Accountability Corner
Embark on an adventure with Darren, Morgan, and Chris, the dynamic trio steering the ship at "Accountability Corner." As passionate OCR enthusiasts, they're on a mission to share their expertise and enthusiasm for obstacle course racing with the world. From sharing insider tips on overcoming training plateaus to demystifying the complexities of race registration and gear selection, no stone is left unturned. Whether you're a seasoned competitor hungry for fresh perspectives or a newcomer eager to dip your toes into the muddy waters of OCR, these hosts are here to guide you every step of the way. Join them as they peel back the curtain on the electrifying world of OCR, revealing stories of triumph, camaraderie, and boundless adventure.
Don't miss out – tune in and discover why OCR is capturing hearts and minds around the globe!
Accountability Corner
#23: Conquering Tartan Warrior: Insights and Strategies from the Scottish OCR Battleground
The Scottish hills have spoken, and they've challenged us with the Tartan Warrior obstacle course race, where mud, grit, and camaraderie collided. Join us as we relive the electrifying atmosphere of race day, share our personal successes and stumbles, and dissect the strategic marathon that is competitive OCR. Our race weekend was a cornucopia of weather-beaten tracks, the thrill of reuniting with our OCR family, and the tactical decisions that navigated us through the course. From the pre-race jitters to the adrenaline-charged 3K sprints and the endurance-testing 8K, we've uncovered the nuanced strategies that can mean the difference between triumph and learning experiences.
As we swap race tales and confess our course conundrums, you'll get the insider's view on the European obstacle racing scene and the rigorous preparation it demands. We discuss the art of pacing, the value of skill-based obstacle training, and the agility required to handle European rules that keep us on our toes. Whether you're an OCR enthusiast or simply love a good challenge, our reflections on the Tartan Warrior are packed with insights on the training regimens and focused mindset that keep us striving for the podium.
Celebrating the spirit of OCR, we shine a light on the standout performances that captured our hearts and motivated our souls. From Finlay's awe-inspiring comeback to the raw talent of rising stars like Harry Jeffries, this episode is a heartfelt nod to the growth and passion within our sport. With the season's races just unfolding, we lay out our game plans, share a few unorthodox training hacks, and open up about the relentless determination that fuels us. It's an episode filled with inspiration, strategy, and the strength of an OCR community that knows no bounds.
Welcome to the Accountability Corner, where we talk about everything obstacle course racing, from staying disciplined in training, affording the sport, signing up for your first race and, more importantly, how the sport is growing around the world. With your hosts Morgan Maxwell, chris Shipley and Darren.
Speaker 2:Martin, Hello and welcome to Accountability Corner, episode 23. I think we're on 23. I always get confused. It is Wednesday recording this and I'm looking at the two of you and you look a little bit more recovered than you did on Monday and Sunday. How have you been going?
Speaker 3:Yeah, not too bad. My cough has got a bit worse since the race. I felt a bit more run down down, but that's probably the hard effort, so yeah I feel fantastic you feel great?
Speaker 1:I feel fantastic. Why do you? Feel fantastic because I just feel fantastic. The racing season's started all over again. We've had a race, we've seen everyone everyone's looking quality. Uh, darren's hair was great in the sun. Mo looked ripped. Uh, I looked ripped. It was a good weekend away wasn't it.
Speaker 2:It was good, it was amazing, it was nice to get going, get started, and that's what we're just. We're not, we're not even gonna. We don't even have a proper subject or topic to talk about today. I think we just want to. We're not going to do a race recap, but we want to talk about what happened at the weekend, which was Tartan Warrior, the 3K, the 8K and the 100 meters, and then just there's this chat around what we learned from it and what we're going to bring forward into the season as we maybe change a bit of our training or just keep progressing as we were it's kind of like a bit of a race breakdown for ourselves, isn't it?
Speaker 1:because, like after after a race, it's a good idea to think about your performance and how the race went, and this episode is probably going to be one of them, episodes where we do that, but verbally to our audiences it's like a race therapy session yeah, well, I I said to both of you I've been waiting.
Speaker 2:I haven't been texting you, I haven't messaged you, haven't called you about the race. We haven't spoken about it because we're just like waiting to go onto this, this podcast, today and then talk around it. Because obviously this is the reason why we started accountability corner is because we were chatting so much about our races that we thought we'd uh, we'd record it and see if anyone was interested in it. Well, it actually seems like people are interested in it. It was so nice to get so many good feet, good feedback at the weekend of people actually actually enjoy our voices somehow.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're definitely, I think obviously because, especially winter and we weren't really seeing the people in a kind of ocr scene, if you like, it was quite a nice refresher that, oh yeah, people are listening and we do know, know who we are and it's not just doing this for no reason.
Speaker 2:Yeah we have more than one listener and that has been confirmed now, because at least two people spoke to me about calvin vittling corner I've got loads of fist bumps.
Speaker 3:I'm loving it you're like a celebrity the science celebrity I don't know.
Speaker 2:No, it was really good and it was good to see. Yeah, like you said, mo, it's good to see people. We haven't seen people in ages. We've just been creating that monster in the dark trying to unleash them at the weekend.
Speaker 1:Oh, you two definitely unleashed a monster.
Speaker 3:We tried yeah yeah, monster's gotta do some work. He's gotta grow a little bit, but he's getting there it's only because of that other pesky monster that stupid monster I've seen.
Speaker 2:I've seen your name, ships. What's your name today on Zoom, playing the long game? Why are you playing the long game?
Speaker 1:Because after the performance at the weekend, I've got to stop and remember that it's still the beginning of the season and I am concentrating on one race. So I'm playing the long game and getting ready for that. I shouldn't be racing amazingly right now. I'm playing the long game.
Speaker 2:I feel like you've given a little prelude into what's going to happen at the end of this topic today, how we're going to end it and how we're going to manage everyone's expectations of other topics that we're going to and how the season's going to unfold. We all traveled up on friday, didn't we?
Speaker 3:to bonnie, scotland, where the turbines turbines separately, though separately yeah, darren had a karaoke session by the sounds of it taylor swift all the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't go wrong them.
Speaker 1:Six hours flew by, yeah you can't go wrong with tay tay, no it was, it was great company.
Speaker 2:So saturday was the start of the 3k series, which we've spoken about in our last episode. In the worst weather known to man or just not a normal day in scotland, that was uh yeah, that was like ice rain. It was horrendous, but it wasn't nice. What was the best thing about saturday is the time it started yeah, what time was it?
Speaker 1:12 o'clock?
Speaker 3:I think so, yeah, 12, 12 o'clock and, to be honest, we could have started at 11, because then we would have had the sun. We all warmed up and it was bloody, amazing weather.
Speaker 2:And we're like, oh, we've got to wave at this and then as soon as 12 o'clock came.
Speaker 3:It just came from nowhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that weren't just any rain, that was freezing cold rain.
Speaker 2:So I'll give a bit of a summary of just if anyone doesn't know Tartan Warrior or didn't travel up at the weekend and once and intrigued about how the race season started and what the race is. Tartan warrior is a race put on by fit body farm. Uh, gavin hogarth, who runs fit body farm, started up. Uh, tartan warrior I believe time warrior used to be a race ran in scotland a few years back and he's he's called it tartan warrior reborn because that's what I'm assuming. It used to be a race, so it's, it's run.
Speaker 2:It was a race, was it? Yeah, back in the day, and it was run, and so the race is on a obstacle course training center. So it's perfect situation where, because it's on a farm, it's got loads of fields, it's got loads of obstacles, so it really set itself up to be a really good place to put on a course. And boy did he put on like a good course three kilometers, eight kilometers, hundred meters, 3k. He put loads of videos out of all the technical obstacles, unless I obviously I can't comment much about the 3k because I just ran around recording both of you. But let's, how did you guys feel going into the 3k?
Speaker 3:I mean, I was pretty going into it. I was pretty confident because Gavson does such a good job of getting videos out there and getting us aware of what's actually going to be happening, especially because there was a few we'll say confusing rules, because they could be confusing. But there was a few we'll say confusing rules because they could be confusing. But there was different penalties for different obstacles, and some were band cutters, some were penalties, some were just mandatory. So there was quite a lot going on. But I think they did a very good job at getting the information out there and, to be fair, the marshals on the day did a very good job of making you aware of what was going on. So, going into the race, I was more confident than normal in terms of knowing what I'm doing, because I had a lot of access which we don't get, which is quite nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with you on that, but I think I went into the race nervous as heck. Oh yeah, I was nervous, Don't get me wrong. Oh right, that's good.
Speaker 2:Then First race of the season season I was definitely nervous.
Speaker 3:I was more nervous on Saturday than I was Sunday definitely 100%. Part of that for me as well was because I went in a different way to you guys, so I was a bit like when I found out that I was getting even more kind of nervous because I was like this is time trialling.
Speaker 2:Now this is going to be a lot harder than I wanted it to be yeah, that was a bit so I was just sort of people listening, I followed. I followed the front pack and videoed and did a nice little reel because it's really hard to to video the whole race when there's so many different waves going off. So I followed the front pack of the men's wave and, yeah, that was a little bit frustrating because I know how gavin's done it, like he's done it by age. He did the waves by age and you can't you can't argue your age but you can argue your ability. So he didn't do it by ability because it's obviously it's easier to um put people together. But, mo, you probably should have been in the first wave racing against the fastest people so that then you can have the ability to battle with them yeah, because all the kind of your well, the wave that Shipley was in was pretty much the best on the day.
Speaker 3:Obviously it didn't turn out that way anyway, because Ramsey came along and stole the show but it didn't. I felt like maybe I could have been bumped to that wave, but then it kind of goes against the wave structure. So I understand why I wasn't put in that wave. It's also like like if you looked at it it'd be like well, put mo in there, and it's just the fastest people.
Speaker 2:So it makes sense well, yeah, the the worst thing about that is that I was videoing, obviously, russ going around because he was in the first wave, but I could have if, if, in hindsight this is all hindsight imagine if you had you, ramsey and russ in the same, I could have been videoing a great battle, but you just never know when it's time trial.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's so hard to see, especially when it's waves. You don't know what's going on. Until the end, we didn't even know what the positions were until they called out the podium, which was actually probably more nerve-wracking than the race. I thought I'd podium, but I was like, oh, I don't want to be third. I definitely. Well, obviously I didn't want to be second either, but that's where I ended up. But it was like, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:It was nervous just knowing where you came let's go, keep, go, keep staying at the start before we go get into the race, because how you felt and how you performed ships, why was you nervous for this is it you?
Speaker 1:you're never usually that nervous before race well, I am, but uh, no, it's just because it was the first the, the first race back of the year. Obviously a lot of people uh speak about, like my ability in the 3k now. So it's like you, you kind of want to perform but you're not sure where you're, you're you're at because obviously it's come from a from the back end of last year where people are like, oh you, you've done so well in the 3K, you're going to do really well this year. So the expectation to do well is quite high on yourself. But it's hard to know how well you're going to perform because you haven't done a race this year. You haven't done that first thing to see where you're at. So expectation's high but knowledge is low.
Speaker 2:But you're right, this was your first race. You didn't even do like if people know, know, rumble, we do like a troop race, which is like our, our like get the rust off and have a go at racing each other and really, really have a race mindset. So you don't. You can have a bit of a tester, but this is. But you didn't do that. So this is this. That was your first race of the season, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:yeah, because unfortunately I missed that rumble two race which is the first time I've missed that in quite a few years, which is a bit annoying.
Speaker 2:But I say lovey helps get the rust off yeah, so going to the, going to the race, race for us then, because I don't want to comment too much, because I was just videoing. But how did you both find, find the 3k?
Speaker 3:I think the course similar. Well, last year I walked away from tartan warrior and thought that was the best course I've ever run and this year I walked away from tartan warrior going that was the best course I've ever run and it beats last year because it was just. It was so well put together. There was enough balance between running and obstacles, especially for a 3K. It was quite compact, but it was compact enough with the right obstacles that didn't make it so hard that you'd like just uncompletable. It had the perfect balance. The rain didn't help a lot of people, I imagine, but that's the weather. You can't control that. So I think course-wise it was amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I totally agree with you. I so I think course wise it was amazing. Yeah, totally agree with you. I mean, the only downside was probably the lack of lanes, but it's a training facility that can't really be helped. And but yeah, course layout, course planning, course knowledge uh, everything was on point, really really good, and you'll look at some of the reviews coming back from that and it's it speaks for itself as well how how do you think this, this 3k is, prepares you yourself for, like the european races, or do you think it's getting up with gavin is because he's a racer, a very high caliber racer?
Speaker 2:do you think he's done a good job of getting us to the point where we can actually say that this is a good prep for a european?
Speaker 1:race. This is a hundred percent a european standard race nice oh yeah, that's straight away yeah, hundred percent. It's the best prep you get in this country.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, without shadow and and I totally agree with you I videoed obviously a lot of people going around and, yes, you're gonna have a lot of people probably thinking that I fell off a few things, I lost my band here. I did that. I think that's great, that's good, it's a good thing, because that's that's, that's how life is in european racing and world level racing. If you want to be competitive and you want to go abroad and you want your money to be well worth spent, that you've spent all this going flights to different race in europe, then yeah, fall off, fall off races in Scotland, cause that's going to prep you to, to train a bit more and get ready for it.
Speaker 1:Well, that's exactly what I did. Yeah, I had two mistakes, and I am so grateful for making two mistakes because it shows that I need to work on some skill-based obstacles, and not getting on obstacles that we don't see in this country very often shows that we're rusty at them. We're not amazing at them. We need to practice these obstacles to compete at a higher level against other athletes who are competing on these obstacles regularly.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about that then, because that's what we keep banging on about, that we want to be competitive in Europe and we want to make sure that we're bringing uk races to the correct standard. So we're not. We're not like in a in a world of world of our own, or a little bubble, thinking that we're great, and then we go to europe and we only place, like, don't even finish the course. So where do you think, why do you think this course is comparable to a european race? Where? Where do you think he course is comparable to a European race? Where do you think he's done?
Speaker 3:the difference? Is it just the density of obstacles? I think it was a mixture of the density, because it's a training centre, but all the obstacles he had were obstacles that we've seen in Europe and they were all challenging in their own little way and there was enough of everything, if that makes sense. There wasn't just one style of obstacle, there was different styles. He had obstacles where he had a bit more hand and there was enough of everything, if that makes sense. There wasn't just one style of obstacle, there was different styles. He had obstacles where he had a bit more hand-eye coordination, a bit more accurate, like the ninja rings and the captain hooks, which, again, you see in Europe all the time. Then you had obstacles that were a bit more strength-based. You had tyre flips and then you had the rig strength-based obstacles, like the climber obstacle that we saw, and that was a very similar layout to what we saw at the worlds as well.
Speaker 2:So it was quite nice to kind of go through that again and just I think it was just the mixture of everything yeah you, the rules are a bit more relaxed in europe, though I'd say especially when it comes to like yeah, it is a good thing because we do need to. You do need to understand that we're still not there, but I think, yeah, like that climber rig, the way that you were able to lean out as far as possible in in europe.
Speaker 1:You'd have to start the first attachment well for us that actually made it quite difficult because we came into the obstacle ourselves thinking, oh, hang on a minute, are we allowed to be doing this?
Speaker 1:yeah which which kind of changed it up a little bit because it was like oh, surely I'm not allowed to do. I thought that you had to touch first attachment for most of the rigs, because I just couldn't see it being allowed to go that. I mean, technically, I probably should have read the rules a bit better, but well, it doesn't feel natural.
Speaker 3:I also think that's a better way of doing it because it allows for the good obstacle athletes to really show their skills to jump out to obstacles and attack and be a bit more creative. I think the first attachment rule kind of screws a lot of obstacle racing up, especially if you look at the top level, because they they don't get to be as creative as they could be yeah, the only downs.
Speaker 1:The only thing that I thought it would be first touch or first obstacle attachment was because of how small the rigs were. So if they were a huge rig, like you do see in the European standards, they're big and you've got the room to jump into them and things like that, which is what I thought was a bit different, so how did you get on Mo?
Speaker 3:Yeah, all right, Not too bad, yeah. So when I came through I don't want to talk too much about the race today. I'd rather just talk about what we learned.
Speaker 3:But I was the first person to keep all three bands and not have a clean race. Everyone else in that first wave didn't, um, and I don't think we had the same weather, so it's not like it was a later on in the day where it's a bit drier, so that was quite nice as well. We got on the obstacles, obviously it was wet, so that was quite good training, um, but I think also because I wasn't in that wave, that's probably why I kept all bands, because I wasn't panicking with people around me. I was, in a way, with a lot of younger people, shall we say, a lot more of the kind of juniors, if you like. Now there's a couple older guys in there, but mainly juniors, um, so I kind of get away from them, and then I had obstacles all to myself the only time it came. A problem was at the end and there was a little bit of a bottleneck where I was catching the other wave, but there was enough room for me to just get through.
Speaker 2:I really had that where dave let let you pass, didn't he?
Speaker 3:yeah I think, any other racer maybe would have got on the rig and that might have slowed me down, uh, but luckily dave was in front of me, so he just stepped back and let me go through, which was nice yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I did actually see other people let other people through, because they just you just got to appreciate someone's going quicker than you, you just got to let them through. Yeah, you've been caught. Yeah, so how did the? Do you think you've done everything right in your training? Then Is this proof that for a 3k, we'll talk about the longer race talk about the longer race, um, I think so.
Speaker 3:I think first race in the season you never fit and I was as fit as you need to be we need. Well, I'll get my fitness back in the summer. That's where I need to be fit for all the euros and for the uk champs. So it definitely felt harder than maybe it could have been. But I also think I got my pacing strategy right and it's something this year I've been working on in training a little bit more um, trying to actually pace myself and not just go out and die um. I think I got my pace on the 3k especially.
Speaker 1:I got my pacing strategy pretty bang on um and I think that helped as well yeah, you look like you finished strong and I think that's key in the 3k to finish strong, not start too strong. It seems to be the back end where people lose a bit more oomph and time. That's key in the 3k to finish strong, not start too strong. It seems to be the back end, where people lose a bit more oomph and time that's.
Speaker 2:That's where we can lead into to your strategy where, yes, there may have been few things ships you. You want to say you've learned from and you slipped off obstacles, but from a strategy point of view, like the lab coat on, you proved the point that it is. It isn't a race where you need to go out super hot, like no, you wouldn't mind me saying that you was at the back, like, like from the tire carry, which was actually a good, good part into the race. He was at the back, but then, just because the rig started coming up the the obstacles, you had your, you was within yourself. You just started to take a lot of people and you got into a really good position.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, like Mo said, I think I've got the pacing right, even though it probably could help going a little bit faster at the start. The way that I catch up through the end of the course was where I was pushing. It's only unfortunate that I had the two mistakes, because I would like to see what the time would have been without having two mistakes, to see where it compared to some of the other athletes who had a better, a better completion rate. But yeah, it just shows that you know you still need to push hard throughout the whole race and maybe negatively splitting it does pay off, because I was catching Ferg. I mean, I reckon he went off quite hard to try and get ahead of the pack on the obstacles, but you know I was reeling people in and it was definitely paying off how do you think it's going to change your 3k training, what you learned from this?
Speaker 1:not too much. Um, probably need to get back on some obstacles that you're not going to see, but it's not going to change too much in what I'm doing, because what I'm doing is right. It's just not giving me the the results that I'm expecting at the moment. But it's. It's difficult when you got things going one way and you're expecting a different result from the one that you get. So it's really. It's really difficult to say, ah, you know, I didn't get on the podium, I've got to change everything I'm doing, because if I start changing things, everything that I'm doing, that's that's, that's starting from scratch. I've got to keep the momentum going and keep doing what I'm doing, because it wasn't a bad day. It's just I had a couple of bad mistakes yeah, 100% agree.
Speaker 2:There was nothing fundamentally wrong with your approach, the way you did the race, the way you trained into the race, your obstacles. There isn't anything fundamentally wrong that you need to change you. Even your grip strength is absolutely. Yeah, it's fine, it's there, it's perfect. You just you made, you just made silly little mistakes here and there, and I've even got them, like I've got my video for you. I've watched them. Yeah, it's just things you never do. It is it was complete rust. It was completely the first race back.
Speaker 1:That's, that is all I'd say but it's so difficult at the end of the race I mean I didn't even really want to look at ramsey because I was like geez, you know. But once you take a little step back and you think about it, you know, you you've got to take a step back and you've got to realize that it isn't the end of the world and you are doing the right things. But it is just disappointing. I think we all go through it. We all get these times when we don't have the results we want. But we can't look at the negatives, we've got to look at the positives.
Speaker 3:Yeah and that is obstacle racing as well, because it's so varied.
Speaker 3:We've all had it where we've made a couple of mistakes and it just changes the whole dimension of how you view the outcome. But realistically, like you ships, that day your fitness was, your fitness was right, your strategy was right. You come up short on some mistakes, but it wasn't like you failed the obstacles because of strength or because you couldn't do them. It was more literally that mistakes Maybe a bit of clumsiness and a bit just things you hadn't seen before, but it wasn't because you couldn't do the obstacles. If we went around again where you did it on the 8K, you would go around the next day and it changes the obstacles completely.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you one thing, though. I'll tell you one thing the doctor discovered is that to be on the podium in the 3K, you cannot make mistakes, though Wow.
Speaker 3:There's someone else that might go?
Speaker 1:against that?
Speaker 2:yeah, he might do but we should just blanketly say Russell's running is phenomenal, and then we'll just move on from that yeah, he's not getting any air time on this one.
Speaker 1:No, he's not fair dues.
Speaker 2:Russ absolutely flew on that course on running-wise, Obstacle-wise. I've already chatted to him. He knows he needs to improve on that.
Speaker 3:He's just so strong, and that's what helps him.
Speaker 2:I looked at him going through. Oh, he's flailing around like everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there was one rig that I watched him on and he was like it was the worst. Maybe not the worst technique I've ever seen, but like the weirdest way to do a rig I've ever seen. Yeah, but he got through it just on brute strength, although I will admit and I'll give him his props here on the 8K. Have any of you guys seen the video of him going through the like kind of high to low rig the Toros one? No, it was it was beautiful.
Speaker 1:It was a. It was a thing, of pure.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you meant it, but probably didn't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's just winging it apparently.
Speaker 3:Oh oh, yeah, yeah, but um, it was actually really smooth, so I'll give him that for that obstacle. But then I watched some of the 3k stuff and I was like oh, oh Jesus.
Speaker 2:Fair play. You don't know if there's three people that you have standout performances this weekend that, surprisingly, are all fit body farm. So, like Karen, absolutely smashed it, oh my God, russell smashed it. And then you got Ricky that phenomenal performance All fit Body Farm.
Speaker 1:Go figure. We're going to give them a good shout out on this. But yeah, those three athletes from Fit Body Farm had phenomenal performances over the weekend. Karen 3K beating most of the men Absolutely flew on that, really yeah. Russell, good ricky legs on the boy. Oh, and he's quick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what, what else do you want to talk about the 3k? Any, any, what's your, what's your key learnings? Um, um, going, going from this to maybe the time trials, because obviously let's keep it more towards the 3K series. How do you think you're going to treat the time trials? Are you going to test a little bit more ships on going out hot, a bit hotter?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and that's exactly what the time trials will be useful for, so it will be trying to work out how hard you can hit the start of the race especially for myself, see how hard you can still hit the beginning of the race.
Speaker 2:So they do work for that. It's kind of like working out your lactate threshold, like doing a lactate threshold test, you know, in like in the siloed condition, going on a treadmill, and working out your lactate threshold is like really good, like it's perfect to do that. However, we're kind of trying to do it with obstacles and and the very the variation of obstacles changes all the time. So it's kind of working out how, what's my lactate threshold on a 3k with loads of different obstacles? How hard can I run, heart rate wise, that doesn't compromise with obstacles? That's what we're trying to figure out, aren't we?
Speaker 1:yeah. Well, if you think about it, as sometimes I say, the 3k is just the end of, like, a long race. You, at the end of a long race, you've already hit your sort of maximum effort, but at the 3k you've got to start at your maximum effort, and I think that's the key to finding out where you need to be yeah, it's a.
Speaker 2:It's weird.
Speaker 3:It's a weird feeling because, like the 3 and the 8k for me. I raced them both completely differently and I got the same result and I felt completely different. So it's almost like, especially the 3k, this, the almost, the slam what's the word? The smaller the distance you do have to start to step back again and your theory is quite I think, quite right should be apart from on the top level, I think then, yeah, yeah, I think that's where it changes yeah, because they've got the ability to push so much harder from the get-go you, you're kind, you're kind of doing the opposite to a long race, like a 10 mile race.
Speaker 2:You'd even want to keep your pace, or you want to, or you're going to doing the opposite to a long race, like a 10-mile race. You'd either want to keep your pace or you're going to slow down a little bit towards the end because you're just like you're fatigued With a 3K. You want to start slow, but you actually want to start speeding up, then speed up a bit more, then speed up a bit more, then keep getting quicker and quicker. The more comfortable you start to feel when coming off the obstacles, the quicker you've got to go on a 3K. It is like a lactate threshold test. It is like, okay, treadmill up, put the treadmill up again, speed up again, speed up again, and it's like that's a 3K. Well, you don't want them first obstacles to spike your heart rate.
Speaker 2:I think that's the thing. Yeah, you want to be, fluid over everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, if fluid over everything yeah, you get the first three obstacles down and feel like, oh, I'm good. Now that's your kind of reasoning to go.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's let's add a little bit more to the gas and then you get the next couple of obstacles.
Speaker 3:You're like, okay, I'm still feeling good, let's add some more. And I think that's kind of that's definitely how I tested the race on, like well, okay, I'm past one checkpoint, let's add a little bit more. See what, see what we got. Okay, now I'm past this rig. Okay, cool, I think I've got a bit more in me now.
Speaker 1:And that was literally it yeah, and as, and you get closer and closer to the end and it's just like right, that's it now, it's it's go time yeah, you can afford to have pumped arms then, because it's like, well, I've only got two rigs to go, or you can afford to be a little bit more out of breath because it's like well, this is where we risk it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's strange, isn't it? It's like the first obstacle as well. You're like all right, I'm just going to grab the top, I'm going to go in smoothly, nice Okay. Next obstacle I'm actually going to jump in a little bit further, all right, next obstacle I might take a to 3k.
Speaker 1:It's almost like you're warming up in the race how often do you start a race, or in the past especially because now now he's fumed over a bit my knowledge but how often in the past we start the race, you've gone off really, really hard. You've hit your first obstacle, you've gone over it and all of a sudden you're out, you're, you're done for almost. It's like bloody hell. You're puffing, you can't move. It's like that obstacle that in training is so easy to get over, but because you hit it at twice the pace that you should be, it's destroyed you.
Speaker 2:Well, we move on to the 8k, and I was at the back. I was at the back, realizing a lot of people did that so many people.
Speaker 3:I've got a great video of us all coming down the hill over that first wall and it's amazing how much a wall just killed the whole field like the difference of running after the wall and before's. Amazing how much a wall just killed the whole field. Like the difference of running after the wall and before the wall was insane. The amount of people that just kind of almost looked like they literally died I.
Speaker 2:I see it much uh later on in the race than you, mo, because obviously you're a bit further ahead. But obviously I'm in, I'm in. I really tested out the uh, the old pace myself. Get into it then just just keep ticking off people as you go and that they're really. Yeah, it really paid off, but we can go into that. Is there any more any more? On the 3k you learned, or it seems like we've? We've learned loads and ships, yeah. Yeah, it wasn't good to see you so glum as you were.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you're, I'm glad you're back. No, it was good and, um, yeah, I am really really uh happy about everyone's performance. They did even though at the time I probably didn't like anyone that did really well that day but I am generally generally really impressed with everyone's performance over that weekend on the freek yeah, definitely, yeah, I'm glad you're back smiling.
Speaker 2:Uh, yeah, let's just going to. We'll leave it for who's hot to talk about the winners. And yeah, well, I went, went on there. That'd be exciting to hear how it, how it pans out. And then obviously I've heard rumors there's obviously going to be a table being produced soon of the 3k uh results and things.
Speaker 2:So that'd be exciting, yeah, um, let's go into. How did you guys? So my plan for the 8k was to be fresh for it and and to not do the 3k. And obviously there may be people out there might think, oh no, you'll still be fresh for the 8k. But I know for a fact that even if mo, that you hopefully you can help me out here and you actually admit this, there is always a little niggle, a little bit of ache that you're coming out the 3k that can affect the the 8k, this, the race next day. Would you 100 percent?
Speaker 3:um 100 percent. It's the same. It's always the same. When you do back-to-back race days, and I don't care who you are, unless you've, like, bumbled around on the 3k, you had something going on on the next day, whether it was a little car thing, whether it's just. It doesn't have to be, it's not necessarily an injury, but you've always got that little bit of tightness, that little bit of soreness, and if you haven't, you probably didn't work hard enough that day before, or you're just super fit and people.
Speaker 2:Everyone was asking me why I wasn't racing the 3k, and we've said it on this podcast. We've said it. We're what we're concentrating on as athletes and what we're just making sure that we put our time to. The one thing I I going into a bit more detail, how I want to describe it is that I am still not. I'm gonna get there. Still not at your level, mo, or russ's level or tickham level. I'm not there. So I'm going all get there. Still not at your level, mo, or Russ's level or Titcom level. I'm not there.
Speaker 2:So I'm going all the way to Scotland to try to be competitive in an 8K race. Why would I want to compromise myself on a 3K when I'm already not at the level that you're at 8K? For me to be even a tiny bit competitive at that higher level, I need to be as fresh as anything to to perform at that level, and that's that's how I see it. That's how you concentrate on a race is if you're not at that level already, then don't compromise yourself. Make sure you're as fresh as anything to try and get up there, and you'll see from the results it's still.
Speaker 3:It's still didn't get to the place I want it to be like close to you, mo, but oh god, if I did the free cabby for much further back, I think I would yeah, yeah, I think the only difference, what might have been different for you is if you did the 3k but just kind of went around really slowly and got a feel for the obstacles that are on the day, because I think that gives you a bit of an advantage as well. But like so, ricky, he's a good example. He did go on the 3K but he, from what I understand, he didn't really race, he just kind of went round with the guys, but not really too seriously, he just went on the obstacles and that was it.
Speaker 3:I think that helps as well, but it's fine it. I think that helps as well, but it's fine it's then also. I'm not the sort of person. I have too much ego. I'd get on that start line and as soon as I hear 3, 2, 1, all plans of being slow goes out the window, because I'm not letting these fucking people beat me so you really have to if you're doing that. You have to be really disciplined.
Speaker 2:I just think I'd still have something niggling, like even when I do like an easy rumble session in the barn, I can still have a bit of doms the next day. So I think I I've had that before, that I, yeah, an easy session, I'd still have something niggling. But and I and I'm just worried now that I don't want that to compromise me one bit I wanted to be completely fresh and and yeah, I think we can go to a bit more and I didn't. It didn't actually matter, I was. I was actually quite comfortable in all the obstacles, which was lucky, lucky or good training, I don't know yet.
Speaker 1:There's no luck involved.
Speaker 2:So how did you? The day before then you two had raced the 3K. Did you feel a bit compromised going in?
Speaker 3:I felt better than I've ever done on like a double race day, and I think that's because of how I paced the 3k, because I didn't smash myself from the very first point on the 3k, I think. Again I was a little bit sore, forearms were a little tight and my calves were a little tight, but that was that. Was it really? Everything else felt good and it went soon as I warmed up, so that was quite nice yeah, yeah, same.
Speaker 1:I felt really. I actually felt really really good going into the 8k and that's what actually made me feel really better. Really bad, that's great english, isn't? It made me feel a lot better because that just shows that the training that I'm doing is going the right way, because I felt great and that's what I'm training for.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, and definitely, and the 8k was so good to see I would say 90, 80 percent of the uk. Then I think, the men's, even the women's field, women's field, yeah, literally all the, all the races turned up. Even primal team turned up and it was amazing to see and PT Barn, they're there as well. Every team was there. It was really good to see. We always say stacked field, but actually it was, yeah, nine eight, nine, it was stacked.
Speaker 1:It was, it was stacked.
Speaker 2:We could actually name some of the men that were missing, and it wouldn't be. It would be a handful, it wouldn't be more than that. So, yeah, it wasn't a lot yeah, I think five tops yeah, that really would have made a difference yeah yeah, that was incredible and it was in scotland I know I mean how often?
Speaker 1:mean kudos to the Scottish because that's an awful drive. People were there, so that's good, that's decent. It's amazing to be fair.
Speaker 2:And to the course again. It was so easy to navigate. It was the 3K plus another one loop back in onto the course early on, then another loop outside where the carry was. It wasn't like a completely different course. The main 3K course was used. But I think the main thing I really loved was that, yes, you guys had done the 3K, but Gavin had changed a few of the attachments or the rigs. So changing one or two attachments does change the rig completely that makes a difference oh yeah, totally yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's all you need to do to change the rig.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, just changing attachment, even one or two attachments of, like a 10 attachment rig, it makes a difference well, ross ross do it weekly in his garage yeah, he's used to that yeah, he's used to it. Yeah, no, it was really good the course. The course layout was brilliant and, yeah, it started on time. Yeah that was incredible yeah.
Speaker 1:So how do you think your race went then for you then, Darren.
Speaker 2:The course laid out. The obstacles on the course were perfect for where I'd been training. They had a lot of strength, obstacles, a lot of carries, a lot of rigs, um, and the compromise running was there as well. There was a, there was a good running section and I think it went really well for me. I think there's. I said today that we've been talking about where my training's going for next for nuclear, the challenge cup is that my, my pacing strategy was correct. My stamina was good, my strength was good. Obstacles I didn't really struggle on any obstacles and I didn't even though the familiarity wasn't there. I got through them okay and I felt quite flat. I flew on some of them. Apart from that, what was the hooks? Oh, the hooks. I just messed up. I kept hitting them and they kept swaying around and then hitting it again. But yeah, we had a chat about that, didn't we?
Speaker 2:yeah, oh, mistakes on that yeah, but the but the, the. What that proved for me, what I've learned, is that I've my my obstacles have never been this good earlier on in the season, that I was able to hang on that for so long and just literally. I know like we've talked about muscling up. I muscled all the way up just to get it into the hook because I thought I was about to fall off. So it was, it was all there and even at that point, it I think the only thing I failed on was all out, all out, all out speed, the, the. I just just needed a little bit more speed in my legs and I think I would have definitely um got towards the podium but should we?
Speaker 1:should we have speed like that much speed? I think, if you're not going to have something at this point.
Speaker 3:I think that's the thing you don't want to have, just yeah, that's why I'm excited.
Speaker 2:That is that's why, I've come out the weekend thinking that's the conclusion that I came to.
Speaker 1:It's like hang on a minute. We don't we, we shouldn't have loads and loads of speed at the moment. We want an engine yeah, yeah, I didn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't slow down. I think I had a negative, negative split on the uh the whole course like and even like they kept the carry, like they didn't slow down on that it. That was I was really looking forward to. The carry got, got put out of there.
Speaker 1:Didn't someone put a segment on it?
Speaker 2:I put a segment on there Accountability Corner rep bag carry.
Speaker 1:Nice who won?
Speaker 2:it. Do you know what Actually get it up? Mo is only three seconds behind me. Oh, there you go, see, have you not looked at it?
Speaker 3:No, seconds behind me. Oh, there you go, see, have you not looked at it?
Speaker 2:No, I haven't looked at it yet. Hang on, I'm going to get it up because I'm interested. No, everything went well, I think. Not having speed in my legs is, and still getting the position I did that I'm really happy and that it moves towards the correct training that I need to do now.
Speaker 1:That's not coming up.
Speaker 2:Isn't it?
Speaker 1:Oh, there we go. Yeah, and I found it. I can't remember if you're going to carry. Oh, it was only 400 meters. It's quite a long car, yeah it felt longer than that. No but it did feel longer than that. That's usually a like a standard sort of thing. It did feel longer than that. That's usually a standard sort of thing. Right, all time. Oh, wow, right, I'm forgetting about you two, right? But guess who's third all time? Who?
Speaker 2:Karen. Yeah, but it wasn't this weekend so I don't know if she's run that, Karen. If you're listening, please let us know if you ran that or not it does say no, it says March 10th.
Speaker 1:Oh, does it? Oh, no, oh, bloody hell, it's a good distance 15K, average pace 10. I tell you what you know no wonder Karen's doing well with these sort of workouts. I'm liking that. That's almost.
Speaker 3:She's my dark horse for the season, I think.
Speaker 1:Do you know what this workout is? Ocr long run. It's an OCR long run Do you know what?
Speaker 3:I got my plan back today from Dave. Yeah, and guess what he's put in there OCR long run. Actual scheduled OCR. It literally says OCR long run.
Speaker 2:Yep, we've got ours in there.
Speaker 3:The brainwashing is happening.
Speaker 2:Go on then, you two. How did you find the 8K?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I went off hot or hotter than the 3K. Everyone went off hot, mate, yeah, but you couldn't not. I knew I had to get to the wall in second or first or maybe third, but even that I thought was a bit risky. So I just thought race to the wall. I even said it at the start line. I think people thought I was joking. But no, it was a race to the wall. And then just see what happened afterwards. Yeah, it was good, even that. I think I wasn't made. I'm not fit enough yet to go off maybe as quick as I did, but I think, luckily, because of the swamp area, I'm not fit enough yet to go off maybe as quick as I did, but I think luckily because of the swamp area, that slowed me down enough to get my heart rate back I didn't even know that was coming.
Speaker 2:That's nice.
Speaker 3:Oh see, I did. But when I got into that I was like, okay, just use this time to breathe. The only downside to that was, by doing that, russ didn't use that time to breathe and that's where he started to pull away and then just kept. He kept getting further away and I was just fighting and fighting and fighting and then ricky came out nowhere and it was our. I've got another one to deal with.
Speaker 3:Um, luckily, I think he went off quite hot as well, so I could kind of I could see him starting to slow on the obstacles and see, you know when you could just see someone's breathing getting heavier and I was like, okay, I've got him here, I just need to get him in slowly, don't overwork to get to him. Then when I got to him, it was it was like, okay, he's ticked off the list, now let's try and get Russ. And that's probably why my carry was quite quick, because I thought, well, last time, last year, last year I got Russ on the carry. I thought, well, maybe I have to do the same thing, but I think, because the rig was in the way, he had to get through that first and I think that gave him enough time to just get that extra gap yeah, we can tell you worked on that.
Speaker 2:Carry now considering you're, yeah, just behind me.
Speaker 3:I did exactly the same last year, but that's where I overtook russ. Last year was on the carry, yeah, but this time, let's say he was just too far away. And then I kind of realized that in the field. So it was like, well, let's just keep moving, so I've got second place and not let anyone overtake me settled for second.
Speaker 3:Well, there was no way, unless he got a penalty that I was getting first, and even then he was over, I think, a minute and a half, and I remember from day one that I needed a lot more than a lot less than that if he was going to fail.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you have to do. You find, sometimes you're sitting there running behind people and you think I can't overcook because I'm not going to catch them. But that's where the beauty of obstacle racing is, because in the back of your head you're just thinking just make a mistake and I can capitalize. Capitalize that's a hard word to say, isn't it? Because, especially if you look at Russell, we know that Russell's obstacle game isn't it's phenomenal, but it probably isn't as good as yours or ours. So, like, if he is going to make a mistake, that's what it's going to be, and I think we all go through that during the race. I.
Speaker 2:I well, if I'm racing, I'm racing. I Mo's made mistakes. I even back in my head in that race I was thinking, if mo makes a mistake I could still get a podium here. I just gotta keep pushing, and that's almost why not that I settled for a second.
Speaker 3:But I took my foot off the gas a little bit, but mainly because of the 3k, because I knew how long the penalty took. So I knew that if he got a penalty it was probably not enough. But then I was thinking, well, I can't get a penalty now. So I didn't slow down, but I was just a bit more kind of like right, let's make sure I'm comfortable controlled this is.
Speaker 1:This is sort of one of the things I wanted to touch upon as well, because it's like the strategy that you're thinking of during the race. Sometimes it's like, oh, you're doing these things and then, in height, when you finish the race, you think maybe I shouldn't have done that strategy, maybe I should have pushed harder harder.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I was thinking that myself, Ships, because my strategy was obviously my strategy is always go within myself, feel good and try to ignore the people that are running in front of you. I had like 15 people. 15 of the guys were in front of me at the beginning Up until like the ninja rings. There were still people in front of me that many. But it's just like, do I try to race with them or do I just race within myself? I know how fit I am and then I'll just wait and wait my time. By the zed war I was in fourth place, so it's it kind of like that. Just no one's list, so no one knows the the how the race looked at the minute, but that was like 500 meters away. So by 500 meters I'd gain 10 places. Because it was just you've got to buy your time. You know what strategy you're doing. Don't try and push too too much here's one for you.
Speaker 1:Then how do you reckon we can work on in race strategy, in training we park runs?
Speaker 2:yeah, I was right, yeah, the park runs, me and merman doing guess what I'm adding in gotta be a park run sandwich.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm doing. Oh good, do you know what we did I? I feel I'm gonna take all credit for this mo, because I held you back when we did. We did a trail park run a few months ago and I said to mo like just stick with seven minute mile, it's fine, stick seven mile, just feel good, feel comfortable, and at two miles you can push. At two miles you can go see what you can grab at two miles. There was like 20 people in front of us at seven minute mile, people going past us. Mo was speeding up and I had to even grab him at one point. I'm pulling back a little bit, let no, I was getting frustrated.
Speaker 3:He was yeah slow down grannies passing me like what is going on, feel comfortable, feel comfortable.
Speaker 2:And I said to him I said I think it was even closer, I think it must have been a mile and a half. I said right, you can go now if you want. And he kicked, and he kicked so hard that you got like you came second, didn didn't you?
Speaker 3:A third, a third yeah, couldn't get the other two. That was annoying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you made up like 10 spaces and came third. So I do think that we need to train in OCI a bit more kicking and picking up pace at pace. Yeah, Because that is the hardest thing to do when you're already at tempo kicking, slowing down, kicking, slowing down.
Speaker 1:But I think this thing to do when you're already at tempo, kick in slowing down, kick in slowing down, but I think that's what we need to be good at, agreed, yeah, uh, that's literally what I've been thinking since that weekend and I was like, well, because I was looking at your runs, you're doing the uh parkland sandwich and I'm like I'm fitting them in yeah, but pay that?
Speaker 1:that's purely for pace, stride pace yeah yeah, yeah, not to go out and win a race. You're not going out there to smash your best 5k. I'm going out there to get that experience and that, that that feel for the race. Yeah, so I'm putting it on a on a sunday or saturday, sort of longish run and if someone's going past you, it's really slowly.
Speaker 2:Don't, don't try and keep with them. Don't do it, don't. Just stay at your pace. It's an uncomfortable, comfortable pace. But then when you want, when you feel like kicking and you're like hang on. You just went past me a minute ago. I'm gonna go past you now because it's I've got two, I've got a mile left. Do it then. Yeah, we'll speak more about it. Okay, that it's being controlled when you're at a high pace, high pace, fast pace.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're not good at words. No, we're not, we just got a podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were good, they have been, and so obstacle long run has made my obstacles the best they've ever been this early in the season. I'll tell you that the fact that I nearly fell off the ninja rings actually at the weekend I missed the last rung and I literally you know when you swing backwards on one ring, but it was just so comfortable just to swing on one arm back and then just put it back on again. In the past I think if you hadn't got your obstacles game up to a good level, you just fall off on that one arm yeah it definitely helps.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'd have to agree. My obstacles felt pretty, pretty smooth and pretty like dialed in and but almost not again. It's not nothing. Sometimes, when you're too dialed in at the start of the season, you feel a bit like oh shit, this is too early.
Speaker 2:I think, with obstacles.
Speaker 3:You want to be strong all year round because it's something you can be strong at all year round. You don't really peak and trough. You either just find that baseline of oh I can do obstacles and it's fine. It's the running that you need to get that will peak and trough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, keep your skills skillful, keep your uh running skillful cut that.
Speaker 2:That's gonna go on the first ever t-shirt I think the only.
Speaker 3:Thing obstacle wise, it's just the compromised like doing. The obstacles are the high heart rates and I think if you've got some good strength it helps that. But there's also it's a. It is a sickening feeling when you're already got a high heart rate going into the obstacles and then you get off. It's not the obstacle I never find, it's the obstacle itself. It's that moment after the obstacle getting back into it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, getting back, that's when you know, yeah, and that's what I need to feel a bit better in later in the year. Right now it doesn't need to come, but it's just getting off and thinking, oh, I can get back into a run. There's one point when we did the like ditch the the water, you know, when he was going under the logs, yeah, to run up the hill, I was physically dizzy like I thought I was gonna pass out. I was like sideways step in and I just felt awful and I was like, okay, this could, this could do with some improvement.
Speaker 2:It's strange hearing that. Yeah, because it's. It was totally different. I told you that I feel so strong right now. I actually took um ferg and and Finlay in front of me after that ditch dunk and I took them both on the hill. No, sorry, I caught up to Finlay on the hill and went past Ferg. So, yeah, it just yeah, I feel different in our training. So, ships, what are you going to take out of the 8K, because it's such a weird distance, it's not long, yeah because it isn't long.
Speaker 1:What is it Right in that middle ground, isn't it? It's not a short one, but it is a short one, but it's not a long one, but it is a long one. So it's like where do you, what do you take from it? But what do I take from it? Just take the knowledge that the training is good. I'll tell you what we do take from it. People are looking awesome.
Speaker 2:I've never seen. I've never seen the field look so good yeah.
Speaker 1:People sold out as well, and I'll tell you what's really good at the moment is people have lots of obstacle ability and people have lots of potential for the year.
Speaker 3:I just hope in some cases it's not too soon, yeah, and they haven't smashed themselves over winter and they're gonna kind of die off in the season. I think it's cool that everyone's fit, but also is it going to be a bit of a double-edged sword where now they're all going to stab themselves because they are too fit? Well, that'd be good for us I mean I didn't feel fit at all and that's. I'm not saying that to be a prick, because I got second.
Speaker 2:But I had exactly that.
Speaker 3:Sounds pretty prickish to be yeah yeah, well, I've got a lot of room to grow, so I hope everyone else has yeah, what?
Speaker 2:so? What attribute points do you think? Uh, you excelled at this weekend.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a good question yeah, excelled at yeah, we do one, one, one excelled at, and then we do one needs improvement. Yeah, you go first.
Speaker 2:I need to think well, well, I can answer it. So mine would be speed. I absolutely need to improve on All out speed and main one, excel. That strength, yeah Strength. The tyre carry absolutely nailed it. It went past three people in the tyre carry.
Speaker 1:Okay, I nailed it. It went past three people in the tire carry. Okay, I like it, I want to go with agility was awesome, yeah. And then I would say speed for needs improvement, but I want to say technical ability, just because I made two mistakes and I cannot afford to make mistakes.
Speaker 2:Not even your hand placement. At times, things like that Ships.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was so bad, wasn't it yeah?
Speaker 3:This is quite a hard one actually. I feel like it's either in terms of my best or my good good attribute. It's either power or strength. I was quite powerful for obstacles. On the mandatory obstacles I felt good, felt strong. I was jumping things um, skipping over things, jumping into obstacles. That all felt good. Also my strength, like the tire flip and the carry, everything like that felt good.
Speaker 3:Just wanted one, yeah I don't know it's a coin toss between them two. It's not actually a stat, but actually I think kind of race strategy was almost the best it's ever been if you like, I'll, I'll help you out.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you what you did do. Really well, that was probably on point being on time. I was on time and I have got minus 100 on my punctuality.
Speaker 2:So now that should be minus 99. Later races they make Mo turn up on time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't have to get out of bed too early. That was the main reason. Compromise running, though, is definitely the thing I think to get a little bit better.
Speaker 2:Exactly what I was going to say, and it's such a strange one. I was going to completely agree with you as well. Yeah, I don't know why. I don't know why I think that and you thought that. Maybe it is you. Yeah, you're compromise running. You've got everything else, and I feel like the compromised nature really pushed your speed down a bit this weekend.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I couldn't access my speed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I mean. I couldn't.
Speaker 3:Yeah, as long as I can access that, I think I'll be golden going into the season. But there was times where I couldn't access, especially on the 8K. Not so much on the 3K because in the first half I wasn't even really in a compromised state because I didn't even in the first half I wasn't even really in a compromised state because I didn't go off too hard. But the back end that allowed me to kind of feel better in my compromised ability. But the 8k I was, yeah, struggling after some of the obstacles I had to take a bit of not not a breather, but just think about things a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Hmm Interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wish um on who's hot you're. You're recording this week, aren't you? You should probably do like like MVP, or like man, man or woman of the match, you know like I was thinking of that. Yeah, I was like performance, performance of the day. Maybe that's the sort of thing.
Speaker 3:Why don't?
Speaker 1:we do ours, go on.
Speaker 2:The reason I'm saying you should do it is because I actually have someone who nailed every attribute point and has literally come out of nowhere to steal my limelight. That is the only reason he performs so well. Finlay, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:That's exactly who I was.
Speaker 2:Mashed it, oh my god, especially because of how bad he was on the 3k.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, he got the 3k so wrong and he won't mind me saying this and he wasn't feeling great. He was a bit under the weather as well, which didn't help. He threw up in the race, uh, which didn't help, but to come back after having almost a little bit of a knock of confidence on the 3K. He could easily have put his head down and gone. Oh fuck, this is going to be hard again. But no, he rose up and had a great race.
Speaker 2:We're not taking away from Ricky.
Speaker 2:Obviously he did incredible to get on the podium, but we've had the pleasure of training with Finlay since he's really young and and he's been pushing, pushing and we've all raced with him and we know how hard he goes out and and absolutely then dies a mile later and but because he's trying and trying and trying to do it and he's just relented on doing that and the fact that it is now paying off is just it needs to be spoken about this.
Speaker 2:It was just amazing and and the privilege that I've had this weekend from seeing training with him and the fact that he was an actual competitor to me at the weekend, like we were racing together, side by side from the ninja rings and and we kept swapping and changing positions and at one point he was in the carry. He was like Darren, I'm fucked, you go ahead of me, and I'm like Finlay, you're beating me, just keep running. He's like he's still got that mindset that we're um sort of beating him, but he's no, he did amazing. It was so good me, ferg and Finlay had I wish it was on camera Like we had like a back and forth battle the whole 8K.
Speaker 3:And the thing is, I think we've had a challenge cup with Finn, because he's a quick runner but he always goes off quick, and so you think, oh, it's just Finn, he's going to die soon. But this was the first. This was almost like his coming out party of oh no, I'm not dying today, I'm staying with you boys. And I thought party of oh no, I'm not dying.
Speaker 1:Today I'm staying with you boys, and I think that was nice to see, because it was like look who's got the big boy pants on.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it's not the stigma of oh he's, he is second right now or he is third, but he's probably gonna finish, I don't know. Seventh or whatever. And now it's like if he's up there with you it's a bit more scarier, because it's like, oh, I don't know if he's gonna go no, he, he did prove to me that he either didn't look at the course as well at the end.
Speaker 2:And he also proved to me that your mind is always trying to hold you back, because after we come off the cargo net, obviously we've got a good four, about 500 meters left down the field and up the field, and he thought it was the same finish as the free case, so started sprinting off the cargo net and then, and then it suddenly turned down the hill. But that didn't. He didn't, still didn't slow down, even though the course changed he's, he was still sprinting and if he hadn't done that, sprint with me and him would have been like side by side battling with one another, so and he was just dying up the hill to try to keep away from me, and he still held it. So it proved to me that obviously he didn't look at the course because he was sprinting away. But if he hadn't done that sprint and and your mind does hold you back because it was holding me back because I knew the course, but if I sprinted with him I could have probably tried to hold it.
Speaker 2:So is there's learnings there as well that you, you start nitpicking of different performances you've made in the race that, oh, should I push there, should I've gone quicker here. But I think you've got to think it holistically overall, how did you perform, rather than that individual bits that you're going to try and pick negatives from. So next races, where are they?
Speaker 3:uh, oh, I'm bornor for the series.
Speaker 2:UK OCR series Yep.
Speaker 3:And 3K. What are you saying, shipley?
Speaker 1:Is it Rumble? It is a time trial Rumble.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what date is that. I'll get the date While you're talking.
Speaker 1:And then the rest of my racing is 2BT. I like that, just going off what feels right, no.
Speaker 3:I just haven't booked it yet, and then the rest of my racing is 2BT. I like that, just going off what feels right.
Speaker 1:No, I just haven't booked it yet. I'm still planning on logistics.
Speaker 2:7th of April, I haven't booked any of mine.
Speaker 1:I've got an idea. I can use this If anybody wants to go do an OCR series, please hit me up at Obstacle Race. Dude, I'm thinking about going on in May the 4th. It's a bank holiday, someone can drive.
Speaker 3:It's actually very tempting, although I think I'm working that weekend. I've already asked you yeah no, I think that was why wasn't it Because I was working.
Speaker 1:Just sack it off, be sick.
Speaker 3:Now I've put it out to the public, yeah.
Speaker 1:People want you to go. They want you to see you race on a 19k obstacle course race 19k.
Speaker 3:19k.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's long.
Speaker 1:But is it? It's an OCR long run at pace, come on.
Speaker 3:I've got one of them the following weekend. I'm pretty sure it's flat as well.
Speaker 2:I went on to see the date for the Rumble 3K and then I've just seen that Ricky's back training again Strength running brakes and bike.
Speaker 1:Kudos to Ricky's bike as well. If anyone's looked at him on instagram, he's got an indoor trainer right and he's got like a straight handlebar bike. It just doesn't look right. So you watch him doing his intervals on this straight handlebar bike, giving it, giving it legs, and it just just cracks me up every time. But it must work, so yeah is it?
Speaker 3:what is it like?
Speaker 1:a mountain bike. Yeah, he's just got. I'll tell you what it is. It's just it like a mountain bike. Yeah, he's just. I'll tell you what it is. It's just like um a basic bike that you must get down halfords or something with straight handlebars. He must not like drop handlebars, but it just doesn't look right and he's just got like a turbo train on it and he just does his intervals on it. It's just so basic. Ricky, put a photo up on it, just show people.
Speaker 2:Any, so Mo, your race is Born Survivor.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I know that Gavin's going to that as well, and Ferg Russ, russ.
Speaker 1:Oh.
Speaker 3:Russ is going to it as well. Revenge is incoming. This boy's got a beating coming for him.
Speaker 2:I'm tempted but'm ignoring. Ignoring the noise go just got. I've got six weeks training block for nuclear challenge cup starting next week. Perfect, absolutely perfect, for a bit of speed, bit of spice in there. So I'm leaving that to that. Um ships, you'll probably be doing. You've got to do the free game, haven't you? The rumble free, I'll be doing the.
Speaker 1:I'll be doing the free k? Um, but I've got to remember, like you, it's I'm in the last eight week block before euros, so it's a really important block now, so that I've got to remember that that euros is priority and I might have to skip on a few things because Euros is the priority.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's going to be a few things missing for Euros. Maybe I need to add to the training is speed and hills. Hills have got to be a priority as well.
Speaker 1:You're coming down, aren't you? Yeah?
Speaker 2:yeah, we're going to do a bit of a hill session. It can be an OCR long run.
Speaker 1:really, it's the same thing we could actually do a parkrun sandwich of hills, but that doesn't mean you have to get down there early yeah okay, sounds good to me you know where I'm heading for my hills, darren where the hill of doom the hill of doom.
Speaker 2:You wait until you come down my place then, boys we do need to get some more heels in our lives, but we but we also know that you heels can be developed in the gym as well. Heel legs, because I feel strong for heels at the minute, but I'm probably going to be shown, shown otherwise when I go down, see shipley I hope so yeah please, he wasn't showing me up.
Speaker 1:That's the only reason he wants to bring me down to his, his neck of the woods so he's good on the hills yeah, especially a hill that I run on a lot, so I know how to run it he knows all the little indents that are actually a little bit easier than just the flat service. I remember I took Dixon down there once and I never should have done it. He's just a knob.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Dixon, especially heels.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I would stay away. Anything else. We want to talk about the series. I just think it was just incredible, just a great start to everything that we've been talking about on this podcast, how we've been training, we put it into practice. We've we've attended two of the uh series races, so 3k and the uk ocr series. It's going to be a really good really of racing. There's a lot of good people out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I second that, I can't say anything else about it and even the juniors as well. At the moment coming through, you saw some of the way that they performed on the obstacles and every one of them were looking fly.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I actually want to shout out. Probably the best obstacle of the day was Harry Jeffries. Yeah, the way that guy does gaps that for his size most people couldn't do just flies very smooth and because a lot of the gaps were adult gaps yeah, he's going places yeah, no, I haven't got anything else.
Speaker 2:Do you think we've covered? Do you think we've covered the weekend? Anything else you want to talk about?
Speaker 1:performance racing, the course well, maybe we can ask our listeners to tell us what attribute point that they think they've done well at or not done well at yeah, what attribute point are you going to train more and improve on after this race?
Speaker 2:is it technical ability? Because this race definitely tested your technical ability. And do you know what? Actually, I say that I always complain about the technical races and I'm so glad I was right about what races are focused on. That was a pure technical race. Nuclear challenge cup is always technical and then I need a. I need a third one. I just wish nuts was in the series still, because that would be technical with that little cat rig thing piccolo rig.
Speaker 2:There's nowhere you could go down where ocr series no, that is not in the uk ocr series but it has series in the name and it's technical I, I actually think right now I I might, where I'm at my um, my like training, I think a toughest race would be better for me than a UCR series race.
Speaker 1:Just so happens that that's happening no. I'm not going.
Speaker 2:Stop asking me. Ask all the listeners. You've asked everyone at the weekend. You need to set up.
Speaker 1:I did ask, but no one's committing. I'm going to end up going alone again.
Speaker 2:Come on, someone's going to see OCR series of Shipley. They're not going in with just me and the cats, or something.
Speaker 3:We need to vet them, though we can't just let them go over a random stranger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do.
Speaker 3:Message us first so we can vet you, and then, if you're eligible to go, we'll pass you on to Shipley.
Speaker 1:They'll get podcast me. They won't get me me.
Speaker 3:Okay, I don't know if that's a good thing.
Speaker 1:It's definitely safer.
Speaker 3:You're going to come in a lab coat yeah.
Speaker 2:All right, let's leave it there. I think we yeah, we've said everything we need to from the series. Just that right. Tartan warrior was a great race oh as well.
Speaker 1:Oh no, yeah, no as well.
Speaker 2:If you want a full recap on the race and who was hot that day, then listen to who's hot coming out monday, which should be two days after this episode is released a little plug there for your award-winning podcast hell yeah and and another exclusive is that we are going to be launching our website this weekend, so it's gonna have just links to a bit more about us, to our socials, to see all the attribute cards as they go up there.
Speaker 2:And then also, we've spoken about in the past that there's a lot of media, a lot of things you can watch. So, like toughest race, ocr series, there's some great races that you can watch on YouTube, and if there happens to be more videos that go out from the UK OCR series, we put them on there as well. So just a place for everyone to go to, because, even though they already exist on the British obstacle sports page and then also the UK OCR page, it's always good to have another one, and we'll put them all out there for everyone do you think we should have a forum on it, like an accountability forum, an accountability corner?
Speaker 2:yeah, maybe let's uh, let's have a chat about that one, because that you, you, we need a community manager. You're gonna have to manage everyone, you have to get back to everyone oh can't we?
Speaker 1:just use ai, yeah, ai a chat bot.
Speaker 3:We could have a chat bot in there.
Speaker 1:We could. Yeah, It'd just be me, wouldn't it?
Speaker 3:Just put your name on you, but we'd just put bot on the end of it.
Speaker 1:Shipley bot. Shipley bot.
Speaker 3:And you have to answer a science question if you want to stay. Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's how you prove you're human.
Speaker 1:How many bikes do you see in this picture? I always get that wrong. Is that something? How many times have you done them things and it's like not let you through and you think, oh, I must not be a human being.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no it's like a handlebar on the top left. You've missed or something. Yeah Right, I'm going to go.
Speaker 1:I think we've chatted enough now on the race and we've said how good we did, or or learned from cheers guys. I will speak to you later. Thanks for listening everyone. Yeah, thanks for listening everyone. See you at the next race and keep on training and stay accountable. Thanks for watching.
