Glutamine

Got some Body Fortress Glutamine today.  Supposedly, taking one dose before a hard workout and another afterwards should slow muscle breakdown and speed recovery.  

Reviews on the web are mixed - example: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=171886 - however, most of these articles and reviews come from body building forums as opposed to ones focused on hard aerobic & performance training.

We shall see ...

Crackers

Tried Kellogg's All-Bran crackers (2 boxes for $5.00 at the store - SOLD!) and decided they're a keeper. 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein per serving, and they taste pretty good - especially with some cheddar cheese :-). Not a bad choice in my opinion as far as snack/junk food goes ...

Weekend Brick

Two big events in one weekend. Am I crazy? Maybe. Happy? Definitely. I was able to slog through a 76.5 mile bike ride and a half-marathon in a 25-hour time period (9:00 AM Saturday through 10:00 AM Sunday) and today I actually feel pretty good.

I tried to pay close attention to recovery - stretching and muscle massage after the events, immediate recovery drinks (Accelerade in my cooler), and getting serious carbs and protein in post race meals - and I think that really helped. A few aches and pains: a sore back (probably still lingering from 5 hours on the bike), minor blisters on the toes and (ironically) sore hips and lower abs ... from where my hung-too-low-and/or-too-tightly Fuel Belt's water bottles were rubbing for nearly two hours!

On the plus side, my legs, knees, and ankles feel great. For the last few long runs, walking down stairs was quite painful "the day after"; not the case, today! Walking is no problem and I'll definitely be up for spin class tomorrow (though I may be there by myself with the short Thanksgiving holiday week). However, even if I were a girl, I don't think I'd be wearing heels. :-)

Kellogg's K20 Protein Water Mix Review

Okay, so I'm an impulse shopper. Was at the grocery store a few days ago and picked up a few boxes of Kellogg's™ Special K2O™ Protein Water Mix.

I know that Consumer Reports (and other reviews) have lambasted the bottled variety (too much sugar and outlandish diet claims), but I think the drink mix is not bad. I mixed a packet of the iced tea variety with about 20 oz of water (directions suggest a standard 16.9 oz bottle, but I prefer a lighter flavor) and it tasted pretty good. You can definitely taste the whey protein in it, but it is not overpowering.

Unlike the sugar in the "pre-mixed" bottles, the mix uses Sucralose (Splenda) for its sweetener. So 30 calories, 0g sugar, 5g fiber, 5g protein ... and it tastes okay. And the mix is much cheaper than the bottles: about $4 for 7 packets/servings vs. $1.50 for a bottle. Thumbs up.

(Update: I've also tried the pink lemonade and strawberry-kiwi flavors - not bad, but the iced tea is better.)

Whey Protein

After several discussions with teammates about various post-workout recovery meals/supplements, and all coming to the conclusion that protein should be a part of it, I decided to give the whey protein thing a whirl.

So I went ahead and got some "Body Fortress" brand whey protein from the Roanoke Wal-Mart. It was $12.97 for 2 pounds, but they also had a 5 lb can for just over $28.

1 scoop has 23 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbs, 110 calories, 55 mg of sodium, 230 mg of potassium, and only 1.5 grams of fat (.5 grams of saturated fat). I think if you added some complex carbs (a sandwich on wheat toast or a good energy bar) you would have a decent post-workout snack/lunch.

Anyway, I got the chocolate flavor and it doesn't taste bad at all. I mixed it with milk and it tasted like chocolate milk (although not quite as sweet - some might want to add some Splenda). But what I really liked was adding a scoop to a glass of caffeine-free Diet Coke - looks a little disgusting, but it was actually a very tasty "Chocolate Coke". :-)