Going The Distance: Shot Bloks and Half-Marathon Training Update

October 21st is my first half-marathon.  Currently, I don't think it would be a bad idea to do another one at some point or a triathlon but after 7 months of "this is probably a bad idea", I finally completed the longest run of my life 12.2 miles.  Officially, I went over to the supplement side and bought Clif Bar's Shot Bloks.  Yes, they work.  Do they get you over the mental block of "I don't really want to run anymore Jersey Shore is on..." not really, but they have kept me going and I have minimal muscle soreness.

Delicious

Now, I honestly know better about adding in carbohydrates during long periods of exercise, >60 minutes.  Mall walking does not count.  Basically, you need carbs to burn fat which I've gone on about the TCA cycle and gluconeogenesis and those other fun metabolic processes I had memorized at one point during some senior level nutrition course.  When you don't supplement carbs, basically the stored carbs in your liver (glycogen) run out and you hit the wall regardless of how much body fat you have.  Mine is nicely settled around my abdomen and can go to h***.  Despite my lack of abs, by tapping into the shot bloks that go down like the delicious jello cube one remembers from childhood, I really recommend the FIRST program that was featured in Runners World.  I made it through on this from spring to the hottest summer since living in D.C.  and the nice cool down of fall.

Seriously, if a pessimistic-asthmatic can do it, so can you.