Todd Mei

The Steve Edwards Birthday Challenge: To be completed in a 24 hour period starting Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 12:00:01 AM (since 22/11 is a Monday):

5000 finger-tip push-ups/press-ups
50 two-finger, one-arm pull ups/chin-ups (each arm)
Drink 5 rye Manhattans
Lose 5 kilos (11 lbs) by start of 24 hour period: original weigh-in 70.8 kilos (156 lbs) at the start of my training (20/09/10)
5 seconds doing the Jean Claude van Damme splits
Raise £500 for RSPCA by the start of 24 hour period
By the start of the 24 hour period, I will have inspired 5 people to undertake birthday challenges of their own (on their own birthdays)

During the 24 hour period, I will watch Season 7 of the television programme “24” with the following conditions:

each time the word “now” is said, I have to do either 20 V-ups or 50 crunches (stomach stuff)
each time Jack disobeys orders, I have to drink a shot of bourbon
if Jack is tortured in an episode, I cannot drink water for the remainder of the episode

Lisa’s call to Steve’s friends came just at the right time for me as I was looking for new challenges to break my academic sleep. Training has been brutal, with the noted addition of a drinking rule which requires that for every drink had, an extra mile must be added to my normal run. I’m allowed to store miles “in the bank”, but credit only lasts for 24 hours. Most notable incident to date: having to run 12 miles (an addition of 7 miles) the first morning of a philosophy conference in Oxford. “Here’s to my frieeeeeeendssss!”

The Eater
Todd's BDay Challenge Wrap Up

First, thanks to all those who provided fund raising and moral support for my challenge. A special thanks to Patricia Baker, my wife, for putting up with 60 days of training and 60 days of a grumpy "Todd" on a strict diet. A hearty thanks to Lisa Romney for organizing all this and rallying Steve's friends for this magnificent collection of challenges.

I think this is the most continuous and intensive training I’ve done for one thing in my life. In 60 days of training, I completed:

Pull-ups
3054 regular pull-ups
16 one-arm pull-ups (each arm)
229 two-finger one-arm pull-ups (each arm)
95 two-finger one-arm pull-ups with 2.5 lbs added weight (each arm)
119 two-finger one-arm pull-ups with 5.5 lbs added weight (each arm)

Push-ups
532 regular push-ups
17,328 finger-tip push-ups

Core
13,600 crunches
3480 half-crunches
4287 V-ups
1686 hanging knee bends
2070 hanging half-knee bends

Cardio
505 miles of running
255 minutes of break dancing
390 minutes of calisthenics
127 miles of walking

Miscellaneous
1 rest day
80 units of alcohol

The dieting part of the challenge dictated the amount of cardio since the last 5 lbs to lose were quite difficult to shed. Repetitive stress on my fingers and elbows also caused numbness in my left hand in the last 30 days or so of training.
But the actual challenge went down extremely well, and my strategy on the day of was to complete half of the push-ups in the first six hours. This proved effective, but 13 hours later and even though I had only 700 push-ups left, my left elbow was afire with pain. Huge calloused blisters on both thumbs meant constant leakage onto the floor. Most monotonous of all was the kneeling “rest” position between push-up sets. Blisters formed on the tops of my feet from this, and my hamstrings became quite sore.

The day after, well, I can’t grab things because my thumbs won’t bend too well. My left side is numb (mostly my pinkie and pinkie toe). But at least I can now eat!

This is the first time I’ve completed a challenge in full, so Steve’s birthday proved an apt occasion and motivation. Happy Birthday, paly!

Birthday Challenge Summary

Start time: 5pm GMT (Cocktail Hour), Friday, Nov 19, 2010
Finish time: 4:59pm GMT, Saturday, Nov 20, 2010
Weigh-in: 144.8 lbs.
RSPCA funds raised: £565
Number of People Inspired to do Challenges of Their Own: 5 (Patricia Baker, Josh Lavik, Michael Kim, Jamie Buckland, and George Darby)
5000 finger-tip push-ups completed (within 19 hours, Saturday 11am)
50 two-finger, one-arm pull-ups (each arm) completed (within 16 hours, Saturday 8am)
6250 crunches completed (“now” said 125 times)
7 shots of bourbon (Jack Bauer disobeyed orders 7 times)
1 episode without water (Jack tortured once)
5 Rye Manhattans shaken and drank
5 kilos (11 lbs) lost in body weight by the start of the 24 hour period
5 seconds of the van Damme splits held
If you want my training schedule, I kept a record and be happy to pass it on to anyone else foolish enough to make finger-tip push-ups a part of their challenge.

To the feasts of the Good, the Good unbidden go . . .

The Executair