LocoRunner

Love recovery weeks.

It truly is amazing what the human body is capable of doing when you ask it to do something that you thought was not possible.

There's a lot of research in the field of Endurance sports. In his book "Endure" by Alexander Hutchison, he presents the research in the area of body limitations, including the the "Central Governor Theory" made popular by Tim Noakes. It's a very good read.

I've always wondered why during the middle of an Ultra event, we say we can't go any further, we start walking, we contemplate quitting , but we don't. We keep going. Then we muster enough energy at the end of an Ultra to sprint to the finish.

Yesterday, as I stood at the finish line watching the runners finish the 50k, there was not a single runner who finished walking. All finished running.

The human body is amazing!


LocoRunner

Coaching is much more than just sending out a schedule and expecting your trainee to complete the schedule as written. It's constantly checking in on your athlete to see how their body is feeling and making adjustments to the schedule based on athlete feedback.

One of the biggest parts of coaching is building up a trainees confidence level and providing motivation to walk out the door to get those hard workouts done.

Communication is key in coaching. One of my favorite quotes is from Dirk Friel, son of the infamous Joe Friel (author of "The Triathletes Training Bible". Dirk says: "... you (the trainee) are the CEO of your running company, and I, as your coach, am just a consultant to your company". It benefits you to do what your consultant is telling you to do, but you don't have to do everything he or she says.

I have to give a shout out to one my athletes I am currently coaching, Richelle. She has developed and strengthed her confidence in her running abilities and always has a great attitude. She has obtained personal bests in the half marathon,10k and 5K.

Day 5 of fasting. I'm ending my fast at dinner tonight. Having a piece of salmon with no sides or carbs. Trying to stay in ketosis until Sunday.

I had a really bad night last night. Got about 3-4 hours of sleep. Resting HR, HRV, and breathing were all outside of normal values. Then, my body kept going from cold spells to hot spells during my sleep. Body temperature regulation was out of whack. Might be attributed to my hypothyroidism and fasting. Got up at 4 am and could not go back to sleep. Made my first cup of coffee, took the dogs for their walk, then finally made it out the door for an easy run. Heart rate was higher than usual on my run.

Ketones have been reading a little higher on my urine test; about 30-40 mg/dl.

Woke up really hungry this morning. I decided that 5 days is good enough for my fast. Planning on having a zero carb meal for dinner.

My weigh in this morning was the same as the night before - 158 lbs. Final weigh in this evening was 156.4. I can physically see the difference in my body. And I can also feel the difference.

Day 4 went by. Weighed in at 158 in the morning. Walked the dogs for 1.2 miles. Had a cup of coffee, then ran 6 miles at a very easy pace. Hunger still seems to be under control. However, it did start getting a little higher in the evening. Signs that it might be time to break my fast.

Still on day 3 of my fast.
Weight just keeps coming off. Started getting a positive ketone result in my urine test. The result reads about 15 mg/dl. I'm definitely in full ketosis (using body fat to make ketones as an energy source for my body).

I'm keeping hunger under control by staying busy. I'm supplementing with salt in my water and tea.

Signed up for Waco Half Ironman. Here we go! World championships here we come.

Wow, day 3 of my fast. Couldn't wait to make this post. Woke up feeling AMAZING. So much energy! Brain is functioning with so much clarity right now. My desire to get things done and accomplished is through the roof. Some aches and pains that I had in my body are going away. Things that worried me before, don't.

Weighed in at 159.0 pounds this morning.
Still not hungry this morning.

Day 2 of my fast.
161.0 lbs in the morning.
2 cups of coffee.
1.2 mile dog Walk
1 hour bike trainer aerobic ride.
2 cups of tea.
Noticable mental clarity improvement.
Hunger under control.
Still negative for ketones on urine tests.

On the 2nd day of fasting, the body produces an increased amount of BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Also called "fertilizer for the brain".

Today is Monday, the 1st day of my 7 day fast. I had my last meal on Sunday night. I'm documenting my extended fast here on my LocoRunner page.

Today, I had 2 cups of coffee with 1 tablespoon of half&half. My first cup had 1 serving of my Alaya multi-collagen powder that I have every morning (35 calories from protein).

Took the dogs for a 1.2 mile walk.

I ran 12 miles to deplete my blood glucose/sugar and start the process of depleting my stored carbohydrates.

Did a 5 minute cold water plunge in my pool which is at 50 degrees F.

Did some errands. Bought some Ketone Test strips to measure ketone levels in my urine. Did my first test when I got home and got a negative for ketones, which means my kidneys are doing what their supposed to be doing.

Since I've been out and about most of the day, I haven't gotten really hungry yet (that's day 2!).

I started off at 165.2 pounds Monday morning when I woke up. After my run I was at 162.4 lbs (mostly water weight attached to glucose).

My goal is to continue my fast for 7 days, stay in ketosis and burn the visceral fat around my organs and my belly. Hopefully, get down to 158 lbs or less.

There's lots of videos on YouTube to explain what is going on your body as you fast. I picked this one because it explains fasting in a very simplistic and easy to understand manner.

What Happens to Your Organs During 36 Hours of Fasting (Your Body Goes Wild) Your Organs During a 36 Hour Fast (They Weren't Ready)What happens inside your body when you don't eat for 36 hours? The answer will shock you. From your liv...