Well on Saturday morning I left a sunny Liverpool to head to London to make my final preparations for the Marathon on Sunday. I was feeling ok and relatively good about the race; I had been hit with a chest infection the Friday before and finished the course of antibiotics I was taking on Saturday morning.  The atmosphere in London is amazing on the build up; the city is busy and buzzing with people and athletes.

After a brief rest on Saturday and some broken sleep, Sunday morning quickly arrived and I was full of porridge and on the tube heading to Greenwich to the start of the race. The carriages were heaving, it was like being at the front at a concert and not a very good one, I thought at one point how many more people can fit on a tube that is already full, the answer is a lot more!

At Greenwich station the trains flooded the streets with runners and the sea of people poured to the large flats of the park. All around people stretched off, ate and drank and carried out the all important final rituals. Charity vests and t-shirts covered the landscape, men and women erected weird and wonderful costumes and a small zoo of runners was formed. Probably the most surreal part of the day for me was standing having a wee next to Darth Vader and Scooby doo at the same time!

Before long it was bags on the transport and everyone had to make their way to the form up points, bang on cue the heavens opened and we all became soggy and cold. Richard Branson then pushed his way to the front and we were off at 09.45. It was a real hurry up and wait moment, crossing the line was slow and starting to run was even slower, eventually after a mile the crowd began to open up. The first six miles flew by and the three different start points (Red, Blue and Green) all joined up as the route headed towards London city, the pace was picking up but the volume of people around me was unbelievable!

As the course progressed the crowds of supporters grew and grew, the bands, drummers and screaming mobs all get inside your head and power you forward. I saw my family at 12 miles and hit the half marathon marker at 1 hr 39 minutes. Miles 14 to 20 disappeared as I trotted around the isle of dogs and Canary wharf dodging the water bottles and empty cartons on the road.

When I hit the final five miles disaster struck, I started to cough and my lungs decided that they had had enough. I lost my pace and had to stop, St Johns ambulance smothered me with kindness and offered me O2 but the race official at the roadside explained that if I needed oxygen then I would be out of the race. After a short quick walk away from both men, I cleared my chest out and started to run again, sounding like an old knackered car as I went. The next 5 miles took me 67 minutes of breathless coughing and spluttering to get down to Buckingham Palace and the finish! My overall time was a disappointing (for me) 3hrs 51 minutes. I finished 8840 out of 51000 who started the race.

What next……………………? Another course of anti-biotics, then back to training and who knows! I might do Berlin, Boston and Chicago to complete the marathon major series or  I might just stick to walking the dog in the park...

The Outdoor Show was a real success for Go Commando. After a stressful start on Thursday waiting for the stand to arrive, Greg and Tim eventually headed down to Birmingham to set up and Charlotte followed closely behind on the train that evening. Having only half an hour to set up the two Commando’s decided it would be best not to read the instructions as this would be time consuming. What a mistake! The stand fell over on numerous occasions until the Rock Ape (Tim) decided to have a read and all was sorted. Mission completed time to have tea and pick Charlotte up from the train station.  

Day 1 was like going into the unknown but by midday we were well into the swing of things and Charlotte was very happy as there was a Sausage butty stall right next to ‘Go Commando HQ’. Tim found the triathlon section but had to leave his credit card with Greg and decided to stay off the Mountain biking for another day. The camouflage face painting started and Greg was in his element. He had a tear in his eye as it brought back so many memories of his days in the Core. Charlotte decided to have a go, admittedly getting more on the floor than the kids faces! The standard of camouflage and concealment was a little poor but after painting about 10 scouts she soon got the hang of things. Unfortunately, one little girl must have been expecting a princess or an angel and burst into tears when she saw her dirty looking face!!! 

At the end of the first day we had around 60 names for the 3 Peaks Challenge, Greg and Tim- get walking!!!! After eating about 10 tonne of Chicken at Nandos (no chips I must add) it was time for bed and an early rise for a 40 min run. Day 2 was even better as this was the going to be the busiest day by far and even the two guys Peter and Matt from Keep It Hostile started to sell stock even if they did look like they had come of a scene of Eastenders. It was really interesting to see how many people want to do the 3 Peaks Challenge and that there are not any companies out there doing what ‘Go  Commando’ does.

There was another 100 names to the list on Saturday and it was great to see Humphrey and his wife Sue. The Commanders Mum and Dad Phil and Joan also tipped us a visit, you guys must have been proud of your son. Robbie Doran and his family made our day complete and insisted on lots of photos of his biceps??!! By the end of Day 2 everybody’s legs felt like they had done 3 peaks.  Food bed and bring on the last day. 

Day 3 brought another 100 names and more kids stealing our sweets. This was bargain day Charlotte now is a proud owner of a reindeer rug (I wondered where you disappeared to.) It will look great in your living room. Greg you looked great in that Triathlon wetsuit, which I believe he has not taken off since. Whatever tickles your fancy Greg!!!!!  

A big thank you to John, Gill, Robyn and Andy plus Jane and her Dad George for coming down to support the, Go Commando team. John the Outdoor Show would like to thank you for buying half of its merchandise, profits will be up this year, despite you bargaining for every last drop of discount. Go Commando would also like to thank Matt and Peter fromKeep It Hostile for being great company throughout the show, good luck guys. It was a great 3 days and ‘Go Commando’ met so many great people and the 3 Peaks is going to be a massive success. Bring on London!!!!!!!!!By Tim Barrett

Friday was an unbelievable day to be in the mountains. I was lucky enough to spend the day on the Snowdon Horseshoe, having watched the weather forecast all week I knew that I might be in luck (and dry) but did not expect what I saw.

The Horseshoe has two of the best ridge walks in the Uk and on a clear day some of the best views. I had the pleasure of spending the day with the FD of Shop Direct and an old friend of his to help him celebrate his 40th birthday. The day started with the usual amount of hill fog and dampness that you expect early morning at Pen Y Pas but quickly broke allowing a warmer brighter ‘Alpine style’ Day.

The Snow was still patchy and crisp on the ascent but nothing to worry about and to my surprise Crib Goch was clear of any ice or cloud which ment that the two Crib Virgins had plenty of time to enjoy the 3,800 foot drop and contemplate the need for good hand and foot placement. All in all, a great day out.

The tracks on snowdon are still very icy and have deep snow in parts, my advice would be stick to the pyg track, start early and aim to get down to the pass by 4pm.

The weather this week is going to be wet! 95 % chance of rain on Friday. If I was a betting man I would say stay indoors! I am not a betting man and will be heading out to take two guys up and over the Snowdon Horse shoe to celebrate a 40^th birthday (Not mine!) God bless Gortex and all who wear her.

The Snowdon Horse shoe has two exciting ridges to cross and is a great way to spend 8 hours of your life; I will aim to post the photos of the rain and cloud next Monday.

One day challenges are a great way to mark special occasions, you get to share your time with your friend doing something that allows a shared sense of achievement. I love running them because everyone involved wants to be there, you get the walk done and then it’s off to the Pub to share the days war stories! 

Well, back to work, and the cold weather kit has been officially drawn from the stores. With more snow on the way, we are heading out to Snowdonia on Monday to tackle what promises to be an interesting winter.

In the words of Billy Connelly "There is no such thing as bad weather only inappropriate clothing!". That guy should know, he is from Greenock the capital of Rain!

More Prison work on the way, lots of really cool strategic alliances have been formed over the last 12 months that are now opening lots of doors and our reputation for being that little bit different is starting to stretch around the UK… t's all good as I sit in a warm office wanting to be on a cold mountain, yes I do have issues!

Hello troops, just a quick update on out winter planning. We have had an incredibly busy year. This year we again, ran several National 3 Peaks, right upto a snowy November on Ben Nevis on the mountain hardened warriors from Smart Storage!

We have also formed fantastic strategic alliances this year with Business Focus, the North West Development Agency's Lead programme and, of course, of course continued our ongoing work with our corporate clients.

December and January is time for a quick de-service of kit (and instructors, new knees, hips and Gortex) before we launch back into our work with the UK prison service on the 11th January.

2010 will see he start of Go Commando's Island Survival Challenge, this will make 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here' look like 'Wish You Were Here'!

Jon Wyles and his team at Smart Storage completed the National 3 Peaks - in November! But that didnt put them off and they're all still here to tell the story... so in the words of Jon:

"Smart Storage did the Three Peaks Challenge over last weekend.

We arrived in Fort William on Friday evening after a delightful seven hour drive in the mini bus! Hopefully you heard us on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2 live from a lay-by in the middle of nowhere in Scotland.  

We were up a 3.40am on Saturday and at the foot of Ben Nevis at 4.45am. We walked up in the dark and into the snow on the top and then back down as the dawn broke, spectacular! All done by 10am.

Then off to Scafell in the Lakes another delightful 6 hours in the minibus.  

We started Scafell at 5pm in the wind rain and dark. We walk to about 30 minutes from the top only to be hit by the beginnings of some severe weather and an electrical storm. The decision was taken that it was too dangerous to make the summit with 55mph winds reported as well. So we turned round getting back to the bottom by 9pm.

Then another 5 hours in the minibus to Snowdon. The smell of wet feet and clothes starting to take over! We reached Snowdon at 2am Sunday morning only to be confronted by cloud cover down to the car park. We sat in the minibus until 4.30am before the cloud lifted sufficiently to start the climb.  

Completely exhausted we set out in the dark and rain and went for it, reaching the summit at around 7.30am. After a brief celebration at the top we headed down to the joy of a further 2 hours in the mini bus back to the Wirral.  

Thank you to all who contributed in donations and sponsorship. But also thanks to all who made this possible. Greg and Tim from Go Commando www.go–commando.co.uk who guided us up and down handed out a few motivational chats and encouragement along the way, as well hundreds of jelly babies to keep the sugar levels up! Vicky our wonderful minibus driver. All those who did the walk and those who kept the business open and operating over the weekend, swapped shifts or worked additional hours. All family and friends who helped on the domestic front to enable those who took part to be away from home over the weekend. This was very much a team effort and without all these contributions we would not have been able to make the weekend the success it was.

Although we are still collecting the sponsorship we expect to have raised £5000 for North West Cancer Research Fund. Thanks again for those who have contributed, for those who intended to but haven’t quite got round to it yet here is your opportunity. The link to my Just Giving page is below and all contributions large or small are greatly appreciated.

http://www.justgiving.com/Jon-Wyles-Smart-Storage/

There is a five Peak Challenge including the two highest peaks in Northern and Southern Ireland and that could be the plan for next year!!!

Thanks again

Jon"

Greg and his trusty sidekick Tim led the Smart Storage team up and down the nations three highest peaks last weekend. There is a reason why not many people tend to do this challenge during the winter months, it mainly being something that goes by the name of SNOW! The waist deep snow made sure everyone appreciated the layers of socks they had on. Jon at Smart Storage said:

"Thanks very much for a fantastic weekend!! Everyone who was involved had a great experience. A few battered and bruised people today, but everyone showed up this morning which is result! I think we have raised around £5k for North West Cancer Research this weekend, which is great."

Clocking up hill time in the UK is the best way to train for altitude. People who have strong legs and lungs from previously doing lots of walking are the people who deal with altitude the best during mountain climbing. Some people will always acclimatise and adjust better, but ultimately its the fitter people who find it easier.

As altitude increases, oxygen in the air decreases - this is what causes sickness. In order to help your body cope the efficiency of your aerobic system need to improve, this can be achieved through lots of cardio exercise which increases the number of red blood cells that deliver oxygen to your muscles.

At Go Commando we reccommend that you slowly increase your time in the UK hills and spend at least one weekend a month on long walks. Its also a good idea to gradually increase the weight of your back pack too. If you cant always get to the hills keep up your aerobic exerise by swimming, spinning or even better see a personal trainer to tailor a specific training program for you, see www.body-solutions.co.uk for more information.

Last weekend all the team at Body Solutiosn got together for a weekend of what can only be described as something that should have featured as a 'Carry on Boating' special! We all dug out our thermal vests, waterproofs and slleping bags and made our way donw to Abersoch to set off for St Tud's island for a weekend of team building fun and frolics.

However, not everything went to plan. It took us about 3 hours to actually get onto the island as we could not get the boat into teh water! When we finally ddi manage this, the boat got stuck in the sand and it took all of our combined strength (plus a few very helpful waves!) and lots of shouting of 'to me, to you' to get it facing in the right direction, however, the boat being in the water was not such great news as we were all still on the beach! So, all the lads braved the cold of the british sea and get very wet loading most of the kit onto the boat, the 'kit' consisted of our sleeping bags, the food, the water and of course me and Charlotte (well, we didnt want to get wet did we?!). I did however get the short straw as i was carried in by Tim, Charloote got fireman lifted by the very tall Simon who easily kept her up and above the ever rising sea water. Tim however though he would dip me in the sea, just for fun which resulted in very wet boots and trousers for the entire weekend. Thanks Tim.

As we approached the island me, Charlotte and Dave braced ourselves for the jump, there was no jetty or sandy beach for us to arrive at, instead we got some moss covered, sharp looking rocks and an order of when to jump. Purely by chance we made it onto the other side, along with two extremely heavy boxes filled with food and utensils, great, me and Charlotte thought, time for a brew while Greg does the second run to the beach. How wrong we were. As Dave had been submerged in water loading things onto the boat he had removed his boots - but had left them on the main land. This meant that Dave could not help out in hauling the two huge boxes up the nettle covered steep hill to the brick building we would be calling home for the night. Lets just say after that task was finished we well deserved the cup of tea and flapjack break :)

Most of the night passed with a blur due to the amount of alcohol consumed we think we all had a good time!! The next day we ate our bacon and egg sandwiches and packed up to return to civilisation. This was where the whole saga started again. In fact we thought we had gotton away with it, the packing had gone fine, we didnt leave anything or anyone on the island and we all got onto the beach safely and (almost) dry. Getting the boat out of the water and onto teh trailer again was the tricky part! The wynch to help pully the boat back onto its traler had been stolen overnight meaning that it took a couple of hours of pure man strength (and a jeep) to to get it on.  A few favours were asked of the locals and a couple of bottle of wine dished out afterwards but thankfully we all made it in one piece to the local pub for a home cooked roast dinner.

Thats just an outline of our shananighans... check out our facebook page to see the pics http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=2019897&id=1371056530&ref=mf 

Until next time - over and out!