I guess you can say that running has gotten better as of today now that I know why i’m running with such fatigue lately. I really made a major mistake donating double red blood cells last Thursday, in terms of performance is concerned, however i’m trying to make the best of it.

I highly suggest to anyone who is in training to NOT donate double red blood cells during your training cycle. Don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying not to do it at all, but understand that you WILL see a performance hit while your body recovers from it, and they don’t tell you about the effects when you do it.

What this has caused me to do though is re-evaluate my entire training program and focus more on the basics. Outside of adding an iron supplement to my list of things I take (along with additional vitamin c to help absorb the iron, i’m focusing on my diet as a whole. The iron and vitamin C concept should help my body create hemoglobin which in turn helps create red blood cells to get oxygen to my muscles when i’m working out. I’ve found that my endurance is gone, I ran 6 miles today and felt like I ran about 10 .. its better than it was yesterday and the day before, so the hope is that a few days down the line it will get even better.

I’m also focusing on getting the right amounts of protein in my diet .. i’m not sure i’m hitting the target these days and expect to get a supplement to make protein shakes when I get back in the morning from my runs … I have a 30-60 minute period after my runs to get that protein back in me to help recover my muscles because the oxygen isn’t getting there.

I found also that I understand now what is happening in my body when i’m running and now feel fatigued so early .. I consider myself a cheerleader that cheers the oxygen to my muscles for recovery. I just know I can’t hit any hard hills right now or anything speed related, because I just won’t recover fast enough. Its like any runner though if you’re serious about it, you know you’re body .. and you know when its suffering and isn’t right, its a matter of understanding that now and adjusting accordingly. I also think that the right attitude towards it helps to .. I found that I was in better spirits when I started getting fatigued today, knowing what was happening, it really helps the psyche …

Maybe this will make me a better runner though since i’m working a couple times harder to complete my runs … my muscles are already strong, and my cardio is good .. so the fact I have to work that much harder to complete the distances I was good at can only be a good thing…

Thats about it, i’m off to enjoy memorial day …