Sporting Adventures
My Sporting Adventures
Judo
Leading up to the 2012 London Olympics I was really pessimistic about it being a worthy way to spend taxpayers money, after previous extravaganzas I thought out would be an embarrassment. I did not even get a twinge of fever until the torch came through our village and later that day passed the office where I work.
Even I felt a pinch of excitement, stood watching with an excited bunch outside the office with traffic stopped.
I still was not convinced, then I thought I would watch the opening ceremony just to see how it went. Within 10 seconds of the countdown started I paused the telly and shouted Jodie, somehow I knew this was going to be something special.
By the end of the ceremony I was hooked, the two weeks coincided with my annual leave and when we were not on the beach I was watching the games.
The pivotal event was Gemma Gibbons winner her semi-final fight guaranteeing her a silver. I had toyed with trying judo again having done it as a kid but just not got round to it, despite the regular reminders of "When are you coming back on the mat Nige?" Each time I bumped into my good friend and judo legend Geoffrey Moore.
Watching Gemma made me ping a message to one of my old coaches Roger Houston and in September I found myself 45 minutes into my first judo session after twenty-odd years, kneeling on the side, head on a chair trying not to be sick. I loved it and was absolutely 100% hooked again.
I say again because whilst not a sporty kid I had done judo through my teens. I got to green belt (there are 9 grades before the 10 "black" belt grades.) The beer and girls got in the way.
After a 25 year gap, I
rediscovered a passion that was almost forgotten. In the following year, I
attained my 1st Kyu and passed my Dan grade theory and began to
accumulate points. Finally attaining
enough points for my Dan grade in November 2015 at the British Judo Centre of
Excellence in Walsall.
Since then I have gone on to gain a bronze medal at the British Masters, represent Great Britain at the Veteran Europeans Championships and England at the Commonwealth Championships.
Lockdown and injuries have interrupted my charge to getting my 2nd Dan and further international and national competitions but for now, my goals include gaining my 2nd Dan and competing again in the British Masters in 2024.
Running
After restarting judo, I was toying with the idea of doing some additional conditioning work, but never got my arse into gear. That was until 2013, when Jodie my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, we had an 18 month old and a 6-year-old, and to say the news was shocking would be the understatement of the year.
I felt helpless, I am a problem solver by nature but had no way of fixing this. I imagine many feel the same in this situation. I decided to try to raise some money for the Beast Cancer Care by running the Abersoch 10k race. It was great despite picking up a slight twinge in my Achilles a couple of weeks before I completed and raised a bunch of cash. Unfortunately, I did not make the 1-hour target I had set myself, so felt I needed to do something else to earn the money that people had donated and signed up for the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon (now run my Adernaline Sporting Events search for it here)
I completed it and seemed that running was something I do, I have since completed several 10k races half marathons, a triathlon, and the virtual London marathon.
I have a number of future events planned and some bigger adventures on the horizon.
Sporting Sponsors
I am very fortunate to have picked up some brilliant sponsors in the last few years
The amazing team at TORQ Fitness produce some fabulous nutrition products, that tase amazing, my personal favourite is the Torq Gel Apple Crumble, which I was sceptical about at first, but then I tasted it, there was sweetness, apple, all good and then I tasted crumble! Fantastic, I later paired it with the Vanilla Energy Drink, again I was sceptical but it was great! I then realised I was fueling myself with something that just tasted like Apple Crumble and Custard (or Creme Anglais for you posh people.)
Do check them out here. https://torqfitness.avln.me/c/ktKoQigpLIpo
The equally amazing team of Scimitar produce sustainable running and cycling gear from recycled plastic bottles. They have given me some great gear, for free !! and given me the chance to offer you 20% discount across their store (except for special deals) just use the code NIGELC20.
These are just awesome! when I first saw these I thought, I have got to have these and realised they had an affiliate programme I was on it like a bonnet.
I love the work these guys are doing, from their recycled inner tube wallets to their repurposed postal bikes, that would have been enough to get my interest, and then I find out about their work in Malawi, giving one bike for each sold in this country. Read their story and take a look at the products, they are great. https://www.cycleofgood.com/ref/162/
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