Time for reflection...

I have to admit it: the last couple of days of the Adventure Challenge were tinged with disappointment for me.

The very first morning - competitors prepare their boats on the Abu Dhabi corniche

Maybe I was too close to the whole thing but we'd set ourselves the aim of completing all the events and, well, that didn't happen. We put a valiant stint in, no doubt. Maybe a little of the personal disappointment came from the fact that I knew I had a little more to give (except in the kayaking - I gave my all including, it would seem, a life without chronic back pain, in that). But on the last day and ever since, I've become a little cheerier and more positive.

Pre-dawn alterations are made

Almost all the other competitors were either professional athletes or came from a background that included a long history of triathlon, Ironman or endurance racing events. We didn't. Most had been training specifically for this event for six months. We had eight weeks.

Jeff and Pete put up their tent on the first evening in the desert.

In hindsight, our goals were probably a little unrealistic and what we did achieve was fairly monumental. We were woefully under-prepared - physically, mentally and in terms of experience of such events. Hats were forgotten, food was lost, water was wasted...we made mistakes that, I'm fairly certain, other teams did not make - but that's what your debut is for.

Stunning scenery on the first mountain biking leg.


We still put a real effort in and I think everyone was surprised by how much we did manage.

A word here for our fellow competitors: wonderful, beautiful, genial, helpful, encouraging, motivating heroes each and every one of them. Inspirational in the way that only truly exceptional people can be.

One competitor finishes the stage and checks in with her electronic timing plug.

I won't tell you all the ways in which we hurt or were uncomfortable during those six days - Jeff has already done a marvelous job of that in his last post - and the 30-minute shower I treated myself to afterwards was one of life's greatest ever feelings.

The American team uses some unique yoga poses to stretch out after the cycling.

But that shower also gave me time to reflect and what I realised - much like Pete - was how much I had enjoyed the past few days...the 3am starts, the uncomfortable nights' sleep, the Army-grade food...the competition, the stunning scenery, the great outdoors, taking on nature and not having to worry about a mobile phone, car keys, email or my wallet for almost a week. Just about everything.

The teams line up outside the beautiful Qasr Al Sarab resort.

In that way, I guess you could say that the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge was genuinely life-changing for me and, from the impression I get when we sat down for that beer after the final day's competition, I think Pete and Jeff would agree.

So, life-changing how exactly?

Basically, I have realised just how much I like being fit and around fit, healthy people. So, I've finally done something I've been promising myself to do for ages and signed up for a beginner's climbing course. I've also recommenced the once or twice weekly pre-work games of tennis with my housemate.

It's been a long, hard day.

But the experience has also made me a lot more serious about my training. Yes, I want to have a life, socialise and not just be one of those boring people who can only talk about gaiters, aerobars, negative splits and rehydration supplements...but I also love competition and I intend to train towards taking on a few more duathlon/triathlon/running events. My ultimate goal would be to make it up to Olympic distance and then try a few 70.2s - basically, the half Ironman distance.

The early morning ascent of Jebel Hafeet.

I've set myself a new, fairly flexible programme with an emphasis on pushing hard and training smart across swimming, cycling, running and strength circuits. I can't wait to get going on it with a 3500m swim this evening.

The (worthy) winners cross the finishing line in Al Ain.

An extremely painful back problem has also taught me that looking after and listening to your body involves more than just being fit. Yoga and massages (between the road bike I'm about to order, wetsuits, running/cycling shoes, helmets, gloves, tri-suit and yoga, stretching and massage sessions etc etc I seem to have chosen just about the most expensive hobby in existence!) are going to play a significant role going forward - especially as it appears that the muscular back problem is one I'll have to manage rather than one that can be solved.

So, all in all, one hell of an experience and one that could have even shaped the rest of my adult life.

The big question though, the one that everyone really wants to ask - would I do the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge again?

The Desert Hacks/Xtreme Journos celebrate the end of the Adventure Challenge.

I'd need to start training - kayak especially - with at least six months to go and, given what the rest of the Desert Hacks have said so far, I'd need to find three new team members but I think that maybe, perhaps, possibly, in the right circumstances, I  might consider...oh, who am I kidding??? I'm going to be booking six days off at the beginning of December every year until I get a media team through the whole of that race if it's the last thing I do. Which, admittedly, it could well be.



So, if you're a mental (sorry: fit and healthy) media professional that is crazy (erm: willing) to put in some heavy training and endure (whoops: enjoy) the toughest six days of your life next December, do leave a comment here or email mattalfie@gmail.com. Ideally, based in the UAE but, to be honest, I'll accept all-comers.

A very, very, very, very hard week...

This, for a number of reasons, has been my toughest week yet. I'll explain why.

I'm finding it increasingly amazing that adventure athletes – or even those that regularly take on extreme endurance events – find time to earn a crust. Work has been a problem in terms of training throughout – who can do when, hours of daylight etc – but this week was a nightmare due to one of the region's biggest exhibitions being held in Dubai and us, as journalists, having to cover it. 15-hour-days of constant deadlines and being on our feet took it out of us and, personally, meant there was very little training at all. But it goes further than that – all day at an exhibition affects diet and long days impact on sleep...not ideal with 10 days to go till the Adventure Challenge.

Anyway, we made up for it at the weekend with an epic 25km hike in Liwa (the Empty Quarter) on Friday. Note – that's 25kms as the crow flies from checkpoint to checkpoint – we probably walked a lot further.

(the team gets ready by my car which is, well, in the middle of nowhere)

Advice: Google Earth is awesome for printing off topographical maps, measuring distances and setting yourself checkpoints. Very useful tool. NEVER go into the desert without these!

(feeling WAY too confident, I opt to do a jig of desert happiness - I know I look ridiculous but this is what a desert adventurer wears and, frankly, a couple of hundred kms from civilisation, comfort and survival take priority over fashion) 

(Lucy T makes her way through the vast expanses of the Empty Quarter)

The hike, frankly, was a killer. We all struggled, especially between noon and 2pm when temperatures shot up to the mid-30s and there was literally nowhere to hide. Crossing ranges of dunes is, without any doubt at all, the most exhausting, demoralising, evil, horrific type of activity anyone can do. The only real pro was that we finished alive.

Spotted in the desert: snake trails, a load of these hilarious little lizards that run around hyperactively on their back legs alone, and bones that looked suspiciously like human femurs.

(one of the only enjoyable things about dunes is getting to run down them - as ably demonstrated by Taylor)

The drive home took a few hours – Liwa's a long way from Dubai! - and, as we took my car, this meant I'd been driving or walking for 17 hours by the time we pulled into my drive at 9pmish.

Another problem with training for this type of event: you become a social pariah. It was my housemate's birthday and a lovely bunch of around 15 friends had come over for a BBQ. It was really, really nice – I had a couple of beers, a tasty giant prawn and some salad and decided to head upstairs for a much-needed shower before rejoining the party...I woke up at 10am the next day. Yep, I'd passed out with exhaustion. Social pariah!

However, the benefits came the next day. I felt groggy from a long day, but otherwise not too bad at all. Feet felt fine, no real aches...my attitude towards the desert hike portion of the challenge was even a lot more positive.

The team met up again at 3pm for kayaking and we went much further than we usually manage and all felt much stronger, I think. Finally, it felt like we were getting somewhere...result!

So...less than a week till the start of the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge 2009 and my feelings are extremely mixed. I'm actually less positive and more worried than I was a few weeks ago but, on the other hand, I think that was borne out of pure naivety; I now think I have a good idea of what's involved and what it will take to finish it.

It's going to be by far and away the hardest thing I've ever done – the toughest six days of my life – a mental and physical test of my body and my character.

Bring it on! Can't wait for my first weekwnd off and next night out..!