Goldwater Lakes Trail and protein timing
Thursday was our only weekend day together this week. I picked up hours at work so we can take time off for another extended weekend trip later this month.
After a couple hours of trip planning and campsite booking, we hit the trails. It’s been a little while since we’ve logged a medium-distance run. Susan has been struggling with a knee injury, and I’ve just been struggling with the heat and humidity in Prescott this summer. But, we drove over to Goldwater Lakes Trail #396, one of the more heavily treed trails in the area, and knocked out 9 miles.
The run was a bit of test for both of us. Susan testing out the knee after a favorable visit to the physiotherapist, while I was testing whether my on-and-off ITB issues would flare up.
We’re planning an end of August fastpack in Yosemite, twenty miles in to camp, then back out for an another night of camping at our Tuolumne Meadows entry point. A little aggressive considering the mileage we’ve been running as of late.
Two thumbs up, or rather, four thumbs up. We both finished feeling optimistic about the trip. More on that in a further issue.
Further Still
Masters athletes take measurably longer than training-matched younger athletes to recover from hard efforts, even when fitness levels are comparable. Slower recovery means more accumulated fatigue heading into your next quality session.
Go further → Protein timing, not just protein totals. A widely-cited 2021 Sports Medicine review concludes masters athletes don't need drastically more protein than younger athletes — they need it distributed better. They suggest targeting roughly 0.3 g/kg body weight per meal (about 22–25 g for a 75 kg/165 lb athlete), eaten within 3–4 hours post-effort, across 4–5 meals spread every ~4 hours through the day.
"Protein Requirements for Master Athletes: Just Older Versions of Their Younger Selves." Sports Medicine, Vol. 51, 2021.
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Strength work multiplies your aerobic miles
A 30-year study covering 147,374 people, reported by ScienceDaily, found that 90 to 120 minutes of weekly strength training paired with aerobic exercise like running or cycling cut mortality risk by 45 to 58 percent — far more than either one alone.