Setback!

OK first I have to say that in January I knew there was gonna be one major setback that I would have to factor in to the training schedule….Blackpool! It’s basically an annual four day hockey tour that takes place over the Easter weekend and isn’t renowned for its intensive training regime!!

Therefore I needed to do something in the week in order to make up for the carnage that would follow. On Monday I attended a “walk talk” with Roger Black, Olympic silver medallist and ambassador of Scottish Widows, the Parish Walk sponsor. It was really interesting to hear an insight from such a high profile athlete (along with a Parish Walk panel) who gave some great advice, especially concerning training partners. His number one tip was that if you find a training partner it forces you to turn up to training sessions etc. If you’re on your own it’s very easy to slack off because you know you’re just letting yourself down and this rang true as self-motivation has always been a major hurdle of mine!

After the talk and a quiet word with Roger and an extremely cheesy picture I headed to the gym for a spinning and weights session as per normal. The only other sport I managed until we headed off on the Thursday was my Wednesday night footy session (unless you count watching the champions league on Tuesday night!)

So onto Blackpool….and with a hockey team full of athletes such as CHC is renowned for, it came as no surprise to me that straight off the boat and after meeting up with the rest of the team a sporting event was soon underway. Jaegerbomb pong went down well and it really is a privilege to watch such dedicated athletes in action. As it was my first tour and we had 3 games the next day I decided to prepare well (?!) and get an early night so I disappeared to bed at 9:30pm…..strangely very shortly after the pong had finished…..not a good tour start!

There is far too much to write about over the next 3 days, although since the tour motto changed from “goes on tour, stays on tour” to “goes on tour, goes on facebook” there is unfortunately photographic evidence of most of the weekend. Not too many of actual hockey though……but then I don’t remember playing much! We all did however learn on tour to “do more”, “be better” and “man up”, 3 phrases that are going to define the rest of my training and will be ringing in my ears 6,000 metres up in Tanzania and on the long long roads of the Parish Walk.

Finally, I do just have to give a nod to James “Pasty boy” Russell for some impressively awful dice action, counting himself down during a game of 21, terrifying female opponents and team-mates alike and being a general menace (no nicknames mentioned); Sam Spooner must get a shout for providing the most epic failure by booking 4 of us on the boat that had left 13 hours before; and of course the real legend of the entire tour….step forward Mr Elton Ron. We definitely won’t let the sun go down on him…..

Dave.