Endurance Planet

By Endurance Planet Inc.Health & Fitness

Endurance Planet episodes

January 31, 2020ATC 304: Do Runners Really Work 30% Harder on Curved Non-Motorized Treadmills vs. Traditional Flat Treadmills? Plus: Running After Meniscus Surgery, How To Push Heart Rate While Cycling, and More
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Intro
MAF meetup was a success!
Floris Gierman “won” with the best MAF pace. He’s a passionate student of MAF and you can check him out here: https://extramilest.com and https://extramilest.com/podcast/
Mike C. asks:
Curved treadmills- are they harder, same, worse and should we tailor workouts?
Thank you for the fantastic podcast and recommendations. Due to various reasons many of us will be running on treadmills this upcoming season. While nothing is a perfect match for outdoor running as outdoor running itself, Curved Manual Treadmills are being promoted by many as closer and more realistic than flat, motorized treadmills. Additionally, there are claims that it can help promote better running form and better use of posterior muscles (https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/6/3/58/htm). I was hoping to get your opinion. There are some differences between the brands such as maximum curvature, curve radius and belt friction which at least one manufacturer says makes a difference. I also know Dr. Mark Cucuzzella has a couple set up in his store and I trust his opinion.
CMTs appear to be significantly more difficult:
1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29789265
2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5694659/pdf/fphys-08-00914.pdf
3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30084302
4) Runners World had an article that cherry picked a study and suggests another that is being worked on saying running on a CMT is similar to running on a regular treadmill at 8% incline: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20950925/you-are-working-harder-on-a-curved-treadmill/
Some people I know say that to account for this difficulty, they adjust their workouts by 20% as suggested in the above linked RW article. (I.e. they mark their distance as 20% greater than what the treadmill says and since their workout duration is constant their pace is increased by 20%. To me, this seems like cheating but the couple of runners I spoke with says that this is almost a perfect match for their RPE and running outdoors.)
Here is a nice review article from simplifaster: https://simplifaster.com/articles/curved-treadmills-pros-cons/
This brings me to a couple of questions:
1) We have all heard of “live high, train low”. Is training on a CMT the opposite and thus counterproductive?
2) If our goal is to run long distance, isn’t it counterproductive to work at higher metabolic cost? Don’t we want to be as efficient as possible? Or am I not thinking about this correctly?
3) Do you think we should adjust our workouts similar to previously stated if running on a CMT?
4) If we are going to do Treadmill Running, what are your thoughts on CMT vs traditional flat, motorized treadmill running?
Just wanted to add a brief addendum:
I find that with my current motorized flat treadmill that it feels my deck gets a bit unstable and bouncy as I approach 12 mph (5:00 min/mile) on short intervals. I did brief test runs on 3 different manufacturers of CMTs (and I do notice differences between them) and did not experience any of the unstableness and felt very comfortable at the higher speeds. I also like the idea of quick acceleration/deceleration of the CMT and you self select the pace instead of running at treadmill defined pace.
What the Coaches say:
Curved treadmills are great for hill training
“Schoenmakers also pointed to curved treadmills as being a useful tool to practice hill running for athletes living in flat territory, noting that the machines are a great workout for the posterior chain muscles: glutes, hamstrings, calves. (He and his coauthor, Kate Reed, are working on a study showing curved treadmills represent the equivalent of an 8 percent grade on motorized treadmills.)“(source)
See this study: The physiological and perceptual demands of running on a curved non-motorised treadmill: Implications for self-paced training
“Runners really do work about 30 percent harder on the curved, non-motorized treadmills and to expect a 20 percent difference in pace.”
“No participant was able to complete the 4 min run at 80% Vmax on the cNMT. Running on the cNMT elicit a higher relative oxygen uptake (%VO2max) across all velocities compared to the MT and was accompanied by significantly higher heart rates an altered cadence and ratings of perceived exertion. A less efficient running economy was evident when running on the cNMT.”
Another insightful study: The Effect of a Curved Non-Motorized Treadmill on Running Gait Length, Imbalance and Stride Angle
“Approximately 75-80% of distance runners are rear foot or heal strikers. Most of the remainder are considered midfoot strikers [22].” (And about 79% runners report injury- coincidence?)
“The results show that running on a CNT resulted in significant changes in gait characteristics (step length, stride length, imbalance score and stride angle). These findings suggest that running on a CNT can significantly influence running gait.”
>Stride length and step length decreased, seen as advantageous (less heel striking, less impact)
“As the stride length decreases with greater exposure to the arced non-motorized treadmill, so does the step length. Research has indicated that a link exists between the stride length and impact characteristics, such that as the finding that stride length greatly increases impact [23,24,25]. A reduction in stride length, although it would appear smaller in trained runners, may be advantageous, as it has been shown to reduce impact peaks [26,27,28] and loading rates [28,29,30] experienced by runners. A shorter stride length means that the heel is located more underneath the center of mass (COM), which reduces the amount of hip and knee flexion required [31]. A more efficient running gait pattern leads to a reduction in stride length of 6–8% in inexperienced runners and those with a long history of running [26,27,28,29,30].”
>Decreased asymmetry/imbalances
“As step and stride length decreased, and speed stayed constant, the amount of time that either lower limb spent in support decreased accordingly, resulting in a decrease in imbalance. When examining the data, one can readily see a great decrease in the imbalance score from TMT-1 to TMT-2, as compared with that from TMT-1 to TMT-3.”
>Improved stride angle
“Results from this research show that 4-min bouts of running on an arced non-motorized treadmill influence stride angle in a statistically significant manner. The mean trend for stride angle as a result of running on an arced non-motorized treadmill is indicative of better running economy via a decrease in contact time.”
The coaches agree that the curved treadmill offers a number of benefits (especially improved running economy). But it will drive you crazy if you’re set on running a certain pace for a certain distance. Don’t get hung up on the data and artificially add miles to your training log.
Tawnee has heard anecdotal evidence that the curved treadmill offers a smoother transition back from injury with less risk of re-injury.
In regards to Mike’s second question: no, it’s not problematic to train occasionally at a higher metabolic cost.
To the third question: no! The curved treadmill can be thought of as a hill workout.
To the fourth question: Curved treadmill over traditional.
Tom B. asks:
Running after meniscus removal?
Hey All,
Love the show.
I’m 60. Been a cyclist for decades. Raced CatIV and masters, Sport class mountain bike for about 10 years. Started running 3 years ago and have done a couple Oly and 1/2 distance Tri’s
Developed knee pain last year and eventually had my knee scoped (after 9 months of working with a PT) I was shocked when the surgeon told me that he’d removed ‘about 70%’ of my medical meniscus.
I want to start running again, but the information I find about the subject seems to be all over the road.
What do you guys say?
What the Coaches say:
It’s risky, but you don’t necessarily have to throw in the towel.
You’re probably going to have knee pain while you run… is it worth it to you?
But you might not have pain… you’ll never know unless you try.
Try coming back to running with an anti-gravity treadmill to slowly ease back to running with your fully body weight.
Check out this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2603439/
While the probability for early degenerative OA in the post-meniscectomy population is substantial, it is a probability and not a certainty.
Chatain et al 30 actually found an OR of 0.3 for preoperative participation in sport indicating that it may in fact be protective against OA.
McKinley et al 24 measured in vitro changes in tensile, compressive, and shear forces on trabecular bone, with the meniscus intact and following partial and total meniscectomy. Following partial meniscectomy, no significant differences were noted in load transfer through to trabecular bone. In contrast, total meniscectomy caused significant changes in all three types of forces, measured at all levels of the trabecular bone.
While meniscectomy clearly alters the biomechanics of the knee joint, it should be noted that degenerative changes in articular cartilage cannot be attributed solely to these biomechanical changes. The literature supports the paradigm that degenerative knee OA has a complex and not fully known etiology41–46.
While biomechanical changes due to meniscectomy play a significant role, age-related tissue changes41,42, trauma or wear and tear2,41,42,46,47,49–53, gender41,44,54,55, individual genetic predisposition for developing OA41,52,56,57, and obesity58–62 may also play a significant role.
Running and OA?
The authors concluded that 40 years of running at 20–40 kilometers per week did not lead to osteoarthritic degeneration in individuals without underlying problems from pre-existing lower extremity injury.
While not without disagreement, the literature does not point to running, in and of itself, on healthy knees as a significant risk factor for OA. Rather, pre-existing OA, high BMI, and female gender is correlated with a higher risk for degenerative changes2,65,79,80,84.
Current evidence suggests that meniscectomy may be, in itself, a strong risk factor for an increased rate of knee joint degeneration29–34,36,38–40. It is also clear, however, in many cases, that an increased rate of degeneration following meniscectomy is not a certainty30,32,34,36,38–40,47,81. What determines this spectrum of post-surgical outcomes?
These risk factors are ranked from most frequently to least frequently identified as significant predictors of OA:
Quantity of meniscus removed
≥ 1/3 of total
Age
≥ 40 years
Pre-existing evidence of OA
Radiographic
Arthroscopic
Method of injury
Degenerative
Gender
Female
Body Mass Index
≥ 30
Compartment
Lateral
Lower extremity alignment
Genu valgum with lateral meniscectomy
Genu varum with medial meniscectomy
Piotrek J. asks:
Low cadence and low HR on bike- too low?
My wife has a very low cadence and HR while cycling.
Her cadence while cycling is between 50 and 60 rpm and HR is below 110bpm.
Her heart rate on the run is much higher – 150-170bmp for an easy run and 190 and higher when doing intervals.
She has been running regularly for 7 years (3-5 times a week).
She has been cycling for 5 years, but without much consistency. There were times when she did 2-3 rides a week and times when she hasn’t been cycling for 4 months.
First question:
Is this an issue that her cadence is so low? I know that lower cadence is less taxing on the cardiovascular system and some coaches recommend lower cadences for people.
Second question:
How to increase the cadence. She says that it’s uncomfortable for her to bring the cadence up. Would just cycling more regularly increase her cadence? Or do we need to incorporate some drills or fast cadence bursts (with low resistance)?
I remember when I started cycling my cadence was never so low – it was around 80-90.
Thanks, for a great podcast. Have been listening during my workouts for over 5 years.
Piotrek (Polish equivalent of Peter, don’t worry if you can’t pronounce it )
What the Coaches say:
Lucho doesn’t necessarily see it as a problem. If she wants to race, she might be faster at a higher cadence. But for recovery, this is just fine.
If you’re training on the bike, then you might want to get a higher HR.
It’s pretty normal to see lower HR on the bike. When someone is well trained, the HR on bike and run are equivalent or bike might be 10 BPM lower.
You’re not getting much aerobic benefit out of these rides, so they’re not improving run fitness.
10-minute hill simulation at 70RPM could be a good workout to get your HR up.
Lucho likes fartleks with high cadence.
During a 1-hour ride, go spontaneously for 20 seconds at an uncomfortably high HR every so often (allowing your HR to go down between intervals).
Inspecting wattage could be useful too.
Lucho’s gnarly “fun” workout to complement run
800 run
50 TRX V-ups with pushups
50 TRX kettlebell swings
800 run
50 push ups
800 run
150 lunges
800 run
200 air squats
800 run
150 lunges
800 run
50 pushups/pullups
Total time: 1:03 minutes
The post ATC 304: Do Runners Really Work 30% Harder on Curved Non-Motorized Treadmills vs. Traditional Flat Treadmills? Plus: Running After Meniscus Surgery, How To Push Heart Rate While Cycling, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
59 min
January 24, 2020Paul Laursen: HIIT It! How (and Why) To Add High-Intensity Interval Training to Your Endurance Program with Success
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Paul Laursen is an author, scientist, coach and entrepreneur who’s back on the podcast to discuss his latest project that’s years in the making, one of the most comprehensive resources on high-intensity interval training to ever exist, called HIIT Science. To find out more, head to their website, hiitscience.com, for their free blog and resources, online course and more. Purchase the book, The Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training here.

On this show:
Podcast mentioned: Alan Couzens on how heat affects fat oxidation rates.
Study: The effect of a physiological increase in temperature on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in rat myofibers.
The study was done on rats
Paul’s comments: when becoming fat-adapted, you get more mitochondria in the muscle cells, which produce more ATP (energy) from the burning of fat and fatty acids allowing more mitochondria to generate more energy. Take in carbohydrates, but it might be beneficial to have more mitochondria to be able to burn more fat so that the system doesn’t shut down as much as it would if you weren’t fat adapted.
HIIT Training:
Content vs. context
Depends on how much strength, speed, and endurance your sport requires
An image of content vs context
When looking at endurance sports, you want the HIIT to target the development of the aerobic system
Two key benefits of HIIT (if done appropriately):
Fast-twitch muscle fibers become more fatigued resistant
Increased cardiac output efficiency
The biggest misconception about HIIT:
It’s NOT about “no pain, no gain!” Always leave a session feeling like you could have done one or two more.
How many days do you want to take off between HIIT sessions?
The general consensus is 48 hours, a threshold session is 24 hours, and an aerobic session didn’t need any recovery time
Context is very important!
If the HIIT is done in the running context, it could be up to 72 hours
A beginner triathlete might need a whole week
Is there a way to add HIIT to your regiment safely for an athlete who has a history of injuries?
Depends on the injury
HIIT can be added to a lot of different modalities of exercise
For example, you can add them to swimming, cycling, and water running
Different types of HIIT intervals:
HIIT training is defined by periods of exercise that are above your threshold or inside your red zone
The red zone exists within a range; the higher the intensity the shorter the duration
Long intervals:
Between 2-5 minutes of duration at VO2 max; separate it by a recovery duration of 1-3 minutes
First example
Second example
Short intervals:
Between 10-60 seconds of duration followed by an equivalent amount of recovery time;
First example
Second example
Repeated sprint intervals:
Typically used in a swimming context
Between 6-15 seconds all-out followed by a 20-30 seconds recovery
Game-based intervals:
Typically used in a team sports context
How do you envision a plan that blends MAF & HIIT? And do you see the two as being able to complement each other for max results?
Both fit in well, within the polarized training model
Context is important
Steven Seiler’s Polarized Training model:
80:20 rule
Other topics covered:
How women avoid and/or monitor RED-S and related ailments in a world where still so much research is based on males, and we see that men are more resilient to the effects of low energy availability and related ailments, etc.
Putting HIIT in the follicular phase vs. luteal phase
Other links mentioned by Paul:
https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1105423646087176192?s=20
https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1124376928495046657?s=20
https://twitter.com/hiitscience/status/1077164585386418178?s=20The post Paul Laursen: HIIT It! How (and Why) To Add High-Intensity Interval Training to Your Endurance Program with Success first appeared on Endurance Planet.
59 min
January 17, 2020ATC 303: Should You Increase Your Stride Length or Stride Rate? How To Prep For Hot Race When, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and Getting in Vertical Training Without Hills
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James Proctor asks:
Training in Cold Climate for a Hot Weather Race
While my question is specific to one race, I think that triathletes from close to half or one third of the country have pondered this issue.
I got a medical deferral to Ironman Arizona 2020 and I have purchased a plan on Training Peaks which has two rides over six hours each (one at the end of October and the other at the beginning of November). Temperatures here in Eastern Washington are hovering in the mid 40s to low 50s during the day and some days haven’t even reached 40.
I dread the idea of riding on an indoor trainer for over six hours and I know how important it is to be on the road to sharpen bike handling skills. I got some great ideas off of the Slowtwitch forum but was curious if you or one of your great coaches had any input. I think I could handle a few hours outside bundled up and layers if it isn’t raining (rain, wind and 40 degree temperatures can be miserable).
If you feel this could warrant a few minutes on your podcast, I think it would help a lot of people.
What the Coaches say:
Wearing multiple layers that don’t vent can create a micro-climate of 100 degrees F. You’ll be fine!
Sauna sessions (not steam room) after workouts at the gym can also help you adapt to the heat.
Consider doing race recon training. If it’s possible, do a quick trip in the late summer to Arizona to train.
Bike handling skills come from short rides and technical rides, so don’t worry that trainer rides will take away from that.
Almost everyone hates long rides on the trainer! Lucho suggests cutting the 6-hour bike on the trainer.
Consider instead doing 2 rides a day:
Morning = 2×20 min hard on the trainer
Evening = 2 hours aerobic
Tawnee, on the other hand, thinks there is a payoff to dealing with the tedium of long rides. But it’s best to do these outside.
IMAZ isn’t too technical of a course (it’s 3 out-and-backs without hills). Don’t stress too much about bike handling.
Kevin G. from KY asks:
Vertical Gain Training
I love the show! I live in Kentucky with relatively few hills for training. I have been running ultras for a couple years and wanted to know your and Lucho’s thoughts on how to train for races with significantly more vertical gain than I can am able to find. My current approach is to use strength training and the stair machine. But this comes at a cost of less time actually running.
Notes for context:
1) I typically train 6x per week. 2x for full body lifting. And 4x for cardio with 1 of those being on the stair machine and the other 3 running.
2) My hilliest running route can get about 60ft/mile and I’m doing 50k – 100m with up to 200ft/mi.
3) East coast races to altitude is not a factor. Just elevation gain.
What the Coaches say:
The stairmaster doesn’t help you with the overriding problem of downhill pounding.
Lucho recommends eliminating one of your full-body lifting days and replacing it with a run that incorporates plyometrics, such as squat jumps, walking lunges, or bulgarian split squats.
Consider going to a football field and running diagonal across the field then doing plyometrics across the end zone. Repeat as appropriate. If you can do 10 intervals, then you’re good.
If you can build up enough durability then you can start loading your squats.
Lucho’s challenge to anyone: try doing 100 walking lunges! (Good luck walking the next day )
This plyometric approach is very helpful for “weak” runners who are not durable.
Hill repeats would obviously be helpful. The incline doesn’t need to be too steep.
Consider taking a weekend trip to a hilly area to train. You can reap lasting benefits from hill training only once a month.
Jason T. asks:
What equals a low stride rate?
On a recent show you listed risk factors for injury and a low turnover was one of them (I think!). Simple question — what stride rate is ‘low’?
What the Coaches say:
There’s no magical stride rate number. Though the classic answer is that a low stride rate is under 170.
It’s worth getting a run analysis done by a professional to determine if you’re running at too low a stride rate.
Ankle collapse is a telling sign of a too-low stride rate.
John C. asks:
Should you really increase your stride rate?
Hi Endurance Planet. Firstly, I enjoy listening to you guys, keep up the great work!
Question:
I am a fairly serious runner, a 2:55 marathoner. For some time I have heard on this podcast and elsewhere that a higher stride frequency is preferable, all things being equal. Most elites hold a cadence in the 180 and so should we, for optimal performance. Research also seems to point to less ‘ground time’ (i.e. your foot’s contact with the pavement) as being similarly advantageous, and a feature of good running mechanics.
However, are these really the causes of faster running or just symptoms? All things being equal, if I increase my cadence, I necessarily run faster. While running faster, my time on the ground will shrink as time suspended in the air increases, right? Is this advice akin to saying: you can run faster if you just move your legs back and forth faster? If so is this sorta of empty and meaningless advice? Or am I missing something? Your thoughts… ?
What the Coaches say:
You have a natural run economy, which may be under 170.
If you’ve never been injured and your stride rate is in the 160s, then it’s not a problem.
You reduce overall ground force by increasing cadence, which then decreases injury risk.
Shoes can artificially alter our stride rate.
What We Can Learn About Running From Barefoot Running
Stride rate is more neurological, while stride length is more muscular.
Other useful articles:
Should you Increase Your Stride Rate?
Understanding Stride Rate and Stride Length
Jump rope and single-leg jump rope can help build strength and neuro-ability for higher cadence.
The post ATC 303: Should You Increase Your Stride Length or Stride Rate? How To Prep For Hot Race When, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and Getting in Vertical Training Without Hills first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 5 min
January 10, 2020HPN 13: Seasonal Eating Guide Pt 1, Why B12 May Not Just Be About Diet and How To Maintain Healthy Levels, Collagen vs. Whey Protein, and More
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Welcome to episode 13 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Brain says:
A Followup “Thanks” From HPN 11
Tawnee & Julie thank you so much for this episode. The last few months I’ve gone to fasted workouts, high fat, lower carb lifestyle. So far I had been able to do bike training sessions of about 2-2.5 hrs on just some coffee with collagen, mct oil, and ghee and taking in a bottle mix with EEAs and felt great. However I’m training for IMSTG in May and I know this fueling will not be enough to get me through the race. This podcast gave me some ideas to play around with so I’ve got Tailwind, Ucan, Fbomb, and Justin’s Nut butter on the way.
Our Seasonal Eating Guide – Part 1, Winter:
Eating with the seasons is one of the best things you can do for your diet. Our aim with this list is not to say that these are the only vegetables and fruits you should eat, but rather to inspire you to expand the foods that land on your plate and *when* you eat them — by choosing certain foods when they’re at their peak! Julie and Tawnee share some of the best fresh seasonal foods to buy this coming year; five for each season.
1. Endives
Two different types depending on the shape of their leaves (curly or straight)
From the chicory family along with radicchio
Grown in conditions without light which deprives them of chlorophyll
Tastier with cooler temperatures
Lasts in the refrigerator for up to a week
Pairs well with: garlic, lemon, chilies, anchovies, and all cheeses
Cooking methods:
Braise
Grill
Saute
Steam
Raw
Nutrition profile:
Loaded with vitamin K (72%), most B vitamins, and C
Folate
And inulin (a type of soluble fiber)
2. Rapini
Similar to broccoli rabe
Best consumed within 3 days of purchase; tends to get more pungent and bitter the longer you keep it around
The stem is tough; trim the base of the stock by an inch and peel the first few layers to cook
Pairs well with: pork, creamy cheeses, white beans, and anchovies
Cooking methods:
Boil
Steam
Grill
Roast
Saute with olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes
Nutrition profile:
Vitamin A, C, and K
Fiber
Calcium
Folate
3. Hardy Kiwi
Originated in China, brought to New Zealand in the 1940s, and was introduced to the US in the 1960s.
Now, it is mostly grown in California or imported from New Zealand and Chili
It is not as sustainable as other fruits because it takes a lot of water to grow (something to consider when buying)
Loaded with Vitamin C (141% in one large kiwi); Julie likes to eat them when she feels like she is getting sick
Doesn’t have the fuzzy skin like regular kiwis
There are different variations of the kiwi (i.e., in the dormant season, the Arctic Beauty kiwi can survive in -25 degrees)
4. Kohlrabi
The “cabbage turnip” (German)
Cruciferous or brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), but a little more hearty like a root vegetable (potato + turnip or radish) with a light sweetness.
Sweeter with cooler temperatures
Stores well to make it fresh and available throughout the winter (Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr)
Nutrition profile:
Vitamin A, Bs, C, and K
Copper, manganese, iron, potassium, and calcium
Dietary fiber
5. Turnip
Prefers colder climates
Good shelf life
Mild taste
High in vitamin C and a good source of fiber
Greens are nutritious too (antioxidants, vitamin K, folate, calcium, potassium, magnesium)
Collagen protein vs. whey protein – what’s the difference?
Summary: whey and collagen have a different nutritional profile; it is good to have a variety. Collagen can be a good supplement and complement to an athlete’s routine.
Definition:
Collagen – the main and structural protein in the body including muscles, tendons, bones, skin, digestive system
Whey – complex water-soluble protein
Derived from:
Collagen – animal cartilage, bones, and skin
Primal Kitchen Collagen
Vital Proteins Collagen
Whey – 20% of the protein in cows milk
Function:
Collagen – gut health, muscle development, joint and skin health, quick recovery post-workout
Whey – muscle building, fat-burning, increase metabolism, and craving control
Differences:
Collagen:
Collagen IS different
The amino acid profile is different between collagen vs. regular protein powders (whey, etc)
High in non-essential amino acids including glycine and proline; does not have BCAAs
Glycine is a precursor to glutathione, creatine; acts as neurotransmitter in central nervous system and it has many roles such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cryoprotective, and immunomodulatory in peripheral and nervous tissues.
Well digested for most people
Whey:
Complete protein with BCAAs for MPS
Whey/dairy gets a bad rep but can actually improve leaky gut and intestinal permeability
Meat, eggs, fish are higher in methionine and sulfur
Overabundance in methionine can lead to problems with homocysteine and inflammation, possibly some gut health issues
Amino Acids:
Collagen has 8/9 essential amino acids; lacks tryptophan which helps control sleep & mood
Where’s the tryptophan?
This study showed that even though collagen peptides do not contain tryptophan and are low in cysteine and methionine, the average US diet contains a surplus of these amino acids that allows for the substitution of the total protein intake with 36% to 54% collagen peptides, while maintaining a “good” or “high” dietary protein quality (PDCAAS equals 0.75–1.0).
Summary: if you do half of your protein from collagen peptides, and the other 50% is coming from a good-quality protein source, you will get tryptophan, and you will meet your amino acid needs for the day. If you’re only relying on collagen as your protein source, you will not meet all your needs.
Whey has all of the amino acids
Jessica M. asks:
Recovering from low B12 levels
I was wondering if you could shed a little light about returning to activity and how training can be affected by very low B12 levels.
A little background…I’m a 30 year old female, ultrarunner, vegetarian, from the great state of MN. After a few events clustered together on the calendar in 2019 (50 mile, R2R2R, 100K then a marathon within about an 8 week span), I began to feel a deep tiredness–one that felt different and that I had not felt before. I began to feel very worn down and was having a hard time recovering. Everything was just hard–I could barely complete my usual routes at a much slower pace and eventually I could manage only a few miles at a time before having to walk and calling it a day. I feared I had ventured into overtraining territory, so I took a week off of running all together to reevaluate my training. I also had a visit with my Primary Dr to discuss my symptoms just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. II assumed overtraining was the cause and that my body had just had enough and I needed a break. What I learned after a few blood tests was as that I was anemic with severely low B12 levels. I don’t yet know the cause (although my Dr suspects it’s byproduct of long-term vegetarianism), but we are looking into this. For the time being I am receiving B12 injections weekly for 4-6 weeks, then switching to oral supplementation to see if my body can maintain a normal level of B12.
All of this of course occurring while in the midst of training for a 100 miler in September. I’m not ready to pull the plug on that yet, but I feel like things need to turn around fairly soon for that to be a possibility. I was averaging 65-70 mile weeks, and planning on building up to a max of around 85 or so before the race, but the last 5 weeks or so I have been only able to manage between 10-15 miles/week. Is it worthwhile to keep training at a much slower pace (even though it just feels real hard), or am I better off cutting the cord all together and resting until iI can get my B12 levels back in line, then thinking about reintroducing running?
I am really struggling trying to get back into training. I want to run and it’s just so defeating to head out the door, only to come back walking and defeated miles later. It’s been 10 days since my first B12 injection (so I have had 2 thus far), and I am not yet back to any “normal” pace or normal feeling. I think I feel a little better overall generally but it’s hard to tell if I am just overthinking it now to be honest.
Am I doing harm by trying to run thru this with the assumption that in a few weeks I’ll start to feel better? Since I don’t think overtraining is playing a role here anymore, is doing what I can do beneficial at all? Even if the effort still feels much harder than usual? There are lots of research/papers on iron deficiency and anemia in athletes, but hardly any I could find on B12 deficiency so I am struggling to find a protocol to follow while trying to get back to it. I really want to find myself on that start line on Sept 14, but it’s hard to overlook 5 weeks of inconsistency and really no beneficial training in some of the prime buildup weeks. I’m looking for a little love and guidance to restart the journey.
What the Coaches say:
What’s so important about B12?
Synthesize DNA and red blood cells (with folate)
Assists in the production of myelin sheath for nerve function
Neurotransmitter & cognitive function/health
Behavioral disorders, cognitive impairment, depression, brain fog, anxiety, etc.
Prevent anemia and fatigue
Homocysteine metabolism
The body cannot synthesize on its own so must be consumed in food (or supplement form); animal sources only (meat, fish, etc.) not in plants (fruit or veg)
Liver, mackerel, shellfish, dairy, eggs, salmon roe
How common is a deficiency?
Framingham Offspring study
39% of subjects had plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations <258 pmol/L, 17% had concentrations <185 pmol/L, and 9% had concentrations <148 pmol/L, with little difference between age groups. Supplement users were significantly less likely than non-supplement-users to have concentrations <185 pmol/L (8% compared with 20%, respectively).
Researchers found no association between plasma B12 levels and meat, poultry, and fish intake, even though these foods supply the bulk of B12 in the diet. They concluded that it’s not about the lack of meat it’s that B12 isn’t getting absorbed.
How prevalent is vitamin B(12) deficiency among vegetarians? (2013)
Review of 18 articles found:
62% among pregnant women
25%-86% among children
21-41% among adolescents
11-90% among the elderly
Higher rates of deficiency were reported among vegans compared with vegetarians and among individuals who had adhered to a vegetarian diet since birth compared with those who had adopted such a diet later in life.
The main finding of this review is that vegetarians develop B12 depletion or deficiency regardless of demographic characteristics, place of residency, age, or type of vegetarian diet. Vegetarians should thus take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including regular consumption of supplements containing B12.
Why you could be B12 Deficient:
There’s not enough in your diet and you’re burning through your stores like crazy
Eggs and cheese are the only sources that you’re consuming
Gut dysbiosis/ Reduced intestinal absorption
SIBO? Bacteria steal it: “Patients with normal intestinal enteric flora rely on gastric intrinsic factor to bind to vitamin B12 to permit absorption in the ileum. An animal model of SIBO demonstrated competitive uptake of vitamin B12 by bacteria (especially aerobes). Human subjects with atrophic gastritis and bacterial overgrowth absorbed significantly less protein-bound vitamin B12 compared to controls, although this was reversed with antibiotic therapy.68 Folate levels can be normal but frequently are elevated due to increased synthesis of folate by small bowel bacteria.69,70“
Gluten induced GI damage in the area where B12 is absorbed
Antibiotics disrupting the microflora
Medications especially acid blockers like PPI’s and even over the counter acid blockers
Tums, Pepto-Bismol, Rolaids
Birth Control creating nutrient deficiencies
Pesticides like glyphosate disrupting the gut microflora and absorption sites
Pernicious Anemia (autoimmune)
Staging B12 Deficiency in Vegetarians
How to restart the journey:
More time off
Looking at the bigger picture, taking a step back and realizing how damaging this lifestyle is to your health. Your body is not fully being supported and it’s shutting down, not to be taken lightly
She doesn’t say why she’s a vegetarian, but shellfish and organ meats would do the body good
Working with her doctor or someone else to find the cause, address it, find the correct supplement form, and address diet and lifestyle factors
After B12 injections transition to liposomal supplement such as:
Vinco Liposomal B12 (very high dose 3,000 mcg B12 + folate & B6) – contains best forms for absorption: hydroxocobalamin & methylcobalamin
Empirical Labs Liposomal B12 Methylfolate (500 mcg B12, 50 mcg folate + Phosphatidylcholine)- methylcobalamin
B12 deficiency requires ~500 mcg day
Water-soluble so if you take excess you basically just pee out
RDA is 2.4 mcg (probably too low for veg endurance athlete with a history of deficiency)
Serum blood testing may not be enough
Recommended testing includes:
DUTCH test to have B12 metabolites looked at, specifically Methylmalonate (MMA). On DUTCH if this is high it could signal low B12 status.
Great Plains Organic Acids test – directly/indirectly can identify nutrient deficiencies as well as state of gut health.
Could do holo-TC testing, but not as available in the US (catches B12 status earlier).
Serum may miss it. Even high serum B12 doesn’t rule out functional deficiency (i.e. B12 is too low for OPTIMAL HEALTH – and it doesn’t mean it’s getting into the cells, could have gotten tested when the liver dumped some B12 out to be redistributed and gave you a false reading).
Also test homocysteine (if high this could signal B12 problems still).
No higher than about 7-7.5 micromole per L
Monitoring B12 status – maintain over 400 to 1100 picograms per milliliter. Under 300 pg/mL is where problems and symptoms may start to occur in most.
The post HPN 13: Seasonal Eating Guide Pt 1, Why B12 May Not Just Be About Diet and How To Maintain Healthy Levels, Collagen vs. Whey Protein, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 10 min
January 03, 2020ATC 302: What it Takes To Shave an Hour Off a Marathon PR, Building Durability (For Fewer Injuries!), Achilles and Calf Maintenance You Need To Do, and More
Sponsor:
You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here!

Announcements
MAF Meetup!
Join us for a MAF run in Orange County, Calif! Tawnee is organizing a MAF run meet up at the Laguna Beach High School track on Jan. 11 at 8am PT. Get there a bit early, as we plan to start the MAF run on the track at 8. There is free parking on the street by the track entrance(s). We’ll do roughly a 2-3 mile warmup and 3-5 mile MAF run test. Depending on your ability you can run more or less, as needed. Plan on about an hour of running. We’re in it together and there’s ZERO pressure! Just come out and have fun in a group environment and learn more about MAF testing if you are new to it or if you’re a MAF veteran join some like-minded runners!
Details:
8am PT
January 11, 2020
Laguna Beach High School Track
625 Park Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Study mention:
“Listening to Fast-Tempo Music Delays the Onset of Neuromuscular Fatigue“:
Background info:
The potential physiological mechanism(s) underlying the effect of music on performance may reside in altering perceptions of fatigue as well as changes in brain activity. It has been suggested that emotional responses to the music such as eliciting a unique memory may also contribute to the observed increase in performance. What remains unknown is the influence of fast-tempo music on neuromuscular fatigue.
EMG looks at muscle function. EMG amplitude is influenced by the number of activated motor units and their firing rates.
The electromyographic fatigue threshold (EMGFT) is the highest exercise intensity that an individual can maintain for an extended period without an increase in the EMG amplitude.
The study:
10 college aged men, EMG on their rectus femurs (quad).
Did a single leg knee extension exercise at increasing watts until fatigue criteria met.
Intervention included songs at 137 to 160 beats per minutes – songs were instrumental of popular songs (Beat it, etc). Music was asynchronous to activity (knee extensions 70 bpm)
The findings:
Fast-tempo music increased the EMGFT compared with no music.
Subjects achieved a higher maximal power output when listening to music.
Fast-tempo music did not influence absolute or relative end-exercise heart rate.
Most studies looking at this show an increased performance (higher watts, etc), this was one of the first to show an increased time to neuromuscular fatigue (increase in exercise tolerance).
Why?
Changes in brain activity.
Listening to music, during exercise influences brain regions that result in attenuating internal cues related to fatigue.
Increased activity w/ music in these areas:
Temporal regions
Insular cortex
LIFG [left inferior frontal gyrus]
Robert W. asks:
Dropping an Hour Off A Current Marathon Best to Get A BQ
I am looking to run a BQ next fall and am looking for your recommendation on how to spend this winter, spring and summer. The goal race is the Erie Marathon fall 2020. With that time frame, it seems remotely possible on paper to cut my 4:05 PR time as needed to hit the 3hr qualifying time. What would you recommend as a periodized plan for getting my speed and endurance up enough while I have this time at my disposal?
BACKGROUND:
I quit smoking three years ago just before turning 30 and began running as a means to overcome the addiction. Needless to say, I’ve become hooked and ran my third full marathon this fall. I’ve logged a lot of races most at 10miles or more with a lot of Half marathons as training races. I’ve been self-trained, using Garmin training plans with a mix of MAF and mostly following the 80/20 model and daily 2milers with the dog(I don’t push him faster than 10min pace, so I don’t treat these as “quality” runs since I’m way under MAF). So, just a mix-mash of everything.
CURRENT STATUS:
This fall (2019) I ran the Akron Marathon and was pleased to PR 4:05:38 (previous PR in 2017 on this course at 4:23). I felt stronger than in previous years leading up running between 4 and 5 days a week following a Garmin intermediate marathon training plan averaging 30-40miles per week. I only got one20miler before a 3 week taper, but raced four half marathons as my “long runs” over the course of a month before taper. The issue I ran into during the race was a bit of a left knee niggle around 23miles. It caused me pain and I needed to walk a bit until about the last mile.
Since the race, I took some down time and recovery until my knee reliably wasn’t sore. Recovery was light running with the dog, but the second my knee showed pain, it became a walk.
Recently, I began a strength and maintenance routine. This includes a bunch of kettlebell work focusing on squats, lunges, and swings. I tend to do these while watching tv instead of sitting, I’ve been doing sets of 15 each about once an hour while tv’s on.
I’m doing a bit of treadmill work for interval speed work working on faster turnover and holding higher speeds longer.
GOAL:
My goal is to keep and improve my current fitness over the winter by increasing strength training as I begin and focusing on intervals.
I do a lot of treadmill work over the winter, but I should get out more for outdoor speed work. I have access to an indoor track (13.5 laps= 1mi) and would love your suggestion on how best to use this asset.
There is a spring Cleveland Marathon I can run as a check-in in May ‘20. A 16-week Garmin plan tends to give me enough time to gain speed and endurance so I will engage that in the spring.
Do I run MAF this winter getting my 9:00 MAF pace down closer to goal race pace?
Do I do box jumps and squats till I throw up?
Do I have enough time? I can dedicate as much time as needed as workouts usually start at 5am before work.
NUTRITION:
My nutrition is pretty solid, lots of whole foods and lean proteins like Salmon and Cod and turkey.
I’m working towards becoming fat adapted, and seem to be largely successful. I was running Most of my half’s last fall without needing fuel. I used Justin’s almond butter packs during the marathon, and appreciated your recent discussion of other fat adapted alternatives.
I cross-train on the bike 1-2 days a week, usually on a trainer getting as many miles in zone 2 as I can in an hour. I’ve been doing at least a mile run off the bike for the last two weeks. Would adding bike sprint and intervals here benefit my run as well? I’m not a triathlete, because I don’t know how to swim beyond survival water treading. Masters swim lessons are on my to do list in the next couple years.
Currently I’m 33, 5’10, 165lbs and recently dropped 5 pounds in the last month while building muscle (12.7 %body fat). Do I need to try and lose more so I’m hauling less around the course? Still a little excess mid-section.
Sorry for the shotgun blast of questions. I appreciate the time you took to read this, and any advice you are willing to provide.
I wanted, finally, to thank you for putting this podcast out regularly and packing it with solid information. I’ve learned so much and feel fortunate to have you guys to Sherpa me through my endurance infancy.
What the Coaches say:
Stop doing box jumps and squats; these won’t make you faster and will likely take away from your run volume.
Endurance matters more than speed.
Increase volume; don’t limit yourself to 30-40 miles per week.
Build the number of 20-mile runs you do in training.
Can you do one mile at 6:50 pace? If not, you might want to do a mile focus first to make sure speed isn’t the limiting factor.
Try to get up to 8-10 runs per week. You have an extreme goal, so your training is going to have to be extreme.
Consider loosening your goal timeline. Why the emphasis on one year? Maybe this would be better as a 2-3 year goal. You’re certainly not a failure if it takes you longer to reach the goal.
Durability and motivation are key factors here.
Check out David Goggins’ new book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Polarized training could be a very helpful approach that complements MAF while still building speed.
Consider slowly moving toward zero-drop shoes.
Tonie G. asks:
How to prep for race-pace intensity when injury prone?
Hello everyone
I am a big fan of the show, especially ATC!
I love the down to earth approach or you both.
I have a question:
I am a 45 year old man from Holland (Europe) and I have a 25 year running background with a reasonably good level (33 minutes on 10 km)
In the last 10 years I have been struggling with injuries and have started cycling and the running volume has fallen sharply.
Nevertheless if im fit I can run for 35-36 minutes on the 10 km.
During a triathlon / duathlon I run for about 40 minutes on the 10 km
The problem I am struggling with is that I can’t run much of the year because of injuries, especially achilles tendon and ankle injuries. Every time I am building up again and I add some intensity, the symptoms start again.
If I only do the MAF method I have no problems. (MAF pace is approximately 7.30 min / mile)
Now I am in training again for the national championships duathlon in May 2020 long distance (10-60-10 km) and a half ironman in June 2020.
I can imagine that I need intensity to run faster, but the risk of injuries is increasing and I have become afraid of intensity.
What is the best way to train with the knowledge that I am very sensitive to injuries when intensity is added?
Here is some data:
188 cm long
77 kg
Run 3 times a week 40 km, longest distance 20 km all MAF pace and 1 recovery run 10 beats under MAF
Bike 5 hours a week in 3 sessions, incl. 1 long ride or 3 hours, 2 rides or 1 hour with intervals (vo2, sweetspot, sprints)
Swim 2.5 hours a week in 2 session, 1 focuses on technique and 1 on long distance
What the Coaches say:
Lucho recommends a professional assessment of your foot plant to help select an appropriate shoe.
Get a pair of minimalist shoes and wear them casually.
Do some achilles tendon strength work–isometric stuff like calf drops, plus jump rope (build into it slowly) and single leg balances.
No speedwork for a while, at least until strength is built up.
Check your cadence. Is it low?
The soleus has a lot of implications for power and pronation. If it’s super tight or has adhesions then make sure you’re doing maintenance body work (Graston scraping is very effective, as is trigger point therapy that you can do at home).
You don’t necessarily need to go a professional. You can do this yourself every day for 10 minutes.
Don’t go straight to the point of pain. Work around the area.
Check out this video to see how.
Spending more time barefoot could help with your proprioception and help reduce injury.
Posterior tibialis is also relevant here.
Dorsal flexion against resistance band can strengthen that area.
Don’t rest when you have a tendon injury!
Do calf drops and isometric calf holds instead.
Concentric calf raises should be avoided.
The post ATC 302: What it Takes To Shave an Hour Off a Marathon PR, Building Durability (For Fewer Injuries!), Achilles and Calf Maintenance You Need To Do, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 15 min
December 27, 2019Jill Miller: Prevention and Healing of Diastasis Recti During Pregnancy and Postpartum and the Crucial Role of Proper Breathing
Sponsor:
Have you explored Nourish Balance Thrive yet? It’s the wellness solution created for athletes, by athletes. The NBT team can help you heal fatigue, insomnia, hormonal or digestive problems so you can regain peak performance! Nourish Balance Thrive has a carefully cultivated tools to better assess your health.

Our guest on this episode is Jill Miller, a pain-relief and wellness expert with 29 years of corrective movement expertise that forges links between the worlds of yoga, massage, athletics, and pain management. Her signature self-care fitness programs, Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model® are found at gyms, yoga studios, hospitals, athletic training facilities and corporations worldwide. Jill is also a mama and expert at pregnancy and postpartum health and healing for women, she has a special program just for moms called Roll Model Mama. On this episode, Jill explains the crucial steps to preventing and/or healing diastasic recti during pregnancy and in the postpartum phase. Find out more about Jill and her products at www.tuneupfitness.com.
More from Jill:
Diastasis Recti Do’s and Don’ts
Video with Jill demonstrating postpartum breathwork

On this show:
Diastasis recti (DR) – what is it? Doesn’t every woman get it during pregnancy?
Need understanding of connective tissue, fascia, facial interface
Split tear thinning of abdominal muscles (right and left hemisphere), from zyphoid process to pubis
Linea alba has different natural tension on different people
Even babies have DR! So, DR is perfectly natural and it’s natural to have weakness in this area.
But there can be an unnatural drift on right vs. left sides, i.e. a tensional pull away from the midline.
Drift occurs in various layers of the abdominal muscles, it can go through all the layers, so diagnosis is about figuring out what layer is pulling away the most?
The rectus abdominus is the outer most layer that we notice the most.
The goal is to re-establish tone that crosses R/L and also flex the spine (flexion).
Body has to re-train core control after DR happens.
Breath is key!
Correct intraabdominal pressure – get things to act as a unit to avoid rift in DR.
Sara Tar – Crossfit athlete who’s been very open about her major DR who joined Jill on the Today show to discuss DR.
Jill helps Tawnee through a little self-diagnosis on Tawnee’s DR, which is mostly in the upper rectus abdominus.
DR – not just the width but the depth of DR down in the layers. If it’s down through the TVA, surgery might be an option.
Jill’s daughter was born with an umbilical hernia and how Jill helped her to naturally strengthen her core to avoid surgery. (Seams in utero didn’t seal correctly.)
Book recommendation – Diastasis Recti: The Whole Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation by Katie Bowman
Whole body weakness could be birth defect or improper exercise, e.g. not engaging TVA or improper breath during core work.
Have you connected your breathing to your ab work?
Prepare to Repair!
If you get DR, you have to learn how to BREATHE well. So why not start now?!
You need the breathing practice for pushing anyway J
Breathing helps transfer proper tension into TVA.
Later in pregnancy, breath transfers to ribcage (because there’s no room below)!
Three zones of respiration.
Zone 1 below diaphragm.
Zone 2 rib cage.
Zone 3
Inner baby carriage – this capsule needs to be tensioned.
Jill mentions the use of her Corgeous ball in the Roll Model Mama program.
How to properly use your breathing muscles:
Are you ever completely letting go of muscles in the body? Are you holding unconscious tension?
Female core is notorious for unconscious tension. Are you always pulling in your belly?
Chronic shortening of these tissues is not good, we need to let them go in order to get descent of respiratory system.
Diaphragm is distended on inhalation. Correspondingly, TVA should receive that pressure and swell (everything expands).
During exhale we need to allow a reflexive rebound, i.e. drawn in and up. Diaphragm goes back to dome position.
Chronic tension? Diaphragm can’t descend as low as it could because it’s prevented from doing so. No cooperative play.
Bottom line: Don’t always hold it in.
Every hear someone say “pull belly button to the spine”? That’s not enough! Instead, Jill says to synch core into spine to work on TVA (which is mostly on the sides).
When TVA contracts is creates a global synching, it’s not a spinal flexor it’s a stabilizer.
Get your pelvic floor checked in the postpartum phase!
Breathing cues:
Breathe in—feel that pelvic floor (perimeter of gut) distends
On exhale “gather” tissues and compress in toward center. Blow out 99+ candles and rid self of all available air.
As you get more advance you can target activation of certain muscles more specifically, e.g. Internal abdominal obliques.
After many births or “life things” that affect core we lose proprioception so we want to stimulate tissues and regain control. Muscle contraction at the right time is key!
DR Stats:
We still don’t know why some people get DR and others not.
Science doesn’t show any definitive risk factors for those who get DR. (but we have our beliefs from years of observation.)
No consensus about risk factors for DR during pregnancy or postpartum phase. But there are some proposals that we list off.
DR stats
65% of women have DR during third tri
53% have it immediately postpartum
36% remain abnormally wide 5-7 weeks postpartum
Of women with gynecological complaints, 52% have DR
Need more research of women during pre-pregnancy life to assess risk factors for DR to help prevent.
It would be great if DR recommendations and core awareness were a normal part of prenatal care.
Jill’s opinion on belly bands: Better to generate force from inside the body; could inhibit respiration.
Postpartum DR Exercises – do’s and don’ts:
Start with breathing, always start with the breath, and this can happen immediately!
To tone inside out: a minimum of 10 full breathes with full exhalation and full inhalation a day. Can be done anywhere, any time.
The basic rule for exercises to do and don’t do:
Spinal flexion is the test—if there’s doming, avoid those exercises for now! Goal is no doming.
Usually need to avoid sagittal movements for a while.
“Functional DR”—what this is: when you’re relaxed there is a little gap but you’re your core is engaged you’re strong and able to functional as needed without pain and problems.
Associated symptoms with chronic unhealed DR: low back pain, ITB pain, knee pain, SI joint issues.
If you’re long removed from immediate postpartum phase but still having a DR issue, where do you start to heal?
Tissue mobility is key! Need tissue play! Do soft-tissue mobilization.
Never too late to address this!
You can adapt.
Mobility = recovery, so you can do more!
More body awareness to perform better, etc.
When surgery might be the last and final option after exhausting all resources—for some women this can be the case and that’s ok!
Crossfit athlete example: Lisa Ryan
The post Jill Miller: Prevention and Healing of Diastasis Recti During Pregnancy and Postpartum and the Crucial Role of Proper Breathing first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 9 min
December 20, 2019ATC 301: Setting Heart Rate Zones Based Off MAF, Bringing More Intuition Into Your Runs, and Always Injured What the Heck?
Sponsor:
You hear us talk about UCAN all the time. Many of our athletes and listeners swear by it. How about you? Maybe you’re ready to try UCAN but don’t know where to start? We have the perfect solution: Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. The Tri Starter Pack includes a sample of all the best UCAN products for just $15, normally $35. This deal is exclusive to our EP audience and not offered to the general public. It won’t last forever so take advantage while it’s here!

Sponsor:
Be sure to open Amazon via enduranceplanet.com—it’s just one extra click to link to Amazon through the sidebar banner or search bar (to the right of the page) or click the Amazon links in the show notes. Thanks for supporting the show.

Announcements and Intro Remarks
Endurance Planet has tons of new gear! In addition to shirts, there are also baby onesies (see picture of baby Cora on EP’s instagram!), super warm beanies, and socks. Send photos of you and your family sporting EP gear to [email protected]
Tawnee briefly discusses diastasis recti—keep an eye out for a future podcast on this topic!
Peter W. asks:
MAF Test Question – Time to Introduce speed now?
First off – let me say thank you for this really wonderful podcast. You guys have helped changed many peoples lives – many of whom you have never, and will likely never met – extremely grateful for this podcast, and all of the insights. So a big Thank You is in orders!
Offseason MAF maintenance question:
I am 32, 6’1 – 160lbs and on a plant based diet. I’ve been run for about 3 years, but have only really focused on training MAF for the last 18 months or so. I average about 30 – 40 miles a week in the offseason and about 50 – 60 miles during more formal training.
I recently completed a 10 mile MAF test using the 180 formula and adjusting for +5 beats – which puts me right at 153HR as my MAF level, and I normally train between 140 – 150HR for about 90% of my runs. Results are as follows – note the course was not a track, and had some bridges with elevate…which I love to run due to the very scenic route.
·      Mile 1: 7:09 (pace)/ 149HR
·      Mile 2: 7:16 / 154HR
·      Mile 3: 7:22 / 155HR
·      Mile 4: 7:30 / 155HR
·      Mile 5: 7:32 / 155HR
·      Mile 6: 7:41 / 153HR
·      Mile 7: 7:46 / 153HR
·      Mile 8: 7:48 / 154HR
·      Mile 9: 7:55 / 154HR
·      Mile 10: 8:00 / 153HR
My question: I’ve been responding very well to MAF based training over the last year or so, however, given the results above, and the fact that I find it challenging to hold a HR of say 165 – 170HR for an extended period of time (puts me in the low 6 min pace wise)…would you start to incorporate specific speed drills right now, or should I see were MAF takes me, and introduce speed-work closer to an event.
What the Coaches say:
It’s important to know what you’re training for, but Lucho’s initial reaction is to say, yes, do speedwork.
Holding 165-170HR should be difficult. But if you find that you can’t hold 170-175 for more than a minute, then yes, you’re deficient in that upper-end.
Once a week doing a long threshold run at 165-170 would be fine. Also doing work in the 155-165 zone would be good.
Speedwork: 8″-20″ all-out followed by 4′ of total recovery. This is a safe approach that won’t wreck your MAF training. But ease yourself into it. Gradually build up the intervals (start with 3-4x 8″ on a hill).
800s and 400s would also be ok, so long as you don’t go overboard.
If you’re more than 30 weeks out from a marathon, then go ahead incorporating speed. Ease off at the 30-week mark and focus in on marathon-specific build starting from 18 weeks out.
Strength and lactate are also important factors in running well. MAF/aerobic fitness isn’t the whole picture.
Roland Y. asks:
Is most of the time spent training below your actual MAF?
(This is a question we’ve had sent to us several times recently)
I discovered endurance planet 10 years ago – how listen to you guys is to save the episodes so when I take my holidays I can binge – I cannot count the number of times I have been laying on the beach in the canary islands and drifted into relaxation. Setting myself up raring to get out training when I return home to the uk.
So I decided let’s give this MAF thing a go… you are always talking about it.
Quick question
When you calculate your MAF is the objective to do most of your training below MAF. Currently I am attempting to train in the fat burning zone which is around 10 beats below my MAF, or do you train as normal but below your MAF regardless.
What I am attempting run / cycle and lower my heart rate but increase my speed / pace – aka Mark Allen style.
( already with MAF I am leaning that walking is now my best friend – keeping in that fat burning zone is hard)
What the Coaches say:
Initial thoughts: while MAF is a good approach to maximize fat burning, about 80% of fat metabolism is dictated by diet.
The objective is certainly not to train above MAF. Ten beats over is aggressive and can cause damage, but five beats over can be ok so long as perceived exertion still feels easy. The mental aspect is very important!
Don’t use a run to let off steam. But if you feel amazing and want to push it (naturally), then go for it.
Also let recovery be your guide. If you’re exhausted the next day after your run, then you went too hard. Adjust accordingly.
Lucho allows a 20 beat range for MAF, with only 5 beats being over true MAF.
Craig M.
Always injured – what the heck?
I started running at age 18. I made it to age 40 without any major injury and rarely stretched or did any mobility/strength work (other than the beach muscles). Then I got a sacral stress fracture. The PT’s told me I was very, very stiff (usually they said I was the stiffest person they’d ever met- yay me! First Place!!!!) So I diligently did mobility work, stretched and did specific leg strength work for years.
Now it has been 6 years of that type of work and I get injured ALL THE TIME! I haven’t ramped up my mileage or thrown in speed work too soon, in fact I haven’t even attempted speed work since I seem to get a soft tissue injury every 3-5 weeks. ANd I don’t rush back to training when I do get these injuries. I take all the time needed until I don’t feel anything in that area to start running again.
So I guess my question is; how come?
I go back to not doing all that work since it doesn’t seem to help (answer is no)?
Am I doing it wrong (answer is, it depends- love that one)?
Or should I keep doing what I am doing as I am actually doing things right, I would have probably gotten injured way, way worse had I continued to not do any of that work and kept running. The cumulative miles have actually caught up to me and I need to do so much work to reverse the poor training habits of the past.
Side note- 2 of my older friends never do any of the strength/mobility/stretching and they are never injured. I know each person is different and it may catch up to them, but it doesn’t seem right (sorry that was more of a vent than a question)
Keep up the great work.
What the Coaches say:
Stress fractures often come from lack of nutrients as well as over-training.
See this article: Sacral Stress fractures in a distance runner
The pattern of your approach seems imbalanced.
Stretching can negatively impact tendons. Beware of static stretching.
Stiffness isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Switch out your mobility work for something else (anything else!) and see if you stop getting injured.
Where is strength training fitting into all this? Consider going back to that.
Lunges and bulgarian split squats could act as both strength and mobility.
Your recovery might be too passive. Active recovery is most helpful. Don’t be a “couch potato,” but do activities that healthfully stress the injured tendon/muscle.
One study found that those who exercise while stressed have a 900% increased likelihood of getting injured.
The post ATC 301: Setting Heart Rate Zones Based Off MAF, Bringing More Intuition Into Your Runs, and Always Injured What the Heck? first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 13 min
December 13, 2019HPN 12: Fueling with Fructose Malabsorption, Loss of Appetite When Training, and Heavy Metals in Protein Powders — Poor Science or Cause for Concern?
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Welcome to episode 12 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Intro banter
Tawnee shares about introducing new foods to Cora and how chicken liver & Vital Choice Salmon roe were a big hit.
Do babies eat intuitively (based on what they know they need) vs. preferentially (what they want)?
Tawnee’s Instagram stories has baby food recipes and tips.
How Julie gears up to run outdoors in winter conditions:
Wool socks
Altra Lone Peaks
Yaktrax
Mittens (not gloves!)
Insulated running tights
Hanna B. from Germany asks:
Fueling a MTB race with Fructose Malabsorption (and Hormone Tie In?)
So great to have Tawnee back on the show, I follow you on Instagram and love seeing all the chubby baby pictures, it makes my heart smile every time.
I have a question regarding fructose malabsorption in terms of fueling during a race.
After suffering from severe gastrointestinal issues for almost 8 months and having to bail on most of my cycling and running training, I was finally diagnosed with fructose malabsorption via a hydrogen breath test. It also explains why I would feel like taking gels (SiS isotonic gels) would almost make me feel slower and give me gut problems. It’s not just fructose from fruits I can’t have, but also onions, broccoli, certain beans, and a variety of other vegetables, as well as normal white/brown sugar as this is often up to 50% fructose. It seems I also only do well eating small portions. The upside is that now that I know what ails me, I can dial in my diet properly, and have started working out again despite losing a lot of fitness. Next year I’ll be racing an 84 km Mountain Bike Race with quite a bit of elevation, I will need a good 5 1/2 hours to complete that race, and I have no idea how to fuel it. The aid stations usually have isotonic drinks with sugar that I can’t have, nor can I have the watermelon or bananas or coke (ew) offered.
Since I am just re-starting my base training now and have a lot of time to test and get used to foods during a race, are there any practical tips you could give me?
I know that I will be using a lot of glycogen as it will be a hard race with a lot of climbing, so I would like to replenish that. I can have pure glucose, dextrose and maltodextrin. Does the body absorb these differently or is there any timing issue that I need to look out for?
I know you aren’t nutritionists per se, but since there are a few other fructose malabsorbant people in some of my Facebook groups, any answer from trainers would probably benefit them as well.
It was a fructose breath test, I’ll have to wait for a while to take a SIBO test. I’ve cut down on FODMAPs and it seems to help. However, even classifying FODMAPS isn’t easy as different websites list different things, and I’ll be fine with some foods listed as “bad”. Fiber is also still difficult, I’ve started adding psyllium husks to my morning smoothies to get my gut used to it. Water kefir seems to help, and my safe foods are white rice and boiled eggs. Ha. Maybe I can fuel a race with that.
I know this sounds insane but I have a feeling that my reproductive hormones play a part in this, as my periods have become very irregular when this started, although the GYN said everything is fine. He (my male GYN), says I don’t need a hormone test, so I’m looking for a new one to get tested.
As far as numbers, all I have are the lab results from the Fructose breath test.
I had 18 ppm as a baseline which was already high, then it went up to 55 after 15 minutes, 85 after 30 minutes and over 100 after 45 minutes. I had such pain that I had to go home and lie down.
It’s not easy and I’m thankful for any input.
What the Coaches say:
101 Definitions
Intolerance – dose dependent response. An individual will be able to tolerate some of that food, but if over consumed symptoms can start to occur. Can present as brain fog, skin issues, GI distress, headaches.
Malabsorption – contents or nutrients in the food aren’t digested properly because they are not successfully transported through the intestinal wall. Some contents will be absorbed, but some won’t.
Allergy – can’t tolerate any.
What is Fructose?
Monosaccharide – simple carbohydrate – stuck in small intestine and draws water to itself in the small intestine can cause painful diarrhea, etc.
Foods high in fructose: Apples, pears, mangos, melons, honey is 40% fructose, artichokes, cauliflower, onions, beets, sweet potatoes, high-fructose corn syrup soft drinks fruit juices, dried fruit.
There’s a limit to how much we can digest at once, a healthy amount of fructose in one sitting is 25-30mg or 2 apples.
If you have IBS or a level of leaky gut that will be WAY too much for you because you have less cells to digest it in your intestinal wall.
When you have too much at once, or have the malabsorption, they will sit in your SI and ferment, and can continue to travel down to the colon fermenting along the way causing more gas and bloating.
This undigested fructose is overfeeding your bacteria, so probiotic foods might not be a good call.
Fructose Malabsorption
Why is this happening?
“Contrary to previous hypotheses, the study by Wilder-Smith et al. demonstrates that fructose intolerance with malabsorption may not be secondary to changes in the duodenal expression of the fructose transporters or their production. Despite GLUT5 and GLUT2 being established as the primary fructose transporters, the connection between a biological mechanism for fructose transport and malabsorption remains elusive.”
“Factors that may influence the degree of absorption include rapid small intestinal transit time, bacterial overgrowth, developmental patterns, and varying glucocorticoid and thyroid hormonal roles.”
Some level of intestinal permeability going on. From what? Celiac? Autoimmune? Inflammation? Stress? Pesticides? Antibiotics? Parasite?
You should be able to get to a point where you can handle at least some fructose again.
Healing Protocol
Start by focusing on healing the gut with the 5R Approach from the Institute of Functional Medicine:
Remove – allergens, parasites, yeasts, bacteria…some sort of elimination diet i.e. low fodmap
Replace – digestive secretions with HcL, digestive enzymes (Thorne Betaine HCL or Thorne BioGest)
Reinoculate – with pre and probiotics
Repair – antioxidants (zinc, ACES), glutamine (after inflammation has gone down), vitamin D
Glutamine may feed inflammation?
Rebalance – sleep, exercise, stress
Hormone tie-in?
Gut-brain axis – correlation between gut dysfunction and training/life stress.
Also, more comprehensive gut testing to see what else may be going on (GI MAP, etc.).
If you have gut issue, makes more difficult to heal irregular periods.
Stress affects gut and menstruation.
“HPA axis activation is also able to affect the composition of the gut microbiota and increase gastrointestinal permeability.”
Look into running a DUTCH test.
Take a step back and evaluate level of stress in life, get real with self. Will this require time off from training and racing? Or can you still achieve some level of training while healing? These are hard realities we have to get real with in our own unique journeys!
Defer MTB race to following year?
Low FODMAP can temporarily be very beneficial during a healing protocol, but not meant to be a long-term solution.
Don’t rely on psyllium husk (fiber supplement) alone. Do the work to fix your gut!
How to Support your Race?
Sports nutrition products are rampant in fructose so we have to be discerning to find a good alternative.
No fructose product like Vfuel (dextrose, maltodextrin, mct oil)
Make homemade white rice balls (a la Allen Lim), energy balls?
Create your own fuel using this resource (lists the amount of sugar and fructose in foods).
Able to have some fructose? Finding your sweet spot…we’ve gone overboard with the quantity of fruit we eat, could be what caused it.
Allison asks:
Loss of Appetite for Ironman Training
I am a 24 year old vegan triathlete training for my first Ironman in Florida on November 2nd. I am a former college soccer player and I did triathlons in the summer as a way to stay in shape, once I was done with soccer (around the end of 2017) I decided to get serious with training for triathlons. I have done several sprint and Olympic distance races, and 2 70.3s. I started training for my first full Ironman in May and have been steadily increasing my training load in preparation. My training schedule has been around 15-20 hours of training for several weeks now. In the past 2 weeks I have been struggling to eat on the days that I have long hours of training (usually on the weekends that I bike 4+ hours with a 3-4 mile run after and then a 14+ mile run the next day). Normally I want to eat every 2 hours because I’m so hungry but on these days I have to force myself to eat 1, maybe 2 meals if I can get the mental strength to do it. I’ve never had problems with eating enough food before and I don’t want to get to the point where lack of calories and nutrients causes an injury. I was wondering if you had any ideas as to why this is happening and if you had any advice on overcoming it.
What the Coaches say:
What’s going on?
Hormonal response:
Decrease in Ghrelin – stimulate hungers
Increase in Peptide YY – signal satiety
Endurance exercise can suppress ghrelin while increasing peptide YY, resulting in you not feeling hungry. This doesn’t mean you don’t need the calories though!
Stress shunts the blood away from digestive system.
No Effect of Exercise Intensity on Appetite in Highly-Trained Endurance Women
Similar to males, post-exercise appetite regulatory hormones were altered toward suppression in highly-trained women and independent of energy cost of exercise.
Listening to our body, doing good for our body
Good for you for being mindful of your health and caloric needs!
Intuitive eating is only good to a point. This is one case where we need to overrule that and instead do what we know is best for our body and health.
Julie shares personal experience of “not feeling hungry” and the detriments of following that.
Solutions
Set up home environment for success to stimulate hunger post-workout.
Eat something quick and fast immediately and see if that then stimulates appetite for a full meal within another hour or two.
Things to try and eat when not hungry:
Aminos, collagen, easy to digest proteins and carbs.
Spoon & jar of nut butter, coconut butter.
Try pre-making a smoothie and sip on it right away, or spoonful of nut butter & banana, coconut butter, bone broth, and so on.
If you find yourself ravenous on your off days when you body is finally able to reset, that’s a sign to be more diligent with eating more during your training days.
Anonymous asks:
Are there heavy metals in protein supps?
Thanks as always for a great show. About protein supplements. Is it a good idea to limit protein supplements because heavy metals are found in many of them? https://www.consumerreports.org/dietary-supplements/heavy-metals-in-protein-supplements/
What about:
Bone broth protein–is there an issue with Lead?
Vegan protein powders? They seem to be the worse on that article!
What the Coaches say:
Seeking out quality information
Being a skeptic and not believing everything we read or see. Identifying a true peer-reviewed study vs. mysterious reports.
The Clean Label Project, who’s making these claims, seems to have a lack of transparency and other problems with the scientific process.
“Detectable” Does Not Mean Unsafe
“Many plant-based products contain detectable or measurable levels of heavy metals like cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury. These heavy metals and others are naturally occurring in the earth’s crust and its soil. As a result, heavy metals are detectable in many plant-based foods and plant-based supplement ingredients. Finding detectable levels of heavy metals in plant-based products is not a surprise and is not evidence of a health risk. It simply means the laboratory instrumentation is sophisticated enough to detect these elements.”
Heavy metals are almost impossible to avoid, but the dose makes the poison.
A need to worry about heavy metals?
Heavy metals are, unfortunately, all around us:
Exposure to this heavy metal is almost impossible to avoid. The most common environmental exposures are encountered through inhaling exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke, and industrial airborne pollutants. It can leach out of improperly fired ceramic pottery to contaminate food. Homes built prior to 1978 are likely to have been painted with lead paint. The most common environmental nonindustrial exposure to lead is from drinking water and in communities residing around incinerators, toxic dumps, and manufacturing industries utilizing and releasing lead into the env.
Heavy metals in other foods (namely fruits and veg) due to soil.
In the Clean Label Project report: the top 5 cleanest were whey protein, and worst 5 were plant-based:
“70% of protein powders tested detectable levels of lead”
“75% of plant-based powders tested positive lead”
Vega fights back on heavy metal claims.
Crisis with our soil quality, and it begs the question are other foods contaminated with heavy metals, not just protein powder?
We just can do our best – shop local, shop organic, and so on.
Whole foods first, use protein powders as a supplement not a food staple. Although, for athletes on a vegan plant-based diet this may be harder to achieve:
Chris Kresser – Why the Optimal Human Diet Includes Animal Protein – in this podcast, Kresser outlines how much protein supplementation is needed for those on vegan diets. Worth a listen if you eat plant-based to make sure you’re meeting your needs!
Does this higher need for supplements and powders veer us away from the original intention of eating a more whole-food plant-based diet?
Switch up foods, powders and supplements to maintain variety, different amino acids profiles and so on.
Nutrient Synergy
Eat as many whole foods as possible, limit your powders, and don’t worry about heavy metal toxicity unless your environment/career/water is loaded with it!
Mineral/Metal Competitors:
Selenium/Mercury
Calcium/Lead
Iron/Arsenic
Zinc/Cadmium
Calcium and lead are absorbed at the same site in the intestine, which prefers calcium over lead. If the diet contains adequate calcium, ingested lead passes through the GI tract and is excreted. Vit C with bioflavonoids helps neutralize the effects of lead in the system. Eating foods high in pectin such as apples helps reduce the amount of lead present in the digestive tract
Cadmium can be displaced using increased supplementation of calcium, zinc, magnesium and a trace mineral supplements such as alfalfa. Rutin, a common bioflavonoid included in many vitamin C supplements is also useful in displacing cadmium
Bone broth and bone broth proteins
The risk of lead contamination in bone broth diets.
“A small, blinded, controlled study of lead concentrations in three different types of organic chicken broth showed that such broths do indeed contain several times the lead concentration of the water with which the broth is made. In particular, broth made from skin and cartilage taken off the bone once the chicken had been cooked with the bones in situ, and chicken-bone broth, were both found to have markedly high lead concentrations, of 9.5 and 7.01 μg L(-1), respectively (compared with a control value for tap water treated in the same way of 0.89 μg L(-1)). In view of the dangers of lead consumption to the human body, we recommend that doctors and nutritionists take the risk of lead contamination into consideration when advising patients about bone broth diets.”
However, the EPA says the limit for what’s considered safe to consume is 15 ug/L.
Essential and toxic metals in animal bone broths
“The Ca and Mg levels in home-made or commercial broth/soup were found not to exceed low tenths of milligram per serving, or <5% of the daily recommended levels. The risks that are associated with the ingestion of heavy metals such as Pb and Cd in broth are minimal because the levels were in the ranges of a few μg per serving.”
Kara Fitzgerald’s in-house report testing bone broth:
“In short, we found very low-to-no lead in our three beef bone broth samples, whether organic or conventional, homemade or store-bought. Even better, most other toxic metals we tested in broth were undetected, or in amounts far below our concern threshold. The bovine collagen powder yielded low-to undetectable levels of lead and other toxic metals.”
Perhaps be mindful of the source you use to make bone broth. Chickens can tolerate higher levels of lead. Seek out organic, pastured chicken and beef bones. Beef bones might be more pure. Also, how are you preparing your bone broth? What kind of metals may be leaching from the pots we use? Use high-quality pots and pans!
Bottom line: Don’t stress over heavy metals in bone broth.
Protein powder recommendations
Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth protein
Collagen peptides – not a complete amino acid profile but still a great protein source
Whey Cool by Designs for Health
Thorne’s Whey
The post HPN 12: Fueling with Fructose Malabsorption, Loss of Appetite When Training, and Heavy Metals in Protein Powders — Poor Science or Cause for Concern? first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 19 min
December 06, 2019ATC 300: When ‘Natural Running Form’ Beats Strict MAF, Stepping Up To 100Ks, and Following Your Body’s Signals To Achieve Your Race Goals
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On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Lucho and Tawnee:
Intro Banter and Announcements
Do Our Survey!
We need your help! Participate in a survey to help us learn more for a new athlete health & nutrition program and be entered to win a 30-min consult with Tawnee for free! The brief backstory: Tawnee has been collaborating with sports nutritionist and registered dietician, Dina Griffin, on a new project, and we want to learn a little more about you to help us fine-tune things. So if you would be kind enough to take this survey we’d sincerely appreciate it. Be sure to add your email and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free 30min consult with Tawnee!
Lee Cordova asks:
MAF – walking “too easy,” running “too hard”
Hey Tawnee and Lucho, hope all is well!! I have a MAF question which means you have probably answered it at some point, but couldn’t find it looking back through the archive, so may be a good topic to cover again!
My wife is getting back in to running after an injury, and has been doing so with a heart rate monitor for the first time. She broke her femur, so it has been a long and slow recovery! The question is about her training that we’ve been working on together – but asked with her permission
For a while a brisk walk could get her heart rate into a good aerobic/MAF zone, but now walking is too easy – and yet every time she goes into running her heart rate jumps way up. It seems like her MAF pace is in between walking and running. What should she do to build a solid aerobic base, hopefully eventually getting her MAF pace to a 13min/mi? Right now she has been doing run/walk intervals, even though the running is sending her HR above the aerobic zone.
What the Coaches say:
You’re on the right track with run/walk intervals.
Plyometrics (hopping and jumping) will help strengthen the muscles that aren’t used to running.
Stand on one leg and lift your heel a half inch off the floor and hold it until it burns.
Lunge to knee drive.
Air squats into walking lunges for thirty minutes.
Biking would also help (if you do that sport too).
Walk uphill and run downhill; hike a 3 mile climb then run down.
Going 5-10 beats over MAF is ok (as long as your perceived exertion is still light) because you’re working on regaining fitness. You’ll see an improvement in your HR after a month of training.
Running unnaturally is a recipe for disaster, so don’t be a slave to MAF if the slower jog messes with your form.
Kate Brown asks:
Stepping up from 50ks to 100ks
Hi! Having now run 4 small ultras, all around 55kms, I’m contemplating doing a 100km race next September. This would be my best way of getting closure on the ultra trail monte rosa which got half cancelled thanks to snow. I had a thoroughly good time completing the 1st 2 days of the stage race and the 100km race does only the 2nd have of the full course.
I’m curious what changes I should make to my training other than the obvious add in some night running. Attached is the bulk of my run training in the run up to the UTMR and I don’t really envisage adding anymore volume aside from maybe adding in some weight vest hikes.
My lead upto the race is relatively short & constrained by the fact that every year I guide for a week in the Dolomites for a group doing the maratona cycle sportive in early July and bike intensively for the 8wks preceeding, with no energy left for running. However this formula suits my motivation to run. Winters are spent most doing XC skiing and randonnee skiing but I managed 2 snowy runs per wk last year and will likely do the same this winter.
The only other factor for me is; I see a lot of people in uk races basically walking most if not all of the 2nd half of their 100kms and they don’t look like they are having fun. I get the fact that it is gonna hurt at some point but would like to have enjoy the experience as much as possible throughout and walk run a steady race for the whole route if possible. Any suggestions on what I can do to increase the likelihood of this happening. Pacing and sustaining a solid pace is a strength but even so I’m struggling to get my head round how anyone can run 50 more kms after already having done 50.
What the Coaches say:
Lucho noticed a lot of gaps in your training; run more frequently with lesser miles.
Also increase the volume of your long runs.
You’ve got to run up to 50K in your training.
Biking could play a role in your training. You can bike on rest days, because it doesn’t pound on your joints and break you down. It will fatigue your muscles, though, which can build you up in the long run.
Track work isn’t essential for an ultra, but 2-3 hours of biking could be massively helpful.
Running with a weighted vest messes with your neuromuscular system.
Lucho would rather have you do sprints up a steep incline than hike with a weighted vest to increase your strength.
You’re probably going to feel miserable at some point doing a race of this caliber. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to do it! It’s ok to go deep and embrace the suck. You’ll probably feel amazing afterwards.
Lincoln Frey asks:
Fast Finish/Sprints in MAF runs – does that negate MAF?
Hey Tawnee and Lucho, My name is Lincoln. I am from Fort Wayne, Indiana and I’m a big fan of your podcast. I’ve spent the last year or so listening to your podcast catalog from the beginning, so I’m not caught up to the current episodes yet. So far, I’ve loved hearing Lucho nerd out on bikes and running on the track. I also really enjoyed listening to Brock, who did a fantastic job stepping in as host. Tawnee- I’m sorry for your loss, but am so happy to hear that you and Cora are both healthy!
Anyways, I wanted to share some background information and then have a couple of questions for the both of you.
I have been running and participating in sports most of my life. In high school, I ran cross country, track, and played basketball at a small school in Ohio. In college, I dropped basketball and just ran cross country and track. Though I was a decent distance runner in both high school and college, my best events were middle distance and pole vault. While in college, I developed a calcium deposit in both my knees which eventually caused me to stop running cross country; I also started having lower back pain which forced me to stop running the 800. I’m not sure what caused this, but it could be due to the wear and tear of pole vault. By my senior year of college, the only event I was involved in was pole vault.
I took a couple years off of racing, but in 2017 I started competing in sprint triathlons. After a good 2018 season, I decided to step it up a notch and go for a half triathlon. Training started out ok, but I ran into an issue I have never had before. On one of my runs, I noticed my right foot was going numb and my calf got tighter than normal. I thought it was just my shoes, so I loosened them and kept going. On my next run, this happened again; my right calf tightened up but I couldn’t get it to loosen. Eventually, it got to the point I couldn’t run. I went to a physical therapist who determined it was my soleus. After many PT sessions, they were able to fix the issue (with scraping and dry needling) and my calves held up during my half tri. After my half, I took a month off of running and consistent training, but would still bike with a group I ride with.
I recently decided to try MAF training after hearing you discuss it on the podcast. My MAF heart rate is 152. I can’t set my Garmin alarm to a specific heart beat, but I can set it to zones. My aerobic zone is between 133 and 158, according to my Garmin. When I tried to stay below 158 while running, I slowed down to just under a 9:00 pace for 3 miles and my calf was very tight. To combat this, I stopped and stretched for a bit, then tested my calf by running 400m at a much faster, but still comfortable pace. During this run, my calf felt fine, but it did continue to be tight (but not painful) throughout the day. In my run since then, my calf has only been getting worse. Today, I had to stop after a mile to protect my calf.
Going back to the half triathlon- I PR’d in the swim, pace wise; I felt great on the bike and was ahead of pace. Then, I fell apart on the run after mile 2 and dropped out at the halfway mark. Obviously I was disappointed with the results, but I understand why I finished this way. Firstly, I believe my nutrition was right, as I had plenty of energy, but I didn’t hydrant enough during the race. Also, I did not get the run volume I wanted to get in beforehand because of a couple medical issues. Besides the soleus problem mentioned previously, I had issues with my knees from the calcium build up, and an unknown illness that I am still trying to diagnose. Doctors haven’t figured it out yet- so far they have tested me for allergies, asthma, and acid reflux (which is what I think it could be).
In a handful of your podcasts, you talk about listening to your body. I am the middle child of 3 boys who are all runners. Compared to them, I have always been a bit bulkier and faster sprint wise. In junior high and high school track, I competed in every event but the throwings events and high jump (I am too short). Before my injuries in college, my coach suggested I try out the decathlon. Although my history says otherwise, I wonder if my body and injuries may be telling me that I am not built for long endurance races. At the same time, there is a part of me still wants to be an Ironman, even if it’s only just a half Ironman.
Question: Is my body trying to tell me not to compete in a half Ironman, or is this just a set back?
Also, I absolutely hate running as slow as I have to in order to keep my heart rate down, but I feel this may be beneficial in helping me get healthier and faster at the sprint triathlons or getting the run volume to complete a half Ironman. After my first run, I wanted to let my legs run at a pace that was comfortable for them; so I ran a fast 2 laps on a 1/9th mile indoor track, which felt amazing. I have continued to run a fast 2 laps after my MAF runs.
Question: Is running a fast 400 or 800 after running at MAF going to counter anything I just did?
Currently my goal is to compete in the local Fort Wayne area sprint triathlon races and use MAF to build up endurance to try and compete at Ironman 70.3 Steelhead in 2021 or 2022.
Thank you both for the podcast, as it has been incredibly informative. I am looking forward to listening to the rest of your podcasts and learning more about the ways I can improve my races and overall quality of life. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read this and any feedback you’re able to give.
What the Coaches say:
Your body is telling you you’re not ready for it, but it’s not something you can’t overcome!
You’re a fast guy and you’re having trouble moving into a slower pace for longer distances. But that’s changeable!
Avoid concentric calf raises (which is what you’re good at).
Your run cadence is probably slow (160s) and that’s not helping. Try to raise cadence.
Do isometrics and eccentric movement for your soleus.
The 400 and 800 aren’t hurting. Your attitude is key here. If you enjoy it, go for it! You can use it to develop your MAF by doing 400-800 hard at the start of your run then go into 2 miles at MAF then in the middle do 800 fast, continue with MAF, then finish the run with another hard 800.
Bike run brick; 20-30 min on bike then 1-2 mile run and repeat.
Keep your foot in neutral position on the bike to protect the soleus.
Make sure your cleats are in the right position so they’re not forcing you to drop your heels on hard efforts.
The post ATC 300: When ‘Natural Running Form’ Beats Strict MAF, Stepping Up To 100Ks, and Following Your Body’s Signals To Achieve Your Race Goals first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 1 min
November 29, 2019Krista Austin, Ph.D: Simplifying Sports Nutrition, and Are Female and Male Athletes More Similar Than We Think?
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Today’s guest is Krista Austin, Ph.D, CSCS, a sport scientist currently serving as an industry consultant and performance specialist for professional and Olympic sport athletes. Austin has worked for the United States Olympic Committee, the English Institute of Sport, England’s Cricket team and multiple national governing bodies of sport including USA Wrestling, USA Taekwondo, USA Weightlifting and USA Triathlon. Her wide range of expertise includes consulting for professional sport teams on the use of intermittent hypoxic training, preparing athletes for the NFL combine, endurance coaching for distance runners and triathletes of all levels, and providing performance nutrition to multiple populations from elite athletes to diabetics. Austin recently authored a chapter on Injury Prevention and Recovery for the “The Women’s Guide to Training for Triathlon” and has also authored the book, “Performance Nutrition: Applying the Science of Nutrient Timing,” which approached nutrition from a performance perspective through the intentional use of food to optimize an aspect of human physiology.
Topics
Krista’s story
Rebuilding marathoner Meb (and introducing him to UCAN with great success).
Intermittent fasting (IF) vs. Regular meal intake
Weighing the benefits to “even” refueling/meal intake vs. time-restricted feeding and/or intermittent fasting?
Why a 12-14 hour overnight fast should be “no big deal” for all of us.
Female health considerations
Working with a female athlete’s menstrual cycle.
Treating amenorrhea in active athletes.
Sports nutrition for women vs. men
Guiding a nutrition plan for a female athlete – what variables are factored in to ensure their unique physiology and health needs addressed?
Krista proposes: Maybe the idea of women not being small men misses the point a bit? Krista shares why male and female athletes are actually far more similar and should be treated as such.
The post Krista Austin, Ph.D: Simplifying Sports Nutrition, and Are Female and Male Athletes More Similar Than We Think? first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr