Advice Needs to be Useful

Having just become a runner, I am always looking for advice to help me out. When I saw “Tips for Half Marathon and Marathon Recovery” I became very interested. Regretfully the advice given is less than rudimentary. If this was advice for electrical wiring it would go like this:

Buy Wire

Attach one end to the “screwy” thingy on the the outlet thingy

Attach the other end to the main power supply

Use outlet

FYI: That is not how you wire ANYTHING

First piece of advice given is use ice to control inflammation. Sure. Yep. Cold does help with inflammation. Of course any 10 year-old knows that, but it is advice. Inflammation is a complex response to stress in the body. Controlling it with ice is the first step. I suggest you use something to support your body's response to stress DAILY. If your body is prepared to handle the inflammation when it arises, then it will be able to control it and let the beneficial aspects work.

Eat healthy. Well you just spent at least 3000 calories. Eat healthy. Some details may be missing. According to the FDA the Baconator and a Soda from Wendy's is a perfectly acceptable meal. Before you run consume a meal of slow digesting proteins and carbs mixed with some faster carbs. Oatmeal with brown sugar and a protein shake are just about perfect here. Add a banana at the start of the race for a burst of energy and electrolytes. During a long run be sure to get plenty of fast carbs and water. Most races have hydration stations with sports drinks along the way. Use them. You are burning more calories than you will consume, so do not worry about it. I carry a drink with me consisting of BCAA, glutamine, carbs, electrolytes, and arginine. I developed it while cycling and have fine-tuned it over the years. By using this mix, I have drastically reduced my recovery time.

Next is get plenty of sleep. Wow! Sleep! I hear it is overrated. The body recovers daily during sleep. It is key for hormone production, muscle repair, and preparing for the next day. Nope, never would have thought of that!

The last piece of advice given is to get plenty of rest. Hey! Wait a minute! That sounds familiar. Where have I heard that before. Hmmmm. Oh ya, it is in the paragraph I just finished reading.

While not wrong advice, this was useless. Useless advice can cause more problems than no advice! Don't believe me, try my way to wire a house.

Wait – don't try that!