90 Mile Week Done - My 22 Mile Long Run Today

Today was my last long run until Chicago Marathon 2 weeks from today! Before each marathon, I always need that one last quality long run in preparation for my race. Today my long run went awesome & I feel more ready than ever.

My Long Run Workout - 22 Miles (Treadmill)

1.5 Mile Warm UP - 7.9-9.9 mph
20.5 Miles - 9.1-10mph at 0.5-1% Incline
9.1mph 0.5% incline 2 mins - 9.1mph 1% incline 2 mins - 9.2mph 0.5% incline 2 mins - 9.2mph 1% incline 2 mins - 9.3mph...9.4mph..etc. all the way up to 10mph 0.5% incline 2 mins - 10mph 1% incline 2 mins - I then ladder my workout the same way back down until I get to 9.1mph - At that point I then ladder back up to 10mph - I do that for the rest of the run until I reach 22 Miles Total!
Total time - 2:20 minutes

Since I am typically a treadmill runner, this is a way for me to switch up my workouts. I can't run at a constant pace for my easy runs. I always change one variable slightly every 2 minutes. It keeps me distracted and makes my runs that much more enjoyable. Try it! If you run on a treadmill, it is a fun way to mix things up!

Feel free to post your treadmill workouts or different ideas that you have for workouts!

Happy Treadmill Running :)

One Of My Quick, Easy, & Nutritious Meal Ideas

 

Salsa Ground Beef Sprouts

 

This is one of my favorite meals! It is easy to make, only a couple of ingredients, & best of all good for you!

Ingredients -
80/20 Ground Beef (1 serving)
Brussel Sprouts (2 servings)
Cowboy Salsa Trader Joes (3 tablespoons)
Coconut Oil (1 tablespoon - for cooking)
Sea Salt (As desired)

How to Make It -
1. Cook the ground beef until it is browned in a frying pan.
2. Cut the brussel sprouts in half, heat coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat, once heated throw the brussel sprouts in and sprinkle with sea salt.
(You can prep and cook both items at the same time)
3. Once your brussel sprouts are cooked to your preference, turn off the heat
4. Combined a serving of ground beef, 2 servings of brussel sprouts, & 3 tablespoons of cowboy salsa in a bowl
5. And Eat!

Nutrition Content - 16 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbs, 31 grams of protein - 381 calories

This is just one of my favorite training meals! Feel free to share your quick & easy meal ideas!

Happy Nutritious Running :)

My Food Must Haves & Staples On A Typical Training Week

Here is a picture of my Trader Joes & other food staples that I always have in my fridge!

-Chocolate Whey Protein
-Unsweetened Coconut Milk
-Sweet Potatoes
-Cowboy Salsa
-Caribou Light Roast Coffee
-80/20 Ground Beef
-Cliff Bars
-Organic Boneless Chicken
-White Corn Tortilla
-Brussel Sprouts
-Organic Quinoa
-Coconut Oil
-Sea Salt
-Dextrose (no shown in the picture)

Feel free to share any of your food staples or meal ideas!

Happy Nutritious Running :)

Nutrition Body Composition Management & Performance

Today I want to discuss the importance of nutrition when it comes to body composition and performance. There are many athletes that need to keep a narrow range of body composition for athletic success. Many individuals working out for performance benefits also have similar importance when it comes to nutrition. There are many nutritional strategies that  athletes & individuals can use to keep there ideal body composition without comprising their performance. To find an ideal balance between body composition management, peak performance, and energy balance, they must follow a nutrition plan that matches their food intake to training output.

Being a competitive marathon runner, when it comes to my own nutrition and performance, I am very careful about the timing of my nutrients and the periodization of my nutrients along with the amount of calories I am taking in each day.

This is what my typical week looks like for my own nutrition & training output! 90 Mile Week (This Week for Example) - 2,100-2,500 calories average each day

Monday - Recovery Run - low carb/fasted in the morning pre run - post run - chocolate whey protein shake with a scoop of dextrose & coconut milk - the rest of the day high carb to fuel for my Threshold Run on Tuesday - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat

Tuesday - Threshold Run - 14 miles total with 11 miles at Threshold Pace - Chocolate whey protein shake with dextrose & water pre run (2 hours prior) - workout - post workout - Chocolate whey protein shake with 2 scoops of dextrose (1/2 shake right after workout & 1/2 shake 30 minutes after)
High Carb the rest of the day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat

Wednesday - Easy Long Run - 12 miles - portioned meals through out the day - fat/protein/carb mix with each meal - still high carb day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat

Thursday - Speed Run & Easy Run - Split Workout - Morning cliff bar or protein shake 2 hours prior to workout - post workout - Chocolate whey protein shake with 2 scoops of dextrose - mix of protein/fat/carb meals the rest of the day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat

Friday - Easy Long Run 10-12 miles - regular meals through out the day - mix of protein/fats/carbs - low carb, high fat, and protein - 120-150 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 110-150 grams of fat

Saturday - Easy Long Run 10-12 miles - regular meals through out the day - mix of protein/fats/carbs - high/low carbs - since my long run on Sunday is more intense than my easy day runs, I tend to need a little more carbohydrate before these runs to fuel me for the entire workout. 150-200 grams of carbs, 130 grams protein, with under 100 grams of fat

Sunday - Long Run for the Week - 22 miles - Pre workout - protein shake &/or cliff bar (depending on my energy level) - workout - post workout - regular meals through out the day - lower carb - 120-150 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 110-150 grams of fat

Give or take a little bit in some of these areas and this is about the nutrition plan I stick to! If your nutrition plan and training isn't properly put together, many emotional aliments can occur! This includes poor sleep, muscle soreness, appetite & GI disturbance, anxiety, irritability, depression, lowered libido, regular infections, flu-like symptoms, and no motivation to train. Each of these is associated with some type of over reaching or overtraining. Nutrition alone can't prevent this, but it definitely helps your body from reaching that point physically and mentally!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post or email me! Also check out my site - www.runwithmemeghan.com - it has my blog attached to it.

Happy Proper Performance Nutrition & Running :)

Highest Volume & Intensity Week - Last Hard Week Before Chicago Marathon! Here We Go.

This week will be my hardest week of training. I am peaking at 90 miles (100%) of my training volume and it is my hardest intensity + volume week yet! I will be one happy runner once I am done with my long run Sunday, but I am looking forward to every mile this week! This is what my week of workouts looks like...

Monday (Today) - 4 miles active recovery - very easy easy running

Tuesday - Threshold Workout
2 Mile Warm Up
5 X 2.25 Mile Repeats
0.25 Mile Recovery Inbetween
1 Mile Cool Down

Split Run - 5 Mile Easy Run

Wednesday - 10 Mile Easy Run

Thursday - Speed Workout
2 Mile Warm Up
12 X 0.6 Mile Repeats
0.1 Mile Recovery Inbetween
1 Mile Cool Down

Split Run - 5 Mile Easy Run

Friday - 10 Miles Easy Run

Saturday - 10 Mile Easy Run

Sunday - 22 Mile Long Run

Wish me luck! Should be an awesome week of training! I will let you know how it goes!!

Feel free to share your workouts or events coming up!

Happy 90 Miles Running :)

Gateway Trail Long Run Today - 3 Weeks Until Chicago

Today I ran outside for a 19-20 mile long run on the gateway trail!! Such a beautiful run. This is kinda a big deal for me since I am a treadmill runner! It makes me wonder why I don't run outside more? I ended up running it in under 2:05 min. Overall a really good run!

Here is a link about the Gateway Trail -

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/gateway/index.html

If you have never been there and are looking for a bike, running, rollerblading, etc. trail I would definitely check it out!

This is my highest volume and intensity week going into Chicago! 90 miles total! I will be posting all about my workouts and different topics this week!

Feel free to share any other running routes or experiences! I am always looking for new outdoor runs to get me off the treadmill!

Happy Gateway Trail Running :)

80 Mile Training Week - Just Over 3 Weeks Until Chicago!

My training the past couple weeks have been a little bit of a struggle! My training week started by coming off of a stomach flu from Sunday. Which basically cut my long run a couple miles short. With 2 solid weeks left of training before I start tapering off for Chicago, I know I am physically ready, but now I need the mental side to stay matched up. I have taken my easy days a little easier this week. The volume and intensity of my training is starting to get to my body from the past couple months, so I decided to take my easy days a little easier while still making the training adaptations needed.

At Lifetime Fitness where I work full time, we also decided to bring in ALL new treadmills this week and replace our old ones. Since I am a treadmill runner, this has only added to my training STRESS! The treadmill I was running on was basically the treadmill that I have performed all of my training on. Taking my treadmill away and replacing it with a new one has completely thrown me off! The new treadmills are awesome, but for anyone who is  a treadmill runner, I think you know what I am talking about!

The treadmill that I did almost ALL of my training on for the last 2 years!

My Training This Week -

Monday - 10 Mile Easy Run - 8.3-9.1mph

Tuesday - 5 Mile Easy Recovery Day

Wednesday - 2 Mile Warm Up - 4 X 2.25 Mile Threshold Run @ 10.3 mph - 0.25 Mile Recovery Inbetween - 0.5 Mile Cool Down ----- Split Run - 4 Miles Easy Run 8.3-9.1mph (Later that day)

Thursday - 7 Mile Run Outside Easy Run (About 7:15 Min Mile Pace) - Finished Run on Treadmill - 5 Miles 8.3-9.1mph 0.5-1% Incline - 12 Miles Total

Rest of the week....

Friday (Tomorrow) - Speed Work Run! 2 Mile Warm Up - 0.6 Mile Repeats @ 10.7-11.3mph (might change based off the new treadmills - feel a little faster than the one I was running on!) 0.1 Mile Recovery Between - Cool Down Easy Run

Saturday - 8-10 Mile Easy Run

Sunday - Long Run - 2 Mile Warm Up with 20 Mile Run! Either of Treadmill or Outdoor Run on the Gateway Trail!

Feel free to post or comment!

Happy New Treadmill/Outdoor Running :)

Boaz is my running coach! We have worked together since Twin Cities Marathon 2 years ago!

Here is a link to my racing results -
http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?rid=20028&race=507

I almost quit the race after 13 miles because I was struggling. I wasn't running as well as  I had planned to do.. but I finished the race after convincing myself to keep running! If I did quit the race I would have never met my coach Boaz. We met in the massage tent. We started chatting and he was wondering who helped me with my training or who my coach was. I had coached myself for many years and always did my own training. Since then he has given me great running advice on my training and running performance. This is a picture from this past December in Sacramento, CA for the marathon. (This was one of my worst races because of the weather conditions! Not a good day, but I ended up finishing at my own pace.) Still a fun trip and I had the opportunity to hang out and have dinner with Boaz the night before the race.  He is extremely inspiring.



In Chicago in 3 1/2 weeks I will have a chance to hang out with my coach again! We will both be running Chicago Marathon!

Here is an article on Boaz -
http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/boaz-between-two-worlds?page=single


Feel free to post comments!!

Happy Coach Running :)

Importance of Good Exercise + Nutrition = Healthy Efficient Mitochondria "Powerhouse of the Cell"

The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and is responsible for converting things like protein, fats, and carbohydrates into ENERGY! Energy that is stored in your body can't not be used unless it is oxidized, converted into ATP (the energy currency of the cell) and converted into energy. The mitochondria is where the energy is produced. Mitochondria produces about 95% of our body's energy. Our ability to live, breathe, move, and be energetic would be severely compromised without healthy, efficient mitochondria.

How do you increase of the number of mitochondria and there efficiency? Through exercise and nutrition! We can increase the number of mitochondria in the muscle cells. Total energy production in the muscle is increased. The quality of mitochondria is also very important to our health and wellbeing. You can increase your mitochondria quality by eating vegetables. Individuals will live longer, perform better athletically, and feel more energetic when they can a higher mitochondrial efficiency.

For running (exercise in general), the best way to improve mitochondria in the muscle cell is through base building, easy running. This intensity is 65-79% off of your maximal heart rate. For most individuals, this is 45-60 seconds off of their marathon pace or 1.5-2 minutes slower than their 5K pace. Base building "easy running" (low intensity exercise) increases the number, size, and distribution of mitochondria. This is where aerobic metabolism (oxygen is present in the cell) occurs in the muscle cells. As your body becomes more efficient at receiving and processing oxygen, your cells can metabolize fat for energy in the mitochondria more efficiently and store glycogen (stored carbohydrate fuel) in your body. Lower intensity exercise allows your body to bring in more oxygen during exercise. As your body adapts, you only get that much more efficient at higher level of fitness. You burn more energy (calories) from fat! You need fat to burn fat to lose fat. This will help you change your body composition for the better!

Overall, you just have more ENERGY! You look good and feel good because you are exercising and eating healthy. Our exercise and nutrition affects every cell in the human body. So take care of yourself! Everyone wants to live longer, perform better, and have more energy!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post or email!

Happy Mitochondria for Happy Running & You :)

My Actual Experience Doing the Square Lake Team Triathlon

Anyone who likes to swim, bike, run, and/or compete, I definitely recommend doing a team triathlon. From my experience with my own training and competing is very individual. I like programming my own training based off of my own knowledge and experience along with the knowledge and experience of others. I like challenging myself to new personal records and see how well I can perform when I need to perform at my best. Doing a team event adds a new element to competing. It is no longer about just you, but the rest of the team. Especially in a triathlon.

Since the run is the last part of a triathlon, I like the added challenge of finishing the event for the team. On Sunday, I showed up to the event around 9am. I wanted to get there early so I had time to mentally prepare and get warmed up. The event started at 7:30am, but with the swim and bike beforehand, we knew I would be running around 10:15-10:30ish. The most exciting part of the race is waiting for the bike to show up in the transition area. The anticipation of not knowing when your exact start time will be. In a marathon, you always have the same start time. You know what time you are leaving the gate.

Sitting there waiting, I felt the adrenaline pumping. Suddenly 2 guys came into the transition area. These were the 2 individuals doing the entire event on there own and were in 1st and 2nd. A couple minutes later a 3rd guy comes in. Still waiting in anticipation, I see my biker come in! We are currently in 4th place. We grab the chip, strap it on my ankle, and I take off running! Of course no matter how many times they tell me where to go, I take off in the wrong direction! Within about 15 seconds I figure it out and take off running the other way!

Going into the first couple miles, I knew I would be mostly running uphill. The course for the run, went 6.5 miles out and 6.7 miles back with the finish by Square Lake. Considering I am a treadmill runner, I wasn't sure how my body was going to respond to the hills. Running out, I knew what I would be facing on my way back. I felt extremely strong and took each mile as a challenge. I kept myself going strong and kept a good pace. Around mile 4 one of the guys dropped out. This put our team in 3rd place. As I was approaching the 6 miles mark, the 2 guys in the lead were crossing back over the 6 mile mark. They were about 1 mile ahead of me. I knew if I could keep up my pace, that I might be able to catch one of them by the end of the race.

As I was running on my way back, I started passing everyone that was on there way out. Cheering everyone on, I continued on my pace to catch the guys ahead of me. As I started getting closer to the finish line around mile 10 and 11, other runners started telling me that the 2nd place guy wasn't too far ahead and that I might be able to catch him. Half way through mile 11 I saw him in the distance. Still running strong I was determined to pass him. By mid way on mile 12 I passed him going up a hill! At this point my legs were burning and I wasn't sure if I could keep pace. With less than 1 mile to the finish I knew I had to finish strong. The course winded down around to a boat launch - at the beginning of the race, this is where I went the wrong direction :) - I went down the hill and finished right by the lake! I ended up getting our team 2nd place overall and 1st in the team division, but I was still amazed by the 2 guys that placed between me. The individual that won the event and beat our team did the swim, bike, and run! Same with the guy behind me that I passed! I was still very happy for our team, Team Wood. I was also happy that I was able to run under 1:22 minutes and pace 6:15 per mile with a hilly course.

I know that the 3 of us will look to do an event together at least once a year! This was my first Team Triathlon for the Half Ironman Length (Square Lake Long Course). Last year we did the Olympic Length for the Lifetime Fitness Outdoor Triathlon where we placed 2nd in the team division.

Feel free to post anything! I would love to hear about your experiences!

Happy Team Triathlon Experience Running :)

Square Lake Triathlon & My 1st Half Marathon Experience!

Yesterday I did the run for my team in the Square Lake Triathlon Long Course.

Here is the link on the event -
http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/event/square-lake-triathlon-long-course-sunday

It was a 1.2 mile swim, a 54 mile bike ride, and a 13.2 mile run. Our team finished 2nd overall and 1st in the team division! Tom Masterman did the swim in 35 minutes, Brad Detterman did the bike in 2:15 minutes, and I did the run in a 1:22 minutes. Our total time was 4:12:42.

Here are the results -
http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02squarelakeslongresults2013.txt

Check it out! Really great event and I felt really strong on my run. It was an awesome training run for Chicago which is less than 5 weeks away!

Happy Team Triathlon Running :)

Transistioning into Running - from Fitness into Competition & My Own Personal Experience!

"If winning is the only thing that rescues athletes from wasting their time training, then there are a lot of unhappy people wasting their time running" -Jack Daniels

When deciding to take running and training to the next level, there are always adjustments that need to be made. When making the decision to get serious about training and competing, here are the typical adjustments that are made...

1. Increased weekly mileage or time spent running
2. Running 5-7 days per week or more on a regular basis
3. Threshold, speed work, and interval runs are introduced into there weekly routine

There are risks that individuals take when adding these adjustments into there current running routine. It increases your risk of injury. It can take your fitness running routine from something you enjoy into something that you can no longer perform because of an injury. Instead of just rushing into training hard 6 days a week with threshold and speed work runs, make sure you have some planning behind your weekly running routine. You need some type of plan to follow. Whether you research on your own, or better yet find guidance from a specialized coach or trainer, you must ease yourself into a program that is individualized to you. Not every individual is at the same fitness level and following a program that doesn't fit you is only setting yourself up for failure...

Here is my personal experience with running....

My history with running goes back farther than I can even remember. I played soccer for 16 years and within that time I spent many years running. I was an extremely active kid. I always enjoyed running. Not necessarily as a sport, but just for the love of listening to music and running. Also just to stay in shape. Through out my life there were a number of times that I tried track and field. When I was in 6th grade I won the hurdles competition for our track and field day. I was always the top female and almost always the top finisher in our class for the 1 mile run. I ran track when I was younger and in middle school. I did not like having to run when I was told but it kept me in shape for the soccer season. In high school I tried track and field for a couple weeks, but just couldn't do it. Finally in college once I was done with my 4 years of soccer I was asked to run track and field for UMD but at the time just wanted to focus on my marathon running (Grandmas Marathon). When I was in middle school and high school, my family had a treadmill in our basement. Everyday after school before dinner I would run for a hour and listen to my CD player (NSYNC & Back Street Boys). Runs after runs after runs I actually broke our family treadmill from running on it too much! Oops :).

For soccer on the other hand, going into my freshman year trying out for the high school soccer team I found out that playing my usual position (goal keeper) there was an upper classman that would have played above me. I decided to try out as  a field player instead because I knew if I were to play varsity I would have to switch my position. I made JV my freshman year and varsity every year after that. I played defense and barely remember seeing the bench. We made it to state all 3 years and finished 2nd in state my senior year at Lakeville North High School. Outside of high school soccer I played goal keeper for a very competitive soccer team every other season of the year. I played for St. Croix. We traveled the country for tournaments and were top in our Minnesota for our age group. To stay in shape for my high school soccer season and in general I would run outside of soccer along with the sprints we did at soccer. I am not saying that goal keeper isn't a hard position, but not as much physical activity as playing on the field.

Once soccer was done after my 4 collegiate years at UMD, I decided I needed something else to keep me competition. The year before my senior year playing soccer for UMD, one of my professors told me that less than 1% of the nation has completed a marathon. I had thought to do one, but this had me signing up to run Grandmas Marathon for my first time in 2008. With soccer training and doing extra running on my own I trained for my very first marathon.

Check out the link for my results - I ended up placing 16th out of all the women, running a time of 3:07:58!
http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=42080621&Gen=F&Begin=1&End=100&Max=2524

Another person that inspired me the most and continues to inspire me today, is one amazing female runner and athlete, Kara Goucher. At Duluth my assistant coach Kelly Wheeler, this is her sister. On a couple of occasions, Kara & Adam Goucher came and spoke to our soccer team. She placed 11th in the 2012 summer Olympics with a time of 2:26.07. She an U.S. woman American runner and is sponsored by Nike on top of a number of other amazing accomplishments. I aspire to someday get to the level of running she is at. It is my dream. In the 2011 Boston Marathon, I had the opportunity to run in the same race as Kara. I remembered struggling through an injured hip flexor up until a month out from the race mostly cross training on the stair master. Crossing that finish line was one of the best feelings I have ever felt in my life. In pain, tears, and exhaustion I broke my personal record at the time after kicking my butt for hours on a stair master day after day.

Boston Marathon Results 2011 Top 100 Females (I placed 77th, time 2:57:32)
http://www.marathonguide.com/results/browse.cfm?MIDD=15110418&Gen=F&Begin=1&End=100&Max=10073

Now here I sit, just running the best race of my life to this point at Grandmas Marathon 2013 running a 2:48:54 and placing 14th out of the woman. A personal record by exactly 8 minutes. This was my 6th Grandmas Marathon after running it the 5 years prior. (I have ran 9 marathons - Grandmas Marathon 6 times, Twin Cities Marathon, Sacramento Marathon, and Boston Marathon). Grandmas Marathon made everything real for me. Being a sponsored running (Nike someday) and in the Olympics has always been a dream, but I didn't know it was going to be this real after June. I couldn't be more excited for Chicago this October in hopes of an Olympic trials time and to further my running career.

This is my running career from fitness to competition to this point of my life highlighting some of the special events along the way. There is so much more and I look forward to someday putting it all together in my book "Run With Me".

Please feel free to post your own personal experiences!

Happy Experiences of Running :)

My Week of Running OR Lack there of! Taper & Recovery Week

This week I reduced my mileage to less than 50% of my peak mileage week - 90-05 miles. Last week I peaked at 95 miles. With my half marathon coming up this Sunday, September 8th in Stillwater, MN at Square Lake Triathlon (click the link) and my body in need of a recovery week, it was a perfect time to  take a recovery week from my training.

Square Lake Triathlon in Stillwater, MN this Sunday!
http://www.frontrunnerusa.com/event/square-lake-triathlon-long-course-sunday

My body was feeling achy through out the week last week, so today I am feeling back to almost 100%. The other thing holding me back from my running is an injury from a tight anterior tibialis muscle. From increasing my volume and increasing my weekly mileage running at a slight incline, it tightened up on me. There is a tendon from the anterior tibialis that runs into the bottom of your foot. Through massage and doing heals raises on a step, I have slowly healed my anterior tibialis.

Article on Anterior Tibialis Tendon Inflammation -
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/ankle-achilles-shin-pain/tibialis-anterior-tendon-sheath-inflammation

Giving my legs and body plenty of rest along with carb loading and increased red meat intake this week, I am feeling confident going into the event. This will be my first half marathon so I can only hope for the best! I am looking forward to see how much my training has prepped me to this point and with Chicago only 5 weeks away, it will be a fun training run! After this week, I will have 3 hard weeks of training (70 mile week, 80 mile week & 90 mile week), 2 weeks of tapering (60 mile & 50 mile weeks) and race day Sunday, October 13th! I just need to stay healthy

Please feel free to share your upcoming events!

Happy Training, Happy Racing :)

Endurance Training - What 4 Metabolic Adaptations Occur?

Performing endurance training can cause different metabolic adaptations to occur. The 4 metabolic adaptations that occur from endurance training include...

1. Increased VO2max - increased capacity for oxygen consumption by the mitochondria "powerhouse of the cell"
2. Increased capacity to store muscle & liver glycogen
3. Increased rate of fat oxidation with decreased glycogen utilization during exercise at all work loads
4. A shift in the lactate turn point to a higher running speed or % VO2max

Why & how do these adaptations occur?

Increased Number Of Blood Capillaries

There is an increase in the number of blood capillaries surrounding the muscle fibers that occurs with training. The more blood that gets transported to the muscle through these capillaries, the more oxygen & fuel that can be transported to the muscles' mitochondria. The more oxygen and fuel, the more fat oxidation that occurs through your training and work outs!

Adaptations in Metabolic Pathways - High Intensity Training & Low Intensity Training

In high intensity training (threshold & speed work outs) increases your body's ability to use liver and muscle glycogen as a fuel source during training and you body to maintain exercise intensity despite low intracellular pH. Your muscle adapts by increasing it's ability to buffer the pH in your muscle.

In low intensity training (aerobic base training) important adaptations occur in the mitochondria of the muscle cell. Training alters your mitochondria's composition by increasing the number and size. There is an increase in the enzyme concentrations that are associated with fatty acid metabolism. Additionally there is an increase in your muscle's resting storage of glycogen (stored carbohydrate in the muscle & liver), triglycerides (stored fat), and myoglobin (oxygen carrying pigment in muscle). Increase in your muscle's glycogen storage happens in early stages of training (4th day).

A Shift in the Lactate Turn Point

With an increase in mitochondrial enzyme content, there is an increase rate of fat oxidation and a shift in the lactate turn point. During exercise, if you are untrained and/or you are working out at a higher intensity, your carbohydrate metabolism kicks on and your body uses carbohydrate (stored muscle & liver glucose - glycogen) as a fuel source. As your body adapts to training and the size and number of mitochondria increase, your body can oxidize "burn" fat at a higher intensity and your body is less dependent on carbohydrates for a fuel source. Fat can provide more energy at higher exercise intensities than it could before, with less need to activate carbohydrates as a fuel source. By using more fat, lactate production with be reduced during training. To lose fat, you must be able to burn fat!

Training at the right intensities and progressing your volume each week can cause great adaptations to your body's cellular metabolism and make your body much more efficient! A more efficient metabolism, a more efficient you and your body!

Feel free to post or ask questions!

Happy Active Metabolism, Happy Running! :)

How Do We Run? Muscle Structure & Function in Our Body

How do we actually run? How is our running affected by our muscle structure and function? The essential physiological event that allows us to run are our muscle contractions. Our heart or cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and smooth muscle are the 3 types of muscle in our bodies. For the focus of this article, I will be discussing our skeletal muscles structure and function.

There are a vast number of muscle cells that are put together to make up our skeletal muscle. Each divided by one another by connective tissue that contains blood vessels and nerves. In the human body, slow twitch fibers and fast twitch fibers are our 2 different muscle fiber types. Each muscle in our body is mixed with slow twitch and fast twitch fibers. Nerve supplies and capillaries surround each of our muscle cells which supply our working muscle with blood. The number of capillaries increase through training, but on average each muscle cell is surrounded by 5 capillaries.

Inside each of our muscle cells contains a mitochondria. The mitochondria is the "powerhouse of the cell"  and produces the energy we need to power our muscle contractions. This gives us our running ability and exercise and is related to the total metabolic capacity of all the mitochondria a runner has. The more muscle cells, the more mitochondria, the more total energy produced.

How does the mitochondria produce energy? Through our nutrition and the food we eat! Each mitochondria consists of enzymes that change the food we each into energy - ATP! With the presence of an adequate oxygen supply, the mitochondria can function to produce the energy we need while running and exercising. The mitochondria can not produce ATP without sufficient oxygen. Lucky for us there are emergency energy systems in the body that allow us to run and exercise without oxygen. This  type of exercise is anaerobic exercise which uses our stored glycogen in our muscle and blood glucose as an energy source.

Our muscle can also use fat droplets in our muscle cells as a fuel source.  These fat droplets are consist of triglyceride molecules, a form in which fat is stored in the body. Excessive accumulation of these fatty acid molecules is known as cellulite. Once the free fatty acids are broken down, they must be transported to the muscle cell, to the mitochondria where is can be used for energy fuel. The liver can also use stored glycerol molecules to produce new glucose units for the body to use as energy. Glycogen is the only form in which both muscles and liver store the carbohydrates eaten in our diets.

For example, lower intensity exercise will utilize more fat during exercise. With the presence of oxygen, the body can break down the fatty acids that are stored as body fat and use them as energy. To lose body fat & cellulite, you must be able to use fat as energy! Also, the more fat we use, the more energy we have stored as glycogen in our muscle and liver to use during longer bouts of exercise. This becomes important with performance. Considering our body needs energy sources to feed our mitochondria and produce our muscle contractions, I would say different types of training intensities and our nutrition becomes extremely important when fueling our body for performance and changing our body composition.

Our body is an amazing machine, that uses many different metabolic pathways to produce the energy it needs through running and exercise! Different types of training intensities and our nutrition affect the amount of energy we have and the fuel sources used during exercise. No matter what your goals are in terms of health and fitness, knowing what types of exercise to do and how to fuel your body, will give you the best results.

Feel free to comment or ask questions!!

Happy Energized Muscle for Happy Running :)