For over 90 years, the RAF Association have championed a simple belief – that no member of the RAF community should ever be left without the help that they need.
Not since WWII has the RAF been so constantly deployed on global operations – and across the generations, the need for support is becoming ever more complex. Demand for RAFA services is therefore increasing significantly.
They were there for us in our darkest days. We must not fail them in theirs.
**The winner who predicted how for I could cycle in 40 hours is currently on an expedition so their preferred donation will be included subsequent this one, upon their safe return…
Event started at 3am Thursday morning 03/06/2021 KSA time / 1am GMT and ends 7pm KSA / 5pm GMT on Friday 04/06/2021 – read below for a summary of what happened, the Garmin data and links to a couple of videos…
Video of the event itself:
Introduction and preparation the evening before:
So how did the event go?
My original plan was to cycle outside for at least 9 hours on my road bike, then come inside to ride my time trial bike on the turbo trainer where I can control the air conditioning for 7 hours. I would then join the 24 hour spinathon and use a spin bike.
However, the spin bikes do not track distance and as the disc wheel is fully enclosed, I had no way to rig up any trustworthy equipment. This meant I would have to alternate between the road bike and the time trial bike or simply stay on my time trial bike for a lot longer than originally anticipated.
The reality is, it was too hot to stay outside for any longer than 6 hours and so this was suggesting I was due to spend 34 hours on a Time Trial bike?! I tried not to think about it.
I figured if I take it easy and just stay awake, the distance will rack up. If I maintained 25 kilometres per hour average then this would allow me to outturn at 1,000 kilometres distance over 40 hours. I had my nutrition and hydration sorted, I had support on hand (thank you), had taken the day off work and a 24-hour spinathon event to look forward to as the finale.
It wasn’t easy to get up at 2am and in fact I snoozed until 02:40 so I missed some of my breakfast and this likely led to me becoming slightly dehydrated early on. That said, I started on schedule at 3am exactly as per the below:
The first 6 hours outside flew by. I maintained a low ‘easy’ heart rate and was making good progress with an average speed between 25 and 30 kilometres per hour as per the below. I took 15 minutes breaks every 2 hours 45 minutes so I was aiming to simply repeat a 3 hour cycle.
However, at the 6 hour point, it had become seriously hot outside (over 40 degrees Celsius) and I decided to move inside on the turbo trainer and my time trial bike as I was dehydrating. You can see from the below diagram that this was immediately around 20% slower than being outside (I was averaging around 25 kph outdoors and 20kph indoors). I also had to replace the battery in the speed sensor once I moved inside and the impact of this can be seen below by my slow start after the second break.
Sector 1 performance data
It was at this point, that I realised I had not factored the heat, the breaks and the increased rolling resistance of the turbo trainer into my calculations properly. It was looking like I would cover a lot less than my 1,000 kilometres over the 40 hour period.
Realisation sinking in
The statistics for the first sector and almost 7 hours worth of cycling are as follows:
Sector 1 statistics
I originally wanted to record the whole 40 hours as a single activity but after 6 hours and 51 minutes the battery in my Garmin 245 needed charging. I understood that it could be charged mid-activity but made the mistake of plugging it into a laptop port which made the Garmin assume I wanted to transfer data and it stopped the activity! Having charged it enough to get it out of the red, I started the second sector and considered how to resolve the matter.
Sector 2 header
Sector 2 was all on my Time Trial bike indoors. Sector 2 at 1 hour and 51 minutes plus the earlier 51 minutes on the Turbo Trainer from Sector 1 and ~15 minute break made up the third 3-hour long section. The negative impact to my average speed is clear here as being consistently lower than when outside.
It should be noted how the GPS signal recorded some quite significant movement when I hardly moved at all for almost 2 hours.
Sector 2 performance data
At this point I stopped for my third 15 minute break and stopped the activity to be sure I recorded it, in advance of trying to charge the Garmin again.
Sector 2 statisticsSector 3 header
I started the new activity at the end of my break (so there is a circa 10 minute gap of unproductive time in the data) and then plugged the Garmin into an external battery pack – thankfully, it kept running meaning I would only need to have three sectors. I was pleased and relieved in equal measure – lesson learned!
Sector 3 includes the final time I spent at home, the time I took moving the equipment to the school sports hall and the whole 24-hour spinathon period. You will notice so odd data. There are significant sections of down time.
Sector 3 performance data – note the significant down time
I maintained until we had watched the film Top Gun. As much as I love it, Goose’s untimely demise did not provide the adrenaline shot I required. Jester was not dead, but I was in a lot of pain, my hands were numb and needed to do something to help myself. I decided a walk and some fresh air would help and I used the opportunity to fetch my torque wrench from home. This allowed me to dismantle the headset and raise the handlebars on the time trial bike by a couple of inches. The idea being that a more upright position would reduce the weight burden on my hands. It helped but I was already too far gone by this point.
Our DJ Gladderz arrived in the early hours and this was a welcome addition.
Nonetheless, I had become increasingly tired, the rotating and morphing geometric visuals that were projected onto the whole wall right in front of my bike became like something out of clockwork orange, I was suffering from some gastrointestinal discomfort, coffee wasn’t helping and at the 27th hour I had to make the difficult decision to take a proper break.
I was very frustrated at first but upon arriving home and experiencing extreme difficulty inserting and turning the key in the lock due to impaired dexterity, I knew I had made the right choice. I slept, I showered, I changed, I ate pasta, had a cup of tea, sorted my head out and went back for more.
The final 5 hours were like a different event for me. I absolutely rinsed myself and loved doing so, especially when Gladderz came back on for the final hour.
Sector 3 statistics – note the significant down time and erroneous max. speed (I think caused by my hand slipping when I was adjusting the head set (I recall setting off the Garmin crisis assistance feature on my watch))The finish line Respect
Challenge and sweepstake results:
The challenge and associated sweepstake was to guess what distance I would travel in 40 hours and I have to say how impressed I am at all the predictions and guesses, not least because they were so high. I’m humbled that you have such high expectations of me – thanks for your contributions!
The long and short of it, as per Garmin, is that I only completed 552 kilometres in a 40 hour period. This was not only below my expectations, it was below every estimate that anyone put in!
Therefore the lowest estimate presents a clear winner: Congratulations Nelly Attar whose prediction of 600 kilometres was the closest to how far I cycled in 40 hours!
Nelly Attar is the most experienced person I know in fitness training, endurance and sporting challenges such as this so it should have come as no surprise. Nonetheless, thank you to everyone who took part and made the event possible.
Whist the average speed over the full period appears to be woefully slow at 13.8kph (552 / 40) it’s interesting to compare against ‘moving time’ alone. For example, only 27 hours and 28 minutes were recorded as moving time. This provides an average speed of (552 / 27.5) 20kph which is acceptable / understandable / more like it – certainly on this particular turbo trainer and considering my relatively unscientific approach to data collection (for example, the watch remained on my wrist as I walked home and this slow period would probably also class as ‘moving time’ – I think my pure cycling moving average was more like 23kph).
I’ve learnt loads from doing this. The main thing is that I’m not doing it again unless truly exceptional circumstances present themselves. It is clear to me that things go down hill after being awake for 24 hours and going past this whilst trying to operate at a high level of performance is not only stupid, it is dangerous. I think missing a night’s sleep two weeks in a row also has a compounding effect, as does working the day before undertaking anything like this; I didn’t sleep well or long enough the night before.
It highlights just how important proper breaks are and sleep is for us to operate properly; really good rest is essential for us to operate at our best. I often forego sleep to hit deadlines or have a good time and it’s not worth it.
My nutrition and hydration strategy remains sound and I’m glad I over-provisioned (I estimated 500 calories an hour and 1 litre of fluids) but I ended up wanting other things, like cups of tea, cookies and nuts, not just energy bars, gels, dates and electrolyte fluids (too samey over 40 hours). In the end, I kept my heart rate as low as possible to go the distance and this meant I Garmin tracked me using 11,998 calories which equates to ~300 calories per hour over the 40 hour period.
I had a few technical and mechanical issues throughout the 40 hour period, my speed sensor battery, charging my Garmin watch, my bottle cage came loose and I had to change the geometry of the bike by raising the headset. In hindsight, setting the bike up better in advance would have helped my longevity but really, I do not believe a time trial bike is good for a spinathon. It was not my plan to use a time trial bike but in the end was the only way I could track the distance.
For sure this turbo-trainer is slower than being outside. I like the set up but it does feel like you have to put too much effort in to achieve a low speed relative to the road outside and the fact you can’t coast at all sucks!
I’ve learned a new appreciation of my capacity for pain and ability to sustain effort over a prolongued period.
In the end my frustration at taking some time out to rest was offset by me realising it was the right decision for me. I listened to myself; I needed it.
The fee for the spinathon went to the Royal Air Force Association, I paid in full. I was not asking for donations, I encouraged estimates as to how far I would travel – the ability to win charitable prizes in return.
Closest estimate won:
1). a #40s440 t-shirt 2). a £40 donation to a charity of your choice 3). Choice how I spend 40 minutes of my time
If you are inspired to make a charitable donation, then check out RAFA or any of the other worthy causes that I have already made donations to on my ‘Forties for 40’ blog @ www.40s440.com #40s440.
Follow me on Instagram @cjburgoine and see how stories unfold as they happen…
My twenty third donation goes to Cancer Research via Beth and Laura who are raising funds to help fund life-saving research and to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
As one of the Forties for 40 challenges, I stayed awake for over 40 hours and climbed Jabal Sawda plus lots of other things.
Jabal Sawda is (at least officially) the highest mountain in Saudi Arabia at over 3,000 metres and the highest point on the Asir mountain range, located approximately 20 km away from the city of Abha.
The Asir mountain range is covered green forests of juniper trees and all different kinds of flora and fauna can be found there. It rains in the Asir more than anywhere else in the Kingdom and people holiday there in summer to enjoy the cooler weather.
I do not recommend staying awake for 40 hours to anyone but made a video log of how I felt and what I did over the whole period:
Some pictures of the incredible landscape:
Ultimately, because I was in good company and kept moving through very stimulating environments and circumstances, it was fairly easy to stay awake. That said, after being awake for around 24 hours, any time I stopped (for example when as a passenger in a vehicle or after taking a shower) the desire to lie down and let the wave of slumber wash over me started to influence my thoughts and behaviour.
Thankfully, I was able to ignore it and carry on. I found moving and talking helped. Not sure everyone else would agree… 😉
My twenty second donation goes to Help for Heroes in memory of my friend and colleague Jason Ferdinando, who passed away unexpectedly recently.
It is appropriate that this donation follows the ‘Setting my alarm for 04:40‘ post because Jason’s untimely passing was a wake up call for many of us and will remain so.
You never know just how long you’ve got left; respect Jase.
They say ‘the early bird gets the worm’ but I’ve not ever been a morning person. In fact, I’d say I was the distinct opposite: a night owl, so this challenge was one that did not come naturally to me at all.
Since April 2015, I had to start work at 7am so waking up earlier had become more normalised. Often I would wake at 06:00 and then rush around to try to get into work at a reasonable time but more recently, driven by wanting to training in the morning, I realised that I would have to get up much earlier if I wanted a chance of stopping sweating by the time I got into work!
Since mid-2020 I was setting my alarm for 04:40 between two or three times a week, to go training before work or at the weekend to allow enough time to travel to a place to train before it got too warm. In any case, I wouldn’t wake up this early every day because it would tire me out and I would need at least one lie in a week!
However, when the Holy Month of Ramadan came along and I decided to fast and abstain for 40 days it became essential to wake up at 04:40 to eat and drink before the sun rose and have a acceptably challenging amount of time fasting throughout the day.
So from then on, I set my alarm for every day at 04:40 and with only a few reasonable exceptions for travel for example (often I woke up before 04:40 or in the case of being on board the Dream Master Boat in the Red Sea I woke when the engine started) I stuck to this time.
In all honesty, I went back to bed a few times, largely because of a late night the evening before but this typically would be at a weekend but always having eaten. There were only a couple of days in the 40 day period where I slept in but I punished myself for doing so by not eating or rehydrating until 18:30 the same day, at the earliest.
Will I be carrying this on? Yes, I really enjoy being able to train before work and not rushing around every morning to get to work on time. That said, will I be getting up every day at 04:40 for the rest of my life? Hell no!
My twenty first donation goes to the Saudi Arabian National Donation Platform to buy Ramadan breakfasts for people who cannot afford to feed themselves.
£40 converted into approximately 208 Saudi Arabian Riyals and I was able to purchase 5 Ramadan breakfasts for SAR 210. I hope the people enjoy eating them as much as I did purchasing them.
This purchase was made even more fun because the National Donation Platform is 100% in Arabic so my friend and colleague Nouf translated for me (actually remotely) so this was a very memorable transaction for us both 🙂
Inspired by the holy month of Ramadan and my Muslim friends and colleagues, I will be fasting for 40 days.
I began on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan 2021 and will continue beyond the holy month to achieve not only a 40 day fast but 40 days of complete abstinence. No drinking, no smoking, no nothing.
I did my first fast in 2015 and benefitted enormously; I expect to do so this time too. On top of the solidarity it demonstrates, fasting made me appreciate how privileged I am to be able to choose not to eat or drink – many people do not have that luxury. It also helped me to manage being ‘hangry’ – something everyone else in my life has suffered from (sorry about that)!
I will update this post day by day as a sort of diary or log of events.
Ramadan Kareem everyone!
Day 1:
My first fast in 2015 was somewhat disappointing as I felt like I was ready to eat a huge meal after fasting all day but upon eating even a packet of crisps, I felt ‘full’. Turns out, it is much better to ease yourself back in with a few dates and some tea and then set into refuelling and rehydrating proper over the course of the evening.
Thankfully, a supportive friend and colleague who is much more experienced than I am provided some advice and a perfect gift in the form of some dates and a beautiful piece of glassware to present them in.
Shukran Jazeelan
I guess the first day was novel and new and it seemed to pass by easily. I drank a pint of water before bed and took some more to drink during the night.
Day 2:
Drinking a pint before going to bed means one thing – that you wake up needing to visit the bathroom but having woken up well before dawn, I enjoyed a solid breakfast of oats and nuts with honey and milk and some mango with a coffee and another pint of water before getting ready to go to work.
Talking and working all day definitely dries you out and by 17:00 I was feeling really quite tired and ready for a drink but I had to go to the Dentist at 20:00 so once it was dark, I had a few dates with a cup of tea, some salad in a wrap and headed back out the door.
The Dentist did a scale and polish but whatever they out on my teeth tasted so good I ate it all – much to their surprise and amusement. I returned home to eat a few curly fries and sautéed chillies, garlic and tomatoes before downing another pint of water, updating this post and going to bed.
Day 3:
Today was tough. I think because I spent the previous evening at the Dentist and as a result didn’t re-hydrate or eat as much as I should have done, I woke up feeling seriously depleted and exhausted. My left leg has been sore all day too. I was glad it was the last day of the working week here.
Working around 12 hours a day is not easy when you are not able to even have a brew but I’ve got a weekend ahead of me with it’s own set of challenges to overcome.
I hope I am able to fit in some gentle training next week to maintain my fitness or some of the other challenges may be impacted (like running 10km in 40 minutes and cycling 40km in one hour).
I’ve not eaten much today, the usual oats and nuts with honey and milk early this morning followed by two hard boiled eggs with a lemon and ginger tea and pint of water for breakfast. I broke my fast with dates and a cup of tea followed by a vegetable stew with curly fries and some sautéed garlic and tomatoes with.
Since I had a scale and polish last night, I haven’t drunk any coffee – may be I will abstain from that too!
Day 4:
10% complete and feeling optimistic, if a little emotional. I woke well before dawn, ate oats and nuts with honey and milk for breakfast and drank a lemon and ginger tea with a pint of water and went back to bed to sleep until 9:30am. I stayed in bed until 11:30 and then had what is probably one of the laziest days I’ve had in years. I felt fatigued and lethargic but I figure this is because I am conserving energy and actually resting from a tiring week.
I broke my fast with dates and two cups of tea followed by a vegetable stew with curly fries and a can of diet coke and a pint of juice.
My leg has stopped hurting but think I’m not taking on enough fluids so need to address that in the mornings so I feel better throughout the day.
Day 5:
An eighth of the way in and I slept more today than ever before in one day but it included a crazy dream where I had to turn back on a mountain because I had vertigo – this is how I knew it was bulls*it and woke up!
I felt emotional and this was compounded by watching the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral – after the lamentable COVID management disaster in the UK, despite the circumstances, I was glad to see something went according to plan. He really was quite a guy.
I followed my same routine regarding waking, eating and drinking and managed to fit in 30 minute cycle on my road bike which was nice but dehydrated me so I’ll do it later in the day next time.
Day 6:
Back to work, mild headache, but feeling grateful for the gift of life.
I went for my first pre-Iftar ‘Ramadan run’ and despite my heart rate being high even though I took it easy at an average of 5:45 per kilometer over 3.5km (presumably due to dehydration) it didn’t feel as hard as I expected so I’ll ramp it up slowly over the next few weeks.
Day 7 and my amazing Sister’s Birthday:
Super tired after yesterday’s short run. Hunger seems to have subsided but the thirst I am experiencing after taking at work all day is immense.
Didn’t eat much, same breakfast plus a hard boiled egg and then broke the fast with 7 dates washed down with 2 cups of tea, followed by sliced carrots, cucumber and a big bag of crisps dipped in hummus. I drank a pint of water and a pint of juice and a mug of lemon and ginger tea and after running one errand went to bed, shattered.
Day 8:
A fifth of the way in!
Despite being exhausted, I hardly slept last night. Challenges from work rattled around my mind and kept me awake, leaving me in a terrible mood which I managed to overcome by investing a little more time in myself, going for a run and trying to plan some holidays (turns out still not easy to do…).
What cheered me up no end is hearing from an old friend whom I met around 12 years ago and who had and continues to have a dramatic and unforgettable effect on my life. We’ve stayed in touch periodically but the coincidental nature of this reunion on 4/20 lifted my spirits – thank you Klara 🙂
I haven’t touched a drop but keep this as a memento; if you know, you know
Day 9:
A better night’s sleep, the kind where you are zonked and sleep like a log was really rewarding. It seems that I am losing weight. I started the 40 days fast at my usual weight of around 73 – 74 kilogrammes and now am around 72 kilograms depending on if I have eaten and how dehydrated I am. After last night’s pre-Iftar run I was 70 kilogrammes exactly but that was definitely down to dehydration – can’t wait for the weekend!
Day 10:
A quarter of the way through or 25% complete and I marked this by enjoying Iftar with some friends in a restaurant called Burj Al Hamam in Riyadh. The food was incredible as was the company. I then went for a 13 kilometre trail run with Nelly Attar in the Diplomatic Quarter and saw an Desert Hedgehog to top if off!
Day 11:
Waking up early was not easy but I had to rehydrate so went back to bed quick-style having done so. The rest of the day was quite slow fixing bikes and doing life admin until I went to my friend Tom’s for Iftar / Dinner. He cooked beetroot risotto which was a special treat and having spent the time catching up with him and Jack, I spent the rest of my evening teaching my friend Thukaa to ride a bike – this was a really fun and rewarding experience, she did great and gave me a huge pack of the world’s best dates from her Families farm.
Day 12:
I went back to bed three times today. I am exhausted. I fixed one bike, played my guitar and did more life admin only to realise that I am now 16 weeks away from Ironman Kazakhstan 70.3 on the 15th August 2021.
This came as a shock and the reality is that I will be beginning training hard while I am still fasting for the next four weeks! Not sure how this is going to go, or how I will balance it but I’ll find a way and blog about it here.
Day 13:
Tough, not because I was hungry but because I was dehydrated and experienced headaches and had a crown replaced at the Dentist and two fillings! The Dentist was the best ever and I am extremely grateful for his care, competence and reliability.
This headaches were offset by going to the Noor Riyadh light festival at King Abdullah Financial District with my friend Mirka post-Iftar – what a mind blowing experience:
Example of one of the installations – Infinity Mirror Room – Brilliance of Souls (2014) by Yayou Kusama
Day 14:
Long day at work and first day of training for the Ironman. I swam 1.1 kilometres and ran for 45 minutes in Zone 2, after Iftar.
I’ve tried my best to rehydrate and get in bed early but midnight is approaching and here I am….! Khallas!
Day 15:
Long day at work followed by a post-Iftar cycle and a run – felt good but I’ve tried to fit too much in today and am late to bed so I’m likely to suffer tomorrow…..
Day 16:
Immediately after work today I travelled to Tabuk to start what I consider to be a personal pilgrimage to same places I have wanted to go for many years. I will travel from Thursday through to Saturday and be back in work for Sunday, inshallah.
Royal Saudi Air Force English Electric Lightning on a roundabout in Tabuk
Day 17:
I woke up at 04:40 this morning to take breakfast and plenty fluids before going back to sleep until 09:00. I then swam 1.4 kilometres before setting off on the road trip to Al Ula. I feel so privileged to be doing this journey whilst fasting in the Holy month of Ramadan.
What an incredible day! I have so many amazing experiences, pictures and videos to share and will update this post, my Instagram and YouTube accordingly but for now I have to get some sleep so I can wake before dawn to take breakfast.
This evening’s meal was in the Old Town at Al Ula at Nakheel Cafe, the company, service, setting and food couldn’t have been better.
Better than momtaz!
Day 18:
One of the best days of my life. Staying at a hotel in the middle of Al Ula neigbourhood meant the call to prayer woke me up in a way it hasn’t ever before – no need for the 04:40 alarm!
I took on plenty fluids and breakfast before getting one more hours sleep before we set off to Medain Saleh or Hegra – a magical place that I’ve wanted to go for years, I was so excited about it.
I will expand up on the post with a YouTube video of my experience but suffice to say, my expectations were not only met but surpassed!
Mashallah – More to follow!
Spending all day in desert sun was tough when fasting and by 18:15 I was flagging… a red tea with mint and lemon followed by a huge Kudu set me back on the right track. A four hour drive back to Tabuk followed and a 05:40 flight back to Riyadh tomorrow awaits us!
What an amazing few days – special thanks to my friends Jack and Tom, big respect guys.
I made a video to summarise the experience, you can watch it via the following YouTube link:
Day 19:
A super early flight back to Riyadh meant I got back into bed upon arriving home and slept in until the early afternoon. Reflecting upon my trip reinforced just how incredible the whole experience had been and I am very grateful for each opportunity and memory.
I cycled 35 kilometres in the evening after breaking my fast and then went back to sorting through the many pictures I took and posting some of the best on my Instagram @cjburgoine and Facebook to share with my friends and the wider world.
Day 20:
Halfway through but who’s counting…. 😬😅😂
Seriously, I’ve falled in love with Ramadan this year. It has given me a purpose, structure, challenge and level of appreciation that I didn’t have before. I’m still training and ran for one hour at heart rate zone 2 this evening. The most difficult thing is being in work super early until late and the resistance I have experienced from people who don’t understand or remain opinionated and negative. I’d say they are non-believers who lack faith, commitment, respect and moral fiber; more commonly known as ass*oles.
I celebrated day 20 by eating 20 dates with low fat fresh cream, washed down with black tea and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Alhamdulilah!
Day 21:
All I need to do is sleep more to achieve greatness but trying to fit in so much around what is still an unusual schedule for me is not proving to be so simple.
Tonight I swam 2 kilometres and ran for 45 minutes in zone 2. I was still dehydrated and as I had pushed hard in the pool it was very difficult to stabilise my heart rate so I did a lot of run-walk-run.
I’ve really noticed how lucid my dreams have been, totally crazy, super entertaining and memorable!
Day 22:
After work I headed out to the desert to get some headspace, to a completely different environment to break my fast and also to train with Nelly Attar. Thankfully, I arrived just before sunset – to watch that, eat dates and drink tea was amazing.
I thought I would be able to do a Brick session up and down the Camel Trail but it is such an unforgiving environment that my (fairly new) chain broke and I had to descend with no gears and then carry my bike back up!
Good cross training…
Perfect for Iftar!Amazing scenery, even after dark
Day 23:
Work, work, work, work, work! Followed by a 22 kilometre bike ride in zone 2 and Iftar at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. Very grateful for this opportunity to spend time with some of my colleagues both old and new.
The Ritz Carlton, Riyadh
Day 24:
The end of a long week at work that became memorable for assembling my new scuba diving regulator! I was lucky to be able to test it in a pool after work in advance of going scuba diving next week (can’t wait!) and am grateful to my friend Phil for giving up his time to make this possible. This and eating and drinking took up my early evening and pushed my 1 hour 45 minute cycling training session into the night so I finished after midnight and fell asleep on the sofa, completely exhausted.
My diet is good and has become quite regular (with the exception of a few Iftars). I break my fast with dates and cream, am eating a lot of vegetables and hummus, occasionally chicken and / or tuna or fruit-based protein shakes in the evening and oats with nuts, milk and honey and a boiled egg in the morning. I try to drink at least two litres of fluids each morning and each evening (water, tea and juice) and despite needing to visit the toilet regularly a couple of hours afterwards this seems to be working well for me. I appear to have lost about 2 kilograms in weight (from around 74kg to 72kg) but it’s hard to judge exactly as my weight varies depending upon it I measure before or after Iftar! I’d like to get down to 69 kilograms by the end of the 40 day fast and then build my strength and endurance from that point.
Day 25:
I went to bed so late, so only slept two hours before my phone ringing woke me up – always nice to hear from old friends but not fun at 4am! There was no point sleeping again so I got up and had breakfast before my 04:40 alarm. I read a little before going back to bed at 07:00 and attempting to sleep in. However, despite ear plugs and an eye mask, my body clock had other ideas I was up before too long. This gave me the time to sort a video of the previous weekend’s road trip which I will include on another post. Having taken Iftar, I joined Nelly Attar for a trail run starting at 10pm, after an hour or so we went to a friend’s party which I was grateful for not least because I met some incredible people but because it tested my abstinence resolve. I am proud of myself for only drinking diet cola and doing so sure made it easy to stay up to 4am (so I ate breakfast and went to sleep) – great day!
An athlete and a photographer – credit to the multi-talented Nelly Attar
Day 26:
Got out of bed at 10:30am, did life admin, shopping, prepped for the week ahead, did a spot of gardening, swam two kilometres at 16:30, took Iftar 18:30, followed by a 45 min cycle at 19:30 and 15 minute run (Brick session). Interestingly, I weighed myself pre-Iftar after swimming and was 69.2 kilogrammes. After eating 21 dates and drinking two cups of tea and a can of soda (around 1 litre total) I weighed in at 70.1 kilogrammes. I then drank 750 millilitres of water during the bike ride and weighed 69.6 kilogrammes (lot a lot of this sweating during the cycle). Clearly, my weight is very dependent upon how hydrated I am but I was past ready for a decent meal. I downed a 300 millilitre protein shake made with milk, ate Thai green chicken curry with basmati rice and drank at least one and a half litres of orange juice and ginger, lemon and mint tea and weighed myself again (feeling proper full) and was 71.4 kilograms so I guess I must be losing weight. It’s almost midnight and I’m working tomorrow so time for bed!
Day 27:
So tired, bordering on exhaustion but it didn’t stop me working all day (I fell asleep from 16:40 to 17:20) but then refreshed myself with a 2 kilometre swim before Iftar. I then packed my stuff for a dive trip I am about to go on over the next few days and cycled for 45 minutes in zone 2 before eating my evening meal and rehydrating as much as I could before bed.
Day 28:
In an effort to squeeze in some final training before embarking on the dive trip, I ran 7 kilometres this morning. I now consider it a mistake. It left me dehydrated and fatigued all day. I’ve essentially fitted three weeks worth of training into two weeks with no breaks to save the rest days for this 5 day dive trip so no wonder I’m exhausted.
I also broke the fast a few hours early today for the following reasons 1). My flight was at 18:30 2). There was loads of perishable food in my fridge which I thought it better to consume and 3). The early run. I felt guilty for doing this but I think it was reasonable given the circumstances.
I’m not sure how fasting will work when I am living on a boat and diving all day but I’m going to give it a go!
The Dream Master – home for the next few days
Day 29:
Woke up to the sound of the boat engine starting and fell back asleep. This meant that I missed my breakfast and went all day without food and water… after three scuba dives and some snorkelling / freediving, I was completely dehydrated but was elated to see the sun setting as I prepared a cup of tea, downed a bottle of water, an apple and a piece of cake. After one more dive after dark, I had three plates of great food and was back to ‘normal’!
What a view! Sunset moored at Cement Wreck
Day 30:
Woke at 5am when the boat engine started, ate an apple, an orange, a banana, 2 pieces of toast with Nutella and drank two cups of tea and a bottle of water. I then promptly went back to bed until 8am when the first dive briefing took place.
I broke the fast at 18:30 again with a cup of tea a bottle of water, an apple and a piece of cake. After one more dive after dark, I had dinner. Day 30 felt a lot easier than the previous day but that is because I had breakfast. At dusk a pod of Dolphins surrounded the boat – magical!
3/4 or 75% of the fast complete!
Day 31:
Followed the same routine as the day before and it worked a treat. This evening was our last on the boat also the start of Eid.
Eid Mubarak!
Day 32:
I spent the day freediving off the coast of Jeddah which was much more challenging than epected, proably due to being out in the sun all day rather than being able to retire to an air conditioned cabin!
I’m also now training to complete my AIDA level 4 and SSI level 3 freediving qualifications in parallel. One aspect of this involves practicing an advanced equalisation method which helps achieve even greater depths. However, this equires no mask to be worn and a nose clip. I’m not used to opening my eyes in salt water and kept wanting to swallow (even though my mouth remained dry) which was not helping me to relax and equalise.
I enjoyed breaking my fast looking out over the city and then had an exceptional meal at Sakura, the traditional Japanese Sushi restaurant.
Day 33:
I spent the day freediving again, which was great but with no hydration it was challenging and not be be recommended. My ears were a little blocked form the last 4 days worth of diving so I took it easy and enjoyed being one with the water and reflecting on what an amazing few days I’d had.
7 days remain of my 40 day fast and abstinence and I’m looking forward to each and every one of them – to say the perspective’s been enlightening would be an understatement
But first, shawarma…
Day 34:
Back to work and back to training for the Ironman. I woke at 04:40 to eat breakfast, drink tea and juice before going back to bed for an hour – I was shattered!
After work I started to process some of the photos and videos I took over the past few days – what a great trip. I then cycled for 1 hour 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute run, both in zone 2.
Day 35:
I’m 7/8th of the way in or 87.5% complete! I woke at 04:40 and took breakfast but due to how tired I am after the past week, I fell asleep before I finished my cup of tea. This meant I had not fully hydrated and felt the difference throughout the day. I guess there is a balance between drinking too much and needing the toilet a lot and too little leading to dehydration. In any case, I’m glad to be able to choose – as I’ve said before, for some people this is not an option.
I worked all day, I posted some videos, I ran for an hour and a half in zone 2 (which to maintain required me to walk occasionally). My heart rate does seem to have remained high after diving and because I’ve not been sleeping a lot and have got back on with training, it hasn’t had the opportunity to reset. This means my average resting heart rate is now in the high 50s so in looking forward to a rest day…. eventually!
Day 36:
Only 10% / 4 days remain!!!! My body and mind are telling me a rest is in order so I did zero training today. I didn’t drink enough having woken at 04:40 and I worked all day, followed by a webinar for a new course I am enrolled upon. Having broken my fact at 18:30, I then processed photos and videos from the recent dive trip. My heart rate seems to have dropped back down to more normal so this is a good sign that I am recovering from the strain of the past week or so.
Day 37:
Woke up at 4am so went for a 45 minutes run in zone 2. I hydrated during the run and then ate breakfast afterwards. My heartrate was much lower and it was relatively easy to maintain a good pace and stay in the aerobic zone. That being said, running before work yet again proved itself to be disadvantageous later in the day as I became very tired and a mild headache set in.
I’ve only got three days left of my 40 day fast and abstinence and I’m ready to adopt a different schedule, one that facilitates harder ironman training and better recovery.
I’ve definitely lost weight (now I am 70 kilogrammes and if I go for a run or at the end of work having not drunk or eaten anything, I will definitely be below 70 kilogrammes). I will include some statistics at the final post on my 40th day.
Sunrise on day 37
Day 38:
95% complete – only two more days remaining and it is now the weekend! Frankly, I wish this fast and abstinence was over already so I could celebrate over the weekend but khallas I will have to wait. I swam 2 kilometres today and did a 45 minute cycle followed by a 15 minute run (Brick session). I really felt like I had adjusted to this fasting well today and felt strong on the cycle and run but that was after a better nights sleep and a solid pasta dish with fresh vegetables so it’s no surprise really!
Day 39:
Alhamdullilah one day to go! I worked quite a bit today and then slept a couple of times. Having woken up at 04:40 the ability to rest when I was tired (since it was the weekend) was much appreciated but for sure at the end of this period (in fact at any time), a weekend should be for relaxation and recuperation rather than a further flogging due to unrealistic work demands and deadlines. I still managed to train with a 60 minute cycle in zone 2 and maintained a 30 kph average speed so am happy with that but was too tired to swim today so deferred it until tomorrow.
I am excited to wake up in 4 hours for the final time in this prolonged period. My overnight oats are ready and I am really ready to get horizontal!
Day 40:
It’s finally arrived! I have just broken my fast for the 40th time and I’m on the verge of emotional about it. I feel out of breath somehow, like I’ve got to the end of an endurance event… I’m not going to lie, the final week has been tough, in part because I was fasting alone and everyone else was eating around me, even at work but also because I’m genuinely ready for a change in my routine, mentally, physically and emotionally.
Waking up super early every day has become disruptive to my sleep patterns because even if I go back to bed I usually frequently wake up to go to the toilet having taken on so many fluids in a short space of time.
So what have I learnt?
I’ve learnt that taking on excess fuilds and food to last for the day does not work. This behaviour is for camels, not humans.
I’ve learnt that staying up all night and sleeping all day, whilst culturally acceptable, is (in my opinion) a way to ‘cheat’ your way through a daylight fast. Fasting should be difficult, it should be a challenge and it is my opinion that simply flipping your schedule on its head may be disruptive but it’s not really a challenge. It’s fairly straightforward to take on the requisite amount of fluids and calories in each 24 hour period by employing this tactic.
I’ve learnt that choosing not to eat and drink and maintaining it through out the day not only requires strung discipline, it is a great privilege; some people do not have that choice in their lives.
I’ve learnt that many people are not able to get their heads around the point of it.
I’ve learnt that many of us live in super-abundance and probably don’t even realise it. If we are hungry, we go to the fridge or the cupboard. If they are empty, we simply go to the shop. For some people even this is a chore, so they drive, or get a delivery or take away.
I’ve learnt that the majority of people have a strange or unhealthy relationship with food.
I’ve learnt that some people do not treat their bodies with the respect they deserve by eating poorly, excessively or irregularly.
I’ve learnt that people do not eat when they are hungry. Often, it is habitual or in response to stress or other ‘triggers’ not related to sustenance.
I’ve learnt how little I actually need to survive and I say this when I’ve remained very active, working a minimum of 55 hours a week, training for an Ironman and diving for days on end, for example. That being said, when I ate nutritious meals (a pasta dish being one key example) it was like I was running on some kind of super-fuel. I guess the additional carbohydrates (as opposed to a protein-rich diet) really make a big difference to my performance.
I’ve learnt that if you want to do anything out of the ordinary, like exceptional travel, hiking or sports, it makes sense to at least be properly hydrated.
I’ve learnt that without sustenance, I become more tired more quickly and have had to curb my enthusiasm for things, so much so that friends have considered me to be ‘calmer’ (this is not necessarily a bad thing). The truth of the matter is that after a full day or work, pre-Iftar I was exhausted and this often forced me to succumb to 40 winks more often (another story)!
I’ve learnt that my weight didn’t change that much (I started at 73-74kg and am now between 69kg and 71kg). This range is directly proportional to how recently I have eaten and hydrated and also how recently I trained and for how long at what temperature (sweat loss). It would be interesting to see if my body fat percentage has changed significantly or at all but I do not have the technology to make an accurate statement in that regard. I do think it has reduced slightly in line with the few kilograms I have lost.
I learnt that my blood sugar only dropped as low as 4.7 mmol/litre of blood and typically remained in the 5-5.5 range (usually measured in the morning or pre-iftar) except immediately after breaking the fast when it would shoot up to the 7-8 range within 30 minutes. I will keep this in mind, as my body must have been working hard previously to keep blood glucose levels down if I was constantly eating or snacking all day. The point is, I don’t need to be eating all the time.
I’ve learnt that the kindness and generosity of some people is really encouraging and special. I remain extremely grateful for those who helped me and made this experience memorable for me in their own unique way.
I saved the best until last – Echo!
I’ve learnt that at times, I felt stronger, happier and more alert that ever before. I was so excited to eat dates and drink and cup of tea each night, it really made me appreciate the simple things in life. Often, after feeling a bit groggy toward the end of the day, to go for a cycle after eating and drinking left me elated to the point of feeling ‘high’ and to think this was totally natural is a point to ponder.
Would I do this again? Absolutely. I think it has been healthy for my body and mind and has provided a perspective that has been enlightening to say the least. Would I do it for 40 days again? May be. Will I be doing another 40 day fast any time soon? Hell no!
In retrospect and with reference to the above, I think 30 days is sufficient and probably fasting for a week occasionally (and when it fits in with the rest of life better) would be equally as beneficial.
As a final note, I’ve completely abstained from all things and this has been a real challenge that I’ve embraced. I believe this is what led to me experiencing such lucid and varied dreams almost every night and I was glad to have them.
40 days abstinence got me like….. (pictures of coral)
P.S. This is a file note for my future consideration. Having worked both days this weekend, I received the most ungrateful, ill-timed, ill-mannered and misjudged telephone call right before I went for a pre-Iftar swim at 17:30. That phone call will determine the path I take going forward and I shan’t forget it.
Day 41:
Today, my colleagues and friends presented me with a certificate of achievement for completing my 40-day fast 😂😘👊🏻
Respect wa tikalafia
It was Marcus Buckingham that said “People leave managers, not companies”.
Leavers often wax lyrical about it being the people they worked with who made it special, memorable and fun; worthwhile, somehow…
Well, I’m happy say I am blessed with colleagues and friends of that calibre.
I value your individual and collective contributions, period.
The Smile & Olive Foundation (founded in 2012) provides relief & aid to displaced persons and refugees to help them rebuild their lives. Today they operate across Lebanon, Turkey & Iraq. The empowerment of women & young girls through capacity building & developing transferable skills is a primary focus.
It’s a full 12 months since I created the 40s 4 40 blog so let’s get straight to some facts – I’ve completed 42% of the original list and 44% of the ‘new’ list. It’s also my Brother’s and my namesake’s Birthday.
If I assume completion of the challenges that remain ongoing that puts me at a 58% completion rate for the original list and a 69% completion rate for the new list.
I took some time to reflect on what I have achieved over the past 12 months and was reasonably pleased with progress. Some of the major challenges are complete and I can try to focus my attention on improving my running and cycling in advance of the 70.3 later in the year. I feel this is a better approach than trying to do everything and work more than full time, all at once.
Highlights for me have been climbing over 40,000 feet, running over 40 kilometers and freediving over 40 metres deep and long. Following the donation I make after this post I will have made 20 of the 40 donations and have had thousands of visitors from all over the world which I find humbling.
I said I’d have all the challenges done around my Birthday 2021 and I reckon I’m still in with a chance to achieve that. I’ll keep posting about progress against achievements followed by charity donations for the next few months and conduct subsequent reviews.
Thanks for taking the time to read or click any of it 🙂 feel free to reach out and ask any questions…
