Sunday, November 6, 2011

When In Doubt...

I have a friend who is a really serious runner and he also climbs mountains.  We recently had dinner and told him that I just started running. He offered excellent advice, like do not scrimp on shoes and eat protein bars. 

Often I have found that when highly experienced people offer counsel, they do not necessarily know your frame of reference. My knowledge compared to his is miniscule. He has forgotten more about running than I could learn in several years.  His experiences alone could be an outstanding reference book for serious runners and me.

He said to eat protein bars. I thought I had some, until I read the nutrition facts on the product label. So I bought some today. Before this I would eat a handful of almonds after a run. I panicked and decided to make sure I was getting it right as to the bars and the time to eat it.

So I did an internet search on Google, found several articles all pertaining to marathon runners. So I did another one, again a bunch of links and somewhat conflicting answers. 

Well, I decided to try something I have not done in a while. I picked up the phone and called VA Runner. The person on the other end was a runner and very helpful.  He was patient and answered every question I had. I read the nutrition facts and he said it was a good choice. He told me the importance of why it is necessary, when the best time is to eat a protein bar, and how it helps.  He was very encouraging. 

Hmm, talking to a person instead of conducting an internet search. Perhaps I should try that more often.  In fact, maybe we all should.

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