The Urban Spartan – Endurance & Emotion

First off, my apologies to anyone reading these for two things, my lack of entries and the length of this entry.

Being a Dad again and challenges you don’t foresee…

So my last entry was on the 15th April, my son Harvey is now 7 weeks old and this is a time where I remember why one of the reasons I started to improve my fitness was so that I had enough energy to be a Father who was involved and supportive as much as possible.

Over the last weeks since my last entries I have tried to maintain training and diet but a few things have challenged this, firstly I had a minor Op, wont go into much detail but those of you out there will know what this is, I needed 24-48 hours complete rest and I would not be able to run for a couple of weeks, or so the doctor said.

Firstly, complete rest is impossible with a new born baby and as much as my wife tried to give me rest, I could not sit there and do nothing as our Son proceeded to throw up every feed…( I will come back to this point)

secondly..I was running day 8 after op, 10k in fact and a few days later 20k..I will come back to that later also.

The constant vomiting my son was experianceing continued for a week without us knowing what to do, every feed, he would throw up this went on for a week, visits to doctors and calls to NHS Direct did not give us any solutions or rather they did but not the correct one, finally on our second visit to hospital a senior Doctor diagnosed Pyloric stenosis, by this time Harvey was looking dehydrated and not as a baby should look. The doctor immediately admitted him and got him on a IV drip and tube to drain his stomach in preparation for the operation he would need.
This operation could only be performed in London and on a Sunday evening we was rushed up to the Royal London Hospital by ambulance, lights and all.
On the Monday he had is op…and after some nervous feeds, we was on our way home Wednesday. So after 10 days of sleepless nights on couches, hospital chairs and anywhere we could, it was good to be home. Jill and I was exhausted..and I thank my training that gave me the strength I needed to look after Jill & Harvey throughout this time. The emotional drain was another story, seeing your little son with IV Drips and tubes in is age, seeing him put to sleep with the tiniest of face masks is a harrowing sight but the little Spartan still maneged to put up a struggle before looking at me square in the eye before going into a sleep for his OP.

The smile he gave us when after the OP will stay with me forever..and a lesson to us all about living for what is happening now.

Running..

I had decided that in May I would take 2 Skipper records…Furthest distance run in a month (113k) and furthest distance in a single run, 21.1K (Nathan)

I knew it would be tough as I was going to be out of action with me “Op” but what I didn’t know was that Harvey was going to be ill…the task became a tough one as the month progressed.

Still…I kept moving forward, currently as off the 28th May I am on 96k, so I have some work to do with only 4 days left…as to the longest run, that will have to wait for next Month as finding 2.5 hours out of my day at the moment is really challenging..and asking too much of my wife.

I did however attempt the Half Marathon distance and managed 20k, this is the furthest I have ever ran, 13k being my furthest prior to this. another 2k on that run seems so small now but at the time, I just didn’t have it…I learnt so much though, so the lessons was a valuable one. I learned that I needed to be more hydrated, I learnt that a planned route is essential, whilst I had planned the first 17 ish K, the rest I hadn’t so I could not visualise the end. I learnt the importance of a good diet, I learnt that I should have built up to this distance. I also now know what to expect, physically and mentally next time.

Diet

My eating habits have been all over the place…whilst recovering from OP and whilst in hospital, emotional eating was in full effect, that combined with the euphoria of a new child and the emotional strain of returning to work all made for a very inconsistent diet.

Again this week I will attempt to bring in line my eating habits and I am immediately reminded of Yoda saying “There is no try, DO or DO NOT”

I also feel like I am putting on weight, my shirts feel snugger, my belly looks bigger…is this all in my head?? I have still been active but this reminds me of another little phrase posted by my son..” You cant out exercise a bad diet”

In June Nathan has set the challenge of fasting for 96 hours.. with a min of 24 hours, so not all in one go. If handled sensibly fasting has proven benefits.

The Spartan Beast.

So the Beast is just 24 weeks away, its over 12 miles of hell and I have only just ran 12 miles, which was tough…so there is a lot of work to do, a lot of focus is needed, how do you juggle being a Father, Husband and Spartan?

I can only do this with support from my wife Jill, some careful planning,motivation from my boys and determination.. I know I can do it but its difficult being selfish with time when others need you, so I will try to be smart with my time and with my training but above all i will keep moving forward!!!

Arrroooo!!!!!

 

A new and amazing event has happened…A brand new life has come into the world, this life in the form of Harvey Alfred Terry Skipper, born on Sunday 8th April at 8:33 has just began his own journey, whatever path he takes, he will have a loving Mother & Father who will guide him along the way.Parents who will try and share some wisdom but will know that most lessons have to be learnt for yourself.

"A Spartan is Born" 8th April 2012

One thing that i will ensure he has and that is the belief from the earliest age is that anything is possible and life is for enjoying,appreciating. I will make sure as he gets older that he lives in gratitude for everything around him. I an help thinking how amazing it must be to be a baby, where everything you see, hear,touch and smell is new, everything is amazing as a child. As adults we lose this wonderment, we take things for granted and don’t always stop to appreciate the wonders, both large and small around us…

The last two weeks have been a rollerecoaster, my running has taken a back seat, due to more pressing matters, however my “Urban Spartan” values have come into play a few times, as I have said before I have committed myself to challenge whenever the opportunity arises, big or small I think its important to do this.

One example of this is cutting Harvey cord after he was born, this was something that was offered to me when my other  children were born and I never did it, I was something that I didn’t feel I could do. I mean what if the clippers were blunt, what if I couldn’t do it? this time when asked I immediately said NO, the second I said it I regretted the words.. ” errmm actually YES I will do it” i blurted to the nurse, “Are you sure?” she said, I was sure…No Fear. No this might seem a small thing to most but it has somewhat bothered me in the past, so anyway I did it..yes it was a little tricky, it was how I imagined it but I did it all the same.

Another challenge to overcome was giving an injection to my wife, again probably no big deal to anyone but for me the initial thought of having to give injections to my wife for the next 6 days was not a pleasant one. My fear here was that I could somehow visualise the feeling of being injected myself, however I knew that Jill would not want to do this herself, so I stepped up and did what needed to be done. Admittedly my stomach turned every time I had to inflict pain, even if somewhat minor, on my loved one but I did it..I overcame my fear.

As you have probably already noticed this is a somewhat different post but none the less it is relevant to being a Spartan and being strong. So may emotions have been felt over the last few weeks but a strong resolve exists at the root of my being to work hard and look after my family, even when I was tired, hungry and aching..I thought what my wife had just done, what she had achieved..bringing life into the world sure does take it out of you.

I have managed to get in a few runs, some days I have even kept to my calories..

Jill has expressed a resolve to get fit & healthy, i think the realisation and scare of high blood pressure has hit home, like me she wants to be here…enjoy life and live life to the full. The journey she takes for this must be her own, I will support and advise when needed but I wont “nag”

Jill’s resolve has given me even more motivation to lead by example. So after today, when the Easter eggs are finally gone, I can get back some discipline in my training and focus. I will continue with my journey, remembering why I started this.

Before I end this post, I want to again thank my beautiful wife for the gift of a Son, she is amazing,stong and an inspiration to me without even knowing it. x

Enjoy your life, live your life…with Respect & Honor. Arroooooo!!!!!!

As the week started, my thoughts really started to focus on the impending “Gauntlet” click link for more details, this is a 5K Mucky Race, mud pits, hills etc.

Monday – As I had done the Sport Relief run on the Sunday, I took a rest day..i should have been back in training but felt that a rest was deserved and earned.

Tuesday – This is my incremental run, so I should have run 5.5K, however I was feeling strong, really strong and without previous intent I knew it was going to be a fast run for me, so at around the 3k mark I decided to go for it and finish at 5k..really pushed it and finished with what sprint I had left. 25:24 was my time and this beat my PB and after previous runs this year I didn’t think I would get anywhere near but I am feeling so strong right now, winter and bad footwear choices are behind me

Wednesday – Down to the Spartan Village and its Arms, back,squats,pull ups, dips and Legs…to warm down 5K on the Bike. I made sure I took it real easy on the weights as the week before I had taken it to hard and my back was aching.

Thursday – Should have gone out early for Hills & Sprints but due to a late night, I didn’t make it, very annoyed and disappointed with myself, so I vowed to go out after work…this didnt happen, One thing I know is that I am a morning person, I find it very difficult to get out there in the evening, this isn’t so much laziness as family commitments. In the morning, at 5.30am its just me, no one is up however after work, ,things need to be done, I want to spend time with my wife, kids..catch up with everyone either in person or electronically.

Friday – So as not to miss out on any training, I went and did my Hill/Sprints followed by swimming. As I mentioned before, part of my Sprint session involves a slippery skate ramp, running up this was easy this time, coming down it however was underestimated and I slipped falling heavy on my back with a solid thud, up i got and continued running true Spartan style, no damage done.

This is becoming my favourite day as it’s a real test, 4 hill sprints and 6 goal to goal sprints, combined with Burpee’s (which I need to work on) make this a good workout, that gets my heart pumping in my chest and leaves me gasping for breath. I finished with a swim, 300M continuous,again not far but something to build on.

Rest on Saturday.

Sunday – The Gauntlet cometh, the race was due to start at 11am, so I left Basildon at 8.15 to pick up my daughter. We arrived just before 10 and the warm up begins, something I never think I do that well but for the next hour as my two boys Darrell & Nathan join me, we proceed to jog, jump, stretch and move around..all of which I am sure did constitute a good warm up.

We had run the “Guts & Glory” before, here at Bures but this was slightly different. We wanted to Win the Team event, we had checked out the team times from previous events and thought we had a chance. We made sure we was right at the front of the pack at the start this time, not like last time where we skulked at the back.

3-2-1 go…off we sprinted, down a hill, already I picture myself going over and doing my ankle, these thoughts have to be ignored in some part. The pace was fast to start and as I started to run the first hill, I instantly thought “shit” am I going to keep this pace up? throughout the next 5k we all stayed together, we had agreed that as a team we would not leave anyone behind. Darrell set the pace for most parts of the race but we all took our turns at times when I guessed we felt strongest. We made more effort to pass people on the hills this time, not settling for standing behind someone struggling to move forward.

The water was cold but soon forgotten, the mud in places was unforgiving as it grabbed at your trainers, trying to claim them. Not this Spartan, I pushed on.. some of the water had a deep pools that would take you almost to your waist when you least expected it.

The hills were best negotiated by dropping to hands and feet and scrambling up them using hands, nails feet and toes to get up them, I was surprised how effective this technique was, keeping low to the ground and leaning well forward on all fours…I was a Lion!! and passed many people this way, surprising them I’m sure…

A short run through a wood was nice and almost a rest, however a little annoying as I could not pass the male and female chatting in front of me about how they loved running.

The Finish was a long 1k hill, the hardest part of this was seeing how far away the finish seemed, I seemed to be quite strong here, I put my head down and upped my tempo again passing others who had resigned themselves to walking..Darrell & Nathan only a few feet behind me all the while. The finish was on a hill (of course) and as we regrouped, Nathan said, “Sprint to the finish yea?” I gasped back.. “fuck, ok yep I will do it” and we all did, as fast as we could…

I think we can say we gave it our all, as I crossed the line gasping for breath, I knew had done well and as a Team I was sure we must have finished strong.

What another great week, this gave us a taste of what the Spartan Beast will be like, just times this by 3 and then some!!

As I am writing this..its Monday morning and I’m waiting for the results..however, I need to post this as I think its possible another little Spartan is coming and I dont know if I wil be able to post anything for a few days…watch this space. Arrrooooo!!!!!!!

UPDATE:

The results of The Gauntlet, as follows, out of a field of 410 Runners,

83rd David Skipper. 48:16
84th Nathan Skipper. 48:16
86th Darrell Skipper. 48:17

Team Skipper 2nd!!!!

The fastest time was 30:18

The Slowest time was 1hr 54

What a great week to take it to the next level…

Finally got myself some new running shoes, Nike are my favourites it’s official. The minute I tried them on in the shop, they were so comfortable.

With renewed comfort on my feet I headed out the evening and for the first time in a while, I really enjoyed my 5k.

Wednesday and it was time to hit the Gym at 6am, haven’t been there in a while but it felt good to be the first in the morning to step back through those doors. Arms,back,legs,squats,pull ups and dips. I made an effort to lift really easy weights as I did not want any injury. Spent just under an hour at the Gym and walking out I felt great.

Thursday 5.30am and time to do a recon on some hill running,sprints, Burpees and any others high aerobic excercise. The purpose of this session was to work out a routine that would cover 5k and work on pushing my heart rate. Also I had an obstacle that I needed to overcome, “The Skater Ramp” there is a skate park near to where I run and on the morning of my recent wedding I had been out for a run with my boys, Darrell & Nathan. They had suggested we run up this very slippery,skate ramp as it would be good practice for what we had pictured being an obstacle in the Spartan Race.
They both did it after a few attempts but I could not, I think I was worried I might break something on the day of my wedding so that was my excuse.
So on Thursday, it was time to face my challenge, I had a mental block so on my first attempt I failed, next attempt was different, I focused on the top and went for it without fear and predictably got up it no sweat. This obstacle is now added to the Thursday run which includes all of the above. Come the late morning and my muscles are aching like hell, despite my easy gym session it still wasn’t easy enough and I was paying the price. I didn’t mind my muscles aching as I knew new ones were being forged.

Friday and time for a swim, the muscle ache has subsided a little and now was more in my back. I wasn’t sure how far I could swim in one go, so after a warm up length, off I went..I managed 10 lengths which is 500 metres. Its a start.

Saturday I rested and took a long hot shower to ease back ache which was still present.

Sunday morning and Sport Relief mile day, still a little sore but after some meditation I was feeling strong.

Jill and Aaron came along and knowing that my boys were doing this run in Colchester also motivated me.

45 of us lined up to do the 6 miles and off we went, I let all the others sprint off whilst I settled into a good pace, one by one I reeled them in. The course was 3 and a half laps around Gloucester Park and the Sporting Village. I was holding back most of the race as I was going to go all out on the last mile…however toward 5 mile we was waves into the stadium where the finish was, just one lap around the track and we was done, I finished 4th, just…sprinting to the line.

I was buzzing and felt amazingly strong…this is why events are so good. It was great to see my wife at the finish, I’m so glad she could make it.

So I collected my medal and that was my week, oh apart form the fact I had registered for the Spartan Beast in November along with my boys.

What a great week…can wait for the next one and “The Gauntlet” on Sunday, going to keep it light this week so I’m fresh for Sunday.

Let’s do this!!! Arrroooooooo!!!!!!

It’s been to long…I’ve become lazy again.

It’s been 8 months since I started to get fit, I said that I would be of the couch and live a Spartan life, albeit a Urban Spartan life and I did. I still am but it’s become easy..I’ve become complacent.

I always promised I would be honest, so here I am saying that whilst I have still be running at least 2 times a week, I have not been pushing myself.

I think when winter got here and I had lost so much weight, I started to just rest on my opening success. Even now people. Say “you have done so well,you have lost loads of weight” and yes I have done well but it’s time to start taking it to the next level, I’m not obese any more but I’m still over weight and I’m not anywhere near to the vision I have of being and Urban Spartan.

I have built a foundation, I have learnt a lot about myself and that I never give up when running, that whatever discomfort I have, nothing will make me stop and walk. So now it’s time to build a Spartan.

I will be entering the Spartan Beast which takes place in September. This is a HELL of an event..12 miles,that’s 20k of obstacles,tests,mud,running pain,blood and sweat. This will not be easy. I have a few events score that, sport relief 6 miles next week, The 5k Gauntlet on April 1st (no joke) and a 10k Race in the summer, Richmond Park.

That’s without the demands of being a 42 year old father of my son, due soon and also a loving Husband. Combine this with my career at First Data, where I have been promoted 3 times in the last 3 years..my current role has a lot of demands, I absolutely love it and feel I make a difference. So everything in my life is brilliant and I am so Lucky.

I want to show my wife,my new son,my family and me just what you can do in your life. When this life ends, I want to come skidding to a halt knowing that I gave it my all, that I lived strong,hard with fun and love in my heart and that I gave something, that I showed the world you can do it!!

My name is David Skipper and I am The Urban Spartan!!! Arrroooooooo!!!!!

Ok so what’s the plan..I have 35 weeks to Spartan Beast, this is what I have come up with.
Training Plan is something of a challenge in itself but this is how I have tackled it. I have 35 weeks. So have broke it into three sections. Weeks 1 – 12. Week 13 – 24 and then week 25 – 35.
The second and third stages will be about building on the foundation built in the first 12 weeks.
I have tried to do it so it’s varied and also has an increase in either effort or distance. See if this makes sense:

Monday’s GYM. Abs,chest,shoulders and squats.

Tuesday 5k, increase in 0.5k every week until 10k then work on reduction in time.

Wednesday’s GYM. Abs,arms,back,light legs and squats.

Thursdays Sprints or Spartan WOD as e mail.

Friday – Swimming increase in non stop distance per week.

Saturday 10k, then increase of 1k up until 20k then work in reduction in time.

Sunday Rest.

In addition to above I will be walking to and from work 4 days a week, which is additional 6k.

Diet wise – 2000 calories per day. Min FAT, limit on processed food. Increase in fruit, veg,fish,chicken.
NO BREAD Bread has always made me tired.
3 litres of Water min per day.

Well that’s the plan, going to feed that into my iPhone and follow it. Will do as much pictures, video and blogging as possible. Capturing the next stage is critical.

I will be looking for opportunity to challenge myself all the time. As much as the Spartan Beast will be about Physical Fitness, it will equally be about Mental Toughness…I will be challenging my mental toughness all the time, pushing Myself, all the time..all those times when you want to stay sitting on the couch or laying in bed, I will push myself to rise.

Watch this space…Arrooooo!!!!!!!

Well….there it is.

The Urban Spartan

TheUrbanSpartan YouTube

The Urban Spartan 36th Mile

As the end of January approaches (already) I have managed to tick off one of my 2012 goals…which was to run 100k in a month, so on the last day of the month I’m on 103k… this has beaten my furthest ran in a month by 35k at least.

January has seen a few personal records broken, Furthest distance ran 13K, fastest 5k 25:27, only missing out to Nathans record at the time by 2 seconds, had I realised at the time of running how close I was, I could have beat this time but maybe that says how hard I was pushing or how much I had left. Also happy that when weighing in at Darrells I was 16st 2lb

The 100k mark was hit at the end of a 5k ParkRun at AllyPally (London) which was completed with Darrell & Nathan, this was a really tough run for me, for many reasons.. the small muscle on the right side of my knee is giving me grief, mainly when running or walking up stairs, it has no strength in it and kinda gives way, I didn’t know the course but other than that I loved this run. We had already decided to race each other and not stick together on this occasion, which made things interesting.

Despite keeping up with Nathan and even passing him in the first 1k, I could not keep up with him on the slight hill, once my strength increases I will be able to really challenge him. Darrell, although behind me, was always the threat that I feel hasn’t quite come to realisation yet… he just keeps getting stronger and has so far ran the furthest this month, finding his winning form and getting in the extra distance.

Back to the knee pain….really don’t know what the right thing is to do?, as I write this I haven’t done any exercises in 2 days, complete rest..do I rest or do i keep pushing, i don’t want to visit the doctor, who I am convinced will say “Running is not good, its bad for the knees, rest it,try a different sport” I think I will gift it a few more days rest and  then try a gentle run…I really cant stop running, its just to good.

In respect of Strength training, i ha vent been to the Gym for about a week, I am resting…for now anyway but not for long. I cant rest long…it makes me restless. I need the challenge, I need any challenge..if I don’t challenge myself in anything I can, i get bored and boredom is the most BORING thing ever!!!

I’m not just talking about fitness, i’m talking about your mind too. Just because I rest my body, my mind is always working, i’m not happy if my mind is not always active, writing, reading, anything to keep the brain active. This is not to say that I cannot rest my mind if I need to, I can find peace whenever i need to and this is important…if you cant find your centre and breathe you will implode.

So in summary…and what I have said before, healthy body,mind and soul/spirit. I was just thinking what people are thinking when the read this, because I just really just write what is coming into my mind…just like now but maybe I am not to worried what people think but I hope that some people will read this and relate to it…either way I get to record my thoughts on my life, which is pretty spectacular..and I appreciate everything I have and everything around me.

So whats next…Feb, our wedding and pushing for that 15st…thats one of my other targets, to hit 15st…so this month then? I’m doing it, right here in these words and this blog, I am commiting to losing that fat, eating healthy and working on a serious fat burn..really getting down to the route core..stripping away the comfort zone and getting to the core.

Ok…so I think thats enough for now..

Let me know what you think….your comments count, if you cant comment here, tweet at me, facebook me…your comments do really help, your support really does help..

This year, amongh other things…I have a half Marathon in sight, The Spartan Beast (16k Obstacle, the toughest Race) 10k Race… thats just the tip of the iceberg,, The Urban Spartan is also about living in the real world…enjoying and living the day to day things..all of the above is brilliant, right at the top of this adventure is being a Husband..and a Father again, Harvey is coming…he is gonna be a big boy!! Arrooooo!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheUrbanSpartan

@theurbanspartan

So as 2011 draws to a close, I’m already preparing to tackle 2012 head on, in fact I haven’t waited until Jan 1st, as is tradition,I was back in training after a week off over Christmas, that was enough…it seems that my body as it is now does not take too kindly to me stuffing it full off food that it just does not require. I was glad to get out and run this week, something about running gives you a good feeling, it was not easy after a week but it wasn’t to bad either, just a steady 5k followed by an hour in the Gym where I thought I might just puke after my last few sets of Squats.

Before I reflect on the year, I feel I must say something here that should be known to all in case there was any doubt, whilst I set myself physical,mental and spiritual goals my overriding aim is to be a better person,father and eventually husband…to provide for my family,to be strong for them,protect them and be a role model for my children, especially my son when he arrives in April..I want all these things and happiness and I believe this “”Spartan” ethic I have adopted aids me in this..healthy body,healthy mind.

Looking back on the year I can be pleased with my Spartan achievements so far, running 5k,running 5k under 30 mins, running a 5k race,running 10k, completing 5k Mucky Race, joining a Gym,going to a Gym,losing around 4 st in weight, writing a blog,making a YouTube Chanel and overcoming many,many personal battles and never stopping… This is just the beginning, just the first few miles..and they have been great.

Whats in store for 2012? well apart from the arrival of Harvey and getting married…(isn’t that enough) I have some goals I wish to achieve which will challenge me in all the areas that I have described above, I will not list them all here but some of these are to run at least 2 endurance events, run a 10k race, run a half marathon (20k) run 100k in a month…to get my weight under 15, just to prove I can..I will have many more challenges along the way but I can’t wait to get started, it’s going to be amazing.

So Happy New year to you all and if anyone is reading this and looking for some tips, here they are…

Eat Less
Exercise more
Drink Water
Run or Walk
Never let yourself end where you began..
Keep motivated!!!

My YouTube Channel

Arrrooooooooo!!!!!!!