Stupidly running with a broken hand

Sometimes I am bloody stupid.

I demonstrated that way back in November.


I do things I know wont help me or things that will jeopardize my falling apart body.
The trouble is I am a glutton for punishment and a silly fucker at times.

Therefore sometimes when I cut my nose off to spite my face I do silly things and sometimes, just sometimes it works out all right and I surprise myself.

Coming 32nd out of 746 runners in a seven mile muddy obstacle course race with a broken hand wrapped up in waterproof bags and tape was to me an achievement.

The Lactic Fallout at the Secret Nuclear Bunker in Kelvedon Hatch would not defeat me and even as a one armed bandit I wanted to best it.

The trouble is that even though I made it through relatively unscathed (a couple of knocks that made me scream) I want to know how fast I could have run and where would I have come if I would have been fully fit and not a walking wounded old man.

I have to push myself you see. Ii cannot say 'I am injured and have to sit out'. Well I can, as there is no way with my hand that I can play rugby at the moment and it makes typing this slow and laborious. Also it has affected my gym work and my workouts consists of legs, core, CV and more legs at the moment.

That urge to prove to yourself that I can do this one handed was overwhelming and also I didn't want to lose the money I paid for the race. So basically I was a stubborn bastard.

For years I have done adventures obstacle races and every time have given it my all but never have I come so far up the field.

I should be proud of the fact that I came in 32nd place with a broken hand. Not bad really. I finished in one hour seven minutes and four seconds. Only ten minutes behind the winner.

Instead I feel annoyed that I could have broken the top twenty, maybe even the top ten. Basically I will never be satisfied.

Jason and I before the mud

So  can run a race and one handed manage to climb over a cargo net or crawl one handed through thick gloop. I can just about manage to get over a wall one handed but had to admit one handed monkey bars was a rung too far, literally. But I cannot grip a steering wheel and drive or do my flies up without intense pain and hardship.

Its stupid really. I can run through mud, water and uneven fields but keep accidentally smashing cups of tea and coffee when I accidentally go to grab my mug with my gimpy hand.

Hurry up and heal. I miss lifting weights and being able to shower without taking of strapping. Oh and I hate this bloody brace thing that I have to wear for protection.

After the race. Jason came 111th.

The next run I do will be fully fit. But I doubt I will come as high as 32nd.

Should I have run this race? Probably not. The two knocks I got hurt today and make me think that I am an idiot. Rest is a good thing, but I cannot sit still. Especially when this is going on on my doorstep.

I am basically writing this because I am fed up with being injured and bored with not being able to do things I want to do.

Heal body, heal!

R.I.P Mr. Mandela

Back in 2008 while I traveled up from Cape Town through Southern Africa I had the chance not only to climb Table Mountain but also visit a site of importance to the world.

This site is none other then the former leper colony turned penitentiary of Robben Island.

The world knows this place as the home for 27 years to Nelson Mandela, who today sadly passed and left us at the age of 95.

For my whole life I grew up seeing him on TV and hearing stories about him.

I remember seeing him released from prison and seeing him on the TV being sworn in as South Africa's first black president.

His legacy will live on as in death he will still have a massive presence in the worlds conscience.

It is not often you see the passing of someone so remarkable and great that the world mourns all as one. A collective tear drips from the eyes of the entire planet.

Nelson Mandela is someone who all school kids in the future should be made aware of. He will never have an equal and will never be forgotten.

When I stood in the drill yard at Robben Island it felt cold than it should. The sun seemed to disappear and the shadows ruled.

the quarry is a terrible sight on the island. The blinding sun would radiate off the white stones and cause irreparable damage to the eyes. Countless people suffered and suffered all in the name of apartheid. A dirty word and something that must never be repeated.

Robben island is frequented by cape penguins. They waddle along without a care in the world looking happy and silly. Somehow they seem so lost on this place that has seen so much suffering.

Looking back at the mainland from the island I could almost feel the struggle inmates must have felt. knowing that just across the waters were loved ones and friends and freedom. But between them was treacherous water, sharks, cold and guards with guns.

I looked at the island from the top of table Mountain. I was lucky that the table cloth cloud had lifted and my panoramic views were unspoiled and gorgeous.

From this side I could see why that island had made such a good prison. the African Alcatraz.

I never met the guy or saw him from afar. Nevertheless he made an impression on me and I sat down to read Long Walk to Freedom and have seen many of the biopics made about him.

Today is a day everyone should write in their diary 'Nelson Mandela sadly died'. A day of sadness in history but a day where everyone will remember him for the good he caused.

His statue in Parliament square I assume will be awash with flowers tomorrow.

Rest in peace Mr. Mandela, rest in peace.

The smiling face of Mr. Mandela can be seen in Brick lane