I Won't Grow Up...

Famous (or maybe not so famous) words of the one and only Peter Pan, "I Won't Grow Up...".   This phrase has come to mind recently as it relates to my choice of recovery drink/food following workouts.

My recovery drink of choice is currently Chocolate Milk.  That's right, a childhood favorite, resurrected as a beneficial adult drink.

There are hundreds of options out there for re-fueling after a tough workout.  Sports drinks have always been a favorite of mine, but I don't always have them around. 

You can walk into GNC and be overwhelmed with the variety of different types of recovery drinks, or performance enhancing supplements.

Not only does chocolate milk taste absolutely delicious, it is relatively inexpensive.  I always have milk on hand, it is a staple of my diet.  So for me, all it takes is a keeping a bottle of Hershey's Chocolate syrup in stock, which is currently selling for just over $3 at Meijer,

AND...there is actually some research to support the use of chocolate milk as an effective recovery drink. The results showed chocolate milk to be just as beneficial as any of the expensive stuff you can buy at GNC, in this study's case,  Endurox R4.

Here's a small snippet from the results of the study...

In the study, nine male cyclists rode until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rested four hours and biked again until exhaustion. During the rest period, the cyclists drank low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, or Endurox R4. During a second round of exercise, the cyclists who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike about 50% longer than those who drank Endurox, and about as long as those who drank the Gatorade.

I should mention, the research was partially funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, but interesting findings none the less. 

Please note,  I am not advocating for excessive consumption of chocolate milk for the sedentary individual, or by those who are exercising for weight loss purposes.  It is still full of sugar, but that sugar combined with the protein in milk is optimal for replenishing energy stores after long or tough workouts.

So get up off the couch, go for a run, ride, swim or whatever mode of exercise you desire and then return to your childhood by drinking an ice-cold glass of chocolate milk to recover!

best foot forward...

For the past couple months I have been training for a half marathon in May.  I was a little hesitant to sign up for this because I have had some foot problems in the past when I start running longer distances.

Starting in 2007 I began having difficulty running any distance over 2-3 miles.  It was quite frustrating because I couldn't figure out anything to help.

I tried taking time off and resting.  I attempted to do more cross training.  I tried various types of shoes.  I gave both over the counter and custom orthotics a try, but nothing seemed to allow me to make it past that 3 mile mark comfortably.

Over this period of time, I have been able to complete various Adventure Races, but only because I was constantly switching between running, hiking, biking and canoeing.  Even so, on prolonged run sections I would still have foot pain.

Last fall I got the book Born to Run for my Birthday, which explores the current trend of barefoot running.

While I did not jump into the whole barefoot running, I did make some biomechanical changes to my gait and running form.  I have been focusing on using more of a midfoot to forefoot strike with each step.

In my opinion, the results of this simple change have been phenomenal. I have not had a single episode of foot pain since October, and have been able to run up to 12-13 miles without any problem.  Additionally, I have noticed virtually no feeling of fatigue the day following my runs.

On a little bit of a side note, I have been running in the same shoes for the past 3 years.  They have easily over 1000 miles on them.   The older they get, the better my feet and legs feel during and after runs.

General consensus on replacement of running shoes is in the neighborhood of every 350-550 miles.   I am beginning to think more and more that this is a marketing ploy to sell more shoes.

I will actually be purchasing a new pair of running shoes soon, but that is because the tread on the bottom has worn off, and I am now running on the foam of the sole.

I am not trying to say that everyone needs to replace running shoes every 4 years.  Every runner is different and has different needs depending on form and technique.  I have obviously not conducted any randomized, double-blinded clinical trials to test this theory,  just sharing my own success with a small biomechanical change.

Busy Weekend

I have been a pretty terrible blogger in recent months.  I am hoping that things will change here in the near future.  I hope to be aided by our new desk/table/workstation.  Here's a picture of the new setup...

Until this weekend, my computer had been located in the corner our our bedroom, which is not a great spot.  It was a tight fit, and it took effort just get up for the desk because of the close quarters.  We had an idea to get a long skinny table to could be utilized in the open space in our living area.

We looked around and found out what we wanted was available but too pricey.  So, we looked in to making one.  Now, I didn't even consider this because I don't do anything that even resembles construction.  However, Jenna's dad is more crafty than I, and made us this workstation.

I am hoping the better set up will lead to more frequent blogging.

Jenna's parents came up this weekend and brought the workstation with them.  We also got the chance to celebrate Marianne's (Jenna's mom)  Birthday.  We had dinner at Mangia Mangia downtown and then cupcakes and banana blondie's back at out apartment.  We gave her some pretty sweet gifts :)b

Also going on this weekend, was the championship game for the Kalamazoo Bible basketball League.  We played Trinity Lutheran.  We split the regular season matchups, so we knew we were in for a good game.  It was close the whole way, but we couldn't quite pull it off.

Overall, it was a good season with a great group of guys.



The Fab Four
(Disclaimer: This is an unofficial nickname and has actually never been used for us.)



Coach Dennis getting us ready.



Tres Lobos (Three Wolves)
(Also unofficial nickname)









Blizzard 2011

We finally got some substantial snowfall this year.  The snow combined with the wind was enough to give both Jenna and I a Snow Day from work!  We bummed around for a while this morning, but then I convinced her that we needed to go get outside for a while.

We headed to Milham Park Golf Course to do some snowshoeing, and check out just how much snow we got.  We found depths of snow ranging from 6 inches to about 30 inches of fresh powder.  It's tough to say exactly how much we got due to all the blowing and drifting, but I would say we got a solid 12" or so over night.

I am not sure I would classify it as blizzard material, but a lot of snow in less than 24 hours none the less.   The news this morning couldn't get enough of calling this event 'Blizzard 2011', so my blog took the same title.

Below are a few pics and videos from our little outing!

Jenna is in there, I promise.

I sunk a solid couple of feet into this drift, and that's with snowshoes on.


I tried to do a little jumping around.  I fell a couple of times.  I may have made them look a little more dramatic that what actually occured.



This video of Jenna is actually from a couple of weeks ago, but didn't want her to feel left out of the video action:)

The Holidays came and went...

The Holidays were fairly busy this past year.  We spent time in Indianapolis and Kalamazoo.  I am way behind in getting these up, so I just picked a few different pics.  Enjoy!

Potato Peeling initiation.  I think I held my own.

Football, movies, Euchre, and naps.  Everything Thanksgiving should be.

Our first tree. "Little full, lot of sap."

Our first tree.  Post-Decorations

We saw Wicked at Miller Auditorium in December.

Our cookies were so good Darren McFadden even stopped by.

About to get the party started...

Are those hanky-panky I see?

Talking about guy stuff...

I tried on some skinny jeans.  I look good, right??

Jingle Bell 5k

Running has long been one of my favorite activities, so you can imagine how excited I was when Jenna told me she wanted to run a 5k.

Along with some friends from work, she signed up for the Jingle Bell 5k, which took place yesterday.

We have been training for the race for the past month or so.  She was ready.  The only potential variable would be the weather, especially since October and November have been absolutely perfect for running so far.  The forecast called for 45 degrees and partly sunny.  However, that turned into 38 degrees and cloudy/windy.

I registered for the race too, but only as a pacer and for moral support.

The race ended up going quite well.  Jenna had a target time of 35 minutes, without any walk breaks.  She finished in 33:45!!  She ran each mile quicker than the previous one, which in my opinion is extraordinary for a first race!

Thankfully, she enjoyed it enough that she wants to run another one!

The SLPs of SW Rehab.

Good thing we were "All ready" registered

Pre-race picture

Lauren looking strong

Couldn't be happier, even after 2 miles!

Meg and Lindsey.  Lindsey told me she was 'dying' at this point, despite the big smile.

Meg and Lindsey finishing strong

Posing with Frosty after a successful race.

Post-race photo, just as happy as pre-race

Here are a couple of action shots, courtesy of my parents and sister Abby, who came out to support us!

And finally, a live race video.  Sorry its a bit shaky, but I had to run backwards in order to capture it.

Covered Bridge Festival

Several weeks ago, Jenna and I headed down to Indianapolis to visit family, as well as attend the Covered Bridge Festival.

This was my first ever covered bridge festival.  Everyone else had been, and were excited to 'show me the ropes'.

We got up at the crack of dawn in order to get there before the crowd.  I didn't realize that an event in the middle of seemingly nowhere southwestern Indiana could actually get crowded.

I could not have been more wrong.  There were people of all types at this event.  I was told that over 2 million people visit over the 10 day festival!

The other thing I found shocking was the number of things that were deep fried.  I mean, who really needs their peanut butter and jelly sandwich deep fried?

I realize some people splurge for a day or two and eat all this 'junk food', but judging from the figure and form of many of the people I saw, this type of diet is a lifestyle for them.

We did get to take a short tour of the mill that is still in operation which was fairly informative but the majority of this festival is eating and shopping. 

I did manage to survive the event, and live to tell about it.  Here's a few pictures from our day...

A little coffee in the morning

The crew

That pot in front of us is filled with 'soup beans'

The covered bridge

Lookin' good in our shades

People watching and drinking more coffee

I chose to forgo the deep fried stuff and eat some ribs

Exhausted after my first Covered Bridge Festival