Totally Tough

Tough Mudder is on the horizon and I have the information you need... the layout of the course and exactly what we'll be putting ourselves through. You? You get to rest at home and laugh at the idea (and later the pictures) of us putting ourselves through hell (+mud) for our favourite charity, Chanctonbury Community PlayScheme.

But of course you can help. Share our page on Facebook, link us on Twitter  and please donate to our Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/CCPS

On to the course! To remind you, there are 21 obstacles across just under 12 miles.

Tough Mudder London South 2013 course map

Obstacles

 1. Kiss of Mud  

After nearly a mile run comes crawling/ sliding under barbed wire in a delicious water/mud mix.

2. Glory Blades
Let's leap over a 10' wall. Easy.

3. Walk the Plank

Jumping off a really, really high platform into water. I hope there's water. With my fear of heights, I just can't wait to leap into nothing and get freezing cold and wet. Looks like there's a bit of a swim afterwards, too.

4. Log Jammin'
Also known as the Log Bog Jog, it is constructed of - surprisingly - logs, balanced across each other so you have to go over and under them. I've seen a lot of photos where there is barbed wire on the top of the lowest ones, forcing you to get down in the mud to get under them.

5. Dirty Ballerina
After 2.5miles of the course, suddenly the ground opens up in big, dirty holes. Guess what? Climbing in and out of them is not an option, we have to leap from edge to edge, trying not to fall into the muddy water in between. And, as the day goes on, the walls with crumble and slide into the water, making the gaps wider and the jumps more difficult.

6. Human Gecko

I'm really glad that Sarah, Kariss and I have become obsessed with Boulder Brighton and have spent the last few weeks climbing in every spare moment. Because this obstacle looks fun! Not sure why the water is green though? #infection

7. Arctic Enema

You know the score. It's freezing. We have to be fully submerged. It looks like this!

8. Kiss of Mud #2

As with the first obstacle but this time we'll have travelled 3.5miles so I think we will be gagging for a lie down. Happily, our spectators will probably be able to take some photos of us squirming through the mud. Can't wait.

9. Boa Constrictor

This doesn't look so bad in photos but the videos show that the clearance between the top of the tunnel and the top of the water is tiny. Hello claustrophobia and fear of drowning.

10. Funky Monkey

See those guys swinging free across the monkey bars as if it's easy and natural? See that woman clinging on for dear life just right of the centre? Want to bet which one I'll be?

11. Mud Mile

I was hoping that the Matterly Bowl people wouldn't want Tough Mudder carving big lumps out of the ground to create this obstacle. Sadly they have and, as someone who has been running up and down beaches for fun, this is going to hurt. A lot.

12. Hold Your Wood

Unsurprisingly, this is a section accross which we have to carry a lump of wood. No saying what the terrain is going to be like though, as they've said this can be uphill or through water or the ubiquitous mud.

13. Fire Walker

Run through fire. Or jump over fire. Or, and this is exciting, jump across fire and into water. Exciting, why? Because you get the joy of potentially being burnt with the effort of jumping and of course the chance to get totally soaked. Again.

14. Island Hopping

So excited for this one! I'll be reliving Total Wipeout - hope I get across!

15. Trench Warfare

Another one for the fans of claustrophobia. I was quite worried about this one as the wooden boards across the top of the trenches mean the tunnels probably won't collapse on us. Probably.

16. Electric Eel

They obviously think we will need a lie-down by this point in the course (over 7 miles) because this is the second obstacle in a row where we'll be laying on our stomach.

But this time we will be getting electrocuted. As you do.

17. Hero Carry

I couldn't find out what this obstacle is but the chances are it involves carrying more logs (or Kenny!). I'm voting we all join together for this  -----> 

I won't cope by myself!

18. Hero Walls

Big walls. Really, really big walls. Hoping to stand on someones shoulders, to be honest!

19. Cage Crawl

Another obstacle without a lot to go on but I found this picture. So I guess it's swimming or crawling in a trench with so little head-room that most people seem to do this on their backs. They really like combing the fears of drowning and claustrophobia!

But we get to dry out with around 2 miles of uninterrupted running. Yay!

20. Everest

Sadly, not the climb that we nick-named Everest at Boulder Brighton, instead a greased half-pipe. No flipping clue how we can get over this. Especially as we will be totally knackered, having run, crawled, swum and slithered 11.5miles by this point. Human chain, perhaps?

21. Electroshock Therapy

To finish we get to charge across a very short stretch. A little bit more running, maybe I can muster up the energy to do that... if it didn't involve being electrocuted!

And that's all!

Time for a drink and a well deserved rest (and the masses of food I'm going to pack in the car!)

Come on TeamCCPS, we can do this!

Don't forget to sponsor us: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/CCPS

Disability Worthing - A PA's guide

As well as working as SEN Pastoral Support I do a little personal assistant work for children or young adults with disabilities. Every so often I want to know about new places I can go and whether they will be accessible to me and my client.

To make it easier for you to see if the venue will suit you too, I will include when I last visited and who I took there!

Aquarena swimming pool                                                                                       Where? Here

I'm pretty sure it has closed down now [Edit. Yes it has]. Part of me is glad, because the last time I went it was filthy and it was difficult to supervise my brother getting changed. He is 23 and has Down's Syndrome and is reasonably independent - the problem came when I had to loiter in the corridor between the male and female changing areas. This is where the gym doors are so I felt a little foolish! I also wasn't pleased when I found out the reason he was taking so long: the lockers are a type I haven't come across for years, they take less money but don't return it when you open the locker again. My brother had turned the key too soon and lost his 10p. I ended up going into the male change room to rescue him, and also running upstairs having thrown some clothes back on to get some change.
Brilliant.
On the positive, the staff there knew my brother by name and were very friendly and polite. As the new staff have been transferred to Splashpoint I'm sure they will carry on their good customer service. Which I'm glad is the only thing that will carry on....
Last visited: April 2013

Berick's Cafe, Findon                                  Website                                                        Where? Here

Another place I visited with my brother. He wanted to go out for breakfast and so we ended up at Berick's Cafe. I was impressed by the friendliness of the two staff working - neither were fazed by our arrival and they were patient when my brother placed his order. They didn't do the classic check-what-the-person-with-speech-impediment-is-saying-by-looking-at-their-neighbour, which always irritates me, and the food was lovely. They also have brownie points for selling us orange juice without bits in (you really don't want to know what happens when you give him juice with bits in).
Last visited: April 2013

Mewsbrook Park, Littlehampton                                 Website                                      Where? Here

Mewsbrook Park is a lovely place to have a gentle walk. There are wide paths around the small lake so accessibility is no problem, especially as the park has good parking at both north and south entrances. I tend to park on the south side in Hendon Avenue as it is essentially a cul-de-sac. I go here mostly with a teenage girl with mobility issues as it takes us a little over half an hour to get round the lake (quite slowly, admittedly) so it's a nice, non-stressful place to stroll. There is a play park at the north end too.
It's never too busy but is frequented by dog-walkers so beware if your child/client is scared of dogs. Or swans for that matter. There are a couple of viewing platforms with information about the birds which is a nice touch.
Last visited: Summer 2012


Worthing Library                                                Website                                             Where? Here

You've got to love your local library! Free and warm with a nearly endless supply of books suitable for everyone. I've curled up in the kids section with teenage clients before, reading them stories because of the horrible weather outside. I've never had anyone upset that the person I'm with is usually about ten years older than the other children in the kids area. However, the children's/disabled toilet is tiny, and quite difficult to help someone go to the loo in such a cramped space!
Last visited: May 2013


Steyning Swimming Pool                                       Website                                             Where? Here

I went here with my brother the week after our fairly disastrous trip to the Aquarena so my expectations were close to rock bottom. But Steyning pool turns out to be quite lovely. The facilities are clean and new, with changing rooms on the pool side so there are no problems with waiting outside the gents for my brother to change. we went at a specified lane-swimming time and the pool was quiet and calm with a minimum of family swimmers even though the next session included fun floats. The life-guards didn't panic at my brother's doggy paddle, trusting that I knew what I was doing with him! This has been a problem at Felpham swimming pool with a different client (P) who prefers to swim with a woggle or swim noodle. I had to prove that he could swim without one which caused him a lot of distress, just so he could swim lengths. I'm a lifeguard myself so I know they can't take people's word for it that their friends, relatives or clients can actually swim but I couldn't put P through that everytime a new lifeguard was there and, as they seemed to change shifts every week, I ended up acting as a buoy so he wouldn't swim too far.
Anyway, I found Steyning relaxing as well as clean and they had the added bonus of not putting the unhealthy drinks and snacks machines near the exit so my little brother couldn't spend his money on junk food!
Last visited: April 2013


Swanbourne Lake, Arundel                                      Website                                         Where? Here

I used to love coming here as a child as there are plenty of hills to climb and woodlands to explore. Other than that you can have a pleasant, if bumpy, walk around the lake in about an hour or rent a rowing boat. Not recommended for wheelchair access, especially as the parking is limited and involves a little walk up the road without pavements. I also think that the toilets have turnstiles although this may have changed. There are always plenty of ducks, swans and other water fowl to see and feed and, in the summer, the ice-cream shack sells beautiful ice-creams! The cafe isn't bad but there are narrow doorways and a few steps to negotiate. Good place to picnic or have a walk around here, feed the ducks, row in a boat and then head down the road to The Black Rabbit pub for a drink on the river-side.
Last visited: Summer 2012


Ferring Country Centre                                       Website                                             Where? Here

One of my favourite places, not least because my brother goes here. Recently they had a Royal visit to open their small animal pavilion so that at least is worth a visit! The small animal farm is a great place to go, I go every summer, although the ground is a little bumpy but there's not a lot of walking so it shouldn't be a problem. They have a wide range of animal including pygmy goats - my favourite! - and plants, fresh veg and other produce for sale. They also have a superb riding for the disabled unit with gentle horses and kind staff and volunteers and even a hoist. There is also a cafe on site. Parking is limited, but flexible - every summer we take around 70 special needs children here in shifts through CCPS and they are wonderful to us! Cannot recommend enough.
Last visited: Feb 2013

Hope these ideas and reviews help - I will add more when I have time. 
On the training front, we had another 5:30 training session this morning and it was hell! I found running up and down Highdown Hill really difficult but Martin reckons it's psychological. The pain in my feet definitely wasn't! At any rate, we have just under 4 weeks to go so I better get over whatever it is. 
I'll let you know!

Wow!

Judging by our hits yesterday, you all appreciate the new post - thank you all for your support! Don't forget that I always appreciate comments or messages so keep in touch.


Early morning run update - yet another early start! Anyone near Worthing or Goring beach at 5.30 this morning would have seen up trotting, panting and sweating along as best we could; if not enthusiastically, at least determinedly! We hit 4 miles (which is a good distance for one of our high intensity morning workouts) with, you guessed it, more bloody "smilies" to top it off. It was a fair amount of torture but all of us managed to drag ourselves to the Chanctonbury Community Playscheme AGM this evening; well, all except Kariss who went to netball training, but she's just nuts! 


We have another group training session this Thursday, this time on obstacles, I'll let you know how that goes. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. See you there!

Sheepishly shuffling back to Blogger

No relevance to the rest of the post - a wall in
Germany that makes music in the rain.  I
want to visit here please!

Hi. Clearly, my first sentence has to be an apology for quite how long it has been since my last blog post. Hopefully, some of you have been following my Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or JustGiving pages, all of which have been updated with much more frequency than this poor, abandoned little blog. But for anyone who hasn't had a update since (ouch) Feb 28th, I am sorry.

I am not sorry about how much work I have been doing because training is going well, both group training and individual. So in this post I will give a fairly brief overview of how things are going and what we've been up to.








Group Training 
Remember my colleague who agreed to be our PT to prepare us for Tough Mudder? Mr

Not long now!

101 days left until Jun 9, 2013 -- Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder training - fitness check up

Remember this guy?

This is the fearsome Martin, fitness instructor, P.E. champ, all round good egg, previously of the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, and was first introduced to you back in December when he put us through our paces in a combined Bleep Test and exercise / torture session. Since then he has been tracking our fitness (remember Kenny complaining about our fitness plan?) and has reappeared like a scary energiser bunny to whisk us back to the gym to check our progress. 

*For 'gym' read 'school hall'; we're doing this on a budget, people!

Of course, having spent two months learning how to do press-ups, working on our sit-ups and counting every step we take, we're clearly in tip-top peak physical condition, right?

Shoddy and Kariss get lunging.

After all, we work in a school and everyone knows that running around after small children is hard work. It's certainly my excuse for eating so many biscuits. So immediately after

Zombies, Run - the review

If you remember way back in January, I set out to try a couple of apps to see if they would help improve my fitness, motivation and inability to put down the cake. Finally I have time to let you know how that went. First, Zombies, Run:

I downloaded the Zombies, Run 5K edition for the bargain price of 69p (now £1.49, sorry!); 

quite a big step for me as I have never bothered to pay for an app before as I find that there are a great many good free ones so I am not affected by not having whichever paid apps are trending this week. However, something about Zombies, Run spoke to me and, throwing caution to the wind, spent my 69p on it. 

Having played it for a few weeks, 5K really does seem to be a training app in the best