As an individual who possesses an analytical mindset, I am not one who accepts something just because.

I am not one who just plugs in a toaster, expecting it to “do it’s thing”. I want to understand HOW and WHY the toaster works and because of this, I have more appreciation and respect for my toast, simply because I understand the process that made it so.

Due to this type of personality, I have become intrigued (more like obsessed) with how the human body functions, particularly the athletes body.

To me, very few things happen by chance, or “natural occurrence”. I feel that nearly every action has a reaction and that all output must have an input.
So what does this have to do with running?
Okay, let’s get started! Who has been brushing up on their chemistry? What is sodium bicarbonate, potassium hydroxide? Why is PH balance important? What is a positive ion? How does any of this correlate to threshold training?

The human body is super complex and made up of more components than what could ever be expressed with numbers. Each cell is comprised of many things. You could take nearly every mineral and chemical known to man and chances are, your body contains some trace amounts of them (some more than others).

With all of this going on inside of us, how do we keep it all balanced so that the body continues to operate as designed?

As we have evolved over time, our bodies have learned to absorb it’s needs via the foods we drink and eat, however, within the past couple hundred years (even more within the last 50 years), we have become deprived of these nutrients because of our modern day diets.

Nearly every one of us are deficient and or lacking something, no matter how well we think we eat. Because of this, we are not operating as efficiently as we could be. Throw in the demands of a high intensity training plan and now you are really setting yourself up for some serious imbalances.

Over the past several months, I have been experimenting with several different supplements that aide in performance, recovery, etc.  After several “trial and error” experiments, I believe I have found a near perfect balance for my needs as an endurance athlete.

Since I have been taking these supplements, I have seen significant improvements in my running and training. I have also seen HUGE improvements in recovery. I can honestly and whole heartedly say that, now that I have been paying close attention to my diet and my nutrition and with the help of supplementation, I am no longer sore or fatigued after workouts. I wake up with no residual muscle soreness, no matter how difficult my workout the day before.

I am seeing major gains in my speed, strength, endurance, sleep and recovery. I am able to go harder, and longer in all of my workouts and I now recover quickly between key workouts and hard training.

I cannot or will not sit here and tell you that by following my practices or suggestions, you will become a SUPER BEAST. However, I will tell you the honest truth about what a few changes and implementations have done for me personally.

Because I am not a doctor, nor do I have any “credentials” to support any of what I am telling you, I have included several links that will go into greater detail about PH Balance, Creatine, Taurine, Casein, etc.

As with anything, there are pro’s and con’s to any and all things. There will be websites and blogs that will support and or criticize any topic. With that said, I am not suggesting that you adhere to any of what I am sharing with you. I only intend to plant the seed, it is up to you to do further research to determine what can work for you.

In a constant effort to improve my athletic performances, as well as my quality of life and health, I am a never ending “research and development project”. I myself am my best test subject and the only one who can say what does, or does not work for my body.

As I make new discoveries (good or bad), I like to share them with my friends, training partners and fellow athletes.

I am an open book and love sharing my knowledge and things that I learn along the way. For those of you who know me, feel free to ask me in detail about anything that I am doing in my training plan. I have no quarrels with sharing all things training, nutrition and life style.

Though several of the articles listed here are quite lengthy, take the time to SAVE them and read through them at your leisure. There is some great information to absorb here. Soak up the information and educate yourself while you continue the pursuit of that PERFECT YOU!!

Enjoy and HAPPY TRAINING!

http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/ph_scale.html

http://www.girlslax.org/ph_health.html

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/supplements/ingredients/casein-protein.html

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/creatine-supplements-can-boost-your-endurance-training-without-encouraging-weight-gain-143

http://www.exrx.net/Nutrition/Supplements/Taurine.html