This blog brought to you by Ember by Cercacor -
Things to know.. How is your hydration? How and when do you hydrate? Are there differences in hydration depending on time of day vs weather or seasonal changes?
So you are training to run your first race or perhaps your 100th race, and although nutrition is highly important something that is easily passed up is hydration. Whether you’re racing a mile or 100miles you have to make sure that you are properly hydrated so that your body keeps working efficiently.
When you start taking into account the many variables, including mileage in running, altitude, potentially types of food or vitamins that you are ingesting some of these actually require you to hydrate more! Well ,how do you hydrate? We will get into this in just a moment. But back to the variables, so of course you are running more and training at a higher level in terms of altitude or intensity. You definitely have to keep a watch on your hydration levels. One thing that I wasn’t fully aware of when I was growing up in the sport was the hydration aspect of it which of course is super important! I was taking in certain protein/supplements or foods that required more fluid to help break them down or to be ingested properly. One of the potential downfalls was that as you take vitamins the discoloration of the urine to determine hydration or dehydration is actually a bit harder to tell. Back then there was only the coloration charts to tell you that you may be in the critical or satisfactory areas of hydration. But as I mentioned, sometimes this can be a bit tricky if not messy.
Thank goodness for Ember by Cercacor that we don't always have to count on the urine discoloration charts to know what our levels are nowadays. In the next photo you can see what a good hydration level looks like VS a not so good hydration level on our Ember device.
So what other factors are there, well there is Altitude. Altitude can be a bit tricky but maybe not so much with your Ember device. What happens at altitude is that because it is at a higher level, usually there is less humidity meaning that its dryer. What happens is that you perspire or sweat without really feeling it this is a bit dangerous because you can dehydrate at a quicker level and not even realize it, unless you are constantly checking your parameters.
Okay so what about seasonal changes, when do you think hydration is best? In the summer, winter??
Well actually it’s all the time especially if you are an active person. As I look back at my days as a younger runner and slightly inexperienced, during the winter I would let down on my hydration thinking that because it was cold I didn't have to hydrate as much. I quickly found that I was wrong in my assumption with calf or hamstring cramps or under performing in workouts or races. I wish I had someone that could have given me all this information but as we know sometimes the best experience is experience.
So what type of hydration techniques do I use? Sometimes the day is pretty charged with activities that we do forget to hydrate. Some simple hydration techniques that you are probably already doing or that you can incorporate are the following:
PS. Thank you EMBER for all your love and thank you RUNNING-USA for this awesome hydroflask!!
]]>When I am at altitude there are certain parameters I always want to keep in mind. These parameters for me include Hemoglobin, PVI (Hydration), Pulse Rate and a few others which can also vary from person to person. Usually people have their favorite indicators/parameters they like to look at as their body goes through training phases.
Pictured Ember and the Hoka Tracer
Just like everyone has to fine tune their car and know how its running. I cannot start my day if there are a few things I don’t know. First, what is my heart rate, second what are my hemoglobin levels, and third what is my hydration level. Of course there are other factors that I look at in my training but these are my main three. Although the top two bio markers are very important there is one that we tend to overlook, because its easily overlooked. That my friends is the hydration aspect.
How do I check my hydration levels you may ask? Simple every day I check my blood levels with Ember by Cercacor (no needles). Depending on how my Perfusion Index is, it tells me how hydrated I am. On average my Ember gives me a reading of about 9-12PVI which tells me I am within my range of hydration. Of course I have had instances where my PVI is higher which means my hydration levels are lower. If it is lower than 9 this is telling me that I am well hydrated.
Of course a few things I cant leave out of my training are still my hemoglobin, which recently since I have not been at altitude are a bit lower than usual (normally 15) but is higher since my fitness is coming around.
Recently I have been averaging a resting heart rate of approximately 47 which is really good for me. One day though after waking up I took a first of day reading and had a 42 R-PR!! This was an incredibly good sign since this means that the fitness is coming.
(A reading a few days before my race)
Also if you guys didn’t know I recently had my rust-buster at Texas A&M, not sure if you guys had the chance to watch the video but here it is. It was quite the race! Congrats to Donavan Brazier on his first sub-four. This was my fastest rust-buster in December ever! So looking to slingshot into the new year.
On that note I hope you all have safe Happy Holidays and an incredible entry to the New year! Race link here:
Announcements:
Confirmed the JDL Track Meet Saturday Feb 3rd.
Manzano Mile is back Saturday Feb. 17th in conjunction with the Austin Marathon. Register here: Link
For Christmas don’t forget to buy your Hoka’s & so you know there is 20% percent discount on Ember until 12/21/17 !! Don’t miss out!
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PC: Erik Aguilar
Last weekend, I had the pleasure to visit McFarland, California. It had been a trip that I had been meaning to take and we were finally able to make it happen!! As we showed up to the venue, there were already about 150 people ready to hear us speak and it was exciting to meet people of all ages and backgrounds.
It is also so commendable and inspiring to know that many of the McFarland runners/people worked their way from the bottom to being leaders of the community. Just to name a few, such as Coach Amador Ayon who is now one of the head coaches of McFarland, Johnny Samaneigo a local business owner and Thomas Valles who works in law enforcement. This shows exactly that when you work hard good things happen. And as we know that with great leadership also comes great responsibility. They continue to work hard to make the community a better place.
Left to Right: Thomas Valles, Leo, Coach Amador Ayon, Johnny Samaniego
It was amazing to differentiate between Hollywood fact and fiction. During my time in McFarland, Thomas and Johnny gave me a tour of the town. They drove me through different areas of the community where the movie had been filmed. If you remember one of their training locations at the almond hills, according to the runners they never trained there, as there were other better running locations. It was still a sight to see as there is so much work that goes into this type of farming which is also one of their main resources in McFarland. These are just a few of several hundred mounds.
In 2015, I also had the pleasure to attend the McFarland USA movie premiere. It was an awe inspiring experience rubbing elbows with the stars. Here is a photo of a few superstars.
Pictured Left to right, Leo, Kevin Costner, Meb Keflezighi, Jen Rhines.
The funnies:
Although I don’t have photo, at the movie premiere I do remember talking to the real Coach White. If you remember one of the last scenes in the movie where he is riding a girls bike into the sunset, he mentioned that it never happened but it made for a good Hollywood scene/movie.😄
With that I conclude, I hope you all enjoy!
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In full-on training mode, I have always checked my blood levels by heading to a clinic and paying around $300 and waiting anywhere from 5-7 days to get my full results back. So having this new tool Ember by Cercacor was totally new. It took a measure of my blood levels instantly without needles and at a reading cost of less than $3 dollars per reading. Above all I hate needles so how cool is it that it draws no blood!?!!
As I began using the product I only used it at the beginning of the day as it was always nice to see my heart rate and hemoglobin data. Yet as the season went on, I began to use it not only first thing in the morning but also after training, resting, and at night before bed. This was good to see how my body was reacting to stress and recovery due to training.
As an athlete knowing where your body is instantly in terms of rest, hemoglobin, hydration and a few other factors that Ember measures was impressive and if you're an athlete like me it becomes a bit addicting. :)
Heading to altitude training in New Mexico and taking daily measurements, is where I started to see my fitness improve not only that, the numbers were quite significant going from a heart rate of ~55 BPM to about ~42 BPM .
The next factor that I enjoyed seeing was my hemoglobin levels rise at altitude. Initially my hemoglobin levels were at 15.5 g/dl and as my fitness improved and incorporating altitude training it climbed up to 16.7 g/d at its highest and maintained for about a month. As we know it usually takes about a month for the altitude take affect and to wear off, but seeing the results that my body was going through instantly was very impressive but most importantly informative.
As I went on through the season, another really cool factor that I enjoyed keeping track of was being able to see how my hydration levels were especially after travel.
With an average of 11 for the pleth variability index (PVI is the variation in perfusion index (ratio of pulsing blood to non-pulsing blood) over your breathing cycle) any change over or below gave me a good indication of how my hydration was. For example if one day after travel or hard exercise I was at 17 I knew that I could be slightly dehydrated vs a 9 for well hydrated.
Using Ember has been a great learning experience and it has also allowed me to be more in tune with my body by seeing my blood levels instantly. If you are an athlete, an avid runner, or just starting in the sport this little tool can be your best friend as you begin your training for any distance.
For more info or to see how you can get a hold of an Ember check out their website:
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IAAF Diamond League - DN Galan
Click here to SUBMIT YOUR PREDICTION
It has been an exciting two weeks and I have just completed Day 19 of altitude training. I have been working out every day and some days even twice. I am happy to announce that I have over 180 new sponsors who are now directly supporting my running career and have become my new motivation. Your support has helped me improve my mental focus, essential for an athlete in training. I am looking forward to the eventful month of February and the tentative schedule is as follows:
February 8, 2014 – Men’s Mile
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, MA
February 11, 2014 - Opening Speaker for Elite Athlete Panel (Topic: How to Bring More Diversity in the Sport)
Running USA: 11th Industry Conference powered by ACTIVE
in San Diego, CA.
February 15, 2014 - Men’s Mel Sheppard 1000m (PENDING CONFIRMATION)
2014 NYRR Millrose Games in New York, NY
February 23, 2014 – Men’s 1500m Final
2014 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, NM
On race days, I will ask my sponsors to wear the shirt to show their support. If you haven’t yet, I invite you to visit my website at www.leomanzano.com. With the purchase of an Official Leo Manzano t-shirt, you too can become a sponsor. If you have already purchased and received your shirt, please email me a picture to info@leomanzano.com if you would like to be featured in the Leo Manzano Wall of Sponsors. Thank your for your encouragement. Have a great weekend and stay tuned. More surprises to come!
For more pictures, check out the Album courtesy of Flotrack
Flotrack Goes to Mexico! | Photo Gallery - Flotrack
via @flotrack
Antes que nada, gracias por visitar mi bitácora. Cuando empecé este proyecto, no estaba seguro de cómo iba a funcionar o si valdría la pena el esfuerzo. También tenía miedo de verme forzado a dejar el deporte si no hacía nada al respecto, así que decidí arriesgarme. Tuve la fortuna de tener a personas que creyeron en mi idea y me dieron el ánimo y la ayuda para lograrlo. Yo quería estar completamente involucrado en el proyecto y no tenía mucho dinero para invertir, así que desde agosto empezamos a tener juntas por las tardes para planearlo. Aunque nos tomó tiempo, avanzábamos poco a poco esperando que la gente que me apoya conociera mi situación. El resultado ha sido un sitio de internet muy básico hecho con un presupuesto mínimo, pero el cual mejoraremos pronto. Pero lo mejor de todo es que gracias a la respuesta que he recibido, ya no me siento avergonzado de no tener un patrocinador.
Tengo fe de que van a continuar apoyando mi proyecto de playeras. Los primeros pedidos han sido enviados, así que algunos de ustedes van a recibir sus playeras en lunes, y les pido paciencia mientras mejoramos nuestro sistema. Estamos trabajando para mejorar nuestras tarifas de manejo y envío pronto. También, quiero recordarles que si no están satisfechos con su compra, les daré un reembolso si me avisan dentro de 30 días.
Como ya saben, el año pasado fue muy difícil para mí, pero también me he dado cuenta que podemos vencer los obstáculos si no nos damos por vencidos. En el 2010 y el 2011, sufrí lesiones y tuve que hacer sacrificios, luego en el 2012, logre mi sueño de convertirme en medallista olímpico, pero también perdí mi patrocinio poco tiempo después. Cada paso ha sido una lucha, pero sé que ha valido la pena. A veces tenemos que pasar obstáculos para poder crecer y aprender a ser fuertes para poder aprender a caminar de nuevo. La adversidad me ha enseñado a luchar contra los obstáculos para lograr hacer lo que amo sin limitaciones.
Así que este año nuevo parece haber iniciado con el pie derecho. Como se dieron cuenta, el miércoles, 1ero de enero di a conocer mi nuevo sitio y anuncié los cambios que pienso realizar. Después de contestar algunos mensajes de apoyo, ya casi a la media noche empecé a hacer mis maletas para prepararme para tomar un vuelo el siguiente día a San Luis Potosí, México para iniciar mi fase de entrenamiento de altitud en preparación para la próxima temporada. Estoy entrenando con Duncan Phillips, Knox Robinson, y Rafith Rodríguez, y esta semana se unen al equipo Miles Batty y Nick Symmonds.
He estado viniendo a entrenar a la hermosa ciudad de San Luis Potosí desde el 2009. Tiene el clima ideal en este tiempo y la altitud necesaria para entrenar bien. El entrenamiento de altitud fuera de mi ciudad me permite reflexionar en todo lo que quiero cambiar y mejorar en mi vida. Si todo sale bien, mi temporada corta consistirá en mi participación en los juegos de atletismo New Balance (en pista cubierta) en Boston el 8 de febrero, Melrose en Nueva York el 15 de febrero, y los campeonatos nacionales en Alburquerque que se llevarán a cabo del 22 al 23 de febrero. De ahí, espero calificar para el campeonato mundial en Polonia del 7 al 9 de marzo. Los mantendré informados.
Mi entrenamiento ha iniciado muy bien. Duncan, Knox, Rafith y yo fuimos a correr esta mañana a uno de mis lugares favoritos en un poblado que está rodeado de cerros, localizado afuera de la capital de San Luis Potosí a una altura de 7,400 pies.
Mientras entrenábamos, fuimos acompañados sorpresivamente por dos burros que empezaron a corretearnos. Corrimos tan rápido como pudimos y no lograron alcanzarnos, pero que correteada nos dieron. No tenemos foto de lo acontecido, pero luego tomamos una foto de otros dos burros más amigables que nos encontramos después.
Apenas hace un mes, pensé que iba a tener que abandonar el deporte, pero gracias a su apoyo, me han motivado a seguir en la lucha. Han animado mi espíritu y me han impulsado a seguir. He recibido muchos mensajes alentadores y agradezco su apoyo.
Eso es todo por ahora. Voy a mantenerme ocupado entrenando, y trabajando para mantenerlos informados, y también voy a poner a la venta una playera nueva. Estamos trabajando arduamente para asegurarnos de que este satisfecho con su decisión de patrocinarme.
Estaré actualizándolos durante la semana por Twitter en @leomanzano y Facebook. No olviden regresar el próximo domingo para más detalles de lo que su patrocinio está permitiéndome hacer! Estamos en esto juntos.