Training Tip - Chocolate Milk Recovery Drink is as Good as Steroids

There was a study done a few years ago that showed that runners given good old chocolate milk after a hard workout were able to go something like 20 to 30% farther before fatiguing the next day than the control group.

After much Zentri Science (patented), I concluded the following:

1. What benefit does steroids, EPO, and all that other crap give athletes? 5%? 10%. It's a lot, but is it 20 to 30%? Most certainly not.


2. Isn't this sh*t legal?


3. Isn't this sh*t sold in every convenience store on every street corner?

I've been using it for several years now and it flat out works. I slam a nice cold glass of homemade chocolate milk after every hard workout and the next day I'm able to push hard, yet again. Sure, I'm sore. But I'm not deep down sore and I can push through it no problem.

I save the Hornet Juice for special occasions, such as demolishing Jetpack in an Ironman or destroying Drew in our upcoming Cyclocross Dethmatch (details coming soon.)

The dudes in the lab coats say that chocolate milk works because it has the perfect sugar to protein ratio to get the right stuff to your muscles to repair them quickly. For best results, drink within 15 minutes of finishing your workout. To be honest, some of the timing stuff is still up in the air. This is all new and a pleasant surprise, so they're still trying to decide if it's best before, during, or after the workout.

Just the other day I ended a run at a friend's house and he asked if I wanted any ice water or gatorade. I asked if he had chocolate milk. He had hershey's syrup and lowfat milk. Perfect. That's exactly what I use at home. Like I said, it's everywhere.

Motivation

Sometimes you need something to pull yourself out of the same-old training routines and kick it into high gear. I use races.

I tell people all the time that staying fit is easy. Just sign up for a race a few times a year and train for them. There's nothing like almost doing your best to show you that you could train just a little harder.

And pushing yourself to race pace is a killer workout. You'll go back to training faster and stronger.

I stumbled across the picture of that cat going haywire on the bologna and immediately thought "Wow, he's motivated. He's almost got it in his mouth and isn't going to let go NO MATTER WHAT." How do you think of yourself during race day or your hard workouts? Like that cat?

In this podcast, I talk about how my recent races motivated me and much more. I take you with me on my run to work, motivated to get there before my boss get's pissed that I'm late. I also cover a bunch of other topics, so join in for the fun!

SHOWNOTES!

• Walking out the door, running to work on Bike to Work Day.


• Voicemail from Coach Adam.


• Confessions of a Runner is Listening to Zentri.


• How to organize your clothes for running to work.


• Urban Adventure Running rules.


• Soapbox Alert! People wasting water.


• The simplicity of running to work is Oh So Zen.


• Running times are getting much faster because of running to work.


• Crossfit is the sh*t!


• My new Prison Workout: Pullups, pushups, squats, situps, bucket lifts (with bricks in them). As many as you can do in 25 minutes.

• Been doing local bike time trials, crushing my Max HR.


• Current training schedule.


• Poison ivy making me look awesome. Mostly.


• Bike commuting audio from Drew.


• Cyclocross Deathmatch?


• Texafornia attacks a rabbit.


• Kai gets a Trail-a-bike.


• Weiner dog attacks Texafornia.


• Electric cars for kids are The Devil.


• Check out our new LED xmas light fireplace!

• Big thanks to Kembery for the donation, McNitt, Ken Seals, and Morgan for blog help.


• Voicemails!


• DethChatter announces reunion and world tour! DethChatter.blogspot.com.

Nutrition is for Slow People

I was taking a visual stroll through one of my favorite runner's blogs - Anton Krupicka - and was reminded again of our inferiority to such a running dynamo.  Take a gander at this:

"Wed-AM: 30 miles (4:00) Jones Park-7 Bridges Loop+Monument loops and barefoot ~4000' vertical
Rainy all day, so I didn't get out until almost noon. Slow at first, but then I felt good on the climb up 666 so I just went for it and decided to do the full loop because I was having so much fun. Above Capn Jacks there was new snow on the trail (that my NB 152s weren't so happy navigating) and there was rain coming down, but I had a blast. Kinda bonked the last 30 minutes or so because I didn't take any gels or water (did have a muffin for breakfast, though)."

Kinda bonked?  No water or gels for 30 miles? 4000 feet of vertical climbing near Boulder, CO?

The day I can go just 10 miles on a muffin, well...  I don't know.   Insane.

Training Tip - Ditch the Water Bottle on Your Run

"Training/Racing Tips" is a new category I'm starting in my blog to help share what I've learned or been told by others. Arguably the most important portion of any tri blog or podcast, this is the stuff that can make your training and racing much more enjoyable.

I have a huge backlog of these that I'll release over time. You'll be able to filter for them by checking this category on the right side of the blog. Here's the first:

I used to run with a water bottle in my hand on my longer runs. It's not a terrible idea - it keeps you really hydrated and and they even make hand straps for this purpose, so I'm not the only one, right?

I changed this behavior after two discoveries:

1. You really don't need water for anything less than an hour of consecutive running. I used to run with water in hand for short 30 minute runs, overdoing fueling with the gatorade calories, and not losing weight, until I read somewhere that an hour at a time is doable. I tried it. They were right. I also run by my house every hour on long runs and can rehydrate/refuel then.


2. I would drink my water bottle down to about a third full and then jam it halfway in the back of my running short's waistband. Not only did it look like I took a space-dump in my britches, but then my form and speed would improve drastically.

Lately, I've been running with my trusty old fuelbelt with two water flasks and it works much better.  I chug a bunch of water right before I leave, drink those flasks over the next hour (sometimes filled with ice by leaving them in the freezer overnight), then chug more water and refuel them when I swing by my house again. Works like a charm. My running is faster and my form is much improved. Result - happy triathlete!

Watch Shows as They are Made

I keep a running list of show topics as they come to me. I jot them down over the period of a week or two and them assemble them into the infamous "show notes stuffed in my bike shorts" just moments before I head out the door to record a show.

I've always found the list compilation process interesting. You too can check it out! You can follow the "Making a Show" link at the top of the blog to hit a dynamic list of show topics and preview what might be in the next show. It's an interesting view into how Zentri comes together and some behind-the-scenes info.