Heston came to see me with a specific goal in mind. He wanted to strip off body fat and retain as much lean muscle as possible. Unfortunately, his lifestyle makes structured training impossible, as he’s often dragged away at the last minute and has to fit his training in whenever he can. Before he came to see me, he was focussing on high intensity intervals to maximise his calorie burn. It was old-school theory that if “hard is good”, then “hardest must be best”.

Your body is a smart piece of machinery and it responds to a specific stimulus. This is a fancy way of saying that it get’s good at what it does. So if you do a lot of high intensity intervals, you’re going to get better and better at doing these intervals over time. Unfortunately, high intensity training requires carbohydrate to fuel the body’s energy demands. The rate of energy production is just too high to be supplied from burning fat. So, by constantly doing high intensity intervals, Heston was training his body to be really good at burning carbs and really poor at burning fat, which was why he couldn’t get lean.  To lose body fat, you have to burn body fat!

Heston Blumenthal Fat Burning profile 05.08.2012

After doing a metabolic test, I identified Heston’s maximum fat burning heart rate zone as 115-121 bpm (beats per minute) and the point where he stopped burning any fat at 132 bpm. Heston had been training over 132 bpm and whilst he was working very hard, this meant he was not burning an ounce of fat.  He had an undeveloped aerobic profile and this meant he had to seriously back off his high intensity intervals and focus on “developing base” and training his body to burn fat as a fuel instead of carbs. Heston’s new cardio training regime consisted of low/moderate jogging and keeping his heart rate between 115-121 bpm. Athletes call this aerobic base building and all endurance athletes spend the winter months doing long, steady state training to develop their aerobic base. One of the benefits of base building is that it trains the body to get better at burning fat and although we’re not athletes, we all want to look good and get a six pack. I was monitoring Heston’s training remotely using Trainsmart Interactive Coach and making sure he stuck to his guns. This involved Heston uploading his training sessions into Trainsmart Interactive via his heart rate monitor.

After 6 months training, we did a metabolic re-test (image below).  Heston’s fat burning range has now shifted higher up his heart rate curve, which means he can run faster and burn maximum fat at 135-145 bpm, whereas previously he stopped burning fat at 132 bpm. He has lost 7kg in fat and looks and feels great. This is a fantastic result and shows the results you can achieve with focussed training and hard work.

Heston Blumenthal Fat Burning profile 03.02.2013

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I hear lots of people talking about Glycaemic Index (GI) and how it effects which foods you should and shouldn’t eat. GI estimates how quickly the carbohydrates contained in food are broken down and then cause blood sugar (glucose) to rise. However, this is only half the story. Glycaemic Load (GL) also factors in how much carbohydrate is actually contained in the food and how much each gram causes blood sugar to rise.

This can be a tricky concept to grasp, so let’s illustrate it with an example:

Assume you eat a watermelon. Watermelon has a high GI, which means the carbs are quickly released into the bloodstream. However, as a watermelon consists of 95% water, there aren’t many carbs in it. So although the carbs are released quickly (high GI), the amount of carbs released is actually very low (low GL).

The table below shows the GL effect of food:

GL < 10 = low

GL 11-19 = medium

GL >20 = high

Why is GL important?

For most people, if you’re controlling your carbs and eating the correct amount to achieve your goals and refuel correctly after training, GL won’t affect you too much. If you want to get lean and don’t know how many carbs you should be eating each day, check out our carb calculator.

GL is important for:

- Diets targeting metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and weight loss (1)  
- A diet which manages GL has been proven to minimise sustained blood sugar spikes and prevent the onset of type II diabetes (2)
- Diabetics who need to accurately manage their blood sugar levels

Check out the different Glycaemic Load values by food type here

References

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Go Live: April, 2013

We’re gearing up, getting ready for the major launch of Trainsmart Interactive. Existing clients will automatically receive the upgrade and won’t have to do anything. Simply login and the new system is there. All your data will be transferred over and you won’t lose a thing. We’ll also be giving every client a reward as a special thank you for helping us come so far. We’ll keep you posted on developments during the next 6 weeks.

Regards

Mark Clarke

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1. Train in a fasted/semi-fasted state (1) e.g. do your cardio before breakfast and drink only water
2. Do not ingest carbohydrates before or during exercise (especially energy drinks), as it reduces the effectiveness of fat burning (2)
3. A diet low in carbohydrates yields more effective fat burning (3)
4. The maximum fat burning intensity is lower than Lactate (Anaerobic) Threshold (4). Everyone is different, but if you want to use maximum heart rate, a  rough approximation is 70-75% of HRmax. PS. you only burn approx. 25% fat at LT!
5. Using 220-age to predict maximum HR and applying a percentage to this to estimate your fat burning zone is prone to error! A better method is to record the heart rate where you start to breathe noticeably through your mouth. This approximates to Lactate Threshold. Throttle back and train 5-10 beats inside this for maximum fat burning.
6. To get the maximum value out of every minute training, I recommend a metabolic test to define your optimum fat burning zones.
7. After your maximum fat burning point has been reached, an increase in intensity leads to a decrease in fat metabolisation (Download PDF)
8. A valid fat burning session can be as little as 30 min. Do not feel you have to smash it if you only have time to do a short session.
9. Try and do one long session (>90 min) each week
10. Some people respond to less, but aim for at least 5 hours of fat burning training/week. Ideally, train for 1hr/day and if you want to include high intensity training (HIT), restrict it to no more than 20% of the total time.
11. If your training time is less than 5 hours/week, you must do proportionately more HIT in order to get the training effect. Interval training yields the best benefits for time-restricted training.
12. The more you train in the correct zone, your more your body becomes effective at fat burning (5)
13. The most effective fat burning strategy is to combine targeted CV training, strength/resistance training and a “clean”, low carbohydrate nutrition plan. Doing one without the other will compromise results.

Your body’s ability to eat carbohydrate (CHO) is determined by its storage capacity. The human body can only store between 2,000-2,500 Kcal of carbohydrate. This is in the form of glucose (blood sugar) and glycogen, a semi-soluble form of CHO predominantly stored in the liver and in the interstitial muscle tissues. If  you do not burn CHO, the cells remain full and will reject any additional CHO. This does not mean you shouldn’t eat carbs and “carbs are evil!”. You must eat carbs after high intensity training to ensure glycogen reserves are replenished and prevent the body from catabolysing (breaking down) muscle. As a general rule, if you burn carbs – eat them, otherwise you’ll be wearing them as a spare tyre!

How many carbs to eat is difficult to determine. I’ve designed a Carb Calculator to help you manage your carbohydrate intake for successful fat loss.

Please read the instructions in the first tab of the Excel file. The calculations are complex and the file contains VBA code. I can verify that it is free of any virus or malicious code. Any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Good luck!

References

Version Updates:

The latest version is always available for download. If you find a bug or glitch, please drop us a line and we’ll fix and update.

21/Jan/2013  - Unable to select “How hard do you want to diet?” – FIXED!

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We’re proud to be supporting the Cancer Research UK Shine 2013 marathon and half-marathon charity walk events. Trainsmart have prepared progressive training programmes designed to ease the walkers into their training and make sure everyone is in great shape to do the event. The overwhelming feedback from 2012 was that people completely underestimated how tough it is to walk a marathon distance. Following a training plan provides structure and guidance on how much walking you should be doing each week, so you reach the start line fully prepared.

Follow the “5 P’s” – Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance – and you’ll enjoy your training, be in great shape for the event and at the same time, get fitter and lose weight. For best results, we recommend you start training at least 16 weeks before the event. You really don’t want to leave it until the last minute. Don’t let the weather put you off either – there’s a famous saying that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. Get wrapped up, dress for the occasion and commit to your plan. Remember, the hardest 10 metres are the ones out the front door!

Stretching

It’s really important to stretch but you have to be careful as there are definitely wrong ways and wrong times to stretch. Follow this guide and you’ll avoid muscle problems and niggling injuries. The diagram below shows the major muscle groups used for walking (yes, walking is a great abs workout too).

Major muscle groups used for walking

Things to do

- Start walking but take it slow. The first 5 minutes are just to get the muscles warm

- After 5 minutes, do some very light stretches for the major muscle groups.

- At the very least, stretch calves, thighs (quadriceps) and hamstrings (back of the leg)

- If you have a little more time, do some trunk rotation and shoulder circles

- Hold each stretch for a minimum of 30-60 seconds

- Allocate 5 minutes at the end of your walk to do some light stretches

- Take a look at the videos below to show you the main stretches you should focus on.

Things not to do

- Don’t start stretching before you start walking. This is not good!

- To prevent injury, the best time to stretch is when the muscle is warm.

- Stretches should not hurt or be uncomfortable in any way.

- Don’t “bounce” or pulse. Stretches should be at a constant pressure throughout.

- Don’t skip your stretching. They’re important and will keep your muscles in good shape and prevent injuries.

Stretching videos

Beginner

Intermediate/advanced

Download your Shine 2013 training plans

16-week marathon (walking)

16-week half-marathon (walking)

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Warming-up and cooling down are fixed in the folklore of exercise. We’ve all seen the inflexible athlete over-straining on the start line or before a session, stood anxiously waiting for others to turn up. Then there’s the smug hyper-flexible person stretching after a session, looking more like a circus act than a cooling off athlete. Various exercises have become ingrained into the psyche of what makes a session, but the evidence to support some of them is not forthcoming. So lets sort out why you should warm up and cool down…

Warming up the body is akin to letting the car idle for a few minutes before driving off. Or at the least driving with a smooth right foot until the engine temperature has increased from cold. The human body is much the same: it requires time to reach its ideal working temperature. If you push it too hard too soon, whilst it can “get away” with it, the physical strain can cause immediate injury or a longer-term repeated “stressing of the body”.

Going too hard, too hilly or too dynamic may, just may, result in injury. However, what is certain is that elevating the body temperature with aerobic exercise allows the oxygen in the blood to be released more effectively, energy production becomes more efficient and both nervous system impulses and muscle viscosity improve. Around 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise at moderate intensity, say 50 to 65% of maximum heart rate, gets you whole body ready for more strenuous riding. Game on…

Rush, rush, rush

For many the time spent cruising for a few minutes is ‘wasted time’. They want to be fit fast, get to work even faster or just ignore the need to subtly introduce your body to training via light exercise. Interestingly very fit athletes take longer to warm up as their potential maximum power and energy production is much greater than a keep fit person. At just 50% of peak power a very good cyclist could be using over 1000 calories per hour or around 3.5 litres of oxygen a minute. That low level effort by the fit rider could actually be near to the peak of less fit occasional exercisers!

So what ways can you warm up before training to ensure that the nerves, muscles and energy pathways get prepared?

Well, there are three ways to warm up: passive, general and specific. Passive is simply being in a warm environment, such as sitting in a warm room or even a sauna (not very practical that one I agree). General is doing activities that move the body but they may not be the same as the intended exercise. So you could run on the spot for 5 minutes or, some people also think of stretching as applicable though you will see below that it is not.

However, far and away the best is a specific warm-up. This uses the exercise you are going to perform but at low intensities. Spinning on a exercise bike for 10 minutes at 50% effort would be ideal if you wanted to get warm before starting a cold ride that includes a very early steep hill. Or walking slowly before starting an easy jog and then eventually running is another example. But who walks out of te front door, clicks their stop watch and IMMEDIATELY starts running.

WARM UP TIP:

Choose routes or easier equipment settings to allow 10 to 15 minutes light exercise before starting to “train” proper – this will make it easier on your brain and body

Stretching after?

The Journal of Sports Medicine published an article entitled Stretching and injury prevention: an obscure relationship (1). A great title and it should immediately have you thinking that perhaps stretching is not all that its cracked up to be. The study noted that clinical evidence suggesting stretching before exercise does not prevent injuries has little basis. You are better doing aerobic work than bizarre stretching routines. Think about it – how far are your ankle, knee, hip and lower back actually bending during most of your sports? Not far.

The experts also noted that the stretching of tendons is not advantageous for cycling, where the range of motion is limited. We are not 100m runners or gymnasts. It would be useful to receive a massage as a treat to relieve those tight shoulders from working at a computer and the lower back or hips from running sorted. But save your stretching time and do easier warm up’s.

More recent research also shows that general fitness, rather than stretching, is a more important risk factor in injury prevention. Evidence suggests that increasing range of motion beyond your required function through stretching is not beneficial and can actually cause injury and decrease performance. Read that again. So don’t over stretch, just, as often is the case with my clients: find how to be better time efficient and relax at the start of your training sessions.

Make a note that where stretching has been found to aid performance it is preceded with an aerobic warm up of at least 5 minutes. Better still do it at the end of the session.

WARM UP TIP:

You may like to stretch after the aerobic riding listed above, however keep stretching light and relaxed. Never use stretching to warm a muscle instead of riding, its still cold inside and will be straining like mad

Warm down, no! Cool down…

Hands up who actually has the time to slow up at the end of a session and cool down? Note how I say cool down, as warm-down is not the right term. You are cooling the body down. This allows heat to be got rid of, heart rate to start to return towards lower resting levels and hormones to get back to normal. Your brain also has to move from “exercise world” back to normal life. You’ll be less like a gibbering wreck when you warm down and walk through the front door or return to the office.

Studies show a lower resting HR is achieved after exercise when doing a cool down. It also results in improved heart function compared to stopping abruptly. So, light exercise plays an important role in facilitating blood return to the heart from the muscles. It also helps to restore the elevated heart rate to the pre-exercise resting level. It’s not a waste of time, its easing the recovery process and making you better at fitting in to the real world.

At this time some people who like to – or need to – stretch can do their routine. If you have the time that’s great but don’t cut short a warm up and cool down (10-20 mins each) and make time to try to become super flexible. Studies show that flexibility is a facet of fitness that does not reduce injury risk. Some data even suggests it increases your chances of injury. You’re a biker, runner, swimmer – I doubt if you are reading this if you are a gymnast.

COOL DOWN TIP:

Take 5 to 10 minutes to reduce effort and exercise lightly at the end of sessions. You may like to do light limbering/stretching work but it is nowhere near as important as warm-up and cool-down time.

References

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Challenge #6: Ironman Wales

Lessons learned:

1) Ironman triathlons are hard
2) Ironman triathlons with hills are really hard
3) Wales is hilly

This past weekend saw me turn West out of London, and travel in a straight line for 5 hours until I reached Tenby, a picturesque seaside town in South Wales. I was visiting because, in a haze of madness some 10 months ago, I had included Ironman Wales on a list of events that would later become ‘Limitless Challenge 2012’.

Iron distance triathlons are widely regarded as amongst the toughest endurance events around. Athletes complete a 2.4 mile swim, before cycling 112 miles and then running a marathon, all without breaks, and with a 17 hour time limit and cut-offs for each discipline. Having not owned a bike or participated in any form of cardiovascular activity when I dreamt up Limitless Challenge, I hadn’t quite understood what it would take to become an Ironman … the events of Sunday sorted that out!

The Build Up

It transpires that Ironman Wales is one of the toughest courses in the world – a great choice for a first foray into the world of long distance triathlon! Arriving in Tenby on Friday morning, I began to understand why … hills … 4,500 ft of climbing on the bike course alone! Despite wanting to curl up into a ball and have a little cry, I strutted around like a journeyman pro, and tried to look as if I knew what I was doing for 2 days as I attended practice swim sessions, applied temporary race number tattoos, racked my bike in the transition area and strapped energy gels and bars to my bike in preparation for the day of hell that lay ahead …

Race Morning

Rolling out of bed at 0400 on Sunday morning, a carb-heavy breakfast was taken on board before I headed into town to pump tyres and ready myself for the day’s activities. At 0615, the parade of athletes through sleepy Tenby began, all 1,500 people looking like lambs to the slaughter: 3,000 frightened ‘why do we do this to ourselves’ eyes …

The Swim

Ironman Wales adopts a ‘mass beach start’, which essentially involves all 1,500 competitors starting at the same time and sprinting down the beach before attempting to drown each other for at least the first 10 minutes of the 2.4 mile sea swim. No one could have prepared me for the experience, and the first 500 metres of swimming involved more than one ‘I can’t do this’ moment. I wasn’t the only one; a number of competitors clung onto lifeguard boats in the first phase of the race, having been kicked, punched or dunked one too many times. Round the first buoy though and things began to settle, and I ended up completing the 2 lap swim in a credible 01:08:00.

The Bike

After a 1km run to the transition area and a swift change into my bike kit, I was off on the 112 mile course through some stunning Pembrokeshire countryside. The first 50 miles were relatively uneventful, and I settled into a good rhythm, maintaining a solid average speed of over 18 mph. Then it started to hurt. Firstly, I lost a contact lens, not ideal only half way round a course that involves some fairly technical descents at up to 40 mph. Then, the dreaded hills materialised. One after another, the relentless climbs just kept on coming, punishing the legs until even the flat sections felt like a chore. Worse still, the hilly section had to be completed twice, and by the end of the 112 miles by average pace had dwindled depressingly, and I rolled into the transition area in 06:55:00.

The Run

Bike racked, trainers on, and I was out on the road again in under 3 minutes, setting off at a steady 9.5 mins/mile on the first of four laps. The run route continued the bike course’s theme…hills…but my legs were feeling strong, and I clocked the first 10 km loop in under an hour. Then ‘Ironman Belly’ came knocking. The dreaded condition occurs when the body throws its toys out of the pram after being fed nothing but energy gels and bars for 9 hours. Cramps and stabbing pains are the order of the day, reducing sufferers to pale faced, waddling wrecks. My pace dropped off a cliff, and I would spend the next three hours wishing I was somewhere else.

The Finish

After suffering for 12:31:11,  I emerged onto the Ironman red carpet, fists clenched and overcome with a strange mix of a delight, relief and utter exhaustion. The announcer’s voice called out the words that have been pushing me through the months of 06:00 A.M. swim sessions … ”Guess what, Richard, you are an Ironman”.

Thank You

To all those who continue to back our efforts – huge, huge thanks. Your support really did keep me going through the pain. You can support Limitless by visiting my Limitless Challenge 2012: Just Giving page

Next Up

Challenge #7: hopefully I recover quickly, because there’s just one weekend off before I head over to Eton for the USN Dorney Lake Triathlon on the 30th September!

Limitless Challenge 2012: Preparation

Limitless Challenge #1: Tough Guy

Limitless Challenge #2: Barcelona Marathon 

Limitless Challenge #3: Hadrian’s Wall

Limitless Challenge #4: Norfolk Super Hero

Limitless Challenge #5: The 3 Peaks

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Walk to cure cancer

Once again, thousands of men and women are taking to the streets for Cancer Research UK’s exhilarating night-time walking marathon – choosing to walk either a full marathon (26 miles) or a half marathon (13 miles). Shine 2012 will be hosted in the cities of Manchester & London and aims to raise £3.5m towards Cancer Research UKs vital research and bring hope & light to the lives of those affected by cancer.

Trainsmart are proud to be supporting Shine 2012 and have provided all training plans and guidance for the event. These plans will ensure all Shine participants are well prepared for their 13 or 26 mile walk!

To enter Shine or to sign up as a volunteer, visit www.shinewalk.org

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Challenge #5: The 3 Peaks

It was an interesting weekend, that’s for sure…

With no room at the Fort William ‘Premier’ Inn, we settled for local hostels on Friday night, where the majority of the team had a restful night’s sleep. My dorm however, was plagued by ‘Martin the Monster’, who snored so loudly that Steve’s top bunk was in a constant state of vibration. Martin was a large chap, so we decided not to roll him, slap him or otherwise disturb him, and Steve awoke the next morning with 3 loose fillings and a headache.

20 Hour Team

The 20 hour team set off at a rapid pace in the morning sunshine, full of hope and expectation for a beautiful day on the mountains. A stop was swiftly put to such ideas after an hour, when the cloud descended and the rain began to fall. Still, the team powered through Ben Nevis, summiting in a remarkable 02:15 and making it back down in 01:00 hr for a total time of 03:15 for the mountain against a target of 04:00 hours.

Arriving at Scafell after some solid country driving from Laura, we raced off in search of another fast time. Issues arose when it transpired that Mr Kunzmann had failed to eat enough of his sausage pasta en route, and ran out of gas half way up the mountain. 3 energy gels later, he reached the top, before swiftly turning and racing to the bottom at a pace which left those who had fed him their last energy gels (read ‘me’) rather infuriated. We made it back to base for a total time of 02:45, 15:00 minutes ahead of our target and now in line for a 19:00 hour finish.

Snowdon. The mountain that ‘it’s ok to leave until the night because it’s so easy to navigate’. Whilst the darkness might be ok on its own, coupled with low fog from 400m, high winds and driving rain, the popular ‘Pyg Track’ proved to be utterly treacherous. Our ambitions for a 19 hour finish quickly turned to ‘getting everyone back in one piece’, as we were left scrambling up ridges and traversing precarious ledges in a bid to make it to the top.

Eventually, we made it back to the car safely, where we set about doing spaceman impressions with our foil blankets. Our troubles on Snowdon meant our time for that mountain stretched out to over 6 hours, making our total 3 Peaks time a disappointing, yet nonetheless impressive, 21:54.

24 Hour Team

The 24 Hour team started strongly, making good time up a long and arduous Ben Nevis and finishing bang on target in just over 5 hours.

The team arrived at Scafell on schedule and ready to tackle the tricky stepped path and river crossings that stand between Wasdale and the summit. In my earlier briefing I had included a section on ‘how not to get lost’ but had neglected ‘how not to fall off a mountain’. It’s a decision that I now regret, as a number of the 24 hour group members, including our very own Ben Williams, opted for the speedy, yet slightly more painful, descent route, taking a few knocks in the process. Battered and bruised, Ben valiantly lead his team back to base, still on for the 24 hour finish.

Snowdon then, and the team did a superb job. With the dawn light beginning to rise over the horizon, they powered up the Pyg Trail with their target time locked in their sights. The team made it back to their car in a time that shocked us all given the conditions, bang on their 4 hour target and with time for a cup of tea within the 24 hour limit. With all team members back in 23:55, it really was a monumental performance!

If anything, the 3 Peaks adventure proved to be a greater challenge than the one I had planned. The first 2 mountains tested our fitness and strength. The last tested our resilience and determination. Both tests, I’m pleased to say, we passed with flying colours, and with the good sense of humour that has become the Limitless 2012 standard.

Thank You

To all those who continue to back our efforts – huge, huge thanks. Your support really did keep us going through the dark, the cold and the pain. The thought of having to write an email to tell you all that we failed gave us a much needed kick up the backside when the going got tough! You can support Limitless by visiting my Limitless Challenge 2012: Just Giving page

Next Up

Challenge #6 is the big one. Today I enter into ‘hell month’, 4 weeks of 17-20 hours a week training on the road to IronMan Wales – 16th September 2012.

Limitless Challenge 2012: Preparation

Limitless Challenge #1: Tough Guy

Limitless Challenge #2: Barcelona Marathon 

Limitless Challenge #3: Hadrian’s Wall

Limitless Challenge #4: Norfolk Super Hero

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Challenge #4: Norfolk Super Hero

The weekend of Saturday 23rd of June – time for the Norfolk Super Hero, and my first experience of the ‘quadrathlon’… why bury yourself over 3 disciplines when you could do 4? Arriving in the driving rain on the Friday, I conducted my customary sanity check and concluded, for the 4th time this year, that I’ve completely lost the plot.

Though the rain cleared on Friday, the wind was howling and whipping up the North Sea into a frenzy – just what you need for a 1 mile sea swim! After loading up on Weetabix and bananas and wriggling into my wetsuit, I met my race partner, Matt, (Super Hero is completed in pairs) and boarded the boats that would take us to the start line, wondering how I was going to find my way back!

Swim

As always, the nerves disappeared with the sound of the starters horn, and attention focussed in on the task at hand. The swim went surprisingly well, despite the face-slapping waves. I exited the water in 23:28 to begin the dash towards the kayaks ….

Kayak

After meeting Matt at the boats, we were soon out on the creek. Once we established a rhythm, we started pulling in competitors one by one. We left the water after just over 53:00 minutes. A solid performance that stood us in good stead for the cycle leg …

Cycle

The cycle was, to put it mildly, brutal! 45 miles through country lanes with pummelling wind and the constant pressure of knowing there were people behind desperately trying to catch us, not to mention those in front who were there to be caught. We fought hard to keep up the pace, and made up a few places to complete the ride in just under 02:26:00

Run

The Super Hero run is exceptional, both in its scenery and technicality. Over 8 miles you cover trail, beach and forest, before finishing through muddy marshland that saps any strength left in your limbs. Once again, we powered through, holding on to our position for a not too shabby result…

Time: 05:11:49
Position: 8th

A note on the Super Hero. The event started 6 years ago, with 20 competitors hosted in the organiser’s back garden! Since then, it has grown to over 150 competitors, with the same small organising team giving countless hours to set up the event each year, and with the proceeds going to local charities. Despite the growth in numbers, and the (high) quality of the athletes, the event maintains its laid back, friendly, enjoyable atmosphere, and it was truly a pleasure to be a part of. You can put your name on the waiting list for next year at www.norfolksuperhero.co.uk

Thank You

To all those who continue to back our efforts – huge, huge thanks. Your support really did keep us going. You can support Limitless by visiting my Limitless Challenge 2012: Just Giving page

Next Up

Challenge #5 is the 3 Peaks Challenge. On Friday 27th July 14 of us will descend on Fort William, ready to start our ascent of Ben Nevis in the early hours of Saturday 28th. There will be two teams, one aiming to complete the course in 20 hours and the other tackling the peaks in 24.

Limitless Challenge 2012: Preparation

Limitless Challenge #1: Tough Guy

Limitless Challenge #2: Barcelona Marathon 

Limitless Challenge #3: Hadrian’s Wall

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