February

[marathondan]

Could you change the mask to include ventilation and hide the upgrade with face-painting?

Almost certainly. I'll be taking a scalpel to various parts of the mask and costume to introduce some vents. And yes, buying some boot polish as well.

I just find this whole gorilla thing impossible to even contemplate. How do you *not* die from heat exhaustion?

That is still a possibility. But I 've run up to 10 miles in several layers head to toe, and found that by slowing my pace by 2 mins per mile the body temperature isn't too much of a problem, once you get used to it*. The only really horrible bit is the constant recirculation of breath inside the headgear. But with some vents, that might even be better in the real costume.

And it's Brighton in April; I'm hoping for temperatures no higher than the high teens.

But that's still 10 degrees higher than I've been training in. I'm trying not to think about that.

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* After 9.5 miles. Ha ha, I am funny.