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)