Friday, April 6, 2012

Magic Elixers, Running To Eat, and Throwing Up In My Mouth


I may be the only person in the world who sometimes gains weight while running marathons. My appetite goes through the roof after a run, especially a long run, and these cravings last for days.  So I eat.  I try to eat healthy, and in fact, I do eat healthy.  Meaning I eat whole grains, low fat meat, lots of fruit with yogurt, always go for some post-run recovery foods, and drink plenty of water.

But, I also eat unhealthy  (Huh?) meaning I love pizza, a nice Five Guys Burger, ice cream, chocolates, and diet coke. My favorite is pizza followed by Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. All that leads to gaining weight at times while I am training.  I really think there is an ideal 'running weight'   Yes, I hate to see the emerging middle-aged guy paunch appearing, my little baby bump.  (which I often rub and tell my kids it's their little baby brother MAX who is on the way)  but what I mostly hate is lugging around the extra few pounds on my gut during races. While you would think 4 to 5 lbs doesn't' make a difference, ask yourself what 2 pounds in each shoe would feel like.


Bates Burgers
I understand about all the negative spiral of eating sugar and fats and thus craving sugar and fats, and I am a great victim. 

On a related note, I had a REI member yearly rebate and  a 20% off coupon, so went and grabbed a ton of supplements, some proven and true, but others just as an experiment.  FRS energy chews and Gu have been staples in my training diet, but I have never tried Hammer Recoverite, Gu Chomps, and Hammer Gels.  The Hammer Gels are supposed to be more natural without the sugar and thus no sugar spikes.


 My stash from REI
After trying them all, the Recoverite did show a noticeable improvement for recovery over chocolate milk so I am a believer. The chomps are dangerously yummy like fruit snacks but it's difficult to tell if they helped my run. Both of these I will try again. However, the Hammer Gu's made me throw up in my mouth. And I am not talking about the "wow, what you said was so gross I threw up in my mouth"  but the kind where you think "wow, I have bile in my mouth while running and now it needs to go back down the hatch."

So, I was thinking about doing a giveaway for the two Hammer Gels I have left. I can mail them to you in an envelope, but my guess is they would be smashed before they arrive, and surely you might suspect I had mailed the bile and not the Gel, cause in the end, there's not much difference is there. 


"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon


3 comments:

Detroit Runner(Jeff) said...

You're not the only one who gains weight. Me too! I really have to watch myself. In the last several weeks, I have gained 4 pounds and lose it again. It's so frustrating to run 20 miles and then gain weight. Send me what pace you had in mind for Saturday - I'd probably be at 9:30 which might be too slow for you.

SupermomE13 said...

Actually, I don't mind the Hammer gels... I really like the Apple cinnamon flavor and they are the only gels that don't make me sick. I went without them in Boston though (it was Endurolytes that I took along with Perpetuem which I have used for a long time).

Thanks so much for all of your kind and supportive comments on the blog lately. They really mean a lot and I really appreciate them. :)

No, NY is not my "next". I have Utah Valley in 8 weeks, then Pocatello and Denver in September, then NYC. I would love to meet up at the expo or before or after the race. :)

Mark Matthews said...

Okay, you are a running robot. I'm worried about 2 in 4 months and you're doing like 5 in 8 months.
yes, I would definitely like to meet up in NY as well.

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