The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
Preparing for Adventure in Abu Dhabi
Andy Wilson / 14.11.2008
Winning the selection to represent SleepMonsters at the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge is a massive opportunity for FGS, coming just when we were looking to extend our challenge to the team categories in UK races and further a field. We intend to take full advantage, and also justify our selection, so firstly we must make good on the promises we made as to how we would prepare for the challenge, and we hope that our experiences both in preparation and at the race itself will be a springboard to other challenges ahead.
In the past I've mainly raced solo or in pairs, with occasional forays into team racing in the shorter races, and have done reasonably well. My experience of longer format team races however is quite different and not successful at all, but at least gave me some insight into what does not work & why a successful approach to this format is so much harder to get right. So, while the Abu Dhabi competition was a huge opportunity, it was also something that held no interest for me unless the assembled team learned the lessons of my past failures.
The two things of paramount importance to me were that we should have well matched ambitions and strengths, and that everyone would be committed to training together as a team as much as possible in the short time before the race. I certainly believe we've managed the first one with the chosen line-up. My only concern is that I might be the weakest link, but that'll only spur me on to train harder, besides, I'll have the map so they'll be going nowhere without me!
What makes a team work well? I have no definitive answer but I believe it's essential that teammates know and understand each other well enough to be honest and open, with each other as well as themselves, under all manner of pressures. Hide your weaknesses from rivals by all means, but hiding from your teammates is futile. You're in it together, and if they're not there to help and encourage when you need them, then they're the wrong teammates.
This kind of understanding and trust doesn't often happen with a swift hello and shake of hands on the start line. It develops through shared experience and endeavor, and we have little enough time for this before Abu Dhabi, but for me this was an essential requirement, so we planned to have at least 3 full training weekends away together before the race. In these weekends we would work on our endurance, skills and specifically our weaknesses, but most importantly spend time together, building a sense of camaraderie and understanding, so that we can better overcome the challenges we will meet, when the pressure is on during the race, and so have a more successful race and enjoyable experience.
SleepMonsters
