Why the worst part came after I stopped

I used to think fitness was one thing you either had or you didn’t.

Then in 2010 I ran up a skyscraper. Vertical Rush, Tower 42 in London, 42 floors and 932 individual steps. I’d never done anything like it, so I did what most people do; started fast and tried to finish fast.

The race took just over six minutes. That part honestly wasn’t that bad. It was afterwards that everything felt terrible.

I ended up flat on the floor of the lobby, gasping. The best way I can describe it is like having your lungs scraped with a wire brush. Even coughing hurt for a while after.

So why does a short race hurt more once you’ve stopped than while you’re running?

Oxygen debt. The effort was almost entirely anaerobic, which floods you with lactate, and afterwards your body has to claw all of it back. That was my first proper taste of anaerobic work, and it sent me down a path of understanding how the body actually produces energy.

There are three energy systems and you’re always using a blend of them:

• Creatine phosphate. Explosive, gone in seconds. Think 100m sprint.
• Anaerobic. Powerful, produces the burn you feel on stairs. Think 400m run.
• Aerobic. Steady, keeps you going for hours. Think 5km run or more.

And here’s the thing I see again and again. Most people train the one they like. The runner who only runs, the lifter who only lifts, getting good at their favourite and quietly avoiding the rest.

It feels productive. But all three improve when you train them, so ignoring two of them caps the fitness you could actually have.

Which one have you been quietly avoiding?

A quote worth sitting with

“I felt like an exploded flashlight with no will to live; I just went on existing in the most passive physical state without being quite unconscious.”

— Roger Bannister, writing about crossing the line on the first sub-four mile

The Saturday Standard

Vertical

Find a stairwell or a steep hill.

This sits almost entirely in the anaerobic system, which is why it’s short and why it’ll feel worse after than during. Don’t pace the stairs; the whole point is going hard enough that the rest actually matters.

The second half is the real test. It’s asking whether you can keep producing power once the lactate has already arrived and your legs have stopped cooperating.

If you’re still comfortable in round 3, you went too easy on round 1.

What’s happening with me

I’ve just discovered banana nice cream and it has taken over our freezer.

No added sugar and no dairy. Ready in minutes.

Slice five ripe bananas into coins and spread them on a lined tray so they don’t clump together. Freeze until solid. Then blend the frozen coins with two tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla, scraping the sides down every 30 seconds or so.

It looks crumbly for a good while, then suddenly turns into something like soft-serve. Eat it straight away for that texture, or freeze it for an hour if you want it scoopable.

For a peanut butter version, blend in two tablespoons of peanut butter. For chocolate, a tablespoon of cocoa powder. A pinch of cinnamon is good too.

Makes four servings. The kids approve, which is the only review that counts in our house.