If It's Good Enough for Lance...

After last Sunday's 22 miler, I'm now in taper mode, which could also be described as "voodoo" mode for me. Over the next 20 days, I'll be taking every supplement I come across that offers promises of enhanced performance (not THAT kind - I've got enough spam about THAT), but the kind that might help me shave exactly three minutes off my marathon PR so I can get to Boston.

One of the substances I'd been curious about is FRS, which I first learned about when I clicked on a banner ad with Lance Armstrong a few months ago. Think of that: I don't click on many banner ads, but Lance Armstrong's face was enough to make me curious enough to stretch my mouse a few pixels and click.

While the website was interesting and believable, the fact is that at $2.50/serving, it ain't cheap. The market for something to believe in might be infinite, but my budget isn't.

But over the weekend, three things happened:
1.) I stumbled across this article in Men's Journal about FRS, which explained how the product might be the world's first "real energy drink." It also talked about the product's ability to boost VO Max.
2.) I had a miserable 10 mile effort on Saturday morning. I was unprepared for one of the most humid days of the summer and rather than doing 8 miles at marathon pace, I managed only 4 (though I did complete the full 10, albeit slower). In my last peak weekend, I had my first failed workout of the season. I was upset and frustrated and desperate: a marketer's dream.
3.) Armed with the Men's Journal article, I went to GNC. The plan was to buy enough FRS for a week or so, at which time I thought I might buy more if I thought it was working. Amazingly, though, the local GNC had a ton of the stuff at 80% off - about 35 cents a serving. Why? It turns out it will expire, but not until the end of October!

I cleared out the shelves of all the discount product, giving me almost enough to get to my marathon, for $21! I was stoked.

I drank my first FRS the next morning, before my 22 miler. The 22 miler went awesome. Now, it could be because my blood sugar and Perpetuem danced like lovers for 3 hours, leaving me with a level blood sugar you couldn't make flatter with an iron, or it could've been because the humidity was lower Sunday, or it could've been because I had some extra left in the tank after Saturday's poor workout.

But then again, it could've been the Lance-juice, my latest weapon in the battle for Boston.

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