For: Athletes Looking to Improve & Perform Optimally

I've been running for a long time now and I'm happy to say I'm still learning. Most recently I've been biohacking a lot and am testing a very new controversial method of training. Trust me, I'm not rock solid on anything when it comes to training. I'm willing to test and try about any new technique for running that sounds like a good experiment. i.e. Barefoot Running=awesome. 
 I think it's important to never think you know everything, no matter how long you've been doing something, to be willing to learn new things in anything you do, and most importantly to perform optimally. It keeps us motivated and coming back for more! So...what's this training method you ask?

No more gluten & sugar. Cut back on the running and get faster!

Say what? True. 

Here's what I'm learning....

 So basically, your body naturally produces glycogen. But many of us endurance runners feel the need to constantly carbo-load to fill our glycogen stores for the long runs- even though glycogen pretty much restores naturally. In addition to eating what we feel like, because we're runners. Fact is: that if you barely had any carbs, you'd be alright. (Unless you're tapping those stores daily) In fact you might perform better. This is because many of our bodies have been trained as "sugar burners."

How to Qualify as a sugar burner. You just have to eat (wheat, gluten, sugar, many fruits, pretty much any counter sweets and bars)

What have I been doing to become a fat burner? I eat more fat of course!

I cut bread and all sweets. Other than one cheat day on the weekend.

I feel great. Because instead of burning sugar, I'm burning key tones.(Fat) you're body functions much better when it's burning fat. Also, your stomach has a tough time digesting gluten and sugar as well. So eat more good fat to burn more fat. Usually a ratio of 70% fat to 30% carbs should do it. We're not talking bad fat and bad carbs though... follow me?

When we burn fat, we're not constantly hungry. We can actually function in a compressed eating window, with no issues. (example: 16 hours fasting, 8 hours eating) Because... our brain isn't telling the gut it "need more sugar!" (Equivalent to what morphine addicts go through) ahhh.,.the beauty of being ketogenic.

For those looking to burn weight. This may be a good idea....When you're body is looking for food energy in Ketogenisis, it says. "Hey, maybe I'll burn this excess fat." For those who aren't looking to burn fat, it's about functioning completely;optimally. Mark Sissons of Primal Blueprint says "when elite athletes start experimenting with ketogenisis, I have no doubt we'll start to see some record breaking performances"

What's good fat? 

Avocados, olive oil, grassfed butter, grassfed meat, cocunut oil/milk,Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Greek Yogurt.etc.
 
What's good Carbs?
 Sweet Potatoes, rice, vegetables, Some fruit:cranberries,raspberries, etc.

There's been way too many examples in this past 6 month experiment to ever turn back. 

Example 1: Dr. Terry Wahls. Author of the "The Wahls Protocol" and a victim of progressive multiple sclerosis used to be electric wheelchair bound. With a high fat, low carb', vegetable heavy diet, she's now biking 18 miles. Wtf? Is society eating backwards? I'm convinced.(YouTube:"minding your mitochondria")

Look, I'm not the intense version of this eating regimen. I'm the heavy healthy, sometimes eat un-healthy version. I love food, and wine. There are times when you gotta eat, and you gotta drink. But 90% of the time, I want to perform optimally.

When it comes to less training is more method of thinking. There's a theory that 80% of high endurance runners train too much. Leading to chronic cardio and bad internal health. Everyone says knees and joints. I read more about heart and Achilles. When we're constantly training these long long distances, much of the time we're over stressing everything we can't see. (Can Running Shorten Your Life) We train all of this long long distance, but we're just re-enforcing what our bodies are already good at. If we stuck to more speed (twice/week) and some race pace, with a few big runs that are really ez heading into an event. We may just perform better. (See: Chapter 1&2: Ben Greenfield: Mastering Endurance)

Yeah, I didn't believe this bit either. I love training and "Sunday Rundays." Huge proponent of the long run for success.

I used to stress over long runs, and lose it to not get them done. Mind you, after a 16-20 week marathon training program I'm toasted. Usually many of us come into our races with hot spots, or arising issues somewhere.

I ran Boston 2014. I injured my Achilles. What an injury! I was signed up for the Ottawa marathon 5 weeks later, I couldn't train though, because I couldn't run. I managed 4 painful runs in. Though I stayed eating low carb, high fat. I just wanted to feel 60-70% coming into the race.
End Result: I did a lot less training and managed to pull out a 2:56 marathon. My 3rd best time out of 12 marathons. What a statement. Not saying it was easy. But have i bought in? Yup!

Now I'm parroting a lot of what I hear. But I'm also practicing what I preach. It's working. I've spent a lot of time looking into this stuff, and still have a lot to learn. But I'm a changed athlete and now truly truly believe that diet really is the most important part of fitness, with a lot less training.

Here's to you and performing optimally!

D

My teachers: (by order of significance)

Mark Sissons: The Primal Blueprint+podcast

Neil Rosenthal: Solefit Ottawa: Dude is a Beast. 
Ben Greenfield: Ben Greenfield Fitness Poscast+ Beyond Training Book

Dr.Terry Wahls: The Wahl's Protocol+podcast guest+http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

Joe Rogan: podcast (joe rogan experience)

Dave Asprey: bulletproofexec.com (bulletproof coffee)

Robb Wolf: Podcast

JJ Virgin: the virgin diet

My Boston, Monday, April 16th, 2013

A day that will resonate with me forever.....

After last year's heated Boston Marathon, I decided to take another shot at it. I re-qualified in May 2012 to get back in the race for 2013. The morning of I was more relaxed for a race than I have ever been, I'd promised myself to enjoy this year. I began my 2nd Boston in hopes for a light hearted, fun run. I set out the gameplan and went out relaxing into my pace. The weather was glorious, the fans were jubilant, and I think I smiled during a race for the first time. I had a big wide grin as I high fived small children, laughed at the signs of the Wellesley College girls, and enjoyed cheers with the crowd of Boston College. As I passed the finish line at 3:03, I was happy. The crowd, the pace, the environment was perfect. These days are supposed to be such a postive experience for runners, fans, and families. As are most races, most athletic events, and most big events where people are brought together. They're times where we can make memories and enjoy smiles, laughs, pictures.

As I made my way off of the course, I decided that I felt good enough to get to the meeting area and back to our friends house where we were staying for some rest. For once I didn't stop and watch, sit on a curb to enjoy the relief from the road, or go and meander around the finish for a bit. So I left and met my wife and friend at the family meeting area, and we went back to our friend's apartment a few miles down the road. After eating a sub and taking a quick nap I awoke to the news of this tragedy.

You didn't have to be at the scene of the explosions on Boyleston Street to feel the thunderous emotion that shocked the world on Monday. To hear of it hurt, it hurt your heart, and it might still hurt. For me knowing that just last year my family would've been right there:hurt. I would've been just behind them at 4:16ish pace. That "could have been" feeling hurts. To have just come back from the finish line an hour earlier made it even more realistic.

As an athlete and marathoner I feel like my community was attacked. I've felt completely helpless. It feels like something was taken from us, our safety was taken from us. You can't put a price on safety. It's hard not to feel angry, upset, furious that such a horrible tragedy could take place at an event that should be safe, and secure. You want to hold your family close and contemplate on the evil that exists on this planet. It leaves you asking why..?
I'm not sure that why is a great question for this situation. Trying to find the why in the small slice of evil in this world is difficult, because much of the time it's an evil that has no reason that any of us could ever understand or relate to.

I have to be honest, I'm still getting over this. It may take a while. All people 'round the world with compassion have felt the weight of this. But I have found great solace in knowing that there are some amazing people out there. Heroes from those opening their doors to strangers, those running at the blast to save people, those offering their medals to participants who couldn't finish, those countless people who went to the hospital to give blood, and there are many more stories out there, I'm sure of it. We rise to the occasion together;united.

Next year the race will have a different atmosphere to it. I'm certain it will be much more quiet, and reserved. But I hope we can run again together. Together as the 2:10 runner and the 5 hour runner, together as runners. I hope we can have our families cheering at our events again, and watching us from the finish line, I hope we can smile again, I hope we can go out there and honor those victims affected by yesterday's tragedy and hold our heads high for them, our countless heroes and for Boston.

I'll see you there,

D

Boston Revenge

When you get beat up and knocked down, a great philosophy is that old famous one... to get back up. When you really really get beat up, it takes a little more time to get over it. But to take that challenge and get back up, that sounds glorious. After my Boston Marathon of 2012, I've been training just for that.

About this time last year I was preparing for Boston, feeling great and in 3:00 marathon shape. It would be a series of unfortunate decisions that would lead to a complete collapse and cause me to spiral into a 4:16 marathon and a terrifying experience. One of my greatest faults last year was drinking a lot of Gatorade the day before the event, I mean about 3 litres a lot! Why...why would I on my 7th marathon do something that I had never done in any of my other marathons? The only thing I can come up with is nerves. To err is human, and with the news broadcasts' predicting a record heat day, and my 1st Boston about to go down. I err'd, I err'd that $*#T up big time. During the run I suffered from something I had never heard of until it happened: overhydration (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/overhydration) Along with my sugar and salt probably hitting the critical meter. Needless to say I blew up early and my race was over before I started. To read more on that (http://dstyb.blogspot.ca/2012/04/my-monday-april-16th-2012-in-boston-262.html)

I remember sitting on the ground after the race with my family and friends surrounding me. I wasn't cognizant of the situation, and for the first time racing I was scared for my health. I had pushed it to the edge. An hour later after being wheeled to the med tent, I managed to come back to earth and get some fluids in, just short from going on an IV. This one really really beat me up.

A week after the Boston debacle, I got back on the road and the thought of another marathon seemed daunting. At the time I was signed up for Ottawa Race Weekend for the 27th of May and I was really nervous that I would have the same experience I had in Boston. Even thinking about Boston at this point wasn't an option. It took me a few weeks to regain my form, and I showed up to ORW with a nervous curiosity about me. It was as if I was running my first marathon. At the starting line I took some deep breaths and promised myself to relax into a comfortable pace right away. I was off and the plan came together flawlessly to finish in 3:01. This race brought my confidence back, I needed that. To let me know what I already shouldve known, that Boston 2012 was a one time thing.

 Now that I`m a week out from the race, I contemplate, review the past, and visualize this years starting line. A month ago it was fearful, after running Around the Bay, (not a great race for me) that Boston fear started growing again. My last long run, and my last hill workout fixed that completely. I went out for my last 3 hour run and destroyed it, I added a couple big hills the last 40 minutes of the run and felt like a gem. I then came out smiling from my last hill workout-My favourite in Ottawa. (https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217705717122258425059.0004d9a1397c97f97e437)

I`m very excited for Beantown this year. I`m excited to laugh, I`m excited to smile. Particularly over some of those hills that had me cringing last year. I will enjoy this year, and I think that`s what I can take from last year. Just settle in and enjoy the great experiences, because there may be a time when they don`t come around so often.

Here`s to you and Boston Monday!!

D

Hold On

It's nice to be blogging again. For all of you that followed my blog on IRun. Thanks a lot for reading, it was great to have the support. I hope that I can meet your expectations as I continue my blog here.

The key to any race is holding on, getting yourself to ride through the entire effort while pressing the pace just above your lactate threshold. This is the goal of most people when they race. A lot of us are racing to gain PR's, qualify for a race, or for a little friendly competition. If you've trained properly, and understand those paces, hopefully you can achieve that success in your key events. I consider every event a mathematical balance, it tends to go up and down for me.

2012 Review

April Boston Marathon 2012
I buried myself before this race started by over-hydrating on Gatorade. I held on until 7KM.

May Ottawa Marathon 2012 
Great race up until the mid 30KM range. I had to dig deep and focus on the person in front of me. It was so frustrating to look at my watch and try and maintain my pace.

June Spartan Sprint 5KM 2012
This was my first Spartan race, I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was so muddy to start, I struggled with the obstacles. I had to fight to hold on the last 2KM. It was such a tough fight, a different one. In a 5KM race you're above your lactate threshold, so my chest burned throughout the last few Kilometers.

July Spartan Beast 25KM 2012
I wasn't really certain how to evaluate this race. Spartan organizers don't give you much information. Though because it was a trail run, I expected it to be fun! It was the opposite. They basically sent us up and down a ski hill for 25KM. It was quite taxing and by 3KM in the race- I was fighting to hold on. I would've trained a lot differently for this one if I could go back.

Army Run Half Marathon 2012
It was time to get a PB in my half, it was time to crush it! I held on for the entire event. I knew I was just above my lactate threshold pace. As I made the turn on Sussex with about  4KM left, I felt the hurt. This is when I started really focusing on the shirt ahead of me, holding on with everything I had.

Toronto Scotiabank Half Marathon 2012
I held on for 8KM. That's always really hard in a race to go that early. But my stomach went at 8KM and my lung ceased up. This was a nice humbling race to get me back in check. I pushed through the last kilometers stopping when I needed and struggling through.

911 Run Run Half Marathon 2012
I held on for 18KM. Almost to the very end. I had never experienced such a strong wind resistance. As I made the turn on the 2nd half of the race my legs were heavy from the hills. The last few kilometers of this one hurt bad. It was nice to finish, and hold on to the end.

I think that most races require participants to hold on. It's the beauty of racing, and so challenging. I may know that I'll have to hold on for a race, but it's one of the hardest things to do. When you're holding on, it takes extreme mental power and physical power to keep your legs moving. The more holding on you can do, the better it will serve you come race time. Holding on is key to knowing yourself better, and will make you helluva a lot more proud come that finish line.

Cheers,

D