Training Notes: 1st October
Two parts to this one. Last week was different to normal. It is the time of year I usually head down to Devon to go sailing with my dad and my uncle. This year was not an option. Uncle Steve’s partner, Bea, is undergoing treatment for cancer and his boat is out of the water with some dry rot. With Steve at home caring for the two women in his life, I decided to head away with my dad instead. My cousin Charlotte lives in Switzerland and, rather fortuitously, has a place up in the mountains. Flights booked and we were all set.
The plan was simple enough. I would go for a run and take in some hills and then we would spend a few hours up in the mountains walking. The weather was not on our side, but as we headed higher we got above the clouds and enjoyed some great views. More importantly, aside from the hills and training, I got to spend four days hiking with my dad. We talked about everything. We even talked about running and that daft race in Badwater. It is fair to say Mum and Dad have not always understood the quest, but up in the mountains, talking about the world, the future and the past, I think Dad started to see why it is not just a race. It is how I frame my very existence.
Dad wondering what he’d let himself in for…
By Wednesday a tickle in the back of my throat was developing and I was starting to get a cold. Not what I wanted for four days in the mountains. I took my trusty Centoreze (it does work really well) and decided I would do the walks and skip the runs. I was frustrated to only get two runs in, but perhaps the whole week was more worthwhile for heart and soul as a result. Dad did pretty well too, putting in decent climbs and distance. Not bad for a 76-year-old!
Well I wasn’t going to make it easy was I!
I came back and, with the week’s plan out of kilter, had to squeeze a few weekend runs around childcare commitments.
Tuesday brought a new challenge. Rach sent me an email a few weeks back about a study on core body temperature and the effectiveness of skin based monitoring. She said it might be “up my strasse”. I skimmed the overview, clocked that the test was in a 50 degrees C heat chamber, thought that sounded brilliant, and emailed Chris, the research student.
When Rach said “up my strasse” I did not think it through, but there is only one way to test whether skin worn sensors truly track core temperature, and that is by having a thermometer in your core.
The test is part of a two part study in chambers at 50 and 25 degrees. I was very excited and the day did not disappoint. I will spare the finer details, but the whole experience was very useful. Chris is specialising in extreme heat exposure, which made him a perfect conversation partner. After running in the chamber for 30 minutes I had to sit completely still for a further 60. It was clear to see that sitting still was clearly harder for me than running!
I will be back to the chamber at Roehampton again for some specific acclimatisation training later in the year.
Right, that is it for today. I am writing this on a Wednesday, which means one thing - double interval day - so I had better get out there and get session two in the bank.
In the chamber, take a special type of fool to be excited by this. I guess that red line is temperature?