Christmas provided some spare time for thinking and planning, I have been wondering about doing another fund raiser for a while given it’s been nearly 3 years since I rode LEJOG. I believe I have come up with a challenge that should capture people’s interest, a solo Ironman – with a twist.
The first problem I had (albeit a nice one) was to decide on a charity. I set myself two simple criteria: small and local. I cast around a few friends for ideas and I also asked colleagues at work. They came up with a cracking charity, www.14club.org.uk based in Wantage. Their website said they provided a social club for people with Learning Disabilities, so I popped along to a club evening to meet Gary and Mark.
It’s a small world, I knew some of the members and the organisers but I had no idea that the club even existed. The atmosphere was relaxed, people were choosing what they wanted to do. There were a number of activities available from chatting with friends, watching a film or doing a craft; a cup of coffee was offered to me and I didn’t say no. My daughter was also along for the ride and she genuinely enjoyed chatting to people.
Volunteers are the mainstays of the club, from drivers (they do not claim fuel) who get the members to and from club night/events to those who help on the night. They do this with a calm, cheery approach which is infectious; they aren’t seeking reward or acclaim, they just want to make sure people have a great time. To do this, they raise all the money they need by themselves; 40 members enjoy what the club has to offer and it costs around £3k a year to run.
The rising cost of essential things like insurance means that fewer events can be run, it’s a simple equation: more cash = more activities, this is where the Ironman comes in.
I will train and undertake to complete an Ironman distance but with one amendment, my knees don’t like running so I will swap the run for an indoor row of the same distance. I am under no illusion as to how hard this will be, that’s why I have been training since Christmas. The distances are:
The swim is my strongest leg, when I am training for an event for example a swim/bike, a typical session would be around 2,800 metres involving some speed work and longer swims; the focus of these sessions is about improving stroke efficiency. Adding on another 1,100m should be OK but I still need to train sensibly for this.
The bike distance is longish but not something that is out of the ball park, again, sensible preparation will ensure that I can complete the mileage in the required time with something in the tank for the row.
The row is a major issue (at the moment), I will be fatigued in the shoulders (which will have stiffened after 8 hours of riding) and my backside tires after about 10,000 metres becoming painful. I think the key here is plenty of interval work at threshold pace and then very slow, long rows to condition my rear end. The combination should get me through to the end. There is no doubt about it, I will need to be much fitter and stronger to get over the finish line, but I have plenty of help.
I will be posting more details of progress and events, in the meantime, more information can be found at
http://www.phil-cox.net/cri-du-chat-syndrome/team-14-ironman-challenge-for-2015/
I am not pushing for donations at this stage given how far away it is but I am looking for a commercial sponsor to be associated with the event, if you think you can help in this respect, please contact me here. However, I’m not going to complain if you want to bung me a few quid, you can donate here
http://make-a-donation.org/fundraisers/team-14-1
Watch this space; the whole day should be fun with lots of opportunity to be involved!
Further reading…..
If you liked this blog please take a moment to check out my book describing the solo Land’s End to John O’Groats ride in 2012, all profit from sales to www.criduchat.org.uk
Please click the cover image for the Kindle version or click here to order a paperback copy. Thank you!
