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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Scaling the infamous “Wall” Part II: Raceday

Posted February 1st, 2007 at 3:00 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

This is the second and final installment in “Scaling the infamous Wall”. Make sure you also go back and read “Part I: Marathon preparation”.

The big day has finally arrived and its time for you to run the epic marathon! You have preparedfor several months, weeks, and days; setting yourself up for success by training with a plan, tapering effectively, living healthily, carbo-loading, and calculating your true pace. You are ready…SO DON’T BLOW IT!!

Months of hard work can be negated by a poor raceday strategy and/or by overlooking seemingly “minor details”. Conversely, running smart will complement your training and go a long way towards producing the optimal, marathon experience. Below are five raceday tips that have greatly enhanced my own racing and are capable of doing the same for yours.

1) Hold back on the first mile. Often runners go out way too hard and burn off precious glycogen. Remember that pace you calculated from the “scouting race” in Part 1? Go out 10-15 seconds slower than that for the first mile. With all the excitement of the start, it will take a conscious effort to accomplish this, but your legs will thank you around Mile 20!
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TFS’s Top Picks of 2006 Nutritional Supplements

Posted December 22nd, 2006 at 9:11 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Announcements, Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Hydration, Supplements, Product Reviews, Special Features, Health & Fitness, TFS Reviews, TFS Top Picks

The Final Sprint, through an exhaustive process of product reviews and a comparison of empirical data, has determined the best nutritional products to help fuel and replenish your bodies.

These TFS Top Picks of 2006 are the best of their kind and will help you to finish strong in your next race.

Stay tuned because later today TFS will publish our list of the year’s best gear and accessories!

Endurance Beverages (use during activity)

• Top Pick: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake
• Runner-up: Powerbar Endurance Sports Drink

Recovery Beverage (use after activity)

• Top Pick: Endurox R4
• Runner-up: Amino Vital Endurance Mix & Shake

Energy Bars

• Top Pick: Clif Bar
• Runner-up: Powerbar Performance

Energy Gels

• Top Pick: Accel Gels
• Runner-up: GU Energy Gels
• Best alternative: Jelly Belly Sport Beans

Meal Replacement Shakes

• Top Pick: Vega Whole Food Meal Replacement
• Runner-up: EAS Myoplex Deluxe

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Why (Surprisingly) I’m Keen on the New Jelly Belly Sport Beans

Posted October 10th, 2006 at 10:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Product Reviews

After months of resistance - I finally gave in and tried the new Jelly Belly Sport Beans. I used them during training runs of varying lengths and then again last weekend during a half-marathon.

On each occasion I consumed them in lieu of my normal Powerbar PowerGels (I always use the decaffeinated ones). To be honest - I was pleasantly surprised and might be hooked.

I really found them to do a just as good, if not better, job of helping me maintain my energy. However, it is the ease of use that really sets them apart from your standard carbohydrate energy gels and what may have been the decisive element in winning me over.

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