Getting Fit

At 17

I signed up and joined the Territorial Army and learned to look after all the kit. Included weapons, eating tools, and clothes. Apart from running around the Assault course 10 or 12 times a day, went up and down the hills near Stirling, Scotland, the UK in teams carrying a telegraph pole with a strip of leather round one wrist. Selected to be different heights and had to stand on your toes to keep the pole up. This only lasted 8 weeks and the Engineering Director wrote to the Commanding Officer requesting a discharge, because my skills were needed to work on Auto-Pilots for Fighter Jets.

Electronics apprenticeship

Completed my 5-year electronics apprenticeship, with no offer all 10 of us left and found other roles. In late 1972 worked in Paris, France as a Support Engineer with UCC on a Computer Terminal with printer and card reader, used for Oil&Gas Well Simulation programs, and downloading global news for Le Figaro journalists, after nearly two years returned to London. Test Engineering roles around the South East and West of England.

General Electric

Then applied for a role in Frankfurt Germany with GE working around Europe on Process Computers. 15 months later resigned and returned to London and after a mix of writing and engineering roles spotted a classified advert. Able to wear a parachute, jump out a balloon and plane, wear combats, NBC Outfit, and Gas Mask. As the only applicant offered the role.

Support Engineer

On Exercise moving every 4 hours for 6 weeks. After the first 2 Exercises, I lost two weeks of my life sleeping. So I had to run and train in the Gym doing both for an hour before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then managed to survive on Exercise. Also helped the Generator man start it up, if we failed to turn it over we ended up in the bushes or against a tree and sliding down to the ground. If we heard a snort or two we jumped up the nearest tree and would be looking down at a Wild Boar with a pair of tusks.

USAFE Base Supply Engineer

Ended up in the US for 6½ months on returning to Germany resigned after being told no on-base accommodation and unable to afford a flat off the base. Moved South to Ulm and stayed with my friend who I helped to start contracting. He belonged to the oldest social running group the Hash House Harriers(H3) that started in Malaysia in 1938. Dragged me along and I have now been doing it for 40+ years.

Variety

Running all over the UK, Europe, North Africa - Marathon des Sables over 6 days, Sleeping during the day and running at night, Cyprus about 45C, Turkey, In Malaysia for 60 years of H3 in 1998, had to drink water until 9 PM due to the heat and the runs cut in half for non-locals, Singapore and Australia. Lived in London for 30 years running 6 or 7 times every week, completed 20+ cross country ball breakers and Marathons for good causes. At first, I tried running Marathons with no training and took 5 1/2 hours and a week of walking up and down stairs sideways. Berlin was hard at about 40C and in Switzerland climbed 1,500 metres falling down and laughing three times. On another uphill run near Lake Lucerne, a Harriet slapped me when her sandwich had been bitten off, when it was the Cows with bells around their necks and they also tried to drink beer out of our bottles.

Current State

Try to run every day and after two weeks move to twice a day and do 60 miles plus per week, then after a month, start looking for Marathons to enter. Not bad at 71.