A Few Book Reviews--!

I have read two books in the last week  that I want to write about: The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and The Athletes' Guide to Recovery by Sage Rountree. I found both books helpful. I also found both books somewhat frustrating--Sisson because of his often righteous tone and also his lack of footnotes, which would've helped me buy into his theories just a tad more than I felt willing to do, and Rountree's simply because she failed to tell me anything I didn't already know (which, I realize, is not a fault, but I still was frustrated by it).  Still, I enjoyed reading both books--and more importantly I came away newly committed to eating better and recovering better--neither currently a strength for me.

Mark Sisson is a former endurance runner who--bottom line--had an epiphany and changed his life. At one point  in his life he logged 100+ mile weeks and was frequently injured, though at this time he was also quite successful as a professional runner. Then he stopped that crazy shit and reinvented himself as a health guru--and then later as a paleo health guru.

His book mostly focuses on eating. He writes convincingly about the evils of refined carbs--or really any carbs other than fruit and vegetables. He emphasizes that excess insulin surges (brought on by carb intake) are the true culprit behind heart disease, obesity and general poor health. He encourages readers to eat what our hunter gatherer ancestors ate: nuts, seeds, local fruits and vegetables (organic) and free-range, organic meats, fish and eggs. One should strictly limit alcohol, dairy, breads etc and should eliminate entirely refined carbohydrates. Yep. Heard it before, and I do buy into it, even though I have been unsuccessful in my bid to eliminate refined carbs, and definitely have failed to eliminate bread, which I use as a vehicle for my nut butter addiction.

One thing that Sisson's book made me reflect upon, though he doesn't get into it at all, is the intake of gels, sport drink and other packaged products I use for fuel during training and racing. I'm a pragmatist to some extent, and I see the use of these types of fuels as smart and practical because they work. When working out one needs intake of easily absorbed sugars, sodium and other electrolytes, and certainly gels, shots and sports drink supply these things well. But when you train as much as most of us reading this blog do, you start to ponder the fact that these packaged sugar/electrolyte/synthetic "foods" have become a staple of your daily eating. I work out between 1-3.5 hours a day currently, and as I approach race season some of those days become 6-7 hour workout days. This means I am taking in sports drink and gels at such a fast rate that I must order the shit in bulk.

Case in point--my shelves dedicated to fueling:

Granted, I share these shelves with my also training spouse (eg--I am not a fan of chocolate GU or Accelerade) but still, you know you consume a lot a lot a lot of packaged energy products when you needs shelves devoted to them...

And the question is--can I, and do I need to, find alternatives to these products given I train year round and hence consume them daily? I think the answer is yes. I have been experimenting with Lara Bars for some time (just pressed fruit and nuts) and they work quite well--still high in carbs, but the carbs are from the sugar in real fruit. I also have been drinking coconut water (usually chocolate, Zicco). This is also good, but heavier, and not as quick acting as a simple sport drink. I'm interested in your thoughts on this. Comment if you have ideas or things that have worked for you. I know that gels/shots and sport drink work the best. They are designed to. I'm just worried about my long term health in consuming them in such huge quantity.

Sisson also talks about sleep, and this was another helpful chapter. We all know we need more sleep--especially parents,who seem to get, well, none--.  When you have to get to work or get the kids to school by 8:00 am your workouts need to start at the latest by 6 am--and often much earlier. If you want some time with your spouse or with your snugly computer after you get the kids to bed, then you usually get to bed too late for such an early rising. And, Sisson points out,  the alarm that  rudely awakens you out of a sound and needed slumber causes a daily cortisol spike that is also gravely unhealthy. Of course, I don't have an answer of how to rectify this. I need and want to train... I have kids... I work...

But Sisson does have an answer. Can the excessive working out.

The dude clearly has a bone to pick with endurance training and racing. He describes endurance triathletes on more than one occasion as emaciated, drawn, unhealthy,and racing to the grave.
I must admit I take his diatribe against endurance athletes as bitter resentment because the lifestyle did not, apparently, work for him. He believes endurance racing causes early aging and poor health, but he has little data to support this theory. It is true that often endurance triathletes and runners look older (in their faces) than others their age, but this is often, I believe, because of constant sun exposure throughout their lives, and also because when you are thinner, you show your age (in your face) in a way you don't when you are plump. But does this mean that endurance athletes are physically less healthy and aging more quickly than others their age? No, I doubt it very seriously, and he does not have the data to support his assertion that this is the case, either. Further, I believe endurance athletes, aside from in their faces, belie their years when you look at their lean, strong, youthful-looking bodies. What is perhaps most shocking is when you are biking behind someone in a race, and she looks so young and fit, and then you pull alongside her, see her face, and realize she is likely in her 50s or 60s. The machine that is the body has been preserved--and that is amazing, and certainly not worthy of Sisson's disdain and disapproval.

His method of getting beautifully fit is to constantly be on the move like our hunter gatherer ancestors. You shouldn't work hard... just move. And sometimes sprint, and  lift heavy stuff for only 10 minutes at a time a few times a week. I don't disagree with this. Moving is certainly a far better alternative than not moving. Still, I am pissed that he is so dismissive of  the "ignorant" masses who have bought into the idea that working out above 80% of your max hr is wise or useful in maintaining health and fitness.  Sisson will have to find (any) research(aside from his own personal experience) to support this argument before I buy into it, that is for sure.

Okay. Onward to Rountree's book! I like her tone, I like her message, I like the structure of her book and her use of actual research to support her thoughts. However, I experienced the book as simply a compilation of known material,which isn't bad--it just wasn't particularly illuminating. I had hoped to learn something new--or to have the material synthesized in a way that I would come away with something new. But I did not. This likely has more to do with the fact that I am an endurance coach, and hence constantly reading about important aspects of training, like recovery, than it has to do with the success of her text.

I was reminded, however, that recovery is a key aspect of training. I think most of us still subscribe to the more is better and no pain no gain philosophies. And you know... more IS better and there really IS no gain without some pain. It's just that sometimes more becomes too much, and pain, especially without ample recovery, can be destructive. Further, we are aging. Most of us reading this are not in our late teens and early twenties any longer. The simple truth is that as we age we need more recovery, and denial of this fact leaves us injured, burnt out, and with declining race performances.

I need this message more than anyone. Doing more and making it hurt are strategies I use to make me feel confident that I am going to be better than YOU. So in the end, reading, and re-reading a text like Rountree's is valuable. I need to be reminded.

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