Gained another .7 lbs

  Today on Saturday I have gained another .7 lbs,  and deservedly so.

  I went running but wore my older running shoes with the Dr Shoals supports in them.  My plan was to run at intense speeds ( about 9 mph ) for 20 min.  This uses glycogen at the maximum rate.  At the 20 min mark, glycogen use starts to taper off as the body tries to keep you from using it all up and then having none left for emergencies.    I can notice the drastic increase in the amount of air I need at that point, because my body is starting to use less glycogen and more of the sources which need oxygen, ie   fatty acids, and glucose.

   Anyway, after 20 minutes, I slow down to moderate, with the idea that moderate still uses glycogen, but less.   WHat is remarkable is that when I slow down I need hardly any air.  I'm running around passing people at my reduced rate and breathing at a low rate which you'd think woudl be more typical of a walking person.

   My theory as to what is going on:  During the intense run, the body configured the muscles to draw from the glycogen stores.   Then I slow down, and it takes time to readjust.   My energy use is much lower,  but we are still using quite a bit of glycogen for energy, and therefore I don't need much oxygen.   So for maximum glycogen without going into muscle-eating mode, I think the ideal running work out is 20 min of intense followed by 20 min of moderate.

   Then you will get really hungry for the rest of the day, since the body will be using blood glucose to refill your leg muscles with glycogen.   But if you can resist the urge to pig out, you will lose weight nicely.   When your blood sugar is lower, the body produces much less insulin (the hormonal message to build fat from blood glucose), and instead starts producing more glucogen, the hormone which tells the body to start burning more fat.

  Unfortunately, the blister on the bottom of the arch of my right foot prevented me from finishing my 20 minutes of moderate.   I had to stop after about 5 min of moderate following the intense part.     The blister is about the size of a nickel, and is already raised like it is going to fill with fluid and burst.  Ouch.  I have a bandaid on it now.

  I'll want to get more exercise in today, but I'm worried about this blister.