Dreams Come Alive

That was Ben Pulham’s observation after my Fuel Efficiency test at Racers’ Toolbox this afternoon. Founded by sports scientist and kinesiologist Jon Fong and world ranked elite triathlete Ben Pulham, Racers’ Toolbox specialises in sports science testing, fitness assessment and crafts personalised training plans for their clients.

Today was my first appointment with the experts and I was being tested on how I am currently using my energy. In a nutshell, our body uses a mix of carbohydrates and fat during exercise (click here to read more about this) and the Fuel Efficiency test is designed to test just how much of each we burn and when.

From a starting speed of 3.5 km/hour I began walking and then running on a treadmill and watched as the machine recorded the levels of fat and carbohydrates I was burning. My fat burning stopped after 17 minutes and at a speed of just under 12 km/hr. Had I continued running I would have drawn my energy from pure carbohydrates. This would eventually lead to a situation of what athletes call “hitting the wall”. Not good.

The better news is that my body composition revealed pretty ideal figures, with my sum of 8 skinfolds (to us laymen, it means I had my fat measured by callipers on 8 different parts of my body. Twice.) reading 63.3mm. Apparently ‘normal’ people average 100mm. My body fat came up to 7.7%. While I know of many friends who would kill to have that number, I think I may need to increase that a little, just so to help me withstand the cold in Antarctica.

Following the test, Jon sat down and explained what my charts meant and how he intended to use that information to draw up a training plan based on my needs and goals. This is excellent news to me as my training has so far lacked structure and scientific basis, reduced to simply clocking up distances.

We will start off with long slow runs and build on volume. Volume here means time spent on feet at an efficient heart rate zone. Distance is immaterial here as I need to train my body to burn fat and maintain that over long periods of time. In due course this will lead to my running faster and longer. Also an initial thing to work on is my cadence and stride, with an aim of 88 to 92 strides per minute.

The exact plan will be drawn up next Tuesday when I return for my Lactate test, which determines my lactate thresholds. This is the point in exercise when our lactate begins to accumulate in the muscles. It is a physiological marker that is closely associated with aerobic endurance performance – the higher the lactate threshold, the better the aerobic endurance performance. From here we can establish my exercise intensity and increase my performance in endurance events.

So the fantastic news is that because I am simply good and not great, there is massive potential and room for improvement! Can’t wait!

Just a fortnight after my completion of the Gobi March, Braving Antarctica was officially launched on 21st July Wednesday evening at VivoCity. Graced by Mr Teo Ser Luck – Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, main sponsors Pet Lovers Centre presented The Salvation Army with an initial $15,000 cheque donation to go toward Gracehaven, home for children and youths from dysfunctional families.

Click here for more information on Braving Antarctica. Warm hearts are also needed as I prepare for this freezing endeavour, so please do make a difference now.

Now that I have had a few days to get over the daze of post-Gobi March, I shall get back to blogging. Many people want to find out how the Gobi March (GM) compared with the Sahara Race (SR). As you may know, I am working on a book to be published upon completion of the 4 Deserts (after the Sahara Race last year and Gobi March last week, I have Antarctica this Nov and Atacama next March to go) so I will be relatively brief with my lessons and discoveries here and begin with some factual experiences as per the following categories:

Blisters

SR: Rather fortunate to have gotten away with a mere 5 blisters.

GM: Ended with 3 teeny weeny itsy bitsy little blisters that are enough to be an annoyance but not sufficient to be a serious impediment to progress. Various muscle groups on both legs and parts of soles were sore, pulled and aching but early detection and appropriate TLC made sure that they did not threaten to balloon into anything major.

Weight Loss

SR: Only 3.5kg

GM: A negligible half kg, which I attribute to better food selection and moving at the right pace. What I brought gave me the appropriate levels of nutrition required for the task and I consumed just about everything bar a packet of miso soup and two muesli bars.

Pack Weight

SR: 11kg without water

GM: 9.5kg without water. Dispensed with powder electrolytes in favour of tablets for the Gobi, and in fact went the first 3 days without using any. I gather that my salt intake through food proved sufficient replacement for what I had lost through perspiration. Also left the packets of desserts at home.

Terrain and Difficulty

SR: Flatter with greater expanse of nothingness, which makes for easier running.

GM: More terrain variation and absolutely spectacular and stunning scenery, combined with river crossings and traipsing through villages. The temperature swings made things more challenging; I hardly slept the first two nights and the shivering just consumed precious calories.

That’s all for now. Will be back soon with more and with updates on my sponsorship and fundraising efforts for The Last Desert – Antarctica.