Training log - Week ending 7/7/2019

This week was 56 miles of running, 18 "miles" of pool-running and 3000 yards of swimming -- training log is here. 

This week I focused on hills and some aerobic running. Nothing anaerobic, no long runs, and no track workouts. Just fun stuff that promotes power and good form. It's a nice break from the intensity of track workouts and racing, and it's also nice to be able to sleep in and do a workout on my own schedule, rather than show up at the track at the appointed time. 

I've found that spending a period like this once or twice a year really rejuvenates me mentally. I do lose something in that I don't race as well off of this type of training as I do off of the standard mix of track work and long runs. 

But...you also can't race your best year round, and taking a few weeks of playing around now will hopefully set me up for a good fall, just like it did last year. I'm going to spend 1-3 more weeks like this, with the possible exception of a road mile race for fun, and then go back into more serious training. 

*** 

In other news, recently I decided to go ahead and spend some money on one of those sports-related genetic test services. You know the deal: you spit in a tube and send it to them (or alternately provide them with your data from another service) and then they give you a report. 

Those who know me and my opposition to facial recognition technology are probably surprised that I spat into a tube and mailed it off. But...the risks of genetic profiling are different from those of facial recognition technology. 

I object to the use of facial recognition or fingerprints as authentication methods - if your text password gets exposed you can always change it, but you are stuck with your face and fingerprints for life. 

In contrast, I'm not using my genetic information as an authentication method, and don't anticipate ever being placed in a situation where I would do so. Rather, the risks from this sort of genetic testing are a) later being discriminated against due to a pre-existing genetic condition or b) having a family member identified as a potential criminal after my genetic profile is reviewed. Since I've already got umpteen pre-existing health conditions and I also want anyone in my family who commits a crime prosecuted to the full extent of the law, I'm fine with these risks. 

Which doesn't mean I wasn't picky about which service I went with. My DNA is sensitive stuff. 

My suggestion to anyone considering playing with one or more of these services is that they first look for a company that is operating in Europe as well as the US - Europe is far more robust in terms of privacy regulation. 

Second - review the company's privacy statement and also any statements on data protection/data security that they have (these documents will usually be found at the bottom of the web-page - if the company doesn't have a privacy statement, that is a gigantic smoking red flag). 

Ideally, you want to see a reference to either ISO 27001 certification or HIPAA compliance when they describe how they protect your data. Those qualifications are neither essential nor perfect guarantees of safety, but they do make me sleep better. 

So....after going through all that, I picked a site, paid the fee, did the deed, got my results. 

At this point I should note that I've got really mixed feelings about the value of consumer DNA profiling. On the one hand, I really do believe that DNA analysis is the future of modern medicine. Not all humans respond to the same medications/treatments the same way, and treating the individual patient requires trial and error to work out the ideal combo. The hope is that cautious and correct use of DNA profiles can eliminate some of that initial guesswork, and spare certain patients from awful side effects. 

Just as not all patients respond to a specific medication the same way, not all athletes respond to a certain training structure the same way. And I keep thinking that 20-30 years from now, we may know enough to be able to individually structure training based not just on how the athlete responds in the past, but on their genetic profile. 

That being said, we're not there yet. And I'm sure that the technology being used to process my saliva is not the same technology used at NIH. And even the most advanced DNA technology is still in its infancy. 

Personally I place contemporary consumer DNA testing/analysis in the same bucket as the daily horoscope (maybe a bit better, but not much). When you read the text you will ALWAYS find something that makes sense and validates the report. And you'll see other things that don't make sense and you'll find a way to rationalize them away. 

But...horoscopes are fun, and so was this. And perhaps it will be more reliable in the future. 

As for me, my results did make a lot of sense to me (just like my Taurus horoscope that always says that I am stubborn). 

According to my results, I'm more of an endurance athlete than a power athlete (agreed), I need more recovery time than others (agreed) and I'm more likely than others to have soft-tissue injuries (definitely agreed). I can also strength train a lot without building any muscle mass (yup). 

Interestingly, I supposedly also have a genetic variant that is common to top sprinters - so either that's wrong, I've wasted it, or I've converted that fasttwitch to slowtwitch with the long runs that I love. 

Diet-wise, I do better on a lower carb diet than other athletes (that's a heck yeah), and I'm very sensitive to both caffeine and alcohol (yup). However, supposedly I'm genetically unlikely to be lactose intolerant - my real life experience directly conflicts with that report. 

Overall, it was fun to read the results, and I got my money's worth in entertainment value. Will this affect my training? Honestly no. But who knows, in another generation genetic testing may be as ubiquitous as GPS watches are now. 

Dailies: 

Monday: Yoga and 8.5 "miles" pool-running in the morning, foam rolling at night. 

Tuesday: 10 miles, including 6 hill repeats (about 2 minutes up, then ~1:30 jog, then ~30 second stride, and ~60 second jog down to base of hill). Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards easy swimming. Foam rolling at night. 

Wednesday: 8 miles very easy (9:00), drills and strides, yoga, and then another 4 miles very easy (8:58). Foam rolling at night. 

Thursday: Upper body weights, core, and 9.5 "miles" of pool-running. Foam rolling at night. 

Friday: 12 miles, including an alternating workout of 2 hill repeats of 60-70 seconds, then 10 minutes at tempo (6:44); then 2 hill repeats of 60-70 seconds, then 10 minutes at tempo (6:42), then 2 hill repeats of 60-70 seconds. [2:30 recovery between hill repeats; 3:00 recovery between hills and tempo and 1:30 recovery between tempo and hills]. Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards easy swimming. Foam rolling at night. 

Saturday: 10 miles very easy (9:08), drills and strides, followed by upper body weights, core, and DIY yoga. Foam rolling at night. 

Sunday: 12 miles, including 7 hill repeats (about 2 minutes up, then ~1:30 jog, then ~30 second stride, and ~60 second jog down to base of hill). Followed with injury prevention work and 1000 yards easy swimming. Foam rolling at night.