeter. Each year there is a challenge that people sign up to which is not dissimilar to the RockSolidRace. On Sunday we will be running up hills, through mud, crawling on our bellies, wading through water and going underwater through a tunnel. Sounds like fun eh?





I got my new trail shoes at last and they will get their first outing on Sunday. I can't help thinking they won't look so yellow by the time I've finished the course. Lol.

I'm now a veteran of taking baths and I remembered a phrase from a comedian called Mike Harding from a few years ago explaining the class system. If you were posh you got out of the bath to have a wee. And if you were middle class you'd wee into the sponge and squeeze it out in the sink. Needless to say where baths are concerned I'm very working class. Lol. Not really I hasten to add.

I have some new projects in the pipeline for post RockSolidRace. A friend of mine organises a charity bike ride in Southampton in memory of his daughter who died of Strep B. This is an infection which can be passed to newborn babies from their mother and sadly, can result in death. George and his wife, have campaigned tirelessly with others to make screening of pregnant women at 35-37 weeks compulsory through the NHS. Each year he organises Rosie's Ride which is a 110 mile bike ride in August. I've agreed to join them this year so will be getting in some serious training rides and Spinning classes over the next few months.

Also I'm looking at doing a triathlon (lite) of sorts in September on the Isle of Wight. It's done in teams of 3 who must all finish together and consists of a 19 mile mountain bike ride followed by a 2 mile kayak race and then finishes with a 8.5 mile run. Past races have taken between 3.5 and 4.5 hours to complete.

6 months ago I could not envisage me contemplating any of the things I now want to do. I aim to lose another 21lb to be at my final goal. I'm about 8lbs off my target for the race but happy with where I've got to so far. I was looking to lose 4 stone by mid March but I certainly don't see 3 and a half stone as a failure.

Finally a heartfelt request for some of your hard-earned money. I'm not big on asking for sponsorship and appreciate many of you are asked by lots of people. I know from my own Twitter and Facebook timelines how many people have Just Giving pages. But I hope my blogs have entertained or motivated you in some small way and I'd like to be able to have trodden this path for more than just my benefit. I've chosen Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital as my Just Giving page and would hope some of you may be able to support me by supporting a most worthy cause.

http://www.justgiving.com/David-Smithwick


As always thanks for reading

An ever decreasing Dave.




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Location:Yew Tree Close,Exeter,United Kingdom