I just had a great conversation with the guy from CAT, he was one of the initial guys that started the altitude tent process and he explained how he did it- he gave me a TON of advice.

With the setting I have it at, I’m probably not sleeping as well as I think. I feel almost drugged when I sleep in it. The altitude tent has been tested on cyclists and  found that if the altitude is reduced to 9k feet (I’m at 13k), the cyclists  slept a lot better.  He explained that between 8,000 and 9,000 feet the body actually recovers faster even though its not getting oxygen at the same level.  Your heart rate is forced to increase because it has less oxygen, and as your heart rate increases, your heart pumps blood faster through your legs- so your legs actually get more blood pumped to them.  In the end, you’re actually getting the same, if not more oxygen- just not as much in the air, but because your getting more blood, you’re recovering better! note to self…must tell coach!

So that said… the best thing for me to be doing is to reduce my altitude to 9,000 feet.

Unfortunate side note, my Diappler broke today and to get a new one I’d have to shell out $250 (PLUS $15 to ship) so I’m passing on that for now and will try to gauge it just on how I feel. He said if I light a match inside the altitude tent, it will light but will go out immediately because there isn’t enough oxygen at 8k feet to keep it lit. cool… wish me luck!

Its been another rough day for running, I did my run out at Westminster on the soft surface, and my legs aren’t substantially improving…beginning to wonder if the oxygen deprivation at night is becoming too substantial for me. I either have to change my altitude number or forgo the tent altogether so my legs can properly heal enough to get my workouts in…which reminds me I need to text my coach about that.

I ran 11 miles this morning, had a doctor appointment immediately after to figure out what to do about my estrogen levels- another big concern for me.  The older I get, the harder it is to keep lower body fat levels (because estrogen is held in body fat and in the absence of estrogen, your body doesn’t thrive in a healthy manner). I just saw my 3rd doctor today, he’s suggesting I go on a combination of estrogen/progesterone but there’s a problem- progesterone is a form of steroid and probably a prohibited substance with the U.S. track/field anti-doping policy.

Next thing I’ll need to do is talk with my coach about what to do…. Not sure if I can get around that or not.  Maybe some type of hormone replacement that will keep me running at a healthy body fat level.

We’ve already made a few changes to help with my estrogen levels:
-reduced my mileage substantially
-increased calorie intake
-running heavier than I’ve ever run before
….so far so good, but I need more of a long-term solution as to what we can do.