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| Image from UltraRunnerPodcast |
I had roughly 15 minutes before class was to start so I decided to read the article. In the first paragraph of the article, the author, Flo, references his first marathon time of around 4 hours and 11 mins and his second one of 2 hours and 55 mins. I was already hooked and buying whatever he was selling. With my first marathon time being 3 hours and 56 mins, my brain automatically told me that I could do what Flo had done. I was willing to do whatever it took, before I had gotten through the first paragraph he had written. He then goes on to discuss how he had completely changed his diet, started running a lot more miles but at much lower effort, and paid very close attention to recovery and rest needs. That was it?!? No special pills that you take before, during, after, and then a bit after your workout?!? No specific shoe that you had to buy? I just had to really start paying attention to what I was eating and why, along with dedicate time to running. It was worth the experiment.
Nutrition
In Flo's article, he discusses nutrition before anything else. I don't know if he did it on purpose, but I agree with him that it comes before anything else. Your diet affects every part of you from physical activities, to thought processing, to pain tolerance, to sleep ability, to overall good health. If you are using bad or dirty gas, your car won't run properly. It's the same with your body. He goes on to explain his change in diet. The inspiration of his that I really started learning from was Dr. Phil Maffetone. My new nutrition plan would be cutting all refined carbohydrates out of my diet. Not only did this include common carbs like bread and pasta, but also included sugar, white rice, and a few other items. The goal from a nutritional standpoint, was to eat foods that my body could process easily and that were high in nutrients. After reading Dr. Maffetone's "Big Book of Health and Fitness", I had a much better grasp on not only what I should or shouldn't eat, but "Why?". This part of my journey I give all the credit to my wife, Crystal. There is no way that I would have the dedication to cook all the food that is necessary to feed me. I am not a fan of spending much time in the kitchen, though I am blessed with an amazing wife that not only enjoys it, but feeds off of challenges thrown in her way. We were ready to at least give it a shot.
Training
In Flo's article he talks about heart rate training. This is a practice I was definitely curious about. I had received a Garmin 910XT from my wife for my birthday, but hadn't really learned much about the HR monitor. He talks about Phil Maffetone's teachings of finding your maximum aerobic HR and training in that range. Phil talks about two different types of muscle fiber groups. Most muscles in the body are made up of both aerobic and anaerobic muscle fibers. In the aerobic fibers oxygen is used to burn fat as fuel. These fibers are used in low intensity workouts and are generally fatigue-resistant. In the anaerobic fibers, glycogen is used as a fuel. These fibers are used in higher intensity workouts. Phil Maffetone teaches that if you train your body using mostly your aerobic/fat burning system, it will get stronger and more efficient. You will be able to increase your speed while keeping a low intensity effort level. It made complete sense. He was says, "Want speed? Slow down!". In the article, he talks about the 180 formula and finding your maximum aerobic HR. He also mentions over and over that at first the speed might feel uncomfortably slow. I decided to try this. My HR target is 148. I was excited. I decided that through the 50 miler training, I wouldn't do any speed work. I would try to stick to a 138-148 range for all of my runs. What did I have to lose?
In November 2013, I started this nutrition plan and started running all my runs at low intensity. I was focused on following in Flo's footsteps. By striving to become the fastest and most efficient runner I could be. I was ready to change my life.
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| This used to be a years worth of vegetables. Now it might last through the week. |
Training
In Flo's article he talks about heart rate training. This is a practice I was definitely curious about. I had received a Garmin 910XT from my wife for my birthday, but hadn't really learned much about the HR monitor. He talks about Phil Maffetone's teachings of finding your maximum aerobic HR and training in that range. Phil talks about two different types of muscle fiber groups. Most muscles in the body are made up of both aerobic and anaerobic muscle fibers. In the aerobic fibers oxygen is used to burn fat as fuel. These fibers are used in low intensity workouts and are generally fatigue-resistant. In the anaerobic fibers, glycogen is used as a fuel. These fibers are used in higher intensity workouts. Phil Maffetone teaches that if you train your body using mostly your aerobic/fat burning system, it will get stronger and more efficient. You will be able to increase your speed while keeping a low intensity effort level. It made complete sense. He was says, "Want speed? Slow down!". In the article, he talks about the 180 formula and finding your maximum aerobic HR. He also mentions over and over that at first the speed might feel uncomfortably slow. I decided to try this. My HR target is 148. I was excited. I decided that through the 50 miler training, I wouldn't do any speed work. I would try to stick to a 138-148 range for all of my runs. What did I have to lose?
In November 2013, I started this nutrition plan and started running all my runs at low intensity. I was focused on following in Flo's footsteps. By striving to become the fastest and most efficient runner I could be. I was ready to change my life.
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