Fueling The Machine

As Athletes, how often do we think about our recovery?

Does pH give a good indication of our recovery process? (A pH of 7.0 is considered Neutral, but a body pH of 7.5 is more in line with optimal health and performance). I think it might be a good measurement (my recent pH measurement was a dismal 6 -6.5. A good indicator of a system under stress?).

What am I willing to give up or change for better recovery? Coffee, alcohol, meat products, dairy products are all acidifers. So are many simple sugars we consume during our events or long training runs.

Are there replacements for these simple sugar intakes? Or if not, are there things we can do post-recovery to speed the process and re-balance our system so it can heal and recover?

After my recent experiences with sub-optimal performance (and health), I am much more interested in how diet can affect my performance.

Training I understand. Diet? Recovery? Not so much. For the past six months of so, I have broken the circle of TRAIN > STRESS > REST> RECOVER > REPEAT. Too much 'train' and too much 'stress' without recovery leads to breakdown; along with too much of the wrong things going into my machine. Garbage in > Garbage Out.

Right now, All I have are questions, but for now I am going on a coffee hiatus (OK, 5 out 7 days), alcohol hiatus, red meat hiatus, and I am looking for a good pinole recipe.