I am an instructor with the Sea Cadets at Worthing Unit and have seen how much the cadets get out of the activities they do. I have also seen how much these activities and all the surrounding admin costs. The sea cadets are a charity, and I felt this was a fantastic way of raising money for Worthing in particular and also to encourage some of the cadets to try something different. If I can do it, so can they!

The gold challenge is based on the sports in the Olympics. Some of these sports I can do with the sea cadets, and I have purposely chosen several of these to illustrate the variety of activities that can be done, whilst also doing something that I think will be fun.

My challenge is to do the following activities.

1. Swim - Learn to swim - again. For those that have seen my swimming style, it has recently been described by Mrs Lawrence as "directional panic in water". DONE

2. Canoe - Learn to canoe. I have canoed in the past, but again this was a long time ago and all the new stuff I have learnt has forced this skill out! DONE

3. Boxing – Learn to box. I needed another sport and someone I work with can train this! DONE

4. Weightlifting – For those that know me, they will know how therapeutic gym time can be for me. This is a great opportunity for me to focus some of my energy on something different in the gym. DONE

5. Triathlon. This is a personal goal, to do a half triathlon. I have never done one and this is the one element that I plan to do in 2012. This will link my swimming and gym work together. DONE

6. Athletics - sprints. I was given the oppertunity to race at the 100m olympic stadium. DONE

7. Wrestling - in the process of doing the Judo section I managed to also cover the wrestling challenge, so it seamed approapraite to include it - DONE

8. Cycling. Take part in a cycle ride or three. I'm training for a triathlon. This incorporates a cycle leg, so why not do a cycle challenge too? DONE

9. 1/2 Marathon. This is similar in theory behind the cycle ride. If I'm doing a triathlon I might as well develop it further and do a half marathon. I'm not expecting to be fast round the course, just finish and not die on the way round would be a bonus. DONE

10. Judo - Try judo. To be perfectly honest, I needed another sport, as its in multitudes of 5, and this was suggested by some one at work. DONE



The challenge is to do them by the end of 2012, but I am aiming to have most of them done by the end of 2011.


Please feel free to add comments of support to this blog, and please sponsor me at - http://www.justgiving.com/alan-lawrence-SCC




Tuesday 31 May 2011

Proof that i'm slightly unhinged if that hadn't been proven already.

It was bank holiday Monday evening. My leg still hurt a bit, there was very little on TV and I had nothing to read as the triathlon magazine I read came out today.

The average person at this point would chill out, might find something to do. What did I do.  Start researching half marathons.  I have now payed for a place at a local (barns green, its kind of local) half marathon on the 30th October.  This caused me great concern afterwards as I thought I had booked it on the same day as the rugby world cup final, and should England get to the final could I finish a 1/2 marathon, get showered and get to a watering hole, for soft drinks of course, before the start of the game.  This caused me great anguish for the whole afternoon until I realised that the final is the weekend before.  Panic over.

More impressively Mrs L and another sea cadet instructor have agreed to train with me and do the race, and another instructor looks likes she will also do it. Result! Team Gold Challenge is growing.   The fact that Mrs L thinks that daily exercise is walking to her car and driving to work makes me wonder how much shopping she did actually do when her and her mum went to Portsmouth recently.  I shall await the credit card bill....

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