Running Again

Am finally getting back on track. I was out on Friday and again yesterday morning. I actually felt the muscles moving after only 1 1/2 miles! But it is a good feeling!

Took today off in favor of a thigh/ab workout, but will be back out tomorrow.

Caffeine - the legal performance enhancer

There's been lots of chatter in the media lately about coffee (and other caffeinated beverages and foods) as performance enhancers for athletes, especially runners. Fitness magazine had a recent article about it. So did Runner's World. And the New York Times. I find it interesting that this is considered news. Some years ago, when I was just starting to run, I asked my running guru (from the wonderful MAAM organization), what she thought about my daily "reward" of a cup of coffee after a run. She laughed and told me about the oodles of coffee cups I would see before a race, especially long races like the NYC Marathon, and suggested that I think about having it before my run to see how that worked out for me.

Studies show that athletes perform better and think faster with the caffeine equivalent of just one cup of coffee. Studies also show that a drink with caffeine rebuilds glycogen stores 66% more than a carb-only drink. And you need the equivalent of 5 cups of coffee before your hydration level is affected.

In addition to caffeine, coffee has antioxidant compounds called chlorogenic acids that may lower rates of certain age-related diseases like diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

In fact, Runner's magazine likes coffee so much they recommend a "Mocha-Madness Recovery Shake" after a hard run (place 2 oz espresso or strong coffee, 8 oz low-fat Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp sweetened ground chocolate, 1 banana, and 5 ice cubes in blender and puree).

Cross-training

I went for a swim today for the first time in months. It felt great to be in the water and was a welcome alternative to running in the rain. I've often been told that swimming is a good cross-training activity to include in a running regimen -- The Complete Running Blog Network provides a nice write-up of why that is so.