Week Summary and Energy Drinks

Week Summary and Energy Drinks

Monday and Tuesday: here.

Wednesday: Creekside/Fools/Flume - 7.5 miles, ~500', 1:08 - Still recovering. Amazing how slow this recovery is. The race day effort really got to me, which is good. Shows I tried.

Thursday: Elk/D2/WTB/D4/D2/Elk - ~9.5, 1,500', 1:21 - Feeling better. Ran some familiar trails, found two more "secret" trails. Not sure where they go.

Friday: Off, 6 hours standing and walking.

Saturday: 6 hours standing and walking. Treadmill 15/15 challenge. After work, it was dark and snowing, so I decided to try another 15/15 challenge. My legs were not feeling it, but it was still fun. 15 minutes at 15 incline - got 1.2 miles again. Didn't have the motivation to try a second time.

Still slowly recovering from Sunday's race. The more I reflect on my performance, the happier I am. I think averaging 7:45 pace over 10.4 miles with some hills is fairly good, especially since I don't train speed. However, the effort has made my recovery a bit longer then normal.

A new study was just published on energy drinks. The study is kinda interesting, in that the authors looked at whether energy drinks (red bull, Monster, etc.) contained any active components other then caffeine that might boost performance (both cognitive and physical). After conducting a literature search and doing a meta-analysis, the authors found that no, energy drinks do not contain any active components (taurine, guaraná, ginseng, glucuronolactone, B-vitamins, etc.) in amounts that enhance mental or physical performance. The only ingredient that boosts performance - with some scientific evidence - found in energy drinks is caffeine. Personally, I like to get my caffeine from coffee or tea, without the added sugar found in energy drinks. If I want sugar, such as on long runs, I prefer Sprite or some other lemon lime soda.