Since I am unhappy with my time on the 2.5 mile course near my house, I decided to run my 1 mile loop twice with the 0.6 mile extension once. Total time was 27:40, average 10:38 per mile. So the time was better, and I did feel SOMEWHAT better after the run. Still had some significant soreness in the calves and smaller muscles in the shins. Still not sure what to about that. I do know that the "After Glow" recovery drink works, but at three bucks a serving, I'm not taking that any more. So I'm looking at the ingredients list and comparing it to my current protein powder. Here is what the After Glow has that my protein powder does not: Taurine, phosphatidylserine, R-ALA (R Lipoic Acid), and glutamine. These are the four I'm going to concentrate on.
Taurine keeps potassium and magnesium inside cells, and keeps excess sodium out. That's good. I also tends to increase the force and effectiveness of heart muscle contraction, as tested on people with congestive heart failure. I assume it will have similar effects on healthy people. So that's good. The problem is that it is a glycation inhibitor, so the muscles won't store glycogen as well. That's bad. But the issue is soreness; and Taurine does not address that.
Next up is phosphatidylserine. This one looks more promising. It has been shown to reduce exercise soreness by decreasing exercise-induced cortisol. I need to do some more research on that one.
R Lipoic Acid (R-ALA) mimics insulin, which will enhance the absorption of proteins after a workout. Exercise decreases insulin, which is the hormone that causes the muscles to absorb blood sugar and protein. So after the workout, protein absorption is minimized. R-ALA will mimic insulin and reverse that effect. I could, however, simulate this by eating a couple of cookies along with my protein powder; the cookies (refined sugar) will cause an insulin spike. Yeah, extra calories, but it's a whole lot cheaper than buying a supplement.
Glutamine has been recommended by many others. It is thought to be a non-essential amino acid, meaning the body makes enough of its own. Therefore, it is not normally included in protein powders. However, recent research shows that the body does not make enough. So I'm going to give that a try as well.
After Glow also has Kre Alkalyn, which is supposed to be a better form of creatine; Cissus Quadrangularis, some plant found in Asia; and grape seed extract (whatever). I don't want to take creatine because that is associated with increased muscle mass. I'm a runner, I don't want increased muscle mass. I want decreased fat mass, and lean, flexible muscles. And I am NOT going to take the other two items seriously.
Split times: 10:10, 10:15, and 7:15 for the last 0.6 miles. Average 10:38 per mile. Weather: 52 degrees, breezy, and damp/kinda raining. Clothing: baseball cap, long sleeve shirt, long pants, Feetures running socks. The clothing was perfect. Wished I had something on my hands, but the running gloves I have would have been way too much. I should invest in something a little lighter.
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