A mountain still left to climb; The Journal's Jon Tunney is taking on the sporting challenge of a lifetime to raise money for the Puffin Appeal in memory of a friend who died from asthma.

AFTER three months of heart-pumping, sweat-soaked toil, I was about to find out what I had achieved.

It was a moment of quiet reflection as I faced the prospect of 40 minutes on a treadmill, breathing through an oxygen mask and with every twitch of my pulse monitored, digested and spewed out by a computer.

Since March, I had run 105 miles, cycled 84 miles and swum 34 miles. I had lifted weights, performed countless sit-ups and spin sessions.

I had torn muscle fibres in my calf, strained my neck and fallen off my bike.

I had given up 80 hours to train, seldom stayed in bed after 6.30am and spent the best part of pounds 2,000 on sports equipment and physiotherapy.

So it mattered.

There were no cheering crowds, no adoring fans, no medals to be won. It wasn't the Olympic trials - but it mattered to me.

It mattered that all the effort I had put in would mean something, that I would be able to see the fruits of my labour.

I wanted the computer print-out to show my 33-year-old frame could rise to the athletic challenge and the mountains could be scaled.

When I took the tests at the start of March, coaches Kev Thomas and Emma Cockburn were pleased with my performance on the treadmill, less so on the bike.

I weighed just over 79kg, of which 28.1% was made up of fat. My running times were improving before a two-month injury-enforced lay-off, while my cycling was getting better, but inhibited by a lack of confidence.

In the pool - the only triathlon distance not being measured - my performance had progressed..

I was relieved when running and cycling in the lab showed a marked improvement.

In fact, Kev's projections showed a 7.5-minute improvement over the tri's 10km running test and six minutes on the 40km bike section.

Further encouraging signs were the measurements of production of lactate in my system and the heart rate needed to pump oxygen to my muscles during exercise.

The only downside came in the bodpod - I had gained weight in the last three months, although my body fat had shrunk to 24.9%.

I now have to increase my workload and bring in new elements alongside the endurance.

This is a big step for me - changing my diet and cutting down on the booze. Kev wants me to shift 10kg (roughly a stone and a half) which he thinks should be relatively easy. That would make it a first in my athletic challenge.

. Follow Jon's progress in the Journal and at http://blogs.journallive.co.uk /journalblogcentral/jon_tunney..

ABOUT THE PUFFIN APPEAL

OVER nine months, Jon will attempt to complete a triathlon and a half-iron man -and possibly a halfmarathon and long-distance bike race.

He is raising money through The Puffin Appeal to help equip a new world-class ward for children with respiratory illnesses in Newcastle.

Jon said: "It is a cause close to my heart. My mate Matt Stewart-Smith died a few years ago after years of coping with asthma..

"We spent the first few years of our lives together in the same street in Ryton, Gateshead, and our mums are still best friends.

"I know times are tough for a lot of our readers and there are many worthwhile causes to consider for charitable donations.

. Go to www.puffinappeal.com to learn more about the charity.

Or visit www.justgiving.com/jontunney and follow the instructions..

WEIGHT-LOSS IT sounds too good to be true when someone tells you to eat more in order to lose weight.

But that is my new regime. I've been ordered to eat every three hours to try and shed 10kg before the race in August.

The science of it goes like this: because I'm training a lot I get very hungry between meals, then when I finally eat, my body stores all the grub immediately because it fears it won't get fed again any time soon.

So Northumbria Uni sports nutritionist Mark Stone has advised eating up to six meals a day to spread my calorific intake better.

To my great dismay, I have also been told to slash my booze intake.

So my three normal meals of the day will now be augmented by mid-morning and mid-afternoon protein shakes, plus the odd snack of lean chicken or bits of fruit.

Cutting my fat intake will also mean less red meat and more fish, while wholegrain carbohydrates are also important..There were no cheering crowds and adoring fans, no medals to be won - but it mattered to me.

CAPTION(S):

PEDAL POWER Jon Tunney.