u're supposed to carb up a week before the race. i carbed up wednesday and thursday being that i have a lot of extra fat on me to burn. i hadn't been to mr paco in years...and even though i dont crave foreign cuisine in taiwan...the longevity of mr paco speaks for itself. its a good space and the food is consistent. it's even added a 陝西 style noodle which caters to the chinese people who just can't eat western food. it's good. and we of course followed up dinner with cashbox...and man...i don't remember anything...

2:35 AM

@keelung. 7+ miles. 1.5 hr. absolutely exhausted after the first two miles. started to find my stride during mile 3 while the blistering sun came up only to hit another wall around mile 5 or 6. cotton tshirts are no good for runs over 10k. and at least i know i can finish the 13.1 mile run this weekend. and now i can't sleep...and after some research...i'm going through glycogen depletion. High intensity workouts (intervals, etc.) OR doing significant workouts, especially if the workouts are done when the body is in a state of glycogen depletion (for example, in the morning without eating first). The problem is that if your body is still in a state of glycogen depletion when you try to sleep, the body responds with cortisol and adrenalin, keeping you from deep sleep and waking you up. Apprently it is very easy to get glycogen depletion when you are doing serious workouts, especially if you are losing any weight (and thus running a daily "caloric deficit").

Overtraining – Signs and What to Do

July 13, 2011 by Zen to Fitness. Average Reading Time: about 3 minutes.

Recently I have come across quite a few days where overtraining has gotten to me – it hasn’t always been strictly hard exercise but has usually come from just pushing too hard in a few sets of just working out too frequently. Just putting too much strain on the body, going that extra unnecessary mile.

There are a few vital clues that our bodies give out when they have had enough and require some rest – or at least time off exercise all together (in the conventional sense). I believe movement and activity is always good but sometimes we need to take it easy with things like weight lifting, running, and other intense exercise. Keep an eye out for when:

Sleep becomes disturbed
Digestion isn’t what it usually is
Constant feeling of tension in neck and shoulder muscles
Muscles feel heavy

This happens for a variety of reasons - our nervous system gets tired, and our muscle glycogen gets depleted leading us to feeling grumpy, irritable, tired, lethargic and like we don’t want to move – a sort of tired but wired feeling. Basically all the things that we do not want to feel especially when trying to look and feel healthy – the trouble is our nervous system needs a lot of time to repair, only good sleep, relaxation and food can help.

Muscle glycogen is another key factor – It is rapidly depleted with exercise to give you an idea just a few sets of sprints going all out will deplete a large proportion of your bodies stored muscle glycogen. This will take a lot of food to fill back up, and in most cases it is more than we can keep up with eating if exercising with intensity on a regular basis.

So in a nutshell the reason we need to take time off exercise is to replenish and nourish the nervous system and muscle glycogen.

There are various techniques I like to use to do this, most are simple and easy to implement into life.

- When exercising load up on fruit: before and after and for the days surrounding it – ever noticed a natural craving for sweet things after a heavy bout of exercise? This is your bodies natural craving for sugars which are anti-stress and glycogen replenishing. Go for tropical fruits like Pineapple, mango or things like berries and oranges. Blackstrap molasses is also a good nutritious sweetener.

- Eat Good Carbs: Emphasise Potatoes, Brown Rice, Root Vegetables (parsnips, squash, beets etc) and Oats. These are all great sources of starch which is essential to replenish muscle glycogen around bouts of exercise. Make these easy to digest – don’t overload meals with fat and protein.

- Rest and Relax: Your nervous system needs time out so give your body treats like a regular massage or just doing 10 minutes of deep belly breathing a day is one of the best ways to calm and restore the nervous system. Your body needs down time – if you feel stressed and can’t sleep take it easy.

- Plenty of Sleep: Naps are great to, but try to clock in a good bout of sleep at night. I have recently found out how much difference sleeping in a dark room can make so switch off any appliances with lights and get some blackout blinds.

Pretty simple stuff but having awareness of your body is invaluable. Being aware of when we have pushed too far or when we need some time off is something not everyone has and is something that in reality it comes with experience. So watch out for the signs and listen to how your body feels when it comes to training. If you are suffering from insomnia or fatigue there is a very good chance it is down to your nervous system being overtaxed or chronically low muscle glycogen.

3:26 PM

LA downtown is intriguing on many levels. it has a lot to do with going out there a lot for J. but then again, as i move beyond partying and faster paced life...i admit, THE WEATHER IS AWESOME. i've made a bunch of friends now. i've learned to appreciate the word "chill"...and downtown is a pseudo wanna be urban terrain. whether it will be or not remains to be seen. whole foods, macy's renovation....possibility of eataly...it's limited apartment supply...all makes for great speculation moving forward...(if only the market didn't jump 30% the past 12 months). regardless...at market price...it's still affordable!! this unit in elleven has lowered their price 50k in the past month...not a good sign for the upcoming winter....however...take a look. =)

9:26 PM

ironman sprint. 1000m swim. bike up the hill. and 3 miles around the track. a stop at yogurt art. and then a cab ride home.

"you eat with the same intensity as the way you view life, the way you train your body. you eat with a purpose...where taste is secondary to a mindset of what the actual food will achieve. the way you are able to eat something like egg tarts for consecutive days...or fried chicken over and over and over...or how you eat subway vege sandwiches....and the fact that you're so overwhelmingly consumed by this 'refreshing' yogurt...shows how factors of protein intake...and net nutrition goals trump actual taste...as you gorge singular items with intensity because you know it has positive replenishment effects. the other factor involved is a the late night binge that u self justify because it consumes you to then match intake with output ergo an even harder workout the next day"

after finally showering with no hot water...and "i'll eat what you eat" diet. (雞肉飯。麻油麵線）. we watched being tyson. a documentary series revealing an older, emotionally open tyson. re-addressing his past through a more mature standpoint. "his emotions are so raw...and he's come so full circle....i find him amazing"

3:37 PM

a swim. a stop at 赤門。 2 beers before bed. and i wake up to steve using the tissue package as a "perfect pillow" hahaha.

3:51 PM

小林海產店－ it's pretty damn good. tons of seafood. packed house. need big group to order more. and more importantly, it's so much closer to me than going to 臨洋港。。。

3:43 PM

monday - power cleans and deadlifts...and too many beers

tuesday - mountain climb in the morning. biking in the evening.

addicted to 咸豆漿加蛋。

"i leave, i come back. u're sleeping. i leave again, i come back...you're just waking up. moping around all day? sick for the fifth day? 我不要念你，但因為你已經生病五天了，我只是在問你。。。are you ok?"

4:03 PM

6:26 AM

2:53 AM

in my tpe apt, there is a family picture above the tv that everyone who comes over stares at it and says..."你以前好瘦." and it's only been about 10 days since my two a days, it's made me realize how much weight i've actually put on because it's just taking forever to even make a dent in my belly. don't even need a roll test....cuz it's already rolled...

i did a whole lotta cookin' in august and september...