23^rd January 2010; I’m out for lunch with a few friends to celebrate my 35^th birthday. Good lunch, good laugh, good fun. We head out that evening for a pint, I slip, twist my knee, and tear the cartilage and medial ligament. Bugger!

So take a step back, I may be pushing on a bit but I’m still fairly active. I’m no Olympian but try to keep in reasonable nick. I play rugby with Bective Rangers which involves training twice a week and a game at the weekend. I also try to cycle to work which is roughly 15km there and back so the knee was a touch of bother. Very quickly the rugby training sessions were replaced by pint lifting sessions and the cycles with croissants and coffee. By June I was distinctly soft in the middle to complement my middle age. The knee was better and something needed to be done! 

Back to training. a friend dragged me to the gym for a session which confirmed my lack of fitness. I needed a challenge. A couple of days later another friend told me about Turf Guy and that he was thinking of getting involved. Bring it on I thought. mmm problem, I’m still a physical crock! That was June. I’ve been hitting the gym 3 days a week since and running in the hills at weekends; I have to say I’m in better knick then when I did the knee in the first place. Must keep up the training but I’m looking forward to the day immensely. I know it will be tough and I’ll be happy to complete it but what I like most is how it has given me the motivation to get back in shape and how the training has opened a world of possibility.

Hello

Over the past 5 years of running a rugby team we have come up against numerous issues, but a constant one is – “where to get all our first aid and physio supplies”. The local chemist has been a source, but it is so expensive, and how do you keep an eye on what you spend, and claim it back etc. Then we found Martin Services and they have really solved this issue for us.

With one online location to order everything, no issues with stock, and a wide range of products, rather than sourcing it all from numerous places really has helped us, meaning we can focus on the important stuff, the game itself. The fact that the club can be billed directly and I am not out spending €30 a week of my own money on these items is a weight off my shoulders.

I would recommend anyone taking care of these things in a club or a team to talk to someone in Martin Services about solving their first aid needs.

We would use the following: 1” elastic adhesive tape, 2” elastic adhesive tape, Silk tape – Zinc Oxide, Vaseline, Deep Heat, Deep Freeze spray, Ice packs, Surgical Gloves, Cotton wool balls, Scissors, Wipes, Plasters – all sizes, Anti bacterial spray, Electrical tape, Other items we need: Neck board (orange stretcher).

My personal tip is to have 2 bags: 1 for inside in the dressing room, and the 2^nd for on the pitch – you don’t need 20 rolls of tape when you’re out there, so its handy to be able to split them up. The other thing is keeping things dry and clean – something like a Toulouse bag is perfect for this, as you can clean it, and carry it easily.

Alan Dolan

Bective Rangers

Last August, I did my first Gaelforcewest … It was the most enjoyably hellish 7 hours 3 minutes and 15 seconds of my life. For training I followed a 12-week British Army recruits pre fitness-test training programme that I found on-line and even threw in a few mountain and beach runs for good measure. Every training milestone along the way was an achievement in itself. Increasing the running distance to 15 K and reaching the 30K plus distance on a cycle were no mean feats for a retired rugby prop.

The race day is an experience. Eating well for the weeks and days up to the event is very important. It’s also necessary to make sure that you have energy gels and bars that not only work, but also taste nice. They need to be palatable. You will also need your fluids. I had a 2-litre camelpack with me through the race and a full water bottle on my bike.

Gaelforce is an adventure race so having the right first aid equipment is a must. In terms of first aid equipment, breaking in the new runners two months before the race took a couple of days so plasters on my heels did the trick nicely. The recommended survival blanket could be needed post race if you managed not to call upon it atop Croagh Patrick. gaelforceevents.com

This years Gaelforce is on Saturday 21st August… If I survive that I’ll sign up for the Gaelforce TurfGuy 2010 in October and no doubt will getting my first aid equipment from Martin Services again.

We’re raising money for the Irish Cancer Society and would greatly appreciate whatever help you can give. We’ve set up a charity web page on http://www.mycharity.ie/event/gaelforce2010/ so if you have a mo and a few quid to spare……

Cheers,

Kev