The Athletics Challenge: The Everyman Olympics Decathlon Day

On the morning of the big day back in September 2010, I rolled into the empty car park of Saffron Lane Stadium in Leicester and waited nervously in my car for the other competitors to arrive for The Decathlon Challenge.

I'd been doing what training I could at Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre and though I was still carrying a lot of weight I had managed to get some training tips from local Decathlon legend, former Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold medalist, Dean Macey.

Coach Macey: Commonwealth Decathlon Gold Medalist 2006

First to turn up was my girlfriend's father Chris and his lovely wife Elaine, Chris had recently completed an incredibly tough challenge of his own in an impressive time frame; LEJoG - the Land's End to John o'Groats bike ride.

Soon afterwards the other contenders and some much appreciated helping hands arrived so we entered the stadium and met up with Clive, the manager of the facility, who'd very generously given us the opportunity to use the stadium for surely the only amateur Decathlon he'd ever hosted.

Equestrian Challenge Training, Day 1 to Trojan

Yestereve I rolled up at Wildwoods Riding Centre in leafy Tadworth (Surrey), there were youngsters learning to canter on real live horses but for me on Day 1 of training there was a metallic beastie awaiting me called the Trojan.

The best riding school I've ever known.

Sue welcomed me in and outlined the facts of my contract, and before I signed she made sure I was aware that real horses have their own minds and the chances of having a fall were high, 'Everyone does' she said - I loved her manner, no nonsense and really warm at the same time.

AP McCoy's Got Nothing On Me

Earlier this evening I took myself along to a great local store to get fitted up for some new togs, though these aren't the ones I've promised myself for reaching 5 miles running...these are for The Equestrian Challenge.

The Raleigh Equestrian was my shop of choice, after checking out their website I knew this was the one for me and when I rolled up, the lovely ladies there were of great help in getting me kitted out.

The Eskimos have departed, fearful of the Horsey Folk!

The Fat Lad takes up a Brotherly Challenge

Afternoon folks!

Yesterday I mentioned in Blood, Sweat & Beers that my brother - who I might add is in the latter stages of his fourth decade and runs marathons for fun - challenged me to run 5 miles in 55 minutes or less.

Mike threw the gauntlet down just after I'd told him of my achieving the 5 mile distance on Thursday's run, for the first time since he shepherded me to 5.1 miles on the last leg of The Running Challenge last Spring.

As you'd have guessed, I took up the challenge like a fat lad accepts the offer of cake!

Blood, Sweat & Beers

Hello there! Yes it's long over due that I popped my head in to say hello and give you an update on my endeavours to tackle a challenge in EVERY Olympic sport before London 2012, brace yourselves - I warn you this isn't pretty...

Having tried to knock my own head off during Race Three in The BMX Challenge, and then attempted to avoid being fatally wounded while playing with swords for The Fencing Challenge, I took a mini break up in the Lake District with my missus and some wonderful friends from Doncaster (you may know Chris & Trish from The Tennis Challenge and The Badminton Challenge...oh and The Table Tennis Challenge!).

June and July are months where my ability to make time for sporting tasks is challenged to the maximum, due to long long days at work and the desire to maintain my relationship with the best lass a fat lad could ever hope to snare.

During this time I've been away to Berlin for a trade show for work and tagged on a weekend out there with some pals - this involved a lot of testing of the local restaurants and draining of the hotel bar, though I did push myself into the gym for a punishing run the morning after one particularly taxing night on my liver.

Managed just 3 miles and felt like death

Don't let this convince you I'm not trying or going back to my old ways mind, I have been busy working my way up to running the furthest distances of my rather mediocre sporting life. In an attempt to build stamina for challenges like Football and Triathlon that I have ahead, I've set myself the mission of running three 10k's a week - a feat I feel will enable me to chat freely with 'proper' runners whenever I bump into them.

Man vs...Robotic Horse

Yestereve after work I rolled up at Wildwoods Riding Centre in Tadworth, Surrey, I arrived in the hope of finding a coach for the Equestrian Events and left having experienced something that I'd never have dreamed of...and I have some pretty unusual dreams...

If Paco Robanne made a fragrance for Wildwoods then its scent would be best described as 'Horsey Muck...(I mean) Musk' - sure fire winner with the English Aristocracy methinks.

At this stage I'd like to thank Samantha Lowe, yes you may well recognise the name from The Judo Challenge, well Sam being the joy that she is, only went and put me in touch with her pal Trix, who's also lovely and in turn made a few calls and pointed me in the direction of Anthea Chambers at Wildwoods. Thanks also go out to Trix!

Moving on...

Anthea and Office Manager, Jan Dulake, had a good chat with yours truly and we agreed that I'd pay for a block of lessons, during which we'll try and build in my Equestrian Challenges.

BMX Training

Evening y'all, have you been well? As ever I've been a busy bearded fellow (yes, it's starting to creep back) and I'm now balancing the very different sports of Fencing and BMX racing - can you think of two more distanced events?

I know I owe you the post on The Pistol Shooting Challenge (at this point I'll blame the missus as she's the one I'm waiting on for some photos from the big day) and yes I know I also owe you posts on Decathlon, Tabe Tennis and Swimming...stay with me folks, I promise they're be crackers when they arrive!

This evening after work I drove over to Dagenham for a second training session at BADBMX - the best BMX racing circuit I've ever seen! (Granted, it's the ONLY one I've ever seen, but I'm confident it is the best!).

Coach Seaman kitted me out with a bike and helmet and then I joined in with the evenings training session - I kid you not I was a clear 20 years older than most of my fellow BMXers.

To start with there were other folk on bikes who are legally old enough to drink, drive and get married but once the real work got underway they stayed at the starting line to practice gate technique  - this is to say that they were there to hone their starting skills for the beginning of a race.

Myself and my mixed bag of new friends, ranging from 8 to 14 years of age, then leaping to me at 34, were put through timed drills at diffferent stages of the track.

In every section I was stone cold last.

At the end of the session we did individual laps. My first effort didn't go too well and I almost came off of the bike no less than 5 fives times. FIVE!

Starting my second and final lap I really was beginning to feel the warmth of this club and its youthful members, I'd completed lap 1 in 62.17 seconds - everyone else was managing to nail their second laps in less than 1 minutes more than their first, so I had 63.17 to beat in my bid for glory...

A smoother lap yet my legs felt so heavy on the bends that I needed every adrenalin raising shout of support to get me over the finish line. Once I'd rolled to a stop my breathing was so loud in my helmet that I missed part of what Coach Seaman shouted but I caught the important bit..

'63 seconds point ??...well done mate, that's less than a minute over!'

Connor (14) congratulated me. He'd rattled round in less than 45 seconds...