On Monday I could not sleep so went out for a run at around 05h30 in the dark on one of my normal runs using a head-torch. It's quite a different way to run as the limited light means you need to tread a little more carefully. As I had more time than normal for a run I decided to run to the little stream where I knew I could get a cold water dip in. And as it was so dark once I got to the woods I decided to strip off my shorts to get maximum cold exposure and got around 10k of the 14 k run in that state. It was not that cold (maybe 5C) but it was a little misty.
Once at the stream I took the plunge and spent around 5 minutes in the water and then carried on with my run. I dont know what the temperature of the stream was but it did not feel much colder than the air and my body got used to the temperature quite quickly.
I warmed up a bit on the run home and then took a cold shower to wash the mud off me. I did not shiver much on the run, swim or shower but as I was warming up afterwards I did shiver quite a lot.
I am away from home for a few days now and have been pursuing some more
cold weather and cold water activities that have been interesting. I am further north in the UK than my home town and the water out of the tap is definitely much colder. So today I also took a long cold bath after I woke up.
I managed around 20 minutes. The shivering started at around 8 minutes and lasted quite a while. I managed to keep my head under the water for a few minutes too which is an improvement over past times I have tried that. I noticed that towards the end my heart rate had slowed a bit but did not have chance to see how much slower it was.
I shivered quite a lot afterwards while warming up but my hands and feet were OK and seemed to recover mobility quite quickly.
The weather is due to get colder tonight so I may try and get out for a run in the morning in below freezing temps around where I am staying. I will let you know the outcome.
Showing posts with label Shivering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shivering. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Well. Christmas and New Year have come and gone and I dont have a lot to report here. December in the UK was wet but not that cold. I had many shirtless runs and the occasional cold shower but nothing worthy of a blog entry.
Today, however I did something I have not done for a while. I ran a cold bath and set the timer for 11 minutes (it was supposed to be 10 mins but I went over and couldnt be bothered to reset it). I dont know what temp the water was but I guess around 8C or 9C. I started the timer as I got in and then lay down to enjoy it. No cold shock, rapid breathing on getting in so I guess I am still conditioned!
Taking a bath or a swim is much different from a cold shower. The water is all encompassing and envelops the body in a cloak of cold.
I got to about 8 minutes before some shivering set in but that soon passed and at around the 10 minute mark I decided to put my head completely under the water for the last minute leaving only my nose and mouth out. In the past I have not been able to keep my head under the water but this time I managed to do it.
After the first 11 minutes were over I still felt OK so I styed in the water and set the timer going again with a resolve to stay the full 11 minutes (which I did). The shivering increased over this second session to the point I was shivering quite uncontrollably at one stage. This was not uncomfortable, and in some ways it was quite exciting and enjoyable as I have not experience this for quite a long time. As with the first time, for the last minute I kept my head under the water.
As I write this I am in warming up and having the occassional shivering session. One of my fingers is still white from the cold with little circulation but other than that I feel good and quite invigorated.
I will probably do this a few more times this coming week as I am off to see a fellow runner and cold water swimer in Scotland the week of 14 January. I hope to report back on at least 1 or 2 run/swim combinations while I am there. He has promised to take me to 2 of the local lochs for a swim in them. They should be at around the 5C mark by now so it will be interesting, especially as we plan to run to and from them in just our speedo swim suits.
For the record my weight seems to be staying pretty constant at around 66Kg.
Today, however I did something I have not done for a while. I ran a cold bath and set the timer for 11 minutes (it was supposed to be 10 mins but I went over and couldnt be bothered to reset it). I dont know what temp the water was but I guess around 8C or 9C. I started the timer as I got in and then lay down to enjoy it. No cold shock, rapid breathing on getting in so I guess I am still conditioned!
Taking a bath or a swim is much different from a cold shower. The water is all encompassing and envelops the body in a cloak of cold.
I got to about 8 minutes before some shivering set in but that soon passed and at around the 10 minute mark I decided to put my head completely under the water for the last minute leaving only my nose and mouth out. In the past I have not been able to keep my head under the water but this time I managed to do it.
After the first 11 minutes were over I still felt OK so I styed in the water and set the timer going again with a resolve to stay the full 11 minutes (which I did). The shivering increased over this second session to the point I was shivering quite uncontrollably at one stage. This was not uncomfortable, and in some ways it was quite exciting and enjoyable as I have not experience this for quite a long time. As with the first time, for the last minute I kept my head under the water.
As I write this I am in warming up and having the occassional shivering session. One of my fingers is still white from the cold with little circulation but other than that I feel good and quite invigorated.
I will probably do this a few more times this coming week as I am off to see a fellow runner and cold water swimer in Scotland the week of 14 January. I hope to report back on at least 1 or 2 run/swim combinations while I am there. He has promised to take me to 2 of the local lochs for a swim in them. They should be at around the 5C mark by now so it will be interesting, especially as we plan to run to and from them in just our speedo swim suits.
For the record my weight seems to be staying pretty constant at around 66Kg.
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Day 11 - Abject Failure! and Questions........
After Yesterday's success I thought I deserved a break, so today I took a hot shower and did my previously normal shower routine (shampoo and face/body shave). What a great feeling to be able to shave in the shower again in hot water and get a completely smooth finish. I did finish with about a minute or two of cold water right at the end but it was not the same feeling as being totally immersed. I agree with Paul that this is the only way to really get the cold water feeling.
So why do I feel so bad about this? Probably because I felt I let myself (and my few readers) down. I have not really had a chance to shower or bath later today either and tomorrow looks like it is going to be just as bad. My home situation is a little difficult and I really need to be alone at home to have the freedom and time to take a very cold bath and also have the time to recover afterwards (those around me just would not understand why I need to do this).
As I was thinking about this post I was spending some time reading old posts from the yahoo toughness group. I like Paul's idea of having a permanent cold water tub or bath available 24x7 and thinking about how I could plan this into my situation - I am sure that with planning I will be able to do this over time. I have a secluded space (i.e. where I can get in and out naked without the neighbours seeing me) at the side of my garage where I could quite easily put a tub and insulate it etc.
Also, I realise I do need to have a proper exercise routine to adhere to after the cold water dip. Running up and down stairs a few times, push-ups and sit-ups are really not my thing - a rowing machine sounds good as does a home gym. Anyone have one to give away that they are not using?
I think I may have the wrong idea about cold and warm. I initially thought that the idea was to be cold all the time to allow or force the body to generate its own heat, I now think that this is partially true - it should only be for a limited period of time. If you cant get your body to generate its own heat you need to help it get back to normal by putting on dry clothes, exercising and letting the body get back to normal in a reasonable time period or warming it up gradually as in swimming in a heated swimming pool at some 20-something degrees C or even having a luke-warm cup of tea. I guess starting this routine in the middle of winter was not such a good idea. I guess it's also permissible to have more than one cold session a day, just as it's possible to have multiple showers in a day.
Also after yesterday's, lengthy session in pretty cold water I started to wonder how low does your body temp have to drop before it has bad effects on your body (liver, kidneys, heart etc. ). I reckon my body temp went down by around 4 degrees C yesterday. According to the medial stuff on hypothermia I looked at over the past days I should have been shivering almost uncontrollably by the end of my session (but I wasn't - I was starting to enjoy it and was totally lucid the whole time). Anyone have any ideas about when enough is enough or just plain too much?
Maybe I just need a local "toughness" buddy to work with on this and to keep an eye on me to stop me from doing something stupid and to ush me to achieve more.
So why do I feel so bad about this? Probably because I felt I let myself (and my few readers) down. I have not really had a chance to shower or bath later today either and tomorrow looks like it is going to be just as bad. My home situation is a little difficult and I really need to be alone at home to have the freedom and time to take a very cold bath and also have the time to recover afterwards (those around me just would not understand why I need to do this).
As I was thinking about this post I was spending some time reading old posts from the yahoo toughness group. I like Paul's idea of having a permanent cold water tub or bath available 24x7 and thinking about how I could plan this into my situation - I am sure that with planning I will be able to do this over time. I have a secluded space (i.e. where I can get in and out naked without the neighbours seeing me) at the side of my garage where I could quite easily put a tub and insulate it etc.
Also, I realise I do need to have a proper exercise routine to adhere to after the cold water dip. Running up and down stairs a few times, push-ups and sit-ups are really not my thing - a rowing machine sounds good as does a home gym. Anyone have one to give away that they are not using?
I think I may have the wrong idea about cold and warm. I initially thought that the idea was to be cold all the time to allow or force the body to generate its own heat, I now think that this is partially true - it should only be for a limited period of time. If you cant get your body to generate its own heat you need to help it get back to normal by putting on dry clothes, exercising and letting the body get back to normal in a reasonable time period or warming it up gradually as in swimming in a heated swimming pool at some 20-something degrees C or even having a luke-warm cup of tea. I guess starting this routine in the middle of winter was not such a good idea. I guess it's also permissible to have more than one cold session a day, just as it's possible to have multiple showers in a day.
Also after yesterday's, lengthy session in pretty cold water I started to wonder how low does your body temp have to drop before it has bad effects on your body (liver, kidneys, heart etc. ). I reckon my body temp went down by around 4 degrees C yesterday. According to the medial stuff on hypothermia I looked at over the past days I should have been shivering almost uncontrollably by the end of my session (but I wasn't - I was starting to enjoy it and was totally lucid the whole time). Anyone have any ideas about when enough is enough or just plain too much?
Maybe I just need a local "toughness" buddy to work with on this and to keep an eye on me to stop me from doing something stupid and to ush me to achieve more.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Day 10 - A Breakthrough?
Hopefully today is a breakthrough day for me. The bath today was the coldest to date a cool 9C and filled to the top. As the outside temp is dropping so is the water temp from the tap.
I am strangely looking forward to these sessions now. Today I set the time for 10 minutes as usual and got in. It still takes me a few seconds to adjust to the cold. I thought by now I would be able to control my breathing better when I get in. Kept my hands in the water again today. I think that is the worst part - feeling my hands become painful and then working through it. I was not shivering by the time the buzzer went so I thought I would set it for another 10 minutes and see how long I could go without getting too cold and shivering. I surprised myself by staying in for another 10 full minutes! I probably could have done longer if I was able to generate additional body heat by moving around (like swimming or water aerobics).
At the end of it my hands were quite numb and difficult to move with "pins and needles" type sensations in them. I was not shivering too badly by the end of the session. I was alert and quite invigorated. I keep looking for signs that my body (or mind) cant cope but haven't found any that I am worried about yet.
I warmed up a little by running up and down the stairs a few times and doing some push-ups. Although as I write this some 30 minutes later, fully dressed and after a cup of hot tea, my body has the occasional shivering "spasm" when I sit still for a longish period. Is this normal when recovering from lowering your body temperature by a few degrees in this way? How long should the shivering last?
Funny observation 1 hour after my cold soak: I tried taking my temperature by putting a ,edical oral thermometer in my mouth. The digital one that I tried first time registered "L" -too low to get a reading so i had to revert to the traditional one. This reads 35.1C so I guess I managed to drop my core body temp by 3 or 4 degrees this morning. I dont think i will be telling my Doctor about this as at these low temps he will be classifying it as self-induced hypothermia!
Teperature: 9C
Durations: 20 minutes
I am strangely looking forward to these sessions now. Today I set the time for 10 minutes as usual and got in. It still takes me a few seconds to adjust to the cold. I thought by now I would be able to control my breathing better when I get in. Kept my hands in the water again today. I think that is the worst part - feeling my hands become painful and then working through it. I was not shivering by the time the buzzer went so I thought I would set it for another 10 minutes and see how long I could go without getting too cold and shivering. I surprised myself by staying in for another 10 full minutes! I probably could have done longer if I was able to generate additional body heat by moving around (like swimming or water aerobics).
At the end of it my hands were quite numb and difficult to move with "pins and needles" type sensations in them. I was not shivering too badly by the end of the session. I was alert and quite invigorated. I keep looking for signs that my body (or mind) cant cope but haven't found any that I am worried about yet.
I warmed up a little by running up and down the stairs a few times and doing some push-ups. Although as I write this some 30 minutes later, fully dressed and after a cup of hot tea, my body has the occasional shivering "spasm" when I sit still for a longish period. Is this normal when recovering from lowering your body temperature by a few degrees in this way? How long should the shivering last?
Funny observation 1 hour after my cold soak: I tried taking my temperature by putting a ,edical oral thermometer in my mouth. The digital one that I tried first time registered "L" -too low to get a reading so i had to revert to the traditional one. This reads 35.1C so I guess I managed to drop my core body temp by 3 or 4 degrees this morning. I dont think i will be telling my Doctor about this as at these low temps he will be classifying it as self-induced hypothermia!
Teperature: 9C
Durations: 20 minutes
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