Crouch, Touch, Pause...Engage!

I spent a day at Warrington Wolves stadium this week - I know, Rugby is not a sport in the Olympics, but read on and you'll understand why...

While I was at this Rugby League ground because the company I work for were using their meeting rooms to host an all-dayer to preach to the foot soldiers like myself I couldn't help but think of the wisdom issued by referee's prior to scrums in their rival sport, Rugby Union...

I'm not going to use this as a forum to debate the merits of League vs Union or vice versa, all I'm saying is that the strategy voiced in Union's four words: Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage, cannot be overlooked for its simplicity and greatness.

Crouch: Prepare yourself.

We've all heard the old adage 'Failure to Prepare, is Preparation for Failure' - surely not a truer statement has ever been made?!

When was the last time you charged into a situation without thinking about it first and come out with a 100% successful conclusion?

Touch: Confirm your position.

Know where you stand and how you fit in to the area where you want to gain success.

When you research a subject you should also look to research yourself; What factors are required of your chosen field? Which attributes do you have that suit these factors?

Pause: Check your information, then check it again.

Think through your plan of attack, is the information you've referenced to form your strategy complete? Is it correct? (never rely on just 1 source for information).

Engage: Go for it!

With the other steps adhered to you're now best equipped for success - but if you do fail use the lessons you've learned to plan your attempt...true success is born of the lessons learned from failure!

Righto, enough preaching from me - back to the fun and sport and meetings of interesting peoples...

The Everyman Olympics 1st Birthday!

Some Birthday candle eh?!

I began my mission to tackle every sport in the Games, rather conveniently on my 33rd Birthday, this week I turned 34 on The Everyman Olympics 1st Birthday!

Personally I believe that when most of us arrive at our 30's we take an introspective look at ourselves, reminisce on what we've done so far and reassess what we want to achieve - then work out how to get it.

I guess I took a little longer than most to work out my goals; What would I like to do with my life? (Probably the only question we ALL share).

When I started out with the idea for The Everyman Olympics I didn't do any regular sport, had the dietary habits of a fast food restaurant employee on the late shift who happened to like a drink straight after work, and the hand-eye coordination of an elephant...I looked like this:

I weighed 14 stone 4 pounds (200lbs / 90.9kg) and had the physique of a bag of spuds.

The facial hair may have calmed down since then (though if you follow me you'll know that at one stage I had a ginger hedge for a head), I now look like this:

I weighed 13 stone 7 pounds (189lbs / 85.9kg) when I stood on the scales the morning of my 34th and while I'm still chasing the original goal of losing a stone, my physique is starting to look more toned (less spud-like) and there are firm bumps where loose lumps once roamed.

I've met some very excellent people along my journey from swimming pool attendants to former World Record holders, but I've still got miles to go!

So far I've tackled Rowing, Badminton, Running, Weightlifting, Road Cycling, Tennis, Canoeing, Decathlon, Swimming, Table Tennis, and am midway through Water Polo and Fencing...oh and now I'm starting Judo tomorrow!

Judo will be my 13th sport of 38, making me officially a 3rd of the way there...and it only took 1 year.

Please check out this page and if you can help with a sport I've yet to achieve or want to get involved then please get in touch:

Twitter...Facebook....Email

Or if you simply want to wish me a Happy Birthday! then add a comment below...Cheers!

Sprint advice from Team GBs finest

In my quest to perfect my training techniques as I look to do each sport for The Everyman Olympics justice I was able to meet up with Team GB's 400m ace Martyn Rooney today.

After waking up early at the missus in the Midlands I logged onto Twitter and couldn't believe my luck when Martyn replied to tweet of mine - he'd be training at Loughborough University's HiPAC - High Performance Athletics Centre.

Rooney is a Double Olympic Finalist & World Medalist, so I figured he could teach me a thing or too about the most dreaded of track events - the 400 metres sprint.

Martyn Rooney: Double Quick

I know what you're thinking - I've already completed The Decathlon Challenge (I just need to post the report...it is coming....honest!) BUT I've recently managed to get the opportunity to do another one - against real Olympians!!!

This next Decathlon will happen in Summer...hopefully...I'll keep you posted.

When I arrived at HiPAC Martyn was coming towards the end of a training session on the outdoor track, so I introduced myself as he walked back from one of his 150m sprints and then popped back inside the impressive building to wait for him to finish.

While I waited I had a chance to watch some of GBs finest talent train hurdles, sprinting and javelin - I know the latter sounds weird indoors but in the centre they have a purpose built area for this and use javelins without a point on them.

We spoke for around half an hour about everything from running technique to competing at the Olympic Games to legends Martyn knew and had trained with to the difference in training facilities here and in the US to preparations for London 2012.

I was buzzing when I left, I knew how to approach the toughest of the Decathlon races and I think there was even a mutual admiration as Martyn had asked about my quest and seemed to really like the idea of someone willing to attempt every sport.

It was a real privilege to meet a great athlete and a top bloke, I wish him all the best with prep for the World Championships in South Korea this August and come the Olympic Games I aim to be in the stadium cheering him on.

Martyn meets a massive beard wearing a fat lad

The Decathlon Challenge: Training

Aged 33 I have 2 distinct memories of the sport of choice I had in mind for this challenge, undertaken back in September, and they both involved the same man...

Watching arguably Great Britain's Greatest Ever Olympian at global athletics events on the tellybox as a nipper ...Daley Thompson.

What an Athlete!

And playing Daley Thompson on the game named after him on my old computer: Daley Thompson's Decathlon - the 1500m final took place in real time! You had to keep the animinated DT running for nearly 4 whole minutes - kids got blisters just getting the great man through this one event!

During The Canoeing Challenge I met a really sound chap called Henry - I'd later knock him off of his canoe but that's another story - he's a chilled fella who it turns out, happens to also be really good at the javelin.

Once I'd found this out I quizzed the man and he hooked me up with Clive, the man responsible for running Saffron Lane Sports Centre in Leicester.

Clive was probably a touch bemused by the request I made but nevertheless agreed that a few mates and I could come down to the club one Saturday in September and attempt to compete in our very own Decathlon.

There was just one issue he did highlight though: while the club owned the equipment for the Pole Vault, they didn't actually own any poles - not a problem I thought, I'd just get in touch with someone and borrow one...that'd be easy, right?!

Having booked a date I set about recruiting competitors; I asked friends, friends of friends, and spread the word on social networking sites.

I also made an effort to get in touch with actual athletes who might be able to provide tips for training and technique, in this respect I didn't get on too badly...

I broke the events down by category, thinking this would help with training:

3 Throwing Events = Shot Put, Javelin & Discus

3 Jumping Events = Long Jump, High Jump and Pole Vault

4 Running Events = 100m, 110m Hurdles, 400m and 1500m

I figured that if I could build a good pace for the 1500m, then shorten the distance and increase the pace that I'd soon nail the flat sprints...

I'd emailed local legend Dean Macey, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist for the Decathlon in 2006, here's his advice on this matter:

'First thing with training for the Decathlon is to remember that most of the events need power and speed, so don't waste to much time on training for the 1500m as its only one event in ten'.

Local Legend Dean Macey, with his Commonwealth Gold Medal

Ah...

I ditched my plans to run 1500m sets along the sea road at this point and relocated to Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre (which has an actual athletics) track from then on, where they had the equipment required for all 10 events.

'Power and Speed', Deano's words rang around in my head...thinking I had more power than speed already, I opted to train on my sprinting ability - as a 16 sec/100m guy at school I knew I'd need to put the work in...

I'm pretty sure that 100 metres never looked so long before. On my first attempt I started to fade after the first 40 metres - this was gonna be harder than I thought.

The view as I trudged back from the Finish Line

Twitter came in handy once again - this time I asked former European & Commonwealth 400m Champion Iwan Thomas MBE for some sprint training tips which sounded ace but to be honest I simply wasn't fit enough to follow them to the letter.

Iwan Thomas MBE: Double Quick

With a few weeks till the day of the Decathlon I looked to increase my focus on the other events, first up I borrowed a set of hurdles from the very helpful team at the sports centre.

I'm mythed how the pros manage this! I'm not kidding - even at 6ft tall, with hurdles set to competition height they're up beyond my hips...its like doing 10 High Jumps at speed, head on!

Keeping the sprint and hurdles training going (albeit with the hurdles set a few notches lower), I looked to add in some of the field events...

I used to throw Shot Put for my school as nipper so I had some idea on what to do with one, while the discus would take some effort to learn and I sought advice from the very best on the Javelin...

No, not from Henry as you may have thought but from former World Record holder (not to mention Olympic Silver & Bronze medalist, European & Commonwealth Champion!!!), Steve Backley OBE.

Steve launches another rocket.

Armed with tips I again went back to the great folk of Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre and asked to borrow the three items that would help me train for the field events..and was denied!!

Seems for 'Health & Safety' reasons I needed to have certain athletics qualifications to use the blooming equipment - I was gutted, but I gather their insurance wouldn't cover them I speared myself / dropped the shot on my foot / smashed my teeth out with the discus...so I couldn't complain, they were simply doing their jobs.

I would have to learn a hell of a lot from my first attempts on the Big Day...

...to be continued...