Need Fuel During A Long Run? Try Beans!

Jelly Beans as runners’ fuel?  That’s what I read in Runner’s World (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302–10087-0,00.html) so I decided to try it on my long run this week.  After talking with a young guy working at Hanson’s Running Shop in Royal Oak about the advantages of Jelly Belly Spot Beans versus the gel packs, I went with the Jelly Belly Sport Beans. A pack of lemon-lime and a pack of orange. 

About five miles into my planned eighteen mile run I grabbed the lemon-lime bag from my hydration belt and popped a couple beans.  They were easy to chew and swallow while running.  It only took a minute or so to finish off the entire bag of about ten beans and wash them down with water.  All without missing a stride.

Now, maybe my mind talked into believing and those beans were simply placebos, but it they worked.  I felt like I got a little shot of energy to pick me up.  About seven or eight miles later I ate the orange beans and again I was feeling strong.  And at the end of my eighteen miles, I felt better and recovered much faster than last week’s fourteen miler. (The fact that last week was over eighty degrees and this week was under seventy may have something to do with it also).  But whatever it was, I’m giving at least some credit to the Jelly Belly beans. 

I’ve read that your body needs fuel if your run is longer than seventy-five minutes and now I believe it.  I never used anything except water on runs before but I’m sticking with fuel – or beans in this case.

Cross Country vs. Road Race

Last Thursday I learned the difference between a road race and a cross country race.  I normally train on paved roads and run local road races on paved roads – FLAT, paved roads.  Thursday, my friend Greg and I went to Concordia University in Ann Arbor to run in the last 5k of a 4 week series they had been hosting.  From the starting area you could see a few hills but the CU coach told us the course went through some woods and behind the dorms and that there were more hills we couldn’t see from the start.

At 7:00PM the coach gathered all the participants and explained the course again, then told us that although this was a casual race series with no T-shirts (I didn’t expect one for my $5 entry fee), there would be ribbons for the top ten male and top ten female finishers.  The sole female grinned and the rest of us quickly counted the small field – Whew! only nine guys – everyone gets a ribbon!  We lined up and the gun sounded.  The small field took off.   The high school aged kids sprinted toward the first hill while Greg, me and the two other apparent 40+ year-old guys fell in behind them.

I quickly realized that cross country is much different than running on flat pavement.  This new Concordia course is a mixture of steep ups and downs and rolling, deceiving hills.  I tried to keep a steady pace but could feel myself laboring up each hill.  Eventually I crossed the finish and received a nice purple ribbon for 7th place.  Not bad, I thought, no one needs to know there were only nine males running.

So, I need to add some trails, grass and hill training to my schedule. Or stick to pavement road races.

From the Dream Cruise to the Green Cruise all in one run.

Summer nights in Metro Detroit used to mean Cruising.  Driving around looking for friends, or making new friends while racing cars away from the lights on Woodward Avenue.  And now the third Saturday in August is the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. It’s a huge event with about a million people lined up for 10 miles along Woodward watching classic cars cruise.  

Last Saturday morning as I was about five miles into a fifteen mile run I was heading into downtown Clawson.  A small city with a classic downtown Main Street.  And Main Street was lined with people in lawn chairs under canopies, to protect from the sun, while they watched classic cars cruise slowly through town in a Pre-Woodward Dream Cruise mini-event.  There were bright red ‘57 Chevys, a yellow ‘70 Dodge Charger, a racing green ‘75 Mustang II and dozens more.  Someone had the Beach Boys cranked up for everyone within a block to hear.  As I negotiated my way through the crowds I was thinking about cruising Woodward in high school with my friend Joe in his 1974 Nova SS.  Windows down, wind blowing’ and tires squealing.

Then, about five miles later as I was heading into downtown Ferndale, another small city with a classic downtown, I heard a marching bass drum and saw flags and bicycle riders coming down the main street.  I remembered then that Ferndale was holding the ”Green Cruise” that Saturday.  The Sierra Club was promoting it to get people to give up cars for a morning and walk or pedal to save gas.  At least that was my impression of the event.  So that got me thinking, yes, I should ride my bike more often.  Instead of drivingthe a half-mile to pick up a gallon of milk at the mini-mart I could ride my bike.  Or when I just need a small part for a repair project, the hardware store is an easy 10 minute bike ride away.

So in one fifteen mile run I had gone from Dream Cruise and gas-burning muscle cars to the Green Cruise and gas-saving pedal power.  I was amused by that and also glad that I’m still able to use good old footpower and log fifteen miles on a Saturday morning.