Changes

February's training went well, and I started to add in some [[High Intensity Interval Training]]. I continued with running four [[Long Run|long runs ]] per week, aiming for 26.2+ miles each time. I only had one run where the weather prevented me hitting my mileage target, so I had 15 marathon+ length runs. Looking at my all time totals, I realize I've done 249 marathon or longer runs since I started keeping electronic records in 2002. Overall I've run 33,936 miles, which is 1.36 times the circumference of the earth and burned an estimated 3 million calories which equates to about 900 pounds of body fat.

This month I've focused even more on [[Downhill Running]], including [[Downhill Intervals]]. These workouts are hard enough that if I continue them after the world championships, I may move to running three days a week rather than four. August included the [[Overload|overload ]] week for my [[Three Phase Taper]] which went well with 150 miles, some of which was hard hill intervals. I've also dropped my body fat down to a lower level than before the national championships this time last year, but I've managed to increase lean body mass at the same time. I now have less fat, but weigh about five pounds more. I've continued to combine[[Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure]] with [[Electrical Muscle Stimulation]] and I think it's working well. .

The summer eventually arrived in force here in North Carolina and the heat became a limiting factor. I had some downtime visiting Washington DC for a long weekend, and I had some minor issues with the muscles in my right foot. However, I've also started to do far more [[Downhill Running]], so I feel like my training is proving effective for the upcoming 24 hour world championships in Poland. Even though this will be a totally flat race, I believe that the [[Downhill Running]] will cause adaptations in the [[Muscle|muscle ]] structure that will improve my endurance at long distances. I'm doing a little more cycling again, and I'm combining [[Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure]] with [[Electrical Muscle Stimulation]] which seems to be quite effective. I'm planning on using a [[Three Phase Taper]] for the world championships, but I haven't decided if I'll increase the distance on my usual frequency, or keep the distance and increase the frequency.

February has seen me building back after my brief bout of [[Overtraining Syndrome]]. I've returned to running four days per week, which is helped enormously. My [[Mood State|mood state ]] has improved dramatically, and a number of friends have commented on the change. My experiment with running more frequently has given me some useful insight into the effects of [[Training Monotony]] and [[Overtraining Syndrome]], as well as understanding how my body reacts to different training loads and regimes.

I'm not sure if this high mileage approach to training is more effective than training four days per week or not. I'm a lot fitter and faster now than I was when I started, but I've also lost 13 pounds and been doing quite a bit of [[Altitude Training|altitude training ]] with the [[AltoLab]]. I'd like to think that this type of high mileage would change fast twitch muscle fibers into slow twitch, but there seems to be little evidence for that. Running 180+ miles per week and holding down a full time job puts huge logistical and psychological pressures in addition to the obvious physical strain. In many ways, my body handled the high mileage far better than my mind did.

* Without intending to, I found myself in the middle of the month [[Starting to run|starting to run ]] every day. This was triggered by being unable to run on my usual days, so I started off with some extra 'back to back days'. I found that running every day helped keep my appetite more stable, and thus my [[Weight Loss|weight loss ]] was easier. This has contributed to the higher than normal mileage this month.

* My [[Protein|protein ]] intake is now much higher than it has been. After my long runs I'm typically taking 50-100 grams of Protein within the first hour, and probably 200-300 grams protein daily. While this is high by normal standards, to get 25% of calories from protein on a 5,000 Calorie day would require 300+grams! Since I raised my protein intake, I'm recovering better, have lower body fat and more muscle mass. I'm also less hungry than I have been, as the protein is remarkably satisfying. I'm following [[Nutrient Timing]] as a key part of my diet.