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| Trying to suppress the excitement! |
At last the day we had all been waiting for - the Gurkha Training Day at
Nuneaton. Unfortunately due to holiday and work commitments Becky and
Vicky were unable to make it so Sue and Sandra were accompanied by the
lovely Lynda - a key member of our support crew.
We got off to a good start with the place name - Gamecock Barracks home to the Queen's Gurkha Signals. Lots of giggling ensued. Definitely one to add to our list!
We managed to compose ourselves long enough to be introduced to some of the officers and to say hello to Tom from Oxfam. After grabbing a much need cuppa we sat down to hear tips and advice on training for the event and most importantly how to deal with the dreaded blisters! The pros and cons of Compeed and zinc oxide tape were explored. After hearing about a soldier who needed skin grafts after ripping off the tape we may give that a miss! Up side though - most people lose half a stone doing the event and some a whole stone!
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| Don't lean back! |
Next up was the army simulation exercise where we were joined by the Red Harrows team. Basically this involved walking with a pack the size of a small chest freezer on your back! We all, surprisingly, kept upright! The kit the Gurkhas have to carry is incredible and aside from the pack they also have a webbing belt and a rifle! After walking for about 15 minutes on the flat we were in awe of them!
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| Armed and very nearly dangerous! |
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We all needed a good stretch after this. Sue's wobbly leg was playing up a bit so she needed the support of the young, seriously fit physical training instructor to keep her upright! (Any excuse...!). Sue we are spending only 15 mins at each
checkpoint including Gurkha massage time!!
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| Squats! |
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Fortunately, we could now smell the wonderful aroma of curry floating
across from the mess tent. Unfortunately ,we still had to do the Circuit
Training and Aerobics before lunch which had filled us with dread since we received
the invitation! We think they were very gentle with us really. About 10
minutes of running (WE DO NOT RUN - EVER!) and then the circuits. We
all managed to plank for 30 seconds and Sandra managed the Mexican wave
several times (not strictly an exercise at all!). It was a lot of fun and, judging by our inability to laugh with out pain for the next few days, very good for our fitness levels!
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| Definitely liking our technique! | | | | |
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| Too beautiful to eat! |
What can we say about the lunch? Delicious just about covers it.
Gorgeous creamy curry and we were forced to have seconds! It's very
impolite in Nepal apparently not to do so! Even the salad was a work of
art and the chefs obviously took great delight in feeding us all up! After a massive slice of cake we were ready for the afternoon session.
First up a potted history of the Gurkhas and their involvement with the British Army. Only Nepalese men born in Nepal can serve in Gurkha regiments and they take just 150 or so young men each year after a rigorous selection process. Then pep talk from a Gurkha who has run Trailwalker in a ridiculously short time! When a soldier is picked to do this challenge they devote 6 weeks solely to training for the event! Civilian challengers be afraid! The best part though is that he recommends we eat a choccy bar every hour to keep our energy levels up! Brilliant - that's 24 choccy bars in the bag!
It was time to say farewell (after another accompanied visit to the loos!). We had met some lovely people including the other teams present: The Bun Loving Criminals, Mental Orientals and The Red Harrows. The Gurkhas were amazing. They were so polite, modest and strong.. We should all be honoured that they want to serve our country! We hope that in completing this challenge we can give a little bit back.
