A month ago I wrote a post saying that I would be trying out a new supplement called Extreme Endurance, which is designed to buffer lactic acid and leave you feeling less sore after intense sessions. This product has picked up quickly with the triathlon folks, and it's starting to make its way over to the running community. Even soccer teams, including DC United, have bought in based on experience and a strong scientific backing. I wrote a more detailed post a month ago about the science, and I have been giving brief updates in my blog as I began to notice changes since taking Extreme Endurance. Here is more detailed explanation of what I personally noticed along the way. The effects were almost immediate. Within two days I noticed myself feeling more fresh at the start of runs, most notably during two-a-day sessions. The second of the two sessions felt more comparable to when I would only do one afternoon run. It seemed I was experiencing less of the fatigue from the morning session than I previously had.
I have had some people ask me about “hurt” during runs. I believe what they mean is the pain everyone has to push through when doing an intense workout. Extreme Endurance does not eliminate this, and never claims to do so. If it did, people would be running themselves to death. The body's pain threshold can serve as a governor on what you should allow it to do. However, what this product does do is get you back up to par quickly after a workout, making it easier to tackle the next intense workout. For example, I used to consider an intense training week anything over 120 miles that included a long run and 2 to 3 intense training sessions. Typically, I would do these types of weeks right before a down week so I would be able to recover from the workload. But with Extreme Endurance in my tool bag, I was able to complete a 138 mile week with FIVE intense sessions!
The kicker is what followed that big week; I probably could have pushed through a week like this without Extreme Endurance, but would have had to do the last couple workouts on sore legs and take a big recovery week afterwards. But this time I did not feel sore during the back end of the week, and I took on another high-mileage running week right after (with no down week). This was probably the most exciting thing about the product, because all winter I had almost religiously done two weeks intense, one week down. My body told me to follow that schedule, like clockwork. I really never caught myself mentally and/or physically pushing myself to do a workout. It really helped me keep a positive attitude about training.
I guess the biggest red flag with this product would be smart usage. Yes, it will allow you to recover quicker—and feel good running more often. I personally noticed both of these effects during my training. But you have to use it smartly. I have realized that now it is going to be much harder for me to take down weeks when my body needs it, simply because my body won't scream at me like it used to. In other words, you still have to incorporate recovery sessions to prevent burning out the other endurance-related systems in your body. USE WISELY!!! My guess would be if you take this product in hopes to never rest again, you will likely plateau down the road.
So if you take Extreme Endurance, be detailed in your record keeping so you can make an educated decision on when to take rest weeks. I can personally say that I am pumped to be able to approach summer training with Extreme Endurance. I outlined a brief recap below for anyone who likes the quick visual.
Benefits I found:
- Quicker recovery
- Less soreness
- Positive attitude towards training
- Less fatigue during the day
- User must be smart with usage! Do not completely eliminate rest!
No comments:
Post a Comment