Kelvin Gower

A mid pack runner, who loves to run - currently thats from 100 mtrs to 125 miles #GuideRunner #600parkrunClub #ComradesFinisher #CoveJoggers #WindleValley #TCF

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

People have all sorts of goals. Mine in to better than yesterday. OK I might slip back but the goal is the same. Be better than yesterday.

[Andy Kite @andyjkite]

#BM100

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

If you know you know...

[Keith @keithdunn]

I miss @tweetgenius. Easily the best Twitter client ever made. (I miss my BlackBerry, too. Best phone I ever owned.)

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

@keithdunn @tweetgenius I'm still using a Blackberry. #TrueStory

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

@gobi_one Nah, never. Making up stories now. #CuteAsABoxOfPuppies

[David Roche @MountainRoche]

Heat training is one of the most important fitness adaptations driving performance breakthroughs across endurance sports. HOT TAKE: my Leadville 100 performance would not have been possible without loads of heat training. And it probably doesn't take much to harness the benefits 🔥

Due to survival demands over evolutionary time, heat response is one of the fastest adaptive changes in human physiology. A 2015 study found that just 4 post-exercise sauna exposures led to ~17.8% increase in peak blood plasma volume in well-trained cyclists, with the general principle backed up by many other studies over the previous decades. The body increases the liquid content of blood to enhance the circulatory system's cooling capacity. That adaptation alone may improve performance in all conditions.

However, the big adaptation is what may happen next. Hematocrit measures the percentage of red blood cells. When the denominator of total blood volume increases from heat training, hematocrit goes down. More recent studies hypothesized that the body may sense that offset, spur the production of more red blood cells, and increase hemoglobin mass. That's the Holy Grail of endurance performance, allowing the body to pump more oxygen to working muscles.

A deluge of studies in the last 2 years seem to confirm the hemoglobin mass hypothesis. Thus far, the general structure usually looks something like this: advanced cyclists do 5 weeks of 50-minute secondary training sessions in a heat suit (essentially a down jacket), with intensity and duration-matched controls. After the intervention, hemoglobin mass increases by ~1-4%, often associated with performance improvements (but not always).

A new study took it a step further, asking an important question: do these adaptations persist? It found a whopping 4% increase in hemoglobin mass after 5 weeks, but a return to baseline after just 2 weeks off. Heat needs to be constantly reinforced, likely for the same reasons the body responds so fast in the first place. Evolution giveth, and evolution taketh away.

Now, heat training is almost ubiquitous at the top end of endurance sports. But there are tons of unanswered questions. Would passive heat exposure work, like the sauna or hot tub? I think yes, since both would have the same blood volume intermediate step, but there may need to be a mix of active and passive interventions (particularly if these adaptations are actually coming from heat shock proteins and the HIF system).

Open questions:
-How often do you need heat exposure? It decays fast, but how fast? We don't know.
-Might there be any long-term decay of adaptations over months and years? No idea!
-Will female athletes respond differently? We need more studies.
-How does heat affect altitude performance? It should, but perhaps requiring specific acclimation too.

My protocol in coaching and in my own prep for Leadville:
-passive heat is fine, and I personally use the hot tub. But sauna, warm baths, or other blood volume-spurring options should work.
-heat exposures for 3-5 consecutive days to start, then you can reduce frequency to 1-2 times per week (I did 3-4 times per week before Leadville)
-ideally one warmer training session each week, which can be a shorter double (overdressed indoors works in winter)

Just be careful--heat can be dangerous and health needs to always come first. Get doctor approval before any training intervention, and never roast yourself to a crisp. We want the lowest setting on the toaster until you (and your doctor) really know your body.

Heat response and training response have some wild similarities, and they probably can feed off one another in a positive feedback loop over multiple years. The human body is so cool, and also so so hot 🔥

[Jack Canfield @JackCanfield]

Success means exceeding expectations in all aspects of life. True achievers focus on giving more to everyone—customers, teams, and family. Embrace going the extra mile to find the extraordinary. 💯💪 #WednesdayWisdom #ElevateSuccess #CommitToExcellence #SuccessMindset

[VeryBritishProblems @SoVeryBritish]

Can the new government please do something about the weather.

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

Twice as it's a two part race...#UpAndDown @ComradesRace

[ComradesRace @ComradesRace]

She is RIGHT 🖤💛

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

@CoveJoggers Thanks for the support. 🤠

[Alex Hormozi @AlexHormozi]

You don’t become confident by shouting affirmations in the mirror, but by having a stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are.

Outwork your self doubt.

[Keith @keithdunn]

Jasmin Paris @JasminKParis finished loop five of the #BM100 in 59:58:21.

[Melinda Howard @MelindaHoward4]

#BM100

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

"...this weekend..." 😳

Er also Today, Tomorrow etc

[Keith @keithdunn]

After a brief memorial, the cigarette was lit at 5:17. The 2024 Barkley Marathons has begun. #BM100

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

Do like watching these - did reminded me about the trail cough.
Only doing the half - #SedonaCanyons125 so please feel free to fast forward to just over 21 mins to get an idea on some of the stunning scenery that will distracted me throughout this one. 🤠
https://t.co/OcUGa6i5vQ

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

Can’t stop watching.. 😅

[No Context Brits @NoContextBrits]

That’s inflation for you.

[BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking]

Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, 24, dies in a road accident, Kenya athletics official tells the BBC https://t.co/Mvab9WPx9B

[Kelvin Gower @Mister_KG]

@ultrabritton The last sentence nails it.....

"........no one should be missing three tests in a year unless they want to."

Great article.

[Adrian Stott @TaritTweets]

I wrote a piece for @iRunFar about Ed Catmur, who tragically passed away while on a training run in the hills.
@centurionrunner @ThamesHandH @sloweb
https://t.co/e0uGZBssDb