InsideTracker Results and Plan of Action

Last week I posted a bit of the background on why I had gone to InsideTracker to get blood work done.  Today, I’m going to go through some of the results, and what my plan of action is.

Crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s…

Way back in the spring, just a few weeks after the Calgary Marathon, on a random early morning trail run, I suddenly had a bout of dizziness that had me nearly falling down into the bushes.  This bout of dizziness would become almost 6 weeks of vertigo.  This wasn’t my first experience with vertigo, I’d had it a few times in the past, it’s caused by calcium crystals dislodging in the ear drum and floating around, causing havoc with the little hairs and balance in the ear drum.  Clearly I’m no doctor, and this is a very simple, amateur explanation.  

How does your garden grow?

I’ve been planting a garden for a few years now, but it’s always been a struggle to reap much of a harvest from it.  Between the kids, dogs, and my horrible weeding habits, it’s been very hit or miss.  This year, things have changed! Last fall, my dad helped me build two more garden boxes to finish off the terrace of boxes in the west end of my yard.  Then this spring, he and I built a fence to block the garden from the rest of the yard.  Finally I can keep the vegi’s safe from unwanted attention from both the kids and dogs!

Rest IS Training

Sometimes I think we get too focused on GO GO GO, PUSH PUSH PUSH, and forget that we need to step back and let our bodies absorb and recover.  In the endurance world there are a lot of different personalities, but many of us are highly motivated, ‘Type A’, type personalities that feel better when we are going, who enjoy pushing ourselves, and don’t just sit and be still very often.  I definitely fall into this camp.

Hemphearts, A Review, and a Giveaway!!

When I was given the opportunity to review hemp hearts, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts, a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance. I had tried them before, and knew how tasty they are, and how easy they are to add to my regular food.

What I eat…

The running (specifically running social media) community seems to have a lot of opinions on what we (runners, athletes and human beings) should eat.  I have generally remained fairly silent on this cause, but that does not mean that I don’t have some fairly strong opinions on it.  Perhaps it’s because of my strong opinions that I’ve remained silent.

Heart Rate Variability, a new number to geek out over…

I have a new tool toy to geek out on in my running arsenal!  I’ve been listening to a few podcasts, and reading articles on HRV, or Heart Rate Variability.  I had never even heard of HRV until a month or so ago, but in the reading I’ve done, it sounds like an awesome tool to use in my training.  

Is Sitting Really the new Smoking?

I listened to a podcast last week by Ben Greenfield  talking about the headline that most of us read a month or two ago stating that “Sitting is the new Smoking”. Even Runnersworld had an article titled “Sitting is the New Smoking – Even for Runners”. 

1 week off Running, why I don’t Streak…

Today is 1 week post marathon, and it’s also been a full week off running.  I know that a lot of people have no problem sitting back and relaxing for a week, but there are also some of us who get caught up in it all.  I know myself and I definitely get caught up in things, I get stuck on the numbers and logging the miles.  I think it’s important to take a step back every once in a while and take both a physical and a mental break from it all.  After the Calgary marathon last spring, I really didn’t take any time off.  The day after the marathon I was on my bike, and within a couple days I was back out running.  

What I’ve learned so far the Recovery Nutrition edition…

I’ve just finished running what have been my biggest mileage weeks ever. I’ve averaged over 73 km’s (45 miles) a week over the last 5 weeks. I know there are lots of people who marathon train who run a lot more than that, but there are also who run less. I’m especially happy because this is the first time I’ve come through a marathon training cycle without a single niggle, injury, concern, etc (KNOCK ON WOOD!!)