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    Less Than 6 Months!

    richard-guy Running
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    Less than 6 months to go until the ultra-marathon.

    I know in that time I am going to have to put a lot of training in. Having started my new role in work as well I am going to have to train smart as work is going to be very busy.

    I’ve put in a very good weeks training last week and am pleased with the progress I am making – I’ve added some more strength work into the programme as this is going to be important. I’ve started to think more critically about my nutrition plan for the event as well – there are no feed stations along the event so I need to be fully self-sufficient during the day. I’ve already purchased a rather smart race vest/pack which has a drinks bladder in it, pockets for gels, bars and additional drinks bottles and thankfully space for my trusty MP3 player.

    The new MP3 was also a recent purchase – 4GB of space and 17 hours battery life – ideal for those long training runs and the event itself. I’ve currently uploaded 470 tracks onto it and it is a real mixed bag – Killing Joke, Tool, The Prodigy, Jah Wobble, Fleetwood Mac, Motorhead, Black Flag, Fugazi, Public Enemy, Pink Floyd, The Fall, Iron Maiden, Bad Brains, Johnny Cash, The Cult, Cockney Rejects, and a ton of other stuff.
    I’d actually be lost without running with the MP3 on. It just helps me to switch off and keeps me focused. Keeping focused on those longer runs is going to be really important – especially on those 3 hour runs which can turn into a bit of a slog and a bit of a mind-games battle.

    I know from past experience in events that there are going to be those mental dips or lows – when you start to question whether you need to stop, need to slow down, worrying that a very slight niggle might be that dreaded injury that you just don’t need. It is really important to be able to shut those thoughts away and focus on moving forwards. It is important to be able to focus on those next couple of steps, the next mile, getting to the next lamp-post – rather than thinking of the enormity of it just breaking it down into much smaller chunks.

    My strategy for the actual event is going to be getting to each bridge on the event – not thinking solely on the finish line but breaking it down into much smaller, more achievable targets.

    There are around 20 bridges to pass (and go over) during the event – so 20 smaller, more achievable targets. That also works out well when planning my nutrition strategy – I will have a much better idea of when I need to be getting those essential fluids into me, needing to be taking on board energy gels and energy bars as well.

    The kit I use and wear on the day of the event is going to be important and I have a very good idea of what I will be using already on the day. I have the kit already – a few trips to Decathlon has sorted that out and no doubt a few more between now and the event will be made (mainly for additional pairs of running socks). The plan is to wear the kit I will be wearing on the day on my longer runs – not only does that pre-planning help with any potential mistakes but it will also help with that focus as well. It will really home in on the target.

    The weather on the day is going to be a major factor. If it is hot will I use an energy drink mix or an electrolyte mix? Headwear – running cap or visor?

    if it is raining do I need to take spare socks to change into at some point? (it may be that one small thing I do that could reduce blisters perhaps).

    So very much some of the training in the lead up to the event just isn’t about putting the miles in but getting the nutrition correct and using the correct kit for both the event and conditions. On the day this fine detailed planning could be the difference between a well-executed race and one that leaves many questions around preparation.

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    The Magnum Club - Personal reflections at a time of change!

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    A new group has been established on facebook entitled 'Magnum Club - Southampton!' The group, dedicated to all those who used to attend this iconic nightclub in Southampton, has well over three hundred members now and is growing everyday. It was set up by former Manager David Moss, a person I know well from my years living in the city. Members are taken on a journey back in time, familiar faces, stories, photographs and club memorabilia are the backbone of this page. People who used to go to this nightclub in the St Mary's area of Southampton are able to chat with one another and relive their past, spent dancing the night away in a club that focused predominantly on the gay community that it served.

    The Magnum opened its doors in 1969; if my memory serves me right, it was the oldest gay club in the Country until it closed in Easter 2004. My journey, as a fully fledged gay man, if there is such a thing, began in 1992, when I first walked through the ominous black doors of the club, on the corner of the road where I used to live. I was a student and had just 'come out' to University friends. I knew the Magnum was a gay venue, but had never actually been inside, until I plucked up the courage one Friday night in November, during my first year living in Southampton.

    As I sharply knocked on the door, a rectangle peep hole opened, a voice echoing beyond, asking me if I knew what kind of establishment I was hoping to enter. Avoiding eye contact, I nodded my head and was duly invited inside. This was the first time I had been in any such place and was mesmerized by my first trip into the unknown. I was drunk and got even drunker as the night progressed enjoying my new found freedom  and a long list of phone numbers I had collected by the end of the evening. It wasn't long before I was walking through those doors again and again and again.

    The years between 1992 and 2000 were important to me; apart from spells living in Australia, Southampton was my home and The Magnum was a place I frequented regularly, celebrating my sexuality, around like minded individuals. I met my first, second and current long term partner in this place and spent many years getting to know those who called it 'their own!' The sense of belonging in  this club was palpable, friends returning night after night, week after week. The Magnum was at the centre of a large, close-knit  and at times difficult gay community. This club had hosted many events, celebrated innumerable milestones and witnessed a sea change in attitudes towards the very people it served; it was a monument to the struggle every gay person fought to legitimise their place in the World. When one entered the club, one suddenly became the majority, the discrimination disappeared and all of us could be who we damn well wanted to be. A club so steeped in history had become the benchmark for the future all of us enjoy today.

    At forty eight years old, I look back with fondness at this period of my life. I met many wonderful personalities at The Magnum, many of whom I remain in contact with today. The impact they had on my life has become more relevant as I have grown older. Dancing, chatting eagerly with new found friends and escaping the harsh realities of 90s Britain was life enhancing and allowed me to discover who I really was. I liked my first experience of the gay scene and the club at its very heart and clambered for more. Of course the more you immerse yourself in a group or institution like The Magnum, the more familiar your colleagues become. The people I met there were akin to family and bonds were formed, relationships blossomed and inevitable arguments and distrust occurred, all part of the course when you live your life in close proximity with others, who also walked through the door of the club at the end of the road. Back then, unlike today, people returned to The Magnum regularly, in the same way I attend a social club, visit my family or knock on my neighbours door. I can't stress enough, just how close everyone was. For a young man in his early twenties, like me, it was so different to what I was used to.

    The Magnum gave most of us a sense of purpose in an unforgiving World. Many of those I knew had little or no contact with parents, rather like me. The society we lived in twenty five years ago was very different to that of today. Being gay was still a big deal. Parents seemed at least to be less accepting than those in 2019. The Magnum and its patrons became surrogates for the family many of us didn't have. Human nature dictates our desire for acceptance and this club nurtured that need.

    From the downstairs brightly lit bar, playing popular hits of the time, the middle 'chill out' room, flowered wallpaper adorning the walls and the dark, sweat fueled upper dance floor, hardened clubbers oblivious to the World outside, The Magnum catered for all. There are many nights I can't remember, too 'wasted' to recall; equally there are other weekends, still vivid in my memories, pictures flooding back triggered from a recollection, flashback or name on the tip of my tongue. Male strippers, World Aids Day, DJ Mark Dukes, Brian Conley in the bar. A conversation with Danny Le Rue in the toilet, bumping into Sue Pollard in the foyer, all special moments, a part of me and the words I write, vivid, like watching TV!

    The Magnum was a one off, never again to be repeated. The gay scene today is banal and sterile in comparison, without purpose or the guts to campaign on issues we still need to conclude. The history of me is rooted in the walls of a club, no longer there, a part of me lingers at the back of the dance floor, in the dark, under the DJ box in the sky and my future, still uncertain as it was in 1995, becomes my focus in middle age, whilst all the time remembering with passion a life lived hedonistically, decadently, unrestrained in a club that opened my mind!
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    Click above for direct link to facebook page!

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  • Published on

    Who'd Have Thought!

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    Looking back to 2015, when I first started blogging, I never would have imagined, I would be living in Portsmouth with my Aunt. Back then my life was very different, I barely saw any of my relations, let alone end up pushing my little Cousins around the streets of Fratton, watching them grow, taking their first steps and sitting them on my knee!

    I am getting used to family life again after thirty years away from those who really mattered. Mother, Father, Aunts and Cousins, all playing an important role in my life and I am thoroughly enjoying being a piece of something far better than I. Families really do matter, I am a part of them, a bond that is unbreakable.

    I used to think it was 'Darrell and I against the World.' well I was wrong, as I have been on so many occasions. Today Darrell and I are still battling hard to survive, dealing with the difficulties, life have always thrown our way, but we also have a family network around us. Despite him being on the other side of the World, that final piece of the jigsaw still missing for now, I am happier than I ever have been and can look forward with hope, not back in fear!
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  • Published on

    Donations!

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    I've had a pretty busy morning at Cancer Research today. Despite the usual selection of fun filled photographs, there were a lot of donations to go through, from munificent members of the public, who continue to do what they can to raise money for the fantastic charity. This evening I wanted to say a few words about donations and encourage readers of 'Roaming Brit' to donate generously.

    All charities rely on gifts from the general public, Britain has a proud tradition of Charity shops and a great deal of money is generated from the sale of unwanted items. Cancer Research in Portsmouth is a large unit, the largest such establishment I have ever worked in and consequently has a lot of stock to categorise and catalogue. Volunteers and Managers alike have to assess and evaluate huge amounts of contributions. Eclectic in nature and in many cases unique on the high street, all are given free, in the hope they will realise some much needed capital, so Cancer Research and other institutions can continue to carry out their good work.

    Today I was sorting and pricing electrical goods, others were tagging clothing and many more were sorting through general donations. Around eighty percent of donations are sold in store and a well trained and focused work force continue to get the best prices they can. I myself give when I can. When I left for Spain in 2015, I gave most of my belongings away to the British Heart Foundation and when I returned to the UK last year, I donated the rest of my personal effects to 'Easy Horse Care,' a charity I used to work for in Gran Alacant. This Spanish trust, rescues horses and donkeys across the Valencia region of Spain; many are injured or mistreated and badly in need of care. I have never just thrown saleable items in the bin, I know from previous experience, just how important a gift to a charity can be.

    Everyone has a personal cause to champion, one that is close to their heart, so I would encourage all of you to give something, as often as you can. I was amazed at the generosity shown by people as I opened sacks today, valuable, freshly laundered and neatly folded clothes. We are also given items we can't sell, things that really should have been disposed of and I would also stress the importance of vetting the items you give. No volunteer wants to sort through a black dustbin liner of soiled garments. We had a few such bags today and it can be stomach churning at times. Nevertheless everyday is like Christmas when you work in a charity shop, you never know just what you will find.

    My boss Zerina wanted me to thank everyone for their continued support and pass on her best wishes to all those who read my blog, following our shop in Portsmouth. Writing about my charity work is an important aspect of my life; I know many of you who read 'Roaming Brit,' are also interested in this side of me. I would like to end this entry today, by asking you all to help Cancer Research in its work by donating what you can. Equally if you have some spare time, why not pop along and have a chat with Zerina, Jo or Sam and do some volunteering yourself; you wont be disappointed!
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  • Published on

    When The Sun Shines....

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    I was greeted the morning by warm sunshine beating on my bedroom window. "When the sun shines down, my heart sings too!" It's been a while since I felt this good. The brightness of the day, so common when I lived in Spain, almost taken for granted on the Costa Blanca, makes one feel alive, positive, full of energy and looking forward to the day ahead.  Despite the chill in the air, today is 'my' beginning of Spring!
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  • Published on

    Being The Best You Can Be!

    Relationships richard-guy Work
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    This week marks the end of an era in work as I leave one role and begin another – I’ve been delivering induction courses in work since 2014 and in my new role will no longer be doing this. It is going to be strange because of a lot of colleagues (many of whom I’ve trained) know me as the person who does the induction course.

    On Wednesday I finished my last ever induction course and as I reflected on how the course had gone I had a sense that I had drawn a line under that part of my career – no looking back, no going back. My new role is going to challenge me and really put my skills and knowledge to the test – that is good. It is going to take me out of my comfort zone – that is good. It is going to push me – that is good. I’ve been given two projects to get on with straight away and I’m determined to set a high benchmark for myself straight away – I’ll look at it and think what would make it better and then look at it again and think what will make it much better – that marginal gain element.

    I knew 2019 was the year I needed to push myself, challenge myself, and really get out of my comfort zone. I’ve always felt the need to challenge myself and push myself. I’ve never been one to sit back and accept it for how it is. I’ve always asked the questions around what are my limits, what am I really capable of if I try that little bit harder.

    Some people look at me and probably think I’m not very ambitious or driven. The thing is I’m never one to shout out about that (I shout at myself inwards about it). In my down time, such as having a few beers with friends for example, I’d rather have a good laugh than be serious all the time – that is why I see it as my down time. This is the time when I blow off a bit of steam but it doesn’t mean I’m not ambitious or driven anymore.
     
    So today is St Valentine’s Day – not that it means a great deal to me. I actually think it is a manufactured load of rubbish. But hey I’m single so why would I care anyway!!!
    Single through choice. I’m alone but I don’t feel lonely. Over the last week I’ve thought about what being single actually means to me. I set my own agenda and it isn’t based upon what someone else thinks or what they expect from me. I’m not confined or pressurised into the expectations of someone else – I’m not being viewed or judged on what I should be or what I should be saying or asking. I don’t get let down and if I do it is only by myself and I learn from that and I build upwards from that.

    I’ve been in relationships where on the one hand the other person has said I don’t need to change anything and on the other tries to change things about me. What is that all about!!!! If you feel the need to change that person should you even be with them in the first place – the answer to that has to be a big fat NO. If you are happy in yourself why change for someone – that change is obviously based upon their own insecurities and issues and probably means they have a fear of changing themselves so it is easier to give someone else the hard time and get them to change you instead. Leave them behind and continue being you and being the best you.
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