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Guess whos back early...

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:23 pm
by Stinky
Fail misably :(. But I am definaly glad I went and now I'm and even more determined to get in. I'm going to start swimming and going to the gym and running everyday. Definaly a great expirance, but I'm a bit annouyed at how I failed...the 3 miler, but I'll come to that in a bit. I won't write a diary as I can't spell and I was only there 1 day but I will write what happened to help some people who haven't been there before. Of course your expirance may differ.
To start off, on my way there, I got off at the wrong train station so I was already 2 hours late. In the 1st hour of waiting I was crapping my pants but in the second I relaxed a little as I couldn't do anything about it. So I went to one of those old cafe's and brought a American Style Breakfast at 2.00pm. I really just wanted the pancakes that came with it but thought I might as well eat the egg, toast, hashbrowns that came with it. They gave me the pancakes last and after eating all the other food I felt sick. But I couldn't resist the pancakes so I ate them. Anyway enough of my mistakes, after a 1 hours ride and changing trains at exeter, I was at lympstone commando. Nothing much happened for the next few hours, had food, and did the brain tests even though I had my cetificates. Skipping to lights out, the covers are heavy, and the beds are uncomftable. And also they sqeak alot, if you are unlucky you will get a room where everybody is talking till late. On top of that, the heat which will keep you up anyway. A few people got to sleep but most, like me, lye in bed continusly moving about to get comfy untill 2ish in the morning. I can't remember what time we woke up, but it was before our instructer (he was ill), we had gone to breakfast and come back and he was only just getting up. Drills basic but I found it hard to hear him, and then a little bit of waiting about untill a small lectur from a corpral about what we would be doing over the next few days. After that got changed into a green t-shirt, bib, combats and trainers. Marched a little outside to the road, went across the road on a bridge and then started doing a warm up in a car-park. I think the warm-up lasted about 15 minutes, just running in circules and doing high knees, spriting on the spot and streches, no as hard as I thought it would be. Then came the 3 miler, done in 22.30 seconds. First half was as a group in 12.30 seconds, second half on your own. I've told this story 1000 times now so I will keep it short. I was tired out when running but when I got near the end I started sprinting, at the end I felt I could sprint more but it was to late, and I was 15 seconds late, but it was my fault because I did not put 100% effort in all the way otherwise I would have started sprinting earlier. The guy in front of me passed and you have no idea what the time is. After that I decided to go home and wait the 6 months because even if I had continued and only had to wait 3 months, I would have probably delayed it to 6 months anyway. Next time I want to go back very fit.
My top tips:
If you have your own cheap boots, the ones with rubber stiching, take them, just so you know you have boots that will fit you, thats the only good point about that.(easier for marching)
Tips 2:
Don't try and skim the line with the 3 miles (like I did :oops:), you should at least be able to do the 3 miles in 22 minutes with the warm up before
And finaly 3:
Take something to block your ears from the noise at night

The worst part is I never even came back aching all over. But I'll be prepared next time. Definaly glad I went there though.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:28 pm
by lodgi
You only missed the time by 15 secs?

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:35 pm
by digitalfreefall
Welcome to the 3 miler club Stinky !

Take it on the chin and move on. Your not the first and you sure as hell wont be the last to fail the 3 miler.

Looking back I must have been insane to even get on the train to CTCRM my fitness wasnt up to scratch but after facing the humiliation of failing at the first hurdle Ill be damned if its going to happen again, im sure you feel the same.

Dont mope about feeling sorry for yourself, get an early night and take out your anger/dissapointment on the tarmac tomorrow morning.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:35 pm
by Stinky
It is hard not knowing how much longer you have left...If only I had started spriting earlier. But at the end of the day I didn't constantly give 100% all through the run. It was more 99%.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:37 pm
by 803troop
Tip 4: Get off a the right station

Tip 5: If you fail stay and watch so if you know what you're in for.

Baz

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:53 pm
by fo0q
99% eh..

I went on a RMAD on tuesday and one of the PTIs gave us a tip for the 3 miler.. he said when you first see a set of big flood lights or it could have been get next to them, then you only have about 100 metres left.

I'm sure that makes sense to someone who has ran it before or i could have got it completely wrong.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:56 pm
by JCAP3
Yeah you know its only 100m left because you can see the corporals shouting at you to sprint.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 7:59 pm
by tkdvipers
Well done stinky mate, you will do it next time and good on ya for having the balls to tell us about the experience. :D

As for the floodlights, they are on your left hand side, when I use to run this I would up the pace massively when I saw THE sign, the sprint when I saw the floodlights.

Well done again and next time get it cracked!

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:17 pm
by Stinky
Edit: Didn't put much thought into this post so I thought I might aswell delete it.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:26 pm
by ADDiction
There's nothing to say you can't gun in the army beforehand. Maybe that's the right decision for you, it would definitely give you the experience of a military environment, aswell as a background and pride.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:29 pm
by Stinky
ADDiction wrote:There's nothing to say you can't gun in the army beforehand. Maybe that's the right decision for you, it would definitely give you the experience of a military environment, aswell as a background and pride.
Are you talking about Gunner Special Observers?

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:33 pm
by ADDiction
Yes I am, they hold a very high standard

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:35 pm
by AndyG321
Gutted for you Stinky, 6 months is more than enough to shave some time off your runs!
Stick at it mate you'll get there!

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:40 pm
by Stinky
Well it's off to the careers office I go, although for the mean time my minds more on the marines. I don't want to leave it behind if you understand.
There's nothing to say you can't gun in the army beforehand.
Would you mind rephasing that please, my inferior brain dosn't seem to want to make sence of it.

Posted: Wed 28 Feb, 2007 8:47 pm
by AJtothemax
Sorry to hear that mate. :(

Keep your chin up ok and you crack on alright.

All the best. 8)