Genius Hour #1.2
This week for my genius hour I decided what tests to perform on myself to determine my own limits so that my research may be applied in my own athletic endeavors. Endurance tests must be very well controlled with accurate statistics taken from the subject athlete. Being the other athletes I have chosen are dead, very old, or have little data available, I plan to research them and watch their performances, but I cannot run tests on them. However, since I can run tests on myself, I plan to use three different performances to attain my data. One of these tests has already been completed in the Spring of 2019, but data will be limited to my memory of it and my watch’s performance statistics. In the Spring of 2019, Coach Paul Yoakam and I met at the starting line of the track for a dreaded, yet extremely important workout. It was nearing the end of the season and I needed to break myself down so much that my body would access an ancient, primal quality that allows it to do amazing athletic feats— physiological super-compensation. Super-compensation is an evolutionary adaptation of the body that, when forced to break down so far and hard with very little recovery time, reacts violently by going into ultra-rebuilding mode, thereby allowing the athlete in question to have a HUGE spike in athletic fitness and ability. This ebb and flow effect is demonstrated by figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1: The common super-compensation of an athlete is showed by the performance curve above.
After an hour of running hard 500m repeats in 70-80 seconds followed by a 100m walk, then a 200m blast, I fell to my knees on the infield grass and quite honestly expected to be given my last rites. Everyone had been done for the last 30 minutes of my workout and I was alone. I passed out and woke up in my own vomit. I had done what was expected of me and pushed myself as hard as my mind and body would allow. It took an hour for me to walk to my pickup because I could not stand up. My heart rate had been upwards of 205 BPM and was still racing over 160. When I got home I wrapped myself up in a blanket and laid down on my couch, honestly expecting to die. What allowed me to push myself that far? What gave me the sagacity and pure courage to push myself to the edge? Through comparing my final test and this workout, along with the information I will study, I plan to figure this out.
That is a incredible story Chase, and I like where you are heading . Endurance is a huge part of competing especially in running, cycling, and boxing. I am interested to hear about some of the methods the athletes you chose to research used in their training. The only thing I question is if a person trains to the brink beyond just exhaustion, how could this effect health and progress in the long term? Would it really improve their athletic performance?
ReplyDeleteThis is an insane story, and I would love to see how you further your research in physical endurance. I have never experienced such physical exertion to the point of passing out and vomiting, so it interests me how one can put that much work into something and is still actively searching for ways to push themselves harder. Just don't die!
ReplyDelete-Wesley
Sometimes you have just have to be amazed by the abilities of the human body. It is truly incredible that you could push yourself to that point (and continue working out afterwards). I can only imagine what recovery would have been like. Are you willing to try this again? If you do, are you expecting to see an improvement in your performance?
ReplyDeleteI also would like to reiterate: don't die.