Inside the Heat Chamber

Its a small room, barely big enough for an oversized treadmill and 2 stationary cycles but this is the final and main part of my heat acclimatisation training for the 2014 Marathon des Sables. I'm at the University of Chichester in the physiology department and I'm about to go for a run. 

Essentially the idea behind heat acclimatisation is to prepare the body for exposure to different weather conditions. I've been told that it is most effective in the 10 days leading up to an event hence my presence in Chichester now. Over the next 9 days I will be subjecting myself to 7 heat sessions each lasting for around an hour. It is hoped that my repeated exposure will assist me being able to tolerate the harsh conditions of the desert while also recognising the signs and symptoms of when I start to boil in my own bag !!

The temperature inside is currently 37 degrees and the humidity is 50%, however conditions in the chamber can be dropped to minus 20. Considering the fact that I have just inserted a small rectal thermometer I think I'm rather upbeat :-) I'm wearing my MdS rucksack packed with food, sleeping bag and water bottles strapped to the front. 

As I step onto the treadmill my core temperature is 37.2 degrees (quite normal) and I start jogging. I opt for a conservative 10k per hour although I'm not sure maintaining this in Morocco will be practical for very long, especially over mountains and dunes. Anyhow I feel good for now so on I plod.Over the next 30 minutes my core temperature is measured regularly and I reach the goal of 38.5 degrees. The Dr tells me this is where we want to keep my body for the best acclimatisation. Its necessary to slow to a jog and I even switch to the bike for a while to allow another runner access to the treadmill. My heart rate is monitored too, on the treadmill is pretty normal but on the bike it jumps up.

Back on the treadmill my temperature is constant however onwards the 50 minute mark I reach 39 degrees and the humidity is at 65%. Even before the Dr tells me this I know my body has changed, I'm somewhat lightheaded and really looking forward to stopping. By the time I stop at just over an hour my core temperature is 39.2 degrees, I've lost 1.3 litres of water through sweat and not drank hardly enough. Over the first 3 sessions I drink 184ml, 330ml and 600+ ml respectively. If I allow this to happen in the desert I'm going to experience dehydration and may fail to finish, with this much water being lost I also need to consider salt replacement.

What have I learnt so far ...

1) I really need to hydrate properly in the desert and I must start this process immediately

2) When my core temperatures elevates and I start to feel it, I need to slow down, rest and take on fluid immediately. This is because the core temperature continues to climb for a while even after you stop.

Its too early to say how the acclimatisation will prepare me for next week however if nothing else I feel more mentally prepared than ever before.





update .....

All 7 sessions now completed. The temperatures reached 41 degrees and the humidity wavered between 20-40%. I'm tired now but feel good for having completed the sessions and I believe I know my body that little bit better.  Apparently my starting core temperature dropped throughout the week and my ability to sweat increased. I took a copy of my figures which I have attached for interests sake. Enjoy. 

Grams v Kcal !!!!

 

So with only 2 and a half weeks left to go its suddenly become very real indeed. I have boxes of stuff at home, packets of this and samples of that. Empty containers for space saving, zip lock bags all over the place. 

The battle is now to get a light pack. My training is complete bar some heat acclimatization so my body weight won't change too much. All my kit is purchased and tested, what I now need to do is confirm exactly what I taking and shave off a few grams here and there for an overall weight saving.

A minimum pack of 6.5kg is compulsory, this consists of the following:

1 - Compulsory kit items such as venom pump, disinfectant, sleeping bag, knife, mirror

2 - Food, minimum compulsory of 14,000 kcal

3 - Luxuries - pillow, coffee, sleeping mat etc

Training with a pack up to 8kg has taught me that every gram counts. Maybe I should have trained with a heavier one but running with only a 5.5kg pack on sunday and it felt potitively light !!!

The dining table now houses my potential food for the week (the wife doesn't find it as funny as me). Currently the weight of it is 3912kg with calories of 17,640, I can remember almost every item off by heart now !!!. The list doesn't include some of my drinks yet so slim it down I must. When I have a definitive list I'll post again :-)

Worthing 20 2014

I love the Worthing 20.

Its a lovely race with a local feel, I am slightly bias however as its my clubs very own race. TheWorthing Harriers.

The Worthing 20 as I've said before is well Positioned in the race calendar in preparation for the spring Marathon season. If you are training in full swing its usually your last long run as it often falls on mothers day, but this year it was held earlier which was great for me. The race itself is fast and flat, 4 laps of Goring (Worthing). There are 2 drinks stations and every couple hundred yards there are friendly Marshall's cheering you on and blocking off roads making it nice and safe.

Many people don't like a loop race but here its just enough, seeing the Marshall's (many club runners who are helping out) regularly is great and there is plenty of banter. This year the weather was a lovely spring morning with a nice cool air and not much breeze to speak of. Perfect if you ask me. If my training had been different I might have been heading for a PB but today was all about MdS prep today.

Last year I finished in 2:15 however this year I would be running with my MdS weighted pack at a steady pace. Fellow MDSer Marcus was good enough to join me for the run and we hooked up with Sharla and Lesley, 2 Harriers club runners who are a great laugh. Last year the girls ran round in just under 3 hours so this would be my goal too if I could stay with them.

Having had a week of skiing I felt fairly fresh legged but the pack has a habit of pulling you down into the ground. I can't recommend enough the need to train with the pack and I'm now starting to think that maybe I haven't done enough. Anyhow after chatting to lots of friendly runners and saying hi to Maureen the race organiser it was off onto the front. Marcus and I wore all our MdS clothing with weighted packs, during the race I observed the following:

1) I had my sleeping bag attached to the rear of my pack and on reflection it was soaked in sweat by the end so I need to rethink this strategy
2) The glue from my Velcro on the trainers was coming loose. Good job they are stitched too but I'm sending them back for a touch up
3) The pack was great overall but I think it will chafe around my neck without tape
4) The raidlight bottles were great
5) My sunglasses steamed up :-(

Marcus, I and the girls chatted with each other and lots of other interested runners throughout. We finished in 2:57, pretty much spot on target, all four of us in a line and with big smiles. I was clearly tired and Marcus seemed fresh as a daisy as he jogged off for another 15 miles afterwards. Marcus is a cyclist and it clearly does his endurance a world of good. The idea of a road race so close to an off road event might seem silly but for me it was a safe way to test everything out and get a few good miles under my belt while supporting my club too :-)

Is it worth the Risk?

At the begining of March I went skiing with my wife and daughter for a week. I'm not a great skier (much better boarder) and its so close to the event that I shouldn't risk injury but its been booked for ages and I'm really keen to get the family out there and especially my 6 year old on skiis for the first time.

I didn't run at all this week although I did find a sauna and I had a few quality sessions.

I ate lots of bread

Luckily I didn't sustain any injuries

When we returned we were delayed and we didn't arrive home until around 03:00, I had to be on the start line of the Worthing 20 at 09:00. Doh.

Was it worth it ... look at her smile ... amazing

Heat Training

Wow its expensive.

Initially I dismissed it due to cost but as I was away in Surrey I earned some extra cash and have decided to put it to good use. By the way for anyone reading this considering the MdS, it is expensive, not just the £3500 to go but all the kit, the races, the trips away, the food testing, the exchange of kit, more buying of kit, it goes on and on.

Anyway, Chichester University are running a Heat Acclimatisation course the week running up to my departure. It consists of 7 x 2 hr sessions. Basically you kit up, insert a ... rectal thermometer ... yes you heard right and then run on a treadmill in what is basically a sauna for an hour. They get your core temperature up to 38.5 ish degrees and keep it there for an hour while you run, walk, cycle.

The idea is that acclimatisation is only effect for a very short period but it gets you used to the heat so you can perform better when you experience it out in the desert. The same system is used in Kingston but Chichester is nice and local for me. I suppose you could go on holiday for a week or build your own sauna but this was my choice.

In order to pre prepare I thought about a bit of pre acclimatisation training, so in the 3 weeks before I am also completing the following:

Sauna - Every week day. If its before work I can only squeeze in 30 mins but its nice as the temperature is rising so its not full whack when I first get in. If I;m in later in the day, I have been building up to 15 minutes, break, 10 mins, break then what ever I can manage after or squeeze in, time permitting.


Dynamic Hot Yoga - In Hove I have found a great Hot Yoga class, the temperature isn't as significant as Bikram as it remains just below body temperature but its a full 90 minute class. I'm going 3 times a week and its also a good excuse to get in some quality stretching which I often fail to do.


When I return from Morocco I'll post an update on what I thought of the heat preparation but at the moment I certainly feel that after only a week I can handle the heat I have experienced much better :-)