The Workout
The John K Workout Page
When I think back on my younger days, when I spent my summer-times swimming with my mates at the Strawberry Beds Weir in Dublin, and always in the company of a few flagins of cider, I find it hard to understand the words my elders said to me. They always insisted that I was wasting my time and that I should get myself a summer job. It is now, a bit older, wiser and 2 time reigning 3 legged race champion, that I realise how beneficial those so called "wasted summers" where to me. Had it not been for my early appreciation of the pulverized apple nectar I would not be in this prestigious position of being able to pass on my valuable training expertise for the coming St. Paddys Day 3 legged CHARITY race.
After many minutes of research and long nights of personal training, Prof. Anto of The Northside Field Labs and myself have come up with a 3 Part Training Program. However, due to licensing laws, only a brief overview of this training program can be provided on this website.
Part 1
Identifying your drink
The first part of the training program is of utmost importance, particularly in a crowded training ground. Obviously there are a number of sub-parts to this Part 1. Since the race is a combination of 6 drinks in 6 establishments, it is important from the off that you choose a training liquid which will adhere to your stomach. An early lose of training liquid can cause irreparable damage to a team, especially if it happens to only one team member, this I know from personal experience (I'll never forget you Don).
As seen from the photo on the left, making a clear distinction of which glass is yours helps with both leading on to Part 2 and sportsmanship towards your fellow competitors. Should the case arise where you or someone else have mistakenly taken the wrong drink, the TLD (Training Liquid Dispenser i.e. Bartender), will provide the aggrieved team with fresh training liquid. It must be understood though, that the TLD is not an adjudicator in the race and can not be called upon to solve unsportsman like discussions.
Part 2
Elbow exercise
In order to move swiftly through the establishments on the course, a good glass trajectory is a must for any budding young champs. Having spent a long time practicing my own unique way, it is some what difficult for me to explain what the perfect trajectory move is. However, having talked to many of my foes down the years, I have come to the conclusion that whichever way feels the most comfortable is the way to go. With this in mind though, one important thing to remember regarding the trajectory is that it should be done towards the direction of your own mouth. Wild trajectory can cause injury to fellow competitors resulting in lose of time to both parties and can also cause the TLD to become upset, due to the fact that they are in charge of keeping the playing surface dry.
In finishing, it should not be felt that good glass trajectory is a natural or birth-given right, many a young pretender has had to retire early from the sport due to such haunting injuries as severe tennis elbow or temporary blindness due to bad glass trajectory.
Part 3
The perfect finishing position
Like Part 2 this has always been a difficult part to explain how to execute. Some competitors like to do this in 2 movements, however I find that a valuable time lead can be achieved by doing this in 1 swift move. It must be said though that doing it in 1 move is not for the faint hearted. In my early years on the the 3 legged race circuit, it was always disheartening for competitors at the trophy ceremony to see the winners with wet stains on the front of their kit. Should you decide to use the 1 movement method, plenty of practice should be done in the months and minutes leading up to the start of the race.
In finishing, I would like to leave you all with a few words of wisdom, Legget is not Danish for one leg, a true winner always leaves a dry glass and has a clean kit. And finally; cheaters never prosper; only the taxi driver you pay does.