Getting fat(ter) - December 16th 2012
16th December 2012
This training thing really isn't that hard... I am not fat enough and I need to put on 15kgs... I recently went out for dinner with Jock Wishart - the Polar Race organiser and world leading polar explorer. We discussed my progress... whilst I was probably fit and strong enough, one thing was clear from Jock. I am definitely not fat enough. I have worked out I need to put on another 15kgs (2 stone 5 lbs, or 33lbs) in just three months.
Whilst many people seem to think I need to be completely ripped and as lean as humanly possible for this race, the truth is very far from that. Whilst I definitely need to be stronger and fitter than I have ever been, I will also need to have more body fat than I have ever had as well.
There are two reasons why I need to be a fatty before I go, one is warmth, the other is energy storage:
Keeping warm
Having body fat is a little like wearing a blanket. Like almost all mammals in cold environments (think whales, bears, walruses etc), body fat acts to protect the organs from the elements. As fat deposits do not have many blood vessels, they act effectively to keep the blood away from the skin where it can quickly lose heat. At -50c, being a real tubber will certainly help keep you alive.
Energy storage
The reason a lot of fat will be useful is simply one of maths. Whilst I am racing to the pole, it is estimated I will be using 10,000 calories a day (that is 4 times a normal day for a male) - although there are a huge numbers of factors that influence calorie consumption (efficiency, temperature, heat retention, weight of sled etc). Despite eating as much fatty food as humanly possible whilst I am there, I will only be consuming about 6,000 calories. This leaves a calorie deficit of about 4,000 calories - the equivalent of running 1.5 marathons every single day without eating any food at all. I need a significant amount of extra calories to call upon to make up the deficit. Fat will be my friend.
If you do the maths on the above, I will have a total estimated calorie deficit of approximately 120,000 calories. Given 1kg of fat represents 7,700 calories - I will likely lose about 15.5kgs of extra body fat during my time in the arctic... clearly when I get back I will (hopefully) be only just under my normal body weight!
Getting fat - the journey has begun
I have been a little concerned about putting this weight on - I will be heavier than I have ever been. When I started my training in anger back in Februrary, I was 93kgs and comparatively unfit. My daily weigh 3 weeks ago showed I was down to 81kgs and just 11% body fat (and apparently the 'body age' of a 17 year old!). To put on another 15kgs, I need to eat the equivalent of 500 Cadbury Dairy Milk bars on top of my normal daily intake of 3,500 calories! That would work out as 5 bars per day between now and when I go.
I have started... by cutting down on the long runs, eating more than usual (anything I can get my hands on) and heading over to the US for a week, I have managed to put on 4kgs in just 3 weeks. It does feel very wrong... after all the effort and training to be getting fatter! The lowest, Alan Partridgeseque, moment was eating a quarter of a kilo of Smarties in one sitting.
I will definitely be enjoying my Christmas and trying not to feel to guilty...
Updates
Sand running and volcano climbing - November 29th, 2013
Why am I going so slowly? 8kph? Really!? My feet are on fire. There is sand in my shoes. This hurts. There are people staring at me. I am sweating more than I thought was possible. Hmm... This... more »
Intercontinental running - November 3rd 2013
A half marathon in Joburg. Have a shower, get on a plane, 16 hours later, get off the plane, run a half marathon in Washington DC. This style of life is becoming the norm and trust me...... more »
Facing up to the Marathon Des Sables - September 8th 2013
The (other) 'Toughest footrace on Earth', as described by the Discovery Channel. 7 brutal days of running 250km, through soft sand, in temperatures exceeding 50c, whilst carrying about... more »
Altitude, heat and hoodlums - August 25th, 2013
Move aside Thames Path with your variety of interesting historical monuments, your traffic free running lane and your shady tree laden shores. I am moving to Johannesburg, city of gold, hills... more »
Part 2: Cruising to Polaris - April 11th 2013
The weather was amazing as we left Resolute for our epic journey ahead. It was ‘only’ about -17c, no wind and beautiful sunshine. For the next few days, we would be pushing forward... more »
Part 1: Journey to the top of the world - April 6th 2013
The nostril hairs and my eyelashes started to freeze up – something that has only happened a few times in my life – typically at about -25c. The worst part was that I was still a two... more »
'Adventure is just bad planning' - March 31st 2013
It is with Amundsen's quote that I start my final blog before my own attempt to walk to a pole. Whilst I doubt my effort will be as celebrated, I hope it will be as successful. In the final... more »
Counting Down... - March 13th 2013
100s of KGs of kit, hundreds of individual items, food to be purchased in Canada, guns and ammunition to manage and sponsorship/fundraising efforts to sort out - the lead in to the North Pole is... more »
Success on Aconcagua - February 9th 2013
100kph winds, -40c, deep snow... I had it all in my fight to get to the summit of the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemisphere's at 6,962m (22,841ft). Whilst telling everyone... more »
How cold is 'cold'? - January 6th 2013
One of the most common questions people ask me is 'how cold will it be at the North Pole?', to which I normally reply 'could be anything from -25c to -55c... and with windchill,... more »

Maps & Tracking

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VSO

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