OMG I’m 41! Does that signal the end of 40s 4 40?! Am I too old for any more of those shenanigans now?
I’ll post a conclusion to #40s440 separately, but for now want to express my gratitude for everyone’s support and contributions to my ‘Forties for 40’ concept – what a blast being 40 has been #40s440!
Some may recall that I was scheduled to climb Cartenz Pyramid (my 4th of the World’s 7 summits and one of the original Forties 4 40 challenges) on both my 40th and 41st Birthdays but due to the ongoing travel restrictions surrounding the COIVD 19 pandemic, I haven’t been able to travel and / or enter Indonesia.
I WILL climb Cartenz Pyramid but it will be the subject of a future post…
Not to be outdone, I signed up as an age group entry to the Olympic distance ITU World Triathlon Championship race in Abu Dhabi as an alternative challenge. The 2021 instalment was later in the year than usual and as luck would have it, on my actual Birthday!
I’ve done this race twice before, once in 2016 on the cornice (left picture below) and once in 2017 around the Grand Prix circuit (right picture below).
Thankfully the 2021 event is also around the Grand Prix circuit so I was thrilled to race around it again and try to beat my previous time.
Being that it was relatively flat and a smooth surface I changed my wheels, rear cassette and brake pads to suit.
Venus on Kite Beach, Dubai
The Elite races were on the Friday so I made a video summary of both the male and female print races after I finished my practice swim. I even got to meet some of my heroes mashallah 😍
I originally signed up to complete to the Olympic distance triathlon but two days before the race was due to take place this was cancelled due to the weather conditions being too hot.
Everyone who had entered the Olympic distance (1,500m swim; 40km bike; 10km run) was offered the opportunity to complete the Sprint (750m swim; 20km bike; 5km run) instead and I decided to race – after all, I had come this far!
First and foremost, I need to state that i am really happy with my position of 78th overall out of 479 male finishers (top 16%) and 26th out of 182 in my 40-49 age group (top 14%).
Even better, if I add the females to it (a total if 103, 8 of which came before me) this equates to an overall place of 86 out of 582 and therefore in the top 15% overall – a great result for me!
However, three things are of note:
1). It seems like the distances of each discipline were out. My Garmin says that each discipline was further than the stated distances? I will go into detail in the sections below.
2). Joining the original sprint and Olympic races meant there were far too many bikes on the technically challenging 2 lap 10km course. Imagine if everyone is on the course and spread out evenly, that would equate to at least 22 people on bikes per kilometre – keeping yourself to yourself is a challenge in itself!
3). Not the best organisation. Left hand not talking to right hand type stuff on the part of the organisers and my luxury Hotel (the W on Yas Island) who despite trying very hard to impress, unfortunately couldn’t get basic bed and breakfast right!
On the basis that everyone has to do the same course, what counts is the order and time you go past the finish line, not the specific distances so I remain pleased with my result.
Swim:
Recognising that the swim was half what I thought I was going to swim, I didn’t hold back and made a point of maintaining good form. I therefore assumed and felt like I was swimming at less than 1:40 per 100 metres. The results say I was swimming at 1:59 per kilometre? This is because they if you divide the distance the swim should have been (750m) by my time you get a slower pace. My Garmin measured the swim at 877 metres – an extra 127 metres and taking an extra couple of minutes to swim it!
I doubt it was from me veering off path because there wasn’t much scope for getting it wrong!
More likely I would have been swimming at the 1:35 average moving page as per the below:
In any case, the water was like a bath, the temperature was lovely and whilst setting people off in age groups rather than abilities led to slow swimmers getting overtaken too often by faster ones coming up the rear, it remained a civilised affair.
T1:
Fine, no issues just got on with it.
Bike:
Massively technical two-lap 10 kilometre course and brilliant to cycle on the Grand Prix Circuit again. It is so smooth and the corners fantastic but I am always amazed just how undulating it is and to feel the different cambers all over it. It’s a pleasure to cycle fast on but don’t hit the tall curbs whatever you do!
I love the tight twists and turns and swerving around, it’s a real test of bike handling. The only thing that detracted from it was how many people were on the course. Often people, including me, would get in the way and trying not to draft became really difficult.
You can see from my heart rate that I was trying hard and stupidly, I did not register my entry into the second transition at the correct time so the figures are a little skewed because of this.
Nonetheless, my Garmin measured the distance at over a kilometre more than stated – there really wasn’t that much scope for additional distance so I suspect the course has not been measured quite correctly?
T2:
Couldn’t find my spot, no numbers, no markers, no signage or sections – ran past it and had to come back, left my Garmin running so didn’t record the time properly – doh!
Run:
Probably my best 5k run as part of a triathlon. I didn’t look at my watch once. After all the training I’ve done, I know how fast I am running by how I feel and I knew I was running well less than 5 minutes per kilometre, more like 4:30 and I resolved to simply run as fast as I could.
With this in mind, when I see the official results that say I ran 5k in 25:42 at a pace of 5:15 I can hardly believe it. I know how I was pushing. Taking a look at the Garmin post race, tells me I was running at an average of 4:41 and that I actually ran 5.39km so again, the distance seems out.
After a cycle like that, the run was an uneventful and simple but warm 2.5km out and back.
Conclusion:
I’m made up to have been running at an average of 4:41 on my 41st Birthday (lol) #40s441?!
Huge respect to the Elite athletes that presumably only raced in the afternoon so us plebs could watch them?! I aw a few collapse and they were sweating heavily working really hard so this gave me an insight as to what my race might be like – thankfully, I started just after 7am when the sun, heat and humidity were bearable!
Notwithstanding my disappointment, in retrospect I think cancelling the Olympic was a good call. There would have been a lot of medical calls had it continued. However, that many people doing a Sprint with a two-lap bike course was bordering on dangerous at times and this led to some bunching – the event just was not big enough to handle that many people all at once so I’m actually glad a lot Olympic hopefuls didn’t swap to the sprint as this provided some natural alleviation to the problem.
If it were not for the questionable accuracy regarding the distances, I think this would have been a PB for me as I feel stronger in all disciplines and the Garmin agrees!
Alas, my official Sprint PB still stands at 1:17:41 as per the below:
I’m interested to hear anyone else’s experience of this race and if their own tech recorded any similar anomalies regarding the distance.
I will post up and further relevant information and official photos as and when…
This 70.3 had the potential to be my best race ever but probably not for the reasons you might first suspect.
A 70.3 is the total distance covered in miles in this triathlon event, made up of a 1.2 mile / 1.9km swim, a 56 mile / 90km cycle, followed by a 13.1 mile / 21.3km run. My Personal Best (PB) to complete an event of this distance is 5 hours 7 minutes and I figured that based on improving my run alone (which I was trying to do as part of 40s 4 40) I should be able to knock 20 minutes off, meaning that a 4 hour 40-something PB was ‘within reach’.
They often say it’s the journey that counts not the destination and ‘the journey’ is definitely one thing I appreciate about longer distance events.
This particular journey began many months ago when completed Ironman Dubai and got my first result in the February of 2019. I then picked up an Ironman Kazakhstan flyer at Ironman 70.3 Turkey in November 2019 and stuck it to my fridge. Of course such a fast and flat course would be perfect for achieving a new PB of 4 hours 40-something minutes and I was curious about a country I knew very little about, so I signed up for the next race in 2020!
I trained hard throughout 2019 and my times came down accordingly. Thanks to these three results in 2019 I came in the top 5% of all athletes in my age group and was awarded ‘All World Athlete’ (AWA) status for the following year (2020) as per the below:
Top 5% of my Age Group!
AWA status is awarded to Athletes on a points based system where your three best results in a race year count toward your final score in that same year. You are then ranked worldwide against this score and I came in the top 5% of all athletes in my age group. Those who are within the top 1% get Gold status, those within the top 5% are awarded Silver status and those in the top 10% get Bronze status. Being AWA status gets you certain privileges like priority entry to new races, fast lane check in at events and special swim caps, not to mention the kudos 😉
You can find more information via the following links:
Things were looking good until the Covid-19 pandemic started to really affect all of us. I hadn’t even considered how the events industry would be so badly affected. An early warning sign of how much things would be impacted was when the All World Athlete Welcome Packs were delayed.
Delayed
The race in Kazakhstan was supposed to take place on the 23rd August 2020 but as our communities became more heavily impacted by COVID, halthcare was overloaded and travel practically nonexistent so the race was deferred by a whole 12 months to 15th August 2021.
Cancellation & deferral offer
Confirmation of my deferral to August 2021
In some ways this was fortuitous as whilst training hard in anticipation of the event, I had a bicycle accident that ultimately required hospitalisation and significantly affected my ability to train as I actually had to convalesce for a time.
‘Anatomy of a bruise’ – seroma in my left thigh, heavy bruising along my left side, grazing and wrist pain
Thankfully, Ironman acknowledged all this disruption by kindly extending my AWA status by another year to the end of 2021.
AWA Extension!
I have to recognise and thank the Kazakhstan Ironman Organisation team, as they did almost made it happen for me in 2021!
The team really did a sterling job of trying to accommodate me. I had a visa, I had a hotel, I had a flight and irrespective of the travel restrictions, up until only a few weeks before the event was to take place, all bets remained on and the race was still happening.
Then my flight was cancelled.
I was not able to take part.
Khallas
As luck would have it, and thanks to the extension of my All World Athlete status to the end of 2021, in mid-June 2021 I was offered priority entry to the ‘One Year Only’ Bolton Ironman 70.3 in September; only a few months after Kazakhstan was scheduled for!
I saw this as something of an insurance policy in case Kazakhstan did not go ahead and I’m really really glad now that I took the opportunity to compete!
Mashallah
Further, my place at Kazakhstan has been deferred to 2022 so I don’t feel like I lost out and am looking forward to eventually racing in Kazakhstan then!
My Bolton 70.3 Registration
“After the success of IRONMAN UK in July, Bolton is ready to welcome you once again for a one year only, 70.3 distance race. Feel the incredible atmosphere created by the supporters, volunteers and fellow athletes as you pass the incredible scenery before arriving at the impressive finish line in the heart of the town centre.”
…and so this really answers the question as to why this race could well be my best race ever. Not because I will get a PB, nor is it because I will fulfil my 40s 4 40 aspirations. It is simply because through a series of seemingly unrelated events beyond my control and against the odds, I get the opportunity to race my favourite distance on my home turf, set against the most incredible scenery on one of the most challenging and unique courses possible, with family and friends supporting me and with all the benefits of Silver All World Athlete Status!
For sure this is going to be a memorable race, no matter what the result!
AWA Priority
Mindful I was aiming to complete the distance in 4 hours 40 minutes, I should probably concede that I’ll be content with more like 5 hours and 40 minutes on a course like this but as the saying goes: ‘Anything is Possible….’.
Summary of the course
Everywhere I trained was as warm and clear as a bath
Technically, mentally and physically demanding course
Even the run looks hilly!
I will update this blog with the results from the race, my Garmin data and anything else worthy of note in due course.
I’m bib number 149 for anyone who is interested.
Bib number 149
Bib number 149 – how I intend to look on the course
You can download the Ironman Athlete Tracker and follow my progress during the event from the following link:
I made a video of my unpacking and assembling my Fuji Norcom Straight 2.1 Time Trial bike and talk about some of how I have set it up specifically for this 70.3:
Fuji Norcom Straight 2.1 Time Trial (TT) bike
The original Bolton Ironman event is renown for being challenging and this type of bike could prove difficult on such hilly terrain.
The bike has an ISM seat, Continental Grand Prix 5000 2020 Tour de France Limited Edition tyres, Shimano Ultegra chain set and carbon pedals and numerous other personalised minor modifications.
I chose to use wheels with an aluminium rim and fitted sutable brake pads to provide decent stopping power in all conditions on this challenging course. The wheels have a shallower dish than my others and this is intended to mitigate the effects of crosswinds over the high and exposed parts of the route whilst still proving some aerodynamic benefit.
I also changed the rear cassette to one with a wide range of gears suitable for high speed on the flat and on the descents whilst also enabling me to climb the many hills (11-28).
I took my bike for a ‘shakedown’ test ride on the local roads and they were so rough at speed that my BBB C02 holder fractured off! I’m glad it happened in enough time to order a new one from Barbiri next day delivery from Planet X. I am reliant upon this to carry the C02 canisters that I would use to reinflate my tyres in the event of a puncture.
This experience gave me some idea of what was to come!
Pennington Flash
I’ll be wearing a wetsuit for the swim as it will be around 17 degrees Celsius and I note some previous complaints regarding the water quality at Pennington Flash and whist it has been named as one of Lancashire’s best open water swimming venues there can be problems with blue-green algae (a seasonal growth on the water surface which is toxic to humans).
With this mind, I was initially somewhat perturbed by an email sent two days before the event that said the practice swim was cancelled due to ‘natural aquatic material’ that needing cleaning up:
Email from Ironman
Despite my fears that it was a build up of duck waste or something such, it was in fact a dense mat of Aquatic Weed and a guy was down there the day before dredging it out (you can see his amphibious tractor operating in the middle-right of the below picture).
The day before:
I went for a slow and steady run a day before the event and my Garmin updated my V02 Max statistics to 53 or ‘Superior’ – this was welcome reassurance that I had made progress during my training.
Race prepared (from within 48 hours of the race!
The swim to bike transition was at Pennington Flash but the Bike to Run transition was in the centre of Bolton and we had to leave the necessary stuff in the respectful bags and places the day before. I cannot thank my Mother enough for helping sort this out with me.
I felt torn leaving my bike to sit out all night in the cold but she was rubbing shoulders with royalty and I would check on her in the morning before the start of the race.
I went to bed hoping I had included everything I needed to in the right bags!
Having a low race number was a real privilege in transition
Race Report:
The Swim:
All the swim training I had been doing had been either in well maintained pools or in the Red Sea that are crystal clear and between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius. I realise how much of a first world problem this is but just to set the record straight, ‘the Flash’ is a fundamentally different beast.
I had been taking cold showers as one of the 40s 4 40 challenges (see future blog) and this definitely helped me to anticipation the shock of the temperature difference.
The Flash was 17.4 degrees Celsius on the day and despite the IRONMAN team’s efforts remained absolutely full of pond weed! Visibility was about half a metre and it was really easy to touch weed and get it wrapped around your ankles.
I wore my heavier wetsuit and honestly, the temperature wasn’t that bad. Sure, my hands, feet and head started to get cold toward the end of the swim but in the heat of the moment, there wasn’t time to get too cold.
It wasn’t my best swim ever because I fell off the end of the pontoon and effectively tombstoned my entry, got caught up in loads of pond weed and then kept breathing to the right and therefore pulling to the right. Not being used to swimming in a lake without lines to follow made it challenging to swim straight and this meant I spent a lot of time almost off course wide of the pack and not benefitting from any draft. You can see from the below diagram how much time I spent not swimming straight!
The swim was 1.9 kilometres but Garmin reckons I swam 2 kilometres so irrespective of the above, I’m really happy with my official time of 33 minutes 36 seconds. Had I kept it on track, this could have been my fastest swim in a 70.3 yet so I was feeling strong!
Glad to be back on dry land…
The Bike:
There is only one word to describe the bike course, and that’s ‘Brutal’. You can see from the below green elevation profile how undulating it was, with around 952 metres of climbing on the bike alone.
You may note a significant gap about a third of the way in on both the blue speed and red heart rate graphs, immediately after one of the fastest sections.
At this point, I was travelling downhill at approximately 68 kilometres per hour in the process of overtaking another guy to my left. The road surface was extremely rough before the decent began but seemed to have smoothed out further down the hill until we both hit a narrow section of the road that upon closer inspection latterly, appeared to have been resurfaced a number of times.
Clearly when going downhill on a narrow road at almost 70 kilometres per hour, one of the last things you need is any significant changes in road surface and this particular change was difficult to allow for as it was not marked in any way and initially appeared to be flush.
However, flush it was not and we both took off, taking a real kick in the rear as the rear tyre bounced off the bumpy road surface. The jolt was so severe that it caused the water bottle mounted behind my seat to fly out and start skidding down the road behind me. The other guy lost his hydration system and tool kit – it was like a slow-motion in-flight incident with items flying all over the place. We both slowed down to stop and retrieve our items and I lay my bike down in a bush at the right side of the road before making my way back up the hill on foot to see if I could find my bottle.
I could not believe how many bottles and bits and repair kits and all sorts of bike gear was strewn all over the road, clearly this had happened to a lot more people than just us!
It took me a few minutes of running up and down that section of the hill looking in the bushes to find my bottle – it had skidded a long way and I had not been able to look exactly where it went as I was braking hard and tying to stay on!
I checked the other guys was OK, cleared the road bit and then headed back to my bike. By this time a lot of cyclists had passed us and I’m grateful they asked if I was OK. Crossing that narrow road again back to my bike with others racing past at over 50 kilometres per hour was crazy!
The route itself was beautiful and wild and incredible to ride. Technically challenging and a really stimulating in all senses. People were out on the street all along the route cheering us along and this included Family and Friends and Tri Preston supporters which was truly amazing to see – thank you all!
Yes, the road surface was not good and at times I’d probably call it dangerous but this added to the challenge. It was not as easy as simply putting your head down and working away for a couple of hours, this took some technical skill and bike handing skills just to get round!
You can see some data below including notable statistics like my maximum speed of 69.5 kilometres per hour, my average heart rate of 150 beats per minute, over 2,000 calories burnt and total ascent of over 950 metres.
These stats came from the Garmin Forerunner 245 I was using to navigate
The above stats came from the Garmin Forerunner 910xt that I had on my wrist tracking the multi-sport activity as a single event. I do not trust the accuracy as much as the above 245 data – I do not think I hit 99.1kph for example!
Seeing my friends at this point really spurred me on – it was ace! Credit to Craig de Freitas for this photograph.
The Run:
The run was one of four quarters for me. The course was made up on 2.5 laps so it was easy to know what point on the race you were at. There were supporters all over the course and Bolton Town Centre looked brilliant with events and tunes and banners and people celebrating.
It normally takes me a couple of kilometres to feel OK running after a long cycle. Long cycles and especially running immediately after them is definitely something I did not do enough of in my training and I blame the summer months in Riyadh for giving me an excuse not to spend hours on the bike.
It would be ridiculous to suggest I had not completed any long rides after I cycled for 40 hours back in June 2021 but really that was an exceptional event and not part of any structured (or useful!) training plan. Most of my rides have been an hour or two maximum. As a result, I found the first 5km of the run tough, I struggled to get going, my legs were sore and despite revelling in running around Le Mans Crescent, the route was predominantly uphill (the route through the park was practically vertical followed by a long drag up Chorley New Road and on to the turn point) and I was flagging.
However, once I had turned and started to run back into Bolton, my legs got going and as this part was downhill, I perked up in the second quarter. Once I had run through town and seen where the Finish line was, I knew I was on my second lap with about 10km left to go and I started feeling a lot better and started working harder. I powered myself back up to the turn point and then made a point of running as fast as I could for the final five kilometres and last quarter of the run.
You can see in the blue pace graph below that my pace drops significantly occasionally – this was me walking through the food stations taking a swill of water, a cup of Gatorade and one time, a banana (that I ate half of).
My best pace was 3 minutes 30 seconds per kilometre and this was surely as I was running downhill at some point. Nonetheless, I was running less than 5 minute per kilometres for the final four or five kilometres. I wish I had been able to keep this up for longer but I understand why I did not feel able to earlier in the run and I am confident that my run performance has improved. In fact, this is my fastest half marathon as part of a 70.3 and to achieve that on a challenging course full of undulations is great!
The final few kilometres of the run through Queens Park
The Finish:
So the tile of this post is IRONMAN 70.3 in 4 hours 40 minutes and for all the reasons and excuses listed above, it was extremely unlikely that I would achieve that time on this Bolton course.
Nonetheless, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE and I was absolutely made up so find that irrespective of my actual finish time, the board did actually appear to read #40s440 as I crossed the line – this magic was made even more apparent by simply adding a post-edit zero!
Mashallah
Unedited version of the above picture
Finisher! #IM703Bolton
Finisher! #IM703Bolton
Me larking around with one of the photographers on the walk back through the park, post-race #IM703Bolton
The Finisher Medal – One Year Only embossed on the rear
Top level multi-sport summary from my Garmin
Official Finisher Certificate from IRONMAN
Clicking the below picture of link will take you to a minute of film that goes some way to show how incredible the support was throughout Ironman 70.3 Bolton.
It’s a compilation of videos and live photos with special thanks to Craig and Lucinda for their contributions:
I came 313th overall out of 1,154 so top 27% and I’m confident that did not have anything more to give on the day. My swim was representative and I didn’t freak out in the cold, I used all 22 gears on the bike and got a respectable top speed, had my best 70.3 run yet and miraculously managed to see 40s440 on the finish line timing board at the end of this unique event – I am thrilled to bits with the whole experience!
Coincidentally, I also came 44th out of 169 in the age 40 to 44 category (again, top 27%) which is interesting – it must be true that things come to you, just not always quite how you anticipate they will #40s440!
Thanks for all the support; feel free to ask any questions.
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.
The Fifteenth of my 40 donations goes to the Disasters Emergency Committee Coronavirus Appeal.
The Disasters Emergency Committee brings together 14 leading UK aid agencies to raise money at times of humanitarian crisis in poorer countries. By working together they can raise more money to save lives and rebuild shattered communities.
As we struggle with the virus at home, people around the world need our help – families who have fled violence, conflict and hunger in countries where there is no NHS if they fall ill.
Many are now living in crowded refugee and displacement camps with little access to medical care, clean water or enough food, making them extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. In these places, the virus is likely to be even more deadly than it has been here.
Imagine having to leave everything behind to keep your family safe, only to face a deadly new threat: Covid-19. This is the reality for people living in tents and makeshift shelters without running water or soap in places like Syria, Yemen and Somalia.
But, as we have seen in the UK, simple measures can make / could have made a huge difference. If we act now to protect millions of vulnerable refugees and displaced people, many lives can be saved.
The Disasters Emergency Committee aims to:
Provide families with clean water, soap and information on keeping themselves safe
Provide frontline medical and aid workers with equipment and supplies to care for the vulnerable and sick
Ensure families get enough food to prevent malnutrition, particularly amongst children
The ninth of my 40 donations goes to the NHS Charities Together via the inspirational Captain Tom Moore.
Captain Tom Moore originally aimed to raise just £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.
Capt Tom began raising funds to thank NHS staff who helped him with treatment for cancer and a broken hip.
With the aid of a walking frame, he completed 100 laps of the 25-metre (82ft) loop in his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, in 10-lap chunks well before his birthday on 30 April.
What a guy!
Tom’s 100th Birthday Walk For The NHS’ page is here.
The NHS Charities Together fundraising page can be found here.
The sixth of my 40 donations goes to Plan International who will ensure girls, young women, children and vulnerable groups are protected and supported as the COVID-19 crisis unfolds.
Plan International‘s crisis response focuses on on communicating public health information, installing hand-washing facilities and distributing hygiene kits whilst ensuring that the needs and rights of girls and young women are addressed.
The fifth of my 40 donations goes to Age UK. Age UK provide companionship, advice and support to older people and their loved ones. Unfortunately, it seems older people are more likely to be adversely affected by Corona.
A combination of two things – a weaker immune system in the first place and a body less able to cope.
We know our immune system gets weaker with age.
“The quality of the antibodies you produce when you’re 70 is a lot worse than when you’re 20,” says Prof Hunter.
And there are some suggestions older men may be more prone to high levels of inflammation which can become deadly.
A lifetime of wear-and-tear takes its toll on the body’s organs and that leaves you less able to survive an infection.
“If you’re 95 and your kidney function is already at 60% of what it used to be and then you hit it with something else, then [your kidneys] may no longer be functioning at the level required for life,” says Dr MacDermott.
Damn Corona virus… I now find myself in mandatory self-isolation after a flight back from the United Kingdom almost 2 weeks ago.
Clearly I need to adapt my training to suit this unusual and unexpected set of circumstances but with the threat of events being cancelled, it’s casting a blanket of uncertainty over my current schedule.
For example, the Manchester Marathon has just been postponed, most likely to later this year…
Ironman have written to me stating that they expect ‘substantial and widespread event postponements in the coming weeks and months’ so i can only hope that this blows over well before August!
….and the flights I’ve already booked are now at risk, for example:
I remember a motivational quote that said ‘it’s not the strongest that survive, it’s the most adaptable to change’ so this pandemic and our response to it is going to be a good test of that maxim.
I’ve been busy as of late. I started a new job, have been away on business and have been in an intense planning phase for the 40s 4 40 challenge I set myself. The above has left little time to train for long distances but I’ve done numerous 10 kilometer runs with some speed work and cross-training by hiking and cycling. Currently, still keeping my feet out of the local pool to be socially responsible….
With the onset of the corona virus pandemic I appreciate my current plans may be impacted but for now, I’m aiming to complete the 40s 4 40 challenge as follows, starting with the main events:
Run over 40 kilometers: I entered the Manchester Marathon on the 5th April 2020
Climb over 40,000 feet and climb the 4th of the world’s ‘7 summits’: To achieve this I will summit Aconcagua and Puncak Jaya. I summited Aconcagua in January of 2020 so that accounts for 22,837 feet of the cumulative 40,000 feet I have to climb, I will achieve the rest when I climb Puncak Jaya (16,024 feet) for or around my Birthday in November. Puncak Jaya will be my 4th of the 7 summits. To achieve the final thousand feet or so I will include the climb of my favourite hill, Great Hill (1,252 feet). By my calculation, this would give me a cumulative total climb of 40,113 feet (not including training ascents).
Some friends are climbing Denali in July and I really want to to climb with them but based on the time it takes, my already depleted leave balance, having started a new job and with Ironman Kazakhstan in August, I’ve concluded that a Denali attempt in July is probably too demanding of myself and is likely to have a negative impact on my other commitments.
Free dive to 40 meters: I will use the travel restrictions to my advantage and should events get cancelled will spend more time earlier in the year off the Red Sea coast with Zakaria
On a month-by-month basis the current schedule looks like this:
December – Schedule margin, rest and inshallah celebration…..
That of course leaves the less rigid challenges that do not need as much organisation and can either be attempted flexibly around the others or require constant attention throughout:
Donate £40 to 40 charities: Time now, this requires at least one donation per week so I will attempt to post a blog once per week and follow each post with a donation.
Drink a ’40’: Unless someone brings a 40 to me this could mean me travelling to the USA for the first time!
Run 10 kilometers in 40 minutes: This is going to take a lot of work because based on my current performance and ability I don’t think I even know how to run this fast…. so, I will spend a few months doing speed work and then commit to a race later in the year.
Do 40 press ups in one minute: I gave this a go in February and although a handful of the press ups were of questionable technique, by practicing throughout the year, I think I will be able to perfect the technique.
