Under a week to go until my next challenge

In around 160 hours (thats under 7 days) I will have completed the next challenge in my ironquest.

This challenge is to complete Ironman 70.3 Mallorca. The challenge involves swimming 1.2 miles, cycling 56 miles and running 13.1 miles, that means I will be travelling 70.3 miles under my own steam. There are cut off times but as my start time is 08:30, I don't think I will be affected by these. If we use the philosophy of a full iron distance triathlon, the cut offs would be.

• The swim should be complete in 1:10, this would mean I would need to be out of the water by 09:40
• The bike should be complete in 4:05 (5:15 from the start), this would mean I would need to be off the bike by 13:45
• The run should be complete in 3:15 (8:30 from the start), this would mean I would need to have finished the race by 17:00

I am aiming to complete within the unofficial cut off times above if I stand any chance of completing the Outlaw in 9 weeks.

This challenge also marks a significant increase over what I have achieved previously. Previously the longest triathlon I have completed is an Olympic distance triathlon. An Ironman 70.3 is over double the distance of an Olympic triathlon.

If we look at the disciplines individually

• Swim - the furthest I have swum without stopping is 3km (1.85 miles) so the 1.2 mile swim should not present any problems.
• Bike - I have been building up my distance on the bike over the previous 4 months and have completed 6 bike rides over 48 miles in length, one of those was today and was 60 miles long. I completed the ride in 03:38. Again the 56 mile ride should not present too many problems, now that I have sorted out my fuelling strategy.
• Run - This is the event I have struggled most with since I started my quest to give up smoking. Yes I am improving every week and am even consistently managing sub 30 minute 5km but the furthest I have ever run to date is 11 miles. I will have to rely on my determination to complete the run. The crowds will help me complete.

The only leg I am really worried about is the run. I know that barring technical difficulties I will make it to the run and with my determination I will complete. The run course is a 3 lap course and I should see my friends and family a minimum of 6 times on the run which will help spur me on.

I have spent a lot of time putting in the miles training for the next challenge, so much so that my bike and run miles to date for 2013 have surpassed the total number of miles I completed in 2012

A comparison of my run miles

A comparison of my bike miles

I would describe my state of mind as being a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I just hope the next 6 nights do not bring too many restless nights. I have already started dreaming that I have missed the start time.

A lot of my friends have started tapering for this event, for those not in the know, tapering is where you significantly lower your training miles in the weeks leading up to an event so that you don't suffer from burn out or injury. I on the other hand have not started tapering yet as this event is another stepping stone in my quest to complete an iron distance triathlon.

I hope I don't live to regret this decision.

I've looked at the list of pros competing in Mallorca and there are lot of amazing athletes completing. I almost wish I was just spectating.

We have the following pros who I wish I could see completing the race.

Bart Aeronauts

Andreas Raelert

Tom Lowe

Andy Starykowicz

Jan Van Berkel

Yvonne Van Vlerken

Tamsin Lewis

Lucy Gossage

I really hope that Lucy Gossage wins this event as she is an amazing person, she manages to compete as a pro triathlete while also being an oncologist for Cancer Research UK. I have no idea how she manages to juggle these two. I struggle to juggle my job with training and I don't put half the hours in that she must every week. Good luck Lucy.

Hopefully my next blog will detail my successful attempt to complete Ironman 70.3 Mallorca. I will try and update this from Mallorca providing I can get on the hotel wifi.

If you're new to this blog, I am not doing this just for personal achievement I am also raising money for charity. My chosen charity for this year is HHHO. If you would like to sponsor me you can via my Justgiving page at the following address www.justgiving.com/triathlon4harry  

In a week my medal hanger should have a new addition.

Thanks for reading,

Michael