Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done Part II

After all the shananigans it was time to be electro fitted and put in my water jump suit on.  This “suit” was made out of a nylon material with tubes running through it (for the water of course).

The two students wanted to measure how my body gave off impulses due to the shivering.  Electrodes were placed on muscles around my body (arms, legs, shoulders, chest, etc) to measure just that.

After I was done I resembled a borg except instead of being bald, I had a hood on.

So for the next hour I sat in my suit (and probe) for an hour while they measured how my body delt with the ambient temperatures.  I got to watch TV so it wasn’t all bad.

After the hour I got to pee (still no eating) and then the test was on.  Within 30s of the water releasing I began to shiver.  Five degree water is cold.  All I got to do was just sit in my borg suit…  If you look at the rules, I wasn’t allowed to “laugh” as it gave off electrical impulses.  Nor was I allowed to move.  There was nothing I could do except let my body fight it.

I brought a movie Al Gores documentary “An Inconvient Truth” which I watched for about, 20mins.  When your cold, the last thing you want is a movie about how bad global warming is.  All I wanted was to view pictures of the desert but I was watching ice burgs.  So I switched to Black Hawk Down.

Time went by so slow.  At 45mins I was almost ready to call it quits.  I was shivering bad in my lower legs.  My upper body was ok as well as my head but this would change.

At the half way point I still hated it but was doing ok.  It felt like a race, at points I was ok, breathing deep and concentrated.  Other times I was convulsing, grunting, just trying to stay positive.

If your having a hard time feeling this, think of falling out of a boat in the middle of the ocean.  You can’t swim, you just float.  The water, calm but relentless.  It just won’t warm up no matter what you do.  All you can do is hope that someone will pull you out.

This for me, took along time.  The final 45mins felt like 4 hours.  With 30mins to go I had to pee.  Which when your cold and have to pee, is the most uncomfortable thing.

At about the same time my upper chest was not beginning to spazz.  I was totally shivering all over.  I was having a hard time thinking.  All I could do was just count to 10 seconds; I knew if I counted enough times it would be over!

Then it was.  I was done.

I could barley move as the students had to quickly take the suit off so I could pee (800mLs if you wanted to know).  The test was done but I couldn’t stop shivering.  Even in the shower with a full on hot water (which only lasted 5mins!), I couldn’t stop.  It wasn’t until I got my clothes back on and had something to eat that I started to feel better.

Luckily, it was warm out.  A mild 5 degrees (go figure) but man was it nice to have the sun shining.

So Ma, TJ, if you want to train for Louville, they do this test only at 48 degrees C.  You sit for 2 hours and sweat (no water, no food).  I hated every moment but you know what?  It made me a harder person.  I guess what doesn’t kill you does make you stronger.  Or at least appreciate the pain.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed my story.

Oh, the kicker, I got to clean my own probe.  Nice eh?  All for science!

Happy (I hate cold even more) Trainin!

Cliff