Home for the next 15 hours

Travelling to a trial run

In dah car

Karam’s 8 hour mini-trial

When and Where

November 23, 9am – 5pm in Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club

General Session Details

The day didn’t start well as I was a bit too disorganised during the week and had to travel home Friday night. I was late home which meant I was behind schedule gathering equipment and supplies for the trial. This resulted in a short sleep cycle of 5.5 hours and my readiness score was a low 59. I was on the road at 7am and arrived at Fitz by 8:30am.

I didn’t have a great selection of foods with me but I wasn’t expecting to be having any significant meals and I felt the trial was too short to try out feeding strategies.

I had a mix of players for the trial. There was a bit of uncertainty on the day about who was going to make what times. Fortunately I had some form of an opponent for all 8 hours due to a couple of them doing a double slot.

My first hour was actually a very cooperative session and the pace was good. We didn’t keep any score and just played continuous rallies.

My second and third hour were filled by one of the Ladies Prem players and her son in the third hour. I played left-handed against her son.

The fourth and fifth hour were taken up by a single opponent and here the intensity got a bit higher. I enjoyed the session but probably went too hard as I got caught up going for some of the balls or smashing the ball into the knick. I did get two absolute roller nicks though!

The sixth hour was back to a slower pace as he was trying to play cooperatively.

The seventh hour as a higher paced session again. This was the session I was most worried about as he is one of those players that can get bored very quickly and has the ability to chop balls in with regular frequency. I upped the intensity to try to make it a bit more interesting for him.

The final hour was the hardest as my opponent was pretty much playing a regular game and unfortunately I went with him. By the end of that hour I was feeling fairly tired!

After the squash I spent close to an hour doing some foam rolling, mobility and yoga. I had a couple of minor cramps and many “almost cramps” during this period.

I had a lovely steak dinner afterwards with sweet potato fries, onion rings and an ice cream selection. I was rather hungry having not really eaten a massive amount during the day. My food was primarily a half pack of jaffa cakes and half of my greek yogurt, cashew butter and oats mix. I also had 750ml of chocolate milk for both energy and hydration.

Observations

The variety of players made the day interesting as each of them played with a different style and purpose. Although the intensity was high for some of the sessions I had a good time playing but I do realise that there is not way I could do that for another 8 hours, let alone 38+ hours.

The task is made much more difficult if you start tired or shortly out of the car. It is going to be very important to be well rested before starting. I’ve been giving some thought to how best to rest prior to starting this and will try to seek out some advice from the guys in Fitz who did the 60h tennis doubles record.

Hydration is a concern. It is difficult to get in a lot of fluids in a minute whist also attending to other things like stretching, towelling down etc. Need to see if keeping a water bottle on court is allowed so that a quick sip every 15 minutes or so would be better. As this is an endurance event I can see that this might be just one of the restrictions to be endured and overcome. I definitely took on a lot of fluids at each break – probably a minimum of 500ml.

As with the previous trial I did not need to urinate during the 8 hours. It took a little while after finishing before I needed to go. Not sure how worried I should be about that. My fluids did include either liquid electrolytes or plain water with SaltCaps. I did not suffer any dehydration headaches but there were times where I was just feeling thirsty and needed a bit of moisture in my mouth. I should try some sort of chewable that might help with that.

I managed to keep fairly mobile through the whole 8 hours. I often did some sumo squats with some side to side rocking to help the hip mobility. I also employed a raised foot on the wall lunge stretch which also helped the hips and glutes.

Assessment

I had two goals for this trial – to bank at least 30 minutes of time by the end of the session and to keep my average heart rate in the 125-130 range.

According to my tracker I did manage to hit the 130 average but, on consideration, I think I did not achieve this goal. I think the maximum was too high and too high in general for too long. I should have set a maximum heart rate target as well. That probably should have been at most 140.

Having the different players made keeping this target harder as they generally only had to go for an hour. When the actual event happens both Seamus and I will be on the same page as far as intensity is concerned.

As for the breaks I missed that goal as well. I took the following breaks 1:05, 2:11, 2:02, 6:01, 4:10, 4:35 and 2:20 for a total of 22:24 leaving, with the 5 mins after the 8th hour, 17:36 banked time.

A lesson learned is that things need to be easily accessible. The corridor in Fitz is not very wide and I was unable to really lay out things for easy access. Time was lost during breaks rooting around for things like sweat bands, shirts, electrolytes and food. During one of my breaks I went to the bar to get a Fitz special and that consumed a lot of time. The 6 minute break was longer than intended but I had planned to take a longer break at that point to eat a bit.

I did experience a mental challenge in the second half of the day as I found myself clock watching. As I was the time keeper I had to check for completion of the hour. I often experience dismay when I checked the time to find only 30 or 40 minutes had elapsed. I haven’t decided if it better or not to know how long is left. I certainly want to know when the last 5 minutes is starting so that the end of the set can be timed accordingly so that we don’t go too long past the hour.

Overall I think I was satisfied with how the session went although I’m not sure how much I truly learned from it compared with the previous 8 hour trial Seamus and I did in Bristol.

The change of partners made it a different proposition as it was too easy to get caught up with someone who had a different level of commitment to the task. At the end of the 8 hours I recall thinking how was I going to be able to get through 48 hours given how tired I was after 8!

Takeaways

Pay attention to how to efficiently hydrate.
I fear cramps as something that will prevent me from completing the task.
I fear prolonged stops when my body stops moving and starts to get stiff or cramp.

8 hour trial run

So tomorrow I’m doing the second 8 hour trial run. I’ve got 8 volunteers lined each doing an hour.

Cons:

Starting during the World Cup semi final between England and New Zealand. Grrrr

Goals:

Get to 6 hours without a significant break. Breaks are quick gulp of liquids 60 sec max

Trying different drink concoction and taking on more fluids than the last time. Last time it was 500ml per hour – gonna try for more this time. Last trial run the drinks were coconut water based. None this time just OJ with water and salts. Also chocolate milk.

Gonna try some sucking sweets ie polo or something similar when in court.

Right inner sole of shoes have been repaired so should not slip. Trying a different pacing system for speed of removal.

Trying different socks.

Trying under armour leggings.

And this is me trying to keep it simple. Lol

It’s not optional!

The European Masters in Vienna is coming up the week after next so I have been doing a fair bit of training but, unfortunately, the recover time hasn’t been sufficient.

I have been getting in some matches along with the core training sessions. All things considered it has gone well other than the fatigue that sets in towards the end of the week.

Work has been fairly hectic as well so it is leading to longer days with having to address some issues when I arrive home late in the evening. Instead of winding down and going to bed by 11 I am engaged in cognitive tasks on the laptop. Avoiding that was one of my priority daily seeds.

During our weekly WR status call I said that I was finding it hard to find a slot to perform my long endurance workouts – not surprising given the work and tournament preparation.

It occurred to be me afterwards that I need to change the mindset a bit. I have been looking to add in the endurance and mobility workouts when I can find a free slot. But, if I have any hope of completing the WR these workouts cannot be treated as “when I can find the time”. They are not optional and I must scheduled them as priority items in my weekly timetable.

My Chimp Sure Was in Party Mode!

The 8 hour trial run is done, dusted and negotiated successfully. We put to bed a couple of demons but my word was my Chimp enjoying itself.

Every little niggle or sharp pain was met with a screech and comments like:

“So this pain is here after 2 hours and it is only gonna get worse, no way man, no way you can go 8 hours let alone 38. You ain’t gonna make the 4 hour mark”

“Careful that sharp pain is really serious, it’s not gonna go away”

“Wow that’s a new pain – never had that there before – I’d give up if I were you”

“You haven’t peed yet, yer dehydrated already!”

“That’s a cramp starting – game over dude”

Yeh! my Chimp really does talk like that, or

“You are too ****ing old to do be doing this ****, what planet are you from?”

“Look at Karam, he is still moving to the T and cutting every one of your shots off – no way you can stick that for 38 hours”

“Look at Karam, he is stretching again – no way you want to put him through that for 38 hours. Don’t make him go through this.”

I thought that last one was a devious change of strategy. Or whilst we were listening to Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live when “Don’t Give Up” came on

“Well if you need to listen to that your *****d. Stop now, walk off court – go on you know you want to”

Screech, screech, screech, screech all the time.

And so the reality

Yes there were pains in the legs, just behind the inside of knees and the ITBs were sore as was the back. The right wrist got a little sore as did the right shoulder in a particular position The pain inside the knees went away. The ITBs stayed as they were. But honestly whilst it was uncomfortable it felt more mental than physical. Knowing the knees had packed it in in the previous doubles attempt my mind was trying to protect myself.

We found ourselves going through various patterns of play – long stretches of us serving and the receiver putting it away for a winner. Other patterns where we played alley games which kept us both moving putting it away when either of us felt like it. The former leads to a lot of standing around and little movement which does not help the body stay awake. The latter definitely is better. Personally in hour 8 I was still able to do small lunges to play shots.

The day after felt pretty good actually, a bit of a headache, the weak area in my back and ITBs were sore and stiff but my legs felt pretty good. I felt a lot better than I thought I would. Despite what my Chimp was warning about there was absolutely no cramp not during, after or asleep.

Whilst I was glad it ended I know I could have gone on longer.

I wear a Fitbit and whilst I take the stats with a pinch of salt these are them in anycase:

Steps	32,891 from day total of 37, 961
Distance	24.35 Km from day total 25.65
Calories Burnt	5471 from day total of 7,311
Floors Climbed	83 from day total of 86
Avg HR	124
Peak HR	158 (near end of hour 2)
Mins Fat Burn	58
Mins Cardio	434
Mins Peak	87
Total time for effort (including breaks)	09:40:06

We think the Fitbit detected lunges as climbing stairs so based on that 83 flights of stairs at 13 steps per flight works out to 1,079 lunges.

Lessons and Observations

Some lessons learnt and other observations in no particular order:

Our S & C coach Beth came and watched for a bit and made some observations: Our movement has improved; we are both right leg dominant; we must do our specific stretches during breaks (a lot to fit in)
Do not put new grips on all rackets for the start of the attempt – this causes extra friction which may lead to blisters
3 pairs of shoes (1 dried, 1 drying and 1 being worn) won’t be enough in the summer. I sweat too much.
Can the shoes be changed every hour instead of every two hours
The Heel Slipping technique for tieing laces is not a good strategy for getting the shoes on and off quickly.
My favoured drink of 2 parts coconut water and 1 part orange juice is ok in short efforts but not an endurance effort as my standard drink. Causes too much wind and intestinal discomfort.
Bananas seem ok
Didn’t fancy the goat’s milk yogurt with strawberries and blueberries
Didn’t fancy the mix of pistachios, sunflower seeds and raisins
Flapjack mini bites seem ok.
Spaghetti and pesto with parmesan was great pick me up at lunch.
Chocoloate milk needs to be full fat and cold
In fact all drinks need to be cold.
Despite taking in about 5L of liquid I didn’t visit the loo for a pee until 6 hours in and had a mild headache after hour 2 for the rest of the day
I need to do a lot more work off court to reduce stress on lower back and ITB – whatever the root cause of that is
Lose more weight, lose more weight
Longer rallies better than two shot ones
Need more strategies in dealing with the Chimp
The wrist will get sore so need to do more exercises to make it stronger and more flexible
Absolutely need to change all my clothes every break, get towled down fast and talcum powder on in nether regions and torso
Will need clothes washing and drying or a lot more dry clothes available. I sweat a lot and hate being in damp clothes
Must keep chatting with Karam – too many long periods of silence
Lob serves make life easy for the server but not for the receiver, putting it into play as though you were teaching a novice would be better.
All the basic faults in movement are very evident during such a long run – there is no point in getting frustrated by repeatedly doing it ‘wrong’ – it will be what it is.
Whilst the squash itself may not be of a consistently high standard we are not being meausred on the quality of our squash – mind there were some sublime pancakes from volley nicks from Karam.
We both were getting really frustrated at the same time and I think it fed of each other, need a strategy to recognise and deal with it
Take every possible opportunity for a little stretch – ie when partner goes to pick up a ball.
During breaks someone needs to go on court and keep the ball warm
People watching is a massive energy boost. Is it worth exploring having a fun social squash event running at the same time on the other two courts, ie a fancy dress doubles tournie overnight
My usual headbands are fine for league matches but after an hour of wearing them they are irritatingly tight. Need to find an alternative.
Need to get base HR down about 20 beats. Being alert on court tends to raise my HR by 10 -20 beats per min. This would allow for more movement and a lower rate and being able to be more alert.
Most pain feels more like mind trying to protect me rather than anything significant.
It is boring
Do a few more 4 – 6 our trial runs after more training to work on first phase where it is possible to bank some time for later use

What next?

Schedule 16 hour trial run
Review training program and adjust accordingly
Start some mental training
Start incorporating some very long walks into training programme
Work with Richard to develop more left leg work on forehand.
Lose weight

On being narrow

Met up with Beth Bond today, S&C coach, who remarked along the lines “this is the narrowest I have ever seen you look”

I’ll bank that!

We live with the changes in our body day to day so it is hard to notice some of the changes. It felt bloody good for someone to notice and make the remark.

So 8 weeks ago, after the shingles settled down, I set myself the goal of doing 8 weeks low intensity workouts, starting at 20 min per day (plus stretches at end) and building that up over a number of weeks. The last two weeks saw me introduce one of the early S&C programmes Beth designed for me about 18 months ago. So daily sessions are up to 40 min plus stretching and alternating between S&C and fat burn/cardio work.

A few pictures of what the last 8 weeks looks like:

Training Stats

Sleep and Wellness Stats

Above 17 on the wellness stats is good. Would like to see the hours of sleep getting more as well.

The next four weeks is more of the same but increasing the intensity, particulary with the fat burn /cardio work starting to do more in the 80/20 HR zones for endurance training – especially as this is now really the start of the off season for squash so the best time to get this training in.

With the S&C I will start progressing through the other programmes we had – key area to be focussing on is the hips and the base of the back – trying to get some mobility and strength into that area to allow me to do further work later.

Small goals, small steps and keeping it as simple as possilbe whilst moving forward.

A new Finding Balance Podcast has been published

On 9th Feb this year we were interviewed by Tom Ford (Finding Balance Podcast). We wanted someone experienced in interviewing to get into our heads so that we could document what led us to undertake this journey.

It was a load of fun to be interviewed by Tom who asked some interesting questions and made us feel very relaxed.

Whilst not the initial plan, Tom now published this as part of his Finding Balance Podcasts. The episode is called ‘Seamus + Karam Singh – A Different Approach To Goals‘ Please have a listen.

Thank you once again to Tom for agreeing to interview us.

The first hurdle

by Seamus

You could say we made our journey official during an EliteSquash adult camp on 9/10 Feb when one of coaches, Tom Ford, interviewed us on the why/how/when etc around this attempt on the singles record.

We had a meeting with our S&C coach, Beth Bond – talked about all that we needed to do and how we were going to approach it. With a renewed sense of energy and an attitude of Yeh! We can actually do this. Off we went ….

Four days later I was diagnosed with Shingles and am now in the recovery phase. So that first week was gone for training. The next two weeks I was still in a lot of pain and very tired. This week I was still in pain and tired but less so.

Aiming to make my start on Monday with 20 min exercise a day and see how the nerves react.