Dane "DC" Grant

Enter The Dragon

2011-12-07T11:13:00.001+02:00

I do love the view from my office window!

I was recently involved in an awesome project with my sponsors, New Balance, to help launch the New Balance Dragon Pack shoes for 2012. (Next year being the Chinese "Year of the Dragon" and all.)

I seriously LOVE my job! Running along Cape Town's rooftops, outsprinting the Scooter tracking Camera, climbing down multistory rooftops to street level in record time, high level gap-jumps.....

....all at night

.....while wearing a Ninja Suit!

Oh, and I met the "Douglas Green" dude from that old SA advert!

Check out Shoestring Productions blog for more awesome images and info:

Shoestring Productions Blog

Kings Block House - Cape Town

2011-09-28T09:17:00.001+02:00

Some call it keeping fit, others might even say it's training. Me? I'm just a tourist doing my sight-seeing (and caching) rounds.

This building in the forefront is called the Kings Block House. It's situated at the foot of Devil's Peak, just above Rhodes Memorial, and is often the cause of the question: "Hey, I wonder what that building is?" as you drive past on the motorway.

Fun Fact: The Swedish cannons date back to 1782, and with basic restoration could work again today.

Regards,
Dane

www.reelmotion.co.za
Parkour / Freerunning / Academy / Stunts / Events

Meet the GoPro #HeroesWalk Team

2011-09-27T23:26:00.001+02:00

Left to Right- Ray Chaplin, Dewald De Jager, Dane Grant

Final equipment checks and chats. Only 3 days to go now.

(Testing a pixelpipe web upload)

#HeroesWalk

2011-09-26T14:44:00.001+02:00

"What's this #HeroesWalk I keep hearing about?"
Friday 30th September 2011 marks the start of the GoPro Heroes Walk. This +/- 150km casual stroll along the coastline kicks off in Cape Town and 3 days later culminates at the Two Oceans Whale Festival in Hermanus.

"Why?"
Why not! Is my first response. However we do have something special in mind and we are supporting the I AM WATER Ocean Conservation Trust. Click the link and read up about the education and awareness projects they get involved with. All in the name of saving one of our greatest natural resources on this planet.

I will also be taking the opportunity to pressure test a few pairs of New Balance shoes. One of them being the new barefoot Minimus range which I've been Parkour testing over the last few days.

"Who?"
I will be in the company of the great Ray D. Chaplin. Ray has already walked from Cape Town to Beit Bridge before, and has lost count of the amount of times he's cycled from Cape Town to Johannesburg. He once did it on a single speed bicycle with backpedal brakes!!!). Click his link to read up on the next major adventure which involves circumnavigating the globe via both poles on human power only!!!

We will also be joined by adventure newbie Dewald De Jager from GoPro South Africa, who will be filming the whole adventure and earning his adventure noddy badge with us.

"How can I get involved?"
1) Follow and Tweet us using the #HeroesWalk tag
2) Join us on the walk
3) Sponsor us

For every R10 000 we raise, one of us will walk in a sea inspired costume!
Standard Bank, Hillcrest
Account: 62552279
Branch Code: 005726
Reference: HeroesWalk

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Adventure Club RMX)

2011-08-03T08:32:00.000+02:00

What a weDUBNESSday tune! It's been on repeat all week. For a change, I've included lyrics. (Something I'm going to do, where possible, for all the tracks on the blog)

Flight Facilities is a bit of a one-hit-wonder mystery Australian DJ duo with their track, "Crave You" featuring vocals from Giselle Rosselli.

Adventure Club, another duo DJ mix (Christian Srigley and Leighton James), took the track and did their dub Montreal Magic...creating this legendary piece!

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Lyrics)
"Why can’t you want me like the other boys do?

They stare at me while I stare at you
Why can’t I keep you safe as my own?
One moment I have you the next you’re gone
Rehearsed steps on an empty stage
That boy’s got my heart in a silver cage
Why can’t you want me like the other boys do?
They stare at me while I crave you

I walked into the room dripping in gold
Yeh dripping in gold
I walked into the room dripping in gold
Dripping in gold
A wave of heads did turn or so I’ve been told
Or so I’ve been told
My heart broke when I saw you kept your gaze controlled
I cannot solve

Why can’t you want me like the other boys do?
They stare at me while I stare at you
Why can’t I keep you safe as my own?
One moment I have you the next you’re gone
Rehearsed steps on an empty stage
That boy’s got my heart in a silver cage
Why can’t you want me like the other boys do?
They stare at me while I crave you

It’s true I crave you
Crave You
It’s true I crave you

Let’s just stop and think, before I lose face
Surely I can’t fall, into a game of chase
Around his little finger, that boy has got me curled
I try to reach out, but he’s in his own world
This boy’s got my head tied, in knots with all his games
I simply want him more because he looks the other way

I am craving you"

Nero - Promises (Skrillex/Nero RMX)

2011-07-27T16:04:00.001+02:00

WeDUBNESSday returns! With my recent relocation and lack of decent tinterwebling coh-neck-shins, I’ve not updated the blog as much. Super sad! I’m still not 100% up to speed, but this tune was too good not to share, AND it’s weDUBNESSday!!!

Yes, yes, I know … aNOTHer Skrillex tune. What can I say? I’m loving his tunes… But today's spotlight has the great vocal contribution from Alana Watson who is often seen working with the London duo Daniel Stephen and Joe Ray. Together they are known as NERO.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have (It's been on repeat the last few weeks!!!)

Nero – Promises (Skrillex and Nero REMIX)

Big Issue Magazine - 22 July 2011

2011-07-22T11:09:00.002+02:00

A fun day out shooting images for the 22 July 2011 BIG ISSUE article #183.

Every now and again an interview comes up which I really really enjoy, and this was definitively one of them. To be fair though, it did have a number of factors going for it before it even got off the ground.

Cape Town's 2011 so-called "winter" weather, scouting brand new locations in the CBD, plus the great vibe from photographer Damien Schumann and journalist Diana Strydom were just a few factors for making this one of those great media days out.

As soon as the magazine has gone off the shelves (Beginning August), then I'll post the article up on here plus a few of the extra images.

It's gonna get LOUDER! - DJ Fresh (UPDATED)

2011-06-01T07:30:00.003+02:00

The first time I heard this was in a YouTube dub dance video. So only fair to share it with you in the same format. Check it out first, then then continue below for the full track and write-up. (do not adjust your volume. Headphones & Bass highly recommended!)

DJ Fresh rolls out a kicking 2011 summer(Northern Hemisphere) club tune, only for it to then be dubbed one step higher by The Doc and Flux. Insane!!

The vocals are from Sian Evans, the lead singer of Kosheen. A DnB group I've really enjoyed for many years and lucky enough to have seen live at a few intimate gigs in the UK.

Without much further ado, time to roll the full track... Sit back (ha, yeah right) and enjoy!

***** UPDATE*****
I've noticed the soundcloud tune has been removed, hence the link not working anymore. Hmmm, irritatingly menacingly, downright just quite LAME!

Here's the YouTube link instead! (CLICK ME for the 320 download...)

Robotic Pirate Monkeys - Jukebox Hero (ft Foreigner)

2011-05-25T16:13:00.000+02:00

I featured these guys a short while back with their tune SING WITH ME and today it's their turn again with a classic remix of Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero" from 1981.

(This entire album is to download on their website)

I LOVE HOUSE MUSIC - June 3rd 2011

2011-05-19T14:22:00.000+02:00

STRICTLY RHYTHM PRESS RELEASE:
***OFFICIAL FACEBOOK EVENT***

"Fellow House Music Lover

Don’t you wish we could all share one day and honor HOUSE music…? Just one day in the year when we all throw our arms in the air for HOUSE music!

Well that day is upon us… Friday the 3rd June 2011 is the day that we aim to get all HOUSE music lovers sharing their LOVE for HOUSE.

Strictly Rhythm, perhaps the Grand Daddy of HOUSE music are going to kick things off…

Strictly Rhythm are calling out to HOUSE music fans across the Globe to celebrate the scene we love so much.

This will be nothing more that just a call to action to pledge your love for HOUSE music and share the love across the Globe.

Strictly Rhythm will be asking their fans to change their profile picture on Friday 3rd June and then through their social networks, post information on their favourite HOUSE music tracks / artists / clubs / moments. All we ask is you spread the message and make the 3rd of June the day we all LOVE HOUSE music…

HOUSE is a FEELING!

Lets get everyone sharing their love for HOUSE music across Twitter also and use the #ILHM tag, it would be great if we can make it a ‘trending topic’.

The Strictly Rhythm event page is found HERE, but feel free to create your own. To add the ‘I love HOUSE music’ icon to your Facebook and Twitter click HERE.

Strictly Rhythm will also be making available for a limited period some free content to say thanks to the fans and lovers of HOUSE Music, more details to follow."

"The Drunk Team - Rocked It"

2011-05-17T14:02:00.003+02:00

Erm, YES! That's all I can say about this midweek dance tune! I quite simply HAD to throw it up here A!S!A!P!

The Drunk Team - Rocked It (Link to the release details)

From Richard Grey's very own label "Pyramidal Record" (Collaborating with Strictly Rhythm) comes this awesome tune from Richard Grey and Plastik Funk, entitled "Rocked It"! And that's EXACTLY what the guys have done here.

Progressive House, Funky Piano Riffs together with a slight trance build! This one's definitively a win for any DJ record collection. I'd LOVE to hear the remixes of this when they start coming out...

Two links, Same song: Original Version on YouTube and a shortened edit on Beatport. Enjoy!

Twitter Over Capacity!

2011-05-13T20:34:00.003+02:00

Seen this one yet?

Today saw it happen again, and someone mentioned that Youtube was having issues as well. (Although in South Africa we still have connection)

This from Twitter:

"We are currently experiencing site stability issues. There may be intermittent issues loading twitter.com and Twitter clients. We’re working to fix it as soon as possible."

And just yesterday I saw a blog "10 Essential #Twitter Facts" which had some amazing facts that kinda make this "over capacity" message understandable!

460 000 new accounts opened on average every day
1 600 tweets EVERY SECOND / 140 million EVERY DAY

Whatever's going on, I'm guessing the $4bn valued Twitter HQ (or is that $10bn? Who knows.), is running around in circles right now trying to sort it out!

I would TWEET this blog, buuuuuuuuuut not possible! :-p

Welcome to Friday the 13th Twitter! ;-) (insert *evil* laugh) mwahahahaha

Pink Elephants and Monkeys!

2011-05-11T12:00:00.000+02:00

Two tunes for you today. Both are completely BONKERS! Let's GO!!

First one is a video that MUST BE SEEN! Linking in with last week's bonus tune from Danny Byrd who's based in Bath, UK .... I'll start you off with the Bristol, UK based DJ and producer, DJ Parker. Absolute legend on Dub/Break tunes. Definitively my kinda style of music!!

Today's mix from him though, is a bit ridonculous and hilarious!

DJ Parker & Moneyshot - Where's My Monkey

Parker - Where's My Monkey (Direct mp3 link)

And now for something completely different, or not...
Swedish DJ, Daladubz, had waaaaay too much fun with this next one! Heavier, brostep, awesome drops! Turn that bass/volume up and ENJOY!!!

Pink Elephants – Daladubz

Daladubz - Pink elephants VIP by Daladubz

I Ran - (Dane Grant - Jan '11)

2011-05-10T14:53:00.000+02:00

(An old draft I found today which I started writing after a run I completed back in January 2011. The entire run eventually ended up being about 2h:30m long. The next morning, with full intention of only running to wind down from the previous day .... I did it all again. A brand new route, got lost in the run, and wound up back home again over 2hours later. Here's why...)

Laced up, capped on, watered in,
My journey then began.
Leaving front doors, automatic gates and electric fences,
... I ran.

Not sure of the destination, the route, or how long it would take,
I resigned myself to the fact that this was something I needed to make.

With a mind so cluttered,
All it took was one foot in front of the other,
I ran till it all went away.

I ran.

It all started with a focussed goal to simply clear my head,
Voices plaguing me all night, lying awake in bed.
I had no idea of what, or when, or how, or why even me,
Oh how different, this run would eventually be!

I ran and ran till it all went quiet, and then it flared up again,
Till new things entered my mind. Sometimes it got insane!
Till the pain arrived, and disappeared. I had no intention to stop.
This journey WILL CONTINUE, even if it meant I'd physically drop!

I ran.

Sometimes I looked ahead,
Sometimes I looked down,
There were times I stopped looking all together,
Just absorbing everything around.

The friendly waves and occasional hoots, to get me up the hill.
The wind and breeze, the splash of a sprinkler,
All reminding me this moment was real.

I wound through the 'burbs, the businesses and brigades.
Through a 'kasi, kerkhof and kaal dirt-road terrain. **

I eventually arrived back,
Through the fences, gates and doors.
The guy who left that morning,
Was no more.

I Ran.

Dane Grant
© 2011 (All rights reserved)
**
- 'Kasi (Slang for eKasi or Township. I ran through Alexander township)
- Kerkhof (Afrikaans for Cemetery)
- Kaal (Afrikaans for naked/empty)

BELATED May 4th - Robotic Pirate Monkey

2011-05-08T11:37:00.004+02:00

(Belated Post - Due to Blogger not allowing new posts for a few days!!!! Grrrrrr)

May the FOURTH be with you on this weDUBNESSday! A day in each week to celebrate all things dub, and the past influences and the spin-offs still yet to come. Some tunes will be complete mix-n-mash ups, and some a lot more straight forward. I’ll post up what I like, and take it from there. Just cuz it’s popular, doesn’t mean I like it, and just cuz I like it, doesn’t mean it will be popular… ;-)

Today, I’m in a cheeeeeeeeelled mood. So, time for some cheeeeelled choooons…

For those of you who are not fans of DUB, I strongly suggest you check this song out. You neeeeeever know.... ;-)

Robotic Pirate Monkey - Sing With Me (ft Aerosmith)

Robotic Pirate Monkeys (RPM) - http://roboticpiratemonkey.com

This Colorado trio have been around for a relatively very short time, but have managed to make some big waves in the scene.

The tune I picked for today is their latest track, SING WITH ME. Sampling the Aerosmith tune “Dream On” from 1976!! (This will be a killer Parkour training video backtrack, imho!)

May 4th 2011 is a good time to be highlighting these guys as they launch their new EP tonight in Colorado. G’luck Gents. Let it be a ripper!!!!

Check ‘em out on Facebook, Like, Comment, Support! (and if you search their website, you’ll even find an album or two to download. Some GREAT tunes to find!!!
http://www.facebook.com/roboticpiratemonkey

BONUS TRACK

And JUUUUUUST because Blogger made this post late, I thought it only fair to throw in a bonus track. This is Drum 'n Bass producer and musician from the South West of England, Danny Byrd.

"From Bath With Love" has a chilled start and ending, with typical DnB sandwiched in-between. Enjoy!

Skism - "This, is my BOOMstick!"

2011-04-20T13:37:00.005+02:00

I think it only right to make mention of the London geezer who goes by the name of "SKISM" seeing as he was recently on tour in South Africa. And to seamlessly follow on from last week's Datsik & Excision post...

...this week we have Skism's remix of "Excision & Datsik - Boom" plus some smallprint below you might like. I've heard the original and find it lacking quite a bit. Especially with that loooooong pause in the middle. This remix from Skism brings a solid beat throughout, plus enough lifts and drops to make you really get into it without loosing too much of the song's original identity.

Excision & Datsik - Boom (Skism Remix)

And now just for kicks.... click THIS LINK to grab the 58Mb "Never Say Die - vol 7" mixed by Skism, with 33 HUUGE tunes. (Dire Straights remix, skrillex, roksonix, foreign beggars, nero, bare noize ... to name just a few)

Datsik / Excision - Nowhere To Run

2011-04-14T17:27:00.004+02:00

From the Canadian duo that brought us the infamous line: "Guess I got my swagga back" (If you've NOT heard swagga, click the link IMMEDIATELY!!!).... this next remix done by them is one I quite like. One of my main hassles with it, is it seems to end so soon!!! :-)

Apex - Nowhere To Run (Datsik & Excision remix)

An Introduction to: weDUBNESSday! (Dubstep Music)

2011-04-04T21:06:00.008+02:00

"it's no secret i love DUB! Therefore to all fans of music i declare 2011 from this day forth to be referred to as 'Twenty Dub One'! :-D"
(My facebook status update: 20th January '11)

"As a campaign to highlight the silent and often sadly overlooked D in the word WeDnesday I propose we alter it slightly. From now on, Wednesday shall be known as WeDUBNESSday!"
(My facebook status update: 16th March '11)

Quite clearly then, I like the Dubstep music genre (Or better referred to as simply, Dub). Especially the "dirty/harder" versions we see cropping up and evolving (big bass drops and wobbles, etc). Although I also enjoy remixes which have subtle dub nuances planted inside. It must come from my long love of Garage, Speed Garage, Acid Jazz, Tech Step, Jungle, Breakbeats, Electronic, Drum n Bass, and and and...

I remember radio mixes I used to tape one or two moons ago from the 5Fm's Reebok Classic show era on a Friday night with Derek "The Bandit" Richardson. It was during a midnight feature he had on called "the other side of dance" (I think it was), and often the mixes on there were done by some very popular DJ's at the time (such as Todd Terry), but using very experimental tunes and weird samples. Ones they could never get away with playing them in a club or on a big set. I loved these!! They never really fitted into one genre.

And look at us now! Fast forward a few years and the stuff is literally mainstream and all over the latest daytime radio playlists. As great as that sounds, perhaps it should remain in the clutches of only the select few who can work it well. (I very recently heard a, bad, Britney Spears song trying to use a small dub insert. Who knows why. It's definitively not for everyone...)

And with that brief history done..... I'll be keeping the DUB video posts on my blog here from now on (as opposed to Facebook) in order to be able to track them later on down the line. (and revive my blog page again, which I've been neglecting!)

Here are a few of my weDUBNESSday YouTube tunes that I've already posted up on Facebook the last few weeks. Fittingly, I'll start with Skrillex in this post. Loving his work at the moment. Most of these are remixes. If you want to check out his original works, then search for his second album "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites". (His debut album being, "My Name Is Skrillex")

iSquare - Hey Sexy Lady (Skrillex Remix)

La Roux - In For The Kill (Skrillex Remix)

Benny Benassi ft Gary Go - Cinema (Skrillex Remix)

Skrillex - Reptile

Happy 7th Birthday PKSA!

2010-10-14T08:55:00.001+02:00

It's Parkour South Africa's birthday!!

Today, 7 years ago, Neil Craig and I officially registered www.parkour.co.za. I remember speaking to him on the phone from the UK in 2003 and in a very excited voice saying, "We MUST introduce this to South Africa now! It's the most amazing thing ever. You've GOT to try it!"

A few months later, I was back in SA and on the streets of Pretoria handing out 100's of black & white A5 posters to passers-by. Inviting them to attend the first "official" pksa jam at the Union Buildings, and telling them all about Parkour.

The first PKSA website, as shocking as it was, I created with MS Frontpage and edited txt files using a Black background and White text schema. What a dreadful colour choice that was! Then it went through a Grey background and Black text, which was only marginally better. Later on Neil created the latest format of the website in a complex php design and it's stood the test of time. (We've had compliments from the parkour communities all over the world, and remain one of the few websites to have lasted since the initial international boom in 2003. Many of the other sites were created on free websites and died a slow death.)

Skip ahead 7 bumpy years (I went back to the UK for another 4 years and only arrived back in SA in 2008/9 to continue on the PKSA structure), and we now have well over 2000 people on the database and plenty more visiting our website on a monthly basis. Plus we have a regular international audience, with over 50 countries worldwide viewing our site and interacting on our forums.

Monthly training sessions (We call them "Gatherings"), just in Johannesburg alone, can attract well over 50 people at a time. Not to mention Durban, Cape Town and a few of the newer cities to attract followers such as Port Elizabeth, East London, Grahamstown, Stellenbosch, Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom ... to name a few.

I've even had a few emails from people up in the Limpopo province asking for advice on training.

Recently we've seen the neighbouring countries tag along for the ride, with Namibia being the most active and guys in Zimbabwe and Mozambique as well.

So here's to PKSA, and it's new transition about to happen in the next year. May it last for many more years!

Cheers!

Parkour - Breaking in new jumps

2010-10-11T11:48:00.000+02:00

(Not a "new jump", just one I like. Taken at "Planet Fitness", Wits)

You know how it is, you've watched a video or saw a picture of someone trying out "this amazing jump" that you just HAVE to try yourself. You get there, do the jump, and either A) feel amazing and walk away, or B) wonder what all the fuss was about and say "It wasn't THAT difficult".

But what you probably haven't considered, is what it took for that first person to break in the new jump. Now I'm not talking about "inventing" a new movement or "trick", and I'm also not taking ANYTHING away from nailing a jump that someone else might have already done. No, not at all! Those all carry their own feelings of elation and accomplishment. I'm also not referring to the "easy" jumps that you know very well you can do or which don't involve any risks if you fail.

What I mean is when you find a new jump that nobody else has yet done, or that you are aware of. One that perhaps puts a lump in your throat, a slight hesitation in your step, and sets your heart racing.... then, for some reason, you go for it!

I've been fortunate to have opened up a few jumps over the years and I can say how much more of a rush I get with those than by simply copying someone else's. Regardless of how tough they might have been. For me it's the build up, execution, and if all goes well, the celebration when landing the new jump which I absolutely love.

What makes me go for it? Well, there are a few physical things I like to do in the lead up just before the "YES!" moment on any jump, and many of these happen quite quickly and naturally the more jumps you do.

Guess/Check the distance, if possible
Check the landing surface, if possible (is it stable, slippery, how will you land)
Check the run-up (stable surface, any cross winds, slippery stones/gravel/water)
Check shoes (the soles for grip, laces tucked away, the right shoes for this jump)
Check injuries, if any (fatigued muscles, recovering sprains/breaks)
Acknowledge main risks, and work on minimising them in a worst case scenario

Then it's time to focus and cut out the distractions. Sounds, people, doubts, cameras ... and any others your senses might pick up.

Now that your mind is a bit quieter, ask yourself why you want to do this jump. Especially if there are risks involved. (I'll discuss this in detail in another blog topic one day)

All these lead up towards building my confidence. Which is where the next phase kicks in, and in many ways, the most important one when going for that new jump.

Next, I need to believe I can do it and remove the final excuses. This can come from a number of various methods and usually involves some form of visualisation. Something which I've recently been working on a bit more with a friend who's in Sports Psychology. Simply getting friends to count, "3,2,1, go!" is not my idea of good preparation for a jump which involves potentially very hazardous risks.

Now, you're at a point where you trust your gear, worked through the obstacles, believe in yourself, and ready to go .... but you've not gone yet. There's one final point.

For me, it's the "YES!" moment. The point-of-no-return, the one which tips the scales and where there are no more mental or physical obstacles leading up to it. The one word you'll hear me say under my breath as I take that first step mere moments after answering a few questions...

Can I do this? Will I land it? Will it be my best effort?

"Yes!"

Come rain or shine!

2010-10-07T10:38:00.002+02:00

Last night's training marks 3 weeks since the group first started Hell Night at the Westcliff Stairs (aka Westcliff-hell-stairs-of-doom) for Urbanathlon 2010.

Our training continues up to 6 times a week in various locations and consists of various strength, cardio, speed and agility exercises working the entire body. The team is working well together, and each person gets a chance to add new exercises as we progress.

With the rains arriving last night (and the outside temperature still holding firm at a warm 20 degrees Celsius) we motored onwards, albeit cautiously, up the stairs. Until they got too slippery for our usual course, and we had to make a few changes. (for instance, we included literal footskating down the slippery roads. New Balance (850's) + Tar Road + Rain Water = Grip Fail. I somehow don't see this exercise sticking, excuse the pun, to our regular plan. Honestly though, it was loads of fun!!!!)

This total grip failure in the wet has put a serious question mark over the use of my 850 NB's for the race.

The early morning training after hell night is always a laugh. With the body still aching in the legs, we move onto upper body and abdominal work on the Jungle Gym at Zoo Lake. These circuits today were a killer. My arms felt like lead afterwards. Awesome! :-)

Onwards and upwards! I'm looking forward to seeing how the rainy season affects our sessions as we move into summer. (as I can get the chance to test my other shoes in the wet..)

The bar has been raised!

2010-09-30T10:35:00.002+02:00

Structured training with the group is paying off, as we saw last night during Hell Night plus again at this morning's session. (The Westcliff stairs saw one change, and that was the addition of a long cardio run to move us from the top of the stairs to the start line at the bottom. All other exercises remained the same, and I felt great afterwards. I can definitely feel an improvement in recovery times and strength.)

It's amazing how motivating yourself to begin something is one thing, but then actually going through the motions is quite another. There are many phases to getting anything done, and I feel it particularly when doing physical training where it's out of my comfort zone. Group sessions really work for me.

You psych yourself up to the point where you are ready to make a plan and hit a goal
Friends get involved and it's all a bit easier, as the vision (and nerves) are shared
First training session is planned and a date is set
You arrive excited and amped to go
You begin strong ...
Then mere moments later you begin to regret your decision to even think about starting
Your friends feel the same and the blame game begins. "Who's stupid idea was this in the first place?" (all in jest of course)
But that thought exists only for seconds, as nobody else is giving up just yet.
You carry on in silence for a while as each person finds a way to muster up more courage in their own way
You pick up energy in the knowledge that you are not alone, and the talking begins again
Finally on completion of that first dreaded full SET, which felt like death half way through, you feel energised, immortal and ready to go
By the end, it's all a blur and you wonder how you got through all of those SETS
But you feel great, and the smiles all around afterwards pick you up even more
We meet again tomorrow, and the cycle begins again!

Testing new technology!

2010-09-29T10:25:00.002+02:00

Not sure if this will work. No reason not to, I just have no idea how it will be displayed on my blog.

The plan is to update my blog from email, and then eventually test out the updates from my mobile phone.

HEADER IN CAPS AND BOLD

What is looks like to be underlined

Colours

I've attached an image. Let's see how that turns out.

Parkour Circuits (of death!)

2010-09-27T08:47:00.000+02:00

Yesterday's Urbanathlon training session at Wits felt very gruelling! The plan was to do interval training, but we ended mixing it up by doing a number of small intense parkour-style training circuits.

Plank x8 repetitions
It started off with a simple jog up an embankment, arm jump to a wall, shimmy along the wall, drop and roll, turn around and wall run up that same wall, climb over it's railing on the top, jump down and tag your buddy who's been waiting in the plank position all this time.

Sprint x8 repetitions
Hard sprints up the embankment, then recovery jog back down.

Crawl x16 repetitions
Cat crawl on a ledge around a pond for half way, plank crawl a quarter of the way on the ground then recovery jog the last quarter before beginning again on the ledge in cat crawl.

This was modified as we went along. The plank crawl on the ground was eating up our forearms, so we increased the recover jog for half the circuit, and included side steps, crossover steps, backward runs, etc.

The first quarter of the cat crawl up was uphill, and the second quarter was downhill, so we changed the uphill to be similar to straight back legged bear crawls.

Quadrupedal until failure
This involved crawling on all fours down 15 stairs, then crawling backwards back up the same stairs. 5 pull ups on a tree, then repeat.

One modification was to do this with a buddy. You both crawl down at the same speed, just with opposite hands to each other on the same step. the free hand (meaning the one not holding your body up off the step), now "High Fives" (more like a "Side Five"), your buddy next to you for every step. Down AND up. (This was a killer!!)

Stairs until failure (which didn't take long after the previous quadrupedal crawl)
We found some stairs which we could climb up the back of, by pulling ourselves up onto each one just with hands. Up and down 6 stairs, then tag your buddy who's been waiting in a triceps dip position.

Needless to say, my muscles are feeling it his morning. :-)

Wits University 5km Parkour Circuit

2010-09-25T12:42:00.002+02:00

For today's Urbanathlon "cardio" circuit workout, we headed off to Wits University and created a 5km parkour run.

To even BEGIN jotting down all the exercises and events we have included will take up way too much time and space .... and you'll be bored to death just trying to read it, not to mention the lack of understanding behind what exactly the exercises are.

Suffice to say, it included locations such as the Death Beam, Bridge Pods, Man Vag Jump(Thank Rob!), Transporter-looking-machine-thingy-ma-bob, Dusty Loo, Pillar Precision, and a ton more. (Non of which are the conventional names for any of the regular spots, plus many many more new locations which we are quite excited about! Especially the progression wall run!!!)

The circuit is just under 6km, and it took us a very easy 1:45min to complete, including warm up and cool down.

A great first time, and I cannot wait to really push it through it's paces next time around.

ps, we had a few followers trying to keep up from the start, but they had to dash of pretty early and we were left with only Germano following us doing what he could, but mostly just walking around the obstacles. At least he got to complete the 5km run. Nice one!

The 10 - 1 & 1 - 10 Exercise

2010-09-23T10:39:00.000+02:00

This is a great way to mix it up when training with a buddy.

One of you starts with 10 reps of a certain exercise, and the other with a single rep of a different exercise. (You can adjust the maximum number if you are just starting out or if you want to increase the load)

Your rest between the reps should only be as long as it takes for your buddy to finish theirs.

Then the one doing 10 now does 9, while the one doing the single rep now does 2. And so on, till you both have either gone from 10 down to 1 or from 1 up to 10 on that first exercise.

This will give you each a tally of 55 reps completed on each exercise!

You now swap over exercises and the one who just completed 10-1, will begin at 1 going up to 10, and vice versa for your buddy.

Today's morning session had the team meet up at the Zoo Lake Jungle Gym, and our exercises of choice were predominately upper body. (Due to the overload of last night's Westcliff Stairs)

However, I must add that the quadrupedal walk down that immense flight of stairs did take it's toll on my shoulders a bit.

On the menu we had:
1) Regular pull-ups
2) Horizontal/Inverted pull-ups (Lower Back, Abs, plus Upper body muscles)
3) Incline press-ups
4) Decline press-ups

We're starting to think about a team name, and should have something within the next few weeks.

Mens Health Urbanathlon 2010 - Sandton

2010-09-22T21:59:00.006+02:00

What better way to start my blogs again after a long silence (I know, I know), than to start blogging my journey to the Mens Health Urbanathlon 2010, which is to be held in Sandton on Sunday November 28th.

Today we officially kicked off the team training sessions and upped our own regular training just a notch!

Tonight's session saw us running up and down the famous Westcliff Stairs in Parktown. All 210 stairs. And not in a rhythmic-equal-distance-bounce either. The unemployed miners who built them back in 1933/4 saw it fit to have a group of 2 here, 3 there, 4 that side, 5 this side... EXCELLENT for anyone wanting to test their fitness.

Oh, and when I say "run" ... we did a bit more than just that. It went a little something like this:

1) Long-stride bounding up the stairs to the first corner
2) 10 press-ups
3) Run up to the next long'ish flat level
4) 10 partner assisted dips on the railing
5) Explosive step-ups all the way to the top
6) Sprint to the corner
7) Lunge to the next step
8) Recovery jog over the road to the next steps
9) Precision jump to each first step until failure
10) Tuck jump between each set of stairs the rest of the way
11) Take no more than a 2-breath rest
12) Quadrupedal walk down all stairs to the road
13) Recovery jog to the next stairs (as quiet as possible)
14) Turn Vaults over the hand railing (in both directions)
15) Buddy does press-ups while waiting for you to finish, then swap
16) Continue jogging back down to the first level
17) 10 Press-ups (in the same place as we did them on the way up)
18) Jog down to the road
19) Stay in plank position till the last person arrives
20) Then hold the plank for a further minute
21) Repeat steps 1 - 21

The kilometre or so run to the stairs and back were a great warm up and cool down, then winding down with a relaxing stretch session before heading home.

Tonight was an easy run where we only did 4 sets up and down the stairs as it was our first group session, and I must say .. it's looking good!!

A Blogless Year

2009-10-28T16:47:00.005+02:00

It's been a long, as in many physical days have gone by, yet quick, with the feeling that it was only last week we arrived back from the UK... yet I'm already receiving invites to Christmas parties!!! Sort of a Time-Warp feeling, with the high speed slow motion cameras (inside joke for anyone who watches Time Warp... Speaking of which did you see the episode where they had showed parkour in slo-mo? Make sure you check it out: Time Warp Website on Discovery)

This entry is going to be an open blog, and I will endeavor to include all the things that have happened this year in one post since the February entry, right up until new years. That way I can really have almost one whole year in the single post. Who knows, I might be able to find some pictures here and there to add in and spice it up a little.

From packing and shipping boxes from the UK, then living in empty houses for months, everything arriving and unpacking, finding work, meeting up with older friends and older (plus new) family, getting back involved with Parkour South Africa and seeing how it's grown and go through changes, parkour media growing, finding new work, gardening, new cars, breaking bones...

Just for starters... ;-)

Back in South Africa!

2009-02-09T23:40:00.006+02:00

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock or on another planet for the last few months, our family has moved back to Sunny South Africa. Generally the phrase "for good", would be used here although I've no idea what new adventures might present themselves in the future. So for now I’ll stick with: We’re here for the foreseeable future. :-)

It all came as a quite unexpected result to what we thought was going to be a routine process in receiving our “indefinite leave to remain” in the UK.
The short version of the story is because we travel on South African passports, we need visas to both live and work in the UK (yes, 2 separate visas). This process can be extremely simple in many instances, but then turn rather complicated and nasty the minute anything out of the ordinary comes along.

Such was the case with us. From the onset our application posed all sorts of complicated issues, resulting in many months of frustrating to and fro between the UK Home Office (may they have sleepless nights) and our legal representatives (including, but not limited to, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats who tried to assist our case as he too believed we were being wronged in this instance).

Not to mention the exorbitant amounts of money we lost in the process no thanks to the Home Office (taking their money upfront before even looking at the application), our legal representatives (the first being the absolutely useless www.workpermit.com who never even submitted our application but still charged, and then us later changing to Breytenbachs who also charged up front and only managed to get slightly further down the line), plus all the extra bits and pieces which we were required to complete, and pay for, before filing the 1st application.

One such extra item was the absolutely hilarious process called: The Britishness Test! Buy books to learn ridiculous items such as “What day is Christmas day?” and “What is the patron saint of Scotland?” to the completely ludicrous ones such as “What is the percentage of minority groups in the London region?” and “How many seats are there in the Welsh assembly?” Then pay more money to write the test at a “registered office” around the back of beyond in a dodgy part of Hounslow. This entails sitting behind an ancient computer clicking multiple choice answers and walking away within 10 minutes with your “official Britishness certificate” printed off on some random outdated HP printer using standard Tesco cheap paper and blotchy printer ink!!!! (Please remind me, UK is a 1st World country right?)

The bottom line is... we’re back in SA and making the most it. We’ve moved into our house and slowly settling in although still not quite on our feet yet. One thing that has been quite amazing is the hospitality and friendship shown by family, friends, Parkour South African members and even complete strangers which has made us feel right at home and certainly keeps a smile on our faces!!
For all of you from other parts of the world, keep South Africa on your list of holiday destinations and make sure you drop by us to say “Howzit”* at some stage or the other.

Till then, and till my next update, I wish you all well and think of us as we pick up our standard SA suntans while gardening outside and relaxing on the patio drinking sundowners.

*Howzit: A very typical South African greeting. Which directly means: How is it going? Or how are you?, and carries little more weight than the regular: “Hi”. To which the standard response, if any is actually given, would generally be: “Lekker” which is the Afrikaans word for “Nice”, also meaning “Good”.

MOvember

2008-11-05T23:37:00.012+02:00

Need I say more....?

I heard some friends were taking part in this thing called "movember", then I got the obligatory dare thrown in my face, and before I knew it the idea had started to grow on me (quite literally).

Each year during the month of MOvember (formerly known as November), Mo Bro's (formerly known as Men) across the globe grow taches (formerly know as a moustache) of all shapes and sizes to raise awareness for their chosen charity. (If you are feeling generous this 2008, then please donate here: www.justgiving.com/TeamMovember)

Once the tache had started taking shape I then promised myself I'd read up a little more on prostate cancer as I knew very little about it. Let's face it, in a few years I'll probably have to make that akward trip to the Docs to get checked. YOU know the visit I'm on about.... the rubber gloves, the uncomfortable silences. I mean, really. Is it too much to ask the doctors to throw in a candelit dinner and some chit-chat before they begin?

Well, as it turns out Prostate Cancer is THE most common cancer found in men now-a-days (previously it was lung cancer) and 1 man dies each hour because of it in the UK (With over 3 times as many in the USA). Interestingly Diabetics are at a lower risk due to reduced insulin levels. Thanks to continuous research and development, screening has become a lot easier, less invasive and more accurate which ultimately leads to higher chances of recovery.

There are tons of conflicting suggestions around regarding cancer prevention, with each person and their dog doing their own research. Your best bet is to follow the basic weight guidlines on Cancer Research UK's "Reduce The Risk" website.

Everyone is recommended to eat foods such as Brazil nuts, fish, meat and eggs for their Selenium content, and another reason to eat more fish is Omega-3 (Found in salmon, mackerel and tuna).

But whichever way you look at it...
...Grow your own Tache next MOvember!!

(Ok, so it won't prevent cancer but at least you'll be doing something positive by raising awareness. PLUS the added bonus of looking as ridiculous as the rest of us...)

London Rat Race 2008

2008-10-03T14:47:00.019+02:00

Facts:
- 216 Teams (180 on the Sunday)
- 3 in each team
- 2 Members from Team Traceur (Nick and I)
- 1 Parkour Obstacle Course

Mission (Should we wish to accept it, of course):
- Ensure all teams complete the Parkour course successfully, and in one piece.

Results:
- Race Director's Report: Rat Race Website
- TV Footage Sat 22nd Nov 7.30am, Channel 4 (8:30 Channel 4 +1)
- Photos by Detail Events Ltd (unless otherwise stated)
- Photos Online at SleepMonsters
(Navigate on the left of the page for "Parkour Prologue" and "Finish Parkour")

Being the first time I'd ever been involved in this event I had no idea what to expect other than we had to set up a basic parkour course somewhere along the South Bank on Saturday and then again near City Hall on Sunday, and when the competitors turned up we had to make sure they got through the course before letting them move onto the next official checkpoint (They had over 30 in total to get through).

The only hassle was.... we had no idea when the various teams would turn up as they were allowed to complete the checkpoints in any order they wished. Which in turn meant we could be sitting quietly for hours before a mad rush ensued. Which is exactly what happened! :-D

We had great parkour routes set up, and when done properly would take the teams no more than 3 minutes to complete. It involved jumping over railings/walls, cat crawling along ledges (Although we caught many teams chickening out on this), precision jumps (more like "precision walking") across obstacles.

Most teams only managed to clamber over at best by the stage they arrived at our checkpoints as they were already quite exhausted after completing all the other checkpoints and plus all the miles of cycling they had to do inbetween.

The Saturday "Prologue" event had everyone trying their best to stick a BUFF HEADWEAR sticker, which they carried throughout the parkour course, as high as they could by popping up the side of a wall. Team Tutu held the position for the highest sticker, but were pipped right at the end by one of the last teams to come in. Unlucky guys. There's always next year. :-)

Very well done to all who completed the course especially Team Aberdeen Asset Management who were the overall team winners at the 2008 London Rat Race.

White Air Extreme Sports Festival 2008

2008-09-30T13:45:00.005+02:00

Another year on the Isle of Wight running the Parkour "Have-a-go" workshops at the White Air Extreme Sports Festival has come to an end, but the beginning of a new era has just begun...

White Air 2008 Promo Video

For 4 years now I've been involved in the parkour workshops around Sept/Oct on the Isle and have enjoyed it very much. Young and old, guys and girls, parents, kids, RAF Falcon skydivers, St John's medical staff, mountain boarders, and the list goes on... all have tried their hands (and feet) at parkour on our pupose built obstacle courses. Each year we attract many "repeat offenders" who just can't get enough of the atmosphere and end up sticking around for the whole weekend to help out, plus not to mention the large amount of local traceurs and free runners on the isle of wight who turn up.

Each year I've grouped together new people who are keen to help set up and run the workshops and with a result we've ended up with some fun times, new friendships and random memories. (Click the image below to see some of the pictures this year)

From Isle of Wight 2008

This year was a big event in that it was officially anounced White Air is moving to Brighton from 2009 onwards. For many who came down to join us it will mark the end of an era as the Isle of Wight has always been a great excuse to make a holiday of the event and really get into the festival mood. But I guess we will soon find out what atmosphere Brighton will create once we get there. Who knows, it might even be better. It's definitively going to be bigger!!

The South African Newspaper

2008-09-24T01:17:00.005+02:00

An article was recently written up by Liezl Maclean on my involvement with parkour in the UK and South Africa. I have just got to see the online version which I quite like.

Similar versions of the article were also placed in the Australian Times (Front Page) and New Zealand Times (Page 7).

Feel free to read it by clicking on the main image above (UPDATED 22 September 2010 with a new link on the image and HERE..

And the award goes to...

2008-09-14T21:53:00.006+02:00

What a great way to end the season!!

From Athletics

At no point was I expecting to receive anything at the St Mary's Richmond Athletic prize giving today as I only managed to grab 2nd spot (or 3rd depending on Neil Jennings' performance at the decathlon this weekend) on the club's overall men's top performance list (Just missing out to Paul Derrien and his string of wins in hammer and discus) plus I missed out on the highest scoring individual performance (Awarded to Mervyn Glover for his excellent 1.92m High Jump), and when my name was called out you can imagine the surprise..

The trophy was for "Most Improved Male Athlete 2008", as it is my first season at the club (and back at athletics after a long break). I also picked up a medal for being part of the team who became the "Rosenheim League Western Division Winners 2008".

It was also an honour to be a part of two other teams who did very well this year, firstly the Southern Men's League (Division 3S) who were undefeated and have now been promoted to Division 2, and secondly to the small 8-man team who triumphed at the Ealing Borough Trophies competition and won the Men's Faringdon Trophy against all odds (certainly one of the most memorable events I've had to date picking up 4 personal bests in what felt like an intense never-ending cold shower from beginning to end the way the rain came pouring down.)

That puts 2008 to rest and I've not managed to improve on any of my events since I last posted them up here, but here they are for the final time to round off the season and I've included markers for what I want to aim for during next season in brackets:

400m - 59.9s (56s)
High Jump - 1.80m (1.85m)
Long Jump - 6.18m (6.30m)
Triple Jump - 12.11m (12.20m)
Pole Vault - 3.00m (3.50m)
Shot Put - 9.01m (9.20m)
Hammer Throw - 17.94m (20.00m)
Javelin Throw - 49.70m, 163rd in the UK (50.00m)

Let the winter training begin....

You've got to be fit, to be in it!

2008-09-12T13:11:00.006+02:00

There is no doubt in my mind when King Gustav V from Sweden told Jim Thorpe: "You sir, are the World's Greatest Athlete" after he won the 1912 Stockholm Olympics Decathlon, that Jim Thorpe had started out his Decathlon journey (plus all the other individual track & field events he took part in those Olympics) in one of the healthiest and fittest forms of his life.

It's with great sadness then that I have decided not to take part in the Decathlon event this weekend, due to an ankle injury I picked up earlier the week.

The injury happened while performing a routine parkour performance in London, and although the ankle was not severely damaged or very serious, thanks to a number of factors including a very good warm-up beforehand, it was enough to cause swelling and light bruising. With these sorts of injuries I've learned that the infamous R.I.C.E. (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) plays an important role in recovery, and I managed to get all this started within minutes of the injury thanks to a handy wine cooler and a bucket of ice nearby.

The on-site nurse completed a quick check up, and I was able to get home to relax without the need for Zimmer frames, wheelchairs or the use of the local paramedic helicopter. :-)

Even though it's been 5 days since the injury and the original swelling has gone down a lot with only a small patch of bruising visible, I still do not feel I should be battering my body through the hard knocks of a 2 day decathlon course. It's very sad, but I'll be sure to reap the long-term benefits from this decision instead.

I have a number of other very interesting events coming up at the end of this month and next, such as running parkour workshops at the White Air Extreme Sports Festival on the Isle of Wight and taking contestants through the official parkour checkpoint for The London Rat Race. From the way the recovery is going so far I should be fighting fit and ready to go by then.

The Decathlon, I'm sad to say, will have to wait......... for now. ;-)

Back at Bushy

2008-09-06T22:04:00.002+02:00

It's been a short break from the regular Bushy Park 5km time trials, but I'm back and having fun.

I started out running the time trials back in January of this year, but stopped due to getting involved with Athletics training, and then volunteered at the event a few times. With the athletics season winding down and winter on the doorstep (yeah, like we even had a summer...), I've got back to Saturday morning bliss at Bushy.

Having only run 7 times, I have managed 6 Personal Bests (The one I never got was while I paced my son on his first run)

So starting with a time of 24:41, I've dragged that down to 20:53. Not brilliant, but I'm getting there one step at a time.

My mission statement: I must start SLOWER next time! I start way too fast and then burn out by the 1.3km mark, only to let 80 people pass me between the 2km and 3km mark. Grrr.

Next weekend is the Decathlon.... Let's hope this running helps me a bit with the final 1500m event.

2008 Athletics season winding down

2008-08-05T23:38:00.006+02:00

It's been an interesting year to say the least. This time last year I had no idea I would be picking up athletics again after a 15 year break. (15 years! How quick does time fly?). The main reason for getting back into athletics was merely for cross training to aid my parkour in long and high jumps, although I thought I would try out whatever I could seeing as I was at the track.

However, after only a few training sessions over at St Mary's Richmond AC I was already gearing up to take part in the first minor competition, The Rosenheim League (our club eventually finished 7th overall this year).

Shortly after that I started competing in the more formal Southern Men's League - Division 3s, where we finished first and were promoted to the 2nd division for 2009, Yay!.

All-in-all, it's been loads of fun and a great way to keep busy and fit outdoors and certainly improved on my vertical and horizontal jumps in parkour.

Next step is taking part in the Surrey Decathlon where I have to complete 10 events in 2 days (For more information about Decathlons then just click THIS LINK). I'm quietly confident, but at the same time nervous as it is my first time doing this and there are a few events I've never competed in before (and the final event is a gruelling 1500m!!).

Just to round up my athletic achievements so far for 2008:
High Jump 1.80m
Long Jump 6.18m
Triple Jump 12.11m
Pole Vault 3.00m
Shot Put 9.01m (7.26kg)
Javelin Throw 49.70m (800g)

I'll be looking to improve on one or two at the Decathlon before the 2008 season officially closes and I will write a brief post on that experience later.

Back from Nam. (Namibia that is!)

2008-07-10T10:58:00.007+02:00

It's been the holiday/break of the year. I can't remember the last time I took such a long time off ... and worst of all it's been years since I've been back to the African continent.

The initial reason behind heading down to Namibia was to take part in the family tradition of hiking the Namibian Fishriver Canyon. We also had a few other stops planned along the way and eventually ending it all off at the Okonjima luxury cheetah lodge - (click the link to see the lodge)

Although I'd never done it before I really wanted to see what the 90-odd kilometer's had in store and why most of the family had done it more than once. My father-in-law would be hiking it for the 11th time around and therefor a suitable candidate as our official guide.

The places we visited were absolutely breath-taking and the images I will try source and put up on the site here will only show a glimpse of what it is like to be there. (I'm currently fighting to recover all my lost images on a 500gb external hard-drive which crashed last week)

From watching young cheetah cubs relaxing in their natural habitat only meters away from me with no man-made barrier between us, to hearing the cry of a fish-eagle before taking off in full flight ...

... from hiking through the depths of Africa's largest canyon drinking water straight from the river, to standing on top of sand-dunes in the blistering sun looking down over ancient dried-up valleys.... and then jumping off!!

Athletics Results so far (New Personal Bests)

2008-05-22T14:08:00.006+02:00

Results from Southern Men's League on 3rd May at London Heathside AC:
"
Javelin Throw A
1 Dane Grant - SMR - 43.81
2 Nathan Cynes - LHS - 37.81
3 Ian Frankish - E&E - 37.04
4 Graham Taylor - EGR - 21.09

Javelin Throw B
1 Paul Derrien - SMR - 35.16
2 Daniel Aka - LHS - 29.72
3 Adam Bosher U20 - E&E - 26.24
4 Ben Ivorson - EGR - 19.78

Long Jump A
1 Dane Grant - SMR - 6.00
2 Emmanuel Stasaitis - LHS -5.94
3 Daniel Medcalf - EGR - 5.81
4 John Andrews - E&E - 4.72

Long Jump B
1 Tim Medcalf - EGR - 5.61
2 Daniel Aka - LHS - 5.55
3 Mervyn Glover - SMR - 5.52
4 Adam Bosher U20 - E&E - 4.47
"

Results from the Rosenheim League on 21st May at Walton AC:
"
Javelin Men
1. D Grant - SMR - n/s - 47.81
2. N Jennings - SMR - 45.16
3. G Bridgeman - SMR - n/s - 42.22
4. I Frankish - E&E - n/s - 37.97
5. A Richardson - SMR - n/s - 33.97
6. J Ladley - WAL - 31.52
7. J Thomas - E&E - 28.44
8. P Goldsmith - BA - 23.30
"

I was a non-scorer this event (due to a concern over an ankle injury I picked up at the last Southern Men's League meeting), but all distances are officially recorded and the next goal is to hit the 50m mark.

Consider the Isle of Wight well & truly WALKED!

2008-05-21T16:25:00.009+02:00

This past weekend saw the family head out to the Isle of Wight to take part in Walk the Wight '08 "An annual charity event in aid of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight". A record 10,000 people turned up on Sunday's 13 mile and 26 mile walk, which could probably be put down to the fact that the weather was in near perfect condition.

However, our journey started the day before in not-so-perfect conditions...

We decided that in order to get ready for the big Namibian 90km hike coming up in a month's time, we ought to test our camping gear during this walk. This included camping over the night before and then carrying everything with us the next day. (Tents, food, clothing, cooking gear, etc)

We booked our basic camping stand and set up camp, making sure we were ready to get an early night in order for the early start the next morning. But little did we know that an entire army, or should I rather say LEGION, of crows had a permanent camping stand up in the trees right behind us. Don't get me wrong, I like birds ... but I seriously doubt those screeching creatures up in the tree could be classed as birds!! (How they never lost their voices I do not know. Or maybe they did and had to take it in turns to screech during a 6 hour shift. You never know. Crafty things those crows...)

Night fell and so did the rain. In our attempt to lighten the backpacks we left behind some of the heavier items such as 10pound hammers, tons of steel tent pegs, 5 star luxury spa bath, etc etc. Which meant we ended up getting a bit wet as the wind thrashed the flimsy tent around letting water in.

Needless to say we hardly got much sleep that night.

The next day came and we were off. Starting our way up and down some very steep hills and through narrow walk paths stopping only now and again to catch a breath, eat snacks to refuel and at the various check-points along the route.

Where most people only took their small picnic bags and a change of socks, we each had in excess of 10kg rucksacks weighing us down. As we charged on through the walk we constantly heard people muttering under their breath wondering what the hell we were up to. We even caught the attention of a TV crew that were filming on the day and had to stop for an interview. (I did notice one young guy doing the entire walk on those new bouncy-stilts...Good on him!)

We finished the 13miler at Carisbrook Castle, collected our medals and decided to call it a day. A quick photo finish with the Mayor (We go way back...we're practically best buddies) and then set off on our way back to the mainland.

Overall the walk itself was very picturesque and something I will certainly do again ..... minus the rucksack and this time go the full 26miles!!!

Athletics + Beijing + Camping = Summer '08

2008-05-07T14:00:00.001+02:00

Summer has finally hit the UK and everybody has begun to climb out of their various hibernation holes and gearing up to head outside for their exercise of choice.

I've been keeping myself busy as well and thought it time to do a quick write up on what I've been up to over the last few months as well as the plans ahead.

Since joining St Mary's Richmond Athletics Club my focus over the last 2 months has been on preparing for this year's Men's Southern League athletics meetings held at various clubs around London. The first event was held at Parliament Hill last Saturday (3rd May 2008) where I took part in the Javelin and Long Jump events. Although I managed to place 1st in both events (Javelin = 43.81m & Long Jump = 6.0m), being the first athletics competition I've done in 13 years, I know I have a lot more to practise and improve on. I did walk (or rather limp) away with a small ankle injury during my javelin run-up which has almost healed up now, but enough to frustrate me... Grrr

The next athletics event is tonight (7th May) in Kingsmeadow for the Rosenheim League where I'll be taking it easy while my ankle heals up and only set to take part in the pole vault event. My aim is to beat the 2.20m I cleared in training last week.

In-between the athletics training I managed to get some time to head out to Beijing, China with Mercedes for a Parkour and Free Running performance at the Auto China 2008 car show with a few old, and some new, friends.

I have been threatening to set up all the pictures on here but been extremely lazy about it. They'll find their way online at some stage with a brief write-up, hopefully sooner than later. :-)

We also decided to test out the camping gear over the weekend in preparation for the 87km Namibian Fish River Canyon Hike which is coming up later on in the year. More on that event later though.

Walk the Wight

2008-02-27T01:37:00.004+02:00

Elmarie and I have signed up to "Walk the Wight" on Sunday 18th of May which is approximately 25 miles from Bembridge to Alum Bay.

The walk is for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and is the only hospice on the Isle of Wight caring for over 800 patients with life-threatening conditions every year.

I'll soon be passing around "the hat" looking for people to help sponsor us for this event, so get those debit cards ready... :-P

A busy season ahead...

2008-02-27T01:11:00.006+02:00

I've decided not to run Bushy Park Time Trial for 2 weeks and instead spend some time focussing on my other training as well as volunteering on Saturdays.

The first time I volunteered at Bushy Park I played photographer and took pictures of everyone running while last Saturday I registered names of those runners who finished onto the system. Next Saturday they have me up to be the "number checker". (I know, it sounds a bit strange but has to do with keeping synchronisation between the time keeper and the person handing out numbers so we'll see how that goes.)

Wednesday and Sundays at St Mary's Richmond Athletic Club will be my new home for athletics training where I am hoping to improve on my Javelin distance as well as pick up the pace on my shorter distance running. More on that as the season progresses.

I'm still running every Monday and Thursday at Sweatshop Teddington to keep the miles ticking over as well as trying to squeeze in Parkour training wherever possible.

Reading this post through it looks like I am tackling far to much at once, but things are not yet hectic and unmanageable. Once the athletic season kicks in it is bound to be a totally different story though.... :-)

Bushy Park 5k - 16 Feb 08 (New PB)

2008-02-17T00:46:00.004+02:00

Message to me from Bushy Park: "Your position was 87th and your time was 0h:21m:07s"

Elmarie broke through the 30min mark today and completed the 5km in a brilliant time of 0h:29m:40s

I was a bit nervous going into the race today after being down with a cold all week and not able to get much training in, but I went for it anyways. I decided to try something different and pace it one kilometre at a time, and if my breathing became too difficult then I was just going to take it easy around the track and enjoy the run rather than push it.

I knew that in order to get anywhere near my best time I would need to stick within the 4min a km mark but as usual I pushed a little too fast on the 1st km, so I backed off and took it easy while keeping one eye on the watch at all times. Speeding up slightly when I needed to, and slowing down when the pace became too fast. One kilometre at a time...

It worked! By the time I hit halfway mark I knew I was heading for a decent time and felt no pressure to hurry up and pick up the pace. (Which is usually when I start feeling depressed and about to give up)

At one stage late in the run towards the 4km mark I remember having a chat with the runner next to me as I could see he was feeling the pressure and decided to offer some encouragement. (But I know that generally whenever I hand out encouragement like that it's usually because I probably need to hear it more than they do. :-p ) One of the things I remember saying was: "It's not a race, it's only time".

I remember saying this because for a few of the races I had done before I was very disheartened when other runners passed me after I had given my all and was about to collapse in a heap on the side of the track. I guess it was more to do with me coming to terms with the fact that the other runners were all running against their own times and I just needed to focus on my time, rather than think about it as a race.

It's not necessarily about who comes 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Although I know most of us would love to hit the number one spot one day and it’s certainly one good reason to keep on training and training and training...

Down with a cold, but feeling great!

2008-02-14T19:12:00.003+02:00

This week has been a low point in my health and I have come down with the typical symptoms of a cold. I’m usually quite strong when it comes to viruses being passed around, but looks like I’ve been caught out this time.

First day I woke up with a sore throat, next day the sneezing and soon followed by the constant nose-blowing.

After doing some research on the net it seems that all these symptoms seem to be the usual suspects for newbies when it comes to starting out on a training regime. It was bound to happen at some stage now that I am pushing my body harder than I have normally been doing, and not to mention the amount of cold mornings and late night running that I did without decent layering. It’s time for a trip to the shops and pick up some decent running gear to assist with the fight against the elements and hopefully not have this rookie mistake happen again.

The other thing I need to keep an eye on is my nutrition and water intake. If the body is constantly building and repairing muscle then quite obviously it needs regular refueling, and this sort of information is littered all over the running forums, magazines and internet but I guess we don’t really listen till it happens to us… Typical!

For those who prefer to learn from other's mistakes rather than experiencing them, then make sure you follow the advice on nutrition in this link below to Runners World. For the rest of us newbies nursing our way back to health, click the link below for some tips on what we should be focusing on.

I’m taking this as a lesson in life and enjoying the ride … albeit a bit bumpy at the moment. ;-)

Next Race: Asics Kingston 8.2 Mile

2008-02-11T01:13:00.000+02:00

It's booked and I'm ready to go!

March 30th, bright and early at 8:00am is the start to the Asics Kingston 8.2mile and the next few weeks will be dedicated to setting a decent pace in order to finish within the hour.

There was the option to go for the full 2-laps making it a 16 miler, but I don't think I'm ready yet. I'll see how this 8mile race goes and then start thinking about half-marathons.... :-)

First 10k race completed - 45min

2008-02-11T00:32:00.008+02:00

Elmarie and I joined up with close on 800 other runners to complete the Valentines 10k road race in Chessington. A clear, yet very cold, start to the day. (I remember scraping ice off the car window before leaving...)

It was our first 10k race and the results actually surprised us both. Even though we felt we were going much slower than during our training runs, we both cleared the finish line much sooner than we thought.

I came in at 124th with a time of 0:45:02 and El at 1:03:37. (which is a faster pace than her 5k runs at Bushy Park!)

I pushed hard at the start, probably a little too hard too soon, and soon found myself putting in a much slower pace as I hit the halfway mark. The water station was a little beyond this 5k mark, which itself was a rather interesting experience trying to grab a mouthful of water between strides. (Note to self: Try taking Hal Higdon's advice and STOP to drink)

For most of the race I ran alone, although right at the end I met up with a runner (Mark B) and we had a brief chat before deciding to push hard through the last stretch which was only about a few hundred meters. (Thanks for the well needed inspiration, Mark!)

Overall the race was very well organised and the marshal's were great. We got given t-shirts, shakes and chocolate bars at the finish to round things off, which was a nice touch.

Sprints and Strength Training

2008-02-08T14:54:00.000+02:00

Thursday's training was a little different and involved a number of short/long sprints uphill to push endurance and build strength.

We started off from Teddington Sweatshop and ran a few km's to a school where we warmed up and started the sprints. It involved running fast (not exactly 100meter dash pace, but not slow jogging either) up a hill to a set marker and then slow pace back to recover, before reaching the bottom marker and starting the fast run uphill again.

Then after a number of these, we moved on to increase the distances of these uphill sprints a little bit more. At this point I noticed my calves starting to feel like they had done some serious work....

After 10 minutes of these we wrapped up and had a casual run back to the shop.

I've enjoyed these and it is certainly the type of training I would like to try experimenting with a little more.

No Bushy Park run on Saturday although I will be there to take pictures and volunteer if needed.

10k Race on Sunday and then depending on how I'm feeling Monday evening, I'll join up for the "easy" training run of over an hour that the Reading Marathon guys have planned....

7mile training run - Sweatshop Teddington

2008-02-05T00:39:00.000+02:00

With the Valentine's 10k race coming up on Sunday 10th Feb, I decided to try running with the Teddington Sweatshop group to test my pace on longer distances. Most of my training to date has been my solo circuits around Teddington and I have had little to compare to apart from the weekly 5k time trials at Bushy Park on Saturdays.

The runners I ended up training with tonight turned out to be gearing up for the Reading Half Marathon and was a strong group. I was nervous and worried I'd not be able to keep up...

We started off from the Teddington Sweatshop and completed a figure 8 circuit around Teddington covering some of the areas I had trained on my own during the previous weeks, which was a relief as I knew the surfaces and where to avoid. (Training on unknown surfaces and environments can be quite tricky, and sometimes even dangerous. Make sure your first run in a new area is either with experienced runners on that road or take the first run really easy to just map the road out. You can always revisit it later and start pushing for a decent time. Safety First!)

The pace started out at around the 7:00min/mile mark, which I found very comfortable. We all were talking to each other about odds and ends and the first 5km seemed to pass quite quickly.

The second half of the circuit saw the pace pick up and I still felt OK. It was about this time I noticed my brand new funky running shoes had the laces tied up a little too tight. (Note to self, make sure they are not like that for the next run otherwise I will lose all feeling in my toes permanently...)

At the 10km mark I noticed I really had to focus on my breathing and timing. I could still talk during the run but it was not as easy as it was in the beginning. Things started to bother me and I was worried I might have to slow down a bit and let the guys go on without me... but I pushed through and soon was feeling confident as we took on the final stretch from Teddington Lock up the high street to the final stop back at Sweatshop Teddington.

Overall a GREAT run and I was very surprised to find out how far we had run. It could not have taken much more than 55min to complete although nobody held the official timing, but I go into the Sunday 10km race a lot more confident than I was before the training tonight.

The sessions at Sweatshop might become a regular for me if I can just make sure I get out of work ontime. Another note to self.... :-)

Bushy Park 5k - 26 Jan 08 (New PB)

2008-01-27T14:19:00.000+02:00

Message from Bushy Park: "Your position was 78th and your time was 21:45."

Elmarie also ran and improved her time by 85s to run a personal best of 31:10min

I could not be happier with the results of the race. After a week of giving my body enough rest and with the race track being run in the opposite direction to what we were normally used to, I was not sure if I could get anywhere near my personal best let alone beat it.

Due to new trees being planted near the usual starting line, the race organisers were forced to run the course in reverse to minimise potential damage to both runners and new trees. This proved to be quite an interesting change for my running as it now meant the beginning stretch opened up the field a lot quicker and allowed for everyone to not be so bunched up in the first 500m.

The tactic for this race was to try stick with the front-runners for as long as I could. (And when I mean front-runners, you must understand that I'm referring to the first pack of 100. I'm not exactly Michael Johnson.... yet) Easier said than done, but then again I did recall looking ahead at just past the 1km mark and still able to see the leaders, which has not normally been the case in my past few races so far. By that stage they're normally so far ahead it's all a bit depressing.

The race was by no means an easy one and I realise there is still quite a bit I need to be working on in order to improve to the next stage. My pace and breathing were out of sync for parts of the run and I recall slowing down on a few occasions as I just could not push any longer. I also noticed the slight pain in my ankle that has still not 100% recovered after my parkour injury last year. (Although I felt the slight ache, it is feeling a LOT better than it has been over the last few months and I should just keep an eye on it and make sure it does not get any worse.)

So far since starting the 5km time trials, I have managed to improve my time by 2:56 minutes.

I know there is more to come and my goal is to break the sub 20 mark (5km in less than 20 min). One step at a time though...

Bushy Park 5k - 19 Jan 08

2008-01-19T15:01:00.000+02:00

The run today was a little harsher than last week, as the wind was quite strong and created a tough headwind on the last straight, but overall was it dry with only a few mud-traps along the route caused from last night's rain.

I never felt completely comfortable throughout the entire run, and on occasion was even wishing I had my own personal motivation team that would arrive at the press of the button to help me through the bad stretches. (Madness, I know)

Although saying that, it did manage to keep my mind off whatever was not working for me at that time and kept me on the track and moving closer to the finish line.

Determined to give it all I had, I pushed hard on the last 500m and managed to secure 120th position with a new PB of 23:20 (81sec off last weeks time).

This week's training is going to be a little more focussed on pace, and hopefully I can shave some more time off my personal best [PB].

My first 45min run - 8.5km

2008-01-18T11:42:00.000+02:00

What a run last night!

The George Circuit
Find more Runs in Teddington, United Kingdom

I decided that I wanted to run a little longer than my normal training tonight and tried a new route I had created online a while back already.

Not really remembering exactly how long this new route was, and let's face it the route online always looks far easier than when you're actually running it,I began to worry that I'd taken on a little more than I could handle...

About 3miles into it I seriously began to think about when I should start turning back and finding a route home, but then reminded myself that I was under no obligation to run all the way and I had the option of stopping anytime I wanted to.

Well, that seemed to be all the motivation I needed. Whenever I started to worry about turning back or feeling "obliged" to run all the way, I just told myself "Feel free to walk anytime you want. There's no need to run all the way."

I never did walk and with each new turn down one of the roads I felt a new surge of energy and ready to go the distance!

With longer distance running (more than 5km) I felt that it was easier to break the run down into sections and then focus purely on completing that section well before arriving at the next section and focusing purely on that new one. This seemed to help keep my mind off thinking about the journey as a whole and how much further I still had to run.

(These sections could be a single stretch of road or if you know the route then these could be mile/km markers you have mentally marked out along the way.)

Popular Mechanics SA

2008-01-15T01:52:00.000+02:00

I've just seen the finished article and pictures that were published in the South African edition of popular mechanics, and must say it looks very good.

Parkour South Africa has already had some very good hits to the site and a number of new members have signed up to our forums and started getting involved.

The pictures of me at south bank, waterloo were taken some time ago already by photographer Linda Nylind.

For those interested in seeing a scanned online copy, then CLICK HERE

(I also heard that one of the images of me from the same photographer made it through to the UK Sunday Times on 13th January '08. I've yet to get a copy of that, but will try get it up if I can)

Bushy Park 5k - 12 Jan 08

2008-01-15T01:25:00.000+02:00

Well, we finally did it. My wife and I made it out the door before midday on a Saturday and this time not even to go to town to do shopping. Nope. Instead, we went up the nearby Bushy Park and ran our first 5km time trial together.

It was an early, slightly cold, but dry and sunny start to the day. We were both a bit nervous and I remember Elmarie turning to me at one point and saying: "Why did I let you talk me into this?". (Little did she know that I was asking myself that very same question)

We were not the only ones there, and soon realized how popular this event actually has become. From it's humble beginnings with only 13 people, we were set to start the race today with over 400.

The race itself went off without a hitch and I remember the end arriving a lot sooner than I thought, finishing in at 191st with a time of 24:41. Elmarie did a personal best of 32:35.

With that first one under our belts, it's time to kick it up a notch and start working towards the next 10km run on Feb 10th in Surrey.

3.5 mile route (5.6km)

2008-01-08T02:04:00.000+02:00

I've found a small route to train on now and measured it to be just over 3 miles which will be no more than a 30 minute round trip each time.

3.5 Mile Route
Find more Runs in Teddington, United Kingdom

I found this to be nice and easy without being too demanding, especially if it's just going to be a late evening or morning run. Even though I improved on a few of the issues I had with the weekend run, I must add that tonight's run was not without it's own little hassles.

At around th 1.5mile mark I enjoyed the company of a little cramp in my right side which felt horrible and all I could think about was stopping and how I could get home on the shortest possible route. This was probably due to me pushing a little too hard on the first mile as I checked my watch and noticed I did it in a little over 7 minutes. I kept on running while deciding whether I should take the short-cut home or continue on. I decided to push on...

No sooner had I made that decision when something amazing happened. At around the 2mile marker the cramp dissapeared and I suddenly got this new-found urge to continue running. Not only did I want to do the normal route I'd taken before, but actually wanted to increase the distance and try something new.

The rest of the distance went on without a hitch and I had a smile on my face for the last mile and finished just under 30 minutes. It was an amazing feeling when I got home and cannot wait for the next session out.

Let the training begin!

2008-01-05T23:47:00.000+02:00

I've set myself the goal of running at least one London Marathon (42.195 km or 26 miles and 385 yards) in my lifetime and hopefully get the chance to complete the ultimate Comrades Marathon (87.6KM or 54miles) which is held in South Africa.

When I've mentioned this to others they tend to look at me weirdly and say that I'd never be able to do it. Whether I'll complete it or not remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain and that is I will start my training and when the opportunity presents itself ... I will be ready.

I was hoping to complete the London marathon challenge this year (2008), however my preparation for it started a little later than I hoped for and my application was one of thousands to be rejected. I then thought I could run for one of the charities such as Cancer Research UK which requires you to raise around £2000, but these spaces are also quite limited.

However, even though I missed out on competing this year the seed has been planted and I am now preparing for a series of smaller races (5,10 and maybe even 20km) in order to build up training for the marathons that I want to complete.

My first official run will be a 10km valentine’s day run in mid February, and in preparation for that I will be attending some of the weekly Saturday 5km time trials held in Bushy Park plus regular evening runs on my own around Teddington.

To kick it all off I started looking for a decent training circuit to run on my own around Teddington and found a 3mile route last night. I managed to complete 2.4 miles in under 20minutes although it was by no means comfortable and there were a number of things that I need to work on.

So here's to a season full of training and hopefully results to match.

I'll be updating the blog with my training as I go along.

Not Stagnant - Just Dormant

2007-12-18T14:59:00.000+02:00

I’ve started to work on this blog page now after more than a year of having created it for some or other random reason. It will be, as most things in life, a work in progress and I’ll be experimenting with various bits and pieces until I find something that suites me. In the meantime I’ll start to drum up the blogs and get some content on here as and when.

It’s no race, merely a journey. You’re welcome to join me along mine and feel free to tell me about yours…

Testing

2006-03-15T01:14:00.000+02:00

Just checking how the blogger works... ;)