Key Words: Rice Block Party, Cups of Tap Water, This Might Save Your Life
Word Count: 893
Likely Next Topic: Cross Training Sunday
Much to say, so a quick recap of this morning run. 13.1 miles for the Chicago marathoners, so I toed the line with Larry at 5AM; off we went to Lukes for the first 3.5 miles of the run. This leg went well, with my averaging about 10:15/mile. I lost Larry at this point, but picked up a trio of female runners for the trek to Rice Loop and our second aide station. The triumvirate lost a member, and then I passed up the remaining duo before a return to the aide station. There were lots of people piling up at the aide station; about 50! It was like a block party on the Rice campus!! After milling about for a bit, and eating an orange slice, off I went back to Lukes. I chased down Pink Headphones Girl, and rounded onto Lukes in just over 11 min/mile total pace. Since that time include three long breaks, I was pleased with the time. Much of the remaining two miles were solo, and thus my mind got away from me a bit during that stretch; my time suffered accordingly, but I was pleased with the overall time (esp. considering I grazed at Lukes for 5 min on the way back!). I finished in just under 2:29.
Nutrition: Post-run, Jon taunted me viciously for pointing out that after I had an orange slice at the Rice Block Party and at Lukes stop #2, I felt full of energy! And that was only after one slice, had I ate the whole orange ... cartwheels down McDuffie, no doubt about it! This was the first time EVER I've eaten food during a run. Maybe I've found that my body likes "au natural" sugar? Maybe I just had a good day?!? It demands a test, so in addition to buying new shoes (Mizuno Wave 7s) and socks today, I purchased some Honey Stinger from Lukes. This stuff is basically pure honey, so I'm wondering if it will have the same impact as the orange? Whatever caused the orange effect, I want it again ... I felt extremely good after the citrus infusion.
Hurricane's coming. Well, not really. Dean is almost certainly not going to hit Houston, but yet people are going ape sh!t. First off, you don't need to buy every bottle of water in Kroger people. If you plan to stay (and most will), fill your cups with tap water, cover them with saran wrap (they had plenty of that) and viola, you're ready for a natural disaster. The city has also erected "Fill Your Tank With Gas" billboards ... too much, too early. Disappointing.
BUT, here's what you should check with Dean roiling up the Caribbean; you're get out of town bag. After Katrina/Rita I realized that I could need (probably due to terrorism, unfortunately) to get out of town quickly. To that end, in my car and in a book bag in my apartment, I stored a gallon of water, a big bottle of Gatorade, a huge container of peanuts, and a huge bag of M&Ms. Don't scoff, just continue. As these emergency instruments are almost two years old, I checked dates and most are indeed expiring; time to restock. I went to Kroger and purchased two of each of the following: family sized Planter Peanuts (those adverse to peanuts should go for almonds), a family sized bag of M&Ms, and a small container of Gatorade mix. The beauty is the peanuts and M&Ms have 8,720 calories, and all in a very small space! Better yet, a serving of peanuts has 14g of fat, 7g of protein, and 5g of carbs ... a reasonably balanced meal. The M&Ms will make up for the somewhat low carbs in the nuts, and both will fill you up as they have lots of fat. The Gatorade is just another small way to carry lots of calories (1,850), and keep the electrolytes balanced by mixing it with my water. That number of calories could easily keep me feed for a week, so that, with my water, makes me ready to go on quick notice. Oh, and it takes a while for this stuff to go bad, so set it, and forget it!
For the water, you need to buy Ozarka or some good name brand. Those Kroger milk jugs full of water are not air tight; I have had all the water evaporate from those. In two years, my Ozarka jugs (including the one in my hot car) are still filled to the brim.
MOST IMPORTANTLY AND EASILY FORGOTTEN, write down your insurance numbers and key bank account numbers and put that in your pack. If you have to stay gone for a while, you'll need that stuff.
So go get an old back pack or sturdy Target bag, and make the $15 or so investment in at least one get out of town pack. Not likely that you'll likely need it, but you could save your life, and probably those of several friends and/or family.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
New Kids On The Block
Key Words: Kenyan Way, Universum, Millinea
Word Count: 861
Likely Next Topic: Tax Free Weekend Shopping Report
First running. Wednesday, in reckless disregard for the fairly hard speed workout Tuesday, I decided to do a 4 mile tempo run; 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy. The first easy mile, 10:40, went swell. Then, my legs started hurting. My quads actually, they felt tired, they burned more than they should have. 9:05 to the mile marker, and at that point, I decided to listen to papa HoustonFIT, and just do the scheduled 30 minutes tempo run. After a short rest, I picked it back up to tempo speed, but then braked it back recovery speed for the final half mile; just over 30 minutes total. Kenyan Way was out at Memorial, jamming up part of the track ... not sure what they were doing ... many cones setup along the trail ... speed work I suppose.
Now, for some thought provocation. Wednesday was the kick off for ExxonMobil's US recruiting (USR) efforts. Over lunch, the USR folks brought in a rep from Universum, the supposed leader in knowing what young'ins think of your company. They showed data from Engineering (a main focus on XOM) and business (another focus). Differences between the two were as expected, and really, the groups were fairly identical (notable exception, the business folks reeealy wanted to work in New York; Wall Street I suppose).
The interesting part, and I admit I kind of geek out on this stuff, is the effect of "the Millineas", as the Italian lady from Universum called them. In her nomenclature, Gen X'ers are people born between 1968 and 1977 (which would include the author and probably the two or three people who read this blog!). Millineas are people born from 1978 onward; they were, I suppose in high school or college at the turn of the millinea (Universum only interviews near term or recent grads). These are the kids who had the soccer parents, who always received a trophy for participation, and are the future leaders of tomorrow. She showed a slide that compared the differences between the responses of the two groups. Most telling were (X followed by M): We seek jobs with work life balance, while we don't since we assume it is a given; we think the American Dream is dead, while we believe you can still make it happen; and a job is simply for money, while we believe it has to be a blend of money and social consequence. What's interesting is that the effect of the Millineas caused The Peace Corps and Teach American to vault from unlisted amongst the 250 ranked companies to the top ten on this years list! Also, Google, the company that would at least appear set to appeal to the Millineas, has, over the last four years, went from unranked, to 150, to 2, to a resounding #1 on this years list.
Another telling aspect of this was general categorizations of the two groups. In a nutshell, she said the Millineas demanded structure, group work, and would most likely not risk the status quo for financial wealth. Put another way, and she did put it this way, employers will be disappointed with their ingenuity, their resiliency, and their ability to work outside a group setting. I'm starting to believe that I can tell a difference in the kids that work for us now, and those that I see on campus. I thought it was just me getting older (that option is still a horse in this race), but perhaps it is that they really are changing. I think this change away from solo ability and ingenuity, if it's true, will probably be the most impactful thing to happen to our society in a long time.
One final nugget: Millineas are now expected to have 11 jobs in their careers, and more importantly, any stigma attached to that is gone. Many companies have accepted this change, and those above, and modified their work environment and expectations to maximize this new breed of worker. They understand that the Millinea will only be there for a while, but they try to make the relationship mutually beneficial, and there's certainly the chance to come back at a later date. 11 jobs; the chance to come back?!? ExxonMobil is certainly not like that, and ultimately, I think we will suffer for it. We still preach that we hire for a career, but do we and should we? More importantly, on a personal note, is what it will be like for me if the day comes when I quit the XOM. When I changed majors in college for the first time, I would do so again a mere four weeks late! It was like a burden had been released once I washed the stigma away from the change. I wonder if I get away from the stigma of quitting the XOM if that would lead to a Millinea like career path?
13 miles this weekend. I suppose I'll have time to consider the answer to that self directed question.
Word Count: 861
Likely Next Topic: Tax Free Weekend Shopping Report
First running. Wednesday, in reckless disregard for the fairly hard speed workout Tuesday, I decided to do a 4 mile tempo run; 1 easy, 2 hard, 1 easy. The first easy mile, 10:40, went swell. Then, my legs started hurting. My quads actually, they felt tired, they burned more than they should have. 9:05 to the mile marker, and at that point, I decided to listen to papa HoustonFIT, and just do the scheduled 30 minutes tempo run. After a short rest, I picked it back up to tempo speed, but then braked it back recovery speed for the final half mile; just over 30 minutes total. Kenyan Way was out at Memorial, jamming up part of the track ... not sure what they were doing ... many cones setup along the trail ... speed work I suppose.
Now, for some thought provocation. Wednesday was the kick off for ExxonMobil's US recruiting (USR) efforts. Over lunch, the USR folks brought in a rep from Universum, the supposed leader in knowing what young'ins think of your company. They showed data from Engineering (a main focus on XOM) and business (another focus). Differences between the two were as expected, and really, the groups were fairly identical (notable exception, the business folks reeealy wanted to work in New York; Wall Street I suppose).
The interesting part, and I admit I kind of geek out on this stuff, is the effect of "the Millineas", as the Italian lady from Universum called them. In her nomenclature, Gen X'ers are people born between 1968 and 1977 (which would include the author and probably the two or three people who read this blog!). Millineas are people born from 1978 onward; they were, I suppose in high school or college at the turn of the millinea (Universum only interviews near term or recent grads). These are the kids who had the soccer parents, who always received a trophy for participation, and are the future leaders of tomorrow. She showed a slide that compared the differences between the responses of the two groups. Most telling were (X followed by M): We seek jobs with work life balance, while we don't since we assume it is a given; we think the American Dream is dead, while we believe you can still make it happen; and a job is simply for money, while we believe it has to be a blend of money and social consequence. What's interesting is that the effect of the Millineas caused The Peace Corps and Teach American to vault from unlisted amongst the 250 ranked companies to the top ten on this years list! Also, Google, the company that would at least appear set to appeal to the Millineas, has, over the last four years, went from unranked, to 150, to 2, to a resounding #1 on this years list.
Another telling aspect of this was general categorizations of the two groups. In a nutshell, she said the Millineas demanded structure, group work, and would most likely not risk the status quo for financial wealth. Put another way, and she did put it this way, employers will be disappointed with their ingenuity, their resiliency, and their ability to work outside a group setting. I'm starting to believe that I can tell a difference in the kids that work for us now, and those that I see on campus. I thought it was just me getting older (that option is still a horse in this race), but perhaps it is that they really are changing. I think this change away from solo ability and ingenuity, if it's true, will probably be the most impactful thing to happen to our society in a long time.
One final nugget: Millineas are now expected to have 11 jobs in their careers, and more importantly, any stigma attached to that is gone. Many companies have accepted this change, and those above, and modified their work environment and expectations to maximize this new breed of worker. They understand that the Millinea will only be there for a while, but they try to make the relationship mutually beneficial, and there's certainly the chance to come back at a later date. 11 jobs; the chance to come back?!? ExxonMobil is certainly not like that, and ultimately, I think we will suffer for it. We still preach that we hire for a career, but do we and should we? More importantly, on a personal note, is what it will be like for me if the day comes when I quit the XOM. When I changed majors in college for the first time, I would do so again a mere four weeks late! It was like a burden had been released once I washed the stigma away from the change. I wonder if I get away from the stigma of quitting the XOM if that would lead to a Millinea like career path?
13 miles this weekend. I suppose I'll have time to consider the answer to that self directed question.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
A Quickie
Not much time. Tired, did much room rearranging (the karma is palpably better), and I have a big day at work tomorrow (well, a long day, 8-5 mtg).
Speed workout today, and as the temp was 100, and I didn't need to advance in the Yasso workouts, so I did the prescribed workout of 3x1200x400. My 1200 times were 5:38, 6:02, and 6:19. Needless to say, the heat started wearing on me. Almost five miles, and I'm glad I did the 1200's, as I think variety helps, and week on week of Yasso 800 would make me a great 800 runner, but I question the value of the repetition for my marathoning.
Tomorrow I hope to do a tempo run of some kind. Thursday, an easy run, though I'll gladly cancel it if the legs feel beat. If I do all those runs, I could top 30 miles for the week, which would probably be a first for a seven day stretch without a marathon in it. It's requiring some sacrifices, but as I'm finally healthy, I want to give it a try.
Speed workout today, and as the temp was 100, and I didn't need to advance in the Yasso workouts, so I did the prescribed workout of 3x1200x400. My 1200 times were 5:38, 6:02, and 6:19. Needless to say, the heat started wearing on me. Almost five miles, and I'm glad I did the 1200's, as I think variety helps, and week on week of Yasso 800 would make me a great 800 runner, but I question the value of the repetition for my marathoning.
Tomorrow I hope to do a tempo run of some kind. Thursday, an easy run, though I'll gladly cancel it if the legs feel beat. If I do all those runs, I could top 30 miles for the week, which would probably be a first for a seven day stretch without a marathon in it. It's requiring some sacrifices, but as I'm finally healthy, I want to give it a try.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Running Rhythm
Inches of rain, the forecast for July
Gave way to August, and a lofty high
100 degrees, maybe in spots more
No one was outside, not even the Rankin Road whore
Four days of sloth, an Indiana wedding
If not drinking, I was slumbering in the Marriott bedding
A run a run, was desperately needed
35 minutes easy, HoustonFIT Chicago runners heeded
Brenda was to run, Chris Sowers too
I'll hook up with them, a Monday running party anew
To Memorial Picnic Loop, that was our place to meet
But find them I didn't, my failure was bittersweet
At the park at least, I could get in a run
But a solo after promise of a party, not very fun
Off I went, by the soccer players' cheer
Surprisingly I ran up there back, Brenda, Chris, and Samone were near
Memorial we crossed, picking our way with caution
Then Brenda kicked out, using quick motion
"She always runs ahead", Chris said while waning
"I hope I can keep up", I thought while gaining
I got on Brenda's hip, around the loop we went
Hey, there's Felix, by the Finish Strong tent!
9:49, the first measurable mile
An easy run?, I questioned with a smile
Go ahead if you need, Brenda said with a huff
I could run no faster, her claim of an easy run, clearly a bluff
8:37, came nine tenths of a mile
Starting at the corner, the markers are full of guile
9:24, the last mile did come
Brenda said I'm done, water, I need some
I said a quarter mile more, no farther shall I go
Then turn around we did, joining the opposite flow
Water was had, hydration was a plenty
Then to the corner we came, departure such a pity
On Brenda went, a little more to cover
Then Claire appeared, from her bad back she did recover
Meeting Astros, while she convalesced
Though famous, I thought, their team is quite a mess
Goodbyes were said, hope to see you later
Saved by the Bell, the most famous is AC Slater
Random thoughts, were clearly in my head
Maybe I needed rest, make an early trip to bed
Four miles I covered, and I did so with relative ease
The heat not so bad, but wait for the sunset please
Four more days, five days total of running
That's my goal this week, it's the goal for which I'm gunning
Thanks for reading my poem, I wrote it with a smile
Blogging can be boring, so I went the extra mile
This is a different, an old kind of view
A running poets musings, I bid you adieu
Gave way to August, and a lofty high
100 degrees, maybe in spots more
No one was outside, not even the Rankin Road whore
Four days of sloth, an Indiana wedding
If not drinking, I was slumbering in the Marriott bedding
A run a run, was desperately needed
35 minutes easy, HoustonFIT Chicago runners heeded
Brenda was to run, Chris Sowers too
I'll hook up with them, a Monday running party anew
To Memorial Picnic Loop, that was our place to meet
But find them I didn't, my failure was bittersweet
At the park at least, I could get in a run
But a solo after promise of a party, not very fun
Off I went, by the soccer players' cheer
Surprisingly I ran up there back, Brenda, Chris, and Samone were near
Memorial we crossed, picking our way with caution
Then Brenda kicked out, using quick motion
"She always runs ahead", Chris said while waning
"I hope I can keep up", I thought while gaining
I got on Brenda's hip, around the loop we went
Hey, there's Felix, by the Finish Strong tent!
9:49, the first measurable mile
An easy run?, I questioned with a smile
Go ahead if you need, Brenda said with a huff
I could run no faster, her claim of an easy run, clearly a bluff
8:37, came nine tenths of a mile
Starting at the corner, the markers are full of guile
9:24, the last mile did come
Brenda said I'm done, water, I need some
I said a quarter mile more, no farther shall I go
Then turn around we did, joining the opposite flow
Water was had, hydration was a plenty
Then to the corner we came, departure such a pity
On Brenda went, a little more to cover
Then Claire appeared, from her bad back she did recover
Meeting Astros, while she convalesced
Though famous, I thought, their team is quite a mess
Goodbyes were said, hope to see you later
Saved by the Bell, the most famous is AC Slater
Random thoughts, were clearly in my head
Maybe I needed rest, make an early trip to bed
Four miles I covered, and I did so with relative ease
The heat not so bad, but wait for the sunset please
Four more days, five days total of running
That's my goal this week, it's the goal for which I'm gunning
Thanks for reading my poem, I wrote it with a smile
Blogging can be boring, so I went the extra mile
This is a different, an old kind of view
A running poets musings, I bid you adieu
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Night Three - Tempo
Last night's third night of back to back to back running this week brought a tempo night. The idea became a 45 minute tempo run (10 easy, 25 hard, 10 easy), as this was a small step up over last week's tempo run. Leon and I tried to run with Jon and Lynette (I have grown weary of solo runs), but a meeting time could not be established, so off we went to the Rice football field. Simple route, start running the loop, and keep moving. Things went OK, but late in the 25 I was certainly aware I was working. Though I'm not aware of mile markers at Rice (2.9 miles around), I'm confident my speed, much like last week, was sub nine minute miles. Four more miles in the books, bringing me to 13 for the week. Saturday morning the plan is still to run with HoosierFIT while in Indy; this will be my first week with four runs in quite a while. I thought I knew, but maybe wasn't sure, that the entire USA FIT network started with HoustonFIT; something I learned from the HoosierFIT web page. Anyway, my fuel belt is packed, I've got my GU, I'm ready to run amongst the soybean!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Smoking Hot and Fast
Key Words: Chicago/Indy, Head Band Man, Whose Ear?
Word Count: 425
Likely Next Topic: Do they make a dri-fit suit?
As for my promise of Chicago travel plans, I'm still not sure what's going to happen. I will be in Auburn until the Friday before the run, which means I either need to get a Houston, Atlanta, to Chicago/Indy, to Houston set of flights, or fly back to Houston on Friday, only to hop on another plane to head to the Windy City. Details, details .... will hopefully know soon.
Today was speed work. Our coach, Head Band Man (I don't know his name, and I don't mean this moniker disparagingly; he's actually an excellent coach), said last week that we probably wouldn't be doing sprints this week, so I think that (and folks getting over the 15 miles) dulled attendance. Leon joined Jon and I though, and did some side running while we did 6 Yassos (6x800mx400m). Last week I tried to nail 4:15 over each 800, this week, I just wanted to run hard and accepted that my time would slow. The times were 3:56, 4:01, 4:01, 4:10, 4:17, 4:12. I got water after each hard part and allowed myself 30 seconds of walking at the start of each easy 400. I was pleased with my performance; I felt a lil' queasy at the end (I was running hard to pass some smuck in a red shirt who was cooling down), so I think I gave a good effort.
I'm trying to be brief(er) than yesterday, but I'll still leave you with a philosophical comment on the mental side of running. It's worth noting that at the start of the fifth repeat, which was more than last week, things suddenly got harder. Of course, they didn't, it was just in my head. When I misread my watch in repeat six and thought I had ran a very slow 39 second first 100m, I suddenly felt very winded; again, the brain working against the body. The way I broke down on last Saturday, and all this ill mental energy at the speed work has me thinking that I really need to spend some time getting my running head back on straight. Getting out there three or four times every week will help, and sprints, which give you many chances to doubt your ability to finish, should help too. I hope to run tomorrow, and I'm running with HoosierFIT on Saturday morning (Whose ear? Whose ear??) while in Indy. Back in the saddle again! Now, time for some glutamine :o)
Word Count: 425
Likely Next Topic: Do they make a dri-fit suit?
As for my promise of Chicago travel plans, I'm still not sure what's going to happen. I will be in Auburn until the Friday before the run, which means I either need to get a Houston, Atlanta, to Chicago/Indy, to Houston set of flights, or fly back to Houston on Friday, only to hop on another plane to head to the Windy City. Details, details .... will hopefully know soon.
Today was speed work. Our coach, Head Band Man (I don't know his name, and I don't mean this moniker disparagingly; he's actually an excellent coach), said last week that we probably wouldn't be doing sprints this week, so I think that (and folks getting over the 15 miles) dulled attendance. Leon joined Jon and I though, and did some side running while we did 6 Yassos (6x800mx400m). Last week I tried to nail 4:15 over each 800, this week, I just wanted to run hard and accepted that my time would slow. The times were 3:56, 4:01, 4:01, 4:10, 4:17, 4:12. I got water after each hard part and allowed myself 30 seconds of walking at the start of each easy 400. I was pleased with my performance; I felt a lil' queasy at the end (I was running hard to pass some smuck in a red shirt who was cooling down), so I think I gave a good effort.
I'm trying to be brief(er) than yesterday, but I'll still leave you with a philosophical comment on the mental side of running. It's worth noting that at the start of the fifth repeat, which was more than last week, things suddenly got harder. Of course, they didn't, it was just in my head. When I misread my watch in repeat six and thought I had ran a very slow 39 second first 100m, I suddenly felt very winded; again, the brain working against the body. The way I broke down on last Saturday, and all this ill mental energy at the speed work has me thinking that I really need to spend some time getting my running head back on straight. Getting out there three or four times every week will help, and sprints, which give you many chances to doubt your ability to finish, should help too. I hope to run tomorrow, and I'm running with HoosierFIT on Saturday morning (Whose ear? Whose ear??) while in Indy. Back in the saddle again! Now, time for some glutamine :o)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Job 38:11
Key Words: God, Cauterization, Glutamine
Word Count: 998 ... worth it, I hope
Likely Next Topic: Chicago Travel?!?!?!!!
".... Hitherto shall thou come, but no further...." Job, Chapter 38, Verse 11
This passage from the King James version of the good book was made famous, well, by God, but our modern, sometimes agnostic and secular world, was reaquanted with it by Dan Brown in The Da Vince Code (Silas, that giver of a bad name to albinos everywhere, found a flagstone with this verse under the Rose Line, then clubbed that poor nun with it ... as a pale person, I assure you, you need not fear me).
This verse summed up week nine of Houston FIT, particularly mile 12 of 15. I don't know if it was the heat, the lack of training (I've missed four of the nine weeks), or the solitary nature of the run, but I was utterly beaten on Saturday morning. I bemoned "Why won't it just end" shortly after the Luke's Locker aid station; I normally reserve such cheery outbursts for mile 22 of the marathon! I will say no more about the run, other than I had time committments to keep, and had some hard decisions to make to keep them. I'm happy to say I finished the run healthy, and kept my time committments; I had just put on my dry t-shirt when the seminar started. As for my nagging hamstring injury, I am ready to declare myself healthy enough to run with reckless abandon, though admit that I am behind when it comes to the training schedule.
Tonight I ran three miles at Memorial. More of those pesky time committments kept me from running more miles, but as I was shooting for a marathon pace run (10 min/mile), it was just about the right length according to our training schedule.
Now the important part .. I really hope you make it this far. If you don't F YOU :) Kidding. Jokes. Here's the secret to staying healthy when marathoning; I knew it all along and have reconfirmed it with my speedy recovery from the hammy injury (speedy since I started treating it, as I'll detail below). First, a little back story ...
Many years ago I had to have an abscess cut out. Abscesses are nasty little puss wads that your body walls up simply because it doesn't know what to do with them. Many times, if you don't leave an abscess open, it will fill back up with puss, so I was left with a nice open wound on a part of my body post-op (just don't ask me to show you the scar :o). For about four weeks, the wound healed very slowly. My doctor cauterized the wound twice in the name of reminding my body to heal, but the progress remained slow. So I did what I do, I read .. a lot. I learned that every cellular division is driven by an amino acid known as Glutamine or L-Glutamine depending on your nomenclature. This amino is traditionally known as "non-essential" because your body can produce it. Europeans, being crafty and European and all, realized much ealier than the American medical establishment that there are times when the body cannot produce enough; thus it's current clasification as a "conditionally essential" amino acid. So I said, "Maybe I don't have enough Glutamine in me to heal this wound."
Now friends, I admit, I could be falling into the trap of causality. That trap being, "I want something to happen, so I'll do X, that something happened, so X must have worked!" Wrong, voodoo logic. Regardless, after about one week of glutamine supplementation, the wound was healed. It had barely made any progress through four weeks of normal healing, but then sealed up in only a week's time of glutamine supplementation! I am convinced that the glutamine was the source of my healing.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I know running puts your body under huge stress, and I had a hamstring injury; why couldn't a lack of glutamine be slowing the healing? I started taking 500mg of straight glutamine supplemant after long runs, and took a protein supplemant everyday that has about 3000mg of the stuff. I can say that my problems seem to have gone away, and my legs feel about as good as they have in quite a while.
Causality? Could be. A deficiency in Keith body that other's might not have? Could be. The point though is there is little downside to glutamine supplementation, and big potential upside. My PhD friends might point out that there is fear that glutamine supplementation could cause an undiagnosed cancer to spread like wildfire (remember, every cellular division, including cancerous ones, need glutamine). The only study I've ever seen on the topic (a well constructred breast cancer study) showed no increase in metastasisation due to glutamine supplementation, so the fear seems, at least, somewhat overstated. Again, we're not talking about lots ... let's just top off the tank to make sure that, as you tax your body, you are getting enough of this critical amino acid.
GNC 100% Whey Protein supplement has a good amount of glutamine in it, or you can simply buy the supplement at the same place.
I encourage all you marathoners to consider trying it. Start slow, of course, making sure you have no ill effects. Perhaps you just consider taking it after long runs? Maybe, if you already take protein containing glutamine, you just make sure you take it daily, and maybe hit it extra hard after high milage. You just might find yourself healing faster and feeling better than you have in a long while!
Word Count: 998 ... worth it, I hope
Likely Next Topic: Chicago Travel?!?!?!!!
".... Hitherto shall thou come, but no further...." Job, Chapter 38, Verse 11
This passage from the King James version of the good book was made famous, well, by God, but our modern, sometimes agnostic and secular world, was reaquanted with it by Dan Brown in The Da Vince Code (Silas, that giver of a bad name to albinos everywhere, found a flagstone with this verse under the Rose Line, then clubbed that poor nun with it ... as a pale person, I assure you, you need not fear me).
This verse summed up week nine of Houston FIT, particularly mile 12 of 15. I don't know if it was the heat, the lack of training (I've missed four of the nine weeks), or the solitary nature of the run, but I was utterly beaten on Saturday morning. I bemoned "Why won't it just end" shortly after the Luke's Locker aid station; I normally reserve such cheery outbursts for mile 22 of the marathon! I will say no more about the run, other than I had time committments to keep, and had some hard decisions to make to keep them. I'm happy to say I finished the run healthy, and kept my time committments; I had just put on my dry t-shirt when the seminar started. As for my nagging hamstring injury, I am ready to declare myself healthy enough to run with reckless abandon, though admit that I am behind when it comes to the training schedule.
Tonight I ran three miles at Memorial. More of those pesky time committments kept me from running more miles, but as I was shooting for a marathon pace run (10 min/mile), it was just about the right length according to our training schedule.
Now the important part .. I really hope you make it this far. If you don't F YOU :) Kidding. Jokes. Here's the secret to staying healthy when marathoning; I knew it all along and have reconfirmed it with my speedy recovery from the hammy injury (speedy since I started treating it, as I'll detail below). First, a little back story ...
Many years ago I had to have an abscess cut out. Abscesses are nasty little puss wads that your body walls up simply because it doesn't know what to do with them. Many times, if you don't leave an abscess open, it will fill back up with puss, so I was left with a nice open wound on a part of my body post-op (just don't ask me to show you the scar :o). For about four weeks, the wound healed very slowly. My doctor cauterized the wound twice in the name of reminding my body to heal, but the progress remained slow. So I did what I do, I read .. a lot. I learned that every cellular division is driven by an amino acid known as Glutamine or L-Glutamine depending on your nomenclature. This amino is traditionally known as "non-essential" because your body can produce it. Europeans, being crafty and European and all, realized much ealier than the American medical establishment that there are times when the body cannot produce enough; thus it's current clasification as a "conditionally essential" amino acid. So I said, "Maybe I don't have enough Glutamine in me to heal this wound."
Now friends, I admit, I could be falling into the trap of causality. That trap being, "I want something to happen, so I'll do X, that something happened, so X must have worked!" Wrong, voodoo logic. Regardless, after about one week of glutamine supplementation, the wound was healed. It had barely made any progress through four weeks of normal healing, but then sealed up in only a week's time of glutamine supplementation! I am convinced that the glutamine was the source of my healing.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. I know running puts your body under huge stress, and I had a hamstring injury; why couldn't a lack of glutamine be slowing the healing? I started taking 500mg of straight glutamine supplemant after long runs, and took a protein supplemant everyday that has about 3000mg of the stuff. I can say that my problems seem to have gone away, and my legs feel about as good as they have in quite a while.
Causality? Could be. A deficiency in Keith body that other's might not have? Could be. The point though is there is little downside to glutamine supplementation, and big potential upside. My PhD friends might point out that there is fear that glutamine supplementation could cause an undiagnosed cancer to spread like wildfire (remember, every cellular division, including cancerous ones, need glutamine). The only study I've ever seen on the topic (a well constructred breast cancer study) showed no increase in metastasisation due to glutamine supplementation, so the fear seems, at least, somewhat overstated. Again, we're not talking about lots ... let's just top off the tank to make sure that, as you tax your body, you are getting enough of this critical amino acid.
GNC 100% Whey Protein supplement has a good amount of glutamine in it, or you can simply buy the supplement at the same place.
I encourage all you marathoners to consider trying it. Start slow, of course, making sure you have no ill effects. Perhaps you just consider taking it after long runs? Maybe, if you already take protein containing glutamine, you just make sure you take it daily, and maybe hit it extra hard after high milage. You just might find yourself healing faster and feeling better than you have in a long while!
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