When your too tired to run...run some more!!

So the weather has turned..summer is over and along comes the rain...should be sad right?
Well im not. Im actually looking forward to my forest trail runs with some mud!

That said in a few short days Ill be running my next moment of madness ; )

Sat 21st Sept is Nuclear Blackout. This could possibly be my toughest challenge so far. Nuclear Blackout is a 5k obstacle course endurance race..IN THE DARK!!!!

The race starts just before sunset and we have 2 hours to complete as many laps as possible. I dont know  the course layout but its on the same land as Lactic Fallout I ran in May. The course will be shorter but we have had confirmed it will contain 2 water obstacles!!!!

This will be be possibly the longest race too...got a feeling im going to need to push hard on this one. Pace will be everything. Ive been working hard on this on my last few runs to try and keep a constant yet manageable speed. Not as easy as it sounds!

Well apart from pace there are still the obstacles and of course the dark. Im starting to realise this race could be a struggle mentally as well as physically. Need to keep a beady eye on the ground concentrating for 2 hours will take its toll.

My plan is a slow and steady first lap meaning by lap 2 I'll know whats coming. Where to push and where I can use obstacles or terrain to recover. (Haha obstacles to recover who am I kidding!)

Got a feeling im gonna hit the wall by lap 2...when im tired of running. ..im gonna have to run some more ; )

mirrors arent just for posing...who knew!

So today was workout b..straight from work after a long week and in a pretty hot and busy gym. As you can imagine, wasnt setting my hopes high : (

Must admit using the squat rack today whilst checking my technique and form in the mirror was really useful.

I used to think mirrors in gyms were just so posers could check out their guns and stroke thier egos! Well perhaps some do, however, im now sure they really do help you train form is everything!!!

Squats are still tough they still need work but im getting there..slowly. ; )

On a plus we also increased the weight on the flys today in the superset. In fairness we did drop kettle bells to 2 x 12kg for press. Again the right thing to do as I can now work on my form ; )

In conclusion starting to like workout b...still dont like marmite ; )

My marmite "workout B"

Time to share my love hate relationship with WORKOUT B!!!


My training regieme is split into 2 main workouts. A & B...simple right? I wish!!!
Our current workout isnt version 1 but version 2.0.

The latest versions of these workouts are broken into 3. Including a 'superset' Well thats what Phil calls them. Im starting to refer to them as marmite sets. Oh and for the record I dont like marmite ; ) As you can guess by my pet name...after the challenge of the primary excercise, these workouts are TOUGH!!

So what are the 3 sections:
1) Primary excercise
2) Superset
3) conditioning

The conditioning section of the workout put simply is 3 excercises for 40 seconds back to back ( no breaks ) with 1 mins rest between rounds. Repeated 3 times!! If I wasnt sucking in air by this stage, trust me these 3 conditioning sets will really get ya heart pumping!! This is also the stage where Im sweating that much my eybrows are unable to hold back the flood and my eyes begin to sting!!!
Another piece of education: apparently protecting our eyes from water/sweat is one of the functions your eyebrows are designed for. Well according to Stephen Fry an QI anyway ; )

So as I always do at this stage just read back on my first ramble. (To make sure it makes sense). Think I mightve been too strong. It almost sounds like I hate these workouts right?? HELL NO!!!

Workout B really pushes me. Especially the squat rack. It has always been an excercise that scared me. Puts alot of strain on your core when you push out of the bottom of the squat! Hernias arent paranoid fiction,  they are a real risk for us ostomists.  Infact we can get them without lifting this type of heavy weight. That said 10 months of prep mean I was squatting 50kg for almost 5 sets. I say almost as the needed Phils help on the last couple. Infact thinking about it the last one I went down but didn't quite make it up ; )

Ill try and post my exact workout regieme soon in the interim I have taken some photos of my marmite workout B.....

Stoma, what the hell is a Stoma?????

Hi all,

As per my last post I spent some time looking on google to see how best I could define a Stoma, here is what I found. I hope its of interest? Let me know!


An ileostomy is a surgical procedure to link the end of the small intestine to an opening in the abdomen (stoma)

In an ileostomy, the end of the small intestine (the ileum) is disconnected from the colon (large intestine) and re-routed through a hole made in the abdomen, which is known as a stoma. An external bag (stoma bag) is attached to the opening to collect waste products.
An ileostomy is a relatively common surgery. In England, an estimated 9,000 are carried out by the NHS each year.

When is an ileostomy needed?
An ileostomy is needed when the colon (large intestine) is damaged, inflamed or loses function. It is also used to treat some types of cancer, where it is necessary to remove part or all of the colon.


Types of ileostomy
There are three main types of ileostomy:
• loop ileostomy
• end ileostomy

Loop ileostomy
During a loop ileostomy, a loop of the small intestine is brought out through the stoma. The procedure is usually only used as a temporary measure when it is necessary to remove part of the rectum. Once the remaining colon has healed it can be reconnected to the small intestine and the stoma can be closed.
Loop ileostomies are often used to treat bowel cancer.
End ileostomy
During an end ileostomy the colon and rectum are removed and the end of the ileum is brought out through the stoma and attached to an external bag. An end ileostomy is usually permanent.

An ileo-anal pouch (also known as a J pouch) is sometimes used as an alternative to an external bag. This is an internal pouch surgically constructed from the small intestine and connected to the sphincter muscle that surrounds the anus. It means bowel actions can be controlled in the normal way.
Ileo-anal pouches are now preferred because they eliminate the external bag. However, they are not suitable for every patient. Disadvantages include having to go to the toilet frequently to empty the pouch.


So there it is, never thought this blog would be educational :) I have and will make reference to 'my bag', 'ileo' or 'stoma' regularily throughout these blogs. So thought it was good to share what these unusualy terms were :)

As I have already said my reasons for sharing are not for sympathy as my stoma in reality stops me from doing very little. My op was 6.5 years ago, but, I have a 5 year old son and I am traininig in a gym or running 5 days a week! Oh thats whilst trying to keep down a stressful career in Sales, look after our new puppy and try and spend some quality time with my wife!!! So all in all regardless if you are or are not an ostomist a hectic lifestyle :)

Oh....and for the record right now I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!

To move forward we need only look at our past

I've been thinking about my next blog today  Had a few ideas what to post next. A review of Nuts my most recent race. A reflection on Lactic Rush perhaps(my first obstacle race).
I Have also been playing with an entry that trys to break down my workouts. 10 months ago I thought a clean and press was something you did to a shirt, not with a kettle bell ; )

Then I started thinking, why did I start this blog? Why did I even start this journey at all? One aim was obviously to improve my overall fitness. But the journey really hit another gear when my changing body shape began to cause issues with my stoma bag. Then I began to think this whole journey over the last 6 years. Recent months were about my mental 'battle' with Cancer and the physical challenges a stoma presented. Ultimately how it stops me in reality doing very little , well apart from farting. But thats a different story ; )

Then I realised everyone knows what cancer is. Its a term we hear in our everyday life. However, my journey also included the alien concept of a stoma. Over the last 6 years I have been very open about my ileo. I never wanted the subjest of my illness and op to be taboo. It was at this stage I realised. The biggest thing I have encountered in the last 6 years was ignorance. Not intentionally or vicously but like me 7 years ago a compete ignorance on what a stoma, ostomy or ileo even was!

I think it may be people feel afraid to ask and therefore make assumptions. So I have decided that my next post I will try and explain what a stoma actually is  Hopefully for you following this blog (and I hope there are at least a couple of you) an understanding of a stoma may help you understand the challenges in my journey. Perhaps even understand more about a stoma may help to understand why certain posts are relevant to an ostomist (someone with a stoma).

Ive read that the NHS for various reasons perform over 9, 000 stoma surgeries a year. So the chance of meeting a fellow brown bagger increases every year. We dont want pity but an understanidng of the challenges a stoma presents will hopefully be useful??

So my next post (without any gory pics) I will try to explain what a stoma actually is....

Training session

Saturday's training session was tough!
It has been a long week with high stress levels at work. Stress always seems to take more out of me  I'm not sure why? Perhaps it's my Stoma or perhaps as a manager my role is to keep my personal stess levels in check? Coping with stress can be stressful  itself!
Either way it'd been a long week ; )

So I arrive at my gym at 8.30 Sat morning ready to meet Phil (my P.T) I knew today was 'workout B' my least favourite of the two circuits, as it is also my weakest. ; )

Warm up went well, even though this did work up quite a sweat.  It was then time for the squat rack. This is an excercise Ive always had concerns with. My operation and stoma has left my core weak with scars tissue etc. Ultimately a stoma is a piece of your intestine pulled through a hole in you stomach. This makes for compromised stomach muscles. Hernia's are a constant concern, however,  I trust Phil, I trust my body.

We start off slow just the bar (yeah just the bar...still 20kg!!!) I have realised over the months I have worked with Phil, technique is everything. We get the first set of front squats done...I'm feeling good. We then progress to some weight.

This is only my second time in 'the rack' and last time created a weird injury in both my middle fingers?? Weird right? Well this created a negative anchor for this excercise.  I think a weak wrist means my grip just isnt right. I bearly make it through my first set before the niggle starts acting up. Like I said...listen to your body. Mine just said enough! I had to ditch the bar twice before I finnaly said to Phil "this isnt happening"
In my opinion as any real P.T should Phil didnt push. He knew all this would achieve was less commitment, poor technique and risk an injury.

We changed to back squats added more weight and (apart from final set) managed to push out 4 more sets.

So managed to finish off a tough session, proving a stoma IS just another obstacle to overcome. Listening to my body is vital to avoid injury and ultimately stay positive and focused.

The Ironic beginning ; )

Whilst thinking about my next post made me reflect on my first few weeks out of hospital.  Looking back ironically this is when I unbeknownst to me took my first steps towards fitness.

To build up my strength I used to walk across a park to the local greggs. Id pick up a sausage roll. And then walk back. I remember being so tired!  I then started timing my walks trying to make it there and back as quick as I could.

Ironic how a sausage roll was the thing that started my passion for fitness ; ) lol