Monthly Mileage and the "Magic Number"

Because I'm all for a good routine, I'll begin by listing my recent workouts, as per my norm:

Thursday: Ran a 7.32-mile tempo run (in 52:14; 7:08 pace).
Friday: REST
Saturday: Ran a 6-mile marathon-pace run (in 39:38; 6:36 pace) with a 0.5-mile warm-up (in 4:09). Was supposed to run 7, but due to time constraints was unable.
Sunday: Ran 13.94 miles in 1:45:59 (7:36 pace).

That brings my weekly (Monday-Sunday) mileage total to 38.74 miles (up from last week's 27.44 miles), and my monthly total to 139.48 miles (up from last month's 114.13 miles). As for my monthly increase, I upped my mileage by approximately 8%, which is on-par with the 10-Percent Rule to which many runners stick (for more info, please visit http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--1051-0,00.html).

There will be a noticeable drop-off in my mileage this week, due to my taking at least one extra day off (Thursday, with the possibility of Sunday depending on how many "ouch's" I utter that day) in order to accommodate the Half-marathon I'll be racing on Saturday (the local Critz Tybee Run Half-marathon). The more races you run, the better you get at determining how much rest your body requires to be at it's best on the big day--one day too little and your heavy legs will drag you down, while one day too many can leave them listless and cold. And while there's no true "magic number" (realizing that your legs will never feel exactly the same x-amount of days out from a race), I've found that I'm generally best-served hanging up my trainers as follows (for those days where I do not include a static figure, it is assumed that if I do feel like running on the day furthest out from the race, I will do so very slowly and shortly):

5k: 1-2 days
10k: 2 days
Half-marathon: 2-3 days
Marathon: 3 days, though I generally run a short distance--perhaps a mile--on the second day, to keep my legs loose

Observations from this weekend:

1.) Vinnie Van Go-Go's pizza is hard to beat, whether they get your toppings correct or not.
2.) I was funnier than usual this weekend; either I'm growing as a comedian or others are getting used to my quantity-over-quality approach. I've always laughed at myself...just glad to see others doing it now (at least for one short, glorious weekend) too.
3.) Barbecue sauce and grape jelly (when it comes to crock-pot meatballs) are like peas and carrots--the perfect coupling.

Lastly, here's my dog pretending like she's well-behaved:

FRS May Be Big in the U.S., but I'd Rather be Big in Japan

Sometimes, the easy runs come just when they need to. Last night's easy 3-miler (which I completed in 24:00, thus 8:00 per-mile pace) was a welcome relief for a tired body (and mind). Wrapped up the run with a little stretching and strength training, then headed out for a beer and some food at a local Mexican place. Then, as expected, I stayed up reading later than I'd hoped to, but am feeling invigorated by this weekend's relative proximity, thus will not be complaining about it.

My schedule calls for a 5-mile tempo run this evening, which should be enjoyable (assuming the current deluge we're experiencing slackens a bit--not altogether stops, however; a run in the rain can be quite invigorating, after all).

And now on to something slightly more interesting: my review of the energy supplement FRS (which is hawked by Lance Armstrong--you've likely seen an ad either online or on tv).


The supposed secret to FRS, which claims to boost natural energy without the inherent jitters that accompany caffeine intake, is Quercetin, an "antioxidant clinically proven to boost energy." As part of their free trial, I was able to try a two-week supply of Low Cal Orange Concentrate and a pack of Pomegranate Blueberry Chews for nothing more than the cost of shipping ($4.23, all told). I'll admit that the concentrate was quite good--somewhat like a sort of tangy juice, rather than the biting, sickeningly-sweet taste that accompanies what we're used to classifying as an "energy drink". I can't recommend the taste of the chews, however; a big part of that may be the pomegranate/blueberry combo, but the grittiness that accompanied each chew I downed on a 13-mile run was also unwelcome. Of the 30-pack of chews I received, 28 remain. I'm sure I'll get around to eating them all, most likely as a pre-run "treat", but I shan't be consuming them mid-run when I could instead be using things that actually taste good.

But, though taste is assuredly important, it resides pretty low on the significance scale, when it comes to energy-providers for endurance athletes--if it worked, I'm pretty sure we'd all grudgingly, yet happily gulp down motor oil (a-la the Sly Stallone classic Over the Top) to gain an edge (see Clif Bars, Larabar's, etc.).



Because the website stipulates that FRS should be taken regularly in order to see it's full effects, I drank the recommended amount of concentrate each day until I emptied the bottle. I enjoyed the taste, from start to finish. I saw no uptick in energy, from start to finish. For my money, gels, bloks and beans are still the way to go for increased mid-run oomph (i.e. a good old "get your butt in gear!" shock-to-the-system), while green tea and simply getting enough sleep (easier said than done, obviously) are winners for sustained, throughout-the-day energy.

Green tea, getting enough sleep, and....