Hooked on LSDs

Should I try it or not? I knew it was dangerously addictive. I had heard of so many innocent, naive people in the past who simply experimented with this and, after experiencing the proverbial high, they could never let it go; they were forever hooked.

I stood there in the middle of the road, my mind racing. I took a deep breath and did it. I gave the LSD a try.

For non-runners or newbies, LSD in the running world is this: LONG, SLOW DISTANCE. As Jeff Galloway emphasizes in his book: “They are the single most important element in your program.” Here are some of the benefits one can derive from a long, slow distance run:

1. strengthens your heart
2. increases endurance
3. trains your muscles to burn fat more efficiently
4. increases number and size of mitochondria
5. increases capillary growth into muscle fibers
6. increases myoglobin concentration in muscle fibers
7. increases aerobic efficiency
8. increase in maximum VO2
9. builds your mental toughness

Yes, I survived the very first LSD I did alone last Saturday! (Hey ultramarathoners, don’t laugh, 20 km is long for me!)

The greatest thing about this is that I thoroughly enjoyed it! At first I thought I would succumb to exhaustion or boredom, but it was quite the opposite. I was excited to see the outcome of this challenge I put out for myself. Could I do it? 30 minutes into the run, I felt strong. I wondered, could adding Back Street Boys to my playlist have helped in giving me that extra energy today?

1 hour in and I still felt strong, but I was getting a bit worried about hydration. So, I headed back to my headquarters (read: my in-laws house) and played the part of a trail runner. You see, before the run, I surreptitiously hid half a bottle of gatorade in their garage (just as trail runners plant their snacks and drinks in the bushes). Excitedly, I snuck into the garage, inhaled the gatorade in a second, and headed out again for the 2nd part of my run full revitalized.

Somewhere after the 1st hour, I felt slight knee pain. Wary of my meniscus problem, I varied the pace (I know, I know, I should’ve been going a little bit slower) and I added a few walking breaks. I initially planned on getting just 18 km in, but due to my lack of navigational skills, I miscalculated my distance and found myself closing in on 20 km when my car was still nowhere in sight. Fortunately, I survived without having to scrape myself off the road. After several minutes, Lance Armstrong announced I had ran the farthest distance in my record. Woohoo!

After such a fantastic experience, I wondered how anyone who’s ever tried LSD resist not to do this long, run at least once every two weeks (as prescribed by Jeff)? I can only expect to crave for this very, very often. I am hooked on LSD, I tell you.

Reference: Dr. Stephen M. Pribut