TOKEN BLOKE
Taking this spring’s metallic trend too far
I’m well used to people looking at me with curious or puzzled expressions. I am, after all, a bit weird and ugly. I’m also often seen running through my Wiltshire village wearing all sorts of extravagantly coloured items of clothing that may seem normal (ish) to us running folk, but less so to non runners. But even runners have been looking at me oddly lately. I wished one local man a good morning as I ran past him recently and he stood there, mouth agape, unable to answer, like something from a Benny Hill sketch. But then I was dressed from neck to ankle in a silver PVC suit.
I’ve been training for the Marathon des Sables (MdS), which takes place in the Sahara Desert, Morocco, around the time you’re reading this. North Africa in April is very different conditions to classic British early spring. To avoid melting into a pool of skin, sweat and bones the moment I step off the plane, I’ve been trying to acclimatise in advance. The PVC suit gets me dripping with sweat in no time, both helping simulate race conditions to a degree and helping me get back down towards my racing weight. (Note to self: stay off the pies when next injured.)
The University of Bath’s Physio and Sport Science Centre has also been a great help to me. Sport scientist Jonathan Robinson tested my lactate levels, VO2 max, running economy and respiratory exchange – excellent facilities that are open to all, they are keen to point out. Test results in a nutshell were that I could be fitter (and maybe I should eat less pies). They also allowed me to use their heat chamber to try to get my pasty British body accustomed to the intense heat of the Sahara.