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
British OCR Championships and Whats Next?
What if you could see the future of obstacle course racing in the UK? This episode of Accountability Corner does just that as we unpack the British Obstacle Sports Championships, the new gold standard in the UK’s OCR calendar. Morgan, Chris, and Darren explore how this race has eclipsed the Challenge Cup in competitiveness and prestige, even integrating junior and para-athlete races to celebrate talent across all spectrums. We commend Spartan for their logistical prowess but rally for a stronger British Obstacle Sports presence in future events. Plus, we’re rolling out the welcome mat for international competitors to join the fray.
Race day is not just about speed but also about the stories that unfold on the course. We share our recent race experiences, capturing the adrenaline rush of being neck-and-neck with other contenders halfway through. From the excitement of the race to the nitty-gritty challenges—like the need for more formidable obstacles—our conversation covers it all. We dissect the course design and talk about the essential balance between running and obstacle-specific training, offering insights on how to stay ahead in the increasingly competitive UK OCR scene.
Speed is the name of the game in OCR, and this episode breaks down how to get faster without losing your grip on those challenging obstacles. By comparing different race types, we highlight the need to merge technical skills with raw speed and endurance. Consistent training, dedication to your regimen, and using measurable metrics to build confidence are key takeaways. Athletes like Alex and Scotty Barker exemplify the grit and resilience needed to excel. Join us for an episode filled with actionable strategies and motivational stories that will help you hit your next OCR race with full force!
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 Right, episode 32, the big topic in the UK that we want to delve straight into. No waffle ships. What is it go? British Championships, British Championships. And then what? What's next? Mo?
Speaker 3:you mean, what's next? You're throwing me under the bus. What's next?
Speaker 2:that is what's next British Champs and what's next Underlined. Click on me what's next, click on me, I get you. Yeah, what is next for Accountability Corner? What's next for our racing? What are we doing next?
Speaker 3:Are we starting there or are we starting at the British champs?
Speaker 2:We can start wherever you want. British Championships big race in the UK, second time coming round underneath British Obstacle Sports hosted by Spartan in the Midlands. How did it go Mo?
Speaker 3:Personally, I raced very well, but the result on paper is not the result I wanted and we can maybe elaborate a bit more on that later. But what I do want to say is that's the best competitive race I've ever been involved in and probably the best maybe not obstacle race, but the best race I've ever been in, a lot better than last year in terms of like progression towards the british champs yeah, yeah, ships yes, I spoke about that on who's hot
Speaker 2:I said that you're very passionate about, and who's?
Speaker 1:hot. Yeah, I'm a very passionate guy that's ri. But I said that on the British Championships, that, yes, there could have been some more obstacles, and I said that there could have been this and that, but what that race had was a. What did I say? I can't remember the actual words that I used, but I said that it was a race because of the people that were there, and the people that were there made it a competitive race.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And everyone was throwing haymakers and everyone wanted it. I think that's the other thing with calling it a British Champs. If that was just a normal series race or something that maybe didn't mean as much to people, people would have gave up a lot easier. But no one was giving up. Everyone was fighting to the end we, we are getting there.
Speaker 2:The british championships is becoming the british championships like. It is becoming the pinnacle race in the uk, and that is what we love, we want. We want to see it more competitive than challenge cup. We want to see it more obstacle, balanced and challenge cup, because challenge cup has branded itself, as in the past, as one of the most competitive races in the uk, but I think it has been overtaken. This year. That is well and truly happened, because not only do you have competitive races from elite, we had competitive races from the juniors all the way from was it 10 to 17, and then we had the para athletes literally had every single person in the community out in force.
Speaker 3:It was incredible I really enjoyed as well having the british champs junior racing on the same day slash weekend as the British champs as well, because, unlike before, where they had it at Swanbourne, endeavour and then our championships were different. It just meant that not as many people got to see how amazing the juniors were, whereas this really highlighted the fact how good they are and people stayed around and watched and even helped out, which I thought was amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those guys are so good.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So having Spartan do the setup of it has been helpful, like it's been amazing for them to take all the logistical management away. I would say that they've done, they've supported on and also the race, having them set up the race. The only bad thing about spartan doing this, the british champs, is that no one's yes, a spartan. Yeah, and from a branding point of view not from just the race, but from a branding point of view you walk in, it's the spark, it's a spartan race. You walk around, oh, there's a spot of merchandising. Merchandise, oh, you walk around as a spartan, even like we had to wear spartan headbands, so it wasn't totally british obstacle sports owning the branding, and that's what we're getting to and hopefully we get there like you walk in, imagine walking in big, big, blown up like thing at the reset, like the registration, british obstacle sports like soon. If we can get to that, that'd be incredible.
Speaker 3:But we obviously we're still developing the sport as a whole yeah, I think for where the sport's at right now, that is perfect. Because spartan the one thing I'll always say about spartan and I know sometimes we like to be quite critical and negative about spartan because they do make some mistakes the one thing I would say is, in terms of experience and making you feel like you're at something big, they know how to do that. In terms of actual race day putting on a show, they can do that.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you one thing the boss amplified that feeling, I think.
Speaker 3:Oh, massively yeah.
Speaker 2:I'd agree. I think the two together was very powerful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they created a tsunami.
Speaker 3:And then the race itself. I mean, the race was insane.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everyone turned up, everyone was there. Like, we have a lot of international listeners and we want to. I really want them to know that the British obstacle sports championships this year they it, they absolutely smashed it. It was incredible atmosphere and the athletes there. If you do want to come across and race, race the best, come across to the british obstacle sports. Why do I keep saying british, british championships? It was just, it was just so good. And we did have international. We had seven, didn't we International races? They had their own little wave.
Speaker 1:That's good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they should have thrown him in with us, though. I think that would have made the racing even more fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But maybe that's the only bone we could pick. But I also understand why they didn't do that.
Speaker 2:I see it from both sides. They had to do that because Shipley would just be chasing Dresser, wouldn't he? No?
Speaker 1:I was almost chasing Feday.
Speaker 2:So, Mo, you've been training. Oh, hang on a minute.
Speaker 1:Was he saying I'd be chasing Dresser because he's like such a hunk?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was saying that, and then I just changed it saying I was chasing him.
Speaker 1:No, sorry, I am a bit slow.
Speaker 2:Even put your voice over his video on Instagram. You're famous.
Speaker 1:He's a good looking guy.
Speaker 3:I've said this for a long time I think he's the best looking guy in OCR. So up there definitely.
Speaker 2:Do you know what it is?
Speaker 3:The Superman tattoo, yeah to be fair, him versus Connor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's it, that is it.
Speaker 3:We need a race, but then they do a catwalk at the end and then we'll find out.
Speaker 2:I'd love that Right. So British Championships we're going into it. We know it's a Spartan race.
Speaker 3:Mo, you were prepping for a Spartan race, weren't you? Yeah, this is what I've been training for. This is, and it was exactly what I thought I'd be training for. My only problem was I didn't maybe train as long as I needed to train. I was planning with training well thinking I was training for sake a bit shorter, and it was a little bit longer than I expected, but then that's also because of the way I raced, but I raced that way for a reason. Should we get into performances now, or are we safe you go, I'll take it away.
Speaker 1:You take it away. This is all you I'll take it away.
Speaker 3:Well, those moments. So I raced to win. I was quite vocal, I think I wanted. I wanted to become british champion. That was my goal and that's how I raced.
Speaker 3:The only problem with that is that meant trying to stay as close as possible to tom and dan, who I know, as spartan race are going to be quicker than me because they're just quicker runners and there isn't the obstacles there that I can out obstacle them on. So it was my goal was I have to get as close as possible and try and stay. The only problem with that is it meant I was overworking for most of the race and it just became a battle of trying to keep pushing forwards and how long I can actually suffer for. And I just literally the last K it just got. I couldn't, and it wasn't because I gave up. I still was trying, but my legs were just like jelly and actually starting to cramp. So yeah, so I ended up coming fifth, which I was pretty much third for most of the race. There was a couple of times where I was second, but that was because of people falling off obstacles and us all coming together and it was a bit of a crazy race, but yeah it was.
Speaker 2:What did you change to prep for British Champs then? I'm asking that as an open question because I know the answer, but because I know you've been training.
Speaker 3:I was just. My goal was just becoming a runner. My goal was to become a runner. I know I've done this sport since I was 14. Now I'm not going to lose too much in terms of obstacles. It's become such muscle memory that, even if obstacles are in the background and I'm not spinning that wheel as much as maybe I should be, I can do obstacles better than most, and I especially the top field in the UK. I still back myself as being the best at obstacles out of all the fast runners, and I am a quick runner, but I just need to be quicker to beat the likes of Tom and Dan and these people that can really race and really run fast.
Speaker 3:Um, so I put all my eggs into becoming quick runner and I think for the most part it paid off. It was just actually. The one thing I did miss was the endurance factor, and that's just because also time I haven't started going back to shift work because it not allowed me to do the long. The sessions are the long sessions that I need to do to keep that endurance. But that's also a learning curve.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're definitely definitely faster. We've seen it.
Speaker 2:What about you Ships?
Speaker 1:What with the race? I weren't even going to race. I only signed up for FOMO because I was jealous of coming up. But I was just like oh, I'm coming up, I'm going to race, not watch, Do?
Speaker 3:you regret that.
Speaker 1:No, I don't regret it actually. No, it was really good fun and it actually gave me the perspective that I wanted to see not from the outside, I wanted to know what the race was going to be like from the racer's point of view. I mean, I love watching you guys race and watching everyone race, but I like to know what the course is like. And I'm glad I did, because, you know, I saw the course and I was upset afterwards because I thought, oh, this was a bit of a boring course Because obviously when you're not battling, it's not really the course that you want. But speaking to everyone and seeing everyone's battles, you realise, oh, that's the main reason and that's why everyone's enjoying themselves, because they're having a battle of a lifetime doing an interesting race. It's not all about the race itself, it's about the race experience yeah, I think that made the race.
Speaker 3:I think if, if that was, uh, more water downfield and there wasn't as much battling going on and it what you didn't know there was one point after that kind of cruel roll with the sandbag thing that you had all I think it was six of us or five of us, all five athletes together again and there was no clear winner and it was like the race just all came back together. And when have we had that before? Normally what happens, especially in the UK scene, is one or two guys run away with it, they're battling up front and then the rest is chasing, whereas this there was one point in the race where six people all could win and this was like not even near the start of the race, it was like halfway through, maybe even closer to the finish.
Speaker 1:yeah, it showed the level of the races at the moment, even in the women's field. It showed that the top level there's so many people battling for that top spot and it shows that competition, especially, is really good in the UK yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:It was like that in the chase pack as well, which I like to call myself part of the chase pack. Um, it was just. It was much faster than I thought it was going to be the race which which seems stupid to say because I've ran many spartans in the past, but it was. It was so much faster. It felt like when I raced total warrior, like two years ago. That felt like a mandatory obstacle course race with just flat, fast running and that's what this felt like and that was difficult for me. I just don't think I could put down the pace that I need to to be competitive in that field, especially at a flat course. So it just put me in like this, this chase pack area that I was really high heart rate trying to keep up but just felt like I was going nowhere. So, yeah, it just put me mid, mid pack.
Speaker 2:And then, when it came to like the carries, they usually obviously I've said this in the past that with any obstacle is difficult if you've got a high heart rate and you're going at such a hard pace. So when it comes to a carry, I wasn't even able to like express my carry ability because I was just knackered Obstacle ability. I just got through slowly, it's just keeping with the pace. I need to change my training to do what you did, mo. I do need to do it. I think that's what we said. Like, this is British obstacle sports recap, and what's next for us? I think what's next is I need to focus on the running. I need to change it 25% obstacle 75% running.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would have liked that course to be a lot faster.
Speaker 2:Why.
Speaker 1:Just so it would have been flatter and not so undulated. Yeah, it didn't really help your ankle. It didn't help me, I don't know.
Speaker 3:Well, there were some road sections yeah, that was the bit I was doing well at, yeah, and then it turned to trail again Worse and worse and worse.
Speaker 1:yeah.
Speaker 3:There's just dry farmer's fields as well, which is not which. When you've not got an ankle problem. It's still quite flat and fast, but I can imagine.
Speaker 2:What about the obstacles? Like we had four new obstacles put in. Was that enough?
Speaker 3:I think the obstacles. The only thing I'd say is too short. Yeah, um, even the rigs were just ridiculously short and the maybe the type of obstacles was perfect in the layout and I think actually, if you look back at the race, we all finished thinking, oh, that was amazing race because of the battles, but in terms of obstacle racing it was a spartan with a few harder obstacles, but they weren't really that hard because they were so short.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think they were.
Speaker 3:Correct me if.
Speaker 1:I'm wrong. Yeah, that's what I mean the one which would have been Beta that felt shorter than what Beta would have been.
Speaker 3:Even the monkey bars, yeah, or the Taurus rig that was on the monkey bars.
Speaker 2:That was so short, so short.
Speaker 3:Like ridiculously short.
Speaker 1:Yeah, rig that was on the monkey bars that was so short, so short, like ridiculously short. Yeah, it just didn't feel like a proper length. It was really odd. It felt like they just had like half a setup of rigs or materials to use I think, like staying on the positive side.
Speaker 2:I think it was still great, like all the different, the additions of them were perfect. They just if they were doubling length. I know we always say this like but if they, if it was that, but if that. But it is true, if they were doubling length, that would have been even better, that would have been, but it's still density spartan like to avoid density, they hate it they're like five miles away from this, a monkey bar, but we all yeah, it didn't change it, didn't?
Speaker 3:I don't think also having them obstacles a little bit longer would have changed the outcome too much. You might have had a few more fails, um, but especially for the lead pack, I don't. I think the obstacles were always going to be a bit too simple to really catch anyone out, even if you made them longer um, so I don't necessarily.
Speaker 2:It probably just made it harder because you'd finish the obstacle and the guys that are used to using that as a break didn't get to use that as a break, so you were still, always, always foot on the throttle and just go, go, go yeah, maybe that's where I found it hard then, because I'm used to hope well, being able to recover on longer rigs and then being able to go again, because obstacles are recovery if you can, if you can train enough that, like vj jones has said it, enough that if you can train enough for the obstacles become recovery to be, if you can train to be so good at obstacles, they turn into a recovery stage and then you can go back to your high heart rate yeah but they were so short that I wasn't getting that rest at all.
Speaker 3:No, no, and you were probably overworking anyway because of how fast the race was. There's a mixture of the two.
Speaker 2:So I got 10th, which is the same as last year.
Speaker 3:How do you feel in comparison to last year? Do you think you raced better this year, or the same or worse?
Speaker 2:Same I feel exactly the same as last, last year, that I just can't keep up on them sort of courses with these athletes like you. Put me on. Like how far away was we from each other in the European Championships? 30 seconds.
Speaker 3:Not as far as what it was on this course. No, six minutes. Yeah, 30 seconds. Not as far as what it was on this course?
Speaker 2:no, it was 6 minutes. Yeah, so European Championship is 30 seconds, this course 6 minutes. That's crazy, isn't it? The difference that obstacle course races make.
Speaker 1:That's a huge difference that's just a one course yeah, titan Warrior closer.
Speaker 2:I think it was 2 minutes. Yeah, it just makes difference. It's not. It's not. Actually. It's a learning, isn't it? It's what's next for me as a racer. I need to look at my attribute points and think, whoa, technical ability is going a bit too high, or it's. Or it's a good place that I can get through every obstacle that you throw at me. I need to start thinking about the other attributes and picking those up.
Speaker 3:It also depends what you want, though, because I've been chasing the Spartan series as well, so I've had to be able to do this for my style of racing. But if you're not planning to do that next year, I think, yes, getting faster actually will help you specifically, but I think, for most people people, if you're not willing or you're not racing spartans, maybe I wouldn't use the british champs as a an outlier of what you need to do better, because it might not necessarily be the races you're chasing anyway.
Speaker 2:It just happened to be the british champs this year yeah, it's hard, but it's hard to to know what races to chase because they're all different. Yeah, I think we got. We said, didn't we Chips? Sorry, we said we'd chase metrics rather than races, did we yeah?
Speaker 1:Because Go on, no, no, no you go.
Speaker 2:You go, no because mine's off topic. Go on, carry on, All right okay, I was just saying that in obstacle course racing if you chase for the course, the courses are always different, so you're always going to maybe you're going to be pivoting your training quite a lot. But if you train for a metric, say, I need to up my attribute of speed, I need to. At the moment I feel like I need to chase for a metric speed level, like whether that's a sub one, 20 half marathon, like what is it Cause?
Speaker 1:then that will give me confidence that I'm fast, but let's not forget Well, we could all run fast, right, we could all run really, really fast, but it's just maintaining the speed over a duration of that course that we're racing on.
Speaker 2:I knew you was going to say come back to endurance. Loves like you love coming back to endurance it's don't.
Speaker 1:You can tell me I'm wrong if I'm wrong, and you can tell me if I'm right if I'm right. But literally it's just being able to like so, say, for example, euros. If it was our obstacle, dense course, we just still need to be able to run the speed over those obstacles for that length of distance. The British champs Mo needs to be able to run the speed that Dan runs and Tom runs over that distance.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So we still need to be able to train. We're training the distance of the race that we're doing, and then we're just trying to do that faster yeah, I think.
Speaker 3:But some athletes I think you need to train either, or so some guys are gonna have to start training their top end speed because in the in this country as well, especially this country you haven't had to be that quick to be good at OCR. I think now where the the tide is sort of turning, that you need to be quick but also have the endurance as well. I think, yeah, you need to be half marathon quick. I think that's you can't be running 130s, 140 half marathons to do well in OCR or to be at the top level in this country now, which is the gap I think we haven't had for a while. I think there was a while where you could get away with being a 130 half marathon guy and still podium a UK race. I think what we've seen for the last two years is you need to be in that kind of 120, sub 120. I know time doesn't always correlate, but you need to be up there, yeah, in time wise metrics.
Speaker 3:Need to change metrics but metric metrics lie yeah, we've seen it with like 15 minute 5k guys coming into the sport and still not quite podiuming or getting beaten by someone like Dan. But I think where this country's at is, you're always going to have because there's a bit of a gap between the speedsters and the non-speedsters, and typically the non-speedsters are really good at obstacles, but now that's not mattering as much, especially if Euros are going down the route they're going, which we saw from that's the trouble, wasn't it?
Speaker 1:it's we're putting the course onto a one-sided course of like. If they're going down that road, then it is going to favor that you are having to put focus more attributes on your running. Yeah, you've got to be a faster runner now that, that is even more so it's clear to me.
Speaker 2:I think that's what that's what I've learned. I need to be faster, faster runner. Now that is clear to me. I think that's what I've learned. I need to be faster. I can't rely on obstacle density to get me through a race anymore.
Speaker 3:Especially when all the fast guys traditionally they're fast, but can he obstacle? No, not really. We're seeing the gaps closing. Most people can get through most obstacles, especially if the obstacles are getting simpler. So it's like, how do we the fast that's going to lead itself? I mean, it's always a foot race, that's the only problem. So you need to be fast to win a foot race, especially a spot on foot race, and that's and that was my focus this year how do I? How do I be fast?
Speaker 1:yeah that's that is. The biggest question is how to get faster. Is that a podcast episode? How can I get faster? How come it is there's so many different ways of doing it and it varies so much for each person, because I can't get fast the same way Mo gets fast, and I can't get fast the same way Darren gets fast.
Speaker 2:So I haven't learned. I'm still a baby in terms of training, though I don't know how I get fast. That's the thing.
Speaker 1:I'm still trying to work it out because the ways that I've tried getting fast before yeah, I've got fast, fast, but I've also got injured.
Speaker 2:And then I ain't going nowhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you know it's weird. Yeah, you're still learning. Still don't have a clue. No, I'm 37 years old, coming up 38. All right, I haven't. I haven't been doing I'm. I have not been an endurance athlete for very long, especially in the running side of things, but I'm barely on 10 years and I really don't have a clue about anything. So it's like the last few years. I've probably learned more in the last few years than I've learned in the last lot of years.
Speaker 3:The last 40 years no not 40.
Speaker 1:I was going to say 50, 50, but it's true though it's. So it's such a difficult thing to do, but and it because everyone is different it's like what, what do you do? But that's where you've just got to believe that you just got to take your time and do everything consistently, because at least that at least doing something consistently and being able to do it over a long period of time you know for a fact, that's guaranteed yeah, to get you better over anything else I the same as you that I, but the thing is I think I've learned the most from the british champs.
Speaker 2:I did from euros, though, because I've learned that I've stagnated in some areas and and there's things to take from that, and also I've learned that the sport has got quicker and I potentially haven't got quicker see, I'd actually disagree, because I actually think you're as quick as you've ever been yeah, I just think that you've had a few things happen that's made you think that.
Speaker 3:I think the whole sport's got quicker, though, and that's the other thing is. I think it's not just necessarily you have stagnated. It's more the fact that everyone's well the top end of the uk now is really dedicating their time to this sport and getting quicker. Before it was people pretending they're athletes and loving the social media posts of them on a podium, but they weren't really putting the work in people are working.
Speaker 3:That's trouble everyone that wants to be anyone is putting the work in that everyone in the british champs were monsters in the dark.
Speaker 2:They were building something that we didn't know. Yeah, like like, alex absolutely smashed it. Scotty barker came from marathon training and did an awesome race like these. These guys are putting in the work like. I only referenced those two because I was racing around them and I just saw.
Speaker 2:I I know if, like we said it fast if you're suffering, it's like everyone around you is suffering, it's fine. It was like well, i're suffering, it's like everyone around you is suffering, it's fine. It was like, well, I was suffering and they went past me. So they did, they were doing awesome. Even Alex like he didn't mean it, but he did came up to me. He's like are you all right? I just went, I went past you, but I thought you was ill or something. I'm like no, alex, you just. You're like, don't worry about me. Yeah, engine, yeah, so what is? What is next? What do we take away from this to build? Build from chips. You go first. What are you building towards? What are you taking away from it as an athlete? We are athletes, we're always going to say it. Now. What are you going to do as an athlete right now?
Speaker 1:Stick to the plan, love it. Stick to the plan, even though I bloody want to change it so much. I want to throw, I want to tear it up and throw it in the bin. But I've got, I've. I've got to keep telling myself that this plan has got me training consistently for the longest period of time I've ever been able to train consistently, and that is more to me than any other training plan that I've ever done. So I've got to stick to that.
Speaker 3:Probably the same. I just need to keep doing. There's nothing much like I say I need to get some more longer sessions in, but I'm just need to keep doing. There's nothing much like I say I need to get some more longer sessions in, but I'm not going to change much, especially with what my season looks like for the rest of this year. I just need to get faster and try and not. I don't actually need to get faster, I've got the top in speed. I just need to be able to hold that for longer, and that's the goal now.
Speaker 1:Go on.
Speaker 2:I'm laughing because you know exactly what I'm doing. You're tearing it up.
Speaker 2:I'm burning. I can smell it burning in the back garden. That plan is burning. I want to change everything and I have even had conversations with Dave about changing everything. I was quite honest with Mo. I said that when your coaches assume you're fine, let them know if you're not. You're not fine, like if you feel like you've got little cracks forming, that you feel like maybe you're motivational or you want to change something. Let them know, because they don't know that. And that's a good conversation that we had. He's going to keep. We're going to have check-ins to make sure that I stay on to the plan, because at the minute I want to change it completely, but I don't think I don't think I am say I can't imagine dave tearing up, because dave's already wrote it, he already knows what's there, he's already got the pieces.
Speaker 1:He's probably going to do like micro, micro changes just to make it more, more doable for you, more more appealing to do for you more, more, just so it just fits in your pocket better yeah, so yeah, I did sign up for a half marathon in december, so that's good.
Speaker 2:A good aim to have is for chasing metric. I want I did say to him that he wasn't too adverse for me chasing metrics. I feel like that. But I'm doing that, probably doing that for confidence rather than training. To be honest with you, I need to get that confidence back. I'm fast and people might need that. Other people might need that bit of confidence. Put something in the diary that you know you're good at and go absolutely smash it right if you feel how I feel that's one thing I would say.
Speaker 3:I I agree with the fact that probably what dave's getting at? Which you don't need to necessarily chase metrics for ocr, because metrics aren't necessarily the most important factor. However, I'm on the same level as you, darren metrics build confidence. If I do a fast run or get a pb, or I feel fast, and then you, you go into the race with so much more confidence than if you're like, oh, I don't think I'm going to keep up today, yeah and I agree with you slightly as well, because I've also put that milton keane's one into my plan just to see, just to see if the training that I've got planned to do does much for my actual speed over time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll jump on that as well, then I'll meet you there.
Speaker 1:It works out really well because it's also two weeks or three weeks after Hang On yeah, nice. So it actually works out really well because obviously I said to you guys before that I really want to focus on doing hang on run because I feel like that'd be a good build into the winter time. So it's also, like darren said, a good race to do. Plus, I feel like I'll be able to use some skills and learn some skills that I haven't got.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, so so to wrap up our this up, our shortest episode ever, we're talking about what is next. What is next is staying accountable to what you've learned. Stick to the plan that you've got. Don't try to go too crazy off the plan, because what you have been doing has been working. You might have had a bad race, you might have just been ill, you might not have even wanted to turn up to the race. It's all still working. Just stay accountable towards it. Stay disciplined and the motivation will come back, even if it's not there right now, because it's not there for me. So I'm going to get it back by sticking to the plan, with a slight adjustment by sticking to the plan with a slight adjustment.
Speaker 3:The thing is you can use. The good thing is about how our season has played out is we've had all of our championships in one and now there's a bit of a kind of gap between anything really serious. So now's a good time to learn what we've learned over the last few weeks and add some adjustments and just change and tweak and mess around with some things, because you can kind of get away with it. Really there's nothing really now till. That's important, especially if you used to till next year. Really so it's. We've kind of been put into an early off season which we've never really had, so I think it's a good time to start to adjust yeah, we got, we got a few things coming up, but really, yeah, it's, there's not a lot, it's.
Speaker 2:It's all about reflecting on the performances I've had, sticking to the plan, getting a new plan in that is very much in line with what's been working in the past and, for me, that the biggest thing I'm changing is not the training, not the actual training, but the view of what I'm trying to get out. The training I'm trying to get confidence out of it now, which is chasing the metric, but the training, that isn't actually going to change. So that's, that's what I'm trying to chase. Does that wrap it all up for you? Anything else you want to talk about? What's next? What? What is next?
Speaker 3:What is next?
Speaker 2:Because I'm going to have to eat some Chinese.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's next for me, some Chinese.
Speaker 3:I need to eat as well.
Speaker 1:That's next for me Do you want to wrap it up. I think that's good, good.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:A nice short one for people's short walk, exactly, and when this comes out, I'll put up a post. Right, you're listening here at the end, listeners, I'll put a post. What is next? What is next for you? Let us know.
Speaker 3:We'd love to have some interaction maybe should we explain this week is shorter than normal. It's mainly because we're all away on holiday, living our best lives.
Speaker 2:That's next as well. Chinese also.
Speaker 3:Chinese. You can tell we're going into a bit of an off-season Chinese, a bit of holidaying, and we'll get back with the longer episodes later.
Speaker 2:Right, although you can still listen to me. Oh yeah, oh sorry, sorry, you plug yourself. You can still listen to my dulc.
Speaker 1:Oh sorry, sorry, you plug yourself. You can. You can still listen to my dulcet tones and becky's and will's on who's hot. Who are those guys? The hottest guys, and girls, yeah, anyway, yeah support the other episodes.
Speaker 2:Ever other podcasts out there talking dirty uk ocr who's hot and get stumped get stump, get Stumped.
Speaker 3:I like that. I'm looking forward to this one. Jamie's a good talker. If you haven't heard him, listen to our few episodes ago, our podcast with him. We're doing our ramble at the end now.
Speaker 1:We're waffling at the end. Don't forget Finlay, though, and his pint size. Finlay and pint size, they've been going for a while now. They don't need our help. They're more famous than us, right see you later, guys, later people, bye, bye. Thanks for watching.
