Almost everyone has had “THE URGE”. You know how bad it feels to be in the middle of a long run and then feel that queasy feeling start in your stomach. You start thinking about where the next bathroom is on your course and hoping that you can hold it until then. Well a year ago a local company tested out a solution here at 26.2 Running Company. Now it is in full production called PREV and we love it. We have seen absolute success in everyone who has tried this product and highly recommend it for any runner who has had any problems with GI distress before, during or after a race or workout. We have compiled a personal experience by one of our employees and then a review of the product itself. Let us know your experience!
Like many runners I have occasionally experienced problems with Athlete’s G.I. Stress or Runner’s Diarrhea during my long runs and speed workouts and needed something to prevent it from happening during races.Anyone that has trained for a marathon or important race knows how important it is to be feeling 100% on race day. The is a brand new product out now called PREV which is an all natural combination of herbal extracts that reduces Athlete’s G.I. stress , diarrhea, nausea and upset stomach.I followed the directions and took one tablespoon of PREV 30 minutes before the start of the Chicago Marathon.Happily I never had a problem with Runner’s Diarrhea or upset stomach during the race.PREV has a pretty mild mint flavor which tastes good. I will definitely be taking it before training runs and races in the future.-26.2 Running Co. Employee
PREV is a liquid combination of natural herbal extracts specifically formulated to shut down Runner’s Diarrhea before it starts. It brings liberation from the stomach cramping and bathroom breaks that often dictate running schedule, route, and performance.It works great for the pre-race/competition anxiety, nausea, and upset stomach. The smooth mint flavor and thin consistency help PREV to go down easily. It is manufactured by MBi Nutraceuticals, a local company, which has been manufacturing premium nutritional supplements for over 20 years. Prev was formulated and tested on a large number of athletes from many sports over a two year period.
Ingredients
Each of the ingredients in PREV has a special purpose to help calm your digestive tract. PREV is all natural—no chemicals or drugs—just the right combination of herbs and natural flavorings. Chamomile and peppermint have been used for centuries to calm troubled tummies. Modern science, research and development, and extensive testing have combined with experience to produce a formula centered on these tried and true remedies.
- ·Black Walnut—promotes healthy digestion, helps to balance blood sugar, has anti-bacterial and anti-diarrheal properties, and helps to flush out toxins and pathogens from the body.
- ·Star Anise—used in Eastern medicine to treat nausea and vomiting, naturally freshens bad breath and soothes the stomach.
- ·Ginger—calms an upset stomach, naturally freshens breath, relieves nausea and dizziness associated with motion sickness, relieves gas and bloating, anti-diarrheal properties.
- ·Peppermint Oil—treats symptoms of gas, remedy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), relieves heartburn, and calms smooth muscles. (Smooth muscles line the gastrointestinal tract.)
- ·Chamomile—soothes nerves and stomach aches, eases symptoms of IBS, promotes healthy digestion.
- ·Bilberry—reduces inflammation, improves circulation, antiseptic, anti-diarhheal properties.
Who Needs Prev?
If you suffer from pre-run, during the run, or post-run diarrhea, Prev is the answer.
Sometimes even short distances, especially races or other stressful runs can cause runner’s diarrhea to attack. PREV can prevent the problem if taken before the run, but it can slow the problem down if you’ve waited until after the onset of the cramping to take your PREV.
How Should You Use PREV?
Take PREV just before you run. For those with serious problems, or during especially long or hot runs, you can take PREV mid-race as well. You can use PREV post-run if you suffer from diarrhea after a strenuous workout.
One dose of PREV is just one tablespoon. One bottle holds 12 doses. For most runners, one dose taken thirty minutes before a run will prevent runner’s diarrhea. Some runners who experience severe symptoms will find that one dose will reduce the symptoms but that a second dose mid-run or post-run is needed to completely eliminate the problem.
All of our bodies are unique—and the impact runner’s diarrhea has is different for all of us. If you get an upset stomach there are a few other things you can do to help your tummy out:
-don’t eat in the two hours prior to your run
-hydrate, but not with caffeine or sugary drinks
-reduce fiber intake in the 24 hours before a long or important run
-ease up on dairy in the 24 hours before too—especially if you know dairy upsets your stomach
-figure out the best time to take your PREV, and take it!
How is Prev different from other products?
Unlike other stomach soothing products commonly sold over the counter, Prev does not promote dehydration via diarrhea. No one is completely sure what causes Runner’s Diarrhea. It could be the pre-race anxiety. It could be the physical bouncing around of the digestive tract. It could be different things for different people. Researchers have studied the phenomenon for years and there is an academic of debate on the specific cause. There’s no debate on this though—PREV works. Whatever causes it, don’t let it beat you.
Are you careful about what you put in your body? We’re careful about it too–Each of the ingredients in PREV has a special purpose to help calm your digestive tract. PREV is all natural—no chemicals or drugs—just the right combination of herbs and natural flavorings. Chamomile and peppermint have been used for centuries to calm troubled tummies. Modern science, research and development, and extensive testing have combined with experience to produce a formula centered on these tried and true remedies.
PREV is safe, natural, easy to use, tastes great and additionally, PREV naturally freshens the breath and helps keep “runner’s mouth” at bay. For our review we rate it a 10/10.
By David Murphy
Every marathoner dreams of running the Boston Marathon.My dream was met with disastrous results because long before the finish line my electrolytes ran out.
I was cruising along with some running buddies with my pace chart on my wrist. All of us were aiming for a 2:45 pace and felt we had trained well to hit that target. We were chatting and discussing how crazy it was to be racing through crowds of cheering people.
Then it happened, I got the worst cramping in one of my calves. After pushing through it for a few miles I had to stop and use a curb to stretch out the hardened knot that had formed. To
spectators I must have looked like I was finishing an ultra marathon because I could hardly even walk. I forced myself to continue and was fine for about a mile and then both my legs cramped up all the way from the calves to the upper thighs. It was excruciating. For the final miles I had remaining I walked or ran-hobbled like an old man who had never run a day in his life. Those of you who have experienced this know how devastating it is to your race and destructive to running motivation.Understanding what happened that day and finding a proper solution revived my spirit and brought renewed confidence.
What is it? Hammer Nutrition has a product they debuted several years ago called Endurolytes. Used by bikers for years they are a gel capsule that is taken with water while you are running. I have been using Endurolytes for the last year and it has been a miracle. I have not had one cramp since. Cramping is your body’s final warning signal that you’ve used up your electrolyte stores. However, your performance i
s deteriorating and you are slowing down long before you feel the slightest twinge of a cramp. Your body can ingest a maximum of 150-200 calories per hour during exercise; it can, however, use (via sweat, muscle enervation and mental functioning) a limitless amount of electrolytes. Endurolytes are a mix of these vital electrolytes, easily delivered in pill form.
How it works: To keep your body’s muscular, digestive, nervous, and cardiac systems firing on all cylinders you need a consistent supply of all electrolytic minerals, not just sodium and potassium. In fact salt tablets or too much sodium is counterproductive and can cause swelling.Plus, in many instances, you require greater volumes of electrolytes than any sports drink or gel can provide. That is why Endurolytes fulfills such a crucial component of your fueling by supplying your body with a balanced, full-spectrum, rapidly assimilated electrolyte source, allowing you to meet your widely vari
able electrolyte needs with tremendous precision, hour after hour, no matter what the weather throws at you.
When to use: I mention weather because as I reflect on the race day it was about 70 degrees at the start and got up to 80 before I finished with normal East Coast 80% humidity. I was obviously unprepared for this. I recommend that runners take Endurolytes whenever their workout will extend beyond 1 hour, the temperature is above 70 degrees, humidity is above 70%, or you are going to be running in temp or humidity 10% more than you are accustomed to. Endurolytes are not just for cramping.Endurolytes aid peak performance by giving optimal electrolytes to keep your muscles firing and other nervous responces operating smoothly.Personally I take one capsule every time I use a Roctane. For severe cramping it is recommended you take more, 1-6 per hour and possibly some before or after the race.
Ease of use: Endurolytes are very easy to take with you. They go down tasteless, without any of the offensive taste problems of Gu-like supplements. Also don’t do what I did one race and put the pills unprotect
ed in the sports pockets of your shorts. The first few will be fine but after that the sweat from your body will dissolve the pills with ease. All you will be left with is a mush of salty solution in your pocket. The best protection is to store them in an accessory belt if you run with one, or prepare them in the most basic of plastic sandwich bags, the very thin ones with no ziplock and then put the whole thing in the pockets of your running shorts. For those of you who would rather have a non-pill solution it does come in a powder form that you can mix with water and carry that as you run. This will have a flavor but will give the same performance.
Ingredients: Endurolytes contain proper ratios of chelated minerals which provide proper absorbtion. Chelation is the process of bonding each mineral to an amino acid. Bonding makes mineral digestion and assimilation easier.
Endurolytes contain these minerals:
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Calcium – most abundant mineral in human body
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Magnesium – When calcium flows into working muscle cells, the muscle contracts, when calcium leaves and magnesium replaces it, the muscle relaxes
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Potassium – Chief Cation within all muscle cells
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Sodium – Chief Cation outside the muscle cells
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Chloride – Necessary in maintaining the osmotic tension in both blood and extra-cellular fluids
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Manganese – Necessary in trace amounts for optimal muscle cell enzyme reactions for conversion of fatty acids and protein into energy
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Pydroxine HCL – Coenzyme that performs in 60 enzymatic reactions involving metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and protein
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Tyrosine – Amino acid, which has been added because when blood plasma deficiencies occur during extreme endurance events, low thyroid and low adrenal production result
Pricing: Endurolytes come in two differently sized packages. The first is a sample pack with 4 pills in each pack. These are good for first timers who just want to try them to see how they work. You can pick these up for a mere $1.50. After you find out that you love them (which I am absolutely sure you will) Endurolytes come in bottles for those using them more regularly. Bottles have 120 capsules and are affordable at $25. A perfect low cost addition to your training program.
Find your balance. As with all sports nutritional products you have to find the correct amount and frequency to take them so you have the optimal production. Every single body is physiologically different and thus handles nutrition differently. Test out how many you need to take to get the best results. I’ve raced with increased confidence since using Endurolytes.Don’t let cramping and muscle fatigue keep you from having an enjoyable race.Use Endurolytes!
Product Review: The Stick
In 2006 I ran my 3rd Boston Marathon and discovered the most amazing running invention called The Stick.I thought it was a gimmick at first.I was at the expo the day before the race.Walking past a booth a man named Patrick with an Australian accent coaxed me over so he could rub out my calves with his yellow handled stick with white round beads.Oh, the pain!!!He told me it targeted knots and I believed.The next day I ran a negative split marathon and felt great at the end. Of course this was mostly due to the months of training I’d done previous but deep down inside I also had to admit my calves had never felt this good after a marathon. I was converted!
The stick is made by Intracell Technology and has been used and endorsed by top athletes in almost every sport.It has 1 inch wide spindles that spin freely around a semi flexible core.By rolling the stick along the muscle tissue it warms, relaxes, and works knots out.It flexible core and spindles wrap around and contour to the muscle targeting and reducing trouble spots without bruising.
This type of deep tissue massage releases knots or trigger points removing lactic acid and allows increased blood flow to stimulate healthy muscle growth.In simple terms; Muscle knots don’t allow the muscle to flex or work properly. This can affect other muscles around it or strain its connective tissue.No matter how great your workout is, a muscle with a knot isn’t going to strengthen and repair as well as a healthy relaxed muscle.
What makes it so special?
When I was in college our coach once a week would have us give deep tissue leg massages to each other.We’d slop lotion on our calves and with sometimes intense pressure run our thumbs up the leg of our poor running partner.It was excruciating but did the trick.We always left feeling like our legs were more relaxed and springier.The stick does this same thing without lotion, without a partner, and better and more precisely than our clumsy thumbs!
I’ve heard of other people using a rolling pin which does work to some degree but has drawbacks.Rolling pins don’t contour to the muscle. Therefore they can bruise and flatten out the muscle without releasing the knot and causing unneeded pain.
The stick comes in a variety of sizes and stiffnesses.I prefer the marathon stick 20” long (yellow handle) which is more flexible than the original stick for my calves.Marathoners typically have leaner muscle and not as much therefore the stick doesn’t have to penetrate as deeply to be effective. This flexibility allows greater muscle contour as well.
I also have enjoyed the original stick 24” long (blue handle) because it is longer for working back muscles and is stiffer for glutes, IT bands and quads.The Travel stick 17” long (red handle) has the same flexibility as the original but is shorter for ease of packing.
Here is what Intracell’s website says about their product:
Athletes in all sports and at all levels can benefit from the Stick. Many thousands of high school, college, university and Olympic athletes follow the lead of numerous professionals including: New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres….
Some Stick benefits include:
- Warms muscle without expending vital energy stores
- Performs both general and segmental stretching procedures
- Removes trigger point barriers to peak athletic performance
- Enhances strength, flexibility and endurance
- Accelerates muscle recovery and relieves pain
Speed, Strength and Endurance
Emphasis on flexibility training by most athletes is almost non-existent. However, flexibility is crucial for developments in speed, strength and endurance. The usual approach to flexibility is less than optimal since muscle rarely stiffens uniformly. Typically, isolated segments of muscle become chronically shortened. Intracell Technology allows an athlete to perform general stretching as well as segmental stretching procedures with a high degree of precision.
Growth, Repair and Glycogen
Restricted blood flow to the muscles following exercise hinders muscle growth, muscle repair and glycogen repletion. Blood flow restrictions are due to generalized muscle tightness and barrier trigger points. Intracell Technology relaxes tight muscle to enhance muscle growth, repairs tissue and augments glycogen repletion following heavy exercise.
Enhanced Lactic Acid Removal
During exercise, lactic acid can build to critical levels where optimal performance is sacrificed, Intracell Technology expedites the discharge of lactic acid from your muscles and encourages its conversion into glucose by the liver. Intracell Technology appears to be very promising in the arena of enhanced sport performance. Look for more research along these lines in the future.
Comparable Products:
Foam Rollers: These do a great job as well with rolling out and relaxing muscles tissue.I find them harder to use on my calves but a little easier to use on my IT bands if I have ample floor space for laying down.
Pro-Tec roller Massage: A mix between the stick and foam rollers.The spindles are wider and have foam on them.I felt like this product was a knock-off and was inferior.
Pricing:
- Original Stick: $42.50
- Marathon Stick:$31.95
- Travel Stick: $27.50
I recommend this product to all runners old and young, elite or just starting.Using it decreases recovery time, decreases injuries, and aides recovery from injuries.It is my favorite running accessory!
David Bell
- First of all, their unique design targets your muscles in the right areas, from the supportive chevrons in the front to the calf hammock in back, all forming to the contours of your leg individually, giving maximum support.The compression also reduces jarring and vibration on sore muscles, and who doesn’t want that?
- Second, the fabric is breathable with thermal regulation, so don’t let warmer temperatures scare you away from wearing them.We’re talking the best of moisture-wicking fabric here.
- Third, Zensah uses what’s called “graduated compression.”This means the design of the sleeve helps increase blood circulation by actually pushing your blood up towards your heart, allowing your heart to pump oxygen rich blood back faster, providing you greater performance and even faster recoveries.
difference in getting the wetsuit off during transition.
By David Bell
Reflectivity is crucial to runners.Most of us have a day job which leaves our exercise to be crammed into the early hours of morning or dark hours of night.Gone are the days when you could find yourself running on a deserted road for miles and miles (if you know a road like this than please let me know). I wish there was a running lane on every street, actually a nice shoulder would be sufficient but on almost every outing I’ve run on sections of road that barely have enough pavement to be considered a road.High traffic and low to no light creates dangerous situations. Proper reflectivity through a running vest is a great solution.
I consider three things in choosing a good running vest.
- High Reflectivity in all 360 Degrees- Car headlights should make it impossible for me not to be noticed from 100 meters away in all directions.
- Superior Low Light Visibility- I want to stand out at dusk and dawn when there is still a little light out, enough that reflectivity isn’t as effective.
- Form Fitting-I shouldn’t even realize I am wearing a reflective vest. This includes range of motion and ventilation properties.
Amphipod’s Full Visibility Reflective Vest is one of the best running vests on the market for ensuring those three things.The vest has a total of 70 square inches of 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material on the Front, Back, Sides, and Shoulders.Amphipod uses a 3M Yellow which looks like a neon yellow/light green.It has been found to be the most visible color to the eye in low light conditions. One of my reps has told me that fire engines will soon be this yellow color instead of red!!!
The vest comes in two sizes which accommodates most physiques.Don’t expect it to drape down to your hips.The bottom of my vest is about2 inches above my belly button.This is ideal in avoiding swishing.The vest is put on by placing it over the head and then by securing the two Velcro side straps snugly around your torso.You really will forget that you are wearing it.
An added bonus is the large front zipper pocket to hold things like gloves, bib numbers, keys, energy gels, etc. The vest can be machine or hand washed in cold, dried on tumbled low or on a flat dry surface.
I have listed a few of the above facts in bullet point for easy reference:
- Up to 70% more reflective area than most standard running vests
- 3M Scotchlite™ reflecive material – high brilliance silver
- Extra large real capacity zip front pocket for essentials
- Front, rear and side reflective booster zones for full 360 degree reflectivity
- Breathable and feather-lite fully vented Meshlite™ construction
- Two custom sizes with adjustability for a perfect fit
Conquer the Night!
Distance, Pace, Heart Rate, and more!
Garmin somehow keeps managing to improve upon their previous GPS watches. Anyone who has run with a Garmin knows that it is an extremely reliable and accurate GPS source for any kind of runner. The new 610 now has new and enhanced features, clearly making it the favorite in the Garmin lineup. Garmin is constantly improving upon the durability and accuracy of their already durable and accurate watches.
TOUCHSCREEN – Touch, tap or swipe for an easy to use, yet technologically advanced GPS watch. Stands up to rain, sweat, and some water; yet sensitive enough to operate with running gloves.
VIRTUAL RACER – On top of the famous Virtual Partner function that allows you to keep on goal pace, the Virtual Racer now allows you to Race your previous bests or an activity from another user. Accounts for varying speeds and real-time conditions.
TRAINING EFFECT –Train smarter with this effective training tool that categorizes heart rate into zones to help you to not over or under train.
VIBRATION ALERTS -Choose sound and/or vibration to notify you when you hit distance or time marks chosen by you.
CUSTOM WORKOUTS – Design your own custom interval and Fartlek workouts based on time, distance, pace, and heart rate.
- Compatible with fitness equipment to easily track and store indoor workouts
- Compatible for Cyclists. Switch to MPH and Cadence
- Optional Auto Lap (mile splits) and Auto Pause (when you stop)
- Easily sync your workouts with your computer on Garmin ConnectCOME PICK UP YOUR NEW GARMIN 610 GPS WATCH AT ONE OF OUR LOCATIONS TODAY!
Are you in need of a motivating running partner? Perhaps, even a partner that will track your distance run, heart rate, pace, and calories burned all while setting goals and encouraging you? Lucky for you, 26.2 can provide you with that perfect partner in the new Nike + SportWatch GPS.
Introduced in April of 2011, the Nike + SportWatch powered by TomTom GPS combines the accuracy of GPS with the shoe-based Nike+ sensor to track time, pace, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. Winner of two innovation awards at the Consumer Electronics Show in both the Health and Wellness and Personal Electronics categories, the Nike + SportWatch offers top of line technology to track and motivate runners worldwide.
IT’S ACCURATE!
• Different from other GPS watches, the Nike+ SportWatch GPS combines the accuracy of both a GPS and the shoe-based Nike+ sensor to track both indoor and outdoor runs.
IT’S MOTIVATING!• Onscreen run reminders help you get out the door and special programming lets you know when you have reached personal records.IT’S EASY TO USE!
• The large numbers and touch screen features make the Nike + SportWatch very user friendly!
• The wristband conceals a USB connector that you just flip open, plug into your PC and start logging every detail of your run.
• Your runs are chronicled by date, available for others to see, plotted against Google Maps, and your pace is overlaid in full color.
IT’S AFFORDABLE!
• 26.2 customers can purchase this watch and everything it has to offer for their running for a very affordable $199.99!
Sometimes you come across a product that you love so much that you want everyone to be able to reap its benefits. SportLegs is an amazing product that I have been using about a month now but I never want to do another leg work out or long run without it.I’m sure we have all been excited to go out running but soon after we begin we realize that our legs just don’t want to cooperate, they feel like they weigh 100 lbs. There is no better way to ruin a perfectly good run than to deal with tired legs.A month ago I found SportLegs, I decided to take them on my “leg day” I got done with all of the squats, lunges and a whole array of hard stuff. I then headed into a spin class. I found myself going crazy, I couldn’t feel any pain or discomfort in my legs, usually it is quite difficult to do a spin class or run for that matter after working my legs. I was flying and it felt awesome. After the 45 minutes of spin I headed out for a quick little run. I did a 5K faster than ever before. I then went home and took another pill to help lessen any soreness that I could have inflicted upon myself. The next day I was sore but it was not near as bad as I thought it was going to be.
The next Saturday was my first 18 miler of the year that was NOT to be completed on the treadmill. I woke up and took SportLegs. Two weeks previous to this one I had gone on a 17 mile run outside and by mile 14 I just wanted to blink myself home…I was DONE. This time though was a very different story. I felt AMAZING! I think I could have run all day long, my legs weren’t tired at all. I didn’t have anything holding me back. In fact, once I got home and drank my protein shake I went on a 4 mile walk with my kids.
The good thing about SportLegs is that you don’t have to take it every day there is no “loading” where you have to take it for a few weeks in order to start noticing its benefits. You take it 1 hour before you start exercising and again after your work out is complete, if you want to help ward off excessive soreness.
Here is what Sportlegs.com has to say about the science behind their amazing product:
Lactate, commonly called lactic acid, is turning out to be seriously amazing stuff. Science no longer regards it as a waste product of anaerobic exercise, as was thought for most of the 20th century. Lactate is now recognized as a key carbohydrate muscle fuel source which muscles produce, exchange and consume both at rest and during exercise. And it’s the primary ingredient in SportLegs. What’s alternately termed the Lactate System or Lactic Acid System is now recognized as the primary source of energy for short-term “sprint” activities. Since most competitive sports are nothing more than sequences of sprint activities, lactate remains a focus of current research. For instance, during exercise, it’s recently come to light that your blood may actually transport more lactate than glucose to fuel muscles (20). At rest and during light exercise, your muscles balance lactate production and consumption, producing just as much lactate as they consume (21). But kicking up the pace upsets the balance:
When you start serious exercise, muscles produce more lactate than they consume (1,2,3,4,5), particularly at altitude (2,6), which is why skiers and mountain bike racers suffer more “burn” than most. This continues until the concentration of lactate in your blood rises enough to signal muscles to stop producing excess lactate (7,8,9,10,11,12,13). Until this happens, a domino effect begins which limits your subsequent performance: Lactate accumulates in muscles; limbs “pump up” and feel heavier. The harder you exercise, the more lactate accumulates (14). Lactate accumulated from flow imbalance quickly becomes acidic (14,15) and even less mobile (16), further exacerbating accumulation. This “Lactic Acidosis” is classically associated with reduced Lactate Threshold, reaching the “burn point” at a lower level of exertion. Muscular strength plummets as well (17,18,19).
How taking SportLegs first helps performance: SportLegs uses lactate, your body’s primary high-exertion muscle fuel, to signal muscles not to overproduce lactate before you even begin exercise. Muscles switch from lactate overproduction to net lactate consumption in response to a rise in blood lactate concentration, regardless of whether blood lactate is raised naturally or from exogenous infusion (7,8,9,10,11,12,13). That’s precisely what SportLegs accomplishes. It’s 86.4% lactate. Taken an hour before exercise, SportLegs raises blood lactate, so you experience exercise with less limb “pump” and heaviness, and improved lactate transfer facilitates a noticeably higher Lactate Threshold. Reduced lactate accumulation means less retention of free radicals and other metabolic wastes in muscle tissues, for faster recovery and less next-day soreness.
SportLegs also contains calcium and magnesium, which are two things that are lost when we sweat. You don’t get calcium or magnesium from sport drinks. SportLegs is one supplement that I would recommend to anyone who loves to run but hates that heavy leg feeling that drags you down.
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