MEXICO CITY — First of all, let me make one thing clear: I am not an elite runner.
I have done half marathons in the past. A 10k recently. But I have been in America for the past three weeks, eating their portion sizes. To compare myself to a top-level footballer would make anyone who knows me guffaw.
There is something, however, that Harry Kane and I will both have encountered by the end of the weekend. Hopefully Kane and his comrades’ experience won’t be as chastening as mine. Otherwise, the Three Lions are in for a mauling here in Mexico City on Sunday.
Exercising at altitude is literally not for the faint-hearted. England come into Sunday’s last-16 clash against Mexico with the same amount of acclimatisation as I did when I decided to attempt to run around the iconic Azteca Stadium – none.
Much has been made of the huge advantage co-hosts Mexico will have when they take to the pitch 7,000ft above sea level. England have prepared beforehand, spending time in acclimatisation tents and taking advice from the British Olympic Association and Team GB on how to prepare for altitude.
But, having used such equipment before, I am aware that they are only effective when you use them for weeks leading up to an event. England could not risk anything going wrong during the group stage in the United States, so they have not been able to keep up their acclimatisation training.
England have been training at their Kansas City base since victory over DR Congo (Photo: PA)On a level playing field, I therefore thought I’d see what running at 7,000ft of elevation would do to me. As I set off for a lap of the Azteca, I also became aware that, before attempting any form of exercise when there is 20 per cent less oxygen in the air, I should have arrived a few weeks beforehand, not a matter of hours.
It doesn’t hit you straight away, but quickly a few things start to happen. Firstly, taking in air becomes more difficult and before long your inhalation becomes more of a gasp.
Then the acid reflux kicks in – something I have always suffered from at altitude. The ferocity of this bout, however, was something like I had never experienced before.
Just before 2km, after completing one full lap of the stadium perimeter, I was starting to experience throbbing headaches – also common at altitude.
A combination of the three was enough to persuade me to call it a day there and then. Running is supposed to be fun, revitalising and a way to unwind. This was a form of torture I did not want to put myself through any further.
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Special report: Man Utd insiders ‘bewildered’ by Kobbie Mainoo’s lack of England minutes Kat Lucas: Six reasons I fear for England against MexicoElite athletic specimens will, of course, be able to cope better than I can. But only if England’s under-pressure charges pace themselves across what will almost certainly be the most intense physical challenge of their lives.
Mexico have lost two competitive clashes at the Azteca in their entire history for a reason. Fully acclimatised, they cover as much ground as teams manage at sea level. England simply won’t be able to compete with that. And there is nothing they can do about it.
They are arriving as late as is physically possible, to avoid the worst period for feeling the effects of altitude – after three days. Carbohydrates will be consumed en masse and beetroot juice will be prescribed to each player. These will only mitigate so much, however.
Other athletes who have had to cope with altitude, even in Mexico, more often than not had weeks to adapt, like teams during the 1986 World Cup, which Mexico hosted alone. England fly in for one game.
An occasion that will push them to the extremity of their physical capabilities. Just like it did me.
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